Yu Jiuling leaned in close to Dantai Yajing and lowered his voice. “Did you see how that young lady was giving you those soft, affectionate looks? I’d say she’s taken a shine to you.”

Dantai Yajing said: “Please add back the word you’ve dropped. She’s taken a shine to my horse. Besides, where exactly were these soft, affectionate looks? All I saw from her was something like the look of a millstone — the kind that spins and could knock you flat.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Only a blockhead like you would believe that girl’s nonsense. If she really only had eyes for your horse, then why, when you offered it to her, did she suddenly not want it anymore?”

Dantai Yajing said: “Naturally, because the young lady is a sensible and understanding person — easygoing and broad-minded.”

Yu Jiuling sighed. “You really are a blockhead.”

Dantai Yajing said: “You must stop talking such nonsense and ruining a young lady’s reputation. If it got around, the young lady would…”

Yu Jiuling said: “The young lady would probably be thrilled.”

Dantai Yajing said gravely: “You cannot repeat any of this to anyone else. Tell me, and I won’t let it spread further, so the young lady won’t come after you. But if you go around telling others, just see whether she beats you senseless or not.”

“Beats me?”

Yu Jiuling let out a contemptuous sniff. “Just you watch — if she tries to beat me, I’ll walk on my hands from this day forward and make it back to Jizhou headfirst.”

He turned and walked away.

Dantai Yajing called out after him: “Where are you going to cause trouble now?”

Yu Jiuling called back as he walked: “I’m going to verify your theory. If I’m right, when we get back to Jizhou you’ll owe me a favor. If I’m wrong, I’ll really walk back to Jizhou on my face.”

Dantai Yajing said: “You are really hopeless. Our chief is at least passable at this sort of thing.”

Yu Jiuling gave a dismissive sniff. “Just wait.”

In the army camp, Nie Xiaodi was packing up his things in preparation for departure. He looked toward his father and asked: “Dad, what does ‘land of fish and rice’ mean?”

Nie Hongfu raised his hand and rapped his son on the head. “I’ve always told you to learn more and listen more, but you never listen. Even without schooling — how do you not know what the ‘land of fish and rice’ means?”

Nie Xiaodi rubbed his head. “So what does it mean?”

Nie Hongfu explained with great seriousness: “It means a land of corn — obviously it’s a place covered in big ears of corn everywhere you look, with corn porridge to drink whenever you want, and corn buns to eat however you like.”

“Oh, so that’s what it means…”

Nie Xiaodi said: “Then Dad, doesn’t that mean the ‘land of fish and rice’ they mentioned is basically our village?”

Nie Hongfu said: “What do you know. Our village used to grow soybeans, peanuts, sweet potatoes too — when did we ever grow nothing but corn? A land of corn means a place that doesn’t grow any other grain, only corn.”

Nie Xiaodi nodded along. “Well, if you put it that way, Dad, I suppose ours doesn’t really count.”

Just then Yu Jiuling came strolling over. He walked up to Nie Xiaodi’s side and bumped him on the shoulder. “Got a question for you.”

Nie Xiaodi said: “Brother, just say it directly. We’re brothers now — why are you still being so formal with me?”

He suddenly caught himself, grabbed his father’s arm, and said: “Dad, I need to tell you something. I took on a son for you without asking.”

Nie Hongfu: “?????”

Yu Jiuling: “……”

Nie Xiaodi said earnestly: “From now on in our family — Brother Yu is the eldest, I’m second, and my sister is third.”

Nie Hongfu: “And where does that leave me?”

Nie Xiaodi looked genuinely puzzled. “Why, are you really going to compete for rankings with your own son and daughter?”

Nie Hongfu thought about it. “Fair enough… it’s a good thing your sister isn’t here, because I might not even beat her.”

Yu Jiuling: “……”

Nie Xiaodi: “Right, Brother — what was it you wanted to ask me?”

