Yu Jiuling crouched in the doorway, his thoughts growing sweeter by the moment.

He was truly, legitimately a general now?

A general?!

He glanced back at Li Chi, who sat inside reading, and couldn’t help asking, “Chief, why does every general’s title have the character for ‘prestige’ in it?”

Li Chi looked up, smiled, and said, “Because it sounds fierce — gives it a hard, powerful feeling.”

Yu Jiuling privately wondered if it wasn’t simply because “soaring” suggested rising upward.

Rising high.

Right, that had to be why.

“Chief, you mentioned earlier that we need to take the troops out for a real engagement — where are we headed?”

“When I’ve worked out the plan.”

Li Chi looked at Yu Jiuling and said, “You’ve been crouching outside my door for a full hour. Are you trying to say something you’d rather I didn’t hear, or are you so bewitched by my good looks that you can’t tear yourself away?”

Yu Jiuling said, “What’s so good-looking about you — you’re just… well, you’re not… actually, never mind. I’m just waiting for you to call me.”

Li Chi: “Little sister.”

Yu Jiuling: “No.”

Li Chi: “Truly Fast?”

Yu Jiuling: “No, no.”

Li Chi: “Little Ripple?”

Yu Jiuling: “…”

Li Chi suddenly caught on, broke into a grin, and called out ceremonially: “Where is Wei Yang General Yu Jiuling? Come forth and receive your orders.”

Yu Jiuling snapped upright at once. “Your subordinate is present! What commands does my Prince wish to issue?”

Li Chi waved a hand. “Get lost.”

Yu Jiuling immediately wheeled around. “Your subordinate obeys — with pleasure!”

And off he skipped, chanting as he went: “Oh yeah, oh yeah, that’s the stuff.”

Only now did Li Chi truly understand — these veteran brothers who had followed him, every one of them had quietly longed for a title like this.

For the vast majority of them, it was honor. It was glory to carry back to the family name.

It was in that moment that something else suddenly struck Li Chi. He sat with it for a moment, then rose from the study and went out.

He crossed the front hall into the rear courtyard, and sure enough, in a corner, he found Yu Jiuling crouching there.

Before Yu Jiuling sat an iron basin, in which he was burning paper offerings.

Yu Jiuling was on his knees, burning the paper sheet by sheet, murmuring to himself as he did.

“Father, your son has made something of himself.”

“Proprietor, Little Nine has made something of himself.”

He exhaled a long, heavy breath, watching the sheets of paper money turn to ash one by one in the basin.

“Father, you were a Senior Fifth Grade border general. You’d already passed on by then, but I wasn’t so young that I don’t remember things.

“I remember you used to hold me on your knee and ask — son, do you want to be a general when you grow up?

“I said I didn’t want to be a general, I wanted to be a cook, because cooks get good food to eat at every meal. And you laughed out loud.

“You said a Fifth Grade general is a real general, a proper rank. I said then I’d definitely become a bigger general than you — you’re Fifth Grade, so I’ll be Sixth Grade. Back then I was convinced that six would always be bigger than five.

“Father, look — I’ve outdone you. I, Yu Jiuling, am Junior Fourth Grade. One grade above you.”

He exhaled heavily again.

“Father, you should be able to hear me, shouldn’t you? I’m truly a general now — Wei Yang General. How does that sound? Impressive, isn’t it?”

When the burning was done, he knelt and kowtowed.

Several deep bows.

“Mother…”

He had said so much to his father, but at that single word “Mother,” he stopped.

After a long, long silence.

Yu Jiuling lifted his hand and rubbed his nose.

“I miss you.”

He fell quiet again, sitting there, making no sound, tears sliding silently down his face.

He was always so cheerful, always making people laugh.

Because he knew how terrible it felt not to be.

“Father, Mother… I’ve told you both this many times now. After you were gone, it was the Proprietor who looked after me. He was good to me — he cursed at me constantly, but I always knew he saw me as his own son.

“You’re all on that side now. If you meet the Proprietor, you treat him well too…”

Yu Jiuling raised his head and looked up at the sky, as if stubbornly trying to will the tears back into his eyes.

