—Yan—

The Ji surname was the foremost of the eight great ancient surnames, the surname of the Yellow Emperor, the imperial surname of the Zhou Dynasty—incomparably noble. Although Ji Qing’s lineage was not purely of the Zhou royal house’s direct line, they were nonetheless part of the royal family of Yan, one of the seven warring states.

The true direct line of the Yan royal family, according to custom, took the state as their surname, while the collateral branches inherited the Ji surname.

Ji Qing was only three days younger than Yan Dan. They were cousins, personally granted their names Dan and Qing by King Xi of Yan. Dan and qing were vermillion red and blue-green—two colors commonly used in painting. Moreover, because they were respectively derived from cinnabar and azurite mineral pigments that did not easily fade, historians used dan records to chronicle achievements and qing histories to record events, so “dan qing” meant the same as historical records.

From this, one could see how great the expectations King Xi of Yan held for his eldest son and nephew.

When Ji Qing was born, his mother died from difficult childbirth. The Queen of Yan, pitying his young age and loss of maternal care, brought him to the palace to be cared for. Soon after, his father remarried a stepmother who treated Ji Qing as her own child and gave Ji Qing several younger siblings, creating quite a harmonious family.

Because Ji Qing and Yan Dan grew up together from childhood, being similar in age and cousins, their speech and behavior became increasingly alike as the years passed. The only difference was that Yan Dan’s eyebrows were too gentle—like the Queen of Yan, he had two pale yellow thin eyebrows. Ji Qing, however, had two sword-like brows that flew straight to his temples like two small flying swords, making his entire person appear like a sharp blade just revealing its edge.

When Ji Qing was five years old, his father had people seek out a pair of rare rhinoceros horns. All rhinoceros horns are solid at the front and hollow at the back—the tip pointing forward is solid, while the rear portions are all hollow. Ji Qing’s father used the hollow horn body sections to make a pair of precious rhinoceros horn cups, while the remaining two solid rhinoceros horn tips were carved by master craftsmen into personal seals, one for each of the cousin brothers.

These two rhinoceros horn seals were ancient red in color. It was said that this type of rhinoceros horn was becoming increasingly rare—perhaps the rhinoceros that grew only ancient red horns would become extinct in several years. The rhinoceros horn had a clear fragrance when smelled and could calm shock and relieve fatigue for the wearer. Apart from the tips being carved in full relief as chi-tiger seal knobs, the seal bodies had no superfluous carving, making these two rhinoceros horn seals appear lustrous and translucent throughout, like two pieces of blood jade. Even Yan Dan, who had seen many rare treasures, loved them dearly, often carrying them and constantly fondling them with his fingertips.

In his youth, Ji Qing was like Yan Dan, extremely fond of his rhinoceros horn seal. But as he grew older and understood that his status differed from Crown Prince Yan Dan’s, these two rhinoceros horn seals—which appeared nearly identical except for their different inscriptions—Ji Qing rarely played with in public.

As a member of the Yan royal family, Ji Qing never lacked food or clothing from childhood, was accustomed to being attended upon, and following beside Crown Prince Yan Dan, practicing calligraphy and martial arts alike, he had no displeasure. Ji Qing once thought he was the happiest person in the world.

Many people, including himself, firmly believed that Yan Dan would be Yan’s next king.

But reality dealt them a crushing blow.

Before Yan Dan and Ji Qing were born, the newly ascended King Xi of Yan, thinking that after the Battle of Changping, Zhao’s national strength was depleted and military forces sharply reduced, ignored his subordinates’ opposition and sent troops to attack Zhao, only to be besieged by Lian Po’s forces. From then on, King Xi of Yan became timid and dared not casually engage in battle.

Yan was located in the northeast with fierce folk customs, but unfortunately its land was not as fertile as the Central Plains, and its national strength had always been weak. As Qin had continuously campaigned in recent years, successively seizing several cities from Wei and Zhao, even Yan, the most remote from Qin, was filled with unrest and anxiety.

