Chang’an. The city gate.
When they were nearly at the gate, the wind and snow ceased. When they came into His Majesty’s sight, the clouds parted and the sun shone through, as if brilliant rays of seven colors had torn through the cloud layer to illuminate the entrance of the imperial capital.
Those rays fell, without deviation, upon Li Chi — and they fell, too, upon Tang Pidi, kneeling before him.
All around lay shadowed and dim, yet precisely here was a single shaft of light, rendering the two of them apart from all the world. Within that light, there were only the two of them, and nothing else.
“Your Majesty, your guilty servant…”
“Get up and speak.”
“Your servant bears the weight of guilt — it would not be right to rise. Your servant dares not rise.”
“Do We need to pull you up? Can’t pull you up — should We carry you into the city on Our back?”
“Your servant… obeys.”
“Walk with Us back to the Weiyang Palace. On both sides of the streets, quite a few citizens have been waiting to see you. We do not wish anyone to see you in a state unworthy of you.”
Li Chi turned: “Ding Qing’an! Bring him the grand general’s brocade robe!”
The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Study, Ding Qing’an, immediately stepped forward, presenting the grand general’s brocade robe, held in both hands.
Li Chi looked into Tang Pidi’s eyes and said: “You removed this brocade robe yourself — and so We personally brought it back to you.”
Tang Pidi breathed in deeply, then removed his own plain cloth long robe and put on that resplendent and magnificent Grand General’s dress uniform.
“No one but Us has the right to see you bow your head. From the moment you pass through this gate, hold your chest high and your head up. You are still Dachu’s Grand General.”
Li Chi turned: “Follow Us.”
Tang Pidi drew a deep breath once more and stepped forward to follow Li Chi.
Both sides of Chang’an’s main street were lined with people. The Grand General had not returned to Chang’an in fifteen years — now that he was back, who would not want to see him?
When Dachu’s Emperor and the Grand General passed through the city gates in that moment, the people stretched their necks to look, and some could not help crying out in jubilation.
“Walk abreast of Us.”
Li Chi lowered his voice to say this, and Tang Pidi immediately quickened his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with Li Chi.
“Your Majesty, your servant has failed you.”
Tang Pidi replied in a very low voice.
“Nonsense.”
Li Chi smiled and waved greetings to the citizens on both sides, waving as he said: “We have bragged about many things over the years, but the boast that has given Us the most satisfaction — has always been that Tang Pidi is Our brother. We will keep bragging about this for the rest of Our days.”
Everyone followed behind Li Chi and Tang Pidi, and looking at the two of them walking side by side like that, it seemed for a moment as if time had turned back to days gone by.
“This time, you have won.”
Li Chi walked and talked: “You have been wanting Us to strip you of your Wang title all along. We never wavered in the past, but this time We cannot help but waver.”
Tang Pidi said: “And so your servant — has failed Your Majesty.”
“You have not.”
Li Chi said: “If you had failed Us, We would have had your grand general’s brocade robe locked away — not brought it to you.”
“This matter is not yet known to the people of Chang’an, but it will not be long before not only Chang’an, but the entire realm will know.”
Li Chi glanced sideways at Tang Pidi: “We have also never once considered suppressing this matter. You, of all people, know Us best.”
Tang Pidi said: “Your servant understands. Nor did your servant ever intend to suppress this matter — otherwise your servant would not have brought troops to Yunzhou City.”
Li Chi nodded: “The Wang title — We will hold it in safekeeping for you for now. As for the future…”
Before he could finish, Tang Pidi had already cut him off.
“Your Majesty, your servant has never harbored any such thoughts of using this as an opportunity. Tang Anchen is your servant’s younger brother, the second son of your servant’s father. Your servant…”
Li Chi said: “There is no need to explain these things to Us. Of all the tens of hundreds of millions of people in the realm, the one who is most upright and open is certainly you. When it comes to these four words — upright and open — even We fall short of you.”
Tang Pidi was about to speak again, but Li Chi stopped him.
“Let us speak no more of this matter. A transgression against the law of the realm must be punished according to the offense… Right now, We only want to drink with you.”
Tang Pidi nodded: “Your servant feels the same.”
—
The Weiyang Palace. The great hall.
Ding Qing’an held the imperial edict in both hands and read it aloud. The civil and military officials stood in solemn rows within the hall, every one of them holding their breath to listen. Not a sound was made.
In truth, they had all guessed what the outcome would be. The title of Grand General Wang — it was feared it would have to be revoked.
His Majesty might be able to hold back the dissatisfaction of the ministers, but His Majesty could not disregard the dissatisfaction of the people of the realm.
His Majesty had always said that what set Dachu apart from Chu was that the law of the realm was the law of the realm, and the law of the realm was to be upheld without exception.
Once this matter spread, the people would feel that it was impossible for it to have had nothing to do with Tang Pidi.
The voices of the multitude can silence even imperial power.
His Majesty’s decree: strip Tang Pidi of the title of Grand General Wang. Confer in its place the title of Duke. Yet he would still hold the foremost rank among all the ministers and officials.
Tang Anchen was to be reduced to the status of a commoner. In accordance with Grand General Tang Pidi’s petition, His Majesty granted: the family name Tang would be stripped from Tang Anchen, and he would henceforth take the surname Shu.
Within the great hall there was only the sound of Ding Qing’an reading the imperial edict. All the civil and military officials listened in total silence.
When the edict had been read to its conclusion, the assembled officials bowed as one.
It seemed the matter had thus reached a point of conclusion — when, at this very moment, Gao Youlian, the Chief Censor of the Censorate, stepped forward.
He submitted a petition to His Majesty, requesting that Tang Pidi’s post of acting military administrator of the Northwest Camp be revoked as well. The moment these words left his mouth, the officials throughout the great hall could not help drawing a sharp collective breath.
If there was one word for courage — it was Gao Youlian who truly had it.
Li Chi, having heard him out, replied with only a single sentence: “Go and find your legal basis. If your remonstrance has a foundation in law, We will listen to you.”
With that, he rose and left.
After His Majesty had departed, Gao Youlian involuntarily let out a long breath. Far from appearing frightened by His Majesty, he actually seemed somewhat relieved.
Gui Yuanshu, the Minister of Justice, passed by Gao Youlian. He paused his steps, then raised a thumb toward him.
“Gao Daren, respect.”
“Obviously — I respect myself too.”
Gao Youlian shot Gui Yuanshu a look: “If I didn’t say it, were you going to?”
Gui Yuanshu shook his head repeatedly: “I certainly was not going to say it… If you said it, His Majesty would at most not engage with you. If I said it, His Majesty would call me in for a scolding.”
Gao Youlian: “If His Majesty called me in to scold me too, I’d actually be delighted.”
Having said this, the old official gave a snort, turned, and ambled away.
