Chapter 694: Sitting in a Well and Viewing the Sky

The Spring Snow Tower, dubbed the "small court of Liyang's southeast," stands atop Lion Cliff. This cliff is part of Thin Green Villa, formerly a summer retreat for the Great Chu Dynasty. It was devastated by the Spring and Autumn Wars but extensively rebuilt over two decades by Prince Zhao Yi of Guangling. Zhao Yi amassed numerous rare and beautiful stones, including the Spring God Lake Boulder, transported by his navy and cavalry. This enormous, pearl-shaped stone is renowned as the world's finest, a valuable treasure believed to enhance feng shui.

Thin Green Villa borders the Guangling River to the south. Lion Cliff was once a popular spot for scholars from Jiangnan to ascend, admire the scenery, and compose poetry. However, after it became the exclusive domain of Prince Zhao Yi, the emperor's brother, access to the Spring Snow Tower for political discussions was limited to a privileged few from Guangling Province. Lion Cliff, also known as Treasure Mountain, witnessed a miraculous event in the late Great Feng Dynasty: a revered monk tamed a lion and preached, causing a rain of magnificent flowers from the sky. Upon touching the ground, these flowers transformed into countless vibrant stones, scattering across a hundred-mile radius. From the end of the Great Feng Dynasty until the first year of Yonghui, during periods of conflict, these stones—seemingly destined for wider dispersal—were continuously collected by travelers, tourists, and quarrymen, with very few remaining in place, eventually finding their way into common households. After Zhao Yi was enfeoffed, he acquired these stones, either through seizure or high-priced purchases, and scattered them around the Spring God Lake Boulder, gradually paving the entire Lion Cliff. The Spring Snow Tower sits on the cliff, and below it, there is a well.

The first light snow in Jiangnan arrived belatedly, only to vanish swiftly. The escalating conflict in Guangling Province, however, had people too anxious to concern themselves with the snow's presence or depth. With the winter snow melting, midday on Lion Cliff presented a picturesque scene. A corpulent man sat alone on the edge of a small well beneath the tower—a well that had always been dry, its purpose and origin a long-standing mystery. The man wore a bright yellow python robe embroidered with gold velvet, a privilege enjoyed by no other Liyang prince save this "fat pig." Even Prince Xu Xiao of Beiliang, whose merits were immense, wore only a blue satin python robe. Prince Zhao Bing of Yan Chi, in terms of imperial bearing or status, was likewise inferior. As for the actual fiefdoms, the perpetually malarial Southern Border naturally couldn't compare to Guangling, which alone contributed half of the empire's taxes. Both the Liyang court and the public had long harbored deep resentment towards Prince Guangling, widely seen as the most undeserving recipient of imperial favor. The sheer number of imperial censors and officials who had died directly or indirectly at his hands was astounding.

The corpulent man, now seemingly facing the consequences of his actions and under immense pressure, appeared far less distraught than outsiders might have imagined. He sat calmly by the well, devoid of malice or dejection. Whenever Zhao Yi was lost in thought by the well, not even his most trusted confidants from Spring Snow Tower dared to disturb him.

In the distance, Crown Prince Zhao Piao stood respectfully, accompanied by Song Li, the main general of the western front, who had just returned from the front lines.

Beyond the cliff, the Guangling River teemed with naval warships. Despite public claims that Western Chu had captured half of the Guangling Navy, this loss was merely numerical; the vast majority of their multi-deck battleships remained firmly under the Guangling army's control.

Zhao Piao and Song Li shared an uncommonly close bond, having addressed each other as brothers for years. It was widely known in Guangling Province that the only way to truly escape the Crown Prince's clutches was to become Song Li's woman; otherwise, even a governor for a father offered no genuine protection. At this moment, Zhao Piao grumbled in a low voice, "They said the Grand Tutor of Western Chu fled here back then, refusing to surrender to the Xu family's iron cavalry, and resolutely jumped off the cliff with that exiled princess to their deaths. What utter nonsense! That cripple Xu clearly played a trick on the imperial court. Xu Xiao should have been given a truly repulsive posthumous title!"

Song Li merely smiled, offering no agreement, and turned his head to glance at the Guangling River flowing eastward.

"After Chu's fall, new eras unfolded; beyond this high cliff, the Central Plains held sway."

When the Great Chu Dynasty was first destroyed, Southern Tang and Western Shu still offered stubborn resistance, yet this saying had already begun circulating among the literati.

Zhao Piao yawned, his thoughts drifting far away. He was brought back by a nudge from Song Li, only then noticing his father waving them over. Zhao Piao quickly stepped forward, joining Song Li by the well.

Zhao Yi looked at Song Li and asked with a smile, "Did Kou Jianghuai truly resign his post and retreat into seclusion?"

Song Li nodded. "Initially, I, your humble subordinate, also suspected it was a trick by Cao Changqing. But now, it seems Kou Jianghuai's abrupt departure from his responsibilities is almost certainly genuine."

Zhao Yi gave his 'lucky general' an encouraging look. Song Li carefully chose his words before continuing, "The western front was already in disarray. Had Kou Jianghuai continued to press his advantage, blocking his advance would have cost Your Highness at least half of your tens of thousands of cavalry. Regardless of whether Kou Jianghuai's departure was due to rumored political disagreements with Cao Changqing, or if someone in the Western Chu court deliberately undermined him to prevent his growing influence, it is undoubtedly good news for Your Highness. There will be no major movements on the western front before spring. 'Strike while the iron is hot, then wane.' Cao Changqing's decision to allow Kou Jianghuai's departure is quite logical. Perhaps future historians will mark this as a significant turning point."

