The sun shone brilliantly. Another day had passed. The Liu family of Xianyang had indeed entered the city five days ago, but had then taken the route through South Yin, heading straight for the vast lands of Liaodong to donate large quantities of grain and fodder to supply the military.

Chu Qiao didn’t know what Yan Xun was planning, but rather than waiting in the tension-filled Tang capital, it would be better to go to Liaodong to find him.

That morning, Chu Qiao bought horses and dry provisions. She and Liang Shaoqing ate noodles by the street, both dressed as men and prepared for a long journey. No one came to question them.

After eating and drinking their fill, Liang Shaoqing looked up and said, “Xiao Qiao, when are we leaving?”

“I’m leaving now. You do as you please.”

Chu Qiao spoke while putting down her chopsticks and taking out her money pouch to pay.

“Don’t joke,” Liang Shaoqing smiled and said, “If you go to my home alone, my father won’t let you in.”

Chu Qiao sighed helplessly, feeling that her patience had improved greatly these past few days. She slowly turned her head and asked in an extremely calm tone, “Who told you I was going to your home?”

“Does anyone need to tell me? I understand in my heart.”

Liang Shaoqing blinked, his eyes suddenly showing a trace of emotion: “I could tell that the young master who rescued us has feelings for you.”

Her body suddenly went cold, and she shuddered violently. Chu Qiao was stunned and momentarily speechless.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

After a long while, she finally scolded him softly. Liang Shaoqing sighed and said, “Don’t deny it anymore. But don’t worry, I won’t mind. Although he seems to have a good family background and some status, you still chose to leave with me, didn’t you? Xiao Qiao, I understand your intentions. You’ve suffered a lot lately.”

The man was still immersed in his reflections: “Though my parents may not approve of your family background, they will surely compromise if I insist. Although our family is a prominent clan in the area, my parents aren’t stubborn people. My mother is very kind; you’ll like her. Hmm? Xiao Qiao, what’s that expression? You look like you’re about to cry. Are you moved? Huh? Where are you going? I haven’t finished eating yet. Wait for me…”

Then, just as Liang Shaoqing had panted his way to catch up from behind, he saw a group of men wielding clubs, eyeing them fiercely, slowly walking toward them.

“Xiao… Xiao Qiao…”

“What is it?” Chu Qiao slowly frowned and asked in a deep voice.

“I’ll count to three.”

“What are you doing now?”

“One…”

“Hey, hey, bookworm, don’t tell me we’re in trouble again?”

“Two…”

“Who are those people?”

“Three! Run!”

Liang Shaoqing grabbed Chu Qiao, and the two turned and started running wildly. The people behind saw this and chased after them, cursing loudly.

Chu Qiao’s face turned red with anger as she shouted, “Who are those people?!”

Liang Shaoqing looked frail, but he ran extremely fast, even Chu Qiao had trouble keeping up. “My enemies!”

“FUCK!” Chu Qiao cursed. This idiot had even more enemies than she did. If this continued, perhaps one day, even if she climbed a high place and shouted, “I am Chu Qiao of Yan Bei,” no one would believe her.

The bookworm was very familiar with the streets and alleys of the Tang capital. After twisting and turning through more than ten small alleys, they finally escaped their pursuers. Chu Qiao was so frustrated that she wanted to kill someone. She, a modern special agent and a current rebel leader, had been chased through the streets by a group of commoners armed with hoes, shovels, and sticks! If this got out, her reputation would be ruined forever!

“Bookworm, let me tell you, we’re parting ways right now. If you dare to follow me, I’ll break your legs!”

Liang Shaoqing was stunned. While catching his breath, he said, “Don’t be like that. If you go alone, I’ll worry.”

Chu Qiao was truly angry: “I’m only unlucky when I’m with you!”

“No way!”

Liang Shaoqing became anxious and suddenly threw the sage’s teachings he had been constantly thinking about to the winds. He stepped forward and hugged Chu Qiao from behind, shouting, “You can’t go!”

Chu Qiao struggled but couldn’t break free. She angrily said, “You idiot, let go!”

