Jingzhou.
The village nestled between mountains and water, wisps of cooking smoke rising from its farmhouses.
An old man in gray robes enjoyed a boat ride. Several Great Confucians sat at the stern, brewing tea and discussing books. Their voices rose a little too loudly, startling a flock of gulls and egrets from a sandbank.
When they reached the bank, the prefect and associate commissioner of the Jingzhou prefectural office had been waiting quietly for some time.
The prefect bowed with his hands clasped:
"My respects, Lord Yang."
He also nodded in greeting to the three Great Confucians of Jingchu.
The old man returned the bow and said warmly:
"Prefect Liu, you would not visit my humble home without a reason."
This old man was Yang Taiyue, the former chief grand secretary of the Grand Secretariat, who had occupied the Land of All Under Heaven's Decrees for thirty years.
The prefect adopted a deferential manner and said with a smile:
"Lord Yang, I have come expressly to bring good news."
"The Regent King has achieved the most glorious military feat in history, destroying the Northern Mang Empire in a single stroke. Great Qian has accepted the royal family's Golden Edict surrendering their fallen nation. The entire Grasslands now belongs to our Central Plains!!"
"Congratulations ring out across the realm!!"
Shock filled Yang Taiyue's clouded eyes. He remained dazed for a long while before smiling sincerely:
"I was wrong. The Regent King was right. Destroying Northern Mang is a great blessing for the Han people."
Hearing this, the prefect hastily said:
"Lord Yang, your counsel came from seasoned wisdom and devotion to the state..."
Yang Taiyue waved him silent and said, enunciating every word:
"Rotten wood upon the ground can never fathom the might of the Kunpeng. Had we followed my