While Hu Shanwei and her party traveled day and night toward Guizhou, Mu Chun wasn’t idle either, thinking of various ways to delay time.

During the month since Lady Liu’s departure, Mu Chun had demanded bribes from the Western Waters Family’s Lady She Xiang ten times, succeeding six times. He’d demanded bribes from the Eastern Waters Family five times, succeeding twice.

Most of the bribes were secretly returned to both families at night. Mu Chun only kept a few eye-catching gold and silver treasures to show off, fooling Ma Ye.

Lady Liu’s recent absence had aroused Ma Ye’s suspicions.

Lady She Xiang was clever, deliberately arranging for the Eastern and Western Waters families to fight over a silver mine. When both sides escalated their conflict to a fever pitch, Mu Chun “promptly” brought his men to order both sides to stop, then called the leaders aside separately to demand bribes, claiming whoever offered more benefits would get the silver mine – absolutely fair.

Since the Western Waters Family had nearly emptied their coffers bribing Mu Chun recently, they had few benefits left to offer. The Eastern Waters Family was slightly wealthier, moving box after box of goods to Mu Chun’s camp. After Mu Chun was “fed,” he awarded the silver mine to the Eastern Waters Family.

The Western Waters Family became even more dissatisfied with Mu Chun, deeply feeling he was an insatiable financial wolf. No matter when Mu Chun demanded bribes, the Western Waters Family gave nothing, sending people daily to cause trouble and curse at the camp gates, demanding Mu Chun return what he’d consumed.

Mu Chun pretended to be unbearably harassed and simply stopped returning to the military camp, hiding in the Eastern Waters Family instead!

Thus, the Western Waters people no longer sought Mu Chun at the military camp but sent people day and night to surround the Eastern Waters Family from afar. The Eastern Waters Family also began fortifying their stronghold, building tree houses on giant logs, vigilantly watching the Western Waters Family’s movements.

This created two-way standoffs: Western Waters versus Guizhou Guard court troops, and Western Waters versus Eastern Waters, making Guizhou’s situation increasingly tense.

Mu Chun was like Red Boy from Journey to the West, breathing smoke from his nose and spitting samadhi true fire, igniting conflicts everywhere.

Ma Ye couldn’t wait for the Eastern and Western Waters families to fight so he could reap the benefits, easily destroying them later. No matter how his advisor urged and provoked, Ma Ye remained unmoved, telling his advisor to be patient. When the time came for the Eastern and Western Waters families to clash, he’d send assassins to kill Mu Chun, blame Mu Chun’s death on Yi internal strife, then use it as pretext for genocide.

The advisor hadn’t expected Mu Chun as a variable to create complications in their plan. “Master, you originally used taxation to break down the Yi people and defeat them one by one. Have you changed your mind?”

Having been cautioned by Empress Ma for over twenty years, Ma Ye retained some rationality – otherwise Emperor Hongwu wouldn’t have assigned him to guard the Southern Expedition Army’s rear. He said: “Taxation was just a pretense. Without His Majesty’s edict, we lack justification. Since we clearly knew they couldn’t produce tax silver, we deliberately whipped Lady She Xiang to force her to rebel. Now with Mu Chun as this convenient scapegoat, we have the perfect excuse. Why take additional risks?”

The advisor grew anxious: “But dragging this out, what if—”

Ma Ye interrupted: “My decision is made. Stop pressing me. After all, I’m Empress Ma’s nephew – some things must consider the Empress’s reputation.”

The advisor’s fist hidden in his sleeve clenched and unclenched repeatedly while maintaining composure on his face: “Understood. I’ll follow the master’s lead. The master is right – with Empress Ma as backing, Lord Ma can weather any storm. We’re not pressed for time.”

Returning to his room, the advisor summoned his trusted followers: “The situation has changed. The plan is different now. You all…”

The advisor explained the new plan. His followers asked: “Won’t this be too obvious?”

The advisor said: “The lady in the palace can’t wait any longer. After the silkworm ceremony assassination failed, the Empress threw out a consort position to stir up the harem. The lady suspects the Empress is already suspicious, but the Empress’s inner circle is impenetrable – acting in the harem would backfire and expose ourselves. That’s why we activated Ma Ye as a hidden threat. Don’t worry – with Ma Ye taking the blame up front, and he already intends to assassinate Mu Chun, suspicion won’t fall on us.”

The followers replied: “We obey orders.”

Ma Ye didn’t know that behind the mantis catching the cicada and the oriole behind it, there was an eagle hiding in the clouds. And he was the smallest mantis.