But before he had gone more than a few steps, he came back and lowered his voice near Gui Yuanshu’s ear: “In a little while His Majesty will be hosting a banquet to welcome the Grand General. I may cause a scene at the banquet… you need to restrain me when the time comes.”
Gui Yuanshu: “What does Gao Daren mean by this?”
Gao Youlian said: “The Grand General did, after all, overstep the law. His Majesty’s handling of it is as light as it could possibly be, and on top of that he is making such a conspicuous show of hosting a welcoming banquet. As the Chief Censor, it is exactly my duty to make a great scene at the banquet and give the Grand General a proper dressing-down…”
He slapped Gui Yuanshu on the shoulder: “There are not many people I could entrust with this sort of thing. Gui Daren, you must help me…”
Gui Yuanshu: “Has Gao Daren considered — if you are merely making a show of your position, you could simply not attend the banquet.”
“That absolutely will not do.”
Gao Youlian declared with utmost righteousness: “If I don’t go, that is cowardice. As Chief Censor, anyone else may be a coward — I cannot. You are the Minister of Justice — above your head you have the law of the realm. I am the Chief Censor — above my head I have not only the law of the realm, but also moral principle.”
Gui Yuanshu let out a sigh: “This role is, indeed, not something just anyone can carry out.”
Gao Youlian said: “What choice do I have? It’s not as if I don’t know that the Grand General is the most unlikely person in this entire realm to harbor any rebellious intentions — yet at the banquet I still have to call him a treacherous rebel. But I figure that should be enough — you cut me off right at that line.”
Gui Yuanshu: “You intend to push it that far?”
Gao Youlian: “There are harsher things to come after that, but I think stopping at ‘treacherous rebel’ will do. You stop me right there.”
Gui Yuanshu sighed once more: “All right, all right… but Gao Daren, this means you owe me a favor. In the future, if I happen to hand you something to use against me, you must go easy on me when you scold me before all the ministers.”
Gao Youlian: “That… isn’t that putting me in a difficult position.”
Gui Yuanshu: “Hmph. I won’t help you then.”
Gao Youlian quickly grabbed Gui Yuanshu’s arm: “I’ll do my best. My very best.”
—
When the evening banquet arrived, everyone came before Tang Pidi to offer toasts in turn. Even though Tang Pidi appeared to have returned to the capital under a cloud of wrongdoing, everyone knew that this wrongdoing was a catastrophe that had fallen from the sky upon him, leaving him no choice but to bear it.
And besides, the Grand General had been away from Chang’an for a full fifteen years. Now that he was back — even merely out of courtesy, one ought to come and offer a toast.
After Gui Yuanshu came over and had a cup of wine with Tang Pidi, he turned to go back to his seat — and then he saw Gao Youlian coming over with a cup of wine in hand.
Gui Yuanshu’s heart tensed. *Gao Daren, you come over holding a cup of wine like that — isn’t your purpose a little too obvious?*
Sure enough, Gao Youlian stepped in front of Tang Pidi, called out “Grand General,” and just as Tang Pidi rose to return the greeting, Gao Youlian raised his hand as if to fling the wine at him, his face already composing itself into an expression of great dramatic conviction.
But Gui Yuanshu, swift of eye and quick of hand, pressed the wine cup back down.
Not a drop spilled. Gui Yuanshu’s hand came down squarely and firmly.
This left Tang Pidi somewhat bewildered, and Gao Youlian equally bewildered.
According to Gao Youlian’s plan, once the wine was flung, he would launch into his dressing-down of Tang Pidi. But Gui Yuanshu’s intervention had thrown off his rhythm entirely.
Just as Gao Youlian was slightly off balance, trying to find his footing again — Tang Pidi took a wide step and placed his own body squarely in front of the assembled officials’ line of sight.
Then Tang Pidi took the cup of wine in his own hand and poured it over himself, stepped back, and looked at Gao Youlian with an expression of great surprise.
“Gao Daren — what is the meaning of this?”
Seeing Tang Pidi respond in this way, Gao Youlian’s expression could not help becoming rather spectacular.
In the next breath, Gao Youlian burst out in a furious roar: “You still have the face to ask me what this means — you treacherous reb—”
Before the words were out, Gui Yuanshu grabbed a plump, full drumstick from the table and shoved it straight into his mouth with a decisive *thwack.*
“Gao Daren has had too much to drink. Let me help Gao Daren back to rest.”
Gui Yuanshu said this, grabbed Gao Youlian, and pulled him away. Gao Youlian made a show of struggling a few times, then went along with it.
Once they were somewhere with no one around, Gao Youlian sighed: “I asked you to help me, and you were about as useful as going straight to the Grand General himself… that cup of wine had to be thrown — without it, there was no way to play out the rest of the scene.”
Gui Yuanshu: “All right, all right, I’ll admit I didn’t cooperate well. In the future, when you have something on me, go ahead and scold me with full force.”
Gao Youlian smiled, then turned and headed outside. Gui Yuanshu, puzzled, called after him: “Gao Daren, you’re leaving the palace already?”
Gao Youlian shook his head: “After I made a scene scolding the Grand General, it’s not as though I can stay there and keep on drinking. His Majesty had a separate small table specially prepared for me in the back — I’m dining alone. You go back first.”
Gui Yuanshu’s eyes went wide: “How many people did you recruit to help you put on this performance!”
Gao Youlian: “Why don’t you think about it — isn’t it possible that even I was recruited by His Majesty to put on this performance?”
Gui Yuanshu thought it over, then fell into step behind him: “Let me come try the small table too. Otherwise I’m getting the short end of this.”
Gao Youlian smiled and nodded, and as they walked he said: “If His Majesty had not let me make a public scene, those people — even if they said nothing openly — would still be whispering in private. Now that I’ve made my commotion, none of them will dare say anything more at a time like this.”
Gui Yuanshu nodded: “True enough. But still… His Majesty sought you out, so presumably he offered you some reward. You sought me out — should you not share some with me? Even if it trickles down through the chain, something ought to reach me at the end of it.”
Gao Youlian: “I would sooner die!”
Gui Yuanshu: “Pah. I’m not helping you then.”
Gao Youlian quickly grabbed Gui Yuanshu: “I’ll do my best. My very best.”
—
After Gao Youlian’s commotion, no one at the banquet dared say another word. Since Gao Youlian had been so brazen as to give His Majesty no face at all, anyone else who did the same would be asking for trouble. Of all the people at this banquet in the Weiyang Palace tonight, every single one was sharp as a blade — who among them would choose to stick their neck out at a moment like this?
And so the banquet continued until the hour of Zi, when all the officials finally dispersed. Li Chi kept Tang Pidi behind in the Weiyang Palace, had a spread of refreshments and small dishes prepared, and set up wine and food anew in the Eastern Warm Hall.
“You son of a ***, if you hadn’t gotten yourself into this trouble, were you genuinely planning to never come back to Chang’an?”
