Xue Lingjun had been ready to leave, but when she heard that Great Kang's emperor, Long Xuan'en, had rejected Li Chenzhou's terms for peace, she changed her mind. She had thought she understood Hu Xiaotian, yet only now did she realize how much about him she had never truly grasped. For instance, he had handed the grain he had fought so hard to seize over to Long Xuan'en-a move many had never anticipated. To ordinary people, it seemed entirely unnecessary, but careful consideration revealed the brilliance behind it.
Xue Lingjun understood that Hu Xiaotian had given away the grain not out of reverence for Long Xuan'en as his sovereign, but because he had thought the matter through. That grain was a curse to him, not a blessing. By giving it to Long Xuan'en, he had passed the conflict along with it. In many people's eyes, losing the grain meant Hu Xiaotian had lost his value as well. Yet by giving away those three hundred thousand shi of grain, he had placed himself on the side of righteousness. This young man was anything but ordinary; he planned far ahead and possessed remarkable foresight.
Ever since the new sovereign, Xue Daohong, had agreed to resolve the Yong River crisis through peace talks, Xue Lingjun had known he was beginning to regret his two earlier, ill-considered campaigns. It had also shown her that, although he had ascended the throne, his hold on power was insecure. That was why he had no choice but to exercise restraint and make concessions in the short term. He had sent her to the Eastern Liang Commandery because he still held considerable hope of winning Hu Xiaotian over. If pressure forced Hu Xiaotian to surrender to Great Yong with all his subordinates, that would naturally be the ideal