"Father!"
Jiang Yun immediately knelt in the snow, which soaked through beneath his knees.
Then he raised his eyes, his voice taut, yet still argued, "Your son has not colluded with the enemy. I was merely seeking a way forward for our Yan Principality!"
"A man without distant concerns will surely have troubles close at hand." Jiang Yun shuffled forward several paces on his knees.
"Father, if the Crown Prince truly sends his younger brothers to their fiefs, upheaval will surely come to the Northern Four Garrisons.
"Uncle, Prince Jin wrote only because he wished to establish friendly ties with our Yan Principality.
"Your son was merely, merely scouting this path for you!"
"Scouting a path?" Standing beneath the plum tree, Jiang Yu gave a cold laugh.
"Was it a path you were scouting? Or fire?"
"Father..."
"Get up."
Jiang Yun rose as instructed and stood with his hands lowered.
Jiang Yu slowly turned and stared at his son.
"The 'Duke Ling of Wei' chapter of the Analects says, 'A man without distant concerns will surely have troubles close at hand.'
"These words were meant as a warning when making plans, yet you invoke them to dress up the wrongdoing of your private dealings.
"Do you think I do not know your heart? But I know still better the peril within it!"
"Yun, listen to me." He spoke each word distinctly. "How others fight and scramble for power is beyond your father's control.
"But the Northern Capital is a cornerstone of Great Zhou.
"It guards against the Khitan without and division within.
"Anywhere else in Great Zhou may fall into chaos, but the Northern Capital alone must not!"
After this rebuke, Jiang Yu pointed north of the city. "Do you know what lies beyond those walls? The Khitan."
"In the