“What are you doing!”

The instant Li Diudiu stood up, Xiahou Zuo came striding through the door in great strides—the things he’d been carrying in his hands were now cast outside the door. Li Diudiu was startled by his shout and instinctively looked toward him, only to find Xiahou Zuo glaring at Prince Yu with fury barely contained in his eyes.

“Don’t push it.”

Xiahou Zuo took a single step and planted himself in front of Li Diudiu.

Prince Yu’s expression shifted, then he smiled and said, “I merely casually made an introduction—what is wrong with that?”

Xiahou Zuo frowned and said, “Don’t play these games in front of me, and don’t play them in front of my friend. You know what I despise most, and you know what my mother despised most.”

Prince Yu’s expression changed slightly—it seemed he felt that Xiahou Zuo’s attitude in front of an outsider was damaging to his dignity and wanted to lose his temper. But Xiahou Zuo gave him no opportunity. He grabbed Li Diudiu and headed for the door.

“Let’s go.”

Li Diudiu made a sound of acknowledgment and followed Xiahou Zuo out. Behind them came Prince Yu’s voice, but Xiahou Zuo had no intention of listening—his footsteps grew faster and faster.

“You lack no prospects because you are my son. But does Li Chi not lack prospects? If he cannot even accept something like this, how can he ever amount to anything great!”

Xiahou Zuo pulled Li Diudiu out the door with great strides. Prince Yu was so furious his hands trembled slightly.

Yao Wuhen stood there and felt nothing in particular. He merely became somewhat interested in this young man called Li Chi. At the moment Prince Yu said “let me introduce you,” there had been a killing intent in Li Chi’s eyes.

“You may go.”

Prince Yu waved his hand.

Yao Wuhen nodded, bowed, and withdrew from the study. He seemed to drift out casually, yet in fact he had been following behind Li Diudiu and Xiahou Zuo all along.

Out on the street, Li Diudiu stopped in his tracks. He patted Xiahou Zuo on the back; Xiahou Zuo stopped too. Li Diudiu turned and stood back-to-back with Xiahou Zuo. Xiahou Zuo immediately understood Li Diudiu’s meaning.

“He actually dared to follow us?”

Xiahou Zuo asked.

Li Diudiu patted Xiahou Zuo again—meaning: turn around and face forward.

For some reason, Xiahou Zuo could immediately understand Li Diudiu’s meaning. He turned and stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Diudiu, both of them looking back the way they had come.

Yao Wuhen had made no attempt to conceal his presence. If he had wished to conceal it, the vast majority of people in this world would have had no hope of finding him so easily.

He swept a glance over Li Chi and felt that this young man might lunge at him any moment, like a wild beast poised to tear him to shreds. This was the sharp intuition of a skilled assassin, and it told him that this person named Li Chi would certainly do something extraordinary in the future.

Yao Wuhen pointed at Li Diudiu and said, “I bear you no grudge. You hate me because I offended you? Not exactly—it’s because you think I killed someone you knew.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “What do you want?”

Yao Wuhen said, “I don’t want anything. I simply want to tell you: I am not Prince Yu’s dog. I take money and handle jobs. Relatively speaking, he has money, and so I have business to do—that’s all there is to it.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “Do you have any reason to explain yourself to us?”

Yao Wuhen pointed at Li Diudiu again. “I’m speaking to him, not you.”

Xiahou Zuo frowned—he felt he was being looked down on.

Li Diudiu said, “Although I don’t understand the point of explaining all this to me, there’s no need to say any more—I have no particular interest.”

Yao Wuhen smiled. “Stay exactly as you are. We—and people like them—are not the same.”

He pointed at Xiahou Zuo.

Xiahou Zuo felt he was being looked down on again.

Yao Wuhen said, “People with power and status will always treat people like us as dogs. Don’t think he’ll ever truly regard you as a friend. You were right not to stay at Prince Yu’s residence. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Li Diudiu said, “Even though I don’t understand your purpose in saying all this—counting from your first sentence to now, roughly thirty breaths have passed. You’ve successfully squandered thirty breaths of my lifespan. You truly live up to your reputation as an assassin.”

