Chapter 26 How Did Things Come to This?

Chapter 26: How Did Things Come to This?

"Trained in archery and horsemanship from childhood?"

He Song's nerves were stretched tight, sensing Tuo Bashao's rapid breathing behind her.

But with no chance to flee now, she couldn't regret her choice.

The young noble lady leaned against the carriage, looking down at her. "Your riding I've seen—how good are you with a bow?"

He Song replied, "A decade ago, within a hundred paces, my arrows never missed. Give me half a month, and I’ll regain at least seventy percent of that skill."

Wang Shen'ai smiled. "Then come with me."

He Song: "…?"

Wait—this wasn’t going as she’d expected.

She’d thought she’d need to explain the ten-year gap, to fabricate some plausible excuse. Yet the Empress seemed uninterested in the details.

The immediate agreement left He Song questioning if she’d misheard.

But the rein burns on her palms, the exhaustion from days of flight—all sharpened her mind.

"Come with me" was the answer she’d received.

Then she saw the noblewoman pause mid-motion, turning toward a distant street corner. "Seize those lurking figures! Unless they justify themselves, charge them as assassins targeting the Empress and court officials!"

……

"I heard Your Majesty recently detained another Xie clansman?" Wang Xun forced his tone to remain casual.

"And?" Wang Shen'ai countered, as if it were obvious.

Wang Xun felt a pang in his chest.

Logically, as the aristocratic representative on the throne, Wang Shen'ai should have benefited their faction.

That had been the plan when they elevated her.

Yet while the people's hearts now leaned toward Jin Dynasty rule—with talk of the "Heavenly Mandate" nearly vanished—the aristocracy’s influence kept dwindling.

Before Wang Xun could speak, Wang Shen'ai cut in: "Should he not have been detained? With public opinion now against the Xies, I can’t even negotiate Huan Xuan’s terms to ransom Xie Yan. We’re stalling with talk of redeeming soldiers, relying on Madam Xie’s diplomacy. Then this Xie scion—what does he do?"

"With our survival at stake per the Celestial Screen’s warnings, he finds leisure to abduct common girls—"

"How remarkable."

Wang Xun fell silent.

The sarcasm in "remarkable" was unmistakable.

"But—"

"But what?" Wang Shen'ai’s gaze turned icy. "Only Lady He’s sense of propriety kept his crimes quiet. Though in her panicked flight, she had the wit to claim she came to volunteer as a female soldier—hence demonstrating her riding before me."

"Don’t tell me I should spare the instigator just because He Song offered an out! To most in Jiankang, whether the offender’s surnamed Xie or Wang makes no difference. I won’t tolerate my efforts to maintain order being undermined by such self-destructive behavior."

"Elder Uncle, you’ve heard the saying," Wang Shen'ai said solemnly, momentarily reversing their senior-junior dynamic, "‘A commoner’s rage spills blood within five paces.’"

Without such fury from below, how could "nobles’ bones be trampled upon the imperial thoroughfare"?

Wang Xun shuddered, recalling his own beating. Recent discussions with the Yu family confirmed they weren’t behind it—meaning attackers likely commoners who supported Yong'an's rise over aristocratic rule.

He’d been lucky that day. Next time, he might not be.

"I’d rather not voice all complaints and shame us all," Wang Shen'ai sighed wearily. "Once I establish a women's battalion per He Song’s proposal, the Xies can ransom their man."

As for when "established" would be—that was another question entirely.

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Already, Wang Xun seemed too confused to protest—perhaps even useful as a lobbyist.

Another remark reached him: "I gave two men ten days to prove their command skills—vital for our future safety. Join me in assessing them? Amusingly, both claim the surname Liu."

Whether intrigued by the first or second part, Wang Xun instantly forgot the Xie heir. "I would be honored to accompany you!"

At the drill grounds, Sun En and Liu Bobo stood with their respective units—brown-uniformed versus blue-uniformed—having built cohesion through shared drills. Their leaders stood out most.

Wang Shen'ai nodded to Liu Yu nearby, signaling him to watch closely, then raised her hand.

At the wave of the signal flag, both forces charged.

One side moved in tighter formation; the other adopted offensive formations. The grounds rang with battle cries.

Only one question cut through the din: "Who do you think will win?"

He Song turned, meeting Wang Shen'ai’s gaze—realizing the question was for her, not Wang Xun.

