Song Chuyi now regarded Gongsun Gu in a somewhat different light. Daoism advocated governing through non-action and the ideal of a small state with few people. In an era riven by constant warfare, few feudal states would be willing to adopt Daoist principles to govern their countries. As a result, Daoism was far inferior in status to Confucianism and Mohism. Yet after learning that she was a Daoist, Gongsun Gu had still humbly sought her advice. Even if desperation had driven him to seek help wherever he could, such a respectful attitude was not something an ordinary person could easily display.
“If you do not return to Zhao, General Gongsun, where will you go? Is there any state whose ruler would be willing to take you in?” Song Chuyi asked, though she already knew the answer. She had noticed Gongsun Gu’s troubled expression earlier and had immediately understood that he had nowhere to go.
Gongsun Gu frowned. He came from Zhao’s ruling clan and had grown up in Zhao from childhood. If there were any way for him to return to Zhao, he naturally would not wish to seek refuge in another state.
“I have an old friend in Qin. If I ask him to recommend me, perhaps I could find a place there as well.”
The world was vast, and there were certainly places where one could find shelter. What Gongsun Gu meant was that he might be able to secure an official position in Qin.
“However, this battle will inevitably damage your reputation and prestige considerably. Even if you explain what happened, there is no guarantee that everyone in Qin will believe you,” Song Chuyi said.
Gongsun Gu let out a sigh, the furrows between his brows deepening. “Ever since the former ruler and King Hui of Wei formed their alliance at the Zhang River and, compelled by circumstances, accepted that humiliating treaty, he worried himself sick. The current ruler has been on the throne for less than five years, and Zhao is already falling into internal disorder…”
Whatever Gongsun Gu said after that, Song Chuyi did not hear a single word.
Her mind was filled with one phrase, repeating over and over:
The fifth year after the reign of Marquis Su of Zhao. The fifth year after the reign of Marquis Su of Zhao.
Previously, Zhao Yilou had only told her that it was some year during the reign of King Wei of Qi. He did not know exactly which year. Thus, Song Chuyi had assumed that she had borrowed someone else’s corpse to return to life, and that this aristocratic woman merely happened to look very much like her. Because of this strange connection of cause and effect, she had been able to take over the woman’s body.
As for the season being wrong, she had assumed that some time had been lost during the process of returning to life. After all, time could only move forward. As Confucius once said while standing beside a river, “What passes away is like this, never ceasing day or night.”
Who had ever seen time flow backward?
But now, it seemed that this was not the case at all.
She remembered it with absolute clarity. When she had taken poison on the walls of Yang City, it had been the nineteenth year of Marquis Su of Zhao.
In other words, she had returned to life fourteen years in the past…
“What do you think?” Gongsun Gu asked.
Song Chuyi came back to herself and immediately gathered her thoughts. She had not heard the latter half of what Gongsun Gu had said, but she did not want him to realize that she had not been listening carefully, so she focused on the first part of his statement instead.
“You are right, General Gongsun. It is an indisputable fact that Zhao’s military strength is weak. But our lord is a wise and capable ruler, one rarely seen. Since this matter was the scheme of a petty man, I believe our lord will certainly not deal with it rashly. Perhaps you might be willing to take a gamble.”
Song Chuyi deliberately called him “our lord”, hoping to create a sense of familiarity between them.
Yet she had not said a single false word. Zhao was indeed militarily weak. It was frequently bullied by the powerful states of the Central Plains, while nomadic peoples such as the Linhu and Xiongnu periodically harassed its borders. Even the relatively small neighboring state of Zhongshan often invaded. During the reign of Marquis Cheng of Zhao, Zhao had suffered humiliation time and again.
Compared with his father, Marquis Su of Zhao was more courageous and resourceful. Although he had only recently ascended the throne, Song Chuyi knew that Zhao would gradually grow stronger under his rule.
“Your words have been like an infusion of enlightenment,” Gongsun Gu said.
Despite his injuries, he straightened himself and gave Song Chuyi a deep bow.
When he had originally sought Song Chuyi’s advice, it had simply been an act of desperation. He knew perfectly well that even if he went to Qin, there was no guarantee that he would be given an important position. Moreover, he did not want to leave Zhao in the first place. With the road ahead shrouded in uncertainty, Song Chuyi’s appearance had been like a tiny lamp flickering through dense fog – a faint glimmer of light in the darkness.