Yao Wuhen smiled, unbothered by Li Chi’s mockery.

He turned. “I just didn’t want to see someone of our background end up with no other path forward but the same one I chose. I had no choice—it seems you do.”

He raised his hand, gave a small wave as he walked away, and said over his shoulder, “I know that the person in the seven-tenths-length night-walking clothes that evening was you. Your martial arts are quite good. The clothes, not so much.”

Li Diudiu paid him no mind.

Xiahou Zuo laughed. “Don’t worry about any of that. Some people always have ‘no choice’ on their lips—it’s just an excuse they make for their own wrongdoing.”

Li Diudiu made a sound of acknowledgment, looked up at the sky. “I’m a bit hungry.”

Xiahou Zuo said, “You just finished eating less than an hour ago.”

Li Diudiu said, “You call that food at your house?”

Xiahou Zuo said, “What else would you call it?”

Li Diudiu said, “Works of art. Too refined—not satisfying.”

Xiahou Zuo stepped forward. “At most I’ll treat you to one bowl of lamb stew.”

Li Diudiu said, “And pickled garlic.”

At Prince Yu’s residence, not long after Li Diudiu and Xiahou Zuo departed, Garrison Commissioner Zeng Ling came to call. Prince Yu had someone set out a tea table in the courtyard, and the two of them sat there drinking tea and chatting in the warm winter afternoon sun.

It merely appeared to be casual chat—that was for the servants’ benefit. Besides, talking in the courtyard meant no one could approach without being seen. In a study, someone might be eavesdropping through the walls; in a vast courtyard, anyone who came close would be visible.

“Your Highness, Prince Wu’s forces have crushed the rebels at Tang County. In a few days, Prince Wu should be returning to Jizhou City to resupply.”

Zeng Ling watched Prince Yu’s expression.

Prince Yu showed nothing. He simply nodded. “He’s only cleared out the Tang County rebels—he hasn’t wiped out all the rebel forces in the entire northern borderlands.”

Zeng Ling said, “But with no further entanglements, Prince Wu will likely finish off all the northern rebel forces before long. Should we… discuss this with Prince Wu?”

“Discuss it with him?”

Prince Yu gave a cold snort. “Do you honestly think my royal brother is the sort of man who would join our side?”

Zeng Ling said, “The court knows no restraint, and the Emperor knows no restraint—what we’re doing is born of necessity. If we don’t accumulate strength and control territory now, how can we hope to stand firm in the future? Among the dozens of large and small rebel forces in the northern borderlands, we have already brought seven in ten under our control. When the day comes to raise the banner, we could assemble hundreds of thousands of troops in an instant. But with Prince Wu here…”

He looked at Prince Yu. “This is no longer merely a threat—it is a grave danger to us.”

Prince Yu said helplessly, “My royal brother’s military tactics and martial prowess are unmatched in the realm—no one is his equal. Once he’s finished his campaign, he’ll return to the capital to report. What else can we do? Kill him?”

He looked at Zeng Ling. “The garrison commissioners in every region are all stockpiling strength with their own private aims. And now the Emperor has sent my royal brother to the northern borderlands—which makes it hard to believe the Emperor hasn’t grown suspicious of you and of me.”

Zeng Ling said, “Of the thirteen prefectures, all thirteen garrison commissioners command heavy troops. But Jizhou is different from the rest—because Your Highness is here. The Emperor’s fear is not just that the commissioners of the thirteen prefectures might all rebel. What he truly fears is that Your Highness might declare himself emperor in Jizhou with their backing. And there are also reports from the capital that the Emperor’s health has been deteriorating.”

Prince Yu smiled. “Overindulgence in wine and women—it was only a matter of time. What concerns me now is not the Emperor. I think what’s happening may not entirely be the Emperor’s idea, or Garrison Commissioner Liu Chongxin’s idea—it may be the Crown Prince’s.”

