Elio’s Notes: The title echoes the online catchphrase “The three-year term is up; respectfully welcome the Dragon King’s return,” a melodramatic meme from web-fiction and short-video ads. Here it doubles as a literal reference to Wei Fu’s three-year appointment ending.
“The ‘Xiling Fox’—does that refer to the Minister-Regent Xiling sent to Longsha?”
It was an early winter morning, cold and biting. The sky was gloomy, clouds and mist lying thick across the mountain road. The damp hung so heavily in the air that it resembled dust and lint, coating the mountain’s lush greenery, mottled red leaves, and yellowing grass in a pale layer of frost and dew.
Carriages and horses left clear hoofprints and wheel ruts along the muddy road as the party moved quietly and swiftly through the wilderness.
The carriage blocked the wind, but there was no charcoal fire inside. Damp cold stabbed like needles into the bones, awakening a faint, lingering ache.
The man in blue robes wrapped his half-new, half-worn gray satin cloak more tightly around himself, both hands tucked into his sleeves. His cheeks were pale from the cold, and clouds of white breath accompanied every word. Fortunately, he was naturally handsome, so even dressed like this, he did not appear excessively shabby. When he spoke at length, he instead possessed an air of calm composure. “Correct. On this trip to Bihan City, aside from the King, Yugong Lie, there are two people whose attitudes you must pay particular attention to. He is one of them.”
“Before he was sent to Longsha, this man served beside the Xiling emperor as a Secretariat Drafter. I hear he was born into a meritorious noble family and spent his childhood tagging after the emperor, relying upon that personal connection to muddle his way into becoming one of the Son of Heaven’s trusted ministers. I originally assumed he was nothing more than a decorative fool, but who would have guessed that this fox actually possessed some skill? After arriving in Longsha, he not only established himself with astonishing speed but soon gathered enormous authority into his own hands. He has brought the entire court to heel. At this point, calling him Longsha’s true regent would hardly be an exaggeration.”
The middle-aged man seated opposite him was dressed as a scholar. Half convinced and half doubtful, he asked, “Has Yugong Lie lost his mind? Why didn’t he suppress the man before he gained momentum? Instead, he allowed a mere foreign official to control the court?”
“Our King is weak and indecisive. Even if you gave him eight more guts, he still wouldn’t dare offend Xiling.” The blue-robed man gave a contemptuous laugh. “Still, Yugong Lie was right to surrender some authority. In the three years Wei Fu has held power, Longsha has not only boarded Xiling’s great ship, it has also opened trade routes with the northern nations. Lancang and Zhoujin, border cities that used to be dirt-poor, have transformed in only three years. They can now be counted among the prosperous and wealthy cities of middling size.”
“Yugong Lie—useless at practically everything, yet somehow blessed with extraordinarily good fortune…” He paused. “No. That’s not quite right either. Heh…”
Jealous hatred, like dark clouds, twisted his handsome features, revealing a cold and sinister viciousness that made one shiver. The middle-aged scholar involuntarily shrank back slightly and hurried to turn the subject away from Yugong Lie. “By that logic, Wei Fu took a ladle of soup from Xiling’s pot and shared it with Longsha. He can certainly be called talented in governance. So how did he end up with the nickname ‘fox’?”
The blue-robed man turned his pale eyes toward him. “I hear Wei Fu possesses extraordinary beauty and bearing, is smooth and skillful in every direction, and seized sole authority at a remarkably young age. Naturally, some people considered him excessively calculating. At first, the nickname was probably intended to mock him for being slippery and bewitching the masses. Later, somehow, it turned into a kind of…” He paused. “…honorific?”
“Huh?”
“Years ago, when the late King sought an alliance with Qiyun against Yanyuan, he arranged for the crown prince to marry an imperial princess of Qiyun and ceded Pingdu and Liangang to Qiyun as betrothal gifts. Those were Longsha’s two most prosperous ports. Their annual commercial taxes alone equaled half of Longsha’s grain tax.” The blue-robed man continued leisurely: “And the result? Such enormous pieces of fat, yet Wei Fu somehow managed to pry them back out of Qiyun’s mouth. His methods truly are formidable. Forget respectfully calling him a fox spirit. In my view, Yugong Lie could build him a living shrine and worship him while he’s still alive, and even that wouldn’t be excessive.”
Elio’s Notes: A “living shrine” was a shrine erected in honor of someone who was still alive, usually to commemorate an official or benefactor regarded as exceptionally meritorious.
