Xiahou Zuo flatly refused to let Li Diudiu ride a horse, on the grounds that at Li Diudiu’s current height, the donkey was a better match.

On the way back, Li Diudiu asked who wanted to see him. Xiahou Zuo told him honestly — it was Prince Wu. Li Diudiu didn’t have much of a mental image of Prince Wu, and vaguely pictured someone roughly the same age as Prince Yu.

Seeing his puzzled look, Xiahou Zuo added: “Prince Wu is very big.”

Li Diudiu asked: “Isn’t he about the same size as your father?”

Xiahou Zuo gestured with his hands: “About two of my father’s size, give or take — maybe three.”

Li Diudiu reacted as though startled: “Well, that is quite big indeed.”

Riding alongside them, Ye Zhangzhu genuinely wanted to cover his face. This kind of infantile exchange was coming out of the mouths of Xiahou Zuo and Li Diudiu — and it made Ye Zhangzhu feel like none of this could possibly be real. The Xiahou next to him simply had to be some demon or spirit in disguise — it had to be…

“But…”

Li Diudiu said: “No matter how big he is, I still have to make a stop at Laihu County first. My business isn’t finished. Why don’t you and Master Ye tell them when you get back that you didn’t see me, and don’t know where I went?”

Ye Zhangzhu explained: “Prince Wu will be leaving Jizhou City very soon — three to five days at most. Come back with us and meet Prince Wu first, and after that’s settled we’ll accompany you to Laihu County.”

Li Diudiu said very seriously: “If Prince Wu is three of Prince Yu’s size, it would genuinely be impolite not to go see him… But Wang Heita is dead, and Song Feng is dead too. Are the dead not important?”

Without waiting for Xiahou Zuo and Ye Zhangzhu to answer, he murmured, as though to himself: “Nothing is greater than the dead. Besides, I can’t be certain that Lian Gongming’s men haven’t tracked down Wang Heita’s family. If I delay a few more days and find only bodies when I arrive…”

He shook his head: “I can’t do that.”

Xiahou Zuo said earnestly: “Li Chi, you should understand — Prince Wu will be staying in Jizhou for a long time to come. Even if he isn’t in Jizhou City, within the entire northern region he is still the highest authority. Meeting him just once could open every door to you—” He spat to the side: “Pheh!”

Xiahou Zuo wiped his mouth and said: “Even those words can’t convince me myself. Let’s move fast and not stop for the night — try to cut the travel time in half and get back to Jizhou.”

He looked back: “Good thing we have plenty of horses.”

Li Diudiu said seriously: “Please drop the ‘we.'”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Fine. Good thing I have plenty of horses!”

Li Diudiu said: “Mine. They’re mine, all mine.”

Xiahou Zuo nodded and repeated: “Right, right — yours, yours, all yours.”

Ye Zhangzhu had thought the two of them were already immature enough, but upon seeing this exchange he realized that what he’d witnessed before was only the tip of the iceberg. He had not the slightest doubt that if those two got into a real argument, they would settle it with a round of rock-paper-scissors worthy of moving heaven and earth.

“You and I clearly need a decisive contest,” Xiahou Zuo said.

Ye Zhangzhu’s heart sank. He thought to himself — speak of the devil.

And then he heard Li Diudiu ask: “Alright, what’s the contest?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “A pissing contest — whoever pisses farthest wins the horses.”

Ye Zhangzhu thought: dear heavens, is that not even more earth-shattering than rock-paper-scissors?

Right then he heard Li Diudiu say: “That won’t do. You’re tall and built big — someone standing higher up will naturally piss farther than someone lower down. It’s not fair.”

Ye Zhangzhu found himself thinking — he’s not wrong.

Xiahou Zuo said: “Then what contest would be fair?”

Li Diudiu looked at Ye Zhangzhu and said: “Master Ye holds out some fingers on his right hand and covers them with his left. We both guess the number — whoever guesses right wins.”

Xiahou Zuo nodded: “That works.”

