Shiyiniang hesitated for a long while, then finally let out a quiet sigh in her heart and said gently to the Princess of Jiangdu: “For such a great matter as this, the Marquis must be the one to decide. I think it must still be discussed with the Marquis…” with every appearance of being in a very difficult position.

The Princess of Jiangdu could not help but grow anxious: “Aunt, this is not the time for wifely propriety. You must know that an opportunity like this is truly rare. Once this village is past, there will be no other shop like it.” She added: “Third Imperial Sister-in-law says that as long as Aunt agrees, we will go speak to Third Imperial Brother about it. The Ministry of War’s Bureau of Military Personnel has already issued the official orders — by that point, even if Uncle finds out, there will be nothing he can do!”

Shiyiniang was deeply, truly grateful.

She took the Princess of Jiangdu’s hand: “Jin Ge’er is fortunate to have all of you. But this matter is of great consequence. Without the Marquis’s agreement, I truly cannot accept.”

The Princess of Jiangdu’s joy faded bit by bit, giving way to disappointment. She said, making an effort: “Jin Ge’er has also helped us greatly. Aunt need not think anything of it.” She rose to take her leave.

Shiyiniang’s heart felt even worse, and she saw the Princess of Jiangdu to the door: “The Prince of Yong and the Princess’s goodwill — your concubine understands it all. When the Marquis returns from the palace, I will have a proper talk with him.”

The Princess of Jiangdu nodded, somewhat deflated, and departed for home.

At lamp-lighting time, Xu Lingyi finally returned.

Shiyiniang received word and went out to meet him.

Beneath the great red lanterns, his expression was grave and cold.

Shiyiniang curtseyed in greeting and said not a single word. She welcomed Xu Lingyi back inside, helped him change into his everyday silkworm-silk Taoist robe in silence, and brought tea.

Since entering the room, Xu Lingyi’s gaze had rested on Shiyiniang the entire time, following her as she moved in and out, back and forth. Now that she had stilled, the corner of his mouth curved up slightly, in a smile tinged with a trace of bitterness.

Shiyiniang did not press him with questions, but spoke warmly and with a smile: “Has the Marquis eaten? If not, shall I go to the kitchen and make you a bowl of mixed noodles?”

“Please do!” Xu Lingyi agreed at once, as though in relief.

What had happened? He actually wore the look of a man afraid of being questioned…

Shiyiniang rolled the dough, turning it over in her mind.

Could the Emperor have decided in the moment to have him take back command? Even so, he would not need to be afraid of her asking… He was the head of the household. Never mind these court affairs — even if he wanted to purchase someone else’s shop, strictly speaking, he would not need to discuss it with her… Could it have to do with Jin Ge’er… Apart from something concerning her son, she could not think of anything else that would make Xu Lingyi look so ill at ease in her presence!

Once the thought arose, her mind could not settle.

What could have happened to Jin Ge’er?

Had he not dispatched a few people to quietly shadow him?

How could something have gone wrong?

She was lost in thought, scattered a bit of spring onion, and brought the noodles over.

Xu Lingyi sat cross-legged at the low table and ate two full bowls before setting down his chopsticks.

Shiyiniang personally served him as he rinsed his mouth and washed his hands.

She had been with him through so many years. Knowing he had returned from the palace and not asking a single word… letting herself be directed as he saw fit, never questioning, trusting him wholeheartedly with everything…

Thinking of all this, Xu Lingyi suddenly felt a sting behind his eyes.

He caught hold of Shiyiniang just as she was turning to bring him tea.

“Moyan — four hundred thousand troops have been mobilized. Not only have all the forces of Shandong and Shanxi been deployed, but even portions of the Far East and Zhejiang, which fall under the Left Military Command, and Baoding and Wanquan under the Rear Military Command have been drawn upon. The Emperor leans toward having Ouyang Ming lead the forces, but Ouyang Ming has never independently commanded troops in battle. The Emperor has no certainty, so he specifically summoned me to the palace to ask whether Ouyang Ming is truly capable of bearing this responsibility!”

