If one were to say that every city has its own character, then the character of Dachu’s Chang’an was one of stern dignity.

In the blink of an eye, Dachu had been founded for fifteen years. In those fifteen years, the Emperor of Dachu had resolved the people’s hardships within and held powerful enemies at bay without, and Dachu had grown stronger with every passing season.

Fifteen years — Dachu had seen tremendous advancement across every sphere. Whether in economics or in military strength, it had reached a height without precedent in history.

In only fifteen years, Dachu had surpassed the peak of Chu’s several centuries of history.

It brought to an end Chu’s centuries of turmoil, restored the glory of the Central Plains, and brought prosperity and strength to its people.

These fifteen years of Dachu were one great stride in the Central Plains empire’s renewal as the mightiest power of the age.

Of Chang’an City’s four seasons, none commanded more awe than winter. Beneath all that frost and ice lay the vigorous heartbeat of an empire.

Li Chi returned from the court audience to the Eastern Warm Hall. The moment he entered, Ding Qing’an — now promoted to the rank of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Study — quickly picked up a feather duster and brushed the snow from His Majesty’s shoulders.

“It is snowing again.”

Li Chi said with a note of feeling, and removed his large cloak to hand to Ding Qing’an.

Ding Qing’an, receiving the cloak, said: “Snow is good — several good snowfalls in winter, and next spring will bring another fine harvest.”

Li Chi smiled and said: “You have a gift for auspicious words.”

Ding Qing’an said: “These days Dachu is a blessed realm — every day is an auspicious day. A blessed realm under heaven, and so whoever speaks, speaks auspiciously.”

Li Chi burst out laughing: “Have you been spending much time lately with Yu Jiuling? Even his flattery can barely keep pace with yours.”

Li Chi sat down, and Ding Qing’an had already instructed a junior eunuch to bring His Majesty a bowl of ginger soup.

“Her Majesty the Empress prepared it specially. She said the weather these past days has been too cold, and that Your Majesty should have a bowl of ginger soup upon returning from court to ward off the cold and warm the body.”

Li Chi took the ginger soup, drank a mouthful, set it down, and asked: “Are there any memorials from the Northwest?”

Ding Qing’an felt a small pang in his heart at this, for this question was His Majesty’s daily refrain.

Yet in fifteen years, Grand General Wang Tang Pidi had rarely submitted memorials. Sometimes an entire year would pass without a single one, and when he did send one, it addressed only official business.

Seeing that Ding Qing’an had not replied, Li Chi knew there was nothing. In truth, he had long grown accustomed to there being nothing — and yet he could not help sighing inwardly.

*That ungrateful wretch. You really think that by going cold and distant like this, We will bend to your will? Keep dreaming.*

“Go tell the Empress that We will eat midday meal with her, and take the opportunity to check on Shi’er’s studies.”

“Yes.”

Ding Qing’an promptly answered, turned and went out, and instructed a junior eunuch standing outside to carry the message to the Empress’s quarters.

The junior eunuch received his orders and hurried off. In his haste, compounded by the snow, he stumbled and fell flat on the ground.

“Look at how clumsy you are.”

Ding Qing’an went over and helped the boy up, then turned back and gave instructions: “Have more people come and sweep the front of the hall properly. If we fall, it is our own concern — but if one of the officials should fall, that would not do.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he saw someone in the distance come running over in urgent haste. The pace was so hurried that they too lost their footing and pitched forward to the ground.

Ding Qing’an recognized the person as Zhang Tang, the Chief Tingwei of the Tingwei office, and was frightened — he quickly ran over to help Zhang Tang up.

But Zhang Tang had already struggled to his feet on his own, not even pausing to brush the snow from his clothes, and came striding even faster toward the Eastern Warm Hall.

A few years prior, Gao Xining had resigned from the post of Chief Tingwei and handed the Tingwei office’s affairs entirely over to Zhang Tang.

Master Ye had been appointed by Gao Xining to serve as a senior fellow of the Tingwei office’s inner court, with responsibility for training new personnel.

The office’s affairs were for the most part handled by these two in consultation.

Now, seeing Zhang Tang running with such urgency, Ding Qing’an knew that something serious must have happened.

“Has His Majesty returned?”