Yu Jiuling coughed a couple of times and asked: “Have any of you — noticed anything off about Miss Nie?”

Nie Xiaodi’s expression shifted. “Oh no. Dad — my brother’s figured it out.”

Nie Hongfu said: “Figured what out?”

Nie Xiaodi said: “That my sister wants to steal General Dantai’s staff spirit thing — what else could it be?”

He turned to Yu Jiuling and said: “Brother, I can go talk to her about this. I’ll tell her to give up that idea — after all, that staff spirit belongs to General Dantai. Even my sister can’t go around taking other people’s things.”

Nie Hongfu said: “My son is right on this one. We need to be clear: when it comes to stealing the staff spirit, we are not on Datian’s side.”

Yu Jiuling raised both hands and rubbed his face, feeling distinctly that he had been insulted.

He let out a sigh, and decided to be more direct.

“What I mean is — has Miss Nie taken a liking to our General Dantai?”

Nie Xiaodi stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head firmly. “That can’t be right. What my sister likes is that staff of his. There’s no way she’d go for a guy like that — my sister said General Dantai’s the type who’s just a pretty face, mealy-mouthed and soft…”

Nie Hongfu immediately clamped a hand over Nie Xiaodi’s mouth. He laughed sheepishly. “He’s just talking nonsense. Datian would never be so impolite.”

Just then, Nie Datian came swinging her arms as she walked over, saying as she approached: “Dad, I want to discuss something — I want to follow the pretty-boy to Jizhou instead of going to Anyang City with you all.”

Nie Hongfu glanced awkwardly at Yu Jiuling. But Yu Jiuling laughed, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. “Well, that settles it. Miss, you absolutely should follow the pretty-boy to Jizhou.”

Nie Datian hadn’t noticed Yu Jiuling earlier — he’d been standing behind a horse and wasn’t visible from her angle as she approached.

Now, seeing that Yu Jiuling was actually here, her face immediately turned red. “I… act like you didn’t hear that.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Since Miss Nie is here too, let me just come right out and ask — have you taken a liking to General Dantai?”

At this, Nie Datian’s face grew even redder. She turned her head away and couldn’t find a single word to say.

Nie Hongfu said: “Impossible!”

Nie Xiaodi finally caught up, and asked Yu Jiuling: “Brother, do you mean my sister has learned to fancy a man?”

Yu Jiuling smiled, and with Nie Datian standing right there, didn’t quite dare to nod outright.

Nie Xiaodi waved a dismissive hand. “That can’t be it! My sister’s such a rough-and-tumble type — there’s no way she’s learned to fancy men. She basically is a man.”

Nie Datian drove a kick squarely into Nie Xiaodi’s backside, sending him stumbling headfirst to the ground.

Nie Xiaodi turned and looked at his sister. “I was defending you — why’d you hit me?”

Nie Datian: “Thank your father for that!”

Nie Hongfu: “Mind your manners!”

Nie Datian jolted, then said to her father with embarrassment: “Right, right, I forgot…”

She then turned to Yu Jiuling and said: “Brother Yu, even you can see it — my brother is a little dim.”

Yu Jiuling instinctively nodded.

Nie Datian continued: “And even you can see — I’m nothing like him. The two of us look like we couldn’t possibly have the same father. You’d agree with that, right?”

Yu Jiuling laughed awkwardly, thinking to himself: do you three really need to do all this?

He found it rather difficult to answer, and after a pause said: “Miss is certainly far more capable than Nie Xiaodi.”

Nie Datian patted herself on the chest. “Does that even need saying?”

Yu Jiuling thought to himself: Miss, you’re a young lady alright… barely.

Dantai Yajing that fool calls you broad-minded — and looking at you now, that broad-mindedness is entirely self-patted.

Nie Datian suddenly remembered Yu Jiuling’s question, and her face flushed crimson again all at once. She turned away from him and said in a very small voice: “I just… want to follow General Dantai and learn from him.”

