Li Diudiu turned and looked at the black-iron-tower of a man, then fell silent for a moment and walked back. He dropped back into the seat across from Wang Heita and said in all seriousness, “You know the truth of it as well as I do. This is nothing more than a clash of interests between powerful men — and it’s the likes of you and me who pay with our lives for it.”

Wang Heita smiled and said, “Young as you are, the fact that you can say something like that shows you understand more and see more clearly than most grown men. That’s no small thing.”

He waved his hand. “Bring two jugs of wine.”

His men immediately brought two jugs. He pushed one toward Li Diudiu. “We were evenly matched with the meat. What about the wine?”

Li Diudiu shook his head. “My master won’t let me drink. He says at my age it damages the body.”

Wang Heita had not at all expected Li Diudiu’s answer to be so utterly well-behaved. Did any part of this kid look well-behaved?

“Then I’ll drink.”

Wang Heita twisted open a jug and gulped down half of it in one go. He wiped the corner of his mouth and said, “I may be rough and unpolished, but I’m not stupid. Little brother — the same things you see clearly, I see clearly too.”

Li Diudiu’s mind wandered for a moment at the words “rough and unpolished,” because he suddenly recalled Xiahou Zuo saying that anyone who called themselves rough and unpolished was talking big.

His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop as he said, “Lian Gongming wants the Magistrate dead — nobody can stop that. But I’m not leaving, because I made a promise to the Magistrate to keep his household safe and look after his family. Now his family is in prison too. How can I abandon his business?”

“Lian Gongming doesn’t want to act himself and instead hired the Azure Formation — first to make the Military Governor feel he’s showing goodwill by handing the task to the Azure Formation, since the Military Governor will be perfectly aware of everything.”

“Second.” He looked at Li Diudiu. “Isn’t he hoping I’ll fight the Azure Formation to the point where both sides are ruined? That’s Lian Gongming’s most favored kind of scheming. He hires the Azure Formation to kill me — do you think I’m so easy to kill? If my men and the Azure Formation truly came to blows, there’d be heavy casualties on both sides.”

Li Diudiu nodded. “Yes.”

Wang Heita said, “So go back and advise the Azure Formation people — don’t let Lian Gongming play them for fools. Even if the Azure Formation could kill me, who would benefit in the end? It’d still be Lian Gongming. Though your advice would be useless…”

Li Diudiu said, “You can see it, I can see it, so how could the Azure Formation people not see it? It’s simply a matter of interests.”

Wang Heita said, “Little brother — then think it through further. Why would the Azure Formation, knowing full well this is Lian Gongming’s scheme to kill two birds with one stone, still arrange for someone to kill me?”

Li Diudiu was silent for a long while. When he had finally thought it through, he understood.

He let out a slow sigh and said, “Because the ledger doesn’t only have Lian Gongming’s name in it. It has the Military Governor’s name as well.”

“And that is precisely it.”

Wang Heita said, “In Dachu today, how many officials can say their hands are clean? If they were all clean, why would people have risen up in rebellion in the first place? Little brother — do you think common people want to be rebels?”

Li Diudiu fell silent again.

Wang Heita lifted the wine jug and gulped down another great mouthful, then blew out a breath reeking of wine and continued, “Little brother — ordinary people, as long as they can eat two full meals a day, will never take such a desperate gamble. Do you believe me? When the world is bad and you can barely get even one full meal a day — and still you don’t rebel — do you believe that?”

Li Diudiu nodded. “I believe it.”

Wang Heita slammed the empty wine jug down with a crack. It tumbled and rolled, like something full of indignation.

“But there was nothing to eat!”

Wang Heita’s eyes were red as he spoke. “Why did I and Song Feng raise a rebellion? Because the corrupt officials wouldn’t let us eat a single meal a day, and on top of that they sent men to extort us — taking money and grain. All we had left was one life. So we wagered it.”

A moment later he drew a long breath and said, “But now I’m the Magistrate’s man. Why? Because I have food. As long as I can eat—”

He tapped the empty basin in front of him.

“Who would choose to be a thief?”

He exhaled a long breath. “I’d rather be a dog than a thief.”

After those words, his eyes turned red enough that they looked ready to bleed. It was an expression Li Diudiu had never seen in his life. The emotion in that gaze was so complex — complex enough that anyone who looked at it would feel an ache in their own chest.

Yet at the same time it was simple. Those eyes, over and over, came back to just two words.

To live.

“Little brother.”

Wang Heita was quiet for a moment, then said, “I can tell you’re a kind-hearted person. People like you are easy to get shortchanged in life. I’m that same kind of person, which is why I’ve been getting shortchanged my whole life. My sworn brother tried to kill me over money, and I didn’t kill him back — even though killing him would have been easy as breathing. But I couldn’t swallow that anger, could I? He cares so much about money? Then I’ll take the half that’s mine.”

He took a slow breath and went on, “The money I have now — between that and the Magistrate’s money — should be enough for a lifetime. Enough for my children and grandchildren for generations. But I won’t live long enough to spend it. I know I won’t live much longer.”

He smiled. “But if I die without shame or regret, then I haven’t lived for nothing. I’ve drunk the strongest wine. I’ve been with the most beautiful women. And I’ve eaten the most fragrant meat.”

He twisted open the second jug and drained every drop in a single breath.

“I haven’t talked this much in years.”

Wang Heita waved to his men. “All of you, step outside and wait. I have a few more words to say to this little brother.”

The men withdrew from the room at once.