At Guizhou’s border, the roads became increasingly difficult. Hu Shanwei decisively split the team in two – part stayed behind to transport imperial gifts via main roads, while she, Liu Shuzhen and others traveled light on horseback under Ji Gang’s escort.

Along the way, Hu Shanwei had never seen so many flowers, birds, and insects. As they penetrated deeper into Yunnan-Guizhou territory, each day brought fresh sights. In her spare time, she wrote travel journals recording daily observations to share with colleagues upon return.

One evening, Hu Shanwei saw a green long-tailed large bird fly over a river clear as jade, its crest and gradient-colored wings seeming to have halos, like a divine phoenix descending.

Hu Shanwei watched transfixed. Liu Shuzhen, accustomed to the sight, said: “That’s a green peacock. When you return to the capital, our Eastern Waters Family will present a pair of green peacocks to the Empress.”

She also praised Ji Gang: “Lord Ji is the most peacock-like immortal figure I’ve seen. How many girls from our Eastern and Western Waters families will lose their hearts to Lord Ji’s magnificent beauty.”

Hearing this, Ji Gang became even more flamboyant.

Liu Shuzhen led them through shortcuts – sometimes fording rivers, climbing sky ladders, crossing ancient walkways.

These walkways were quite old, only wide enough for one person, winding like snakes around mountains. They creaked underfoot, sometimes dropping debris. Stone walls covered in moss were on the left, bottomless chasms on the right.

Sometimes they sat in baskets, rapidly descending iron cables connecting cliff sides. Sometimes without even baskets, ropes threaded through armpits and thighs like wrapping dumplings, their bodies swaying between cliffs.

Initially frightened, by the fifth time Hu Shanwei finally dared open her eyes. Ji Gang ahead spread his arms like that green peacock, soaring through the air.

Three days and nights of mountain paths, completely isolated from the world. Sometimes Hu Shanwei felt she’d entered another world, seeing wonders from poetry: grieving birds circling forests, cuckoos crying at the night moon, withered pines hanging upside down from precipices, avoiding tigers by day and serpents by night.

For concealment and easier travel, Hu Shanwei, Ji Gang and others changed into Yi men’s clothing, carrying the Empress’s edict, Imperial Sword, official robes and caps in bundles.

“Past the waterfall and through the cave’s underground river, we’ll arrive.” Liu Shuzhen collected red-berried medicinal herbs along the way, pounding out juice to apply on faces, hands and exposed skin to repel insects. The cost was hideous faces turning green and blue like corpses dead at least seven days.

Even Ji Gang’s peacock-like divine beauty became the ugliest barnyard fowl.

Liu Shuzhen led everyone to a water curtain cave where monkeys drank. Hu Shanwei suspected this was Sun Wukong’s territory. Ji Gang and other Embroidered Uniform Guards held up large umbrellas to block falling water as Hu Shanwei and others entered the cave, which contained dozens of prepared canoes and torches for illumination.

Boarding the canoes, they traveled through underground rivers alternately wide and narrow, with countless tributaries. One wrong turn meant eternal loss in the caves.

Hu Shanwei felt like returning to the womb, being reborn by this mountain. Through a sliver of daylight, the canoe emerged from the cave into streams.

The Torch Festival approached. People in the Eastern Waters stronghold sat in circles as two men with weapons danced in the center.

A Yi man in blue cloth wielded a broadsword, shrugging shoulders and swaying hips in traditional sword dance. Mu Chun danced with his sword in the Great Ming conquest dance, dignified in posture. Though their weapons and dances differed, they magically matched the same drum beat.

To avoid Lady She Xiang of the Western Waters Family pursuing returned bribes, Mu Chun had been staying with the Eastern Waters Family these past days.

As an honored guest, Mu Chun showed no airs, mingling with the masses, drinking and eating meat, dancing around bonfires without treating himself as an outsider.

When heaven closes a door, it leaves a window. As a Great Ming military officer lacking development in virtue, intelligence, fitness, beauty and labor, Mu Chun had extraordinary talent in eating, drinking, singing and dancing.

His subordinate Chen Xuan felt immensely grateful: Fortunately Lord Mu only knew a little Yi language and couldn’t sing, otherwise with his “walking Wu region love song” skills, he’d probably make all the girls blush during mountain songs.

Restricted by language, through energy conservation, his flirtatious words transformed into increasingly flirtatious dance. Mu Chun performed the conquest dance meant for sacrificial occasions like a flying demon goddess.

Mu Chun spun and leaped with open eyes, his gaze capturing one person. In that instant, the Yi man dancing with him vanished, onlookers disappeared, drums fell silent, even the earth beneath his feet disappeared as if treading on void.

Between heaven and earth, only she remained.

