In the third month of spring, all things were coming back to life.

In the West Market of Chang’an, merchants gathered and people moved about like a woven tapestry. Near Zhuque Street, a wine shop was extraordinarily lively. The laughter of foreign courtesans and patrons occasionally emanated from within. Golden-haired foreign merchants leading camels laden with goods passed leisurely by the entrance. On the second floor of the establishment sat two young gentlemen dressed in crimson official robes, admiring the bustling scene of Zhuque Street while conversing over wine.

The two were discussing something when the more spirited young gentleman angrily threw down his golden cup: “Cui Xun dared to dig up the imperial road! I’ve submitted ten memorials impeaching him, but they’ve sunk like stones into the sea. How infuriating!”

This young gentleman was Lu Huai, the Director of the Imperial Academy, who had been displeased with Cui Xun at the New Year’s Eve banquet. He had now been transferred to the position of Deputy Chief of the Dali Temple. His first act after the transfer was to send Cui Xun a lotus-patterned phoenix-headed wine vessel as a form of mockery.

The other young gentleman had a humble countenance. He was Wang Xuan, the Vice Director of the Palace Secretariat who had said at the New Year’s Eve banquet that Cui Xun served with his looks, and once his beauty faded, so would the favor shown to him. He advised Lu Huai: “Huaixin, I suggest you stop submitting these memorials. The Empress Dowager has no intention of punishing Cui Xun.”

Lu Huai was startled: “Why not? Hasn’t Cui Xun already been beaten with a hundred strokes by the Empress Dowager and stripped of his official position? Surely he has lost favor with the Empress Dowager.”

“Even if he has lost favor, I suspect the Empress Dowager will not punish Cui Xun this time.”

Lu Huai pondered. Wang Xuan, as Vice Director of the Palace Secretariat, was a close attendant to His Majesty. His understanding of imperial intentions was far superior to his own. He said, “I’d like to hear your reasoning.”

Wang Xuan took a sip of grape wine: “Have you heard about the corpse of Sheng Yunting, the former Military Supervisor of the Tianwei Army, being dug up?”

“I’ve heard something about it. They say Cui Xun dug it out from the imperial road outside Tonghua Gate.”

“How would his corpse end up on the imperial road?”

Lu Huai was startled again: “Wasn’t he said to have been killed by mountain bandits?”

Wang Xuan smiled ambiguously: “Whether that’s true or not, I dare not say. But the commander of the Tianwei Army, Guo Qinwei, was promoted by the Empress Dowager herself. Guo Qinwei was once merely a seventh-rank Commandant, from ancestors who sold straw sandals—truly the humblest of humble origins. The Empress Dowager, with her discerning eye, elevated him to Deputy Protector-General of Anxi. He did not disappoint her expectations, personally creating the Tianwei Army composed entirely of men from humble origins. The Tianwei Army achieved victory after victory against the Turks, becoming the most renowned banner of the Great Zhou.”

Lu Huai shook his head: “What good did that do? Didn’t Guo Qinwei, six years ago, underestimate the enemy and advance rashly in battle against the Turks, resulting in the total annihilation of fifty thousand Tianwei troops at Luoyan Ridge? The Great Zhou lost six prefectures in the Guannei Circuit—Feng, You, Sheng, Yan, Xia, and Qing. The common people of these six prefectures suffered, with refugees traveling barefoot for thousands of li, fleeing to Chang’an at night, their wails shaking the heavens. If it weren’t for Minister Pei Guanyue defeating the Turks at Ningshuo, Turkish cavalry would have reached Chang’an. No matter how many victories Guo Qinwei had before, they cannot compensate for such a grievous crime!”

By the end of his speech, Lu Huai’s tone was filled with contempt for Guo Qinwei. Wang Xuan did not respond immediately, only drinking his grape wine before saying: “Six years ago, His Majesty had already begun to rule personally, but the power to appoint officials and draft policies remained firmly in the Empress Dowager’s grasp. The high ministers of the court were mostly from humble origins, with almost no place for aristocratic families. After the battle at Luoyan Ridge, the loss of six prefectures and territory shocked the empire. Scholars and intellectuals submitted petitions attributing the defeat to the Empress Dowager’s poor appointments. The people were furious, and thousands of students from the Imperial Academy knelt outside Danfeng Gate, writing in blood to accuse women of misruling the country and demanding that the Empress Dowager return power to His Majesty. Under pressure, the Empress Dowager acknowledged her fault and returned governance, retreating to Penglai Palace. Only then did His Majesty gain the authority to appoint officials. Though the Empress Dowager still wields considerable influence, compared to her omnipotence six years ago, she has declined significantly. At the very least, the position of Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs is now held by your uncle.”

Lu Huai asked, puzzled: “Boyan, I know all this, but what does it have to do with whether the Empress Dowager punishes Cui Xun?”

