A faint tremor ran through the earth, and the air was filled with hushed whispering. The people of the county town had gathered, but for the moment none dared speak up openly. Before the guards at the courtyard gate, they expressed their good and peaceful intentions, though among them, of course, were also some with wary, restless expressions, ready to act. Ning Yi’s gaze passed over them, and then he slowly closed the door.

Only then did shouts from outside reach him: “Don’t hurt Magistrate Chen…”

The Huaxia Army had already changed the title for such officials to “county chief,” but many of the simple townsfolk still used the old term. Seeing Ning Yi close the door, some grew anxious. In the courtyard, Chen Shanjun still stood bowed, hands cupped. “Mr. Ning, they mean no harm.”

Ning Yi had already turned back. Someone approached Chen Shanjun with a blade drawn; Ning Yi waved a hand to stop it.

“…Since February of last year, people have in fact been submitting their views to me one after another, regarding the treatment of landlords and gentry, the benefits of doing so, and… a whole system of theory. Brother Chen, you were not among them…”

Chen Shanjun bowed his head even lower. “I am dull-witted; my understanding of these theories falls short of others’.”

“So… that you would be the one to launch this coup—I did not expect that.”

“We had absolutely no intention of harming you, sir.”

“Then what was the intention?” Ning Yi walked over to a stone bench in the courtyard and sat down.

“All these years, sir, you have spoken to everyone of the importance of thought and culture, said that Confucianism has become outdated, and cited all manner of ideas. And yet, within the Huaxia Army, none of it has ever been thoroughly put into practice. The ideas of universal equality and democratic thinking that you speak of are so captivating—but when it comes to reality, how is it to be carried out? How is it to be done?”

As Chen Shanjun spoke, his hands remained cupped, though his head had risen. “Are we simply to spread the study of natural science across the whole realm through books alone? How long would that take to succeed? And you yourself have said, sir, that even once there are books, education itself remains a long process—one that cannot be achieved without a hundred years, even several hundred years, of effort. Mr. Ning, and yet now the Central Plains has already fallen, ten million common people suffer, the Wu Dynasty itself teeters on the edge of collapse, and the whole realm faces imminent ruin—we cannot afford to plan for this slowly…”

“Where have I ever planned to go slowly?” Ning Yi looked at him, and only now did he interject with a smile. “The ideas of nation, livelihood, civil rights, and popular wisdom are all being steadily promoted. And besides, the methods of natural science being practiced throughout Chengdu have already borne much fruit…”

“And yet the study of natural science can only cultivate greed in men—can you truly not see this, Mr. Ning!?” Chen Shanjun said. “Indeed, you yourself said in an earlier lecture that spiritual progress requires material support, and that to preach spirit to people while neglecting matter is nothing but empty, unrealistic talk. The methods of natural science have indeed brought many things—but once they combine with commerce, in Chengdu and elsewhere, even within our own Huaxia Army, greed has surged up wildly!”

“Mr. Ning, when Shanjun first came to the Huaxia Army, I served in the Commerce Department. And now the atmosphere in the Commerce Department has changed entirely—everything is measured by money and profit above all else. Since our army broke out from the three counties of Hedeng and occupied half the Chengdu plain, extravagance has risen. From last year to this year, how many in the Commerce Department have engaged in private dealings for personal gain? You yourself, sir, called for a major rectification campaign at the meeting at the end of last year. If this continues, how are people swept up in this tide of greed any different from officials of the Wu Dynasty? Give them enough money, and they might well sell out our own Huaxia Army—it would just be another transaction to them. You have seen these bitter fruits too, sir, have you not?”

“But Old Ox Head is different.” Chen Shanjun waved a hand toward outside the courtyard. “Mr. Ning, in just a single year, Shanjun has done no more than put the common people on equal footing with one another, made them equal people, and then carried out education upon them—and in many of them, we have already seen results. Today, though they have come to your courtyard, sir, is this not, in itself, a kind of awakening, a kind of courage, a kind of equality? This is what people ought to become.”

