Chunxue Tower, hailed as the “Little Temple” of the southeast Yangli, was built on Lion Cliff. The tower was located in Shoulü Manor, which was originally a summer resort of the Great Chu Dynasty. It was destroyed during the wars of the Spring and Autumn period. After more than twenty years of relentless expansion by the Prince of Guangling, Zhao Yi, the manor gathered countless rare flowers and exotic stones, “hidden from the world.” Among them was a colossal stone from the Spring God Lake, transported by the Guangling Navy and the retinue of the Prince’s cavalry. Shaped like a pearl, it was rightly known as the King of Stones, a treasure that embodied the feng shui of the land.
Shoulü Manor faced the Guangling River to the south. The Lion Cliff area was once a popular site for Jiangnan scholars to climb and compose poetry. However, after it became the exclusive domain of Zhao Yi, the Emperor’s younger brother, only a select few officials of the Guangling Circuit were permitted to enter Chunxue Tower for political discussions. Lion Cliff was also known as Jewel Mountain. In the final years of the Great Feng Dynasty, a revered monk once subdued a lion and preached the Dharma here, causing a miraculous rain of heavenly blossoms. When the flowers touched the ground, they turned into stones—vividly colored, countless in number, scattered across hundreds of miles.
From the end of the Great Feng to the beginning of the Yonghui era, during every war, travelers, visitors, and stone gatherers picked up these unclaimed stones, leaving fewer than a tenth remaining. After Zhao Yi was enfeoffed as Prince, he either seized or purchased these stones, scattering them casually around the Spring God Lake stone until the entire Lion Cliff was paved with them.
On the cliff stood Chunxue Tower, and beneath it, there was a well.
The first light snow of winter in Jiangnan arrived late, only to vanish abruptly. Yet with the flames of war burning across the Guangling Circuit, whether it snowed or not was of little consequence. As the snow melted, the scenery of Lion Cliff was enchanting at noon. A fat man, clad in a golden-thread embroidered yellow dragon robe, sat alone on the edge of the well. This small well had no water, and its purpose had been a mystery since ancient times. Among all the Princes of Yangli, only this fat pig was granted such an honor. Even the once-undefeatable Prince of Beiliang, Xu Xiao, had worn only a blue satin dragon robe. Prince Yan Chi, Zhao Bing, whether in dragon posture or dragon waves, paled in comparison. As for the actual territory of his fief, the plague-ridden southern frontier, it could not even be compared to the wealthy Guangling, where half the nation’s taxes were collected. The court and the people alike despised the Prince of Guangling, who was widely considered the most undeserving among the Princes. The number of censors and officials who had died, directly or indirectly, at his hands was staggering.
Yet the man now seemingly receiving his karmic retribution, roasted over a fire, did not appear as flustered as the outside world imagined. He sat quietly on the well, showing no malice or despair.
Whenever Zhao Yi sat on the well lost in thought, even the most trusted attendants of Chunxue Tower dared not interrupt.
In the distance, the Crown Prince Zhao Piao stood respectfully, alongside General Song Li, who had just returned from the western front.
Beyond the cliff, the Guangling River was filled with warships of the navy. Although it was publicly claimed that half of the Guangling Navy had been taken by the Western Chu, in reality, the majority of the massive warships remained firmly under Guangling control.
Zhao Piao and Song Li were close friends, having called each other brothers for years. It was widely known that only those women who became Song Li’s lovers could truly escape the clutches of the Crown Prince. Even if one’s father was a governor, it would not be enough to guarantee safety. At this moment, Zhao Piao muttered angrily, lowering his voice: “Back then, everyone said that the Grand Tutor of Western Chu fled here, refusing to surrender to the Xu family’s cavalry, and bravely leapt from the cliff with the fallen princess. What nonsense! Xu the Lame must have tricked the court. He should have been given the worst posthumous title imaginable!”
Song Li smiled but did not echo him, glancing instead at the wide river flowing eastward.
After Chu fell, there was no more Spring and Autumn; after the high cliffs, there was no more Central Plains.
When the Great Chu fell, the Southern Tang and Western Shu still resisted, but this saying had already appeared among the literati.
Zhao Piao yawned, his mind wandering far. Suddenly, Song Li nudged him, and Zhao Piao noticed his father motioning to them. He quickly stepped forward, walking with Song Li to the well.
Zhao Yi looked at Song Li and asked with a smile: “Is it true that Kou Jianghuai has really resigned and gone into seclusion?”
Song Li nodded: “At first, I also suspected it was a trick by Cao Changqing, but now it seems that Kou Jianghuai’s sudden resignation is likely genuine.”
Zhao Yi gave the fortunate general an encouraging look. Song Li gathered his thoughts before continuing: “The western front was already in tatters. If Kou Jianghuai had continued his advances, to stop him, Your Highness would have had to sacrifice half of your cavalry. Whether his departure was due to disagreements with Cao Changqing or someone in the Western Chu court trying to trip him up, it is certainly good news for Your Highness. Before spring, there will be no major movements on the western front. As the saying goes, ‘The first Drum of energy, the second Drum weakens.’ For Cao Changqing to allow Kou Jianghuai to leave was unreasonable. Perhaps in the eyes of future historians, this will be seen as a turning point.”
