Chang’an.

It was a great city Li Chi had dreamed of for a long, long time — yet in his mind its shape had never been clearly formed.

Even though the entire design of Chang’an had been drawn by his own hand, the more that was so, the less clearly he could picture it.

Chang’an had always existed. It could even be called a major stronghold in the western Central Plains — only a county town in rank, yet of extreme strategic importance.

In its time, the scale here had far exceeded that of an ordinary county. At its most prosperous, it had once held close to four hundred thousand people.

War had shattered that prosperity, leaving behind wound after visible wound.

Ever since Lian Xiwu, Lian Daren, had received his orders to begin expanding Chang’an, his heart had never stopped being suspended in a state of anxiety.

The weight on his shoulders was truly immense. If Chang’an were built poorly, it would inevitably affect the Prince of Ning’s plans to establish the capital here.

Too many people still hoped the new dynasty’s capital would be set in Daxing City. Too many believed Jiangnan was the land of splendour and wealth.

Once they found that here fell short of their hopes, they would take every shortcoming and magnify it without limit — attack it, denounce it, even describe the place as utterly worthless.

The original Chang’an had many fangshi — walled market districts. That kind of planning had existed to make governance easier for the authorities. And as a major stronghold on the northwestern frontier, there had been flourishing trade here, with caravans from the Western Regions and the northern steppe frequently converging in this city.

The fangshi had divided Chang’an into a grid of enclosed blocks, like so many pieces of bean curd. Walls separated the districts from each other; along the main streets, all one could see was wall after wall — almost no shop opened directly onto the road.

And this was precisely what Li Chi disliked.

A city destined to become the capital should not have such a closed-in feel. It lacked grandeur. It lacked openness.

In Li Chi’s vision, if this was to be the future capital of Great Ning, it needed the spirit of something that could contain everything in the world.

So his design called for all the fangshi walls to be torn down. But the scale of that project was colossal — in just a few short years, there was no hope of completing it. Just rebuilding the city walls and the palace complex, let alone reconstructing the existing districts entirely, would take far longer than the time available.

So Lian Xiwu had sought Li Chi’s approval and largely preserved the original lively fangshi areas. The two most vibrant neighbourhoods lay to the east and west, and were accordingly known as the East Market and the West Market.

Centred on the East Market and the West Market, a wide and level road had been built running north to south. Li Chi named it Zhuque Boulevard, and it ran the length of Chang’an from south to north.

To the south of the already-completed palace complex, outside Chengtian Gate, there ran an east-to-west thoroughfare — Chang’an’s other great artery, named Chengtian Gate Boulevard.

Lian Xiwu’s recommendation to Li Chi had been: first complete the new districts, complete the outer city walls; the old fangshi could be left for a gradual process of demolition and reconstruction later.

The East Market and West Market in particular — kept as they were, they would be of enormous benefit for a long period to come.

At this moment, Li Chi stood atop the southernmost city gate of Chang’an, looking north over the great city.

Chang’an had already begun to take its full form. Compared to the desolation of Daxing City, this great city, at a single glance, gave one a feeling of vigorous, thriving life.

“The Great Ning to come…” Li Chi stood on the wall and spoke as if to himself. “Of powerful enemies, there are only two: Heiwu to the north, and the barbarians to the west. Chang’an sits between these two great threats.”

He paused, then continued, “We must let the people see that Great Ning is different. That Great Ning’s Emperor has no desire to settle into the comfort of Jiangnan. That instead, he has the will to stand in the north — the Son of Heaven himself guarding the nation’s gate.”

He finished this, then turned to look at Yu Jiuling. “I flattered myself a little there. Embellish it a little when you say it, and when everyone is assembled, make sure you praise me to my face.”

Yu Jiuling said, “Don’t worry, my lord. These past few days I’ve done nothing else — I’ve been preparing how to sing your praises in front of everyone.”

Li Chi laughed. “Be magnanimous about it.”

Yu Jiuling nodded. “Very magnanimous.”

Li Chi laughed loudly.

Originally, back in Jizhou City, he had truly intended to marry Gao Xining then and there. But Gao Xining still felt they should follow the wishes of those three elders.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t eager. It was that she felt they ought not to be hasty at this moment.

First, those three elders were truly getting on in years. They could not be allowed to carry a regret into the final years of their lives.

Second, even after a grand wedding in Chang’an, they could still go back to that small courtyard and hold another ceremony — one belonging only to Li Chi and her, with only their closest family and friends as guests.

Now Gao Xining smiled and said to Yu Jiuling, “Officials are beginning to arrive from across the realm, one after another. This will be your moment to debate the multitudes with your tongue. Your speech had better be iron-clad.”

Yu Jiuling slapped his chest. “I’m no good on the battlefield, but when has anyone ever beaten me in a war of words?”

Xia Houzhu offered a reminder. “This time it’s different. The war of words you’ll be fighting is against people on our own side. You don’t just have to win — you have to control the degree. If you end up infuriating a few of the senior lords, that won’t be auspicious either.”

Yu Jiuling replied, “Can’t make any promises. As long as those lords don’t come at me aggressively, I’ll rein myself in.”

Just then, a soldier came running up from below the wall and delivered a letter to Li Chi.

Li Chi opened it and read. The pleasure in his eyes deepened considerably.

“A message sent express by Ye Xiaoqian. The Heiwu man called Yuanzhen is dead.”