“I won’t!”

“If you don’t let go, I’ll hit you!”

Liang Shaoqing showed unusual resolve this time: “I won’t let go even if you beat me to death!”

However, just as Chu Qiao was about to give this guy a vicious shoulder throw, a black shadow suddenly covered her head, and everything went dark. Chu Qiao was startled and wanted to react, but found that the idiot was still holding her tightly. In that brief moment, the best opportunity for counterattack had passed. She felt a sudden increase in force around her, and with several thuds, it seemed that a large group of people had pounced on them from above, pinning the two of them down firmly!

“Boss! I’ve caught that kid! And an accomplice too!”

In an instant, Chu Qiao was in despair. This battlefield escape dragon who had crossed through the entire southern blockade of Da Xia, escaped hundreds of pursuits and encirclements, and even escaped with her life from the encirclement of tens of thousands of Bian Tang central army troops, had finally, once again with Liang Shaoqing’s “assistance,” fallen into the net.

—*—*—*—*—*—*—*—

“Thump! Thump!”

With two dull thuds, Chu Qiao and Liang Shaoqing were dumped out. This place seemed to be a dark vegetable cellar with an extremely large space below but only a narrow exit above. There were already quite a few people inside. The ladder had been pulled up; to climb out, one would have to scale the wall that sloped at thirty degrees like Spider-Man. Chu Qiao knew she had neither Spider-Man’s hands nor life-saving spider silk for emergencies, so she decided not to attempt such a high-difficulty feat.

After about an hour, a sliver of light suddenly appeared above. The people inside quickly covered their eyes. With a rumbling sound, a pile of things was thrown down. The people immediately rushed forward to fight for them—it turned out to be a heap of moldy steamed buns.

With no way up and no way down, Chu Qiao’s dejection was beyond words. She rubbed her temples in frustration and leaned against the wall, only to find it wet and slippery. As soon as she leaned on it, she felt a chill penetrate her body. She frowned, hugged her knees, and straightened up.

“Tap, tap.” Liang Shaoqing patted his shoulder. In the darkness, his face couldn’t be seen clearly. She could only hear the man’s voice saying beside her ear, “Xiao Qiao, lean on me and sleep.”

Chu Qiao was very angry but couldn’t be bothered to lose her temper with him. She sighed helplessly, then slowly closed her eyes, buried her head in her knees, and waited quietly.

“Xiao Qiao, are you angry with me?”

Did he need to ask? Still, at least he had some self-awareness. Chu Qiao didn’t even bother to raise her head, preparing to rest for a while and wait for an opportunity to escape from this wretched place.

“Don’t be angry. I’ll get you out of here.”

She pretended not to hear.

“Well, this isn’t so bad. If we hadn’t been caught, you would have left again.”

Liang Shaoqing mumbled, and Chu Qiao felt somewhat touched hearing this. She cursed in her heart: “This stupid bookworm.” But that trace of anger gradually dissipated.

“Xiao Qiao, it’s cold. Let’s talk for a while.”

Chu Qiao didn’t speak but listened, giving a soft “Mm” in response. Around them were the loud chewing sounds of people eating steamed buns. These people seemed to have been here for a long time, devouring the food as if they had been starving for ages.

“I heard a few days ago that Bian Tang is going to war, going to war with Yan Bei, and Da Xia will join too. Is that true?”

Chu Qiao was slightly startled. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Who did you hear that from?”

“Everyone on the street is saying so.”

“Oh?” Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow slightly. “What do those people think? Who do they think will win? Who do they hope will win?”

“That goes without saying. Of course, Da Xia will win. For so many years, when has Da Xia ever been defeated on the battlefield?”

The young woman pursed her lips slightly. “That’s not necessarily true. Didn’t Da Xia suffer a crushing defeat in the recent Battle of Zhenhuang?”

