The words "Prince of Qin's Mansion" hit Hong Chengchou like a physical blow, sending a jolt of pure panic through his system.
In that split second, his mind became a frantic slideshow of terrifying historical precedents. Princes staging coups. The Jingnan Rebellion. All the bloody ways a dynasty could tear itself apart from the inside.
This was a matter of national foundations shaking, a catastrophe of the highest order.
Even a man as famously stoic as he was could not help but break out in a cold, prickling sweat across his forehead.
However, his survival instincts kicked in just as quickly.
He realized he was still standing right in front of Mi Qingli, and letting the man see him dripping with anxiety would be a catastrophic blow to his carefully maintained image of unflappable authority.
Hong Chengchou's eyes darted around like a hawk and spotted a small decorative pond in the corner of the garden.
In a blur of motion that lasted approximately 0.01 seconds, he dashed to the water's edge.
In the next 0.01 seconds, he whipped out a silk handkerchief, dipped it into the cool water, and scrubbed the sweat from his brow.
In the final 0.01 seconds, he flicked back to his original position, standing tall before the Mi Qingli.
Mi Qingli blinked, feeling a sudden gust of wind.
The great Lord Hong Chengchou, who had looked a bit rattled just a moment ago, was now standing there with a look of serene, cloud-like detachment.
Did I just imagine that?
Mi Qingli wondered.
Must be the lingering effects of the knockout drugs.
---
Hong Chengchou, now back in character, fixed Mi Qingli with a dark, heavy stare.
"Mi Qingli, are you implying that the Prince of Qin's Mansion is in open rebellion? That they are illegally detaining high officials of the court? That you and I are both prisoners of a coup?"
Mi Qingli nodded vigorously, his face pale.
"And he is in league with the rebels," Hong added, piecing it together. "He used the hands of those bandits to snatch me on the road."
"League with the rebels? Oh, absolutely," Mi Qingli agreed, leaning in. "Those bandits who were raising hell in Sichuan and the Central Plains, this group wiped them out. They captured a ton of rebel leaders, but instead of executing them, they put them through something called 'Labor Reform.' In reality, they have probably turned those killers into their own private muscle."
"This is a disastrous turn of events," Hong Chengchou muttered.
"That is not even the worst of it," Mi Qingli whispered, his eyes wide. "I saw it with my own eyes, sir. They have a Immortal on their side. A literal Immortal. The Immortal dropped a chicken wing from the heavens, the size of a house. I actually got to eat a bite. Honestly, best thing I have ever tasted."
Hong Chengchou: "…"
If Mi Qingli had not added that last sentence, Hong Chengchou might have taken the situation with the gravity it deserved.
But with that final detail, Hong Chengchou suddenly realized he might be talking to a complete lunatic.
Was this idiot just messing with me the whole time?
The atmosphere between the two men became instantly, painfully awkward.
---
Just as the silence was becoming unbearable, a group of men marched into the back garden.
They were carrying heavy trays laden with various bowls and plates. It appeared that dinner time had arrived.
Hong Chengchou suddenly felt a sharp pang in his stomach.
He did not know how long those Mongolian knockout drugs had kept him under, but it had clearly been over half a day since his last meal. His stomach was a hollow cavern of hunger.
Oddly enough, the man leading the food delivery was dressed in the unmistakable uniform of the Jinyiwei.
He walked in with a casual grin.
"Mi Qingli. And our new guest, Lord Hong Chengchou. Tonight's dinner is quite special. We have a rare delicacy bestowed upon us by the Dao Xuan Tianzun Himself. It is called the 'King of Kings' Ham Sausage."
Hong Chengchou stared blankly.
"The what?"
Mi Qingli, however, looked like he had just won the lottery.
"Oh man. I love those."
Mi Qingli sprang into action, snatching a tray as about twenty other men, Mi Qingli's subordinates, crawled out from the surrounding guest rooms like hungry locusts.
They swarmed the trays and took their seats around the stone tables scattered throughout the garden.
Hong Chengchou, still feeling like he had stepped into a fever dream, took a tray and sat down opposite Mi.
To his surprise, the Jinyiwei who had delivered the food sat down right next to him.
The man offered a polite, professional cupped-fist salute.
