Events proved that given both the opportunity and the means, Fuchun was indeed someone who knew how to get things done.

The very next afternoon he came again to Zhaoxia Palace. The palace attendants had already received Lin Fei’s instructions, and the moment he arrived he was led directly before Xie Yuzhang.

Fuchun first kowtowed to Xie Yuzhang. “Today Hanliang Hall is very busy. This servant only has a little time and has seized a gap to come report to Your Highness.”

“First, the Mobei Khanate’s delegation entered the city yesterday evening. The Emperor received them this morning and held a small banquet at noon; there will be a formal banquet this evening.”

“Second, Your Highness’s inquiry — this servant has already found out. The Military Governor of Hexi, Li Ming, has a residence on the south side of Vermilion Bird Square’s main street, where they stay whenever they come to the capital. From the time the two young General Li’s arrived in Yunjing, they have frequently attended banquets and socialized with the sons of the hereditary noble families. However, the two of them are unfamiliar with the customs of our Yunjing. The sons of the noble families look down on them somewhat.”

“Third, yesterday when the delegation entered the city, the two young General Li’s had a conflict with the adopted son of the Military Governor of Shuofang who had accompanied the delegation into the capital. If the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince had not intervened, both sides would have come to blows. Oh my — these frontier generals all seem to have been born with explosive tempers.”

Truly, Fuchun’s tongue was as quick and fluent as could be.

Had Xie Yuzhang not foreseen what was to come, she would have been tempted to have him transferred to Zhaoxia Palace right then.

“You are this sharp and capable. Why have you never gotten ahead over at the Zichen Hall?” she could not help but ask.

Fuchun said repeatedly that he “dared not accept such a remark,” and said, “The senior eunuchs over at Zichen Hall are each and every one of them brilliantly clever. There is no way this servant could possibly get ahead there.”

After being modest, he was afraid Xie Yuzhang might take him at his word, so he explained: “This servant originally had a godfather in service, but the year before last, during the cold epidemic, he passed away along with the late Crown Prince.”

Finding a godfather was not so simple a thing, and Fuchun was now getting on in age. Senior eunuchs with standing felt that someone this old would be too difficult to shape into the right habits, and were unwilling to take him on. He had become like a small cabbage patch weed — even the work he had done before had been taken away by others. He was actually doing worse now than when he was young.

Xie Yuzhang suddenly understood.

“Very well, I know now. From now on, if there are any interesting happenings, don’t forget to come and tell me about them.” She said. “Hanliang Hall is busy today. You may go.”

In summer the heat was intense. In years past the Emperor always went to the detached palace to escape the heat, but this year he had kept putting it off, and had simply moved to Hanliang Hall by the water.

Fuchun reached into his bosom and pulled out the little box. “This…”

Xie Yuzhang gave a slight smile. “It was given to you as a reward. Why have you brought it back?”

The information Fuchun had gathered about the outside world had cost only half a silver ingot. All the rest was his to keep.

Since his godfather had been gone, when had Fuchun ever had a chance like this — to appear before a person of rank, to be seen and rewarded? Pressing down the excitement in his heart, he kowtowed to give thanks.

Before he left, Xie Yuzhang called him back once more.

“I have noticed you are quick-witted and pleasing — you brighten the mood of those around you,” she said. “If in the future you find yourself in a difficult situation, you may come to Zhaoxia Palace and say a word.”

When Fuchun left, he was practically floating.

After he had gone, Lin Fei said, puzzled, “If you find him agreeable, you could simply request him transferred here through the Bureau of Internal Affairs.”

Xie Yuzhang deflected: “He is a man of Zichen Hall. How could I just take him away so easily? If everyone did that, Father Emperor would have no one left to order about.”

“A’Fei, open the storeroom,” she changed the subject. “I am looking for something.”

Xie Yuzhang’s possessions were truly numerous, each item a treasure. But most of the jewelry and ornaments were things for women to wear. She rummaged through the storeroom for a while and found a pair of jade plaques.

“When did this come into my possession?” She had so many things she could not even remember.

