Palace Ceremonial Office.

After Eunuch Li claimed illness at the Mid-Autumn palace banquet and the Prince of Chen had that incident, when Grand Empress Dowager Jiang subsequently dealt with the palace attendants around the Prince of Chen, naturally she didn’t spare the eunuchs either.

His position holding the seal was now being handled by a secretary eunuch below him. Grand Empress Dowager Jiang said she was allowing him to rest idle and recover from illness, but anyone with eyes could see that Eunuch Li had offended the Grand Empress Dowager and the Jiang family. From now on he would also have to sit on the cold bench.

The palace was habitually a place that fawned on those above while trampling those below. When he first lost power, those below still feared his former prestige and didn’t dare be presumptuous. But as time went on, people’s hearts gradually revealed themselves.

Those little eunuchs who previously flattered him like honey on their mouths calling him “godfather” and “grandpa” had without exception swiftly found other backing. Those supervising eunuchs who formerly kowtowed low and depended on his favor now one by one wanted to ride on his head to shit and piss and show off.

Only one foolish little eunuch who had been squeezed out and bullied from before remained in the courtyard, still serving him devotedly as before.

Occasionally when bullied and humiliated by other little eunuchs, that little eunuch didn’t know how to get angry, only bowing his head to continue doing his own work.

This day when the little eunuch carried a wooden basin to the well to draw water and wash clothes, Eunuch Li sat lazily under the eaves basking in the sun, not showing half a trace of anxious disappointment from losing power.

He glanced at the several footprints on the little eunuch’s back, knowing he must have been bullied again, and spoke: “Little Shunzi, everyone in this courtyard has sought other paths. Why do you still remain here?”

That little eunuch called Little Shunzi buried his head scrubbing the clothes vigorously, replying straightforwardly: “If everyone leaves, there’ll be no one to serve Old Ancestor.”

Eunuch Li was made to laugh by these words. As if finding this answer quite novel, he asked: “You remain just to serve me?”

Little Shunzi nodded.

Eunuch Li sneered: “An old ancestor without power and influence is no longer an old ancestor. Only you are foolish—following me, what prospects are there?”

Little Shunzi evidently couldn’t think through all the twists and turns, only stubbornly holding to principle: “Old Ancestor is Old Ancestor.”

Eunuch Li was once again made to laugh by his words, yet his gaze became somewhat kinder. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Bronze Sparrow stride into the courtyard: “Eunuch Li has such refined leisure.”

Last time Eunuch Li concealed his abilities and played the fool, running into a rebuff with Bronze Sparrow. Seeing her again now, he acted as if nothing had happened, rising with a beaming smile to welcome her: “What a rare visitor—Miss Bronze Sparrow actually condescends to come to this shabby courtyard.”

Then he ordered that little eunuch: “Little Shunzi, serve tea.”

Bronze Sparrow had already been advised by Wen Yu before coming and naturally didn’t dare underestimate Eunuch Li again, saying: “No need for tea. I came here today wanting to pass a message to you on behalf of my Princess.”

Eunuch Li smiled as he lowered his posture somewhat: “This slave listens with all ears.”

Passing Wen Yu’s words, he referred to himself as a slave—this was already an unostentatious show of goodwill.

Bronze Sparrow said, “Eunuch Li is an old hand of this palace. You should understand what it means to follow the prevailing force and act according to the times. This palace is no longer the palace it once was. Wouldn’t you agree, Eunuch?”

Eunuch Li still smiled warmly, amiable as a ball of dough: “This old slave understands your noble master’s meaning and thanks your noble master here.”

After Bronze Sparrow left, Eunuch Li slowly paced back with hands behind his back to the wicker chair under the eaves. Little Shunzi suddenly said: “Is Old Ancestor going out to serve on duty again?”

Eunuch Li glanced at Little Shunzi’s honest and wooden face, smiling inscrutably: “You foolish boy are sometimes quite clever too.”

That the Grand Empress Dowager dealt with him after the Mid-Autumn banquet was clearly because she knew he was aware the Prince of Chen had other plans but didn’t truthfully inform her, which caused the Grand Empress Dowager’s scheme at the Mid-Autumn banquet to fail.

