"The Qian State, vast lands and rich resources, and lots of people—compared to us Yan people, far, far more. Chu State is also a great power. As for those savages on the desert—don't be fooled by how honest they seem now. Who knows what they'll be like in the future?"

"If one day, the Earl of North Border is gone, Lord Jingnan is gone, and His Majesty… is also gone, and our whole generation is gone too…"

"When that time comes, will we still be able to keep those savages, the Qian people and the Chu people suppressed?"

"To put it bluntly, even those Jin people would have to rise up in rebellion!"

"While our generation can still fight and can still win, we have to seize the chance and tidy them all up. Then in future, our children and grandchildren can live in peace and comfort."

"Brother, what you said really makes a lot of sense."

"So that's how it is, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly how it is! It's like back then with my two neighbors—one family surnamed Sun, one family surnamed Zhou. The Sun family bullied the Zhou family's widow and orphan at first. Then after more than ten years, the Zhou boy grew up and the Sun fellow got old—didn't he get taken care of?"

"Right now the Qian people, Chu people, those savages and the Jin people are all being bullied by us. They hate us, so we absolutely can't give them that chance."

"Right, we can't." The middle‑aged man's words fell heavy as a hammer.

"Dad, Master, the food's ready."

...

Two square wooden stools were set in the courtyard. The four of them sat on little benches and started eating.

The old servant didn't drink,

Old He poured for himself and the middle‑aged man,

The two of them clinked cups together.

"Come on, brother, bottoms up!"

"Alright, bottoms up."

That meal

was eaten with great gusto.

The middle‑aged man rose to take his leave. Old He, a bit tipsy, called for him to visit often while seeing him off at the door.

Out the door,

past the corner of the street.

The old servant slowly tore off the human‑skin mask from his face and at the same time said quietly:

"Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince arrived long ago. He must have sensed the Spy Bureau agents your servant deployed nearby, so he stayed in that carriage and didn't come over."

The Yan Emperor's gaze narrowed slightly.

Just then,

the curtain of that carriage was lifted,

Ji Chengjue jumped down from the carriage, walked up to the Yan Emperor, and knelt.

"Your son pays his respects to father."

The Yan Emperor looked at his son kneeling before him

and said:

"You really couldn't pretend you knew nothing, and come in to share a meal with your father?"

Pretend not to notice the Spy Bureau experts hidden around,

pretend to know nothing,

pretend you were only worried because your father‑in‑law rushed over in such a hurry and then hurried into that house,

and when you saw me sitting there eating and drinking, show a shocked expression;

then pretend not to recognize me, sit down, and eat a meal.

How interesting that would be,

how warm,

you could do it,

you also know exactly how to do it,

so why deliberately refuse to do it?

I came out of the palace incognito today; rank and protocol aren't an issue to begin with.

You clearly know what I'm thinking,

that as the ruler of a state, I rarely have a day when I want to be close to the people, to be an ordinary man for a while, to feel the atmosphere of a normal family,

yet you deliberately

refuse to indulge me!

Their father‑and‑son conversations were always this concise, as if there was no need for many words at all.

The Yan Emperor asked simply,

and the Sixth Prince's reply

was even simpler.

The Sixth Prince slowly raised his head, looked at his father,

and answered:

"Tired."

"You wretched brat."

The Yan Emperor lifted his foot

and kicked this kneeling son of his straight on,

Ji Chengjue was kicked over,

then quickly scrambled back up to kneel again,

a clear boot print on his face, and the corner of his mouth split.

Ji Chengjue took two memoranda from his sleeve

and raised them above his head.

"Your son presents proposals on the minting of new coinage for our Yan and on government pilot regulations for banks; I ask father to review them."

Silence,

silence,

silence.

After a long time,

"Do you really think I can't bear to abolish you, so you have the gall to act so wantonly in front of me?"

"Your son would not dare; your son is afraid."

Silence,

silence,

silence.

After another long while,

"Tomorrow the Ministry of Rites is to proclaim to all under heaven the marriage of my Sixth Prince of Yan."

Ji Chengjue bowed even lower,

his forehead pressed against the cold bluestone slab.

"Your son thanks father for his boundless grace!"