The Princess Consort of the Wu Prince looked at the Grand Marshal standing before her — fine-featured, with a faint scholarly air about his brow, yet eyes that moved with the calm precision of a killer’s instrument — and for a moment, she did not know how to speak.

It wasn’t fear. In the half-lifetime of experiences she had lived through, what person, what sight, could possibly rattle her so badly that she lost her footing?

She simply could not find a way to stand over Tang Pidi’s presence.

This was a meeting, and a negotiation. If you lost the battle of presence from the very first moment, what was there left to negotiate?

“Prince of Ning.”

In the end, the Princess Consort shifted her gaze away from Tang Pidi’s face, reasoning that he was only a Grand Marshal — why shouldn’t she negotiate with the Prince of Ning instead?

To call it shifting was, in truth, to call it retreating. She had no way to suppress Tang Pidi, so she would try Li Chi instead.

And so the corner of Tang Pidi’s mouth curved ever so slightly upward.

This woman. How could she think the Prince of Ning would be easier to handle? Was it because Li Chi looked like the sort of person who could be managed? In that case, they ought to have sent Yu Jiuling — that one looked even more manageable.

The Princess Consort turned to Li Chi. “First, I must thank the Prince of Ning for agreeing to meet with me. I had thought you might not — after all, the advantage is yours at the moment…”

Li Chi smiled. “If the Princess Consort has terms to propose, you may state them directly. Let us set the pleasantries aside and speak to the matter.”

The Princess Consort made a sound of agreement, composed her words, and said: “The Prince of Ning’s enemies are not the Wu Prince alone, nor the imperial court alone. If the Prince of Ning can see fit to allow the Wu Prince’s army to return home intact, then in the future, no matter who stands against the Prince of Ning, the Wu Prince will stand at your side.”

Li Chi: “Even against the Chu Emperor?”

The Princess Consort stilled.

Li Chi: “Can the Princess Consort even convince herself of that condition?”

The Princess Consort was silent for a moment, then continued: “Then… I will retreat one step further. The Left Wuwei Army may remain, and the Wu Prince alone leaves Mangdang Mountain.”

Li Chi: “That condition is slightly better. But if the Princess Consort were to reverse the terms, it would be more persuasive. I keep the Wu Prince, and you take the Left Wuwei Army home with you.”

The Princess Consort frowned. “Prince of Ning — if it truly comes to battle, with the Wu Prince’s skill in command, the fighting strength of the Left Wuwei, and the reinforcements I have brought — are you not afraid that your own forces will also suffer grave losses?”

Li Chi: “I need only focus on fighting you. Do you think the Wu Prince can march out of Mangdang Mountain so easily?”

The Princess Consort fell silent again.

After a moment, she said: “Over these years, I have run businesses across the heartland and accumulated tens of millions in wealth. I am willing to offer all of it to the Prince of Ning.”

Li Chi sighed, and said nothing — but that reaction was itself an answer.

Tens of millions. What was that against the world? Win the world, and what wealth could one not possess?

After a brief pause, Li Chi said: “Allow me to propose a condition instead, and let the Princess Consort consider whether it is workable.”

“Please speak,” the Princess Consort said.

“The forces the Princess Consort has brought,” Li Chi said, “together with the Wu Prince’s Left Wuwei Army — all of them are to join my Ning army. I will arrange for the Wu Prince and the Princess Consort to retire to some quiet place and live out their days in seclusion. There will be no returning to the capital.”

At those words, the Princess Consort’s gaze shifted, just briefly.

She had laid out three conditions in succession, and Li Chi had refused each one without the slightest temptation — three conditions she herself knew held little appeal.

And yet Li Chi had only needed to offer one condition, and the Princess Consort was moved. Not just a little moved.

By this point, what did she care about the Chu dynasty’s rivers and mountains? She cared only about her husband.

She could even say that she had never truly cared about this rotted, stinking Great Chu court. It was her husband who cared, and so she had appeared to care as well.