On the surface, this matter was that he served before the Prince of Chen and was caught between Grand Empress Dowager Jiang and the Prince of Chen—he didn’t dare offend either master, so he made this desperate move.

But examining it deeply, whether the Grand Empress Dowager or the Prince of Chen, the one that scheme truly aimed to deal with was Wen Yu.

That he didn’t participate in the plotting on the night of the Mid-Autumn palace banquet was actually leaving himself an escape route with Wen Yu.

Now though he had lost power with both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Prince of Chen, compared to the outcome of the Feathered Forest Guard Vice Commander who helped the Prince of Chen meddle that night having his entire household confiscated, his temporary cold treatment truly was neither painful nor itchy.

Soon Grand Empress Dowager Jiang would also understand that after he had operated for so many years in the outer court and inner palace to finally sit firmly in the seal-holding position, naturally there was reason for it. Those things below who vainly hoped to replace him and reach the sky in one step would sooner or later cause trouble.

He sat back in the wicker chair, leisurely rocking, speaking as if teaching: “In this palace, if you want to live long, you must keep your eyes sharp. Those people you cannot offend—even if you have to skin yourself, you must not offend them. Otherwise… no matter how many heads you have, it still won’t be enough to chop off.”

—

When news of Southern Chen conferring upon Wen Yu the title of Regent Princess Imperial was transmitted back to Liang territory, autumn atmosphere in Pingzhou was already thick.

Fan Yuan was still recovering from his injuries. Xin and Yi prefectures had been besieged by Pei forces for a long time. At the critical moment Chen Wei personally went to the battlefield and finally managed to temporarily stabilize the situation.

When Li Xun led the strategists to spread the news that Southern Chen honored Wen Yu and the Prince of Chen lowered himself to be Great Liang’s Prince Consort, the previously unsettled hearts within the Liang camp immediately stabilized. The cursing voices toward the Liang camp among the people also weakened considerably. The Liang army’s morale greatly revived from top to bottom. Finally everything had a turning point.

Several days later, Wen Yu arrived at Bairen Pass with the twenty thousand new troops allocated by Southern Chen. Li Xun led people to the city gate to welcome her.

Autumn wind rolled up yellow sand, stinging the eyes. He saw Wen Yu from afar being helped out of the carriage. His eyes already couldn’t help swelling with sourness. Fearing he would weep openly on the spot, he hurriedly bowed with cupped hands: “Marshal Fan’s injuries have not healed and he cannot endure the labor of carriage and horse. Lord Chen has also gone to Xinzhou to supervise the battle. This humble official Li Xun welcomes the Princess back to Liang here!”

Behind him, the ministers and generals of Pingzhou also bowed with cupped hands: “Welcome the Princess back to Liang!”

Wen Yu stepped down from the carriage and personally came forward to help Li Xun up. Seeing him unable to restrain his reddened eyes, tears streaming, and the ministers behind him also full of sorrow, thinking of her mentor’s death and Liang territory’s many changes in just over a month, her heart inevitably also felt great grief. Her eyes similarly reddened as she said hoarsely: “I hear you’ve already reclaimed Teacher’s and General Yuchi’s remains from Pei Song’s hands?”

The withered brown birch leaves outside Bairen Pass’s city tower were rolled up by the wind, falling to the ground to become funeral paper on Pingzhou’s Hall of Loyal Martyrs’ blue bricks.

Li Yao’s and Yuchi Ba’s coffins were placed side by side in the center of the memorial hall, the black lacquered coffin wood all wrapped with white silk funeral flowers.

Li Xun led Wen Yu into the memorial hall, sorrowfully saying: “After Duke Ling and Old General Yuchi… died in battle at Wayao Fort, Pei Song was furious that his forces had lost nearly ten thousand men. To revive morale and also to intimidate our Liang army that fled back to Mount Tai’e… he hung Duke Ling’s and Old General Yuchi’s remains on Wayao Fort’s city tower to expose the corpses and vent anger for several days. Later when Pei forces continued south, they again used the remains as bait to lure us to send troops. General Tan Yi was provoked and led people to pursue, encountered an ambush and only fortunately recovered his life. When Xinzhou became critical and Lord Chen personally went, it was also after bitter fighting, and then Young Master Zhou mobilized White Deer Hollow Academy students to write articles denouncing Pei Song, that we were finally able to reclaim Duke Ling’s and the old general’s remains…”

Speaking to the end, he had choked up several times raising his sleeve to wipe tears.

