You had finally met the Eighth Prince, Prince Jing, who was already known as the "Virtuous Prince."
Inside the great hall, the chief seat on the left had long been reserved for Prince Jing, symbolizing honor and status.
Yet Prince Jing did not take his seat at once. This made Liu Jinchan on the right hesitate as well, and in the end both seats remained empty. Naturally, no one else dared overstep their station.
They arranged themselves in two rows.
Prince Jing, Zhou Cheng, had brought only one attendant, Chen Ji, along with your uncle, whom you had not seen for many years.
Your uncle had only arrived today. He had once been a disciple of the Three Truths Sect, but after returning to secular life, he had married and had children.
After exchanging full courtesies with Prince Jing, you and Lu Yu stepped forward in turn to greet your uncle.
Zhou Cheng returned your greeting, addressing you as Junior Guardian. He was in no hurry to let uncle and nephews reminisce, merely waiting silently at the side.
Perhaps because you had not seen each other for many years, that bold and forthright uncle of yours now had streaks of white in his hair. The hot-blooded man who had accompanied your father north three times, who had once declared, "So long as the North Wind remains, how can I make a home?" seemed to have changed. He had grown old.
Your uncle looked at you brothers and smiled in delight, tears glimmering in his eyes.
Only then did you learn that your uncle had a child—a daughter.
Your uncle laughed. "That girl does not like embroidery or women's handiwork. Instead, she loves wielding spears and staffs, clutching military manuals all day and declaring that she will become Great Qing's greatest female general!"
"Of course, the people she admires most are you brothers—especially you, Shenzhou."
"She is always talking about your stories from the north. Every time she tells them, even I find my soul drawn away."
The man, already past fifty, sighed softly. "Even I have wished to return to the Lu Family Army, lead troops into the Northern Desert, divide roasted meat among my men fifty li away, and sing beyond the frontier eight hundred li afar."
"But my heart has never been able to let go of the two of them, mother and daughter. I want to see her marry, see her build a family and bear children. Do not blame your uncle."
You sighed faintly.
In these chaotic times, with national hatred and family vengeance, who could shoulder both family and country? Between the greater household and the lesser one, who in this mortal world could cling to the courage of a lone commoner?
Your uncle's figure seemed somewhat lonely. He did not say much about how he had entered Prince Jing's Manor. He merely placed your mother's letters gently into your and Lu Yu's hands, then quietly withdrew behind Prince Jing, Zhou Cheng, like a shadow—neither ostentatious nor stealing the host's thunder.
At Liu Jinchan's call, everyone took their seats, and the atmosphere became harmonious.
As before, Lu Yu silently stood behind you. It was a habit forged over many years in the Lu Family Army.
Once seated,
you lowered your brows and eyes, your demeanor calm and composed—still as an abyss, steady as an ancient pavilion, deep as the abyss and firm as the pavilion.
It was the bearing you had cultivated through years of marching and campaigning. Otherwise, how could you have held the three armies in check?
Zhou Cheng was slightly taken aback at the sight.
He had nurtured the imperial nobility of a Son of Heaven in the capital for twenty-seven years, idling away his days as royalty, yet before you, it could not help seeming somewhat laughable.
Zhou Cheng could not help recalling a military record submitted to the court: "In the Lu Family Army's command tent, the Junior Guardian sat in command, overseeing the battle. Young Marshal Lu You'an was often at his back, while behind him stood the Twenty-Six Generals of Tingtai. Their presence was imposing, and all the generals in the army focused intently, not daring to be negligent."
Ten years of clashing gold and iron, swallowing ten thousand li like a tiger.
He wondered what bearing Lu Chen had possessed back then, when brocade banners rolled through the western wind and he supervised one hundred thousand Lu Family Army soldiers marching north.
Only then did Zhou Cheng slowly come back to himself.
Chen Ji was Prince Jing's personal chief attendant and deeply favored by him. He often did not regard the powerful nobles of the court as worth his notice. A Junior Guardian was merely a minister under one emperor; when power changed hands, he would become an appendage of the new order. Had the court not changed six chancellors in three years? One had barely finished singing before another took the stage.
Seeing your robes fluttering gracefully, your expression steady and composed, Chen Ji secretly thought, He certainly puts on quite an air.
Suddenly, an unprecedented aura crashed toward him like a mountain. Chen Ji staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Zhou Cheng frowned slightly at the sight.
Chen Ji hurriedly begged forgiveness, saying in a trembling voice, "This servant has been disrespectful. I beg Your Highness to pardon me."
