Chapter 756: Two Nations at War, Two Men at War (Part 1)

The chanting of the Six-Syllable Mantra from the prayer wheels on the mountaintop resonated powerfully, yet ordinary people, with their naked eyes, could not perceive the grander omens related to the flow of destiny. After being startled by the sounds from Little Nalanda, pedestrians near the inn also let out snickers, finding the situation absurd and comical. In their view, an old monk sat on the rooftop, while a young man stood beside him, holding an alms bowl with one hand. They remained in this posture, one sitting and one standing, for a full half hour. Below the inn, more and more spectators from the outer city gathered, drawn by the commotion, pointing and gesturing. Many mischievous children, emboldened, climbed onto the neighboring rooftops.

Soon, platoons of elite cavalry from the inner city, escorting important figures, galloped swiftly to the scene. The horsemen carried sabers, bows, and lances, and their mounts were purebred Western Region warhorses, whose charging power far surpassed that of common steeds. The cavalry brutally forced their way through the crowded throngs, and many innocent onlookers who couldn't dodge in time were instantly trampled to death by the warhorses. It wasn't that some outer-city residents, skilled in martial arts, didn't attempt to fight back in a fit of rage after seeing their friends killed. Even if the front-line cavalry knocked them off their feet, they were quickly met by the rear cavalry, who, using the immense inertia of their charging warhorses, violently thrust a spear into their bodies. The long spear, with its iron head and hardwood shaft, bent into a pleasing crescent arc between the rider's hand and the corpse before the body was flung two or three zhang away. However, the hardwood used for the shaft was not top-grade, priceless timber, and its hardness and resilience were insufficient to withstand such an impact, causing it to break. That cavalryman, seemingly not yet satisfied, promptly abandoned his spear and drew his saber. Bending slightly, he didn't swing downward, but rather, with a seemingly casual horizontal cut, rode towards an outer-city man who was frantically fleeing. Without needing to exert force, simply relying on the momentum of his charging warhorse, the tip of his saber effortlessly carved a deep, inch-long gash across the man's neck.

From this detail, it was evident that these Western Region cavalrymen, lavishly paid by the inner city's powerful elite, were all seasoned veterans of battle. Cavalry combat on the battlefield was never a one-off affair; to survive until the end, one had to know how to achieve maximum lethality with minimum effort. The Western Regions did not lack good horses, but skilled artisans and ironware were scarce. Moreover, the hardwood needed to craft quality spears was difficult to acquire due to strict controls by the Beiliang Border Army and the Liyang Imperial Court. This largely limited the combat effectiveness of the Western Region cavalry. Although they made do with what they had, only those with exceptional strength were equipped with fine iron lances; most others used single-use impact spears. Even if these could be used as javelins, they were sufficient against ordinary martial artists but would certainly be inadequate against truly regular cavalry forces. Twenty years prior, there had been a bloody lesson. This city, during the late Spring and Autumn period, once boasted a cavalry force of five thousand, which was invincible in the Western Regions. At that time, a powerful warlord within the city, whose word was law, intended to annex the three towns of Linyao as a logistical base, then advance into Liangzhou, and subsequently seize strategic high ground across the land, potentially coveting the Central Plains. Unexpectedly, the Xu family, then enfeoffed in Beiliang, dispatched only three thousand cavalrymen, who decimated the five thousand Western Region cavalry, leaving barely over a hundred survivors. The Xu family's casualties were fewer than five hundred. Those fleeing soldiers, haunted by the experience, recounted for years how the Xu family cavalry were truly "damn iron cavalry." Two thousand of their riders and horses were fully armored—not just the men, but even the warhorses wore face masks. Furthermore, their iron spears could withstand multiple charges, whereas their own so-called "iron spears," made from ashwood shafts, were simply too soft in comparison.

