Chapter 221: A Duel Across the Air

“Fallen ill?” Li Zhao stroked his white beard. “At a time like this?”

Half the city had been waiting to meet the new governor-general.

“He should’ve crossed into Xia Province yesterday. With this delay, who knows when he’ll reach Dunyu?” Shu Qian said. “Nian Zanli sent small raiding parties around the front lines, going as far as fifty kilometers into Xia Province to loot and plunder. Several of my family’s and the Zhan Family’s shops were taken. The losses we suffered are massive. I believe the Zhan Family is ready to pull out. Although you warned them, they’ve still been secretly liquidating assets these past few days.”

Old Master Li sighed. “When it rains, it pours; when a girl wants to marry, she marries. If they no longer have faith in Dunyu, let them go.”

Shu Qian cursed the old fox in his heart. The Li Family had warned the Zhan Family to no effect, then drove the purchase price down so low it nearly punched through the cellar floor. And because the Li Family was the most domineering local snake in Dunyu, who dared set a higher price once they had already named one?

If the Zhan Family sold at such a pittance, it would be like carving out their own flesh and gouging out their eyes. Seventy percent of what they had built over decades would be stripped away. Even if they left Dunyu, they would be reduced to a bloody skeleton when they went.

The Zhan Family almost definitely hated the Li Family to the bone by now, especially since the Zhan Family had produced rising stars these last few years and seen promotions at court. Their backbone had stiffened, their voice had grown louder, and just last year, they had even tried to arm-wrestle with the Li Family.

The Li Family intended to use this chance to thrash them hard and remind them that Old Master Li was still the same Old Master Li.

Hah. That old man surnamed Li isn’t merely a fox. He’s a carrion vulture, a jackal.

“You really think highly of the new governor-general?” This was the real question the head of the Shu Family wanted to ask. “Can he truly link up with General Zhao Pan and hold back Nian Zanli’s advance?”

Dunyu City’s mood was skittish, and even the great families were tempted to flee. If they left too late and Nian Zanli’s iron hooves rolled south, everything they had built would be ground to rubble.

“This Governor-General He has some ability. He killed Sun Fuping, crushed several rebel generals, and just recently saved Ke Jihai in Shihuan City. Without that, the western line would’ve been in trouble. For him to be appointed to take over Xia Province’s defense in an hour of peril, he must have a few solid tricks up his sleeve.” Li Zhao paused for breath. A maid stepped up with tea, neither too hot nor too cool. After taking a sip of the tea, he continued, “Lord Minister has given his instructions. Dunyu is the root of the Li Family’s prosperity. We must not leave lightly.”

It had to be taken note of that he had specifically stated that they were to “not leave lightly,” not that they would never leave, nor that they could not.

Dunyu lay close to the southern provincial border, so fleeing south would be relatively easy.

Shu Qian hesitated before saying, “Will Governor-General He also dig into the granary fire?”

“The case is closed, the culprits sent to the capital, and most importantly, the grain itself was all burned up. What is there left for him to pursue?”

A birdcage hung in the hall, two lovebirds inside—green heads, red beaks, yellow bellies. Snow drifted thick outside, but the room was warm as spring, and the two birds were lively. Old Master Li walked over to add to their feed by hand. “For Governor-General He, the most important thing now is to work in good faith with the four great families.”

Otherwise, He Chunhua would find his actions hamstrung at every turn, just like all the officials before him and those still in office now.

The four great families are iron, while the officials are but passing water

“He’s here to govern and to wage war. Sooner or later, he’ll come asking us for money, grain, or men.” He glanced at the lovebirds and noticed each had a slender slip of paper tied around its ankle. He had no idea what they were for.

“That will depend on how Governor-General He conducts himself,” Old Master Li said, teasing the birds, his smile radiating confidence. “If the government wants cooperation from the people, it ought to show sincerity.”

“So, business as usual?”

As with any new official taking office.

“I’ll go back and discuss with my older brother about preparing an additional heavy gift for Governor-General He.”

After saying that, Shu Qian then rose to leave.

“As you should,” Old Master Li said with a genial squint.

First, offer a respectful cup.

Once Shu Qian departed, Old Master Li’s smile faded.

Dinner was abundant as ever, but he took only a few bites. His two sons kept pressing him with solicitous questions.

He saw straight through their feigned concern, and the tightness in his chest worsened. If any of these sons had inherited even a fraction of his acumen, and if they had spent a little less time fighting among themselves, the Li Family would not need him to shoulder everything alone.

He was seventy, after all. He was already old.

His only comfort was his sixth grandson, a boy of good talent. Two more years of careful training, and perhaps the boy could take the reins. His sixth grandson belonged to his second son. However, his eldest had sensed his intent and had been suppressing his younger brother with all his might.

A luckless household, truly.

In truth, Old Master Li did not have much faith in Dunyu—or, more precisely, in the Royal Court of Yuan.

Men his age might still bask in Great Yuan’s former glory, but his eyes were clear, and his heart was not blind.

The state was in decline.

He laughed to himself, cold and soundless. The Li Family did nothing as ostentatious as the Zhan Family, selling off estates so loudly the whole city knew. When the enemy came, would land still be worth anything?

For the past two years, the Li Family’s fortune had been quietly shifted inland. He and Minister Li had already chosen a blessed refuge. If war spread south, the entire family would move at once.

The brazier’s warmth soaked the room, and drowsiness crept over him. A maid whispered, “Old Master, it’s time to rest.”

