Turbulent Currents
Recently, Ji Dan had been busy. It wasn't the first time. There had been occasions when the affairs of the trading company kept him occupied, yet even then he had always made time for meals together. But ever since the delegation from Zhao arrived in Yan, even that had become difficult.
As the time Ji Dan spent with Ying Zheng herself dwindled, the time he spent with Han Gyeong only grew. Ying Zheng understood. Ji Dan had many people he was responsible for. Yet she disliked it. She hated that he placed others before her and poured more of his heart into them. Her feelings ran far deeper and more viscous than the possessive whims of an ordinary child. She was barely ten years old. Other children might have replaced or diluted such desires with something else equally appealing. But Ying Zheng's possessiveness was absolute. Perhaps it was the result of growing up without proper affection from her parents. Or perhaps it was simply her innate nature. Maybe both.
Having never known proper love, she clung desperately to the affection she had finally found. Born as she was, she fought to keep what she held in her hands. Until now, it had been tolerable. The people around Ji Dan had served him long before she appeared, and they were, after all, only retainers. She could accept that. But as time passed, more and more people gathered around him. Nuo Guqian, who filled the place Jing Ke had left, was one. Xinling Jun, who replaced Pingyuan Jun, was another. Xinling Jun in particular possessed a beauty and renown even greater than Jing Ke's, and quickly grew close to Ji Dan.
Ying Zheng knew the two met to discuss matters concerning the trading company. Yet the distance she observed between Xinling Jun and Ji Dan resembled the one between Ji Dan and Han Gyeong more than it did the one with Nuo Guqian. Their relationship evoked the bond of master and disciple rather than mere business partners, and their meetings only grew more frequent. Still, Ying Zheng endured. Ji Dan devoted even more time to her in return. She consoled herself that it could not be helped. They attended Han Gyeong's lessons together, experimented with new dishes, played instruments, and sometimes discussed affairs of state. Though Ji Dan shared many tasks with others, he always spent the most time with her. That was why she could endure. She believed that even if he met others for a while, he would always return to her in the end.
But the conversation Han Gyeong and Ji Dan had exchanged at Guomu's suggestion shook the very foundation of her patience. At last she understood. To Ying Zheng, Ji Dan was the only one. But to Ji Dan, Ying Zheng was merely one among many.
'I don't want that…'
Just as she looked only at him, she wished he would look only at her. Confronting the true feelings she had tried to ignore, Ying Zheng recalled something. During the time Ji Dan had been too busy to properly care for her, someone had approached her in secret. The man who introduced himself as "Wall" claimed to have come from Qin. He said he intended to bring Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng, whom Ying Zichu had left behind in Zhao, back with him. But Ying Zheng had ignored his words. To her, Ying Zichu was nothing more than an irresponsible father who had abandoned her before she was even three. After Ji Dan rescued her from Zhao Ji's abuse, even the remaining tie to her mother had grown distant. Therefore, the place Ying Zheng belonged was not under Ying Zichu's roof, but by Ji Dan's side. Not in Zhao Ji's arms, but next to Ji Dan—that was her true home.
Yet if others continued to intrude upon that home and narrow her place…
'Will I truly be able to remain the closest person to Dan until the very end?'
Guomu had promised to do his utmost to resolve matters through dialogue before the war escalated, but I had no intention of leaving everything to him alone. Judging from the advice he gave when he brought up the marriage proposal, his political instincts were not particularly poor. Reflecting on our conversation that day, he seemed to understand that war was inevitable regardless of his own actions. Still, the stakes this time were far too high to entrust everything to Guomu alone—whether for good or ill.
'If we fail to stop the war, Yan will almost certainly lose. Since this will be the first war fought under the new king, Yan will commit its full strength. A crushing defeat here could mean that even if I ascend the throne later, everything will end while we are still recovering from the damage.'