Thus, for the past two decades, the wealthy noble families in this city, after acquiring their own cavalry, dared only engage in minor skirmishes behind closed doors, never venturing to provoke the Beiliang Border Army. Yet, there were still some audacious individuals. After the Beiliang Border Army established the custom of small cavalry units entering the lands of displaced people for training and to advance to White Horse Skirmisher status, someone led eight hundred elite cavalry to fish in troubled waters in what is now Liuzhou. Initially, they leveraged their numerical advantage to encircle and kill thirty to forty Beiliang "barbarians," but they soon faced brutal and merciless retaliation. Hu Kui, the commander of the Lieju Cavalry (who had not yet become the Prefect of Lingzhou), and Liu Jinu, the deputy general of Hutou City, each led a thousand light cavalry. They swept into Liuzhou, annihilated the eight hundred Western Region cavalry, and then strung their heads, one by one, on spear tips, carrying them all the way to this city, a thousand li from Liangzhou. Many in the city remained unaware of this tragedy because the individual who had unilaterally provoked trouble in Liuzhou, along with over forty family members and more than nine hundred retainers within his clan, were jointly wiped out overnight by the other inner-city factions. Their heads were then brought thirty li outside the city to appease the Beiliang Border Army. It was believed that this action demonstrated sufficient sincerity and would pacify the situation. However, Hu Kui, the very man who had single-handedly created the Beiliang White Horse Skirmishers, launched an audacious and unscrupulous charge during the confrontation, particularly when Liu Jinu had almost agreed to lead his troops back to Beiliang. He completely routed the three thousand city cavalrymen, who had been sent out by several noble families merely to bolster their courage. Had Liu Jinu not charged into the battle to intercept Hu Kui, who was then wreaking havoc, the power structure within the city would likely be entirely different today.

Xu Fengnian paid no heed to the onlookers in the streets. After hoisting the Chicken Soup Monk's body onto his back, he held the alms bowl with one hand and swiftly flew towards Little Nalanda in the center of the inner city. There, he buried the old monk near the thatched hut at the foot of the mountain and placed the Buddhist bowl on the grave.

Xu Fengnian began to wait for someone who was about to arrive.

Tuoba Pusa.

In the second year of Xiangfu, towards the end of spring when the sun grew warmer and the desire for spring slumber deepened, the capital city abruptly, and without warning, held two unscheduled grand ceremonies of state and ancestral temple sacrifices on a single day. This left the Ministry of Rites, the Directorate of Ceremonials, the Directorate of General Affairs, the Directorate of Imperial Regalia (responsible for ceremonial objects), and the Directorate of Imperial Temples (managing ancestral temple affairs) in a chaotic scramble, with everyone utterly exhausted. Astute observers noticed that beside the emperor, apart from the somber-faced Grand Chancellor Qi Yanglong, there was also an unfamiliar young man dressed in the robes of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, whose expression was remarkably grim. After the two elaborate ceremonies, as dusk approached, the emperor still did not release the utterly drained central government officials. He moved the informal court meeting to the Military Council Chamber of the Ministry of War, with all high-ranking officials from the two Grand Secretariats and all purple-robed dignitaries from the Six Ministries present without exception.

As the emperor and the two elders, Qi Yanglong and Huan Wen, entered the hall hand in hand, a huge sand table depicting the downstream territory of the Guangling River was set on the main table. In addition, there were exquisite models of over a dozen types of warships. The young emperor, with hurried steps, did not wait for everyone to bow; he waved his hand, signaling them to forgo the formalities, and walked directly to the models. Lu Baijie, the Minister of War, gave a look to Gao Tingshu, the director of the Bureau of Military Selection. This second-place laureate, who had gained considerable fame after his administrative observation tour in the frontier with the Ministry of War, quickly cleared his throat discreetly and stepped forward two paces to present the strength comparison of the two Guangling naval forces to the emperor: "Your Majesty, currently, the Guangling King's navy numbers eighty thousand men. There are thirty-five large tower ships of three types: Yellow Dragon, Phoenix Wing, and Fuyao. Mid-sized warships, including Meng Chong, Mao Tu, and Xian Deng, total seven types, numbering over one hundred forty vessels. Small craft, such as Chima boats and twelve types of scout vessels, number approximately four hundred. The Western Chu navy has over fifty-six thousand men and around seven hundred ships, but only eighteen large tower ships. Mid-sized fighting ships like Meng Chong and Mao Tu are merely seventy-odd, and among these are even no fewer than two hundred roughly modified fishing boats. Neither in manpower nor combat strength do they hold an advantage. Furthermore, the forty thousand Qingzhou navy, personally led by King Jing'an, has begun to sail downstream. The vanguard of the navy has successfully secured the Baota Isle area, where the Guangling River intersects with Bailu Lake, and will soon be able to encircle the Western Chu navy from front and rear..."

