February 16th, Weisheng, the Green Palace.

Every day, official business piled up like a mountain.

The weather remained cold and overcast, but in the courtyard the peach blossoms, still dusted with lingering snow, had bloomed. Lou Shuwan hurried to mark up the towering stack of memorials on her desk, only occasionally lifting her head to let her mind rest for a moment. The blooming peach blossoms made her think of the now-hazy memory of Jiangnan, of the carefree life she’d once led there. Those had truly been happy days.

At some point in the middle of it all, she had her attendant Xiao Qiu close the window, muttering, “This wretched weather keeps getting colder.”

She rubbed her hands together and buried herself once more in her paperwork.

A woman’s body was always more sensitive to the cold. Although in recent years, under the guidance of a number of masters such as Shi Jin and Wang Juyun, she had tried practicing some health-cultivating breathing exercises, her mind was too restless and scattered, and stilling it did not come easily. Though her body was now somewhat sturdier than an ordinary woman’s, she still felt her progress was far too slow.

Could people really differ this much from one another? That wretched southwestern dog, that Ning-whatever — how had he trained?

Although Shi Jin, Wang Juyun, and others had solemnly told her that the martial skill of the man in the southwest might not be quite as legendary as rumor made it out to be, Lou Shuwan still believed he must at least possess first-rate skill in the martial world — otherwise, back at Mount Lüliang, how would he have dared roar at Lin Zongwu like that? Her own mind was just as restless as his, so wasn’t he in the same boat? What right did he have!

The world was unfair to people.

Cursing wicked heaven now and again, or cursing that southwestern wretch Ning-whatever, was one of her small comforts, and in truth it had become something of a compass for how she conducted herself over the years. She could never quite understand his progress in the martial arts, but one day it occurred to her:

That wretched Ning-whatever had, in all likelihood, spent these years working himself ragged day and night just as she had — reviewing memorials, reading reports, one meeting and one negotiation after another, walking forward step by careful step, constantly wondering who was deceiving him, whether some piece of information concealed a clue he had missed…

There simply couldn’t be any other way to do it.

And compared to the past several years — a time so bleak it had felt suffocating, one disheartening event after another, one seemingly endless string of grim news — at least many things had, for the moment, begun to go more smoothly. Jin Territory’s encouraging development, recorded memorial after memorial, flowed past her eyes each day like a great river in flood. The problems were still numerous, but knot after knot was gradually beginning to loosen.

The weight of her worries was, at least, lighter than in years past.

The time she could set aside each day for reviewing memorials was never long; the rest of the day was filled with meetings and appointments. For many great clans and factions, she had to meet with their representatives personally to win them over and make the major calls, while for countless specific matters she had to sit down with several ministers of Jin Territory’s cabinet to discuss progress and plan the next steps — sometimes needing to court certain people, sometimes needing to suppress others.

Although power now rested largely in her hands, in truth her personal rapport with most of the court’s officials was thin. She kept a distant, businesslike manner with many of them, and even with her own inner circle of advisors, her management still relied on a balance of political maneuvering rather than personal closeness.

A woman ruling faced an inherent disadvantage of status; growing too close to others too easily bred the temptation in them to deceive and manipulate her — a bitter lesson she had accumulated ever since the days of Tian Hu.

For this reason, aside from showing relatively warm trust toward a few figures such as Yu Lin and Shi Jin, Lou Shuwan had always presented impartiality rather than personal favor to most officials. This had preserved a measure of integrity and clarity in Jin Territory’s governance, but it had also left the foundation of the “Lady Chancellor’s” rule somewhat precarious in other respects.

According to the biting sarcasm that wretched Ning-whatever had once written to her, this could only be called a kind of “feudal incorruptibility” — like walking a tightrope, sustainable for a while but unlikely to last.

If only she could build a more capable circle of disciples and advisors as they had in the southwest, her path might be steadier. But there was no help for it — she wasn’t skilled at cultivating disciples, nor could she easily command the kind of near-monarchical authority Ning Yi held over his subordinates. Most of the time, those who understood Jin Territory’s situation showed her respect for her impartiality and selflessness, but such respect could crumble easily in the face of more concrete power.

