Chapter 100

That afternoon, shortly after Fan Changyu returned to camp, Grand Tutor Tao summoned her.

She assumed it was because he wanted to inspect the punishment copywork he had assigned. Carrying the stack of pages Xie Zheng had copied for her, she headed over, only to discover another person in Grand Tutor Tao’s tent.

The man appeared to be around forty years old. His features were refined and upright, exuding the elegance of a scholar. He wore no armor and looked more like a civil official than a military officer.

Fan Changyu did not recognize him and simply greeted Grand Tutor Tao.

“Adoptive Father.”

From the moment she entered the tent, the middle-aged man had been studying her.

His gaze was gentle yet heavy with emotion.

There was also an indescribable mixture of relief, concern, and something else hidden within it.

Fan Changyu found it rather strange, but since she sensed no hostility from him, she allowed him to continue looking.

Grand Tutor Tao glanced at her and said,

“You’ve arrived.”

He seemed to have no intention of introducing them.

Instead, he said,

“This is a general from the army. He heard that you killed Shi Hu and was curious about your martial skills.”

Fan Changyu had not expected the scholarly-looking man to be a general.

She quickly cupped her fists in salute.

“Greetings, General.”

The man was none other than He Jingyuan.

As he looked at Fan Changyu, he saw traces of an old friend in her.

Countless emotions stirred within him.

“Do you know martial arts?” he asked.

“A little.”

Although He Jingyuan already suspected the answer, he still asked,

“Who taught you?”

“My father.”

“Would you be willing to exchange a few moves with me?”

Fan Changyu looked toward Grand Tutor Tao.

Stroking his beard, Grand Tutor Tao said,

“This General is also skilled with the blade. Let him give you some pointers.”

Fan Changyu immediately clasped her fists.

“Then I ask for General’s guidance.”

The tent was too cramped to spar inside.

The two moved outside and each took up a long-handled saber.

Fan Changyu launched the first attack.

Her blade swept forward with speed and ferocity, unstoppable in momentum.

At first, He Jingyuan only defended while steadily retreating.

His purpose was simply to observe her techniques clearly.

When he had nearly backed up to the edge of the military tents, he suddenly shifted from defense to offense.

The move he used was the very same one Fan Changyu had employed moments earlier.

Compared to Fan Changyu’s relentless emphasis on power, his blade work was noticeably steadier.

He could advance and attack or retreat and defend with equal ease.

Every movement was measured and balanced.

Just as Fan Changyu attempted to alter her approach, He Jingyuan exploited a flaw in her defense.

The tip of his blade stopped directly before her throat.

Meanwhile, her own strike had not even completed its arc.

A chill ran through her heart.

Although she lacked extensive combat experience, she had spent countless hours practicing this blade technique under her father’s instruction.

Trapped at home in her youth, it had been her greatest source of entertainment.

She knew every movement of the style intimately.

Yet while sparring with this general, she felt as though he understood the technique even better than she did.

It was almost as if he knew exactly how every move should be countered.

Seeing her stunned expression, He Jingyuan lowered his blade and asked,

“Do you know where the flaw in that last move was?”

Fan Changyu respectfully cupped her fists.

“I ask for General’s instruction.”

He Jingyuan said,

“You’ve practiced this blade style for so long that your execution has become rigid.

“You insist on completing one form before moving to the next.

“But battlefields change in an instant.

“If one strike fails, you immediately switch to another.

“How can you afford to lose your composure just because someone breaks through your technique?”

His words struck directly at the weakness in her blade work.

When using her butcher knives, she often succeeded through unpredictability.

With the long-handled saber, she was virtually unbeatable against opponents less skilled than herself.

But against people like He Jingyuan or Xie Zheng—masters of countless weapon styles—her limitations became obvious.

The respect in Fan Changyu’s heart immediately deepened.

“Thank you, General!”

Seeing that she understood, He Jingyuan’s eyes revealed a mixture of complexity and faint satisfaction.

“Let me teach you a few more things.”

The two continued sparring in the open space outside the tents.

Every time Fan Changyu executed a technique, He Jingyuan pointed out its flaws and explained how an opponent could break it.

Only when a personal guard arrived looking for him did He Jingyuan finally stop.

He instructed Fan Changyu to return and carefully reflect on everything she had learned today.

After bidding farewell to Grand Tutor Tao, Fan Changyu left with her mind filled entirely with blade techniques and combat insights.

Once she had gone far enough away, Grand Tutor Tao noticed that He Jingyuan was still staring after her.

He said,

“I always thought that child was honest-hearted and remarkably resilient.

“No matter where she finds herself, she preserves a sense of kindness.

