Li Gu bypassed Yunjing without entering and drove his forces directly south.

His iron cavalry fought all the way to the northern bank of the Great River, leaving the bones of many enemies on this side of the water. His enemies all retreated to the southern bank.

With the Great River as a natural barrier, he now held half the former Zhao territories in his grip.

Li Gu finally led his troops back to… Yunjing.

This was the second time Li Gu had set foot in Yunjing, and his feelings were entirely unlike the first.

Gone was the sense of being dazzled by the splendor of it all. This city bore the marks of blood and fire everywhere. The few people occasionally seen on the streets all wore the haunted look of those who had barely survived catastrophe, stripped of the prosperous, proud bearing they once had.

Yet this city now belonged to him.

Those who came to greet him included not only Li Wu Lang and other Hexi commanders, but also many civil officials and noble families of Yunjing. These people were now his subjects.

Among them were quite a few familiar faces. Even those he did not know closely had at least been seen before, in the years past. Li Gu had an exceptional memory and could recall faces with great clarity.

The previous year, Li Gu had already declared himself King. Therefore, when these people saw him, they all addressed him as “King of Hexi” and paid their respects.

“Rise,” Li Gu said. “You have all worked hard.”

Everyone quickly protested they did not deserve such words.

Li Gu fixed his gaze and among the people at the front spotted the one he had been looking for.

He said, “Duke Xunguo.”

Duke Xunguo, Yang Changyuan, hurried to say, “That title was granted by the former Zhao — Your Highness, please do not address me so.”

Li Gu nodded and changed his address. “Official Yang.”

He said, “Jingshan is still cleaning up the loose ends and will return somewhat later. He is safe.”

Yang Changyuan was overcome with gratitude: “My worthless son is good-for-nothing and untalented, and yet Your Highness has gone to the trouble of thinking of him.”

Li Gu, however, said, “He has done well.”

The King of Hexi was, just as the rumors described, remarkably young. He had a reputation for slaughter, yet spoke with a most even-tempered manner.

Although the second son of the Duke of Xunguo’s household had somehow ended up becoming a member of the Hexi Army, everyone felt the King of Hexi was treating the Duke of Xunguo with an almost excessive degree of courtesy — not in the words themselves, but in his manner and tone.

Zhang Gong smiled and stepped forward to say, “Your Highness, the hour grows late. Please allow me to escort Your Highness into the palace.”

Zhang Gong was the former Zhao Prime Minister, and Li Gu remembered him.

In the Taiji Hall that year, this Prime Minister Zhang had said, beaming with delight: that Da Zhao is blessed to have a princess of Baohua’s deep righteousness and sense of duty.

Those memories had been tucked away somewhere unknown, but the moment he set foot in Yunjing again, they all came surging back.

The King of Hexi, Li Gu, gave a faint nod.

His horse’s hooves entered the palace grounds directly.

The palace no longer showed the sight of beautiful palace maids passing to and fro and quick-footed attendants going about their business. Many places bore the marks of fire, the shattered things long since swept away but never repaired or replaced, leaving only the ghost of a shape worn into the ground over time — silently telling anyone who looked what had once stood there.

During Huang Yungong’s rampage through the forbidden palace, court ladies and imperial consorts had been violated, and nine out of ten of the eunuchs had perished. The palace now was so short-staffed that even those needed for cleaning were insufficient.

In preparation to welcome the King of Hexi into residence, the attendants had been exhausted to the point of not being able to straighten their backs these past days.

The palace grounds were so vast and the people so few that Li Gu, had he not brought many of his own people in with him, would have felt the place ghostly silent, as though no one lived there at all.

It was nothing like the palace of his memory.

Once they entered the main hall, everyone invited the King of Hexi to take his seat on the dragon throne, and only then formally paid their respects.

This was Yunjing’s former officials presenting their formal submission to the young King of Hexi. Those present were men with foresight and vision — men who had formed their faction early, already established contact with Hexi while Huang Yungong still controlled Yunjing, and who had rendered great service in the time since.

According to Zhang Gong’s plans, he should have been the sole leader of this group.

But plans do not keep pace with change. Somehow, at some point, the Duke of Xunguo’s household had quietly sent their legitimate second son to Hexi, and that dissolute young man made a spectacular transformation, emerging as a member of the Hexi faction. Over the past two years, the Duke of Xunguo’s household had maintained close ties with Hexi, with his son Yang Huaishen serving as an intermediary, and had actually disrupted the arrangement Zhang Gong had planned for so long, showing signs of rivaling him.

This had put Zhang Gong on considerable alert.

“The contributions of each of you are all held in my heart,” the King of Hexi said, his voice resounding and full of the sharpness of youth, yet with a maturity that surpassed his years. “Once the great matter is settled, I will not fail any of you.”

Yang Changyuan quietly glanced at Li Gu and let out a long breath.

