The night was hazy. Mountain mist was vast and boundless.

In the dwelling on the other side, not very bright candlelight had long been lit. Inside the room, Qi Ying sat facing Great Wei Crown Prince Gao Jing.

Wei Crown Prince Gao Jing had once been secretly called “Prince Qi’ao” by Shen Xiling’s sister-in-law Gu Jingqi, meaning this person was like one who cuts and files, carves and polishes, possessing the elegant bearing of jade and equally beautiful features. This comparison was extremely precise and apt – by candlelight, this Crown Prince’s brows and eyes were clear and handsome, and even sitting together with Qi Ying, he did not fall into an inferior position. Only he was twenty-seven years old this year, about four years younger than Qi Ying, and had never experienced the great storms and waves that Qi Ying had, so naturally his temperament inevitably appeared somewhat thin, slightly inferior.

He picked up the teacup from the low table before him, tasted a sip of the coarse tea, then looked toward Qi Ying and said: “I have long heard that sir comes from a noble family of Jiangzuo, with refined tastes. Recently dwelling temporarily in these wilderness mountains with such crude provisions – this is truly a failing of hospitality on our dynasty’s part.”

His attitude was very humble. Qi Ying smiled and replied: “Your Highness is too kind. I am merely someone under another’s eaves, with no particular requirements.”

Hearing these words, Gao Jing also smiled. He paused, then said with considerable deeper meaning: “The so-called ‘under eaves’ versus ‘under the vast sky’ – I imagine these are merely states of mind. If sir were willing, these eaves could also transform into a grand canopy, and that would be an entirely different world.”

These words carried profound meaning – listening carefully… they seemed to have the intention of persuading Qi Ying to submit to Great Wei.

This notion sounded quite absurd at first hearing, but upon careful consideration it had considerable logic – yes, what good was there in remaining in Jiangzuo and Great Liang? That place was full of dangers everywhere, with almost everyone as his enemy. It would be better to simply follow the example of ancient sages and serve another enlightened master. If Southern Qi and Northern Gu could serve in the same court, with the addition of a reasonably competent ruler, the great enterprise of unification could be hoped for.

Though Gao Jing spoke these words with a smile, what was deeply hidden in his eyes was genuine intent. Anyone could see that this Highness truly wanted to win over this famous minister whose reputation shook both north and south. If Qi Ying nodded at this moment, what awaited him would be high official rank and generous salary, with glory no less than in the past.

Qi Ying also saw through this Highness’s true intentions, but his expression was somewhat distant. After sighing, he said: “The caged bird longs for its old forest, the pond fish thinks of its former depths. This foreign minister fears he would ultimately fail Your Highness’s trust.”

Upon hearing these words, even though he had expected them, Gao Jing’s expression still inevitably showed some disappointment. But at the same time, some faint sentiment also dimly arose in his eyes.

The caged bird longs for its old forest, the pond fish thinks of its former depths… So this was why the man before him, even while struggling with difficulty and bearing countless tribulations, still willingly remained a minister of Jiangzuo?

What did he long for and think of? Merely the mountains, rivers, and waters of his homeland? Or everything there, related and unrelated to him?

Gao Jing didn’t know the answer. All he could see was the stable expansiveness in Qi Ying’s phoenix eyes at this moment – dignified when viewed from afar, warm when approached closely, momentarily giving one the impression of a deity or Buddha, so vast and compassionate.

Great Liang’s Qi Jingchen… Perhaps only by truly facing him could one know what kind of person this really was.

Gao Jing was convinced in his heart and sighed: “Sir’s character is broad and open – truly beyond what ordinary people can achieve.”

“Your Highness speaks too highly,” Qi Ying shook his head, then his eyes showed gentle warmth. “This time when this foreign minister encountered difficulties, I owe much to Your Highness’s mediation.”

This statement from Qi Ying was not mere politeness – in this affair, Gao Jing had indeed played a crucial role.