“She is excellent material.

“Later, after learning she was that old man’s descendant, I finally understood.

“That appearance of simplicity hiding true wisdom is exactly like her grandfather.”

He Jingyuan solemnly bowed to Grand Tutor Tao.

“The orphan left behind by an old friend—I entrust her to you, Grand Tutor.”

Grand Tutor Tao sighed.

“One boy, one girl. They’re both precious to me.

“But the past is buried.

“When those events occurred, neither of the girls had even been born.

“What fault lies with them?

“No matter what happens, I will protect them.”

He Jingyuan bowed deeply again.

Grand Tutor Tao added,

“For now, keep this from Jiuheng.”

He Jingyuan said worriedly,

“I’m afraid paper can never completely contain fire.”

Grand Tutor Tao patted his shoulder.

“Jingyuan, Jingyuan—you still don’t understand your Chancellor well enough.

“Do you really believe he only discovered more than ten years later that Meng Shuyuan’s daughter and son-in-law were hiding in Qingping County under your protection?”

He Jingyuan froze.

With his hands behind his back, Grand Tutor Tao gazed toward the distant mountains.

“Perhaps the truth of those events isn’t what you think.

“You and I both know Meng Shuyuan’s character.

“He would never have done something so reckless and irresponsible.

“Unfortunately, after Jinzhou fell, he committed suicide in his tent.

“Most of the senior generals around him later died in battle as well.

“The truth disappeared with them.

“But if Wei Yan truly orchestrated everything himself, and if Meng Shuyuan’s descendants really held evidence proving they had been framed, would he have allowed even one survivor to escape?

“He would rather kill a thousand innocents than let a single threat remain.

“How could he permit them to flee to a remote border county and survive for more than ten years?”

He Jingyuan smiled bitterly.

“When Brother Qilin brought General Meng’s only daughter to me all those years ago, he told me the Chancellor’s order had been to kill her.

“He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“So he faked both his own death and hers by staging a fall from a cliff.

“If the Chancellor truly intended to spare them from the beginning, as you suggest, then why did he later order me to personally kill former comrades?

“And why did he repeatedly send death squads to the Fan family searching for that item?”

Any veteran general present would have recognized the name He Jingyuan mentioned.

Qilin was Wei Qilin, one of the Wei family’s trusted military retainers.

Originally, Wei Qilin had neither surname nor name.

He had been purchased as a servant and trained as a death warrior by the Wei family.

Because of his tremendous natural strength and martial talent, he eventually rose to become one of their military retainers.

At the time, Wei Yan possessed almost no military authority.

His reputation was built largely through the achievements of men like He Jingyuan and Wei Qilin.

Later, after Wei Yan married his sister to Xie Linshan, relations between the Wei and Xie families became much closer.

Wei Qilin even served under Xie Linshan for a time.

There he earned the appreciation of the veteran general Meng Shuyuan.

Since General Meng had only one daughter, Wei Qilin married into the Meng family.

That same Wei Qilin later became Fan Erniu.

The possibility that terrified He Jingyuan most was that Wei Qilin had been used as the knife that ultimately caused General Meng’s delayed grain delivery.

Unfortunately, Wei Qilin had told him very little about the events at Jinzhou.

In more than ten years, aside from the one occasion when Wei Qilin sought him out, the two had never met again.

It was all to avoid alerting Wei Yan.

With a heavy sigh, He Jingyuan said,

“If only I had opened those things and examined them when he handed them to me all those years ago, perhaps we wouldn’t still be drowning in uncertainty now.”

Yet had he looked then, he would have had only two choices.

Either openly rebel against Wei Yan…

Or fail to protect the Fan sisters.

Grand Tutor Tao comforted him.

“Nothing has been settled yet.

“Let’s wait and see.

“I came out of retirement because I feared someone would use the events at Jinzhou to manipulate Jiuheng.

“Xie Linshan’s death remains a wound he has never overcome.

“I’m afraid someone may use that weakness against him.”

Even He Jingyuan, who considered himself well informed about the current political situation, still found himself surrounded by unanswered questions.

“Forgive my ignorance.

“When suspicions about the Jinzhou campaign first spread, all accusations pointed directly at the Chancellor.

“Are you suggesting someone is trying to provoke the Marquis and the Chancellor into destroying each other?”

Grand Tutor Tao replied,

“I was never close to Wei Yan.

“These years, whether among commoners or officials, he has been cursed by countless people.

“Perhaps sitting in power for too long truly clouded his judgment.

“But as you said, if we go back fifteen years, he could still be described as diligent in serving Great Yin.

“When he wanted me to take Jiuheng as a student, he didn’t approach me directly.

