The next morning, Li Si woke from deep sleep with a splitting headache.
He tried to lift a hand and rub his temples, only to discover that his arms would not move. In fact, his entire body would not move. He opened his eyes in confusion and found Zhang San’s face directly in front of him.
Li Si’s eyes flew wide. Zhang San’s straight nose was right beside his lips; if Li Si moved his lips even slightly, he would touch it. Their breaths mingled together at shockingly intimate range.
His headache suddenly seemed less severe, but his face burned until it hurt. He turned away and endured for a long while before cautiously turning back to assess the situation. Li Si himself had been wrapped in the quilt like a caterpillar, while Zhang San lay diagonally across him, head resting on Li Si’s shoulder, injured left arm draped over his chest, left leg pinning him down. Pinned beneath both man and quilt, Li Si was completely trapped.
He wriggled several times and discovered that there truly was no escape. He could only whisper, “Brother Xiao.”
“Brother Xiao…”
“Xiao… the enemy army is here!”
Zhang San shot upright. His eyes were still closed as he reached toward the bedside for his saber, found nothing, and nearly pitched off the bed himself. Only after fumbling around for quite some time did he crawl back in disarray and ask groggily, “What is it?”
Li Si struggled slightly. “Let me go.”
“Ah. Oh.”
Zhang San groped around until he found the quilt corner he had somehow crushed into a tangled mess, then finally unwrapped Li Si. Awkwardly, he explained, “You were drunk. I was afraid you’d roll around at night, so I wrapped you up a bit more tightly.”
Li Si had not rolled around during the night. Who had actually done the rolling was another question entirely.
The two got up and dressed in mutual awkwardness, then washed in the room using the basin of water left from the previous night. Seeing that Li Si was still red all the way to his ears, Zhang San asked, “Still feeling the wine? Do you still feel sick?”
Li Si edged away from him and mumbled, “Mm.”
Zhang San also shifted a little farther away.
——
Once dressed, they each ate one of the baked flatbreads hidden the previous night and washed it down with cold tea, then set off for the prefectural yamen to see Prefect Zhang again.
They waited outside for a while. The Zhang household’s old steward personally came to receive them, explaining that Prefect Zhang had spent the night preparing several transfer orders and promotion documents for Commander Zhang. He had only just risen and was eating breakfast, so the steward asked them to wait in the study.
The moment Zhang San and Li Si heard that Prefect Zhang was having breakfast, they fixed the old steward with two pairs of expectant eyes. Walking ahead, the steward tried very hard to pretend he noticed nothing, but four blazing eyes seemed to scorch the middle of his back.
The old steward gave in and invited them to sit in the front hall while he had two portions of food sent over. Just like the simple meal the night before, the food was plain—porridge, baked flatbread, and stewed beans—but the two young men were delighted and devoured everything, successfully freeloading a filling breakfast.
Li Si even hid another two baked flatbreads inside his clothes before contentedly following Zhang San and the steward to the study.
——
The study of the prefectural yamen was novel to both of them, and they looked around curiously. It consisted of three rooms: the left held the writing desk, the middle was used for receiving guests, and the right held bookshelves. From a distance, Li Si noticed several military texts on the writing desk. He recognized volumes of the Seven Military Classics and the Essentials of the Military Classics, both official military texts of Great Xuan that he had read in the army camp. Beside them were several volumes titled Doctor He’s Discourses on Military Preparedness. He had never seen them before, so he stretched his neck and blinked, trying to read the author’s name.
Zhang San could not read at all, so he simply turned his head here and there, inspecting the calligraphy, paintings, curios, and ornaments around the room.
The old steward was terrified that these two rough young men might damage something valuable and therefore stood at the doorway watching them closely. Fortunately, curiosity aside, both understood proper manners. They remained standing in the middle of the reception room and merely looked, touching nothing.
——
Prefect Zhang arrived in a hurry. “Envoy Li, Commander Zhang, you have waited a long time. Please sit.”
Only after Prefect Zhang sat did the two take their seats below him. The old steward served tea, then withdrew.
Prefect Zhang made polite conversation. “I noticed the young Envoy seemed interested in the military books on the desk. Have you read any of them?”