“Ah, you only know one part of the story, not the whole picture.” Liang Shaoqing sighed. “Da Xia has numerous soldiers and generals, deep roots like a great tree. Established for a hundred years, with over a million mercenaries, thousands of miles of fertile land, countless good fields, commanding tens of thousands of miles of territory, and tens of millions of people, their military personnel are inexhaustible. Moreover, they are the legitimate rulers of Hongchuan. Although due to internal oversight, Yan Bei found an opportunity, Yan Bei’s advantage is only temporary. Once Da Xia catches its breath, stabilizes the power of the local vassal kings and the aristocratic families in the court, and marches north, how can Yan Bei resist? To be honest, if Da Xia hadn’t just eliminated the Muhe clan’s power, do you think Yan Bei could have withstood Da Xia’s Imperial Guards? That’s laughable.”

Chu Qiao was surprised, not expecting such words to come from this bookworm’s mouth. She asked with interest, “Why do you say that?”

Seeing Chu Qiao engage, Liang Shaoqing immediately became proud and eloquently explained, “The Muhe clan had extremely deep influence in Da Xia, almost able to single-handedly oppose the other six great families of the Council of Elders. After removing this force, many official positions in various departments of the Da Xia court became vacant, with some departments even temporarily paralyzed. The Military Department, the Senate, the Discipline Inspection Commission, the Law Academy, the Military Law Office, and the Capital Security Bureau all had a vacuum of unfilled positions. Even though other families actively seized these official positions, the royal family was unwilling to let go. The result of their scrambling was that officials in various places were still undecided, with power fluctuating among multiple parties. Thus, when the internal rebellion erupted, the empire couldn’t make accurate and powerful defenses and counterattacks, nor could it make rapid deployments and responses. This is the first point.”

Chu Qiao became increasingly surprised and asked, “And the second?”

Liang Shaoqing said, “The second is that after seeing the royal family sweep away the Muhe clan like autumn wind clearing fallen leaves, the great families developed a sense of shared fate—’ when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves’—and intentionally allowed Yan Bei to grow powerful.”

Chu Qiao was stunned: “What do you mean?”

“Xiao Qiao, do you know how many years the Imperial Council of Elders has existed?”

Chu Qiao frowned slightly: “It’s said to have risen at the same time as the empire.”

“Yes, at the time of the founding of the country, apart from the Zhao family, Da Xia had nineteen clans, all former subordinates of Peiluo Zhenhuang. After establishing the country, because the power of the Peiluo clan far exceeded that of the other clans, they honored the Peiluo clan as king. Peiluo Zhenhuang revered Eastern Continent culture and later changed the national surname to Zhao, which is the current Zhao family. But after the founding of the country, whether in military power or political power, the other nineteen clans occupied important proportions in the court. Even the royal family did not dare to directly confront them until the appearance of Peiluo Zhenhuang’s legitimate grandson, Peiluo Hehe, which somewhat alleviated the situation. Peiluo Hehe was a great emperor with outstanding talents and strategies. He sent his descendants to various places as vassal kings. After decades of effort, he finally gradually established the power of the royal family. Later emperors followed suit, and the practice of enfeoffing vassal kings became a traditional custom of Da Xia.”

Liang Shaoqing paused slightly, then sighed: “However, no matter what kind of policy, as it is gradually implemented, its inherent flaws and shortcomings will be exposed. Take this enfeoffment system for example: not only did it gradually strengthen the power of the vassal kings, but it also made the noble families band together for survival. They can fight internally, but never to complete extermination, because they know that once the power of the great clans declines, it will be the time of their demise. So, when the royal family demonstrated such great power by destroying the Muhe clan with lightning speed, how could it not make the other clans wary? Otherwise, the family armies of just the Zhuge clan and the Wei clan alone would have been enough to save the collapsing edifice of Zhenhuang. But why was there no action that night?”

The man’s voice gradually deepened as he said quietly: “They were watching the tigers fight from the mountain, hoping that Da Xia and Yan Bei would fight to mutual destruction. This way, the royal family would need to continue relying on the clans, and the clans could take the opportunity to swallow Yan Bei, thus gaining their lands. So, it’s not that Yan Bei was too formidable, but rather that the royal family’s strength touched the interests of third parties. The clans intentionally allowed it, allowing Yan Bei to gain this territory. This is the second point.”

