Ling Sword

Xia Yunhe raised her eyes to look at Xie Yi, seeing him clad in armor with slightly disheveled temples and a dark red brocade cloud-patterned headband tied across his forehead. In a fleeting daze, the figure of the youth overlapped with that of her past life. Her heart tightened, stirring a mixture of envy, panic, and a myriad of surging thoughts. Yet, it lasted only for a single instant. When she lifted her head once more, her gaze was as calm as still water.

Noticing that she showed neither anger nor joy, Xie Yi felt a pang of inexplicable apprehension in his heart. His amber eyes rolled, and pressing his lips together into a frown, he looked utterly innocent—resembling a completely different person from the overbearing youth of moments ago. Afterward, he sheathed his sword, gently dropped the carriage curtain, and urged his horse to back away a few paces to distance himself from the carriage. With a faint smile, he swept past Third Master Fu’s nonchalant expression, though his pupils remained deeply dark.

Third Master Fu ignored Xie Yi’s sinister gaze. Back then, when the Prince of Qin had dispatched men to relentlessly pursue his carriage, they had merely deceived him a few times with excuses like "the young master is inside the vehicle." Once Xie Yi discovered this, he had hijacked the tobacco Third Master Fu was smuggling to the Northern Rurongs, causing him to suffer a heavy financial loss for nothing... Third Master Fu sneered inwardly. Despite acting like a docile lamb in front of the young master, behind her back he was a lawless tyrant. He had explicitly stated that the young master was inside the carriage, yet the Prince of Qin simply refused to believe it.

Unaware of the past grievances between the two, Xia Yunhe lifted the carriage curtain with her hand and looked out. On the mudflat, three men were watering their horses, while Xie Yi was followed by two mounted soldiers. Fatigue was etched on the faces of all six in the traveling party. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Does Your Highness return from beyond the frontier?"

Startled, Xie Yi froze for a moment, a trace of pride welling up inside him. With a smile, he asked, "How did the scholar know?"

It seemed her guess was correct. Xia Yunhe sighed softly, having no intention of bantering with him. She offered a slight salute without getting down from the carriage and simply said, "Your Highness, I have matters to attend to today at the Luoxia County Office to see Magistrate Wang and cannot afford any delay. Third Master, let us move."

Thinking she had made herself clear, she did not expect Xie Yi to spur his horse and block the path of the carriage.

The youth pulled tight on the reins to soothe his restless black steed, a smile blooming across his face. "I saw the scholar coming from the direction of West Mountain. Allow me to guess why the scholar is in such a rush."

Without waiting for Xia Yunhe to reply, Xie Yi gathered the reins in one hand and sat upright in the saddle, his eyes holding a seasoned maturity unbefitting his age. "Yin Commandery is far from the capital and borders the Northern Rurongs. Dragons and snakes mingle here, and the righteous are indistinguishable from the wicked. Take a single wrong step, and you lose the entire game. For instance, Qidiaowei courted disaster and died a miserable death while investigating the abandonment of the old granary city. How much scheming between the Chu people and the Rurongs is hidden within all this? The scholar also intends to investigate the granaries, but when all is said and done, how much does the scholar truly know about the granaries of Yin Commandery? And how much do you know about Wang Yanyu?"

"Does Your Highness know a great deal?"

Xie Yi, however, fell silent. He gently pressed his heels against his horse's flanks to clear the path, then turned to instruct his two personal guards, "Go and invite the scholar down." With that, he drew a jade token from his breast and tossed it to Third Master Fu. He then had one of his soldiers yield a horse and told Third Master Fu, "Trouble yourself to go find Magistrate Wang, Third Master. If he makes excuses and refuses to come, tell him that I am waiting for him together with the scholar."

Hesitating, Third Master Fu looked toward Xia Yunhe. She gave a slow nod. Having received permission, Third Master Fu switched mounts and galloped away.

A wind rose across the riverbank.

Xia Yunhe stepped onto the sandy ground, the bitter cold piercing through the soles of her shoes and making her teeth chatter. She could not help but exhale a breath into her cupped hands. Seeing this, Xie Yi wanted to untie his cloak and offer it to her, but Xia Yunhe pushed his hand away. Rubbing her hands and stamping her feet, she wrapped her white fox-fur cape even tighter around herself.

She gazed at the shimmering ripples of the river nearby. Six uniformly colored black horses stood quietly by the bank. One of them, having drunk its fill, plodded leisurely toward her in a halting gait. Catching sight of this, Xie Yi pulled on the reins and said to her, "Scholar, do you still recognize this horse?"

Xia Yunhe looked and shook her head.

Xie Yi smiled, stroked the horse's ears, and said, "This is the black horse brought by Mu Xiunian."

Xia Yunhe failed to catch his meaning.

Xie Yi raised an eyebrow. "Has the scholar forgotten? Of all the horses Mu Xiunian brought, this is the very one the scholar rode back then. I named it Liying."

Dawn broke in Xia Yunhe's mind as she recalled the events during her banishment. She managed to force a smile. "Your Highness is laughing at me."

