Chapter 12: The Tale of the Boy Who Cried Wolf

In his previous life, Fang Xu had been the sole sales director in his company, and naturally, he understood a simple principle: if you intend to have someone sign a contract, you must control the direction of the conversation. You need to guide the other party to follow your steps, to think as you do. Only then could a contract be signed successfully.

Thus, at this moment, Fang Xu was effortlessly steering everyone's train of thought, making them analyze the situation as he wished, even though he himself had no idea what the barbarians truly intended. Yet, in his past life, Fang Xu had often played strategy games like Red Alert to pass the time, and from these games, he had learned another lesson: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a hundred battles. The purpose behind sending small groups of barbarian soldiers each time was to lull the frontier defenders into a false sense of security.

He wanted the border troops to develop a fixed mindset—that each time, the enemy was merely probing, not launching a true attack. This was exactly the barbarians’ plan. Furthermore, these incursions allowed them to test the strength and deployment of the border troops, so that, when the time was right, they could strike a decisive blow. Fang Xu found himself holding a measure of respect for the barbarian commander.

“Even if they only send small raiding parties each time, does that truly mean the barbarians plan a large-scale invasion of our Qin State?” The Court Minister, who had previously sided with Elder Zhang, spoke with some skepticism. Clearly, in the minds of these officials, although the barbarians frequently harassed the Qin borders, they were not truly a match for the might of Qin.

Hearing this, Fang Xu’s lips curled into a slight, involuntary smile.

“Foolish!” Fang Xu suddenly rebuked the Court Minister, and aware of the peculiar difference in their ranks, the minister could only swallow his indignation. “Do you think I am wrong to reproach you? Have you never heard the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’?” Fang Xu looked at Elder Zhang and the Court Minister with a faint smile. Both of them gazed back with puzzled expressions.

“My dear, what is this ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’?” Qin Suwen asked curiously, her eyes fixed on Fang Xu. Only then did Fang Xu realize—how could the Qin Dynasty possibly have heard of Aesop’s Fables?

Without hesitation, Fang Xu launched into an animated retelling of the story right there in the grand throne hall. Qin Suwen, seated upon the dragon throne, listened like an eager child. When she finally heard that the lying shepherd boy was eaten by wolves, while the villagers still believed he was lying, she could not help but furrow her brows with dismay.

“Elder Zhang, do you understand the meaning?” Fang Xu asked with a smile. Elder Zhang’s expression grew somewhat awkward. Though he was well versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, Fang Xu’s story was simple enough that its lesson was clear.

Now that he had grasped the point, Elder Zhang connected the tale to the recent strange behavior of the barbarians and immediately understood. “So that’s it! The barbarians plan to make our army believe every time it’s just a group of fifty men—so that when the time is right, they can catch us utterly unprepared!” General Meng Tian, who had been pondering quietly, finally looked at Fang Xu in astonishment.

Fang Xu nodded with a faint smile, ignoring the sour faces of Elder Zhang and the Court Minister—after all, his purpose had only been to warn General Meng Tian.

“Your Majesty, please give the order! I will return to the frontier at once and tell all the officers and men the story of the boy who cried wolf!” General Meng Tian cupped his fists and addressed Qin Suwen solemnly, fully aware of the grave consequences. If things were truly as Fang Xu described, it was entirely possible—even Meng Tian himself could have grown complacent. If the barbarians managed to seize the border fort in that brief moment of negligence, Meng Tian broke out in a cold sweat at the mere thought.

“In that case, General Meng Tian, hurry back to the frontier,” Qin Suwen ordered with a graceful wave of her slender wrist. General Meng Tian, relieved, quickly strode out of the hall, knowing that not a moment could be wasted. Unbeknownst to Fang Xu, his simple telling of the boy who cried wolf had just foiled the barbarians’ plan.

“Does anyone else have matters to report?” Qin Suwen asked her ministers, her gaze lingering on Fang Xu with a peculiar light. Fang Xu noticed and couldn’t help but touch his nose self-consciously.

“If there is nothing else, then the court is dismissed. My dear, come with me.” With that, Qin Suwen rose and left the grand hall, and Fang Xu quickly followed in her footsteps.

Once Fang Xu and Qin Suwen had left, the Court Minister muttered resentfully beside Elder Zhang, “Damn it! To make you lose face like that—how outrageous! She’s just a woman, after all!”

It seemed as though he was venting his frustration on Elder Zhang’s behalf, but how could Elder Zhang not see through his intentions?

A crisp slap echoed through the throne hall. The Court Minister clutched his face in disbelief, staring blankly at the cold-eyed Elder Zhang.

“Elder… Elder Zhang… You—why…” The Court Minister was thoroughly stunned by the sudden blow, unable to comprehend Elder Zhang’s motives.

“Did you really think I was so easily manipulated? You wanted to use me as your tool?” Elder Zhang looked at the minister with disgust, then shook out his sleeves and departed the hall, leaving the bewildered official standing alone.

In truth, the Court Minister had hoped Elder Zhang would avenge his humiliation—being rebuked by Fang Xu in front of the entire court had left him deeply disgruntled. Yet, he had not expected Elder Zhang to see through his scheme. Compared to Fang Xu’s earlier actions, Elder Zhang’s response filled the minister with even greater resentment.

“Zhang Wenxuan, you old fool! And Fang Xu! Just you wait!” Zhang Wenxuan was Elder Zhang’s full name. Clearly, the Court Minister had been thoroughly enraged by that slap.

Meanwhile, Fang Xu was oblivious to the fact that he had become a subject of someone’s ire. He was strolling through the rear gardens behind Qin Suwen, his gaze unconsciously drawn to her delicate figure ahead. For some reason, the sight reminded him of their intimacy the previous night. Sensing the ambiguity in his eyes, Qin Suwen spun around.

“Hey! Can’t you behave yourself? Where are you looking?” Qin Suwen scolded him shyly, covering her small, rounded hips.

Earlier, Fang Xu had stood above all in the grand hall, earning Qin Suwen’s respect. She had sought him out to ask some questions, but she had not expected him to revert to his incorrigible ways so quickly.