In the early spring of the Northern Frontier, the wind still carried a biting chill.
The newly appointed Governor of Linzhou, Lu Zhiyao, entered Linzhou City with the court’s appointment documents and the Crown Prince’s secret orders. The capital was a long distance from Linzhou, and after setting out with his entire household in a vast caravan of carriages and attendants, it took him nearly three full months to arrive.
Along the way, officials came ten li outside the city to welcome him, commoners lined the roads and bowed, the city gates stood wide open, and the ceremonial procession displayed an imposing grandeur.
Lu Zhiyao sat inside his carriage, lifting the curtain to look at all this, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Before he came, the Crown Prince had repeatedly warned him that Prince Su, Xiao Yuan, had amassed troops and wielded power in the Northern Frontier, while his Chief Secretary, Xia Lanshi, was an extremely cunning fox. The previous governor had fallen into their hands because of an assassination incident.
He had already prepared himself for a Hongmen Banquet, but unexpectedly, the handover went extraordinarily smoothly.
The prefectural office had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained. The official seal was placed properly on the desk, while the account books and household registers from previous years had all been sorted into their respective categories without the slightest omission.
There was no show of force, no deliberate obstruction.
Lu Zhiyao stroked the cold governor’s official seal and gave a cold laugh.
“Looks like Prince Su still knows his limits after all. He doesn’t dare openly tear his face with the imperial court.”
On Lu Zhiyao’s first day in office, in order to establish his authority, he deliberately ordered the drums beaten to convene the court and summon all the officials of Linzhou, large and small, for the first discussion of state affairs.
He sat upright in the grand chair in the main hall. His dark-red official robes were immaculate, his expression dignified and imposing, and on the desk before him lay the brand-new governor’s seal and the wooden court block. He had already prepared a speech in his mind, ready to employ both kindness and severity and give these old officials of the Northern Frontier a proper warning.
However, half an hour passed, and the hall below remained completely empty.
“Where is everyone?”
Lu Zhiyao’s brows drew tighter and tighter. Suppressing his anger, he looked toward the chief clerk of the prefectural office standing respectfully at his side.
The chief clerk bowed deeply, holding a thick stack of schedules and leave requests in both hands. His tone was so respectful that not a single fault could be found with it.
“Reporting to Your Excellency, the gentlemen from the various offices today… truly are unable to spare the time.”
“Unable to spare the time?” Lu Zhiyao gave a cold laugh. “This is the first court session since I took office. What pressing matters could they possibly have? Read them!”
The chief clerk unfolded the documents in both hands and read them in a perfectly measured voice.
“The Assistant Prefect happened to catch a chill last night and has been suffering from a persistent high fever. He has submitted a medical certificate and is bedridden.”
“The Associate Prefect departed at dawn and has gone to inspect the spring floods in the area around the river pass.”
“The Military Defense Commissioner has received a written order from the Inspector-General and is currently visiting the various garrisons to inspect their military preparations.”
“The State Academy Professor entered the academy early this morning and is currently presiding over the annual spring examinations.”
“The Granary Commissioner is currently at the northern city granary, urgently taking inventory of the military provisions about to be transported to the front.”
“Even the Court Registrar… received a secret report yesterday and has taken constables out of the city to investigate Northern Di spies.”
The chief clerk’s voice echoed through the empty main hall. With every sentence he read, Lu Zhiyao’s face became a shade darker.
When the final word fell, the entire spacious council hall sank into dead silence.
Not a single person had openly disobeyed an order.
Not a single person was absent without reason.
Every excuse was dignified, reasonable, and entirely legitimate. Every official duty concerned the livelihood of the people or crucial military affairs.
Even all their documents bore, in plain sight, the red seal of approval from the Northern Frontier Administration, leaving not the slightest handle for anyone to seize.
But the result was—
In the enormous Linzhou Governor’s Office, apart from Lu Zhiyao, the newly arrived governor who had no one under him, there was not a single person present.
