The tens of thousands of Ji Prefecture veterans led by Yang Shenxing were lured into a trap, setting a poor precedent for the Liyang Dynasty, which had been invincible on its southern campaign. Even before Cao Changqing made an appearance, Liyang had already lost nearly a hundred thousand elite troops on the fringes of Guangling Road. This left the Spring and Autumn survivors, who had painstakingly integrated into the Zhao imperial court, with complex emotions. They worried about the true strength of the vast Liyang Dynasty—did it really possess the national power to contend with Beimang and conquer it in one fell swoop? Deep down, there was also an indescribable feeling that Liyang, which had established its dominance two decades ago with the help of numerous valiant generals, including Xu Xiao, was now facing setbacks against Western Chu. The old saying goes, "thirty years east, thirty years west of the river" (times change). The Central Plains had been settled for twenty years; was it truly time for a shift in power?
After Yan Zhenchun's army was annihilated, Lu Shengxiang, the nominal commander of the southern expedition, continued to endure difficult times. Although not reprimanded by the emperor, his military authority remained extremely limited; his orders barely left his tent. He even held less power than another veteran Spring and Autumn general who had been appointed in an emergency. In this context, Xu Gong, the Dragon-Soaring General and pillar of the Gumu Xu family—who was widely expected to assume great authority—unfortunately lost favor and remained "shelved" by the court and Ministry of War. Perhaps as compensation for this formidable general, rumors in Tai'an City suggested Xu Gong might be appointed Vice Minister of War to inspect Liangliao.
With the second large-scale troop deployment from Liyang's imperial capital region, Western Chu also moved swiftly. Buoyed by two major consecutive victories, a young man named Kou Jianghuai, following the rise to fame of Xie Xichui, launched a series of dazzling and effective campaigns. On the eastern front, in his confrontation with Prince Zhao Yi of Guangling, who was known for his unique military insights, Kou Jianghuai secured a decisive advantage. Within twenty days, he captured six locations, including Huangyan Pass and Dijinze. Notably, his elite "Flying Ape Army," consisting of three thousand personal guards, could cross waters and ravines in full armor with the agility of monkeys, excelling particularly in the eastern front's capture of Xipeng Mountain. Kou Jianghuai's tactics were unconventional; he excelled at long-distance raids but never defended the cities he captured. He intercepted Zhao Yi's reinforcements four times; he failed once but completely annihilated the reinforcements on three occasions. To date, he had achieved over ten thousand enemy kills and significant military achievements. Consequently, large transitional areas on the eastern front, originally used by Zhao Yi to slow Western Chu's eastward advance, were fragmented and abandoned, reaching a point where no one dared to defend or rescue them. Kou Jianghuai's forces moved like wind, slowly eroding the territory. Enraged by this, Zhao Yi, in the crucial military headquarters of Chunxuelou, demanded to know which general could find this Kou Jianghuai, who had yet to officially appear on the battlefield—even a distant glimpse would suffice!
Unfortunately, Zhao Yi's right-hand man, Lu Shengxiang, had already been promoted to Vice Minister of War and was thus a court official, as well as the commander of the southern expedition, so he could no longer contribute to Chunxuelou. General Zhang Erbao, a prominent infantry general, remained in the southern region. Zhao Yi didn't believe a novice like Kou Jianghuai was worth Zhang Erbao's attention; Cao Changqing would be more appropriate. Finally, Zhao Yi sent an urgent dispatch (a 500-li rush order) to his trusted general, Song Li, the "Horizontal River General," ordering him to immediately return to Chunxuelou from Guangling's North Gate. This renowned general of Guangling, known for heavily extorting wealth from merchants, seemed to be taking his time on his journey. It was rumored that General Song Li, who had a penchant for collecting beautiful women, had even picked up two beautiful distressed women on his way south. To speed up his journey south to counter the enemy, Prince Zhao Yi even sent his eldest son, Zhao Biao, a hundred *li* out of the city to grandly welcome him, demonstrating his immense reliance on this "lucky general."
If these were merely Liyang's internal troubles, then the external threats were even more dire, like dark clouds pressing down on a city about to be destroyed. Beimang's million-strong army began its southward march, not only eyeing Beiliang but also coveting the fertile Central Plains south of Beiliang.
This eventful autumn of the first year of Xiangfu seemed to truly have reached its limit of significant events.
