The veteran soldiers of Jizhou, led by Yang Shenxing, were lured into a large trap, marking a disastrous beginning for the previously invincible Liyang Dynasty during its southern campaign. Before Cao Changqing even appeared, nearly one hundred thousand elite troops were lost at the fringes of the Guangling Circuit. This caused the former Spring and Autumn refugees who had painstakingly integrated into the Zhao imperial court to feel a complex mix of emotions. They were anxious about Liyang’s actual military strength and whether it truly possessed the national power to resist the Beiman forces and defeat them decisively and completely. Deep within their hearts, they also harbored a vague, indescribable sentiment: the Liyang that had once conquered the world with Xu Xiao and many other valiant generals, was still unable to avoid setbacks even after twenty years. As the old saying goes, “Fortunes change every thirty years.” After twenty years of stability in the Central Plains, could it really be time for another upheaval?
After Yan Zhenshun’s forces were completely annihilated, Lu Shengxiang, the nominal commander-in-chief of the southern campaign, continued to endure a trying period. Though not reprimanded by the emperor, he still commanded very few troops, and his orders rarely left his command tent. He was even less influential than another seasoned general from the Spring and Autumn era who had been entrusted with a critical mission in a time of crisis. Among them was Xu Gong, the pillar of the Gumu Xu family, who had been expected to assume a major command as the Dragon General but was instead defeated and continued to be “kept in cold storage” by the imperial court and the Ministry of War. Perhaps as a form of compensation, rumors spread in the Taian City that Xu Gong might soon be appointed as the Vice Minister of War to oversee the defense of the Two Liao regions.
With the dispatch of a second large force from the Liyang capital, the Xichu did not lag behind. Riding the momentum of two consecutive major victories, a young man named Kou Jianghuai followed in the rising fame of Xie Xicehui and launched a series of dazzling and brilliant military campaigns. In his confrontation with the Guangling King Zhao Yi, who was known for his unique insights in military strategy on the eastern front, Kou Jianghuai steadily gained the upper hand. Within twenty days, he captured six locations, including Huangyan Pass and Dijinze. Particularly notable was his elite personal unit of three thousand soldiers known as the Feiyuan Army, who were all capable of crossing rivers and streams while fully armored, moving as swiftly as monkeys. They shone brightly during the battle for Xipeng Mountain on the eastern front. Kou Jianghuai’s military tactics were cunning and unpredictable; he excelled at long-range raids and, after capturing a city, would not remain to defend it. He ambushed Zhao Yi’s reinforcements four times, succeeding in three of them and killing over ten thousand enemy troops. As a result, the transitional zones originally under Zhao Yi’s control to slow the Xichu’s eastern advance were fragmented and in disarray, leaving them vulnerable and undefended. With Kou Jianghuai’s forces moving freely and gradually eroding Zhao Yi’s territory, the Guangling King erupted in anger at the military headquarters, the Spring Snow Pavilion, demanding of his generals, “Who among you can find this Kou Jianghuai, who has yet to make a formal appearance on the battlefield? Even just catching a glimpse of him from afar would be better!”
Unfortunately, at that time, Zhao Yi’s right-hand man, Lu Shengxiang, had already been promoted to Vice Minister of War, making him an imperial official, and as the main southern campaign commander, he could not possibly serve the Spring Snow Pavilion again. Zhang Erbao, the general in charge of the southern infantry, was stationed in the south, and Zhao Yi did not believe that an inexperienced general like Kou Jianghuai truly warranted Zhang Erbao’s deployment. Cao Changqing might have been worth the effort! In the end, Zhao Yi issued an urgent order to his trusted general, the Crossriver General Song Li, commanding him to immediately return from the northern gate of Guangling to the Spring Snow Pavilion. This famous Guangling general, known for his ruthless plundering of wealthy merchants, seemed in no particular hurry on his journey. It was even said that the Beauty-obsessed General Song had picked up two beautiful women along the way during his southern march. To hasten his arrival, the Guangling King even sent his eldest son, Zhao Biao, to personally welcome him one hundred li outside the city, showing just how much he relied on this “lucky general.”
If this was still merely an internal concern for Liyang, then the external threats were even more dire, like dark clouds pressing down on the city until it seemed ready to collapse. The Beiman forces, numbering one hundred thousand strong, began their southern invasion, not only eyeing the northern Beiliang region but also coveting the fertile lands south of Beiliang in the Central Plains.
This autumn of the Xiangfu era seemed truly to be at its most turbulent.
