News from Hexi traveled quickly — after all, informants had long been planted in Yunjing, keeping watch over every stir of wind and blade of grass there.

Li Ming had been biding his time throughout. The Fourth Young Master Li Qi had urged him impatiently on several occasions, and he had always replied, “Wait and see. The rafter that sticks out first is the first to rot. We won’t be the first to rebel.” He had a remarkable ability to keep his composure.

When the news of Yunjing’s fall arrived by eight-hundred-li express courier relay, Li Ming knew inwardly that the moment was nearly ripe — everyone was more or less ready to make their move, and it was time to fight over this great prize.

But as ill luck would have it, at precisely this moment, he fell ill and took to his bed.

Li Ming sent men to call back several of his most important adopted sons, to deliberate together on major affairs.

Northern border army encampment.

“Understood.” Li Gu said. “Go back and report to the Master that I have some matters to attend to here on my end. I cannot get away for the moment. I will return in a few days.”

The messenger from Liangzhou saluted and withdrew to return to Liangzhou and report back.

“General, what could require waiting a few more days to return?” His close personal guard asked, puzzled. There was nothing pressing here at the northern border that could tie them down.

“If I return now, I am bound to come into conflict with the Second Young Master.” Li Gu said.

A look of indignation crossed the guard’s face.

This was one of his close personal men, the kind who would eventually be sent out to take on greater responsibilities.

Li Gu gave him a glance and said. “You need not feel resentful on my behalf. Every one of us is reliant upon the Master, reliant upon Hexi. The reason we appear so powerful is precisely because Hexi is a solid, unified block. Without Hexi, any one of us going it alone would only have ourselves to be trampled upon. Therefore, Hexi — from top to bottom — must be of one mind and one heart.”

“In order to maintain that unity across Hexi, it does not matter if I yield to the Second Young Master on a point or two.” Li Gu spoke what he himself could not have known was a prophecy — a prophecy that would prove true. “If that iron block of Hexi were to fracture and need to be rebuilt, it would require deaths, rivers of blood. Is that the kind of situation you want to see?”

“Mantou, go and fetch Jing Ye. Have him hold down the central command in my stead.” Li Gu said.

The guard called Mantou looked puzzled. “I thought you said you were returning to Liangzhou in a few more days?”

Li Gu fell silent for a moment. His pupils grew deep and unfathomable.

“I am going to take the opportunity and make a trip to Mobei.” he said. “To handle some personal matters.”

Personal matters in Mobei — Mobei had nothing but…

Mantou hesitated, opening his mouth but stopping himself. Li Gu’s gaze pressed down upon him, and he did not dare speak after all. He accepted the order and left.

Li Gu followed him out of the tent and pointed to a squad of men. “Pack up. You’re coming with me to Mobei to handle some business.”

The guards went to make preparations for the journey. Li Gu stood gazing far northward.

The information he had received today was enormous in volume — Lin Xiupu, Huang Yungong, Yunjing, Li Ming, the Second Young Master… His mind was turning with great speed, considering the grand sweep of the realm’s affairs, considering the situation in Hexi, considering the interests he absolutely must fight for and the concessions he absolutely must make.

Yet within all these calculations, considerations, and deliberations, Li Gu ultimately reserved a small, private corner of space — for himself.

When he had fully grasped the situation in Yunjing and the intentions of the Liangzhou side, in that one moment he had realized something — this moment, right now, was an opportunity for Xie Yuzhang to return!

Yunjing had fallen. The current circumstances meant Da Zhao was finished. The alliance marriage had lost all meaning, and there was no longer any burden of righteous name binding her.

And Li Ming had not yet rebelled — he still counted as a subject of Da Zhao. If he brought her back first and reported only afterward, he would have just cause. And even if Li Ming were to rebel afterward, the Master’s broad magnanimity would not begrudge shelter to a woman of a fallen nation.

Mobei would of course not release her.

Setting aside the riches and people she had brought with her — Ashina would not let her return based on her beauty alone.

But at this moment, Li Gu could no longer be bothered with other considerations.

When she had gone as a princess of Da Zhao to an alliance marriage, matters of righteousness, of station, of capability had all been beyond his power to change or to prevent. But now — such an opportunity had appeared, and he had this capability!

More importantly, this opportunity was fleeting beyond measure, gone in the blink of an eye! If it were missed, she might never have another chance in her entire life to return to her homeland!

Li Gu was a man who could read the moment, could yield and make concessions, but who would also, when an opportunity arrived, seize it without a moment’s hesitation!