"Greetings, Lord Hong. I am the Jinyiwei Captain in charge of the Xi'an sector. My surname is Tie. You may simply call me Captain Tie."
Hong Chengchou eyes narrowed into slits.
"Xi'an?"
"Indeed, Xi'an," Tie replied with a pleasant smile. "You are currently a guest in the back garden of the Prince of Qin's Mansion in the city of Xi'an."
Hong Chengchou heart hammered against his ribs.
So Mi Qingli was not hallucinating after all.
---
He managed to keep his face a mask of calm.
He used his chopsticks to pick up a small, neatly diced cube of the pinkish ham sausage and placed it in his mouth.
As he slowly savored the strange, savory flavor, a taste unlike anything he had ever experienced, he asked in a level tone,
"Captain Tie, based on the current situation, the Prince of Qin is committing high treason. Both I and Mi Qingli have been abducted by traitors. Are you also one of these traitors?"
Captain Tie beamed.
"I am."
He admitted it with such casual, open honesty that Hong Chengchou was momentarily stunned.
It was a good thing Hong Chengchou was a civil official. Had he been a military general, he might have tried to throw a punch right then and there.
Hong Chengchou let out a long, weary sigh.
"You have the audacity to openly imprison the Minister of War. Your strength must be considerable. I only wish to know, how many troops do you command that your courage has swollen to such proportions?"
"As long as we have the Dao Xuan Tianzun's protection, troop numbers are irrelevant," Captain Tie replied, his voice steady. "We do not care about the size of an army. We only care about whether the common people can safely weather this national transformation without being crushed by the fires of war."
"National transformation?" Hong Chengchou scoffed. "That is some bold rhetoric."
"Lord Hong, you traveled from Ningxia, passed through Yan'an, and even rode on the train," Captain Tie said, his smile never wavering. "You saw plenty along the way. Have you truly not noticed how much the nation has already transformed?"
The mention of the train hit Hong Chengchou like a bolt of lightning.
He stiffened for a second before forcing himself back into a state of composure.
"Is this truly the right time for such a transformation? The Jurchen are watching like tigers from the northeast. The Mongols are a constant plague on the grasslands. Rebels are everywhere. The drought has left the people with nothing. Western pirates infest the southeast coast. If you choose this moment to stage a rebellion, you risk creating a situation where those who love the country suffer while our enemies rejoice. You are practically handing the empire to the Jurchen."
---
Captain Tie let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has revealed the secrets of the heavens. He says that if we do not initiate this change now, the world will eventually be handed over to the Jurchen anyway. And once they take over, they will mismanage the land so badly that the nation will fall into poverty and stagnation. Centuries from now, our descendants would even be mocked with the title 'Sick Man of the East.'"
Captain Tie sighed again, his expression turning solemn.
"Actually, to Dao Xuan Tianzun, it does not matter which family name sits on the throne. To a god, the identity of a mortal emperor is irrelevant. Why would a celestial care who wears the crown? He only cares about the suffering of the masses. Whether they have enough to eat. Whether they are warm. Whether they will die in the chaos of war. He cares if the Huaxia people can still stand tall and proud hundreds, or even thousands, of years from now."
---
Hong Chengchou frowned deeply.
He wanted to call it all superstition.
But he knew exactly how formidable the Jurchen were.
He knew how much the Ming court struggled to contain them.
If things continued like this, it really was possible that the empire would fall.
Maybe… just maybe… there was a sliver of truth in this "heavenly secret."
---
"But still," Hong argued, "by rebelling now, are you not afraid the bandits or the Jurchen will simply march in and take everything? You would be remembered as the greatest villains in history."
Captain Tie gave a confident, almost cocky smile.
"That is why we have already brought the Mongols to heel. Next, we will finish pacifying the rebels, and after that, we will flatten the Jurchen. Once the external threats are erased, we can proceed with the internal change. Does that sound like a fair plan to you, Lord Hong?"
"Easy to say," Hong grunted. "Hard to do."
"Lord Hong," Tie said, his voice dropping low, "you were responsible for the defense of the frontier. Tell me…"
He paused.
"How long has it been since the Mongols last dared to raid your territory?"
---
At those words, Hong Chengchou felt the world tilt.
He froze.
The half-eaten cube of ham sausage hung motionless between his chopsticks.