Chapter 69: "What, are you going to break off the engagement?"...
Li Yao seemed to have heard some kind of joke as he questioned Wen Yu, "May I ask what credentials the Princess has to accomplish this?"
Wen Yu replied, "I believe Tao County itself is the answer I present to you, sir."
Under Li Yao's arrogant and indifferent gaze, she remained composed and self-assured, continuing, "When my father was alive, he often praised you as the Guan Zhong of our era, possessing great strategies for governance. Your reluctance to assist me stems solely from your belief that I am unfit for great responsibilities and lack the talent to contend in this world. Rather than making empty promises to you, I believe demonstrating tangible achievements would better show you my sincerity."
She bowed respectfully to Li Yao, "Having captured Tao County, I wish to formally request your service. May I ask if you would be willing?"
Li Xun observed Li Yao, thinking to himself that the Princess had already extended the utmost courtesy, and this stubborn old man better not be ungrateful. He chimed in supportively, "Lord Li, with your grand ambitions, aren't you also troubled by having no platform to showcase them? The Princess is intelligent and eager to learn. Though she has been in Pingzhou for only a short time, she has already taken charge of all affairs in Pingzhou's administration. After Lord Chen went to Tao County, she managed Pingzhou with perfect order. With your assistance, why worry about not being able to compete with Pei Song in the future and eliminate that running dog of the Party of Ao who brought chaos to the nation, thus avenging the Prince?"
Li Yao ignored Li Xun's interjection, looking only at Wen Yu as he said, "You are indeed quite different from your elder brother. Back when I refused to take him as my student, he would come to my residence every morning and evening to pay respects, clean my study, and diligently seek knowledge. He persisted like this for over three months until I harshly drove him away, after which he finally stopped coming."
He snorted derisively, "If I wanted students, such foolish displays of sincerity are as common as carp in the river. Those pedantic Confucian scholars may appreciate such gestures, but I have no use for them. If mere sincerity and diligence could produce great talent, then the plowing oxen in the fields could all attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality—why would they remain yoked and whipped?"
Having said this, he scrutinized Wen Yu, "Your temperament suits my taste. But what exactly do you seek from my counsel? To kill Pei Song? Or to reclaim your Wen family's imperial authority?"
Wen Yu's eyes darkened, "I will certainly avenge the deaths of my father, mother, and brother. But this world has always belonged to the capable—it has never inherently belonged to any single family. From the Xuantong era to the Shaojing era, the Wen family ruled as emperors, but before that, the Wang, Chen, and Jiang families also held the throne. The world ultimately belongs to all its people. Only those who govern with benevolence and great wisdom can unify the four seas and territories. What I wish to accomplish is the great aspiration my father and brother failed to achieve: to eradicate the chronic ills of the old Liang, restore order to the nation, and rescue the common people from suffering—not to contend for the power to rule this world."
Li Yao stared at Wen Yu for a long time, his gaze sharp and penetrating, as if seeing through her appearance to her very soul.
Wen Yu maintained her calm and resolute gaze throughout.
After a lengthy silence, Li Yao finally spoke, "Serve me a cup of tea."
Li Xun, who had been on edge the entire time, finally turned from worry to joy upon hearing this and hurriedly instructed the attendants, "Quickly! Bring a cup of tea!"
Since ancient times, the tea-serving ceremony has been part of the tradition of accepting a master. By asking Wen Yu to serve tea, Li Yao indicated his acceptance of her as his student.
Considering that even the former Crown Prince hadn't gained his approval, yet now the Princess had become his student, Li Xun felt both excited and emotional, his eyes growing warm with the sense that the Wen family's revival was within reach.
The servant soon arrived with a cup of tea.Li Yao sat on the stone stool by the nursery bed. Wen Yu, her long skirt sweeping the ground, handed him a teacup: "Master, please have some tea."
