chapter 5

The “foreign exchange” the Empress spoke of meant secretly traveling north to negotiate a deal with neighboring Neibur.

Before we departed, she lifted one corner of the carriage curtain and looked up at me.

“Your father and brothers died in the north. If you do not wish to go, you need not accompany me.”

I shook my head. “They did die at the hands of Neibur’s emperor, but I took revenge then and there. Victory and defeat are the common lot of soldiers. I have no taboo about returning.”

“Neibur splintered after its defeat. If I had not lost command of the army, I would have flattened that wasteland long ago. The young prince you plan to meet should be far more afraid of me.”

The Empress suddenly smiled, her phoenix eyes so beautiful they stole the breath from my lungs.

“You know when to take hold and when to let go. I was right about you.”

As she spoke, she reached toward me. I wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her onto my horse.

Only then did I notice the loquat in her palm. She had merely intended to offer it to me.

“…This subject has sinned. I thought Your Majesty wished to ride.”

“Never mind. Carry me for a while. Riding lessons are expensive, so I may as well take one for free.”

She lowered her eyes, peeled the fruit with care, and held it to my lips. I took a small bite.

For some reason, my cheeks grew hot.

…

Neibur’s old emperor had never named an heir. After the defeat, factions tore the court apart.

The Empress intended to secretly support the young prince’s bid for the throne. In exchange, she demanded rights to all mineral veins in Neibur and free trade between the two countries.

The young prince burst out laughing.

He had an exotic face, green eyes as bright as gemstones, and handsome features. His laughter ended abruptly when he drove a curved dagger into the table.

“Does the Empress of the Central Plains take me for a fool? Mines produce iron. You attack me, and I am still supposed to supply your weapons?”

“If you want friendship between our nations, you should show sincerity. Your ancestors always maintained peace through marriage alliances.”

“The two of us would be awkward, but that sturdy-looking official behind you will do. Send her to me first.”

The Empress said nothing.

So I recorded:

[The young prince of Neibur has been shown courtesy and somehow decided to spit in our faces.]

His cheeks puffed with rage as he slapped the table and stood.

“Are you mocking me? You people of the Central Plains love twisting words! Stop cursing me on paper and fight me instead!”

The Empress still said nothing.

I put down my brush and rolled up my sleeves.

“If Your Highness has tired of words, I also possess a modest understanding of fists and feet.”

The Empress coughed and warned him, “Perhaps you should reconsider. This historian of mine has trained before.”

“I have studied martial arts since childhood! My father mastered the art of war and campaigned across the realm. My imperial brother is Neibur’s greatest warrior. Why should I fear one lowly historian?”

I answered calmly.

“I know.”

“I cut off your father’s head.”

“I crippled your brother’s leg with a kick.”

“I heard that you missed the assault because you were rescuing a group of enslaved women, which was how you survived.”

“I brooded for nights afterward. I almost had a perfect three-hit streak.”

He went rigid. Soft black curls fell over his shocked eyes, and their rims gradually reddened. At last, he turned away and scrubbed fiercely at his face.

I tilted my head to see him better and wrote:

[The young prince cried from anger.]

“I did not cry! The sand got in my eyes!”

“Please calm yourself, Your Highness.” The Empress signaled that I had gone far enough.

“Neibur lies divided. If I truly wanted your mines, I could simply take them. I choose not to because Great Chu is a principled eastern power.”

“Besides, your imperial court was consumed by greed and committed invasion and slaughter, while you opposed the brutality of your father and brothers. You are not evil by nature.”

“I can help you establish a new system and a new nation. I can also give you our latest smelting and forging techniques. We both prosper. Is that not better?”

The young prince fell into deep thought.

Great Chu shared its northwestern border with Neibur. After the secret meeting, the Empress stayed overnight in the border town of Yumen.

Somehow the local pacification commissioner had learned of her arrival and prepared a welcoming feast. Such matters would be entered into the official histories by scholars from the Hanlin Academy. I did not need to attend.

The Empress would be busy all night.

Which meant she probably… had no time for my birthday noodles.

…

I wandered the streets without purpose.

I had been born the year Father was transferred north and had grown up in Yumen. Every street and stone remained familiar.

On each birthday, Father forbade any public celebration but quietly allowed the cooks to slaughter sheep and chickens so the soldiers could feast. If I slipped away to the market, my eldest brother pretended not to notice.

Fireworks exploded across the night as I wandered. Sparks joined into a river of stars pouring from the heavens, brightening all of Yumen.

My second brother stood at the far end of the crowd, holding out his hand and complaining that I had driven away yet another tutor. Then he obediently crouched to carry me home on his back.

Now I had returned, and everyone was gone.

“Look! Fireworks!” a girl beside me cried.

In the surging crowd, I caught sight of a familiar figure in white.

“Second Brother?”

I raced after him and grabbed his sleeve, but a stranger turned around.

“Good. I was hoping to find you. Will you do this marquis a small favor?”

Qi Lan removed his mask with a smile, took my hand, and ran toward an inn.

The old marquis had retired and was traveling with his wife. They happened to be passing through Yumen and worried constantly over their son’s marriage. Qi Lan wanted me to help stage a little performance and put them at ease.

“So Yuqing is the woman you love? As your mother, I can finally stop worrying!”

“General Gu was an upright man, and his wife was clever and virtuous. I always dreamed of having a daughter like Yuqing. We can wear beautiful jewelry and buy gorgeous dresses together. In the future, Qi Lan can hand his title to your child, and you can travel the world like me!”

“Look at me talking instead of welcoming you. Sit, Yuqing. Try these noodles.”

The inn had been carefully decorated. The old marquis beamed, while his wife could not stop smiling.

The deliberately prepared bowl of longevity noodles made everything clear.

I turned to Qi Lan. “Do you truly love me, or do you pity me for being alone and wish to care for me in my second brother’s place?”

He froze and looked away so quickly that I knew I had touched the truth.

I said calmly, “When my parents were alive, my home was one small general’s estate. Now they are gone, all of Great Chu is my home. I do not feel alone.”

“The world calls women weak, but I am no vine that needs another tree. I do not need anyone’s protection. A woman can stand like a mountain and ride wherever heaven and earth allow.”

After a long silence, Qi Lan rose and bowed to me.

“I misunderstood you. Please accept my apology.”

I smiled and touched my cup to his. At last, that knot between us loosened.

The old marquis smoothed things over. “Tonight, consider us old friends of your father. Sit and eat your birthday noodles.”

“Though it is strange. Yuqing is a court historian. Why are you in Yumen instead of at the Empress’s side?”

I went still.

Something was terribly wrong.

Was the pacification commissioner not holding a feast for the Empress tonight? Why did no one in town know?

Could it be a trap?

She was in danger.