Li Si answered honestly, “I have read the Seven Military Classics and the Essentials of the Military Classics. I do not know Doctor He’s Discourses on Military Preparedness.”
Prefect Zhang stood and personally brought the two volumes over. Li Si rose as well, thanked him, and received them with both hands.
Prefect Zhang explained, “This book is commonly known as Doctor He’s Discourses on Military Preparedness. It was written by a Military Studies Doctor during the Yuanyou era of our dynasty. The author began as a Confucian scholar but loved studying military affairs throughout history. He used ancient events to discuss contemporary questions and wrote this work. When discussing warfare, he emphasizes ‘momentum.’ He argues that there are times troops should be used and times they should not. Whether discussing war or peace, one must judge the present situation and act according to its momentum.”
Elio’s Notes: A Military Studies Doctor was an official teaching post within the state’s military-education system, held by a civil or military official learned in warfare.
Li Si listened seriously without speaking. Zhang San listened seriously too, but he understood none of the literary phrasing. His completely illiterate tiger eyes shone brightly at Prefect Zhang, his expression clearly saying, What are you talking about? Please speak like a normal person.
Prefect Zhang coughed. “In other words, when facing a powerful enemy, whether one fights or seeks peace depends on the circumstances.”
Zhang San’s tiger eyes blinked. Now he understood. “This subordinate dares ask: given the circumstances now, can peace still be sought? The Xiao army has already besieged Kuiyuan this long.”
Prefect Zhang sighed. “Whether Great Xuan should fight or negotiate with the Xiao has been debated endlessly in court. Before Kuiyuan was surrounded, I too supported Grand Preceptor Tong’s peace negotiations. On the surface, war is a military matter. In truth, it is a matter of the people. What war consumes is the people’s blood, sweat, and resources. Once an army is defeated, cities are ruined and people destroyed. It is a human catastrophe. But Grand Preceptor Tong’s negotiations failed, and then he fled south with the army. Under the present circumstances, peace is no longer possible, and defeat is absolutely unacceptable. The Xiao have already destroyed Northern Lang. They are invading Great Xuan now not merely to seize wealth, but to destroy our state and subjugate our people. If we retreat another step, Great Xuan will have nowhere left to retreat.”
Zhang San continued listening carefully and nodded.
Prefect Zhang continued, “Chief Commander Wang recommended you very strongly. He said you frequently served as vanguard, possess unusual courage and insight, and are particularly skilled at maneuvering through desperate situations. Three years ago, when Grand Preceptor Tong led the army against Northern Lang, the entire army was defeated and scattered. You gathered more than a hundred routed soldiers, maneuvered your way back to your unit, and even brought back dozens of enemy heads. That was why you were promoted to Unit Commander.”
Zhang San clasped his fists. “I do not deserve such praise.”
He himself did not think he possessed any special talent. He had merely offended his superiors in earlier years and been repeatedly thrown into suicidal missions until he learned how both to hide and to fight. It was only because he served under Chief Commander Wang then that his merit was finally reported and he received a promotion. Grand Preceptor Tong later disguised that crushing defeat as a great victory and deceived His Majesty by claiming that Northern Lang had suffered even worse losses. More than a hundred thousand Xuan soldiers had plainly been killed or wounded, yet Tong still had the shamelessness to return claiming triumph.
Prefect Zhang continued, “I know that you too are someone capable of judging circumstances. I therefore entrust Ant County to you. As for the Chief Constable Liu you mentioned earlier, I drafted the documents last night promoting him to County Commandant. He will serve under your orders.”
Zhang San rose to accept the command, then received from Prefect Zhang a sealed bamboo tube containing all the documents, along with a waist token engraved: “Zhang San, Militia Commissioner of Ant County.” He tucked both into his clothes.
Prefect Zhang deliberately added, “Your authority now stands above the County Magistrate’s. If he bends the law for selfish ends and delays important military or civil affairs, find a pretext and cut off his head. I will bear responsibility. No one will investigate you for it.”
Zhang San had been worried that the County Magistrate would hold a grudge over Daoist Ma’s death and obstruct him. This was exactly what he had been waiting to hear, and he nodded repeatedly.
