No Justification
A faint smile settled on Murong Yan's pale face, which plainly betrayed the sickness consuming him.
"Noksu, brew some tea for me and A'yeon. We'll drink it under the flowering crabapple tree shortly."
Namphung Pavilion had remained unchanged from years past, but the only place where traces of his mother still lingered was that flowering crabapple tree.
"At once, Your Highness."
Feng Yao dabbed at his tears with his sleeve as he answered.
"I'll lay a soft cushion on the stone seat."
Once Feng Yao had spread the cushion, Xiao Rongyan moved to help Murong Yu into the seat — but Murong Yu gripped his hand and did not stir from where he stood.
Only after Feng Yao had withdrawn did Murong Yu finally turn his gaze to Xiao Rongyan.
"If Mother could see how tall and composed you've grown, she would smile with such fondness."
Murong Yu had not wished to speak of their mother in Feng Yao's presence. Whenever her name was raised, Noksu would grieve.
"If you recover your health, Elder Brother, she will be all the happier."
So Xiao Rongyan replied.
Murong Yu looked at his younger brother — so mature, radiating an extraordinary dignity — and laughed as he waved a hand.
"My body merely endures one day at a time; each dawn I survive is a day gained. You, on the other hand, are nearing thirty. You've reclaimed the lost lands of Nanyan, so the wedding can wait no longer. To leave no heir is a grave unfilial act. In truth, I wished to ask your heart on the matter — I hear that Meng Jinyong, the daughter of Minister Meng, is both a great beauty and a profound scholar. What say you?"
"Elder Brother, you and I swore before Mother's spirit that when Great Yan reclaimed her stolen lands, we would fulfill her wish for the unification of all under heaven. Nanyan has been recovered, yes — but Dadu has not. Jin still eyes Great Yan covetously at every moment..."
Xiao Rongyan's gaze deepened by degrees.
"Until that great enterprise is accomplished, how could I dare so much as think of a wedding?"
"Such an enterprise is not achieved overnight. Nor can the road to peace be walked alone."
Murong Yu stopped in his tracks, and looking up at his younger brother with a smiling face, spoke in a low voice.
"The path to fulfilling Mother's will is slow and treacherous — a thing only generations working hand in hand can achieve. Ten kingdoms vie for hegemony, each building its strength and standing tall. Perhaps our generation will not live to see the world made one. That is why we must marry, and leave descendants behind — so that our heirs may one day complete that magnificent work.
A'yeon, this road concerns the lives of countless common folk as well. Be careful, and careful again; walk it steadily and never in haste."
"This road is perilous and punishing, it's true. But if the hard work is passed down to our descendants, and they think as we do — then when will peace ever come to the world?"
Came Xiao Rongyan's voice, gentle yet weighty.
"Once, a certain woman told me this: only through the unification of all under heaven can the people enjoy a flourishing, peaceful age. I share her conviction."
Murong Yu's pupils trembled faintly. A woman? There was a woman who held such vision?
"The present age is swept by the winds of chaos. The ten kingdoms, one and all, grasp for supremacy — they kindle the flames of war for their own interests, and one in every ten of their people is sacrificed to it."
Xiao Rongyan bowed slightly toward his elder brother.
"A'yeon was fortunate — I was sheltered and taught by Mother and you. Though I was born into an age of disorder, I never once worried for food or clothing; I simply broadened my learning and set my aspirations. So from this day forward, I will set my will for the sake of all under heaven, live for the sake of the people, and carry on the learning of the sages. I intend to strive for peace that endures ten thousand generations, until the day I die."
Murong Yu regarded his resolute young brother. A'yeon's ambition, A'yeon's purpose — even the breadth of his spirit and the make of his character. He was truly the very image of their mother.
And yet he was the elder brother. An elder brother was as a father. With their mother gone, the duty of caring for his brother now fell to him. He could not allow A'yeon, rushing here and there in service of a great cause, to miss the most important moments of his one life.
Murong Yu took Xiao Rongyan's hand and steadied him to his feet.
"I must see you wed before I can face Mother without shame. She would chide me — her eldest son — for letting your marriage fall by the wayside for the sake of Great Yan. She might even take a switch to me. If Meng Jinyong does not please you, we shall look elsewhere. Tell me — is there someone who holds your heart?"