"The scholar does not know how to ride; when there is time, I can teach you..." Xie Yi looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"Hmm?" Xia Yunhe turned sideways to look at him, truly lacking the heart for playful banter. Her brows darkened slightly. "What kind of person does Your Highness believe Magistrate Wang to be?"

Xie Yi reined in his smile, feigned a cough, and after a moment of thought, replied, "A flatterer of superiors."

"Then what else does Your Highness know about the granary city?"

Xie Yi lowered his gaze slightly, ignoring her question. He fiddled with the reins for a long time before saying in a low voice, "The scholar has yet to answer regarding learning how to ride." With that, he cast a glance at her and continued to twist the reins in his hands.

The youth lowered his head, tying knots in the reins, only to untie them, tie them again, and untie them once more... Taking this in, Xia Yunhe sighed inwardly. After all, he was still just a child with a strong playful streak. What else could she do? She would have to placate Xie Yi first.

With that thought, she said, "Let us wait until next summer. I should be much better by then."

Hearing this, Xie Yi looked up at her, the corners of his lips curling into a smile as he raised his palm to seal the promise with her.

Xia Yunhe wrapped her heavy cloak tightly around herself, took two steps back, and gently massaged her brow. Inwardly, she thought such games were merely for children and naturally disdained them. Straightening her garments, she assumed a solemn expression and said, "Your Highness, do you know that Northern Rurong secret agents have appeared within the granary city? Those men have already regarded the granary city as their stronghold. Had we not inspected it today, who would have ever suspected it? At this very moment, their corpses still lie within the granary city."

"Filled with anxiety, I was just rushing to the county office to report this matter. If Your Highness truly..." She paused to catch her breath before continuing, "wishes to give me... an extra shred of advantage in this peril-fraught Yin Commandery, I must trouble you to tell me everything."

Hearing this, Xie Yi’s expression also turned serious. A measure of dignity surfaced on the youth's face, his brows stern and cold, bearing a vague resemblance to Emperor Hui. He fell silent for a moment before saying, "Previously, Yin Commandery had only the old Yin Granary—the very one the scholar just mentioned. Later, the river changed its course, flooding a portion of the granary, so a new Yin Granary was constructed in the east of the city, which led to the distinction between the New and Old Yin granaries. Near the New Yin Granary lies the Water Transport Granary; the two normally complement and support each other."

"Complement and support the Water Transport Granary?" Xia Yunhe raised her eyes to gaze into the distance, falling silent for a moment.

Abruptly, the scent of burning smoke drifted over. Turning her head, she saw that one of the soldiers had somehow caught a few fish, skewered them on thin twigs, and set them up to roast over a fire. Before long, the soldiers gathered around. One of them with a long face picked up a small roasted fish and brought it before Xie Yi and Xia Yunhe, saying with a smile, "Your Highness, Official Xia, please have some fish."

Xie Yi silently took it, and the man ran back with a smile, slapping the roasting soldier on the back as he praised, "The fish is roasted quite well."

Xia Yunhe withdrew her gaze and turned to see Xie Yi painstakingly plucking away the charred fish meat. After a long while, he managed to gather a small piece of clean white fish meat and asked her, "Scholar, would you care to eat?"

She smiled and shook her head, reflecting on the hearty appetite of youth—something she simply could not manage. She required her food to be exquisitely prepared and meticulously sliced; unless it was cooked by Zhenniang, it truly did not suit her palate.

Xie Yi stood on ceremony no longer. Having just returned from beyond the frontier with empty stomachs, this was merely to tide themselves over. He quickly dispatched the roasted fish, wiped the grease from his hands with a blade of grass, and washed them by the riverbank. With a grin, he crept up beside her and asked, "Scholar, are you in a rush?"

"Not in a rush. It is just... I have a few words I wish to say to Your Highness." Xia Yunhe walked a few steps toward the riverbank and beckoned to Xie Yi. "Come here, Your Highness. Look at this Bin River, flowing from west to east. Is its momentum upright?"

Xie Yi gazed at the surging current for a moment, contemplated in silence, and replied with a smile, "If we speak of upright momentum, it must belong to the main river, while the Bin River is merely its tributary."

"Now, Your Highness, look at those five men." Xia Yunhe gently pointed toward the five soldiers.

The soldier who had roasted the fish was still tending the fire, while the long-faced soldier continued to chat and laugh animatedly, making them quite conspicuous.

Turning back, Xie Yi smiled and said, "They are all brothers who came with me. Scholar, is there something wrong with that?"

"Has Your Highness ever heard the story of Duke Huan of Qi, Xiaobai?"

"Naturally. Duke Huan had Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya to assist him, making him the foremost of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period."

Xia Yunhe smiled. "Then Your Highness must also know that Duke Huan had three treacherous ministers by his side: Shufang, Shu Diao, and Yiya."

"Naturally. But Scholar, they are not the likes of Yiya."

Xia Yunhe asked, "Yet does Your Highness know the ultimate end of that generation's hegemon?"

Xie Yi shook his head.