At the time, it had been only a means of spreading risk — sending the second son over. Who could have known it would become such a stroke of genius, bringing new life to the entire Duke of Xunguo’s household.

Compared to those who were truly born of Hexi, like Li Wu Lang and Li Ba Lang, Yang Huaishen could not measure up to them. But compared to Yunjing’s old subjects, Yang Huaishen was already firmly of Hexi’s inner circle — a rising star of the new era.

Truly, it was heaven’s intention to elevate the Duke of Xunguo’s household.

After the formalities that everyone present understood were largely ceremonial had been gone through, and the pleasantries concluded, no further substantive discussions were held that day.

The King of Hexi had just finished years of unbroken campaigning. There was no urgency to these half a day’s proceedings, and he needed first to wash and rest.

Once everyone had withdrawn, the great hall contained only those who were genuinely of the Hexi inner circle.

When Li Gu took Yunjing, he had left Li Weifeng to handle the mopping up and had himself not even entered the city before pressing directly south. The state the palace now stood in — all of this had been accomplished through Li Weifeng’s efforts.

Now that the fighting had come to a temporary halt, everyone’s mood was lighter. Without those “outsiders” present, the Hexi commanders began to talk.

Apart from Li Gu and Li Weifeng, the others were all entering the imperial palace for the first time in their lives, and they could not help feeling somewhat stirred.

Li Weifeng put his hands on his hips and said, “Hey, hey — someone’s watching. Everyone settle down. Don’t go looking like a bunch of country bumpkins and embarrass Hexi.”

By “someone watching” he meant the few eunuchs still standing in the corners of the hall. Hearing his words, each one tucked his chin down as though trying to drive it into his own chest.

Li Ba Lang raised his foot and kicked Li Weifeng. “Look at you putting on airs! Who was it that came back from Yunjing that year and complained to me about being looked down on by the people there as a country bumpkin?!”

Li Weifeng stood his ground, entirely unabashed. “That’s exactly why I had the experience and know better than all of you now.”

Everyone laughed and jeered at him.

The Hexi commanders, especially Li Gu’s own inner circle, had one conspicuous trait: they were young. Every one of them was a vigorous, able-bodied man. Gathered together, they radiated a vitality so powerful it seemed about to overflow. They were a world apart from the group of “old hands” from Yunjing who had just left.

Li Gu was just about to rise when Li Ba Lang pressed down on his shoulder and pushed him back. “Hey, Shiyi, don’t get up yet. Stay there a moment, let me have a proper look.”

Li Gu: “……”

Li Weifeng was already snickering.

Among their own brothers, who didn’t know whom. Li Gu gave a resigned shake of his head, stood up, and stepped to one side. “If you want to sit, go ahead and sit.”

Li Weifeng burst out laughing.

Li Ba Lang made a show of hesitation. “Well, this doesn’t seem quite right…”

Everyone was already egging him on.

Watching these fellows who might as well have had “itching to try” written across their faces, Li Gu’s expression was entirely different from what it had been when receiving the Yunjing old subjects. The tension between his brows eased, and he laughed and said, “While I have not yet been enthroned — go ahead and get it out of your systems.”

Everyone had been waiting for exactly those words. With a great surge they all rushed to take turns sitting in the dragon throne.

Having sat their backsides on the dragon throne at least once in their lives — when they were old men telling tales to their grandchildren, they would have something to boast about.

Li Weifeng stood with his hands on his hips. “Would you look at the lot of you! Settle down! Ba Lang, you’ve been on it long enough — it’s A’Yu’s turn. Everyone gets a turn. No shoving! Get in line! Mantou — Mantou, why aren’t you coming over?”

Mantou was both startled and delighted. “Me too?”

“Right now, yes,” Li Weifeng said. “Once Shiyi is enthroned, sitting on it will get your head chopped off.”

“Of course!” Mantou jostled his way over too.

Li Ba Lang felt something was off.

“How are you so calm? Don’t you want to have a go?” he pressed, staring at Li Weifeng.

Li Weifeng gazed into the distance. “I am a man of the world. Unlike the rest of you.”

Li Ba Lang stared at him for a moment, then said with absolute certainty, “You already sat on it.”

Li Weifeng had been left to mop up in Yunjing. With a throne that magnificent just sitting there, it was as good as a bed to him — as if he could have resisted.

He had probably even slept on it, not that it would be impossible.

Truly, when brothers know each other — there is no hiding the truth. Completely exposed.

Of course Li Weifeng refused to admit it, iron-jawed and steel-lipped.

Li Gu rubbed his temples and called out to him, “Seventh Brother, let them play. Come show me around.”

Mantou saw him leaving and gave the dragon throne one last vigorous rub with his backside, then quickly followed.

He heard Li Weifeng say, “Let me take you to see the main halls first. I’ve already mapped the whole palace. I know every corner.”