“He’s back, he’s back. Zhang Daren, please slow down…”

Zhang Tang had no time to exchange more than a few words with Ding Qing’an, and in one breath ran to the outside of the Eastern Warm Hall.

“Come in.”

Before Zhang Tang could say a word, Li Chi had already spoken first.

Zhang Tang entered, breathing hard: “Your Majesty, word has just arrived from the Northwest — there is… there is a grave matter.”

Li Chi frowned slightly: “However grave the matter, you should not be this flustered.”

Zhang Tang quickly said: “Your Majesty… the matter concerns… concerns the Grand General Wang.”

“What?!”

Li Chi shot to his feet, eyes wide open in an instant: “What has happened to Old Tang?”

Zhang Tang bowed: “The Grand General Wang… he, he personally cut off the head of General Tang Anchen’s only son, Tang Xu.”

Li Chi’s expression froze completely.

“Several months ago, Tang Anchen’s only son Tang Xu committed a grave crime in Yunzhou City. On the open street, he laid eyes on a young woman and forcibly… forcibly violated her.”

“After this happened, the girl’s family went to the Yunzhou Prefectural Government office to lodge a complaint. The prefect, Xiao Sheng, did not dare handle it and went to consult Tang Anchen.”

“Tang Anchen, fearing the matter would blow up too large, suppressed it without filing a report. He personally went to the family’s door to apologize and paid out a sum of silver.”

“Tang Anchen confined Tang Xu and beat him. But Tang Xu felt that he had been beaten entirely because the girl’s family did not know what was good for them.”

“So that night he slipped away and ran to the girl’s home to confront them. An argument broke out, and in a fit of fury Tang Xu killed every member of the girl’s family.”

At this, a murderous intent had already begun to seep from Li Chi’s eyes.

Zhang Tang continued: “With this capital crime on his hands, Yunzhou Prefect Xiao Sheng did not dare conceal it further, yet he also dared not offend Tang Anchen — so he could only secretly dispatch someone to inform the Tingwei branch office in the circuit capital.”

“But Tang Anchen had already arranged for someone to take the blame in Tang Xu’s place. By the time the Tingwei office’s people went to investigate, the entire family had been destroyed with no traces remaining.”

“The Grand General Wang learned of this. He brought three thousand border troops from the Northwest Camp directly to Yunzhou City.”

Saying this, Zhang Tang glanced at His Majesty’s expression.

“The Grand General Wang paid no heed to Tang Anchen’s kowtowing pleas for mercy, and personally severed Tang Xu’s head right outside the door of that girl’s family home.”

“After that, the Grand General Wang stripped Tang Anchen of his military post, arrested every member of Tang Anchen’s staff who had knowledge of the affair, and without petitioning Your Majesty, had all of them executed in Yunzhou City for public display.”

When Li Chi had heard it all, his face had gone very pale.

“Oh, Old Tang… Old Tang…”

Li Chi closed his eyes.

After a long while, Li Chi waved his hand: “Compile a detailed account of this matter and write it up as a memorial for Us. You may withdraw.”

Zhang Tang immediately bowed: “As commanded.”

As he stepped out the door, Zhang Tang’s heart had still not settled. He knew this had wounded His Majesty deeply.

But what had wounded His Majesty was not Tang Anchen, nor that arrogant and domineering Tang Xu — it was the Grand General Wang’s righteousness in condemning his own flesh and blood.

What the Grand General Wang had done was not, in truth, so very wrong. The matter had occurred in Yunzhou on the Inner Grasslands, and it had been dealt with in Yunzhou immediately.

He had let every commoner see it: the law of Dachu was inviolable. Even the son of a great general, if he committed a crime, would be beheaded.

The Grand General Wang remained as swift and resolute as ever — yet in doing so, he had also overstepped the law.

If it was a family matter, he had no right to put him to death.

If it was a matter of state, the Grand General Wang had exceeded his authority in handling it, and he equally had no right.

Before long, Gao Xining and Xiahou Yili came hurrying over together. The moment they entered the Eastern Warm Hall, they found Li Chi sitting in a daze.

“Your Majesty…”

Gao Xining called softly.

Li Chi turned to look at her with a somewhat vacant expression, then habitually stretched his lips into a smile — but the smile looked so stiff.

