Song Chuyi looked up and saw a middle-aged man in his forties seated in the place of honor. He had a dignified appearance and an air of refined elegance, but his temples were already flecked with grey and he looked weary, clearly the result of excessive indulgence.
Song Chuyi had expected that she might run into Wey’s envoy. She was not afraid, however. As long as their objectives did not conflict, she refused to believe that anyone sent to Song as an envoy could be foolish enough to confront her openly in the hall.
“I dare not presume to guess at Your Lordship’s intentions, but I have indeed come for those tens of thousands of soldiers.”
“Oh?” Lord Ti Cheng of Song lowered his eyes and regarded the two people standing below him coldly. “The Marquis of Wey certainly has an interesting way of doing things. Each person he sends is younger than the last. Is he mocking me?”
At this, Song Chuyi turned her head. The moment she saw the man’s face, surprise flashed across her features.
He was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, tall and slender, dressed in a moon-white shenyi with deep-blue trim at the collar and cuffs. His fine robes marked him as a high-ranking official, setting off an exceptionally handsome face. He had a composed, dignified bearing and a bright, unrestrained elegance.
And yet… it was Min Chi.
In her previous life, Song Chuyi had been over twenty when she first met Min Chi. His bearing then had naturally been far more mature than it was now, but those features were unmistakable.
Seeing her staring straight at him, Min Chi furrowed his handsome brows. He ignored her and cupped his hands toward Lord Ti Cheng of Song as he answered, “Your Lordship is mistaken. We do not mean to mock Your Lordship. It is simply that Wey truly has no one else to send.”
A great burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the assembled civil and military officials, booming through the vast hall like thunder.
Song Chuyi stopped wondering whether she should stab Min Chi a few times later to vent her anger. Taking advantage of everyone laughing heartily, she immediately covered her face with her sleeve and let out a loud wail.
The laughter came to an almost abrupt halt.
A richly dressed man of around thirty-five wore a contemptuous smile as he asked with considerable interest, “Why does the child weep in the hall?”
To call an envoy from another state a “child” and describe his crying as “weeping” was an extremely discourteous thing to do.
Had she been a proud scholar who cared about her dignity, she would surely have been furious. But Song Chuyi had never cared about such things. Covering her face, she sobbed, “I am a Song native as well. Seeing my motherland on the verge of destruction, I am overcome with grief. I could not help but lose my composure.”
“Utter nonsense.”
The richly dressed man’s smile instantly disappeared. He went from a smiling tiger to a stern and severe figure in the blink of an eye. Turning toward Lord Ti Cheng of Song, he cupped his hands and said, “Your Lordship, this man is spreading malicious rumors and cursing our state. He should be dragged outside and executed.”
“High Minister, do not be so hasty. I would rather hear what he has to say,” Lord Ti Cheng of Song replied.
So it was Song Yan.
Song Chuyi suddenly understood why he had been so caustic. After arriving in Song, she had not gone to pay him a visit, but had instead sought an audience with Tao Ding. He must have assumed that she had brought a great deal of gold and silver to present to Tao Ding, and had therefore taken offence.
In an instant, Song Chuyi understood the reason behind his hostility, but she had no time to dwell on it. She immediately answered Lord Ti Cheng of Song, “Wei has suffered defeat after defeat, and its standing has declined considerably. Its military strength is also weaker than it was when Pang Juan commanded its armies. Yet this is precisely when Song is in the greatest danger.”
Although Lord Ti Cheng of Song indulged excessively in wine and women, he had certainly been no mediocre man to have successfully usurped the throne.
After a moment’s thought, he felt that there might indeed be some truth to her words. He straightened up and asked, “How so?”
“As everyone knows, Qin and Wei have nearly three minor wars every year and a major war every three years. Now that Wei’s national power has declined, while Qin has grown considerably stronger since Shang Yang’s reforms, the Crown Prince Ying Si is well versed in military strategy, and the Qin people are also fond of war. Now that a new ruler has ascended the throne, Qin is bound to fight Wei to the bitter end.
“Wei will inevitably prepare for war. But in the short term, where will it obtain the grain, provisions, soldiers, and horses it needs?”
“How so?” Lord Ti Cheng of Song asked.
