After Wang Yu laid the matter bare, Pei Yuan Jin wrote Jing Luo a letter explaining the whole affair from beginning to end. Whether to pass it on to his father was something he trusted Jing Luo to judge.
In addition, Fu Xi Yan suggested that Wang Yu secretly investigate Mo Xiao Ran’s whereabouts.
“That formation is meant to draw on the souls of living beings to achieve ascension. If Mo Xiao Ran doesn’t appear in person, it won’t activate. So finding the source would work just as well.”
Wang Yu sighed. “Finding a Sacred Master is easier said than done.”
Fu Xi Yan was a little surprised.
Different cultivation paths used different titles. The highest realm of martial arts was Martial God; the path of artifacts had Weapon Venerables, and the Puppet Path had Sacred Masters. Martial arts were so dominant, however, that people unfamiliar with the other paths often lumped everyone together as Martial Gods.
Pei Yuan Jin said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
He met every difficulty with calm composure, something Fu Xi Yan was long accustomed to. Wang Yu, however, looked at him with a measure of admiration even he himself did not seem to notice.
To forge ahead without ever turning back, making that one’s path, required an indomitable will.
Perhaps inspired by Pei Yuan Jin, Wang Yu immediately ordered men drawn from the Yulin Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate to carry out a citywide search. After issuing the order, however, he hesitated. “With so many people involved, word may get out. What if we alert him?”
Fu Xi Yan was unconcerned. “Someone as devious as Mo Xiao Ran will anticipate and block every move you might make, even if you stay completely still.”
Wang Yu smiled bitterly. “Then aren’t we wasting our effort whether we act or not?”
Fu Xi Yan comforted him. “You still have to struggle a little.”
Wang Yu: “…”
The temporary team assembled from the Yulin Guard, Ministry of Justice, and Censorate used the investigation of recent arson cases as its public cover. It was therefore called the Fire Investigation Team. Fu Xi Yan changed the name to the Firefighting Brigade, code name One-One-Nine.
Elio’s Notes: 119 is the fire emergency telephone number in mainland China. Fu Xi Yan is importing a modern emergency-services reference into this historical setting.
The newly appointed brigade captain, Cen Bao En, asked curiously, “Does the name have a deeper meaning?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “It’s easy to remember.”
Cen Bao En: “…”
Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin served as the brigade’s advisers, at Fu Xi Yan’s own request. Wang Yu had originally wanted them to be captains. But Fu Xi Yan already wanted to resign as Northern Lands Patrol Commissioner, so why would he volunteer for another job? He only agreed to be an adviser to get inside the operation and keep abreast of the news.
It was Cen Bao En’s first time taking sole charge, and he worked with great enthusiasm. First he checked every inn, guesthouse, and rental residence in the city. Even working flat out, that alone took half a month. He did not find Mo Xiao Ran, but public order improved remarkably. Not only robberies but even petty thefts vanished. The common people did not know why life had become safer and praised the current emperor’s wisdom.
Wang Yu dealt mercilessly with powerful aristocratic families, sweeping them aside like autumn wind clearing fallen leaves. Although he was hardly springtime warmth toward ordinary people, he had not raised taxes or increased compulsory service, and having rounded up his brothers, he had fewer imperial relatives around to abuse their status. His reputation among commoners was therefore reasonably good. Some still remembered the old days and spoke wistfully of the former Prince of Yunzhong and Prince of Longnan, usually to vent when they were upset. Whether they would actually support replacing the emperor was another matter.
Fu Xi Yan had been going out on frequent ‘incognito inspections.’ After hearing enough public opinion, an idea struck him, and he mounted his horse and rode into the palace to make a suggestion.
“You want me to evacuate the common people?”
Seeing the serious expression on Wang Yu’s face, Fu Xi Yan’s heated enthusiasm slowly cooled. He smiled awkwardly. “I was thinking too simply.”
