The White Dew, the fifteenth of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, is a time when dew appears upon the grass and trees in the night, and wild geese begin their southern migration to escape the cold.
In Weize County of Ningzhou, a county of high status, two county lieutenants were assigned. At the end of last winter, an outsider named Song Keli arrived here to take office. He effectively suppressed bandits, successfully raiding over ten hideouts of horse bandits. The outlaws of Ningzhou were terrified. However, at the beginning of summer, this young Lieutenant Song was abruptly dismissed by the governor’s office without any warning. Since then, he has been idle at home for several months. As if that were not enough, a marriage arrangement that had nearly been settled also fell through. The girl came from a modest family in Weize County, a gentle maiden from a middle-class household, not a daughter of a prestigious family renowned for generations or a scholarly household known for literary heritage. Compared to the once-promising young lieutenant whose future seemed bright, she might have been considered beneath him. But compared to the now commoner Song Keli, she was clearly being asked to settle for less. The broken engagement stirred little commotion within Weize County. After all, Ningzhou lies to the south of the capital region, and all its people were anxiously watching the resurgence of the Western Chu along the Guangling Road. Who had time to care about the daily struggles of a fallen scholar? Neighbors who were friendly still greeted him as Lieutenant Song, but most people paid him little attention, seeing him as a discarded official without any backing.
Yet one evening during the White Dew, an old Confucian scholar with frost-tipped temples entered the county. Without asking for directions, he made his way directly to the private residence of Song Keli, who had long since moved out of the county office. Outside the house stood a small horse-drawn carriage, preventing the place from appearing completely deserted. The old scholar glanced at the delicate face peeking from a corner of the carriage curtain, her expression filled with sorrow and longing. When the woman saw that someone had come to visit the house, she was surprised and slowly lowered the curtain. The carriage then slowly drove away from the alley.
The old scholar pushed the door open and entered directly. Song Keli was reading a government bulletin he had obtained through connections in the courtyard. Upon seeing the unremarkable scholar, he was overjoyed, placing the bulletin on the stone table and quickly rising to bow respectfully. He said, “This humble student greets Master Yuan.”
The visitor was none other than Yuan Pu, the reclusive old scholar of the Hanlin Academy. It was precisely this senior scholar whose words had once enlightened Song Keli more than ten years of study in the classics. Since that day, Song Keli had pondered over Yuan Pu’s words written on rice paper in the Hanlin Academy almost every day: “A scholar has three things he does not consider: he neglects self-cultivation for the sake of managing his family; he neglects family affairs for the governance of the nation; he neglects governing the nation for the peace of the world.” “The decline and fall of families and nations cannot escape the gradual accumulation of problems. The rise and prosperity of families and nations depend precisely on such gradual accumulation.”
Back then, the entire Tai’an City had mocked their Song family. The two scholars of the Song family, once dominant in the literary world, suffered disgrace when his grandfather died of anger and illness, his reputation ruined. His father was exiled from the capital and never allowed to hold office again. As for Song Keli, the once promising young talent of the Song family, he was exiled to Weize County in Ningzhou, a remote and dangerous place plagued by bandits. That was not the worst of it. After he worked hard to serve the people and achieved results, high officials in the prefecture and later the governor’s office of Ningzhou had successively moved to suppress him. However, for Song Keli, these setbacks did not cause him to harbor resentment. What truly left him bewildered was the fact that the very people who had benefited from his kindness within half a year turned against him, joining his former colleagues in mocking him. Yet Song Keli did not wish to complain to anyone, except for this old scholar before him, Yuan Huangmen Yuan Pu. For Song Keli had many thoughts that did not fit the times and wished to seek advice from this scholar, who had never been well-respected even within the Hanlin Academy.
After inviting Master Yuan to sit, Song Keli respectfully asked, “How did Master Yuan come to Weize County?”
Yuan Pu, who preferred writing to speaking, picked up the government bulletin. Perhaps due to excessive reading, his eyesight was poor, so he held it higher to read carefully. After placing it down gently, he spoke, still somewhat indistinctly, “It has been many years since I last left Tai’an City. I simply wanted to go out and see the world.”
At this, the old scholar sighed, “After Wang Xianzhi left Wudi City, an old friend of mine in Tai’an City also departed.”
Yuan Pu looked at Song Keli and spoke directly, “The problem of horse bandits in Ningzhou has deep roots. It is but a piece on the chessboard—neither big nor small, yet as an outsider, if you attempt to move this piece, those who originally played the game will ensure your downfall.”
Song Keli nodded and said with understanding, “So it is as I suspected. The recent rise of horse bandits in Ningzhou must be the doing of Cao Changqing.”
