Stars hung over the wilderness. In the Wuman King’s tent, lanterns burned until dawn as singing and dancing reached their peak of revelry. At the center of the tent sat a great bronze cauldron, water boiling vigorously within. Four mighty strongmen carried in a whole sheep, an impressive sight. They took their positions at the four corners of the cauldron and solemnly tossed the prepared mutton into the boiling water.

As the fragrant aroma of meat filled the air, the guests shifted uncomfortably, their eyes anxiously fixed on the boiling mutton. The Wuman King Meng Zai Shi sat regally on his tiger-skin throne, noting how his guests below seemed ill at ease watching the performances, secretly stealing glances at him. His stern features appeared somewhat sinister in the shadowy light.

He gestured for the serving maids beside him to withdraw and lifted a bowl of heated wine. The tent fell silent save for the bubbling of boiling water and the persistent aroma of meat.

The crowd listened as the Wuman King spoke in a languid tone: “I’ve summoned you tonight for no ill purpose, so there’s no need for tension. I wish to emulate the Great Wei system and abolish your slave status, elevating you all to nobility, bestowing upon you gold, silver, jewels, beauties, and sheep. From now on, except before me, you may keep your own slaves and livestock, free from guilt.

“Let us all make a blood oath here – as long as I live, I shall not betray you. In future battles under my command, you need not surrender all spoils. You may keep a portion.”

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, not comprehending the Wuman King’s meaning.

The Wuman system was backward – the Wuman King was the sole master, and everyone else, whether warriors or servants, were all slaves.

Slaves had no human rights, and no right to conceal property. Discovery by the Wuman King meant death.

Yet some coveted beautiful jewels, desiring luxurious silks… they would hide them away, living in fear of the Wuman King’s discovery and punishment.

But tonight, the Wuman King declared he would abolish their slave status!

The crowd trembled: “Great King, what does this mean… we don’t understand.”

Meng Zai Shi smiled mockingly, saying: “You need not understand. Just know that from now on you are masters, no longer slaves.”

With that, Meng Zai Shi raised his hand, commanding the strongmen to present a dagger. He slowly rose, his tall, slender frame commanding such authority that the entire tent fell into complete silence.

This formidable ruler gripped the dagger and cut a long gash across his palm, watching drops of blood fall into the bowl. He drank it in one gulp and gestured to the crowd, who hurriedly followed suit.

Meng Zai Shi observed these newly appointed nobles thoughtfully. Princess Danyang from Great Wei had told him that not everyone in Great Wei was a slave. The emperor could have people help govern the country, but he could not insult a scholar.

Great Wei had many nobles, and only with these nobles could the Great Wei emperor’s orders be executed from top to bottom.

One sunset passed, and that princess had ridden alongside him, threading through stone forests. She rode ahead, gripping the reins, turning back to smile at him: “You can’t expect everyone to obey you without giving them any respect, can you?”

Meng Zai Shi narrowed his eyes: “Then what benefit does Your Highness seek from cooperating with me?”

Her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, she replied: “This humble one only wishes that when my lord becomes king, he won’t disappoint me.”

Recalling this, Meng Zai Shi clicked his tongue. Back then, he and the beauty had played their roles of truth and falsehood, never imagining she was using him too! A perfectly lovely princess sent for marriage, forced by his father-king to become a scheming princess… how unlovable.

“Great King, there seems to be firelight in the distance!” As Meng Zai Shi was reminiscing about the princess’s gentle smile, the felt curtain suddenly pushed open as a warrior entered with the report.

His expression changed drastically as he abruptly stood.

That night, the Wuman King and his newly appointed nobles climbed to the mountaintop, indeed seeing distant flames reaching the sky. Those flames belonged not to the Wuman, but to their neighbors, the Chiman.

Someone below guessed: “It must be Great Wei troops launching a night raid on the Chiman.”

“The Chiman are at war with Great Wei anyway, it’s none of our concern.”

Meng Zai Shi ignored his followers’ relief, frowning with heavy thoughts. Upon returning to his court, Meng Zai Shi ordered the army to prepare for war.

Yet his subordinates remained confused, wondering what Great Wei’s raid on the Chiman had to do with their Wuman tribe.

Just two days later, when Chiman refugees arrived with their flocks seeking shelter among the Wuman, some newly appointed nobles grew restless.

They rushed before Meng Zai Shi, gesticulating wildly: “…Those Chiman refugees are willing to trade livestock for grain, and they say the fire burned large, enraging the Chiman King who now pursues the Great Wei army. The refugees say there are many animal hides abandoned by the roadside, with no one to claim them. Great King, let us go take them and trade them with Great Wei for jewels!”

As the nobles excitedly discussed, Meng Zai Shi left the tent, mounting his horse to ride aimlessly. Soon, his subordinates returned with intelligence reports saying all the nobles hoped for war.

Meng Zai Shi remained noncommittal: “You also think we should go to war with the Chiman now?”

A clever subordinate was sent to speak: “Great King has just unified the Wuman, and now wishes to implement technologies learned from Great Wei internally. This is no time for war. Fighting over mere jewels would be more loss than gain.”

Meng Zai Shi let them voice their opinions.

Soon they reached a consensus, unanimously urging Meng Zai Shi not to war with the Chiman.

Meng Zai Shi spoke flatly: “Oh, so if I say no war, there won’t be war?”

