The atmosphere in the Chancellery over the past two years had been comparatively tense. Wang Yunhe and Zheng Xi had not openly come to blows, but things were entirely unlike the harmonious warmth of before.

The Mid-Autumn Festival meant another round of holiday leave—a reprieve from having to face both Chancellor Wang and Chancellor Zheng. The Chancellery’s officials harbored a small degree of anticipation as they prepared for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The flow of people had grown denser; even a bit of quiet laughter could be heard. The Mid-Autumn season was harvest time. Although the regional governors from various places had not yet arrived in the capital and there were fewer gifts than usual, the court would distribute things for the festival, and there was the ceremony of worshipping the moon and paying reverence to the moon—all very festive occasions, and quite anticipated.

The sound drifted into Zheng Xi’s ears, as though he heard it and as though he did not.

The border generals had shown good sense—they had not made a great uproar about this catastrophic defeat. Even though the contents were alarming, even though tragic events had occurred, even though countless people must be displaced—the disaster of the four cities would inevitably reach the capital. But right now, the entire capital was ignorant and happy.

Zheng Xi grasped this point and felt his mind settle. Then he thought of something else: General Leng had suffered a setback, and the Loyal and Martial Army had come off badly as well. Did that mean Wang Yunhe could now sit any more securely?

He was even more composed.

On the other side, Wang Yunhe, predictably, had received word of the Loyal and Martial Army’s defeat as well. He set down that page of correspondence quietly, rose, and walked toward Zheng Xi’s office.

The two of them had been working in separate rooms for a long time now.

When the junior official at Zheng Xi’s door saw Wang Yunhe approaching, his expression turned to one of dismay—Wang Yunhe had come?! He called out in a loud voice to salute Wang Yunhe. Wang Yunhe looked at him calmly, and the look alone was enough to make the man’s legs tremble. Inside, Zheng Xi wore an air of complete composure. He straightened his collar and rose to receive his visitor.

Zheng Xi was considerably younger than Wang Yunhe, so he bowed first: “You have come—please take the seat of honor.”

Wang Yunhe nodded. The two sat facing each other, and Wang Yunhe said, “Something has happened. The court must not fall apart!”

Zheng Xi passed over the battle report he had received from General Leng; Wang Yunhe happened to have the Loyal and Martial Army’s report. The Loyal and Martial Army had been shrewd—rather than reporting directly to the Emperor, they had reported to Wang Yunhe. When it came to matters of life and death, even fools knew who was more dependable.

The two exchanged the information they each had—which was very limited. Things had happened so suddenly that both General Leng and Commander Zhang of the Loyal and Martial Army had been blindsided. Once a rout began, followed by the catastrophe of cities being sacked, the chaos only worsened; being caught up in it themselves, they had no ability to compile and report all the information. They could only offer vague accounts—defeated; looted; the enemy has withdrawn. As for how many troops the enemy actually had, how many of their own remained, where the enemy was now, what the losses on the local civilian side amounted to—all of this was unknown. Only this much was clear: of the four cities’ chief officials, two had been killed, one had fled with his whereabouts unknown, and only one was still alive—but gravely wounded and his life hanging in the balance.

To present such a battle report to the Emperor would only produce anger, perhaps also fear, with no actionable plan to show for it—they would still need the Chancellery to discuss matters first and come up with a workable plan.

Now with both General Leng humbled and the Loyal and Martial Army having fared poorly, neither side could laugh at the other.

Wang Yunhe spoke first: “In this time of crisis, the two of us must exercise mutual forbearance for the sake of the realm. With a foreign enemy at our doorstep, if internal strife erupts again, it is the sign of a nation in decline. Not only will the common people be plunged into misery, I fear the two of us are likely to find ourselves making a trip to the ‘camp for gentlemen.'”

Zheng Xi took a deep breath and said quietly, “We cannot present it to His Majesty in those terms. Right now, we should quietly summon the generals and consult them on what can be done to remedy the situation.”