Li Chi stared into Tang Pidi’s eyes as he asked.
Tang Pidi picked up his wine cup: “Your Majesty, please calm yourself — calm yourself. Did Your Majesty not say you only wanted to drink with your servant? Your servant first offers Your Majesty a cup.”
Li Chi picked up his cup, was just about to drink — and set it back down: “Hold on. Answer Our question first. If none of this had happened, were you really planning to never come back to see Us for the rest of your life?”
Tang Pidi: “Your servant… not coming back was better than coming back.”
Li Chi: “You’re going to give Us more of that ridiculous reasoning, aren’t you?!”
Tang Pidi sighed: “If your servant were to return to Chang’an often, or to take up long residence here — Your Majesty, do you think more people would go curry favor with Xu Ji, or more people would come curry favor with your servant? Your servant has no desire to form factions and engage in politics, but day after day, year after year, looking on from the outside — would this not appear to be exactly that? Forming factions and engaging in politics?”
“Your servant may not care. Your Majesty may not care. But there would certainly be people who went about claiming to belong to your servant’s faction, bragging to others — saying ‘I’m Tang Pidi’s man’ — and that would probably carry far more weight than saying ‘I’m Xu Ji’s man.'”
Li Chi let out a short, helpless laugh at that: “Then you go about bragging too — say you are Our man, and see if there is any boast in the realm bigger than that.”
Tang Pidi raised his cup with a smile: “Your Majesty, drink!”
“We are not drinking.”
Li Chi shook his head.
Tang Pidi’s tone turned somewhat pleading: “Your Majesty, now what is it…”
Li Chi said: “Today if you call out ‘Your Majesty, drink,’ We simply will not drink. But if you call out ‘Brother, drink’ — try it and see how fast that cup goes down.”
Tang Pidi hesitated for a long while, then turned to look outside. Ding Qing’an had already had the good sense to withdraw to outside the Eastern Warm Hall.
A moment later, a voice rose within that hall.
“Brother — let’s drink!”
……
……
—
# Afterword
*Not Yielding the Realm* — writing it to this point, this is probably the novel I have the most regrets about.
The biggest regret, when I say it, you probably won’t believe it: it’s that… I should never have written a book like this.
From the confidence at the outset of the book, to the walking-on-eggshells feeling that came later — the process was genuinely grueling.
Because *The Long Ning Imperial Army* had already been written to its absolute apex — the most sweeping, most magnificent peak of the Dachu Empire.
Leng Zi was also at his finest — he was considerably more adorable than Diudiu’er. And then there was Uncle Cha — considerably more endearing than Brother Gao.
You all loved Uncle Cha and Leng Zi so much. So did I — and that is precisely why I dared not write something too similar.
This put Diudiu’er and Brother Gao in chains. The further in I went, the more apparent this drawback became, and the more difficult things grew.
Diudiu’er was manageable — his personality, being somewhat similar to that of the lovable Leng Zi, was tolerable. But Gao Xining could not be shaped into an exact replica of Uncle Cha.
In my original conception, Gao Xining’s image in my mind was a woman of decisive, incisive judgment and meticulous, calculating thought — even possessing a streak of cold ruthlessness.
But a woman written that way would simply not be likable. This caused me to keep tearing myself down and starting over — and so as the writing went on, Gao Xining’s character became hazy and indistinct.
With Uncle Cha’s gem-like precedent before me, shaping Gao Xining was a battle I fought and lost completely.
And then there is the plot.
Perhaps because *Long Ning* had given away too much in advance, I did not think it would matter much at the time — but only after I began writing *Not Yielding* did I realize how fatally those spoilers had undercut the moments of satisfaction and surprise.
There were times when I thought to myself: even if I had written about Dachu’s Xu Qulü, or simply written about the transmigrant Mister Li, either would have been easier than writing Diudiu’er’s story.
This book is not wrong. The fault lies in my own stubbornness. I had wanted to write a trilogy of the Dachu Empire — but I can only bring it to a halt here, with *Not Yielding the Realm*.
As for the new book — I had originally conceived it as the third entry in the Dachu Empire series: a mystery novel set within the framework of the Dachu Empire.
The protagonist would have no connection to Diudiu’er, nor to Leng Zi — only a wandering adventurer who stumbled upon Mister Li’s treasure.
But that story was discarded. I have confidence in the story itself, but it cannot sustain a long-form work.
And so I have had to bring out the idea I had been preparing for after the Dachu trilogy.
I am sorry. The new book will have no connection to Dachu — but its conception arose precisely in response to the aesthetic fatigue that a continuing Dachu series might produce.
I personally feel that this book’s brilliance ought to surpass *Long Ning’s* — otherwise I would not dare use it to stand against the Dachu trilogy I hold dear in my heart.
*Not Yielding the Realm* carries too many regrets — the character writing I mentioned just now, the book from beginning to end.
And many small regrets as well — like the review section falling just over two thousand short of reaching a hundred thousand comments.
But all these regrets will gradually fade with the conclusion of *Not Yielding*. To put it in rather faithless terms: I am not a man who tires of the old and craves the new — I simply always yearn toward new beauty.
And so — after the New Year, see you in the new book.
—
Finally, a short epilogue.
……
……
The winds of the Northwest were still as rough as ever — rough enough to make one fear they might wound the tender green that had only just broken through the soil.
An old man with white-streaked hair crouched there, watching a single new sprout. He unstopped his wine gourd and tilted a single drop of wine onto that one little blade of grass just beginning to show its head.
He looked weathered, and his eyes were full of the marks of time — yet he was still such a handsome old man.
“Grandfather.”
A small boy of perhaps six or seven crouched beside the old man. He was not looking at the new sprout — he was looking at the thing hanging at the old man’s waist.
“What is that?”
The boy asked.
The old man smiled, and unhooked the object from his waist. It was a small wine cup.
“This… is the little bronze cup my brother and I drank from, the last time we parted.”
The old man raised the cup. It gleamed — polished bright from being turned over and over in his hands all these years.
Sunlight fell on that bronze cup, reflected in the brightness of the old man’s eyes — brightness that no mountains, no rivers, nothing in all the world beneath the sky could match.
“From cups just this small, my brother and I could drink a thousand cups.”
“Grandfather is boasting — a thousand is so many, so many.”
The boy was unconvinced.
He held out his hand: “Grandfather, may I have a look?”
The old man passed the bronze cup to him. The boy took it, lifted it by the thin cord tied around it, and the cup began to spin slowly in the air.
The boy was struck by a sudden whim. He unhooked the small unsharpened dagger at his own waist and tapped the bronze cup lightly.
*Ding…*
The sound rang out clear and crisp, and traveled far — as if it had carried ten thousand li.
The old man smiled. As he smiled, his eyes grew gently wet.
“That sounds beautiful.”
The boy tapped it once more.
