On the afternoon of June 13th, at the Xinquan Inn in Chengdu’s Great East Market, Yu Hezhong sat in a private room on the third floor overlooking the street, watching a middle-aged man in a blue scholar’s robe pour him a cup of tea. He hurriedly stood and took the cup with both hands. “Much obliged, Master Yan.”
“Sit. You’ve been here in Chengdu for several days now, Master Yu — have you been resting well?”
The middle-aged man in the blue robe pouring the tea had a refined, upright bearing and a warm, easy smile, carrying about him the winning air of a proper Confucian scholar. His name was Yan Daolun, a leading gentry figure of some renown in the Dongting Lake region. For years he had served as a strategic advisor under Liu Guangshi, earning the deep trust of the man known as the “Scholar-General.” It was he who, a month earlier, had recruited Yu Hezhong — then serving as a clerk in Shishou — into his own circle, and subsequently had him sent to the southwest.
After the Huaxia Army defeated the Jurchen in the southwest and publicly announced its policy of opening wide its doors, General Liu Guangshi — known as the “Scholar-General” — had been the very first to respond, promptly dispatching a delegation of civil and military representatives to Chengdu. His stated reasoning had been magnanimous enough: “This Ning Liheng has a real gift for running an army — no harm in taking a good look, is there?”
In the past, when the Wu Dynasty had still cared about orthodox legitimacy, the blood feud stemming from Ning Yi’s killing of Zhou Zhe meant that, however many covert dealings might pass between the two sides behind the scenes, no one had dared openly associate with the Huaxia Army in public. Now, of course, such scruples no longer applied. Liu Guangshi, being the first to break this precedent, was regarded by some as “magnanimous” and “wise.” This General Liu had long been the most well-connected of all the various military commanders, with the broadest network of friends; after the Jurchen’s withdrawal, he and Dai Mengwei had become the two great powers standing closest to the Huaxia Army’s territory.
Dai Mengwei, by this point, had already made plain his irreconcilable opposition to the Huaxia Army. Liu Guangshi’s more flexible, adaptable approach could be seen as a shrewd, necessary move given the circumstances. With his stance now declared, by June, no power in the realm besides Dai Mengwei had actually stepped forward to condemn him for it. After all, the Huaxia Army had only just defeated the Jurchen and had openly declared its willingness to do business — unless one was being reckless, there was little reason to stick one’s neck out now. Who knew, after all, whether one might need to buy something from them in the future?
Yu Hezhong himself was not part of the official delegation. Having received his orders, he had traveled here alongside a merchant caravan. When he’d set out, Yan Daolun had told him his task was to covertly gather genuine intelligence about the Huaxia Army — but after arriving, he’d more or less guessed the matter wouldn’t be quite so simple.
He’d been able to work out one likely possibility, but given how short a time he’d been here, and how difficult it had been to earn the trust of the scholars he’d met while staying at the inn, he hadn’t yet managed to gather sufficient intelligence. He had, on occasion, deliberately steered conversations toward the various pieces of gossip circulating about the women in Mr. Ning’s life, when others brought up such rumors — but he hadn’t heard the name he’d been listening for.
Now, with Yan Daolun contacting him and requesting a private meeting at this inn, Yu Hezhong’s heart began to pound — he had a vague sense that some particular piece of information was about to surface.
“…I’ve long heard it said that Master Yu, back in his days in Shishou, was quite the romantic figure in his youth in Bianliang — and that he was even on rather close terms with the once-renowned beauty Miss Shishi. In these years of upheaval across the realm, I wonder — has Master Yu kept in touch with Miss Shishi at all?”
Sure enough — after a bit of casual small talk and a few questions about Yu Hezhong’s impressions of the Huaxia Army, Yan Daolun across from him brought up exactly this matter. Though he’d had some mental preparation for this, hearing Li Shishi’s name spoken aloud still sent a sudden jolt through Yu Hezhong’s heart.
So this is it…
He kept his composure, however, and shook his head calmly.
“In recent years I haven’t much cared to bring up this matter with others. But since Master Yan asks, I dare not hide it. My family has long been settled in Jiangning; as a child, Miss Li and I had something of a childhood friendship. Later, when I followed my father to the capital and took up a minor post in the Ministry of Revenue, she rose to fame at the Fanlou. When we met again, there was… some exchange, as friends. Not that I would claim any particular talent or romantic flair myself — I was hardly worthy of the stage occupied by that era’s reigning courtesan of the Fanlou. Rather embarrassing, really…”
He presented himself thus, freely admitting his own inadequacy, claiming only a private connection between them. Yan Daolun, on hearing this, brightened considerably, nodding along eagerly. “Oh, oh — and then? What happened after that?”
