Novel The Great Game - The Young Master (Ch.308) [finished]

Ch162 delayed as I ponder the meaning of life.

 

One of my weaker efforts. Real life problems are causing me to doubt myself.

“Good morning, Sergeant-Major!”
--Sergeant Ernie Savage, ‘We Were Soldiers’

Chapter 162 – Forging

When Huang Ming arrived at Beihai and observed for himself the state of affairs in the important fortress city, he came to the conclusion that there were three major problems:


Firstly, the soldiers. Fifteen thousand soldiers were simply too few to simultaneously garrison the city, patrol the border with Jin and also maintain a mobile force that was capable of sortieing to meet an incoming threat. In Tianxin City his father maintained a force of thirty thousand soldiers at all times, and that was in addition to the formidable Tigertrap Fort and a narrow strip of very defensible terrain. Beihai on the other hand was like an island in a sea of snow and grass plains, it stood out like a sore thumb.


Secondly, the city itself was stagnating. It was barely generating enough income and supplies to sustain itself, and there was an emerging dependence on sourcing food and material from other friendly cities.


Thirdly, the Jins themselves. They were like an invisible threat; one could almost feel the predatory eyes of the fierce Jins looking ever southwards. News and rumours of their incredible growth in recent years have fuelled speculation and fears of an invasion of Wu, with Beihai being the first target.


All of these resulted in bleak atmosphere that hung over Beihai like a dark cloud. The transfer of its former commander General Yin Yanzhao only compounded the gloomy air; it was as if even the celebrated figure too had thrown in the towel and beat an honourable retreat in order to preserve his family’s illustrious reputation.


Huang Ming quickly wrote several letters. There was a brief but terse report to the King of Wu to inform him of the situation, but he refrained from being scathing of General Yin’s previous administration. General Yin was now the king’s confidant, there was no point in antagonizing him yet when Huang Ming himself was so far away.


Besides, the king sent him to solve problems, not to create more. Thus Huang Ming felt it would be pointless to sit and wait the king to take action.


Next were more letters to his friends and relatives.


Lei Yan the Dancing Abacaus and He Ding the Odd Brush have changed from the frivolous young men that Huang Ming remembered in Tianxin City. The duo were now very respectable and capable officers for General Huang Zheng and Governor Cao Yuan.


When Huang Ming’s letter arrived, they wasted no time to cast the net far and wide. With Lei Yan’s miraculous calculations and He Ding’s elegant prose, they succeeded in persuading other provinces of the kingdom to send whatever they can spare to Beihai.


Soon caravans of supply transports began to stream into Beihai, followed by enterprising merchants who brought an infectious wave of optimism with them. The city was bustling once more as it shook away the cobwebs of a sluggish slumber.


As for the soldiers… the brawl between the Black Bears and the White Wolves became the stuff of legends among the younger troops. Even more talked about was how Huang Ming had nonchalantly told General Li Jing that “it was just some fun and games”.


Somehow the mass brawl between the veteran units inspired an almost tribal fervour among the younger recruits. It was like first time spectators in a sports stadium suddenly becoming overwhelmed by the roaring atmosphere all around them, and instantly converted into devoted fans themselves.


When Huang Ming was given oversight of the two units, the veterans initially shuddered as they thought they were in the hands of a mere scholar that they had offended.


But Huang Ming completely ignored the fact that he had been struck in that free-for-all. He only told them to clean up the training ground and report for duty as usual the next day.


The Black Bears and White Wolves were stunned. Happy, but puzzled by the lack of an immediate punitive measure. Where were the threats of extra hours of duty? Pay cuts? Food rationing? All the usual but ineffective penalties that the veterans had experienced before and unafraid of?


The soldiers had feared an immediate repercussion for their faults and thus were left even more perplexed when the next day began as normal. Not wanting to give their new commander any excuse to persecute them, the Black Bears and White Wolves turned up with their uniforms cleaned and their weapons polished. Some sported bandages as a result of the great fight, but they still presented themselves as if they were preparing for a parade; standing with their spines straight and their eyes forward during the morning assembly.


A picture of perfectly disciplined troops, yet there was an air of cynicism all around them.


Come on, prove us right! You’re just a scholar, what do you think you can do to frighten us soldiers?


But Huang Ming merely went on as if it was normal. He calmly introduced himself to the grizzled, thuggish veteran soldiers; some of whom were as old enough as his father.


“I am Huang Ming of Tianxin, and from this day forth you shall answer to me,” Huang Ming said very simply and calmly.


After that was the usual announcements of the week’s duty roster and other routine minutia being read by a herald. The Black Bears and White Wolves felt their backs ache as the herald droned on, dreading the moment their punishment was to be announced.


“...and that is all. Dismissed!” the herald shouted.


The leader of the White Wolves, the one who had dragged Huang Ming into gambling; was the most relieved. He was also the most baffled, and he could not understand why they were not punished for their blatant transgressions. Did the new commander perhaps want to keep them constantly on their toes and drop the hammer when they least expected it? How vicious! Better to take the pain now than to be kept waiting!


He jutted his chin proudly and growled, “Sir! We are ready to be punished as you see fit!”


Huang Ming tilted his head quizzically at him. “Punished? For what?” he asked mildly.


The White Wolf leader’s eyes narrowed. Aha! This young scholar wanted to humiliate them by forcing him to admit that they were gambling.


How naive! We are hardened men who have been soldiering long before you had grown hair down there, did you think we would be ashamed to admit what we have done?


“Sir! For the fighting yesterday, sir! And the gambling!” the White Wolf shouted daringly.


“Ah,” Huang Ming nodded. Then he smiled slyly and replied, “But I was gambling too.”


The scarred White Wolf blinked, not initially registering what he had just heard. Did the scholar just throw his lot in with them?


“But thank you for reminding me. As I recall, we won the bet. Where’s my cut?” Huang Ming asked.


The grizzled soldier stared back at him, flabbergasted.


Seeing Huang Ming’s conspiratorial grin caused the heavily scarred soldier to laugh loudly in return. It was infectious, and soon the men of the White Wolves and Black Bears were swept up in the hilarity. The younger soldiers and those who did not witness the fracas were confused. Later their older brethren would enlighten them about the incident, with each retelling becoming more exaggerated and embellished.


“You are all experienced soldiers, what have you not seen or done?” Huang Ming asked, voicing their earlier thoughts. “You have been bathed by the rain and combed by the winds, you men know how to play hard. I only ask that you also work hard and lead by example.”


Huang Ming then outlined a reform of the troops. Instead of putting all the veterans into just two elite units, they were to split up and take groups of younger soldiers under their charge.


In effect, each of the White Wolves and Black Bears were suddenly promoted into leaders of men. They were now responsible for leading and teaching the younger soldiers below them.


“Imagine this. Arrows flying through the air, mud in your shoes and smoke in your eyes! The battle just shifted, and you don’t know what happened. You cannot see your general, you cannot find your friends in the midst of battle. What do you do?” Huang Ming asked one of the newer recruits.


“Uh…” the young soldier stammered. Huang Ming hit him with a stabbing motion into his chest.


“Too late! An enemy spear had just went through your lungs! You’re dead!” Huang Ming informed him. He then whirled on his feet to face another recruit.


“You! What do you do?” he repeated the question, only to be met by the same hesitation. This time Huang Ming responded by lightly chopping the man’s neck with a palm.


“Too late! An enemy sword had just cut off your head! You’re dead!”


“Too late! An arrow just hit you in the eye! You’re dead!”


The young recruits were frightened, they could almost see themselves in the situation Huang Ming had described. The way the older veterans nodded grimly as Huang Ming spoke only added weight to his descriptions.


Then Huang Ming said gravely to the veterans:


“When your terms of service have ended, there must be others to take your place. Do not let your years of expertise be wasted, you must teach the younger men what you know! They will be ones fighting and dying long after you have gone!”


The veterans nodded. They puffed out their chests and squared their shoulders, their eyes gleaming with a sense of renewed purpose.


This time, there were nothing cynical about the way they stood.

He lionized the old,
And found use for rusted iron.
They are not to be sold,
For they are worth more than gold.​

 

Rough.

****
“But our most dangerous enemies are the ones we never knew we had.”
--Gossip Girl

Chapter 163 – Busybodies

There was a gentle knock on the door and Zhao Sunli paused from reading the extremely long letter that Huang Ming had wrote her. It was very detailed, worrying at some parts, entertaining at others. The knock on the door was a welcome signal for a break, and Sunli meticulously folded and kept the letter to be finished later.


She raised her head and tilted it from side to side to loosen up. A stranger would be alarmed at seeing and hearing the cricks and pops from her neck as she did so.


Perhaps they might be even more shocked to see the the tanned, athletic woman known as the War Goddess had been deeply immersed in reading. After all, she was more known for her martial prowess rather than literary skill.


Little did they know that she truly enjoyed reading. Only a select few knew of her hobby, and one of them happened to her newly arrived guest.


“I would have thought you have finished reading everything by now, did something in particular caught your fancy?” Lin Hua asked slyly. The young and beautiful heiress of the Hall of Treasures and Antiquities had moved from Tianxin City to settle in the capital. After Huang Ming’s presentation of the music box to the King of Wu, the hall’s fame rose rapidly. Her gamble had paid off handsomely, and it gave her the opportunity and resources to establish her own roots.


She had her own reasons to come to the capital, foremost among them was to be able to freely indulge in her own literary interests. Lin Hua was pleasantly surprised that Sunli had remained in the capital, and the two quickly became reacquainted, often sharing meals and spending time discussing this or that novel pairing.


Sunli was especially glad for her friendship. Sunli’s fame meant she could not easily purchase the special books that she enjoyed. Lin Hua’s arrival meant a steady source of reading material and a companion to discuss and share opinions with.


“I have a lot of free time,” Sunli said brusquely.


Lin Hua arched a pretty eyebrow. “No extra drills at the training ground today?”


“They are getting better. They learn fast,” Sunli admitted.


“Or are you avoiding General Yin?” Lin Hua asked, and Sunli glared back at her in warning.


Lin Hua was referring to the fact that Sunli was now the ‘guest instructor’ for the Imperial Guards. Those who knew the War Goddess personally, Lin Hua included; thought that she would follow Huang Ming to Beihai, but instead Sunli opted to remain in the capital for unknown reasons.


In any event, none was more delighted with her decision to stay in the capital than General Yin Yanzhao, the new commander of the King’s Imperial Guard.


Under the insidious influence of the former Marshal Gao Fang and then Commander Wang Hong, the Imperial Guard had devolved into a shadow of its former illustrious self. General Yin’s first order of business was to clear out the undesirable and lacking among the guardsmen. As a result, their numbers were severely diminished. The rot was deep and entrenched, but the general decisively chopped it off. What few guards remained were bolstered by new and eager men, hand-picked by General Yin himself.


This gave General Yin the excuse to seek out Sunli often, to get her take a formal post within the Imperial Guard. The War Goddess was reluctant as it was unheard of for a woman to be recruited into the guard. A few of the guards chafed at the suggestion, and one of them made the mistake of making a snide remark that entered Sunli’s ears.


“Say that again?” Sunli had demanded.


“I said you’re better off as a bed warmer. I want to see what you’ve got,” the oaf leered. He towered head and shoulders over her, and he was rightfully proud of his physical strength. He behaved as if the very thought of being subordinate to this female turned his stomach.


Unfortunately for him, he then suffered a very real physical reaction, for Sunli had buried her fist into his stomach. The big man keeled over and fell onto his knees as half-digested food came spewing out.


As he coughed and heaved, Sunli bent over to grown in his ear menacingly, “This is what I’ve got.”


Such an incident did not escape the attention of General Yin. The brutish oaf was drummed out of the guard, never to appear again. Sunli herself was cordially ‘invited’ to explain the situation.


“He had it coming,” Sunli said curtly.


“Even so, you assaulted a member of the Imperial Guard,” General Yin said sternly. “It would not do for word of this to get out, just when I am trying to rebuild the guard. It will destroy what little credibility they have left.”


Sunli sighed.


“I know you still have some doubts about joining the guard proper, but I can use your expertise in training them as a guest instructor. They need someone like you, someone with actual combat experience,” General Yin said.


What else could she do but to accept?


For the weeks following the incident, General Yin and Sunli mercilessly drilled the Imperial Guard in true soldiery, putting fear and respect back into the Imperial Guard.


It meant General Yin and Sunli worked closely and even though their relationship was purely professional, rumours were bound to erupt. Even the Imperial Guards were whispering and joking about their unofficial “big sister-in-law”.


It was undeniable that the two looked good together. General Yin was embarrassed and Sunli ruthlessly punished the guards who dared to spread such gossip, yet as the saying goes, what was told to the ear of one man could often be heard a hundred miles away.


