That evening, the Military Governor’s office held a grand welcoming banquet. Everyone of any standing in Jizhou City attended — reportedly more than two hundred tables were laid. Those of sufficient rank dined inside; those of lesser rank dined in the courtyard.

Same principle as always: those of sufficient rank could enter the main hall to offer toasts to Prince Wu Yang Jiju; those without enough standing sat out in the courtyard, watching from afar as the people in the main hall chatted and laughed with ease.

Bitter feeling? Naturally.

But there was nothing to be done.

After the banquet, Military Governor Zeng Ling warmly invited Prince Wu to stay in his residence — but Prince Wu declined, choosing instead to lodge at Prince Yu’s residence, and taking Youzhou General Luo Geng along with him as he left.

This seemed to indicate something: as though Prince Wu regarded Luo Geng more highly than he did Zeng Ling, who held both military and civil authority in one pair of hands.

At Prince Yu’s residence, another table of wine was laid. Only four sat at it. Those outside knew that Prince Yu was there, that Prince Wu was there, and that Luo Geng was there — what they did not know was that the Military Governor had entered through a back gate, under Prince Wu’s specific instruction.

“I am told that in this city of Jizhou, certain small-minded people have been abusing their power?”

Yang Jiju looked at Prince Yu Yang Jixing: “They dare provoke even you?”

Yang Jixing gave a helpless smile but said nothing.

Prince Wu looked at Zeng Ling: “As Military Governor of Jizhou, how have you allowed someone to humiliate the imperial family?”

Zeng Ling immediately rose, stepped back two paces, and bowed deeply. “This official is guilty. I beg Your Highness’s pardon.”

“My third brother did not bring this matter to the Imperial Affairs Bureau — it was because he regards you as a close acquaintance and did not wish to ruin your career. Had it been handed to the Imperial Affairs Bureau, the first person they would have dealt with would be Prefect Lian Gongming, and the second would be you. To let a petty local official push things this far — this is what comes of not handing it over.”

Prince Wu’s expression grew increasingly severe, but Zeng Ling, having been upbraided, actually felt a wave of relief in his heart. Had Prince Wu continued to ignore him as he had earlier, that would truly have been the end. “When the Emperor asked me to choose between you and Guan Feiyun for the post of Military Governor of Jizhou, I spoke in your favor with great conviction, calling you a loyal official. The Emperor gave you this position, and I personally saw you off from the capital — what did I say to you at the city gate?”

Zeng Ling dropped to his knees and said: “Your Highness said… ‘My third brother is in Jizhou. When you arrive there, look after him well. If local people fail to show him proper respect, you — a Military Governor who holds authority and carries a blade — know what to do.’ This official replied to Your Highness: ‘I understand.'”

Prince Wu seized the wine cup on the table and hurled it at Zeng Ling’s head. The blow landed hard — blood immediately trickled down Zeng Ling’s forehead in a line.

“And where is the promise you made!”

Prince Wu bellowed.

Who in the world did not know Prince Wu Yang Jiju’s violent temper — just as everyone knew his genius for commanding troops. With so many rebel forces across the realm, wherever Prince Wu led his army, those rebels all scattered; not merely unwilling to fight, they didn’t even dare come face to face with him.

Why did Grand Eunuch Liu Chongxin himself refuse to provoke Yang Jiju? Because Liu Chongxin knew Yang Jiju would genuinely kill people.

It was not that Liu Chongxin hadn’t tried to probe the idea of prying the military power from Yang Jiju’s hands. He had incited several spineless censors from the Censorate to go before the Emperor and file accusations against Yang Jiju. When Yang Jiju heard the news, he marched into the palace gripping a horsewhip, and right there before the Emperor he beat those men until they were a bloody mess.

And what did the Emperor say?

The Emperor said: “Serves them right.”

The Emperor had never trusted his own brothers, yet from the time he was small he had feared Yang Jiju. The current Emperor was the eldest son; Yang Jiju was the second prince. But from childhood to adulthood, the Emperor had never once won a fight against him.

