One week later.
Nanning, which had stubbornly refused to provide funds or grain, suddenly sent a diplomatic missive.
It expressed willingness to compensate the Great Zhou for some of its losses, but on the condition that their Prince Yu Ruo be allowed to return to his country in accordance with the terms of the alliance treaty.
In other words, Great Zhou releases the man, and Nanning pays the compensation.
The matter was too sudden and too strange. Emperor Chongzhao discussed it in court.
"What do my esteemed ministers think?"
The Minister of Revenue was naturally all for it: "Nanning offers thirty thousand taels of silver and one season's worth of old grain from Xianghe County. It's not much, but it can alleviate the pressure on the state treasury. I just wonder if we could ask for more."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Their tone is firm. This is all they offer. We either exchange on these terms or not at all."
Prince Yu Ruo was of impure bloodline and had never been highly regarded. Even when the agreed-upon term of his hostage status was up, Nanning had shown no intention of retrieving him. Now they were actually willing to pay to get him back.
Yet the exchange terms were fixed.
It was an attitude that seemed both concerned and indifferent.
"Perhaps the Nanning hostage pleaded with the Nanning Emperor for mercy when he secretly went to Xianghe?" pondered the Minister of Rites. "After all, he is a prince. He must have connections in the Nanning capital. Now that the agreed hostage period is over, it's normal for him to want to return."
Especially since Yu Ruo had Northern Frontier blood in his veins and could not inherit the Nanning throne. If war broke out between the two countries in the future, his death would not affect the Nanning succession.
Everyone understood clearly that releasing him was more beneficial than detaining him.
Zuo Tianlang said: "It might be due to the rumors we spread within Nanning's borders—'the Nanning Emperor is an untrustworthy hypocrite' and the like—that forced him to cough up some silver. He's only having the hostage return to save face."
Emperor Chongzhao considered this: "That also makes sense."
Most ministers were in favor of the exchange. Those who were reluctant only wanted to demand more.
After returning from court, Emperor Chongzhao sent someone to inquire about any unusual activity around Yu Ruo's residence.
The report came back: nothing out of the ordinary.
Only then did he issue the imperial decree, permitting Yu Ruo to return to his country.
The one season's worth of old grain from Xianghe County promised by Nanning was nothing short of timely rain for the disaster-stricken areas that had not yet resumed production. It would hold them over for a while.
To prevent the Nanning Emperor from reneging again, Emperor Chongzhao also selected a team of over a hundred to accompany the grain for inspection, checking if it was edible and whether it was adulterated with sand or stones.
The convoy would depart in three days.
Nanning Hostage Residence.
After receiving the imperial decree, Yu Ruo returned to his study with an indifferent expression.
It was getting late.
No lamps were lit in the study.
Shrouded in the dim shadows, Yu Ruo walked slowly to his desk. He showed no hint of joy, only a suppressed, simmering grief and anger.
"He actually came to exchange for me... So my guess was correct."
Yu Ruo closed his eyes.
Back in Le'an County, he had seen the wooden box carried by a soldier under Xia Fuyang, containing jewelry and silver retrieved from the corpses.
His eyes had immediately caught a small, plain silver flower.
That silver flower had likely fallen off a hairpin. It looked ordinary but was crafted with a special technique unique to the Nanning palace.
An ordinary person would never notice.
He could recognize it because his mother had once been a slave in the palace workshop, later taken into the harem as a maid, and occasionally made such things.
So he recognized the inconspicuous little details on the flower.
The question was, why would a hairpin of palace craftsmanship end up on the body of an ordinary commoner?
It was only known that the plague was spread by corpses in the river, but did that plague originate within Great Zhou's borders?
He calmly analyzed other possibilities. Perhaps it was someone from the capital who happened to be near the Nanning dam, washed into Great Zhou territory, which was how he found this little flower.
But that absurd thought had uncontrollably surfaced in his mind—
He had actually wondered if the Great Zhou plague might be his father's handiwork.
Prepare corpses infected with plague, dress them in some jewelry, place them in the river, enticing Great Zhou commoners to steal them.