Wang Yunhe said, “Military affairs are inseparable from civil affairs. Without financial resources, this war cannot be sustained. Let us also summon Minister Dou.”

Wasting no time, the two of them quickly sent for people. Very soon the sense that “something big is about to happen” had spread.

Since the previous Emperor’s passing, Duke Zheng, though old, had actually become more active. He and Marquis Leng both arrived at the Chancellery, and when they saw that Minister Dou Peng was also present—and more, that Wang Yunhe and Zheng Xi were actually sitting together—they knew a great change had occurred.

Once everyone was seated, Wang Yunhe indicated that they should look at the battle reports. Dou Peng took one look and his face turned to dark clouds. Duke Zheng and Marquis Leng initially burst out cursing—”useless wretches!”—and then cursed the front lines for being idiots who would not listen to advice.

Zheng Xi said, “Both of you, please hold your anger for a moment—we need to come up with a response!”

Duke Zheng said, “They fell for the ‘arrogant soldier’s stratagem,’ plain and simple!”

Marquis Leng said, “They were warned again and again; the young brats would not listen—what use is it? They thought themselves young and vigorous and that the old men were past their prime and needlessly timid! And now look at them!”

The angrier they thought, the more they fumed. Another round of cursing.

Wang Yunhe said, “Settling accounts can wait a little longer—let us first discuss how to handle the aftermath!”

Duke Zheng said, “The barbarians have tasted blood—do you think they will stop at one bite? There will certainly be follow-up moves! Stop thinking about everything else—prepare for war! Old Wang, those new troops of yours are still too green. And now the regular army is a mess too! Neither side is any use.”

Wang Yunhe said, “We do not even know how many troops they have in hand right now! How many can be mobilized? And what can be done to address this?”

Duke Zheng said, “It is not about the numbers—”

Even accounting for inflated rosters, once the water was squeezed out, the raw count was still substantial. If even on raw numbers they could not surpass the northern barbarians, what claim had the imperial court to be the paramount civilization? The problem was whether the troops were of any use! The barbarians were fast—a thousand men could fight with the effect of three thousand; if you had two thousand, what good was it?

Wang Yunhe was a sharp man, but his knowledge of warfare was limited to history books and military treatises. He had never commanded troops or seen battle himself. He had come of age during a period of general peace, and had no first-hand experience of war. He had recently filled in some gaps regarding the military system, but that was the system—not its application. And “from practice to use” was still a qualitative leap. And he had not personally drilled anyone.

He pressed Duke Zheng quickly on several questions, and Duke Zheng in turn asked Wang Yunhe about his assessment of Kunlei Atu. Both men had no choice but to exchange views.

Duke Zheng had concluded that since Zheng Xi was willing to sit and talk with Wang Yunhe, things must be extremely serious. He held back nothing.

Duke Zheng said, “I will go up there in person—take a look, straighten things out. But troops will also need to be deployed.”

Zheng Xi said, “Surely this does not require you personally—there are plenty of others!”

Marquis Leng also said, “I will go!”

Duke Zheng said, “Plenty of others? Do they have what it takes? A bunch of young men who have never seen a major battle—right now they are probably still wetting their trousers! And you—”

He glanced at Marquis Leng. “Can you be certain you are fit to go?” General Leng was Marquis Leng’s nephew; it was quite possible the Marquis would not be permitted to go.

Marquis Leng said nothing.

To one side, Dou Peng’s face had grown even darker. The finances were not quite at the point of having to pawn one’s trousers, but it was not good either. He had been crying poverty day after day; in these recent days he had still been making preparations, calculating that a counterattack would come and a battle would be fought—without all this drilling of new armies and rectifying old ones, would they have done it for nothing?

He had budgeted for that scenario. And now—it was not a counterattack, it was defense!

Beyond that, four cities had been sacked; the fiscal revenues from those surrounding areas this year were gone. And there were disbursements needed for resettlement and compensation!