Later, it was not that the Emperor had never thought of reclaiming Yang Jiju’s military authority — he simply didn’t dare. He genuinely feared that in a moment of rage Yang Jiju might lead his troops into the palace. The Emperor knew Yang Jiju would never dare kill him — but no one around him would survive.

This time, Emperor Yang Sheng had originally intended to give Yang Jixing authority over Jizhou and Youzhou’s military affairs, because Yang Jixing was relatively obedient. But Liu Chongxin had conceived a clever scheme and said to the Emperor: let Prince Wu go — with him in the north, Your Majesty need not worry yourself.

These words proved extremely effective. The Emperor immediately overruled the edict he had personally written and instead had Yang Jiju appointed Grand General of the Left Martial Guard, fully responsible for quelling the rebellions across the northern circuits.

The capital was in the south; Yang Jiju was in the north — even with the imperial whip granted by the late Emperor in his hands, what use would it be?

Perhaps the late Emperor had foreseen it — that Crown Prince Yang Sheng was weak-willed and of limited ability — and so had bestowed upon Yang Jiju an imperial whip, saying that if Yang Jiju ever witnessed some act of folly after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he could use the imperial whip to administer correction.

With this imperial whip in hand, Emperor Yang Sheng was truly terrified of Yang Jiju.

Knowing Prince Wu’s temper full well, Zeng Ling, having been struck and left with blood streaming down his face, dared not even raise a hand to wipe it.

“This official is guilty. I beg Your Highness’s punishment.”

“Didn’t you just say you acknowledged your guilt but asked me to pardon you?”

Prince Wu stared at Zeng Ling fixedly. Zeng Ling lowered his head and dared not say another word.

Seeing the situation, Prince Yu Yang Jixing quickly spoke up: “Royal brother — Zeng Ling was also acting with my interests in mind. He didn’t want people to say that I was interfering in local governance, fearing it would give others a handle to use against me…”

“Silence!”

Prince Wu snapped his head around to look at Prince Yu. Prince Yu immediately bowed his head. “Yes, yes, of course — please, royal brother, do not be angry.”

Prince Wu looked at Prince Yu, speaking each word with deliberate weight: “The rivers and mountains belong to the Yang family. The realm belongs to the Yang family. You are a member of the imperial house — a prince of Dachu. You were humiliated by a local minor official, and you swallowed it in silence? Is this realm still the Yang family’s, or have you already decided on your own to hand Jizhou over to Lian Gongming?”

Prince Yu’s face changed dramatically.

“Kneel!”

Prince Wu reached out and took the imperial whip that a guard held in both hands. “You have failed your ancestors!”

Prince Yu dropped to his knees with a thud, and dared not argue a single word — even though this was his own home, even though the one before him was his own elder brother.

“You have brought shame upon the imperial house.”

Prince Wu stepped forward and struck Prince Yu’s back hard with the imperial whip — three strokes. These were real blows, not for show; after three strokes, the fabric over Prince Yu’s back split open in three gashes, and Prince Yu’s face turned the color of ash-white paper in an instant.

“You!”

Prince Wu pointed at Zeng Ling. “Crawl over here!”

Zeng Ling dared not speak a syllable. He crawled forward on his knees to where Prince Wu stood. Prince Wu handed the imperial whip back to his guard and picked up the horsewhip instead, laying into Zeng Ling’s back with rapid, continuous strokes — a full thirteen or fourteen blows, until Zeng Ling’s back was streaked with blood.

“Third brother — are you satisfied?”

“Satisfied.”

“Zeng Ling — are you satisfied?”

“Satisfied!”

With that fury vented, Prince Wu threw down the whip, sat down, and said: “Send someone to treat their injuries.”

Prince Yu and Zeng Ling both rose. Prince Yu bore it somewhat better — even though it was genuinely a matter of lost face, his second royal brother had acted in the name of their father in administering punishment, and that imperial whip represented their father; he was obliged to accept it with a humble and sincere attitude.

Zeng Ling was different. He wasn’t even worthy of being beaten with the imperial whip — only an ordinary horsewhip — and yet the beating had been far worse. His back was a bloody ruin; it would take a month or two to heal.