Li Yao accepted the cup but did not drink immediately. Instead, he said, "In my long life of selecting disciples, I have finally taken you as my student. If you fail to achieve greatness in the future, I would be deeply ashamed. Starting tomorrow, no matter how busy your official duties are, you must come to my place to study at the fifth watch. I will randomly quiz you on the texts. If you cannot answer, you must arrive one watch earlier the next day to review."
Zhao Bai, concerned about Wen Yu's eye condition, frowned and was about to speak when Wen Yu stopped him with a glance. She bowed her head and said, "Yu has taken note."
Only then did Li Yao skim the tea froth with the lid and take a sip.
Li Xun, more adept at reading the situation than Zhao Bai, quickly interjected, "Your Excellency's dedication to guiding the Princess toward improvement is deeply appreciated. However, the Princess has recently strained her eyes from frequent late-night reading. The physician specifically advised against prolonged reading. May we arrange for an attendant to accompany her during morning reviews to read aloud on her behalf?"
Learning of Wen Yu's eye condition, Li Yao said, "Granted."
He then turned to Wen Yu: "Since you honor me as your teacher, I will be strict in your academic pursuits. But if you are unwell, speak plainly. In my tutelage, there is no place for extreme ascetic practices like 'hanging from beams or pricking thighs.' As long as you complete your assignments, you may come even at midday."
Wen Yu bowed: "Yu thanks you, Master."
Li Yao nodded and dismissed her to attend to other matters.
Thus began Wen Yu's studies of statecraft under Li Yao. The assignments he gave were exceedingly heavy, often exhausting her to the point where she would fall asleep while Zhao Bai read aloud nearby. Though she barely managed to answer Li Yao's near-impossible quizzes, he frequently criticized her as utterly inadequate.
Within just three days, Wen Yu had visibly lost weight.
Li Yao's teaching methods were unbearable for most, yet she endured. Though physically drained, her mind no longer had room for other distractions. The silver lining was that when facing complex tasks, she no longer felt helpless but could quickly devise systematic approaches.
Li Xun reported daily on critical matters in Pingzhou and Tao Commandery. Being the most direct witness to Wen Yu's progress, he felt both happy for her and concerned that Li Yao was pushing her too hard.
On one occasion, while reporting Tao Commandery Governor Yao Zhengqing's refusal to submit, he noticed Wen Yu had once again fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Li Xun sighed at the sight.
He quietly withdrew, informed Zhao Bai, and went to find Li Yao.
As longtime friends despite their age difference, they spoke candidly. Li Xun asked directly, "Your Excellency, are you not being too harsh on the Princess?"
He grimaced: "How could anyone complete all you've assigned her in mere days?"
Li Yao, tending vegetable sprouts in the garden plot, replied, "I never expected her to finish. As the saying goes, 'Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself.' Initially, I overloaded her with work to curb any impatience and test her resolve. To my surprise, though struggling, she truly mastered it all."Li Yao's gaze grew distant: "Perhaps she is the seedling that will revive the Wen family, but the times wait for no one. Her opponents are Pei Song, Wei Qishan, and that old Queen Dowager of Southern Chen who has long controlled court affairs from behind the curtain. If I grant her breathing room, I would only be pushing her toward certain doom."
Hearing this, Li Xun sighed again, understanding that he meant well for Wen Yu, and said: "Very well, later I shall report to the Princess that Yao Zhengqing refuses to surrender."
Li Yao knew of this man and replied indifferently: "He has some talent. Demoted to Tao County during the first year of Shaojing's reign, his loyalty leans toward Wei Qishan, largely due to his grievances against Great Liang."
Li Xun said: "The Princess mentioned the same to me, which is why she sent me to persuade him first. If he remains unwilling, she plans to personally convince him. This additional step would allow him to witness her sincerity in recruiting talents."
Upon hearing this, Li Yao snorted disdainfully: "That arrogant, pedantic old fool schemes well—wanting to boast of being personally invited as Wen Yu's honored guest. He should first consider whether he's worthy!"
After washing his hands in the bucket by the vegetable patch, he stood up and declared: "I shall go see for myself!"
