Suzhou's chessboard had already seen three games overturned.
When Wei Zi entered Suzhou, he had "dared not play the host, but played the guest," retreating to advance and drawing Xie Lin into attacking first.
Next, he subdued Xiong Hui with imperial authority, borrowing troops to establish his standing.
Then, beneath the umbrella of the people, he brought He Yanming low before the steps.
With three games settled, official power had toppled, the merchant network had fractured, and military command had changed hands.
Only the hardest bone to gnaw remained, huddled behind high walls!
Eunuchs were neither civil nor military officials, subject neither to appointments by selection nor to military tallies.
Their backs rested against the Inner Court, their hands reached into the Directorate of Ceremonial, and their words reached the emperor's ears.
Wei Zi could strip He Yanming of his Scarlet Robe, but could not cross the threshold of the Imperial Silk Bureau.
Such were the rules, and such was a boundary stone on the chessboard that could not lightly be crossed.
The eighth day of the third month, Jinghe Year Fifteen.
On the second floor of Suzhou's Postal Station, the half-open window shutters swayed.
A bronze bell beneath the eaves chimed softly, its clear notes like a shattered jade cup.
Beyond the curtain, the breeze was gentle, floral fragrance seeped into clothing, and swallows sheared through the sunlit ripples.
The ink on the desk had yet to dry. Wei Nisheng held his brush and wetted its tip, drafting a memorial.
He had reached the middle of the memorial, his strokes crisp, spare, and forceful, their strength piercing the paper.
[...Since He Yanming of Suzhou has been dismissed pending investigation, the affairs of Suzhou Prefecture must not fall into neglect for even a single day.
Deputy Superintendent Zhang Zai