In an inn inside Jizhou City, Sun Biehe was treating the group of academy disciples who followed him to a meal. He didn’t particularly want to treat them—he simply felt that if he didn’t do something to win back their loyalty, the group might start to fall apart.
Before today, this had never been a concern for him. Even though all of them knew Xiahou Zuo’s identity, he hadn’t worried about his people scattering, because those people needed him.
But today was different. The ones who had put them in their place weren’t Xiahou Zuo’s men—they were the Blue-Robed Formation.
“Rugong, you’d better keep your distance from Li Chi from now on.”
Sun Biehe looked toward his younger cousin, the one who had incited him to go after Li Chi. The boy now sat deflated and sullen, though there was still defiance in his eyes.
“It’s not that I’m afraid of Xiahou Zuo. But… the Blue-Robed Formation cannot be provoked.”
Sun Biehe said: “If it were just official figures clashing, that would be one thing—no one goes too far, it’s all just pushing and shoving. But once the Blue-Robed Formation is involved, it’s not pushing and shoving anymore. It’s killing.”
Sun Rugong nodded: “Brother, you don’t need to say more. I understand.”
“You actually don’t.”
Sun Biehe said: “Let me tell you a few things.”
He looked at Sun Rugong seriously and said: “Although I had people ambush Xiahou Zuo in the past, I was given the order to do so by Xiahou Zuo’s own brothers. With them backing me, why would I fear an illegitimate son?”
“And I knew that no matter how arrogant Xiahou Zuo might be, he wouldn’t dare take a life… Things are different now. The Blue-Robed Formation has shown itself. The Night of the Crimson Slaughter they carried out in Jizhou City—you weren’t there, so you don’t know.”
“If Xiahou Zuo is part of the Blue-Robed Formation… I would not dare provoke him again. Because while Xiahou Zuo wouldn’t dare kill people, the Blue-Robed Formation genuinely would—and they kill without leaving a trace.”
Sun Biehe said: “After that Night of the Crimson Slaughter, among those who were killed were men belonging to the Jizhou Prefectural Governor—and yet not even the Governor dared investigate the matter. Think about how frightening that is… The rumor is that the master behind the Blue-Robed Formation may be the Military Governor himself.”
Sun Rugong was taken aback: “The Military Governor?”
Sun Biehe said: “That was the year the Military Governor first arrived in Jizhou City. At the time, the city’s underground networks were almost entirely controlled by the great local families. As you know, underground networks matter greatly in business—whoever controls them gains a larger share.”
“The Military Governor had just arrived and found it no easy task to insert himself into Jizhou’s commercial affairs. It happened that very year that the Jizhou Prefectural Governor decided to give the Military Governor a show of defiance—to make him understand that if he wanted to hold steady in Jizhou, he needed to build good relations with the local officials.”
“The result? That very night, the Blue-Robed Formation slaughtered their way from the eastern end of the city to the western end. The streets ran red with blood. Just as the prefectural constables had assembled, three thousand garrison soldiers, under the pretense of protecting the prefectural compound from unrest, surrounded the Jizhou Prefecture offices. They encircled the Prefecture and ignored the Blue-Robed Formation entirely.”
“One night of slaughter…”
Sun Biehe said: “Now do you understand why, in only the fourth year since the Military Governor’s arrival, there is not a single soul left who dares show the slightest disrespect? If Xiahou Zuo has entered the Blue-Robed Formation, given his identity, working his way up to Hall Master shouldn’t be difficult.”
Sun Rugong clenched his teeth: “And what about Li Chi? Li Chi is nothing but some wild kid. If we give Xiahou Zuo enough benefit, would he really shield that boy so stubbornly?”
“Let me give you one piece of advice.”
Sun Biehe said: “Stop going after him. In all of Jizhou City, the only person who can make the Military Governor bow his head is Xiahou Zuo’s father.”
Actually, many people across the Four Page Academy knew that Xiahou Zuo was the son of some powerful figure. Sun Biehe and his associates had once deliberately spread the word that Xiahou Zuo was an illegitimate child. However, few knew the specifics—that powerful figure had his dignity to maintain, and Sun Biehe didn’t dare name anyone outright.
