As early spring settled over 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 a secret order from the Crown Prince, his entourage and carriages rolling steadily through the gates.
The capital was a long way from Linzhou. Traveling with his entire household, his massive convoy had taken nearly three full months to arrive.
Along the way, officials had traveled ten li outside the cities to welcome him, while commoners lined the roads and bowed in greeting. The city gates stood wide open, and the ceremonial procession was solemn and imposing.
Sitting inside his carriage, Lu Zhiyao lifted the curtain and looked at all of this, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
Before he came, the Crown Prince had repeatedly warned him that Prince Xiao Yuan was entrenched in the northern frontier with his own troops, while the 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 to walk into a Hongmen Banquet, but he had never expected the handover to go so smoothly.
The prefectural government offices had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained. The official seal sat properly on the desk, while the account books and household registers from previous years had been neatly categorized, without a single omission.
There was no show of force.
No deliberate obstruction.
Lu Zhiyao stroked the cold governor’s seal and gave a cold laugh.
“Looks like Prince Xiao still knows where to draw the line 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 to be beaten and the court convened, intending to summon all the officials of Linzhou for the first prefectural affairs meeting.
He sat upright in the grand chair in the main hall, his crimson official robes neat and immaculate, his expression solemn and dignified. On the desk before him lay the brand-new governor’s seal and the ceremonial wooden block used to command silence.
He had already prepared his speech in his head. He was ready to employ both kindness and authority and give these old officials of the northern frontier a good warning.
Yet half an hour passed, and the hall below him remained completely empty.
“Where is everyone?”
Lu Zhiyao’s brows drew tighter and tighter as he suppressed his anger and looked toward the prefectural clerk standing respectfully to one side.
The clerk bowed deeply, holding a thick stack of schedules and leave requests in both hands. His tone was respectful to the point of perfection, without the slightest flaw.
“In reply to Your Excellency, the gentlemen of the various offices today… truly could not get away.”
“Could not get away?” Lu Zhiyao gave a cold laugh. “This is the first court session since I took office. What earth-shaking matters could they possibly have? Read them!”
The clerk unfolded the documents with both hands and read them out in a flat, methodical voice.
“The Assistant Governor came down with a chill last night and has had a persistent high fever. He has submitted a physician’s report and is bedridden.”
“The Deputy Governor departed at dawn and has gone to inspect the spring flood situation around the River Pass.”
“The Military Affairs Commissioner has received a written order from the Inspector-General and is currently inspecting military preparedness at the various garrisons.”
“The Prefectural Academy Director entered the academy early this morning and is presiding over the annual spring examinations.”
“The Grain Commissioner is currently at the Northern City Grand Granary, urgently taking inventory of the military provisions about to be transported to the front.”
“Even the Judicial Clerk… received a secret report yesterday and has taken constables out of the city to investigate Khitan spies.”
The 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 perfectly respectable and entirely reasonable. Every official duty concerned the livelihood of the people or matters of military importance.
Even every document bore the clearly visible red seal of approval from the Northern Frontier Administration, leaving not the slightest loophole to seize upon.
But the result was—
The enormous Linzhou Governor’s Office contained not a single person besides Lu Zhiyao, the newly arrived governor who was now completely alone.
Lu Zhiyao sat all by himself in the lofty seat of authority, staring at the two rows of empty chairs below.
A cold early-spring wind swept through the hall, and he suddenly felt a bone-deep chill.
His grip on the ceremonial wooden block tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white.
This was more suffocating and terrifying than any armed rebellion, more frightening than anyone openly shouting that he had been reduced to a figurehead.
Xiao Yuan and Xia Lanshi had not even shown their faces. They had merely used this flawless, intricate, net-like manner of doing things to tell him, bloodlessly, on his very first day:
This city had no place for Lu Zhiyao to speak at all.
The following morning, Lu Zhiyao convened the court to handle affairs and issued his first administrative order after taking office: inspect the prefectural granaries and verify the tax grain.
The Assistant Governor accepted the document with both hands and bowed respectfully.
