At the Qingliang Mountain Prince’s Mansion, early this morning, a young woman walked out and an old man walked in, both deeply connected to the Xu family.
The old man was named Wang Linquan, once a trusted subordinate of the old Prince of Liang, familiar even with figures like Lin Doufang. This time, when his daughter failed to become the principal consort of Northern Liang and was only appointed as the deputy overseer of Jubei City, the old man feigned illness and stayed home.
At that moment, Wang Linquan was strolling by the Listening Tide Lake with his only daughter, Wang Chudong. Watching his still carefree daughter, the old man felt both relieved and worried—relieved that she hadn’t suffered any grievances here, but worried about how her status would change in the future. No matter how well one gets along with in-laws, unexpected conflicts are inevitable over time. How could his simple-hearted daughter engage in scheming or compete for favor? Moreover, Wang Linquan had never liked that Lu woman from Qingzhou and had long despised the likes of Lu Dongjiang, a famed scholar of idle talk. Truth be told, Wang Linquan had never taken advantage of the Lu family’s misfortunes, despite their unpopularity in Northern Liang. But he also knew that his son-in-law hoped he could get along with the Lu family, even helping them in certain matters. Yet Wang Linquan never considered himself a saint—he wouldn’t harm others, but neither would he help his rivals at his own expense. Fortunately, the young Prince, though he might have wished otherwise, never forced Wang Linquan to act. So Wang Linquan happily played dumb, watching coldly as the Lu family made fools of themselves.
Wang Linquan stopped walking, quickly scanning his surroundings before whispering, “My dear, you’ll soon be married. Your mother and I don’t want you running back home at the slightest grievance, no matter how close we are. But… if you ever suffer truly great injustice, you must tell us. The saying that a married daughter is like spilled water is nonsense—don’t take it seriously.”
Hearing her father’s contradictory words, Wang Chudong grinned.
Wang Linquan hurriedly reminded her, “My dear, how many times has your mother told you? A lady should smile without showing teeth!”
Wang Chudong made a playful, mischievous face.
Wang Linquan sighed helplessly, “Always so childish. How can your mother and I rest easy when you marry?”
Wang Chudong smiled sweetly, “If Father can’t bear to part with me, then I won’t marry.”
Wang Linquan raised his hand as if to strike but couldn’t bring himself to do so—this father, notorious in Qingzhou for spoiling his daughter, couldn’t even bear to scold her harshly.
Wang Chudong clasped her hands behind her back and looked up gently, “Father, I know that even if Sister Lu weren’t the principal consort, it wouldn’t be me. It should be that Jiang woman from Western Chu. The Prince truly can’t let go of her; she’s just not suited to be the Northern Liang Princess. So Sister Lu has it hard too. Father, I know you’re afraid I’d be upset, but I’m not. I’m not unhappy at all. Every time the Prince returns to Qingliang Mountain, he finds time to ask me about the hidden plots in *The First Snow*. He even said that once he’s truly free, he’ll personally oversee me writing a novel about his three journeys through the martial world, telling me to portray him as grandly heroic as possible. I told him I’d have no problem making him chivalrous and dashing, but the female hero he likes must be surnamed Wang and absolutely stunning—and he agreed.”
Wang Linquan was left speechless.
Young people these days—he truly didn’t understand them.
Wang Chudong narrowed her eyes into crescents, “Father, why not drink tea or wine with that Mr. Lu? Didn’t you used to love playing the refined scholar? Sitting with the renowned Lu Bokuo would surely earn you face, right?”
Wang Linquan said sternly, “His threshold is too high. Your father’s too old to climb it.”
Wang Chudong shook his arm.
Wang Linquan’s expression darkened, “Did the Prince instruct you to tell me to reconcile with the Lu family?”
Wang Chudong shook her head earnestly, “No, Father.”
Wang Linquan stared into his daughter’s eyes for a long moment before finally nodding, “I believe my daughter, and I believe the son of the Great General.”
Wang Chudong wrinkled her nose, “Wrong, wrong! Believe in our Northern Liang Prince, and of course, your son-in-law!”