When Wen Yu woke from her nap, she learned that Yao Zhengqing had agreed to submit.
Surprised, she asked Zhao Bai and discovered that Li Yao had "persuaded" him—berating him mercilessly, nearly demanding through the prison cell door that Yao Zhengqing bash his head against a pillar in remorse.
Zhao Bai was clearly pleased, saying: "Earlier, on our journey south, Minister Li dealt with wavering advisors in the same stern manner, shaming them until they flushed crimson and wished to vanish into the ground."
Wen Yu rubbed her temples and said: "Continue reading to me. If I don't finish the first volume of 'Jingshun's Political Admonitions' by tomorrow morning, it will be my turn to be scolded into wishing I could disappear."
The lamps in her room burned late into the night once more.
Outside the city, at the Pingzhou army encampment, the lantern in Xiao Li's military tent also burned through the night.
As dawn approached, Fan Yuan arrived during his patrol. Noticing the light in the tent, he intended to brief Xiao Li on patrol matters regarding Southern Chen's envoys entering the city. Lifting the flap, he found Xiao Li leaning over the desk, intently studying a map spread before him.
A stray lock of hair hung over his forehead, and short stubble dotted his chin, as if he hadn't slept properly in ages.
Startled, Fan Yuan asked: "How long has it been since you last slept?"
Xiao Li seemed to notice his presence only then, his sharp eyes briefly flicking up to identify the visitor before returning to the map, his focus absolute.
Approaching, Fan Yuan saw that the map was densely covered with annotations only Xiao Li could decipher.
Puzzled, he asked: "What is this?"
Using a charred bamboo stick burned in the oil lamp, Xiao Li made one final mark on the map. Rubbing his brow, his stern expression finally eased as he said: "After days of analysis, testing every possible scenario, I've finally found the only way for Pingzhou to win this war game."
At these words, Fan Yuan's regard for the map shifted entirely.
The day Southern Chen's wedding envoys arrived in Pingzhou, the weather was uncommonly fine—blazing sun under cloudless skies.
Chen Wei, having hurried back from Tao County, joined Fan Yuan at the city gates to welcome the envoys.The wedding procession allowed through the gates numbered only a few hundred people, all clad in crimson ceremonial robes, a dark mass halted at the city entrance.
Those positioned before and behind the bridal sedan held gongs, drums, and suona horns, blaring festive music, while behind them stretched an endless line of bearers carrying betrothal gifts.
Amid the clamor of drums and gongs, Chen Wei bowed to the Southern Chen envoy on horseback, saying, "Your Excellency has traveled far, and we apologize for our inadequate welcome."
The Southern Chen envoy did not dismount, replying with marked arrogance, "My king honors the marriage alliance with the Wen clan of Great Liang, willing to wed Wen Shi Hanyang and forge a bond of kinship between our states. I have been specially dispatched to escort the bride. The journey to Southern Chen is long, and we must not delay. We respectfully request Princess Hanyang to enter the sedan."
Such dismissive demeanor immediately darkened the faces of the many former Liang officials at the city gates.
Gripping his reins, the Southern Chen envoy swept a scornful gaze over the altered expressions of the former Liang officials, his lips curling into a haughty smirk.
A gaze so cold it carried killing intent drew his attention.
The Southern Chen envoy traced the source of that look, locking eyes with a stern young man in armor amid the crowd.
The intensity of that stare was fearsome, akin to a wild wolf of the barren lands coldly watching an intruder trespass into its territory—given the chance, it would not hesitate to snap the invader’s throat.
After holding the other’s gaze for two breaths, the envoy sneered, "What? Has Great Liang changed its mind? Do you intend to break the engagement?"
Author’s Note: My apologies for the long hiatus—the New Year period kept me swamped, drained by all sorts of chores. Sending belated New Year wishes your way; may you all be safe, healthy, joyful, and everything go smoothly~
Red envelopes are in the comments section!
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