Emperor Zhao Zhuan remained silent. He was not an indolent ruler; he was intimately familiar with the Guangling campaign. The only matter truly challenging his decision now was whether to let the two naval forces, at the front and rear, "miss a crucial opportunity" and first help the one hundred thousand "tigers and wolves" from Nanyang cross the Guangling River, or to seize the chance for a decisive battle between the Western Chu navy and the Guangling navy, allowing the Qingzhou navy to rapidly enter the open area at the western end of Bailu Lake to fight a more secure pincer attack on the eastern side of Bailu Lake, thereby avoiding being defeated piecemeal by the Western Chu navy. Of course, once the Nanyang forces successfully crossed the Guangling River, and Song Li, who had recently arrived in the capital, had already worn down the majority of Xie Xichui's forces, then on the land of Western Chu, the one hundred thousand elite Nanyang troops would undoubtedly advance triumphantly, possibly even encircling the Western Chu capital in one fell swoop. However, the Guangling suppression campaign was never purely a battle for victory from the outset. If the one hundred thousand Nanyang troops besieged the Western Chu capital without suffering a single casualty, then the outcome on Bailu Lake would become superfluous, merely "adding flowers to embroidery." If Nanyang merely preempted the court in achieving the feat of destroying a state, then so be it. But the worst outcome would far exceed the court's capacity to bear: what if the Guangling navy and the Qingzhou navy lost to the Western Chu navy, personally commanded by Cao Changqing? What if Zhao Bing, who was a frontier vassal king alongside Xu Xiao back then, harbored ill intentions and, under the prevailing circumstances, developed disloyal ambitions? Could then the Southern Expeditionary Commander Lu Shengxiang, with only tens of thousands of men, withstand the battle-hardened "jackals" of Nanyang? An even more terrifying scenario was Nanyang colluding with Western Chu to advance northward. In that case, Liyang would have no choice but to have Gu Jiantang divide his troops from the two Liaos' border army and rush southward to protect Tai'an City. Beiman was already struggling on the Beiliang and Youliang fronts, and beyond the two Liaos' defense line, there were nearly two hundred thousand permanent troops. Would Zhao Zhuan really have to stand on the walls of Tai'an City, simultaneously seeing both the Beiman "barbarians" and the Nanyang "barbarians"? However, all these deductions were based on the worst-case scenario for the war, so Zhao Zhuan harbored some regrets deep down. Had he made a mistake by listening to the advice of Grand Chancellor Qi Yanglong and Minister of War Lu Baijie and refusing the deployment of troops from Western Shu? After all, it was only ten thousand Shu soldiers; even if Chen Zhipao personally led them, how much military glory could he gain on the Guangling front? Could ten thousand men truly besiege the Western Chu capital? Although it was the young emperor's original intention to disagree with the King of Shu sending troops, when the war situation became slightly mired, it was inevitable that he would harbor some well-hidden resentment. Zhao Zhuan, an emperor who had always enjoyed smooth sailing, lacked tempering in making decisions; he was inferior to the late emperor and certainly incomparable to his grandfather, who had spent most of his life fighting on horseback.