Even Lin Hua couldn’t resist teasing Sunli about it. If she knew that Sunli was in fact engaged to Huang Ming, Lin Hua would not have joked about it. But the engagement was never truly publicized, and it was made all the more awkward when Qiong Ying followed Huang Ming to Beihai.


The engagement bore heavily on Sunli. One might say that it was a key reason for her to remain in the capital instead of going to Beihai.


“What don’t you like about General Yin? Are you finding it difficult to talk to him?” Lin Hua asked mischievously, oblivious to the truth about Sunli’s engagement.


“Stop it,” Sunli growled.


Lin Hua smiled broadly. “Well, maybe this can help. I have a present for you,” she said.

Misguided good intention,
Sowing dissension.​

 

No chapter tonight. RIP Kim Joohyuk (https://www.allkpop.com/article/201...en-passing-and-cancels-various-planned-events), he used to star in 1 Night 2 Days (1N2D) and got me interested to watching more Korean variety shows.

 

Still stunned by Kim Joohyuk's passing...
---

“Luckily, the fact is that just like the rest of us, even a beautiful woman doesn't know what she wants until she sees it, and that's where I come in.”
--Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, ‘Hitch’ (2005)

Chapter 164 – The scheming ‘matchmaker’

“Present?” Sunli asked and the frown vanished from her face. She had already exhausted the special books from Lin Hua’s last visit, and the heiress of the Hall of Treasures and Antiquities could not help but laughed at Sunli’s eagerness.


“So you really did finished reading everything!” she teased, causing the tanned woman to blush.


“I have a lot of free time,” Sunli reminded her with a growl.


“Well, I’ll bring more next time. There are new releases from this and that author, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them,” Lin Hua said.


The frown returned to Sunli’s face. “Next time? Then, what did you bring me today?”


Lin Hua led Sunli to the hall, where a long wooden case was resting on the table.


“Open it,” Lin Hua urged. Sunli gave her friend an arched eyebrow, but obliged.


“It is a sword,” Sunli said mechanically. But her brow rose even higher as she felt it was vaguely familiar.


“An antique sword. I had it refurbished, I want to hear a military person’s opinion about it,” Lin Hua explained.


Sunli picked up the sword.


It was an infantry man’s sword, dual-edged and the length of an outstretched arm. It was reinforced with a spine that ran down the length of the polished blade, the hilt and guard were functional and lacked any ostentatious furnishings. Other than the greenish sheen of the blade, there was nothing too spectacular about it.


Sunli lifted the weapon and slashed the air several times to test its weight and balance, nodding in satisfaction at each movement. The sword whistled with every swing, one could almost hear a dull hum as it cut through the air.


After some sword exercises, she then placed it back into the box.


“Well? What do you think?” Lin Hua asked.


“It’s a sword. Well balanced and functional,” Sunli answered very factually.


Lin Hua’s forehead creased prettily. “But is there nothing special about it?” she asked.


“The hilt is very new,” Sunli replied blandly.


“That’s the refurbished part, the craftsman kept everything simple,” Lin Hua said.


“Then your artisan has done well to keep the details to a minimum. This is a battlefield weapon, not something to be hung on the wall as decoration,” Sunli commented.


“Enough about the hilt already! The blade, what about the blade!” Lin Hua said impatiently.


Sunli shrugged. “I am not a sword expert, but it seems very sharp and deadly. Though, I do not recognize the green tint on the blade.”


Lin Hua clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s the thing! We don’t know what the green shade on the blade is. Wait one moment…” she trailed off.


Sunli tilted her head quizzically as Lin Hua approached her.


“Hold still,” Lin Hua said and reached out with a gentle hand, as if she was going to brush aside some dirt or insect from Sunli’s head.


Thus, Sunli was very unpleasantly tweaked when Lin Hua suddenly plucked a strand of her hair.


“Ouch! What are you doing!” Sunli demanded angrily.


“Hush. Watch this,” Lin Hua said. She placed the hair across the edge of the sword and blew lightly.


The hair was cut in twain with the gentlest of breeze.


“That is… that is amazing,” Sunli admitted, her eyes widening with new-found appreciation.


“We did not even need to sharpen it, despite the years of neglect. We have tested the blade, it can cut through armour with ease,” Lin Hua told her with pride.


Sunli glared at her resentfully. “There was no need to use my hair, was there?” she asked through gritted teeth.


“Teehee,” Lin Hua grinned and stuck out a tongue, but Sunli was not having any of it.


A yelp of pain later, the experiment was conducted once more; this time with a strand of Lin Hua’s hair. The result was the same, it simply snapped when Sunli blew it across the sword’s edge.


“A very fine blade indeed,” Sunli praised.


Lin Hua was still rubbing her sore scalp. “I had hoped you would know more about it, we could make a fortune with the metallurgy,” she grumbled.


Sunli was mystified. “Why would I?”


“You don’t recognize it? A famous green blade, capable of even splitting stone and killing a man without spilling blood?” Lin Hua persisted.


“The army has no time for such fanciful stories,” Sunli told her flatly.


“Yet, you found time to read all those danmei novels,” Lin Hua muttered.


Sunli raised a fist threateningly.


Lin Hua hastily changed tack. “You have seen this sword before,” she said.


Sunli was astonished. “I did? When?”


“This is the Jade Dragon Sword,” Lin Hua announced proudly. “You saw it in Tianxin City together with Huang Ming.”


“This is that same rusted piece of junk?” Sunli asked, astounded. She took a closer look at the sword.


“We only needed to polish the rust off and gave it a new handle. Some soldier you are, you cannot even recognize a weapon that you have seen before,” Lin Hua said airily.


“Soldiers are trained to maintain their equipment, I am not experienced with rust,” Sunli informed her stiffly. “Besides, it was so long ago…” she added, frowning as she remembered that day in Tianxin City.


Lin Hua waited with a smug smile on her face.


“Then this sword belongs to…” Sunli said slowly.


“Belongs to General Yin’s father,” Lin Hua finished. “It is a Yin family heirloom, though I do not know why and how it ended up in my Hall of Treasures and Antiquities.”


Sunli merely said: “I see.”


“What do you mean, ‘I see’?” Lin Hua demanded. “It’s your chance to get to know the general better! It is the perfect ice breaker!”


“What in the world makes you think I want to get to know the general better?” Sunli asked frostily.


Lin Hua rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you interested in the Commander of the Imperial Guard at all?”


“About his professional career and accumulated military experience, yes. That is all,” Sunli replied.


Lin Hua sighed. “I do not understand you at all. Are you made of stone? Or you have someone else in your heart?”


Sunli kept her mouth shut and put on a stoic face.


But Lin Hua saw the flicker in her eyes. “I am right, aren’t I? You do have somebody!” she exclaimed triumphantly. “Who is it? Wait, could it be-”


“Fine, I will take the sword to the general!” Sunli interrupted.


“Be sure to ask about the green stuff in the blade!” Lin Hua said gleefully, revealing her true objective.

An odd sword,
Worthily restored.
A friend being meddlesome,
So very troublesome. ​

 

“The night is darkest just before the dawn.”
--Harvey Dent, ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Chapter 165 – Jaded Dragon

“Ms. Zhao, is there something wrong?” General Yin Yanzhao asked politely. There was a hint of formality in his tone, as if he was anticipating yet another a no-nonsense meeting with the War Goddess.


Sunli shook her head. “No, this is something unofficial.”


General Yin’s handsome features brightened. “Oh? Well, that is an unexpected pleasure.”


Sunli tilted her head quizzically.


General Yin gave her a wry smile. “We only meet if something regarding the Imperial Guard. You declined my every offer of a meal or an outing, it seemed that you are avoiding me unless it was absolutely necessary,” he said self-depreciatingly.


“Um. I had things to do,” Sunli fibbed.


“So you say, every single time,” General Yin said lightly and waited as Sunli stood stiffly before him. He allowed her to stew under his gaze for a few moments, but sighed when he saw the Amazon’s face was stoic like stone.


“Well, what can I do for you?” General Yin asked, defusing the awkward atmosphere.


Whereupon Sunli placed on his table the wooden case from Lin Hua.


“What is this?”


“It is a present, sir,” Sunli told him, using Lin Hua’s precise words.


General Yin’s brows rose, and he quietly opened the box. The look of anticipation gave way to one of shock when he saw the greenish sword within it.


“The Jade Dragon Sword…” he whispered, his voice cracking.


“I was told that this belonged to your family,” Sunli said.


“Indeed, this belonged to my father. And his father before him,” he said softly. He looked up at Sunli, his eyes shaking with emotion. “How did you come by this?”


“A friend of mine gave it to me,” Sunli said as she erased the image of Lin Hua’s mischievous smile from her mind.


“A friend ‘gave’ it to you?” General Yin repeated in disbelief. “I never thought I would see this sword again…”


“You said it belonged to your father?” Sunli asked.


“Misfortunes of war,” General Yin chuckled humourlessly. “You know the circumstances of my father?”


“The Great General Yin Yanxi,” Sunli replied. “My father often spoke of him, though they have never met. He grieved when Great General Yin passed away.”


Yin Yanzhao smiled wistfully. “People of their age tend to keep tabs on each other.”


“We only heard the official reports, that the Great General died while surrounded by overwhelming odds,” Sunli said.


Yin Yanzhao’s expression turned dark. “Yes, that is true,” he said. “He sortied out of Beihai after reports of a Jin incursion. The governor of Beihai was worried and ordered him to investigate. He never returned.”


He sighed heavily. “I still remember the last time I saw him. My wife was ill that day, but I wanted to follow him. He told me to stay home with my wife and assist the governor to guard the city.”


“What happened?”


“It was a trap by an overly ambitious Jin warlord. He wanted to score some merit and make a name out of himself, and so conjured this ruse. He challenged my father to a duel, and my father was winning until the warlord’s men shot him in the back,” Yin Yanzhao narrated.


“I am sorry,” Sunli murmured.


Yin Yanzhao shook his head. “It is all in the past. So much had happened that year, I have become numb to it.”


Sunli kept quiet. She knew what happened that year: the governor of Beihai died in an accident, Yin Yanzhao’s wife passed away and Yin Yanzhao himself had fallen into a stupor, drinking himself senseless and sometimes disappearing for weeks at an end.


For a time Beihai was in confusion. Only an unusually severe winter that year stopped the Jins from actually invading. It also cut Beihai from the rest of Wu, and the city had to fend for itself.


But after a period of mourning, Yin Yanzhao returned like a new man. By the time the King of Wu heard what had happened, Yin Yanzhao had taken charge of both civil and military administration of Beihai and did his job so well that he was appointed as the sole authority of the city instead of the usual separate governor-and-general dynamic.


The tragedy of his father Yin Yanxi left a siege mentality in Beihai, and Yin Yanzhao took upon himself to shoulder all the responsibility. Yin Yanzhao established himself as the bulwark of the north, fighting off the sporadic Jin raids and ensuring the safety of Beihai. All decisions, big or small; were ultimately decided by him, earning him much praise from the people.


All of which contributed to the shock and disbelief that rose when Yin Yanzhao uprooted himself away from Beihai to be the new Commander of the Imperial Guard in the capital city.


Sunli wondered if she should ask him about it. Her eyes quietly studied General Yin who was running his fingers along the Jade Dragon Sword, almost in a daze.


“You said this is a present, but… this gift is too heavy,” General Yin said as he closed the box.


“It is your family heirloom, sir,” Sunli pointed out.


But General Yin still refused. “It brings back too many unpleasant memories. Your friend found it and gave it to you, you should keep it.”


“I prefer spears, sir,” Sunli said blandly.


General Yin blinked at her. Then he laughed. “Very well, I accept. But tell me, how did your friend find it?”


Sunli shrugged. “My friend is a broker who deals often with travelling merchants. Actually, my friend wanted to know about the green material in the sword. Do you know what it is?”


General Yin laughed. “Of course. My father told me all about it.”


Sunli waited for the general to say more. But after several heartbeats, it was evident that the general was keeping mum.


“Well, what is it?” she asked.


General Yin wagged a finger in reproach. “It took you so long to seek me out for personal reasons, and even then you brought nothing but bad memories with you,” he said, a benign smile taking the sting out of his words.


Sunli frowned. “My friend would be more than happy to compensate you for the information…”


“That is another matter. What about you?” he teased.


“That is why I said you should keep the sword…” Sunli muttered.


The general pretended not to have heard her. He sighed and shook his head soulfully as if distressed and stricken.


“I am hungry. I can tell you all about the sword after some food,” he said.


Sunli narrowed her eyes. “I’ll buy something. What would you like to eat?”


The general hemmed and hawed. “I can’t decide. I will know once we get there,” he said, his eyes gleaming mischievously. It reminded Sunli of the look that was on Lin Hua’s face earlier.


General Yin then became solemn. “If it is really too much to ask, then it is fine. I’m too old to beg for a simple dinner together.”


Sunli exhaled. “No, sir. Not at all,” she said.


