Hearing a knock on the door, the Jinglue Envoy, who had been reading an ancient text from a previous dynasty titled *Kaiyuan Li*, lifted his head, gently set the book aside, straightened his robes, and calmly said, “Come in.”
A familiar figure pushed the door open and said to Li Degong, “General of Lingzhou pays respects to the Jinglue Envoy.”
Li Degong’s expression was complex. The high-ranking official, renowned for his unparalleled flattery and sycophancy, rose slowly and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness has arrived well, though later than I had anticipated. This proves that the two secret letters were indeed orchestrated by you. Beiting needs a Beiting King like that, hence the phrase ‘arrived well.’ However, your delay reveals my dissatisfaction with your womanly mercy. When I submitted only one letter, you neither turned your back on me immediately nor opened the letter to discover that it was the true one. This means that for these past few days, you have hesitated. Even when you mistakenly believed I had already pledged allegiance to the imperial court, you still could not bring yourself to strike decisively. Such a Prince, perhaps suitable to be a General or Governor of Lingzhou, but mercy cannot command armies. How then can you lead the thirty thousand mighty iron cavalry of Beiting, renowned across the land?”
Xu Fengnian did not argue back. Li Degong smiled faintly, fetched two chairs, and the two sat face to face. Unlike his usual demeanor, the Jinglue Envoy gazed at this young face, now more sharply defined, and softly sighed, “Your Highness, you might ask why I went to such lengths. Since I have not truly pledged to the imperial court, nor been seduced by Zhang Julu, why did I deliberately hide a ‘false letter’? It’s simple. Your Highness’s meticulous scheme was nearly indistinguishable from reality, meant to test Li Degong, the highest civil official in Beiting. Yet, Li Degong also wanted to know whether it was wise to remain in Beiting. Your Highness…”
At this point, Li Degong paused. Unlike the previous conversation in the study, this time, tears flowed from the depths of his heart. He did not wipe them away, and continued slowly, “Your Highness arrived late, which means you are not a ruthless warlord who would kill anyone for personal ambition. I feel regret, but more so, gratitude. Entrusting Hanlin to such a Beiting King, even if one day he must die on the battlefield, I would not utter a single word of complaint, even if I had to swallow my teeth whole. What is this saying of ‘no cruelty, no true man’? I have served as an official for thirty years and have never seen many who truly abandoned their conscience without eventually suffering retribution. Even if they die in honor, their descendants are often cursed. As the saying goes, if the beam is crooked, the pillars will follow. This has always been the way. Your Highness may be cunning and cold-blooded, but your heart remains kind and sincere, just like the General. This is the true new King of Beiting that Li Degong truly wishes to serve. To be honest, Your Highness may not believe me, but it was not because I, with my old fox’s cunning, saw through your scheme at first glance. Rather, I firmly believed that the General’s son would not mistreat the Li family, nor betray Hanlin. That is why I never considered going to the imperial court to become some petty first-rank official. If I had gone to the capital, would Hanlin not have disowned me as father and son forever? All my scheming and calculations were for the sake of my descendants. If I lose my son, what use is there for me, already in my fifties, to become a powerful court official and enjoy a few fleeting years of glory before entering the coffin? What good is an imperial posthumous title? Besides, what use is it to serve in an unfamiliar capital when I can be at ease as the Jinglue Envoy of Beiting? I have spent my entire life studying the art of governance, mastering the skills of climbing the ranks. As the old saying goes, old ginger is always spicier. I would not make such a grave mistake at my age.”
“Your Highness, rest assured, I will never speak of the secret letters to Hanlin for the rest of my life. This matter is something Your Highness has no guilt toward Beiting, and should not cause any rift between you and Hanlin. I beg you, lest Hanlin become obsessed with this matter, and end up dying at the border! If Your Highness feels any guilt toward Hanlin, I also beg you, for Hanlin’s sake, never to reveal this matter!”
Li Degong, who had never before knelt to Xu Fengnian, slowly knelt and said gravely, “If Your Highness refuses, Li Degong will resign as Jinglue Envoy!”
Xu Fengnian exchanged the secret letters with the Jinglue Envoy and calmly said, “Uncle Li, I promise you this: if I am ever given the chance to leave final words to my descendants upon my deathbed, I will vow that as long as the Xu family remains prosperous, regardless of whether the Li family remains loyal to the Xu clan, even if they commit treason, the Xu family will ensure the Li family’s safety. We will never raise a blade against them.”
Li Degong trembled, bowed his head, and choked, “This old servant thanks Your Highness for your great kindness in advance!”
At the door, Li Fuzhen saw her father kneeling and cried out, “Xu Fengnian! What are you doing?!”
Li Degong, helped to his feet by the Prince, sternly said, “Fuzhen, show respect!”
Xu Fengnian smiled and said, “Uncle Li, I must apologize. From today onward, Xu Beizhi will be the new Governor of Lingzhou.”
Li Degong wiped his face and chuckled, “What a trivial matter! No need for Your Highness to personally inform me.”