At this moment, Zhao Zhuan naturally found Lu Baijie, the Tangxi Sword Immortal, who was difficult to command to his satisfaction, increasingly vexing. If it weren't for the fact that the two Vice Ministers of War, Xu Gong and Tang Tieshuang, were new faces in Tai'an City, and Song Li's qualifications were too shallow, and the old meritorious generals from the Spring and Autumn period had either died in battle or of old age, making it impossible to find a suitable replacement for Lu Baijie for the time being, the emperor would have dismissed Lu Baijie from the Ministry of War long ago. Yuan Guo was already preparing to depart for his fiefdom to serve as a newly appointed Deputy Military Commissioner by the court, and Lu Baijie was originally supposed to be among them. However, both Grand Chancellor Qi Yanglong and Tantang Weng, the two principal officials, expressed their disapproval of this matter, which is why it was postponed.

Since his ascension, Zhao Zhuan had also made his own calculations. In his view, the late emperor should not have "let Chen Zhipao, the tiger, return to the mountains" by yielding to Yuan Benxi and Zhang Julu's wishes. Instead, he should have firmly kept him in the position of Minister of War, at most granting him military merits for the final Guangling campaign. Taking a step back, with the same tens of thousands of troops, while the court did not believe Lu Shengxiang could contend with the Nanyang army, it was likely that no one doubted Chen Zhipao could easily hold them off. In fact, one could argue that as long as Chen Zhipao remained in the capital as Minister of War, Nanyang would absolutely not dare to harbor rebellious intentions. Zhao Zhuan was not oblivious to the late emperor's original intention of placing Chen Zhipao in Western Shu. However, Zhao Zhuan was not the late emperor, who had blindly revered and trusted this adopted son of Xu Xiao. He harbored an inherent and deep suspicion towards this "White-Clad Military Sage." Furthermore, Zhao Zhuan, as the new monarch, had to admit that there was a special bond between the late emperor and Chen Zhipao. It was widely known that the late emperor had no fondness for Beiliang as a whole, but showed exceptional favor to Chen Zhipao. He had almost granted the young man the title of a king with a different surname before he even came of age, later even having him replace Gu Jiantang as Minister of War, and finally, more than a decade later, still made Chen Zhipao the King of Shu, who, after Xu Xiao's death, became the sole remaining king of a different surname. Zhao Zhuan, however, lacked such a deep bond with his minister. Those who had such ties with him were merely figures like Chen Wang, Tang Tieshuang, and Song Li, who were still some way off from being top-tier civil and military officials.

When His Majesty the Emperor remained silent for a long time, the entire hall could only fall into stillness.