If his answer had been in accordance with the Emperor’s own inclination, why would he need to explain all this to her in such careful detail?

Shiyiniang looked at the large hand tightly gripping hers and said gravely: “Who did the Marquis recommend to the Emperor?”

Moyan was a very perceptive person!

Xu Lingyi lowered his eyes: “Commander Gong Dongning of Guizhou!”

Shiyiniang was greatly alarmed: “What does this have to do with Jin Ge’er?”

“According to the Ministry of War’s military rolls, he is stationed at Puyiwei Pingyi Qianhu Office in Guizhou’s Pu’an.” Xu Lingyi’s voice was low and heavy. “If Gong Dongning is appointed Grand General for the Campaign to Pacify the West, the Ministry of War will inevitably, for the sake of overall balance, have Gong Dongning bring the Guizhou Command’s forces north. Everyone knows Jin Ge’er is my son. If at this moment he remains in Guizhou — weak-spirited, cowardly, shirking responsibility at a time of national peril — his reputation will be entirely ruined. And it will affect his career advancement as well. Think about it: who would be willing to entrust great responsibilities to someone who shrinks from his duty in a time of crisis?”

Hearing how everything he said was colored with a persuasive undertone, Shiyiniang drew a deep breath and drove that feeling from her mind. With composure, she said: “At this moment, Xuantong city has fallen, Datong hangs in peril, and Guizhou is a thousand li away. Even if the Marquis’s recommendation were accepted by the Emperor, it would not be practical at this juncture to summon Gong Dongning to the capital or to mobilize Guizhou’s forces northward. Moreover, Ouyang Ming was a trusted aide left to the Emperor by the late Emperor, deeply relied upon by the Emperor — the Emperor cannot possibly accept the Marquis’s recommendation under these circumstances. What is it the Marquis is truly worried about?” Before she had even finished speaking, an illumination came over her and she exclaimed: “On the day the Emperor summoned the Marquis to the palace and asked his counsel — could it be that even then, the Emperor had asked the Marquis to recommend a commander for the campaign to pacify the west?”

Xu Lingyi said nothing — a silent confirmation.

So that was it!

At that time, he should have recommended Gong Dongning, but out of consideration for Jin Ge’er, he had remained silent. And then Xuantong fell, Fan Weigang’s whereabouts became unknown, the Tartars swept their forces toward Datong, refugees from both places were displaced and uprooted… He believed he bore some responsibility for this, and therefore could neither eat nor sleep, tormented day and night!

Shiyiniang’s eyes suddenly grew moist.

Every person had their own bottom line.

Just like herself — she knew full well that if she agreed to the Prince of Yong and the Princess of Jiangdu’s good intentions, Jin Ge’er might thereby rise with ease. Yet thinking of a future her son had obtained by sacrificing another person’s path forward, she simply could not accept it without a care — let alone take pleasure in it.

Xu Lingyi was the same.

Had Gong Dongning been deployed, there was a possibility the war might have been brought to a swift end — or things might have gone even worse than they were now. But since in the end this was a matter in which he had not spoken up when it was his place to do so, he could not help but imagine the better possibility, and the more he imagined, the more his regret deepened…

“Xu Lingyi!” Shiyiniang could not help but call out his name softly, and she knelt before him, looking up into his eyes. “Has the Emperor — has the Emperor agreed to use Gong Dongning? With the military situation this critical, is it possible to have Gong Dongning come to the capital alone?”

“The Emperor has not agreed.” Xu Lingyi pulled her to her feet and gathered her into his arms. “But I have a dark foreboding. The Tartars have mustered the forces of more than a dozen tribes and dared to invade in such force — there is no way they have only this many men. Then where have the rest gone? Could it be that another tribal chieftain has led a separate contingent to invade from the direction of Ganzhou? If so, once Ganzhou falls, Datong will be caught between two enemies. If we win, the crisis eases; if we lose, Yanjing itself will be imperiled. The Ministry of War will have no choice but to mobilize the forces of Sichuan and Guizhou to surround and eliminate them…”

Shiyiniang’s face went slowly pale: “That is to say — in the Marquis’s judgment, in eight or nine cases out of ten, this is how things will unfold!”