He nodded. She took the birdcage to the outer room, then hung it before the bed curtains.

Two thirteen-year-old maidservants had already warmed his bedding. As usual, they would curl up at his feet through the night.

Before climbing into bed, he checked the curtains as he always did. Yes, the two copper plaques were still tied to the cord. They were talismans against evil. Should anything malignant draw near, the plaques would confound it, masking his scent and blurring its sight.

He pointed to the canopy. A maid took down a red sachet from the bed curtains.

Li Zhao opened it himself and checked the yellow amulet within. The script was correct.

“Put it back.” Now he could sleep in peace.

He had made more than a few enemies in his life. Caution was second nature to him by now.

* * *

Road-worn and dusty, Manager Qian hurried back to Ru County to see He Chunhua.

“Governor-General He is ill?”

The door shut; no outsiders remained. He Chunhua stood up at once and wiped his face with a cloth, wiping away the sallow hue with it. “Ill? From what? I’ve been waiting for your good news.”

Old Steward Mo served warm tea. Parched, Manager Qian took several grateful gulps, then smiled. “I did not fail you.”

He produced a blue cloth bundle tied up in many knots and opened it.

Inside were two layers of oiled paper.

Inside that, there were two more layers of rough straw paper.

In the center of the paper lay a porcelain vial no larger than a little finger.

Judging by the size, it would be perfect for slipping someone a dose of medicine or poison.

“What’s this?”

He Chunhua reached for it, but Manager Qian warned him quickly, “It stinks. Be careful, my lord.”

He paused, hand hovering. “I thought you’d bring hair or fingernails.”

The room was warm from the brazier. Coming in from the wind and snow, Manager Qian actually broke a light sweat. “I hoped so, too. But Old Master Li is pathologically suspicious. Last autumn, a master divined his fate and told him a great calamity would befall him this year. If he passed it safely, he could live in peace until eighty-eight. The Li Family has been extra cautious ever since. Every clipping of his nails and every hair that falls is collected and burned. They say he even wears a costly protective talisman. It’s become practically impossible for any enemy to try and place curses behind his back!”

He Chunhua chuckled. “Guilt breeds fear.”

If he were not guilty, why guard himself to such extremes?

A thief may have a thousand days to steal, but who has a thousand days to guard against the thief?

“I tried to get a few hairs through the two bed-warming maids,” Manager Qian went on. The old man’s feet were cold at night in deep winter, and he disliked the dryness of hot-water bottles, so he bought two girls of thirteen or fourteen to warm his bed. “But those girls are searched and made to change clothes every time they leave the room. They’re forbidden to carry out anything belonging to their master, not even a single hair.”

“With no other choice, I bribed the night-soil boy[1],” Manager Qian said, spreading his hands. “The job rotates, and the hands aren’t fixed. It took some effort to find the right one.”

He then handed over a slip of paper. “This is Old Master Li’s date and hour of birth, as well as his eight characters[2]. Last year, his thirteenth grandson came to my shop to order a first-birthday outfit. His mother was bursting with pride because the child was born on the same month and day as Old Master Li, just an hour and a half later. I confirmed it several times.”

From that, the calculation was not hard.

He Chunhua accepted the note, then asked, “And the rift between the Zhan Family and the Li Family still stands?”

“Yes, these days, the Zhan Family is trying to dump properties and flee Dunyu. The Lis are forcing the prices down to the death. No one else dares bid higher. The Zhans are so enraged they’re practically coughing blood. When I left, the two families were still at each other’s throats, shouting and even brawling.”

“Conduct no better than peasants.” He Chunhua shook his head. “With descendants serving in the court, do they feel no shame?”

He then took out a gold bar and pushed it across the table. “Old Master Zhu didn’t exaggerate. You truly are his most capable man.”

Manager Qian said with a smile, “I don’t dare claim that honor!”

“Even so, this matter is... sensitive.”

“Rest assured, my lips are sealed.” Manager Qian swore a vicious oath on his late mother and eighteen generations of ancestors: if he leaked a word, the entire Qian lineage would fall into endless hell.

“Good. I expect we’ll rely on you—and on the Zhu family—a great deal yet,” He Chunhua said, smiling. “We have much to look forward to.”

After Manager Qian took his leave, He Chunhua returned to his room and slept for two hours to recover his strength.

He had been working deep into the night these past few days and was sleeping apart from Madame Ying.

And so, midnight arrived.

Old Steward Mo barred the doors and windows. He Chunhua lit a green candle and set it on the table.

He had already moved the table to the exact center of the room.

In a sealed chamber, a flame burned straight and steady, scarcely wavering. He Chunhua placed an orange-yellow paperweight in Old Mo’s hand, then sat and began to chant under his breath.

The paperweight was carved from stone from Mount Shou into the shape of a kite bird. The stone was clear as honey, deeper in tone than jade, with fine veining within that made it seem as though there was a web of tiny capillaries running through the stone.

The kite was entirely yellow-gold save for its eyes, which were a blood-red pair that lent the regal piece a thread of eeriness.

Old Steward Mo moved behind his master to stand guard and keep watch.

As He Chunhua’s muttering quickened, the candle smoke began to thicken rather than disperse, gathering in the air, and taking on an azure hue.

1. These are servants responsible for collecting excretions. Human excretions were historically called night soil, since they were collected and transported during the night. ☜

2. Just a reminder that this refers to the Four Pillars of Destiny, the Chinese astrological system that uses a person’s birth year, month, day, and hour to interpret their fate and personality. ☜