What Li Chi cherished most in his thoughts was that little place called Chang’an. Perhaps it was because the name held his attention — for there were perhaps no two characters placed together that carried so fine a meaning. *(Translator’s note: 长安 Chang’an means “Enduring Peace.”)*
That small place Li Chi cared so much about held an exceptionally strategic geographic position.
The official roads built by Dachu leading to the western frontier and the northern frontier — several of the most important routes — all passed through this little place.
If it had been designed that way deliberately, yet Dachu had never developed it into anything over all these years — when it should have long ago been built into a major northern stronghold — then it seemed as though Dachu had prepared it for Li Chi without knowing it.
The stone materials from the lake island began to be transported by water route to Chang’an in a steady, unbroken stream from that day forward.
“My lord.”
Lü Qingluan did not quite understand. She looked at Shen Rujian: “Prince Ning has asked for seventy percent of our Shen Medical Hall’s ships to transport stone — and commandeered many merchant vessels besides. What is so special about that place?”
Shen Rujian smiled: “If you want to understand this, you first have to understand Prince Ning’s character.”
She poured a cup of tea and lifted it to her nose, breathing it in. The Jiangnan tea was indeed far finer than what one found in Jizhou.
“Prince Ning is a cautious man. Very cautious.”
She looked at Lü Qingluan: “Have you ever seen anyone who has taken the principle of striking back only after the opponent moves and pressed it to such an extreme?”
Lü Qingluan had probably never paid attention to these things — nor was it his concern. The mission and purpose he had set for his own life was to protect Shen Rujian.
And so Lü Qingluan shook his head: “I actually noticed nothing.”
“Then do you think Prince Ning is confident?”
Shen Rujian asked again.
Lü Qingluan thought it over carefully, then nodded: “Confident.”
Shen Rujian said: “And do you understand the difference between confidence and arrogance?”
Lü Qingluan had never really examined the distinction between those two words. He found himself unable to explain it on the spot.
Shen Rujian did not wait for an answer and continued: “An arrogant man believes himself invincible. A confident man will quietly make preparations for the failures he might one day face.”
Lü Qingluan found this somewhat contradictory — if one was confident, why plan for possible failure?
Shen Rujian said: “If he takes all of the Central Plains, then Chang’an will be the capital of the new nation he establishes. If he does not take all of the Central Plains and must temporarily fall back to the north, then Chang’an will be the foundation he has built for himself — official roads leading in all directions, defensible both in advance and retreat, and most importantly, positioned to support the western and northern frontiers at any time.”
She slowly exhaled: “I have never seen anyone who, even while making preparations for failure, was still thinking about holding the frontier.”
Lü Qingluan said: “So how could someone like that ever lose.”
Shen Rujian smiled: “Exactly — how could someone like that ever lose… So now go and arrange it. Every ship of Shen Medical Hall that can be mobilized — bring them all. Not seventy percent, but one hundred percent.”
Lü Qingluan said: “But that would seriously impact our business.”
“With Prince Ning here, our business can keep going. If Prince Ning ultimately loses, what business would we have left? How is it that you still haven’t grasped this?”
Shen Rujian sighed softly: “You should think more about these things. I will eventually withdraw from everything. The business of Shen Medical Hall — I need someone to pass it on to.”
Lü Qingluan shook his head: “I was never cut out for business. I’d rather just keep being your attendant.”
Shen Rujian gave Lü Qingluan a helpless look.
On the other side, Cao Lie in Yuzhou City had also received word, and immediately ordered all Cao family vessels to sail toward Xiao Nan Lake.
The Cao family’s business involved shipping as one of its largest and oldest ventures. Their fleet was considerable in scale — the Cao family held seven or eight tenths of Yuzhou’s shipping business. With the South Ping River and Chi River at their doorstep, they earned a fortune daily without exaggeration — yet Cao Lie had not the slightest hesitation.
Once the Cao family moved, those who followed the wind came in droves. So many people watched the Cao family’s movements — everyone knew that young lord Cao Lie and Prince Ning were close.