Jin Ge’er would have to go to the battlefield!

Xu Lingyi did not answer directly, but said: “Ding Zhi, the Garrison Commander of Sichuan, is a rigid and self-important man who favors those who flatter him. If he were made Commanding Officer of the Right Military Command, he would likely put the Guizhou Command’s forces on the front line — yet Gong Dongning is a man who cherishes his soldiers deeply, and he would certainly clash head-on with him. Before the battle has even begun, there would already be discord between them…” He gave a faint, quiet sigh. “Minister Lu, though given to flattery and currying favor, is not without a measure of resolve when it comes to action. If this situation develops, combined with my recommendation, he would certainly press strongly for Gong Dongning to be appointed Commanding Officer of the Right Military Command…”

His eyes gazed straight ahead, as though his sight passed through mountains and rivers to reach the ravines and ridges of the far northwest. Shiyiniang was momentarily without words.

If Gong Dongning won, all would be well — but if he lost, as the one who had recommended him, Xu Lingyi would bear corresponding responsibility. In such a situation, Minister Lu would certainly do everything in his power to bring this about: if he recommended Ding Zhi and the campaign was lost, he would bear responsibility for the recommendation; if Gong Dongning became Commanding Officer of the Right Military Command, he could both escape the responsibility of the recommendation and do Xu Lingyi a favor in the bargain — why would he not?

“Then, what is to be done?” Shiyiniang looked to him as though seeking help.

“I can only hope that my thoughts are baseless.” Xu Lingyi smiled wryly, his voice a little unfocused. “Perhaps the Tartars do not have so many men after all.”

He himself probably did not believe this — otherwise he would not be speaking in this tone.

The room fell into silence once more.

A page boy reported from outside the curtain: “My lord, Steward Zhao requests an audience!”

Xu Lingyi held her tightly for a moment, then smiled and comforted her: “Let us stop turning things over for nothing. Perhaps Ouyang Ming, like me, is a once-in-a-generation commander. Remember — when the commanding officers of the Five Military Commands looked at me back then, it was just as I look at Ouyang Ming today!”

Shiyiniang could not bring herself to smile, but still said in as gentle a voice as she could manage: “Steward Zhao must have urgent business to come at this hour. Marquis, please go!”

Moyan was not the kind of person who was alarmed by every wind and shadow. Without seeing how things developed, she would not let the matter rest.

Xu Lingyi, for the first time, resented her for this clear-headedness.

But at this moment, all he could do was murmur softly, “I’ll go and return shortly,” and turn to walk out of the inner room.

Shiyiniang felt as though she were being scorched over a flame.

Ouyang Ming had four hundred thousand troops in his hands — a ratio of four to one. Even fighting purely by numbers, he could trample the Tartars flat… If Ouyang Ming won a great victory, then even if a Tartar contingent had slipped away toward Ganzhou, it would be of no use… Ouyang Ming would only need to redirect troops southward… Gong Dongning would naturally not be needed, and Jin Ge’er could go on farming his land and mining his ore in peace in Shiyang!

She told herself this in her heart, yet Xu Lingyi’s analysis kept drifting through her mind, making her unable to sit still.

She knew this was because she trusted Xu Lingyi’s ability too deeply, and believed without question what he had said — and yet she could not let it go.

Facts were the only measure of truth. For now, all she could do was wait for the battle reports from Datong!

With all this weighing on her, Shiyiniang could not spare any thought for why Xu Lingyi had returned only in the dead of night, nor any concern for whether Xu Lingyi might be disturbed in his sleep. She tossed and turned, and only as dawn was breaking did she manage to close her eyes for a moment.

Xu Sizhun and Jiang Shi came to pay their morning greetings. Xu Sizhun asked Xu Lingyi for direction: “The price of rice in the city has risen to eight taels per stone, and by the looks of it, it will continue to rise. Our family has two rice shops in the city — I thought to close them for now. That way, our family’s rice stores will be more ample, and if relatives and friends are in difficulty, we can offer some assistance and help everyone through this hardship.”