Lu Zhiyao sat all alone in the high seat, staring at the two empty rows of chairs below. A cold spring breeze swept through the hall, and he suddenly felt a chill that penetrated straight to his bones.
His grip tightened slightly around the wooden court block, his knuckles turning white.
This was more suffocating and frightening than an open rebellion with weapons, more terrifying than anyone directly shouting that he had been reduced to a figurehead.
Xiao Yuan and Xia Lanshi had not even shown their faces. Yet through this watertight, intricate web of methods, they had bloodlessly told him on his very first day:
—This city had no place for Lu Zhiyao to have a say.
The next morning, Lu Zhiyao convened the court to handle affairs and wrote his first administrative order since taking office: conduct an inventory of the state granaries and audit the taxes and grain.
The Assistant Prefect respectfully accepted the document with both hands and bowed.
“This subordinate obeys.”
Yet by afternoon, the document was returned to Lu Zhiyao’s desk completely untouched.
Lu Zhiyao’s brows knitted tightly.
“What does this mean?”
The Assistant Prefect kept his head deeply bowed, his tone utterly faultless.
“Reporting to Your Excellency, last year His Majesty granted the Inspector-General the authority to ‘act with expediency in military and administrative affairs.’ The Inspector-General established new regulations accordingly. To prevent conflicts between state and county decrees, since last winter, all administrative orders concerning military provisions, taxation, people’s livelihood, and other such matters in the Northern Frontier prefectures and states must first be submitted to the Northern Frontier Administration for filing and review before they can be implemented.”
Lu Zhiyao was stunned, then immediately flew into a rage.
“Absurd! I am a governor personally appointed by the imperial court. Why should I need to submit my administrative orders to the regional administration for filing?!”
The Assistant Prefect merely bent his waist even lower. He neither argued nor moved.
“That is the Inspector-General’s rule.”
Lu Zhiyao refused to believe it. He personally took his official seal and went to various offices to arrange matters.
He wanted to inspect the state granary.
The Granary Commissioner respectfully replied, “Please forgive me, Your Excellency. All provisions have already been transferred to the Northern Frontier military granaries. The state treasury has no authority to move them.”
He wanted to draw funds from the treasury.
The clerk in the Revenue Office greeted him with a smile.
“The Northern Frontier is currently in the midst of war. The Inspector-General has ordered that military provisions take priority, so the state government has temporarily suspended all nonessential expenditures.”
He wanted to interrogate prisoners.
The chief constable nodded repeatedly.
“Please calm your anger, Your Excellency. The prisoners have already been sent to the Northern Frontier Administration for trial. This subordinate has no authority to interfere.”
Within a single day, Lu Zhiyao was shocked to discover that aside from taking that official seal and stamping a few inconsequential documents, there was virtually nothing he could do.
Most terrifying of all, not a single person disobeyed him.
Everyone treated him with the utmost respect and repeatedly said, “Yes, Your Excellency.”
Yet the moment he gave an order, not a single matter could actually be carried out.
The orders came from the regional administration, not from the prefectural government.
Lu Zhiyao finally realized that something was wrong.
He returned to the rear hall, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a thousand-character secret memorial accusing Prince Su of abusing his authority and Chief Secretary Xia of reducing the prefectural government to a mere figurehead.
He sealed the memorial and handed it to his most trusted personal attendant.
“Eight-hundred-li emergency dispatch. It must reach the Eastern Palace!”
Yet the following morning, his attendant returned with a deathly pale face.
“My lord… the letter could not be sent. The people at the courier station said that all official documents leaving the Northern Frontier must bear the Northern Frontier Administration’s ‘verification seal’ before they can be allowed through.”
Lu Zhiyao slammed his hand onto the desk and rose.
“Outrageous! They actually dare intercept a memorial to the imperial court?”
After thinking for a moment, he immediately ordered, “Change the plan! Tonight, have the household servants disguise themselves in ordinary clothes and sneak out through the side gate!”
