After the letter of introduction was sent in, in the time before Shishi came out to greet them, Yu Hezhong’s heart was, in truth, filled with unease.
Against the backdrop of the Huaxia Army’s crushing defeat of the Jurchen Western Route Army — a victory that had turned the eyes of the entire realm — for him to come now, as an intermediary, negotiating a technology deal with the Huaxia Army that seemed, by any measure, a case of biting off far more than one could chew, was one of the biggest events he had ever taken part in in his life.
It wasn’t that he feared involvement in great affairs. He was only afraid of being turned away at the door, of botching the whole thing — and if that happened, how would he ever hold his head up afterward?
Such a major matter, and he’d had so little time to prepare beforehand. Pulled in to talk it over, and then immediately expected to go leverage his connection with Shishi — had his relationship with her really warmed to that degree? Could he even control how things unfolded? Wouldn’t his chances have been better with more time to let things develop naturally?
There had been no chance to voice such thoughts. Yan Daolun and the others had pushed him onto the stage, and now he faced a situation that felt exactly like the final hand of a game about to be revealed. He’d spent years working within official circles; he knew perfectly well that when things succeeded, credit was shared all around like sedan-chair bearers lifting each other up, but when things went wrong, it went without saying whose back the blame would land on.
On the other hand, despite years of genuine feeling between himself and Shishi, and despite having entertained thoughts of using her influence to climb higher, he wasn’t so naive as all that.
Shishi had been worldly-wise even in her early years at the Fan Tower, able to read most people’s hearts at a glance, and she had spent years active within the Huaxia Army since then. Now that the moment had truly arrived, would she really let private feelings sway her judgment? Last time, when Yan Daolun had simply paid his respects and left, that might not have meant much — but this time, he’d brought along the two leaders of the delegation itself. Given their names alone, how could she fail to understand exactly what they were after? A single reply of “not available” would be enough to seal off every possibility on his end.
I should have made things clear earlier — I needed more time…
This was the moment that would decide the rest of his life. His heart was in turmoil, though outwardly he forced himself to appear calm. Fortunately, after a while, Shishi emerged, dressed in a light blue casual gown. Both sides exchanged greetings before heading inside.
White clouds drifted across the sky. It was, once again, the small wooden table by Lake Moho — though this time, given the special status of the two men accompanying Yu Hezhong, Shishi’s expression carried more formality than before, though her smile remained gentle whenever she looked at Yu Hezhong. With the resigned thought that he was already committed either way, Yu Hezhong laid out his purpose to Shishi directly: he hoped, before the formal negotiations began, to find some connections and get a sense of the inside track on this Chengdu convention.
Shishi listened to him in full, then sat back in her chair, her expression grave, considering for a long while. She glanced at the two delegation leaders, but her gaze finally settled on Yu Hezhong, her eyes solemn.
“Plenty of people are quietly reaching out through connections ahead of this Chengdu convention, not wanting to be caught flat-footed — I’m well aware of that. But… Brother Yu, have you really thought through how much danger you’d be inviting by getting involved in this?”
Yu Hezhong frowned slightly. “This… I have some sense of it, but… if this could benefit both sides, I’m willing to… take the risk, however reluctantly.”
Shishi’s gaze shifted to the other two men, her solemn expression softening only after a moment. “Brother Xie, Brother Shi — I’ve long heard of your reputations. As a mere woman, I handle matters of culture and entertainment within the Huaxia Army; ordinarily this sort of business wouldn’t concern me at all. But given the special circumstances this time, and given how difficult it must have been for you to find your way to this elder brother of mine… I can pass along a few words on your behalf. Whether or not it comes to anything, I can’t say — but I do have one condition.”
In her previous meeting with Yu Hezhong, she had shown only a sister’s gentle warmth; now, in front of Xie and Shi, her manner had turned brisk, her smile sharper. The two men’s expressions turned solemn. “Whatever Miss Shishi commands, we shall abide by it.”
“Whatever happens, I ask that the two of you see to it that this elder brother of mine remains safe and unharmed, no matter what.”
At these words, Yu Hezhong felt some measure of relief, understanding that his position within Liu Guangshi’s camp was now secure. But at the same time, unease crept in — the way she’d put it made it sound almost as though simply getting involved in this business could cost him his life. Could it really be that serious?