The unusually corpulent Zhao Yi grunted in acknowledgment. He bent down with some difficulty, picked up a small stone, and held it in his palm, feeling its coolness. "Let's not talk about the future," he said, "only the present. Song Li, do you think Cao Changqing will personally lead the army next, or will he have Xie Xichui fill Kou Jianghuai's vacancy? No matter who takes command of the western front, it doesn't sound like good news."

Song Li replied without hesitation, "It's highly probable that Xie Xichui will lead the army. Cao Changqing will most likely remain behind the scenes, strategizing."

Zhao Yi said self-deprecatingly, "You're right. How could Cao Changqing possibly look favorably upon me and Lu Shengxiang? In his eyes, there's only Gu Jiantang. As long as Gu Jiantang doesn't march south from the Liangliao border, Cao Changqing won't step forward to take command."

Song Li nodded. "What appears to be arrogance is, in fact, a long-term strategy. Cao Changqing is too prominent; only by completely refraining from interfering with specific troop deployments can he give young talents like Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai the necessary opportunities to grow."

Zhao Yi suddenly laughed, "It takes a true hero to allow lesser men to gain renown."

Zhao Piao looked somewhat bewildered. He understood that "lesser men" referred to figures like Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai, but he couldn't grasp who his father meant by "the hero."

Zhao Yi sighed with emotion, "Back then, a mere step from 'Crippled Xu' meant the collapse of the Divine Land."

Zhao Yi's face twisted in deep sarcasm. "This princely rebellion is all thunder and no rain—or rather, no rain at all. Apart from the treacherous son of that old geezer Zhao Bing, the rest are just useless drunkards. If 'Crippled Xu' hadn't died, even just pulling 50,000 elite cavalry from Beiliang would have been enough to make Cao Changqing and his Western Chu stop their posturing entirely. As for Zhao Bing, if he were truly willing to exert himself and join forces with me, this problem could also be resolved. But this fellow Zhao Bing is as cunning as Zhao Heng, whom Xu Xiao mocked as a 'woman,' though Zhao Heng's ability to feign ignorance is light-years behind. Even before Cao Changqing and that little girl raised their banners, he deliberately sent three consecutive urgent reports—six hundred li urgent—to Tai'an City, claiming unrest in the Southern Border. Didn't he even send a petition begging for forgiveness recently? Claiming that the sixteen barbarian tribes of the South colluded with Western Chu remnants, leading to three consecutive major defeats on the front lines where he personally commanded, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. Tens of thousands? Damn you! It should be a few hundred at most, right? Your son, a mere teenager back then, could go to the heart of the Southern Border to cut off heads and build 'jingguan'—mounds of enemy heads—but when you, Zhao Bing, went, you suffered defeats, and three in a row? What happened to Nalan Youci, who was said to be able to 'shatter cities with a finger and destroy nations with a wave of his sleeve'? A grown man, he wouldn't have been messed with by you, Zhao Bing, to the point of getting pregnant and having children, would he?"

Zhao Yi sighed. "Among all the princes, the perpetually despondent Old Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng, harbors the most resentment and is also the most limited. Prince Huainan, Zhao Ying, possesses the greatest talent but the least actual ability. Prince Jiaodong, Zhao Sui, has the weakest disposition and is the most consistently ineffectual. As for me, I have the narrowest vision. I can't compete for the title of 'world's best cavalry,' but I'm content to strive for the 'world's best navy.' My ambition is the smallest; I've never coveted that throne. It's been this way since childhood; I even went to 'Crippled Xu' back then, almost kneeling, just so my brother could sit on it. That's why for all these years, outsiders have said I'm notorious, while Xu Xiao, the Prince of Beiliang, is the truly awe-inspiring one. If you ask who I detest the most, it's actually Zhao Bing. He's a master at shifting allegiances, burning bridges, and speaking sweetly while harboring malice. It's just a pity that the Emperor, my brother, has always focused entirely on defending against the northwest. No matter how I, his full brother, tried to persuade him, he consistently refused to take action against the Southern Border."

Zhao Yi gave a bitter smile, looked up at his son Zhao Piao, and said self-deprecatingly, "That year, when Xu Fengnian came to the Guangling River, you formed a mortal enmity with him. I deliberately showed weakness to Xu Xiao, metaphorically 'carving a piece of flesh' from you and sending it to Beiliang. Then, at that opportune moment, I sent a secret memorial to the Emperor, my brother. It wasn't to speak ill of Xu Xiao of Beiliang, but to warn that this scoundrel Zhao Bing must absolutely not be allowed to accumulate power. And the result? My brother still paid no heed. If chopping off a few catties of my own flesh could change my brother's mind, I would truly do it."

"Since my brother is unwilling to be the villain, then I shall be. For the past six months, I have secretly arranged four assassination attempts on the Crown Prince of Yan Chi, all of which failed."

Song Li remained silent.

Zhao Piao, hearing this for the first time, gaped in shock.

Zhao Yi tossed away the stone warmed by his palm. "Later, when Chen Zhibao entered the capital to serve as Minister of War, I knew he would certainly be enfeoffed as a prince. So I submitted another secret memorial, proposing to my brother that Chen Zhibao be granted a fiefdom between Guangling Province and Southern Border Province. If Chen Zhibao found the territory too small, I would even cede an additional prefecture. You both know the outcome."

Zhao Yi chuckled, "Piao'er, your father merely wishes for your lineage to continue through hereditary succession. I no longer even hope for my grandsons to become princes; their destiny is surely to be pleasure-seeking district princes in Tai'an City. But that Zhao Bing, as a father, is far more domineering."

Zhao Yi then exhaled deeply and waved his hand tiredly. Zhao Piao, who seemed to want to speak but held back, and the perpetually silent Song Li, withdrew together.

Zhao Yi remained seated on the edge of the well, gazing at the sky.

Like a fool looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.