Ye Zhangzhu said: “But what if I take sides with Xiahou Zuo? I’m covering the number with my left hand — neither of you can see. He guesses a number, I just show that number. You guess a number, I show something different. You’d never win.”

Li Diudiu said: “Then there needs to be a rule.”

Ye Zhangzhu asked: “What rule?”

Li Diudiu said: “Whoever cheats belongs to the other person’s dog.”

Ye Zhangzhu stared for a moment, then let out a long breath: “That is some truly formidable thinking…”

He looked at Xiahou Zuo — surely you don’t actually think this rule is fair?

Yet he watched Xiahou Zuo nod with grave seriousness and declare: “Exactly as it should be!”

Ye Zhangzhu sighed: “You two play on your own. You guess each other’s numbers — whoever guesses right wins. I’m begging you — leave me out of this…”

Li Diudiu thought: this man really is terrified of being someone’s dog.

Meanwhile, in Jizhou City.

At the estate of Prince Yu, Prince Yu Yang Jixing watched a servant lead Changmei the Daoist in, and felt a breath of relief. Prince Wu Yang Jiju placed great faith in matters of the divine and supernatural — and in particular, he deeply trusted the fortune-telling and divination of Daoist priests. But given his stature, he would not casually receive an ordinary wandering Daoist or street fortune-teller, and would not readily believe one even if he did — because his close friend from Dragon Tiger Mountain was a Daoist named Zhang Yuxu, a man of tremendous repute, considered by many to be the supreme master of the Central Plains.

Prince Wu was sitting in his study reading when Prince Yu led Changmei the Daoist in from outside. Changmei looked up the moment he entered and saw Prince Wu’s stern and imposing face — and was startled. That face was written over with killing and ruthlessness.

“Paying respects to Your Highness.”

Changmei hastily bowed.

Prince Wu looked at the Daoist before him. He was not dressed in a clean, tidy robe, and that already displeased him somewhat — he was someone who liked people to look proper and orderly, each person wearing clothes suited to their station, speaking words suited to their station, all kept within proper bounds.

“You are the Changmei Daoist?”

Prince Wu set down the scroll he was holding. He thought: the man is here anyway, and his third brother said he had the ability to see through the threads of fate — might as well have a chat.

Changmei answered: “That is this humble one.”

“A person beyond the mortal world is not truly a ‘humble one.'”

Prince Wu pointed to the stool before him: “Come and speak.”

Changmei carefully came forward and perched on the edge of the stool, then asked: “What does Your Highness wish to ask?”

“The fortunes of the nation.”

Prince Wu looked into Changmei’s eyes: “Tell me — how do the fortunes of Dachu stand?”

Changmei was startled internally. What fortunes of Dachu? Even a blind man could see that Dachu had no fortunes left to speak of — the whole situation was a scattered mess of feathers.

He didn’t dare say so, and only replied: “This humble one can read only people — I would not dare to peer into the will of heaven.”

Prince Wu did not reproach him. Even when he asked Zhang Yuxu of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhang Yuxu always deflected and would not answer — let alone this destitute Daoist.

“Then read my fortunes.”

Prince Wu sat up straight and asked. He saw that Changmei’s eyes flickered, seemingly with a trace of fear, and so he said: “Go ahead and read — I don’t mind being read. What is there for you to fear?”

Changmei then sat up straight as well and examined Prince Wu’s face carefully. After a moment he asked Prince Wu to extend his hand, and read the lines of his palm.

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

Changmei bowed: “In the next five years, Your Highness will be invincible in every attack, victorious in every battle. In every engagement, great or small, there will be not a single defeat.”

“Five years?”

Prince Wu seemed not entirely satisfied with this answer. The five-year limit left him faintly unsettled, and so he asked: “Why five years? What happens after five years?”

Changmei bowed his head and swallowed quietly, not letting Prince Wu see, then said with head lowered: “The reason this humble one says five years is that five years is the furthest this humble one’s abilities can reach. It is this humble one’s own limitation.”

“I see.”

Prince Wu burst into laughter: “If you can truly see five years ahead, that is already remarkable. Zhang Yuxu says he can see no more than ten years — to see five years makes you half as capable as he is. Five years — that will do.”