*Ding…*
This time the sound seemed to carry even further — and there was an echo.
*Ding…*
From somewhere in the distance, the echo rang back just as beautifully.
The old man shot to his feet, and in an instant his expression changed completely. He turned, slowly, to look into the distance — and his hands had already begun to tremble.
In the far distance, there came another old man — just as handsome. Sitting on horseback, holding a thin cord in his hand, and from that cord hung a small bronze cup.
The boy tapped once, and the old man tapped once in return.
*Ding ding ding. Ding ding ding.*
Ten thousand li, they say.
But what are ten thousand li?
Chapter 1534: Justice in His Own Hands
If one were to say that every city has its own character, then the character of Dachu’s Chang’an was one of stern dignity.
In the blink of an eye, Dachu had been founded for fifteen years. In those fifteen years, the Emperor of Dachu had resolved the people’s hardships within and held powerful enemies at bay without, and Dachu had grown stronger with every passing season.
Fifteen years — Dachu had seen tremendous advancement across every sphere. Whether in economics or in military strength, it had reached a height without precedent in history.
In only fifteen years, Dachu had surpassed the peak of Chu’s several centuries of history.
It brought to an end Chu’s centuries of turmoil, restored the glory of the Central Plains, and brought prosperity and strength to its people.
These fifteen years of Dachu were one great stride in the Central Plains empire’s renewal as the mightiest power of the age.
Of Chang’an City’s four seasons, none commanded more awe than winter. Beneath all that frost and ice lay the vigorous heartbeat of an empire.
Li Chi returned from the court audience to the Eastern Warm Hall. The moment he entered, Ding Qing’an — now promoted to the rank of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Study — quickly picked up a feather duster and brushed the snow from His Majesty’s shoulders.
“It is snowing again.”
Li Chi said with a note of feeling, and removed his large cloak to hand to Ding Qing’an.
Ding Qing’an, receiving the cloak, said: “Snow is good — several good snowfalls in winter, and next spring will bring another fine harvest.”
Li Chi smiled and said: “You have a gift for auspicious words.”
Ding Qing’an said: “These days Dachu is a blessed realm — every day is an auspicious day. A blessed realm under heaven, and so whoever speaks, speaks auspiciously.”
Li Chi burst out laughing: “Have you been spending much time lately with Yu Jiuling? Even his flattery can barely keep pace with yours.”
Li Chi sat down, and Ding Qing’an had already instructed a junior eunuch to bring His Majesty a bowl of ginger soup.
“Her Majesty the Empress prepared it specially. She said the weather these past days has been too cold, and that Your Majesty should have a bowl of ginger soup upon returning from court to ward off the cold and warm the body.”
Li Chi took the ginger soup, drank a mouthful, set it down, and asked: “Are there any memorials from the Northwest?”
Ding Qing’an felt a small pang in his heart at this, for this question was His Majesty’s daily refrain.
Yet in fifteen years, Grand General Wang Tang Pidi had rarely submitted memorials. Sometimes an entire year would pass without a single one, and when he did send one, it addressed only official business.
Seeing that Ding Qing’an had not replied, Li Chi knew there was nothing. In truth, he had long grown accustomed to there being nothing — and yet he could not help sighing inwardly.
*That ungrateful wretch. You really think that by going cold and distant like this, We will bend to your will? Keep dreaming.*
“Go tell the Empress that We will eat midday meal with her, and take the opportunity to check on Shi’er’s studies.”
“Yes.”
Ding Qing’an promptly answered, turned and went out, and instructed a junior eunuch standing outside to carry the message to the Empress’s quarters.
The junior eunuch received his orders and hurried off. In his haste, compounded by the snow, he stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
“Look at how clumsy you are.”
Ding Qing’an went over and helped the boy up, then turned back and gave instructions: “Have more people come and sweep the front of the hall properly. If we fall, it is our own concern — but if one of the officials should fall, that would not do.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he saw someone in the distance come running over in urgent haste. The pace was so hurried that they too lost their footing and pitched forward to the ground.
Ding Qing’an recognized the person as Zhang Tang, the Chief Tingwei of the Tingwei office, and was frightened — he quickly ran over to help Zhang Tang up.
But Zhang Tang had already struggled to his feet on his own, not even pausing to brush the snow from his clothes, and came striding even faster toward the Eastern Warm Hall.
A few years prior, Gao Xining had resigned from the post of Chief Tingwei and handed the Tingwei office’s affairs entirely over to Zhang Tang.
Master Ye had been appointed by Gao Xining to serve as a senior fellow of the Tingwei office’s inner court, with responsibility for training new personnel.
The office’s affairs were for the most part handled by these two in consultation.
Now, seeing Zhang Tang running with such urgency, Ding Qing’an knew that something serious must have happened.
“Has His Majesty returned?”
“He’s back, he’s back. Zhang Daren, please slow down…”
Zhang Tang had no time to exchange more than a few words with Ding Qing’an, and in one breath ran to the outside of the Eastern Warm Hall.
“Come in.”
Before Zhang Tang could say a word, Li Chi had already spoken first.
Zhang Tang entered, breathing hard: “Your Majesty, word has just arrived from the Northwest — there is… there is a grave matter.”
Li Chi frowned slightly: “However grave the matter, you should not be this flustered.”
Zhang Tang quickly said: “Your Majesty… the matter concerns… concerns the Grand General Wang.”
“What?!”
Li Chi shot to his feet, eyes wide open in an instant: “What has happened to Old Tang?”
Zhang Tang bowed: “The Grand General Wang… he, he personally cut off the head of General Tang Anchen’s only son, Tang Xu.”
Li Chi’s expression froze completely.
“Several months ago, Tang Anchen’s only son Tang Xu committed a grave crime in Yunzhou City. On the open street, he laid eyes on a young woman and forcibly… forcibly violated her.”
“After this happened, the girl’s family went to the Yunzhou Prefectural Government office to lodge a complaint. The prefect, Xiao Sheng, did not dare handle it and went to consult Tang Anchen.”
“Tang Anchen, fearing the matter would blow up too large, suppressed it without filing a report. He personally went to the family’s door to apologize and paid out a sum of silver.”
“Tang Anchen confined Tang Xu and beat him. But Tang Xu felt that he had been beaten entirely because the girl’s family did not know what was good for them.”
“So that night he slipped away and ran to the girl’s home to confront them. An argument broke out, and in a fit of fury Tang Xu killed every member of the girl’s family.”
At this, a murderous intent had already begun to seep from Li Chi’s eyes.
Zhang Tang continued: “With this capital crime on his hands, Yunzhou Prefect Xiao Sheng did not dare conceal it further, yet he also dared not offend Tang Anchen — so he could only secretly dispatch someone to inform the Tingwei branch office in the circuit capital.”
“But Tang Anchen had already arranged for someone to take the blame in Tang Xu’s place. By the time the Tingwei office’s people went to investigate, the entire family had been destroyed with no traces remaining.”