I could not allow that to happen. In the Warring States period, military power was everything. Military power meant population, and population meant national strength. The outcome of war directly determined a state's rise or fall. Moreover, this was an obviously foolish war destined for defeat. I could not simply leave it in someone else's hands while knowing the result. So how could this war be ended? I had seen the answer from my father, the King of Yan.
The King of Yan had never intended war from the beginning. Even before Yul Bok returned from mourning King Zhaoxiang of Qin, he had sought reconciliation with Zhao. What changed his mind was Yul Bok's persuasion that "the current Zhao could be easily defeated." Therefore, all I needed to do was prove that persuasion wrong. The simplest way would be a direct military defeat, but orchestrating such a defeat with my own hands would be putting the cart before the horse.
'It must make the King of Yan feel fear, yet cause no direct harm to Yan.'
The conditions were extremely demanding. Honestly, I could not think of a solution right away. But I had learned that I did not have to shoulder everything alone. If I could not do it, I could ask others for help. The first person I sought was Xinling Jun, whom I considered the most comprehensively capable.
At first I considered Chuyeon or Punggi as well, but since the matter required consideration of military aspects beyond mere politics and persuasion, Xinling Jun seemed the most suitable. The question was whether she would help me, but my concern proved unfounded.
"You came to the right place. You must have had much to worry about. I'll praise you in advance for making the excellent decision to come to me."
"It seems Xinling Jun already knows why I have come."
"Of course. I was merely watching to see whether the young lord would have the resolve to seek help from someone of another state."
"Does that mean you will help me?"
In an age when no woman was more renowned than her following the death of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, she smiled brightly and nodded without hesitation.
"The young lord is my business partner. More importantly… you received it, didn't you? My brother-in-law's personal seal."
"…You knew?"
This time I could not hide my surprise and stammered.
"Among my brother-in-law's legacy was the official seal of Pingyuan Jun, but not the personal seal of Zhao Sheng. I wondered if it had been buried with him, but I heard it was never found at all."
Pingyuan Jun's children had hidden the fact that he had given his personal seal to someone other than his own offspring. It would have been proof of their own incompetence—that they had failed to earn his trust.
"If there was anyone my brother-in-law would entrust his seal to, it could only be the young lord."
"That is correct. He entrusted his seal to me before he passed."
"And the young lord came to me to honor that trust. Is that it?"
"It is not Pingyuan Jun's trust."
"Hm?"
This time Xinling Jun looked momentarily taken aback by my answer.
"It is to keep the promise we made."
At my reply, Xinling Jun wore a blank expression for a moment before breaking into a confident smile.
"Ha… That is a much more pleasing answer."
"If my answer pleased you, then please give me your answer as well."
"How bold. Very well. This matter is not so difficult to consider."
The renowned general who vied with Lian Po of Zhao for the title of the greatest under heaven answered.
"We simply need to make the King of Yan feel fear."
I already knew that much. What I had been worried about was how to instill that fear without bloodshed. I held my tongue, believing Xinling Jun would not stop there. As expected, she soon began to speak of the method—and even the person who would carry it out.
That day, I wrote two letters. I entrusted them to Chuyeon and Zhang Yi respectively and sent them off.
In a modest room that seemed to reflect its master's frugality, a man was reading the letter that had been delivered to him. After finishing its contents, he set the letter down and looked at the one who had brought it.
"Who did you say sent this?"
The moment he asked, the man shook his head and quickly corrected himself.
"No, that was a foolish question. Forget it. Let me ask something else instead."
Contrary to his gentle appearance, his eyes were as sharp as a well-honed blade. Zhang Yi swallowed quietly. He had known the man was a general of some renown, but he had not expected such commanding presence. What question would he ask? Zhang Yi focused all his attention on the man's lips. And when the man spoke again, Zhang Yi was astonished.
"Besides me, to whom else was this delivered?"
In Dai, at the northern edge of Zhao, Li Mu encountered the winds from the Central Plains that had begun to blow earlier than he had calculated.