——
After settling Zhang San’s assignment, Prefect Zhang turned toward Li Si. “Envoy Li.”
Li Si set down the military text, left his seat, and bowed. “Yes.”
“I asked you here today to explain the assignment His Majesty gave you. According to the secret decree, your party should originally have numbered fifty. Why did only you arrive?”
“Twenty-four died on the road. Besides me, another twenty-five remain in Ant County.”
“Good. Good. It is fortunate that there are still men remaining.” Prefect Zhang sighed. “This entire mission began because of the Immortal Master, Perfected Master Shenxiao.”
Surprise entered Li Si’s eyes.
The first time he had heard the name Perfected Master Shenxiao was from the eunuch who delivered their orders on the night they left the capital. Later, the Commander of the Imperial City Directorate mentioned him before dying. The eunuch had said that this Perfected Master protected His Majesty’s health and that Daoist Ma was his senior disciple and would protect the soldiers as well—yet Daoist Ma had instead gotten more than twenty of them killed.
How had the entire mission begun because of him?
Prefect Zhang continued, “Perfected Master Shenxiao is skilled in immortal fire arts and used them to cure His Majesty’s strange illness. Now that the capital faces the enemy and stands in extreme danger, he proposed performing a qingjiao rite to protect Great Xuan’s national fortune and keep the capital safe. But for the rite, he requires someone of imperial blood whose birth data aligns with pure Yang and pure Fire in the Five Phases. He intends to use that person’s fire vein to aid the sacrifice…”
Elio’s Notes: A qingjiao is a Daoist purification and offering rite in which an altar is established to pray for blessings, peace, protection, or relief from calamity.
By that point, the matter had become so bizarre and absurd that Li Si’s expression grew even blanker. Beside him, Zhang San frowned.
Prefect Zhang himself knew how ridiculous it sounded and sighed before continuing. “His Majesty ordered the imperial clan registers searched. They discovered a distant imperial kinsman aligned with pure Yang and pure Fire who currently lives in Kuiyuan. His Majesty therefore ordered me to find this person and have your party escort him back to the capital so that he may assist Perfected Master Shenxiao with the rite.”
Silence filled the hall for a long time.
Li Si stared blankly. His face gradually went white, and his breathing grew heavy.
Fifty soldiers had risked their lives to travel a thousand li into a land consumed by war. One man had been beheaded before they even departed. More than twenty others had died uselessly on the road. And all of it was only because an “Immortal Master” wanted to perform a ritual?
Li Si saw Second Uncle’s gray-white face, the Commander’s dying sigh, the bodies of his comrades buried among the fallen stones…
His fists clenched until they trembled. His teeth ground together with a sharp creak, and for once, the fury on his face was unmistakable.
Zhang San abruptly stood, pushed him back into his chair, and pried at his tightly clenched fists. Thin trails of blood had already seeped between Li Si’s fingers.
“Prefect, please forgive him!” Zhang San said while trying to calm Li Si. He looked back and explained, “The young Envoy’s own uncle was also part of the escort party and died unexpectedly on the road. He remembered his family and lost control for a moment…”
Prefect Zhang knew perfectly well how absurd the secret decree was. He himself had once been angered enough to speak words of gross disrespect toward the Emperor, so he waved a hand. “No matter. Let the young Envoy rest a moment. Someone, bring fresh tea.”
The old steward hurried in and replaced their tea with hot cups.
Zhang San gathered Li Si into both arms. With one hand, he held the cup to Li Si’s lips and let him drink several sips. With the other, he patted his back and guided him to breathe slowly.
Li Si’s hands were still trembling and curling inward. Zhang San held one and patiently coaxed his fingers open.
——
After a while, Li Si closed his hand around Zhang San’s in return and gently shook his head to indicate that he was all right.
Only then did Zhang San release him, wiping several drops of cold sweat from Li Si’s forehead with warm fingertips.
Li Si’s face remained pale, but he forced his voice steady. “Prefect, please continue.”
