Yan State was caught in a rain of blood and a wind of slaughter. The newly enthroned Marquis of Yan Ping was an able ruler. He understood deeply that the hatred between the Old Nobles and himself could not be changed, so he struck hard.
But he also left a way out for those old nobles who had been wavering and were willing to submit, to prevent all of Yan State from descending into a chaotic civil war.
The Marquis of Yan Ping had chosen an exceptionally shrewd time for his reforms, because none of the All Xia states had time to spare for Yan State.
Qin State lay far away on the western frontier and was likewise pursuing reforms to strengthen itself. Qi State and Chu State were fighting fiercely to seize Wu State's lands, while the Three Jin States were locked in civil war, with no attention to spare elsewhere.
As the turmoil within Yan State gradually subsided, the Marquis of Yan Ping finally issued the decree seeking worthy men that his father had failed to issue even by the time of his death.
"When the ancient Sage Kings recruited worthy ministers, they offered them the treasures of the world to express their humility.
"Yan State lies in a bitterly cold land and cannot find such treasures. But the Sage King once said that gold remains unchanged for millions upon millions of years. So it is with my resolve to make Yan State prosper: it will never change. My resolve to recruit worthy talent will never change.
"Then there is flawless jade, a treasure born to be bestowed upon worthy men. If the fine jade in Yan State's palaces cannot be given to men of worth and ability, would it not remain dim and without luster?
"I shall