“He used teachers from Nanshan Academy and invoked Xie Linshan’s name to persuade me indirectly.

“It almost seemed as though he feared I would refuse simply because I disliked him.”

Grand Tutor Tao himself had come from Nanshan Academy.

He Jingyuan had never expected Wei Yan to have gone to such lengths for Xie Zheng.

He had once been one of Wei Yan’s confidants and had occasionally witnessed interactions between uncle and nephew.

Wei Yan had never shown Xie Zheng any warmth.

Even when Xie Zheng earned military honors, Wei Yan would first criticize him before offering a few half-hearted compliments.

Everyone in the Chancellor’s residence knew Wei Yan disliked his nephew.

Yet behind the scenes, he had personally arranged for Grand Tutor Tao to educate him.

Even Wei Xuan, Wei Yan’s own son, likely had never received such treatment.

The realization only deepened He Jingyuan’s confusion.

“Yet it is also true that the Chancellor has tried to kill the Marquis on the Chongzhou battlefield.”

Grand Tutor Tao narrowed his aged eyes.

Their sharpness was undiminished.

“The Jinzhou case certainly involves Wei Yan.

“But there may be hidden circumstances that explain these contradictions.

“I will personally travel to the capital and meet him.

“Until I return, do not tell Jiuheng anything about the Meng family.”

After a pause, he added,

“The Li family has already uncovered quite a few things and will likely make their move soon.

“My daughter has been tempered enough.

“It’s time to let her earn some military merit on the battlefield.

“If the Li family disrupts everything and that foolish boy learns the truth ahead of time, at least she will have capable people around her.

“Then I won’t need to worry so much.”

For the first time, He Jingyuan felt as though a tangled knot of confusion had finally revealed a loose thread.

He immediately agreed.


—

Capital City.

After the morning court session, civil and military officials gradually filed out of the Golden Throne Hall.

The officials aligned with Wei Yan and those aligned with Grand Tutor Li naturally clustered around their respective leaders.

As Wei Yan descended the white jade steps, he happened to meet Grand Tutor Li approaching from the opposite side, separated only by the dragon-carved central staircase.

Both men were old foxes who had weathered decades of political struggles.

One radiated stern authority.

The other appeared approachable and affable.

After a brief exchange of glances, Grand Tutor Li greeted him first.

“Chancellor Wei.”

Thin and white-haired, Grand Tutor Li appeared much older than Wei Yan.

Yet unlike Grand Tutor Tao’s genuine openness, his friendliness created a sense of distance that prevented true intimacy.

Wei Yan merely raised a hand slightly.

“Grand Tutor Li.”

After controlling imperial authority for more than a decade, his presence rivaled that of an emperor.

Smiling, Grand Tutor Li said,

“On the northwestern front, the rebels have been divided and contained by Marquis Wu’an and General He.

“They no longer possess the strength to resist.

“His Majesty is greatly pleased.

“I imagine news of victory will reach the capital before long.

“Allow me to congratulate you in advance, Chancellor.”

Wei Yan’s expression remained unchanged.

“A matter of state. We may celebrate together.”

Their exchange ended there.

Regardless of public opinion or political circumstances, Wei Yan remained the foremost figure in Great Yin’s government.

He walked past Grand Tutor Li without hesitation.

His crimson official robes billowed in the wind as he calmly descended the next flight of white jade stairs.

No one dared object.

Only after he had gone far away did the officials behind Grand Tutor Li dare speak.

“Wei Yan is far too arrogant!

“The imperial family of Great Yin still bears the surname Qi!”

Grand Tutor Li cast a mild glance toward the speaker.

“Shouyi, mind your words.”

His voice was neither loud nor angry.

Yet it frightened the official enough that he immediately bowed.

“This subordinate misspoke…”

Grand Tutor Li said nothing further and continued walking away with the other officials.

Only then did the man wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.


—

Three generations of the Li family had served as officials.

Besides Grand Tutor Li and Li Huaian in the northwest, several of his sons also held positions in court.

The only son still remaining in the capital was his eldest, Li Yuanting—Li Huaian’s father.

Once father and son boarded their carriage home, Li Yuanting spoke first.

“Father, Marquis Wu’an abandoned the assault on Chongzhou and instead moved against Kang City.

“He likely realized we intended to claim the military merit of Chongzhou and deliberately withdrew.

“Yet during today’s court session, His Majesty still praised him repeatedly.

“From his words, it almost sounded as though he intends to marry the Grand Princess to him.

“Wei Yan hasn’t fallen yet, but His Majesty has already begun fearing our Li family.”