“Excellent!” the general said and rubbed his palms. “I know a place, you will love the food…”


“Whatever you decide, sir,” Sunli said numbly.


She could not help but feel defeated.

The general was persistent,
And played on her conscience.​

 

I'm beginning to really dislike general Yin. Thanks for the chapters

 

“Let's hope this elevates their thinking.”
--Brigadier General Francis Xavier Hummel, ‘The Rock’ (1996)

Chapter 166 – The coming light

Qiong Ying blinked and suddenly realized it was the crack of dawn. The little candle light on her desk flickered, struggling valiantly to remain relevant in spite of the approaching morning.


She snuffed out the candle and sighed as she stood up to stretch and ease the knots in her body, having bent over the desk reading letters and reports the previous night. Fortunately there was no one around to hear her breathy moan as she revelled in the minor exercise.


Unfortunately it also meant that she was alone in the room.


Qiong Ying glanced resentfully at the empty bed, irked that the person who usually share it with her was missing.


She trudged over to the window and opened it to take in the fresh morning air, standing on tiptoes as she did so. Her room was in the pagoda-like official residence and thus there was no danger of her identity being exposed.


Qiong Ying then proceeded to do a set of very modern light workout as taught to her by Huang Ming. Obviously there was no way for her to know it was known as radio exercise on Earth. At first she was skeptical of the comical and repetitive moves, but over time she found herself much more limber and energized throughout the day and thus kept to the regimen religiously.


The dawn had given way to morning when she was done. Qiong Ying exhaled into her hands and rubbed them together, feeling the warmth that was now permeating through her body after the exercise.


Her emerald green eyes scanned the cityscape of Beihai below her. Unlike the stagnate atmosphere that she had discovered when she first arrived, Beihai was now much more lively. Already shops and street merchants were beginning their day of business.


As a result of direct investment and influx of trade, the city was rising out of its stupor. For too long the rest of the Kingdom of Wu had all but taken the fortress city of Beihai for granted. It was simply assumed that the heroic city which had withstood numerous trials and tribulations throughout history was self-sufficient and stood aloof proudly without complaint.


Only the very public efforts and letter campaign instigated by Huang Ming and his friends revealed the truth, that the shining city that was the first line of defence against Wu was actually battered and tired. Just like how Tianxin City inspired a wave of patriotic fervour before the ill-fated campaign in Wei, Beihai now was the focus of aid and the topic of discussion throughout the country.


It also meant a fresh faced young blood flooding into the city, eager to contribute. Not as many were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and serve as soldiers, but the surrounding countryside had men (and women!) more than willing to help out in any way they can.


Including Qiong Ying. As Huang Ming became the public face of city, she in turn worked from the shadows. Using her disguise and charisma, she quickly established a network of information gatherers, linking up with her agents in various cities. Essentially, she had transferred her headquarters from the Lichun Brothel to a new office in Beihai. Madam Xu took charge of Tianxin City while Little Yin was in the capital to keep tabs for her.


Just as she had promised the Huangs, she was gathering information and secrets from the length and breadth of the continent, filtering and feeding them to Huang Ming.


Qiong Ying then cast her eyes outward towards the horizon, where she knew Huang Ming was. Her fiancé informed her of his intentions to patrol outside the city, and despite his assurances she could not help but feel slightly worried.


The growing vibrancy and resurgence of Beihai had sparked rumours of covetous Jin intentions once more. The Jins had always eyed southward and Beihai was like an enormous stumbling block in its way. Surely they will not stand idly by as the city regains its strength. Surely her sister would make a move soon…


The sombre reminder brought a determined frown on Qiong Ying’s face. She took one last look at the horizon before heading back to her desk and the pile of documents. Huang Ming was already hard at work, and she too must do her part.


***


Huang Ming yawned widely, eliciting a chuckle from his personal guards. They had ridden out of the city for a few hours, but Huang Ming suddenly decided to go on foot for the final leg. They were approaching a small and lonesome hill that stood out in the vast steppes.


“Tired, sir?” one of them asked.


“I was up all night,” Huang Ming said with a straight face.


The guards grinned and elbowed each other knowingly.


“Had fun last night, sir?” the grizzled and scarred leader of the White Wolves asked mischievously. He was now Huang Ming’s chief of security.


“Fun? I was busy with the paperwork generated by you lot,” Huang Ming growled.


The soldiers were not convinced. They had heard whispers of their superior’s lascivious past, and there were rumours about how he was keeping a beautiful creature in his official residence, an enchanting personage that was said to be able to stun the birds into falling from the sky and sink the fishes in the rivers.


The stories were further muddied by the fact that no one knew for sure whether Huang Ming’s paramour was a woman or a man. The group that had escorted Huang Ming to Beihai were extremely tight-lipped and elusive. Huang Ming’s approachability and general friendliness meant the gossip were allowed to circulate, and the guards freely joked and teased him about it.


“Yes, I’m sure you’re practising your penmanship, sir,” the veteran smirked.


“Dipping into the ink well again, eh?”


“I’m sure he has a firm grip.”


And so on.


Huang Ming endured their teasing, it was harmless fun and reminded him of the crude jokes and banter between fellow soldiers across different times and places. It was reassuring to know that some things never change.


The little patrol fell silent on its own as they neared the hill. From afar there was nothing visibly special about the insignificant little outcrop, but when they got close enough they could see obviously man-made mounds dotting the small hill.


It was a small graveyard. The wooden markers had rotted long ago, and the mounds themselves were covered in grass.


“Is this it?” Huang Ming asked softly.


His minders nodded gloomily.


“Yes sir. The graves of General Yin’s family.”

Early morn, the crack of dawn,
Visited the resting place of the gone.​

 

Very rough a couple of weeks, ugh.

***

“ I knew I could count on you.”
--Ava Lord, ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’

Chapter 167 – A worn woman


The wind picked up, whipping the sea of grass all around them. The soldiers shivered and pulled their cloaks closer. When Huang Ming strolled closer to the grave mounds, the soldiers paused and wondered if they should stop him. It seemed almost sacrilegious as the young man silently circled around each grave and examined this or that detail.


They did not understand his interest in such a morbid subject. Though the graves were the final resting place of the revered Yin Clan, they were unremarkable in any way.


“Why are they buried out here?” a younger soldier asked.


“This was the spot where their ancestor fell, many decades ago,” the oldest of the soldiers replied solemnly. “Ever since then, their family made it a point to bury their dead here, a sign of defiance against the Jins.”


The soldier looked back towards the direction of Beihai, its walls barely visible in the distance.


“They say this is also the furthest extent of Wu’s reach, the line in the sand, so to speak,” the grizzled veteran continued. “In a way, even in death, the Yins will be the first to see the Jins coming to Beihai.”


The rest of the soldiers nodded in admiration.


Huang Ming admitted it was a stirring story. But he noted the obvious signs of decay and neglect that he observed as he climbed the little hill.


The headstones which were small to begin with had worn down to mere nubs, leaving incomplete labels and words; their true names lost to history. Overgrown grass and weed covered the mounds, and only their shapes gave an inkling as to their identity as graves.


“No one is taking care of them?” Huang Ming asked softly as he reached the pinnacle of the little hill.


“There is no one left,” the veteran reminded him. “General Yin is the last of the line, and… he’s not here,” he said, struggling to keep the neutrality in his voice. Like so many other who had fought and bled for the general in the defence of Beihai, he was still in disbelief over Yin Yanzhao’s decision to transfer to the capital and abandon all that his clan had stood for.


“Then, who is living in that?” Huang Ming asked as he pointed down to a wooden shack on the other side of hill, facing away from Beihai.


They made their way down to the shack. There were evidence that it was still in use, with its small garden of vegetables beside it and the rags hung out to be dried.


Just as they began to surround the shack, the door swung open. A young woman dressed in peasant clothing appeared, carrying a woven basket.


Upon seeing the heavily armed soldiers, the woman dropped her basket in shock. But instead of screaming in fear, she turned and quickly ran back into the shack, only to re-emerge with a crude spear and brandishing it angrily at them. The soldiers immediately unsheathed their weapons in response, but Huang Ming stopped them from rushing at her.


There were still hints of the woman’s former beauty underneath her current haggard appearance. But now she was the very picture of poverty: thin to the point of being bony, her complexion was pale and sallow, her skin rough and her hair frayed, her clothing tattered and patched.


“Who are you?” Huang Ming asked.


“Who are you?” the woman snarled back, pointing her wooden spear at him.


“Stop waving that around, before someone gets hurt,” Huang Ming said mildly.


“I am not afraid!” the woman hissed.


“But I am,” Huang Ming chuckled. “Let’s all calm down,” he said and gestured at his men. They reluctantly lowered their weapons, and the woman warily followed suit.


She stared at them cautiously. “You are from Beihai?” she asked.


“Yes, we are,” Huang Ming told her.


The woman almost collapsed with relief, propping up the spear almost as a crutch to stop herself from falling.


“Is… is General Yin well?” she asked with tears welling up in her eyes.


The rough and burly men looked at each other, unsure of what to tell the emotional woman.


Finally someone said, “General Yin has been promoted and transferred. This young lord before you is the new administrator of Beihai.”


“Transferred… The new administrator…?” the woman muttered, eyeing at Huang Ming in shock.


“Yes, I am,” he said simply, although it was inaccurate.


He was in Beihai just as a ‘supervisor’, while General Li Jing was the officially appointed man in charge. But there was no sense in disputing in the semantics: the men have rightfully attributed Beihai’s resurgence to him. General Li Jing himself was more than happy to defer the major decisions to him so that he had more time to chew srih leaves and conduct actual military operations like training and patrolling.


“Who are you, and what are you doing out here?” Huang Ming asked again.


The young woman wiped away her tears and curtsied in obeisance.


She narrated: “I am the maid of General Yin Yanzhao’s wife. When the lady… when the lady passed away… the general drowned his grief in the drink… In his drunken rage, he banished me out of the house…”


“I have heard of that,” Huang Ming said. “But later, he pulled himself back together, didn’t he? Why didn’t you go back? Did he not forgive you?”


“He did… he did!” the woman lamented. Then she hung her head.


“Because I was in the wrong... I was young and foolish… I was cleaning the lady’s belongings and the general caught me trying on her jewellery. The general was right to banish me,” she sobbed, eliciting sighs of sympathy from the soldiers around her.


“And so you remained out here on your own? Out of guilt?” Huang Ming frowned.


“The general did ask me to return. Many times… But I am too ashamed to do so,” the young woman heaved.


“Well, things have changed. General Yin is now based in the capital. There is no reason for you to stay here any longer,” Huang Ming told her.


The woman wavered. “But… but…”


“Don’t you have friends or family in Beihai waiting for you?” Huang Ming asked.


The woman’s shoulders slumped. “There is no one left. I have nowhere to go…”


“Then you can work for me. You have suffered enough,” Huang Ming said soothingly. He stretched out a hand invitingly.


Once more the woman was reduced to tears. She dropped her wooden spear and grasped Huang Ming’s offered hand and cried.


Huang Ming gently stroked her hands as the tears flowed freely.


Some of the veterans and hard-hearted soldiers shed tears of their own at the sight.


But if they had paid attention to Huang Ming’s face, they would have found that his own eyes were cold and hard.

She was a damsel in distress,
But he was clear headed to assess.​

 

I hate flu.
---

“Oh darling, when you smile, that's what I live for. When you smile. ”
--Eleanor Prentiss Shaw, ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (2004)

Chapter 168 – The basis of treachery

Beads of sweat rolled off Nangong Xie’s face as he struggled to climb out of his wooden wheelchair. He hissed at the sharp pain that shot up his crippled leg. Eventually he managed to stand upright, gingerly balancing himself on his other leg to alleviate the pressure.


It was just a whim, an impulse that he decided to stand up there and then. He could have easily just rolled on his wheelchair to get the jug of water from his table, but he suddenly decided to stand and use his own two legs instead.


Well, one leg at least.


He limped his way to the table, putting as little weight on his crippled leg as possible. After what seemed to be an eternity, Nangong Xie reached his goal. A slight smile floated on his face as he slowly poured himself a cup of water. He relished the cool drink slowly. He exhaled in satisfaction, and moved to refill his cup.


His sense of triumph vanished when he saw that his hand was shaking.


Being a scholar who was fed with a silver-spoon from his birth, Nangong Xie was not one to exert himself physically. The most strenuous activities he had ever done was usually limited to the bedroom.


He looked down and saw that his crippled leg was twitching intermittently. Even his good leg, the one he was standing on, was trembling as it was supporting his entire weight on its own, causing that foot to be on pins on needles.


The signs of weakness gnawed on him. To think that the playboy, wealthy scholar of Tianxin City who had risen to be the Prime Minister of Wu’s chief advisor was now hopping around on one leg, because he was afraid of the pain!


Nangong Xie the Handsome Scholar, reduced to a cripple!