“I’ve really made something of myself now… I learned pig farming from Mr. Li — don’t laugh, it’s no easy thing. The Ning Army has tens of thousands of men to feed, and the pork on their table, isn’t that all down to me?

“I’ve also been learning to paint from Miss Xiahou. She says I have no talent for it. But I’m going to learn anyway, I just want to learn…

“You’ve been gone so many years now. I can still picture what you look like. I’m just afraid… afraid that in a few more years, when I think of you, the image will be gone. And if that ever happens, what will I do then?

“So I’m learning. Learning to paint so I can paint your faces and hang them in my room.

“Or if not hang them up — I’ll sleep with the scroll in my arms. I remember back then, I always liked to squeeze between the two of you — Father on one side, Mother on the other…

“Lying on Father’s arm, lying on Mother’s arm. Better than any pillow. I’m grown now… but I, I still miss your arms.”

Yu Jiuling rose to his feet, lifted his hand, and wiped his eyes.

He breathed deeply.

Then forced a smile. “I’m doing well — everything tastes good, I sleep soundly, because my friends are all truly good to me. There’s food and drink to be had. Don’t worry about me.

“But… but if you do find yourselves thinking of me, come visit sometime. Don’t be afraid of startling me… I’m not scared.

“I… I’d really love to see you again.”

He turned to go.

Li Chi slipped to the side of the doorway and quickly moved away.

He hadn’t gone in to disturb him.

After Yu Jiuling had gone, Li Chi found some paper offerings and came back to that spot. He stopped at the same iron basin, lit the paper, stepped back two paces, and knelt.

“Uncle, Auntie — Jiuling is with us, so please rest easy. He truly has made something of himself.

“There’s also something Jiuling forgot to tell you — he found a wife. She’s a princess. How about that?”

After he spoke, Li Chi stood, then bent in a respectful bow.

He was about to leave when he stopped again, looked back toward the basin, and said, “Jiuling will go far beyond being a Junior Fourth Grade general. He still has much greater things ahead of him.”

In the doorway, Yu Jiuling stood watching Li Chi, and the tears came again.

He saw Li Chi start to turn, so he turned as well, and jogged away.

He had genuinely forgotten to tell his mother he had a wife.

So he’d come back — and found the Chief already here.

One hour later. The study.

Li Chi looked at Yu Jiuling, smiling. “Set the fighting talk aside for now. I have something I need you to handle.”

Yu Jiuling nodded immediately. “Just say the word.”

Li Chi said, “Our military uniforms are still the old Dachu standing militia style — they look terrible. I want new ones made. We’re not short on silver these days. Make a trip to Anyang to see Luo Jing, and ask for his help sourcing bolts of cloth there. For what fabric to buy, go ask your Sister-in-law Ning before you leave — it was her idea.”

Yu Jiuling grinned at once. “Leave it to me!”

Li Chi said, “Don’t just buy — pay attention to how the trade works over there. The textile industry in Anyang is substantial. Study it closely. We’ll set up our own.”

Yu Jiuling said, “Don’t worry.”

Li Chi said, “On this trip, you’re the officer in charge. Make all the decisions yourself. I’ll have Chen Dawei and Gang Gang go along as your seconds. The three of you, get this sorted as quickly as you can.”

“Will do!”

Yu Jiuling turned and dashed out, then returned a moment later, stood at attention before Li Chi, and saluted formally.

“Your orders received!”

Li Chi laughed out loud. “None of that — get out of here.”

Yu Jiuling grinned, turned, and ran.

Li Chi slowly exhaled, thinking to himself: he was fine, really — he’d had his master as a child.

He was still turning this over when Tang Pidi came in from outside.

Seeing Li Chi, he gave a deferential bow. “Prince Ning.”

Li Chi sighed. “Save that for when there are other people around.”

Tang Pidi said, “Fair enough.”

He came in, sat down in a chair, and said, “Didn’t you mention before that you wanted to stir things up in Yanzhou?”

Li Chi nodded. “Yes — have you come up with a plan?”

