Xu Zhihu understood the warmth and coldness of human emotions well. She had Qingniao deliver several servings of cool desserts and fruits to the pavilion, which were very effective in relieving the summer heat. Xu Fengnian sat cross-legged opposite Jiang Ni, who had returned to stand inside the pavilion once more. Xu Fengnian stared intently at the increasingly turbulent expression on the Peace and prosperity Princess’s chest, suddenly recalling a painting titled “Spring Thunder and the Fierce Dragon Awakened” in the study of the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion. In the painting, a dragon crouched majestically upon a central rock in the river. Although magnificent, what caught Xu Fengnian’s attention was the celestial maiden at the riverbank, holding a brazier, her eyes filled with unspoken words. This celestial maiden looked exactly like the woman before him. The painting, known as the “Heavenly King and Celestial Maiden Scroll,” was said to be the work of a great diviner from a previous dynasty, containing cryptic prophecies. These prophecies were divided into auspicious and ominous ones. As a child, Xu Fengnian often admired the painting with his mother, but could never discern its hidden secrets. He only found the fierce dragon’s imposing presence impressive, guessing it must inevitably fall into the category of ominous prophecies.
Xu Fengnian picked up a slice of chilled watermelon and began munching on it as he asked, “Do you know who the old Go Master really is?”
Jiang Ni hesitated for a moment, then leaned against the red-lacquered pillar and sat down, shaking her head. “I only know that the Go Master’s surname is Cao. Mother said he was a man of great talent.”
At the mention of the word “mother,” her expression turned somber. It should have been “Her Majesty.”
Xu Fengnian scoffed with a roll of his eyes, “Great talent? That’s an understatement. The Old Sword Spirit ranks eighth among martial experts, and Cao Changqing has been the runner-up in the martial rankings for two consecutive terms. He’s known as Cao the Invincible, or Cao the Go Master. Now you’ve struck gold, having the Old Sword Spirit eager to take you as his disciple. Add to that Cao the Go Master now rushing to be your personal guard, you’ve got it far better than this Prince of the World. I just don’t get it—ordinary people beg for a master like a dog, but for you, martial experts are as common as cabbages by the roadside. No wonder Master Li Yishan said you carry great fortune. I guess you must be able to cause some strange phenomena just by shaking your body. Hey, little Ni, why don’t you give it a try?”
Jiang Ni had barely touched her chopsticks during dinner, and although she was tempted by the array of delicacies, she was too shy to reach for them. Already hungry and in a bad mood, she suddenly felt a surge of anger at the prince’s teasing. Glaring at him, she snapped, “Shake your big head!”
Xu Fengnian first pushed the shrimp-colored imperial porcelain plate filled with various desserts toward Jiang Ni, then suddenly turned serious and said, “Let me talk to you about something serious. Cultivating martial arts is like practicing Taoism—it all comes down to the five elements: root, method, companion, wealth, and location. Root refers to one’s innate constitution, the most important of all. Without a good foundation, nothing else matters. I believe your talent can’t be too bad. Next is method, the path of cultivation. Without a proper path, it’s like pouring water on a stone—it won’t penetrate. Life is short, after all; how can one achieve anything without a master to guide them? Having a good teacher makes all the difference, and in this regard, you’re even luckier than me. I survived the Reed Marsh thanks to the Wudang Sect’s Great Huangting Technique, while you have two once-in-a-century experts, Cao Changqing and Li Chungan, both willing to teach you. By my count, your opportunity is once in five hundred years. As for the other three elements—companion, wealth, and location—you naturally have no obstacles. Without a companion, one cannot live in peace; without wealth, one cannot focus on cultivation. Compared to you, I have the advantage in companions and wealth, but I fall short in location. For example, in this Lu household, I cannot easily ask the Old Sword Spirit to teach me the Two-Sleeve Green Snake Technique. If I join the Northern Liang Army, I might not have the time to cultivate martial arts either. But you’re different. With Cao Changqing protecting you, even if he intends to use your name as the Peace and prosperity Princess to restore the fallen kingdom, you can still live carefree. If you lose, you can simply vanish into the Rivers and Lakes; if you win, you might even become the second female emperor in a hundred years. Even if you fail to master martial arts, killing me would be as easy as snapping your fingers. This kind of high-reward, low-risk opportunity is something only a fool would pass up.”