King Xi of Yan wanted to send Yan Dan to Qin’s capital Xianyang as a hostage.

In the earliest times, people would exchange precious objects as collateral to fulfill their vows. Later this developed into exchanges of royalty, crown princes, or heirs between states to ensure treaties could be concluded. When one state had absolute advantage, it was no longer an exchange but unilateral. Yan Dan had two younger brothers, but they were all still very young. He could not escape this enormous responsibility. Ji Qing deeply sympathized with Yan Dan but could not understand Yan Dan’s request.

Yan Dan agreed to go to Qin, but his only requirement was that Ji Qing must accompany him.

“Why must I go?” Ji Qing pressed his lips together, furrowing his handsome sword-like brows, his small face full of unwillingness. The Qin people were like wolves and tigers, capable of stopping children of other states from crying at night, and Qin’s capital Xianyang was a thousand li from Yan’s capital Jicheng—truly a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den.

Yan Dan sat properly before Ji Qing, looking at that face almost identical to his own, his lips curving in a cutting smile, “The Yan royal family’s food, clothing, and expenses—are they not all provided by Yan’s people? When Yan’s people are willing to fight bloodily on the battlefield, you are merely serving as a hostage with your body—what face do you have to repeatedly refuse?”

Ji Qing’s small face turned red from Yan Dan’s argument. Though he felt something seemed wrong, he couldn’t say a word in rebuttal. “Langxuan, are you worried about your family? Come with me.” Yan Dan rose with a sweep of his sleeves, leading Ji Qing out of the palace straight to the Ji family residence. Ji Qing stood silently outside the window, watching his father, stepmother, and several younger siblings talking and laughing harmoniously in a scene of domestic bliss, suddenly feeling like an outsider.

“Langxuan, you should grow up and become a man,” Yan Dan said quietly behind him.

“What does it mean to grow up and become a man?” Ji Qing closed his eyes, feeling that the scene inside was very harsh to look at.

“Growing up and becoming a man is not about whether one has performed the capping ceremony, but whether one understands principles. First, one should know that in this world, even without you, the sun and moon still rise in the east and set in the west, flowing water still goes from high to low—nothing changes.”

“There’s a first—what about the second and third?”

“Come with me to Xianyang. I will explain the rest to you in due time.”

“…Yes.”

On the day of leaving Jicheng, Ji Qing was not as reluctant as he had imagined.

Perhaps it was the scene he saw that day, perhaps it was that sentence Yan Dan whispered in his ear—Ji Qing knew that even if he left or even died, his family could continue living after their grief. Just as his father, after his mother’s death, had his stepmother appear.

Sitting in the carriage, Ji Qing watched through the gaps in the fluttering window curtains as Jicheng’s city walls slowly receded, and the family members who had come to see them off gradually became like grains of sand on the horizon, no longer visible. He turned his head with mixed emotions, only to be shocked to discover that Yan Dan was gracefully removing the ceremonial cap from his head. Because this journey would last unknown years, though the cousin brothers had not yet reached the age for capping, they had performed the ceremony early. But Ji Qing discovered that his cousin was not unaccustomed to wearing the formal cap—he was continuing to remove the robes from his body.

When they departed, King Xi of Yan had held a grand farewell ceremony for them, so Yan Dan wore black formal court dress, while Ji Qing, having different status, could not wear the noble black color and wore secondary blue and yellow court dress instead.

“Your Highness, do you wish to change clothes?” On this journey to Xianyang, Ji Qing was accompanying as an attendant, so though still somewhat unaccustomed, he quickly assumed his role.

Yan Dan smiled slightly, removing his black formal court dress, leaving only the inner white hemp deep robe: “Did you not once ask me why I insisted you come along?”

“Why?” Ji Qing raised his head—this was a question that had always remained in his heart.