Wang Linquan laughed helplessly, “Fine, I’ll listen to you.”
Wang Chudong suddenly asked cautiously, “Father, can we really treat the Lu family as relatives from now on? Not too close, just adding a little icing on the cake?”
Wang Linquan sighed and ruffled her hair, “I understand. I’ll make an effort. But I’m afraid that even if I mean well, that Lu Bokuo might not appreciate it and suspect ulterior motives. Ah, forget it. I know that befriending the Lu family is ultimately for your sake here. I’ve just been holding a grudge—I’ve been petty.”
Wang Chudong lowered her head, “Father, it’s me who’s made you suffer.”
Wang Linquan laughed heartily, “Silly girl, unless a daughter is truly senseless, no father in the world would ever resent her. Who says daughters always favor their in-laws after marriage? Not ours! I’m happy, truly!”
Wang Chudong beamed.
Wang Linquan whispered, “Your mother’s right—among women, not competing is the greatest competition.”
Wang Chudong smiled like a little fox who’d just gained sentience in the wild mountains, “Father, what did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
Wang Linquan laughed heartily and said no more.
※※※
The Lu residence, adorned with lanterns and decorations, welcomed a guest who was expected in principle but utterly unexpected in practice.
Lu Chengyan, traveling light, the future principal consort of Northern Liang, arrived.
The non-Lu servants in the residence were tight-lipped about this woman’s notoriously strained relationship with the Lu family, known throughout Northern Liang’s official circles. Even the proud Lu clansmen no longer regarded this ruthless woman as one of their own, viewing her with a mix of fear and resentment.
In the first year of the Xiangfu era, the Lu family had still been thriving in Northern Liang. By the second year, times grew tougher, but autumn brought a turning point. Now, at the start of spring, a monumental joy had arrived.
For Lu Chengyan’s homecoming, the Lu family, their backs straighter than the previous year, couldn’t resist snide remarks. *Oh, didn’t you swear you’d never care about the Lu family again? What, now that your father’s about to become Governor of Liangzhou, you suddenly remember your roots? How shameless, rushing over at New Year’s to pay respects? Or is it that life in Qingliang Mountain isn’t as smooth as rumors claim?* Lu Chengyan ignored them, led by a bowing old steward straight to Lu Dongjiang’s courtyard.
At this hour, Lu Dongjiang was indeed in the courtyard, using a broom dipped in water to write large characters.
The current head of the Lu family, basking in his newfound glory, didn’t immediately set down the specially made broom when he saw his daughter at the gate. Only when the small bucket ran dry did he hand the broom to a curvaceous young maid, then took a towel to wipe his hands before turning leisurely to smile. “Chengyan, you’ve come.”
Lu Dongjiang’s feelings toward this daughter, favored by the Lu family’s old elders, were far more complicated than those of ordinary Lu clansmen.
This daughter, never close to him, bore too many marks of the late family head, Lu Feichi.
Many had once believed that if Lu Chengyan hadn’t been a woman, the Lu family’s leadership would never have fallen to Lu Dongjiang.
Lu Dongjiang knew this wasn’t baseless. That night at the Qingzhou doorstep, if Lu Chengyan had been his son instead of his daughter, he would never have received that unassuming bamboo lantern from the family elder.
Lu Dongjiang wanted the Lu family to prosper in Northern Liang more than anyone. More than anyone, he wished the elder, if aware in the afterlife, would rejoice at having passed the lantern to him!
Lu Chengyan said expressionlessly, “Do you know why the Lu family will have a Governor?”
Lu Dongjiang froze, then sneered, “No matter the reason, it certainly isn’t because of any pillow talk from you.”
Lu Chengyan curled her lip. “Look at the current Deputy Governors of Northern Liang’s provinces: Yang Guangdou and Chen Xiliang in Liuzhou; Chang Sui and Song Yan in Lingzhou. As for Youzhou, the Deputy Governor’s post has been vacant for two years, with only Governor Hu Kui remaining.”
