At the end of March, Gu Juhan, who was in Shangjing, received a letter from Jiangzuo.

He recognized the person who came to deliver the letter to the Duke’s mansion—a fifth-rank official from the Ministry of Works. Usually, they had little personal connection, but that day he suddenly came to the mansion for a visit, saying he had a letter for the general to review, and another item for him to graciously accept.

In truth, Gu Juhan had been in no mood to receive guests during that period.

His father’s health had deteriorated day by day since the great defeat in the Northern Expedition. The Gu family’s circumstances were also quite unfavorable, and with Zou Qian pressing them step by step so relentlessly, he truly felt somewhat overwhelmed, only deeply sensing that the imperial court was ten thousand times more dangerous than the battlefield.

He had originally intended to decline visitors, but that official was very persistent, standing steadfastly at the Duke’s mansion gates refusing to leave, insisting that he absolutely must see him. With no other recourse, he finally invited the man into his study.

The official gave him a letter and a wooden box that appeared quite aged.

He raised an eyebrow and first opened the wooden box.

Even though Gu Juhan had weathered many storms in his life, he was still so shocked by what was inside that he lost his words.

…That was wealth sufficient to support his entire army for a full month.

He was greatly astonished, and immediately unfolded the letter to read it, only to see just a few sparse words on the letter:

“How can it be said we have no garments? We share robes with you.

When the king raises his army, we repair our spears and halberds.

We share the same enemies with you.”

“Without Garments”—a poem from the Qin Airs section of the Book of Songs.

The letter bore no signature, but those characters were bold and unconventional like swift blade cuts, elegant yet concealing the aura of weapons and warfare—undoubtedly written personally by Great Liang’s Qi Jingchen.

Qi Jingchen…

The poem “Without Garments” originally spoke of soldiers’ heroic spirit and resolve to resist foreign invasion before great battles, while also carrying the deeper meaning of unity of heart and virtue. By sending him this letter and such a sum of wealth, his meaning was…

Gu Juhan’s eyes darkened.

He slowly set the letter down, then raised his gaze to look at that Ministry of Works official, his expression cold as ice and frost, saying: “So you are originally a spy from the Southern Dynasty. To so brazenly reveal your identity before me—are you so certain I won’t report this to His Majesty?”

Upon hearing this, the official bowed with cupped hands, but his expression remained very calm as he replied: “Since this humble official came north, I never expected to leave alive. If the general exposes my identity, it would merely be this humble official’s fate.”

Gu Juhan narrowed his eyes: “You’re not afraid of death?”

The official answered: “Having entered the Secretariat, life and death have been entrusted to the great cause. My superior’s commands cannot be disobeyed—this letter absolutely had to be delivered into the general’s hands.”

Gu Juhan scrutinized him and asked: “What use is delivering it to my hands, and how do you know I will definitely let your superior get his wish?”

“This humble official doesn’t know,” the official replied. “I only know that the Chief Minister has commanded it, and I obey without exception.”

Gu Juhan gave a cold laugh, pushing that wooden box before the official’s eyes, saying: “Even if he betrays the country?”

Upon hearing this, the official was startled, but immediately turned his eyes away, refusing to look at what was contained in that wooden box. He lowered his head and bowed, saying: “We all deeply believe that our superior acts with his own reasons.”

That was truly heartfelt conviction and submission.

Upon hearing this, Gu Juhan’s gaze grew even colder, and he said not another word.

After the official left, Gu Juhan sat alone in his study until deep into the night.

Qi Jingchen.

He had been enemies with this person for many years, thinking he had long since understood him well, never expecting that he still didn’t comprehend this man’s heart.

He had once thought him a loyal man of integrity who would bow his body to exhaustion and die before resting, willingly shielding the Southern Dynasty from all disasters, protecting that already corrupt dynasty from Great Wei’s iron cavalry.

But he had never imagined that Qi Jingchen would… betray his country.

He had placed such an astonishing sum of wealth in his hands, and gifted him with “Without Garments”—how could Gu Juhan not understand his meaning?

Qi Jingchen was inciting him to reopen hostilities.