Chu Qiao retorted: “What you say may not be entirely correct. I heard that when the chaos first erupted that night, the clan leaders were all inside the inner city palace and couldn’t leave to summon their family armies.”

“Do you think the great families only have one leader?”

Liang Shaoqing smiled and said: “Let me put it this way. Our family is just an ordinary noble family. But besides my father, the uncles, great-uncles, and half-brothers in the family all have a say. Once the head of the family is away, there will certainly be others who can handle major affairs. Each noble family is like a small empire, having a monarch and a council of elders, having finance and household departments, and having armed forces. Among the six remaining great families of the empire, the Zhuge clan has flourished continuously. Although they’ve never been as glorious as the Muhe clan, they’ve never declined either. For three hundred years, they’ve controlled the empire’s power. Do you know how vast their wealth is?”

Chu Qiao shook her head, then realized that in the darkness the other couldn’t see her gesture, so she quickly said: “How vast?”

“The wealth of the Zhuge clan might be dozens of times more than that of Huaisong, the richest of the three kingdoms.”

“How is that possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?” Liang Shaoqing said. “The state collects taxes, but it has to pay the salaries of court officials, support officials big and small across the country, maintain rivers and waterways, support the army, and even deplete the treasury to buy grain from other countries to appease disaster victims in times of calamity. In contrast, the noble families not only receive salaries from the state each year, but even their family armies are supported by the state. The aristocracy doesn’t pay taxes or contribute grain, occupying the most fertile land for nothing, operating businesses tax-free, and monopolizing various economic lifelines of the empire. After three hundred years of this, with money only coming in and not going out, calculate how much they would have.”

Chu Qiao was secretly astonished. Liang Shaoqing continued: “My father once said that the empire’s greatest flaw isn’t in the division of power, nor the vassal kings’ mercenaries, but in the noble families’ hoarding of wealth. When wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, it becomes a great calamity. But the empire now has no way to shake its foundation without risking backlash. Noble families are unlike vassal kings. Da Xia would rather fight ten Yan Beis than dare to move against one clan. That’s because the vassal kings’ power is independent and also belongs to internal royal family matters. If the noble families are provoked, they can unite in opposition. In the worst case, they could overthrow and reestablish. After all, there are so many vassal kings in the Zhao family, and installing a puppet wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“From what you’re saying, the empire’s power is held in the hands of the noble families.”

“You could say that,” Liang Shaoqing nodded. “But most noble families keep a low profile. They’re like rocks on the riverbank, while the vassal kings and royal family are like flowing water in the river. Although the flowing water is turbulent and impressive, magnificent and commanding in its glory, have you ever seen a river that flows forever? Water eventually flows east, and political figures cannot flourish eternally. While the rocks are silent, they are absolutely firm. They develop quietly, accumulating vast wealth generation after generation. Therefore, when vassal kings rebel, it’s earth-shattering and known to all, but when noble families rebel, it’s subtle and changes dynasties silently.”

Chu Qiao couldn’t help but see Liang Shaoqing in a new light. She sighed: “So you’re saying that either this war won’t happen, or if it does, Yan Bei will certainly be defeated.”

“No,” Liang Shaoqing shook his head. “The war will happen, and Yan Bei will certainly be defeated. In the previous conflicts with Da Xia, there might have been wins and losses on both sides, but once the clans deploy their troops, it signals the end of Yan Bei.”

Chu Qiao nodded slowly, then said: “You’re right, very reasonable. I didn’t expect you to say such things.”

Liang Shaoqing chuckled upon hearing this and scratched his head: “I read it in books, and often debated with other scholars during my travels.”

“But you’ve overlooked one thing.”

Liang Shaoqing was startled and quickly asked: “What have I overlooked?”

“You’ve calculated the power of the imperial royal family, the vassal kings, other countries, and the noble clans, but you’ve ignored the greatest force of all.”

“Who?”

“The common people.”

“The common people?”

“Yes,” Chu Qiao nodded. “Those who are most numerous in the world, who occupy the most land, who possess the most potential power—the common people.”

