“How do you know that?” The Crown Prince was startled.

Diplomatic relations between two countries involved many matters that, at formal occasions, were merely going through the motions — the real negotiations had already been conducted and contested behind the scenes. Though the Mobei Khanate’s delegation had not yet entered the capital, word of the primary purpose of this trip had long since been brought ahead and reported.

The Crown Prince had not expected Xie Yuzhang to be this well-informed.

“Don’t worry.” The Crown Prince consoled her. “If talks are reached, we’ll just give a title to some girl from the imperial clan and send her.”

But those were the old methods, from when Da Zhao was still powerful. Foreign peoples asked for a girl from the imperial clan and were satisfied. Now things were different.

Xie Yuzhang asked, “I heard the Military Governor of Hexi has been in the capital for several days. Why did the Mobei Khanate’s delegation arrive later than he did?”

At the mention of this, the Crown Prince was aggravated. He said with displeasure, “All of this was stirred up by the Military Governor of Hexi.”

Xie Yuzhang did not actually know the full details of these matters at the time, so she appealed to him: “Crown Prince Elder Brother, please tell me.”

The Crown Prince let out a sigh and said, “Li Ming used pursuing the western foreigners as a pretext, driving them southward all the way and taking advantage of the situation to seize the territory of Zhaozhou. He is the Military Governor of Hexi, bearing responsibility for guarding the northwestern border defenses — his primary task being to guard against the Mobei Khanate. He mobilized his forces to fight with Zhang Baichong. How could Khan Ashina not know? He seized upon this moment of chaos and sent a delegation by a roundabout route through Yunzhou to enter the capital — nothing more than seizing the opportunity to extort something. These Hu people are truly despicable.”

Xie Yuzhang was silent.

If the military governors had each kept to their own borders in dutiful peace, the central court’s backbone would have been strong, and they would naturally have had nothing to fear from the Hu people’s threats.

But Da Zhao was in complete internal disorder, with military governors seizing each other’s territories and populations, stirring up endless troubles. The Mobei Khanate seized on this moment to threaten with war, made outrageous demands and opened their mouth asking for a true princess — and the Emperor… gave one.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing more than giving them some goods and treasure. Our great Da Zhao is a vast and prosperous nation — we are not short of such treasure.” The Crown Prince, thinking Xie Yuzhang had been frightened, consoled her gently.

“But what if,” Xie Yuzhang asked in a low voice, “they open their mouths and insist on a true princess? What then?”

The Crown Prince was mildly taken aback. “That simply would not do.”

“But what if they do make that demand?” Xie Yuzhang pressed.

The Crown Prince thought for a moment, and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. “They… they wouldn’t, would they?”

“Why did the Ashina Khan’s men not travel through Hexi, but take the roundabout route through Yunzhou?” Xie Yuzhang asked again.

That was, naturally, because the Mobei Khanate’s people also knew full well the tensions between Da Zhao’s various military governors. Hexi was a tough bone to gnaw — they could not crack it. And since this rare opportunity had presented itself, they had made contact with Qiu Kun, the Military Governor of Shuofang, who bore a longstanding grudge against Li Ming, and obtained passage through Yunzhou.

The sweat on the Crown Prince’s brow grew more dense.

“Elder Brother.” Xie Yuzhang straightened her skirt, sat up properly, bowed forward formally. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

The Crown Prince hesitated, then said, “What matter?”

Xie Yuzhang raised her head. “I would like to ask Crown Prince Elder Brother to help me watch the Khanate’s delegation.”

The Crown Prince looked at her with uncertain suspicion.

“Elder Brother need not read too much into it. I do not intend to do anything — I only ask that Elder Brother watch to see if anyone in the inner palace makes private contact with the Khanate’s delegation.” Xie Yuzhang reassured him. “Beyond that, there is nothing I need Elder Brother to do.”

The Crown Prince relaxed slightly, but did not understand. “What is my younger sister trying to accomplish?”

Xie Yuzhang raised her eyes. “Elder Brother, if Father Emperor wished to choose one of us sisters to send beyond the frontier in marriage, who does Elder Brother think it would be?”

The Crown Prince answered without hesitation: “That would naturally be…”

“Anle” was right on the tip of his tongue, but he could not get it out. The Crown Prince looked into Xie Yuzhang’s dark, deep eyes, and fine beads of sweat appeared even on the tip of his nose.

He stuttered: “That would naturally, naturally…”

Thinking of the situation in the inner palace, the words could not be completed with confidence.

Xie Yuzhang lowered her head slightly. “As long as Elder Brother understands.”

The Crown Prince was not of legitimate birth, and Xie Yuzhang was legitimate but had no mother to protect her — in the face of Noble Consort Chen, the two of them were in fact natural allies.

The Crown Prince sighed and agreed: “Don’t worry. I will keep watch for you.”