Prefect Zhang sighed. “Then I shall. Yesterday, I ordered an investigation. This young imperial kinsman is descended from the Founding Emperor. His branch became collateral beginning with his great-grandfather. His grandfather once earned enough merit to be granted an earldom. His father was a second son and therefore did not inherit the title, though he once served as a minor official here in Kuiyuan. He was sickly and died many years ago. This young master is the family’s only son. Since he is still young and has never entered official service, he presently lives idly at home.”
In short, he was an impoverished imperial kinsman with no title, no honors, no stipend, and no father.
Prefect Zhang continued, “This morning, I already sent someone to his residence to inform him and summon him to receive the imperial decree. Envoy Li need only wait here for a while.”
——
Before long, the old steward came in to report that someone from the young master’s residence had arrived.
It was not the young master.
The person who entered behind Prefect Zhang’s steward was another old steward—the steward of that impoverished young master’s equally impoverished household. He was advanced in years, neatly but plainly dressed, his hair completely white. Supporting himself against the doorway, he entered trembling and weeping bitterly.
“Prefect! This old servant has waited so many days. At last I have finally seen you!”
Prefect Zhang immediately rose and personally helped him to a seat. “Elder, sit. Speak slowly. Bring tea!”
The old steward declined the tea with trembling hands and hurriedly said, “Prefect, this old servant has come to the prefectural yamen many times over the past month to request an audience. But every time, you were either supervising the defenses on the wall, inspecting the city, or handling public affairs. I failed to see you even once!”
Prefect Zhang frowned and looked toward his own steward.
The steward hurriedly explained, “It truly was unfortunate timing. Not once did he come while Your Excellency was present.”
Prefect Zhang scolded him. “Did you not even ask what matter brought the elder here?”
The steward answered guiltily, “Earlier, he said bandits had attacked the household and taken a hostage. My lord, you know that when the Xiao first surrounded the city, many wealthy households were attacked by bandits. There were simply too many such incidents to bring each one before Your Excellency personally. Later, after you assigned Subordinate General Wang to keep order and he arrested large numbers of brigands, I assumed this elder’s matter had been resolved. I did not wish to trouble Your Excellency further, so I never reported it again.”
Prefect Zhang threw the teacup from his hand. Crash! Porcelain shattered across the floor. The steward flinched and immediately dropped to his knees. “My lord, forgive me! This old servant knows his mistake! I will never do it again!”
Prefect Zhang waved him away, then returned his attention to the impoverished old steward. “Elder, don’t be anxious. Drink some tea and tell us slowly. What exactly happened at your residence?”
——
The old steward held the cup in trembling hands, tears in his eyes. “More than twenty days ago, before the Xiao army surrounded the city, our young master was abducted by a group of bandits! They left word demanding 3,000 guan in ransom. They forbade us from reporting the matter to the authorities and said that the moment they saw government soldiers, they would kill the hostage on the spot…”
His voice broke again.
The expressions of everyone present grew grave. They all sensed that the situation was bad.
After comforting the old man for several moments, Prefect Zhang asked, “What happened afterward?”
“Our former master and mistress both died several years ago. The young master is still too young to manage the household, and we have little family wealth left. This old servant pawned everything valuable in the residence and even mortgaged the estate itself, yet we still could not raise 3,000 guan. Only a few days later, the Xiao army surrounded the city. Those bandits never came to demand the money again, and there has been no news of our young master since…”
The old steward choked back sobs and wiped his tears again.
At that point, everyone understood that the young master was most likely in grave danger. No wonder Prefect Zhang’s steward had not reported the matter. The boy had probably been carried outside the city. Once the Xiao army surrounded Kuiyuan, no one could even leave the city, much less search for him.
Prefect Zhang quickly asked, “Did the bandits leave any clues behind?”
The old steward nodded and pulled a battered sheet of paper from his clothes. “When they took our young master, they left this ransom letter.”
Prefect Zhang examined it first. The writing was ugly and crooked, stating the ransom demand and threatening the household not to report to the authorities. There was no name at the end, only a symbol resembling the Big Dipper, which the kidnappers had apparently used as their identifying mark.
Prefect Zhang handed the letter to Zhang San and Li Si as well. Li Si looked it over and noticed nothing unusual.
Zhang San, however, suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?”
