His figure was tall and slender. Even though he’d returned in the rain with his hair soaked through, it didn’t diminish his handsome bearing and sharp edge in the slightest. It was just that he seemed to deliberately restrain his presence. Standing among the military commanders, he was unusually quiet and silent. Before Fan Yuan mentioned him, few people in the room had even noticed him.

Now, facing everyone’s gaze, he stepped forward and clasped his fists: “It was only because all my comrades fought desperately to the death that South Gate was broken through. This subordinate dares not claim the credit alone.”

Seeing him so modest, many advisors stroked their beards and nodded, the admiration in their eyes growing even stronger.

Wen Yu sat above, looking at the person who properly lowered his eyes to avoid meeting her gaze. She felt all his rebelliousness and sharp edges seemed to have been put away. Now he possessed more restraint.

It seemed that during these days of training in the army, he had indeed made progress.

This was what Wen Yu had always hoped for, but now that he’d truly achieved it, she felt something seemed to be missing from him.

In that brief moment, she pondered for a long time before realizing it was probably that vigorous, warm, sun-dried quality about him—as if he’d been under the sun for a long time.

When she stayed at the Xiao family residence in Yong City, though she was somewhat afraid of him, every time she saw him, even when he returned from wind and snow, she had the illusion that he’d just come back from under the sun.

Seeing Wen Yu remain silent, Li Xun spoke up: “Captain Xiao is being too modest. In this battle, all soldiers naturally deserve credit, but Captain Xiao’s merit is especially great. The Wengzhu should bestow generous rewards.”

Wen Yu’s thoughts returned as she nodded: “Naturally. With this great victory, all the generals have rendered meritorious service and should all be generously rewarded.”

Hearing of rewards, the military commanders’ faces couldn’t conceal their joy.

After Wen Yu distributed rewards according to merit, while both advisors and military commanders were present, she also discussed matters regarding the subsequent governance of Tao Commandery and continued conscription to expand the army.

Pei Song and Wei Qishan had been locked in struggle north of the Wei River for a long time. Only after Wei Qishan’s son lost several cities in succession did Pei Song gain a slight upper hand.

That Pingzhou successfully annexed Tao Commandery at this time was naturally a great joy, and a victory banquet was indispensable.

However, with the Southern Chen envoys about to arrive and Chen Wei still remaining in Tao Commandery for cleanup, after discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to postpone the victory banquet and hold it together with the welcoming banquet for the Southern Chen envoys.

It would be a celebration of alliance, and also an opportunity to dampen Southern Chen’s威風, facilitating subsequent negotiations.

When the meeting ended, Wen Yu had the military commanders return to rest first, keeping only a few advisors to continue discussing state affairs later.

Zhao Bai took this opportunity to bring in a cloth soaked in medicinal water to apply to Wen Yu’s eyes.

Having talked all morning, the advisors were also somewhat parched and went together to the tea room in the side hall for refreshments.

Xiao Li walked at the rear. From far away, he smelled the medicinal scent from the cloth in Zhao Bai’s hands.

Without显露 his emotions, he glanced back and saw Zhao Bai supporting Wen Yu into the inner chamber. That cloth seemed to be for Wen Yu’s use.

His steps involuntarily slowed slightly. After a fellow military commander called out to him, he withdrew his gaze and asked: “Is the Wengzhu ill?”

The military commanders naturally didn’t know. An advisor who常在 deliberated before Wen Yu, seeing that Xiao Li had distinguished himself in the Tao Commandery battle and was himself from Wen Yu’s personal guard, wanting to curry favor with him, answered: “The Wengzhu, in order to quickly take over Pingzhou’s affairs large and small, has kept books in hand day and night, injuring her eyes. Recently she’s been applying medicine continuously and can’t even read documents—Miss Zhao Bai reads them aloud to her.”

Xiao Li listened silently, his lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

—

In the inner chamber of the council hall, Wen Yu sat in a grand armchair, leaning back with her head slightly tilted, a cloth draped over her eyes. She instructed Zhao Bai: “For those Tao Commandery officials who were escorted back, tomorrow have Lord Li Xun go first to persuade and counsel them.”