But Lin Fei could recall. She said, “That year you saw it at the Emperor’s quarters, said you liked it, and had the Emperor give it to you. This is the workmanship of Master Lu of the former dynasty.”

Master Lu was a renowned jade craftsman of the former dynasty. The works he left behind in the world were all priceless treasures.

Yet in Princess Baohua Xie Yuzhang’s keeping, they were no more than a forgotten piece in her collection.

“Oh.” Xie Yuzhang said. “These are beautiful. Fitting for a man.”

The pair of mutton-fat jade plaques were flawless throughout, cut from a single piece of jade. The two plaques were symmetrical, each carved with a fierce tiger. The lines were clean and plain, yet from them a fierce and powerful spirit seemed to leap forth — truly a treasure.

Lin Fei guessed: “These are to be given to…”

Xie Yuzhang did not conceal it. Among those around her, what could she hide from anyone if not from Lin Fei — unless she distanced herself from Lin Fei and refused to let her come close.

That would inevitably make Lin Fei unhappy, and how could she ever bring herself to do that.

“I would like to give them to the two young General Li’s. What do you think?” she asked.

Lin Fei actually suspected her true intention was to give the jade plaque to the “handsome” Li Gu, and that sending both together was just to provide some cover. It seemed Xie Yuzhang truly had quite a liking for this Li Gu.

Lin Fei was not particularly worried. Da Zhao had an open-minded culture and did not place heavy constraints on women. When young men and women began to feel attraction in their youth, so long as nothing improper came of it, the adults generally turned a blind eye.

In upper-class society, it was not unheard of for noble ladies to keep handsome male companions in their households.

Given Xie Yuzhang’s status, even if she kept a few such companions, no one would dare say a word.

As that saying went — if the sky fell, there was her imperial father to hold it up.

So Lin Fei laughed and said, “I hear those two are quite impressive. I think these plaques suit them well. So — shall we go out of the palace?”

Lin Fei assumed that since Xie Yuzhang had her eye on this Li Gu, she would naturally want to find an opportunity to go out and see him in person. To her surprise, Xie Yuzhang said, “No. I will not go. Go to the Duke of Meritorious Service manor on my behalf.”

The Duke of Meritorious Service manor — the Yang Family, the maternal family of the late Empress.

Xie Yuzhang knew she could go out herself to cultivate a connection with Li Gu and Li Weifeng, but she was not living in this world alone. This chance to build goodwill with a future emperor and a great general — she wanted to leave it for her mother’s family.

“Go and see Second Cousin Huaishen. Tell him this is something I am entrusting to him and that he must see it done.”

That night, Li Gu and Li Weifeng made a new friend at a banquet.

“Yang, of the Duke of Meritorious Service manor — second son, given name Huaishen, courtesy name Jingshan.” The man stood tall and handsome, and introduced himself with a smile. “The late Empress was my aunt.”

Li Gu and Li Weifeng had actually never been able to sort out the bewildering tangle of kinship relations among the capital’s hereditary noble families, but Yang Huaishen had given his introduction in the clearest and most direct of terms. Whatever else could be said, the late Empress — even though she had long since passed on — meant this was a proper, genuine connection to the household of a national uncle.

And at the same moment, both of them thought of a face of surpassing, city-toppling beauty.

As expected, Yang Huaishen’s next words were: “Princess Baohua is my cousin.”

Yang Huaishen also carried that languid quality of indolence that came from being raised in luxury — the characteristic mark of the capital’s noble sons. But what set him apart was that his smile and eyes were far more sincere than those of the others, plainly conveying that he had come with genuine intent to make friends.

Moreover, there were around his brows and eyes a faint resemblance to Princess Baohua Xie Yuzhang. Li Gu and Li Weifeng’s first impression of him was very favorable.

The two of them made a clasped-fist salute.

“I am the seventh of my household, given name Weifeng, courtesy name Ziyi.”

“I am the eleventh of my household, single given-name Gu, courtesy name Fucheng.”

Yang Huaishen snapped his folding fan shut and laughed. “Both young General Li’s — are you finding the food of Yunjing agreeable?”

The two replied, “It is acceptable.”