“Ha, it’s rather amusing, in hindsight. Later, this Mr. Ning committed regicide and rose in rebellion, carrying Shishi off from the capital with him. Several of my friends and I were, to varying degrees, implicated by association. Though I was never formally charged, I could no longer remain in the Ministry of Revenue, and used what connections I had to leave the capital and escape trouble — which, as it happened, meant I avoided the great calamity of the Jingping years entirely. After several years of moving from place to place, I finally settled in Shishou, and that’s how I’ve come to be the man Master Yan sees before him today.”
Yan Daolun smiled and sighed. “These years of endless war and upheaval have scattered countless people to the winds. A man of Master Yu’s caliber — with experience in the Ministry of Revenue, well-versed in the ways of the world — being buried in obscurity like this is a genuine loss. But now that you’ve joined the General’s service, I’ve no doubt you’ll be put to good use going forward… That said, I understand Master Yu once actually met this Mr. Ning of the Huaxia Army in person?”
“Ning Liheng also lived in Jiangning in his younger years, not far from where our own household was. You might find this hard to believe, Master Yan, but as a boy he was rather dull-witted — a slow, thick-headed sort of bookworm, and from a rather poor family besides. It was only later that he married into the Su family as a live-in son-in-law. But then, for reasons I can’t quite explain, something seemed to click in him. The year Shishi and I returned to Jiangning, when we met him again, he’d already produced a number of poems and earned the reputation of Jiangning’s foremost young talent — though because of his status as a matrilocal son-in-law, others could never quite help but look down on him a little… After that reunion, he went on to assist the Right Chancellor in the capital, and we had several more gatherings together in Bianliang…”
Speaking of “the days when I used to chat and laugh with Ning Liheng,” Yu Hezhong kept his expression calm. Yan Daolun nodded along from time to time, occasionally asking: “And later, when Master Ning raised his banner of rebellion and founded this Black Banner army — did you never feel any inclination to join in this great cause yourself, Master Yu?”
“Master Yan does me a disservice to suggest such a thing. Though I am but a lowly clerk today, I was raised on the teachings of the sages in my youth, and I have never for a moment forgotten the great cause of legitimate order.”
“Forgive my recklessness, then.”
“And besides… speaking of Ning Liheng, Master Yan may not fully understand, never having dealt with him directly. He was poor in his early years, forced into marrying in as a live-in son-in-law out of necessity. Later he made a name for himself, but his ideas were rather extreme, and his manner somewhat aloof and proud. Shishi… she was the foremost beauty of the Fanlou, accustomed to mingling with people of fame and fortune from every walk of life — and yet, oddly enough, she valued old ties all the more for it. She would often gather the rest of us together, wanting to reminisce with old friends — but Ning Liheng himself rarely joined in those gatherings with us. Sometimes… he did voice a few of his ideas, but we… didn’t much agree with them…”
“I see, I see…”
“That said, there is still some acquaintance between us. If Master Yan would like me to go call on Ning Liheng again, that shouldn’t pose too much difficulty.”
“There will surely be occasions in the future to rely on Master Yu’s services — but for the moment, Master Yu and Miss Shishi…”
“Ning Yi committed regicide and fled far off to Small Cangshui River, taking Shishi along with him. At the time, we all assumed she would eventually marry into the Ning family, but later we heard the two of them had a falling out, and Shishi went off to Dali on her own — I heard this confirmed by others myself. But after that… I never made a point of inquiring further. It seems she eventually returned to the Huaxia Army, and has spent these past several years traveling extensively on its behalf, though I couldn’t say exactly what she’s been doing — after all, it’s been over a decade since I last saw her.” Yu Hezhong smiled, sighing wistfully. “Coming to Chengdu this time, I honestly don’t know if I’ll even have the chance to see her again.”
Yan Daolun refilled Yu Hezhong’s cup from the small teapot, then, after a moment, said with a smile: “There’ll be an opportunity, I assure you. In fact, meeting with you today, Brother Yu, was precisely for this very purpose.”
“Oh? Does Brother Yan know how Shishi is doing these days?”
