At the cusp of late autumn and early winter, a delicate layer of frost clung to the withered leaves; the cracking sound of their veins could be heard beneath the tread of leather boots. A chilling wind swept across the barren fields. Li Ce's gaze shifted away from Yan Jide's military boots, his voice soft yet resolute: "Forgive the intrusion upon your military drills, General. I have come on matters concerning the displaced." He made no mention of the assassination attempt along the official road. Since the injured Imperial Guards had been released, there was no need for confrontation now. Li Ce's straightforward focus on the displaced was aimed at rescuing the seventy-nine people as swiftly as possible. If his intuition was correct, these refugees were alive and being used as bait to lure him out. Whatever trap Yan Jide had laid would have to be faced firsthand.
The morning was cold, and the Imperial Guards were already engaged in training. Yan Jide greeted Li Ce alone. At a distance of thirty feet, his expression was still somewhat stiff. Upon hearing Li Ce speak solely of the refugees, a slick smile returned to his face. "How could I possibly trouble His Highness the King of Chu with such labor?" Yan Jide's stature was imposing, his uniform impeccably neat, his voice commanding. He gave a brief salute to Li Ce and observed his small entourage. As the intelligence had indicated, Li Ce brought only two companions: a charioteer and a skilled archer. Yan Jide breathed a quiet sigh of relief, his face softening. "Please, Your Highness, this way."
The refugees were indeed unharmed. They sat within two tents, having just eaten their fill. Though somewhat emaciated, they appeared capable of enduring the arduous journey. Their accents confirmed they were indeed from Ganzhou. Upon Yan Jide's entry, the refugees rose and saluted. Two even knelt, bowing their heads and calling Yan Jide a living bodhisattva. Yan Jide nodded calmly and said to Li Ce, "Earlier, several refugees killed a captain. I was angry and threatened to bury them alive. But in truth, the captain initiated the fight, and the refugees merely defended themselves. After uncovering the truth, I merely disciplined them, and that was the end of it."
"We were at fault. It shall never happen again!" the refugees admitted in unison.
Li Ce stood within the tent, his expression grave, and inquired, "Why are they all dressed in military uniforms?"
The refugees were impeccably arrayed in the Imperial Guards' new winter attire — complete with leather belts and their hair tied in topknots, indistinguishable from the soldiers. Yan Jide smiled and explained, "They are part of the army; how could they appear disorderly? Besides, when they fled the famine, they wore only thin clothes. Returning to Ganzhou without protection might have meant freezing to death. These uniforms are a gift from me."
The refugees bowed deeply in gratitude. Yan Jide instructed them, "This gentleman is His Highness the King of Chu, responsible for disaster relief. From now on, you must follow his orders without question."
"Yes, sir!" came the thunderous reply from all seventy-nine voices.
"Thank you, General," Li Ce said, "I shall now take them back."
"Wait," Yan Jide raised his hand to stop him. "Since you are here, why not witness the Imperial Guards' drills?"
The refugees stood beneath the raised platform as Yan Jide led Li Ce upward, gesturing toward the field ahead. "Your Highness, do you recognize this formation?"
The Imperial Guards marched with stern discipline, exuding valor with every step, their gunfire swift and decisive, their commands fierce and powerful. They continuously shifted formations, seamless yet unstoppable — the grandest spectacle beneath Yangquanshan.
Li Ce gazed at the array with swelling pride but said, "I am ignorant and unlearned; this formation is unfamiliar to me."
"This is the 'Five Tigers Among Sheep Formation,'" Yan Jide declared, his tone filled with the arrogance of one who commands mountains and rivers. "The five tiger-like units pierce the enemy camp, annihilating those lamb-like foes utterly."
Li Ce nodded thoughtfully, impressed. "Your training is exemplary, General."
Yan Jide stepped forward, hands resting on the railing, then turned abruptly to Li Ce. "I believe there are tigers in the army, and in the capital as well. Each of the emperor's nine sons is different; among them, the second prince, Jin Wang, most resembles the king of beasts. What say you, Your Highness?"
Li Ce smiled faintly. After much circumlocution, the topic was finally broached. Yet this flamboyant pretense of draping tiger skins as a banner was nauseating. His black cloak made his cheeks appear even paler. Li Ce cupped his hands near his lips and exhaled softly. "Is that so?"
Yan Jide babbled on, "Though Jin Wang is a fierce tiger, he possesses a heart vast enough to embrace all rivers and seas. If His Highness the King of Chu can put aside past grievances, then when the heavens shift and change, you may enjoy glory and prosperity."