"Mhm. Rise."
Chen Ji was terrified. His master was generous over small matters, but in great affairs, he could not tolerate even a grain of sand.
Your heart stirred, and your gaze turned toward Lu Yu. You sensed that a strange aura had just erupted from Lu Yu, overwhelming in force as it surged angrily at the eunuch behind Zhou Cheng—then vanished in an instant.
Could this be the realm beyond Grandmaster, colorless and formless? Had you not been standing so close, you likely would not have noticed the disturbance in heaven and earth.
Lu Yu, however, remained perfectly natural, as though it had nothing to do with him.
You smiled faintly.
You and Zhou Cheng began to chat. Today, he was the central figure of the gathering.
You spoke of the doctrines of the Three Truths, then battlefield strategy; from poetry and songs to the great trends of the realm.
You discovered that this Eighth Prince truly lived up to his reputation. He could draw effortlessly upon the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, understanding and integrating them all.
When he spoke of your campaigns, his tone brimmed with excitement and pride, as though he shared in the honor.
He took out a scroll and gently unfurled it. It was a Map of the Realm's Provinces of Great Qing.
Zhou Cheng said with a smile, "Junior Guardian, I know you have spent ten years amid warhorses and armor, your military achievements illustrious. I am specially presenting this map to you."
Hearing this, Chen Ji hurried forward and respectfully took one end of the scroll in both hands, carefully unfolding the magnificent map together with Zhou Cheng.
The map was one zhang long and two chi wide, as though the entire territory of Great Qing had been condensed onto this single sheet.
You studied it intently. It meticulously depicted the geographical terrain of You Prefecture, Liang Prefecture, Bing Prefecture, Qing Prefecture, and Xinxing, as well as Yun Prefecture and Yan Prefecture, which General Lu Chen had reclaimed.
Every mountain, river, city, and fortress was marked with perfect clarity, as though all of Great Qing lay spread before your eyes.
The detail and value of this map were enough to be described as "worth a city, an invaluable treasure."
Yet to ordinary people, a Map of the Realm's Provinces was undoubtedly an act of high treason. If commoners privately made one, it would likely bring catastrophe upon them and implicate their entire Lineage.
However, the official seal of the Ninth Prince was prominently stamped in the lower-left corner of the map, making it an item that could truly be passed around.
Even Liu Jinchan coveted this map. It was enough to be handed down through the ages.
You did not know Zhou Cheng's intentions and gave no response.
Suddenly, Zhou Cheng tore apart the incomparably precious map.
Even Chen Ji, his personal chief attendant, was stunned. He remembered that his master treasured this map dearly and would not allow others even to touch it.
Chen Ji hurriedly knelt and gathered up the torn remnants of the map. His voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, "Master, why?"
Liu Jinchan found it deeply regrettable as well.
After tearing it apart, Zhou Cheng instead smiled. "But I feel this map is still unworthy of the Junior Guardian!"
Brimming with enthusiasm, he produced another map and slowly spread it open.
This map detailed the vast lands north to Liaodong, south to the Sea of Sand, west to the Western Regions, and east beyond Dragon Gate, encompassing the five nations of Great Qing, North Wind, Qianyuan, Han, and Chu.
Overlooking the realm.
Great Qing lay in the Central Plains, surrounded by the four other nations. Though its territory was broad, Great Qing occupied only the Central Plains.
Zhou Cheng explained, "Though Great Qing lies in Jiangnan, rich and flourishing, and is the wealthiest of the five nations, it is also the purse of the five nations."
"Great Qing governs the realm together with the southern aristocratic clans, valuing civil arts while slighting military preparedness," Zhou Cheng added.
"If Chu and Han were not at war, and Qianyuan were not embroiled in internal turmoil, the four tigers would already be lying in wait, dividing Great Qing between them."
"By then, North Wind would have ridden south to graze its horses, Qianyuan would have marched north to seize the dragon, and Chu's Flying Tiger Army would have long since broken through the capital."
"Back then, the Junior Guardian was only thirty li from Huanglong Prefecture. You were but one step away from striking straight at the yellow dragon. What a pity, what a sorrow."
As Zhou Cheng spoke of this, grief filled his face.
"At the time, I knelt outside Father Emperor's door for three days and three nights, begging for an edict to dispatch troops."
"If North Wind could march south into our Great Qing, why could our Great Qing not march into North Wind?"
"My heart shines bright; a king's enterprise shall not settle for one corner."
Before you continue