“This subordinate obeys.”
Yet by afternoon, the document had been returned to Lu Zhiyao’s desk exactly as it was.
Lu Zhiyao frowned deeply.
“What does this mean?”
The Assistant Governor lowered his head even further, his tone utterly faultless.
“Your Excellency, last year His Majesty granted the Inspector-General the authority to ‘act at discretion in military and administrative affairs.’ Based on this, the Inspector-General established a new regulation. To prevent conflicts between prefectural and county orders, since last winter, all administrative orders in the northern frontier concerning military provisions, taxation, civilian affairs, and so forth must first be submitted to the Northern Frontier Administration for registration and review before they can be implemented.”
Lu Zhiyao froze, then immediately flew into a rage.
“Absurd! I am a governor personally appointed by the imperial court. Why would I need to submit my administrative orders to the Northern Frontier Administration?!”
The Assistant Governor merely bent his waist lower. He neither argued nor moved.
“This is the Inspector-General’s rule.”
Unwilling to believe it, Lu Zhiyao personally took his official seal and went around to issue orders.
He wanted to inspect the prefectural granaries.
The Grain Commissioner respectfully replied, “Your Excellency, please forgive me. All grain and provisions have already been transferred to the Northern Frontier military granaries. The prefectural government has no authority to move them.”
He wanted to draw money from the treasury.
The clerk in the Finance Office greeted him with a smile.
“The northern frontier is currently in a state of war. The Inspector-General has ordered that military provisions take priority. The prefectural government has temporarily suspended all nonessential expenditures.”
He wanted to interrogate prisoners.
The head constable nodded repeatedly.
“Please calm yourself, Your Excellency. The prisoners have already been sent to the Northern Frontier Administration for interrogation. This subordinate has no authority to interfere.”
Within a single day, Lu Zhiyao was stunned to discover that aside from taking that official seal and stamping a few inconsequential documents, there was practically nothing he could do.
Most terrifying of all, not a single person had disobeyed him.
Everyone treated him with the utmost respect, their mouths filled with “Yes, Your Excellency.”
Yet whenever he gave an order, there was absolutely nothing that could actually be accomplished.
Government orders came from the Northern Frontier Administration, not from the prefectural government.
Lu Zhiyao finally realized that something was wrong.
He returned to the rear hall, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a thousand-word secret memorial accusing Prince Xiao of usurping 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. Make absolutely sure it reaches the Eastern Palace!”
Yet the following morning, his attendant returned with a deathly pale face.
“Your Excellency… the letter could not be sent. The people at the relay station said that all official documents leaving the northern frontier must bear the Northern Frontier Administration’s ‘verification seal’ before they will allow them through.”
Lu Zhiyao shot to his feet and slammed his hand on the desk.
“Outrageous! They actually dare to intercept an imperial memorial?!”
He thought for a moment, then immediately ordered, “Change tactics! Tonight, have the household servants put on ordinary clothes and sneak out through the side gate!”
Late that night, the servants slipped out of the city under cover of darkness.
But at dawn, they came scrambling back, drenched in cold sweat.
“Your Excellency, we can’t get out! I tried three different routes. The main road has soldiers checking everyone. The mountain paths are patrolled by mounted troops. The ferry crossing has also been sealed. Every checkpoint has been placed under martial law by order of the Inspector-General!”
The servant wiped away his sweat.
“The guards said Khitan spies have been rampant recently. Anyone leaving the frontier must have a ‘travel permit’ issued by the Northern Frontier Administration. Anyone who violates this… will be executed on the spot!”
Lu Zhiyao’s heart sank completely.
A chill gradually rose from the soles of his feet, sending a shiver through his entire body.
He immediately changed into his official robes and personally rushed to the city gate with his attendants.
“I am an imperial official! Who dares stop me?!”
He held the governor’s seal high.
The commanding officer guarding the city immediately stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and performed an impeccably formal military salute. His attitude was respectful to the extreme.