“Feed a war with war.” Song Chuyi smiled and spoke slowly. “Gain the greatest profit from the smallest possible conflict. Qi, Chu, Han, Zhao, and Song – which of these states, Your Lordship thinks, will Wei choose to send its army against?”
All five states Song Chuyi had named bordered Wei. Apart from Song, the other four were among the Seven Warring States. Qi and Chu were the strongest in terms of actual power, while Han, Zhao, and Wei had formed several alliances since the three states were carved out of Jin. Given the circumstances, the King of Wei ought to be busy cultivating friendly relations with these states.
Seeing the grave expressions on everyone’s faces, Song Chuyi became even more composed. “I once heard an amusing tale while passing the Sui River. I thought I might share it with you.”
“Please, go on, Sir.”
Lord Ti Cheng of Song ‘s attitude was much more serious than before, and he also showed Song Chuyi considerably more respect. Although she had called it an amusing tale, hardly anyone in the hall was listening with the expectation of hearing a mere joke.
Song Chuyi began to recount it unhurriedly.
“As I was passing the Sui River, I saw a mussel poking out of the water, basking in the sun. Just then, a duck flew over and pecked at the mussel’s flesh. The mussel immediately snapped its shell shut, trapping the duck’s long beak tightly between its shells.
“The duck said, ‘If it does not rain today, and it does not rain tomorrow, you will be dried to death.’
“The mussel replied, ‘If I do not release you today, and I do not release you tomorrow, you will suffocate to death.’
“Neither side would yield. Then a fisherman happened to pass by and easily captured them both.”
Min Chi stood quietly in the hall, watching Song Chuyi along with everyone else. She wore a plain, wide-sleeved robe, her dark hair loosely gathered into a simple bun atop her head and secured with a wooden hairpin. She wore no jade pendants or other ornaments, nor any excessive color; the simplicity suited her clean, unadorned features perfectly.
“That is an entertaining tale.”
Though those were Lord Ti Cheng of Song’s words, his heart had tightened.
Wei was the fisherman waiting for the clam and the snipe to fight.
Silence descended over the great hall.
Tao Ding lowered his eyes. The previous night, Lord Ti Cheng of Song had instructed him to find a way to tease Song Chuyi this morning, so he had come up with the idea of Wanlan. Although she had not gone all the way with the attire, it was truly remarkable that, at such a young age, she could carry off adult clothing through sheer bearing and composure.
Song Chuyi sighed. “This attack on Song was truly something my lord was forced into by the King of Wei. Our state of Wey shares ancestry with the royal house of Zhou, and this time, the King of Wei was merely looking for an excuse so that the Son of Heaven would have nothing to say. Alas, by now, I fear the King of Wei has already seized our territory under the pretext of requesting passage through our land.”
When a large army passes through another state’s territory, it must negotiate with that state and, in most circumstances, offer some form of compensation. The King of Wei had undoubtedly used this as a pretext to annex Wey’s cities under the guise of legitimacy.
Although the rites and traditions of the age had already fallen into disorder, military strategists held that an army without just cause would lose the people’s support and morale, and thus suffer defeat in every battle. Therefore, even for the sake of their own army’s morale and momentum, they had to find a respectable justification for war.
Min Chi knew that it was time for him to speak, and immediately followed up, “My lord is willing to offer six cartloads of jewels, a hundred fine horses, seventy beautiful women, and a quantity of bronze vessels to settle this matter. I respectfully ask Your Lordship to reconsider.”
“Hmph. You think a few paltry gifts will settle this matter?” Tao Ding snorted coldly.
Song Chuyi was secretly surprised. Even for a great state, that was already quite a substantial offering. And they still weren’t satisfied? Wasn’t this a little excessive?
The High Minister, Song Yan, apparently already had plenty filling his own coffers, so he did not make things too difficult. One of the grandees suggested, “If our state of Song lets this matter go so easily, the powerful states on our borders may well think Song is easy to bully. Why not have the Marquis of Wey personally offer an apology?”
For the ruler of a hegemonic state, such a demand would be humiliating. But for the Marquis of Wey, it was the simplest thing in the world. As long as this matter could be put behind them, let alone personally apologizing, he would even be willing to lead Lord Ti Cheng of Song’s horse and carriage himself.
“I have one more condition to add,” Tao Ding suddenly interjected.