Using human greed to spread the plague.
So, on the journey back to the capital, he had written a secret letter to his father:
[I am aware of the facts regarding the outbreak of the plague in Great Zhou. Your son requests to return to our country.]
A vague, probing sentence.
If it was his father's doing, then he would certainly be recalled to Nanning. In his father's eyes, this sentence would seem like a threat: if he wasn't brought back to Nanning, he would expose the matter.
A Nanning prince speaking ill of his own sovereign would be far more credible than anyone else.
If it wasn't his father's doing, his father would likely ignore it, leaving him to his fate.
And now?
The decree had been issued. The situation was clear.
The plague in Great Zhou's three counties was indeed his father's work.
Yu Ruo: "Thirty thousand taels and one season's grain from a county to exchange for me... This secret is truly valuable," he murmured. "Since you fear it, fear being branded a cruel tyrant, why did you do it in the first place?"
In the dim study, he slammed his fist on the desk. His knuckles bled, his voice trembling and low, like a trapped beast.
"Those were living people!!"
"How dare he!"
With such a sovereign, how can Nanning endure?
Gu Xin worriedly said: "Your secret letter to His Majesty made him exchange for your return, but once you go back, you certainly won't come to a good end..."
Yu Ruo: "He won't kill me."
He wouldn't want the crime of killing his own son.
At most, he would find some fault and have him severely beaten.
Gu Xin: "Your Highness."
Yu Ruo: "Pack our things. We return to Nanning in three days."
The night before Yu Ruo's departure.
Qu Dubian received an invitation—
Yu Ruo invited him to a meal, to make up for the meal owed from years ago.
Having nothing pressing to do, Qu Dubian accepted.
The moon hung on the treetops.
In the pavilion, half a cup of wine was poured.
"Shouldn't it have been you treating me? Now that I'm leaving, it's still me treating you."
The atmosphere between them wasn't as stiff as before the trip to Xianghe. After Yu Ruo's plea for grain for the people, Qu Dubian viewed him more favorably.
"It's all the same, isn't it? Just a meal."
"Yes, yes, the same," Yu Ruo said. "Yours is fruit wine. I know you don't drink anything too strong."
Qu Dubian: "So attentive."
Yu Ruo paused, then smiled. "No aftereffects from the illness last time, I hope?"
Qu Dubian found it strange: "I've been well for so long. Why ask now? Hoping something's wrong with me?"
"Can't I show some concern?"
"You can."
He was used to this guy being annoying, so a sudden show of concern felt rather awkward.
Qu Dubian: "Congratulations on returning to your country. Although we are on opposing sides, you're not a bad person. Do well. It will be good for your people in Nanning."
Yu Ruo smiled without a word, downing cup after cup of wine.
In his years in Great Zhou, he had always been composed, occasionally having a few drinks but never getting drunk, being in an enemy state after all.
Qu Dubian guessed he probably had something weighing on his mind and didn't disturb him.
Holding the small cup between two fingers, Qu Dubian gently swirled it. The fruit wine swayed, the cup wall cool to the touch from the night air.
He took an occasional sip and picked at the dishes with his chopsticks.
Yu Ruo held the wine pot, gazing outside the pavilion, and suddenly said, "I want to go up on the roof, to see the moon."
Qu Dubian replied, "Go on then, I won't stop you."
Yu Ruo looked at him. "I don't know qinggong."
Qu Dubian: "..."
"Where are your guards?"
"I gave orders. They're all gone."
Qu Dubian: "Oh, then climb a ladder."
Yu Ruo looked at him for a few seconds.
Qu Dubian: "Sigh, alright then. Seeing as you're buying."
He finished the remaining fruit wine, picked up a plate of peanuts, then grabbed Yu Ruo's arm. With a light tap of his toes, they soared onto the roof ridge.
Qu Dubian was a professional roof-climber, having often slept on the roofs of Shunning Palace since childhood.
He found the most comfortable position, sat cross-legged, and began tossing peanuts into his mouth.
The view from up here was truly excellent.