Yan Dan reached out his hand, extending it across the low table between them to brush against his cousin’s sword-like brows, staring intently at him, “From today, you are Yan Dan, and I am Ji Qing.”

Ji Qing was stunned like a wooden chicken. Only when he felt a cold blade approach his brow tip did he come to his senses. He dared not move, only staring blankly as his two sword-like brows were carefully cut away by Yan Dan with a dagger. The fine eyebrow hairs scattered before his eyes, with several flying into his eyes. Ji Qing uncomfortably closed his eyes.

“Raise your head… extend your hand…”

In the carriage compartment, only Yan Dan’s calm voice repeatedly sounded. Ji Qing had never been able to resist this cousin’s commands since childhood, so he could only close his eyes and comply one by one. He could vaguely feel Yan Dan helping him undress and dress. In the darkness before his eyes, Ji Qing couldn’t help but be surprised that his pampered crown prince cousin actually knew how to serve others.

In this gentle atmosphere, Ji Qing also carefully pondered his crown prince cousin’s intentions in his mind.

Hostages had always been the most tragic class of people during the Warring States period. From childhood living in silk and jade, high and mighty, yet suddenly falling into the mire. No wonder he insisted on his accompaniment—it was to exchange identities.

But hostages were also historically the most dramatically fluctuating class of people. If one could endure the period as hostage and successfully return home, ascending the throne as king would naturally follow—like King Goujian of Yue, like the father of the current young King of Qin, King Zhuangxiang of Qin.

So his clever crown prince cousin was not simply leaving, but attending at his side. Did he want him to bear the humiliation? To be his shield? Being a hostage was a life-or-death situation—even if he died in the end, his cousin could secretly flee back to Yan and resume his crown prince career.

The fine eyebrow debris stung his eyes slightly, making him feel like crying. The jade pendant on his robe sash chimed softly as Yan Dan’s low voice suddenly sounded in his ear: “Langxuan, do you know what I spoke of as the second?”

Ji Qing’s eyelashes trembled several times. After adjusting his emotions, he slowly uttered two words: “I don’t know.”

“Growing up and becoming a man is not about whether one has performed the capping ceremony, but whether one understands principles. The first is knowing that in this world, even without you, nothing changes. The second is knowing that in this world, there are always some things that no matter how hard you try, you are powerless and helpless against.”

Was this hinting at him? Ji Qing bit his lower lip tightly. After a long while, he squeezed out one word through gritted teeth: “…Yes.” The tear at the corner of his eye was forcibly pushed back by Ji Qing. He opened his still-stinging eyes, the ceremonial cap on his head feeling like it weighed a thousand jin, pressing him to look down at the black formal court dress he now wore that had originally been Yan Dan’s, looking for a very long time.

Ji Qing raised his head, looking at Yan Dan across from him who had changed into an attendant’s dark blue robe, discovering that he had completely restrained his entire aura, looking as unremarkable as an ordinary servant with lowered brows and submissive eyes. Ji Qing’s gaze inevitably fell on the rhinoceros horn seal at Yan Dan’s waist, an indescribable resentment rising in his heart as he said through gritted teeth: “Your Highness, since identities have been exchanged, should the rhinoceros horn seals be exchanged as well?” As he spoke, he searched in the sleeve of his changed clothes for the one he carried with him daily.

Yan Dan tucked the rhinoceros horn seal from his waist into his robes, saying flatly: “No matter. What should you call me?”

“…Mingji.” Ji Qing thought for a long time before remembering Yan Dan’s courtesy name. Dan Mingji, Qing Langxuan… their courtesy names were also taken to be very similar. But now, Ji Qing utterly hated this similarity.

“Good.” Ji Qing said not another word, sitting numbly in the carriage compartment, listening to the horse hooves outside, knowing this carriage was continuously galloping toward Xianyang, toward his unknown yet predictable tragic future. And he was powerless and helpless against it.