She wore Yi men’s clothing with a white cloth headwrap stained with moss like wearing a green hat, her face and neck streaked green and blue, having just emerged from some corner. But Mu Chun recognized her instantly.

She worked as a palace official – how could she appear in Yi settlements seven thousand li away?

I must be dreaming!

Mu Chun casually cut his forearm lightly with his sword: Pain! Not a dream.

Onlookers were stunned – Central Plains youth have strange aspirations, including self-harming dance moves?

Chen Xuan quickly rushed over to help his embarrassing superior away, explaining in Yi language: “He’s drunk and acting crazy.”

Half an hour later, darkness fell and the stronghold lit bonfires as Yi people danced around them.

Eastern Waters Family stronghold.

Pacification Commissioner Liu Shuzhen, recently recovered Deputy Commissioner Lady She Xiang, Southern Expedition Army third commander Mu Ying’s… son Mu Chun, Great Ming Palace Bureau of Attendance Siyan Hu Shanwei, and Great Ming Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander Ji Gang began five-party talks to plan strategy.

Hu Shanwei wore Great Ming female official attire as Liu Shuzhen introduced her to Lady She Xiang: “This is Palace Bureau of Attendance Siyan Officer Hu Shanwei, specially conveying Empress Ma’s orders. This is Deputy Pacification Commissioner Lady She Xiang.”

Hu Shanwei conveyed Empress Ma’s edict to Lady She Xiang: “…ordering Lady She Xiang to go to the capital, Ma Ye to bind himself and go to the capital together for confrontation, with the Ministry of War handling accountability.”

Learning she was the Empress’s confidant, Lady She Xiang immediately understood Empress Ma’s attitude. After kowtowing, she praised: “Empress Ma lives up to her reputation for fairness and justice. This way, Guizhou avoids internal strife and warfare, allowing rest and recovery. I also don’t want to raise armies and fight wars, bringing catastrophic disaster to my people. I’m willing to follow Siyan Hu to the capital and confront Ma Ye.”

Lady She Xiang shifted topics: “However, Ma Ye is arrogant and domineering. What if he uses ‘generals in the field need not accept all imperial commands’ as excuse and refuses to listen to Siyan Hu? Moreover, Ma Ye holds military and political power – with his orders, Guizhou could be immediately sealed off, trapping Siyan Hu here. I trust Lord Mu and Siyan Hu, but I don’t trust Ma Ye.”

This was the problem of distant imperial authority. Two years ago, Siyan Liu went to Xi’an Prince Qin’s palace to bestow books, discovering the prince’s consort was abused and the prince’s bestial acts with Consort Deng. Planning to expose Prince Qin’s palace scandals upon returning to the capital, Siyan Liu and her fifty-plus Embroidered Uniform Guard escorts were all killed and framed as mountain bandits from Zhouzhi County.

Given this precedent, especially Siyan Liu’s tragic death, Hu Shanwei warned herself not to follow in her footsteps: “Along the way, Lord Ji, Lady Liu and I also discussed this. Conveying Empress Ma’s edict in Ma Ye’s camp is too risky. We must find a way to draw Ma Ye out, first strip his military authority, remove his position, and temporarily transfer Guizhou Guard to Lord Mu’s control, securing the army to minimize chaos.”

Liu Shuzhen said: “I have an idea. With the Torch Festival approaching, we’ll invite Ma Ye to the Eastern Waters Family’s night banquet under festival pretenses. Ma Ye originally planned to ally with our Eastern Waters Family against the Western Waters Family, so he’ll definitely come. By custom, outsiders entering the stronghold must lay down weapons with safety guaranteed by us. Once Ma Ye arrives and the night banquet begins, the stronghold gates close and Ma Ye can’t escape. Lord Mu immediately returns to Guizhou Guard with His Majesty’s decree removing Ma Ye as commander to take over the army. Halfway through the banquet, Siyan Hu appears to convey Empress Ma’s edict ordering Ma Ye to bind himself. What do you think?”

Lady She Xiang said: “I agree.”

Hu Shanwei said: “We’ll follow Lady Liu’s plan.”

Mu Chun had been staring blankly, not daring to look at Hu Shanwei. He worried that once he looked at her, he couldn’t look away, and staring at her intently would reveal his unspeakable thoughts. With his mind wandering, he couldn’t think of more ingenious plans either, hastily following Hu Shanwei: “I’ll also follow Lady Liu’s arrangements, splitting forces with Siyan Hu to restore peace to Guizhou.”

As for Ji Gang, his wisdom was limited. Since sitting down, he’d been dutifully playing the vase role as a quiet handsome man. Since all four agreed, he followed the crowd: “Fine.”