Zhao Yi, with his enormous frame, grunted and bent down with difficulty to pick up a stone, holding it in his palm, feeling its coolness. He asked: “Let’s not talk about the future. Let’s focus on the present. Song Li, do you think it will be Cao Changqing leading the army himself, or will Xie Xichui take over Kou Jianghuai’s position? Either way, it doesn’t seem like good news.”
Song Li replied without hesitation: “It’s more likely that Xie Xichui will take command. Cao Changqing will probably remain in the shadows, orchestrating things from behind.”
Zhao Yi mocked: “That’s right. How could Cao Changqing look down on me and Lu Shengxiang? In his eyes, there’s only Gu Jiantang. As long as Gu Jiantang doesn’t move south from the Liaodong border, Cao Changqing won’t come out to lead in person.”
Song Li nodded: “Seemingly arrogant, but actually a long-term strategy. Cao Changqing is too conspicuous. Only by not interfering in the specific troop deployments can he give young men like Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai enough room to grow.”
Zhao Yi suddenly laughed: “In the absence of heroes, even petty men gain fame.”
Zhao Piao was puzzled. He knew that the “petty men” referred to Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai, but he didn’t understand who the “heroes” were.
Zhao Yi sighed: “Back then, Xu the Lame took one step, and the entire continent sank.”
Zhao Yi’s face showed deep mockery: “This time, the so-called ‘princes’ rebellion’ made a lot of noise, but no rain fell. Not even a drizzle. Except for Zhao Bing’s suspicious son, the rest are just a bunch of gluttons. If Xu the Lame were still alive, just bringing five thousand elite cavalry from Beiliang, Cao Changqing and his Western Chu wouldn’t even have a chance to dance. As for Zhao Bing, if he were truly willing to join forces with me, we could have solved this problem. But Zhao Bing is as cunning as Zhao Heng, whom Xu Xiao mocked as a ‘woman.’ In pretending to be foolish and evasive, Zhao Heng was far inferior. Before Cao Changqing and that little girl even raised their banners, Zhao Bing deliberately sent three urgent memorials to Tai’an City, claiming that the southern frontier was in chaos. Not long ago, he even sent a memorial asking for forgiveness, saying that the sixteen southern tribes had allied with the remnants of Western Chu, causing him to suffer three consecutive defeats on the front lines, losing several ten thousand troops. Several ten thousand? Hah! Probably just a few hundred! When your son was just a teenager, he could go deep into the southern frontier and build a mound of enemy heads. But you, Zhao Bing, went there and lost three battles? What was that ‘can crush a city with a flick of the finger, destroy a nation with a wave of the sleeve’ Nanlan Youci doing? Surely he wasn’t pregnant and giving birth for you, was he?”
Zhao Yi sighed: “Among all the Princes, the old Prince of Jing’an, Zhao Heng, was the most resentful yet the most limited. Prince Zhao Ying of Huainan had the most talent but the least ability. Prince Zhao Sui of Jiaodong was the weakest in character, never showing any ambition. As for me, my vision was the narrowest. I couldn’t compete for the title of the greatest cavalry in the world, so I was content to have the greatest navy. My ambitions were small—I never coveted that throne. I’ve always been like this. Even when I was young, I went out of my way to kneel before Xu the Lame just to help my older brother sit on that throne. So over the years, outsiders have said I was cruel and feared, while Xu Xiao, the Prince of Beiliang, was truly mighty. If I hate anyone the most, it’s Zhao Bing. He’s a master of changing sides and backstabbing, all honeyed words and hidden daggers. But alas, the Emperor has always focused solely on guarding the northwest, no matter how much I, his full brother, tried to persuade him to take action against the southern frontier.”
Zhao Yi gave a bitter smile, looking up at his son Zhao Piao, and mocked himself: “That year when Xu Fengnian came to Guangling River, you made an enemy of him. I deliberately showed weakness to Xu Xiao, sending a piece of your flesh to Beiliang, and at that time, I sent a secret memorial to the Emperor. Not to speak ill of Xu Xiao, but to warn that Zhao Bing must not be allowed to grow stronger. But the Emperor still didn’t listen. If cutting a few pounds of flesh from me could have changed his mind, I would have done it.”
“If the Emperor refuses to be the villain, then I shall be. So in the past few months, I’ve had the Crown Prince of Yan Chi secretly assassinated four times. All failed.”
Song Li remained silent.
Zhao Piao, hearing this for the first time, opened his mouth in shock.
Zhao Yi threw the stone that had been warmed in his palm: “Later, when Chen Zhibao entered the capital to serve as Minister of War, I knew he would soon be enfeoffed as a Prince. I submitted another secret memorial, suggesting the Emperor station Chen Zhibao between the Guangling and Nanjiang Circuits. If Chen Zhibao found the fief too small, I was even willing to give up an entire province. But you both know how it turned out.”
Zhao Yi laughed: “Piao’er, your father only wants you to inherit the title, I’ve long given up hopes for your grandson to be a prince. In the future, you’ll probably end up in Tai’an as a pleasure-seeking prince. But Zhao Bing, as a father, is far more ambitious.”
Then Zhao Yi exhaled deeply, tiredly waving his hand. Zhao Piao, who seemed to want to say more, and the silent Song Li, both withdrew.
Zhao Yi remained on the well, gazing at the sky.
Like a fool staring up from the bottom of a well.
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