Gao Xining’s heart ached badly. She quickly stepped forward. Li Chi let out a slow breath and said: “We are fine… how could anything be wrong with Us.”

“Send someone… send someone to the Northwest.”

Before Li Chi could finish the words, someone came running over from outside — it was Ye Xiaoquian, the commander of the imperial guards.

“Your Majesty, the messenger sent by the Grand General Wang from the Northwest has arrived at the palace gate. He rode day and night to get here, and the man looks to be in no condition at all.”

Li Chi gave the order: “Carry him inside.”

Shortly afterward, Tang Pidi’s personal letter arrived in Li Chi’s hands.

“Fifteen years…”

Li Chi looked at the letter in his hands and murmured to himself: “We waited fifteen years. But We did not expect that when the time came, it would be this kind of letter.”

Li Chi did not read the letter. He set it aside, closed his eyes, and said: “Ding Qing’an, summon Minister of Justice Gui Yuanshu to the palace.”

“Yes!”

Ding Qing’an answered and dared not delay for even a breath, immediately dispatching men to summon Gui Yuanshu.

One hour later, Gui Yuanshu came hurrying out of the Weiyang Palace. He had gone in and spoken with His Majesty for a time, then departed to prepare to go to the Northwest to investigate the case.

This case touched upon the Grand General Wang — Gui Yuanshu was also deeply anxious. He returned, packed a few garments, brought several tens of attendants, and before nightfall had already ridden out through the gates of Chang’an.

At this very moment, Tang Pidi was already on the road.

He too had not imagined that his reunion with His Majesty after fifteen years would come about because he had personally cut off the head of his own nephew.

All through those fifteen years, not a moment had passed when he did not think of His Majesty — yet he had simply refused to return to Chang’an.

Even though he was the one person in all of Dachu who needed no imperial permission, who could return to the capital at any time.

He had killed Tang Xu, stripped Tang Anchen of his rank, and had himself removed the robes of the Grand General Wang, donning instead a plain cloth garment.

With three hundred personal troops, he escorted Tang Anchen and his household toward Chang’an — among them also the Yunzhou Prefect Xiao Sheng and the others.

Tang Anchen rode in a prison cart. He appeared to have aged by several decades in an instant, his hair gone completely white.

Tang Pidi rode alongside on horseback. He looked over at his younger brother, and after a long moment asked: “If you think me cold-hearted, you are free to hate me or blame me — but this came about entirely because of your own doing.”

Tang Anchen slumped inside the prison cart, and let out a bitter laugh: “Yes, it is my responsibility. But he was my child…”

Tang Pidi said: “About Xu’er — every year I wrote to you, telling you to discipline him more strictly. But you never listened.”

Tang Anchen was silent.

Tang Pidi said nothing more either. They rode on in silence.

After a long, long while, Tang Pidi said: “When we reach Chang’an, His Majesty will likely not impose the death penalty on you. You rendered meritorious service to Dachu, you risked your life for His Majesty, and the crimes you have committed do not warrant death… But I will beseech His Majesty to strip you of all your noble titles and dismiss you from all your posts.”

“Furthermore — you will no longer bear the family name Tang.”

Tang Anchen’s head snapped up the instant he heard these words, and his eyes were instantly filled with veins of blood.

Tang Anchen’s voice trembled as he said: “I fought and bled for all those years, for all those battles, for nothing other than to be worthy of bearing Father’s family name — and you… how can you take this name from me!”

Tang Pidi glanced at him, and spoke with level calm: “One day you will die. I too will die.”

“When you and I have both died and gone to the other side to see Father — he would likely do the same.”

“The name Tang has never been a noble name. But it has always been a clean one.”

Tang Pidi glanced at Tang Anchen once more: “As you are now — you are not worthy of the name Tang. Nor are you worthy of the name Anchen.”

When he finished speaking, Tang Pidi urged his horse forward and did not say another word to Tang Anchen.

Tang Anchen cried out after Tang Pidi’s retreating figure: “As if only you are worthy of it?!”

Tang Pidi still did not respond — he merely raised the riding crop in his hand.

In the wind and snow, the procession bound for Chang’an continued onward. Every person in it seemed to be the same color as the wind and snow.

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