Yu Shuinan and Wei Su, who had returned from the north, were men who understood the greater cause.

Of the two, Yu Shuinan had originally been a chivalrous type from the Heshuo region, fond of killing, while Wei Su had passed the martial imperial examinations during the Jinghan era, and could genuinely be called accomplished in both letters and arms. Both men had come of age during the Wu Dynasty’s prosperity; later, when the Jurchens marched south, countless lives were swept up in the chaos, and the two of them eventually made their way to Yunzhong, and then into service under Chen Wenjun — a path that had, naturally, brought its own share of harrowing experiences.

To the Jurchens in the north, Chen Wenjun might have looked like nothing more than an appendage of Gushen, Wanyan Xiyin. But to the Han people trapped in that land, the name “Lady Han” carried its own special and profound weight. Some privately regarded her as a shameless woman who had betrayed her own people to serve the enemy; others saw her as the only hope amid a living hell.

Over more than ten years, the Jurchens had carried off Han slaves from the south by the millions, and in Yunzhong, Chen Wenjun had, in turn, quietly sent thousands of Han people back south, while also buying up several thousand more and taking them into her farming estates, sheltering them there. Though the Jurchen leadership regarded these activities as little more than minor indulgences under Gushen’s protective wing, and Chen Wenjun made every effort to operate without drawing too much attention, the power of this small, pitiful faction, working at the lowest levels of society, was still not to be underestimated.

Of course, given how closely watched she was from all sides, the group that gathered around “Lady Han” had focused most of its energy on ransoming, rescuing, and transporting Han slaves. Its capacity for intelligence work — or for launching sabotage and assassinations against Jurchen leadership — had remained comparatively limited.

Especially after Wu Qiuhe’s rescue of Shi Jin had come to light, Xiyin had carried out a purge of Chen Wenjun’s people that looked understated on the surface but was, in fact, sweeping in scope — many of the more radical Han operatives under her had died in that purge. From that point on, Chen Wenjun had been left with little choice but to confine her activities to the simpler work of saving people. This had, in a way, become a kind of standing understanding maintained between her and Xiyin, and between Xiyin and the wider Jurchen leadership.

Until Tang Minjie’s sudden action.

Once Chen Wenjun had recovered from her initial shock and grief, she moved quickly to arrange escape plans for the important people around her: the several thousand Han slaves at the farming estates were already beyond her ability to continue protecting, but for the small number of capable, knowledgeable Han people who had worked directly with her, she could only try to disperse them as best she could.

These people were split into different small groups and sent off along different routes — some would return to the Central Plains, some would head into Wu Dynasty territory, and some would be arranged to go to the Southwest. In the course of making these arrangements, Chen Wenjun even warned them several times that this departure might prove extremely difficult.

“This time is different from before. Once you leave Yunzhong, you may well be ambushed,” Chen Wenjun warned them. “…The men will be sent by Gushen. When that happens… adapt as best you can, and fight your way through.”

Yu Shuinan and Wei Su had taken part in this dispersal effort; the two of them were operatives Chen Wenjun trusted a great deal, and knew more of the inside story than most. So after releasing Tang Minjie, Chen Wenjun had the two of them go into hiding and secretly escort him back to the Southwest.

By the time Tang Minjie was released, this hasty dispersal had already been underway for several days, and once word of what was happening got out, Gushen’s household guard had indeed sent men to hunt down and kill the Han slaves Chen Wenjun had arranged to send south — clashes had likely broken out several times during this pursuit. Some had escaped; some had died.

To avoid the matter escalating and provoking further trouble from the Eastern court, Wanyan Xiyin had not launched any large-scale public manhunt. But in these final moments before his own downfall, this man who had, in the past, tolerated countless actions from his Lady Han, had for the first time turned to hunt down and kill the very Han elite his own wife had sent away.