Tang Pidi said, “I’ve thought it through carefully. We can’t send the main army. If we marched into Yanzhou in full force, our fate would probably end up much the same as Luo Jing’s.

“I’ve considered it — I’ll take the Nalan cavalry. Six thousand men only. And we’ll sort out the local administration along the way from here to Yanzhou.”

He looked at Li Chi and said, “Rough estimate: the round trip will take a little over a year. If we leave now, we’ll reach Yanzhou in the spring warmth. You station a force at the border between Jizhou and Yanzhou — they’ll serve as a reserve in case I need extracting, and they’ll also ferry back whatever we bring out of Yanzhou.”

Tang Pidi continued, “I’ll return before next summer. You can’t be idle while I’m gone — expand the troops to at least eighty thousand, and don’t be careless about it. Be selective.”

Li Chi said, “You let things go even faster than I do. You’re the real prince here — Prince Wager.”

Tang Pidi smiled. “There are people in the ranks who might resent that my military grade is higher than yours. I need to go out and earn some merit.”

Li Chi said, “Go then.”

Tang Pidi said, “Anything to brief me on? Like — how to fight?”

Li Chi said, “Just… fight with some restraint.”

Tang Pidi gave a dismissive curl of the lip, rose, and said, “I’ll go get ready. See you next year.”

Li Chi called after him: “Tang Pidi, heartless rogue, gone for a year and a half.”

Tang Pidi’s stride faltered. He turned to glare back at Li Chi. “Act your rank — you’re a prince.”

Li Chi said, “Prince or not, you’re still a heartless rogue.”

Tang Pidi waved a hand. “Enough — I’m leaving.”

After Tang Pidi left, Li Chi sent someone to fetch Zhuang Wudi.

Watching Zhuang Wudi come through the door, Li Chi stood up. “Hey there, handsome with the cold face — any chance you’re free to go fishing in a bit?”

Zhuang Wudi laughed out loud. “My liege—”

Li Chi said, “Close your mouth.”

He poured Zhuang Wudi a cup of tea. “If you genuinely feel you ought to show me a little respect, then let’s work something out.”

He looked at Zhuang Wudi with a roguish grin. “I’ll call you Second Brother. You call me Third Brother.”

Zhuang Wudi lifted a foot and gave Li Chi a light kick on the backside. Li Chi didn’t dodge.

He smiled and asked, “Coming or not? Give me a straight answer. If you won’t fish with me, I’ll just find a few dazzling, tender-hearted beauties to come along instead.”

Zhuang Wudi said, “Don’t bother. I’ll take them.”

Li Chi burst out laughing. “That’s the most words you’ve strung together about anything — and that’s what they’re spent on.”

One hour later. By the river.

Li Chi sat on a folding stool, eyes fixed on the float.

“Second Brother, make a trip to Jicheng for me.”

Zhuang Wudi said, “Jicheng — that’s on the eastern edge of Jizhou.”

“Right. Old Tang is taking six thousand Nalan cavalry into Yanzhou to stir things up. I need you to take a full regiment to Jicheng and hold position there.”

He looked at Zhuang Wudi. “Put out scouts toward Yanzhou while you’re at it.”

Zhuang Wudi said, “Understood.”

Li Chi asked, “You’ll be out there a year and a half — can you manage that?”

Zhuang Wudi said, “You shouldn’t ask.”

Li Chi looked at him. Zhuang Wudi said, “You’re the Prince.”

Li Chi said, “I’m also your Third Brother — say something that means something.”

He caught a flicker at Zhuang Wudi’s float and quickly said, “Fish — you’ve got one.”

Zhuang Wudi lifted the rod. Nothing at the end of it. They were barely past the first month of the year; fish weren’t exactly biting readily.

He set the rod back down and fell silent.

After a long while, he looked at Li Chi. “You’re sending me to Jicheng for more than just backing up Tang Pidi.”

Li Chi looked at him and nodded.

“I know.”

Zhuang Wudi didn’t wait for Li Chi to speak — he answered for him, then looked back at his float.

“Dig out the remnants of the White Mountain Army.”

—