Yang Huaishen sat down beside them and said, “Baohua was worried the two of you might not be accustomed to things here, and instructed me to come and take a look.”

Li Gu and Li Weifeng exchanged a glance and said, “We are grateful for the Princess’s consideration.”

But Yang Huaishen laughed and said, “Ah, she just frets over nothing, as young ladies do. I told her — the two generals have come down from the battlefield. They have crossed the desert and the grasslands; even eating and sleeping in the open would be nothing new. How could they possibly need her to worry about them while they’re here surrounded by Yunjing’s luxury and abundance?”

Li Gu and Li Weifeng also laughed at this, and said, “Precisely so.”

The three of them smiled at one another, and at once felt considerably closer.

Li Gu and Li Weifeng soon discovered that Yang Huaishen was a young nobleman who was skilled at making connections and well-liked, and with him beside them, a constant stream of people came over to exchange pleasantries. Even the host for the evening — the heir of the Marquis Weiyuan manor — came by several times throughout the night.

In that one evening, the two of them met more people than they had in all their days combined in the capital.

By the time night had deepened and the gathering broke up in satisfied spirits, Yang Huaishen called out to the two of them again as they stood outside the great gate of the Weiyuan manor.

“Baohua says the two of you are young heroes she finds genuinely admirable. These pieces are the work of a craftsman from the former dynasty, and she felt they were the perfect match for two such generals. She has entrusted me to deliver them to you on her behalf.”

He presented the two lacquered boxes, reminded them to take care riding through the night roads after drinking, then looked at Li Gu once more before boarding his carriage and departing.

After he left, Li Gu and Li Weifeng opened the lacquered boxes. By the light of the lantern, they saw the mutton-fat jade plaques gleaming with a soft luminescence.

“Excellent! These are wonderful!” Li Weifeng was delighted the moment he laid eyes on them. “Look at this tiger — so powerful and fierce!”

He took the jade plaque straight out and fastened it at his waist, clapped Li Gu on the shoulder, and said, “Old Eleventh — this is all thanks to you.”

Li Gu brushed Li Weifeng’s hand away, closed the lacquered box, tucked it into his chest, and said, “Seventh Brother has had too much to drink. Don’t talk nonsense. What does this have to do with me?”

Li Weifeng raised his eyebrows meaningfully and said, “Why would Princess Baohua treat us this well for no reason? If there’s no reason, that can’t be right. And if there is a reason, which one of us two could it be? Well — your older brother here does still have a bit of self-awareness.”

Li Gu’s face was not the kind of soft, pallid delicacy so fashionable in Yunjing right now. His complexion was on the deeper side, his nose bridge high, his features decidedly sharp and defined.

People in Hexi did not idolize pale, soft-featured young men. In Hexi, young Li Shiyi Lang had been celebrated for his striking good looks and brilliant military command, and was the man of dreams for countless daughters of military families.

After they had mounted their horses, Li Weifeng was still in high spirits, saying, “I drank with the second son of the Weiyuan Marquis tonight, and he told me the noble ladies of Yunjing are quite fond of keeping handsome male companions. What do you think — Princess Baohua, a princess of golden-branch jade-leaf descent…”

“Seventh Brother!” Li Gu cut him off sharply.

Li Gu’s brows and eyes were stern. He said gravely, “This is our first trip to the capital, and the sons of the capital look down on us as rustic bumpkins. Only Princess Baohua has treated us with genuine respect, and has even asked Brother Yang to look after us. On top of that, she has not yet come of age. How can you compare her to those dissolute women? Is it fitting, Seventh Brother, to speak of her this way behind her back?”

Li Weifeng had simply spent too long with rough and crude soldiers, and had no filter on his mouth. With Li Gu having put it to him this way, he himself felt it was thoroughly improper. Princess Baohua’s image — transcendent and pure as an immortal — and the crude humor of army barracks talk were distinctly jarring together, with a sense of desecration.

He was thoroughly embarrassed, and said awkwardly, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just have a foul mouth…”

He urged his horse forward and drew alongside Li Gu, and said, “Alright, I’ll stop saying things that don’t sound right about her. But Eleventh — your older brother genuinely thinks the Princess has feelings for you.”