Liang Shaoqing waved his hand dismissively: “Don’t joke around. The common people? You might as well say slaves. They have no freedom, no weapons. What would they fight with? Hoes? Besides, do you think the common people would be bold enough to support Yan Bei? That’s unprecedented.”

Chu Qiao’s gaze became piercing. She said slowly: “Why not? Liang Shaoqing, you’ve been taken as a slave before. You should understand a slave’s thoughts best. They aren’t dull-witted animals or mindless pieces of wood. They are people, just like you nobles, people with thoughts. They also want to survive, to have their land, their own houses, their own families. Why should they be beasts of burden for others? Perhaps they don’t dare now, but that’s only because they have no hope. But if one day a regime raises the banner of the people, what will these people do? Will they take up arms to protect their interests, or continue to bow down and lick the toes of the nobility?”

Liang Shaoqing was stunned. This was a topic that those scholars had never discussed. It was pitch dark around him, but he seemed to see a glimmer of light.

“The people are the foundation. The interests of the common people are the rightful trend of the world. The direction of the people’s hearts is the rightful path. Bookworm, sooner or later, you will see the tremendous power that angry citizens possess. Before this power, what are noble clans, what are tribes, what is the imperial royal family? They will be as vulnerable as withered trees in September.”

The entire cellar fell silent. Liang Shaoqing’s breathing became rapid. He repeated the words “the people are the foundation” over and over, as if possessed.

At this moment, a crying sound suddenly came from nearby. Gradually, the crying grew louder. Those who had been frantically grabbing steamed buns stopped. They looked towards them, and though they couldn’t see anything, it was as if a fire had been ignited in their hearts.

“Young lady, will we have our land?”

An elderly voice slowly rose, with a slight tremor of excitement. In the darkness, Chu Qiao no longer concealed her identity as a woman. Those people, hearing her voice, naturally recognized her as female.

Listening to those cries, Chu Qiao felt an indescribable grief and indignation in her chest. She nodded firmly and said resolutely: “Yes. In Yan Bei, as long as you get there, you will be your master.”

“Yan Bei… Yan Bei…”

Someone was murmuring, like travelers at sea who had spotted a lighthouse, silently gazing in the northwestern direction.

There, amidst heavy snow and constant battles, a new regime was rising on that snow-white land, raising the banner of the people, illuminating those in darkness.

“Xiao Qiao, I know who you are now.”

A firm voice suddenly sounded near her ear. Chu Qiao was startled. She heard Liang Shaoqing say word by word: “You are a believer of the Great Unity Association, aren’t you?”

Chu Qiao smiled and said: “No, I don’t believe in Great Unity.”

“Huh?” Liang Shaoqing was puzzled and frowned: “But what you say sounds very similar to Great Unity.”

“Yes, it’s very similar, just a bit more realistic.”

Chu Qiao smiled and said: “I only hope that the poor can have their land, have clothes to wear, houses to live in, a place to express grievances, a place to speak of hardships, and laws that are a bit more just, representing the interests of most people. Murderers must pay with their lives, debtors must repay their debts. That’s all.”

Liang Shaoqing was silent for a while, then suddenly said: “I’m sorry, Xiao Qiao, I can’t go with you anymore.”

Chu Qiao was startled and asked: “What did you say?”

“I want to go to Yan Bei. I can’t go with you anymore.”

“You want to go to Yan Bei?”

“Yes,” the bookworm said solemnly. “Although I don’t know if what you say is true, I want to go and see for myself.”

Chu Qiao immediately smiled and patted his shoulder: “I hope to see you in Yan Bei.”

“You’re going too?” Liang Shaoqing was delighted and quickly said: “That’s great! We’ll go together.”

“No,” the young woman slowly shook her head. “I still have very important things to do.”

Just then, the lid of the vegetable cellar was suddenly opened by someone. Strong light shone in, and a woman’s cold voice was heard: “Bring out everyone inside.”

Chu Qiao was startled upon hearing this, because the voice was so familiar!