Chivalrous figures like Shi Jin, possessed of an unwavering personal code, were exceedingly rare, and even though Shi Jin’s loyalty was worthy of her unconditional trust, she rarely assigned him tasks beyond serving as her personal guard — intelligence gathering, for instance, or asking his opinion on certain matters. Even when she occasionally consulted him, a chivalrous man’s perspective would inevitably be skewed. She treasured him too much to want him tainted by more worldly affairs.

Old operas always suggested that a ruler’s foolishness stemmed from an inability to employ the worthy and capable, but in truth, those at the center of power suffered most from simply not knowing which information was true and which was false. Most political balancing was really an attempt to get three or more people to voice differing viewpoints, hoping that truth might emerge from the collision of perspectives — but the moment those beneath one formed an alliance, even the wisest ruler would find everything going dark before her eyes.

Accurate information was the foundation of everything.

She finished reviewing memorials by noon and called several cabinet ministers to join her for lunch, using the time to discuss the progress of various matters.

The negotiations with Zou Xu were one of the current priorities. To the outside world, the news that the Zou and Dai factions of Bianliang had been the first to support Jin Territory’s development of Taiyuan and were preparing to get involved had already stirred up no small amount of interest, generating positive momentum — but on the specifics of the negotiations, the tug-of-war continued without pause.

“…As for Zou Xu, today he raised several more trade proposals… same as before, most of what he wants are things we’re willing to sell, but there are always a few we can’t accept… Among these, on matters concerning firearms, Minister Yu and I discussed it — six or seven items, including Xiaocang River in the northwest… and for several of the firearm-related items, Zou Xu has hinted that if we could quietly hand them over, he’d be willing to pay a very high price…”

“…On this matter, Minister Yu and I discussed it — honestly, the prices he’s offering are tempting. This year’s plans are a bottomless pit… and Zou Xu’s side said that since they’re just starting out, reputation matters most to them in dealing with all parties, so a quiet trade wouldn’t be used to pressure us later. Of course, we refused at the time, but I thought Chancellor Lou should still take a look at these offers…”

The official negotiating with Zou Xu’s team currently belonged to Jin Territory’s Ministry of Revenue, which fell directly under Lou Shuwan’s authority, so his manner with her was somewhat more relaxed. He recounted the process and handed the ledger to Lou Shuwan. Lou Shuwan waved for him to sit and eat, glancing at the figures as she did — and nearly dropped her chopsticks.

“Oh — that surname-Zou fellow is offering this much…”

“We estimate that, having taken over the assets of men like Liu Guangshi, Yin Zong, and Chen Shiquan, it’s not so surprising he can offer this much — much of it is delivered in goods, and honestly, we do lack quite a few of these things ourselves.”

“Sell me off then…”

“Chancellor Lou jests.”

“I’m not jesting. My nephew really is loaded, and generous with his offers too — that’s what you call young and moneyed. Seems like a decent character too, from the looks of it.” She held her chopsticks in one hand and rested the other on the ledger, staring and smiling for a moment before closing it, her smile vanishing as she shook her head. “This afternoon, have Officer Cen throw these offers right in their faces.”

“…On the matter of firearms, the ownership of Xiaocang River is the bottom line for the man in the southwest — there’s no negotiating it, no discussing it. The breathing room Jin Territory has today, we begged and kowtowed our way back from the southwest to get. Our wings still haven’t hardened, and now they’re leading us to betray our own teachers and slap our own faces? Ask them, what exactly does Zou Xu think he’s doing! Does he genuinely not understand this, or is he just being long-winded and roundabout, going in circles with us day after day.”

“Yes.” The official surnamed Cen nodded, then added, “…Should I really throw it at them?”

“…Huh?”

Lou Shuwan looked up, gazing at him as if somewhat puzzled.

After a moment, he smiled too.

“…Understood. I’ll handle it as I see fit. Though, based on what Minister Yu and I think, the firearms and Xiaocang River are probably just Zou Xu overreaching with an outrageous asking price. When it comes down to actually settling the deal, the interests around Guanzhong and Tongguan are likely what they really care about…”

“…That’s only to be expected,” Lou Shuwan said between bites. “The northwest isn’t just Jin Territory’s shield, it also connects to the whole of the Central Plains. As long as he and Dai Mengwei aren’t blind, they’ll both view Guanzhong as vital ground. Since Tongguan and Chang’an are now essentially in our hands, and he and old Dai only just killed Liu Guangshi and are still settling old scores, their footing isn’t secure — they can only negotiate with us on this. He raised it last time he came too… In truth, I still haven’t fully decided what to do.”