Gao Tingshu, having delivered thousands of flowery words until his throat was parched, had completely exhausted the strategic plans he had meticulously prepared in advance. He no longer dared to speak casually or off-topic in front of the central government officials. After carefully glancing at Lu Baijie, the cornerstone of the Ministry of War, and receiving an affirmative nod, Gao Tingshu ceased speaking, careful not to "add legs to a snake." The emperor finally broke the silence, offering encouraging words and praise to this rising star of the Ministry of War, who had many stories circulating about him in the capital. He was clearly in the emperor's good graces. All the high-ranking ministers in the hall smiled as they looked at the young man, whose graceful demeanor had earned him the nickname "Jade Tree of Tai'an." Only Jin Lantian, the Vice Minister of Rites, had a subtle and complex look in his eyes. The emperor then left Zhao’s Urn and went to the new site of the Hanlin Academy, which was adjacent to the two Grand Secretariats. There was a tea party at the Hanlin Academy today, and the emperor saw the expected six individuals: Chen Wang, Sun Yin, Yan Chiji, Fan Changhou, Li Jifu, and Song Keli. Of course, there were more than just these six in the large courtyard; there were dozens of Hanlin scholars of various ranks, but no matter how they gathered, they did not immediately catch the emperor's eye. At this moment, the unruly scholar Sun Yin was playing a game of Go with Fan Changhou, Fan Shi-duan. Chen Wang and the top scholar Li Jifu stood side by side, whispering. Meanwhile, the current emperor's maternal uncle, Yan Chiji, and Song Keli, the "young phoenix" of the Song family who had risen again, stood together on the other side. The emperor walked over and saw several rare and unique books placed near the Go-piece containers next to Sun Yin and Fan Changhou. Sun Yin's stack was slightly taller, with four books, while Fan Changhou only had two. It seemed these were the stakes for their Go game. Upon the arrival of His Majesty the Emperor, aside from the other terrified Hanlin scholars in the courtyard, the six individuals shared generally similar expressions, with minor differences. Sun Yin remained motionless, entirely focused on the game. Fan Changhou also did not rise; this new junior Hanlin scholar, who had been raising his arm to pick a piece and pondering, slowly lowered the piece between his fingers as a sign of respect. Yan Chiji and Song Keli both made way. Notably, Yan Chiji, who had the most reason not to be so formal, appeared the most serious and solemn, looking even more "intense" than Song Keli. Chen Wang took small steps forward, and after two paces, noticing that Li Jifu hadn't moved, he quietly reached out and tugged the top scholar's sleeve. Li Jifu cast a grateful glance, and the two approached the emperor. Chen Wang smiled as he explained the stakes to the Son of Heaven: "It was agreed a few days ago that Brother Yuetian would give Sun Yin two handicap stones, and then, including themselves, all six of us would wager books purchased with three months of our salaries from Gufangzhai."

At this point, Chen Wang's smile deepened. "This idea was proposed by Sun Yin. It's clearly a trick to fleece me; everyone knows my salary is the highest among the six of us."

Then Chen Wang subtly shifted, making Li Jifu more prominent before the emperor, and jested, "Li Jifu always sends his salary home, so he rarely has more than a few loose coins. That's why he had to borrow money from me to buy these books. When placing his bet, he was the most reluctant, anxious for a long time, fearing that after the new year had barely passed, he'd find himself deeply in debt again. Your Majesty, I humbly have an impudent request: if Li Jifu and I lose, would Your Majesty perhaps cover our losses? Your Majesty's wealth and enterprise are vast; Li Jifu and I are nowhere near comparable!"

The emperor laughed, "What's difficult about that? But then again, if my family's fortune is vast, is your father-in-law, Chen Shaobao, 's fortune small? Which day in the past six months hasn't Prince Chai been raking in huge sums, making me even want to 'beat the autumn wind' from him? So, for Li Jifu, if he loses, I can cover his debt. For you, don't even think about it."

Caught between the emperor and his minister, Li Jifu was instantly overcome with mixed emotions. He envied the emperor's unique trust in Chen Shaobao—otherwise, he wouldn't have so directly spoken of Prince Chai's extensive profiteering in his presence. But more than that, Li Jifu felt profound gratitude for Chen Wang's subtle support. The emperor, having inquired about the stakes, took off a jade pendant from his waist, pulled out the Gufangzhai rare book that Li Jifu had wagered (which was near Sun Yin), and handed it back to the top scholar. Upon receiving the book, Li Jifu's eyes inexplicably reddened. Holding the book in both hands, he quickly lowered his head, his eyes glistening. The emperor patted this young official, who, despite having the best imperial examination rank among the "Eight Steeds of Tai'an," had the lowest reputation, and comforted him, "You haven't lost yet, have you?"

However, in the end, both on and off the Go board, Chen Wang, Li Jifu, Yan Chiji, and Song Keli were the four who lost.

Sun Yin, who lost the game, and Fan Changhou, who won, not only retrieved their own books but also divided the three books and the priceless jade pendant from the other four. Sun Yin was quick to take two rare books, leaving Fan Changhou with just one unique edition and the jade pendant. Seeing this, the emperor chuckled wryly, "It's one thing for Yuetian to bet on himself to win, but well done, Sun Yin! So you were betting on yourself to lose the game?"

Sun Yin smiled indifferently, "Playing Go and placing bets are two different matters."