He looked at Zeng Ling. “That child is nothing like his father. At seven years old he was debating affairs of state with the court ministers, with barely a flaw in his reasoning—which speaks to the sharpness of his mind. By thirteen he was already managing court affairs. At fifteen he secretly adopted a false name and entered the imperial examination—and walked away with first place in the realm…”

Zeng Ling nodded. “What’s even more concerning is that Liu Chongxin has not an ounce of duplicity toward the Crown Prince. Whatever the Crown Prince says, Liu Chongxin acts accordingly. At present the Crown Prince is still only Crown Prince, but the moment he ascends the throne, Liu Chongxin will become the sharpest blade in his hand. Once all rivals have been removed—I have no doubt whatsoever that the Crown Prince will then eliminate Liu Chongxin as well.”

Prince Yu said, “Let us set aside the Crown Prince for now and speak of my royal brother. Just now something occurred to me that might prove useful. Send men out and have the various rebel forces gather a batch of weapons and armor together. From each force, select the most capable fighters, and send both men and weapons to Yanshan.”

He looked at Zeng Ling. “Yu Chaozong’s forces at Yanshan Camp are the most formidable in battle. Concentrate the elite fighters and weapons from the various rebel forces and give them to him. Let him go up against my royal brother. Yanshan has complex terrain, and Yu Chaozong has the advantage of geography. Among the government’s military commanders, there are few who can match him in managing an army. Perhaps…”

Prince Yu smiled. “Perhaps he’ll even manage to kill my royal brother.”

Zeng Ling nodded. “Then I’ll arrange it immediately—have the rebel forces in each county send their men and materiel to Yu Chaozong. But… Your Highness, Yu Chaozong is also the most ungovernable of men.”

Prince Yu smiled. “That’s precisely why I choose him. Don’t you understand yet?”

Zeng Ling thought for a moment, and suddenly it dawned on him.

“Your Highness, you are brilliant!”

Zeng Ling rose to his feet. “No time to waste. Prince Wu will likely be returning to Jizhou City soon to resupply. While there’s still time, I’ll have men concentrate the forces and send them to Yu Chaozong. If Prince Wu wins, he eliminates Yu Chaozong; if Yu Chaozong wins, he eliminates Prince Wu. Either way is favorable.”

Prince Yu rose. “Then go. I need to go see Zhuo’er—that child gives me no peace of mind. For the sake of some low-born wildling, he has the nerve to be angry with me…”

Zeng Ling asked, “Is that the one called Li Chi?”

Prince Yu nodded. “Yes.”

Zeng Ling said, “If it comes to it, I can have someone eliminate Li Chi—he’s no one significant.”

“Not yet necessary. If that young man can be brought under my service, having him go to the capital together with Yao Wuhen in the future would give me greater odds of success.”

Prince Yu said, “Go handle your affairs. I’ll deal with Zhuo’er’s situation myself.”

Zeng Ling said, “He has his heart set on going to the northern frontier.”

“Let him go.”

Prince Yu smiled. “You told me this long ago, and I’ve simply been pretending not to know in front of him. The people I have placed in Youzhou under Luo Geng’s command haven’t been able to penetrate very deep—if Zhuo’er goes, it might prove useful. But arrangements must be made to keep him well-protected.”

Zeng Ling said, “He would resent you if he found out, Your Highness.”

“Why would he need to find out?”

Prince Yu said, “His father has grand ambitions—it is only fitting that he play some part in this. My other children are all without talent. If I ascend to the throne in the future, will the realm not all be his to inherit? He will understand in time.”

Zeng Ling nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave. Your Highness, don’t take it too hard—Xiahou’s temper is indeed a bit fierce.”

“That is precisely why he is the most suited to inherit my legacy.”

Prince Yu let out a long breath. “Once I have ascended the throne, I will naturally improve the lives of the people throughout the realm. In time Zhuo’er will succeed me—with his temperament, he is capable of sweeping the court clean. With the efforts of both myself and him, one following the other, it should be possible to set Dachu back on the right path…”

—