The rain in the courtyard had stopped, but the moonlight came late, leaving the room dim and muted.
Shen Zechuan’s lowered eyes were hidden in the darkness, like a weary traveler anchored after a long night’s tide. When he looked at Ji Gang again, his gaze was different from before—so different it was as if he had shed the skin called “Fuzhu,” leaving only a single ground of moonlight behind.
“If I had not had Master and Ce’an,” Shen Zechuan said, “I would still be myself. Only, I would no longer be someone who fears everyone in the world—instead, everyone in the world would fear me. I carry Shen Wei’s blood; I do not need descendants.”
Ji Gang’s heart ached sharply, nearly bringing him to tears. He said, “You are my son.”
“I am Master’s disciple, but my name is Shen Zechuan. Sir taught me poetry and books, but I am not an emperor.”
An emperor.
The supreme figure who looks down upon all under heaven. One does not become an emperor merely by wearing a crown. An emperor must not only master the art of balancing power and strategy, but also possess a heart vast enough to embrace all living beings. The emperors honored in times of prosperity are all benevolent, invincible rulers.
Shen Zechuan’s eyes held storms within them. He was a sudden rain sweeping across the realm, a blade tearing through heaven and earth—but he was not the emperor who would establish a flourishing age.
“Li Bei has one hundred twenty thousand iron cavalry. They could trample Zhongbo with ease. Yet Ce’an has entrusted me with his lifeline. I have his horses, and I also have the grain from his elder brother. He is willing to leave the grasslands of Li Bei and ride within my Duanzhou. Master, he is not afraid of my garrison forces, and I am not afraid of his iron cavalry. One day, I will corral the deer that the Li clan abandoned, and Ce’an will corral me in return. The sun and moon coexist in the same heavens—they have never destroyed each other over tens of thousands of years. This is the peace everyone longs for. We are the balance itself.”
The blazing sun and the radiant moon!
When war ceases, it merely becomes the beginning of another war. No ruler will ever tolerate their coexistence in the East. Only if Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan stand together can Li Bei and Zhongbo both gain a chance to recover.
Xiao Jiming built a horse ranch in Luoshan, and Shen Zechuan allowed it. That was his concession to Li Bei, and also his giving Li Bei an opportunity. The horse roads built by Zhongbo would break through the borders between the two lands—once merged, they would become a colossal force dominating the northeast.
Ji Gang sat in silence and said, “He fights well with the Ji family fist, moving freely without restraint—what is there to fear? Even so, you and he have no descendants. This matter remains unresolved. Li Bei and Zhongbo cannot endure like this forever.”
Xiao Chiye was already fully armored, waiting inside the room for Shen Zechuan’s return. From under the eaves came the sound of wheels. Fei Sheng lifted the curtain for Yao Wenyu and said, “Fuzhu has not returned yet.”
Yao Wenyu’s thin blanket over his knees was slightly damp. He supported himself in his wheelchair and said, “I want to see Second Master.”
Fei Sheng hesitated. Xiao Chiye spoke from inside, “I am here.”
Yao Wenyu declined Fei Sheng’s assistance and wheeled himself in alone. Xiao Chiye drew his legs in, straightened up at the table, and placed the military book beside him.
“What brings Yuan Jue to see me?” he asked.
“It is rare to see Second Master, and some matters are not suitable for letters. They must be discussed in person,” Yao Wenyu said, wiping sweat from his hands. “Do you have time?”
Xiao Chiye leaned back slightly. “What is it that requires you to avoid speaking with Lanshan and come to me instead?”
Yao Wenyu carefully folded his handkerchief and put it away. He was unhurried as he spoke amid the steady rain outside.
“Li Bei’s matter naturally concerns Second Master more directly. Now that the Empress Dowager has suffered a setback in the capital, Xue Yanqing’s next move will be to strip Han Chen of military authority. Once the Crown Prince ascends, in order to stabilize the Great Commander, rewards will certainly be given to Qidong. Will Second Master still go to the borderlands appointment?”
Xiao Chiye would of course go. The border journey determined whether Ha Sen’s surprise attack on Duanzhou would succeed, and he trusted Ji Chuan.
Yao Wenyu received his answer from Xiao Chiye’s silence and shifted the topic.
“The heir…” he began, then corrected himself. “The young lord of the Xiao family, Xiao Xun—does he have a tutor in Dajing?”
Xiao Chiye tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “You want to teach Xun’er.”
He was extremely perceptive, instantly catching the implication in Yao Wenyu’s shift of topic. The Crown Prince was about to ascend, and once the war with Beisha ended, they might part ways with Qidong. Shen Zechuan was preparing to seize the capital of Duzhou, and Yao Wenyu was already considering matters of succession.
“Our wolves of Li Bei,” Xiao Chiye said, lifting his gaze slightly, “do not become emperors.”
Yao Wenyu replied calmly, “Even without a heir, if it is another child, it would not bear the surname Shen. Fuzhu will not allow the Shen lineage to enter the ancestral temple.”
Xiao Chiye said, “Xun’er is the heir of Li Bei. My elder brother would never agree.”
Yao Wenyu was silent for a moment, then changed his tone into that of a friend speaking plainly.
“Do you have another method?”
In the rain-soaked capital, preparations for the Cold Food Banquet were underway. As time passed in alternating rain and clear skies, the Cold Food Festival arrived.
Inside the palace, Han Chen arrived at the banquet. On his left sat Ji Chuan. He glanced sideways and said, “Does the Great Commander intend to return to Qidong soon? The spring rains are unpredictable, and the roads are not easy for horses.”
Ji Chuan turned his wine cup slowly and replied, “The borderlands are urging me. I should have left long ago, but the rain in the capital has not stopped.”
Han Chen sneered inwardly.
Of course. With matters unfinished, how could the inner cabinet allow Ji Chuan to leave? Everyone’s lives in the cabinet depended on Qidong’s garrison army. They only hoped to use Ji Chuan’s presence in the capital to remove him.
The two spoke idly until Fei Shi also arrived. As more guests entered, the Empress Dowager’s ceremonial arrival was announced.
Everyone rose and bowed. The Empress Dowager entered in full imperial adornment, showing no trace of fatigue, and sat down with only a single word of “rise.”
Shortly after, the Crown Prince, Li Jingtian, entered.
Han Chen observed from his seat, still wary. He had no weapons with him, and his men were positioned outside the hall. When the Crown Prince rose to toast the Empress Dowager, Han Chen also raised his cup.
“General is the Emperor’s right hand, entrusted with great responsibility. I admire you greatly,” Li Jingtian said.
Han Chen returned the courtesy.
When she drank, she had already filled Han Chen’s cup again.
Han Chen began to speak of military affairs, complaining about proposed reductions in military funds. The hall fell into tension.
Ji Gang stood and rebuked him, and Han Chen grew furious but restrained himself.
Then Li Jingtian said softly:
“Golden goblets shared in drinking, but blades show no mercy.”1
The hall doors slammed shut.
Chaos erupted.
Blood was spilled.
And in the end, Han Chen fell.
Li Jingtian stood amid the silence, blood on her hands, and declared:
“The Crown Prince is here. Who dares be a traitor?”
1 “Golden goblets shared in drinking, but blades show no mercy.”