The stars hung low over the flatlands. Yu Dilong sat atop the city wall, raising his eyes to the sky, his heart stirred by the countless twinkling stars. He could never get enough of their beauty. This child’s fortune was enviable beyond measure—blessed with three-tenths of Wang Xianzhi’s legacy and receiving personal guidance from Xu Fengnian. Yu Dilong withdrew his gaze, hearing his master murmur, “In July, the fire star flows westward; in September, we give out winter clothes.”
Xu Fengnian looked up at the bright red star descending unusually fast this year. A faint smile appeared on his face. In the capital’s Bureau of Astronomy, there were officials solely assigned to observe this star—old men who had spent their entire lives studying it. Yet this year, two of them had already been demoted for failing to explain its strange behavior. The same red star had once been blamed for the infamous White Robe Tragedy in the capital, when it had also moved unusually fast westward from the center of the sky. When a dynasty thrives, auspicious omens abound; when chaos brews, ominous signs appear. The Bureau, now led by a young director, had not had a moment’s peace this year. Xu Fengnian turned his gaze northward beyond the city walls. The Liyang court was the most expansive since the Qin Dynasty, with Xu Xiao and Prince Yan Chi Wang Zhao Bing guarding the frontiers, making the Zhao dynasty’s military prestige the strongest in history. In the imperial court of Taian City, ministers and nobles gathered in splendor. Xu Fengnian often wanted to ask the emperor Zhao a question directly: aside from the slight flaw of a weak family authority, what more could you possibly desire?
Instinctively, he glanced eastward toward Taian City, thinking of Bi Yan’er, the old scholar who had devoted himself to the Zhao family. The old man’s current situation was not easy, and it would only get worse. This time, using the pretext of restoring the Xichu kingdom, he had enacted policies to suppress military power and reduce the influence of feudal lords—policies that had touched upon two forbidden taboos. Whether Heaven would resent him was uncertain, but the people certainly did. Princes like Guangling Wang Zhao Yi and other royal clans would harbor deep hatred, along with the aristocrats of Taian City who had long nursed grievances, and all the generals stationed outside the capital, forbidden by decree from leaving their territories. Not a single Zhao royal relative in the entire empire held any goodwill toward him. Worse still, the forced order for generals across the land to bring their troops to the outskirts of Guangling for “training” had alienated nearly every distinguished general, with Gu Jiantang at their head.
Xu Fengnian sighed, “Wu Wu Di—Wang Xianzhi is dead. And you, Wen Wu Di, you insist on carrying out reforms based on Lu Xu’s memorial at this moment. Do you really believe you can end your life peacefully? Do you truly think you are the Emperor standing behind the throne?”
Yet Xu Fengnian felt no schadenfreude. Although Zhang Julu was a sworn enemy of Beiliang, there were always a few rare individuals who could earn the respect of their enemies. Xu Xiao was one of them. The Northern Liang Empress, Gu Jiantang, the late Jing’an King Zhao Heng—those who should have hated Xu Xiao the most had never once insulted him in words.
Xu Fengnian gave a light sigh and told Yu Dilong, “Let’s go,” as the child leapt down from the city wall. Before entering the city, Wang Lingbao had already informed him that the two people he intended to meet were both absent from Qingcang City. His younger brother, Xu Longxiang, had taken only eighty riders to pursue a gang of horse bandits numbering in the thousands, heading north of Linyao Garrison. Chen Xiliang was outside the city, “recruiting soldiers” for the Youzhou border army, and had practically lived outside the city walls for the past two months.
Xu Fengnian and Yu Dilong arrived at the Liuzhou Governor’s mansion, once the residence of the Dragon King, now seized by the new administration. The mansion was brightly lit, and nearly all the officials handling affairs at the desks were young. These newly promoted talents were half from the scholars who had passed rigorous selection to enter Beiliang, and half were descendants of noble families from the original three provinces of Beiliang.
As Xu Fengnian entered a small office under the Hu Fang (Household Department), he saw Governor Yang Guangdou holding a wolf-hair brush and striking a young official’s head repeatedly, cursing him without mercy, dragging his ancestors into the fray. The young man, clearly a Grain Registrar, had a red face, humiliated in front of his colleagues. Though his rank was far beneath Yang’s, he dared not argue, and despite his sense of injustice, tears streamed down his handsome face. Yang was still not satisfied. He handed the brush back to the young man, smearing ink across his official robe, and sneered, “I’ll come back tomorrow morning. If the accounts are still a mess, well, your grandfather is Wei Tieshan, and I can’t touch you or demote you, but I can certainly send you to the Etiquette Chamber near the latrine. Wei Tonghe, don’t bother washing that robe—it’ll probably need changing tomorrow anyway.”
The young man’s face turned pale. Clenching his teeth, though his voice still trembled, his eyes no longer showed fear. He said defiantly, “Governor, Linyao Garrison oversees three commanderies, and they’ve only just been established. My colleagues and I have barely slept three hours a day. Yes, there were errors in the land records for the four-tier fields, but that’s already the limit of our abilities. If you think I’m unfit for this post, if you believe I’m only here because of my ancestors’ merits, then don’t bother with excuses—just let me go to the Etiquette Chamber myself!”