Lu Dongjiang confidently interjected, “Now, compared to the other three provinces, Liangzhou’s rank is a step higher. The Deputy Governor’s post has also been vacant for a long time. Whether it’s Governor Tian Peifang or Deputy Administrator Song Dongming, both are on good terms with your father. Though we’ve never shared a drink, a gentleman’s friendship is as light as water—”
Lu Chengyan stared at the man she hadn’t called “Father” in a long time, her eyes dark with hidden sorrow. “Does the Lu family know that once it has a second-rank Governor of Liangzhou, the Xu family, which has been retreating step by step, will start dealing with the Lu family by reason, not sentiment? Do you know that your actions alone will exhaust two generations of the Lu family’s fortune?”
Lu Dongjiang roared, “Lu Chengyan, don’t forget I’m your father!”
Lu Chengyan laughed bitterly. “Lu Dongjiang, if I’d truly forgotten, why would I be here? Can’t you see that my cutting ties with the Lu family, pretending we’d never interact again, was only to make him feel more guilty toward the Lu family? Do you think he doesn’t know my selfish motives? He knows—he just pretends not to! Do you really think that old fox Tian Peifang or a pillar of the state like Song Dongming would regard you as a capable administrator just because you write big characters well? Are you stupid, or are they? In the entire Lu family, is there no one who isn’t blind?”
Whether from anger, fear, or regret, Lu Dongjiang trembled as he pointed at this increasingly unfamiliar woman. “Lu Chengyan, you’re outrageous! Get out of the Lu family!”
Lu Chengyan actually smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave. But before I do, I’m taking the elder’s portrait from the ancestral hall. I’m afraid he’d die all over again if he had to watch this family every day.”
Lu Dongjiang glared furiously. “How dare you?!”
Lu Chengyan narrowed her eyes coldly. “Lu Dongjiang, from the moment I decided to come here today, I’ve stopped considering myself a Lu. I’m only a daughter-in-law of the Xu family now. So if you still want to be Governor of Liangzhou, shut your mouth!”
She repeated, “Shut your mouth. Understood?”
Lu Dongjiang’s face turned ashen, but for some reason, he couldn’t utter a single harsh word.
Nearby, the pretty maid Lu Dongjiang had recently taken from Yanzhi County was petrified, wishing she could close her eyes, cover her ears, and crouch on the ground.
That day, as Lu Chengyan left the Lu family with a scroll in hand, her face calm, no one saw her off.
When she entered the carriage, she clutched the elder’s portrait tightly, biting her arm to stifle her sobs, unwilling to let the coachman—actually the Prince’s chief steward, Song Yu—hear her cry.
Suddenly, instead of heading straight back to Qingliang Mountain, the steward, who had seemingly coincidentally offered to drive the future Princess, lightly tapped the carriage curtain.
Suppressing her sobs, Lu Chengyan asked softly, “Steward Song, what is it?”
Song Yu replied from outside, “Before the Prince left, he instructed me to give you a small brocade pouch when you returned from your family to Qingliang Mountain.”
The curtain lifted slightly as Song Yu handed over an exquisitely preserved pouch.
Puzzled, Lu Chengyan opened it to find a single sheet of paper with one sentence.
She burst into wracking sobs.
This woman, whose birth chart supposedly made her a “match made in heaven” with the young Prince; this foolish woman who once secretly lit a life-exchanging lamp to trade her life for his; this strong woman who shouldered the family’s fate alone after the elder’s death; this madwoman who dared tell her own father to shut up—wept without restraint for the first time in her life.
On the paper, in familiar, meticulous handwriting, it read: *Don’t cry. In this life, we’re family.*
※※※
That day, as the civil and military officials of Tai’an City made their way to the first court assembly after the New Year, every face was clouded with worry.
Even Duke Yan, Gao Shizhi, and Marquis Huaiyang, Song Daoning, looked grim after alighting from their carriages.