Jiang Ni had just popped a small piece of soft candy into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out as her dimples appeared, and she muttered angrily, “You make it sound so wonderful, but you just want me to leave, don’t you? I’m not that stupid. The Go Master is indeed great, but restoring a kingdom is no easy task. Even the Northern Liang King, with his thirty thousand iron cavalry, dares not proclaim himself emperor. What difference does it make if the Go Master is the third strongest in the world? Can he defeat thirty thousand soldiers? If I leave, I’ll never get the chance to kill you. Do you really think I’d let you have your way?”
Xu Fengnian grinned, “Oh, so you’re not really that dumb after all.”
Jiang Ni swallowed her candy and picked up a bowl of chilled lotus seed and lily bulb soup from the plate. As the coolness spread through her body, Xu Fengnian folded his hands behind his head, his knees pressing against the swords Spring Thunder and Xiu Dong. He smiled, “So staying by my side is the only way you can kill me? Count how many beauties we’ve met along the way. Right now, I already have Fish Sister and Auntie Shu. They’re quite formidable, aren’t they? And what about you?”
Xu Fengnian spread his fingers in front of his chest in a cupping motion. Jiang Ni flushed with anger, wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and raised her eyebrows indignantly, “Burden!”
“Huh? Can you even taste sourness in that lotus seed soup?”
Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes again and continued, “Alright, forget that. Let’s talk about looks and figure. Isn’t Princess Jing’an’s wife, Pei Nanwei, beautiful? She’s even on the Beauty List! She reads books for free and can play Go with me to keep me company. You’re completely unnecessary.”
Jiang Ni ignored him wisely, choosing not to argue with the prince, and instead continued eating heartily. Xu Fengnian turned his head to look at the lake. Near the pavilion, dozens of koi fish swam about, not as many as in the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion, but still better than nothing. He grabbed some snail-shaped pastries from the plate and tossed them into the lake.
Little Ni could remain indifferent to those renowned martial experts, but he couldn’t. In the past, whether it was Old Huang with his box or the white-haired Old Kuai, or even Li Chungan and Wang Chonglou, they were never enemies he had to confront directly, so the feeling wasn’t as intense. Until he met Wang Mingyin outside Xiangfan City and now faced the ambiguous friend-or-foe Cao the Go Master, he truly understood the terror of these top-tier figures. Back then, Wang Mingyin charged forward, resisting the Two-Sleeve Green Snake, his killing intent overwhelming. Cao Changqing, though seemingly gentle and refined, was equally filled with hidden dangers. If given a choice, Xu Fengnian would rather sit with Prince Jing’an Zhao Heng, even if it meant walking on thin ice. At least he wouldn’t be killed on the spot.
In the lakeside pavilion and the Xieyi Garden, both sides were stealing a half-day’s leisure. The Xieyi Garden had seen the departure of a long-forgotten Peace and prosperityPrincess, allowing Cao Changqing and Lu Baijie to speak freely and without restraint. Somehow, their conversation turned to Zhang Julu’s remarkable political prowess. The Liyang Dynasty followed the old system of Three Councils and Six Ministries, with the Shangshu Council bearing the heaviest responsibilities. The other two councils, the Neishi Council (commonly known as the Huangmen Council), were where the esteemed officials known as the Huangmen Langs gained their reputation as refined and prestigious. In the capital, there were generally two paths for officials: one was to enter the Six Ministries under the Shangshu Council, aiming to become one of the Six Ministry Heads. In the short term, this path was faster and more profitable, requiring little effort to accumulate a good reputation as a capable official. However, for most scholars and aristocrats, the Huangmen Council was more prestigious. Once appointed as a Grand Secretary, even if not reaching the top positions of Chief or Deputy Chancellor, becoming a Ministry Head would be considered beneath one’s dignity. Conversely, moving from the Six Ministries to vie for a Grand Secretary position was extremely rare. The saying went, “Wudang holds the golden halberd, while literature serves as the Huangmen Lang,” capturing the mindset of officials in the capital. The Jinwu Guards were mostly composed of high-ranking aristocrats and royal relatives, while the Huangmen Langs were even harder to obtain. Most current and retired Grand Secretaries had served as Huangmen Attendants. How did this elite group advance? Traditionally, it was based on literary talent and poetic composition, a vague and unclear standard. Zhang Julu, the powerful Chief Minister with a purple beard and green eyes, reformed the bureaucracy, targeting the Huangmen Council first. Immediately, he faced widespread criticism. Some accused him of betraying his roots, while others claimed he only targeted the weak.