This may have been the strangest couple in the entire north, perhaps in the whole world — a pair who loved each other deeply, and yet who, in the final moments before their downfall, had at last shown their true colors, each fighting for the sake of their own people in a matched, mutual bloodletting. Mixed in with this conflict was the collapse of the whole massive apparatus of Gushen’s household — and indeed, of the entire Jurchen Western court.

Amid the chaos of the north, escorting Tang Minjie south turned out to be, of all the paths through the whole tangled situation, both the safest and the most agonizing. This was the last gift Lady Han had given them — but along the way south, both men had, more than once, considered simply killing Tang Minjie and putting an end to it once and for all. Wei Su, being the more hot-tempered of the two, had even tried to act on it once, only to be stopped in time by Yu Shuinan.

“The Black Banner owes Lady Chen an explanation—”

“It was Lady Chen who wanted him to live!” Wei Su said.

“Even so, they still owe an explanation!”

And so, with Luo Ye’s sister in tow, Tang Minjie made his way south, with Yu and Wei following secretly behind, warding off several dangers along the way without his knowledge. Once they reached the Jin region, they finally revealed themselves during an incident involving bandits. After reaching Hanzhong they were interrogated once, then split into two groups to enter Chengdu, where they were interrogated again. The Huaxia Army treated the two men with courtesy, only placing them under temporary confinement.

On the thirteenth of the seventh month, they finally met the man whose fame shook the whole world — Mr. Ning.

He was a legend among the Han people, spoken of often even in the north. “Lady Han” would occasionally mention him; it was said that even at Gushen’s residence, Wanyan Xiyin would sometimes bring him up in conversation with his wife — especially after the Jurchen defeat, when he would often gaze at a piece of calligraphy by Ning Yi hanging in the residence, sighing that he’d never had the chance to meet the man face to face in the Southwest. The calligraphy bore a line of soaring, heroic verse, written before the Jurchens’ first joint campaign against Little Cangriver:

“Stern and unbowed, the man lives on — who says the Han are already gone!”

In the Central Plains, in the lands south of the Yangtze, there might be those loyal to the Wu Dynasty who spoke of Mr. Ning with contempt, for having killed the emperor. But in the north, after suffering so much hardship, there were few Han people who could speak that name without a swell of reverence. Yu Shuinan and Wei Su had once felt the same way — had it not been for this business of Lady Han being betrayed, their feelings on meeting this Mr. Ning would surely have been very different.

Mr. Ning, a man of about forty, had a composed bearing and spoke gently yet with real presence. Given the two men’s background, he treated them with unusual warmth, and the three of them sat down together in a small courtyard by Moheh Pool set aside for entertaining honored guests. Ning Yi asked about conditions in the north, and Yu Shuinan and Wei Su explained things one by one, then recounted everything concerning Chen Wenjun and Wanyan Xiyin.

“Mr. Ning, I respect you, so if what I say next offends, I hope you’ll forgive me.” After talking for a while, it was finally Wei Su who couldn’t hold back any longer, rising to speak.

Ning Yi nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Lady Chen spent over ten years in the north, always saving people. She has done immense good for the Han people of this world. And beyond saving people, we all know she also passed along crucial intelligence to the Wu Dynasty and to the Huaxia Army many times at critical moments — countless people benefited from her kindness. And yet this time… she was betrayed, just like that, by your own man. That’s not how the principles of this world are supposed to work…”

Wei Su stared at Ning Yi, and Ning Yi met his gaze calmly. After a moment, Wei Su pointed to an empty space beside him. “That Tang Minjie — he owes an explanation… You, the Huaxia Army, owe an explanation… Mr. Ning, if this isn’t done right, the hearts of the people of this world won’t accept it!”

Sunlight fell across the surface of the lake; a light breeze passed through the treetops. The courtyard was quiet in the autumn afternoon. Yu Shuinan sat upright and formal. Ning Yi’s gaze drifted into empty space, his brow furrowed, silent for a long while.