“The Grand General Wang learned of this. He brought three thousand border troops from the Northwest Camp directly to Yunzhou City.”
Saying this, Zhang Tang glanced at His Majesty’s expression.
“The Grand General Wang paid no heed to Tang Anchen’s kowtowing pleas for mercy, and personally severed Tang Xu’s head right outside the door of that girl’s family home.”
“After that, the Grand General Wang stripped Tang Anchen of his military post, arrested every member of Tang Anchen’s staff who had knowledge of the affair, and without petitioning Your Majesty, had all of them executed in Yunzhou City for public display.”
When Li Chi had heard it all, his face had gone very pale.
“Oh, Old Tang… Old Tang…”
Li Chi closed his eyes.
After a long while, Li Chi waved his hand: “Compile a detailed account of this matter and write it up as a memorial for Us. You may withdraw.”
Zhang Tang immediately bowed: “As commanded.”
As he stepped out the door, Zhang Tang’s heart had still not settled. He knew this had wounded His Majesty deeply.
But what had wounded His Majesty was not Tang Anchen, nor that arrogant and domineering Tang Xu — it was the Grand General Wang’s righteousness in condemning his own flesh and blood.
What the Grand General Wang had done was not, in truth, so very wrong. The matter had occurred in Yunzhou on the Inner Grasslands, and it had been dealt with in Yunzhou immediately.
He had let every commoner see it: the law of Dachu was inviolable. Even the son of a great general, if he committed a crime, would be beheaded.
The Grand General Wang remained as swift and resolute as ever — yet in doing so, he had also overstepped the law.
If it was a family matter, he had no right to put him to death.
If it was a matter of state, the Grand General Wang had exceeded his authority in handling it, and he equally had no right.
Before long, Gao Xining and Xiahou Yili came hurrying over together. The moment they entered the Eastern Warm Hall, they found Li Chi sitting in a daze.
“Your Majesty…”
Gao Xining called softly.
Li Chi turned to look at her with a somewhat vacant expression, then habitually stretched his lips into a smile — but the smile looked so stiff.
Gao Xining’s heart ached badly. She quickly stepped forward. Li Chi let out a slow breath and said: “We are fine… how could anything be wrong with Us.”
“Send someone… send someone to the Northwest.”
Before Li Chi could finish the words, someone came running over from outside — it was Ye Xiaoquian, the commander of the imperial guards.
“Your Majesty, the messenger sent by the Grand General Wang from the Northwest has arrived at the palace gate. He rode day and night to get here, and the man looks to be in no condition at all.”
Li Chi gave the order: “Carry him inside.”
Shortly afterward, Tang Pidi’s personal letter arrived in Li Chi’s hands.
“Fifteen years…”
Li Chi looked at the letter in his hands and murmured to himself: “We waited fifteen years. But We did not expect that when the time came, it would be this kind of letter.”
Li Chi did not read the letter. He set it aside, closed his eyes, and said: “Ding Qing’an, summon Minister of Justice Gui Yuanshu to the palace.”
“Yes!”
Ding Qing’an answered and dared not delay for even a breath, immediately dispatching men to summon Gui Yuanshu.
One hour later, Gui Yuanshu came hurrying out of the Weiyang Palace. He had gone in and spoken with His Majesty for a time, then departed to prepare to go to the Northwest to investigate the case.
This case touched upon the Grand General Wang — Gui Yuanshu was also deeply anxious. He returned, packed a few garments, brought several tens of attendants, and before nightfall had already ridden out through the gates of Chang’an.
At this very moment, Tang Pidi was already on the road.
He too had not imagined that his reunion with His Majesty after fifteen years would come about because he had personally cut off the head of his own nephew.
All through those fifteen years, not a moment had passed when he did not think of His Majesty — yet he had simply refused to return to Chang’an.
Even though he was the one person in all of Dachu who needed no imperial permission, who could return to the capital at any time.
He had killed Tang Xu, stripped Tang Anchen of his rank, and had himself removed the robes of the Grand General Wang, donning instead a plain cloth garment.
With three hundred personal troops, he escorted Tang Anchen and his household toward Chang’an — among them also the Yunzhou Prefect Xiao Sheng and the others.
Tang Anchen rode in a prison cart. He appeared to have aged by several decades in an instant, his hair gone completely white.
Tang Pidi rode alongside on horseback. He looked over at his younger brother, and after a long moment asked: “If you think me cold-hearted, you are free to hate me or blame me — but this came about entirely because of your own doing.”
Tang Anchen slumped inside the prison cart, and let out a bitter laugh: “Yes, it is my responsibility. But he was my child…”
Tang Pidi said: “About Xu’er — every year I wrote to you, telling you to discipline him more strictly. But you never listened.”
Tang Anchen was silent.
Tang Pidi said nothing more either. They rode on in silence.
After a long, long while, Tang Pidi said: “When we reach Chang’an, His Majesty will likely not impose the death penalty on you. You rendered meritorious service to Dachu, you risked your life for His Majesty, and the crimes you have committed do not warrant death… But I will beseech His Majesty to strip you of all your noble titles and dismiss you from all your posts.”
“Furthermore — you will no longer bear the family name Tang.”
Tang Anchen’s head snapped up the instant he heard these words, and his eyes were instantly filled with veins of blood.
Tang Anchen’s voice trembled as he said: “I fought and bled for all those years, for all those battles, for nothing other than to be worthy of bearing Father’s family name — and you… how can you take this name from me!”
Tang Pidi glanced at him, and spoke with level calm: “One day you will die. I too will die.”
“When you and I have both died and gone to the other side to see Father — he would likely do the same.”
“The name Tang has never been a noble name. But it has always been a clean one.”
Tang Pidi glanced at Tang Anchen once more: “As you are now — you are not worthy of the name Tang. Nor are you worthy of the name Anchen.”
When he finished speaking, Tang Pidi urged his horse forward and did not say another word to Tang Anchen.
Tang Anchen cried out after Tang Pidi’s retreating figure: “As if only you are worthy of it?!”
Tang Pidi still did not respond — he merely raised the riding crop in his hand.
In the wind and snow, the procession bound for Chang’an continued onward. Every person in it seemed to be the same color as the wind and snow.
—
# Chapter 1535: Brother, Let’s Drink!
Chang’an. The city gate.
When they were nearly at the gate, the wind and snow ceased. When they came into His Majesty’s sight, the clouds parted and the sun shone through, as if brilliant rays of seven colors had torn through the cloud layer to illuminate the entrance of the imperial capital.
Those rays fell, without deviation, upon Li Chi — and they fell, too, upon Tang Pidi, kneeling before him.
All around lay shadowed and dim, yet precisely here was a single shaft of light, rendering the two of them apart from all the world. Within that light, there were only the two of them, and nothing else.