So at this moment, he could not be bothered with anyone else. Her handmaids, her subjects — he could not be bothered with any of them!

At this moment, Li Gu’s heart was burning like fire — he wanted to use this brief window of opportunity to go to Mobei and bring back Princess Baohua, Xie Yuzhang!

The Eleventh Young Master, Li Gu, ordered his deputy general Jiang Jingye to hold down the northern border, and then took a company of personal guards, disguised themselves, and secretly infiltrated Mobei.

At this same time, the Second Young Master of the Li clan, together with the Third Young Master, returned to Liangzhou.

The father was ill in bed, and Li Zhenzhen had brought her husband and daughter back to her parental home to help nurse him. Father and daughter were, after all, of different sexes, and so the one actually at Li Ming’s bedside tending to him was Li Zhenzhen’s husband, Huo Ninth Young Master.

The Huo family was a distinguished name in Hexi. Though Huo the Ninth was not of the main branch, he was still part of the legitimate line. A son-in-law being so dutiful toward his father-in-law was the kind of thing that, in an ordinary household, would have invited whispers behind one’s back, and the husband’s family might not be pleased. But when that father-in-law was Li Ming, the earthly sovereign of Hexi, all such considerations could simply be ignored.

Before Huo the Ninth followed his wife home, his own father had earnestly admonished him in front of Li Zhenzhen, telling him to serve his father-in-law well.

Li Zhenzhen had just finished visiting her father and chatting with him for a while. “The young woman they are looking at is from my Fourth sister-in-law’s maternal family. She is from a collateral branch, but she is still from a family with solid roots in Hexi — not one of those upstart households. The Eleventh being the person he is, if they matched him up with just any woman, I would not stand for it.”

Li Ming agreed. “All right, all right. Find a good one for the Eleventh.” Then added, “Find a decent one for the Seventh as well.”

Seeing her father agree, Li Zhenzhen cheered up and scolded him with a laugh. “When those two get back, they are not to be allowed to go running off again. I fully intend to personally escort them both to meet the young woman. Let them have a look at her too — these things always have to be agreeable to both sides before they can turn out well.”

She then asked. “When is the Fourth coming back?”

At the mention of Li Qi, Li Ming’s expression turned sour. “That wretched son of mine!”

Li Zhenzhen frowned. “What is it this time?”

“If he weren’t my own flesh and blood, I would have him dealt with by military law! All he does is make a mess of things!” Li Ming raged. His chest grew so congested with anger that he coughed a few times.

Li Zhenzhen’s eyes dimmed. Her own younger brother was proving this incapable, and their father was growing older — it left her heart deeply uneasy.

“All right. Ninth is here. You go back and take care of the little one. Stop coming to visit me so often — don’t catch whatever I have and pass it to the little one.” Li Ming shooed her away.

Li Zhenzhen left Huo the Ninth behind and went off on her own.

Halfway along, she encountered two vigorous young men.

“Elder Sister.” they called out.

“Second Brother, Third Brother — you’re back.” Li Zhenzhen managed a smile.

The First, Second, and Third Young Masters of Li were all Li clan blood relatives — they shared a bloodline with her, being cousins from a collateral branch, and were different from the other adopted sons of Li Ming.

Greetings and courtesies exchanged, the Second and Third Young Masters went to see Li Ming.

Li Zhenzhen watched their retreating figures — both men stood straight and tall, and the Second Young Master especially stood out. Among the Twelve Tigers, the only one who could match the Second Young Master evenly and give him reason to be wary was the Eleventh Young Master, Li Gu.

Fortunately, the Eleventh always kept in mind their father’s kindness in recognizing him, and stood firmly on the Fourth Young Master’s side.

Li Zhenzhen turned and walked away, thinking she still needed to find time to take another good look at the young woman being considered for the Eleventh — she absolutely must find him a good match.

But by that evening, when Huo the Ninth returned for dinner, his expression was not quite right.

Li Zhenzhen asked. “What happened?”

Huo the Ninth said. “The Second Young Master and the Master quarreled over a staffing matter.”

Li Zhenzhen’s expression grew worse.

The Second Young Master had been steadily building up his own power. Over the past two years, it had not been the first time he had clashed with Li Ming over personnel matters — and more than half of those clashes had also involved the Fourth Young Master.

Li Zhenzhen asked. “Did it reach a conclusion?”

“No.” Huo the Ninth said. “They parted on bad terms.”