Fire roared in his soul, and he angrily threw the empty cup at the wall. It shattered into smithereens.


Then, silence.


It was yet another reminder of his current situation. In his opulent homes in Wu, countless servants would have rushed into the room in alarm. He had beautiful maids and powerful guards waiting on him hand and foot.


But now… the minutes passed in silence. It seemed no one heard the sound of shattering ceramic.


Or nobody cared.


He was, after all, a foreigner in Jin. Though his minders were polite, he could not help but see ridicule and scorn in their eyes. Though the Jins have advanced quickly in recent years, their nomadic traditions of horse-riding and martial prowess were still important. A scholar with a crippled leg like himself would be looked on as an oddity, a freak.


Nangong Xie was about to throw the jug of water to join the broken cup, but his hand brushed against a sheaf of documents. And just like that, his fury vanished.


They were papers sent to him by his benefactors in Jin. Nangong Xie was no fool, he knew he was saved by the mysterious masked man because he could still serve a purpose.


Purpose.


Those documents were collated by various agents and spies of the Jin in various parts of the continent, including his home kingdom of Wu. He was given the duty of filtering the information and formulate strategies to the benefit of Jin and the detriment of Wu.


In essence, betray his home country.


In the past, even a frivolous playboy such as himself would quail at the thought of becoming a traitor. He was a lusty man, but he was still a scholar of some repute. A wealthy gentleman of leisure, aloof from politics and the troubles that plague the poor and ordinary. He spent his life pursuing pleasure and satisfying his hedonistic urges: seducing women and corrupting others around him, urging them to fall into depravity with him.


But… to commit treason against the land of his birth. It was unimaginable.


Until he arrived at the capital. Having gotten a taste of political power when he first dabbled with Lord Fang La, Nangong Xie soon climbed over the nobleman’s head and latched himself to Tong Xuan, the powerful Prime Minister of Wu. He saw for himself the games the politicians and official play, while the king was helpless. All the concepts of loyalty and national allegiance, things which he never really paid attention to; were completely wiped away.


Why should he be one of those jingoistic patriots who would willingly shed blood for a country that was ruled by the self-serving and greedy officials? They ate and drank well, their beds were warm at night and they spend money like water because they could exploit the country as they wished. Serve the country? Sacrifice and endure hardship? What nonsense! The Prime Minister himself was a traitor!


It seemed the kingdom would soon fall into the hands of the Prime Minister himself, and Nangong Xie would ride on his coattails.


He was given the task of seducing the Princess of Wu over to their side. It seemed simple enough, and if he played his cards right he could ensure that he would be on the winning side. Perhaps he could even marry the princess and take the throne himself after backstabbing Tong Xuan at some opportune time…


Alas, such lofty aspirations were not to be. It all went terribly wrong, and it was all because of Huang Ming.


Nangong Xie seethed as he clutched at his crippled leg which was broken by that man. He had taken Huang Ming for granted, and he had paid the price for underestimating him.


Nangong Xie can still remember the nonchalant expression, the smirk on Huang Ming’s face. What would he give to wipe that smile off Huang Ming’s face for good!


Purpose…


Becoming a traitor? So what? From what he had read in these documents, it was just a matter of time before Jin will rule the world. The other kingdoms were rotten structures, just waiting for a good kick to come crashing down…


The Handsome Scholar sat himself down to study the documents. He picked up a brush, and began to write, a cold smile on his lips.

***

To say that Qiong Ying was displeased when Huang Ming brought back a woman was an understatement. Despite the woman’s worn and tired appearance, Qiong Ying could see that she was a beauty once properly clothed and cleansed.


The woman became the new maid, serving Huang Ming personally. She soon regained her health, and it seemed that she bloomed like a flower and grew more beautiful from day to day.


Of course, Qiong Ying knew that Huang Ming had his reasons, but she couldn’t resist teasing him and showing her displeasure.


“You were only gone for one morning and you’ve come back with a replacement for me?” she had asked him, acting suitably distraught.


“Don’t be silly, it’s too soon to get a new model,” Huang Ming smirked. He leaned in to her ear and whispered, “I’ve yet to break this one, even though I have tried my hardest…”


Qiong Ying flushed and punched him in the shoulder.


“Well, what’s her story?” she asked.


“She’s the former maid of General Yin,” Huang Ming told her.


Qiong Ying’s eyes widened. “Where did you find her?”


“She was living by herself, keeping vigil over the graves of the Yin family. Apparently she offended the general in the past, and though she was pardoned later, she never forgave herself and stayed on as penance,” Huang Ming said.


Qiong Ying gave him an incredulous look. “That sounds like something out of a tragedy opera. Don’t tell me that you believe in such a story?”


Huang Ming shrugged. “According to the locals, everything she said really did happen. General Yin really did banish a maid for theft not long after his wife’s passing.”


“You sound like you already believe her,” Qiong Ying said accusingly, raising an eyebrow. “Is it because you think you found a rough diamond to be polished?”


“But she’s so piteous, I can’t help myself,” Huang Ming quipped.


Then he laughed. Qiong Ying’s face was of someone who had just swallowed vinegar, and he found it amusing that the renowned Lady of the Lichun could display such an expression.


“Stop joking, this is no laughing matter,” Qiong Ying said, peeved. “You are not one to fall for the damsel in distress trick, so why start now?”


Huang Ming’s smile turned cold.


“Because she’s a spy.”

Hidden intent,
Yet he caught the scent.​

 

This chapter is very rough, a thunderstorm knocked out the lights of my house.

***

“Unforgettable, that's what you are.”
--Nat King Cole

Chapter 169 – Irresistible

“A spy? I see…” Qiong Ying commented calmly.


“Are you not surprised?” Huang Ming asked, slightly disappointed by her lukewarm reaction to his reveal.


Qiong Yong rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “You said so yourself: she’s the former maid of General Yin Yanzhao, a person whom we are most suspicious of. Anyone who is connected to him would be suspect.”


Huang Ming nodded.


“But do continue. What made you think that she’s a spy?” Qiong Ying encouraged as she slowly poured cups of tea for them.


“Well, like you I was already suspicious of her. A young woman living on her own out in the plains, within raiding distance of Jin? How did she survive for so many years?”


Qiong Ying pushed a cup of tea towards him. “She was tending to the graves of the Yin family. Maybe the Jins simply avoided that area, out of fear or respect. Or both,” she offered an explanation.


“Those things only happen in operas and folktales,” Huang Ming scoffed and drained his cup.


“You are such a pessimist,” Qiong Ying chided.


“A realist,” Huang Ming countered. “The real world is not as kind as in those stories. She would be raped and killed by a roaming Jin patrol… and how coincidental for me to have found her in my very first excursion out of Beihai.”


Qiong Ying shuddered at his brutal imagery. “You are terrible,” she murmured.


‘I have seen and done terrible things,’ Huang Ming thought quietly.


Instead, he said, “She may be thin and tired-looking, but the little details were missing. She is too delicate to have been living and surviving on her own in such conditions.”


Qiong Ying arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”


“Her hands,” Huang Ming smiled. “There are too few callouses on them. They are still soft and tender, not the signs of someone who have to cook and clean by herself for several years.”


“Oh? And you know this how?” Qiong Ying asked, showing immense interest in the topic.


“What? Right, you wouldn’t know,” Huang Ming said knowingly. “You have never cooked or clean anything yourself, did you? Well, if you did, then your skin will grow tough and wrinkly over time…”


Qiong Ying narrowed her emerald eyes. “I do know how to cook and clean, but that is not what I meant,” she said in a considerably flat tone. “How exactly did you find out that her hands are soft and tender?”


“Oh,” Huang Ming replied intelligently. “I, er, held her hands.”


Qiong Ying’s smile did not quite reach her eyes.


“Only briefly, while she cried. In front of the soldiers!” Huang Ming hastily added.


“I see,” the green-eyed monster’s pressure receded.


Huang Ming felt as if he had dodged a bullet.


“If you knew she’s a spy, why would you invite her back?” Qiong Ying asked.


“To send back misinformation, of course. What other possible reason would I have?” Huang Ming said smoothly.


“Mmm, I thought you were preparing, what was it that you said earlier? For a new ‘model’?” Qiong Ying thought aloud.


Huang Ming grinned wolfishly and pulled her close into his embrace.


“I did say that, didn’t I? I also said it’s for after I break you in,” he whispered into her ear. Despite her protestations, he turned her body and smacked her fragrant buttocks, causing her to yelp girlishly.


Qiong Ying flushed and glared at him. “You have changed quite a bit since we met,” she said accusingly.


Huang Ming laughed. “Where is the woman who had bitten me so ferociously when we first met officially?”


“I don't go around biting people, you know... unless it's called for,” Qiong Ying grumbled as a way to cover her embarrassment.


“And only people whom I’m intimate with can see this side of me,” Huang Ming said meaningfully, looking deep into her eyes.


For a moment it seemed that their lips would touch, but then Qiong Ying reached out and squished his face with her hands.


“New model?” Qiong Ying repeated.


“I was only joking,” Huang Ming said solemnly.


“You better be. Your mother set a limit of us two, and no more,” she reminded him.


Huang Ming rolled his eyes. “I know, I take it very seriously.”


“Mmm. I would need to report this to Sunli,” Qiong Ying said airily.


Huang Ming gave her the stink eye. “Stop stirring trouble, I have more than enough on my plate.”


She nodded in agreement. “Since you are so busy, leave the matter of the spy to me. I will sniff out the truth, and harm her scheming owner.”


“Are you sure? It might be dangerous.”


“She won’t stand a chance against my ‘Quan Lu’,” Qiong Ying boasted. She narrowed her eyes once more. “Or do you have some other objection?”


Huang Ming shook his head. “Very well. But be careful, this is someone who waited patiently in the plains to spring her trap. You think you can handle her?”


Qiong Ying linked her fingers behind his head and smiled charmingly at him. Huang Ming marvelled at the way her eyes twinkled with mischief.


“Who can resist me?” she laughed softly.

She is to handle,
The potential scandal.​

 

“Nooo!! How!? Why!? How could I let this happen!? The Raven Guard, out sneaked by a toad!?”
--Bro Trip 40,000: A Tale of Two Primarchs Episode 1

Chapter 170 – Moving into position

It was the middle of the night in Beihai. A hooded, female figure made its way to an obscure alley, moving from shadow to shadow as a precaution from prying eyes. Eventually she reached a cul-de-sac, a dead end surrounded by brick walls.


“Took you long enough,” a sarcastic voice said.


The hooded figure whirled around to confront the voice. “You could have picked a better time,” she responded waspishly as she withdrew her hood.


If Huang Ming was present, he would have confirmed his suspicions about the former maid of General Yin as a spy. The hooded person was the very same woman that he had brought back from the Yin family graveyard.


Gone were the worn looks, frayed hair and malnourished body. After she had returned with Huang Ming, she quickly regained her vitality. Now she was a strikingly beautiful woman, with raven hair and luscious lips. Though she was dressed modestly, the simple clothes could not conceal the voluptuous figure underneath.


Indeed, the soldiers that had accompanied Huang Ming that day were singing praises of their boss for being able to see past her previous haggard self. Much to Huang Ming’s annoyance, it only added further traction to stories and rumours of his playboy reputation.


Those who had dismissed her as a simple rescued peasant now lamented at their short-sightedness, for they have lost the chance to put the woman known as Miss Xilei in their debt. Before her transformation, they did not even give her a second glance.


Now they tripped over themselves to approach her at every opportunity, only to be rebuffed by her steadfast dedication to Huang Ming. She ignored her amorous pursuers and deflected their flirtatious calls by using her new position as Huang Ming’s personal maid, much to their chagrin. The womenfolk of Beihai on the other hand mocked their foolishness, while praising Miss Xilei’s sense of gratitude to the man who had brought her back from the wilderness.


All sympathized with Miss Xilei after hearing her determined penance at the Yin family graveyard. ‘Tending to the dead to mollify the living’ became a lauded proverb, turning her into a popular figure among Beihai’s populace. She was not just a maid, but the maid. After all, she had first served the legendary Yin family, and now served the rising hero of the kingdom.


Yet, none of them had the slightest inkling of Miss Xilei’s nocturnal activities. They would be shocked to see the Maid of Beihai consorting with a shadowy figure in some back alley.


“A better time?” the man in the alley chuckled. “Your last update was more than a week ago. You all but forced me to contact you directly. Or do you prefer me to write back to Princess Jin Hua about how you’re too distracted to do your job?”


The man stepped out from the shadows and threw back his own cloak. The movement brushed aside his hair to momentarily reveal a partially disfigured face, hideously deformed and scarred that cast a gloomy aura.


Xilei rolled her eyes dismissively. “Don’t try to threaten me, Songdan. I don’t answer to you. Only the princess can tell me what to do.”


“And you have been remiss in sending your reports!” Songdan fired back.