Perhaps because the silence had gone on too long, Yu Shuinan spoke up. “Mr. Ning, I know Tang Minjie is your disciple, but…”

“We will take some form of action,” Ning Yi said slowly. “But as far as I understand it, Lady Chen’s wish was for him to live…”

Yu Shuinan and Wei Su looked at him.

“On the other hand, Tang Minjie himself doesn’t want to go on living — I imagine you both already know this too.” Ning Yi looked at them. “The two of you are honored guests sent by Lady Chen, and this request of yours is, indeed… entirely reasonable. So for the moment, let me lay out this possibility for you both: first, we may not be able to kill him. Second, we can’t torture him over this either. What I was just thinking, then, is that I may not be able to give you an outcome you’re truly satisfied with. So I’d like to hear — do the two of you have any specific thoughts on how this should be handled?”

Yu and Wei had originally assumed Ning Yi meant to stall and dodge the issue, but his tone was measured, genuinely one of consideration and negotiation, and it caught them slightly off guard. They had both been full of fury the entire journey here, yet when it came to exactly how Tang Minjie should be dealt with, they found themselves genuinely torn. They exchanged glances. Wei Su finally said, “We… want him to… regret it…” His words came out halting, and once spoken, left him feeling even more conflicted and uncertain.

Ning Yi nodded.

“We will take some form of action,” he repeated. “Some of it I can tell you, some I cannot — I hope you’ll forgive me on that point. But as for Tang Minjie himself — might it be that his own conscience is the greatest torment he could possibly face?… I’m not saying this to dodge responsibility. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this for the past two days, and there may be punishments harsher than anything we ourselves could inflict. Perhaps Lady Chen letting him live, letting him come back here — perhaps that, in itself, is the cruelest punishment of all. Might that be a possibility too?”

His words came slow and earnest. “Of course, if either of you have any specific ideas, feel free to raise them with our people at any time. Tang Minjie’s rank and position will be stripped entirely. But given Lady Chen’s request, we’ll consider his future arrangements carefully, and let you both know once a decision is made.”

Given Ning Yi’s current standing, this response was already about as thorough and considerate as one could reasonably expect. Yu Shuinan and Wei Su each nodded. After a moment, Yu Shuinan finally spoke. “Mr. Ning, I wonder if we… might be permitted to go out and take a walk sometime.”

“You can today,” Ning Yi said.

The three of them chatted a while longer before Ning Yi took his leave; the two men’s spirits remained low. Along the way, they had hoped the Huaxia Army would give them some kind of “explanation,” a somewhat vague demand — but deep down, they also knew that against a man practically begging to be allowed to die, no punishment would really carry any weight. Ning Yi had essentially pointed this out to them himself, and even seemed, in his words, to be trying to offer them some comfort. But such comfort, of course, wasn’t going to leave anyone particularly pleased either way.

That afternoon, a young man who called himself “the Huaxia Army’s best joke-teller,” named Hou Yuanyong, came by to accompany the two of them on a tour of the city and its surroundings. This young man, nicknamed “the Great Sage,” had a limber build and an easy, friendly smile. He first showed them around various memorial sites related to the Southwest campaign, describing the great battle and the shape of the Huaxia Army’s forces in detail. The next day, he took them to see various achievements in the field of Investigating Things, introducing them to a range of enlightenment concepts.

By the fifteenth of July, they’d gained a rough understanding of concepts like newspapers and factories, watched two operas, and that night, following Hou Yuanyong, even pulled some strings to attend a literary gathering, listening to various great scholars and important figures at a restaurant discuss trendy topics like “the Great Battle for Bian Liang,” “the Fairness Party,” and “internal problems within the Huaxia Army.” When the crowd, in the midst of their grandiose talk, began discussing the “internal strife between the Jurchens’ two courts,” Yu Shuinan and Wei Su finally showed open disgust.