With his eyes closed, Grand Tutor Li asked,

“How is the Empress?”

Li Yuanting hesitated.

“Her Majesty… still hasn’t conceived.”

Grand Tutor Li had once been the emperor’s tutor.

Years earlier, the young emperor had married a thirteen-year-old daughter of the Li family in order to strengthen the Li faction against Wei Yan.

Yet after all these years, the Empress remained childless.

“What do the imperial physicians say?”

“They can’t find any illness.”

Grand Tutor Li opened his eyes.

“His Majesty has truly grown up.”

Li Yuanting looked puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

Grand Tutor Li looked at his son.

“Do you remember why Wei Yan selected His Majesty from among all the princes?”

After a moment’s thought, Li Yuanting’s expression suddenly changed.

“You mean… His Majesty is deliberately preventing the Empress from becoming pregnant?”

Wei Yan had chosen the current emperor because he lacked powerful maternal relatives.

To secure his throne, the young emperor had been forced to rely entirely on Wei Yan.

That dependence allowed Wei Yan to dominate imperial authority.

For more than ten years, the emperor had played the obedient student before Grand Tutor Li.

Now he was gradually revealing his claws.

Under the Li family’s support, their influence had become immense.

The emperor feared that after the Wei faction fell, the Li faction would simply replace it.

Therefore, he dared not allow the Empress to bear a child.

After all, he still had not fully reclaimed power.

If the Empress produced an heir and he later attempted to eliminate the Li family, they might strike first—just as Wei Yan once supported a compliant emperor.

Grand Tutor Li did not answer.

His silence was confirmation enough.

Li Yuanting’s face darkened.

“No wonder His Majesty wants to marry the Grand Princess to Marquis Wu’an.

“After Wei Yan falls, he intends to use the Marquis against our family.

“People speak of hunters discarding their hounds once the hunt is over.

“If this is how His Majesty treats us while Wei Yan still controls the court, what future will the Li family have after Wei Yan is gone?”

Grand Tutor Li simply said,

“Imperial hearts are difficult to predict.”

Li Yuanting grew anxious.

“Father, we must do something.

“How His Majesty treats Wei Yan today will be how he treats us tomorrow.”

Grand Tutor Li spoke leisurely.

“Is there not still another person with the strongest claim to the throne?”

Li Yuanting shuddered.

“You mean… the Imperial Grandson?”

Grand Tutor Li did not continue that topic.

Instead, he asked,

“What has Huaian discovered in Jizhou?”

Realizing the implications of their earlier discussion, Li Yuanting felt cold sweat creep across his back.

“Despite all these years, Wei Yan truly has a few capable subordinates.

“He Jingyuan governed Jizhou for more than a decade without any evidence of corruption.

“Huaian spent months investigating and only found something suspicious regarding a butcher’s family that Wei Yan sent numerous death squads to eliminate last year.”

Grand Tutor Li lifted an eyelid.

“Weren’t those assassins sent after Marquis Wu’an?”

Li Yuanting replied,

“Huaian uncovered military records from Jizhou.

“When Wei Yan sent the death squads, He Jingyuan also dispatched troops to the area.

“One side appeared to be trying to kill them. The other seemed to be trying to save them.

“Yet despite He Jingyuan’s actions, when Wei Xuan caused disaster while collecting grain in the northwest, He Jingyuan sent something back to Wei Yan by express courier.

“After receiving it, Wei Yan showed no intention of blaming him.”

Observing his father’s expression, he continued,

“The butcher and his wife were officially recorded as victims of bandits.

“But after capturing some of those bandits alive and interrogating them, they all insisted they had never killed the family.

“Huaian dug deeper and discovered that the butcher only arrived in Qingping County seventeen years ago.

“He brought with him a woman of unknown origin.

“Furthermore, the occupation he used was borrowed from a deceased escort.”

Grand Tutor Li said,

“In all of Jizhou, only He Jingyuan possessed the authority to falsify household registrations and official records.”

He looked at his son.

“You’re suggesting He Jingyuan concealed the butcher’s identity and protected the family all these years?”

“Exactly.”

Grand Tutor Li fell silent for a long time.

Seventeen years.

The number was far too sensitive.

So many things had happened seventeen years ago.

General Meng Shuyuan, a veteran under Xie Linshan, had violated orders during a grain transport mission by rescuing one hundred thousand trapped frontier civilians.

The delay had cost them the battle.

Crown Prince Chengde and Xie Linshan died defending Jinzhou.

Meng Shuyuan committed suicide and became a traitor condemned by history.

That same year, a fire destroyed the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Princess and Imperial Grandson supposedly perished in the flames.

