Rising Phoenix

Not a single strand of wind ran through the Imperial Palace, and servants lined the gardens, holding long sticks and carefully striking the noisy cicadas from the trees, trying to keep any disturbance from the affecting the mood of the already unhappy Imperial Majesty.

A hubbub could be barely heard emanating from the Imperial Study, and the inner palace servants all exchanged glances, apprehension in their eyes.

“Bastard!” The Tian Sheng Emperor cried, throwing the Memorandum to the Throne into a man’s face. “This is your good idea!”

The kneeling man looked up, panic covering his face. It was the General of the Five Armies, Qiu Shangqi.

After the Horse Market debacle, the Da Yue people seemed to grow emboldened, assuming the Tian Sheng Dynasty too distracted to deal with their northern border, and their skirmishes and raids intensified. The citizens of the dynasty had been pushed beyond what they could bear, and many had begun to flee into the central provinces, and as more and more people gathered in the populous cities, they brought with them the complex and unclear dangers to local city security. While the different city officials scrambled to address the refugee crisis, news came from across the border of a mighty gathering of troops and forces, and all the signs pointed to a massive Da Yue invasion.

Tian Sheng Emperor was incensed and had nowhere to direct his anger, so all of the blame was thrown onto Qiu Shangqi, the man who proposed this Horse Market plan.

Qiu Shangqi cried out bitterly in his heart, but he could not speak out and pass the blame. He looked up at the Tian Sheng Emperor’s desk where Feng Zhiwei sat expressionless, recording summaries of the different Memorandums to the Throne. Qiu Shangqi sighed.

He really wanted to pass the buck, but in the end, the advice was truly his own. On the day that Mister Wei had paid his mansion a visit, the two officials had spent some time in Qiu Shangqi’s study, and Wei Zhi and casually opened a book and started reading it. When Wei Zhi had left, Qiu Shangqi had happened upon the open book as he was tidying up, and read inside how the Da Cheng Dynasty had dealt with the Rong people in their times of border difficulty, and with that sudden flash of insight, he had brought forth this advice.

So when the matter came to this point, how could he pass the blame? Blame Wei Zhi for touching his books?

“This Minister has offended.” Qiu Shangqi continued kowtowing. “Trivial Da Yue dares offend our Tian Sheng, Your Imperial Majesty, please grant this official an opportunity to make amends to my crime with a merit. Pass down an edict for the command of the brave sons of Tian Sheng and we will slaughter these presumptuous knaves and thieves and show them that our Great Tian Sheng is not to be trifled with!”

The Tian Sheng Emperor paused, eyes narrowing, neither agreeing nor refusing. After a moment, he finally said. “Withdraw for now.”

Qiu Shangqi carefully retreated, and once outside the study looking up at the great rolling clouds in the far sky, wondering if he was truly fated in his old age to be stationed at a far away border, fighting horseback tribes and skirmishing.

Inside the Imperial study, the Tian Sheng Emperor was silent for a long moment before he turned to his advisors and called out: “Advise me.”

The several old ministers gathered in the study exchanged glances and then replied together in quick succession.

“Your Imperial Majesty, it is never advisable to easily broach the topic of war…”

“With uncivilized people, the best method is to impress them with indirect diplomacy and to use our prestige to suppress and curtail their thoughts…”

“The Former Crown Prince’s rebellion is still being rooted out, and to start a war in this current time will be counter to our people’s yearning for peace…”

The Tian Sheng Emperor’s face darkened again and again, and the gathered ministers all gradually shut their mouths, anxiety on their faces as they lost their courage to speak.

In the Chief Ministerial Seat sat Ning Yi. Prince Chu had originally come to report on his work overseeing Dijing County’s water conservation, and had happened upon this official discussion of Imperial business and had been asked to stay and observe; and so the dark haired, jade crowned man sat, a small, calm smile on his face as he listened in.

Feng Zhiwei was not to far to his side, helping the Tian Sheng Emperor prepare ink, and as she worked with the inkstone, her face was even more calm than Ning Yi’s.

Since Ning Yi had entered the Imperial Study, the two had not exchanged a single glance.

The Tian Sheng Emperor’s expression was unpleasant when Ning Yi suddenly opened his mouth, smiling as he said, “Father Emperor, there is no harm in asking Mister National Scholar for his insight.”