“This subordinate pays his respects to the Governor. Naturally, this subordinate would never dare prevent Your Excellency from leaving the city. It is only…”
The officer raised his head, his expression completely impassive.
“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 Administration. This subordinate will immediately send someone to seek Chief Secretary Xia’s instructions. Please wait a moment.”
Lu Zhiyao waited in the cold wind at the city gate for an hour.
Then two.
Until the sun went down.
No one came back.
In the end, he waited another full day, only to receive a single message:
“Your Excellency, 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 government, his entire body cold.
He looked out at the night and suddenly realized that the constables patrolling the streets had been replaced by elite troops from the Linzhou Guard.
The night watchmen walking through the streets moved with the light, practiced steps of martial artists.
Even the young servant standing outside the prefectural government with a pot of hot tea seemed to be one of someone’s hidden agents.
Cold sweat poured down Lu Zhiyao’s back.
He instinctively touched his neck.
And suddenly, he understood.
The several-month period of political vacuum had not been Xiao Yuan taking control of Linzhou.
It was Xia Lanshi replacing every single “working joint” of Linzhou with his own people.
The imperial court had given him only a governor’s seal and this magnificent prison known as the “prefectural government.”
Within this city, he could not even decide where a flying bird would go.
He could not even escape himself.
This was not a seizure of power.
It was a meticulously engineered suffocation in which he had been reduced to a figurehead.
And he could not even find anyone to direct his anger toward, because everyone treated him with impeccable 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 a young gentleman from an aristocratic family paying an ordinary visit.
Behind him followed attendants and another man carrying several boxes of precious medicinal herbs and a scroll depicting the latest spring-farming plans of the northern frontier.
The man wore a crimson round-collared robe. He did not have his hair tied up, and his appearance was unlike that of a Central Plains native.
His expression was indifferent as he stood behind Xia Lanshi, like a silent blade.
“Governor Lu has only just arrived in the northern frontier. I’m afraid he may be experiencing some difficulty adjusting to the local climate.”
Xia Lanshi smiled warmly, his tone as gentle as a spring breeze.
“If there is anything unfamiliar or inconvenient, you may send someone to the Administration at any time to ask. Please, do not hesitate to trouble us.”
Lu Zhiyao looked at the elegant, otherworldly young man before him, but his hands trembled slightly inside his sleeves.
Grinding his teeth, he could not help but let out a cold laugh.
“Chief Secretary Xia certainly has impressive methods. This Linzhou—does it belong to the imperial court, or does it belong to your Northern Frontier Administration?”
Xia Lanshi merely smiled lightly and gracefully set his teacup down on the table.
“Of course it belongs to Great Sheng.”
He raised his cool red eyes and calmly looked at Lu Zhiyao, his tone unhurried.
“Last winter, His Majesty granted His Highness the authority to act at discretion in the northern frontier’s military and administrative affairs. Everything we have done has remained within the imperial edict.”
“It is simply that the northern frontier is far from the capital. Outside our borders, the Khitans are watching like tigers, while within them, countless affairs still await restoration. If we had to wait for the imperial court to decide every single matter and follow that endless web of bureaucratic formalities, the people could not afford to wait, and neither could the soldiers bleeding on the front lines.”
Xia Lanshi rose and walked to the doorway. With his back to Lu Zhiyao, his voice was so soft it seemed capable of being scattered by the wind, yet it carried a weight that allowed no argument.
“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 rest and recuperate in the prefectural government. As for the affairs of the prefecture, the Administration can share the burden for now. Once the northern frontier has stabilized, everything can be transferred back one by one. There is no rush.”
With that, Xia Lanshi inclined his head slightly and turned to walk into the spring sunlight.
Lu Zhiyao collapsed into the grand chair, staring at the golden governor’s seal on the desk.
He finally understood.
From the moment the imperial court sent him to the northern frontier, he had never truly been a governor.
He was merely a living piece on Xia Lanshi’s chessboard, placed there to pacify the imperial court.
From the moment the previous governor was executed, Linzhou had already fallen into Prince Xiao’s hands.
