The Seventh Prince's eyes lit up. "Sooner or later, we'll have to make a move. But when, where, and how we strike—that initiative is in your hands, right?"
"Exactly! In war, the greatest taboo is letting someone lead you around by the nose." Lin Xiaosu said, "Before the fifteenth of the first month, I'll hold my troops in check. After the fifteenth, I'll enter Lanzhou!"
"Enter Lanzhou? Or take the battlefield?" the Seventh Prince asked.
"What I requested from His Majesty was an imperial decree to enter Lanzhou and inspect the sects. But Cloud-Breaking Terrace is in Lanzhou too. Let them guess..."
"Marquis Su, the test of the new year has landed on your head again!" the Seventh Prince said. "Tomorrow, I too intend to lead troops south. You and I, one south and one north, shall echo each other from afar."
"Your Highness is going south as well?" Lin Xiaosu asked.
"Yes. I have already received the imperial decree. I should have set out three days ago, but I wanted to see you before leaving, so I delayed until today."
"Good. Your Highness will head south, and I will head north. You and I, one south and one north, shall echo each other from afar!" Lin Xiaosu rose.
The Seventh Prince rose as well. "Today, let us toast with the tea in our cups to the battlefields we know so well. Another day, let us welcome our triumphant return with wine from the jug!"
The two teacups clinked softly, drawing back the curtain on the comradeship between the two men in this world.
The Seventh Prince took his leave.
Lin Xiaosu bowed in farewell at the Gauze Pavilion.
The Seventh Prince's back vanished around the corner of the courtyard wall. Lin Xiaosu raised his gaze and quietly looked at