Ning Yi thought for a moment. “How do you know it isn’t simply that you gave them something, and bought their words in return? Among them, how many truly understand what equality really means?”

“But that was rightfully theirs to begin with. Perhaps, as you say, sir, they do not yet fully grasp the true meaning of equality—but is such a beginning not itself something to be excited about? If the whole world could begin its renewal in this way, Shanjun believes a new era would soon arrive.”

“Truly something to be excited about…”

Within the courtyard nothing of the outside could be seen, but the sound of restlessness still drifted in. Ning Yi murmured this and then fell silent. Chen Shanjun continued:

“None of us, myself and my comrades, have any wish to make an enemy of you, sir, precisely because all these ideas originated from your own hand. But over these years, we have repeatedly brought our appeals before you, and none have been adopted. In the eyes of some comrades, compared to the boldness with which you once slew an emperor, the course you now follow seems far too cautious and lukewarm. What we intend to say today is simply to express our appeal and our resolve to you—we ask only that you accept this course, and Chen Shanjun is willing to die to atone for the offense of having crossed you today.”

Chen Shanjun had, of course, come to this courtyard with a number of followers, but all of them had now been held back outside. In this small courtyard, if Ning Yi wished to kill him, he would have no way to resist—which itself showed the resolve of a man willing to stake his life for his beliefs.

Ning Yi smiled faintly. “If all people really were equal, then you have merely offended me—why would you need to die for it? Though I imagine you won’t tell me who your comrades actually are.”

Chen Shanjun said, “Today we were forced to resort to this drastic measure, which has damaged your authority, sir. If you are willing to accept this appeal and leave a written record of it, Shanjun is willing to die to preserve your authority—indeed, I must die for it.”

Ning Yi looked at him for a long while, then clapped his hands, rose from the stone bench, and slowly began to speak.

“I recall… I once said that the fundamental contradiction in how society operates lies in the struggle and balance between long-term interests and short-term interests. Universal equality is a great long-term interest, standing at one end of the scale, opposite short-term interests. Returning the land to the people is an enormous short-term benefit, and will inevitably win support—for a time, it can give people the illusion that they are upholding a long-term interest. But once the satisfaction brought by that windfall fades, it will be replaced by the people’s craving for gain without labor—a short-term interest wholly at odds with the long-term interest of universal equality. It is so enormous that it will cancel out all the satisfaction that comes from the virtues of mutual aid and deference to the collective good. And in order to preserve this state of equality, you would have to suppress the differences in wealth accumulation that arise from people’s differing intelligence and effort—which would lead to… the disappearance of medium-term and medium-to-long-term interests, until at last short-term and long-term interests are utterly severed from one another, and society collapses as a result…”

Ning Yi’s words were calm and unhurried, but Chen Shanjun was not lost; he pressed forward a step. “So long as we rigorously carry out education, and lay the foundation of this first step, Shanjun believes we will certainly find where the second step should lead. You yourself have said, sir, that the road is always made by people walking it. If everything had to be thought through completely before acting, why would you have needed to kill the emperor?”

Ning Yi nodded. “What you say certainly makes sense in its own way. And yet it still does not persuade me. Give the land back to the people outside this courtyard, and for ten years, whatever you say, they will listen to you. But after ten years, they will find that the difference in what one gains from effort versus idleness has grown too small, and people will naturally come to feel the appeal of not making an effort at all. Education alone, I fear, cannot close such a psychological gap. If universal equality is taken as the starting point, then in order to maintain that ideal, one bad consequence after another will follow—consequences you cannot control, and neither can I. I can use it as a beginning, but I can only hold it as an ultimate goal, hoping that one day, once material conditions have developed and the foundations and methods of education have improved, the gaps between people in thinking, in reasoning ability, in capacity to get things done, can be narrowed—and through that, we might find some relatively achievable possibility of equality…”

“Mr. Ning, these ideas are too vast. If we never try, how could you possibly know whether your reasoning is correct?”