“Your Majesty, your guilty servant…”
“Get up and speak.”
“Your servant bears the weight of guilt — it would not be right to rise. Your servant dares not rise.”
“Do We need to pull you up? Can’t pull you up — should We carry you into the city on Our back?”
“Your servant… obeys.”
“Walk with Us back to the Weiyang Palace. On both sides of the streets, quite a few citizens have been waiting to see you. We do not wish anyone to see you in a state unworthy of you.”
Li Chi turned: “Ding Qing’an! Bring him the grand general’s brocade robe!”
The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Study, Ding Qing’an, immediately stepped forward, presenting the grand general’s brocade robe, held in both hands.
Li Chi looked into Tang Pidi’s eyes and said: “You removed this brocade robe yourself — and so We personally brought it back to you.”
Tang Pidi breathed in deeply, then removed his own plain cloth long robe and put on that resplendent and magnificent Grand General’s dress uniform.
“No one but Us has the right to see you bow your head. From the moment you pass through this gate, hold your chest high and your head up. You are still Dachu’s Grand General.”
Li Chi turned: “Follow Us.”
Tang Pidi drew a deep breath once more and stepped forward to follow Li Chi.
Both sides of Chang’an’s main street were lined with people. The Grand General had not returned to Chang’an in fifteen years — now that he was back, who would not want to see him?
When Dachu’s Emperor and the Grand General passed through the city gates in that moment, the people stretched their necks to look, and some could not help crying out in jubilation.
“Walk abreast of Us.”
Li Chi lowered his voice to say this, and Tang Pidi immediately quickened his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with Li Chi.
“Your Majesty, your servant has failed you.”
Tang Pidi replied in a very low voice.
“Nonsense.”
Li Chi smiled and waved greetings to the citizens on both sides, waving as he said: “We have bragged about many things over the years, but the boast that has given Us the most satisfaction — has always been that Tang Pidi is Our brother. We will keep bragging about this for the rest of Our days.”
Everyone followed behind Li Chi and Tang Pidi, and looking at the two of them walking side by side like that, it seemed for a moment as if time had turned back to days gone by.
“This time, you have won.”
Li Chi walked and talked: “You have been wanting Us to strip you of your Wang title all along. We never wavered in the past, but this time We cannot help but waver.”
Tang Pidi said: “And so your servant — has failed Your Majesty.”
“You have not.”
Li Chi said: “If you had failed Us, We would have had your grand general’s brocade robe locked away — not brought it to you.”
“This matter is not yet known to the people of Chang’an, but it will not be long before not only Chang’an, but the entire realm will know.”
Li Chi glanced sideways at Tang Pidi: “We have also never once considered suppressing this matter. You, of all people, know Us best.”
Tang Pidi said: “Your servant understands. Nor did your servant ever intend to suppress this matter — otherwise your servant would not have brought troops to Yunzhou City.”
Li Chi nodded: “The Wang title — We will hold it in safekeeping for you for now. As for the future…”
Before he could finish, Tang Pidi had already cut him off.
“Your Majesty, your servant has never harbored any such thoughts of using this as an opportunity. Tang Anchen is your servant’s younger brother, the second son of your servant’s father. Your servant…”
Li Chi said: “There is no need to explain these things to Us. Of all the tens of hundreds of millions of people in the realm, the one who is most upright and open is certainly you. When it comes to these four words — upright and open — even We fall short of you.”
Tang Pidi was about to speak again, but Li Chi stopped him.
“Let us speak no more of this matter. A transgression against the law of the realm must be punished according to the offense… Right now, We only want to drink with you.”
Tang Pidi nodded: “Your servant feels the same.”
—
The Weiyang Palace. The great hall.
Ding Qing’an held the imperial edict in both hands and read it aloud. The civil and military officials stood in solemn rows within the hall, every one of them holding their breath to listen. Not a sound was made.
In truth, they had all guessed what the outcome would be. The title of Grand General Wang — it was feared it would have to be revoked.
His Majesty might be able to hold back the dissatisfaction of the ministers, but His Majesty could not disregard the dissatisfaction of the people of the realm.
His Majesty had always said that what set Dachu apart from Chu was that the law of the realm was the law of the realm, and the law of the realm was to be upheld without exception.
Once this matter spread, the people would feel that it was impossible for it to have had nothing to do with Tang Pidi.
The voices of the multitude can silence even imperial power.
His Majesty’s decree: strip Tang Pidi of the title of Grand General Wang. Confer in its place the title of Duke. Yet he would still hold the foremost rank among all the ministers and officials.
Tang Anchen was to be reduced to the status of a commoner. In accordance with Grand General Tang Pidi’s petition, His Majesty granted: the family name Tang would be stripped from Tang Anchen, and he would henceforth take the surname Shu.
Within the great hall there was only the sound of Ding Qing’an reading the imperial edict. All the civil and military officials listened in total silence.
When the edict had been read to its conclusion, the assembled officials bowed as one.
It seemed the matter had thus reached a point of conclusion — when, at this very moment, Gao Youlian, the Chief Censor of the Censorate, stepped forward.
He submitted a petition to His Majesty, requesting that Tang Pidi’s post of acting military administrator of the Northwest Camp be revoked as well. The moment these words left his mouth, the officials throughout the great hall could not help drawing a sharp collective breath.
If there was one word for courage — it was Gao Youlian who truly had it.
Li Chi, having heard him out, replied with only a single sentence: “Go and find your legal basis. If your remonstrance has a foundation in law, We will listen to you.”
With that, he rose and left.
After His Majesty had departed, Gao Youlian involuntarily let out a long breath. Far from appearing frightened by His Majesty, he actually seemed somewhat relieved.
Gui Yuanshu, the Minister of Justice, passed by Gao Youlian. He paused his steps, then raised a thumb toward him.
“Gao Daren, respect.”
“Obviously — I respect myself too.”
Gao Youlian shot Gui Yuanshu a look: “If I didn’t say it, were you going to?”
Gui Yuanshu shook his head repeatedly: “I certainly was not going to say it… If you said it, His Majesty would at most not engage with you. If I said it, His Majesty would call me in for a scolding.”
Gao Youlian: “If His Majesty called me in to scold me too, I’d actually be delighted.”
Having said this, the old official gave a snort, turned, and ambled away.
But before he had gone more than a few steps, he came back and lowered his voice near Gui Yuanshu’s ear: “In a little while His Majesty will be hosting a banquet to welcome the Grand General. I may cause a scene at the banquet… you need to restrain me when the time comes.”
Gui Yuanshu: “What does Gao Daren mean by this?”
Gao Youlian said: “The Grand General did, after all, overstep the law. His Majesty’s handling of it is as light as it could possibly be, and on top of that he is making such a conspicuous show of hosting a welcoming banquet. As the Chief Censor, it is exactly my duty to make a great scene at the banquet and give the Grand General a proper dressing-down…”
He slapped Gui Yuanshu on the shoulder: “There are not many people I could entrust with this sort of thing. Gui Daren, you must help me…”
Gui Yuanshu: “Has Gao Daren considered — if you are merely making a show of your position, you could simply not attend the banquet.”