Zhao Bai said: “From General Fan’s meaning, that Tao Commandery Governor has quite a hard temper. If he’d rather die than submit to us, what should we do?”

Wen Yu said: “Even if he’d rather die than submit, we’ll still spare his life and simply confine him under guard. We’ve taken one Tao Commandery—next there will be Li Commandery, Wu Commandery. Great Liang was controlled by imperial relatives-by-marriage for over a decade. Many officials suffered persecution from factional struggles and were sent away, harboring resentment toward the court. What I must accomplish is the great enterprise my father and brother left unfinished—to rescue Great Liang from rotten土. Though it now seems the difficulty is no less than rebuilding from the ground up.”

The hot compress cloth had cooled. Wen Yu raised her hand to remove it. The area around her eyes was slightly red from the steam, but her gaze was calm and resolute: “But I will build a Great Liang better than before. The Grand Tutor once taught my brother that only the benevolent can win hearts. What Great Liang owed those officials and common people in the past—I must repay. Pei Song makes people throughout the realm fear him. I want to make people throughout the realm submit to me.”

Zhao Bai wrung out the cloth again to hand to Wen Yu. Hearing these words, she was briefly stunned for a moment and said: “The Wengzhu is actually more like the Prince than the Heir Apparent was.”

Thinking of her deceased father and brother, a faint melancholy appeared in Wen Yu’s eyes. She said: “My brother’s temperament was like Mother’s. Before Father was selected as heir apparent, he preferred tending the flowers and plants in his courtyard. When he wanted to marry Sister-in-law, while other noble sons sent gifts of pearl hairpins and jewelry or brocade and jade, only my brother held a pot of orchids he’d cultivated for years and waited outside the Jiang residence for Sister-in-law. He stood there all morning, but when he saw her, he was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak. He recited ‘Jian Jia’ to Sister-in-law, then put down the orchids and ran off. Even later when they had Jun’er and A’Yin, Sister-in-law still teased him about it…”

Wen Yu seemed to want to smile, but in the end found she couldn’t.

Her eyes were suffused with sorrow, yet she couldn’t cry either.

Her tears seemed to have dried up in that heavy snow in Yong City.

She closed her eyes to compose herself for a while. When she opened them again, she only said: “Summon Lord Li Xun and the others.”

The second round of deliberations discussed trivial matters that nevertheless required establishing procedures. After all decisions were made, Li Xun, just before leaving, suddenly said: “Wengzhu, you’ve given Li Yao and his group the cold shoulder for quite some time. Those people from Tao Commandery—you intend to employ them. But Li Yao and his group, what are your plans?”

Wen Yu seemed to contemplate for a moment, then said: “Indeed, it’s time to go see them.”

—

The advisors who had come to pledge allegiance mostly lived in the front two courtyards.

Because Li Yao had repeatedly offended Wen Yu and received cold treatment, the advisors who had initially followed his lead had mostly distanced themselves from him quietly.

Wen Yu’s numerous achievements were transmitted to the small courtyard through other advisors’ mouths. The advisors following Li Yao increasingly felt they couldn’t save face.

They had also advised Li Yao to soften toward Wen Yu, but Li Yao’s temper was both foul and stubborn. He would either give a cold snort and ignore them, or curse whoever spoke up until they were thoroughly humiliated. Gradually, no one dared mention it again.

When Wen Yu, accompanied by Zhao Bai and Li Xun, stepped into the side courtyard, Li Yao wore plain clothes, his hair sparse and graying. Like an old farmer, he held a gourd dipper and was watering melon seedlings in a cleared wasteland, humming a tune—a picture of leisurely contentment.

Li Xun coughed and said: “Lord Li, the Wengzhu has arrived.”

Li Yao had once held the position of Director of the Imperial Secretariat. Though he angrily resigned and withdrew after imperial power weakened and imperial relatives-by-marriage dominated, subordinates still mostly addressed him by his former official title.

Hearing this, Li Yao only glanced toward the courtyard entrance, then continued tending his melon seedlings.

Seeing this, Zhao Bai frowned.

Seeing him remain so discourteous, Li Xun’s heart also sank.