Now dressed in leather armor with a sword, her wounds treated, she looked every inch the deceptively fragile-looking guard. But why ask her—

"You want to command the Big Dipper Guard, no? You should have an answer."①

Pressing her lips together, He Song studied the formations. "The blue-uniformed side."

"Reason?"

"The brown needs numbers—two hundred’s too few. The blue targets weaknesses, aiming to capture the leader."

Wang Shen'ai neither confirmed nor denied. "And if you commanded?"

After a moment's thought, He Song said, "Harass them, wait for the decisive strike."

Wang Shen'ai nodded. "So: advance when they retreat; harass when they camp; strike when they tire; pursue when they flee."②

Liu Yu turned sharply, stunned to hear such tactical wisdom from the Empress.

Wang Shen'ai lifted her eyes. "Why are you looking at me? Watch the field!"

He Song’s assessment proved correct.

The blue unit—Liu Bo’s forces—gained the upper hand.

While "Liu En" had drilled his troops into loyal defenders, they couldn't withstand Liu Bobo’s thirty elite soldiers, who broke through and captured him.

But the amusing thing was that before "Liu En" could even speak up when Wang Shenai descended from the viewing platform and stood before the group, someone had already jumped in to stick up for him.

In short, it wasn’t that their General Liu was an ineffective commander—it was that they had failed to live up to his trust. It was their fault...

"Pfft..." Wang Shenai almost laughed but kept her expression stern as she asked, "If this had been real combat and you suffered defeat, would you still make excuses for your commander like this?"

Their team spirit was good, but team spirit alone wasn't enough.

"And you—don’t get too smug either."

Liu Bobo, met with a cold glare, immediately wiped the smile off his face and bowed his head respectfully.

"This was only a friendly practice match, yet you still managed to have twenty injured on your side. Some achievement."

Liu Bobo: "..."

This wasn’t his fault! He hadn’t realized that the recruits from Jiankang couldn't compare to the tough northern lads from the grasslands. Some injuries were bound to happen when attacking with his methods.

But no matter what, he had still won, hadn’t he?

This conclusion was written so plainly on his face that one couldn’t help but sigh—that's youth for you - fearless and clueless.

"What does De Yu think?" Wang Shenai asked.

Liu Yu replied, "Both have potential. However, one still needs tempering, while the other... No offense meant, but he doesn’t seem suited to lead an army independently. Instead, he might be better suited for another role."

Yet Liu Yu couldn’t quite articulate what that role was. He only vaguely felt it should involve boosting morale and discipline within the army.

But the problem was, the army's current structure didn’t include such a position.

Below the generals, there were only the overseers dispatched by the court, the Military Advisors responsible for strategy, the Scribes, and then the lower-ranking captains, centurions, and squad leaders.

None of these seemed to fit Sun En’s performance.

But sticking him with an ordinary command of a few hundred or thousand men would be a waste of his talents.

Sun En pointed at himself, baffled, unsure what this outcome meant.

If he had been outright dismissed from the pool of potential commanders, he might have been relieved. That way, he could continue flying under the radar in the Empress’s guard while secretly searching for Emperor Yong'an’s whereabouts.

If he had been fortunate enough to be selected as a commander, though unexpected, it would still have been a good thing. When Yong'an eventually made her move, he could coordinate with his uncle to attack from both sides, catching everyone off guard.

But this neither-here-nor-there situation—what exactly was this?

"He’s praising you. Don’t look like someone died," Wang Shenai teased. "For now, you’ll follow Liu Bo. He’ll take the lead, and you’ll assist. He’ll devise the training plans, and you’ll handle spreading your loyalty slogan—the one you answered me with earlier."

Sun En was puzzled. "...Was that slogan really that effective?"

He had just pulled that out of thin air.

Wang Shenai replied, "Whether it’s effective or not isn’t for you to decide. I think you’re perfect for this role, and I’m certain you’ll excel."

Though she wasn’t much of a history buff and only knew a few famous names, she did have some experience in judging people from before she came here.

Someone with special skills—hell, exceptional talents—who still wanted to remain an ordinary soldier? That was simply wishful thinking!

This decisive judgment only left Sun En more bewildered.

So much so that, despite his reluctance to be tied to the secretive "Liu Bo," he still ended up getting assigned anyway, merging his two hundred men into the other’s unit.

Yet, after all this, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of homesickness for his uncle, still on the island.

Though the Celestial Masters employed certain tactics to steal followers from rival cults, at least they didn’t have so many people speaking in riddles or bizarre colleagues—like this Xiongnu man before him who'd call a sparrow a chicken.