Late that night, the servants slipped out of the city under cover of darkness. Yet at daybreak, they came scrambling back, drenched in cold sweat.
“My lord, we couldn’t get out! I tried three different routes. Soldiers were checking the main roads, patrol cavalry were inspecting the mountain paths, and the ferry crossings were sealed. Every checkpoint is under martial law by military order of the Inspector-General!”
The servant wiped the sweat from his face and continued,
“The soldiers said Northern Di spies have been rampant lately. Anyone leaving the territory must have a ‘travel pass’ issued by the Northern Frontier Administration. Anyone who violates this rule… will be executed on the spot!”
Lu Zhiyao’s heart sank completely. A chill slowly crept up from the soles of his feet, leaving him horrified.
Without hesitation, he changed into his official robes and personally led his attendants to the city gate.
“I am an official appointed by the imperial court! Who dares stop me?!”
He held the governor’s official seal high.
The commanding officer guarding the gate immediately stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and gave an impeccably standard military salute. His attitude was respectful to the extreme.
“This subordinate pays his respects to Governor Lu. Naturally, this subordinate would not dare prevent Your Excellency from leaving the city. However…”
The officer raised his head and said expressionlessly,
“By order of the Inspector-General, to ensure the peace of the Northern Frontier, anyone entering or leaving must have a written order from the regional administration. This subordinate will immediately send someone to seek instructions from Chief Secretary Xia. Please wait, Your Excellency.”
Lu Zhiyao waited in the cold wind at the city gate for one hour, then two. He waited until the sun had set, yet no one returned.
In the end, he waited another day, only to receive a single message:
“My lord, Chief Secretary Xia is occupied with military affairs and truly has no time to issue the document. Please come again another day.”
That night, Lu Zhiyao stood by the window in the rear hall of the prefectural office, his entire body cold.
Looking at the darkness outside, he suddenly realized that even the constables patrolling the streets at night had been replaced by elite troops from the Linzhou Guard. The night watchmen in the streets moved with the light-footedness of trained martial artists. Even the servant standing night watch at the entrance of the prefectural office, holding a cup of hot tea, looked like someone’s hidden agent.
Cold sweat poured down Lu Zhiyao’s back. He subconsciously touched his own neck.
He suddenly understood.
The several months of political vacuum had not been a period during which Xiao Yuan had simply taken control of Linzhou.
Rather, Xia Lanshi had replaced every “functioning joint” of Linzhou with his own people.
The imperial court had sent him here with nothing but a governor’s official seal and this magnificent prison called the “prefectural government office.”
In this city, he could not even decide where a single bird could fly.
He could not even escape himself.
This was not a seizure of power.
It was a meticulous, suffocating reduction of an entire government to a figurehead.
And he could not even find anyone to be angry with, because every single person treated him with perfect courtesy.
Several days later, the prefectural government received a distinguished guest.
Xia Lanshi wore a moon-white long robe, looking as though he were merely an aristocratic young master paying an ordinary social call.
Behind him followed attendants and a man carrying several boxes of precious medicinal herbs and a newly completed map of the Northern Frontier’s spring farming.
The man wore a crimson round-collared robe. His hair was not tied up, and his appearance did not resemble someone from the Central Plains.
His expression was indifferent as he stood behind Xia Lanshi, like a quiet blade.
“The Governor has only just arrived in the Northern Frontier, so you may be experiencing some difficulty adjusting to the local climate.”
Xia Lanshi smiled warmly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
“If there is anything unfamiliar or inconvenient, you may send someone to the regional administration at any time to ask. Please, do not hesitate to treat us as outsiders.”
Lu Zhiyao looked at the elegant young man before him, yet his hands trembled faintly inside his sleeves.
He gritted his teeth and could not help letting out a cold laugh.
“Chief Secretary Xia certainly has impressive methods. Tell me, is this Linzhou the Linzhou of the imperial court, or the Linzhou of your Northern Frontier Administration?”