“Miss Shishi remains unmarried to this day.” Yan Daolun looked at him with a smile. “As for her present relationship with this Ning Liheng — that’s rather hard to say. In her earlier years she genuinely did travel far and wide on the Huaxia Army’s behalf, and she carries considerable influence within the organization even now. Take last year, for instance — when the Huaxia Army went to war with the Jurchen Western Route Army, and there was unrest within the Chengdu Plain region itself, it was the Ning family’s Sixth Lady — the one they call ‘Tyrant Blade,’ a female field marshal in her own right — who led the campaign to clean up the rear. Miss Shishi worked alongside her on the diplomatic side of things — one wielding the blade, one wielding words, playing bad cop and good cop, working together to great effect.”
Yan Daolun took a sip of tea. “Li Jingshen, Nie Shaotang, Yu Changqing — all of these men hold deep-rooted influence in the four routes of Sichuan. It was thanks to Miss Shishi’s mediation that this last great war passed without incident for them. This time, as the Huaxia Army distributes rewards for merit and convenes this so-called representative assembly, several of these men have made it onto the list of delegates. The moment Miss Shishi entered the city today, Nie Shaotang rushed straight over to pay his respects…”
At this point, the teacup in Yu Hezhong’s hand trembled slightly, and he could not help but blurt out: “Shishi is… in Chengdu?”
“I hear she entered the city this very morning. A friend of ours, on good terms with Nie Shaotang, is the one who passed along this piece of news. Several of the delegates this time say they owe their positions to Miss Shishi’s good graces — which means, in effect, that they’re now tied to her fortunes. In truth, Master Yu, you may not fully realize it yet, but this childhood friend of yours has become quite a formidable power center within the Huaxia Army in her own right.”
“…” Yu Hezhong fell silent for a moment, then said, “Even back in the capital, she was known for her social grace, always striking just the right balance in her dealings with others. That she’s now responsible for this line of work within the Huaxia Army only shows the right person’s been put to the right use. And besides… those men claiming to owe her a debt of gratitude may well have their sights set on Ning Yi himself. It’s long been said, outside the organization, that Shishi is essentially Ning Yi’s — though without any formal title as of yet, I imagine there won’t be any shortage of opportunists trying to attach themselves to that particular rumor.”
“Brother Yu is a perceptive man indeed, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Ha ha — truly, the subtleties of officialdom and the intricacies of human relations are things Brother Yu has clearly understood all along; you simply disdain to play such games yourself. For such moral integrity, allow me to raise my tea in place of wine, and toast you, Brother Yu.” Yan Daolun raised his cup and lavished more praise upon Yu Hezhong, then, setting his cup down, continued in a measured, unhurried tone: “In truth, from last year up to now, there have been quite a few new developments in this matter as well. I wonder whether their latest gambit will turn out to be shrewd, or simply foolish.”
Yu Hezhong frowned. “What exactly do you mean by that, Brother Yan?”
Yan Daolun said: “The Huaxia Army’s combat strength is, by any measure, outstanding — and when it comes to matters of warfare, whether on the front lines, in logistics, or in Miss Shishi’s diplomatic missions and lobbying efforts last year, all of these have been crucial, high-stakes assignments. Miss Shishi’s diplomatic envoys to the various factions meant that these factions, in turn, owed her a debt of gratitude — so naturally, should anything come up in the future, requiring some request or favor, hers would be the first door they’d knock on. And yet, at the end of April this year — right around the time Ning Yi marched north and Qin Shaoqian defeated Zonghan — there was suddenly a new reassignment of Miss Shishi’s role within the Huaxia Army’s rear administration.”
Yan Daolun looked at Yu Hezhong, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “They pulled Miss Shishi back from her diplomatic duties and reassigned her to the rear, to write scripts and handle cultural propaganda work instead. Which of these two roles carries more weight — that hardly needs spelling out, does it?”
Yu Hezhong thought it over. “Perhaps… with the southwestern campaign now settled, there’s simply no more need for a woman to mediate between the Huaxia Army and outside parties through diplomacy and persuasion. After all, now that the Jurchen have been defeated, even if the Huaxia Army takes an even harder line in the four routes of Sichuan, I doubt anyone would dare stand up to them directly anymore.”
“That’s certainly one way to look at it — but regardless, since it was Miss Shishi who handled the diplomatic work from the very start, keeping her in a role she was already familiar with would have avoided a great deal of trouble. And even setting that aside entirely — tucked away in the rear writing scripts, is that really such an important task? Is it really necessary to suddenly pull Miss Shishi away from such a critical position for something so menial? So, naturally, there’s been no shortage of speculation among outside observers.”