“And also, Hanlin has safely returned to Youzhou.”
After saying this softly, Xu Fengnian took his leave and passed by Li Fuzhen. Overjoyed, Li Degong carefully concealed the secret letter and glared at his daughter, saying, “You don’t know the weight of things!”
Li Fuzhen angrily said, “Father, you are the Jinglue Envoy of Beiting. You knelt to Uncle Xu, you flattered him, and I never said a word. But Xu Fengnian is merely a General of Lingzhou, not yet the hereditary King of Beiting, and already he makes you kneel. What right does he have?! He calls you ‘Uncle Li’ with sweet words, but has he ever truly regarded you as an elder?”
Li Degong narrowed his eyes, stared at his daughter, and smiled, “What right? The right is that the Prince has already turned Lingzhou upside down, leaving this old Jinglue Envoy struggling to keep up. The right is that he dared to strike first at Zhong Hongwu, a tough bone in the Beiting army, rather than picking on soft targets to amuse the masses. The right is that he is still alive today!”
Seeing his daughter crying bitterly, Li Degong felt a pang of pain. He lowered his voice, approached her, and tried to wipe away her tears, but she turned her head away. Sighing, the Jinglue Envoy said softly, “How could I not know that he never truly regarded me as an elder before, and that I, too, did not see him as the Prince back then. But things will be different from now on. You, don’t quarrel with me anymore. The most foolish thing a woman can do is to act out of anger.”
Li Degong seemed to feel he had spoken too harshly, and with a gentle smile, he said, “Fuzhen, today is a double blessing for the Li family, even more joyous than when I became the Jinglue Envoy. Will you have a drink with your old father?”
Li Fuzhen remained silent.
The old fox Li Degong, carelessly, said, “I recently learned some details about the Prince’s journey to the Northern Desert. Alas, Hanlin wasn’t here for me to share them with. Since Hanlin isn’t around, would you, my dear daughter, be kind enough to listen to my ramblings? Otherwise, drinking alone is quite dull.”
Li Fuzhen softly replied, “Okay.”
※※※
Zhou Jian, the Zhongzhi official of Lingzhou, returned home in high spirits. Zhou Congwen, his son whose white-hoofed steed had been struck dead by the Prince, had been anxiously waiting at the gate for half an hour, fearing his father might meet with misfortune at the General’s mansion. Seeing his father’s face glowing with joy, the stone that had been lodged in his throat finally dropped. As he was about to ask questions, Zhou Jian smiled and said, “Let’s talk at home.”
After father and son were seated, Zhou Jian waved away several dexterous and attentive maidservants. Zhou Congwen hurriedly asked, “Father, what did he say this time? Will our Zhou family be held accountable?”
Zhou Jian frowned, but since they were alone, he decided not to be too strict about how his son addressed the Prince and slowly said, “Why so impatient? Didn’t I always tell you to keep a smiling face and a calm heart to achieve great things and attain high office? I won’t keep you in suspense. Regarding the incident on Wenquan Street, the General’s mansion has no intention of pursuing it. The Prince has grander schemes and has no time to engage in petty squabbles with those ignorant soldiers. At the banquet, the Prince introduced two new officials—Song Yan from Huangnan County and Xu Beizhi from Longqing County—who will serve as the surprising new Deputy Governor and Governor of Lingzhou. This is both good and bad news. Let me test you—can you tell me the pros and cons?”
Zhou Congwen, familiar with court intrigue, began to ponder carefully and after a long silence, said, “The good news is that you were among the first officials to enter the General’s mansion. The new Deputy Governor and Governor will have to consider the Prince’s favor before attempting to challenge you as the Zhongzhi of Lingzhou. Their new appointments won’t easily target you. The bad news is that the Prince hasn’t settled scores with old bastards like Dong Yueqi, so their positions remain temporarily secure. The connections you’ve built within the Lingzhou military, most of whom have been instructed to remain low-key during this storm, have mostly kept their heads down. It seems there will be no opportunity for them to rise. Likely, you’ll have to compensate them later to keep them appeased, costing hundreds or even thousands of taels. This year’s New Year gifts were substantial, but most were already given away. Thus, our family will have no gains this year. It’s the first time since you became an official that we haven’t made money during the New Year.”
Zhou Jian stroked his beard and smiled, “Very good. As for money, I’ve never cared much. As long as I continue to hold office, what should fall into my hands will inevitably come.”
Zhou Congwen sneered, “Those three like Dong Yueqi are truly ridiculous. He merely said one word, and one knelt, one wept, and one wept. These uneducated military men, not even ashamed of themselves. But at least they know how to change course, though rather clumsily, not as subtly as you.”