He hadn’t been at Wen Yu’s side long, but had already roughly grasped some of Wen Yu’s temperament. Compared to the Heir Apparent’s gentleness, their Wengzhu’s nature was actually more unyielding.

That day, when Li Yao was arrogant and disrespectful, despite clearly lacking people in such a difficult situation, she still gave Li Yao the cold shoulder, unwilling to employ him again.

Today Li Yao remained the same. He worried Wen Yu would truly completely abandon recruiting this person.

Anxious in his heart and wanting to say something to break the impasse, Li Xun laughed dryly: “Lord Li has such refined interest—actually planting loofah gourds in the courtyard.”

Li Yao’s graying hair was pinned into a small bun at the back of his head with a wooden hairpin. His wrinkled skin clung almost tightly to his skull as he snorted coldly: “Contributing one’s effort, eating one’s salary—lest people think this old man ate free meals, these old bones can still plant some melons and beans to eat!”

Li Xun hadn’t expected this old stubborn one to show so little face. Though Wen Yu gave him the cold shoulder, she never withheld food, clothing, or necessities. Speaking like this made it seem as if Wen Yu couldn’t tolerate anyone at all.

His dry laugh was already hard to maintain. He turned to look at Wen Yu, afraid she would angrily leave with a flick of her sleeve.

But he saw Wen Yu’s expression remain calm as she stepped forward, even helping Li Yao, who was tying melon seedlings to bamboo poles, by handing him a section of dry grass.

Li Yao didn’t accept the dry grass she offered, stubbornly取 another piece himself and continued binding melon vines.

Wen Yu then used that section of dry grass to wrap and secure the melon vine toward the upper part of the bamboo pole, opening her mouth: “In the past during busy farming seasons, Father also took us to the Fengyang fields to plant a stalk of rice seedlings, scatter a handful of beans. I remember every farming household’s courtyard had walls covered with climbing melon vines.”

Li Yao looked at Wen Yu appraisingly, his words still barbed: “The Wengzhu cleverly captured Tao Commandery this time and also sowed discord between Xinzhou and Yizhou. Everyone in the entire residence praises the Wengzhu highly. Why does the Wengzhu condescend to come to this old man’s place now?”

Wen Yu said: “Yu has come to ask the Master to strategize for Yu.”

Li Yao then sneered: “Have you come specifically to mock this old man?”

Wen Yu calmly raised her eyes: “The Master once assisted Yu’s father. Based on this old kindness, Yu would never be disrespectful to the Master. From where do you draw the conclusion of mockery?”

Li Yao stared coldly at Wen Yu: “The great enterprise of restoring Liang—if you’re unwilling to fully听 this old man’s counsel, then so be it. This old man held the position of Director of the Imperial Secretariat. Even if lacking opportunity, I haven’t yet fallen so low as to be driven by a milk-scented little girl like you. It’s just that after all, remembering your father personally came several times to request this old man emerge from retirement, I remain in Pingzhou. In times of crisis, I’m willing to lend a hand.”

Wen Yu said: “If it were my brother here today, would the Master then be willing to strategize for the Wen clan again?”

Li Yao, holding the gourd dipper to water the melon patch, hearing this, snorted with laughter: “Your brother? A lukewarm, soft, benevolent sort—this old man looked down on him! Back when your father first asked this old man to take your brother as a student, this old man refused. Only then did your father turn to ask Yu Zijing to teach him.”

Yu Zijing was Grand Tutor Yu’s given name.

He looked down at Wen Yu disdainfully. In those aged, sunken eyes, one could still see the soaring pride of his youth: “Even the Imperial Tutor position—this old man was worthy of it!”

“Only regret that Emperor Shaojing was raised from childhood at the Empress Dowager’s knee, bedridden with illness and weak in temperament, with not half an ounce of imperial bearing! This old man was unwilling! Later, taking a fancy to your father, I emerged from retirement with him, entrusting half a lifetime’s ambitions to your father—how could I bear… fate’s cruel jests!”

As he spoke, his voice grew sharper. He clutched the gourd dipper in his hand with grief, finally lowering his head again to scoop water from the bucket and pour it over the melon seedlings.

Wen Yu said: “What my father could accomplish, I can also accomplish. Is the Master willing to strategize for me?”