“…The Wu Dynasty’s downfall came about precisely because of this kind of complacent indulgence among the civil and military elite back then. The Huaxia Army finally managed to defeat the Jurchens after such difficulty — why would you all go and create this kind of spectacle again!”

Wei Su lowered his voice as he spoke, and Hou Yuanyong nodded along earnestly. “That’s right, that’s right, I can’t stand these literary gatherings either — most of the people here aren’t really our sort.”

“Then why not just have them arrested and thrown out? They were just badmouthing the Huaxia Army a moment ago.”

“That’s right, that’s right, I think they should be arrested too…”

Over their two or three days there, Yu Shuinan and Wei Su had, in fact, also been quietly observing the state of the Huaxia Army. Having come to the Southwest at Chen Wenjun’s behest, they effectively already carried an introduction of considerable weight — should either of them wish to stay on with the Huaxia Army in the future, they’d surely be given an excellent starting position, which was, in its own way, one final gesture of care Chen Wenjun had left them. And yet, in the midst of their careful observation and their genuine astonishment at what they saw, there was also much that clashed with their own values, things they couldn’t quite make sense of — especially the many glittering, prosperous sights within the city of Chengdu, which only made the hardship of the north, and the failings of the old Wu Dynasty, feel all the more painfully sharp by comparison.

And so, after lingering briefly at the literary gathering, they expressed their displeasure to Hou Yuanyong, and left the event — one attended by figures such as “Liu Guangshi’s spokesman” Yu Hezhong and the Huaxia Army’s deputy head of propaganda, Li Shishi.

Late that night, Hou Yuanyong brought a group of men into the small courtyard where the two were temporarily staying, and separated the two of them from each other.

Over ten years ago, in the city of Bian Liang, Shishi had often been a central figure or organizer of all manner of literary gatherings.

These days, she rarely showed her face in public anymore.

Recently, with Liu Guangshi, Dai Mengwei, and Zou Xu having already begun their first clashes north of the Yangtze, Yu Hezhong, based in Chengdu, had seen his own standing rise another notch. It was clear enough that the alliance between Liu Guangshi and Dai Mengwei held a substantial advantage in the coming conflict, and that once Bian Liang was taken and the old capital restored, his prestige throughout the realm would reach an even greater peak. Even the scholars and great Confucian figures within Chengdu who weren’t particularly fond of Liu Guangshi were now eager to cultivate a connection with him, hoping to learn something of his future plans.

Yu Hezhong thoroughly relished this feeling — back in Bian Liang, he’d only ever been able to attend the top-tier literary gatherings by riding on Li Shishi’s name. Now…

Now, he was still riding on Shishi’s fame, but at the very least, when he attended these gatherings, he no longer needed an escort, and was never left out in the cold.

Having spent a year in Chengdu, surrounded by all manner of glory, he had also come to understand the gap that still remained between himself and Li Shishi. The complexity of reality had made him set aside his old fantasies — and other realities had made up for his disappointments. Riding on the prestige that came from the trade deals between Liu Guangshi and the Huaxia Army, he no longer lacked for female company. Having set his old fantasies aside, he and Shishi now maintained something like a friendship, meeting up roughly once a month.

He understood, deep down, that this friendship was what had given him everything he now had.

The fifteenth of July was the Ghost Festival, and both inside and outside Chengdu the streets were lively. His carriage crossed paths with Shishi’s on the road, and since she had nothing pressing to attend to, she joined the literary gathering for a little while as well. A young member of the Huaxia Army, spotting her, ran over to greet her, then brought two friends along as well.

Yu Hezhong had originally taken some interest in this and wanted to find a moment to chat with the three of them, but before he knew it, the three had settled into a corner only briefly before leaving; not long after that, Shishi took her own leave as well.

……

The carriage crossed through the city, arriving near Moheh Pool. Walking into the now-familiar courtyard, Shishi saw Ning Yi sitting in a chair, brow furrowed, lost in thought.