Cao Changqing said softly, “Selecting officials through poetry is an ancient practice, but it often leads to empty formalities. Writing good poetry doesn’t necessarily mean one can govern well. But if Zhang Julu’s method of selecting scholars based on the Eight-Part Essay and Confucian principles is used, the pros and cons are hard to determine.”
Tangxi Scholar Lu Baijie smiled, “I thought you would strongly oppose Zhang’s approach.”
Cao Changqing shook his head. “Selecting scholars through poetry is like the carp leaping the dragon gate—Zhang Julu is personally building a dragon gate for scholars. Such a grand gesture is only surpassed by Huanglongshi. If this method succeeds and is extended nationwide, it would provide a clear path for poor scholars, weakening the foundations of aristocratic families. It’s like the military strategy of leaving one gate open when besieging a city. Zhang Julu indeed has economic talent, understanding that blocking the people’s path to advancement leads to chaos, as seen in the Spring and Autumn Period. However, the aristocratic families aren’t all blind to this.”
At this point, Cao Changqing fell silent.
Lu Baijie couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Even his open-minded elder brother, Lu Daolin, deeply resented the Eight-Part Essay system. How much more so for someone like Yuan Jiangyan? But they had to endure it, as Zhang Julu was currently favored by the emperor. However, when the emperor’s favor waned, the aristocrats’ anger would erupt, and no one could predict Zhang Julu’s fate. With Zhang’s insight, he must have foreseen this hidden crisis, but for some reason, he persisted. Unlike Lu Baijie, who had focused on martial cultivation for years, Cao Changqing, being outside the political arena, saw the broader picture more clearly. His admiration for Zhang Julu stemmed from the latter’s deep concern for the Northern Liang general Xu Xiao and his biases against the Ministry of War led by Gu Jiantang. Yet, Zhang Julu didn’t limit himself to court politics but actively worked for the dynasty’s long-term stability. A power-hungry leader would spend much effort opposing the non-royal king Xu Xiao and the six feudal lords to secure the emperor’s favor. But Zhang Julu was different. For the greater good, he could collaborate with Gu Jiantang and even engage sincerely with the old officials of the eight fallen states. Cao Changqing, skilled in observing omens and assessing situations, believed that during his lifetime, Zhang Julu might bring great benefits to the Liyang Dynasty, such that even the title of Chief Grand Secretary and the posthumous honor of “Wenzheng” would be insufficient to acknowledge his achievements. However, after his death, his family would likely face calamity, unlike the wise and adaptable Black Robe Monk Yang Taishui. Cao Changqing sighed, thinking that while Buddhist monks had their own methods of cultivation, they couldn’t compare to Confucian scholars in saving the people from suffering.
We scholars must take the initiative!
Unfortunately, Zhang Julu wasn’t born in the Western Chu.
Lu Baijie hesitated, then spoke. “Cao, do you really think the young prince might ally with Zhao Gou, keeping the Peace and prosperityPrincess and showing loyalty to the court?”
Cao Changqing laughed heartily. “That would be perfect. To be honest, such an unreasonable move that seems reasonable is exactly what I want.”
The Old Sword Spirit, scratching his feet nearby, interjected with a sneer, “Don’t worry, the kid isn’t that stupid.”
Cao Changqing remained unperturbed and slowly stood up, leaving the Xieyi Garden.
The old man in the sheepskin coat sighed, “I roughly guess how he’ll wrap this up. Scholars are full of tricks. Alas, it seems the kid is going to lose this time.”
The scholar in black, Cao the Go Master, arrived at the pavilion.
Jiang Ni had just stepped out of the pavilion and was standing on the steps.
Cao Changqing bowed and said, “If the Princess wishes to marry into the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion, Cao Changqing will leave today.”
Jiang Ni was struck like by thunder, her face turning pale.
Some things are better left unsaid. As long as they remain unspoken, one can live in self-deception for a lifetime, carefree and at ease.
But once spoken, even immortals cannot mediate.
Inside the pavilion, Xu Fengnian instinctively raised his hand, as if trying to grasp something, but then let it drop.
Picking something up isn’t hard; letting go is.
Jiang Ni turned to look at the prince, who was always playful and smiling.
Xu Fengnian, sitting cross-legged on the bench, curled his lips into a smile and waved his hand.
Cao Changqing, expressionless, said, “Cao Changqing will certainly keep his promise.”
Xu Fengnian’s smile faded, and he said only one word.
“Leave!”
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