Yuan Pu said calmly, “Cao Changqing has not been idle for twenty years. Moreover, a dead spy from Western Chu has reached the third-highest position within the Zhao Gou. It was this person who, seventeen years ago, proposed planting spies within the military ranks across the Guangling Road. This spring, at the beginning of the Xiangfu era, those spies, who had been hiding for many years and mostly risen to the rank of lieutenant or captain—exactly three hundred and sixty-seven of them—half died suddenly, while the other half became the backbone of the Western Chu rebels. This move was something the Ministry of War, which had planned with Zhao Gou for over a decade, completely failed to anticipate. At this moment, Minister Lu Baijie is struggling greatly, largely due to the aftermath of this scheme. Otherwise, where would the Western Chu get so many elite soldiers ready to fight to the death on the battlefield?”
Song Keli was stunned.
Yuan Pu swept his two fingers across the stone table, saying hoarsely, “The game can be divided into big and small. On a grand scale, it is about reducing the power of regional lords, consolidating national strength, promoting the imperial examination system, and curbing the influence of military men. Ultimately, it is to conquer the Northern Man, unify the realm, and accomplish a feat even the great Qin Dynasty of eight hundred years ago could not achieve. Going even further, it is about becoming an emperor remembered for eternity.”
Yuan Pu drew a vertical line with his finger, “On a slightly smaller scale, it is about forcing the Prince of Beiliang to use all his resources to contain the Northern Man, and confining Gu Jiantang to the northern front—this is an open strategy. Using the revival of Western Chu as bait to drain the strength and ambitions of the Prince of Guangling and other regional lords, weakening the local military forces of the Gu Lu faction, and using this to lure out the powerful Yan Chi King Zhao Bing, who holds the advantage of location and support—this is a hidden scheme. The two generations of Beiliang Kings are fearsome because they command thirty thousand elite troops. They are admirable because, despite holding great power, father and son never rebelled. They are pitiable because the court of Liyang will bring the Xu family to ruin regardless of whether Beiliang rebels or not.”
Yuan Pu spread his hand and wiped the table surface, “Life is full of helplessness, just like how Xu Xiao By all means possible wanted to kill me, yet despite commanding thirty thousand troops and sending wave after wave of assassins to the capital, he could never succeed. Just like how Cao Changqing, despite possessing great talent, was born in the wrong time and place—Western Chu. Just like how Zhang Julu, who devoted himself entirely to the welfare of the people, still had to face a world ruled by a single family. Just like how Xu Fengnian, after defeating Wang Xianzhi, still has to face the invasion of hundreds of thousands of Northern Man cavalry. Compared to their helplessness, Song Keli, is yours greater or smaller?”
Song Keli was stunned and asked, “Master Yuan?”
Yuan Pu smiled.
Song Keli suddenly stood up, bowing deeply, his voice filled with anxiety, “Song Keli greets Master Yuan!”
This bow was for the imperial tutor of Tai’an City, the man known as Yuan Benxi, the “Half-Tongue” strategist!
Yuan Benxi did not respond to Song Keli’s solemnity. He said calmly, “I should not have met you so soon. However, I have spent my entire life within that city. During the early Spring and Autumn period, I was merely an unknown figure, and a single word from Xun Ping carried more weight than all my efforts combined. By the late Spring and Autumn period, there was nothing left for me to do. Now, the pieces have been placed on the board, and according to Huang Longshi’s view, the joy of farming is not merely in waiting at home for a bountiful harvest, but in personally going to the fields to witness the golden crops. Moreover, you should not remain in Weize County any longer. Come with me and witness the rising smoke of war. Otherwise, we scholars may speak of the people’s suffering with sympathy, but if we never truly understand how dire their plight is, it would be nothing but a mockery.”
Song Keli’s eyes shone with excitement as he said joyfully, “This humble student would gladly serve as your vanguard, Master Yuan!”
Yuan Benxi nodded and asked, “Earlier, I saw the woman in the alley. Compared to that princess who risked everything to leave the capital just to see you, how does she compare?”
Song Keli was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
One was a princess of extraordinary beauty, the other a modest maiden of average looks—how could they be compared?
Yuan Benxi’s gaze drifted slightly as he sighed, “In matters of love, some people are naturally kind and treat you well, which is fortunate. But it does not necessarily mean they truly love you. Others may have poor temperaments but are willing to change greatly for you, which is genuine love. That Zhao girl, who risked everything to find you, would never abandon her family. When the time comes to choose, she will leave you behind. But the Liu girl in the alley, though quiet and gentle, would likely give everything for you, even her life. People always feel deep gratitude when those of high status offer them something, yet they often overlook the care of their parents, the sacrifices of poor friends, and the devotion of a loyal wife.”
Song Keli replied with a bitter smile, “This humble student has learned much from you.”
Suddenly, Yuan Benxi sat back on the stone bench and said, “Talking is indeed more tiring than doing. Bring some wine.”
Song Keli hurried into the house to fetch wine.
Yuan Benxi muttered to himself, “If not for the Northern Man, with thirty thousand troops in Beiliang, how could Western Chu, or even princes like Zhao Bing and Zhao Yi, stand a chance?”
Yuan Benxi chuckled bitterly, “I, too, am a man of helplessness.”
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