Xie and Shi exchanged a glance, then said, “Of course. Brother Yu is highly valued on our side — how could we possibly let him fall into danger…” And so they made their promises.
Shishi nodded and smiled. “I’ll pass along a word and connect the two of you with someone in the know, so you can talk things over ahead of time. But given the current situation, gentlemen, you must surely understand — the Huaxia Army has set this whole affair in motion precisely to secure this deal, and for whoever gets involved to gain an early advantage is, naturally, exactly what the Huaxia Army wants to see. That’s why I can offer this small help without crossing any lines. But those left outside the deal are, right now, watching with envious, hostile eyes, unwilling to let this transaction go through.”
She paused. “Since it’s this elder brother of mine who brought the two of you here, I have to say this plainly up front. Once you’re in, it’s a win for both sides — but privately, word of this will inevitably get out. When it does, and things get heated, is the Liu family prepared for that? Forgive my bluntness, little sister that I am, but if you aren’t prepared for that, then there’s no point in me passing anything along at all — better to go through official channels entirely than to fight it out privately later and damage the goodwill between us.”
The moment she said this, everything became clear to Yu Hezhong. Ning Yi had dangled this enormous bait of applied-science technology precisely to draw every faction in, and naturally he wanted to see all of them scramble eagerly to declare their intentions. If Liu Guangshi’s side wanted in, wanted an early advantage, even wanted things quietly decided in advance, Ning Yi would be only too glad to see it happen — but he would inevitably let word slip out privately, stirring up the atmosphere. He would certainly extend some benefit to Marshal Liu’s side, but by the same token, Yu Hezhong’s own people would inevitably become a target for everyone else’s resentment. There was no telling what kind of condemnation Dai Mengwei, Wu Qimei, and the others — shut out of the deal — might heap upon them, or what some “hot-blooded zealot” might be provoked into doing.
This was exactly why Shishi had, first and foremost, insisted on protecting this elder brother of hers.
She really does care about me… The thought only made his heart burn hotter.
Xie and Shi exchanged a look, falling silent for a moment. “We’re certainly mindful of this, but the specifics are hard to promise outright. And Miss Shishi surely understands — in public, we won’t acknowledge anything at all. As for in private… that can all be discussed.”
In negotiations of this kind, one couldn’t afford to be too forthright, nor make promises too casually; the two men wore expressions of some difficulty, choosing their words with care. Shishi, however, clapped her hands and laughed. “Well, since you’ve already prepared for this, how the negotiations actually go isn’t my concern anymore… Xiaoling!” She called out to a female soldier standing in the courtyard. “Go to the staff department and find Staff Officer Lin Qiu. Tell him to come by as soon as he has a moment — there’s a matter to discuss.”
Hearing this name, Xie and Shi exchanged a glance, sensing real promise. This young officer named Lin Qiu held no particularly high rank within the Huaxia Army, but he was one of the core staff officers handling practical operations. In the several days the delegation had been here, they’d frequently been received by high-ranking officials, but on any concrete matters, most simply deflected with vague pleasantries. As for the officials in the staff department, secretariat, and other core operational posts who actually handled the details, such people rarely had much contact with outsiders — they’d caught wind of one or two such names, but had no way of actually making contact.
The soldier named Xiaoling left and returned; after another moment, a young officer in a black military uniform came trotting over — evidently Lin Qiu. Shishi excused herself and walked over; the officer bowed under the eaves, and Shishi exchanged a few words with him, occasionally glancing back toward the lakeshore. Lin Qiu’s brow furrowed, seeming hesitant at first, but after a moment he appeared to be persuaded, nodding with a smile.
Shishi waved toward the lake. “Hezhong, come here for a moment.”
Yu Hezhong walked over. Shishi introduced Lin Qiu to him, and introduced him to Lin Qiu in turn, her tone and phrasing notably personal: “This is an elder brother of mine from childhood — we haven’t seen each other in years, and this time he’s only acting as a go-between…” and so on. Lin Qiu immediately addressed him as “Brother” — apparently taking his cue from how Shishi referred to him — leaving Yu Hezhong momentarily overwhelmed by the unexpected honor.