The Han family faction of Jiangzuo had long ago reached an agreement with the Wei Emperor to borrow the Wei court’s hand to kill Qi Ying. The Great Wei court had early on viewed this young Left Chancellor of the southern dynasty as a thorn in their side and flesh in their heart, so the Wei Emperor naturally quickly agreed to this matter.

Crown Prince Gao Jing was the legitimate son of Empress Zou and also the Wei Emperor’s only adult son at present, making him the undisputed choice for inheriting the throne. The Wei Emperor had early on let his eldest son participate in political affairs, so naturally he wouldn’t hide this assassination from him. But Gao Jing’s views after hearing of this matter differed from his father emperor’s.

If this were five years ago, before that magnificent Northern Expedition war had been fought, Gao Jing would definitely have supported assassinating Qi Ying, because at that time Great Wei’s national strength was robust, with a million heroic troops in high spirits, and sending forces south would have offered a chance for unification.

But now everything was different.

The Northern Expedition battle five years ago had injured Great Wei’s vitality, and the Battle of Juanling three years ago saw Great Wei lose two hundred thousand troops, with even Gu Juhan himself severely wounded by Liang army generals and nearly losing his life. The current Great Wei could no longer afford war – no money or grain, no soldiers, and no national fortune.

What they most needed was to rest and recuperate.

Would killing Qi Ying truly benefit Great Wei?

The Han clan of Jiangzuo’s wolfish ambitions were now clearly evident. If Qi Ying died, the possibility of their clan’s successful rebellion was extremely high. If Han Shouye took the imperial throne, what then? He was crude and cowardly by nature – logically he should be intimidated by Gu Juhan, but being a ruler was completely different from being a general. As a general, he had to personally take the battlefield, but as a ruler he need not directly face the terror of confronting Gu Juhan with sword drawn on the battlefield.

Once a person’s fear faded, many restrictions would be broken through. At that time, Great Liang might easily discover… that Great Wei’s mighty armies were far less formidable than in years past.

What would happen then? Han Shouye was indeed crude, but sometimes it was precisely such thoughtless people who more easily broke through barriers. They wouldn’t consider checks and balances, wouldn’t care for the common people – they would only pursue direct assault. But what Great Wei most feared at this time was precisely such straightforward attacks – they could no longer withstand any probing.

Of course, if events truly developed to that point, the north wasn’t unable to fight Great Liang unreservedly, but what good would that do? Mutual destruction, with the common people suffering.

What they needed was stability, lasting peace.

And Gao Jing knew that Qi Ying agreed with all this.

The reason the Wei army suffered great defeat at the Battle of Juanling was because they fell into the trap Qi Jingchen had set in Owl Mountain Valley. A fire attack raised towering flames, and the Wei army’s three hundred thousand troops were like turtles in a jar, about to turn to ash in the blink of an eye.

The commanding general of that battle was precisely Gu Juhan, and Crown Prince Gao Jing had also accompanied the army to supervise the battle.

They had both been driven to desperate straits by Qi Jingchen, but at the critical moment, the Liang army’s encirclement revealed a small gap. That wasn’t an oversight – it was a path of survival that Qi Ying had left for them.

He had spared them once.

Why had he spared them? Gao Jing had puzzled over this endlessly, and later he had once thought this was Qi Jingchen’s method of self-preservation – he couldn’t allow Great Wei to completely collapse, or he himself would have no value to the Liang Emperor and would be discarded like worn shoes.

But later Gao Jing gradually understood – his vision had ultimately been too narrow. Qi Jingchen had already, before all others in this world, considered the entire realm.

He must have known that though Great Liang’s situation was somewhat better than Great Wei’s, essentially they also lacked the ability to annex another nation. Even if Liang forces took Shangjing at that time, could they peacefully rule Great Wei’s territory?

Absolutely impossible.

There would be endless northern survivors continuously resisting, countless fallen northern nobles using the Wei royal name to raise rebellious armies. Did Great Liang have the ability to suppress them all one by one?

They could attack but couldn’t govern – the consequence would be nothing more than chaos throughout the realm and suffering for the people.

Qi Jingchen had already seen through all this, which was why he had spared them at that time.