“It is not easy,” Xilei sniffed. “I simply can’t get away these days, there are too many people around me. ”


“You should have held back on your seductive wiles. The princess told you to spy on Huang Ming, not to seduce him. You took your honey trap too far, and now you are like a dung heap surrounded by flies,” Songdan snorted.


“Is it my fault that I’m too beautiful? These people in Beihai are just too backward,” Xilei scoffed, tossing her hair alluringly. She knew it would have no effect on Songdan, but she did it anyway to flaunt her beauty and annoy the gloomy young man.


Songdan narrowed his eyes disdainfully at her. “I don’t know whether if I should laugh or cry at you. I actually don’t mind you trying to entice Huang Ming, but your plan has yet to bear fruit. What happened to your much vaunted seduction skills?”


Xilei’s luscious lips drew back in a snarl as she threw up her hands in exasperation. “That man is busy beyond belief! I only see him during meal times most days,” she complained.


“Perhaps our information about his promiscuous past was in error. Otherwise, he would have jumped your bones already,” Songdan mused.


“Hmph. Perhaps. Our information came from dubious sources after all,” Xilei said.


“Maybe he prefers men,” Songdan muttered. “I have heard rumours that he is often in the company of a very beautiful man. Any truth in that?”


Xilei flushed. “Nonsense!” she snapped, surprising Songdan.


“It was just a theory, why so upset?” he asked.


Xilei took a deep breath to calm herself. “You heard right, he often consorts with a beautiful man, I have seen him myself.”


“Oh? Who is he?”


“He is called Quan Lu. Maybe a distant cousin to Huang Ming, I am not too clear about it. What I am sure is that he is not into Huang Ming,” Xilei explained, her cheeks reddening.


“What do you mean?” Songdan asked. He was puzzled by her fidgeting. Why was this vixen acting so bashful before him?


“That, that Quan Lu is a rogue! He takes advantage of me!” Xilei said through gritted teeth, her ears fully red.


“Eh?”


“He… he gropes me, whenever we meet!” Xilei sputtered. Her body trembled as she recalled the way Quan Lu had cornered her multiple times, sometimes blocking her escape by slamming his hand against the wall and leaning in so closely that she was drowned in his emerald green eyes and devastatingly handsome face… while his other hand roamed over her weak spots…


Songdan stared at her disbelievingly. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re no chaste virgin, why are you so flustered by him?”


“What do you know, Mr. Virgin!” Xilei lashed out, stung by his rebuke. “I am just telling you that Huang Ming’s beautiful man is just his friend and not his lover, that is all!”


“You are the one who complained about being taken advantage of!” Songdan retorted, his own temper flaring at her impertinence.


“Enough,” a new voice interrupted. Songdan and Xilei turned to see a hunchbacked figure joining them. They flushed with shame at being caught unaware by an old man with a bad back.


Songdan and Xilei mumbled their apologies, but the elderly man waved it away.


“You two are supposed to keep a low profile, how do you expect to be effective spies if you are arguing so loudly out in a public area?” the old man admonished. “Let us go somewhere more private, lest someone comes to check on your argument. Follow me.”


The trio then hastened to another place, unaware that the entire drama was being spied on by a pair of emerald green eyes…



***


“Follow me.”


Sunli blinked at General Yin Yanzhao’s sudden request.


“Sir?” she said hesitantly, unsure of his intentions.


General Yin waved a sealed golden scroll before her. “I have a decree from the king, I am going to send it on his behalf. I am asking you to come with me.”


Sunli thought it was reasonable. She had not actually seen the presentation of a royal edict before, the closest encounter she had was the time when Huang Ming was first summoned to the capital. Even then, she had just missed seeing the emissary and the actual presentation by mere minutes.


“What decree would require you to deliver it personally?” she asked.


“Actually, I just want to stretch my legs a little. Going back and forth between my office and the palace is the extent of my horse riding these days,” General Yin confessed.


Sunli nodded, she too had felt a little constrained within the capital city. Having grown up in army camps all her life, sometimes she longed for the days where she could simply jump up onto a horse and ride into the wilds for a hunt.


“Understood. When do we leave?”


The general was pleased and smiled. “In a few hours. I suggest you scrounge up some winter clothing and some cloaks,” he said.


Sunli frowned. The only place in Wu that would be cold this time of the year was in the north…


“That is right, we are going to Beihai,” General Yin confirmed. He seemed to enjoy the troubled look on the War Goddess’s face.


“Rejoice, you are going to reunite with your fiancé.”

Hidden spies,
Deceit and lies.​

 

“Most will end up here, covered in the poisoned earth, awaiting merciful oblivion.”
--The Narrator, ‘Darkest Dungeon’

Chapter 171 – Target test

General Yin Yanzhao handpicked several elite soldiers to accompany him on the trip to Beihai. Sunli were unfamiliar with the stern-faced soldiers who had followed General Yin to the capital. They were not part of the Imperial Guards whom she trained, but part of his own personal guard.


Sunli greeted them with respect, only to be rebuffed with cold stares and set teeth.


General Yin noticed her curiosity.


“They have been with me the longest,” he told her quietly. “We have been through thick and thin together, we all have lost something. I trust them with my life, and they have entrusted theirs to me.”


Sunli understood, she had seen similarly affected men in her father’s army. But General Yin’s elites were unpleasant and joyless. They had a chilling demeanour, unfriendly to the point of being hostile; their eyes hard and unfeeling as graven idols. All were scarred and bore their wounds stoically, their bearing severe and as tense as a wound-up spring.


Thus the only source of discourse in the journey to Beihai was the occasional small talk between General Yin and Sunli. At first Sunli was non-committal, only responding with the briefest of acknowledgements.


Then the general changed tack and took pains to point out the military merits of this or that geographical feature or historical battlefield. This sparked more interest from Sunli who was more interested in such martial discussion.


The trip took on detours as the general delighted in showing off his knowledge and experience, and what was supposed to be a week of hard riding became a month of almost leisurely sightseeing and hunting wild game together.


Two days before finally arriving at Beihai, General Yin took Sunli to a nondescript field. The ground was scoured and scarred, the vegetation sparse. It was unremarkable in any way, except for a single withered tree.


“Where is this?” Sunli asked.


“This is the site of a battle, some thirty years ago. My father fought in it,” General Yin told her.


“What battle was that?”


General Yin smiled grimly. “It was just a small action in the bigger scheme of things, nothing glorious enough to be recorded. This place does not even have a name.”


Sunli nodded and asked, “Why have you brought me here?”


General Yin pointed at the dying tree. “I want you to understand the true nature of war.”


Sunli stiffened, causing the general to chuckle.


“I am not belittling your experience,” he soothed. “You have already made a name for yourself in that campaign in Wei. No, what I am referring to is the legacy.”


“Legacy?”


“Tell me, have you given thought to the effect that you have caused?” he asked conversationally.


“Effect? What effect?” she asked.


General Yin laughed. He pointed to the distant tree.


“Can you hit that tree from here?”


Sunli tilted her head quizzically but obliged. She unslung her bow easily shot an arrow into the trunk of the gnarled tree.


“Well done,” the general praised, but Sunli was not pleased as the target was not very far.


“Are you trying to slight me?” she asked. “That was hardly a test.”


“Oh, but it is,” General Yin said. “Just not in the way you think.”


“What do you mean?”


General Yin pointed at her bow. “Tell me, what was the process of your shooting?”


“Get to the point,” Sunli demanded.


“Indulge me,” the general urged.


She suppressed her annoyance and in a slow manner, nocked another arrow. The War Goddess glanced at the general before launching the arrow, hitting the tree once more.


“Have you taken a close look? Are you satisfied?” she asked.


“Good grip, good eyesight and good bow. Is that all?” the general commented.


“What else is there?” Sunli snapped.


General Yin pointed a finger to his head and then at his heart. “What about the mind that remembers your training? What about timing your breath with your heartbeat to steady your aim?


Then he pointed at her. “And of your decision to shoot in the first place?”


“You told me to,” Sunli said accusingly, as she digested his words.


“What made you obey me?” General Yin persisted.


Sunli did not answer. He was a general, yet she was not really in his chain of command. They were acquaintances, but not really friends to give each other favours. So why did she indulged on his request?


“Now you’re thinking,” General Yin said encouragingly. “Some people never even considered such things. Kings and ministers argue and bicker, and so we soldiers go to war for imaginary lines on a map. The sages told us to be loyal and obey the authorities, that there is a natural order to things. To question them would introduce unknown variables; variables that would lead to uncertainties. Uncertainties that would breed chaos.”


Sunli remained silent, and the general took it as a sign of her attention.


He expounded: “Don’t tell me you have never cursed the likes of Gao Fang and Tong Xuan, for sending soldiers such as yourself into danger. And for what? What had all the bloodshed accomplish? Our kingdom of Wu went to war, sacked several cities and razed the countryside… only to be driven back in the end. Your Huang Ming gained us a strategic fort in Tigertrap Pass, but the imaginary line on our maps shifted a few inches.”


Sunli’s head bowed in thought, her eyes taking a far away look.


“You understand, don’t you? How many comrades have you lost in those battles? Was it worth it?” he asked softly.


The harsh glare she gave him was answer enough. General Yin pointed to the withered tree which was now decorated with two of Sunli’s arrows.


“This… this is the legacy of war. This is ‘glory’. This is what remains after a battle. The fallen are forgotten, their corpses returned to the earth. Only the survivors would remember them.”


“I tell you this, because you are on track to be a great leader of men. I am sure there are those who are surprised and disappointed when I up and left Beihai for the ‘comforts’ of the capital city… that I have tarnished the legacy of my family by leaving.”


He laughed hollowly.


“But what do they know about the true meaning of legacy? How many of them even knew this place existed?” he asked, gesturing to the desolate field.


“I went to the capital because I intend to stop the pointless wars and waste of lives. Sacrifices must be made, but they must be for reasons we soldiers can believe in.”


General Yin Yanzhao looked deeply at Sunli.


“For that purpose, I need people like you.”

A responsibility to bear,
A burden to share.​

 

A very big thank you to Qwer for his patronage!

------------------

“No one loves the messenger who brings bad news.”
--Sophocles, ‘Antigone’

Chapter 172 – Reunion

Huang Ming yawned widely, and General Li Jing chuckled even as he continued to chew his srih leaves.


“What’s so funny?” Huang Ming asked.


“Just that I was waiting here for you back then, and now we’re both here standing in the snow,” Li Jing replied after he spat out the spent leaves.


Huang Ming frowned. “That is a disgusting habit,” he said. The two had worked closely lately and had grown comfortable at being blunt with each other.


“’tis is my only vice. Not all of us are as fortunate as you, to be so handsome and popular with women,” Li Jing said slyly. He was fully aware of the rumours surrounding Huang Ming, and after seeing the much-talked about Miss Xilei in person; he was of the opinion that those rumours were right.


“You are already married, how does your wife tolerate your addiction?” Huang Ming deflected.


“She doesn’t. Why else do you think I’m chewing this?” General Li Jing said, winking conspiratorially as he placed a fresh leaf into his mouth.


Huang Ming responded by rolling his eyes. “Some family man you are.”


“I don’t want to hear that coming from you,” Li Jing shot back with good humour. “Besides, you haven’t seen my wife,” he added with a grimace.


It was Huang Ming’s turn to chuckle.


The light-hearted mood disappeared when they finally caught sight of approaching riders. Having been warned of their arrival, Huang Ming knew that they were General Yin Yanzhao’s small entourage.


Li Jing’s previously good cheer now replaced with a sour expression. Like many others in Beihai, he was disappointed when the famous General Yin transferred to the capital. It was not a case of hero worship, but Li Jing was more than a little aggrieved when he was given the unwanted job of stepping into Yin Yanzhao’s shoes.


“Here he comes,” Li Jing muttered quietly. He then plastered a wide smile on his face and cupped his hands to greet the general.


General Yin Yanzhao own smile faltered slightly when he saw Li Jing’s red-stained teeth.


“I have returned,” he greeted, pushing down his feeling of revulsion.


But Huang Ming saw the twitch on Yin Yanzhao’s face.‘Looks like there is some truth about Yin Yanzhao running to the capital to avoid Li Jing,’ he grinned.


“Beihai welcomes your return,” Huang Ming said as he bowed deferentially.


Yin Yanzhao smiled. “I have heard good things out of Beihai, I am pleased that you are doing a good job,” he praised.


“It is because you have laid such sturdy foundations,” Huang Ming said with a poker face.


General Yin seemingly did not notice the subtle sarcasm. He clapped Huang Ming heavily on the shoulder in a show of camaraderie.


“Let’s not waste any more time here, I am eager to see the changes that you have brought to my city,” General Yin said. Li Jing obligingly led the way.


‘Your city?’ Huang Ming repeated mentally as he trailed behind them. But he didn’t want to dwell on the general’s possessiveness, as he was far more interested in the woman who had followed the general.


