Stars hung low over the mountain wilderness.
In the tent of the Uman King's court, lanterns burned through the night as singing and dancing carried on in unrestrained revelry.
At the very center of the tent stood a massive bronze cauldron, bubbling with boiling water.
Four powerfully built strongmen carried a whole sheep into the tent with imposing grandeur. They then took positions around the four sides of the cauldron and solemnly tossed the sliced mutton into the boiling water.
The aroma of meat filled the air. The invited guests, all somewhat ill at ease, watched the cooking mutton in the cauldron with nervous anticipation.
Meng Zaishi, King of Wuman, sat imposingly on his tiger-skin throne, observing how the people below struggled to appreciate the performances while stealing furtive glances at him. His stern face appeared somewhat sinister in the flickering shadows.
He waved away the attending maidens and raised a bowl of strong liquor.
The tent fell silent, save for the bubbling of boiling water and the wafting scent of meat.
Everyone listened as the Uman King spoke in a languid tone: "I've summoned you tonight for no ill purpose, so there's no need for tension. I intend to emulate the systems of Great Wei - to revoke your slave status, ennoble you as aristocracy, and bestow upon you gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and flocks of sheep. Henceforth, except in my presence, you may keep your own slaves, herds of cattle and sheep, without committing offense.
"Let us swear a blood oath here. So long as I reign, I shall not betray you. When you follow me into battle hereafter, you need not surrender all your possessions. You may retain a portion."
The crowd exchanged bewildered looks, unable to comprehend the Uman King's meaning.
The Uman system was backward - their sole master was the Uman King, while all others, whether warriors following the king or those serving him, were merely slaves.
Slaves possessed no rights, no privilege to conceal possessions. Discovery by the Uman King meant certain death.
Yet some still coveted those exquisite jewels, yearned for those splendid silks... They hid them secretly, forever fearful of the Uman King's discovery and subsequent punishment.
And tonight, the Uman King declared he would abolish their slave status!
The people trembled as they asked: "Great King, what does this mean... we don't understand."
Meng Zaishi chuckled dismissively. "You need not understand. Simply know that from now on, you are masters, no longer slaves."
With that, Meng Zaishi gestured for the strongmen to present daggers. He rose slowly, his tall, slender frame casting an intimidating presence that silenced the entire tent.
This ambitious monarch drew a blade across his palm, watching as blood dripped into his bowl. He drank it all in one gulp, then gestured for the others to follow suit. The people hurriedly complied.
Meng Zaishi contemplated his newly appointed nobles pensively. The Danyang Princess from Great Wei had told him that not everyone in her land were slaves. The Emperor could enlist help to govern the country, but could not humiliate a scholar.
Great Wei had numerous nobles. Only with these nobles could the Emperor's decrees be implemented from top to bottom.
That evening, riding together through the stone forest, the princess had trotted ahead, holding her reins as she turned back to smile at him: "You cannot expect everyone to obey you without showing them some respect, isn't that right?"
Meng Zaishi narrowed his eyes: "Then what benefits does Your Highness seek from our cooperation?"
Her beautiful eyes glistened like water as she replied: "This humble maiden only wishes that when you become king, you will not betray me."At this thought, Meng Zaishi clicked his tongue. Back then, he and the beauty had been putting on an act of mixed sincerity and pretense—who would have thought she was also using him! A perfectly lovely Peace Marriage princess had been forced by her father into becoming a cunning, scheming princess... How unbecoming.
"Your Majesty, there seems to be firelight in the distance!" Just as Meng Zaishi was reminiscing about the princess's gentle smile, the felt curtain was suddenly pushed aside as a warrior entered to report.
His expression shifted abruptly, and he rose to his feet.
That night, the Uman King and the newly ennobled aristocrats behind him ascended the mountain peak, where they indeed saw distant flames lighting up the sky. Yet, those flames did not belong to the Black Barbarians but originated from the neighboring Chiman.
Someone below speculated, "It must be the Great Wei army launching a night raid on Chiman."
"Anyway, it's Chiman fighting Great Wei—it has nothing to do with us."
Ignoring the relieved murmurs behind him, Meng Zaishi frowned, his mind heavy with worry. Upon returning to the royal court, he ordered the army to prepare for war.
His subordinates were still bewildered, wondering what Great Wei's attack on Chiman had to do with their own Black Barbarians.
Only two days later, when refugees from Chiman arrived with their herds of sheep, some of the newly ennobled nobles grew restless.
They rushed to Meng Zaishi, gesturing animatedly: "...Those fleeing from Chiman are not only willing to trade livestock for grain but also say the fires are immense. The Chiman King is furious and is hunting down the Great Wei army. The refugees claim there are many animal skins discarded by the roadside over there, left unattended. Your Majesty, let's seize them and exchange them with Great Wei for jewels!"
As the nobles excitedly discussed, Meng Zaishi withdrew from the tent and rode off aimlessly on his horse. Soon, his subordinates returned with gathered intelligence, reporting that those nobles were all eager for war.
Meng Zaishi remained noncommittal: "Do you also believe we should declare war on Chiman now?"
One of his clever subordinates stepped forward: "Your Majesty has just unified the Black Barbarians and now wishes to implement the industrial techniques learned from Great Wei within our borders. It is unwise to go to war at this time. Fighting back and forth for a handful of jewels would be a loss outweighing the gain."
Meng Zaishi let them voice their opinions.