Sun Biehe was one of the few who knew Xiahou Zuo’s true identity.
“That man is a Prince of First Rank…”
Sun Biehe let out a long sigh: “Even as an illegitimate son, he is still the son of a Prince of First Rank. And besides—just look at him. Does he seem like an illegitimate son to you?”
Sun Rugong said: “Then how did you dare provoke him?”
Sun Biehe replied: “I told you—the one who wanted him dead was also the son of the Prince of First Rank, and a legitimate son at that. What choice did I have? If I refused, those young lords had ways to make my life impossible. I had no option but to go along.”
Just then, the door to their private room was suddenly pushed open from outside. A young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties appeared in the doorway. He wore fine silk robes and held a folding fan in his hand. He was rather handsome and elegant, though the features of his brow and eyes carried a slightly effeminate quality.
“I had only just arrived when I heard you lot were here drinking. For a moment I was curious—I wanted to see just how wretched your lot looked today.”
The young man stepped inside. Sun Biehe and the others hurriedly rose to their feet and bowed almost in unison.
“Young Lord.”
This person was Yang Zhuo, the eldest son of Prince Yu of Jizhou. Prince Yu’s fiefdom lay within the territory of Jizhou, and he resided there permanently. Although this Prince had not returned to the capital city in a very long time—and rumor had it that the current Emperor still regarded him with some wariness—he was nonetheless the Emperor’s own younger brother.
No matter how great a Military Governor’s authority might be, it could never surpass that of imperial blood.
By Sun Biehe’s own account, this Young Lord Yang Zhuo was a man of truly noble lineage. His father was a Prince of First Rank; his mother was a member of the Jianya Li Family, which, while less prestigious than the Longyou Li Family, had still produced two Empresses in its time.
Within Dachu, the only clans that could be spoken of in the same breath as these two Li Families were the Wang and Xie Families—the Wang Family of the Jianghuai region, and the Xie Family of Hangzhou.
Earlier, when Li Diudiu and Xiahou Zuo had gone to Fengming Mountain and encountered the Xu Family’s carriage at the base of the mountain, Xiahou Zuo had told Li Diudiu that the Xu Family ranked in the top three of Jizhou City. To ordinary people, the Xu Family was already formidable enough to be held in awed reverence from a distance. Yet compared to the Wang and Xie Families, the Xu Family was like a firefly against the full moon, or a single drop against the boundless sea.
The entire group lowered their heads, none daring to raise them immediately. This mixture of deep reverence and trembling unease clearly pleased Yang Zhuo. He made his way toward the head seat. Sun Biehe quickly stepped aside, bowing as he ceded his place.
“This child is rather interesting.”
Yang Zhuo looked at Sun Rugong, smiling cheerfully: “You speak more boldly than the rest of them. I heard everything you all were just talking about. Children are always more straightforward.”
The moment Sun Biehe heard those words, he dropped to his knees with a thud. At that, every single person in the room knelt down as well.
Yang Zhuo reached out and pulled Sun Rugong to his side, his expression affable: “Are you afraid of me?”
Sun Rugong hastily bowed his head: “I wouldn’t say afraid. It’s more reverence.”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Yang Zhuo laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, then nodded approvingly: “Well said. Let me ask you another question then—do you have more reverence for Xiahou Zuo or for me?”
Sun Rugong replied: “Xiahou Zuo is nothing but a brute. I do have some fear of him, but I would not call it reverence.”
Yang Zhuo was genuinely delighted. This was the first time he had encountered such an entertaining child. He found Sun Rugong far more interesting than his elder brother Sun Biehe.
“Sun Biehe.”
“Here, here.”
Sun Biehe responded immediately.
“Take a lesson from your younger brother. He has better people skills than you.”
Yang Zhuo surveyed the food and wine on the table. He seemed to find it distasteful and gave a slight frown.
Standing at the doorway was a middle-aged man who appeared to be around forty years old, with an expression of perpetual darkness on his face. He was like someone who stood always in the midst of mist—even when you were looking clearly at his face, you somehow felt it was veiled behind a layer of haze.
He noticed Yang Zhuo’s reaction and immediately turned to issue a quiet order: “Why haven’t you already sent for a new spread of dishes?”