Xia Lanshi merely smiled elegantly and gently set his teacup down on the table.
“Naturally, it is the Linzhou of Great Sheng.”
He raised his cool red eyes and calmly looked at Lu Zhiyao, his tone neither hurried nor slow.
“Last winter, His Majesty granted His Highness the authority to act with expediency in military and administrative affairs throughout the Northern Frontier. Everything we have done has remained within the imperial decree.”
“Only… the Northern Frontier is a long distance from the capital. Outside, the Northern Di watch us like tigers; within, there is much to rebuild. If we had to wait for the imperial court to decide every matter and follow that entire set of cumbersome formalities, the people could not afford to wait, and neither could the soldiers bleeding on the front lines.”
Xia Lanshi stood and walked to the doorway, his back facing Lu Zhiyao. His voice was so light that it seemed it could be scattered by the wind, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
“Everything we have done is merely to ensure that this city, and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of the Northern Frontier, can survive.”
“Governor Lu has traveled a long way and should naturally remain in the prefectural office to rest and recover. As for the affairs of the prefecture, the regional administration will take them off your hands for the time being. Once the Northern Frontier is stable, they can all be handed back to you one by one. It will not be too late.”
With that, Xia Lanshi gave a slight nod and turned to walk into the spring sunlight.
Lu Zhiyao collapsed into the grand chair, looking at the glittering golden governor’s seal on the desk. At last, he understood.
From the moment the imperial court sent him to the Northern Frontier, he had ceased to be a governor.
He was merely a living chess piece on Xia Lanshi’s board, used to appease the imperial court.
From the moment the previous governor was executed, Linzhou had already belonged to Prince Su.
◆◇◆◇◆
When Xia Lanshi and Xiao left the Linzhou Governor’s Office, the warm early-spring sunlight had just broken through the clouds and fallen upon them.
The two walked side by side outside the government office.
Today, Xia Lanshi wore a moon-white long robe with subtle patterns, covered by a snow-white fox-fur cloak. For once, he had properly tied up his snow-white hair, gently gathering it beneath a white jade crown the color of sheep’s fat. The remaining strands cascaded naturally down his back.
The jade crown had a warm, lustrous quality, decorated only with a few subtle cloud patterns. It complemented his already exquisite features, making him appear even more refined and otherworldly.
Who could have imagined that just moments ago, inside the hall, he had bloodlessly reduced a fourth-rank governor appointed by the imperial court to a complete figurehead?
Walking beside him, Xiao had changed into an exceptionally eye-catching crimson round-collared robe today. Deep black accents lined the collar and cuffs, making his tall figure resemble a straight pine.
He had not tied his hair like a Central Plains man. His ink-black hair fell loosely over his shoulders like a waterfall, with only an exquisite silver ornament pinned above his left ear. Several delicate silver chains of varying lengths were partly braided into his hair and partly left to sway gently with his steps, reflecting fragments of cold light beneath the sun.
His attire did not resemble that of a Central Plains man. Instead, it carried an exotic wildness and danger, yet somehow blended perfectly with the luxurious crimson.
Xia Lanshi instinctively raised a hand to shield himself from the sunlight. He had not brought his glasses today, and the glare made him narrow his eyes slightly.
Just then, a shadow blocked the light.
He looked up and saw that Xiao had already opened a paper umbrella and tilted it slightly to shield him from the sun.
The movement was utterly natural.
One in white and one in red, one refined and elegant, the other sharp and dangerous, walking beneath a single paper umbrella.
As they walked through the bustling streets of Linzhou, the extreme contrast between them and their striking bearing drew frequent glances from passersby.
People assumed they were noble young masters from some aristocratic family out for a stroll.
Xia Lanshi gathered his fox-fur cloak around himself and could not help turning his head, lifting his eyes to examine the person beside him.
Xiao already had deeply defined brows and striking features. Now, dressed in such an assertive crimson, he appeared even more imposing and heroic, like a drawn blade only half emerged from its sheath, unable to conceal the slightest trace of its edge.