Yang Guangdou, his mustache bristling, hesitated, then sneered, “So you’ve got some backbone! Then go ahead—get lost. Our Etiquette Chamber in Liuzhou is the most important office, responsible for education and moral guidance. I’m sure the refugees love listening to your elementary lessons, Master Wei. Maybe next year we’ll have a whole basket of top scholars!”
Wei Tonghe, utterly humiliated, burst into tears. His grandfather, Wei Tieshan, had retired from the high rank of Deputy Cavalry Commander, and had only recently taken off his armor. His successor, He Zhonghu, always regarded Wei Tieshan as an elder brother and held him in great respect. Wei Tonghe’s father, Wei Jinshui, had risen to the rank of fourth-grade military officer in the border forces and was deeply trusted by He Zhonghu. Unlike many sons of generals who indulged in pleasure, Wei Tonghe preferred books over swords. Filled with passion, he had secretly come to this refugee land after hearing that Liuzhou urgently needed officials, without revealing his identity to his colleagues. Only tonight had Governor Yang exposed him, shocking everyone in the room. But Wei Tonghe, by nature gentle, was indeed unlike his formidable relatives. If Wei Tieshan had been scolded by the old Prince of Liang, he might not dare to curse back, but he would never cry like this.
With no way to save face, Wei Tonghe could only go to the Etiquette Chamber—a small, insignificant office. As he wiped his tears and bowed to everyone in the room, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder as he turned to leave. Looking up, he saw a warm, smiling stranger. The unexpected guest chuckled softly, “Governor Yang is just trying to provoke you. Why didn’t you see through it? Wei Tonghe, didn’t you know that your grandfather and Governor Yang are old drinking buddies? Would he really send you to the Etiquette Chamber? If he did, your grandfather would chase him down and beat him up!”
Wei Tonghe was stunned, murmuring, “Who are you?”
Yang Guangdou, annoyed at being upstaged, snapped, “Fool! Don’t you know who this is? Kneel before the Prince!”
At the word “Prince,” all the young officials in the room, who had been standing with Wei Tonghe, looked at Xu Fengnian with fiery reverence and immediately prepared to kneel, but Xu Fengnian waved them off, “No need. All of you, continue your work. Liuzhou has three garrisons and eight commanderies—everything is just beginning. It’s hard at first, but once you get through this phase, it will become second nature, and things will get easier. Then, even if Governor Yang wants to scold you, he won’t find any excuses. These past days have been tough on all of you. Later, I’ll have some jars of wine sent to every office. And the Etiquette Chamber will get extra—after all, near the latrine, we need the wine to overpower the stench.”
The atmosphere in the room immediately lightened, and smiles returned to the young officials’ faces.
Wei Tonghe, standing alone before the Prince of Beiliang, swallowed hard. If he hadn’t known the Prince’s identity, it might not have been so overwhelming. But now, with the truth revealed, a wave of invisible authority seemed to wash over him. It wasn’t that Xu Fengnian was particularly imposing—it was just that Wei Tonghe, a gentle scholar, was scaring himself.
Xu Fengnian’s path as Crown Prince had been turbulent—first cursed by all, then turning the world upside down, even suppressing General Zhong Hongwu with ease. After inheriting the princely title, he continued his feats: refusing imperial edicts, reforming the Beiliang army, slaying Wang Xianzhi, inspecting the frontier, and establishing Liuzhou. How could Wei Tonghe not be terrified? In truth, any ordinary official facing a feudal lord—no matter how infamous—would walk on eggshells. But for Wei Tonghe, who had spent his life buried in books, Xu Fengnian’s deeds were not the main source of his awe. What truly impressed him was a “small matter” directly related to himself.
When Liuzhou was established, the Liyang court seemed hesitant about whether to issue a reprimand for this unauthorized act. But what followed made the people of Beiliang laugh heartily. For example, Governor Yang Guangdou’s salary was only slightly less than that of the Chief Minister—his monthly stipend alone was three hundred strings of coins. Even a low-ranking official like Wei Tonghe received fifteen strings of coins, fifty bundles of firewood, and even the spring silk and winter brocade reserved for high-ranking Liyang officials. The Liyang court’s generosity toward Liuzhou officials was beyond excessive. Wei Tonghe couldn’t imagine any other feudal lord making the Liyang court bleed so willingly—neither Prince Yan Chi nor Prince Guangling could have done it!
Xu Fengnian did not stay long. As he walked out with Yang Guangdou, the old official, clearly in a good mood, said softly, “Chen Chengmu’s strategy is flawless. I underestimated him before—making him merely the governor of Qingcang was a waste. As a governor, I should step aside for talent. At first, only a few tens of thousands of refugees volunteered to join the army in Youliang, barely reaching a thousand. I was at a loss, for I couldn’t force Longxiang’s soldiers to hold swords to their necks. But Chen Xiliang devised a plan—each refugee household needed only one person to enlist to receive farmland in Lingshou and be registered as a Beiliang citizen. Combined with Xu Beizhi’s planning in Lingshou, many fearful wealthy families sold their ancestral estates cheaply, leaving much farmland available. As a result, Liuzhou can now send at least forty thousand soldiers to the border—forty thousand warriors willing to fight and die for their families and brothers. Prince, do you think making Chen Xiliang a mere city governor is too small a reward for his contributions?”