She fell silent for a moment.

“…In any case, as old Ning wrote in his letter last month, this Zou Xu fellow is very good at holding his ground — negotiating with him requires preparing for a lot of circling. As for our plans regarding Chang’an and Tongguan, let’s stew — let them stew until they want it badly enough that they come to us themselves… And if you ever feel something’s genuinely off, throw the ledger, or a stool if you like, right in their faces, and tell them I’m angry, and that Zou Xu had better come apologize to me in person, or there’s nothing more to discuss. Jin Territory doesn’t need them and them alone.”

Hearing her speak of “old Ning” like that, the men below grew a little more solemn, and also seemed to relax somewhat. Lou Shuwan glanced over them and shifted the topic to other matters.

The negotiations between Jin Territory and Zou Xu were, for now, one important matter, but at the very least the publicity effect of Jin Territory’s development of Taiyuan had already begun to pay off — the intentions of various gentry and wealthy merchants to cooperate were accumulating, large quantities of supplies bound for Taiyuan and the northwest were being mobilized, and cooperation with the Rebel Army was being coordinated every single day. All of these were pressing matters, and each day’s reports gave a rough sense of where things stood.

These reports came in turn, and by the time they had finished, more than two hours had passed. Lou Shuwan hurriedly finished the last few bites of her now-cold rice before turning to the two important matters of the afternoon.

“…As for the peace negotiations with the Jurchens, Lu Cheng’s side has finished preparations and will set out north tomorrow. Whether or not this bears fruit, everyone should give it a great deal of publicity. Also — envoys from the Chinese Army coming from Liangshan will arrive in Weisheng this afternoon. The delegation isn’t large, but have the drums and firecrackers ready at the east gate. The Chinese Army fully supports our reconstruction of Taiyuan — spread word of this too when you have the chance.”

Everyone rose to acknowledge her instructions.

Not long after the meal, Lu Cheng, the envoy who was to be sent to the Jin state, came with several deputies to see Lou Shuwan. He was a middle-aged official of Jin Territory known for his eloquence and quick adaptability, and news of his upcoming mission to the Jin state had already circulated around Weisheng for several days.

Pushing north to develop Taiyuan was a highly ambitious and highly risky venture — under normal circumstances, only the most aggressive of speculators would choose to take part. Against this backdrop, Zou Xu’s proactive gesture of goodwill gave Jin Territory some convenient publicity, and at the same time, the Lady Chancellor’s sudden decision to negotiate with the Jin state handed everyone an even more reassuring pill to swallow.

This was an extremely mature piece of political maneuvering.

In the past, the Jin state and Jin Territory had shared a deep and bitter enmity, and during the resistance against the Jurchens the Lady Chancellor had shown an extremely aggressive stance — after she had set Weisheng itself ablaze, few would have dared to be the first to suggest appeasement. But given the current situation, and considering the rumors that had been circulating for the past month about the new Jurchen ruler’s ascension, the power struggles, and the fall from favor of the Western Court faction, many now believed that if Jin Territory extended an offer of peace to the new Jurchen ruler Wanyan Dan at this moment, it was very likely to receive a positive response.

Even though war years down the road was unavoidable, at the very least this could stretch out the buffer period for developing Taiyuan as long as possible.

Especially after the Lady Chancellor had displayed such broad-minded vision and such natural political dexterity, many people in Jin Territory raised their assessment of her by yet another level. In the days after the news broke, several gentry families and clan representatives in Weisheng who had still been hesitating came forward one after another, expressing their initial willingness to cooperate with the Taiyuan development.

“…When you reach the Jin state, an attitude that’s neither servile nor arrogant will do. Our Jin Territory today has demonstrated real strength in past wars — we are not the old Wu Dynasty for them to demand whatever they please, so there’s no need to bow and scrape or lower our posture. The new ruler Wanyan Dan has only just taken power and needs to deal with a powerful minister like Zonghan — as long as they aren’t complete fools, they’ll be willing to extend a hand toward Jin Territory…”

“…But there are plenty of barbarians among the Jin as well. A beast that sees a man baring its fangs and claws — if you retreat even a step, it will sense your fear, and then it will only take advantage of you, demand whatever it pleases. So, Envoy Lu, in the negotiations, aim as much as possible for success and for good terms, but most important of all — the barefoot man fears not the one who wears shoes. Try to make clear that we in Jin Territory are the barefoot ones and they are the ones with shoes on. As for how much longer Jin Territory can keep this breathing room going, I’m entrusting that, on behalf of the people of Jin Territory, to you and the rest of the delegation on this journey north.”