Who else could it be but Sunli, his dusky War Goddess? That tall height, slim and toned profile… a true Amazon.


Huang Ming remembered their first encounter, when he had joked about desiring her more than Zhao Hongqi the wahaha girl. It was in jest, but the revelation that Sunli really was his fiancée only increased the awkwardness between them.


“Hi,” he greeted mildly as he walked beside her.


Sunli was as stone-faced as ever. She merely nodded curtly and said nothing, her eyes facing forward and not looking at him.


Seeing her reticence caused Huang Ming to shake his head in self-depreciation.


‘I asked for it,’ he admitted wryly to himself. ‘I asked too much of her and gave her too little in return.’


“We’re still officially working, personal matters can wait,” she murmured, her eyes still forward.


Huang Ming nodded, a smile brightening his face. Then he looked up and saw that General Yin was looking back at him.


Their eyes met. Words were not spoken, but both had the same thoughts.


‘He hasn’t given up.’


***


They toured the streets of Beihai, and the citizens turned out in droves to see the returning General Yin Yanzhao. Though he had transferred to the capital, they still regard him as the local hero, one of their very own.


Huang Ming could not help but feel a little sour inside as General Yin stopped frequently to shake hands and greet this or that familiar person. Though Huang Ming had only been in charge of Beihai for a short while, he had revitalized Beihai quite dramatically. Yet here he was, forced to see firsthand the influence and popularity of General Yin.


Huang Ming was not a very petty person, but nobody would enjoy seeing someone else reap the fruits of one’s labour. Many of the commoners still attributed Beihai’s recent development to General Yin despite his absence, that he had somehow gone to fight for them in the distant capital successfully.


The general himself did nothing to dispel their misconception. One might think that he was too embarrassed to tell them the truth, and so he merely laughed and moved on.


“You have done very well. The city is much more lively than I ever remember. I had thought the stories to be exaggerated, but you have really breathed new life here,” Yin Yanzhao said.


Huang Ming merely bowed.


“I hope you don’t mind, but explaining to them one at a time will get tiring,” the general said.


“Do not worry, it is understandable,” Huang Ming replied. “It matters little to me, as I would not be here for too long.”


“I am not too sure about that,” General Yin said mysteriously. “You are doing good work here, and the king is very pleased.”


“Oh?” Huang Ming arched an eyebrow in question.


Then General Yin took out the royal decree.


Huang Ming frowned.


‘What is that king up to now? He said it was temporary.’

A king’s royal order,
Sent to him at the border.​

 

“The greatest freedom is the freedom not to get involved.”
--Yang Wen-li, ‘Legend of Galactic Heroes’

Chapter 173 – Rock and a hard place

General Yin was amused by the look of apprehension on Huang Ming’s face.


“Do not worry, it is nothing terrible,” the general said soothingly as he unfurled the golden scroll.


Huang Ming was not convinced, but he swallowed his doubts and knelt ceremoniously to receive the decree.


The general made a show of glancing around and coughed. The two men were alone in what was the office of the governor. Since there was no longer a Governor of Beihai, it had been appropriated for Huang Ming’s use.


“Since it’s just us, shall we skip the formalities? Nobody else would know,” the general offered.


‘Why only ask after I have already knelt?’ Huang Ming thought sourly, feeling his kneecaps pressing on the cold hard floor. Instead, Huang Ming cupped his hands and remained on the ground.


“But we would know,” he said instead, putting on a solemn face to belie the annoyance he felt.


General Yin nodded in approval and began to read the decree.


“By decree of His Majesty, the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Wu, the Chosen Son of Heaven…”


Huang Ming immediately regretted his decision to reject the offer, for the text was indeed lengthy; unlike the brief royal summons that had called him to the capital previously.


General Yin seemed oblivious to Huang Ming’s growing discomfort as he read in a slow and clear manner. The minutes dragged on as the pain on Huang Ming’s knees began to creak, and he began to tune out the sonorous recitation.


Just as he shifted slightly to ease the soreness, Huang Ming heard something of interest.


“… and it pleases Us to hereby appoint Our humble servant as the Marquis of Dawning Light, with all the rights and privileges prescribed thereto. May he continue to display his martial might and illuminating wisdom in Our service…”


“Eh? What was it that you said?” Huang Ming inadvertently blurted.


General Yin helped him up. “Congratulations, Marquis,” he intoned as he passed the royal decree to Huang Ming’s shaking hands.


One might think that Huang Ming was ecstatic with boundless joy. After all it was almost unheard of, that a young man of his age to be conferred a nobility rank. Though the Huangs were a famous military family, none of their members were actually nobles. Based on Huang Ming’s knowledge, it meant that his elevation would have a direct impact on his family as well.


“I don’t suppose I have a say in this?” Huang Ming muttered warily.


General Yin arched an eyebrow. “The king himself made the suggestion, you have no idea how much resistance he faced. This ‘cabinet of ministers’ system that you have proposed have breathed new life into our kingdom, but it also encourages them to speak their minds.”


“That is a good thing,” Huang Ming stated.


“Even if they are speaking against the one who had given them the opportunity in the first place?” General Yin asked. “Many of the new ministers in the king’s cabinet were obscure officials. Only your suggestion allowed them to rise into prominence.”


Huang Ming shrugged. “If they were outstanding in anyway, they would rise regardless. The king is one who appreciates talent, and he would have unearthed them even if he had not adopted the cabinet style.”


General Yin Yanzhao eyed him critically. “You are quite magnanimous,” he said. “A man in your position… someone else who had placed the kingdom in his debt would no doubt seize the chance to elevate himself. Are you really not interested in power?”


“All the power in the world means nothing if you are trapped by it,” Huang Ming replied with a shrug.


“Yet, here you are. You could have refused the king when he made you the Royal Inspector,” General Yin pointed out.


“Well, I always wanted to see the north. And being the person who had aggravated our kingdom’s relations with Jin, it seems proper for me to make sure that we are prepared for retaliation,” Huang Ming lied.


In truth, he went north because his potential opposing Avatar was in that direction. Huang Ming had hoped that once things were suitably settled in Beihai, he could send out feelers into Jin itself and find out more about the revered Princess of Jin.


“And then?” General Yin prodded.


“And then… then I will retire to the countryside and spend the rest of my days in pleasant idleness, living off the rewards that the king would grant me,” Huang Ming said with a broad smile.


It was not a far-fetched reason, for the original Huang Ming really was a ne’er-do-well. Besides, once the enemy Avatar was disposed off, Huang Ming could only wait for the end of his days on this world before having his consciousness returned to the Waiting Area. This was why he did not immediately reject the peerage, as it was basically his retirement benefit on this world after his celestial roleplaying was done and over with.


For a few minutes, General Yin studied him quietly. Then he laughed.


“Exactly as what I had said in the cabinet meeting,” he disclosed. “I told them that you are not one to cling greedily to authority, that you would sooner forego all of it in return for peace and quiet.”


“Peace and comfort,” Huang Ming corrected good-naturedly.


The general nodded. “Which is why I supported the king’s proposal to make you a noble, despite the objections of some of the members of the cabinet.”


“It really doesn’t matter to me,” Huang Ming said truthfully. “If it would help end the argument and remove one more thing for the king to worry about, I am more than happy to reject this grant.”


General Yin shook his head. “No, it won’t help matters. In fact, your rejection would only serve to increase their objections even more. Do you know that despite your merits, you are now being looked on with suspicion in the capital?”


“Really now, what have I done to deserve that?” Huang Ming asked casually.


The general shook his head. He began to recite and ticked off each point with a finger:


“Your father is the bulwark against Wei and has firmly established his base in Tigertrap Fort. Your family have blood ties to the Governor of Tianxin City, a man of considerable political influence.


“Your elder brothers are famous men in their own right, the eldest being a renowned literary figure and if the rumours are to be believed, also a master swordsman of high standing in the martial underworld. Your second elder brother is a powerful military officer with an admirable record and following your father’s footsteps.”


The general closed his hand and pointed one finger at Huang Ming.


“And you, the youngest hero of the kingdom. A strategist that compassed the defeat of The Onslaught Ran Wei and the capture of Tigertrap Fort. Then you overturned the overbearing Jin diplomats and rescued our honour from their petty scheme. Later, your three-inch tongue drove Tong Xuan into distraction, thereby giving the king the opportunity to remove him cleanly and thereby saved our kingdom.”


“You are exaggerating,” Huang Ming said humbly.


“If you call that exaggerating, then what do you say to the storytellers and folk songs being sung about your family?” General Yin Yanzhao returned. “You have made a lot of people jealous with your rapid prominence, and they are not very comfortable with the common people lauding your entire family as the saviours of the kingdom.”


“And yet you say that if I was to reject this peerage, it would make the problem worse?” Huang Ming wondered aloud.


“Of course. They will take your rejection as a sign of your arrogance. They will twist your words and seize the chance to paint you as someone who is discontented at being raised as a mere marquis instead of a count or even a duke. Your father is in command of three legions in the west, and now you’re in command of three more here in the north. Surely you can understand their misguided fears of your family’s influence.”


Huang Ming had to admire General Yin’s bleak explanation. ‘He has offered nothing but ifs and possibles, all the while painting everyone else in a bad light,’ he noted. He wondered if the general had used the same eloquence to the members of the king’s inner circle to play them off against the Huangs.


“But if I am to take the peerage, wouldn’t that mean that I am greedy?” Huang Ming frowned.


“Of course,” General Yin repeated.


Huang Ming hid his smile. “I can’t accept nor reject, so what am I supposed to do?” he asked casually.


“Accept it,” the older man told him. “And then give up something in return.”


‘Here it comes…’


Huang Ming raised his eyebrows. “What do I need to give up?” he asked, fully knowing the answer.


“Very simple. They are afraid of your military power. The easiest way to allay such fears would is to simply give it away.”


Huang Ming remained calm. “I see. That is why you are here personally.”


General Yin nodded with satisfaction at Huang Ming’s understanding.


“Indeed. I am here to take Beihai’s veterans to the capital.”

The general used his charm,
To carefully remove the hero’s arms.​

 

What a terrible day. Items ordered during Black Friday finally arrived... crushed and damaged. Sigh.

----

“By universal custom, your enemy is never more polite than when he is planning or has planned your destruction.”
--James Clavell, ‘Shogun’

Chapter 174 – Masks and deceptions


Huang Ming’s face remained passive, as if he and General Yin were merely discussing about the weather.


“How veterans do I need to give up?” Huang Ming asked.


“All of them,” General Yin answered.


Huang Ming looked at the older man through hooded eyes. “I see. And since you only came here with a small entourage, I assume that I will not be receiving any replacements for them?”


“Of course you will. I am arranging troops from other districts to be sent over here. There will be delays of course, you know how it is. You will have your reinforcements in the coming spring, even if some of the military commanders are reluctant to give away their men,” General Yin said smoothly.


“Am I not one of those commanders?” Huang Ming asked with a smile.


The air was still as the two men stared at each other with a veneer of civility on their faces.


“Those veterans are my men to begin with,” General Yin said softly.


“They cease to be yours when you went to the capital to take over the Imperial Guards,” Huang Ming pointed out.


“And I am here to make amends. I want their final years of service to be a comfortable one. I plan to give them a grand send-off, by making them part of the Imperial Guard just for appearances sake,” General Yin replied.


“So, you want to reward them,” Huang Ming said flatly.


“Precisely.”


Huang Ming chuckled, allowing sarcasm to seep into his tone. “You want to reward the veterans at the cost of stripping Beihai of its strongest defence?”


“You are too modest,” Yin Yanzhao said genially. “I know what you have done recently. Recruitment is up, training is proceeding well. Besides, winter is coming. Beihai is in no immediate danger, the Jins have never attacked in the cold.”


“There is always a first time,” Huang Ming said. ‘It is precisely the best time.’


General Yin tilted his head incredulously. “The Jins are primarily a mounted force. Their horses require fodder, and their traditional doctrine demand that they travel light and live off the land that they are attacking. It has always been their way. Surely you should know this,” he said, with a hint of ridicule.


“I am young and inexperienced,” Huang Ming said blandly as he ignored the subtle jibe. “I never wanted to be here. Perhaps you can find someone else to replace me.”


The smile on General Yin’s face vanished. “You should not joke about military matters. You were appointed by the king himself.”


“Temporarily,” Huang Ming reminded him.


“And so it shall be,” Yin Yanzhao interjected. “I am sure you will be recalled in the spring. After you have settled the reinforcements in.”


“Then, perhaps I should resign,” Huang Ming said lightly.


General Yin’s eyes narrowed. “To abandon your duty would be tantamount to treason.”


Huang Ming wanted to laugh at him. ‘You should know…’


Instead he said: “By taking away the veterans, Beihai will be too weakened to even repel a raiding Jin warband. I am not a very brave man, General. You have seen this yourself, it was you and Zhao Sunli who defeated Wang Hong while I was hiding in the shadows.”