He talked as they walked. “I think I’ve finally got it sorted out — the Emperor normally lives in the Zichen Hall, and in the summer when it’s hot, he moves to the Qingliang Hall. The Qingliang Hall has water all around it, so it’s cool there. Do you remember? When we used to accompany the elders into the palace for imperial audiences, it was the Qingliang Hall several times over.”

How could Li Gu not remember?

Water ran through the middle of the covered walkways, and lotus flowers bloomed on the water.

Across the walkway, he had seen that young girl. Walking and dancing, singing and laughing.

No one could have thought her touched in the head. Everyone had looked on spellbound, everyone had wanted to praise her — so lovely.

Li Gu’s early years had been full of hardship. He had drifted with nowhere to go, had begged to survive, had later joined the army and begun killing at eleven years of age.

His eyes had seen too much of the ugliness, filth, and cruelty of the world. That was the first time he had ever been struck full in the face by the purest, most tender beauty in the human world — and in an instant it had made its way into his heart.

Talking of the palace’s layout and Yunjing’s affairs, the three men moved at a brisk pace and arrived at the Qingliang Hall before long.

Li Gu’s footsteps came to a sudden stop at a certain spot.

Li Weifeng naturally stopped with him. He glanced around, then suddenly laughed. “So this is the place where we waited for the elders that year.”

Across the water, he pointed at the covered walkway on the other side. “Do you still remember? That year, Princess Baohua passed right along there…”

Li Weifeng’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

Li Gu stood still, gazing across the water. Was he not looking toward the very spot where Princess Baohua, Xie Yuzhang, had appeared all those years ago?

There was no need for anyone to remind him.

Had he still not forgotten? Li Weifeng rubbed the back of his neck with some unease.

Revisiting a place filled with memories, the King of Hexi, Li Gu, stood there and let those memories wash over him.

After a long while, he asked, “Seventh Brother — where did she live?”

This, Li Weifeng had actually asked about. Not deliberately — it was just that one day a sweeping eunuch had happened to be in front of him and he had asked offhandedly.

“It’s called Zhaoxia Palace,” Li Weifeng said. “I’ll take you there.”

One stick of incense later, the great general Li Weifeng, who had claimed to have the entire palace mapped in his head, had successfully gotten the King of Hexi, Li Gu, completely lost.

“Seventh Lord, do you actually know the way?” Mantou asked, covering his backside.

Li Weifeng said, “Of course I do. Just let me think a moment… why are you covering your backside?”

Mantou said happily, “I got dragon essence on my backside sitting there just now — I’m keeping it pressed in tight. May it bless all my children and grandchildren with gold and silver for generations to come.”

Li Gu sighed. “Seventh Brother, can we still find it?”

Li Weifeng stared at the three forking paths in front of him and said, annoyed, “Where is everyone? How can there not be a soul in sight?!”

No sooner had he said this than a sharp-pitched voice rang out, “Here! Here! Your servant is here!”

A slight eunuch came hurrying around the covered walkway, nearly prostrating himself as he threw himself down before Li Gu. “Your servant is here, at the King of Hexi’s service. What does Your Highness command?”

Li Weifeng was just about to ask about the Zhaoxia Palace when Li Gu asked instead, “How did you know that I am the King of Hexi?”

Although everyone knew the King of Hexi would be entering the palace that day, Li Gu had come in with a whole group of people. This eunuch had not been among those serving in the main hall just now, yet here, from this distance, he had managed to identify precisely which of Li Gu and Li Weifeng was the King of Hexi.

The eunuch kept his face to the ground and did not dare lift his head. “In years past, when Your Highness entered the palace, your servant had the good fortune to attend upon you, and even received a reward from Your Highness’s hands.”

Li Gu said, “Look up.”

The eunuch dared then to raise his head. By his build one would have taken him for a youth, but his face was already that of a young man.

Li Weifeng looked him over carefully and nodded. “There is indeed something familiar about him.”

The eunuch thought to himself: spare me the nonsense, please. These past days I have found ways to put myself before you so many times, and yet you have looked straight through me every single time. I never let on that I knew you, because I understood that you had no idea who I was — and one can never tell the temper of a person of great standing. Perhaps they would have your life just for being too presumptuous.

Huang Yungong had despised eunuchs and carried out a massacre within the palace. Nine out of ten had not survived, and those who had were so terrified they had been broken in spirit ever since.

Li Gu stared at the eunuch’s face for a long time.

That year, outside the imperial garden. A young girl lifted her skirts lightly and came walking toward him in unhurried steps.

Skin like snow. Features luminous and striking. A waist as slender as a willow branch. Each step she took seemed to ripple like gentle waves parting water — every step suffused with radiance.

Li Gu sometimes despised himself for having a memory that was too good. Her every word and action, her every smile and glance, he remembered far too clearly.

He stared at the slight eunuch and, with precision, called out his name.

“Fuchun.”