In fact, the two had already rushed to the palace the night before to see the Emperor. Along with other high-ranking ministers, they had gathered to discuss the situation. Though the young Emperor appeared calm, merely mentioning that ten thousand Northern Liang cavalry had entered Hezhou under the pretext of “pacifying Guangling,” his suppressed fury was palpable. Yet no concrete solutions emerged. The Minister of Rites, Jin Lanting, suggested that the Vice Minister of War, Xu Gong, leave the two Liao borders to lead elite troops to reinforce the southern expedition’s commander, Lu Shengxiang. The Emperor neither agreed nor refused. Vice Minister of War Tang Tieshuang then proposed sending General Yuan Tingshan south from Jizhou to Guangling, advancing in tandem with Xu Gong’s forces. An elderly Vice Minister of Revenue, perhaps panicked that the Northern Liang cavalry might turn toward Tai’an instead of Guangling, even suggested borrowing ten thousand troops from the Shu Prince’s domain. The Emperor’s expression darkened slightly, but the ever-resourceful Tan Tanweng quickly amended the suggestion, framing it as a temporary “loan” to Vice Minister Xu.
Gao Shizhi glanced at his pale-faced childhood friend and asked softly, “Why not wear a thicker fur coat?”
Song Daoning smiled bitterly. “I didn’t sleep a wink last night. My study was warm, so I just grabbed this one. You know me—when I left, I must’ve looked terrible. No servant would dare come near.”
Without a word, Gao Shizhi took off his own coat and swapped with Song Daoning, helping him like a servant.
Song Daoning murmured, “Old Gao, if one day Tai’an sees war and we have to man the walls with bows, who’d die first—you or me?”
Gao Shizhi spat in disgust. “It’s the New Year! Must you say such ominous things?!”
Song Daoning laughed it off. “Just childish nonsense, forget it.”
Gao Shizhi lowered his voice. “I can’t promise much, but even if Gu Jian Tang rebels in the two Liaos, Xu Fengnian of Northern Liang won’t attack Tai’an.”
Song Daoning raised an eyebrow. “So the rumors are true? He’s really just rescuing some woman from Western Chu? I thought it was a joke.”
Gao Shizhi smirked. “What wouldn’t that guy do? An ordinary man duel Deng Tai’a and Cao Changqing? A normal person would dare charge in and out of the Imperial Observatory?”
Song Daoning stopped walking. “And her identity—is she really the Western Chu Empress, as the wild rumors claim?”
Gao Shizhi shook his head. “Who knows? Truth and lies are tangled.”
Song Daoning pressed, “Gao Shizhi, when did the rumor about the Xu family hiding the Western Chu’s lost Princess start circulating in Tai’an?”
Gao Shizhi rubbed his temples. “That’s old gossip, years old. It never gained traction until last winter, when it suddenly exploded. Your marquisate is too proper—no wonder you missed such tasteless rumors.”
Song Daoning fell into thought.
Gao Shizhi chuckled. “Why overthink it? Clearly, it’s that beardless Jin Lanting stirring the pot, with lackeys like Gao Tingshu and Wu Congxian helping. Funny how a Northern Liang man hates Northern Liang more than us natives.”
Song Daoning sighed. “Villagers fight over water, officials over chairs—same principle. Some scholars, once they stop reasoning, leave you speechless.”
Gao Shizhi blinked. “Aren’t you a scholar?”
Song Daoning glared. “It’s the New Year! Must you insult me?”
Gao Shizhi was speechless.
*Damn it, we’re surrounded by the empire’s finest scholars. Marquis or not, if that gets out, you’ll drown in spit.*
As they walked side by side, Gao Shizhi asked, “Daoning, do you think that Xu kid will really rebel?”
Song Daoning grinned. “Scared?”
Gao Shizhi muttered, “Northern Liang cavalry in the west, northern barbarians, southern rebels under Cao Changqing—wouldn’t you be?”
Song Daoning teased, “Who just said Northern Liang wouldn’t attack Tai’an?”
Gao Shizhi grimaced. “Things change. What if that Xu kid really is the type to abandon an empire for a woman?”
Song Daoning’s expression soured. “Honestly, what are you afraid of?”
Gao Shizhi flushed. “The northern barbarians and Western Chu? Pah! I’m afraid Northern Liang might abandon the northern frontier.”
He expected mockery, but Marquis Huaiyang whispered, “I fear the Northern Liang cavalry too. Think anyone in court doesn’t?”
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