Li Zhenzhen said. “Then eat quickly, and tonight stay over at Father’s — don’t come back.”

Huo the Ninth was actually quite exhausted, yet he dared not go against his wife, and so hurriedly ate his meal and went back again.

Li Zhenzhen soothed her daughter to sleep that evening, and was just about to rest herself, when a handmaid burst in, panic-stricken.

“Eldest Young Mistress — something terrible has happened!” The handmaid’s voice was trembling. “The Master — the Master has passed away!”

Li Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment, then said sharply. “Nonsense! Father was perfectly fine just today!”

“It was the Second Young Master!” the handmaid said. “The Fourth Young Master came back, and the Second Young Master followed and came again. They had a quarrel, the Fourth Young Master stormed off in anger, and they — they say… the Second Young Master killed the Master!”

A crash!

Li Zhenzhen felt as if the sky had collapsed!

Outside, the sound of frantic footsteps erupted, along with the shouts and screams of the handmaids.

Li Zhenzhen forced herself to calm down, threw on her outer robe, and went out, only to find soldiers blocking the way outside.

“How dare you!” Li Zhenzhen cried, both shocked and furious. “Who are you people! Do you know who I am! Do you know where this place is!”

The man leading them replied. “This subordinate does not dare offend the Eldest Young Mistress, but this subordinate has orders to seal off the residence. Please, Eldest Young Mistress, remain calmly in your chambers. Do not make things difficult for this subordinate. Please forgive the intrusion.”

Li Zhenzhen demanded. “Whose orders?”

The leader said. “The orders of the Second Young Master.”

Li Zhenzhen shouted furiously. “Where is the Fourth Young Master? Where is Ninth? This is my home! Who dares block my way!”

Li Zhenzhen’s close personal handmaid followed along with her, arrogant as she had always been. She boldly stepped forward in front of Li Zhenzhen, intending to push through and earn first credit.

A blade flashed. The handmaid did not even have time to cry out before her head separated from her body in an instant, and she fell in a pool of blood before Li Zhenzhen’s eyes.

Li Zhenzhen’s eyes went wide. She had lived her entire life under her father’s protection, and had never been treated this way.

“Eldest Young Mistress. The Fourth Young Master is unharmed at present. As for Huo the Ninth Young Master… he is in deliberation with the Second Young Master.” The leader said, gripping his bloodied blade firmly. “Please return to your chambers, Eldest Young Mistress, and do not make things difficult for this subordinate.”

Huo the Ninth…

Li Zhenzhen felt the world spinning.

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

Everyone had come to the realization that the sky over the Li family… had truly collapsed.

Hexi was going to descend into chaos.

From the northern border of Hexi to the royal encampment, if traveling with baggage, the elderly, and the young at a slow pace, the journey could take anywhere from half a month to a month and a half.

But just as Li Gu had once told Wang Zhong — a three-hundred-li lightning strike took only a matter of days.

Li Gu and his men disguised themselves as Mobei people and rode day and night. In just six days, they were already drawing close to the ancestral lands.

That day, while men and horses were resting, the distant sound of galloping hooves suddenly rang out. Everyone concealed themselves.

It turned out to be a single rider on a single horse, with excellent horsemanship — yet it was plain to see that both rider and horse were utterly exhausted, nearly at their limit.

That lone rider reached their vicinity and reined in his horse, dismounting to examine the tracks on the ground. In such circumstances, everyone was already prepared to silence him.

Then someone suddenly gave a start and leaped up, calling out: “Hu Yiliu!”

As it turned out, the man was a scout from the northern border army — one of their own.

The scout raised his head at the sound, both startled and overjoyed. His throat was too parched and raw to speak. He yanked his legs into a run toward them, but did not make it two steps before stumbling and pitching to the ground — he was far too spent to go on.

Everyone hurried over, hauled him upright, and first gave him water. Hu Yiliu’s hands and legs were trembling, which made clear that the speed at which he had chased after them was even greater than the speed at which they had infiltrated Mobei.

Everyone was shaken.

Li Gu asked in a low voice. “Hu Yiliu, what has happened?”

This was the finest scout under his command. If it were not something of great consequence, Jiang Jingye would never have sent him racing like a man without a care for his life!

“General! General, hurry back! Quickly!” Hu Yiliu’s voice was hoarse and ragged. “The Master — the Master has passed away!”

At these words, all present fell into a silence like death.

After a long moment, the voice of Li the Eleventh Young Master rose, cold as ice —

“The Master — how did he pass away?”