“Outside Jizhou City, in Gucheng County, there’s a Temple of Confucius — falling apart, long since abandoned. I’ve hidden a sum of money there. I have a wife at home, and two children. When I chose this path I knew I would likely die without a grave to lie in, so I didn’t bring them with me.”

“They followed my instructions and went to a village called Xinglongzhuang in Laiku County to live quietly in hiding. If one day you hear I’m dead, I’d ask you to take some time, go to Gucheng County to collect that money, and bring it to my family. My wife’s name is Gao Yue’e. My son is called Wang Zhu. My daughter is Wang Chunhua.”

He smiled with pride. “I came up with all the names myself. What do you think?”

Li Diudiu said, “Honestly?”

Wang Heita said, “Of course honestly.”

Li Diudiu said, “They’re really not very good.”

Wang Heita burst out laughing. “Everyone fears me, so no one tells me the truth. You told me the truth.”

He stood up and stepped back a few paces, then bent into a deep bow. “I entrust this to you. My brothers under my command don’t want to leave — they respect me and want to live and die alongside me. I can’t talk them out of it, so I can only entrust this to an outsider. But until now, there hasn’t been a single outsider I could trust. Heaven has seen fit to let me meet you today. Thank you.”

Li Diudiu also stood and returned the bow. “I will remember what Brother Wang has entrusted to me.”

Wang Heita said, “That sum of silver is several thousand taels. And I have this here—”

He rummaged through his things and handed Li Diudiu some banknotes. “I can’t let you help me without compensation. The banknotes here add up to over a thousand taels. Consider it my gift of gratitude.”

Li Diudiu was silent for a moment, then took the banknotes and said simply, “Alright. I’ve earned it.”

Wang Heita laughed loudly. “Most grown men haven’t got your directness, little brother. If it weren’t for this wretched world, I’d truly want to swear brotherhood with you — but I can’t bring trouble down on you.”

He pressed his fists together again in a salute. “I’m heading back to the Changxing Gambling Den. Farewell, and perhaps—” he paused, “—farewell forever.”

Li Diudiu imitated the way adults clasped their fists, and with the gravity of someone making an oath replied, “Brother Wang — farewell. I will not fail you.”

By the time he stepped out of the shop, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Li Diudiu thought about how he’d need to get back, bathe, change clothes, and then head to lectures. He found himself thinking fondly of the cafeteria’s breakfast — still a little ways off, but something to look forward to.

Just eaten meat?

That was last meal. And what did last meal have to do with the next one?

He glanced back. Wang Heita’s men had already slipped out through the shop’s back door. The street was still empty. Li Diudiu, alone, looked toward the direction where the sun was about to rise, reached into his chest to pat the thousand-some taels in banknotes tucked there, and felt his steps grow heavier — each one a little harder to lift.

This world…

Li Diudiu thought of everything Wang Heita had said, and felt his chest pricked by a needle, one jab after another.

If the powerful men would only let me eat, I’d rather be a dog than a thief. But they gave me nothing — not one meal. All I had left was this life, so I threw it into the fight.

Wang Heita had proven with his own actions and choices that he meant exactly that. He had left the rebel band and placed himself under the Magistrate Zheng Chun. Was Zheng Chun a good person? A good official? Of course not. But he could give Wang Heita a small measure of security.

That was why Wang Heita said he’d rather be a dog.

Li Diudiu walked toward the Four Pages Academy, thinking as he went. Wang Heita had only ever had two choices — dog or thief. What about himself? A child not yet twelve — who in the world wouldn’t want to be a carefree kid without a care?

Who. Wouldn’t.

Li Diudiu looked up at the eastern sky and felt a deep exhaustion settle over him. And if he was already this tired, his master — a grown man — must carry a heavier weariness still. Everyone knew Dachu couldn’t hold on much longer, and so everyone was afraid.

If the nation falls, what becomes of the home?

Those wealthy, well-fed men of power — laughing and feasting — were they not afraid?

That thought stopped Li Diudiu’s feet entirely. He had never considered this before.

The powerful men shouldn’t be afraid… When a new empire eventually came, and order returned, and things grew better again — just as it had been when Dachu ended the chaos of the Zhou dynasty’s twilight years — those great men would have choices to make. But they had the means to make those choices.

They could watch Dachu collapse before their eyes and not care, because they had estates and wealth. When the time came, surrender part of it and they’d still walk away as men of standing.

They would still serve in office. Nothing would change. They’d simply go from being subjects of Dachu to being subjects of whatever came next.

Li Diudiu exhaled a long breath. He wanted to curse.

He thought: if I were ever Emperor someday, I wouldn’t use a single one of the people in Dachu’s court right now. Not one.

Lost in thought, he found himself back at the Four Pages Academy. He had no idea who the lecture master for the major course was — Xiahou Zuo’s warning to be careful had its reasons. Li Diudiu told himself he couldn’t fall asleep in class after being up all night.

So he fetched water and doused himself with a cold bath, changed into his clean, fresh academy uniform, and then thought — what could he do to stay awake?

It was at that moment Li Diudiu realized he had somehow wandered directly to the cafeteria entrance.

Was he sleepwalking?

He lifted his head and looked inside — and there was Auntie Wu, her face beaming with a radiant smile.

In that instant, Li Diudiu’s mood lifted completely. He walked in with a grin and held out his hand, waving a greeting.

Auntie Wu saw him wave his outstretched hand, and her first instinct wasn’t that he was saying hello — so she immediately nodded and called back in response, “Understood! Dumplings — five portions!”

Li Diudiu: “Ah, well…”