The Wei court was also sharp-eyed and clear-eared, naturally having much understanding of Great Liang’s court situation. Gu Juhan knew that Qi Jingchen was now trapped in danger. After the Southern Dynasty’s great victory in the Northern Expedition and the signing of the ten-year armistice agreement, his sovereign had begun to discard the bow when the birds were gone and cook the hunting dogs when the rabbits were dead, seemingly having made up his mind to completely topple the Qi family.

He was balanced on the razor’s edge between life and death.

Just as the Southern Dynasty people viewed Gu Juhan as their greatest enemy, the Great Wei court also regarded Qi Jingchen as a thorn in their flesh. He was Great Wei’s greatest threat—as long as he died, the Southern Dynasty would be an unguarded piece of fat meat, waiting only for Great Wei to rest and recuperate for a few years before they could immediately tear it apart and devour it.

Their Great Liang sovereign had made a foolish mistake, actually wanting to personally remove his own final barrier. This was naturally something the northern people were delighted to see, and also something Gu Juhan was delighted to see. He hoped Qi Jingchen would disappear from this world—nothing personal, they were simply each serving their own masters.

Now the Qi family’s situation was already extremely precarious. His sovereign had murderous intent toward him, and the power struggles among Jiangzuo’s great families were extremely dangerous. He must already be isolated and without aid. Now, not hesitating to make contact with the north was naturally for the purpose of starting war. He knew the reason Great Wei could no longer initiate warfare was the difficulty in providing sufficient money and grain. Now he was sending such a sum of money that could precisely resolve Great Wei’s urgent crisis. And once war began, Great Liang’s new emperor would have no choice but to employ Qi Jingchen again—otherwise, how could all the rest, mediocrities like Han Shouye, possibly withstand Great Wei’s mighty forces?

He was actually unhesitatingly betraying his country to save himself and his family!

That was the homeland he had defended for many years… yet he could abandon it between dawn and dusk.

Truly… the heart of an asura.

But how could Gu Juhan be willing to do him this favor? He more than anyone else hoped for Qi Jingchen to be destroyed.

But…

…Like Qi Jingchen, he also desperately needed a war.

The current Gu family had already been pushed into a corner by the imperial relatives. If they didn’t rise up to fight back now, they would be completely ruined. His father, his uncles and brothers, his sister—everyone would suffer unbearably.

And even if he didn’t consider himself or the Gu family, Great Wei also needed this battle.

In this war, they had not only lost the Jiangzuo prefectures they had managed for many years, but had even painfully lost three northern states—Great Wei’s most devastating defeat in history. After the great defeat, people’s hearts were restless, causing the country’s ailments to become increasingly exposed: corruption in administration, shortage of money and grain, weakness in commerce—all of this emerged one after another. Before the great war, the northern territories were already in constant rebellion. If they didn’t do something to reverse this situation and allowed the country to continue declining, they would fall into an irredeemable state!

They equally needed a war to transfer the people’s hatred onto the Southern Dynasty, thereby preserving their court.

“We share the same enemies with you…”

So it turned out that he and Great Liang’s Qi Jingchen actually had a relationship of mutual generation and mutual restraint.

How bold this person was, and how meticulous! Clearly they were each other’s greatest enemies in life, yet he dared to entrust everything to his hands during such a time of siege—because he had calculated precisely, seeing through all the political currents.

Heaven knows how much Gu Juhan had wanted at that moment to burn that wooden box to ashes with a single flame, never letting Qi Jingchen get his wish, but…

…He actually couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Even after sitting alone through the night, he still couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Later, Gu Juhan still consulted his father about this matter—Northern Wei’s Duke Yanguo, Gu Zhiting.

After the great war, the old Duke’s health had deteriorated day by day. It wasn’t that he had contracted any serious illness, but rather showed signs of his lamp running out of oil, as if that great defeat had drained away his vitality. From then on, he had been constantly confined to his sickbed. Fortunately, his mind remained clear throughout, and he constantly worried about his only son.

After hearing of this matter, he fell into a long silence, then asked Gu Juhan: “Wenruo, how do you wish to decide on this matter?”

