This was the Crown Prince’s first urgent summons. No one dared delay.
Gu Yanxi encountered the Duke of Founding State at the palace gates. After an exchange of courtesies, the two men fell into step together.
“Does the Regent know what this summons concerns?”
“I heard there is an urgent dispatch from the front.”
The two men exchanged a glance. The Duke let out a long sigh. “Just when the tree longs for stillness, the wind refuses to cease.”
Gu Yanxi stopped walking. The Duke stopped alongside him. “Granduncle — I have a favor to ask.”
The Duke blinked. That form of address had not passed from the Shizi’s lips in many years. “Go ahead and speak your mind.”
Gu Yanxi looked at the imperial palace before him — steeped in layer upon layer of history. This was not the founding era of the Great Qing dynasty; the palace had stood for several hundred years of continuous succession. It had endured a century of Chaoli occupation without suffering a trace of damage. No matter how dynasties changed or how storms raged, it had always stood quietly in this place. Its colors might have faded from what they once were, but every brick and tile carried within it the deep resonance of ages past.
This place now belonged to the Great Qing dynasty.
He hoped it would still belong to the Great Qing dynasty for many years to come.
“When I am no longer in the capital, I ask that my granduncle look after the Grand Tutor a little more.”
The Duke’s gaze sharpened. “You need to leave the capital?”
“Even when the late Emperor was alive, I still traveled widely. The Seven-Lodge Division can hardly afford to remain confined to the capital — it was always only a matter of time before I would need to leave.”
The Duke was quiet. It was true. The leader of the Seven-Lodge Division had always led a life of constant movement.
“You need not worry — the Crown Prince is a person who remembers kindness.”
“I trust him, of course. But there are times when he is more bound by circumstances than anyone else. To be born into the imperial family — surely you understand that better than most.” Gu Yanxi looked at him. “I ask nothing difficult of you — simply that when she encounters trouble, you lend her your support. She comes from the Hua Family and carries their spirit of loyalty to the throne. She is the Grand Tutor, bound to the Crown Prince by the tie between teacher and student. She and I have pledged ourselves to one another. She is already so deeply entwined with the imperial family that there is no separating the two. Whatever decisions she makes will not be to the detriment of the imperial household. When that time comes — I ask that you stand on her side.”
“I take your meaning clearly.” The Duke clasped his hands behind his back and looked at him with an expression somewhere between a smile and seriousness. “An entire court of officials, and in any crisis it comes down to relying on the Grand Tutor.”
Gu Yanxi lowered his head with a quiet smile. “The court’s senior officials each have their own strengths, and those who hold high positions are every one of them sharp-minded men. But if I may say something without fear of offending you — when it comes to thinking quickly under pressure, no one can match her. And no one else commands the same trust from the Crown Prince that she does. I will leave every resource within my Shizi’s household in her hands. If that moment truly comes, having that support alone would be enough to win half the battle. If you could assist her in some way as well, what difficulty could possibly remain?”
“You’re that certain such a moment will come?”
“The Seven-Lodge Division doesn’t require ten parts certainty before it acts — three parts is enough to make the gamble. I approach this the same way. The Chaoli tribe’s ambitions are plain for all to see. War between the two nations is unavoidable. And there are still Chaoli remnants in the capital who have not yet been rooted out — I do not know what they intend, or whether they will stir up chaos when the moment arrives.”
Gu Yanxi drew closer to the Duke and lowered his voice: “The Crown Prince has only just ascended, and loyalties are unsettled. Whom would you dare to fully trust? Even my own maternal family, the Duke of Anguo — could you truly set your heart at ease where they are concerned?”
The Duke could not fully trust them — not after the matter of the former Princess Consort of Prince Ling’s residence. He still had to guard against the possibility that the Duke of Anguo might seize upon a moment of vulnerability to press an advantage. He dared not trust them completely.
At this, he understood thoroughly what the Shizi had been working around to. All the twists and turns, all the roundabout talk — it came down to one thing: he wanted the Duke to stand together with the Crown Prince and the Grand Tutor, rather than treating her as a potential threat to be guarded against.
The sound of footsteps approached from behind. Both men looked back — the Six Ministers had arrived together.
The ministers gave a bow from a distance. The two men returned the gesture with a clasped-hand salute, then turned and continued into the palace.