The emperor looked at Fan Changhou, the foremost Go master of the current dynasty, and said helplessly, "A distinguished Fan Shi-duan, willing to play with such a rogue?"

Fan Changhou rose and smiled, "Your Majesty, after giving a two-stone handicap, the strengths of both sides are actually quite evenly matched. The outcome now depends on heaven's will."

The emperor quipped, "Everyone says that when you, Fan Yuetian, play Go, it's as if you have divine assistance. In that case, next time you play a handicapped game with Sun Yin, be sure to include me. I'll bet a book from the Six Pavilion Library."

As dusk approached, under the emperor's personal instruction, eunuchs brought many jars of tribute wine from the palace. However, the emperor called Chen Wang, Sun Yin, and his own brother-in-law, Yan Chiji, and the four of them walked out of the lively and boisterous courtyard together.

The emperor turned to Sun Yin, who had lost the game but won the wager, and casually asked, "I've only heard of 'komi' in Go. Why did you give a handicap?"

Sun Yin replied, "No matter how much komi I receive, I cannot win against Fan Changhou. If the victory is too disparate, there's no point in betting."

The emperor nodded, "In matters of drinking capacity, Go skill, and poetic talent, once a certain realm is reached, advancing further is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Truly, these are predestined in a past life, and cannot be increased or decreased by human effort."

Chen Wang softly said, "This is just like the Guangling campaign. If the Western Chu remnants weren't allowed to place two or three stones on the board first, no one would personally enter the fray, nor would others place bets."

The emperor sighed, somewhat helplessly, "The reason I brought the two of you here is because you, Chen Wang, have always been optimistic about the Guangling campaign, while Sun Yin holds the opposite view. Today, I want to hear your true thoughts. Tell me, no matter how shocking your words may be, I will calmly consider them. The arguments in court are inevitably intertwined with various self-serving interests, but you two are different."

Sun Yin glanced at Chen Wang, who gently extended his hand, gesturing for Sun Yin to speak first.

Sun Yin, without formality, spoke with an air of unyielding conviction: "Your Majesty is concerned that once the Nanyang army crosses the great river and encircles the Western Chu capital, they will become too powerful to control. Even if they don't rebel, they could demand exorbitant prices from the court, becoming a second Beiliang Border Army, is that it? And with similar circumstances but different dynamics, back then, Xu Xiao of Beiliang, for whatever reason, did not divide the land by the river. But King Yan Chi, Zhao Bing, has painstakingly built his power in Nanyang for over a decade; who knows if he will make a different choice? Your Majesty also doesn't want to cede the initiative to others, to the elusive human will and heaven's will, do you?"

The emperor hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Precisely!"

Sun Yin smiled, "There are three ways to break this stalemate. First, Your Majesty needs to publicly express dissatisfaction with the Ministry of War's incompetence, showing thunderous anger, and have the current Minister of War, Lu Baijie, resign and leave the capital. He can be appointed as a Military Commissioner in Nanyang or Guangling—the point is that he must be able to meet Wu Zhongxuan, the deputy commander of the one hundred thousand Nanyang army, and appeal to him with emotion, reason, and benefit. Regarding emotion and reason, I, Sun Yin, need not say much; with the Tangxi Sword Immortal's demeanor and cultivation, he is surely capable. But for 'benefit,' Your Majesty will have to 'cut off your own flesh,' and that pain will be incomparable to a mere jade pendant from your waist."

The emperor frowned, "A single Military Commissioner, is that enough?"

Sun Yin audaciously chuckled.

The emperor softly said, "Promise Wu Zhongxuan the position of Minister of War if he comes to the capital in the future?"

Sun Yin sneered.

The emperor asked, "Does my Liyang need another king with a different surname?"

Sun Yin retorted, "Why not? How could future kings with different surnames be compared to the King of Liang or the King of Shu? And how could the court not control them? Wu Zhongxuan is already in his sixties, and his three sons are mediocre. How many years could he even serve as a vassal king?"