Gu Juhan sat beside his father’s bed, and after also remaining silent for a long time, answered: “…Your son doesn’t know.”

He didn’t want to help Qi Jingchen, unwilling to nurture a tiger that would become a threat; yet he seemed to have no choice but to help him, or else both his family and country might find it difficult to avoid disaster.

The old Duke sighed and said: “This father cannot accompany you for your entire life. It’s time for you to make your own decisions.”

These words carried a rather moribund air, making Gu Juhan’s heart tighten. He raised his eyes to look at his father, seeing that his once straight and imposing figure had now withered considerably—he was indeed a man in his twilight years.

He frowned: “Father…”

The old Duke smiled faintly and said: “Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all common human affairs. There’s nothing to be taboo about.”

He sat up straighter from his sickbed, his eyes somewhat cloudy yet also very profound and penetrating.

“Wenruo,” his tone was wistful, “you and I may still be underestimating Qi Jingchen.”

Gu Juhan’s brow furrowed as he asked: “He betrays his country for selfish reasons—does Father think such actions are commendable?”

The old Duke smiled and shook his head: “In chaotic times, perhaps there was originally no distinction between loyalty and treachery. Whether he betrays his country, whether he’s a traitor—none of that matters. What matters is having the courage to destroy and establish.”

“He came to find you because he saw clearly and calculated thoroughly. Without an extremely resilient character, how could he walk such a path?”

Gu Juhan’s brow furrowed even more tightly, and he lowered his head without speaking.

The old Duke looked at his only son and smiled gently, saying: “Merit and fault, right and wrong—only later generations can judge, precisely because when everyone walks their path, they don’t know the final outcome. Take Qi Jingchen, for example—if he ultimately loses, today’s act of betraying his country would be treachery, but what if he ultimately wins?”

If he wins?

Gu Juhan sighed deeply.

If he wins… then he would be a hero-tyrant.

“You’re the same,” the old Duke sighed. “If you don’t ally with him and the family and country ultimately collapse, then historians will naturally call you pedantic. But if the family and country remain safe, you’ll be a hero who understood how to assess the times and adapt accordingly.”

He patted Gu Juhan’s shoulder, his gaze unusually gentle: “Only later generations can know everything, while we living can only proceed step by step and observe. This father cannot make decisions for you in such great matters. The Gu family’s future rests on your shoulders—it’s time for you to make your own decisions.”

He paused, then added with extreme profundity: “Just like that Qi Jingchen.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Juhan’s expression changed, and he immediately fell into deep thought.

Indeed… he was not as good as Qi Jingchen.

That man was already shouldering responsibility for his family, making decisions on worldly affairs, while he had not yet emerged from his family’s shelter, still relying on his elders to provide guidance, lacking even more the courage and mental strength for great destruction and great establishment.

He was a step behind him.

Seeing his only son fall into contemplation, seemingly quite moved, the old Duke smiled with relief. After pondering for a moment, he said to him: “Although this father cannot make the decision for you, I can give you a word of advice.”

Gu Juhan’s expression became solemn as he bowed with cupped hands, saying: “Please speak, Father.”

The old Duke spoke with profound meaning in each word: “Success depends on human effort.”

Gu Juhan was startled.

Success depends on human effort…

Perhaps after accepting Qi Jingchen’s proposal he would regret it, perhaps he would become a chess piece in Qi Jingchen’s hands to be used by him, perhaps missing this opportunity to kill him would eventually lead to Great Wei’s complete defeat.

But, success depends on human effort.

Currently both Great Wei and the Gu family desperately needed this battle. Even if this was bait to hook them, he had to bite this hook, and who would ultimately win or lose in the future required separate discussion. He and Qi Jingchen originally both hoped more than anyone else in the world for the other to die, but now, they both needed the other to live more than anyone else in the world.

With Gu Juhan’s resolution made, his expression also became calm and solemn, like standing with blade drawn and mounted on the battlefield.

Unbreakable, invincible against ten thousand enemies.

Author’s Note: Mutual generation and mutual restraint