◎War Breaks Out◎

But the Crown Princess never had the chance to learn exactly what Song Shiyan had meant by those words.

Not long after Qixi Festival, the calm that had settled over the capital’s politics since Fu Qingnian’s death was suddenly shattered—Xishao struck without warning at the end of the seventh month, launching a surprise attack through the weakest point in the border defenses among the eleven provinces. Former Liangzhou fell in a single night, and an urgent military dispatch was rushed back to the capital overnight, covering eight hundred li a day.

The Fifth Prince had recently fallen into favor, and happened to be present before the Emperor when the military report reached the inner palace, learning of the news even before the Crown Prince did. But according to those relaying the message, the Emperor had already been in a foul mood over the Fifth Prince’s ineptitude, and upon learning that former Liangzhou had fallen, flew into such a rage that his blood surged to his head—he scolded the Fifth Prince harshly before him, then immediately summoned the imperial physician.

Song Shiyan sat with lowered eyes, listening carefully as his advisor reported from beyond the curtain.

“The Xishao commander is fierce and capable, and this surprise attack caught us completely off guard. Former Liangzhou was already the poorest and most remote of the eleven provinces, without the coal and iron deposits that other prefectures have—no one could have predicted Xishao would strike from there.”

He lifted his eyelids and caught a glimpse of the Crown Princess’s figure slipping past beyond the door, apparently sensing they were discussing something important. She quietly set the tray in her hands down outside the door, then turned and left.

She never listened in or asked questions—that much, at least, remained consistently true of her.

Song Shiyan straightened up and looked at the border defense map spread out before him. “Who is the commanding general at Liangzhou? I recall it’s…”

The advisor answered, “It’s the Fifth Prince’s maternal uncle—he was demoted there years ago for running rampant within the military. I’ve heard the Fifth Prince had recently hoped to have his uncle transferred back to the capital. But in this battle, he abandoned the city and fled—a grave crime, when all is accounted for. The Fifth Prince’s plans have likely come to nothing now.”

Song Shiyan rested his hand against his forehead and laughed. “My fifth brother has never had a strong foothold at court, and few useful in-laws to begin with. Now, having lost even this uncle, even if Father wished to promote him, it wouldn’t amount to much for long—I was just wondering why Father scolded him so harshly earlier. So it was because of this useless uncle of his.”

The advisor said with a smile, “Your Highness need not worry. You’ve held the position of Crown Prince for many years without a single misstep—born of the Empress herself, and supported by the officials below. Even if His Majesty wished to elevate someone else, it would be nothing more than a passing whim. In his heart, he still cherishes you. Back in the day, when Your Highness and that Su clan girl…”

He abruptly cut himself off at this point. Song Shiyan gave him a deep look but didn’t press the matter further.

“Jing’an, you don’t understand my father well enough,” Song Shiyan said, shaking his head, his fingers tracing over the deployment map before him. “His own struggle for succession was extraordinarily perilous—he didn’t ascend the throne until his thirties. For fear that his sons might think the succession uncertain and act rashly, he named me Crown Prince early on. After that, worried I might grow too powerful too quickly, he forbade the officials from forming close ties with me, and elevated Fu Qingnian instead to keep me in check all these years…”

“Your Highness has endured much these years as well—swallowing your pride, keeping a low profile because of this. Aside from handling state affairs, you’ve rarely formed close ties with anyone, and even when you have, never too deeply,” the advisor said, eyes lowered. “But now that Lord Fu is dead, Chancellor Gao will surely be appointed prime minister before long. The old officials at court are the best at reading which way the wind blows—soon enough, we’ll see which direction that turns out to be.”

Song Shiyan gave no clear reply, his gaze fixed on the deployment map. “Later Liangzhou has sent word to both the capital and the western frontier garrison requesting reinforcements. What do you think, Jing’an—how should we deploy?”

The advisor considered carefully before answering cautiously, “With the crisis at Liangzhou so urgent, the western frontier garrison’s available troops will naturally be sent there first. If the capital is to dispatch troops from the main camp as well, we ought to think ahead—among the eleven provinces, which city is most worth defending?”

He stepped out from behind the screen, his finger tracing from Liangzhou and coming to rest on Ruozhou. “Jing’an recalls that there’s a certain figure in Ruozhou city whom Your Highness has wished to win over.”

Song Shiyan’s gaze followed to where his finger rested. “Ruozhou’s border has always been the place Xishao most frequently harasses. I would have thought that if Xishao launched a surprise attack, they’d strike Ruozhou first.”