He smiled and poured himself more tea. “One theory, then? Some suspect that Miss Shishi wanted to marry into the Ning family, and had already begun building up something of a power base of her own within it — which alarmed the other ladies of the Ning household, who, taking advantage of Ning Yi’s absence, had her pulled from her diplomatic duties. If that’s the case, her current situation would be rather worrying indeed… Of course, there’s another possibility too — that Miss Shishi has long since already been a part of the Ning family in all but name, and putting her out in the public eye was only ever a necessity born of limited manpower. Now that hands have freed up, perhaps Mr. Ning’s people felt it unseemly for her to keep having dealings here, there, and everywhere, and so pulled her back…”
Yan Daolun spoke at his leisure, holding forth at length. Having listened to this account of supposed infighting within Ning Yi’s household, Yu Hezhong found himself growing inexplicably anxious, and couldn’t help but ask: “I wonder, Master Yan, what exactly you meant to convey by summoning me here today…”
Yan Daolun paused, glanced at him, and clasped his hands together. “There’s no need to hide much from you at this point, Brother Yu. After ten years of biding its time, the Huaxia Army has suddenly won this great victory, and the whole realm is naturally curious about what’s happening here. Mere curiosity, nothing more — no ill will intended. General Liu had me select people to send to Chengdu precisely so we could take a careful, thorough look at just what exactly this Huaxia Army has become, what sort of substance lies beneath it. Whether to fight them is a matter for the future — for now, the goal is simply to observe. I selected you to come here, Brother Yu, precisely because of your connection to Miss Shishi — and, indeed, your past acquaintance with Mr. Ning himself.”
He reached out and patted the back of Yu Hezhong’s hand, then added with a smile: “I’m laying it all out plainly for you. Please don’t take offense, Brother Yu.”
Yu Hezhong felt genuinely gratified by this, and bowed with clasped hands. “Understood, sir.”
“It’s already getting rather late today. Miss Shishi entered the city this morning — I hear she’s staying at the reception hall near Moho Lake. Tomorrow, the two of us shall go together, and you can pay a visit to your childhood friend. I’d like to borrow your good graces, Brother Yu, to make Miss Shishi’s acquaintance myself — and then I’ll take my leave, and you and Miss Shishi can catch up freely, with no particular agenda needed. It’s simply that, going forward, the General will surely have need of your insight on the Huaxia Army’s strengths and how they conduct their affairs… That’s all there is to it.”
Yan Daolun smiled at Yu Hezhong as he spoke, and Yu Hezhong felt his mind settle considerably. The Huaxia Army had declared itself open for business; he had simply come to look up an old friend, with no need to take any action directly hostile to the Huaxia Army — there was no danger in it whatsoever. And now, with this connection to Shishi in hand, he was certain to be treated with respect and given real responsibility by General Liu once he returned to Shishou. He composed himself and said solemnly, “I shall await Brother Yan’s instructions.”
Yan Daolun laughed heartily and rose to his feet. “As I said, there’s no need to be nervous, nor any need to force anything. Tomorrow, when we go, you can simply say the two of us are former colleagues traveling together. I’ll pay my respects to Miss Shishi and then take my leave, without imposing on the two of you further… With this connection established, Brother Yu, your advancement under General Liu is sure to go smoothly — and going forward, as fellow officials under the same roof, I hope you’ll look out for me as well.”
Yu Hezhong offered a good deal more in the way of thanks for the other man’s patronage.
He was no longer some green newcomer to the corridors of officialdom. Back in Bianliang, he had often mingled with Shishi alongside Chen Sifeng and others, forming plenty of connections and nursing his fair share of ambition and enthusiasm in those days. After Ning Yi’s regicide, he had lived in constant fear, quickly fleeing the capital — thereby avoiding the disaster of the Jingping years — but ever since, the edge of his ambition had dulled. Over a decade of scraping by in petty, unglamorous work, amid a realm in constant upheaval, he had endured no shortage of cold shoulders and contempt from others. He’d never before had the opportunity he now saw dangling before him — and the thought of it left his mind burning with excitement.
He wasn’t seriously considering defecting to the Huaxia Army himself — partly because his family and children were all still under Liu Guangshi’s domain, but mostly because of the fearsome reputation this army carried in the outside world, a reputation he’d heard plenty about, and because he still couldn’t quite make out the true shape of this power — though he was certain of one thing: it was unlike anything else out there. He was nearly forty years old now; even with Shishi’s patronage, it would likely be difficult for him to rise within the Huaxia Army itself. But he understood the rules of General Liu’s circle perfectly well.