After exchanging greetings with Yu Hezhong, Lin Qiu headed toward the lakeshore. Yu Hezhong and Shishi remained under the eaves; his thoughts were a complicated, warm tangle he couldn’t quite put into words. With this matter now set in motion, his path within Liu Guangshi’s camp faced no further obstacles — for a moment he genuinely considered simply defecting to the Huaxia Army then and there, to spend the rest of his life alongside Shishi, looking out for one another. But a moment’s clearer thinking dispelled the idea. A thousand words caught in his throat, unable to come out, and watching Shishi smile at him, he even felt a reckless urge to reach out and take her slender hand in his own.
But something indefinable in Shishi’s bearing kept him from ever acting on it.
Shishi looked out toward the lakeshore and said with a faint smile: “I’ve already made the connection here, so it’s no longer appropriate for me to stay involved beyond this point. But you should still go over, Hezhong — sit in, listen, you don’t need to say anything. Lin Qiu has been briefed by me and will treat you as one of his own; as long as you’re present, they’ll naturally treat you as the one in charge.”
Yu Hezhong looked at her. “I…”
Shishi smiled. “Go on, the important business comes first — everything else can wait. Though, while you’re welcome to be present, you must never step forward into the spotlight. The situation in the city is complicated, and anything could happen. They’ve been briefed by me and shouldn’t try to put you in harm’s way, but if you sense anything off, you must be careful all the same… come find me if anything happens.”
“All right.” Yu Hezhong nodded gravely, cupped his hands briefly, and turned to walk toward the wooden table by the lakeshore. Shishi stood watching under the eaves for a while, then instructed Xiaoling to prepare lunch and a private, comfortable room for the four men to talk, before excusing herself, called away by other business.
Yu Hezhong understood that she had no wish to be truly drawn into this, and so, however reluctantly, the two parted ways for the day. He was, after all, a man; naturally his heart could be stirred by matters of romance, but his career and achievements mattered more. Once Lin Qiu, briefed by Shishi, had exchanged some casual conversation with Xie and Shi to get acquainted, the three moved into a private room, where he solemnly produced a document — the list of technologies the Huaxia Army planned to release this time for competitive bidding among the various factions.
Besides commercial technologies like glass, perfume, papermaking, and textiles, the list conspicuously included a great many coveted military technologies — ironworking, artillery, gunpowder — with specific technical figures noted alongside them, most of them one or two full generations ahead of anything available elsewhere. It was genuinely enough to make one wonder if Ning Yi had truly lost his mind.
The weight of these technologies was hard to measure in money alone; the methods of purchase would necessarily vary, and the actual handover would be no simple matter — once things came down to it, the negotiations themselves would take a long while to prepare, which was exactly why Liu Guangshi’s side wanted to seize the early advantage. And since they were willing to be the first to step forward in answer to the Huaxia Army’s call, that in itself counted as doing the Huaxia Army a considerable favor — so long as the terms weren’t outrageous, it wasn’t at all impossible that one or two technologies might be quietly reserved for them in advance.
Understanding the full significance of this deal, Yu Hezhong felt his enthusiasm rekindle, and he threw himself wholeheartedly into the discussion that followed.
At the same time, Shishi made her way to another courtyard by the lake, where she and Ning Yi had a simple lunch together in a lakeside pavilion.
“The Liu family’s in.”
This was the first thing she said upon arriving, and she went on to describe the meeting to Ning Yi in detail, her tone carrying a note of regret whenever Yu Hezhong’s name came up. As a friend, she genuinely hadn’t wanted to drag Yu Hezhong into this whirlpool — however delighted he seemed on the surface, given the current situation, an ordinary man caught up in some unexpected mishap might not easily walk away unscathed.
“He’s not your son, you know.”
Ning Yi said this simply, and Shishi reached over and swatted him. Ning Yi laughed and shook his head.
“A man of forty ought to have some ambitions of his own — the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, that’s only natural. Even if you laid out every possible consequence for him in detail, he’d probably still make the same choice. So there’s no need to fret over it like this. Honestly, Yu Hezhong is getting the best deal out of anyone involved this time — a fool’s luck, if ever there was one.”
“You planned from the start to bring the Liu family into this, didn’t you?”