“Ruozhou’s walls are high and its defenses deep—Xishao has attacked it many times before and never succeeded, so it’s unclear why they’ve shifted their target this time. From my own perspective, taking Ruozhou alone would be worth more than taking three cities among the other ten provinces, especially somewhere like former or later Liangzhou—what good is conquering that?” the advisor said. “However, I’ve heard that after Lord Zhou arrived in Ruozhou, he first had the prefect executed, and now the city has undergone a complete renewal—its military strength is likely stronger than before.”

“He’s a capable man,” Song Shiyan said, staring at the shaded area on the map, sighing with an ambiguous tone, as though it were a great pity. “A capable man who refuses to be used by me isn’t worth keeping around… Judging by the scale of this Xishao offensive, it’s likely greater than anything we’ve faced before. Old General Chu will surely head to Liangzhou first with the western frontier garrison, and my uncle will lead the main force from the capital to reinforce them. Since Young Master Zhou is already there, there’s no urgency to send anyone to Ruozhou—the northern province of Tianhan probably needs it more.”

“If Xishao’s forces are truly substantial this time, and Liangzhou is merely a feint before they turn toward Ruozhou, that would mean a massive assault bearing down on the city. No matter how capable Lord Zhou may be, he can’t conjure troops out of thin air,” the advisor said, startled. “Ruozhou has always been the province that absolutely must be defended…”

“What do you mean ‘if it’s a feint’? A place like Liangzhou has nothing to offer besides its impoverished commoners—you could raze the entire city and barely scrape together a few pieces of gold. It has to be a feint,” Song Shiyan cut him off, saying carelessly. “What I’m doing here is simply cutting away rotten flesh to save the rest of the body. If Xishao manages to take Ruozhou, a place they haven’t dared touch in all these years, it will surely breed arrogance in them—and an arrogant army is bound to fail. You should understand that better than I do. Besides…”

“Just as Jing’an said, since he’s managed to bring such renewal to Ruozhou, perhaps he really does have the skill to hold the city. If that’s the case, I can step in to help afterward, and needn’t worry that he won’t submit to me in gratitude.” Song Shiyan reached out and toyed idly with the candle flame beside the table. “And if he can’t hold it, and loses that vital city—well, that would conveniently rid me of a thorn in my side too. Young Master Zhou is a man who could even bring down Fu Qingnian. For half a year now I’ve probed at every angle, and still couldn’t get so much as a hint from my father about what really happened back then.”

“A man like that, refusing to submit to me—if he weren’t on good terms with the chancellor, would I really have dared let him leave the capital? Bringing down the prime minister and walking away unscathed—these past six months, I’ve often wondered whether he’s truly content to guard the frontier for the rest of his life. He used to reject my overtures at every turn. If he ever came back… whom would he choose to support?”

The advisor understood the Crown Prince’s meaning and lowered his head, saying nothing further.

Song Shiyan yawned. “When my uncle comes tomorrow, if I’m not at the residence, pass this along to him. Father probably won’t have the energy to ask many questions these days, and even if he does, the western frontier is so far away, and battle conditions change so quickly, it hardly matters.”

“Understood.”

The advisor turned to take his leave, but after a few steps, he suddenly heard the Crown Prince ask from behind him, “When my uncle came last time, did he see the Crown Princess?”

“He did. Father and daughter talked for quite a while,” the advisor answered respectfully. “As Your Highness instructed, I had someone keep a close watch. Aside from small talk about family matters, the Crown Princess said nothing of substance. General Li did complain to her a little, urging her to bear Your Highness an heir as soon as possible.”

It was strange, really—for the sake of his own good reputation, he had never taken a concubine after marrying his primary consort, and he favored her often enough, and yet she showed no sign of conceiving at all.

Even the maidservants and mistresses he’d taken outside had conceived before, though he’d never kept the children, for fear of complications, hoping instead that his primary consort would bear him his eldest son first.

“She’s clever, that one,” Song Shiyan responded lazily. “Fine, you may go.”

After the advisor left, Song Shiyan rose to his feet and looked at the towering screen before him, painted with a sprawling landscape of rivers and mountains, and let out a cold laugh. The candlelight flickered as he walked to the window, half his handsome face swallowed by darkness.

These days, Wang Yiran had taken to pinning her hair up high, riding on horseback all day alongside He Yuankai to help inspect the refugees flooding into Ruozhou from other parts of the eleven provinces.

Qu You, going to help out, poured her a bowl of tea.