Soon, they reached a consensus and unanimously advised Meng Zaishi against going to war with Chiman.
Meng Zaishi said calmly, "Oh? So if I say we won't fight, we won't fight?"
His subordinates were taken aback.
Meng Zaishi swept his arm toward the group of nobles heatedly debating at the entrance of the distant tent.
He sneered, "Look at them—each consumed by insatiable greed. Newly ennobled, they already dream of seizing jewels, silks, cattle, sheep, and beauties. Because these are the rights I've just granted them! They're indulging in novelty, afraid I might revoke their privileges one day.
"Greed blinds them, and ignorance makes them short-sighted. If I were to say now that we won't fight, do you think I could restrain them? Or if I suppress them, they would think I've gone back on my word, still treating them as slaves. Then all my previous efforts would have been in vain."
The followers behind him stared in alarm—if he restrained those locusts now, the king would lose the people's support...
Meng Zaishi closed his eyes and slowly revealed a somber smile. "This war must be fought for now. Let us take this opportunity to unify Chiman and make them subjects of the Black Barbarians."“Great Wei’s scheme of diverting trouble eastward—they must have anticipated that their surprise attack on Chiman would spill over to the newly unified tribe of the Black Barbarians. With the two great southern tribes at war, Great Wei only lost a batch of soldiers and horses while watching from the sidelines. They couldn’t have asked for more!”
His subordinates were alarmed, but they praised the Uman King one after another: “Your Majesty, when you saw the great fire that night and ordered us to prepare for battle, it was clear you had foreseen all of this. Your strategic acumen is no less than that of Great Wei!”
Meng Zaishi paid no heed to the flattery.
He mused thoughtfully, “We are bound by a peace marriage with Great Wei. They don’t want to fight us directly but still wish to subdue us, so they used Chiman to provoke us into conflict… How interesting.
“I had just sent a message to Great Wei when this happened. It might very well be the handiwork of that princess. But the princess isn’t supposed to understand politics…”
The young man closed his eyes in contemplation, then reopened them, a dark, cold light flashing within:
“Order our spies in Great Wei to investigate who proposed this strategy to their border troops!
“I will kill him without fail!”—
After seeing off Danyang Princess, Li Zhi learned that the Black Barbarians and Chiman had gone to war. He couldn’t help but chuckle, making a mental note of the strategist Yan Erlang.
Before the year’s end, Danyang Princess finally returned to Chang’an and her Princess Residence.
On New Year’s Day that year, for the first time in three years, Danyang Princess celebrated the festival in the palace with her elder brothers, sisters, and the Emperor. Unlike three years prior, the Empress was long gone.
After the New Year’s festivities, during social gatherings, the Princess Residence welcomed a former retainer who had since become a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue.
Grateful for the princess’s past support, Mu Wan Yao encouraged him to serve diligently under the Crown Prince.
Thus, many came to visit Mu Wan Yao, most of whom had once served at the Princess Residence and now held promising positions. She patiently reassured each one. As the stream of visitors grew, Mu Wan Yao grew weary and eventually feigned illness to avoid further social calls.
In March, the imperial examinations began.
From mid-February, Chunhua grew restless, constantly finding excuses to leave the Princess Residence and inquire about the exams.
When the results were posted, Chunhua was disheartened to find Liu Wenji’s name absent from the list. She rallied her spirits, consoling herself that the imperial exams in Great Wei were notoriously difficult each year, and it was normal for Liu Wenji to fail on his first attempt.
However, when Chunhua hurried out to comfort her disheartened lover, she searched all day without finding Liu Wenji. Assuming he was too ashamed and deliberately avoiding her, she had no choice but to return to the Princess Residence.
That evening, as Chunhua wandered the residence distractedly, preoccupied with thoughts of Liu Wenji, someone called out to her: “Chunhua!”
She looked up to see Guard Fang Tong approaching, a letter in hand and a troubled expression. “Chunhua, could you read this for me? Yan Erlang has written so politely, but I can’t even recognize the characters…”
Chunhua mustered her energy and helped Fang Tong read the letter from Yan Erlang.
Unbeknownst to them, Mu Wan Yao had just returned from a drinking outing. Walking unsteadily, her beautiful eyes hazy and cheeks flushed, she abruptly overheard the name “Yan Erlang.”
Mu Wan Yao wondered if she had misheard.
She halted, separated by a curtain, and asked Chunhua and Fang Tong, who were huddled together reading the letter, “A letter from Yan Shisheng?”Fang Tong saw that the princess had returned and, after paying his respects, answered blankly, "Yes, Yan Erlang is truly a good man. He often writes letters to his subordinates..."
He was kicked hard by Chunhua, let out a pained cry, then looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she had kicked him.
In the corridor behind the curtain, Mu Wan Yao remained silent for a moment before asking Chunhua, "Has he written letters to you as well?"
Chunhua replied awkwardly, "He only occasionally asks this humble maid for advice on some matters..."
Fang Tong asked in confusion, "What does Your Highness mean by asking this? Could it be that Yan Erlang has never written a letter to Your Highness? How is that possible? Yan Erlang is so good at handling relationships, haha..."
His laughter awkwardly faded away.
As the maids lifted the curtain, Mu Wan Yao gazed at him with icy eyes.
Chunhua whispered from the side, "Guard Fang, please stop talking. Yan Erlang has never written a single letter to Your Highness... Your Highness didn't even know that Yan Erlang had been writing letters to us."
OpenNovel