Wang Yu descended from the dragon throne and hesitated before replying. “In fact, do you think I haven’t considered it? A formation is fixed in place, but people can move. Of course they could leave. Yet one can be a thief for a thousand days, but who can guard against thieves for a thousand days? Besides, Haojing is Northern Zhou’s capital. Abandoning it would be like abandoning the state. I was unwilling even to move the capital. How could I abandon it outright?”
Fu Xi Yan had been thinking impulsively from the perspective of disaster response. On reflection, this was a man-made calamity, nothing like a natural disaster. Moving an entire city would not merely humiliate Northern Zhou and uproot its people; Mo Xiao Ran would certainly interfere. How could anything proceed so smoothly?
Leaving Yanying Hall, he gazed at the white clouds drifting through the sky and thought about Mo Xiao Ran, who was drifting about who knew where. He sighed softly.
It was still early enough that, if he left now, he could eat with Pei Yuan Jin. Lately they had both been busy, and usually met only at night.
And even that little time had to be spent analyzing the situation. Fu Xi Yan regretted that after the battle of the New City, he had been so busy pursuing blame that he had not asked carefully about what happened on Mount Fujun. Ban Qing Yu had apparently failed to ‘ascend’ yet somehow advanced to Martial King. What exactly had the Immortal Treasury Palace elders achieved, and what had they failed to achieve? He was intensely curious.
Fu Xi Yan was now a favored figure at court. Everyone knew the emperor had summoned him repeatedly, and the palace attendants and guards along the way made a point of bowing to him. He returned each greeting, but one young eunuch was different. Instead of leaving afterward, the eunuch edged closer and whispered, “The Seventh Princess requests your presence.”
Fu Xi Yan froze. Where had this person come from?
The young eunuch walked ahead a few steps, then noticed that Fu Xi Yan had not followed and hurried back. “The princess wishes to ask a favor. Please come with this servant, Young Master Fu, for the sake of your acquaintance.”
Fu Xi Yan finally fished the princess out from a forgotten corner of his memory. His earlier trip to Peijie Town had been to search for this ‘eloping’ princess, whose ideal marriage partner had been Pei Yuan Jin, though Pei Yuan Jin knew nothing about it. Lou Wu Zai had dashed from the southern border to the western one largely to avoid becoming her prince consort.
He asked, “Does His Majesty know about this?”
The young eunuch said, “You’ll understand once you meet Her Highness.”
Fu Xi Yan turned on his heel and walked away, not toward the meeting but out of the palace. He might not have eaten pork, but he had certainly seen pigs run. In the battleground of palace intrigue, attending a mysterious summons was practically volunteering to die. Who would agree so casually?
The eunuch apparently had not expected him to run so quickly. After taking two instinctive steps in pursuit, the servant could no longer even see his back.
Once he got home, Fu Xi Yan mentioned the incident casually to Pei Yuan Jin.
Pei Yuan Jin had been drinking tea. After hearing it, the tea somehow lost its appeal, and he looked at Fu Xi Yan with a dark, lingering gaze.
Fu Xi Yan touched his face. “What?”
Pei Yuan Jin said evenly, “Her intended husband went to the western border. Now she needs a husband.”
“…What? You want me to find her a match?” Fu Xi Yan puffed out his cheeks. “Don’t tell me she’s still pining for you after all this time!”
Their gazes met through the steam rising from their cups, and both suddenly burst into laughter.
The faint hint of jealousy in the air soon dissolved without a trace.
Fu Xi Yan said, “That Seventh Princess is no innocent lamb. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble!” Whether she fancied someone or had some other motive did not concern him.
Had the formation beneath Haojing not involved Mo Xiao Ran’s ambition and innocent people’s lives, he would not even have wanted to deal so closely with Wang Yu.
His reasoning was sound, but when a tree seeks stillness, the wind keeps blowing. The next day, Count Yongfeng’s residence received an invitation from the Seventh Princess. Inside the same envelope was a painting: a couple stood before a vermilion gate, taking a basket from a poor woman. A crying infant lay inside.