After a long silence, the Princess Consort let out a slow, heavy breath.

She said to Li Chi: “Were it only up to me, I would accept the Prince of Ning’s terms. But I suspect the Wu Prince will not agree. The Left Wuwei is as vital to him as his own life.”

Li Chi said nothing, knowing she still had more to say.

“Would the Prince of Ning permit me to send someone into Mangdang Mountain, to convey your terms in full to the Wu Prince? If he agrees, I will immediately order the army to surrender.”

Li Chi nodded. “Very well.”

The Princess Consort bowed slightly toward Li Chi. “I am grateful for the Prince of Ning’s generosity. I will arrange for a trusted person to enter the mountain as soon as I return.”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment. “Go then.”

And so the Princess Consort led her party back to the Chu army encampment.

On the stone bridge, Li Chi and Tang Pidi did not leave immediately. The scenery here was lovely — a stone bridge over flowing water, with plump fish below — so they lingered a while.

Li Chi called for an attendant to fetch fishing rods, and he and Tang Pidi stood side by side along one railing of the bridge, casting their lines.

“You offered her such generous terms. She was truly moved.”

Tang Pidi watched the float on his line, then smiled slightly. “Pity. She’ll waste your goodwill.”

Li Chi said: “She’s right that no matter how good the terms I offer, the Wu Prince will not surrender. He would sooner die…”

Then: “She made a show of wanting to send someone into Mangdang Mountain. First, to assess the situation inside. Second, to consult with the Wu Prince on a strategy. Third, to arrange a time for a coordinated breakout — striking from both within and without.”

Li Chi pointed at Tang Pidi’s rod. “You’ve got one.”

Tang Pidi gave a flick of his wrist. On the hook hung a large fish still thrashing wildly — a fine, fat thing, four or five catties at least.

The two men looked at the fish, and then, for no particular reason, both began to laugh.

—

At the Chu army encampment:

The Princess Consort returned and convened a council of her generals. Among these two hundred thousand troops, there were over twenty generals of the third rank alone, and dozens above the fourth rank.

Under the Chu army’s system, roughly ten thousand soldiers constituted one army, and any general who commanded such a force independently held the rank of full fourth rank.

But after the Great Chu fell into decline, official and military ranks had fallen into disarray. The Emperor, desperate to win loyalty, had bestowed princely titles on dozens of men with different surnames, and the number of marquises was beyond counting. Once, the third rank had been the ceiling for military officers in the great Chu; now, all these commanding generals carried the rank of full third rank.

“I have met with the Prince of Ning, Li Chi.”

The Princess Consort addressed her assembled generals. “I agreed, in appearance, to his proposal to send someone into Mangdang Mountain to persuade the Wu Prince to surrender. As long as our people can enter and come back out, we can coordinate with the Wu Prince on a time to break through together.”

General Dou Yong said: “This is the best possible outcome. When the time comes, we press inward and the Wu Prince breaks outward — caught between us, the Ning army’s defensive line will surely be breached.”

The Princess Consort said: “That is why I have summoned you all here today — to go back and make ready. When word returns from the Wu Prince, we may meet the Ning army in decisive battle at any moment.”

“Yes!”

Every voice answered as one.

But this cobbled-together force did not have every man willing to fight to the death against the Ning army.

One hundred thousand Liangzhou soldiers, fifty thousand Chu regulars, fifty thousand Yuezhou troops — of those who were truly determined to rescue the Wu Prince, perhaps not even half.

Not because they did not respect him. They simply did not think it was worth it. Respect and willingness to die were two separate things.

“Zhaoluan. Cainan.”

The Princess Consort looked at the two women closest to her, the two she trusted most.

“If I send a military officer into the mountain, the Ning army may grow suspicious. I wish for you two to go into Mangdang Mountain to see the Wu Prince.”

Zhaoluan and Cainan immediately bowed. “We will go.”

