Ying Si gave a slight nod. “Safe travels, Sir.”
A guard beside him took the cases. Song Chuyi bowed, then turned and climbed into the carriage.
Across the vast, snow-covered plains, the black-armored cavalry stood motionless, their cold, austere presence blending with the biting wind and falling snow.
As the procession gradually disappeared into the distance, the deputy general beside Ying Si asked, “Your Grace, weren’t we supposed to seize them? Why did you…”
Ying Si’s expression remained unchanged. After a moment of silence, he said, “Return.”
With that, he turned his horse around, cracked his whip, and galloped towards the city.
The deputy general glanced quickly back at the departing procession before hurrying after him.
Inside the carriage, Song Chuyi sat with her sleeves drawn over her hands, staring at the two cases of gold before her. After a long while, she finally let out a quiet breath.
When she had first seen Ying Si arrive to see her off, she had been genuinely delighted. But when the black-armored cavalry came to a halt, their formation had briefly suggested that they intended to surround the procession. She could hardly help but read more into the situation.
Still, whatever the process, the outcome had been satisfactory enough. Besides, there were more pressing matters to attend to now.
“Yu, come in for a moment.” Song Chuyi tapped on the carriage wall.
The carriage slowed slightly. Ji Yu bent down and stepped inside, settling on his knees opposite Song Chuyi.
“Do you have something to ask?” he said.
“How much do you know about Min Chi?” Song Chuyi asked.
“I’ve met him a few times, but never had any particularly close dealings with him,” Ji Yu replied.
“Based on his actions and what you’ve heard about him, give me your assessment of him.”
Ever since Song Chuyi had realized that this world was no longer quite the same as the one she remembered, or that certain things had changed, she had stopped viewing matters through the lens of her old assumptions. Her memories now served only as a point of reference.
She had asked Ji Yu because she considered him level-headed and perceptive, someone who could often see things for what they truly were.
Ji Yu did not know why Song Chuyi was asking about Min Chi, but seeing how serious she looked, he gave the matter some careful thought before answering.
“He is exceptionally talented, but he places great importance on fame and official standing.”
Ji Yu believed that Min Chi would not remain in the small, insignificant state of Wey for long. He kept this thought to himself, however.
Hearing Ji Yu’s assessment of Min Chi, Song Chuyi felt a chill in her heart. She leaned forward slightly. “How does he compare to Wu Qi?”
Wu Qi was, by all accounts, a man of exceptional versatility. He was well versed in the teachings of the military strategists, Legalists, Confucians, and other schools of thought, and was particularly skilled in the art of war. When he served as Great General of Wei, the Wei army achieved unprecedented unity and morale, repeatedly capturing enemy cities and laying a solid foundation for Wei’s position as a hegemonic power. Later, he left Wei for Chu, where he became chancellor and introduced a series of reforms, doing so long before Shang Yang.
Yet for all his extraordinary talents, Wu Qi had once killed his own wife to secure a military command while serving in Lu.
At the time, Qi had invaded Lu. Both the ruler and his ministers knew Wu Qi was capable, but the ruler hesitated to appoint him as a general. Wu Qi eventually learned that the reason for this hesitation was his wife’s Qi nationality. So he drew his sword and killed her with his own hands.
That was not all. While studying under Zengzi, Wu Qi’s mother died, yet he did not return home to mourn her. Zengzi considered him lacking in virtue and devoid of filial affection, and severed their teacher-student relationship. Wu Qi’s conduct in both matters earned him the contempt of later generations.
But what difference had any of it made? Despite killing his wife to obtain a military command and failing to return home for his mother’s funeral, Wu Qi had still gone on to become Great General of Wei. Even after leaving Wei, he had managed to become chancellor of Chu.
The reason Song Chuyi had asked was that most of the political persuaders of the Warring States period concerned themselves with schemes and stratagems rather than moral conduct. If Min Chi was still the same man he had been in her previous life, she would need to take precautions in advance, lest he stab her in the back.
Ji Yu deliberated for a long while before finally saying only, “I know too little about Master Min to venture a definitive judgement of his character.”
Song Chuyi nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”
“Sir, you seem rather wary of Master Min,” Ji Yu remarked. His tone made it a statement rather than a question.
“Can you guarantee that Min Chi is wholeheartedly devoted to the state of Wey?” Song Chuyi asked.