◆◇◆◇◆
When Xia Lanshi and Xiao left the Linzhou Governor’s Office, the warm early-spring sunlight had just broken through the clouds, bathing the two of them in golden light.
Outside the government office, they walked side by side.
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 mutton fat. The remaining strands fell naturally like a waterfall.
The jade crown was warm and lustrous, carved only with a few subtle cloud patterns. Against it, his already exquisite features appeared even more refined and otherworldly.
Who could have imagined that moments ago, inside that hall, he had bloodlessly reduced a fourth-rank imperial governor to a complete figurehead?
Beside him, Xiao had changed into an extremely eye-catching crimson round-collared robe. The collar and cuffs were trimmed in deep black, emphasizing his tall, straight figure like a pine tree.
Unlike Central Plains men, he did not tie up his hair. His waterfall of black hair fell loosely over his shoulders. Only a delicate silver ornament was fastened above his left ear, with several thin silver chains of varying lengths woven partly into his hair and partly hanging freely. They swayed gently with every step, reflecting cold fragments of light beneath the sun.
His appearance was unlike that of a Central Plains man. Instead, it carried a wild, dangerous foreign quality that somehow blended perfectly with the nobility of the crimson robe.
Xia Lanshi instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight. He had not brought his glasses today, and the glare made him squint slightly.
At that moment, a shadow blocked the light.
He looked up and saw that Xiao had already opened a paper umbrella, tilting it slightly to shield him from the sun.
The movement was completely natural.
One white, one red.
One elegant, one sharp.
Walking beneath a single paper umbrella.
As they made their way through the bustling streets of Linzhou, the extreme contrast between them and their striking bearing drew frequent glances from passersby.
People assumed they were young noblemen from some aristocratic family out enjoying themselves.
Xia Lanshi drew his fox-fur cloak closer and could not resist turning his head to study the man beside him.
Xiao already had deep-set brows and an arresting appearance. Now, dressed in such a bold crimson, he looked even more striking and imposing, like a drawn blade whose sharpness could not be concealed.
Xia Lanshi felt helpless inside.
He had personally chosen these clothes, but judging by the current situation, there was no way today’s outing could possibly remain low-key.
He had completely failed to notice that his own elegant, almost immortal-like appearance was equally conspicuous.
Sensing his lingering gaze, Xiao turned his head slightly, the corners of his thin lips curling upward.
“What? Have you gotten lost staring at me?”
Xia Lanshi found himself both annoyed and amused. How could this man 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 matter-of-fact pride.
Whether that praise was for the clothes, the man wearing them, or himself was something only he knew in his heart.
Xiao understood the hidden meaning in his words but did not expose him. A smile simply spread through his eyes.
Seeing that his smile was no longer as ethereal and hollow as it had once been, but now held a little more genuine, vivid life, Xia Lanshi felt a trace of comfort deep inside.
That bright crimson really did make Xiao look much more spirited. Although the pallor in his face had not completely disappeared, compared with the fragile feeling he had once given off, as though he might dissolve into the wind at any moment, he was already much better.
“Does your shoulder still hurt?”
Xia Lanshi’s gaze fell to Xiao’s right arm hanging at his side as he asked softly.
To guard against emergencies and make it easier to respond at any moment, Xiao had insisted on removing the triangular sling today.
“It’s tolerable. If I don’t move it at all, this hand really will become useless.”
As he spoke, Xiao tentatively moved his right shoulder.
There was still a slight stiffness to the movement, far less powerful and agile than usual. He would need some more time to recover completely. But as long as he avoided overly strenuous movements, the dull ache was no longer much of a problem.
“Where are we going next?”
Xiao tilted his head slightly, the silver chains making 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.”
Less than half an hour later, the two arrived at Linzhou’s largest port—Beiming Port.
As soon as they approached, a cold sea breeze carrying a faint salty tang rushed toward them.
Xiao’s gaze passed over the towering embankment, and a faint light flickered in his eyes.
Before him stood an enormous deep-water port.
