“It was the Wei army searching the mountains. After they caught me, they handed me over to Hua Rongjian and Chuan Ping, and they escorted me here,” Zhao Yilou said.
From these few simple words, Song Chuyi inferred many hidden meanings. “Did they treat you badly?”
Zhao Yilou murmured, “It’s not that they treated me badly, it’s just that I tried to escape along the way, and we had some conflicts.”
“What are your plans?” Song Chuyi asked in a low voice.
Zhao Yilou turned over to face her and said, “Can’t you stay in Zhao with me? They said if I become the ruler of Zhao, I can pay respects at my father’s tomb. They said my mother is buried there too…”
His eyes, full of hope, stared straight at Song Chuyi, nearly making her nod in agreement, but reason ultimately prevailed. “Do what you want to do. I also have things I want to do, and I’ve already chosen where to go.”
Zhao Yilou looked at Song Chuyi for a long while, then suddenly turned over again, turning his back to her.
“Yilou, Gongzi Fan is committing rebellion. Although you haven’t done anything, if it fails, you’ll be the first to be killed. Do you understand?” Song Chuyi said.
Zhao Yilou closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with his mother’s gentle smile. Before their fall from fortune, Zhao Yilou’s life had been prosperous and beautiful. As a prince of a state, he had been able to receive both his parents’ love at the same time – and that was all thanks to his mother.
Although he had been young at the time, he was not entirely ignorant of the coldness of royal and noble households or the infighting within the palace. His mother had become the most favored person, and it was not solely by beauty that she had achieved it.
His mother had been willing to take her own life for his sake – how could he forget that?
Song Chuyi watched the black silk of his hair spread across the jade pillow. She thought it over for a long time. If she chose to stay in Zhao, she would have to start from this very moment helping him strategize to attack the royal city and seize the ruler’s position. She would also have to immediately grasp the opportunity to take hold of sovereign power, then slowly eliminate the three great threats: the Wu clan, the Hua clan, and Gongzi Fan.
Internal turmoil was sometimes harder to handle than diplomatic relations between states. It was a long and arduous process – perhaps ten years, twenty years, or even a lifetime. In that case, her theory of destroying states might not even have a chance to be attempted in its earliest stage.
Qin was the choice she had made after weighing all aspects. Although Qin was also about to face turmoil, Ying Si had already grasped sovereign power and was a ruler capable of controlling the overall situation. His iron hand would quickly suppress and eliminate that turmoil.
If she chose to stay in Zhao to help Zhao Yilou, she would have to break her three-year pact with Ji Yu, break her three-year pact with Ying Si, have no time to seek revenge against Min Chi, and also have to abandon her own ideals – even sacrificing the time of her entire life.
She could not do it.
Song Chuyi sighed. Even though she felt some regret, and even though she knew clearly that if Zhao Yilou chose to stay in Zhao he might die at any moment, she would not use forceful means to coerce or trick him into leaving.
Because they were friends, on a matter of such importance she gave him enough respect. She only made the danger clear to him and let him think it through himself.
Zhao Yilou was not a person without his own judgment. Song Chuyi believed he was capable of making his own decision.
After a long while, Zhao Yilou finally said, “Where do you plan to go?”
“Qin,” Song Chuyi said, making no attempt to conceal it.
The tent fell silent, and the sound of the wind outside could be heard.
In less than fifteen minutes, Song Chuyi was fast asleep.
Outside, the snow fell harder and harder, as if winter were making a final rally, using up all its strength, and in a single day it buried nearly half the tent.
When Song Chuyi became somewhat conscious, she realized she was holding something sturdy and warm in her arms, and could not help reaching out to touch it.
“Don’t go groping around,” Zhao Yilou’s annoyed voice came from above.
“You’ve gotten quite sturdy,” Song Chuyi thought, then without warning reached a hand toward his crotch and clicked her tongue. “Grown quite a bit too.”
Zhao Yilou, face flushed red, pushed her away and scrambled up to straighten his disheveled clothes.
“Song Huaijin, conduct yourself with some dignity,” Zhao Yilou said through gritted teeth, his face dark.
Seeing him now embarrassed, now angry, Song Chuyi found it quite amusing and could not help grinning. “Well said. If I hadn’t conducted myself with dignity, would you still be pristine and untouched up to now?”
“Pervert,” Zhao Yilou cursed with contempt, then fastened his outer robe and walked out.
White Blade followed along at a trot, indicating that it had now abandoned Song Chuyi.
The joy of having lost and regained something – Song Chuyi chuckled to herself, buried her head, and went back to sleep.
The wind and snow outside had stopped, and the light from the snow was bright.
Having eaten and drunk its fill, White Blade happily scampered onto the couch, trampled across Song Chuyi’s body with thumping steps, and left greasy paw prints one after another on the clean bedding. It stood below the couch and watched for a while, and seeing that its master still had not stirred, it jumped onto the couch again and rubbed its greasy, food-covered face against Song Chuyi’s head.
“White Blade!” Song Chuyi roared.
White Blade immediately dashed outside and obediently lay down beside Zhao Yilou, letting him wipe its mouth with a damp cloth.
Song Chuyi came out looking thoroughly disheveled. Seeing this warm and harmonious scene, she instantly could not be bothered with them. She took water from the side of the tent to wash up, and when she saw food on the table, she did not wait to be invited and sat down to eat on her own.
“Huaijin, after you finish eating, teach me to play chess, will you?” Zhao Yilou said.
Song Chuyi gnawed on a piece of braised pork knuckle and gave him a sidelong glance. “Now you think of me. Why not have White Blade teach you?”
Zhao Yilou gave a cold snort and decided to teach himself. Six or seven years ago he had also known how to play chess, but too much time had passed and he had mostly forgotten it. If he felt his way through it, perhaps he might recover some of it.
After gnawing through more than half the pork knuckle, Song Chuyi wiped her hands and, patting her full belly, sat down across from Zhao Yilou, occasionally offering a pointer or two.
Perhaps because Zhao Yilou already had a foundation, he improved very quickly. Seeing this, Song Chuyi became more energized as well and began teaching him in earnest.
“Young Master,” Chuan Ping’s voice came from outside the tent.
“Come in,” Zhao Yilou said.
Chuan Ping lifted the curtain and entered. He paused for a moment at the scene before him. For the past half month, Zhao Yilou had been in a state of constant vigilance, generally hiding himself in a corner where others could not see him. Unless necessary, he would never show himself, and it was even less likely that he would sit here playing chess.
Seeing that Zhao Yilou had no intention of acknowledging the man, Song Chuyi offered a salute and said with a slight smile, “Please sit down.”
Chuan Ping glanced at Zhao Yilou and, seeing that he showed not the slightest interest in intervening, returned the salute and sat down.
Seeing that Chuan Ping did not speak, Song Chuyi knew he wanted to avoid her and discuss important matters. “Yilou, White Blade doesn’t like staying indoors too long. I’ll take it out for a walk first.”
Song Chuyi had just risen when Zhao Yilou seized her arm.
“Together,” he said, looking at her.
Seeing this, Chuan Ping quickly said, “Why doesn’t Master Song sit for a while? After I finish speaking with the young master, it will not be too late to go for a walk then.”
Chuan Ping’s task was to win Zhao Yilou’s goodwill and trust. Even though Zhao Yilou, if he became the next ruler of Zhao, would only be a puppet, the ruler’s position was still above others. Whichever of the Wu clan and the Hua clan could make fuller use of that sovereign power would be able to suppress the other. Therefore, no matter what he did, his foremost goal had to be to win Zhao Yilou’s trust.
