The Yuan Faction pressed relentlessly, and the memorial they had submitted still lay unresolved on the imperial desk. Now that matters had reached this level, he might no longer be able to keep the situation in hand. Or rather, the very fact that this memorial had reached the imperial desk was a signal that he could no longer ignore it. As for his next move, he ought first to ascertain the attitudes of two sides.
"Prepare the ink." With his eyes closed, Li Du uttered those words.
Two more attendants rose. Before long, fine ink with a delicate fragrance, paper, and a brush were laid out on the desk. Li Du lightly lifted his sleeve and wrote the letter himself, carefully weighing his words.
It was sent west.
Then the attendants helped him bathe and change. His body relaxed completely in the warm steam. Holding his prayer beads, he went outside beneath the eaves, a purple cloak wrapped around him. Two maids held a large umbrella inscribed with a warming array, while down in the courtyard, the Philosopher and minister he had invited stood chatting in the snow.
"Greetings, Chancellor Li." Lu Chunshui, his temples neatly groomed, turned and bowed respectfully to the old man.
Beside him stood Li Hanfei, Minister of Justice, who was also Li Du's nephew and the elder brother of the current Empress.
"What brilliant plum blossoms," the minister sighed softly, turning his head. "The plants in your courtyard have more spirit than those in the imperial gardens, Uncle."
"The colder it is, the brighter the plum blossoms." Li Du descended the steps and said mildly, "You let people burrow so deep into your Ministry of Justice that you've brought me no small amount of trouble."
"It was my fault."
"You can yield ground elsewhere, but