“Has Qiyun lost its mind too? They could simply lie there collecting money, with every benefit and no cost. Why would they return two ports to Longsha for nothing?” the middle-aged scholar asked in confusion. “Even if they agreed to negotiate, Qiyun must have demanded an outrageous price. Could Yugong Lie have paid to redeem them in order to avoid being cursed by history?”
“Putting aside whether Qiyun would have agreed, Longsha has only just managed to build up some reserves over the past few years. He would never dare squander them like that.” The blue-robed man continued, “Besides, based on what I know, if someone hadn’t pushed this matter with all his strength behind the scenes, Yugong Lie alone would never have possessed either the courage or the means to recover those ports.”
“What do you mean?”
“Pingdu and Liangang are indeed important, but their greatest advantage was simply that they were developed early. Longsha does not lack good harbors. While the late King was still alive, the moment he decided to cede those territories, he immediately sent people to build new ports such as Wushan and Qiancheng, gradually diluting the profits of the two older ports. Given enough years of development, those new ports would eventually replace them. Qiyun’s advantage could never last forever.” “That’s why Qiyun was willing to negotiate.”
“But waiting for the old ports to lose their value would take at least ten or twenty years. And when Longsha originally handed the two ports to Qiyun, the agreement stipulated that they would be returned after one hundred years. Even if Qiyun allowed both places to decay and simply occupied the land until the full century was over, that alone would have been enough to disgust Longsha.” The blue-robed man went on, “According to the information I obtained from Longsha, Wei Fu personally presided over the peace negotiations last year and renegotiated the treaty with Qiyun. Longsha recovered both ports, guaranteed priority passage for Qiyun merchant vessels, and permitted Qiyun merchants to continue operating within their original districts. This year, Qiyun’s Resident Port Envoys, officials, and soldiers stationed at the two ports all withdrew and returned home.”
He watched the clouds of white breath leaving his mouth. “Anyone who isn’t a fool can see that this so-called ‘priority passage for merchant vessels’ amounts to nothing more than scraps of profit. The real question is what bargaining chip Longsha offered that persuaded Qiyun to willingly hand back two mountains of gold.”
The middle-aged scholar could not help asking, “If you managed to uncover something this secret, why couldn’t you find out the truth behind the deal?”
The blue-robed man seemed to find the question exceedingly naive. “Precisely because I couldn’t uncover it, you need to watch the other person.”
“Who?”
“Prince Xiaohui, Yugong Zhaoye.”
“A member of the royal clan? I’ve never heard of him.” The middle-aged scholar asked curiously, “How is he related to Yugong Lie?”
“He is the youngest son of Emperor Zheng’an. His birth mother was Noble Consort Xie Zhuangxiang. He was the late King’s youngest brother, which makes him Yugong Lie’s younger uncle. His seniority is high, though in reality the two are the same age.” Seeing the scholar’s blank expression, the blue-robed man continued, “It’s perfectly normal that you haven’t heard of him. He has always kept a very low profile. After being enfeoffed as a prince, he never entered court and instead went to the Moon God Temple to serve as a divine official.”
“Oh, oh. So he became a monk.” The scholar nodded. “What about him deserves special attention?”
The blue-robed man was amused by this brutally simple interpretation. “Fine. In the eyes of the world, that is indeed roughly what happened.”
“After Longsha recovered Pingdu and Liangang, Wei Fu established two new government offices. One is the Port Administration Court. Its chief official bears the title of Minister, and beneath it are five major Port Administration Offices governing Pingdu, Liangang, Wushan, Qiancheng, and Penglai. As the name suggests, the Court oversees the affairs of those five port cities.”
“The other is the Purple Empyrean Court. Its duties are to oversee the apostles of the temples and monastics throughout the realm, administer the affairs of the various religions, and suppress heterodox disturbances. Its chief official is titled Commissioner, equivalent in status to a Minister and ranked secondary first.”
The middle-aged scholar thought he understood and interrupted eagerly. “To put it simply, it oversees religious affairs. The Purple Empyrean Court sounds impressive, but compared with it, the Port Administration Court possesses greater authority and far more profit. Managed properly, it becomes the court’s cash cow.”
The blue-robed man neither agreed nor disagreed. “Yugong Lie appointed Rongcheng Yin, formerly Vice Minister of Revenue, as Minister of the Port Administration Court, and appointed Yugong Zhaoye Commissioner of the Purple Empyrean Court. Don’t you find the appearance of the Purple Empyrean Court here rather strange?”