The Taian City was bustling with activity. As one lone white-robed monk, who had once traveled west alone, departed, another scholar of extraordinary knowledge, Qi Yanglong, arrived. During this time, an obscure individual briefly emerged into the spotlight but quickly faded back into obscurity. The only reason this person was remembered and occasionally discussed was due to a comment by the Chief Minister Zhang, who said, “His capacity is insufficient to contain his talent.” Regardless of the Chief Minister’s assessment, this young man, who had caught a fleeting glimpse of the imperial court’s attention, was named Sun Yin. He was a native of Beiliang, despised by the Taian City, and now served in the Menxia Province, Reluctantly considered to have entered the ranks of officials. However, Sun Yin, who kept a low profile and rarely ventured out, was soon forgotten by the capital, even overshadowed by the young Daoist master Wu Shizhen, who had descended from Qingcheng Mountain to the capital.
After Tan Tanweng caused a ruckus in the Shangshu Province and kicked the Ministry of War’s Lu Baijie, not only was Huan Wen not blamed by the imperial court, but rumors even suggested that Tan Tanweng might become the first person to ever fully control the Menxia Province in the history of the Liyang Dynasty, which had never appointed a chief official for this department. His rank began to truly rival that of Zhang Julu, placing him among the few highest-ranking officials in the empire at the First Rank level! Not only that, but some even claimed that Tan Tanweng’s exceptional promotion was the emperor’s dual-purpose strategy. Besides paving the way for Qi Yanglong to assume the position of Chancellor in the Zhongshu Province, if the rumors were true, the Zhongshu and Menxia Provinces, which had previously only nominally shared power with the Shangshu Province, would completely break free from the Chief Minister’s control. This would undoubtedly bring an end to the dominance of Bi Yanye in the political landscape of the Yonghui Spring. As for the truth of this matter, it was said that even the few people in the entire Liyang Dynasty who dared to claim certainty were scarce. In fact, even Huan Wen, one of the two main parties involved, was unaware of how the situation would unfold. However, Tan Tanweng, whose doorstep was nearly worn down by visitors, seemed to remain indifferent to the whole affair. On the contrary, the esteemed eunuchs of the Menxia Province were restless, changing tactics to bring wine to Tan Tanweng’s residence, which was temporarily occupied by the Left Vice Chancellor, in an attempt to extract insider information. Tan Tanweng, however, did not act aloof, simply telling them that such promotions and honors were matters of fortune—gaining them was a blessing, and losing them was fate.
Tan Tanweng also spoke openly, saying that if he were promoted, his former position would certainly not go to an outsider. He would go to the emperor’s side and stubbornly insist on promoting someone from his own “field” within the Menxia Province. As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Menxia Province was delighted.
Amidst the undercurrents within the Menxia Province, Sun Yin, serving as a minor official with the rank of Clerk, continued to arrive and depart at his designated times each day. When Zhang the Chief Minister’s comments became widely known, some speculated that Sun Yin might be promoted to the rank of Seal Keeper, a position from the sixth grade. After all, this role could also be considered one of the emperor’s close attendants, although it did not match the status of the newly established “Study Bureau” position of Chronicler, who constantly accompanied the monarch. Still, it was enough to make young aristocrats quite envious. However, the matter soon fizzled out. The officials of the Menxia Province, who already disliked this introverted outsider, were happy to see him fail. Sun Yin’s position as Clerk was a temporary addition made by Tan Tanweng’s decree. The original six Clerk Administrator officers tacitly conspired to exclude Sun Yin. In fact, Sun Yin had nothing to do each day in the Menxia office. He did not even seem to read or practice calligraphy, sitting in the darkest corner of the Clerk room, doing nothing but staring blankly into space. Initially, the Clerk Administrator officers were wary of this young scholar, who had been personally appointed by Tan Tanweng, and at least wanted to preserve his dignity. They secretly tripped him up but maintained a facade of harmony on the surface. However, as time passed, they realized that the Left Vice Chancellor had completely ignored the man after placing him in the Menxia Province, never summoning him for a private meeting. The only time he had visited was to chat with an elderly historian about ancient and modern topics, not even glancing at Sun Yin once. Thus, the last traces of goodwill in the office vanished, and Sun Yin silently became the most idle and useless person in the Menxia Province, with nothing to do, no words to speak, and even pitifully no mistakes to be blamed for.
On a gloomy autumn evening with continuous drizzle, Sun Yin silently stepped out of his room and looked up at the overcast sky. Occasionally, colleagues passed by him, but they all ignored each other. Then Sun Yin saw a familiar figure beckoning him. After following him, the two walked side by side. Some distant figures saw this and were astonished beyond words. In the rain, Tan Tanweng was actually holding an umbrella for a young junior! And that presumptuous junior Unbelievably, actually could remain so composed? Sun Yin spoke first, saying, “I heard that the Chief Minister is hosting a private banquet at his residence today. Is the Left Vice Chancellor going to crash the party? Aren’t you afraid of being met with a closed door?”
Huan Wen replied calmly, “Whether he sees me or not is Bi Yanye’s matter. Whether I go or not is my own.”