Flattered by his son’s words, Zhou Jian’s smile widened, “These men rely on their accumulated military merits and strut around with their noses in the air. Don’t think I ever respected them even a little. Take for example the military official Huang Zhong. Even now, after all these years, he can barely write more than ten characters, including his own name. How can such a man govern the affairs of Lingzhou? His four sons and many grandchildren are all good for nothing, bullying the weak and committing every evil imaginable. Worse still, they do it so brazenly, as if begging the Xu family to chop off their heads. It’s only because the Prince still cherishes old ties that he has not dealt with them. If it were another master, they would have been executed and strung up like candied haws to set an example.”
Zhou Congwen sneered, “This General of Lingzhou is far too merciful. If it were me, I would have already slaughtered a few military families in Lingzhou to make an example. After all, they all deserve to die. Once the city is in fear, who would dare to resist? It would also earn a good reputation among the ignorant commoners.”
Zhou Jian laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious, “For the next few days, do not leave the house. The Prince will soon depart from Lingzhou. After he leaves, when you meet with those military sons again, remember—only speak well of the Prince. If anyone argues with you, you must openly oppose them!”
Zhou Congwen hesitated, then smiled, “I’ll follow your instructions. Those so-called brothers among the military sons were once somewhat useful, but as time goes on, they are worth less and less. Eventually, we will have to oppose them anyway.”
Zhou Jian looked pleased.
※※※
At Dong’s mansion, Dong Yueqi, who had lost face on Wenquan Street, remained in seclusion. Dong Zhen watched helplessly as her father, who once conversed calmly even before General Zhong, fell into despair. He no longer went about bare-chested but continued to stare at his old cavalry armor. Dong Zhen tried several times to persuade her father to eat, but he refused, and the food was reheated again and again.
Originally somewhat stubborn and unwilling to admit fault, Dong Zhen finally knelt before her father in tears.
Dong Hongqiu sighed deeply, extending a rough, scarred hand. In the past, even when he slept, he would hold his Beiting saber tightly to feel at ease. He gently patted his daughter’s head and softly said, “Do you think those six hundred veteran soldiers who escorted the Prince out of Beiting to the capital were invisible to me? I simply refused to admit it. Do you think I truly disbelieved the rumors that the Prince ventured alone into the Northern Desert? I just refused to believe them. Not only in Lingzhou, but throughout all of Beiting, the old generals and military officials are the same. But today, when I knelt, it was not to the young Prince, but to the General and to those fallen comrades of Beiting. If I had not taken off my armor today, even I might have forgotten how many arrow wounds and sword scars I bear. Do you remember what I told you before? I joined the army not because I had nothing better to do. My ancestors were officials too, and not just minor ones. Your great-grandfather was the Chancellor of the Northern Han Dynasty, and your grandfather was a county magistrate—both were honest men with good reputations. Later, the entire family was slaughtered by rebels who took advantage of the chaos. They killed indiscriminately, not caring whether the officials were good or bad, as if killing officials made them the good guys. When I first joined the army, I only thought that joining the Xu family’s army, known for its fair rewards and punishments and strict military laws, would give me hope. Killing those indiscriminate bandits could avenge my family and perhaps restore the Dong family’s honor in history. There are some things I have never told you before, because I thought it unnecessary. You are a daughter, and even the General once said that sons should be raised in hardship while daughters should be raised in comfort. Since you have a father who is an official, you were born to enjoy a life of ease. I never spoke of these things to you. But today’s incident made me realize I was wrong. When I was young, our family still had discipline. I was taught to despise those aristocratic sons who relied on their power to oppress others. Why, in the blink of an eye, has my daughter become the kind of person I despised? Do you remember Meng Ya, who grew up in our home? He was the orphan of your Uncle Meng, and you were once betrothed. But you refused, saying he had no titles or family status. I, even at the cost of breaking my promise, agreed for your sake. If it weren’t for your Uncle Meng stepping in to take that fatal blow from behind during the Battle of Chunsanguan in Xishu, it would have been you living under someone else’s roof for twenty years. I’m not telling you this to urge you to marry Meng Ya. I’m telling you this to show you that Meng Bo, though from the common people, often told me that if he ever became a high official, he would be a good one who never oppressed the people. Anyone who committed crimes within his jurisdiction, he would kill without hesitation. Even if the General disagreed, he would dare to scold the General. Once, when he was boasting about this to me and my old comrades, the General happened to be inspecting the camp. At that time, Meng Bo was still a junior officer and nearly wet his pants out of fear. Guess what? The General did not reprimand him for his reckless words but instead squatted down and chatted with us, saying that Meng Bo would surely be a good official, and that he wouldn’t even scold him. Zhen’er, tell me, how did your father become the kind of man that Meng Bo, if still alive, would be the first to kill?”
Dong Zhen, who had always been spoiled and willful in Lingzhou, simply cried as if the sky had fallen, sobbing uncontrollably.
Dong Hongqiu walked to the battered old armor, his eyes filled with melancholy, and softly said, “Zhen’er, stop crying. I’ll take you to that ancestral tomb. You will pour a few cups of wine for Uncle Meng. If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t visited since you were eleven. These years, you looked down on Meng Ya, but where has he looked down on you?”
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