General Liu’s circle was full of connections, and prized above all the careful cultivation of private relationships. In the past, lacking connections, he’d had no way to advance — but now, riding on this Huaxia Army connection, he could be quite confident his future path would go smoothly. After all, unlike Dai Mengwei, General Liu was flexible and open-minded; with the Huaxia Army so powerful, he could play along diplomatically while being the first to embrace them. And once he’d secured this connection through Shishi, he might well end up serving as the go-between for the two sides — perhaps even handling procurement of Huaxia Army goods on General Liu’s behalf. This was, he felt, the brightest path available to him, and one he intended to seize.
Turning these thoughts over in his mind, he took his leave of Yan Daolun and left the inn where they’d met. It was still afternoon; the streets of Chengdu were bathed in bright sunlight, and his heart, too, felt full of sunshine — the bustling crowds of Chengdu’s streets reminded him somewhat of old Bianliang in its heyday.
His thoughts then turned to Shishi. After all these years apart, how was she now? He himself was already growing old — did she still carry that same bearing and beauty she’d had back then? Probably not anymore… but regardless, he still thought of her as a cherished friend from childhood. What exactly was the nature of her relationship with this Ning Yi, anyway? Back then, Ning Yi had shown some real talent, and he could tell Shishi had held some affection for him — but after so many years without any resolution between them, could it be that… there really was no possibility left between them at all?
He himself had long since had a wife and children of his own; and so, even in the years when they’d kept in touch, Yu Hezhong had always understood that theirs was a fate of affinity without union — that they could never truly be together. But now, with their best years long behind them, and given Shishi’s temperament back then — always one to prize the old over the new — might it be that… she now needed some warmth in her life?
That night, he tossed and turned restlessly in his inn bed, his mind churning with countless thoughts, barely managing to doze off just before dawn. After breakfast the next morning, he dressed with some care before heading out to meet Yan Daolun at their agreed spot — only to find him dressed in a plain, unremarkable gray robe, his appearance entirely ordinary and unassuming, clearly intending to let Yu Hezhong take the lead.
The two of them made their way together toward Moho Lake, within the city. This artificial lake in Chengdu had, since the Tang Dynasty, been a famous place of leisure within the city walls, home to thriving commerce and a concentration of wealthy households. After the Huaxia Army’s arrival, a great many wealthy families had relocated elsewhere; on Ning Yi’s instructions, the Zhu family’s trading network had bought up an entire street west of Moho Lake. For this assembly, the whole street had been renamed Reception Road, its various residences and courtyards repurposed as guesthouses, with Huaxia Army soldiers stationed outside on guard — to outsiders, the atmosphere felt distinctly forbidding.
Having bided its time for ten years before finally crushing the Jurchen Western Route Army, the Huaxia Army felt no particular need to explain itself extensively to the outside world regarding the assembly it was now convening — hence, there was no political consultation process involved. The first round of delegates had been elected internally, drawn either from within the military itself or from administrative officials who had retired from military service; only a small number of seats, like those secured through Li Shishi and others’ mediation on the Huaxia Army’s behalf, had gone to outside parties.
After ten years of blood and iron, not only did the soldiers standing guard outside carry an air of killing intent about them, but even the delegates residing here, coming and going, chatting amiably enough with one another, were, for the vast majority, veteran soldiers who had survived after taking countless enemy lives with their own hands. Yu Hezhong, having let his imagination run wild beforehand, only now, arriving at the entrance to Reception Road, suddenly felt the full weight of that fearsome atmosphere. Forcing himself to appear calm, he exchanged a few words with the guards on duty, his heart pounding with unease all the while.
Fortunately, before long, a female soldier came out from within and beckoned Yu and Yan to come inside. Shishi and a number of the delegates were housed in an enormous compound; the reception room outside had quite a few people waiting already, all of whom looked to be of considerable standing. The female soldier said: “Miss Shishi is currently receiving guests — she says she’ll be along shortly, and asked me to make sure you two wait right here.” She then thoughtfully served them tea, emphasizing: “Now don’t you two go wandering off, all right?”
There were evidently other people in this waiting room who had also come to call on Shishi; seeing the two of them arrive and apparently jump the queue, some cast scrutinizing glances their way.
Figures came and went outside. Before long, a woman emerged from within, dressed in a simple set of white clothing patterned with small flowers, feet in white cloth shoes — an extremely casual, homely outfit that gave off an air of easy familiarity. It was Li Shishi. Despite all the years that had passed, she still carried that same warm, captivating presence. On seeing Yu Hezhong, her eyes narrowed, and then broke into a smile of unmistakable warmth and nostalgia.
“—Yu Hezhong!”
Tilting her head, she called out to him without the slightest concern for the onlookers around them. In that instant, Yu Hezhong’s eyes grew hot with unexpected emotion…