Fu Xi Yan said, “The last time I saw this painting was in Mei Xia Ying’s study, when I was investigating the Haojing Six Sons case. The baby hinted at in this basket should be… me?”
Tie Rong Rong had been obsessively devoted to Mo Xiao Ran. She learned that Jin Yuan Xiu had changed her name and was raising a child, so she wanted to find and kill him.
To put it sentimentally, Fu Xi Yan might not have killed Boren himself, but Count Jianning’s eldest and second grandsons, Marquis Dehua’s second son, and Liu Zhi Yuan had all died because of him.
Elio’s Notes: “Boren” refers to Zhou Yi, a Jin-dynasty official whose courtesy name was Boren. The saying about not killing him but still causing his death comes from the Book of Jin. Here, Fu Xi Yan is thinking about deaths he feels indirectly responsible for.
The fallout had been enormous. His second sister’s marriage prospects had suffered and remained unresolved even now. He could not help viciously cursing the Puppet Path to himself.
Born human, yet incapable of acting human!
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “Why would this princess have the painting?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “She lives in the palace. Maybe she found it by accident, or maybe somebody deliberately gave it to her. Either way, we’ll know if we ask.”
Pei Yuan Jin said, “I’ll go with you.”
“All right.”
Fu Xi Yan agreed without hesitation. Having seen so many plots in stories, he feared a princess might suddenly tumble into a pond and need rescuing, or that on his way to the latrine he might come across her lying there waiting for him.
The two still needed an excuse to enter the palace, so they went to see the emperor first. Unable to come up with a convincing reason on the spot, Fu Xi Yan said, “I just wanted to ask whether evacuating the people, as we discussed yesterday, might still be possible?”
Wang Yu had thought he had convinced Fu Xi Yan yesterday. He never expected to start the whole discussion again, but had no choice but to repeat the same arguments in slightly different words.
Fu Xi Yan nodded earnestly throughout. “So it really won’t work. Well, I’ll keep thinking.”
Wang Yu said, “I heard Little Seven bothered you yesterday?”
Fu Xi Yan had intended to keep quiet if Wang Yu did not notice. At his age, running to complain about someone felt childish. But since the emperor asked, he did not hide anything. “Not just yesterday. Today too.”
Wang Yu said, “If she makes an improper request, just refuse outright. It won’t hurt her to have her feelings bruised a little.” Clearly, his first assumption was the same as Fu Xi Yan’s: that she had not given up on Pei Yuan Jin. The unspoken meaning of ‘hurt her feelings’ was: use your words, not your fists.
Fu Xi Yan had only come to learn the truth, so he agreed with a smile.
Leaving Yanying Hall, they strolled for a while. Before long, yesterday’s young eunuch appeared again, trying the same old routine.
This time, Fu Xi Yan followed.
After all, they were men from outside the imperial family. Even as a married couple, they could not stroll casually into the inner palace. The eunuch led them to the Painting Academy instead. Fu Xi Yan was not especially surprised.
The Seventh Princess had visited the Painting Academy before. It would not be strange for her to obtain a painting there, which suggested she might not know the insinuation hidden inside it.
Fu Xi Yan felt a little reassured.
The fewer people who knew he was Mo Xiao Ran’s son, the better, especially when Mo Xiao Ran might be preparing a murderous formation that threatened all of Haojing.
But as soon as they entered the Painting Academy, Pei Yuan Jin gave his wrist a gentle squeeze. The study door opened a moment later, and the figure standing on its threshold made Fu Xi Yan blurt out, “Fuck!”
Mei Xia Ying looked positively radiant. He even beckoned to them. “The tea is ready. Please do us the honor of joining us.”
Just then, the Seventh Princess poked her head out from behind him and snorted at them. “Serves you right for not coming yesterday. All that excellent maojian tea went to waste.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
Just what was going on between these two?
He felt that he had asked, ‘Does His Majesty know about this?’ far too soon yesterday.