Two women who looked soft and delicate — the Ning army would likely lower their guard.

“Pack your things, and at first light tomorrow, cross the river. After crossing the Panxing, you still have a hundred-odd li to Mangdang Mountain, so move quickly.”

“Yes!”

The two women answered together.

The next day, before light had even touched the sky, Zhaoluan and Cainan had already packed and were ready to set out.

The Princess Consort stood at the camp gate waiting. When she saw them approaching, she turned and took something from an attendant.

She had spent nearly the entire night making this herself, sleeping little — food for the Wu Prince. There were layers of crispy flaky pastry he loved, and a cured ham from Jinzhou, a specialty of that region.

“Take this to the Wu Prince.”

“Yes.”

Cainan accepted the bundle and secured it on her back.

The Princess Consort instructed them: “Do not make any other moves. When you reach the riverbank, Ning army boats will take you across, and Ning army escorts will see you through — do not say more than necessary. Although the Prince of Ning is known for keeping his word and would not stoop to treachery, you must still be cautious.”

Zhaoluan said: “My lady need not worry. We will bring back the Wu Prince’s word.”

The Princess Consort personally saw them to the bank of the Panxing River. A Ning army boat was already waiting there.

She watched them board, watched them grow smaller and more distant, and felt an unease she could not calm.

In all her half-lifetime, except before the Wu Prince, she had never shown anything but strength to the world — cold, unyielding. Yet now, watching the retreating backs of those two women, she was filled with guilt and worry.

—

On the boat, the man waiting to receive Zhaoluan and Cainan smiled and said, “Hello there.” The smile was well-intentioned — he was trying to put the two women at ease.

But the moment he smiled, Zhaoluan and Cainan could only grow more tense.

There was something about the way Yu Jiuling smiled at women that was, at least a little bit… not quite proper. This was not Yu Jiuling’s fault. It was simply his face’s fault.

“Don’t be nervous. My name is Yu Jiuling — General of the Prince of Ning’s personal guard.”

Yu Jiuling said: “I thought they’d be sending a man. I went to the trouble of preparing food.”

He pointed to a food box. “Once you’re in Ning army territory, meals are provided.”

Zhaoluan and Cainan exchanged a glance. The Princess Consort had told them to say as little as possible to the Ning army people, so neither of them spoke.

Yu Jiuling felt that women were truly troublesome — at least most women. They all looked at him as though he were some kind of villain.

Fine, he thought, your loss. I’ll eat it myself.

He opened the food box. The top tier held still-warm steamed buns. Below were two more tiers — one with sliced cooked meat, one with crisp pickled radish strips.

He pried a bun apart, stuffed it with a generous amount of meat, and took a bite. The aroma was extraordinary. He ate heartily, alternating with bites of the radish strips, which made a satisfying crunch in his mouth.

That was enough to make Zhaoluan and Cainan slightly hungry…

Zhaoluan suddenly asked: “General, you just said you expected a man, so you prepared food — does that mean women don’t get fed?”

Yu Jiuling said around a mouthful of food: “Of course women get fed too — it just wouldn’t be this rough. It’d have to be finer, more delicate, especially for two lovely ladies like yourselves. This isn’t the right kind of thing for you.”

Cainan heard that, looked more carefully at Yu Jiuling, and thought: This man is a little plain-looking, but he’s actually quite considerate.

She pointed at the steamed buns. “May I have one?”

Yu Jiuling pushed the whole food box toward them. “Take them all.”

Cainan said immediately: “You’re so kind, General. Considerate and generous too.”

Yu Jiuling burst out laughing — still had food in his mouth and nearly sprayed it everywhere.

The two women exchanged a glance.

Their eyes said much the same thing: This man is a bit of a clown. He doesn’t seem very cunning.

And Yu Jiuling, grinning like a fool, happened to catch that glance and thought to himself: These two women who just decided I’m a clown — they also seem to think I’m not very cunning.

—