It was only as they neared the Imperial Study that the Duke offered his quiet promise in a low voice: “I’ve taken your words to heart. If that moment truly comes, I’ll give it careful thought.”
Gu Yanxi could not ask for more than that. What he had sought was simply for the Duke to stand on Hua Zhi’s side when the time came. Even this partial shift in the Duke’s inclination was already something gained.
“We pay our respects to the Crown Prince.”
Before the two men could complete their bow, the Crown Prince had already moved forward with both hands to help them up. He likewise excused the six ministers who arrived in turn from completing their obeisance, then swept his gaze across the assembled faces and spoke in a hoarse voice: “General Sun… has fallen in battle.”
Someone let out a low cry of shock. This was beyond anything any of them had anticipated.
The Duke of Founding State’s brow furrowed deeply. “Was it the Chaoli tribe crossing the border? What is the current situation at Shouyai Pass?”
“It was indeed the Chaoli tribe crossing the border. The soldiers have obeyed General Sun’s final order and fallen back to hold Shouyai Pass from within.” The Crown Prince looked at that stretch of land on the eastern edge of the map. “According to the courier, the enemy was thoroughly familiar with General Sun’s habits — I had not even known that he always personally led the left vanguard, yet they knew it. They came specifically for General Sun.”
“An informant on the inside?”
“To be investigated.” The Crown Prince turned to face the room. “The immediate problem is this: the east… has no garrison commander.”
Silence fell over the room. Any other pass might have been manageable — but not Shouyai Pass.
The reason Shouyai Pass bore the name of the First Pass Under Heaven was not because of any peculiar terrain or exceptional natural defenses — it had neither. What made it unique was its defensive line, which was extraordinarily long. And because of that length, it was exceptionally difficult to hold.
Moreover, since the Chaoli tribe had retreated to their sea islands, Shouyai Pass functioned primarily as a defensive position. Proficiency in water was a basic requirement for every soldier garrisoned there. The court could still scrape together a few generals capable of fighting from horseback — but a general who could move through water and then lead an army in battle on land afterward was a genuinely rare thing.
The Minister of War, Chen Yuanqing, spoke in a strained tone: “General Zhu Lin, the old general… is already seventy-seven.”
Old General Zhu Lin had been the previous garrison commander at Shouyai Pass — and at this moment, the only name any of them could call to mind was his.
The Minister of Revenue, Zhu Bowen, shook his head. “The old general’s health has been failing. He fell ill again before the new year, and is only just able to leave his bed.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The Crown Prince’s lips moved several times before the words came out: “I recall that General Sun was personally taken under Old General Zhu’s wing and trained by him for four full years before the old general felt comfortable stepping down. By that reckoning, General Sun himself should have reached an age where he ought to have cultivated a successor. Was there truly no one being groomed to take over?”
“General Sun did submit a memorial to the late Emperor on that very matter, however…” Chen Yuanqing left the sentence unfinished, but everyone in the room understood clearly. The late Emperor had read it — and filed it away without reply. He had given General Sun no response whatsoever.
The Crown Prince’s back turned sharply away from the room. He felt the profound injustice done to his grandfather — yet it was his grandfather’s life that had been spent defending the very realm of the Gu family.
His grandfather had been failed by the Gu family.
“This matter may be tabled for further deliberation at tomorrow’s court session.” In the silence, Gu Yanxi spoke. “The loss of a commanding general has already shattered the morale of the troops. And since Shouyai Pass is notoriously difficult to defend — there is no telling how long they can hold. Reinforcements must be dispatched as quickly as possible. Minister Chen — how does this year’s new troop recruitment stand?”
Chen Yuanqing was momentarily caught off guard. “New recruits have been brought in, but sending them to Shouyai Pass would hardly be…”
“There is no need to send them to Shouyai Pass. Draw troops from elsewhere — Jingzhou, for instance. If I recall correctly, the men from that region are also skilled in water. Send the new recruits there to fill the gaps instead.”
“Understood. This official will see to it.”
Gu Yanxi said no more, and turned his gaze instead toward the Crown Prince. “Does Your Highness have anything to add?”
The Crown Prince gathered his composure, gave a nod, and said: “An army marches on its stomach — provisions must come before troops. Minister Zhu, the Ministry of Revenue needs to arrange this with all urgency.”
“Yes. This old official will comply.”