Chen Shanjun’s words were earnest, and in a single sentence he had struck at the very heart of the matter. Ning Yi stopped. He stood there, his right hand pressed against the palm of his left, silent for a moment, and then let out a somewhat despondent sigh.

“Indeed… without trying, how could one ever know…”

Hearing Ning Yi say these words, Chen Shanjun bowed deeply.

“Therefore! I ask you, sir, to accept this appeal! Shanjun is willing to repay you with his death!”

The stars wheeled overhead, and troops might already be approaching. Ning Yi looked at Chen Shanjun, and after a long while gave a complicated smile. “Brother Chen, your conviction is unwavering—something to be admired. But… have you considered, if I would rather die than accept this, how would you all bring today to a close?”

Chen Shanjun gritted his teeth. “My comrades and I have discussed this many times, and all agreed that we had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure—that is why we acted so rashly. Since this affair has already begun, it may well prove impossible to contain. As I said before, once the first step is taken, perhaps the second step must be taken as well, whether we wish it or not. Shanjun and my comrades all admire you deeply, sir; it is because the Huaxia Army has had you at its helm that we have arrived at the prospects we enjoy today. Now that things have come to this, Shanjun only hopes… that you will see things clearly, and accept this appeal!”

“In other words, even if it spirals out of control, the matter has already begun.” Ning Yi smiled.

“…Yes.” Chen Shanjun said.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear…” Ning Yi murmured, then said, “Brother Chen, there’s no need to keep bowing—you need not bow before anyone. But… would you walk with me a while?”

Chen Shanjun raised his head, faintly puzzled by Ning Yi’s tone, and said, “Of course. If you’re interested, sir, Shanjun would be glad to lead you out to meet everyone outside…”

“Not outside. Let’s just walk here.”

“…”

Chen Shanjun was momentarily stunned. This courtyard was not large—just a couple of buildings front and back, a simple, humble compound enclosed by a wall. There was hardly anywhere to walk. But he had no strong objection to raise at the moment. Ning Yi walked slowly forward, glancing up at the star-filled sky, and made his way beneath the eaves.

“Human history is a very, very long road. Sometimes, seen from a large enough perspective, one person, one group, one generation, all seem far too small. But for each individual, however small their life may seem, it is still their whole life… Sometimes, this comparison frightens me greatly…” Ning Yi walked forward, all the way to the small study room to the side. “But being afraid is one thing…”

Chen Shanjun followed him in, and then several attendants entered as well. Someone moved aside the desk on the floor, lifted the wooden panel beneath it, revealing the entrance to a tunnel below. Ning Yi walked toward the opening. “Brother Chen and Li Ximing and the others think I’m too indecisive. I don’t agree. Sometimes… I am afraid of myself…”

Chen Shanjun was about to cry out, but from behind, someone gripped his throat and shoved him down into the tunnel. No one knew when this tunnel had been built, but inside it proved surprisingly spacious. As Chen Shanjun struggled desperately, the others filed in one after another; someone closed the panel above. At a gesture from Ning Yi, the man restraining Chen Shanjun eased his grip. Chen Shanjun’s face was flushed red, gasping for breath with all his strength, still struggling, and cried out hoarsely: “I know this will not succeed—everyone above will have to die. Mr. Ning, you might as well kill me here first!”

“No one is going to die. Walk with me a while,” Ning Yi said, looking at him. “Or is it that, in your eyes, I have already become a man with no credibility left at all?”

Chen Shanjun’s gaze was complicated, but at last he stopped struggling and trying to shout. Ning Yi turned and walked on; the tunnel sloped downward at an angle, its length unknown. Chen Shanjun said through gritted teeth, “Faced with a rebellion like this, if you do not deal with it, your authority will suffer as well. The situation with the Wu Dynasty is critical now, and the Huaxia Army cannot afford such great upheaval. Mr. Ning, since you already know about Li Ximing, the rest of us would rather die than live in shame.”