Dou Peng took a deep breath. “Grain and supplies—the Ministry of Revenue will do its utmost. Let us only hope they are not handed over to the northern barbarians again, as General Leng did!”

The words were harsh. Marquis Leng ground his teeth—and swallowed it.

Dou Peng also said to Wang Yunhe, “We cannot just discuss military matters—what about civil governance? What is actually happening up north? Day after day I hear them quarreling and shouting—this one saying that one is no good, that one saying this one is a scoundrel! With hearts not united, they still think of fighting a war? Never mind rectifying the army—first rectify the local administration properly; that is the real priority. Otherwise, before the northern barbarians even arrive, things will be in chaos on their own! If there is no domestic order, how can one drive off foreign aggression?”

Dou Peng had been choking on this for two years. He simply could not understand: how had a situation that had seemed perfectly fine deteriorated so sharply in just a few years?

Wang Yunhe said, “I will request from His Majesty a decree to dispatch an envoy to the north to rectify matters.”

Zheng Xi said, “Then let us go.”

The group went together to the Emperor’s presence.

……

The Emperor’s spirits were high—with three generations under one roof, a man who has a grandson has achieved a small completion in life.

He was speaking with Empress Mu about the Eastern Palace’s affairs. Empress Mu said, “Ah Yi is still young and cannot rear the child herself. The child’s birth mother is of humble origin; an imperial grandson cannot be raised by a palace woman. After the hundred-day ceremony, I will bring the child here to raise—does that suit?”

The Emperor said, “Good.”

Empress Mu went on, “It is also inconvenient for a palace woman to keep having children—better to give him two consorts of good families. When future children are born, their birth mothers can rear their own.”

The Emperor said, “You decide all such matters.” When children were brought before him they were always clean and smiling; he had never known how to raise them. Whatever Empress Mu said would be so.

The husband and wife had not yet finished speaking when the Chancellors requested an audience. The Emperor smiled and said, “Both of them requesting an audience at the same time? Are they about to come to blows in front of me again?”

Empress Mu said, “How can you say such things? Two Chancellors at odds—is that something to take lightly? I have heard occasional word of it and it makes my heart tremble.”

The Emperor said, “You do not understand.” And rose to leave.

He saw that his senior ministers wore grave expressions, and he himself came in with a small smile, hoping to ease the atmosphere. He took his seat, and below him, several men knelt in unison and did not rise.

The Emperor said, startled, “What is this?”

“We are at fault, your servants!” they said.

“What exactly has happened?”

Only then did the Chancellors inform the Emperor of the military defeat. It was as though someone had dealt the Emperor a blow squarely in the chest—his whole body jerked backward and he landed against the back of the chair. “What?”

Zheng Xi steeled himself and reported General Leng’s situation. The Emperor asked, “And the Loyal and Martial Army?”

Wang Yunhe reported that the Loyal and Martial Army had also been defeated, with the situation unclear.

The Emperor said, “Were they not three consecutive victories? How could there be a sudden defeat? Were all those great victories beforehand false?”

Duke Zheng said, “It appears to be the ‘arrogant soldier’s stratagem’—a lure to draw the enemy in.”

The Emperor said angrily, “Is General Leng Ping-hui truly that stupid? Did he leave his brains in the capital when he set out?”

All the ministers could only beg forgiveness. It was Dou Peng who was still able to speak: “Your Majesty—punishment can wait. The priority right now is the response! Military affairs and civil governance both need a decision!”

Dou Peng bore no direct responsibility for this defeat. The Emperor did not rebuke him, and asked, “What is to be done?”

Duke Zheng volunteered to go himself. Marquis Leng said the nearby border armies should all be put on alert. Wang Yunhe suggested dispatching a senior official to the localities to take stock—someone “capable and reliable.”

The Emperor said, “Send Prince Consort Shi.”

Zheng Xi said, “The Prince Consort commands the Imperial Guard—he cannot be lightly removed!” And what could Prince Consort Shi actually accomplish?