Prefect Zhang looked at him. “What is it?”
Zhang San frowned. “I’ve seen this recently. Envoy Li, look again.”
Li Si tilted his head and carefully examined the page another time. Nothing. His puzzled dark eyes turned toward Zhang San.
Zhang San realized he alone had seen the symbol. Giving up on Li Si, he closed his eyes and thought hard for a while before suddenly slapping his thigh.
“The Seven-Star Formation! That maze outside the earthen fortress! Little Foo—Envoy Li! You went through it too!”
Li Si blinked blankly, remembering only layer upon layer of dark earthen walls in the middle of the night.
Zhang San said, “I smashed the Seven-Star Formation open. Later, the farmers found a diagram and told me the bandits had left it behind. I had them rebuild the maze according to the diagram. Then you smashed through it again, remember? There was a symbol in the lower-right corner of that formation diagram. Exactly the same as this one!”
Everyone stared at Zhang San, who had suddenly come alive. Prefect Zhang hurriedly asked, “Then the bandits you encountered were very likely the ones who abducted this young master. Where are they now?”
Zhang San froze. All his excitement collapsed from his face. “Ahem. They occupied the earthen fortress, oppressed the refugees there, and robbed and murdered travelers. The night I entered the fortress…” He coughed. “I killed every last one.”
Prefect Zhang: “…”
Chief Commander Wang had told him that Commander Zhang possessed “exceptional courage and insight.” More than courage and insight—he was a genuine killing general.
After thinking carefully, Zhang San added, “There were still twenty or thirty refugees in the fortress at the time. Most later headed south. There was no lone young master among them. Besides, his home is in Kuiyuan. If he had been there, he probably wouldn’t have hurried south. He should have remained in the fortress.”
The old steward wailed, “Then where has our young master gone? Could those bandits already have murdered him? Young Master! Wuuu! Master! Mistress! This old servant failed the trust you placed in me before your deaths! This old servant is useless! Wuuu…”
Seeing the old man cry so miserably, Li Si imitated the way Zhang San usually comforted him. First, he went over and hugged the old man. Then he fed him tea, patted his back, and reached for the old man’s hand.
Zhang San: “…”
Unable to bear it any longer, he pulled Li Si away. “What are you touching people for?”
Then he hurriedly comforted the elder himself. “Don’t panic, Elder. Some farmers still live in that fortress, and all of them were once held captive by the bandits. I’ll go back and ask. Someone should have seen the young master and know where he went.”
The old steward choked out, “Thank you, young sir! Thank you! Please, I beg you, you must save our young master!”
“Rest assured. First tell us how old your young master is, what he looks like, and whether he has anything distinctive we can use to identify him.”
Wiping away his tears, the old steward pulled out a jade pendant. A dragon was carved into it, and at one glance it was clearly a valuable heirloom.
“Our young master’s given name is Shen. He is fourteen this year, with a round face, narrow eyes, and a slight build. This jade pendant has been passed down through his family as proof of descent from the Founding Emperor. He normally wore it at all times. On the day he was abducted, it was found beneath the courtyard wall. It must have fallen when the bandits forcibly carried him over the wall.”
Zhang San accepted the jade pendant. Since Li Si was the Envoy acting under imperial decree, Zhang San immediately tucked it into Li Si’s robe instead. “Rest assured, Elder. We will do everything we can to find your young master.”
——
After bidding farewell to Prefect Zhang, Zhang San and Li Si left the yamen and escorted the old steward back to his residence on their way.
Just before they parted, the old steward suddenly called, “Young sirs.”
Li Si instinctively reached for the old man’s outstretched hand again, only for Zhang San to slap his hand away. “Why are you touching people again?”
Zhang San supported the elder himself. “Please speak.”
The old steward lowered his voice. “Earlier, in front of the Prefect, this old servant did not dare mention it. It might have sounded disrespectful. Since the two of you are helping us find the young master, I will conceal nothing. Our young master has one distinctive feature. When he was little, he was mischievous and fell from a tree, striking his forehead and leaving two scars.”
The steward gestured to the left and right sides of his own forehead. “The servants in the household used to joke… that they looked like a pair of dragon horns.”