His subordinates were stunned.

Meng Zai Shi swept his arm toward the group of nobles eagerly discussing at the tent entrance in the distance.

He sneered: “Look at their boundless greed. Barely appointed as nobles, they’re already thinking of seizing jewels, silks, cattle, sheep, and beauties. Because these are rights I’ve just granted! They’re caught up in the novelty, fearing I might revoke these rights someday.

“Greed blinds their eyes, ignorance shortens their vision. If I were to say now that we won’t go to war, guess whether I could restrain them? Or if I suppressed them, they would think I’ve gone back on my word, still treating them as slaves. Then everything I’ve done before would be wasted.”

The following subordinates looked on in horror – if these locusts were restrained now, the Great King would instead lose the people’s hearts…

Meng Zai Shi closed his eyes, slowly revealing a somewhat gloomy smile: “For now, we can only wage war. Take this chance to unify the Chiman, making them subordinate to the Wuman.

“When Great Wei diverted trouble eastward, they must have anticipated that their raid on the Chiman would affect the newly unified Wuman tribe. With the two great Southern barbarian tribes at war, Great Wei need only sacrifice some troops to watch from the sidelines – exactly what they want!”

The subordinates were shocked, but they all praised the Wuman King: “That night when Great King saw the fire and ordered us to prepare for war, clearly Great King had foreseen all this. Great King’s strategy is no less than Great Wei’s!”

Meng Zai Shi ignored the flattery.

He mused further: “We have a marriage alliance with Great Wei; they don’t want war with us but want to deal with us, so they use the Chiman to make us fight… Interesting.

“Just as I had someone deliver a message to Great Wei, this happens. It might be that princess’s handiwork. But the princess doesn’t understand politics…”

The young man closed his eyes in thought, then opened them, black light bursting from his gaze:

“Have our spies in Great Wei investigate who gave their border army this idea!

“I must kill them!” —

After sending Princess Danyang off, Li Zhi learned that the Wuman and Chiman had gone to war, and couldn’t help but laugh, mentally noting the strategist Yan Er Lang.

Before the year’s end, Princess Danyang finally returned to Chang’an, back to her princess mansion.

That New Year’s Day, after three years, Princess Danyang once again celebrated the holiday in the palace with her many brothers and sisters and the emperor. Only compared to three years ago, the empress was no longer there.

After New Year’s, during social calls, the princess mansion welcomed a high official who had once been a strategist there and was now Vice Minister of Revenue.

The visitors expressed gratitude for the princess’s cultivation, and Mu Wan Yao encouraged them to follow the Crown Prince and serve well.

Thus, many came to visit Mu Wan Yao, mostly those who had left the princess’s mansion and now had good prospects. Mu Wan Yao patiently comforted them all. As visitors increased, Mu Wan Yao grew weary and simply claimed illness to avoid receiving them.

In March, the imperial examinations began.

From mid-February, Chun Hua grew anxious, constantly finding excuses to leave the princess’s mansion to gather news about the examinations.

When the results were posted and Liu Wen Ji’s name wasn’t on the list, Chun Hua felt deeply disappointed. But she forced herself to stay positive, reasoning that Great Wei’s examinations were always difficult, and it was normal for Liu Wen Ji to not pass in one year.

However, when Chun Hua rushed out of the princess’s mansion to comfort her failed lover, she couldn’t find Liu Wen Ji all day. Guessing Liu Wen Ji was overwhelmed with shame and deliberately avoiding her, Chun Hua had no choice but to return to the princess’s mansion.

In the evening at the princess’s mansion, as Chun Hua walked distractedly thinking about Liu Wen Ji, someone called out: “Chun Hua!”

Chun Hua looked up to see Guard Fang Tong, holding a letter with a worried expression as he approached: “Chun Hua, help me read what Yan Er Lang wrote in his letter. Yan Er Lang wrote so politely, but I can’t recognize the characters…”

Chun Hua roused herself to help Fang Tong read Yan Er Lang’s letter.

Just then, across the corridor, Mu Wan Yao was returning from drinking outside. As she walked unsteadily, her beautiful eyes hazy and cheeks flushed, she suddenly heard the words “Yan Er Lang.”

Mu Wan Yao doubted her ears.

She halted her steps and, through the curtain, asked Chun Hua and Fang Tong who were huddled together reading the letter: “A letter from Yan Shi Sheng?”

Seeing the princess had returned, Fang Tong paid his respects and answered bewilderedly: “Yes, Yan Er Lang is truly kind, often writing letters to this subordinate…”

He received a hard kick from Chun Hua and yelped, looking at her in confusion, not understanding why she had kicked him.

In the corridor behind the curtain, Mu Wan Yao was silent for a moment, then asked Chun Hua: “Has he written to you as well?”

Chun Hua answered awkwardly: “He only occasionally asks this servant for advice on certain matters…”

Fang Tong was puzzled: “What does Your Highness mean by asking this? Has Yan Er Lang never written to Your Highness? How could that be possible? Yan Er Lang is so considerate, haha…”

His laughter weakened awkwardly.

As the maids lifted the curtain, Mu Wan Yao’s gaze turned icy as she looked at him.

Chun Hua whispered beside him: “Guard Fang, stop talking. Yan Er Lang has never written a single letter to Her Highness… Her Highness didn’t know Yan Er Lang wrote to us.”