He looked at Changmei and asked: “I hear you have a disciple of exceptional gifts — one whose sight is even keener than yours. Where is he?”

Changmei shook his head: “This humble one also does not know where the disciple Li Chi has gone. He may have encountered some circumstances not of his own choosing.”

Prince Yu inwardly said: beautifully played.

“Oh?”

Prince Wu was indeed curious. He asked: “What kind of circumstances could put a young man in a position not of his own choosing? Who would go out of their way to make things difficult for a child?”

Changmei looked frightened and said: “This humble one cannot say — dare not say.”

Prince Yu silently called out again: beautifully played!

Prince Wu’s expression hardened slightly: “What sort of person could you not even name in front of me?”

Changmei quickly said: “That person is the one with the greatest power in Jizhou. If this humble one were to name him, it might bring about one’s own death.”

Prince Wu looked at Prince Yu: “Is it you?”

Prince Yu waved his hands repeatedly: “Why would I trouble them? I have a connection with these two — my own son and Li Chi are the closest of friends.”

Prince Wu asked again: “Then it’s Military Commissioner Zeng Ling? He dares to throw his weight around and bully people like this?”

Both Changmei and Prince Yu shook their heads at the same time: “No, no, it isn’t.”

Prince Wu finally understood. His hand slapped down on the table: “It’s Lian Gongming again?! When exactly did this become his city, where he gets to be the greatest power?!”

Changmei reacted as though terrified, immediately rising and backing away several steps to bow: “It is this humble one who spoke carelessly — this humble one spoke nonsense in ignorance. Please punish this humble one, Your Highness!”

Prince Wu looked at Prince Yu, sighed, then said: “You two have conspired to put on a little performance for me.”

Prince Yu quickly said: “Royal Brother, the Changmei Daoist spoke nothing but truth — it was not meant to deceive you.”

Prince Wu looked at Changmei again. The old Daoist’s face held a look of panic — more convincing than the real thing, the kind that guaranteed tenfold authenticity.

And so Prince Wu nodded: “Very well then. In that case, I’ll stay in Jizhou a few more days and see just how unrestrained the most powerful man in Jizhou City truly is.”

Prince Yu lowered his voice: “Royal Brother, rumor has it this person sends Liu Chongxin considerable amounts each year of… you know.”

Prince Wu frowned: “No wonder he’s been allowed to act this way.”

He stood and paced back and forth across the room. About a quarter of an hour later he suddenly smiled: “Since he holds such power, I’ll have to seek a favor from him too. Let me see whether he’ll deny even my request.”

He laughed: “Third Brother, come with me to the Prefect’s offices. One Prince alone may lack enough weight — I’ll pull you along as another. Together let’s see whether the combined weight of the two of us can get the favor we’re asking for.”

Prince Yu said: “Whatever Royal Brother wishes.”

Half an hour later, at the Jizhou Prefect’s offices.

Prince Wu looked at Lian Gongming, who was shaking in fear before him. He tried hard to arrange his features into something resembling a smile — but with that imposing bearing, the smile he managed looked worse than weeping, and more frightening than a ghost.

“We will soon be departing on campaign, and this Prince has come to seek your assistance, Prefect.”

Prince Wu said with a congenial expression: “Supplies in the region are lacking, and there is also a shortage of weapons and armor, so I’ve come to see whether the Prefect can help.”

Lian Gongming’s heart jumped — he sensed a trap.

Prince Wu said: “Nothing excessive — don’t be alarmed. Just… five hundred thousand bushels of grain for provisions, and as for weapons and armor, you can contribute what you see fit — I wouldn’t want to name too little and insult the Prefect. So, that amount of grain — and the timeframe… say, half a month. What do you say?”

Lian Gongming cursed inwardly through every possible epithet, yet all he could do was keep a pained expression and say: “This subordinate… this subordinate will do his utmost.”

Prince Wu said: “Good — this Prince appreciates a man who is agreeable. Very well — shall we put it in writing with a military pledge?”

—