Xia Houzhu was visibly startled. “How could he be dead? This man cannot die. If brought back alive, he would be invaluable when the time comes for the Northern Expedition.”

Dantai Yajing nodded in agreement, “Indeed — our soldiers are strong and their morale is high. The Heiwu people have suffered crushing defeat every time they’ve marched south, their national strength must have taken a toll. If we had a guide now, taking back vast tracts of lost territory in the Northern Expedition would be well within reach.”

Grand General Shen Shanhu had already arrived from Shuzhou. She also nodded. “It does seem a shame. With this person alive, the Northern Expedition would have a significant advantage.”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment and said, with some frustration, “Although a dead enemy is cause for satisfaction, when you think about what it means for the Northern Expedition — it is genuinely a pity. This Ye Xiaoqian — his work is too careless.”

Gao Xining read through the letter and said, “We can’t place all the blame on him. He was himself gravely wounded, so lapses were inevitable.”

She looked to Li Chi. “But a failure of duty is still a failure of duty. He never even considered that the fugitive might bite off his own tongue.”

Li Chi said, “True — that man was ferocious enough. To bite off his own tongue.”

Everyone present knew well: a simple bite of the tongue does not kill. To die that way, you must bite off a large enough piece and swallow it, blocking the throat — that is what suffocates you. And to get a large enough piece, you have to push the tongue as far forward as possible before biting. The piece must be large, and it cannot fall to the ground — that is useless. To truly attempt it requires considerable composure and resolution.

Only someone truly ruthless could do it.

Li Chi said, “Ye Xiaoqian’s injuries were serious too — he gave everything he had. Although he was genuinely derelict in duty, he should not be too harshly reproached.”

The moment Li Chi said this, Gao Xining understood perfectly. She had just spoken a word of defence for Ye Xiaoqian — yet now she shook her head.

“I am Du Tingwei of the Tingwei Bureau. Even though he was gravely wounded in the course of his duty, a dereliction this serious cannot go without sanction.”

Gao Xining spoke gravely. “Especially given how important this prisoner was — you made the instructions absolutely clear before he departed: this prisoner must be brought back alive. And he was negligent enough to let it happen.”

She turned to look at Zhang Tang. “Zhang Tang — I leave this matter to you. When Ye Xiaoqian returns, strip him of his rank as Qianban, take him into custody, and conduct a thorough investigation. Determine whether this was negligence — or whether there is a possible connection with Heiwu, or whether he received some benefit from the prisoner.”

She looked Zhang Tang directly in the eyes. “The fact that Ye Xiaoqian is a member of the Tingwei Bureau is no reason to go easy on this inquiry. And the fact that he is Ye Xiansheng’s —” she paused. “— whatever methods of interrogation are warranted, use them.”

Ye Xiansheng, standing not far off, immediately bowed. “Du Tingwei Daren is right. My relationship to him cannot be a reason for leniency. Whatever should be done must be done.”

Hearing this, Xia Houzhu grew anxious.

“There’s no need for this, surely,” he said quickly. “How could Ye Xiaoqian possibly have ties to Heiwu, or have accepted a bribe from a prisoner? Du Tingwei Daren — demanding high standards from your subordinates is one thing, but surely reason must still apply.”

Dantai Yajing said, “The Tingwei Bureau’s Qianban pursued the criminal for ten thousand li, was gravely wounded, and brought the man in alive — only for the prisoner to bite off his own tongue. If you sanction the Qianban for that, not only will it chill the hearts of everyone else in the Tingwei Bureau — it will chill ours as well. Du Tingwei Daren, please reconsider, carefully.”

Gao Xining said, “That won’t do. To serve in the Tingwei Bureau is to be held to a higher standard — a standard that begins with oneself…”

Li Chi said, “We shouldn’t be too severe…”

Gao Xining: “No. First there must be an investigation. If the investigation finds no serious fault, that’s one thing — but stripping him of rank is non-negotiable. A prisoner this important — an error this grave — he cannot remain in the Tingwei Bureau.”

Shen Shanhu was quiet for a moment, then said, “The Northern Expedition is not something to be rushed into, in any case. And if that prisoner was cunning enough, he might have deliberately led our armies astray, or devised some scheme — which could well have caused the Northern Expedition forces to suffer a terrible setback.”

She looked to Gao Xining. “I make so bold as to speak on Ye Xiaoqian’s behalf. He truly committed no great wrong here.”

Gao Xining said, “No great wrong does not mean no wrong at all. Are we to reward him, then?”

Li Chi ventured carefully, “How about this… he pursued the criminal for ten thousand li and was gravely wounded — that is a great contribution. The Tingwei Bureau holds itself to strict standards, and I shall not interfere with that. But I propose that his great merit cancel out his small fault — merit and fault together, neither rewarded nor punished.”

Gao Xining fell silent.

Xia Houzhu quickly said, “My lord has spoken — that cannot be ignored. My lord is the lord, after all.”

What he meant was: in front of everyone, you cannot refuse to give face to the lord.

Gao Xining let out a quiet sigh. “Very well then. Merit and fault cancel each other.”

Li Chi nodded, “Yes, yes. Merit and fault cancel each other. That works well.”

Gao Xining gave him a sideways look. “In future, you are not to be indulgent about Tingwei Bureau matters.”

Li Chi: “Yes, yes — not indulgent. I will also hold myself to strict standards. I will. Absolutely.”

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