Wen Yu gazed at the huge character for “memorial” on the coffin head. Her heart felt as if it was being continuously poured with lead water, sinking heavily until her entire chest cavity ached.

Her eye sockets were dry and stinging, the entire eye area red as if about to bleed, yet her eyes were so painfully dry she couldn’t shed a single tear.

Except for that day when she first heard the tragic news, when in great grief her tears rolled like pearls, afterward her eyes painfully dried to near blindness, yet couldn’t flow a single tear.

Only that pain like a dull knife cutting flesh, accompanying memories inch by inch scraping that mass of bloody pulp at her heart, made her go from initially wishing for death to later approaching numbness.

Or rather, in Southern Chen she was always too busy—busy battling with the Grand Empress Dowager and Jiang family, busy dividing power in court, busy gathering strength again to attack back to Liang territory to seek revenge from Pei Song. She simply didn’t have enough time to grieve hysterically.

So at this moment standing in this memorial hall hung full of white banners, that mass of flesh and blood contracted into a ball at her heart, the nerves it pulled, made every inch of her bones and blood shrilly cry out that this body could no longer bear the pain.

Scenes of that old man formerly teaching her national policy and political theory also became clear before her eyes in this tremendous suffering—sometimes speaking earnestly in long talks, sometimes each holding their own views in debate…

The two of them, teacher and student, were equally stubborn and equally unyielding.

The day she left the pass to travel far to Southern Chen, when her carriage traveled past the great bend on the official road outside the city gate, she lifted the carriage curtain and saw that aged figure leaning on a cane atop the city tower.

So when Tan Yi returned from escorting her for the marriage alliance, she had also wanted to entrust him with words for that old man, yet ultimately couldn’t speak clearly.

Who could have predicted that day’s hurried glance at the hometown city tower from the passing carriage would be their final meeting in this life?

The sharp pain shrieking in her chest cavity had clearly already reached its limit, yet still continued to pile up, as if something wanted to tear open that mass of flesh and blood to struggle and break out from within.

Perhaps it was hatred, or perhaps regret, at this moment bitter to the throat.

An attendant took three incense sticks and handed them to Wen Yu. Wen Yu didn’t accept them. She said hoarsely: “My teacher and the old general should receive my bow.”

A ruler does not bow to ministers, but she was bowing to her own teacher, to the mountain and bone of loyalty who used his own life to forcibly give Great Liang another breath of air.

The wind didn’t cease, blowing the iron chimes under the eaves to ring constantly, also blowing the courtyard full of funeral paper flying like snow.

Wen Yu knelt on the prayer cushion before the memorial, not rising for a long time.

Later Li Xun led the ministers and servants all to withdraw. She still only knelt, unable to cry, unable to make any vows of revenge.

Until the sun sank in the western mountains and her knees were numb with stabbing pain, she only softly said: “Teacher, the ‘Essentials of Righteous Governance’ you taught Yu—Yu still has many parts she doesn’t understand.”

Autumn wind passed through the courtyard. Beyond the rustling sound of trees and woods outside the courtyard, heaven and earth had no other response.

Wen Yu remained silent, finally lowering her head as an extremely pained and extremely hoarse choking sound emerged from her throat.

—

When Li Xun saw Wen Yu again, it was already evening.

She still wore the plain-colored gauze clothing from when she arrived in Pingzhou during the day. Weariness showed in her expression, yet she herself was completely unaware—or rather, had long grown accustomed to it.

This reception of Pingzhou’s ministers was mainly to understand the current situation and various government affairs in more detail.

Learning that Northern Wei was trapped in bitter fighting and had given no response to the apology document they sent, after some consideration Wen Yu said: “To attack the Pei bandit, the southern and northern borders still need to be twisted into one rope. The alliance between Chen and Wei was something I personally facilitated. Wei Qishan’s twenty thousand great army in the southern border was stabbed in the back and massacred by that bandit Dou. This enmity for his Wei clan certainly cannot be easily passed over. I’ll personally go to the northern border to apologize to his Wei clan and renegotiate the great plan of alliance.”