“I do not believe that,” General Yin said as he shook his head. “You sell yourself far too short. You are a very talented man, and I truly believe you are more than equal to anything the Jins can throw at you.”


He gave Huang Ming a look that was both reassuring and patronizing.


“I am not very talented, but I can tell some good jokes,” Huang Ming said self-depreciatingly. “But you are mistaken if you think they have nobody worth mentioning in their side. What about the Princess of Jin?” he asked mischievously.


“The princess? She is indeed a remarkable person, but what about her?” General Yin said, genuinely baffled.


Huang Ming pushed on: “I have heard that she is an unorthodox person, full of surprises and guile. What if she orders an attack in the winter? From what I have heard of her, she is anything but traditional.”


For a moment, Yin Yanzhao stared at him. Then he threw his head back and laughed uproariously.


“The Hero of Tigertrap Fort, afraid of a princess living in a gilded cage! You really know how to tell a joke,” he guffawed.


“Ha ha ha,” Huang Ming laughed artificially along with him. Then his face immediately straightened as he added: “You said it yourself. The Jins have never attacked in the winter. Yet, the princess is a remarkable person. Surely there is a possibility of her doing something unexpected.”


“She is still but a princess,” General Yin said easily. “You know as well as I do that she is famous for her domestic policies aimed at making the Jins prosperous; she is hardly warlike. Are you really that afraid of a female?”


“Of course. Women are the most fearsome of creatures. Have you forgotten about our own War Goddess?” Huang Ming reminded him.


The general’s jocular mood vanished. “She is a remarkable woman,” he said as he looked directly at Huang Ming’s eyes.


“I am very honoured,” Huang Ming nodded.


Yin Yanzhao did not react to Huang Ming’s insinuation of ownership.


“Perhaps I have a compromise,” the general said instead.


“What do you mean?”


“She, like you; are training new recruits. What if she were to bring those recruits here, in exchange for the veterans that I am taking away?” General Yin suggested.


“I am not sure if the weather here is agreeable to her,” Huang Ming said wistfully. “She did refuse to come with me after all when I asked,” he added. ‘Yet she came here with you,’ he left unsaid.


“Oh? I did not know about that. Did you two have some sort of disagreement?” General Yin asked.


“I guess you can say that,” Huang Ming said vaguely. ‘Not even bothering to hide your interest, eh?’


Sensing that Huang Ming was reluctant to explain further, General Yin switched the topic once more.


“Well, what about my suggestion?”


Huang Ming pulled a face. “I am not sure. I still think having those veterans here is far more important than any amount of fresh recruits you can send to replace them.”


“Your caution seems excessive,” General Yin criticized.


“My own life is at stake, of course I am afraid,” Huang Ming said flatly.


“I have been very accommodating already,” the general said solemnly.


“Are you? You will be safe in the capital, while it will be my ass in the wind,” Huang Ming insisted. “Your scheme to help assuage the politicians and officials in the capital for my sake is for naught if I end up being surrounded, besieged by a horde of Jin barbarians.”


“You do realize that I can take the men even if you kick a fuss,” General Yin said.


“And they will gladly follow you,” Huang Ming sighed loudly. “Yes, you are right. I guess I just need some sort of assurance that I will live a long life.”


General Yin laughed. “Who doesn’t? I too want a long life.”


He looked at Huang Ming in the eye. “Let me repeat: There is no danger of an attack.”

Naked lies,
False advice.​

 

“To have a shot at romance, you have to talk to people.”
--Mass Effect 2 loading screen gameplay tip

Chapter 175 – The running reaction

Zhao Sunli was making her way up the pagoda when she heard suspicious sounds from one of the rooms. She frowned when the muffled noises were punctuated by hushed whispers.


The Amazon frowned. Who could be doing clandestine meetings in the official residence of the Administrator of Beihai? She gripped the pommel of her sheathed sword and stealthily approached the door.


“You… you rogue!” a feminine voice gasped, causing Sunli to stop. She drew back and pressed herself to the near wall to eavesdrop.


“Your mouth says no, but your body says otherwise,” a melodious voice chuckled.


Sunli could not help but roll her eyes at the stereotypical dialogue straight out of a lewd novel.


After being acquainted with Lin Hua, her reading list of adult novels had expanded a lot. While she indulged in ‘peaches’, many such novels employ the typical literary device of a shameless young master outraging the modesty of a saucy maiden or stripling youth who would be hiding their enthusiasm with fake reluctance.


Several years ago Sunli would have stormed in with righteous anger, her eyes blazing and her sword raised to rescue the damsel in distress. But after being acquainted with Huang Ming, Qiong Ying and the novels provided by Lin Hua, she was more aware that such denials were only for superficial appearance’s sake.


There was a leaked moan, and it reinforced Sunli’s perception that the earlier hesitance was faked.


“You stop this instant!” the feminine voice exclaimed breathily.


There was the rustling of clothes, and even Sunli was affected. A hot blush rose to her cheeks, and she began to tip-toe backwards to leave the amorous scene.


“Do you really want me to stop? Hmm?” the male voice asked cheekily.


Once more Sunli stopped, because this time she recognized the voice. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment… then she seethed.


“What’s going on here?” she demanded loudly through the door.


There were various sounds of persons being startled and hasty adjustments of clothing.


Then there was slap, and the door burst open. Sunli only had a short glimpse of the voluptuous woman who fled in shame, but saw enough of her dishevelled dress and furiously red face to know full well what had transpired.


“That really stings,” the person remaining in the room hissed as he rubbed his pained cheek.


Sunli glared at him. “Having fun?” she growled.


It was the man in the room to be astonished. “It’s you!” he said, his handsome visage twisted with shock. “When did you arrive?”


“Not soon enough!” Sunli snarled.


Despite her very visible anger, the man chuckled.


“Nice to see you too,” he said. Then he grimaced as he felt the effects of the slap that he had received earlier.


Sunli sighed, for she knew him very well. ‘Him’ as in ‘Quan Lu’, the male disguise of Qiong Ying. She shook her head, unsure of how to react in this situation.


“Don’t look at me like that, it is not what you think!” Qiong Ying pleaded.


“Even a blind person would have known what happened!” Sunli exclaimed.


Qiong Ying shrugged. “Well, I can guess why you would see it that way. But believe me, there was a reason for it!”


“Who was that woman?” Sunli demanded.


“She is actually a spy,” Qiong Ying revealed with all seriousness.


Sunli stared at her. One could almost hear a pin drop in the tense silence.


“Do you take me for a fool?” Sunli asked icily.


“No no no,” Qiong Ying rattled off. “It’s actually like this…”


Sunli continued to glare at her. “All you have is suspicions. Biased suspicions,” she said.


“But you have to see that there is something shady,” Qiong Ying insisted.


“All I saw is a poor woman who was molested because of you acting on some ridiculous conspiracy theory,” Sunli replied.


“She was not molested,” Qiong Ying said defensively. “I was just being very gentle in my interrogation.”


Sunli sneered. “We will see how well your explanation goes with Huang Ming.”


“Ah. He knows,” Qiong Ying said blithely.


“What?”


“He approved,” Qiong Ying fibbed. ‘Well, he knows, but not how I am doing it…’


Sunli’s face turned a darker shade of red. “You are lying again! Was this your idea, or his?” she said angrily.


“Mostly mine…” Qiong Ying admitted.


“I can’t believe I just listened to some drivel about spying! This is just another ridiculous schemes to get him another bed warmer!” Sunli ranted.


“Nonsense. There is nothing of the sort. Remember: Two is the limit, no more. He already has you and me,” Qiong Ying reminded her.


But Sunli ignored her.


Qiong Ying sighed when she saw the military woman was too angry to be placated. Without warning she reached out with one hand… and groped at Sunli’s breast. As the taller woman was still wearing her military uniform and armour, Qiong Ying couldn’t actually touch anything delicate. Still, the gesture was meaningful enough.


There was silence. Then Sunli angrily swiped the offending hand away from her armour.


“What the hell are you doing!?” she yelled.


“I was trying to get your attention,” Qiong Ying said. “I am serious, that woman really is a spy.”


“If indeed she is a spy, why would she so easily fall to your tricks?” Sunli countered.


“Because I am very good at it,” Qiong Ying said proudly.


Sunli started to scoff when Qiong Ying suddenly stepped into her personal space…


***


Huang Ming was walking around looking for Sunli when he heard a commotion. He frowned at the yelling and sounds of a struggle… and the voices were worriedly familiar to him. He hurriedly went to the room to investigate.


“What’s going on here?” Huang Ming demanded as he swung open the door.


To his shock he saw Qiong Ying in her Quan Lu disguise being pinned down by Sunli. From the it was obvious that they had wrestled each other angrily to the floor.


They had stopped when Huang Ming opened the door. Qiong Ying was fending Sunli off, while Sunli’s hand was raised seemingly for a slap.


As if ashamed at being caught red handed in mid-violence, Sunli shot to her feet, almost jumping away from Qiong Ying.


“What-” Huang Ming began to ask, only to see a clenched fist come flying at his face. Huang Ming barely ducked out of the way from Sunli’s punch, but could not avoid her shoulder charge. He fell back on his ass, but the pain was overwritten with genuine shock. He looked up at Sunli with his mouth hanging open, but the wrathful woman huffed angrily and stomped away from the room.


Huang Ming was not just startled by the way Sunli had rushed at him, but the moistness of her face as she left…


‘Was she… crying…?’


“What…”


Still with his mouth open, Huang Ming turned his attentions to Qiong Ying who was fixing up her male clothings and robes.


“This is all your fault for being so slow,” she declared.


“What? What?” Huang Ming repeated stupidly, still sitting on the floor as Qiong Ying clambered back to her feet.


“How was I to know that it was her first kiss?” Qiong Ying grumbled as she walked away.


“What? What? What?”

Loose lips,
Caused him to slip.​

 

Yuriiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

As I post this, I am recovering from a work-related injury on my leg. Hadn't have much time to write and so I had to dig into one of my prepared chapters which was actually slated for editing/revision.

---------------------

“Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong”
--Kelly Clarkson, ‘Stronger’

Chapter 176 – Talking in the moonlight

Huang Ming later found Sunli in the gardens. The Amazonian was sitting on a rock outcropping, her arms linked around one knee while the other leg was left dangling. The night clouds somehow covered the moon just enough to shine a column of light down on her. The moonlight on the metal on her armour sparkled, lending an ethereal halo on the War Goddess.


The gardener might be outraged that someone would be sitting on his meticulously tended garden where every flower and every stone had its place, but to Huang Ming the toned figure of Zhao Sunli only added mystique to the scenery.


Zhao Sunli herself was unaware of the picturesque picture she was part of. Her brows were furrowed in thought, her lips pursed and her eyes stared at some inscrutable detail on the ground.


‘All that is missing is some fireflies or will o’ the wisps to complete a fantasy picture,’ Huang Ming thought wryly.


He approached her quietly, and for once the usually vigilant woman was so deep in thought that she did not hear him.


He stood behind her, looking at the way her back was arched, tracing with his eyes the tensing musculature underneath of her neck and shoulders. It was like admiring the static pose of a prime athlete.


Huang Ming would have gladly stood there admiring the profile of her back, but he knew that for the martial woman to be so distracted meant there were weighty matters indeed in her mind.


He coughed gently, and agilely jumped back at the vicious elbow swing from her. Huang Ming had expected such a reaction, it was akin to creeping up to a martial artist who would respond to surprises without thinking.


Sunli scrambled to her feet, and dropped low into a ready stance. Only then did she realize it was Huang Ming.


Her lips moved as if to say an apology, but when she saw the smile on Huang Ming’s face, she squashed the impulse. Instead, she gave him a baleful look.


“How long have you been there?” she demanded.


“Only just,” he said.


Sunli snorted in response, internally mortified that someone had sneaked up on her. She folded her arms across her chest and turned her face away, using her anger to avoid looking at him in the eyes.


Huang Ming chuckled.


“How have you been?” he asked softly.


Sunli glared at him from the corner of her eyes.


“Fine,” she said after a while.


Huang Ming sat down on the large rock that she had vacated. He patted the spot beside him invitingly, but Sunli did not oblige. Instead she pulled out several envelopes where she had placed them close to her heart, and mechanically passed it to him.


“From your family,” she said. “Their letters came to Tianxin City, before they knew you had been transferred here.”


Huang Ming accepted them gratefully but did not immediately tore them open. He could not resist letting his fingers savour the lingering warmth of the envelopes.


Sunli saw it and flushed. “You pervert, what the hell are you doing?” she growled.


“Hey, at least I didn’t sniff at it,” Huang Ming said.


“Give them back!” Sunli exclaimed in shock.


“But they are mine,” Huang Ming replied and smoothly slid the letters into his own robes.