Yu Jiuling nodded immediately. “Understood, understood.”

He nudged her gently: “So to put it another way — Miss doesn’t dislike General Dantai.”

Nie Datian said quickly: “Of course not — why would I dislike General Dantai?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Then that’s all I need. You all following along with General Dantai — leave that to me.”

Nie Datian spun around and clapped a hand on Yu Jiuling’s shoulder. “Really? Thank you so much, Brother Yu!”

That single clap landed like a sledgehammer. A force passed through the shoulder, down through the torso, and all the way to his legs — Yu Jiuling felt like even his knees had received more gratitude than they were designed to bear.

Not long after, Yu Jiuling returned and found Dantai Yajing. He smiled and said: “I’ve confirmed it — that young lady really has taken a liking to you.”

Dantai Yajing sighed. “Have you forgotten the fond old days when everyone was trying to get rid of you?”

Yu Jiuling said: “On this particular matter, everyone will definitely take my side — at the very least, my big brother and our chief will.”

Dantai Yajing asked: “Why are you so certain?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Don’t you know what my big sister’s main calling is?”

Dantai Yajing thought about it, and suddenly understood — and could not help but sigh again. “Your big sister decided to play matchmaker and got herself entangled in it. And now here you are imitating her, and I imagine you’re about to get tangled up in something too.”

Yu Jiuling said: “What could I possibly get tangled up in? I…”

Then he suddenly remembered — it seemed Nie Xiaodi had just adopted him as his father’s son.

Did that count as getting tangled up in something? Or had he just gained a father?

He looked at Dantai Yajing again, and thought to himself — does that mean he’s also gained a brother-in-law?

Meanwhile, in Jizhou.

Li Chi was in the middle of a discussion with Master Yan. Over the past two years, Jizhou had seen good harvests and favorable weather, and the people were living in relative peace and contentment.

Master Yan was accordingly planning to designate more land for military farming settlements — since Jizhou’s troop strength was insufficient, a system where military farmers cultivated land while also training would at least produce a larger pool of reserve forces.

The men would farm during the busy season and drill during the off-season. Such a force wouldn’t necessarily be capable of sieging cities and winning conquests outright, but for the defense of Jizhou it should suffice.

He was discussing with Li Chi what kind of reward system to put in place for those willing to relocate to the farming settlement regions.

“Let’s start with the military household standards set by the old Dachu court.”

Li Chi said: “Each household receives a fixed allotment of farmland, exempt from taxation and grain levies.”

Master Yan nodded. “Very good. The settlement fields and private fields are kept separate. Start by allocating one mu per person — begin conservatively, so there’s room for future awards.”

Li Chi said: “As always, Master’s thinking is best.”

Just as they were talking, someone came quickly into the room and bowed. “My Lord, the Youzhou intelligence network has picked up information.”

The aide presented the letter. Li Chi opened it and read, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

“I specifically ordered a thorough search throughout Jizhou for any trace of Cao Lie and his associates. There’s been no news for so long — it turns out he may have gone to Yanzhou.”

Li Chi passed the intelligence report to Yan Qingzhi. The master took it and read it, frowning as well. “We can now say with some confidence that the so-called Mountain-Roar King is Lu Wuman, and the Sea-Surge King is Mei Wujiu. Cao Lie having gone to Yanzhou…”

He looked at Li Chi: “Is he trying to seize Yanzhou?”

Li Chi gave a sound of assent. “He probably figures that if he holds Yanzhou, it’s like someone pressing a blade against the small of my back.”

Master Yan said: “Shall we send people to Yanzhou to investigate?”

Li Chi rose and began pacing back and forth around the room.

After a moment, Li Chi looked at Master Yan and said: “If there’s still time, let’s try playing a game with him — and see who plays it better.”

Master Yan asked: “What game?”

Li Chi smiled and answered: “A guessing game — to find out who’s actually running the table.”

—