“The Liu family is the most suitable choice — don’t you think?” Ning Yi laughed. “Of the various powers, big and small, who’ve come this time, the Jin region already had ties with us from the start; the Zuo family plays both sides well, but they answer to the Fuzhou court behind them, so they’ll never be first to step forward openly. The other, smaller factions — even if we gave them an advantage, they might not be able to swallow it whole. Liu Guangshi alone, that eight-armed octopus with ties to everyone, is the perfect target for everyone’s resentment — having him take the lead works best of all.”
He paused, then gave a mocking little laugh. “Speaking of taking point — Xie and Shi may have put on a show of reluctance, but privately they must be laughing their heads off. Among the factions unable to take part in this convention’s dealings — Dai Mengwei, Wu Qimei chief among them — whoever dares take the lead in trading with us, they’ll be sure to come out and denounce them for it. But privately, Liu Guangshi and Dai Mengwei surely already have some arrangement worked out — one plays the villain, the other the righteous man; whatever advantage the Liu family gets, Dai Mengwei will get his share too. So really, Marshal Liu isn’t the least bit afraid of being denounced — they’re probably both privately thinking they’re getting the better end of the bargain…”
“He is getting the better end of the bargain.” Shishi glanced at him. “You’re actually selling off weapons technology — even people in our own army are a little uneasy about it, worried about teaching the student too well, only to have him turn around and kill the master.”
“Selling technology is, at its root, a process of infiltration.” Ning Yi rapped her lightly on the head with his chopsticks. “I’ve said this before — the fundamental mode of thought across this land of ours is a kind of mystical, holistic thinking: you start by considering the whole, then let the whole guide the particulars. The foundation of natural science, by contrast, is to expand gradually from understanding individual parts toward the whole — one is one, two is two, nothing left to guesswork. Technology is secondary; the mode of thought is the real substance. Without that mode of thought, you can learn all the technology you want and you’ll always fall behind eventually. Of course, since we can’t take them over outright right now, can’t digest that much all at once, we might as well let them do some of the preliminary work for us — it’ll make reshaping their way of thinking that much easier down the road.”
“Liheng really does look down on mystical thinking that much…”
“It’s not that I look down on it, each has its own character. Mystical thinking starts from the whole — that’s why our ancestors began by discussing heaven and earth from the very start. But what does heaven and earth actually look like? How could you possibly understand that from the outset, if not by guessing? Sometimes the guess is right, sometimes wrong, and more often than not, all you can do is try, fail, and try again… Mystical thinking’s guesses about the whole have some real value and insight when applied to philosophy, but it’s often terrible when applied to concrete, specific matters…”
Ning Yi waved his chopsticks around, chattering freely now that he was among his own people: “It’s like how mystical thinking is especially prone to producing all sorts of grand, impressive-sounding theories that are really nothing underneath — it’s most susceptible to knee-jerk first impressions. For instance, we see merchants chasing after wealth and goods, and say it leads people to greed; once that first impression of ‘leads to greed’ takes hold, people want to stamp it out entirely, and hardly anyone stops to think that if you studied the elements within that greed as a neutral phenomenon, neither good nor bad, and researched it properly, what enormous effects it might one day produce.”
Shishi thought about it. “Would nobody farm the land anymore?”
Ning Yi nearly choked. “…It would produce something called capitalism, down the road. Never mind, you wouldn’t understand this part anyway. But you’ve already seen where natural science is headed for us. In the past, we used to say that people who wanted to save effort, who wanted to build labor-saving tools, were indulging in ‘clever but frivolous tricks’ — but technology itself is neither good nor bad. The Tao Te Ching opens by saying heaven and earth show no favoritism, treating all things as straw dogs — heaven and earth carry no bias, and the fundamental principles underlying everything in this world carry no bias either. Study them thoroughly, and you can use them for good or for ill. But mystical thinking works like this: the moment it spots one drawback, it wants to tear down an entire chain of things, wants to seal off an entire path forever.”
“Take the plays you’ve all been putting together lately, for instance — ask you to write them a bit more engaging, a bit more appealing, and people cry ‘pandering to vulgar taste.’ What is ‘pandering,’ really, at bottom, if not studying the patterns of the human heart? Every single person carries certain basic patterns within them; study those thoroughly, and you’ll know what every age group, every social class, every broad category of person actually likes, how to speak to them in a way they’ll hear, how to lead them from ignorance to understanding, from foolishness to wisdom…”
“But you can’t just keep pandering to them forever either — you won’t even let people write poetry…” Shishi grumbled.