Whatever Cao Lie did, they followed. It was never wrong.
And so, in a very short time, nearly every large vessel in all of Yuzhou was making its way toward Xiao Nan Lake.
What had originally been a quiet, out-of-the-way place became, within a single month, a place of extraordinary bustle and traffic — congestion on the water became a common occurrence.
During that one month, Li Chi gradually expanded his foothold throughout Jingzhou.
Xie Xiu came — he came with full and wholehearted sincerity. The very first thing he did upon meeting Li Chi was to kneel and address him as lord.
With that declaration of intent made, everything that followed proceeded smoothly.
Li Chi did not move against Xie Xiu’s military authority. On the contrary, he trusted him completely, handing him the entire eastern defensive line without the slightest suspicion arising from Xie Xiu having once served Yang Xuanji.
Yang Xuanji’s general An Nuan with a hundred thousand troops could not enter Jingzhou, and was forced to fall back, taking up defensive positions on the western flank of Jingzhou, facing off against Xie Xiu’s Jingzhou Army.
Time moved swiftly. Before they knew it, winter had come again. The state of the realm seemed like a chessboard running on an automatic display, and in this winter someone suddenly hit the pause button.
Once winter set in, every faction was forced to halt, and all of them found themselves anxious over provisions.
Yuzhou City.
With the fighting halted, Li Chi and his men returned to Yuzhou City. Each day passed quietly, and before they knew it another two months had gone by.
The days until this year’s Spring Festival could now be counted on one’s fingers — and this was the first Spring Festival Li Chi and his men would spend since leaving Jizhou.
“The ledgers from Jizhou — Xu Ji sent them over.”
Yan Qingzhi set a thick stack of account books on Li Chi’s table. Li Chi saw them and immediately rubbed his temples.
These accounts were enough to make one’s head swell. He had only just finished reviewing the entire Yuzhou year-end accounts; his mind was still full of numbers.
“The harvest was good this year.”
Adviser Yan said: “Looking at Xu Ji’s reports, the grain yield nearly doubled compared to last year.”
He looked at Li Chi and asked: “So — the tax reductions and exemptions in Jizhou, do they continue?”
Li Chi asked: “Is there enough grain?”
Adviser Yan replied: “Enough. Yanzhou had a decent harvest this year too — they can be self-sufficient. Even if we expand our forces by another three hundred thousand, there would still be enough grain.”
Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment: “Then continue the exemptions. I promised the people of Jizhou five years free of monetary and grain taxes, so five years it must be. If our military grain runs short, we borrow from the people — write them vouchers, borrow one and repay two.”
Adviser Yan noted this down, then asked: “And Qingzhou?”
Li Chi said: “I met with Shen Shanzhu yesterday. She said Qingzhou has suffered years of unrest and the people there are living very hard. I intend to send Adviser Wu temporarily to Qingzhou as Military Commissioner, and like Jizhou, to exempt monetary and grain taxes for five years.”
Adviser Yan said: “Qingzhou is not yet fully stable. Perhaps it would be better to ask Shen Shanzhu to return there as well — with Adviser Wu handling civilian and military affairs as the head, the troops should still be under Shen Shanzhu’s command.”
Li Chi nodded: “She came back to report in, but she also wanted to go back. Being able to serve as mutual support with Old Tang — her hundred thousand Yanzhou soldiers can be stationed in Qingzhou.”
Adviser Yan said: “The generals have all been ennobled. What arrangements does my lord have for Shen Shanzhu?”
Li Chi smiled: “I settled on that long ago. She must not be treated poorly — the same rank and stipend as Old Tang.”
With the matters he needed to ask largely addressed, Adviser Yan put away his notebook: “Then I’ll head back to the office. This is the first year we’re spending in Yuzhou — Adviser Wu mentioned wanting to make it a lively occasion, so the people can have something to celebrate.”