Sunli clenched her fists, unable to refute his words. She turned around to march away, but Huang Ming grabbed one of her hands and pulled her in.


“You-!” she seethed, but Huang Ming did not take liberties with her. Instead he slid her over so that they were sitting side by side on the rock.


“Do you want to talk?” he asked gently, even as she was trying to free herself from his grip.


It was as if the wind was taken out from her sails, and she relented. Huang Ming then released his hold, and she grudgingly rubbed her wrist.


“Talk,” Sunli said, almost sullenly.


“What about?”


She narrowed her eyes at his playful manner. “What is this nonsense with Qiong Ying about a spy in your midst?” she eventually asked.


“That maid really is a spy,” Huang Ming replied honestly.


“Then haven’t you arrested her?” she demanded icily.


“To spread back misinformation, of course. There is nothing more valuable than a spy with a blown cover.”


Her eyes narrowed further. “Are you sure it’s not because you’re not having fun with her?”


“I’ve been too busy,” he scoffed.


Then he folded his own arms and looked at her seriously. “You should already know the reasons. I have discussed them with you before. Do you still not see it?”


“All you have is conjecture, and to me it seems you’re chasing shadows and plotting against phantoms,” Sunli said.


“Really?” Huang Ming asked. “Has the general not approach you, as I said he would?”


Sunli stiffened. “We have a purely professional relationship,” she said.


“Did he not try to appeal to you? I bet that he said something about patriotism… or camaraderie between soldiers.”


Sunli stared at him incredulously.


“How… how did you know?” she asked.


Huang Ming waved his hand dismissively. “Standard noble evil villain behaviour, I’ve seen such things many times in movies.”


“What is a ‘movie’?”


“Ahem. It’s not important. But was I right?” Huang Ming diverted.


Sunli frowned. “Yes. He did say something to the effect. About how soldiers are sent to die for some lines on a map.”


Huang Ming smiled thinly. “Then did he wax poetic about some leaders do not have the martial spirit, or too inexperienced about using the military? Or that they are too power hungry to know the horrors of war?”


“The legacy of war,” Sunli corrected, and stopped herself. “How did you-”


“At this point I would be more surprised if he said ‘War, war never changes’,” Huang Ming interrupted, deliberately affecting a hoarse voice for the quote.


Sunli was of course confused by his otherworldly sentences. But Huang Ming didn’t give her time to dwell on it.


“I guess he said he is doing the things he did to affect changes from the top, to prevent people like them from sacrificing soldiers, is that it?”


Sunli nodded.


“What about me? Did he paint me as some ambitious young man who seek glory at the expense of dead soldiers?”


Sunli shut her mouth, and it told him that he was right.


“Well, what did you think of his pitch? Did you believe him?” Huang Ming asked.


“Of course not,” she said. “But he did have a point, about the likes of Gao Fang and Tong Xuan.”


“But are you going to join him? Hmm?” he asked as he peered playfully at her face.


Sunli pushed his face away. “I don’t what to believe,” she grumbled. “You keep telling me to keep my guard up, that I should be wary about the general.”


“You should keep your guard up against anyone,” Huang Ming shrugged.


“Even you,” Sunli stated, half-questioningly, half-accusingly.


“I haven’t been fair to you,” Huang Ming acknowledged. “I gave you time and space, have you thought things through?”


“You… you can be infuriating!” Sunli seethed. “Why are you so roundabout about this? If you want me to be with you, why don’t you just come out and say it? Why are you dangling these… these choices at me?”


Huang Ming blinked. “I did not realize you are having such a hard time,” he said, half-jokingly.


“Do you find this funny? I think you’re deliberately putting me in a spot where I have to willingly submit myself to you, is that it?” she glared.


“You already did,” he reminded her.


Sunli flushed, as she remembered the way she had declared herself for him.


Huang Ming shook his head. “Don’t get angry about the past. Do you know how I look at you?” he asked enigmatically.


“What are you on about now?”


“Sunli, we have not been very close. I only know you from our limited times together, and to me I feel that you are someone who values her own independence and strength. Am I wrong?” Huang Ming asked.


She kept quiet.


“Or are you actually a maiden in heart, that you want someone to pursue you whole-heartedly like in those romantic novels?” Huang Ming continued with genuine curiosity.


Much to his surprise, he saw her ears redden.


He was surprised, and he reached out with his hand to brush her hair back.


Sunli did not allow it, she blocked the attempt with a forearm.


“You said you see me as a strong woman,” she said, and he nodded.


“You defeated me once, long ago,” she said as she rose to her feet. Huang Ming watch on with fascination as she stood to her full height.


The War Goddess unsheathed her sword. The blade glittered in the moonlight.


“Well, let me show you just how strong I am now.”

A rematch,
For a fair catch.​

 

--Unedited--

“Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
--The Joker, ‘Batman’ (1989)

Chapter 177 – The setup

The night breeze was chilling as Sunli stood in the moonlight, one hand holding firmly on her gleaming sword. The soft wind gently whipped her short hair, framing her angular face and determined eyes.


A veritable picture of a War Goddess, ready for what may come.


Huang Ming remained sitting on the rock while Sunli waited for his response to her challenge. Time seemed to stand still as their eyes met.


Huang Ming’s hand moved, and Sunli’s grip on her sword tightened. Was he going to accept her sudden demand?


Her fiery eyes watched as Huang Ming’s hand rose slowly, his fingers curling in slightly one by one except for his little finger…


…Which he raised to his nose, and gently rubbed a nostril.


“No,” he said lazily.


One could almost hear the crickets as Huang Ming blatantly dismissed Sunli’s proclamation.


The War Goddess stared at him dumbfoundedly, her mouth open in disbelief as Huang Ming continued with his show of nonchalance. He went as far as to flick away an imaginary booger.


“Why not?” she sputtered.


“Because I had already won, and I would like to keep my winning record,” Huang Ming said as a matter-of-factly.


“Does that mean you will never give me a fair match to regain my honour?” she demanded furiously.


“Hey, if you can come up with something that doesn’t involve pain and suffering, I would be more than happy to accompany you. How about a game of chess… or a pie-eating contest?” Huang Ming suggested.


At this point it took all of Sunli’s self-control not to swing the sword at him. Just at it seemed that her towering rage would finally erupt, Huang Ming suddenly asked: “Your complexion seems pale, how’s your diet lately? Have you been eating wild game?”


“What?” she asked in bewilderment. Huang Ming seemed to time his change in subject to take the wind out of her sails.


“Give me your hand, let me see if something is wrong.”


Utterly deflated, Sunli woodenly placed her hand in his. She did not react as Huang Ming began to tap at her palm intermittently.


In fact, she was so out of it that she did not pay attention to Huang Ming’s hmm-ing and haw-ing. It was not until Huang Ming began to caress her palm that she was suddenly jolted back to the present.


“What the hell are you doing?” she scowled as her face flushed. She struggled to retrieve her hand from Huang Ming’s molestations, but he kept a firm grip.


“I’m not done, pay attention,” he said sternly and resumed tapping various points on her palm.


Seeing his concerned expression put Sunli in a thoughtful mood. Thus she stood there quietly in the moonlight, her hand in his…


In the shadows, a pair of spying eyes narrowed. The owner had seen enough of the picturesque scene; and retreated deeper into the darkness.


“You rogue!” Sunli’s yell shattered the peaceful atmosphere.


Huang Ming jumped up and away as Sunli’s sword cut the wind.


The sudden outburst of violence shocked the spy. What had happened?


“Come now, we’re engaged. Why so angry about me copping a feel?” Huang Ming laughed.


Then the spy understood. Huang Ming had angered the War Goddess with a stray hand.


The spy watch on quietly to confirm. The sheer strength in Zhao Sunli’s sword strokes meant she was thoroughly infuriated, her blade flashing in the moonlight.


Perhaps the War Goddess’s outrage faded after the first few attempts at cutting Huang Ming in two, perhaps the idea of actually killing her fiancé had slowed her hand. Either way, Huang Ming easily evaded her sword by nimbly jumping away this way and that.


It was comedy bordering on almost farcical, and the spy soon lost interest in watching Sunli hack away impotently while Huang Ming’s continued to tease.


Eventually Sunli gave up, and Huang Ming fled, his roguish laughter filling the air as he disappeared. In a feat of strength, Sunli slashed her sword on the rock on which they had sat on just a few moments ago and cleaved the stone into two. She glared angrily at her handiwork before stomping away.


The spy waited a long while before emerging from the shadows, and the figure of Miss Xilei was revealed. The buxom woman examined the destroyed rock, and could not help but be impressed. Sunli must have been thoroughly enraged to accomplish such a feat…


That was what she reported later in a clandestine meeting. Once more she was in secret conference with her Jin confederates.


“...and how is that relevant to our enterprise?” Songdan the hideously scarred man asked dismissively.


Xilei snorted. “You know nothing about women. They may be engaged but he doesn’t take it seriously. This is a flaw in his personality, and should be included in his profile for our princess. She would be delighted at this particular detail, it may prove useful to exploit.”


Songdan was about to refute it immediately, but the hunchbacked elder nodded in agreement. “The princess did ask us for all sorts of information,” the elder reminded Songdan.


Songdan remained unhappy. “Elder Wu Zhi, I still do not see why she should be so concerned about this Huang Ming. By all accounts he is just someone lucky with a fast mouth.”


“Luck is also a skill,” the hunchbacked elder said.


“I agree,” a new voice interjected.


“Who!” Songdan exclaimed, a dagger materializing in his hand.


“Calm yourself, he is one of us,” the elder said, and a new figure clad in black appeared to join them.


If Huang Ming or Sunli were present, they would have recognized him as the man who had saved Nangong Xie in the past. This was the same shadowy man who had blocked off Sunli’s spear and helped the Handsome Scholar escape to Jin afterwards.


“If you want to capture Huang Ming for the princess, then you must not underestimated him. He is only frivolous on the surface, he is much deeper than you can imagine,” the new arrival said.


“Hold on, we are only here to gather information. Nobody said anything about kidnapping him,” Songdan pointed out.


“You should. You might not get a better chance,” the shadowy man told him.


“What do you mean?” Xilei asked.


“I have heard what you said about his fiancée Zhao Sunli. I am reliably informed that she will be in charge of taking away the veterans of Beihai. This will leave the city undefended,” the man in black said.


“What concern is that to us?” Songdan asked.


“The Prince of Jin is taking advantage of this. He is already preparing an army to attack the city.”


It was as if thunder had struck the minds of Xilei, Wu Zhi and Songdan.


“How can that be? An attack in winter?” Wu Zhi asked in shock.


The man in black shrugged, as if the matter was of no concern to him. “It seems the Prince of JIn has his own eyes and ears here in Beihai, and he has been counselled to take the risk.”


“Does… does the Princess of Jin know of this? Surely she would not agree to such an operation,” Xilei said, her face pale.


“I have heard that the Prince is doing this on his own accord. Perhaps he is doing it as a grand gesture for her,” the man in black replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.


Neither Songdan, Xilei nor Wu Zhi cared about the disrespectful tone. Their ultimate loyalty was to the Princess of Jin, not her royal husband.


“This is ridiculous. The Princess is not someone who revels in such pointless wastage,” Elder Wu Zhi said disapprovingly.


“I do not presume to know what our Prince and Princess are thinking. All you need to know is that you have a limited window to operate before the city is besieged,” the man in black said flatly. He then turned towards Xilei.


“Are you certain about what you said earlier?” he demanded.


“Regarding Zhao Sunli and Huang Ming? Of course, I saw everything with my own eyes. If you can sneak in the gardens, you can see the stone that was split in twain yourself,” Xilei informed him.


“No need, I trust you. I have heard that their relationship has always been ambiguous, your firsthand account only lends credence to it,” the man said.


Xilei was mollified. “But would it be so easy to take those veteran soldiers away?” she questioned. “They are the main fighting force defending the city, surely Huang Ming would be loathed to send them away.”


“That is why General Yin brought Sunli along with him,” the man in black said. “He knows that they are engaged, and Huang Ming would be less reluctant if it was his fiancée who is in charge of the matter. Now that he has offended her, she will be eager to leave as soon as possible.”


“What about General Yin himself? Will he be a factor?” Songdan asked.


The man in black shook his head. “No, he will be leaving with Zhao Sunli and the veterans. In fact, he would be more than happy to see a rift between Zhao Sunli and Huang Ming.”


Realization struck the other three.


“How scandalous, the general smitten with the fiancée of another man!” Xilei laughed derisively.


“I have heard that the general made her his assistant in the capital. Now I understand why,” Songdan added.


Elder Wu Zhi shook his head. “This kingdom is doomed, if even someone like General Yin would put his personal interest ahead of national ones.”


One could almost see the smile underneath the man in black’s mask.


“Indeed, this kingdom is doomed.”

Weaving plots in the dark,
Twisting the truth, such an art.​