Sun Yin furrowed his brows, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Back then, the establishment of the Study Bureau within the palace was meant to counteract the Zhang and Gu lodges. If an additional Chancellor of the Zhongshu Province is added, won’t it really come to a breaking point?”
Huan Wen smiled and said, “You probably want to say that the time has come for the dagger to be revealed from the map, right?”
Sun Yin nodded.
Huan Wen did not continue on this topic but instead asked, “What have you been thinking about during this period?”
Sun Yin was truly a young bull unafraid of tigers and answered directly, “I want to first become Xu Ping and then Zhang Julu. In Xiangfan City, Lu Xu wrote a memorial for Prince Zhao Xun of Jing’an, which caused a sensation in the capital. In my opinion, it is still just a temporary solution to the problem at hand.”
Huan Wen smiled and said, “Oh?”
Sun Yin said calmly, “I have a piece of writing in mind, half of which I have already thought through. For now, I have the eight characters ‘ Ascension to the Throne、 Reign、 Housekeeping、 Patrolling the Borders’ to discuss.”
Huan Wen, with his vast experience in the bureaucratic world, naturally saw far into the depths and softly chuckled, “It seems this is a piece meant for the Crown Prince. You are going to teach the Crown Prince how to ascend the throne, how to sit on the dragon throne for the first time facing the old ministers of both factions, how to play the role of a filial son and a strict father, and how to stabilize the territory. Sun Yin, Sun Yin, I’m not trying to act like an old man lecturing you, but you, a poor scholar who has never served as a local official and has never even touched a hundred taels of silver, are going to talk about governing the world. Isn’t that too ambitious? Xu Ping, the scholar, was at least the favored disciple of Qi Yanglong and fully mastered the art of strategy, while Bi Yanye had also studied under our teacher for many years. You?”
Sun Yin countered, “Can a carp from the rivers and lakes not leap through the Dragon Gate?”
Huan Wen laughed heartily, “To rise from a commoner to a high official overnight, it’s not impossible.”
After laughing, Huan Wen, who was still holding the umbrella, sighed, “The good times for scholars are coming. Perhaps an article of tens of thousands of words will be enough to buy the position of a royal teacher.”
At this point, Huan Wen turned to look at this young man from Beiliang with curiosity and asked, “If you happen to surpass Xu Ping and Bi Yanye, who would you try to become next?”
Sun Yin pointed to himself.
Huan Wen sneered, barely managing to utter two words, “Deserving of death.”
Huan Wen folded the umbrella, and the two sat into a well-prepared carriage, slowly heading toward that street lined with powerful and influential figures. As Tan Tanweng lifted the curtain, gazing at the familiar buildings, he muttered to himself, “In theory, it should be the time when the monkeys scatter after the tree falls, but I’m sure it will surprise everyone. It all depends on whether the young talents of Yonghui Spring, like Yin Maochun and Wang Xionggui, whom we personally promoted, will immediately change their ways.”
As they approached the Chief Minister’s residence, Huan Wen softly said, “The sages of Confucianism once said that those who have seen the sea find it hard to be impressed by other waters, and those who have studied under a sage find it hard to be moved by other words. But in the future, the imperial court will see more and more people like you, who stand outside the gates of the sages. The fear is that once you hold power, you might betray the hopes of the entire world.”
Sun Yin remained silent.
When they arrived at the Zhang Julu residence, Tan Tanweng opened the umbrella and stepped out of the carriage. As expected by Sun Yin, the Zhang Jia gatekeeper, with an embarrassed expression, informed Tan Tanweng that today was Zhang Jia’s private banquet, and no outsiders were allowed into the house. Obviously, Tan Tanweng had now become an “outsider.” Huan Wen did not make things difficult for the familiar gatekeeper, merely giving a slight nod before turning and walking down the steps. Sun Yin did not immediately follow, watching the old man’s receding figure and then glancing at the dark sky. For some reason, there was no sunset or afterglow overhead, but Sun Yin still felt that an empire held up by a single person was now entering its twilight.
With Zhang Julu’s death, the last glimmer of the empire’s golden age would fade away.
Perhaps Huan Wen finally realized that the young man had not kept up with his pace, and he stopped a hundred steps away from the carriage, turning his head to look back.
He saw the steady steps of the younger generation, and from him, he saw a kind of vigor that he himself had once possessed.
Who else but me can save the day?!
He still remembered a long time ago, within his teacher’s door, throughout the court and country, everyone acknowledged that two Bi Yanye’s were needed to match one Huan Wen.
But Huan Wen never thought so.
Even when his teacher and the late emperor had decided that it was Huan Wen who would take charge of the Shangshu Province.
He was willing to be Zhang Julu’s foil for decades.
Suddenly, Huan Wen smiled, handing the umbrella in his hand to Sun Yin, “From now on, it’s your turn to hold it up.”
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