In an instant, people came in and whisked away every dish and cup from the table. A moment later, even the tablecloth had been replaced with a fresh one.
Yang Zhuo would not ordinarily frequent a place like this. In his view, this inn was beneath contempt—both its décor and its food.
“I know all of you are afraid of Xiahou Zuo. Afraid to the bone.”
Yang Zhuo’s fingers tapped lightly on the table—one tap, then another, in a steady rhythm.
“But have you ever considered this: if you go on being afraid of someone indefinitely, the only way to resolve that fear is not to hide from him—it’s to eliminate that burden on your heart.”
Yang Zhuo watched the new dishes being arranged one by one on the table, appearing somewhat more satisfied.
He looked toward Sun Biehe and continued: “The things you’ve been wondering about—you don’t need to guess. You could ask me directly, but you don’t dare. So I’ll simply tell you outright: the Blue-Robed Formation is indeed the Military Governor’s. Everything Sun Biehe described just now is accurate.”
“When the Military Governor first arrived and the local officials decided to demonstrate their authority and influence, they made a foolish mistake. The Military Governor deployed an elite unit of his personal guards to form the Blue-Robed Formation, and in a single night slaughtered every underground network that the Prefectural Governor controlled.”
He paused, casting a contemptuous glance at Sun Biehe: “But what you don’t know is that the Blue-Robed Formation was trained by men under my royal father’s command. The Military Governor came personally to request it.”
He pointed toward the middle-aged man at the door.
“His name is Cao Liehu. The very first batch of Blue-Robed Formation members was trained by him personally. They were old soldiers—no shortage of killing skill among them—but they had no experience in the ways of the jianghu. Cao Liehu trained them all, and Cao Liehu now serves as my personal bodyguard. So what is there to be afraid of?”
He pressed his fingers firmly against the table: “I am my royal father’s eldest legitimate son. Is the Blue-Robed Formation more loyal to me or to Xiahou Zuo? The Blue-Robed Formation you all fear so much—Cao Liehu alone could tear a whole squad of them apart with his bare hands.”
The entire group fell utterly silent. Not one of them dared speak.
Yang Zhuo glanced sideways at Sun Biehe and commanded: “No need to keep kneeling. Rise and sit down. Keep me company over a cup of wine.”
Everyone scrambled to their feet and perched on the edges of their seats, still too frightened to breathe too loudly.
“Let me give you a task.”
Yang Zhuo reached out, picked up the wine jug, and poured a cup for Sun Biehe. Sun Biehe lurched to his feet with a start, his face going white as a sheet with fright.
Yang Zhuo smiled and said: “Sit down and listen… When the time is right, find a way to lure that little thing named Li Chi out of the academy. I’ll arrange for Xiahou Zuo to be informed that there’s a skilled fighter beside him—Cao Liehu will take care of that person. You lot lure Xiahou Zuo up to Fengming Mountain, and everything after that is none of your concern.”
Yang Zhuo looked toward Cao Liehu. The man—who seemed as cold and unfeeling as a drawn blade—reached into his robe and placed a thick stack of banknotes on the table.
Yang Zhuo said slowly: “There are five thousand taels there. Divide it among yourselves. And—once you’ve done this properly, next year I’ll arrange for all of you to take up positions directly under the Military Governor.”
Everyone stared at the stack of banknotes. No one dared reach out.
“Not taking it?”
Yang Zhuo frowned.
Sun Rugong was the first to reach out and take a banknote. He bowed toward Yang Zhuo and said: “I am willing to serve the Young Lord as a loyal hound.”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Yang Zhuo laughed heartily: “I knew it—the lot of you together couldn’t match a single child. But tell me—what can you do for me?”
Sun Rugong replied: “I can lure Li Chi out of the academy for the Young Lord.”
Yang Zhuo made an approving sound and reached over to pat Sun Rugong on the head: “Very good. I’ll remember your name. You may come find me at the Prince’s residence whenever needed.”
Sun Biehe and the others exchanged glances. In the end, not one of them dared refuse. Each of them took one banknote—yet holding those notes felt like holding a burning coal in their hands, and every one of them was trembling with fear.
—