She could tell he was turning something over in his mind, so she said nothing, quietly taking a seat on the bench beneath the eaves off to the side. After sitting there a while, she made to leave.

“Let me tell you a story.” Ning Yi said, gazing ahead, finally breaking the silence.

“Mm.” Shishi acknowledged him, then went over, poured him a cup of water, and sat down beside him.

“It’s about that Lady Han up north.”

They sat together in the courtyard as Ning Yi began telling the story from many years back — starting with Qin Siyuan, then Chen Wenjun, then Lu Yannian and Lu Mingfang, and finally coming to the matter of Tang Minjie, and to this recent conflict between the Jurchens’ eastern and western courts — the hottest topic in Chengdu these days.

By the time he finished telling it all, a great deal of time had passed. Shishi listened quietly through the whole thing, then picked up her teacup and took a long sip, holding the cup in her hands.

“I just came from the literary gathering on Sifang Street.” she said softly.

“Oh?” Ning Yi turned his head. “How was it?”

“I only just realized now how shallow everything they talk about there is.”

“Heh.” Ning Yi laughed softly.

Shishi said, “This all needs to be kept quiet, doesn’t it?”

“The matter of Lady Han will need some kind of accounting eventually. Even if we can’t publicize it widely for now, there still needs to be a record kept of her.”

Shishi nodded, falling silent for a moment.

“For that Lady Han… for Tang Minjie… is there really nothing more that can be done, no further accounting to give?”

“There will still be more to come.” Ning Yi said. “It needs to stay quiet for now.”

Saying this was, in effect, saying “you’re better off not knowing,” and Shishi said, “Mm.”

The two of them sat together a while longer, speaking of a few private matters. Before long, someone came in to report that a person Ning Yi had summoned had arrived. Shishi rose to leave, and as she walked out through the front gate, she spotted Hou Yuanyong approaching from a distance, apparently also come to see Ning Yi. The two exchanged a smiling greeting.

At that moment, inside, Ning Yi was in his study receiving an intelligence officer named Xu Xiaolin; not long after, he met with Hou Yuanyong as well, listening to his preliminary assessment of Yu Shuinan and Wei Su.

Late into the night, Hou Yuanyong brought a group of men to the other courtyard, separating Yu and Wei once again. A clerk had already prepared his notes — the posture of another round of interrogation.

Wei Su slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “You don’t trust me, damn it! What is this about now—”

Hou Yuanyong came in from outside and sat down, smiling as he pressed his hands down calmingly. “Please, Mister Wei, no need to be alarmed. Let me explain.”

“If you don’t trust me, what’s there to explain.”

“We’ve decided to send people north, to rescue Lady Chen.”

Wei Su froze.

Hou Yuanyong continued, “If we’re going to do this properly, we’ll need intelligence on the north prepared first, and ideally, we’ll need guides.”

“Then send me!” Wei Su shouted.

“Mr. Ning says that the two of you have done so much for the Han people of the north, and that Lady Chen sending you south was born of deep and careful consideration on her part — it’s a reward you’ve both earned. Going north is a complicated matter. First of all, Lady Chen herself has refused to leave. Out of a sense of duty, we intend to go rescue her regardless; perhaps once Wanyan Xiyin is dead, she’ll change her mind. But this remains, in the end, a genuine gamble. You two have earned the right to live somewhere better — this choice is meant to be given to you.”

“I choose to go.”

Hou Yuanyong pulled a few sheets of paper toward himself. “At the same time, please understand — before we can move forward with this, we need to confirm that neither of you was sent here by Wanyan Xiyin.”

“You—” Wei Su opened his mouth to curse, but in the next instant, realization dawned on him, and his whole face flushed red.