Across the vast sea, dozens of enormous ocean vessels and merchant ships had lowered their sails and were anchored in place. Masts stood densely packed together, resembling a forest built of metal and wood upon the sea.
The docks were filled with noise. Porters carrying heavy sacks moved back and forth in endless streams, while merchant caravans from overseas, the Eastern Sea, and even the various southern prefectures flew their flags in the sea wind.
Nearby, enormous warehouses stretched endlessly into the distance. Outside the customs office, merchants lined up to pay taxes and have their goods inspected.
“Three hundred years ago, this was nothing more than a run-down fishing village with barely a hundred households.”
Standing beside Xiao, Xia Lanshi pointed toward the prosperous port.
“Later, because this was the only natural deep-water port in the northern frontier facing the Profound Sea, it underwent several generations of expansion before reaching its present scale. Now, eighty percent of all grain and provisions entering the northern frontier come through here. Salt, iron, cloth, medicinal materials—all of them flow in and out through this place.”
Xiao silently watched the endless stream of cargo ships, his gaze growing deeper.
He was not marveling at the grandeur of the port.
Instead, he had instinctively begun calculating.
After staring at the docks for a long while, Xiao finally spoke slowly.
“This isn’t a port.”
Xia Lanshi turned his head toward him.
“This is 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 separated by tonnage when they dock, which leads to poor loading and unloading efficiency. Customs duties also seem to still be calculated using the most primitive per-item system rather than being charged as a percentage of the value of the goods.”
His tone remained calm, yet every word struck directly at the heart of the problem.
He turned to look at Xia Lanshi.
“Do you know? This port is worth more than a hundred thousand soldiers of the northern frontier.”
Xia Lanshi looked at him thoughtfully.
“Control the grain routes, and you can support an army. Control the trade routes, and you can support a nation.”
Standing against the sea wind, Xiao’s crimson sleeves fluttered.
“Sheng Chengxiu is a pure capitalist. If he came to the northern frontier, the first place he would try to seize absolutely would not be heavily defended Linbei City. It would be this Beiming Port. Control this place, and you control customs duties, shipping, food, sea salt… even the future lifeline of finance.”
The corners of Xia Lanshi’s lips curved slightly.
He knew that inviting Xiao into the game under the identity of “commercial adviser” had been the rightest move he had ever made.
After inspecting the port, Xia Lanshi did not stop. He took Xiao directly to the Northern Frontier Reserve Granaries behind the port.
This was Xia Lanshi’s old specialty as Chief Secretary.
He did not alarm too many people, merely having the Grain Commissioner open several Grade-A warehouses.
As soon as he entered, Xia Lanshi expertly grabbed a handful of rice and rubbed it between his fingers, checking whether it was moldy or had been secretly replaced with old grain. He personally inspected the weighing as well, confirming that there was no shortchanging.
Xiao stood to one side with his arms crossed, staring at the mountains of grain sacks, his brows slightly furrowed.
He walked to the wall, touched it with his hand, and then looked at the ventilation openings in the roof.
“The humidity in the warehouse is too high,” Xiao suddenly said.
The Grain Commissioner froze and hurriedly explained, “Sir, Linzhou is near the sea, and there has been continuous spring rain these past few days. Heavy humidity is unavoidable. I’ve already ordered people to place quicklime in the corners…”
“Quicklime only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.”
Xiao interrupted him and turned toward Xia Lanshi.
“With this kind of sealed 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 staggered between upper and lower levels so that hot and cold air can circulate naturally. If we can build several small waterwheel systems and use the waterwheels to drive windmills, drawing air into the warehouse, the spoilage rate can be reduced by at least thirty percent.”
The Grain Commissioner was completely bewildered.
He had never heard of “pallets” or “air circulation.”
Xia Lanshi, however, immediately understood their value, his red eyes lighting up.
He gave a soft laugh and instructed the Grain 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 the front of a huge trading house that was surprisingly 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 open them up into a goods distribution center. Add a separate accounting office and establish an underground secure vault. Seal off the entire second floor and turn it into secret reception rooms. They 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, allowing him to make the plans.