Perhaps, say, the woman who had told A'yeon that 'only when all under heaven is united can the people enjoy peace for ten thousand generations'?
For some reason, a woman rose unbidden in Xiao Rongyan's mind — calm and resolute, with eyes of unfathomable depth. Though blessed with a dazzling beauty set in a frail body, her slight frame always stood as straight as a pine, her bearing commanding, her sense of justice overflowing.
Amusement surfaced in Murong Yu's eyes.
"So there truly is a lady you hold in your heart. Tell your elder brother, then — from which kingdom, from which noble house does this pearl come?"
A lady who could discourse on the unification of all under heaven and peace for ten thousand generations would surely be one of exceptional learning and heroic spirit — and only a great and storied clan could have raised such a daughter.
Xiao Rongyan smiled lightly, his gaze without the slightest wavering. The sharply chiseled lines of his face looked, for once, remarkably soft and warm.
"Elder Brother, I will see to it myself. If fortune favors me and I win her heart, I will tell you then."
Murong Yu nodded.
"Do not keep your elder brother waiting too long."
Xiao Rongyan's hand closed around the jade cicada. Remembering Bai Jingyan's refusal, he bowed his head with a faint smile.
"The twenty-eighth day of the third month is the Jin Emperor's birthday."
Murong Yu gazed out at the flowering crabapple in the courtyard.
"Great Yan was able to reclaim Nanyan swiftly because Jin and Xiliang were locked in their own struggle. The Jin Emperor must be chafing with frustration now — he has signed a peace accord with Xiliang. What worries me is whether Jin and Xiliang might now find the leisure to strike at Great Yan."
"That will not happen."
Xiao Rongyan spoke as he walked slowly alongside Murong Yu.
"In the Southern Border campaign, Xiliang lost more than a hundred thousand soldiers. Since the Empress took the throne, her factions have been at each other's throats, desperate and unable to consolidate power — Xiliang has neither the strength nor the means to attack Great Yan. Jin, likewise, has suffered grievous wounds to its vitality. Above all, the Jin Emperor is not a man of great magnanimity; he will never forget that Nanyan and Xiliang once joined forces to attack him. Moreover, Great Yan destroyed Nanyan for the sake of restoring her own legitimacy — and the people cheered and gave their support. Even if the ten kingdoms harbor the will to raise arms against Great Yan, they have no justification to do so."
"Now that we've reclaimed the fertile lands of the south, if we lean upon Mother's New Policies, then in two or three years the grain those rich lands yield will feed the people to contentment. Only when the people prosper will our military strength grow mighty; only when our armies are mighty will the nation be strong. And only when the nation is strong can the great enterprise be achieved."
Xiao Rongyan looked at Murong Yu with deep, dark eyes.
"To move forward with stability — if you permit it, Elder Brother, I would like to send a hostage prince to Jin. If we show Jin our sincerity, we can buy at least two or three years of safety."
A hostage prince...
Murong Yu furrowed his brow and pondered briefly, then nodded.
"You speak rightly. Great Yan is poor in resources and her people are struggling. It is best to proceed with care and steadiness."
In that instant, a wave of dizziness seized Murong Yu, and the sky seemed to whirl around him.
"Elder Brother!"
Xiao Rongyan cried out as he caught Murong Yu in his arms.
"Someone! Is no one there!"
"I'm all right. Do not raise an uproar over nothing."
Murong Yu gripped Xiao Rongyan's hand with all his failing strength and clung to a pillar.
"Help me to sit — just a little."
Xiao Rongyan, wound tight with alarm, carefully eased Murong Yu down onto the stone seat. The rims of his eyes had gone red.
Hearing the commotion, Feng Yao came running and hurriedly drew a medicine vial from his sleeve, feeding a pill to Murong Yu.
Murong Yu opened his mouth slowly.
"The twenty-eighth of the third month is the Jin Emperor's birthday. I shall go to Jin in person, bearing my second son, to offer the Emperor my congratulations — and I will leave him to remain in Jin."
"Your Majesty, you must not! How can your precious person venture down so perilous a road, all the way to Jin!"
"This inadequate body of mine matters less than Great Yan."
Murong Yu looked at Xiao Rongyan.
"And should I meet with danger, then Great Yan simply passes to you, A'yeon. That is all."