“Indeed, in a situation like this, it would be best for the Huaxia Army not to go through too great an upheaval. But as you say, you have already set this in motion—what choice do I have…” Ning Yi sighed softly. “Come with me. You’ve already begun this—let me clean up after you.”

“Wh-what?”

“Having stirred up an armed remonstration like this, if I don’t discipline you, the Huaxia Army will be impossible to manage. But if I discipline you, this road of yours will be cut off. I don’t agree with this path of yours, but as you say—without trying, who’s to say whether it’s right or wrong? Your strength is too small; you don’t have the standing to negotiate as equals with the whole Huaxia Army. Only I can give you that standing… Brother Chen, over these ten-odd years, I’ve watched clouds gather and scatter, fates come together and part—I’ve seen too much of both union and separation. This may well be the last stretch of road we walk together. Don’t fall too far behind—keep up.”

Ning Yi walked on along this tunnel leading who knew where, and only then did Chen Shanjun, hearing this, follow closely at his heels; neither of their paces was slow.

“…Ideals are things you cannot see or touch. To plant an idea into the heart of every person in society sometimes takes ten years, a hundred years of effort—it isn’t simply a matter of telling people something and having them understand it at once. Sometimes we tend to underestimate just how difficult this is… I have my own path, and you surely have yours as well. That I have my own path does not mean yours is wrong—even if, over the course of ten or a hundred years, you are battered and bloodied, that alone would not prove that your ultimate goal was mistaken. At most, it would only show that we must walk forward more carefully…”

Ning Yi turned his head and smiled, a smile that carried a chilling, unsettling emptiness.

“But on a scale as vast as this, every mistake we make could lead to the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people—countless people’s whole lives affected. Sometimes the sacrifice of a whole generation might be no more than a small bump in the road of history… Brother Chen, I have no wish to stop you from moving forward. What you all see is something magnificent, and anyone who glimpses it will want, first of all, to walk toward it with the most extreme, the boldest of strides—so go ahead, walk that path… There is no way for me to stop you, and people like you will keep appearing regardless. That I could bring you the source and the spark of this idea is, to me, an honor.”

“But…” Chen Shanjun hesitated a moment, then said firmly, “I am certain we will succeed.”

“If you do succeed, I’ll find somewhere to go grow vegetables—that would be a good thing too, of course.” As Ning Yi spoke, his gaze was deep and calm, yet not kind—there was a deathly coldness within it. Perhaps only in the grip of an emotion cold enough, vast enough to kill oneself, can a person make such a decision. “If you’ve made your peace with dying, then go forward. From now on… we’ll be walking two different roads. You might succeed—and even if you don’t, every one of your failures will be the most valuable lessons in trial and error for those who come after. There may come a day when you hate me… perhaps many people will hate me.”

“But that doesn’t matter. It comes back to the same thing.” A smile crossed Ning Yi’s lips. “A person’s fate—in the end, it can only be earned by their own hand.”

Chen Shanjun’s mind was still somewhat in disarray; he could not clearly grasp the meaning behind much of what Ning Yi had said. He had assumed that this coup had been discovered from the very start, and that all of them faced utter ruin—yet it seemed Ning Yi intended to bring this to a close in some entirely different way. He could not work out what that way might be—would it damage the strength of the Huaxia Army? What exactly was going on in Ning Yi’s mind…

They walked on down the long passage, and eventually emerged on the other side of the hill. Outside lay a night scene of wildflowers everywhere and a sky full of stars, the wind carrying a lonely sound across the open fields. Looking back at the side of Old Ox Head they had come from, the firelight symbolizing the gathered crowd flickered against the night sky—even many years later, Chen Shanjun would never forget this scene.

In this lonely open country, Ning Yi patted him on the shoulder.

“Look, that is the light of hope…”

In this world, between heaven and earth, people would gradually go their separate ways. But the ideal itself would endure.

That was a lamp that could not be extinguished.