He added: “Father Emperor cherishes you most. Don’t let your thoughts run wild.”

Xie Yuzhang nodded and changed the subject. “Elder Brother, is there truly nothing we can do about those military governors? I saw that Li Ming was summoned into the palace to be personally reprimanded by Father Emperor and showed not the slightest fear.”

The Emperor had, in fact, been forced to make gestures of appeasement, summoning Li Ming daily to attend him as a sign of imperial favor.

The Crown Prince said with resentment, “That Li Ming is recklessly arrogant — he has no regard for the court at all. But there is no need to worry too much about him. He cannot manage his own affairs at home, and there will inevitably be internal strife in time.”

This was, in fact, a prophecy that would come true.

Xie Yuzhang asked, “How does Elder Brother know future events?”

The Crown Prince said with a cold laugh, “Do you know he has twelve sons? Only his fourth son is his by blood. As for the adopted sons, that is one thing — but the top three in rank are all his kinsmen in the Li family, with a different standing from the others. This time Father Emperor used the pretext of ‘merited sons’ to grant rewards. The rest were all given fifth-rank or junior fifth-rank general titles. Only the top three were given fourth-rank titles.”

Xie Yuzhang understood.

The Emperor had deliberately raised the status of Li Ming’s top three adopted sons who shared blood ties with him, placing them above his own biological son. So the seeds of internal strife within Hexi had already been planted at this time.

It was only that in the end, all of this had become a gift that served Li Gu’s benefit.

“Elder Brother, what is the actual… fighting strength of the Six Northern Armies right now?” Xie Yuzhang could not help but ask.

The Left and Right Feathered Forest Armies, the Left and Right Dragon Valiant Armies, and the Left and Right Divine Martial Armies together were known as the Six Northern Armies — the personal guard of the Son of Heaven.

The Crown Prince was surprised. “Why the sudden interest in this?”

Xie Yuzhang said, “If the Northern Army were formidable, Father Emperor would not need to worry about the military governors. Are the Northern Armies… capable of battle?”

The Crown Prince’s answer to Xie Yuzhang was one long sigh.

“You don’t understand,” he said with frustration. “There is a great deal involved in this.”

Though the Six Northern Armies were the personal guard of the Son of Heaven, someone still had to command them. This enormous interest had long since been carved up cleanly among the hereditary noble families. Even though the Emperor clearly understood the problem, he would find it difficult to touch any piece of it.

Xie Yuzhang was silent.

So later, when Lin Xiupu besieged the city and Huang Yungong entered the capital, the six armies were rendered useless, and the imperial palace was breached with terrifying ease.

She thought of the two young sisters Fu Kang and Jia You and felt her heart aching again.

“We must endure for now. First we deal with the Mobei Khanate situation, and then Father Emperor will have his hands free to address the problem of the military fiefdoms,” the Crown Prince said. “Baohua, endure for just a few years, and things will get better.”

Xie Yuzhang heard these words and felt not a trace of happiness — only a chill down her back.

She knew that in a few years it would be the Emperor’s intentions to weaken the military fiefdoms that would ultimately drive the military governors to revolt. The seemingly prosperous and powerful Da Zhao dynasty would collapse with a thunderous crash.

“Elder Brother, the problem of the military fiefdoms has deep roots of long standing — it cannot be resolved in a single day. Elder Brother must absolutely counsel Father Emperor that this matter must never be handled with reckless haste…” Xie Yuzhang said urgently.

In saying this, the Crown Prince caught himself saying too much — the Emperor’s intentions were not something to reveal so casually. He hurriedly said, “I was just speaking loosely. This sort of thing must not be spoken about outside. You must say no more about it. Do not meddle in it. Baohua, do you hear me?”

In tone and manner, he was still treating Xie Yuzhang as a child. If the matter of the marriage alliance might concern her personally, matters of state and warfare — those were no place for her to insert herself.

She was, after all, just a young girl who had not yet come of age.

Xie Yuzhang sagged in dejection.

Xie Yuzhang stayed at the Eastern Palace for the midday meal. The Crown Prince was even more rushed than she was — he left as soon as he finished eating. Xie Yuzhang said her farewells to Crown Princess Yu and returned to her own Zhaoxia Palace.

To her surprise, Fuchun was waiting outside Zhaoxia Palace, sweating under the blazing midday sun.

Xie Yuzhang stepped down from the palanquin and asked in surprise, “Why have you come again? Is there something the matter?”

Fuchun, a head full of perspiration, smiled a cheerful smile: “This morning Your Highness said this servant should come to report if there were any news of the Mobei Khanate’s delegation, so this servant has come to report. The delegation is entering the city this afternoon. This servant thought, in a few days our palace will be able to see those Hu people!”

For Fuchun, “getting to see those Hu people” was like watching acrobats in a performance hall — he was looking forward to the spectacle. Surely Princess Baohua was just looking forward to the excitement as well, and that was why she cared so much about this matter. He had heard the news and had come sprinting to Zhaoxia Palace.