She gave Lu Cheng and the others solemn instructions, and they rose in turn, bowing solemnly with cupped hands.

“Once we reach the north, we will do our utmost to call upon every Jin official we can, to see this through — and even if we fail, I discussed this with Brother Feng and Brother Su just yesterday: we are prepared to die there rather than let them see even a trace of cowardice in the people of Jin.”

“Don’t die there.”

Lou Shuwan shook her head.

The meeting with Lu Cheng and the others went on for some time, followed by the arrival of several gentry and merchants of considerable standing in Jin Territory. Lou Shuwan spoke with each of them in turn before finally leading everyone to the east gate of Weisheng to receive the envoys arriving from Liangshan on behalf of the Chinese Army.

Alongside Zou Xu’s gesture and Lu Cheng’s mission north, the grand welcome given to the Chinese Army’s delegation at Weisheng’s east gate also confirmed the Chinese Army’s support for Jin Territory’s plan to develop Taiyuan.

The only disappointment was that, once the delegation arrived, Lou Shuwan discovered that the envoy from Liangshan, a man named Fang Chengye, had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, looking rather like a petty hoodlum. His only redeeming feature, perhaps, was that his eyes still seemed steady.

According to the information received beforehand, Fang Chengye was also a disciple of Ning Yi. His hometown was Zezhou, and years ago, for reasons unknown, he had gone to Xiaocang River to study under Ning Yi. Later he returned to Zezhou and worked as a partner alongside Zhan Wu for a time, taking part in the affair with Tian Hu. But for some unknown reason, after Tian Hu’s death, he had left Jin Territory, handing everything over to Zhan Wu — which was why this was the first time Lou Shuwan had ever met him in person.

Lou Shuwan always felt a certain curiosity toward Ning Yi’s disciples. This one was a different type from Zou Xu — though his appearance was less impressive, and she couldn’t tell whether his gauntness came from the perennial shortage of supplies at Liangshan, at least his gaze was steady and deep, seeming to carry a faint air of bitter melancholy — the kind of expression common in those who had lived through troubled times, only where a capable man like Zou Xu could wield the whole world as his chessboard with sweeping confidence, this man’s melancholy seemed more like the scars left by helplessness in the face of worldly affairs. It was somewhat similar to Zhan Wu, in fact — no wonder, since the two had worked together before.

The first day’s arrival was purely for show. On the surface, what the Chinese Army was first supporting was Jin Territory’s construction of Taiyuan, but in truth, what Lou Shuwan had proposed to the Chinese Army was for them to send troops to seize the northwest. The delegation they had sent numbered only a few dozen, and indicated they would take on some lobbying duties — which left Lou Shuwan rather displeased, or rather, even though she had anticipated from the start that the Chinese Army would not actually send troops to take such a marginal region, her outward displeasure was still necessary to display.

After the lively welcome, everyone returned to the Green Palace, where Lou Shuwan dismissed her attendants and gave both Fang Chengye and Zhan Wu, who had participated in the day’s performance, a thorough scolding. Unlike Xue Guangcheng’s past stubborn resistance or Zhan Wu’s needle-hidden-in-cotton subtlety, Fang Chengye apologized repeatedly, appearing utterly humble about everything — though he also laid out, quite reasonably, all the various considerations behind why the Chinese Army couldn’t come in person, suggesting that with the Chinese Army’s strength based at Liangshan, they might in the future be able to support Taiyuan from a distance, but naturally could not manage to control the northwest — as for that region, if the Lady Chancellor wanted it, she was welcome to it.

This man had no fighting spirit; sparring with him held little interest. Lou Shuwan cursed Ning Yi a few more times and waved the two of them off.

There was still time left afterward — more memorials to review; in the evening, still at the Green Palace, there were further audiences with officials and gentry.

On an ordinary day, she tried to keep her thoughts clear, and so it continued until the audiences finally wound down. She rested for a while, slumped over her desk, and when she woke, the night sky outside was vast and starlit, the courtyard peaceful. Yuan Xiaoqiu had draped a cloak over her shoulders — she wasn’t even sure what hour of the night it was.