“That absolutely will not do.”
Gao Youlian declared with utmost righteousness: “If I don’t go, that is cowardice. As Chief Censor, anyone else may be a coward — I cannot. You are the Minister of Justice — above your head you have the law of the realm. I am the Chief Censor — above my head I have not only the law of the realm, but also moral principle.”
Gui Yuanshu let out a sigh: “This role is, indeed, not something just anyone can carry out.”
Gao Youlian said: “What choice do I have? It’s not as if I don’t know that the Grand General is the most unlikely person in this entire realm to harbor any rebellious intentions — yet at the banquet I still have to call him a treacherous rebel. But I figure that should be enough — you cut me off right at that line.”
Gui Yuanshu: “You intend to push it that far?”
Gao Youlian: “There are harsher things to come after that, but I think stopping at ‘treacherous rebel’ will do. You stop me right there.”
Gui Yuanshu sighed once more: “All right, all right… but Gao Daren, this means you owe me a favor. In the future, if I happen to hand you something to use against me, you must go easy on me when you scold me before all the ministers.”
Gao Youlian: “That… isn’t that putting me in a difficult position.”
Gui Yuanshu: “Hmph. I won’t help you then.”
Gao Youlian quickly grabbed Gui Yuanshu’s arm: “I’ll do my best. My very best.”
—
When the evening banquet arrived, everyone came before Tang Pidi to offer toasts in turn. Even though Tang Pidi appeared to have returned to the capital under a cloud of wrongdoing, everyone knew that this wrongdoing was a catastrophe that had fallen from the sky upon him, leaving him no choice but to bear it.
And besides, the Grand General had been away from Chang’an for a full fifteen years. Now that he was back — even merely out of courtesy, one ought to come and offer a toast.
After Gui Yuanshu came over and had a cup of wine with Tang Pidi, he turned to go back to his seat — and then he saw Gao Youlian coming over with a cup of wine in hand.
Gui Yuanshu’s heart tensed. *Gao Daren, you come over holding a cup of wine like that — isn’t your purpose a little too obvious?*
Sure enough, Gao Youlian stepped in front of Tang Pidi, called out “Grand General,” and just as Tang Pidi rose to return the greeting, Gao Youlian raised his hand as if to fling the wine at him, his face already composing itself into an expression of great dramatic conviction.
But Gui Yuanshu, swift of eye and quick of hand, pressed the wine cup back down.
Not a drop spilled. Gui Yuanshu’s hand came down squarely and firmly.
This left Tang Pidi somewhat bewildered, and Gao Youlian equally bewildered.
According to Gao Youlian’s plan, once the wine was flung, he would launch into his dressing-down of Tang Pidi. But Gui Yuanshu’s intervention had thrown off his rhythm entirely.
Just as Gao Youlian was slightly off balance, trying to find his footing again — Tang Pidi took a wide step and placed his own body squarely in front of the assembled officials’ line of sight.
Then Tang Pidi took the cup of wine in his own hand and poured it over himself, stepped back, and looked at Gao Youlian with an expression of great surprise.
“Gao Daren — what is the meaning of this?”
Seeing Tang Pidi respond in this way, Gao Youlian’s expression could not help becoming rather spectacular.
In the next breath, Gao Youlian burst out in a furious roar: “You still have the face to ask me what this means — you treacherous reb—”
Before the words were out, Gui Yuanshu grabbed a plump, full drumstick from the table and shoved it straight into his mouth with a decisive *thwack.*
“Gao Daren has had too much to drink. Let me help Gao Daren back to rest.”
Gui Yuanshu said this, grabbed Gao Youlian, and pulled him away. Gao Youlian made a show of struggling a few times, then went along with it.
Once they were somewhere with no one around, Gao Youlian sighed: “I asked you to help me, and you were about as useful as going straight to the Grand General himself… that cup of wine had to be thrown — without it, there was no way to play out the rest of the scene.”
Gui Yuanshu: “All right, all right, I’ll admit I didn’t cooperate well. In the future, when you have something on me, go ahead and scold me with full force.”
Gao Youlian smiled, then turned and headed outside. Gui Yuanshu, puzzled, called after him: “Gao Daren, you’re leaving the palace already?”
Gao Youlian shook his head: “After I made a scene scolding the Grand General, it’s not as though I can stay there and keep on drinking. His Majesty had a separate small table specially prepared for me in the back — I’m dining alone. You go back first.”
Gui Yuanshu’s eyes went wide: “How many people did you recruit to help you put on this performance!”
Gao Youlian: “Why don’t you think about it — isn’t it possible that even I was recruited by His Majesty to put on this performance?”
Gui Yuanshu thought it over, then fell into step behind him: “Let me come try the small table too. Otherwise I’m getting the short end of this.”
Gao Youlian smiled and nodded, and as they walked he said: “If His Majesty had not let me make a public scene, those people — even if they said nothing openly — would still be whispering in private. Now that I’ve made my commotion, none of them will dare say anything more at a time like this.”
Gui Yuanshu nodded: “True enough. But still… His Majesty sought you out, so presumably he offered you some reward. You sought me out — should you not share some with me? Even if it trickles down through the chain, something ought to reach me at the end of it.”
Gao Youlian: “I would sooner die!”
Gui Yuanshu: “Pah. I’m not helping you then.”
Gao Youlian quickly grabbed Gui Yuanshu: “I’ll do my best. My very best.”
—
After Gao Youlian’s commotion, no one at the banquet dared say another word. Since Gao Youlian had been so brazen as to give His Majesty no face at all, anyone else who did the same would be asking for trouble. Of all the people at this banquet in the Weiyang Palace tonight, every single one was sharp as a blade — who among them would choose to stick their neck out at a moment like this?
And so the banquet continued until the hour of Zi, when all the officials finally dispersed. Li Chi kept Tang Pidi behind in the Weiyang Palace, had a spread of refreshments and small dishes prepared, and set up wine and food anew in the Eastern Warm Hall.
“You son of a ***, if you hadn’t gotten yourself into this trouble, were you genuinely planning to never come back to Chang’an?”
Li Chi stared into Tang Pidi’s eyes as he asked.
Tang Pidi picked up his wine cup: “Your Majesty, please calm yourself — calm yourself. Did Your Majesty not say you only wanted to drink with your servant? Your servant first offers Your Majesty a cup.”
Li Chi picked up his cup, was just about to drink — and set it back down: “Hold on. Answer Our question first. If none of this had happened, were you really planning to never come back to see Us for the rest of your life?”
Tang Pidi: “Your servant… not coming back was better than coming back.”