“Based on our observations over the past two days, we tentatively believe neither of you carries any particularly complicated motives regarding the Wu Dynasty or the Huaxia Army. But at the same time, we still need to ask some questions. Whatever detailed intelligence you have about the north, anything useful to this operation — please, hold nothing back… I apologize for the offense today, and hope you’ll understand.”

Wei Su sat back down.

After a while, Hou Yuanyong went to another room and repeated the same explanation to Yu Shuinan, who thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

“That makes sense. Go ahead and ask.”

By the time they noticed Ning Yi had arrived, the night had already grown late.

It was the Ghost Festival, and outside things were lively. Tang Minjie sat in the courtyard, picturing the scene outside in his mind. When Ning Yi came in, he rose to salute, and Ning Yi told him to sit. Master and disciple sat together in the courtyard, listening to the sound of firecrackers going off outside.

“Want to go out and take a look?” Ning Yi said.

“If I could, I’d like to see what Chengdu looks like…”

“You’ll have the chance. A decision’s already been made about you.”

“…”

“There’s a farming estate on the edge of Liangshan…”

“…Why… is there no trial…”

With a crack, Ning Yi’s palm slammed down on the small table in the courtyard.

“A trial for your mother! What kind of trial!? Should we just make more of a record of exactly how you betrayed Chen Wenjun!?”

“If the Huaxia Army doesn’t put me on trial, how can the rule of law remain clear…”

“Chen Wenjun wanted you to live! The very person you betrayed wants you to live—”

“The Huaxia Army should execute me by firing squad — that way, Xiyin… the Jurchens will have no grounds left to make trouble…”

“The Jurchens never had any grounds to begin with! None of this ever officially happened! What is there even to say about the enemy slinging mud at us! I can print ten, twenty versions of some story about Aguda’s mother sleeping around with pigs and send it flying across the whole world any time I please. Have you lost your mind? Xiyin’s grounds…”

Tang Minjie’s small eyes stared out in the dim light of the courtyard, and he shook his head instinctively.

“There’s a farming estate on the edge of Liangshan, always working on selective breeding of good seed varieties — you know what that is, don’t you? It’s about the problem of feeding people. Go learn the specifics of it properly. They haven’t tried out the new fertilizers there yet, they’re still using composted night soil. Isn’t your operational skill supposed to be so strong? Chen Wenjun wanted you to live, to do something useful for the Han people, and instead you’ve dug this kind of hole — we still have to deal with you for it… So strip off every rank and title you have and get yourself out into the mountains to shovel manure. Look at that scrawny frame of yours, it’s beautiful scenery out there, might as well think of it as a vacation…”

Tang Minjie’s lips trembled. “I… don’t need… a vacation…”

Ning Yi snatched up the water cup beside him and flung it, lid, hot water and all, into Tang Minjie’s face, his fury absolute. “‘Beautiful scenery’ is a figure of speech! ‘Vacation’ is a figure of speech! Vacation is a figure of speech!”

He waved the teacup around, then grabbed the edge of the table with his other hand and flipped the whole thing flying across the courtyard.

Tang Minjie said nothing more. Ning Yi sat there, still fuming for a while, looking at him. “Go shovel manure for now — we’ll figure out what comes after, later. But before that, there’s one more thing…”

He paused. “Xu Xiaolin will be coming to see you shortly. He’s already made contact with you before, back in Yunzhong. He’s going to lead a team back to Yunzhong to clean up the mess you left behind, and at the same time prepare to rescue Chen Wenjun. Over the next two days, hand over everything you can to him. This was a risk we didn’t strictly have to take on — but since you’re the one who dug this hole, we have a moral debt to repay… You’d better take this seriously…”

Tang Minjie looked at his teacher, rarely seen so furious, now showing a trace of exhaustion as well. He was silent for a long while, and in the end, could only give a difficult shake of his head, saying in a hoarse voice:

“I… can’t be allowed to live…”

“…But Chen Wenjun wants you to live.”

Ning Yi said.

“So it’s up to you to figure out what to do about that.”