Even if his head had been cracked open from thinking, he could never have imagined that the Pearl of Yunjing, Princess Baohua, simply wanted to cultivate a closer relationship with a small figure like himself.

Since he had come and presented himself again, Xie Yuzhang naturally would not let the opportunity pass.

“You look flushed with sweat. Have you had your midday meal?” she asked warmly.

Fuchun had never been treated this way by someone of rank before. Overcome with being favored, he said: “This servant dare not have Your Highness’s concern. This servant has already…”

Before he could finish speaking, a low rumbling sound came from his abdomen. All the palace attendants covered their mouths and giggled prettily.

Xie Yuzhang laughed too, and said to Lin Fei, “Let him go to the small kitchen for some food, and then have him come before me to give his report.”

Lin Fei smiled and pointed out a palace maid to lead Fuchun to the small kitchen of Zhaoxia Palace. Since Xie Yuzhang regarded him so favorably, the palace maids all addressed him one after another as “Eunuch Fu.”

Fuchun felt his career as a eunuch had reached its highest peak.

He finished eating quickly, rinsed his mouth with salt water several times, washed his face, tidied himself up, and only then followed a palace attendant in to see Xie Yuzhang. Just as it had been that morning, only Princess Baohua and Lin Fei were in the chamber.

Xie Yuzhang sat in the seat of honor and asked, “Have you eaten your fill?”

Fuchun immediately bowed to the floor: “Yes, yes!”

Lin Fei could not help but smile.

Fuchun, showing good sense, asked, “Does Your Highness have any instructions?”

Truly, someone capable of rising to become the chief eunuch administrator of the inner palace — he did have a certain eye for reading situations.

Xie Yuzhang asked, “Did the Military Governor of Hexi come to the capital with only his two adopted sons?”

Fuchun said, “This servant does not know whether others accompanied him, but Governor Li has brought only those two every time he has entered the palace.”

Xie Yuzhang asked, “How many times have you seen those two men?”

“In response to Your Highness,” Fuchun answered, “this servant has seen both generals three times now.”

Xie Yuzhang’s eyes shifted slightly and she asked, “What do you make of them?”

At the mention of Li Gu and Li Weifeng, Fuchun’s eyes lit up with admiration. “Truly magnificent men!”

Truly, there was such a thing as affinity between people. Fuchun and Li Gu — perhaps they were destined to be connected.

Xie Yuzhang said, “Tell me about them.”

Fuchun was in a bind. He had only barely managed to gain footing with Princess Baohua, and he did not want to disappoint her — but he did not dare lie or exaggerate before her either. If she ever found out, an opportunity like this would probably never come again. He struggled for a moment, then honestly admitted, “Though this servant has seen the generals three times, it was only yesterday that this servant was closest and actually exchanged words with them.”

Xie Yuzhang gave a slight smile and, far from reproaching him, said, “Is that so? I am very curious to know more about them. Can you find out for me?”

Fuchun’s heart was racing: “This servant… this servant…”

Lin Fei slid a flat little box toward him.

“Take it. I won’t send you to do this empty-handed,” Xie Yuzhang said.

Fuchun opened the box. It was a full box of silver ingots embossed with plum blossom patterns.

Money was the key that opened doors — with money, there was nothing that could not be done. Fuchun now had the means to accomplish what was needed, barely suppressed the excitement rising in his heart, bowed down, and asked, “What would Your Highness like to know?”

“Find out where they are staying, who they associate with, and how people regard them.” Xie Yuzhang thought for a moment and added, “Oh — and how old are the two of them? Yes, just those things.”

After Fuchun had left with his box, Lin Fei looked at Xie Yuzhang, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

Xie Yuzhang knew she had shown too much interest in Li Gu and Li Weifeng, but she could not explain why, so she thought for a moment and only said, “That Li Gu is quite handsome.”

The people of Yunjing were passionate admirers of beautiful people, given to lavishing attention on them. And in truth, there was no one among those who surrounded Xie Yuzhang who was not good-looking. Even Fuchun had a round, pleasant face that was agreeable to look at.

If a young gentleman was outstandingly handsome and had impeccable taste, he was extremely popular in Yunjing.

If Xie Yuzhang had taken a liking to a young man’s looks and sent someone to find out about him, that was not so unusual. She was, after all, nearly fourteen — an age when feelings began to stir.

And this sort of behavior seemed, on the surface, rather more consistent with her former impulsive, whimsical nature.

It was not such a major matter either. She was of imperial blood — if the sky itself fell, there was her imperial father to hold it up.

The Emperor’s own daughters were still young, and had as yet no romantic entanglements to speak of. As for those Imperial Princesses of the elder generation — their romantic histories could fill volumes.

Lin Fei decided not to pry, and let her be.