Wang Xuan said: “Though the Empress Dowager was forced by pressure to hand over the authority to deal with the Tianwei Army to His Majesty, and never mentioned the Tianwei Army again, it was because of the Tianwei Army that she was forced to return power. If you were in her position, wouldn’t you harbor resentment about this?”

Lu Huai thought for a moment: “I would certainly resent it, but I still don’t see how this relates to the Empress Dowager’s unwillingness to punish Cui Xun.”

Wang Xuan merely smiled without speaking. Lu Huai pondered carefully for a while before suddenly realizing: “I understand now. Could it be that the Empress Dowager refuses to punish Cui Xun because she wants to use Sheng Yunting’s death to stir up trouble and regain control of the government?”

Having figured this out, he became even more indignant: “No wonder the Empress Dowager ignores Cui Xun’s unauthorized excavation of the imperial road—it serves her purpose! Next, she’ll probably instruct Cui Xun, like a vicious dog, to attack high officials of the court, claiming that Sheng Yunting was murdered by traitors. They’ll say the annihilation of the Tianwei Army wasn’t due to their rash advance but because the court didn’t receive Sheng Yunting’s plea for help, thereby attempting to overturn the verdict on her personnel failures six years ago?”

Wang Xuan said: “It’s unlikely she’d try to overturn the verdict. The Tianwei Army is now universally despised as the army that lost territory. The matter has been conclusively settled and cannot be disputed. The Empress Dowager does not need to wade into those troubled waters again. In my view, her refusal to punish Cui Xun is a deliberate message to the ministers who forced her into seclusion six years ago. The Empress Dowager is showing that, like a centipede that dies but does not stiffen, despite her retreat to Penglai Palace, she can still make them all fear for themselves with just one set of bones of questionable authenticity!”

Lu Huai, who had always detested evil, was now furious with bulging eyes and gnashing teeth: “I’ve always abhorred schemes and stratagems. It seems this burial in the imperial road must be a show staged by Cui Xun! Major matters of state and the blood and tears of the people in the six prefectures have become tools for his power games!”

After speaking, Lu Huai drank three cups of grape wine in succession. As the alcohol took effect, he complained: “Boyan, since you understand this situation so clearly, do you have any way to take advantage of this opportunity to remove the treacherous Cui Xun?”

Wang Xuan hesitated. He seemed about to speak but then restrained himself, only drinking a cup of wine before shaking his head: “I, Wang Boyan, am merely a concubine’s son of the Wang family. Being able to serve as Vice Director of the Palace Secretariat already satisfies me. I have no ambition to rectify the times and save the world. I only wish to live peacefully with my elderly mother and humble wife. The Imperial Court is too lofty; I have neither the heart nor the courage for it.”

Lu Huai was greatly disappointed: “Boyan, you were the top scorer in the palace examination, a Number One Scholar!”

Wang Xuan just shook his head: “Huaixin, I am different from you. You are the nephew of the Chancellor, one of the privileged young men. If something happens, you have Chancellor Lu to protect you. You dare to send a lotus wine vessel to humiliate Cui Xun, but I do not.”

Lu Huai knew he spoke the truth, so he did not press further. Instead, he drank his grape wine in dejection. Seeing this, Wang Xuan comforted him: “Huaixin, don’t worry. I believe Cui Xun will not weather this storm easily.”

Lu Huai suddenly looked up: “What do you mean?”

“Cui Xun is arrogant and tyrannical, but in Chang’an, there is someone even more arrogant and tyrannical.”

Lu Huai thought briefly and guessed who he meant. Wang Xuan continued: “When Cui Xun was Deputy Commissioner of the Investigation Department, this person opposed him at every turn. Won’t he take this opportunity, while Cui Xun is out of office, to settle old scores?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Huai’s face lit up with joy: “Indeed. Now both sides are dear to her. Let’s see how the Empress Dowager chooses.”

With his frustration relieved, Lu Huai felt elated. He and Wang Xuan drank and conversed with cheerful expressions. When the sun was high, they noticed an open carriage coming slowly along Zhuque Street. Hundreds of white-robed scholars escorted the carriage, walking alongside it. Passersby stopped to watch this scene, and those who glimpsed the sixtyish old man in the carriage exclaimed: “Is that Minister Cui?”

Lu Huai and Wang Xuan exchanged glances and simultaneously blurted out: “Minister Cui? Cui Songqing?”

Could it be the same Cui Songqing who had led the Taichang New Policies but was inexplicably expelled from the court after the Empress Dowager took control of the government, becoming a commoner?

The same man who was Cui Xun’s uncle, head of the highest-ranking clan in the world, who even in retirement at Boling had won the hearts of scholars throughout the land?

Both men’s gazes sharpened as they thought: it seemed the political winds of Chang’an were about to change again.