Xu Fengnian had only heard that Liuzhou’s recruitment numbers would rise, but had not yet seen the full intelligence report. Upon hearing the figure of forty thousand, he was deeply shocked. In the Guangling Campaign, though the battle seemed to shake the heavens, and all the world watched with bated breath, the number of troops involved was barely ten thousand. Yet Chen Xiliang had quietly brought forty thousand ready-to-fight soldiers to Beiliang’s border. And let’s not forget—Beiliang’s forty thousand were not the same as Yang Shenxing’s forty thousand. There were those who had once ranked the combat strength of Liyang’s armies, claiming that one Beiliang cavalryman was worth two Liyang elite cavalrymen, and one Beiliang infantryman was worth three Liyang elite infantrymen. Even Yan Wenluan, who never boasted, had privately said that if Yang Shenxing’s forty thousand Jinnan troops were replaced with his own twenty thousand infantry, the Kuixiao Garrison could be taken in one move, and thus the later defeat at San Cang would never have happened.
Xu Fengnian said helplessly, “Refugees settling in Lingshou can obtain citizenship, but Chen Xiliang didn’t inform Qingliang Mountain beforehand.”
He smiled slightly and added, “Governor, are you covering for Chen Xiliang? Are you afraid I’ll punish him twice?”
Yang Guangdou laughed heartily, not hiding his intentions. “Exactly. Chen Xiliang comes from a humble background, but his heart is truly with the people. Even someone like Wei Tonghe, a noble with a pure heart, cannot match him. Prince, you must not let this good seedling wither too soon. Let me say it plainly—if you really want to make an example of Chen Xiliang in Liuzhou, I won’t stop you. But afterward, I’ll definitely bring him into my governor’s mansion and treat him like a treasure.”
Xu Fengnian said frankly, “At first, I did intend to reward and punish him accordingly. But on my way to Qingcang, I met a member of the Luming Song family, who, like you, spoke highly of Chen Xiliang, so I gave up the idea. I’ve also noticed something—Wutong Courtyard, led by my second sister and assisted by the old advisors, can barely handle Beiliang’s daily affairs. If war truly breaks out, even if I spend all twelve hours of the day at my desk, I might still be overwhelmed. Right now, Qingliang Mountain is dealing with old customs and bad habits within Beiliang, and we can still proceed step by step. But once the war starts, I’ll have to go to the border, and then I’ll have real headaches.”
Yang Guangdou said solemnly, “Are you saying Qingliang Mountain lacks a Li Yishan, someone with vision and strategy to control the overall situation?”
Xu Fengnian nodded.
Yang Guangdou sighed, “Such a person—whether a once-in-a-century or once-in-a-decade talent—is already in the Zhao family’s net in Taian City. They won’t come to Beiliang. Take the nearly a hundred scholars coming to Liuzhou, and the two hundred or so sons of noble families and military clans in Beiliang. After watching them all, the best among them is only at Wei Tonghe’s level—still needing refinement, and it will take at least a decade before they can stand alone. Being an official is the easiest job in the world, but to put it bluntly, even being a corrupt official requires talent, let alone a capable official who can be entrusted with governing a region. Now I can only hope that among these scholars from outside, a few will quickly rise to prominence—not just raw jade, but already polished gems ready for use. Chen Xiliang and Xu Beizhi are excellent, but they’re still young. Li Yishan and others like Nalan Youci were shaped by the smoke of the Spring and Autumn Wars. And both Chen Xiliang and Xu Beizhi share a fatal flaw that cannot be changed.”
Xu Fengnian said softly, “Reputation recognized by the world.”
Yang Guangdou, looking weary, said, “The world is cold and indifferent. The dogs of powerful clans surpass the noble scholars of humble origins. Before the Spring and Autumn Wars, no matter how heroic you were, without noble lineage, success was harder than climbing to heaven. Now it’s slightly better, and perhaps it will gradually improve, but Beiliang cannot wait.”
Xu Fengnian muttered to himself, “Looks like I need to hurry.”
Yang Guangdou, sharp as ever, lowered his voice, his face full of anticipation, “Have you found someone already?”
Xu Fengnian smiled bitterly, “This kind of thing, even if it’s mutual, is not guaranteed. I haven’t even written the first stroke yet. Let’s see how my luck goes.”
Yang Guangdou, bringing up an unwelcome topic, said with a smirk, “There’s a rumor that you once ignored Lu Xu from Xiangfan City?”
Xu Fengnian did not deny it, but mocked himself, “I wonder who the real blind one was.”
Yang Guangdou laughed it off, then suddenly asked, “I heard that the guy from Shangyin Academy has come out of seclusion and gone to Taian City?”
Xu Fengnian’s expression darkened slightly. He nodded, “He’s starting to slay dragons.”
Yang Guangdou sneered, “When the hare dies, the hound is boiled. It should be ‘slaying deer,’ not ‘slaying dragons’!”
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