From Ji Yu’s expression, she could tell that his answer was clearly no. She smiled and continued, “That is precisely why one must always guard against others. Never mind. I’ll give the matter some thought over the next few days. We’ll soon be approaching Yiqu, so be on your guard.”
Yiqu had submitted to Qin, but in reality, it was home to numerous tribes, most of them nomadic. Its people were fierce and warlike, and Qin’s strength at present was nowhere near sufficient to bring the region under effective control. Merchant caravans travelled through the borderlands where Yiqu, Qin, and Wei met, so bandits frequently prowled the area.
“Sir, could we travel through Wei instead?” Ji Yu asked.
Song Chuyi considered this for a moment. “We can.”
After Ji Yu left, Song Chuyi could not resist taking out the map again. She stared for a long time at the area near Yiqu, along the border between Qin and Wei.
The carriage jolted to a halt. Longgu Buwang entered with White Blade, who was covered in snow from head to paw. Seeing the map, Longgu Buwang frowned. “You’re going to wear that map out at this rate.”
White Blade happily rubbed against Song Chuyi’s leg, smearing snow all over her clothes with its snowy paws. She did not get angry, however, and instead laughed as she ruffled its fur until it stuck out in every direction.
Longgu Buwang pursed his lips. “It seems my teacher is truly rather harsh on me.”
Song Chuyi glared at him. “What do you mean, harsh? All I ask is that White Blade be loyal to me. If that’s all you aspire to as well, you’d better tell me now. It would save me the trouble of having to rack my brains over you.”
Political persuaders were accustomed to showing different faces to different people. Longgu Buwang did not know which of Song Chuyi’s many faces was the real one, but he could tell that she had high expectations of him. It was precisely because she expected so much that she was so “harsh”.
Although Longgu Buwang understood this, he still found it difficult to swallow his pride. He gave an indignant snort, picked up a bamboo slip from the low table, and began reading, pointedly ignoring her.
Before this, Song Chuyi had never taught anyone herself. Most of her approach to teaching therefore came from her own teacher, though she had gradually made adjustments to suit Longgu Buwang’s temperament.
The journey to Handan would be long, with ice and snow covering the land along the way. It might take as little as a month or two, or as long as three to five months. Various factors could affect their progress, making it impossible to predict the exact duration. In any case, by the time they reached Handan, at least half a year would have passed since Song Chuyi had left the state of Wei.
Ji Yu was in charge of everything within the travelling party, leaving Song Chuyi with plenty of free time. She decided to treat the journey as an opportunity for scholarly travel. As before, she recorded everything she saw and heard along the way, and gave Longgu Buwang lessons every few days.
“AAAH!”
Song Chuyi was in the middle of writing when a sudden roar made her jump. She paused, then leaned out to see Ji Huan.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I’ll go and find out.” Ji Huan turned his horse around and rode towards the carriage behind them. A short while later, he returned with a broad smile.
“It’s good news. Deputy Envoy Longgu’s voice is breaking. It seems to be quite severe, and he was rather startled by it.”
Song Chuyi let out a gleeful little laugh. As if someone with his temperament would actually be frightened! His voice must have turned out so awful that he couldn’t bear to hear it himself.
Once she had finished laughing, Song Chuyi put on an expression of great benevolence. “Stop the carriage at once! This is a major milestone in a person’s life. I, as his teacher, must not neglect it.”
Ji Huan felt his teeth ache with second-hand embarrassment and decided to pretend he had not heard a word.
With White Blade at her side, Song Chuyi hurried over cheerfully. The moment she climbed into the carriage, she announced, “I hear your voice is breaking? I have come especially to congratulate you.”
White Blade sat beside Song Chuyi. Even with her sitting on her knees, the wolf was almost as tall as she was.
Longgu Buwang composed himself, picked up the pot and poured two cups of water. Then he extended a hand in a gesture inviting her to sit.
Song Chuyi was in no hurry. She picked up her cup and took a leisurely sip, thoroughly enjoying herself. After all, a boy’s voice did not break in a single day. She refused to believe he could go a year or even half a year without speaking.
Longgu Buwang took a sip of water as well.
White Blade’s little bead-like eyes followed Song Chuyi as she drank, one sip after another. Drool streamed uncontrollably from its mouth, and it let out a series of aggrieved whimpers, apparently convinced that the two of them were enjoying some delicious treat without sharing any with it.