After exchanging fake niceties, the two finally parted ways.

Neither of them noticed how Wang Shenai, watching Liu Bobo’s back as he walked away, suddenly turned to Liu Yu and said, "This young man appears obedient, but in truth, he has his own plans and a prideful nature. Since you’ll remain in the capital for now, I want you to find a way to defeat him once—to temper his predatory ambitions. Otherwise, I’d be uneasy leaving him in command of two thousand men stationed close to me."

Liu Yu said "Understood."

Wang Shenai added, "Let me also remind you: your victory over Wang Gong was mostly because he wasn't ready. Don’t let it go to your head. I can grant you the opportunity to lead armies, but if you falter, I can just as easily elevate another capable general."

"Liu Bo" was indeed young and had the flaws of youth, but his prowess in combat and leadership marked him as a general in the making. Who could predict how far he might go?

"And you—"

He Song got called out again.

"Some things aren't worth sweating. Like those two earlier—I didn’t ask about their original surnames, and I won't stand for hostage-taking."

Wang Shenai patted her shoulder and walked away. "Don’t disappoint me."

Whether He Song’s earlier mention of female soldiers had been an excuse or not, it no longer mattered. She needed a unit that was easier to command, one that could stay closer to her. That was why she had named them the "Big Dipper Guard."

Don’t disappoint her... He Song stood there stunned for a good while before finally parting ways with Liu Yu.

...

"So—why haven’t you ever said that to me?" Zhang Dingjiang rested her chin in her hand, staring intently at her liege. "And why, if we’re both your subjects, do I have to sneak around to visit you?"

Wang Shenai chuckled. "If we’re going down that path, should I start watching my back?"

"Of course not," Zhang Dingjiang hurriedly replied. She had only been joking.

The woman before her was the wise ruler she had recognized from what the sky-screen showed, the guide she had chosen for her new path. How could she ever harbor ill will toward her liege?

Besides, the reason she had to be cautious entering and leaving the palace was because those nosy officials refused to fully relinquish power to the Empress—and because Emperor Yong'an’s identity was still too weird to go public, at least until they could no longer hide it from Zhi Miaoyin.

Thus, while Her Majesty might spare the Emperor-killer Noble Lady Zhang for the late Emperor’s reputation, persuading the Empress Dowager to treat her as a ghost, she shouldn’t be seen associating too closely with her.

Yet Wang Shenai didn’t take the opportunity to divert the topic. Instead, she replied, "You’re already my true co-conspirator. Why would I need to say ‘don’t disappoint me’?"

She tilted her head, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Have you ever disappointed me before?"

Zhang Dingjiang had ditched her old identity as "Noble Lady Zhang" with remarkable speed, transforming from the late Emperor’s consort to the new sovereign’s right-hand woman.

She had excelled in persuading Zhi Miaoyin to send disciples with letters to Huan Xuan and in leveraging her followers to plant useful rumors throughout Jiankang.

While people watching the sky-screen still speculated about Yong'an’s whereabouts—whether she remained in hiding, too wary to emerge, or lacked allies due to heightened vigilance—they had no idea she already had a loyal follower pledged to "Yong'an."

The only downside was the shabby meeting spot: not the Empress’s palace chambers, but a desolate courtyard in Jiankang’s imperial city. The adjacent courtyard concealed an underground passage leading outside, allowing them to bypass the guards.

Judging by the overgrown weeds and vines outside, the meeting hall had only been cleared enough to make space for seating.

But so what?

Wang Shenai gazed at a corner of the ceiling beam and suddenly spoke again. "Look. Aren’t we just like that?"

Zhang Dingjiang followed her gaze and saw a spider working its web, back and forth.

"Do you... like it?"

"The other ministers are still serving the Empress and Jiankang, while you and I are treading on thin ice, spinning a vast web to ensnare the world. Every thread we lay now is as fragile as if it could be blown away by a gust of wind, but in time, it will trap our prey—just be extra careful in the beginning."

Wang Shenai withdrew her upward gaze and sighed, "To be honest, the revelations from the Celestial Screen are too far ahead. I don’t even know if I can fulfill the role of Emperor Yong'an. All I know is that even if this is my first time walking the path of an emperor, I dare not take a single wrong step."

"You will walk beside me, won’t you?"

Faced with this question, Zhang Dingjiang's breath hitched. A lava-like surge of emotion clogged her throat—her voice, usually so adept at singing, couldn't get a word out.