Not for personal gain, but for the common people of the world.

After Gao Jing finally understood this point, he knew – Qi Jingchen absolutely could not die.

Only if he lived could Great Liang’s court situation be better controlled; only if he lived could the north-south situation be better stabilized; only if he lived… could the countless common people throughout the great lands north and south of the river find a chance for survival in the cracks.

Therefore, Gao Jing resolutely counseled the Wei Emperor, stating that Qi Jingchen absolutely could not be killed. But his father emperor was short-sighted, only greedy for immediate petty gains. Gao Jing had no choice but to think of another explanation to deal with his father emperor: he changed the original assassination into a great fire, then secretly imprisoned Qi Jingchen afterward, using him as a bargaining chip to negotiate further with the southern dynasty, thereby gaining even more benefits.

Only then did the Wei Emperor reluctantly nod.

But at the same time, Gao Jing also knew that his father emperor hadn’t truly given up the plan to kill Qi Ying. Therefore, for these months he had secretly watched over this wilderness mountain, guarding against anyone who might harm Qi Ying. At the same time, he also knew – he had to quickly release Qi Ying to return south.

In early May he had found an opportunity and sent people to secretly deliver a message to Qi Ying, but Qi Ying had given him no response – he seemed to have some other plan, preferring to lie dormant in these wilderness mountains rather than immediately depart for the south. Only yesterday did Gao Jing receive his message, saying he wanted to borrow his assistance to leave Shangjing.

This was why he had come visiting tonight.

At this moment, Gao Jing looked at the man sitting across from him, feeling he was unfathomable. Those phoenix eyes seemed to deeply hide infinite murkiness and darkness, yet at the same time contained equally vast openness and clarity.

He said to Qi Ying: “Sir has mountains and rivers in your heart. If you gain favorable winds on this journey, you will surely soar upward and transform heaven and earth. I only hope that when that time comes, sir will not change your original intention and will still protect the peace of both nations and the common people of this realm.”

After he finished speaking, a trace of smile appeared in the eyes of the man sitting peacefully across from him. He seemed quite pleased and looked at him saying: “Wenruo is fortunate to have such an enlightened master. The vast lands of the north will be without worry for decades.”

Hearing this, Gao Jing was stunned, realizing Qi Ying was praising him. Being praised by such a person, he couldn’t help feeling both apprehensive and delighted.

Such an honor.

And Qi Ying was merely speaking the truth – Gao Jing was indeed rare material for an enlightened ruler. He was Empress Zou’s legitimate son, logically should be at odds with the Gu family, but he could distinguish right from wrong without being swayed by family positions. He could both trust truly loyal ministers and clearly see the situation of the realm. Among all the rulers under heaven, how many could achieve this?

If Xiao Ziheng were also like Gao Jing, how wonderful everything would be?

Qi Ying couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

His thoughts didn’t linger long in regret, quickly becoming calm and unperturbed again.

Under the dim, flickering yellow candlelight, he reached to his side to take out a scroll, handing it to Gao Jing sitting across from him.

Gao Jing received it, his eyes showing puzzlement as he asked: “May I ask what this is, sir?”

Qi Ying smiled, then turned his head to look out the window.

Outside the window, night mist pervaded, but faintly voices could already be heard – Shen Xiling and Gu Juhan must have returned.

Qi Ying looked at Shen Xiling’s hazy figure in the mist, his expression gentle as he said: “If this foreign minister succeeds on this journey, please Your Highness examine this scroll; if not, please consign it to flames – consider it a jest.”

Gao Jing was quite puzzled upon first hearing these words, but after thinking for a moment, he seemed to gain some understanding.

He vaguely grasped something, then bowed to Qi Ying with cupped hands, respectfully saying: “If so, then I wish sir ten thousand li of favorable winds.”

“One battle to determine this world.”

Author’s Note: I unilaterally approve of little sister-in-law marrying the Crown Prince! This man is quite good!

(BTW do any angels remember where the Battle of Juanling was mentioned before~)