Tai'an City was bustling. A white-robed monk who had once traveled alone thousands of *li* west had left, and Qi Yanglong, a scholar of immense knowledge, had arrived. During this period, an obscure individual briefly surfaced but quickly faded into obscurity again. He was remembered only for a few remarks, thanks to Grand Secretary Zhang's comment: "His character lacks the capacity for his talent." Regardless of the Grand Secretary's evaluation, this young man, Sun Yin, who had fleetingly caught the court's attention, was from Beiliang, a place most detested in Tai'an City. He now held a minor official position in the Menxia Province (Chancellery), barely making it into the official ranks. However, the reclusive Sun Yin was quickly forgotten by the capital, overshadowed even by the young Taoist priest Wu Shizhen, who had recently come to the capital from Qingcheng.
After Tantan Weng's dramatic incident in the Department of State Affairs, where he reportedly kicked Lu Baijie of the Ministry of War, Huan Wen was not only not punished by the court, but rumors spread that Tantan Weng might become the first high official in the Liyang Dynasty to fully control the Menxia Province, an office that never previously had a principal head. His official rank would truly become equal to Zhang Julu's, making him one of the few First Rank officials in the dynasty. Furthermore, some said Tantan Weng's exceptional promotion was a "two birds with one stone" move by the emperor. Besides paving the way for Qi Yanglong to become Grand Secretary of the Central Secretariat, if the rumors were true, the Central Secretariat and Menxia Provinces, which nominally shared power with the Department of State Affairs, would completely break free from Grand Secretary Zhang Julu's (referred to as "Green-Eyed Boy") control. In that scenario, Zhang Julu's overarching influence in court during the "Yonghui Spring" would clearly be a thing of the past. As for the truth of these matters, few in the entire Liyang Dynasty dared to confirm them. In fact, Huan Wen, one of the two main figures involved, also didn't know how events would unfold. But Tantan Weng, whose doorstep was almost trampled by visitors, seemed unconcerned. On the other hand, the refined Yellow Gate Attendants of the Menxia Province couldn't sit still, finding ways to bring wine to the "acting" Left Vice Minister's residence to seek inside information. Tantan Weng didn't feign profundity; he simply told people that such a tremendous promotion was a matter of destiny: "If I gain it, I am fortunate; if I lose it, it is my fate." Tantan Weng also spoke frankly: if he were to be promoted, his former position would certainly not go to an outsider. He would even throw a tantrum before the emperor to insist on promoting someone from within his "one-third-acre plot" of the Menxia Province. At this statement, the Menxia Province was overjoyed.
While undercurrents surged within the Menxia Province, Sun Yin, serving as an Eighth Rank records official, continued to arrive and depart on time daily. When Grand Secretary Zhang's comments became widely known, there were whispers that Sun Yin might be promoted to Sixth Rank Talisman Official, a position considered a close aide to the emperor. Although it wasn't as intimate as the newly established "Imperial Study" attendant position created last year, it was still coveted by young noble scions. However, these rumors quickly died down. Officials of all ranks in the Menxia Province already disliked this solitary outsider and were glad to see his potential promotion come to nothing. Sun Yin's records official post was a temporary one, created by Tantan Weng with a wave of his hand. The six existing records officials tacitly colluded to exclude Sun Yin. Sun Yin spent his days doing nothing in the Menxia Province office, not even reading or practicing calligraphy. He would sit in the darkest corner of the records room, simply staring into space. Initially, the existing records officials were wary of this young scholar, given he was "personally appointed" by Tantan Weng, and felt obliged to save him some face. While they might secretly sabotage him, they maintained a polite front. However, as time passed, they realized that the Left Vice Minister had simply thrown him into the Menxia Province and completely ignored him. He never summoned Sun Yin privately, and the only time he visited the office, he conversed with an elderly, seasoned clerk about history, never once glancing at Sun Yin. Consequently, even the last shred of courtesy in the office vanished. Sun Yin inadvertently became the most idle and useless person in the Menxia Province, with nothing to do, nothing to say, and so pitiable that he couldn't even make a mistake.
On a continuous autumn rainy dusk, Sun Yin silently walked out of his room, looking up at the gloomy sky. Occasionally, colleagues passed by, but they all ignored each other. Then Sun Yin saw a familiar figure wave to him. He followed, and the two walked side-by-side. Figures in the distance were stunned to see this sight: Tantan Weng himself was holding an umbrella for a young junior in the rain! And the seemingly naive young man accepted it so calmly?! Sun Yin spoke, "I hear Grand Secretary Zhang is hosting a family banquet today. Is the Left Vice Minister going to freeload? Aren't you afraid of being turned away?"
Huan Wen calmly replied, "Whether he sees me or not is Zhang Julu's business; whether I go or not is mine."