Li Chi smiled: “Adviser Wu mentioned wanting to hold a Lantern Festival. I had a look at the projected costs — quite a sum.”
Adviser Yan also smiled: “Quite a sum indeed, but after what we brought back from the lake island…”
Before he could finish, Li Chi was already shaking his head repeatedly: “Designated funds for designated purposes. That money is military funds. For the Lantern Festival — I’ll find a way.”
Hearing Li Chi say he would find a way, Adviser Yan could not help but start silently sympathizing with someone — he did not yet know who, but he felt he must.
He thought about it: aside from young lord Cao Lie, whose money could Li Chi squeeze?
Sure enough, not long after Adviser Yan left, young lord Cao Lie was invited to Prince Ning’s residence.
The moment Li Chi saw Cao Lie, he came forward with a full face of smiles: “Is it cold out? Come in quickly — I had someone stoke the fire up good and strong. Come warm your hands.”
Cao Lie paused, then turned and walked away.
Li Chi: “What do you mean by this?”
Cao Lie said: “I have nothing to say today. I just remembered I have much to attend to — I’ll come back when I have time.”
Li Chi sighed: “You think I’m here to squeeze money out of you?”
Cao Lie turned back: “Is it not?”
Li Chi said: “It really isn’t. I have a business proposition for you — a good deal.”
Cao Lie turned and strode straight for the door, calling back as he walked: “I am a man of principle. Give your good deals to someone else.”
Li Chi watched him go. Cao Lie walked a few steps, then sighed and came back. He stepped through the door and said at once: “Pour me your best tea, and cook me a few small dishes with your own hands later.”
Li Chi immediately responded: “Yes indeed.”
He looked at his personal guard: “Pour tea for young lord — my best tea. Pack two jars to take home with him as well.”
Cao Lie’s eyes went wide. He immediately stopped them: “I don’t want it!”
He turned to look straight into Li Chi’s eyes: “What exactly are you planning? You’re actually giving me something? You could squeeze my money out of me with complete confidence even without giving me anything — and now you’re giving me something… Are you planning to raid my household?”
Li Chi said: “Don’t overthink it. The tea was taken from your place last month — I haven’t finished it yet. But I’m counting it as a gift from me anyway.”
Cao Lie looked at Li Chi’s personal guard: “Don’t rush to pour the tea — go brew me something calming instead. Buy it from Shen Medical Hall. The strong kind.”
That reduced the guard to bewilderment.
Cao Lie sighed: “Stop being so roundabout. Just say it directly. Let me see if I can take it. If I can’t, I’ll immediately clutch my chest in pain — the kind that makes people have to carry me out.”
Li Chi laughed: “Then I’ll be direct. Adviser Wu, in the interests of settling the people’s hearts, thought of a plan: to hold a Lantern Festival in Yuzhou City. The funds required are no small number…”
Cao Lie rose to his feet: “Farewell!”
Li Chi said: “Let’s phrase it differently.”
He pulled Cao Lie back: “All the expenses of the Lantern Festival are yours to cover, but all the revenues of the Lantern Festival are yours to keep.”
Cao Lie’s eyes narrowed: “You mean that?”
Li Chi raised his hand and swore: “If I go back on my word, may lightning strike me down.”
Cao Lie said: “What use is your oath? Put it in writing.”
He called out to Li Chi’s personal guard: “Bring His Highness paper and brush.”
Li Chi: “…”
He looked at Cao Lie with a sigh: “Between the two of us, even this basic measure of…”
Before he could finish, Cao Lie cut him off: “There is no such thing, and there never has been. Write it down as you said, and the Lantern Festival is my business. Without something written and a handprint on it, don’t even think about it.”
Li Chi sighed again: “I am a prince, after all…”
Cao Lie: “But you’re poor.”
Li Chi fell silent.
Then he ventured, somewhat tentatively: “Once it’s written down — if your revenues exceed your costs, could you, on the basis of our friendship, privately share a little with me? The kind that doesn’t go into the accounts?”
—