“This is exactly the time to be studying these patterns, Student Li — do you have any idea how heavy the work ahead of us is going to be? In the past, maybe one percent of the people in this world could read and write, and they went out and sought books on their own initiative. But once the day comes when everyone can read and write, our job becomes making sure everyone can rise to some higher level — and at that point, books have to actively reach out and draw people in. The first hurdle in all that is finding a way to connect with them in the first place. Going from one percent to a hundred percent — how enormous is that workload? Can the old methods possibly handle it?”
“The patterns of the human heart, the objective laws by which a person matures — these are the very bedrock underlying the development of education and culture as a whole. Why does a six-year-old child like eating dirt? Why does a sixteen-year-old boy suddenly start staring at women? Why does everyone start out drawn to the crude and vulgar? What objective reasons determine this, and how can it be changed? If people working in culture simply toss aside anything labeled ‘vulgar’ and move on, they’ll never accomplish anything at all going forward. Whether it’s called vulgar or popular, what lies behind it, in either case, are the underlying patterns of human nature and the human heart — and that has to be studied bit by bit, sliced apart and examined layer by layer… don’t worry about what ‘sliced apart and examined’ means exactly…”
The midday sun filtered in past the edges of the pavilion, like a gauze curtain hanging down. Ning Yi rattled on at length, while Shishi fell silent, a soft, wistful smile slowly spreading across her face. Ten years ago, after killing the emperor, Ning Yi had brought her to Xiaocang River, and the two of them had often argued and debated back then, too — but Ning Yi of those days had been more impassioned, given to broad, sweeping answers to things. Now, ten years later, the way he thought through matters had grown far more meticulous, far more complex.
Of course, there were times Shishi wondered why he needed to think through things in such complicated detail at all. The Huaxia Army hadn’t even pushed into the Central Plains yet, its papermaking workshops still had a long way to go in terms of capacity, and yet here he was already picturing a scene where everyone in the world could read — as if he’d witnessed it with his own eyes.
To Shishi, if this world really could reach a point where everyone had food to eat and books to read, that would already be next to the Great Harmony itself — so why did he still need to worry over so many other things? Was there really that great a difference between mystical thinking and natural science?
“…Ten years ago, at Xiaocang River, if you’d said all this to me back then, I might never have left.”
At these words from Shishi, Ning Yi paused for a moment, then, after a while, smiled faintly himself, gazing off toward the far reaches of the lake. “…Twenty years ago, all I wanted was to become some wealthy man of leisure, step by step. Then, somehow, I ended up in a feud with Liangshan; after fighting Liangshan, I said I’d just help old Qin a little; when I couldn’t help anymore, I fled south to lie low. But nothing is ever that simple. I thought killing the emperor was just one more act of rebellion — but the further I went, the more I realized how much there really was left to do…”
He tapped his chest lightly. “The patterns of the human heart, reason and law and human feeling, the difference between natural science and mystical thinking, whether you move from the whole to the parts or from the parts to the whole… in the end, what shapes the face of a world is the mode of thinking already embedded deep in an entire people’s subconscious. Decades, centuries — what people call progress is really just the ongoing struggle against that very thing… damn it, I’m just a man who used to sell real estate, why did it have to come to this…”
He shook his head at last, muttering to himself, and Shishi, smiling, reached out and laid her hand over his. The warm breeze drifted through the trees along the lakeshore, and their figures blurred together into the tangled shade of the trees…
Such nice weather, and here I am watching a bunch of idiots fight. I wonder how Qu Longjun and that scoundrel Wen Shoubin are getting on…
That same afternoon, as Ning Ji sat by the edge of the tournament grounds, thoroughly bored, he heard someone calling out from behind him.
“Psst! Pssst!”
Ning Ji, his face flat with boredom, turned around to see the foolish burly man from yesterday — the one with the knife wound — standing at the fence around the outer field, making these noises at him: “Little doctor, little doctor, come here, come here…”
Ning Ji’s weary gaze showed not a flicker of interest; he turned his head back and ignored him.
A moment later, the burly man came climbing over the fence into the grounds…