Xia Lanshi sighed inwardly.
He had personally chosen these clothes, but judging from the situation, there was no way today’s outing could remain low-key.
He failed to notice that his own refined appearance, like an immortal descended to the mortal realm, was equally conspicuous.
Sensing his lingering gaze, Xiao slightly turned his head. His thin lips curved into a faint smile.
“What? Lost in admiration?”
Xia Lanshi found the man both infuriating and amusing. How could he be so conceited?
“You do look good. I chose it myself, after all.”
He met Xiao’s gaze without flinching, his tone carrying a hint of natural, self-satisfied pride.
Whether this praise was directed at the clothes, the man, or himself was something only he knew.
Xiao understood the implication behind his words but did not expose it. Instead, a trace of amusement spread through his eyes.
Seeing that the smile on his face was no longer as ethereal and distant as before, but had gained a little more genuine liveliness, Xia Lanshi could not help feeling a faint sense of relief deep inside.
The bright crimson really did make Xiao look much more spirited. Although the pallor had not completely left his face, and he still retained traces of illness, compared with the fragile, broken feeling that made him seem as though he might dissolve into the wind at any moment, he was already vastly better.
“Does your shoulder still hurt?”
Xia Lanshi lowered his gaze to Xiao’s right arm hanging at his side and asked softly.
To guard against unforeseen circumstances and make it easier to respond to sudden situations at any moment, Xiao had insisted on removing the triangular sling that had been supporting his arm today.
“It’s tolerable. If I don’t move it at all, this hand really will become useless.”
As he spoke, Xiao cautiously moved his right shoulder a little.
His movements still carried a trace of stiffness and were far from the strength and agility he had possessed before. He would need some more time to recover completely. But as long as he avoided overly strenuous movements, the slight lingering ache was no longer anything worth mentioning.
“Where are we going next?”
Xiao tilted his head slightly, and the silver chains gave a soft, delicate clinking sound.
“Since we came all the way from Linbei City, naturally we can’t have come just to meet a governor who is destined to be unable to do anything.”
Xia Lanshi raised his red eyes slightly and looked toward the north of the city.
“I’m taking you to see our money bag.”
In less than half an hour, the two arrived at Linzhou’s largest port—Beiming Port.
As soon as they approached, a cold sea breeze carrying a faint salty, fishy scent rushed toward them.
Xiao’s gaze passed over the towering embankment, and a faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.
Before him stood an enormous deep-water harbor.
Across the vast surface of the sea, dozens of enormous ocean vessels and merchant ships had lowered their sails and anchored. Masts stood densely packed, resembling a forest at sea built from metal and timber.
The docks were filled with noise and activity. Laborers carrying heavy sacks moved back and forth in an endless stream, while the flags of merchant caravans from overseas, the Eastern Sea, and even the various southern prefectures snapped in the sea breeze.
Beside them stretched an endless cluster of enormous warehouses. Merchants waiting to pay taxes and have their goods inspected formed long lines outside the customs office.
“Three hundred years ago, this was nothing more than a run-down fishing village of a little over a hundred households.”
Standing beside Xiao, Xia Lanshi pointed toward the bustling port.
“Later, because this was the only natural deep-water harbor in the Northern Frontier facing the Black Sea, it underwent several generations of expansion and eventually reached its present scale. Now, eighty percent of the grain and provisions for the entire Northern Frontier pass through here. Salt, iron, cloth, and medicinal materials all flow in and out through this port.”
Xiao quietly watched the endless stream of cargo ships, and his gaze grew deeper.
He did not marvel at the grandeur of the harbor. Instead, as was his habit, he immediately began calculating.
After staring at the docks for a long time, Xiao finally slowly spoke.
“This isn’t a port.”
Xia Lanshi turned his head to look at him.
“It’s a mountain of gold. You just don’t know how to mine it yet,” Xiao said.