Two medical officers, badly frightened, applied medicine to the backs of these two great figures, their hands both trembling slightly.

“I did not publicly lose my temper in your office today, Zeng Ling — that was me giving you face. Letting you enter through the back gate of this residence was me telling you I still count you among the people I can trust. Don’t disappoint me again.”

Prince Wu raised his wine cup and drank, and his expression eased considerably.

“It is precisely because our Yang family has always treated people with too much kindness, too much indulgence, that some people grow ever more careless about the imperial house and imperial affairs. They have already forgotten — the authority in their hands, the prestige about their persons, all of it was given to them by the Yang family.”

Prince Wu looked at Zeng Ling: “I am giving you one month. If within one month Lian Gongming and his entire family are not dead, I will have no choice but to put your entire family to death.”

“Yes!” Zeng Ling immediately bowed again. “This official takes it to heart.”

Prince Wu looked at Luo Geng, who sat to one side in a state of total bewilderment and was thoroughly frightened, and smiled. “We’ve given General Luo quite a spectacle to witness.”

Luo Geng hurriedly said: “Not at all, not at all — this officer will take Your Highness’s lesson to heart as well.”

This too was a show of authority for Luo Geng — and Luo Geng was sharp enough to see it.

“Mm.”

Prince Wu seemed to want to lighten the atmosphere somewhat, and asked Luo Geng: “On your journey here, did anything interesting happen? My third brother and Zeng Ling have irritated me considerably — tell me something to cheer me up.”

Luo Geng couldn’t think of anything interesting at all on the spot. The journey from Youzhou had been largely a view of devastation — rebel forces had left behind ruins and rubble, broken walls and abandoned fields, ravaged villages and overgrown farmland. Interesting? There was nothing interesting.

But he dared not say any of this — not one word of it.

“There was, in fact, quite an interesting fellow.”

Luo Geng suddenly thought of that youth.

And just as he recalled that youth, Prince Yu’s mind went to the old Daoist called Changmei — the man had predicted he would suffer a calamity of blood, and it seemed to have come true: those stripes from the whip felt as though they had cut into his very bones.

Prince Wu said: “Tell me.”

“Halfway through this officer’s journey, I encountered a most interesting young fellow — a young Daoist. Seeing me passing with my troops, he contributed twenty or thirty warhorses to the army. I chatted with him briefly, and it turned out he was able to predict a great many things accurately — he even stated with certainty that once this officer reached Jizhou, I would be commended by the Emperor and elevated to the rank of Grand General.”

“Oh?”

Prince Wu’s interest was immediately piqued. “A young lad — and he has such ability? What is his Daoist title, and where is he now?”

Luo Geng was stumped — he hadn’t thought to ask.

But then he recalled that his son knew this person, so he quickly said: “My son Luo Jing knows. Would it be permissible to have him come and attend upon Your Highness?”

Prince Wu waved casually. “Have him come in.”

Before long, Luo Jing came in at a trot, already bowing deeply from a distance. Prince Wu beckoned him forward and inquired about the young fellow.

Luo Jing thought it over and said: “At the time of our meeting, I didn’t pay much attention. Afterward, cavalry under my command said that the master and disciple pair were likely the Changmei Daoist, who wanders across the seven counties of Jizhou and Youzhou — a name not without reputation.”

“Changmei the Daoist?”

Prince Yu’s expression shifted, and he quickly said: “That old Daoist, Changmei — he was actually at my residence today. I had him escorted away just when I went out to receive royal brother.”

Prince Wu was a man who, above all else, believed in the spiritual and supernatural — though he dared not openly admit it, all who knew him well understood that he shared a deep friendship with a Daoist who hailed from Dragon and Tiger Mountain, one Zhang Youxu.

Prince Wu said: “This way — have word sent to Lian Gongming to find this master and disciple pair for me as quickly as possible. If they cannot be found, I will be very displeased.”

Prince Yu and Zeng Ling exchanged a glance, and both understood what Prince Wu meant. They replied in unison:

“Yes.”

Prince Wu said: “Find them quickly. I will be leading troops on campaign very soon and cannot wait many days.”

“Yes, yes, yes, at once…”