The courtyard pond was full of lotus flowers. The moonlight was so bright that lamps weren't needed to see the paths.
Yu Ruo was lost in thought for a moment.
"If only my Imperial Father could be like you."
Qu Dubian choked, looking at him as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Uh... I wouldn't mind if you called me 'dad'."
Yu Ruo: "Great Zhou, Nanning, Northern Frontier. The powers are divided three ways, with all the schemes and calculations. In the end, it's mostly the innocent who suffer. If there were a unified nation, ending the strife between the three states, wouldn't the common people have a much better life?"
Qu Dubian: "The general trend of the world is that long division must unite, long union must divide."
He thought for a moment, then added, "It's not as good as you imagine. Even in a golden age, there will be plenty of darkness and secrets. There will still be people so poor that clothing and food are a struggle. One can only say the environment is better, and fewer common folk suffer. A hundred years, a thousand years, the cycle of history—it's always been this way."
"The situation of a tripartite division has lasted for decades, ever since we were born," Yu Ruo shook his head. "A great unified empire only exists in history books. You're younger than me, yet you speak as if you've personally witnessed that golden age."
"How do you know I haven't? I even carry the label of a 'monstrous fetus reincarnated.' I remember very clearly, in my past life, I was born into a golden age," Qu Dubian pointed to the edge of his sleeve. "This color—a crimson prosperity that emerged from darkness."
Yu Ruo couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Anything else?"
Qu Dubian: "Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants—all classes. Advocating for equality among all people."
Yu Ruo: "It really is a dream, utterly impractical."
"A dream?"
Qu Dubian looked at the starry river of the night sky, handed the peanuts to Yu Ruo, and leaned back.
The moon waxes and wanes, eternal and unchanging.
People today have never seen the moon of antiquity, yet this same moon once shone on people of old.
Qu Dubian gazed for a while, then said lazily, "Life is fleeting, merely a few decades. You and I are but a speck of dust in the history books spanning thousands of years."
"So, scenery never seen before doesn't mean it cannot exist."
Yu Ruo: "Then do you think we could see it?"
Qu Dubian: "No, it's too distant."
Yu Ruo: "As I thought, you must think I'm drunk and just fooling me. Still... it sounds wonderful. If it really existed, I'd like to see it."
Qu Dubian felt the look of yearning on Yu Ruo's face didn't seem fake.
This guy's heart is quite rebellious, you know. A prince yearning for equality among all people is betraying his own class. Because with equality for all, imperial authority would cease to exist, and the people would be their own masters.
If he were born into an ordinary family in the modern era, with his drive to seek grain for the people, he might even take the civil service exam and become a public servant, contributing to the nation.
A pity he was born in ancient times, born in Nanning.
After this chaotic train of thought, Qu Dubian said, "Then it would be more practical for your Nanning to surrender voluntarily, be annexed by Great Zhou, and achieve a peaceful, unified Central Plains."
Yu Ruo didn't respond immediately. After a while, he said, "After I return, the next time we meet, we will be enemies. I won't hold back."
Qu Dubian: "Get this straight, we already are. But tonight is an exception."
"Tonight is an exception," Yu Ruo smiled, then turned serious. "I will keep an eye on you. I look forward to facing you properly in the future."
Qu Dubian: "...I don't."
It would be best if their connection ended right here. He didn't need any more favorability points either; he wasn't short this year's worth.
Qu Dubian: "I won't see you off tomorrow. I'm sleeping in, can't get up. Wishing you a smooth journey in advance."
Yu Ruo nodded. "Thank you."
And also.
I'm sorry.
It was his Imperial Father who caused the Seventh Prince to fall ill.
He felt guilty, but regarding the plague, from Nanning's standpoint, he couldn't speak of it to someone from an enemy state.
Qu Dubian pinched a few peanuts from him, tossed them high, and caught them precisely in his mouth.
"Drink up. When you're done, I'll haul you down. I'll get nagged if I'm back late."
"Alright."
A clear breeze filled the courtyard, vast and profoundly quiet.