“The throughput here is enormous, but the warehouse logistics are chaotic. Merchant ships aren’t assigned berths according to tonnage, which results in low loading and unloading efficiency. The customs taxes also seem to still be calculated using the most primitive per-item system rather than being levied according to the value of the goods.”
Xiao’s tone was calm, yet every word struck directly at the heart of the problem.
He turned his head and looked at Xia Lanshi.
“Do you know? This harbor is worth more than the Northern Frontier’s hundred-thousand-man army.”
Xia Lanshi looked at him thoughtfully.
“Control the grain routes, and you can feed an army. Control the trade routes, and you can sustain a nation.”
Xiao faced the sea breeze, his crimson sleeves fluttering in the wind.
“Sheng Chengxiu is a pure capitalist. If he came to the Northern Frontier, the first place he would try to seize definitely wouldn’t be Linbei City, which is heavily guarded by troops. It would be this Beiming Port. Control this place, and you control tariffs, maritime transport, food, sea salt… even the financial lifeline of the future.”
The corners of Xia Lanshi’s lips curved upward slightly.
He knew that bringing Xiao into the game as a “guest adviser” and “business consultant” had been the rightest move he had ever made.
After inspecting the port, Xia Lanshi did not stop. He immediately took Xiao to the Northern Frontier reserve granaries behind the port.
This was Xia Lanshi’s old specialty as Chief Secretary.
He did not alert too many people. He simply had the Granary Commissioner open several Grade-A warehouses.
As soon as he entered, Xia Lanshi skillfully grabbed a handful of rice and rubbed it between his fingertips, checking whether it had become moldy or been secretly replaced with old grain. He also personally watched the weighing to confirm that there were no shortages.
Xiao stood to the side with his arms crossed, looking at the mountain-like stacks of grain sacks, his brows faintly furrowed.
He walked to the wall and touched it, then looked up at the ventilation openings in the roof.
“The humidity in the warehouse is too high,” Xiao suddenly said.
The Granary Commissioner froze and hurriedly explained, “Sir, Linzhou is near the sea, and it has been raining all spring these past few days. The heavy moisture is unavoidable. I’ve already ordered people to place quicklime in the corners…”
“Quicklime only treats the symptoms, not the root of the problem.”
Xiao interrupted him and turned toward Xia Lanshi.
“With this enclosed stacking method, the grain at the bottom will inevitably heat up and become moldy within three months. You need to install ‘moisture-proof pallets’ at the bottom and leave channels for air circulation. The ventilation windows should be rearranged at alternating heights so that hot and cold air can circulate naturally. If several small waterwheel systems could be built to drive wind wheels and draw air into the warehouse, the loss rate could be reduced by at least thirty percent.”
The Granary Commissioner was completely bewildered. Terms like “pallets” and “air circulation” were things he had never heard before.
Xia Lanshi, however, understood their value. His red eyes brightened slightly.
He gave a soft laugh and instructed the Granary Commissioner, “Write down everything Mr. Xiao just said. Later, I’ll have the Ministry of Works draw up the plans. All newly built granaries in Linzhou will be improved according to this method.”
After leaving the granaries, the two entered Linzhou’s most prosperous commercial district.
Xia Lanshi brought Xiao to a large trading company that occupied an extensive area but was rather understated in appearance.
“This is the Linzhou branch of Listening Snow Pavilion,” Xia Lanshi formally introduced.
Xiao stepped into the rear courtyard, his sharp gaze rapidly sweeping across the entire structure.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he already had a plan in mind.
“The rear courtyard is too small. Buy the two adjacent plots of land and connect them to turn the area into a goods distribution center. Add an independent accounting office and establish an underground secure vault. Seal off the entire second floor and convert it into a secret reception room. It must be soundproofed.”
As he walked, he pointed things out one by one.
“If everything goes smoothly, within half a year, we can make it so that every merchant has no choice but to come to Beiming Port.”
Xia Lanshi smiled and nodded, letting him make the plans as he pleased.