This was a common occurrence on late nights like this. She stretched in the cold air to clear her head and returned to her desk in the study.

A few more memorials to finish, and then she could go home to rest.

An ordinary, relatively relaxed day…

Before long, Shi Jin came in and told her an interesting piece of news.

…

Night’s gaze swept across the courtyards and palace walls of the Green Palace, and after passing through a stretch of relatively dim road, it brightened once more.

At a teahouse amid the bustling night market, Zou Xu and Fang Chengye crossed paths on the street. This time, there was no confrontation like the one that had erupted when Xue Guangcheng attempted his assassination. The two sworn brothers, who had known each other for years, greeted each other calmly, then went up into the teahouse and sat by the window, brewing a fresh pot of tea.

Countless eyes watched this scene from the shadows, trying to make out some hint of what was being discussed, but between the noise of the night market and the way both sides’ attendants occupied the surroundings, not a single third party could hear their conversation.

…

“…I didn’t expect it would be you who came.”

“…In times of chaos, every meeting might be the last. How have you been lately, Brother?”

“…You already know what I’ve done — killed Liu Guangshi, joined forces with Dai Mengwei…”

“…Not easy, is it, Brother… I’m asking about your state of mind.”

“…I find such contentment here, I’ve no thought of returning.”

“…Comparing yourself to that fool who threw away a kingdom won’t come to a good end.”

“…I just think it suits me quite well here… please, have some tea.”

“…Please.”

…

“…In the end, I still mean to help the Lady Chancellor take the northwest.”

“…And what brings you here, Brother?”

“…I wanted to talk to the Lady Chancellor about Guanzhong. And, incidentally, see if I might buy some guns and cannons.”

“…The weapons from Liu Guangshi’s stores ought to be enough for you — what more is there to buy? No need to lie to me.”

“…The first and second generation are useless.”

“…The later ones can’t be sold to you — you know that well enough.”

“…I know how the craft is developing too. I just don’t have the time. Monkey, help me out here.”

“…Is that the kind of man Fang Chengye is?”

“…What kind of man?”

“…One who betrays his comrades.”

“…So that’s how you see it.”

“…How else would I? What you did — I was the one who investigated it.”

“…Then you should understand my situation. They struck first.”

“…Can’t it be explained? Or you just don’t want to.”

“…The world is vast, Monkey. Why can’t you and I be the protagonists too… And besides, didn’t I tell you — last time it was you who came, so I let you live.”

“…You can kill me, it won’t matter. The Chinese Army isn’t just me alone. If you keep making mistake after mistake, the Teacher will come to clean you up first.”

“…Who will come? Who…forget it, let’s not talk about that, it hurts the mood. Let me put it this way instead — Monkey, if one day something goes wrong in the southwest, and there’s something you want, remember I’m here, all right?”

“…Brother… let me offer you some advice in turn.”

“…Go on, I’m listening.”

“…There’s one obvious thing you may not have thought much about, Brother… back when I went to investigate you, I urged you to come back. You wouldn’t, afraid of being punished, of a bad ending. But things are different now. You may only see your own current rise, precarious as it is, but as I see it… if you want to go back, to avoid the Teacher striking you down later, with a rocket falling on your head — today might be your very best chance…”

“…”

“…You see, you’ve taken Bianliang, killed Liu Guangshi, tricked Dai Mengwei into joining you. Your men control half of the Central Plains, and you hold the so-called sage of the age in your grasp. Kill him, or capture him and expose him, and return to the Chinese Army… the Teacher won’t punish you. Just on the strength of what you’ve accomplished and your ability alone, everything you have now — including your women — could be preserved. No one could touch you. Even the harshest discipline would look the other way for you…”

“…”

“…Brother, you’ve had your fun. Come home.”

“…”

On February 16th, in the still-chilly spring night, beneath Jin Territory’s moonlit sky and its vast field of stars, even as Lou Shuwan remained bent over her desk in the palace, at the bustling night market, a pair of sworn brothers briefly crossed words like blades — and those words were like a coming storm, nearly enough to shake the whole world.

It was as though hearing the devil’s whisper, or witnessing the boundless machinations of a master strategist unfold…

Zou Xu sat stunned.

And Fang Chengye watched him.

“…This is the best path there is…”