The middle-aged scholar replied, “Rongcheng Yin is his trusted subordinate, so naturally he has to keep such an important position firmly in his own hands. As for Yugong Zhaoye… because he’s a member of the royal clan, perhaps Yugong Lie built him an impressive new temple to win him over?”
His ability to understand things is somehow worse than an ox listening to music. The blue-robed man thought this expressionlessly, but still explained with patience: “Wei Fu personally presided over the entire recovery of Pingdu and Liangang. Establishing the Port Administration Court was the natural completion of that achievement. On the surface, Yugong Zhaoye had absolutely nothing to do with the matter.” “So why would Wei Fu deliberately elevate him, specifically create a Purple Empyrean Court for him, and encounter no objection whatsoever from the King?”
By this point, the hint could hardly have been more explicit. The middle-aged scholar was not truly a fool. He finally understood. “You mean Yugong Zhaoye secretly contributed to the recovery of the ports… and that it had something to do with Longsha’s bargain with Qiyun?”
The blue-robed man exhaled a faint cloud of white breath in relief and nodded.
“The Purple Empyrean Court commands religious followers throughout the realm and possesses the authority to suppress heterodox unrest. What government office with the authority to ‘suppress’ anything has ever been harmless?” He spoke lightly. “Longsha’s greatest enemy is Yanyuan. I hardly need to explain who this ‘heterodoxy’ refers to.”
Cause and consequence linked together. It was as though a faint cold gleam flashed somewhere in the unseen. The middle-aged scholar felt he had finally caught hold of that elusive thread of inspiration, yet at the same time sensed the danger concealed beneath it. His heart began pounding violently.
Nearly ten years had passed. Yet when one spoke of the great war between Longsha and Yanyuan, when one spoke of the Ten Aspects Sect, who could forget Bihua—the organization that had shocked the world in a single battle?
“But…” Nervous enough to swallow, he lowered his voice. “But wasn’t Bihua already…? How could they dare…”
The blue-robed man half-lowered his eyelids in boredom. “Of the three characters that make up ‘Purple Empyrean Court,’ which one has anything to do with Bihua?” He gave him a careless look. “Do you have evidence?”
“Then Yugong Zhaoye really is the leader of…” The middle-aged scholar could not find a suitable substitute and vaguely skipped over the dangerous words. “…that?”
The blue-robed man gave an almost inaudible “Mhm.” “This royal uncle has hidden himself extraordinarily well. I suspect Wei Fu is merely the front they pushed into the light, while Yugong Zhaoye was the one who truly negotiated the bargain with Qiyun. My people couldn’t discover what really happened during the peace talks because it was never something the outer court was permitted to know.”
The middle-aged scholar pressed a hand over his pounding chest. “Then why would Wei Fu cooperate with them? Isn’t he afraid Bihua will rise from the ashes?!”
“Only people planning to harm Longsha need to fear assassins. What does he have to fear?” A cold smile touched the blue-robed man’s lips. “Qiyun merely lies on Longsha’s body and sucks its blood. Xiling and Longsha, on the other hand, enjoy what you call mutual benefit. Yugong Lie cannot flatter Xiling quickly enough. Even if he keeps assassins, he certainly won’t use them against this ‘father’ of his.”
“The Minister-Regent’s term may last only three years, but business between the two nations will continue for much longer. Recovering those two ports benefits Xiling as well. Wei Fu adds another achievement to his record while conveniently selling Longsha a favor. Yugong Lie seizes the opportunity to give Yugong Zhaoye a legitimate identity for entering state affairs. Both sides gain tangible benefits.” “Everyone wins.”
“Wei Fu stands in the light. Yugong Zhaoye remains in the dark. Those two are Yugong Lie’s greatest supports.” “Wei Fu’s term is now complete. At a time like this, one problem fewer is better than one problem more. Simply make sure not to offend Xiling.” He paused. “The key is Yugong Zhaoye.”
“A dignified prince, yet willing to abandon wealth, glory, and comfort and risk his life for Longsha for so many years. A loyal minister like that is not easy to deal with.”
For some reason, looking at the blue-robed man’s exhausted, bluish-white face, the middle-aged scholar felt a sudden trace of fear. “Do you have a plan?”
The blue-robed man pulled a letter tube sealed with wax from his sleeve. The middle-aged scholar reached out to take it. The instant his fingers touched the other man’s icy hand, he hissed and shuddered from the cold.
“I remember Yugong Zhaoye’s birthday falls near the end of the tenth month.” “By the time you reach Bihan City, you should arrive just in time.”
“Deliver this ‘congratulatory gift’ to him for me.”