Yet after their conversation, Gongsun Gu could not help but reassess Song Chuyi’s learning and insight.
“You live secluded in the depths of the mountains, yet you know everything that is happening under Heaven. Your talents are comparable to those of Sun Bin.”
Song Chuyi felt a pang of melancholy.
Sun Bin had only recently passed away at this point, hadn’t he?
“Senior Sun’s talents were like the blazing sun,” she said. “My own meager abilities are no more than the faint glow of a firefly. How could I dare compete with his radiance? That I never had the opportunity to behold the senior’s brilliance is truly a regret.”
Though she said this, Song Chuyi had never regarded Sun Bin as a role model.
Sun Bin had trusted Pang Juan, only to be betrayed by him and have both his legs crippled. He spent years in Wei pretending to be insane and foolish before finally seizing an opportunity to make contact with a Qi envoy and save himself.
A strategist who cannot even devise a strategy for himself – how could he possibly devise one for others?
And yet, in the end, she, Song Chuyi, had also placed her trust in the wrong person, paying for it with her life.
Heaven had given her a second chance to live.
Sun Bin had lost his kneecaps.
What she had lost was the ability to love someone – to trust someone.
“Would you be willing to return to Zhao with me, Sir Huai Jin? With your assistance, Zhao will surely grow strong and prosperous.” Gongsun Gu’s dark eyes shone brightly.
Song Chuyi rested her chin on her hand, propping herself up with one knee. She scratched at her disheveled hair and glanced at Gongsun Gu. He looked no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, at an age when the blood ran hot and his heart was full of ambition. Naturally, he would not let slip any opportunity that might allow him to realize those ambitions. As for all that talk of “making Zhao strong and prosperous,” that was simply the sort of thing one said for appearances.
“Last night, I cast a divination for you, General,” Song Chuyi said.
Rather than continue with his line of conversation, she brought up an entirely different matter.
Daoists were skilled in divination, said to be capable of foretelling future fortune and misfortune. Moreover, they rarely cast divinations for others without good reason. Thus, when Gongsun Gu heard what Song Chuyi had said, he immediately became interested and adopted an attentive expression, ready to listen.
“Yet I could not determine whether the outcome would be auspicious or ill.”
Song Chuyi noticed a slight change in his expression and immediately continued, “It is not that your future is impossible to foresee. It is simply that Huai Jin’s studies are not yet sufficiently advanced. My father is skilled in observing the stars, and my master is the Perfected Master Nanhua. I have not yet completed my studies, so I am not qualified to advise you on matters of state.”
Song Chuyi added half-jokingly, “Your journey will surely be filled with hidden currents beneath seemingly calm waters. I would rather not die before I have even finished learning my craft.”
“So you studied under a distinguished lineage, Master Huaijin.”
Gongsun Gu was visibly disappointed. But then he thought of his own predicament. He could barely protect himself at present, so how could he expect a talented person to help him? Thus, he did not press Song Chuyi any further.
Song Chuyi could also tell that he was not a sinister or narrow-minded man, which was why she had spoken to him so frankly. Had it been someone else, she might not have said any of this.
Once Gongsun Gu had made up his mind, his spirits lifted considerably. Even the effects of his arrow wound seemed to lessen, and he ended up talking with Song Chuyi for a full hour.
Song Chuyi also gradually realized that, although Gongsun Gu had not recognized that she was a woman, he was exceptionally interested in her.
After thinking it over, she decided it was probably because she looked unmistakably young, yet spoke with a maturity far beyond her years. So afterward, she reined herself in considerably, listening more and speaking less.
It was not until the two soldiers who had gone hunting returned with four rabbits that Gongsun Gu finally let her go.
Zhao Yilou was huddled in a corner against the rock wall. When he saw Song Chuyi approach, he shifted slightly to the side to make room for her.
By the edge of the pool, the soldiers quickly skinned the rabbits, then built a fire and placed them over the flames to roast.
Song Chuyi’s stomach betrayed her with a loud, rumbling growl that sounded like thunder.
The soldiers on the other side laughed and looked over.
Song Chuyi gave a dry cough and turned to Zhao Yilou, saying with utmost solemnity, “Although hunger is not something one can control, failing to conceal it even slightly in front of others is truly most improper.”