Xiao Rongyan bowed his head, sinking deep into thought. Jin and Xiliang had signed their accord, so the Crown Prince would surely arrive before the Jin Emperor's birthday. In that case, Physician Hong, who had come to the Southern Border with Bai Jingyan, would likewise be returning to Dadu.
He raised his head, took one look at his brother — haggard of face yet wearing a smile — and nodded.
"Now that the Southern Border war is over, I will go ahead to Dadu. I'll make the preparations before you arrive. And there is a physician in Dadu of singular skill — I think it would be well if he examined you. If he can cure your illness, that, more than anything, would be a blessing for Great Yan."
Having finished, Xiao Rongyan turned to Feng Yao.
"Noksu, don't you worry. Even at the cost of this life, I will keep our brother safe."
That very day, Xiao Rongyan's merchant caravan set out on the road. Along the way they purchased Nanyan's specialties — hides, rouge, and the like — to carry into Jin.
Murong Yu, Emperor Mingde of Great Yan, sent a sealed letter to the capital. He ordered the Second Prince to proceed to Lincheon, where he would meet him, and together they would travel on to Dadu to congratulate the Jin Emperor on his birthday.
Yue Shi arrived in Guangping caked head to toe in dust, and upon learning that Xiao Rongyan's merchant caravan had already departed, made to give chase at once — but Feng Yao brought him before the Emperor.
Gazing upon Murong Yu, pale and gaunt, Yue Shi bowed with the grave courtesy of a scholar.
"Yue Shi offers his respects to Your Majesty. Your Majesty — do you sleep well? Do you take your meals properly?"
Yue Shi was a stray that His Majesty and his master had taken in together. Because he had been picked up on the night of a full moon, his master had given him the name Yue Shi — Moon-Picked-Up.
"Yes, I sleep well enough, and the food is not bad."
Murong Yu looked at the grown man Yue Shi had become with an expression of quiet satisfaction.
"The reason I called for you is that I have something to ask. This lady your master holds in his heart — from which kingdom, from which house does this pearl come?"
Feng Yao poked Yue Shi on the head as the bewildered man looked up.
"His Majesty is worrying over the Young Master's wedding. You — you wait on the Young Master's side day and night, and you don't know?"
Yue Shi's brow creased as he thought of the Bai family's fourth daughter. The Bai family's fourth daughter carried on like some madwoman — entirely unsuited to his master, he had thought. But his master fancied her, so what could be done about it?
"The daughter of which house is she?"
Murong Yu asked with a smile.
"The Bai fourth daughter of the Zhenguo Duke Estate in Jin."
Yue Shi answered truthfully.
Murong Yu started in surprise. The Zhenguo Duke Estate...
As a boy, following his uncle onto the battlefield, Murong Yu had once glimpsed from afar the awe-inspiring figure of Bai Weiting, the Zhenguo Duke. When four nations pressed upon the borders, Bai Weiting had beheaded six of their generals in a single campaign, crushing the morale of four armies at a stroke. Standing beneath the Black-Cloth White-Guan Standard, his horse flecked with blood, he had been magnificent and overwhelming.
Bai Weiting, the Zhenguo Duke of Jin, was a name that rang across all ten kingdoms. A man who carried nation and world within his heart, with a spine straight as bone — he could be called the pillar of Great Jin. And the Bai Family Army was hailed as the undefeated, divine host.
According to the talk that circulated among the kingdoms, in a hundred years and four generations of the Zhenguo Duke Estate of Jin, there was not one single useless soul. The Bai family's seventeen sons were, every one of them, capable men.
In the recent Southern Border campaign, the Bai family's ten-year-old son — before Yun Paxing could take his head — had cried out the Bai Family Army's anthem at the top of his lungs, standing tall and unafraid before life and death as though death were nothing at all. At the telling of it, reverence had welled up in Murong Yu's heart.
A house of pure wind and upright spirit — was it any wonder such a family had raised a daughter of such extraordinary vision?
Murong Yu smiled. If it was a woman A'yeon held in his heart, then on this journey to Jin, he would personally beg the Jin Emperor to grant the Bai fourth daughter to A'yeon as his wife.
Even if he should pass to the netherworld without warning tomorrow, a wife whose heart beat in accord with A'yeon's own would be a great help to him in achieving the great enterprise.