But she heard the answer her heart gave.

She would. If His Majesty was embarking on his first journey as emperor, then she too would strive to be the finest minister possible.

"Speaking of which, perhaps soon you won’t have to hide anymore."

If "Liu En" was truly Sun En of the Celestial Masters, as Xie Daoyun had suggested, then she might soon find a way to connect with the sect’s followers.

By then, "Jiang Ding," the Celestial Masters' tactician revealed by the Celestial Screen, should make his way southeast as the daring yet careful go-between, delivering Emperor Yong'an’s decrees.

Moreover, even if the path through Sun En remained uncertain, there was another way to locate Sun Tai.

After the campaign against Wang Gong, Liu Yu remained in the capital with the Beifu Army, while Liu Laozhi received Wang Shenai’s edict—bearing the imperial seal—and set off for the Wu and Kuaiji territories with Wang Gong’s head as a warning, to extract ransom from the Jiangdong aristocratic families.

Before Liu Laozhi’s departure, Wang Shenai had specifically instructed him to inquire about the Celestial Masters while collecting the ransom. No troops needed mobilizing to provoke another conflict—just report back to Jiankang.

She hoped that would bring good news as well.

……

The procession left Jiankang in grand procession, appearing less as envoys collecting ransom from aristocratic families and more as a raiding party.

If the funds were insufficient, they would rifle through private coffers to make up the difference.

If manpower was lacking, they would count up the hidden households in private estates to replenish their ranks.

Fresh from their victory over Wang Gong, the soldiers carried the reek of blood and the thrill of triumph, making the whole operation seem downright predatory.

Off they marched—to pillage!

And with royal sanction!

Yu Kai leaned on his cane atop Jiankang’s city walls, eyeing the distant dust plume with this very thought.

Suddenly, he halted and wheeled on his son, ignoring his guards. "Why aren't you with them?"

Earlier, Yu Hong had taken his place in the campaign against Wang Gong, which should have burnished his record. Why had he neither gained fame in Jiankang nor participated in this next major endeavor?

Yu Hong blinked in confusion. "Should I have?"

Yu Kai saw stars. What kind of question was that?

Yu Hong continued, "But Her Majesty the Empress said that while this mission serves the nation and its people, it would deeply offend the southeastern aristocratic families. It’s better left to the battle-hardened generals and soldiers. If they overstep, the blame can fall on them. If I went, it could reopen old wounds."

What old grievances? Naturally, the Jin Dynasty's founding days, when northern aristocratic leaders like Wang Dun and Wang Dao allied with southern scholars to secure Jiankang—only for the Jiangdong aristocratic families to never truly rival the prestige of the Wang and Xie clans.

The southern aristocratic families had contributed greatly to the founding of the Eastern Jin, but the results told the tale.

Key positions like the Three Excellencies and regents had almost always been held by northern aristocrats.

Did southern nobles harbor resentment? Undoubtedly. Now, exacting their wealth and service without granting corresponding status risked inciting rebellion—requiring military suppression to ensure the ransom collection proceeded.

Thus, Wang Shenai’s reasoning for keeping Yu Hong out of it was not wrong.

But...

"You fool!" Yu Kai struck the ground hard with his cane, only to jolt his injured foot and suck in a sharp breath. It took a moment of support before he recovered.

"You took her at her word? Then why didn’t you consider how much more could be gained during this ransom collection?"

No matter how conservative his approach, as a high-ranking court official, he had a nose for power plays.

How could he not see what else might be gained from this southeastern expedition?

If Yu Hong had gone, surely he wouldn’t have been as ineffective as during the campaign against Wang Gong? Wasn’t this another opportunity for the Yu clan?

But after his outburst, Yu Kai looked up to find no one around him taking his words seriously—not even Yu Hong, who wore an expression of disagreement. "There’s no need for such words. Her Majesty’s judgments are wise and decisive, and she has already done much to stabilize the court. Choosing to ransom soldiers over generals was also a gesture to you, wasn’t it?"

Look—the elite troops of Liyang wouldn’t suffer heavy losses, while Xie Yan, who had opposed his father, would likely remain with Huan Xuan forever.

Compared to that, his father losing a leg was nothing.

Every cloud has its silver lining?

Yu Kai: "You... *sigh*!"

Not a shred of satisfaction touched him. Only one thought echoed in his mind—

When had the tide turned so?