Seeing that Charles Clark did not respond, one of the retainers beside him asked again, “You tried to assassinate our young lord—what does that have to do with the state?”

The assassin spoke mournfully, “Now that Qin and Zhao are at war, Qin has captured Duyicheng, Gucheng, and the Zhao army’s western camps, taking six Zhao officers prisoner. From this, it seems that Robert Lane is nothing but rotten wood, no match for Qin. What Qin truly fears is you, General Charles Clark. If the King of Zhao were to appoint you as the commander-in-chief in place of Robert Lane, Qin would surely be defeated. I simply cannot bear to see Qin suffer such a crushing defeat in the future.”

“I※your※mother!!”

In an instant, Charles Clark shouted in fury. However, what he said was not in the Zhao dialect. Not only the assassin, but even the retainers were stunned—what language was their young lord speaking?? Charles Clark stood up, and only then realized that, in his agitation, he had spoken in the Mandarin of his previous life. But looking at the three before him, it seemed none of them understood what he had said. Charles Clark stared intently at the assassin, but in his heart, he already understood the other’s intentions.

Qin and Zhao were at war. The old general Robert Lane was conserving his strength, refusing to go out and fight, so Qin could not win. That’s why they wanted him to replace Robert Lane. This assassin was never here to kill him—he was here to spread rumors, to boost his reputation. Or perhaps, he really was here to kill him, but only to hand him over to Bai Qi for execution!

Having figured this out, Charles Clark calmed down and sat back down again. He did not kneel, which was quite rude. With a cold laugh, he said, “You can rest assured, I will absolutely not go to Changping. General Robert Lane is the bravest general in Zhao; I am far inferior to him. Even if the king himself orders me to go to Changping, I will never go!”

Hearing Charles Clark’s words, the assassin was startled, but quickly recovered and asked anxiously, “Does the young lord truly mean this?” This was not like the usual Charles Clark. Normally, Charles Clark was proud and aloof—when had he ever regarded Robert Lane highly? Not only the assassin, but even the guests were shocked, staring blankly at their young lord. Charles Clark recalled his previous words and realized that what he had just said was somewhat out of character.

Charles Clark narrowed his eyes, stood up, and walked over to the assassin. Under the assassin’s astonished gaze, Charles Clark signaled the two retainers to release him, and personally helped the assassin up. Grasping the assassin’s hand with emotion, and seeing the confusion on the assassin’s face, Charles Clark spoke sincerely and sorrowfully, “You and I have been friends for many years. If you can attempt to assassinate me for the sake of the state, how could I harm you for the same reason?”

“I would rather sit here and endure everyone’s scorn, rather admit that I am not as good as General Robert Lane, than do anything to harm you.”

“I regard you as family, as a confidant.”

“I, Charles Clark, swear that I would rather die than go to Changping to harm your compatriots! I, Charles Clark, will never do something so faithless and hurtful to a friend!!”

Charles Clark held the assassin’s hand, speaking with deep emotion.

The guests’ eyes grew moist. What a loyal and righteous master they followed! People always said Lord Pingyuan of Zhao was the most righteous, but now it seemed their young lord was the true man of honor!

The assassin stared blankly at Charles Clark before him.

He almost blurted out a beautiful phrase in the Qin dialect.

Chapter 002: Righteousness Soars to the Heavens, the Steed Serves Its Lord

After sending off the assassin, who was now questioning his very existence, Charles Clark finally had time to collect his thoughts.

In fact, this was not a bad thing. For someone who, at a young age, had been paralyzed in bed by high blood pressure and endured endless suffering, having such a healthy body was already a great joy for Charles Clark. Although this person’s fate might be tragic in the future, Charles Clark had his own ways to cope. As long as he didn’t go to Changping, wouldn’t everything be fine? Let Robert Lane continue to defend the front; even if he starved to death at home, he would never go to Changping!

As long as he didn’t go to Changping, relying on the wealth left by his late father David Clark, he could live a carefree life. Without the defeat at Changping, perhaps he would never see the fall of Zhao before his death, and could thus enjoy life in peace. Thinking this, Charles Clark quickly let go of his earlier panic and felt quite happy.

Soon, the two guests came in. Charles Clark recognized both of them—they had followed him for many years. The one with the full beard was called Miller; he seemed to be a Linhu man, not from the Central Plains. Four years ago, he came to Zhao, cold and starving, with nowhere to turn. Most nobles were unwilling to take in this foreign warrior, but the then sixteen-year-old Charles Clark, delighted to have a retainer come to him, had welcomed him with open arms and kept him.

As a warrior, Miller was extremely skilled, the best in the Zhao household. Including maids, the mistress, and another retainer over fifty, there were only seven people in the Zhao residence. The other guest was a local Zhao man named Grace, though his life had been most unfortunate. He lost his father young, then his mother, and wandered in Handan. Later, he got into trouble and was nearly beaten to death by several men, but Charles Clark saved his life. Thus, he stayed at the Zhao residence as a guest, and his martial skills were second only to Miller, making him the second best fighter in the household.