Li Chi: “You’re going to give Us more of that ridiculous reasoning, aren’t you?!”
Tang Pidi sighed: “If your servant were to return to Chang’an often, or to take up long residence here — Your Majesty, do you think more people would go curry favor with Xu Ji, or more people would come curry favor with your servant? Your servant has no desire to form factions and engage in politics, but day after day, year after year, looking on from the outside — would this not appear to be exactly that? Forming factions and engaging in politics?”
“Your servant may not care. Your Majesty may not care. But there would certainly be people who went about claiming to belong to your servant’s faction, bragging to others — saying ‘I’m Tang Pidi’s man’ — and that would probably carry far more weight than saying ‘I’m Xu Ji’s man.'”
Li Chi let out a short, helpless laugh at that: “Then you go about bragging too — say you are Our man, and see if there is any boast in the realm bigger than that.”
Tang Pidi raised his cup with a smile: “Your Majesty, drink!”
“We are not drinking.”
Li Chi shook his head.
Tang Pidi’s tone turned somewhat pleading: “Your Majesty, now what is it…”
Li Chi said: “Today if you call out ‘Your Majesty, drink,’ We simply will not drink. But if you call out ‘Brother, drink’ — try it and see how fast that cup goes down.”
Tang Pidi hesitated for a long while, then turned to look outside. Ding Qing’an had already had the good sense to withdraw to outside the Eastern Warm Hall.
A moment later, a voice rose within that hall.
“Brother — let’s drink!”
……
……
—
# Afterword
*Not Yielding the Realm* — writing it to this point, this is probably the novel I have the most regrets about.
The biggest regret, when I say it, you probably won’t believe it: it’s that… I should never have written a book like this.
From the confidence at the outset of the book, to the walking-on-eggshells feeling that came later — the process was genuinely grueling.
Because *The Long Ning Imperial Army* had already been written to its absolute apex — the most sweeping, most magnificent peak of the Dachu Empire.
Leng Zi was also at his finest — he was considerably more adorable than Diudiu’er. And then there was Uncle Cha — considerably more endearing than Brother Gao.
You all loved Uncle Cha and Leng Zi so much. So did I — and that is precisely why I dared not write something too similar.
This put Diudiu’er and Brother Gao in chains. The further in I went, the more apparent this drawback became, and the more difficult things grew.
Diudiu’er was manageable — his personality, being somewhat similar to that of the lovable Leng Zi, was tolerable. But Gao Xining could not be shaped into an exact replica of Uncle Cha.
In my original conception, Gao Xining’s image in my mind was a woman of decisive, incisive judgment and meticulous, calculating thought — even possessing a streak of cold ruthlessness.
But a woman written that way would simply not be likable. This caused me to keep tearing myself down and starting over — and so as the writing went on, Gao Xining’s character became hazy and indistinct.
With Uncle Cha’s gem-like precedent before me, shaping Gao Xining was a battle I fought and lost completely.
And then there is the plot.
Perhaps because *Long Ning* had given away too much in advance, I did not think it would matter much at the time — but only after I began writing *Not Yielding* did I realize how fatally those spoilers had undercut the moments of satisfaction and surprise.
There were times when I thought to myself: even if I had written about Dachu’s Xu Qulü, or simply written about the transmigrant Mister Li, either would have been easier than writing Diudiu’er’s story.
This book is not wrong. The fault lies in my own stubbornness. I had wanted to write a trilogy of the Dachu Empire — but I can only bring it to a halt here, with *Not Yielding the Realm*.
As for the new book — I had originally conceived it as the third entry in the Dachu Empire series: a mystery novel set within the framework of the Dachu Empire.
The protagonist would have no connection to Diudiu’er, nor to Leng Zi — only a wandering adventurer who stumbled upon Mister Li’s treasure.
But that story was discarded. I have confidence in the story itself, but it cannot sustain a long-form work.
And so I have had to bring out the idea I had been preparing for after the Dachu trilogy.
I am sorry. The new book will have no connection to Dachu — but its conception arose precisely in response to the aesthetic fatigue that a continuing Dachu series might produce.
I personally feel that this book’s brilliance ought to surpass *Long Ning’s* — otherwise I would not dare use it to stand against the Dachu trilogy I hold dear in my heart.
*Not Yielding the Realm* carries too many regrets — the character writing I mentioned just now, the book from beginning to end.
And many small regrets as well — like the review section falling just over two thousand short of reaching a hundred thousand comments.
But all these regrets will gradually fade with the conclusion of *Not Yielding*. To put it in rather faithless terms: I am not a man who tires of the old and craves the new — I simply always yearn toward new beauty.
And so — after the New Year, see you in the new book.
—
Finally, a short epilogue.
……
……
The winds of the Northwest were still as rough as ever — rough enough to make one fear they might wound the tender green that had only just broken through the soil.
An old man with white-streaked hair crouched there, watching a single new sprout. He unstopped his wine gourd and tilted a single drop of wine onto that one little blade of grass just beginning to show its head.
He looked weathered, and his eyes were full of the marks of time — yet he was still such a handsome old man.
“Grandfather.”
A small boy of perhaps six or seven crouched beside the old man. He was not looking at the new sprout — he was looking at the thing hanging at the old man’s waist.
“What is that?”
The boy asked.
The old man smiled, and unhooked the object from his waist. It was a small wine cup.
“This… is the little bronze cup my brother and I drank from, the last time we parted.”
The old man raised the cup. It gleamed — polished bright from being turned over and over in his hands all these years.
Sunlight fell on that bronze cup, reflected in the brightness of the old man’s eyes — brightness that no mountains, no rivers, nothing in all the world beneath the sky could match.
“From cups just this small, my brother and I could drink a thousand cups.”
“Grandfather is boasting — a thousand is so many, so many.”
The boy was unconvinced.
He held out his hand: “Grandfather, may I have a look?”
The old man passed the bronze cup to him. The boy took it, lifted it by the thin cord tied around it, and the cup began to spin slowly in the air.
The boy was struck by a sudden whim. He unhooked the small unsharpened dagger at his own waist and tapped the bronze cup lightly.
*Ding…*
The sound rang out clear and crisp, and traveled far — as if it had carried ten thousand li.
The old man smiled. As he smiled, his eyes grew gently wet.
“That sounds beautiful.”
The boy tapped it once more.
*Ding…*
This time the sound seemed to carry even further — and there was an echo.
*Ding…*
From somewhere in the distance, the echo rang back just as beautifully.
The old man shot to his feet, and in an instant his expression changed completely. He turned, slowly, to look into the distance — and his hands had already begun to tremble.
In the far distance, there came another old man — just as handsome. Sitting on horseback, holding a thin cord in his hand, and from that cord hung a small bronze cup.
The boy tapped once, and the old man tapped once in return.
*Ding ding ding. Ding ding ding.*
Ten thousand li, they say.
But what are ten thousand li?