Inside the boat, Old Huang lit the stove and fed it dry firewood. The wine was no yellow wine, but a local brew from Lingzhou, freshly made at an estate outside the Northern Liang Prince's Residence. Unattractive dregs floated on its surface, faintly green and fine as ants. Poor scholars in Lingzhou who could not afford better wine called it Green Ant Wine. It was nothing special, but the Grand Pillar of State liked it.
Xu Xiao, Prince of Northern Liang, had two sons, Xu Fengnian and Xu Longxiang, and two daughters, the elder Xu Zhihu and the younger Xu Weibear. There was nothing girlish about the Second Commandery Princess's name. Brilliant from childhood, she had mastered swordsmanship and made a name for herself with her poetry. At sixteen, she entered Shangyin Academy to study statecraft under Han Guzi. Her only shortcoming was that, for all her dazzling talent, she was plain-looking, nowhere near as striking as the Elder Commandery Princess or His Highness the Heir.
Jiang Ni still refused to drink. She hated Green Ant Wine and everything connected to that woman. Only Xu Fengnian drew more of her hatred.
Yu Youwei drank several bowls. Xu Fengnian and Old Huang drained the rest.
At the Tide-Watching Pavilion, the air had been taut with tension. Seeing the group board the boat, the Grand Pillar of State, wrapped in a thick fox-fur coat, raised a hand. Six or seven shadowy experts from the residence slowly withdrew. Three of the five guardians of the tower had come out.
The wine went to Xu Fengnian's head. Bleary-eyed, he pointed at Jiang Ni, then at Yu Youwei, and said with a grin:
"You, and you. When it comes down to it, we have no grudge worth speaking of, yet you act as though you