Slowly, Grand Tutor Li asked,

“What do you think He Jingyuan delivered to Wei Yan?”

Li Yuanting was startled.

“Unfortunately, He Jingyuan was too cautious. Huaian couldn’t uncover anything further.”

Grand Tutor Li replied,

“If we cannot investigate it ourselves, then let someone who can investigate do it.”

Li Yuanting hesitated.

“You mean… report it to His Majesty?”

Grand Tutor Li nodded.

“Censor Zhao once said something quite correct.

“The empire of Great Yin still bears the surname Qi.”

The Censor Zhao he mentioned was the very official who had angrily criticized Wei Yan earlier.

Li Yuanting understood immediately.

The carriage had already stopped.

As he helped his father descend, servants and guards crowded the entrance.

They refrained from discussing state affairs until after entering the residence.

Then Li Yuanting said,

“With the emperor’s help, we can remove He Jingyuan and sever one of Wei Yan’s arms.

“But if we’re truly supporting the person in Chongzhou, and if the emperor marries the Grand Princess to Marquis Wu’an, gaining his support, the future situation could become extremely unfavorable for us.”

Grand Tutor Li lifted his eyelids slightly.

“Huaian mentioned a woman beside Marquis Wu’an, did he not?”

“Yes.

“The butcher’s daughter.

“When Huaian first encountered bandits in Jizhou, it was the Marquis’s personal cavalry disguised as Jizhou soldiers who rescued her.

“She is currently serving in the Jizhou army and has even become Grand Tutor Tao’s adopted daughter.

“The Marquis clearly values her greatly.”

Grand Tutor Li paused.

“Tao Yi, that old fellow?”

His pale eyes lowered thoughtfully.

After a moment, he said,

“Find a way to let the Grand Princess hear about it.”

Li Yuanting immediately agreed.

He understood the implication.

As Grand Tutor Tao’s adopted daughter, the woman was no longer ordinary.

Clearly, Marquis Wu’an intended her to be more than a mere concubine.

The proud Grand Princess would never tolerate such a situation.

The emperor hoped to secure an alliance through marriage.

Whether it would become an alliance—or a feud—remained to be seen.


—

Several days later, an impeachment memorial accusing He Jingyuan of falsifying official records and sheltering criminals was presented to the emperor.

He Jingyuan belonged to Wei Yan’s faction and was currently leading troops against the Chongzhou rebels.

Punishing him now would create complications.

The emperor therefore brought the matter before the court and asked the officials how it should be handled.

The ministers were miserable.

The accusers belonged to Grand Tutor Li’s faction.

The accused belonged to Wei Yan’s faction.

Even with a hundred lives, none of them wanted to become involved in such a deadly struggle.

As a result, the morning court session devolved into fierce arguments between the Li faction and the Wei faction.

In the end, the emperor cited the ongoing war and temporarily postponed the issue.

After court, Wei Yan and Grand Tutor Li once again met at the end of the white jade staircase.

Still smiling, Grand Tutor Li clasped his hands.

“I’ve grown old.

“My students have minds of their own these days.

“Please don’t take what happened in court to heart, Chancellor.”

The official who impeached He Jingyuan was one of Grand Tutor Li’s protégés.

This time, Wei Yan did not even return the courtesy.

His hawk-like eyes swept over the old man.

Without anger, his presence alone was intimidating.

“Grand Tutor Li is old indeed.

“Perhaps you should learn from Grand Tutor Tao.

“He knew when to retire gracefully.

“Even now, the officials and even His Majesty still speak well of him.”

The smile on Grand Tutor Li’s face faded slightly.

Only then did Wei Yan raise a hand.

“I shall take my leave.”

After he departed, Grand Tutor Li’s expression darkened considerably.


—

Inside his sedan chair, Wei Yan sat with his eyes closed.

His face was stern and solemn.

Grand Tutor Li’s move was intended to force the emperor into investigating He Jingyuan.

For now, the emperor had delayed the matter because of the war in Chongzhou.

But once the campaign ended, the emperor would undoubtedly reopen the case even without prompting from the Li family.

Seventeen years had passed.

The young emperor had finally grown wings and now sought to reclaim power.

Once He Jingyuan’s falsified records were exposed, the Jinzhou tragedy would inevitably be brought up again.

Meng Shuyuan had already been officially condemned as a traitor.

If his loyal followers were exposed for protecting his descendants, then the Jinzhou case—which Wei Yan had tried so hard to suppress—would likely be reopened.

After a long silence, he opened his hawk-like eyes.

“There’s no need to keep He Jingyuan alive.”

A dark shadow flashed away outside the sedan chair.