The carriage slowly made its way through Danfeng Gate, but the white-robed scholars still refused to leave. They sat on the ground outside the gate, waiting for their teacher’s return.

In Penglai Palace, among pearl curtains and emerald screens with fragrant incense wafting, the Empress Dowager caressed a hollowed-out gold incense pouch decorated with grape and bird patterns, coldly watching the old man before the curtain performing a formal bow. She spoke indifferently: “Minister Cui, you may rise.”

Cui Songqing stood up. Compared to twenty years ago when he was expelled from court, he had aged considerably with white hair and beard, but his spirit remained vigorous. The Empress Dowager gave a light laugh: “I hear that in recent years you’ve distributed all your family wealth to establish academies and promote woodblock printing. The scholars from humble origins are deeply grateful to you, calling you the ‘White-Robed Minister.'”

“Your Highness flatters me,” Cui Songqing replied, neither humble nor proud. “I established academies to provide places for scholars from humble origins to study, but no matter how many academies I open, they cannot benefit all humble families throughout the land. Woodblock printing, compared to hand copying, is much cheaper, allowing even the poor to afford books. When more people can read, more candidates will take the examinations, and the Great Zhou will have a wider pool of talent from which to select.”

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s lips curved into a slight smile, though her tone lacked genuine admiration: “Minister Cui, though you live in the countryside, you still care about state affairs. Truly worthy of the title ‘White-Robed Minister.'”

Cui Songqing detected the mockery in the Empress Dowager’s tone but was not bothered. Instead, he said: “Your Highness, I am unworthy of the title ‘White-Robed Minister.’ My only wish in this life is for good governance, harmony among the people, and peace throughout the land. For this wish, I am willing to sacrifice my life.”

“Such a grand declaration of willingness to sacrifice!” the Empress Dowager exclaimed. “Cui Songqing, I told you twenty years ago that the next time I summoned you would be to kill you! So why do you dare come to Chang’an now?”

Cui Songqing showed no fear: “I dare to come because I wager that Your Highness will not kill me but instead restore me to office.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Though Your Highness detests me, the Taichang New Policies are the result of thirty years of Your Highness’s efforts. Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Lu Yumin, is conservative and believes the new policies will shake the foundations of the state. Now, Lu’s faction is growing in power, challenging Your Highness’s authority. At this time, Investigation Department Deputy Commissioner Cui Xun has angered Your Highness and has been removed from office. Your Highness has cut off your arm, and to prevent thirty years of effort from being wasted, you have no choice but to restore me to office.”

The Empress Dowager sneered upon hearing this: “You analyze the situation quite thoroughly.”

Cui Songqing remained calm: “The Taichang New Policies are also my life’s work. I also do not wish to see my lifelong efforts wasted. Even if I end up with no place to be buried, I am willing to return to Chang’an.”

Behind the pearl curtain, the Empress Dowager’s expression was inscrutable: “Very well, I shall grant your wish and restore you to your original position. But I cannot guarantee your fate afterward.”

Cui Songqing merely smiled slightly: “What my heart considers good, though I die nine times, I would have no regrets.”

After these words, the Empress Dowager could no longer speak harshly. Though she detested this man, she had to acknowledge his loyalty to the country and people. After a moment’s silence, she said: “Cui Songqing, you and your nephew Cui Xun truly are heading in opposite directions.”

Cui Songqing was upright and patriotic, while Cui Xun wielded power for his ends and harmed worthy officials with slander. Both were from the Cui clan of Boling, yet one was respected by all while the other was universally despised. One was destined for historical glory, the other for disgrace and eternal infamy.

Cui Songqing lowered his eyes: “The thing I regret most in my life was writing a letter recommending Cui Xun to Guo Qinwei.”

The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh: “Starvation is a small matter; losing one’s integrity is grave. This saying certainly doesn’t apply to Cui Xun.”

Cui Songqing suppressed his disgust for Cui Xun and said, “Though Cui Xun’s moral character is poor, he is indeed a useful blade. He has angered Your Highness, but a light punishment is sufficient. I believe Your Highness should set aside personal grudges and reappoint him.”

The Empress Dowager looked up: “You say… personal grudges?”

Cui Songqing nodded: “Your Highness, because of Princess Yong’an—”

“Speak no more!” the Empress Dowager suddenly interrupted fiercely. “Cui Songqing, if you still wish to remain in Chang’an, never mention the Bright Moon Pearl again!”

Cui Songqing was stunned. He lowered his gaze and said nothing more. The Empress Dowager was still angry, her chest heaving violently as her fingers tightly clutched the grape-patterned golden incense pouch in her palm: “I wish I could have Cui Xun sliced into a thousand pieces, but… his life, I must preserve… There are too many in Chang’an who wish to kill him. Cui Songqing, go now, go protect his life, but do not speak of employing him again. I do not wish to see that man again!”

Cui Songqing sighed inwardly but still respectfully replied: “As you command.”