The emperor nodded, but said nothing.

Sun Yin continued, "Second, after Lu Baijie resigns as Minister of War, allow the King of Shu to lead ten thousand elite soldiers out of his domain, and issue an edict for him to remotely hold the title of Minister of War, swiftly rushing to Guangling to suppress the rebellion. Chen Zhipao can be given half of King Jing'an Zhao Xun's Qingzhou navy in addition to his direct forces. This Chen Zhipao, he must not hold too much power, yet at the same time, he must not hold no power. If his military power is too great, it's hard to suppress his ambition; if he holds no military power, resentment and thoughts of rebellion will arise. The optimal force for Chen Zhipao is thirty to forty thousand, absolutely not exceeding fifty thousand. Does the court truly believe that because he was forbidden from leaving Shu, Chen Zhipao could only train ten thousand soldiers? It's better to guide water than to block it. The late emperor and Liyang already established his merit by sending him to Western Shu. With a million Beiman troops pressing on Beiliang's western front, it's now time to bring Chen Zhipao back under the capital's direct supervision."

This time, the emperor merely grunted in acknowledgement.

Sun Yin took a deep breath. "Finally, let Beiliang fight to the death with Beiman without restraint. The court must not only open the Guangling canal transport but also halt the change of household registers. Furthermore, Gu Jiantang and Jizhou on the eastern front must simultaneously deploy troops to exert pressure, compressing all of Beiman's border lines, 'driving the wolf to swallow the tiger'! In this way, no matter how rotten the Guangling campaign becomes, it will merely be a minor matter of temporary gains and losses. In the end, Liyang will be able to pick up the pieces. By then, Beiman will at most have half its national strength left, and Western Chu will be utterly ruined, a spent force. Cao Changqing will merely be seeking death."

The young emperor pondered silently, then looked at Chen Wang, who offered a wry smile and said, "Your humble servant has nothing more to say."

Sun Yin waited for a follow-up, but receiving no desired answer, he chuckled, "Taking advantage of this fine alcohol, I'll go back and drink. If I get drunk and collapse in the Hanlin Academy, I'll trouble Chen Shaobao to drag me back."

The emperor watched the unruly scholar's retreating back and softly said, "Chen Wang, Chiji, I will take you to a place to meet someone."

This time, not even guards or attendants accompanied the emperor. Only Song Tanglu, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonials, cautiously led the way, taking many turns to a secluded courtyard located at the edge of the imperial palace.

After pushing open the courtyard gate, in the lamplight, Chen Wang and Yan Chiji saw an unfamiliar man and woman sitting on two rattan chairs. The man appeared blind, and the woman was reading a book to him.

Despite Chen Wang and Yan Chiji's closeness to the current emperor, they were still left at the courtyard entrance with Song Tanglu. The emperor entered alone and had a brief exchange with the blind young man.

When the emperor rose and walked back to the courtyard gate, the previous somberness was gone, replaced by a sense of ease and leisure on his face.

Chen Wang smiled, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining a statesman who can strategize for the nation."

The emperor laughed heartily, "Chen Shaobao is not inferior to him in the slightest; they are merely different kinds of people. Sun Yin is not an 'otherworldly' person, but merely practices a 'wild fox Zen.' The scholar named Lu in the courtyard, however, is a true recluse, a 'wild fox spirit.' But to truly govern the nation and bring peace to the world, it still depends on you, Chen Wang."

In the courtyard, the blind man Lu Xu lay on the rattan chair.

The female assassin from King Jing'an's mansion, whose real name was Liu Lingbao, did not kneel before the emperor for long, and when she rose, her face was filled with confusion.

Lu Xu softly asked, "Are you very curious why I wish to bring Beiliang to its demise?"

The woman, who had endured hardships alongside Mr. Lu, smiled with understanding, "Sir has his own reasons."

Lu Xu "opened his eyes," as if to personally behold this world where everyone lacked freedom.