It was already evening by now, and there were far fewer people lingering outside the city gate than during the day. Many who realized they wouldn’t be able to enter the city today simply spread out their bedding right there outside the gates, sleeping under the open sky. Before the gates closed, Qu You had people send out plenty of bedding and food.

Though it pained her to see it, Ruozhou’s gates had to close each evening without exception—the gate and the surrounding walls had been rebuilt several times after repeated damage, strong enough to withstand even a Xishao assault. It was simply that the gate itself was too tall and heavy, making it difficult to open and close quickly.

After learning of former Liangzhou’s fall, He Yuankai had even considered ordering Ruozhou to seal its gates entirely and prepare for battle, but with refugees continuing to pour in and the sight from a distance utterly heartbreaking, they’d been forced to settle on a compromise—opening the gates only from noon until evening each day, letting people in only after careful inspection.

The thorough screening was meant to prevent Xishao spies from slipping into the city amid the chaos, and sure enough, within just three days, several Xishao infiltrators had already been caught at the gate.

Though it seemed unreasonable to turn away so many refugees from Liangzhou and the southern provinces, the generals of Ruozhou had no other choice—if Xishao took advantage of the chaos to attack and the city fell, everyone within would surely be slaughtered.

After all, Ruozhou wasn’t as poor as the rest of the western frontier provinces. Though somewhat further west, it enjoyed abundant sunlight and had well-developed agriculture and mining alike; its people had some savings put by. If the city were sacked, the spoils would be substantial.

Wang Juqian had led his troops out of Ruozhou city and had already clashed with Xishao forces several times near the border between the provinces, though it was unclear whether the enemy was merely testing their strength—each engagement involved only small detachments.

But Qu You, having once studied the western frontier’s defense maps together with Zhou Tan back in the capital, knew that if Xishao intended to invade the great Yin, Ruozhou was territory they absolutely had to seize.

Seeing her sit lost in thought after pouring the tea, Wang Yiran couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Did something frighten you?”

Qu You quickly shook her head.

Wang Yiran laughed. “It’s only natural for a girl from the capital like you to be frightened by this. Ruozhou isn’t like the capital—we’re used to war and unrest here. My brother has already quelled uprisings many times before, and the people in this city have grown accustomed to it too. You needn’t worry.”

Qu You furrowed her brow and asked, “Were there always this many refugees before?”

Wang Yiran took another sip from her bowl before answering, “Now that you mention it, it really is strange. Xishao invasions are common enough among the eleven provinces—usually they strike Ruozhou first, and only turn to other places when they fail to take it. But even a year ago, when the two northern provinces fell, we didn’t see nearly this many refugees outside Ruozhou’s gates. When unrest breaks out somewhere, people usually flee to the nearest safe place—they rarely come all this way to remote Ruozhou.”

As she said this, she herself seemed to realize something was off. “Sister, have you noticed something?”

“I don’t understand military affairs, but I’ve noticed Master He seems unusually flustered and confused these past few days—after all, I would have thought Ruozhou sees refugees often enough that handling them wouldn’t be this difficult,” Qu You said thoughtfully. “But from what you’re saying, this time really is different from before? Whenever refugees arrive, we have to open the gates, distribute grain, and reassure the people—and in all that back-and-forth, it’s easy for weaknesses to show. On top of that, Xishao has planted many spies among the refugees, which has us all scrambling, unsure where to focus our efforts. What I’m wondering is…”

Qu You rested her chin on her hand, considering carefully. “If Xishao has always struck Ruozhou first in the past, why change strategy this time? What if they first seized poor, struggling Liangzhou, drove its people out of the city, and spread a rumor that among the eleven provinces, only Ruozhou still had the resources to take in outsiders—or perhaps a rumor that if the capital and the western frontier garrison were to send reinforcements at all, they would surely protect Ruozhou first…”

The two women exchanged a glance. Qu You gave a wry smile. “Sister, if that were true, what do you think would happen?”

“If such a rumor really were spreading, then… even without unrest breaking out in the city right now, people from neighboring cities would likely still want to come to Ruozhou to seek safety. My brother would have to divide his forces to protect the civilians while also dealing with Xishao’s smaller raiding parties, exhausting himself in every direction. And then…”

Zhou Tan lifted the flap of the makeshift command tent and walked toward the two of them. Qu You rose to her feet and finished the thought for her. “Perhaps Xishao’s target was never anything but Ruozhou all along.”

“You’re right.” Zhou Tan’s voice was grave. “He Yuankai and I were just discussing the same possibility. It seems we need to prepare for much more than we thought.”