Wang Yunhe was about to recommend Xian Jing. Dou Peng did not hesitate: “He must remain to assist the Crown Prince—he cannot simply leave!” Dou Peng felt that Wang Yunhe must be delirious—as long as Xian Jing was in the Eastern Palace, he could exert influence over the Crown Prince. Once he left, who would advise the Crown Prince, and on what terms, was anyone’s guess!

The Emperor considered Mu Chengzhou, but dismissed the idea even before speaking; then he thought of old retainers from his days in Prince Zhao’s establishment—their loyalty was there, but their abilities were another matter.

The Emperor said, “Then summon Zhù Ying.”

……

Zhù Ying was in the Court of Judicial Review, going through the accounts for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday provisions. Qi Tai these days had handed off many tasks; Zhao Zhen, pressed between Zhù Ying on one side and Qi Tai on the other—one allowing no slack, the other steady as a mountain—dared not be careless. He trudged in like a tired old dog, clutching the account ledger for the Mid-Autumn holiday provisions at the Court of Judicial Review, to get Zhù Ying’s signature.

Zhù Ying asked, “Has the Deputy Justice seen this?”

“All reviewed—his seal is at the end.”

Zhù Ying flipped through it, corrected several items, and said, “You know what my household is like—I have no need for this much. Apportion some of it to the others.”

Zhao Zhen said, “But you are the head of our Court of Judicial Review, Your Honor! How could we reduce your share?”

“I have my figures.” As she said this, she did not reduce her own share to the very minimum, nor did she go without. There was an art to this: if she declined her share entirely, those below her might not dare to claim theirs. If she took nothing while watching others take, what they received might well be inferior quality in the end. Human nature being what it was—wherever a superior ate in the canteen, the food there was inevitably better than where the superior did not go.

With the reductions made and her name signed, a young junior attendant from Du Shi’en came by: “His Majesty summons you.”

Zhù Ying set down her brush and walked out with him, asking as they went, “Do you know what it is about?”

The junior attendant said, “Both Chancellors, along with Duke Zheng, Marquis Leng, and Minister Dou, are at the Emperor’s presence. It seems the military situation in the north has not gone well.”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: my opportunity has come!

She made her way to the Emperor’s presence, gave her obeisance, and the Emperor said, “Dispense with the formalities!”

Zhù Ying bowed once more and rose, sweeping her gaze over those present. She noted that the Crown Prince had also arrived, and thought: what is going on now?

She quietly waited for someone to begin, so she could follow their lead.

The Emperor said, “Are you willing to go to the north?”

The torrent of words she had been preparing was instantly dammed up. She said, “As long as His Majesty commands it, your servant does not choose her tasks. But what exactly is it?”

The Emperor gave a short laugh. “You agreed before even knowing what it was?”

Zhù Ying said, “As long as it is a matter of state.”

The Emperor gave a quiet sigh. “Let them tell you.”

Zhù Ying looked from person to person, waiting for them to speak. Zheng Xi said, “The north—has suffered defeat.”

Zhù Ying drew a quiet breath.

Wang Yunhe said, “Your position as Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review remains unchanged—you will concurrently hold the posts of Pacification Envoy and Circuit Inspection Envoy, to pacify the north, examine criminal cases, and supervise local officials. Return when the task is done.”

Zhù Ying said, “Yes.” She had doubts in her heart: previously the north had undergone a thorough rectification—how was it that it had to be started all over again? Had all that previous work been wasted?

She said, “Is it just me alone? I fear I cannot manage everything, and moreover, I cannot rely entirely on the local officials when investigating them myself. Furthermore—the north is in the midst of active warfare. What if a conflict breaks out with the soldiers?”

The Emperor said, “In the next two days, draft a memorandum and submit it.”

“Yes.”

The Emperor waved his hand. “You all go and deliberate!” He sent the Chancellors away, then kept Zhù Ying behind to add a few more words of instruction.

Zhù Ying listened quietly as he said, “Do you know what your task will be when you go?”