A shifting sky? Surely a reference to the emperor's passing and a new ruler's ascension. Yan Jide, naturally aligned with Jin Wang — his daughter now a concubine in Jin Wang's household — was clearly pressing for submission. Li Ce glanced at the refugees in their military garb below the platform. They were not only bait but a trap.
He waved his hand to silence Yan Jide. "Putting everything else aside," Li Ce said, "you proclaim Jin Wang a fierce tiger. Do you, General Yan, see him as nothing but a beast?"
Yan Jide's face flushed purple with rage.
"Moreover," Li Ce continued, "'put aside past grievances'? Have Jin Wang and I ever harbored such discord?"
Yan Jide opened his mouth, held his breath, and finally replied, "None?"
"None," Li Ce met Yan Jide's gaze, looked at the hundred thousand troops behind him, and the invincible formations before them, fearless. "The one who bears enmity and deep hatred for me is none other than you, General Yan."
Yan Jide's eyes widened in shock; a flash of anger and grievance crossed his face before he abandoned restraint and laughed heartily. "So the King of Chu is indeed a man of decisive action," Yan Jide said, "I have underestimated you. Does this mean you were the one who killed Tian Yingyu of the Imperial Guards?"
Li Ce's expression darkened as he stared at Yan Jide. "Seven years ago, you, in pursuit of promotion, sent Tian Yingyu with three urgent letters to Lady Shunpin, driving her to madness. Today, we shall settle that score."
"Settle scores? Here?" Yan Jide laughed uproariously, gesturing at the vast Imperial army below. "In front of my soldiers?"
Though only four stood on the platform, the hundred thousand Imperial Guards beneath were all his men. Li Ce stood with hands behind his back. "They are the army of the Tang dynasty."
"And what of it?" Yan Jide stepped back, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he drew his long knife. Qingfeng and Yanyun reacted swiftly, placing themselves before Li Ce. Yan Jide's blade came down but struck his own arm.
"Help—" Yan Jide clutched the railing in panic, shouting, "The King of Chu has brought private troops to seize the military token and is plotting rebellion!"
The Imperial Guards stationed a hundred miles north of Chang'an could indeed carry out a sudden coup if they seized the token.
"What nonsense are you spewing?" Yanyun stepped forward, ready to kill Yan Jide, but Li Ce restrained him.
Below the platform, the Imperial Guards surged forward but were halted by the refugees in military attire. Unarmed and bewildered, some fled in panic while others tried to resist, only to be cut down by the pursuing soldiers. The refugees screamed in confusion, unaware of the sudden betrayal. Moments before filled with hope of returning home, they had now become traitors marked for extermination.
"Stop!" Li Ce stood on the steps of the platform, turning to Yan Jide. "Do not harm them!"
Yan Jide smiled arrogantly, clutching his wounded arm as he stepped forward. "Lock them all in the mountain prison! I shall report to His Majesty and await judgment!"
"Your Highness," Yanyun hurried to Li Ce, "summon our men quickly—"
"Not yet," Li Ce whispered, stepping forward. "Come."
He deliberately raised his voice: "Such a crude ploy—His Majesty will not believe it."
Yan Jide's expression flickered; he ground his teeth in silence.
Li Ce escorted the terrified refugees to a cave — the infamous mountain prison. It appeared a natural cavern, lightly excavated. A heavy stone door barred the entrance. Li Ce pressed his fingers lightly upon it, a familiar chill washing over him, as if returning to childhood. His eyes involuntarily closed. Would he see a tomb passage if he stepped inside?
This subtle tremor disturbed few. Less than two hundred troops had been used for the capture; the rest of the Imperial Guards continued training.
In the nearby woods by the drill ground, a young woman peeked out, scrutinizing the scene.
"What a disgrace," Ye Jiao murmured, folding her soft shawl neatly, weighing it down with a stone, and sighing deeply. Ever since Zong Quanwu had grabbed her shawl last time, she remembered to remove it before fights.
"Game over, huh?" she sneered with schadenfreude, crouching among the dry grass and replaying Li Ce's humiliation.
"Aren't you supposed to be all-knowing?" She crossed her arms, feigning eager anticipation.
Yet her feet betrayed her, moving step by step forward.
"Alright, alright!" Ye Jiao finally relented, patting the sword at her waist. "I'll save his life — can't resist standing up for justice, after all."
The stone door was firmly shut, with no guards posted. It weighed a thousand pounds; a deep trench surrounded the entrance, embedding the door so it could not be opened from within. Ye Jiao tugged and lifted it, then, exhausted, pulled with all her might, but the door did not budge.
"Forget it," she panted, hands on hips at the entrance, "you're staying in there to rot."