To miss Guangling is to betray one’s eyes; to miss crab is to betray one’s belly; to miss the academy is to betray one’s books.
For a refined scholar seeking to achieve all three at once, it is not difficult. After all, the Spring God Lake shares the same lineage as the Guangling River, so one need only visit the Shangyin Academy near the lake to enjoy its crabs. However, the Shangyin Academy is not a place just anyone can enter—family background, lineage, scholarly rank, and reputation all matter.
With the Grand Sacrificial Officer Qi Yanglong entering the capital to serve as the Minister of Works, the academy’s prestige has soared even higher. The former Minister of War, Lu Baijie, known by his elegant title “Tangxi Sword Immortal,” was ostensibly reassigned but effectively demoted to the position of Military Commissioner of Guangling. His first act was to borrow books from the academy’s library and spend nearly half a month discussing scholarship with the Provincial Governor Wang Xionggui, further elevating the academy’s reputation. Against this backdrop, the impact of the thousands of scholars who journeyed to Liang during the early years of the Xiangfu era gradually faded from the Central Plains.
In the present day, the Shangyin Academy, hailed by gossipmongers as the “Jiangzuo Imperial Academy,” boasts a particularly dazzling female instructor—Yu Youwei, who teaches both music and eclectic studies. Her father was an academy instructor, and her mother was the renowned chief swordswoman of the Western Chu royal family, whose sword dances were celebrated as one of the Eight Wonders of Great Chu, rivaling the chess skills of Grand Preceptor Li Mi. Yu Youwei herself is a woman of extraordinary grace, and her lectures at the academy have drawn countless admirers. Rumor has it that even the reclusive Empress Yan Dongwu heard of this remarkable woman and sought to persuade the emperor to summon her to the capital’s Imperial Academy as an instructor.
However, this grand opportunity for Yu Youwei was delayed due to the upheaval at the Guangling Prince’s Spring Snow Tower. Yet, the female instructor seemed undeterred. The planned autumn excursion to the Spring God Lake with her students proceeded as scheduled, with over a hundred and sixty participants setting off in a grand procession.
Yu Youwei’s teaching methods were unconventional—half her time was spent outside the academy, leading her students to famous mountains, scenic spots, and ancient ruins, listening to the roar of pines, the rush of springs, and the howling winds atop cliffs. Ironically, the nearby Spring God Lake, perhaps overlooked due to its proximity, had long been forgotten by her until a student suggested visiting it last month, to which she agreed.
As they neared the lake, a heavy rain began to fall. A young general arrived unexpectedly at the head of a troop of elite cavalry, their hooves churning up mud in the twilight. The sight of two hundred armored riders left many of the scholars awestruck.
The leading rider dismounted, removed his helmet, and strode forward with a smile. “Youwei, it’s been years. We meet again.”
Yu Youwei remained composed, nodding slightly.
Cloaked in a thick straw raincoat like her students, her figure was obscured, yet her charm remained undiminished. The scholars around her gasped in recognition, their eyes alight with admiration and reverence—for this was none other than Qi Shence, a former student of the Shangyin Academy. In his time, Qi Shence had been one of the “Eight Steeds” alongside Kou Jianghuai and Zhao Kai. Within a few short years, he had risen from an ordinary soldier under the illustrious Lu Shengxiang to a distinguished captain, his exploits in the Guangling campaign earning him rapid promotion. After the fall of Western Chu, he was rewarded with a position as a field officer. The recent upheaval at the Spring Snow Tower had only further elevated his status, bringing him into the spotlight of the empire. It was said that the Prince of Yan, Zhao Bing, and the Prince of Shu, Chen Zhibao, each sought to recruit him—the former choosing the influential General Song Li, while the latter, the “White-Clad Military Sage,” favored the rising star Qi Shence.
Thus, when the academy’s scholars spoke of their senior Qi Shence, they fondly referred to him as “Ascending to Heaven in Three Steps.”
After the two princes jointly declared their rebellion, elite troops from the southern frontier crossed the river into Guangling, while waves of Shu infantry surged into the Central Plains. Meanwhile, the Prince of Jing’an, Zhao Xun, who had earned the praise of “loyal, fierce, brave, and resolute” through two desperate battles, mysteriously vanished—neither confined at the Spring Snow Tower like Lu Baijie and Wang Xionggui nor speaking out for the Zhao royal family in his domain. The court, caught off guard, found itself in dire straits. With generals like Lu Shengxiang and Xu Gong transferred to defend the northern borders, and Minister of War Wu Zhongxuan summoned to the capital, the remaining forces were forced to retreat four hundred miles north to the southern edge of the capital region without waiting for imperial orders. The emperor urgently summoned the Grand Pillar of the State, Gu Jian
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