Longgu Buwang glanced at White Blade’s drool with disgust, then shot the wolf a fierce glare. Reaching beneath the couch, he fished out a few pieces of dried meat and tossed them to it.
“Buwang, a breaking voice is a good thing. Just look at me. My voice is still so clear and melodious even now. It truly is a source of frustration.”
For a boy, having his voice break was indeed something worth celebrating. It meant he was on the verge of leaving boyhood behind and becoming a man. But Song Chuyi’s blatantly boastful tone was enough to make anyone want to punch her.
Longgu Buwang’s eyes practically shot flames. His lips were pressed tightly together as he struggled to contain himself.
Song Chuyi stopped laughing and put on a solemn expression. “This is a major milestone in life. In a couple of days, when we find a suitable place to stop and rest, we’ll give you a proper celebration. I’ll even buy you a pretty slave girl to initiate you into the pleasures of the flesh. So, tell me, do you prefer women or men? Leave it to me!”
Longgu Buwang choked on a mouthful of water. At last, he could no longer hold back, and his voice burst out in a hoarse croak. “Is there any teacher in the world as shameless as you?”
“Hahahaha!”
Even though Song Chuyi had mentally prepared herself, Longgu Buwang’s voice still sent her into fits of laughter. What on earth was that? It barely qualified as a human voice. Even a crow sounded better! Her senior fellow disciples had all gone through voice changes, but none of them had come anywhere close to Longgu Buwang’s miserable state.
“Humph!”
Even a simple snort came out as a voice crack…
As Song Chuyi laughed mercilessly, Longgu Buwang’s face flushed bright red.
“Don’t be embarrassed. What’s there to be shy about? You may have matured a little late, but you spend all your time mixing with so many spoiled young nobles. Surely you know a thing or two about this sort of thing? Come on, tell me what kind of person you like.” Song Chuyi asked with a beaming smile.
Longgu Buwang slammed his hand down on the low table. “If I’m going to lose my virginity, I’ll find a noblewoman to do it with! Do you really think I’m worth so little?”
Song Chuyi picked at her ear and gestured for him to sit down. “Young man, there’s no need to get worked up. I simply think these things shouldn’t be a matter of social rank… Wait, so what you’re saying is… you want Ji Yu to go into the city and kidnap a noblewoman for you?”
Longgu Buwang drew deep, heaving breaths. “I need some peace and quiet.”
“Very well. Take your time and think it over.” Song Chuyi immediately twisted his words into something entirely different.
Song Chuyi had just been about to climb into her own carriage when she heard a loud commotion coming from Longgu Buwang’s.
She might have been annoyed with him, but she still wrote out a prescription and had a maid prepare the medicine and send it over. Most Daoist disciples knew a little medicine. They might not be particularly skilled physicians, but prescribing something to soothe a sore throat was well within their capabilities.
After spending the coldest three months of the year on the road, Song Chuyi finished her medicine. Not long afterwards, she discovered that her own voice was breaking as well. Unlike Longgu Buwang’s dramatic transformation, however, hers happened gradually. Her voice changed until it reached a pitch that was neither particularly deep and masculine nor especially soft and feminine, and then stopped there.
Throughout this period, Song Chuyi kept a close, anxious eye on every change in her body. If anything that absolutely should not have grown were to appear, she would hunt Xing Shou down to the ends of the earth and bury him alive all over again.
Fortunately, the changes were mainly confined to her throat. Her breasts did not seem to have grown much either, which greatly satisfied her.
By the end of January, the travelling party finally arrived in Handan.
In the late Spring and Autumn period, Handan had been one of the most prosperous cities around. Though it was no longer quite as magnificent as it had once been, its original layout remained intact. The city covered more than 80,000 mu of land and was broadly divided into two parts: the Zhao Royal City and the Great Northern City. The Zhu River ran through the Zhao Royal City.
The procession followed the Zhu River until it reached the northern gate. Only then did they present their credentials, including their tally tokens and other identifying documents. A protocol officer then escorted them to their temporary lodgings, where they were to settle in and await an audience with the Lord of Zhao.
Without warning, snow began to fall again.
After washing away the dust and grime accumulated during her long journey, Song Chuyi stood beneath the corridor in a light fur cloak, her face tilted towards the gloomy, overcast sky. A vague sense of foreboding settled over her.
It seems this trip won’t go as smoothly as it did in Qin.