Zhù Ying said, “Preservation. Whatever the outcome of the war, the localities must not fall into chaos.”

The Emperor said, “Find out the true caliber of the border armies!”

“Yes.”

“Your loyalty—I have always known it. Give it your utmost, and I will not fail you!”

Zhù Ying could only bow again.

“Whatever people you need, say so—you need not go through the Chancellery.”

“Yes.”

“Go now—go to the Chancellery and hear what they have to say.”

“Yes.”

……

Zhù Ying paid her respects to the Emperor and Crown Prince and went to the Chancellery.

By this time, the tension had still not eased. At least having spoken with the Emperor had given the ministers a surer footing. Zheng Xi said, “Quietly—best not to make it known; if it can be kept down, it is better.”

Wang Yunhe said, “It is true that panic should not be stirred up.”

Zhù Ying arrived at the Chancellery, greeted everyone, and then asked, “Has the north reached the point where someone simply must be dispatched? Would not two imperial censors suffice?”

“Not enough,” said Wang Yunhe. The situation was somewhat complicated; thinking that Zhù Ying had also met Kunlei Atu and had experience as a local administrator, Wang Yunhe also felt it appropriate to send her. Send a capable person to stabilize things from the outset—better than reinforcing piecemeal.

Zheng Xi pushed forward two sheets of paper. Zhù Ying received them and looked: “What is written here amounts to nothing.”

Duke Zheng said, “They have already written a great deal—those idiots have completely lost their bearings! They do not even know how many troops they have left!”

Zhù Ying thought about it and felt this was more or less accurate. She then said, “If I am to pacify, there must be something given to me to offer—I cannot go deceive the common people with ‘everything is fine.’ And as for how the officials are to be disciplined—what arrangements for pacification? Money, grain, personnel matters…”

Zheng Xi said, “We will give you what you need.”

Zhù Ying asked, “I know nothing of military affairs—the border armies: are they trustworthy or not? This bears directly on how I approach the work.”

Marquis Leng said without much grace, “They seemed fine at first—and now it turns out their readiness has gone slack! That damned little scoundrel Leng Ping-hui!”

Zhù Ying said, “I understand. I will go and start preparing. First hand off affairs at the Court of Judicial Review, then draft a memorandum.”

Duke Zheng rose and said, “I must also go home and prepare.”

Everyone dispersed separately. Zhù Ying returned to the Court of Judicial Review and summoned Shi Jixing, Lin Zan, Qi Tai, Zhao Zhen, and the others. She distributed the tasks: “I will be leaving for a while. Things will continue as they are; wait until I return. The Court of Judicial Review will not take on additional commitments.”

Shi Jixing said, “You are leaving? Why?”

Zhù Ying said, “I cannot say for now.”

Several of them felt a flutter of anxiety, but Zhù Ying had already gone.

She returned home first. The household was preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but Zhù Ying said, “No need to prepare anymore. We are leaving—start packing! Where is Lin Feng? Where is Xiao Mei? Call Qingjun and the others too! Xiang An—leave the affairs in the capital to A’Jin; it is time for her to handle things on her own. You two will come with me. This trip is a long one—bring plenty of heavy winter clothes! No questions! Go to the stabling grounds and get the northern horses ready.”

She had her own packing to do as well, and there were also things to be entrusted to others. She planned to leave Zhao Su and his wife behind in the capital to manage things. Qi Tai she would not bring this time—he was already very old, and two of his half-students had completed their training. Overly dangerous places were not suitable for him to visit.

The household burst into activity. Su Zhe and the others came flying back. When they heard they were heading north, they were all elated. Su Zhe said, “I have been wanting to take a look!”

Zhù Ying said, “Do not be so eager—we are going to suffer.”

Zhù Qingjun said, “We are not afraid!”

“Go pack your things! None of this odds and ends.”

“Yes!”