Sun Yin frowned, hesitated, then said, "The Imperial Study was established in the palace back then to target Zhang and Gu. If there's an additional Grand Secretary of the Central Secretariat, it would truly be an open rupture."
Huan Wen smiled, "You actually wanted to say 'the dagger is revealed at the end of the map,' didn't you?"
Sun Yin nodded.
Huan Wen didn't elaborate on the topic but asked, "What have you been thinking about lately?"
Sun Yin, truly a "newborn calf unafraid of tigers," answered directly, "I want to be Xun Ping first, then Zhang Julu. In Xiangfan City, Lu Xu gained fame in the capital by ghostwriting memorials for Prince Zhao Xun of Jing'an, but to me, that's still just a symptomatic treatment—'treating the head for a headache and the foot for a foot pain.'"
Huan Wen smiled, "Oh?"
Sun Yin calmly stated, "I have an essay, half-formed, which for now touches upon eight characters: 'ascension, governance, household management, and border patrol.'"
Huan Wen, being extremely astute and having navigated the officialdom for most of his life, naturally had profound insights. He chuckled softly, "It seems you're writing something for the Crown Prince. You intend to teach His Highness how to ascend the throne, how to face old courtiers when first on the dragon chair, how to act as a filial son and strict father, and how to stabilize the empire. Sun Yin, Sun Yin, I'm not speaking out of old age, but isn't it too ambitious for you, a poor scholar who has never served as a local official nor even touched a hundred taels of gold, to lecture others on how to govern the world? That scholar Xun Ping, at least, was Qi Yanglong's favored student, fully inheriting his strategic teachings, and Zhang Julu (Green-Eyed Boy) also studied under our esteemed master for many years. But you?"
Sun Yin countered, "Can a wild carp in the river not leap over the dragon's gate?"
Huan Wen laughed heartily, "'White-robed in the morning, Grand Secretary by dusk'—it's not impossible."
After laughing, Huan Wen, still holding the umbrella for him, sighed, "A good era for scholars has arrived. Perhaps a single essay of tens of thousands of words could earn one the title of Emperor's Tutor."
At this point, Huan Wen turned to the young man from Beiliang and asked curiously, "If by chance you manage to become Xun Ping and Zhang Julu, who will you aim to become next?"
Sun Yin pointed to himself.
Huan Wen pursed his lips and finally squeezed out two words: "Deserves death."
Huan Wen folded his umbrella, and the two got into a waiting carriage, slowly heading towards the street lined with powerful families. Tantan Weng lifted the curtain, gazing at the familiar buildings, and muttered to himself, "Logically, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. But when that time comes, it will surely surprise people. We'll see if those 'Yonghui Spring Shoots'—people like Yin Maochun and Wang Xionggui, whom we personally promoted—will immediately change their allegiance."
As they neared the Grand Secretary's mansion, Huan Wen said softly, "The Confucian sage once said, 'He who has contemplated the sea finds it hard to consider other water; he who has visited the gates of a sage finds it hard to consider other words.' However, in the future court, there will be more and more people like you, outsiders to the sage's gate. My only fear is that once you gain power, you will betray the common people of the world."
Sun Yin remained silent.
Upon arriving outside Zhang Julu's mansion, Tantan Weng opened his umbrella and alighted from the carriage. As Sun Yin had expected, the Zhang family's embarrassed gatekeeper informed Tantan Weng that it was a private family banquet today, and no outsiders were allowed. Clearly, Tantan Weng was now considered an "outsider." Huan Wen did not make things difficult for the familiar gatekeeper; he simply nodded gently and turned to walk down the steps. Sun Yin did not immediately follow. He watched the old man's retreating back and then glanced at the dark, oppressive sky. For some reason, though there was no setting sun or afterglow overhead, Sun Yin felt that a dynasty, single-handedly propped up by a certain individual, was now entering its twilight.
With Zhang Julu's death, the empire's last ray of afterglow would also dissipate.
Perhaps realizing that the young man hadn't followed, Huan Wen stopped about a hundred paces from the carriage and turned to look back. He saw the young junior with his steady gait, and in him, Huan Wen recognized the same youthful vigor he once possessed.
"Who but I can turn the tide?"
He remembered long ago, within their master's lineage, both court and common people agreed that two "Green-Eyed Boys" were equivalent to one Huan Wen. But Huan Wen never believed that. Even when their master and the late emperor had decided that Huan Wen would lead the Department of State Affairs, he had willingly served as a foil to his close friend, Zhang Julu, for decades.
Huan Wen suddenly smiled and handed his umbrella to Sun Yin. "From now on, it will be up to you to hold it."
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