"His body lay unburied, and worms crawled out of his doors," Xia Yunhe said. "In his old age, Duke Huan grew muddle-headed and trusted petty villains like Yiya and Shu Diao, ultimately starving to death within his palace. Sixty-seven days later, his newly enthroned successor, Prince Wukui, finally gathered his remains. What did it avail him to be a hegemon of an era? What did it avail him to wield power over the world? Noble though Your Highness is, you must all the more learn to truly know men."

Xie Yi frowned, looking somewhat displeased as he retorted, "They practiced martial arts with me and crossed the frontier together; they are brothers who share life and death. The likes of Yiya and Shu Diao that the scholar speaks of have nothing to do with them."

Xia Yunhe could not help but smile. "My dear Highness, please engrave this sentence upon your heart: He who employs masters becomes a king; he who employs friends becomes a hegemon; he who employs mere followers perishes. Masters bring out the utmost in everyone's abilities; friends are chosen for their excellence; followers merely exhaust one's own strength. The people remain the same people—if you regard them as masters, you may pursue the kingly way; if you regard them as friends, you may achieve hegemony; if you regard them as followers, you will ultimately be dragged down by others."

The sound of water lashing against the shore and splashing waves filled the air. Xie Yi stood clutching his fists in silence for a long time as a gentle breeze swept his loose strands of hair across his cheeks. Suddenly, a hand brushed the dust from his shoulder and straightened his collar. Raising his eyes to look at the person before him, he could not help feeling somewhat guilty.

He stepped back, evading the hand before him. The tips of his ears turned slightly red, and he deliberately averted his gaze so as not to look at Xia Yunhe. Some people were simply too good, making him afraid—afraid to look at his own ignoble self, and even more afraid that his hidden feelings might be detected.

Seeing Xie Yi withdraw and stand in silence, Xia Yunhe said no more. She simply wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and gazed at the eastward-flowing Bin River.

Within the span of a cup of tea, Wang Yanyu led a group of bailiffs hurrying over. After formal greetings were exchanged, Xia Yunhe explained the situation, and Wang Yanyu led the men to the old granary to collect the remains.

Following this affair, everything appeared tranquil, little knowing that a conspiracy was quietly brewing.

Xia Yunhe went once more to the Wind-Scant Pavilion, this time meeting Madam Qidiaowei in person. After her trip to the old granary city, Xia Yunhe felt there was no need to play any further games with this aristocratic lady. She cut straight to the point and asked Madam Qidiaowei: What on earth was hidden inside the old granary?

Madam Qidiaowei replied, "That granary still held grain five years ago. I saw it with my own eyes—it was all top-grade polished rice. Anyone with eyes could see how deep the waters ran here, yet that death-seeking fool could not see it and insisted on dying stubbornly in this muddy pool..." Having barely spoken two sentences, she turned her head and burst into tears once more, so mournful and desolate that it made one's ears ache.

There is, after all, a difference between feigned weeping and genuine grief.

Xia Yunhe smiled and took a sip of bitter tea. "Madam... whatever possessed you to place a roster inside the Granary Deity Shrine?"

Meeting Madam Qidiaowei's startled and suspicious gaze, she set down her teacup with unruffled composure and continued, "The rosters from the fifteenth year of Yuanhua to the twenty-seventh year—with a gap of twelve years in between, how could twelve years of personnel records possibly be concentrated within a single thin volume? Moreover, the paper of the roster is brand new, showing no signs of yellowing or wear. The granary city is dark and damp; if it were truly an old register, it could never have been preserved for so long."

Hearing this, Madam Qidiaowei's expression gradually steadied.

"Madam, why did you do this? And how did you manage to evade those Rurongs?"

Madam Qidiaowei let out a dry laugh, drew out a handkerchief to dab the corners of her eyes, and slowly began, "Official Xia possesses such acute perception; do you know how much grain they have secretly transported to the Northern Rurongs? How many people have been replaced and how many have died on that granary official's roster? With a mere grain of millet, how many souls are dragged into this? Once Official Xia went to the old granary city and laid eyes on those things, you became caught in the vast web of Yin Commandery. Until we fight to the bitter end, no one can hope to escape."

"Before my husband left, he left me with a single sentence: 'This matter is fraught with danger, yet I shall not regret it even in death. Without a breaker of the game, none shall act rashly.' If Official Xia did not possess such perseverance and resourcefulness, how could I dare to draw Official Xia into the game? It would merely add one more wrongfully slain ghost."

"You used my life to test those Rurongs!" Xia Yunhe slammed her teacup down, a fierce expression sharpening her brow. "What if I say I refuse to investigate?"

Yet Madam Qidiaowei merely smiled, her words chillingly cold. "Official Xia, even if you do not wish to investigate, there are those who believe you are doing so. Your trip to the old granary city cannot be concealed. To retreat is to find yourself without a place of burial. Official Xia, you have no choice but to investigate this to the very end."

"A magnificent lone courage suspended in the air, a magnificent solace to a deceased husband. You wish to drag everyone down into the water just to avenge Qidiaowei," Xia Yunhe smiled as well. "If I cannot defeat them, it is no loss to you."

Smiling, she looked at Madam Qidiaowei and said, "Since the chess game has already begun, what harm is there in my playing this piece for you?"