After work, Zheng Xi’s side sent Jin Liang with a card to invite her over. Zhù Ying brought along Hu Shijie and the others and went to the Zheng residence again.

Jin Liang escorted the whole way. This time, Duke Zheng father and son were both present.

Zheng Xi said, “Matters are urgent—you are a person who knows what she is doing, so I will say nothing more. I am sending Jin Liang with you!”

“I can hardly make use of a fifth-rank military officer.”

Duke Zheng said, “Dispatched by my command!”

Zhù Ying said, “Then you might as well give me a word of truth—something that could not be said plainly in the Chancellery ought to be able to be said plainly here. Is the official army truly in such poor shape? It was not like this in the past. When I was in Wuzhou, the various clans genuinely feared and respected the official army. The official army at that time…”

She abruptly stopped.

Zheng Xi asked, “What is it?”

“The official army at that time had already become demoralized. I did not notice it then; looking back now, the signs were all there. Fifteen or more years ago it was still dared not to move rashly; fifteen or more years later, things in the north have deteriorated to the point of broken bones. And I, all that time, was merrily farming, growing fruit, and counting copper coins with them one by one. How could I have failed to see it then? Fifteen years—I am still so far from enough!”

Back then, Commander Mei and the others had been restraining their subordinates from provoking conflicts with the “Liao people.” At the time she had been quite pleased—borrowing the tiger’s authority to bluff both sides. It had never occurred to her to stop and think about what it meant if the border army was not ferocious and battle-ready.

But yet…

“Even with prolonged peace, it should never have come to this!” Zhù Ying murmured. “The various clans at the time still seemed quite afraid of the official army.”

In those days, the court had still been able to deploy large armies against the “Liao people” and fight back and forth with them. In the end, it was not that the court was defeated—it was that it was “not cost-effective,” no longer able to press forward. The “Liao people” too had not gained any advantage; every family had suffered heavy losses, and they all retreated into the mountains. It would take a full twenty years for the old hatreds to fade somewhat. The court at that time was not incapable of fighting. That was how she had been able to use empty hands to pull off a great trick—claiming an enormous swath of territory without truly earning it.

Zheng Xi said, “It is not just you. We also…”

And yet Wang Yunhe had seen it, and the moment he saw it he had moved to rectify things—but still it was too late.

Duke Zheng sighed heavily.

Zhù Ying looked at him, and suddenly something came to her like a flash of enlightenment: “The late Emperor…”

Duke Zheng coughed loudly: “When the realm is at peace, there is nothing wrong with putting away weapons and releasing the horses to pasture.”

The late Emperor had been a competent ruler.

The experienced old generals who understood military affairs had all needed to step back and retire—and so naturally no one could immediately see what had happened. With no one managing things, and then years of peace and calm, things slackened. She had even been pleased about it at the time—with no heavy forces stationed in the south, she could act as she liked. Looking back now, all the signs had been there early. She only blamed herself for being too young then; with only Lufu County and Wuzhou in her heart, and only her own retreat on her mind, she had not thought that the slight itch she had noticed in the south fifteen or more years ago would one day become a severed limb in the north.

And there I was, happily tilling the fields, growing fruit, saving up copper coins with them cent by cent.

Zhù Ying raised her left hand and covered her eyes.

“Zichang!” Zheng Xi raised his voice.

Zhù Ying lowered her hand. Her eyes were faintly reddened. “I understand now. If the Duke has anything, please send word to me in a timely manner. Once I am in the north, I will act as the situation demands—I will not let you carry this alone.”

Duke Zheng’s voice was full of feeling: “Good. Good.”

Zhù Ying said, “I will go write the memorandum.”

Zheng Xi nodded. “Good. Jin Liang, you prepare as well.”

Zhù Ying bowed her head slightly as she walked out of the Zheng residence. She said to Zheng Chuan who saw her to the door: “Stay here—go back and attend on the Duke.”

“Safe journey, Third Elder Brother.”

Zhù Ying swung into the saddle, and her eyes were perfectly calm.