“Seventh Brother should swallow those words back,” Li Gu said, looking ahead. Yunjing, unlike the frontier towns, had no curfew, and on a summer night like this there were still many vendors gathered, people out for evening strolls carrying lanterns — from a distance, a scene of glittering, vibrant life. He said lightly, “I believe Sir intends to seek a princess for Fourth Brother.”

Li Weifeng was startled. “Is that so? How do you know?”

Li Gu said, “Yesterday when we returned to the residence, did Sir not ask us what we thought of Princess Baohua?”

“Oh? Just from that?” Li Weifeng did not understand.

Li Gu nodded. “Sir has always had his mind on important matters. Why would he suddenly take interest in how a woman measures up? After I said the princess was a person of noble quality, something reflective and calculating crossed Sir’s face. A princess, after all, is not a prince. For Sir to take her to heart, the only reason can be that she has some connection to our Hexi.”

Li Weifeng sighed. “Sir truly goes to great lengths for Fourth Brother’s sake. If only Fourth Brother could stand on his own feet.”

Li Gu said, “Whatever Fourth Brother may be, Sir showed us this discerning recognition and has given us his trust and patronage. There is no way we could ever take Second Brother’s side.”

Li Ming’s three adopted sons who shared kinship with him — the second among them, Li Lingcong, was exceptionally outstanding. His civil learning and military skill had earned the admiration and submission of the entire company of Li Ming’s adopted sons. And it was not only Second Brother — First Brother and Third Brother were also impressive men.

The adopted sons Li Ming had recruited one after another since then were all outstanding young men found in the army, and not one of them was weak on the battlefield.

Only Li Ming’s biological fourth son, Li Qi, had been born when Li Ming was middle-aged, and being the only bloodline, had been utterly spoiled by the dowager lady of the household. Every time Li Ming had tried to discipline the boy, the dowager would cry and wail that she wanted to go meet the Li ancestors, declaring over and over that she did not want to live. It was not until later, when Li Ming saw that Li Qi was completely beyond saving, that he steeled his heart, had the boy tied up and hauled to the barracks, and did not dare go home for a full year. Only after that ordeal did Li Qi begin to take on some semblance of proper shape — though compared to Li Ming’s various adopted sons, he had nothing particularly outstanding about him.

People from Hexi knew their own Hexi affairs clearly. No place was a solid, unified block of stone, and both Li Gu and Li Weifeng could not help but give a quiet, resigned sigh.

Li Weifeng said, “The way Sir has handled this… Well. The brides Sir found for First, Second, and Third Brother were all daughters of lower officials. And then here for Fourth Brother, he goes and tries to bring home a princess. Ah…”

He could not help but ask: “So then, which princess do you think Sir has his eye on for him?”

Li Gu said, “If I were Sir, I would seek Princess Baohua for Fourth Brother.”

“Why?” Li Weifeng said. “Speaking of age, wouldn’t Princess Anle be the more suitable match? And from what they say, that princess’s own mother is the most supremely favored in the inner palace.”

“Noble Consort Chen may be supremely favored in the inner palace — but her power and influence are confined to the inner palace, with some sway in Yunjing at most. She is merely a woman, after all. Her reach does not extend to Hexi,” said Li Gu. “Sir’s aim in seeking a princess for Fourth Brother is only to raise Fourth Brother’s standing. In that case, Princess Baohua is the legitimate daughter of the late Empress and carries a more exalted rank.”

“So you are saying she might become the mistress of our Hexi?” Li Weifeng mulled this over, making a thoughtful sound. “That would be fine, actually.”

“Eleventh — let’s just chalk those words your older brother said before up to wind passing by the ear, and forget every bit of it,” he said. “Someone like that — she was never someone we could aspire to, even in our dreams. Just hold the thought in dreams alone.”

He urged his horse forward, humming a little tune to himself, and began to appreciate the splendid night market life of Yunjing.

Li Gu fell back half a horse-length behind.

In the darkness of the night, the hand holding the reins tightened.

Only… in dreams…?

Li Gu’s eyes were as dark as the night itself, and yet they mirrored the countless lights and fires of the world of men.