Everyone immediately turned to Feng Zhiwei’s corner, some with strange expressions on their face — this title of “National Scholar” somehow sounded ambiguous when it came from Prince Chu’s mouth…

Feng Zhiwei did not blink, calmly placing down her pen and standing up, composedly replying, “Fight, but by not fighting.”

“What does this mean?” The Tian Sheng Emperor’s eyes lit up.

“The Da Yue country has always been unconventional and unrestrained, and has never been satisfied as a tributary acknowledging allegiance to others. They have not fought a real war for many years, and have already long forgotten their embarrassment when our Tian Sheng Dynasty pushed them out of this land many years ago, and now they only see the large, fertile central plains controlled by our Dynasty. They have very naturally become restless and seek trouble. Those who refuse to be tamed need to be shown a great demonstration of force, and a lesson must be taught.”

“Hmm, continue.”

“But the Da Yue people are nomadic, and are famed for their cavalry that come and go like the wind. It is not difficult to push them back in any single skirmish, but to root out the problem’s source or cause serious damage is never easy.”

Cabinet Great Secretariat Yao Ying frowned and interrupted. “Wei Zhi, you are dancing around the point. These are nothing but empty words.”

Feng Zhiwei glanced at the old Secretary Minister. This old man was part of Prince Chu’s party, and also held some grievances against her because of the fate of his son. Now that they were stuck working in the same room, he would take every opportunity to target her, eager to kick her out the door as soon as possible.

“Yes, Elder Minister.” She gently smiled, humbly deferring. “Wei Zhi possesses small talent and less learning, and dares not boast in front of the predecessors.”

“It is because of this small talent and lesser learning that you need to practice. Continue.” The Tian Sheng Emperor furrowed his brows. “Yao Ying, as an elder of Tian Sheng Dynasty, and as a Secretarial Minister, how can you have such little patience?”

Yao Ying had gotten a face full of ash, unhappily closing his mouth and silently cursing this brat and his fortuitous relationship with Princess Shao Ning, and the special regard His Imperial Majesty paid him in consideration of the young princess.

“A centipede does not topple even when killed, and weeds will return the next spring even when burned.” Feng Zhiwei continued. “Dayue can always recruit new soldiers, tame and breed new horses, build and buy new weapons. Wars will never take away the unrestrained Da Yue’s ambition, unless… we weaken their people! Destroy their tools! Control their country!”

The Tian Sheng Emperor raised an eyebrow, and quickly demanded. “Speak!”

“Rather than defending our border, it is better to open it wide.” Feng Zhiwei said. “Commander Qiu’s Horse Market advice was in the right direction, but missed out on timing. Da Yue has grown brash and arrogant, and opening a horse market only gave them an impression of weakness and vulnerability, and only fed their presumption. We must first start the war! Press down with our heavy infantry and win a decisive battle, destroying their will to fight, and afterwards beginning our border trade.”

“More and more absurd!” Yao Ying could not hold back his anger any longer, crying out in reproach. “If the war is already won, why bother with a border market at all! Why not continue our victorious pursuit instead of wasting a good victory!”

“Elder Yao, His Imperial Majesty has just said that we should encourage the free display of understanding to give the young people a chance to gain experience.” Hu Shengshan, a goateed vice minister, smiled as he interrupted Yao Ying.

Feng Zhiwei smiled in thanks — this old fellow was the same Teacher Hu who had lead the political seminar that day in Qing Ming Academy. Even though he was also on Prince Chu’s side, he rarely found trouble with Feng Zhiwei.

“We need this border market.” She continued, smiling without a care for Yao Ying’s fury. “Once Da Yue has acknowledged allegiance, we must put all our effort into trade. Silk, chinaware, medicine, grain… anything that Da Yue lacks except weapons, we must provide generously, and at the same time we can utilize our criminals and oath breakers, moving them north and allowing them to intermarry with the Da Yue people.”

“Nonsense!” The study erupted as everyone began to cry out. “Our Tian Sheng people are noble in blood, how could we allow them to mix with uncivilized barbarians!”

“The Da Yue people endure on a poor land, and every day they fight against heaven, fight against poverty, and fight against other steppe tribes, and so everyday they build up their unrestrained, brave and aggressive nature. Once these so called scions of the Roc Bird God marry our Central Plain’s soft and tender women, and once they learn our peaceful and abundant lifestyle, learning to farm and do business, gaining the chance to own property and eat our abundant food, growing dependent on our medicine… will they still have their unrestrained temper and endurance? Will they be able to sacrifice their lives on the battlefield without doubt?”