◎The Prefect◎

The men accompanying Yan Fu seemed to be his comrades from the military. The young man from Henan, who had earlier taunted Zhou Tan with such bravado, now appeared deeply embarrassed and treated Zhou Tan with newfound deference.

The post station they arrived at was the closest to Ruo Prefecture. Due to its proximity to the city, many travelers chose to bypass it and head straight for Ruo Prefecture, leaving the station eerily quiet.

Yan Fu was acquainted with the innkeeper, and after giving a few instructions, the latter politely relocated the remaining guests to side rooms, vacating the main hall for Zhou Tan’s use.

The accompanying maids and servants went to settle in, while Hexing ascended to select a room for Qu You. Yan Fu led Zhou Tan and Qu You to the rest area behind the counter where the innkeeper handled accounts.

As soon as the door opened, Qu You noticed a detailed map hanging on the wall—one that looked strikingly familiar.

It was identical to the one Zhou Tan had studied back in Songfeng Pavilion.

After pouring tea, Yan Fu wasted no time on pleasantries and spoke succinctly: “Thanks to your kindness, Lord Zhou, I achieved some merit after joining the army. General Wang, who guards the city, is close to the prefect. I’ve proven useful, so when I volunteered for this task, he sent me. Last month, I took your letter to Xiangning Marquis’ estate…”

Qu You glanced at Zhou Tan, noticing his brow twitch slightly. He asked: “And then?”

Yan Fu’s expression turned troubled, but Zhou Tan reassured him: “It’s fine. The marquis naturally would be wary of visitors from Bianjing. What did he say?”

“Lord Zhou is wise,” Yan Fu quickly replied. “The marquis said that Ruo Prefecture has long suffered from the turmoil of western wars, leaving it poor and weak. The current prefect, Wu Fen, was appointed by Peng Yue. If you intend to pay him a visit, bringing a gift is customary.”

Qu You, leaning against her hand while studying the map, remarked in surprise: “The Xiangning Marquis holds both status and military power. He should command respect from the prefect. Why does he sound so helpless?”

Zhou Tan must have already informed Yan Fu about Yan Wu Ping in his letter, as Yan Fu looked at Qu You with deep gratitude and earnestly explained: “Lady, you don’t know—Prefect Wu Fen… he’s a dog sent by that traitor Peng Yue.”

At the mention of this name, a flash of coldness passed through his eyes: “Wu Fen has been governing Ruo Prefecture for five or six years, entrenched deeply. He’s far from an easy man to deal with. Taking advantage of Ruo Prefecture’s distance from the eleven-province headquarters, he behaves like a tyrant here. General Wang Ju Qian, though brave and skilled, is soft-hearted. Being Wu Fen’s brother-in-law, he often aids his misdeeds.”

“The Xiangning Marquis Xu, aside from during Xi Shao invasions, mostly keeps a low profile. His soldiers and servants are exceedingly polite, leading Wu Fen to mistakenly believe him weak and exploitable. He’s demanded money and land repeatedly, causing numerous incidents—all of which the marquis endured silently.”

Qu You lowered her gaze, musing. Zhou Tan had mobilized troops from the western frontier to seize power in Bianjing, so the Xiangning Marquis was certainly no pushover. But as a former subordinate of Xiao Yue, he had managed to stay inconspicuous in Ruo Prefecture for so long, reducing his presence in Emperor Song Chang’s mind to nearly nothing—a testament to his own methods.

Given Wu Fen’s alliance with Wang Ju Qian and Xu Zhi’s long-standing low profile, Wu Fen likely caused Xu Zhi plenty of trouble over the years.

Since Xu Zhi wished to remain unnoticed by Bianjing, swallowing his pride was probably the only option.

But Zhou Tan was different.

As a demoted official from the capital, he oversaw grain transport, waterworks, litigation, and other matters in Ruo Prefecture, including oversight of the prefect.

Xu Zhi’s vague response and brusque tone toward Yan Fu stemmed from two things: ignorance of Zhou Tan’s identity as Xiao Yue’s son and the assumption that a newly appointed official wouldn’t dare provoke trouble.

Yet, if Emperor Song Chang hadn’t executed Zhou Tan in Bianjing, why would he punish him for reporting mistreatment by the prefect in distant Ruo Prefecture? Especially since Yongning Year 16 approached—by then, even if Song Chang wanted to punish him, he’d lack the strength.

“Gifts…” Zhou Tan repeated the word, idly playing with a small dagger Yan Fu had placed on the table earlier. Suddenly, with a swift motion, he flung the dagger into the map hanging on the wall. It embedded itself firmly into the sheepskin parchment.

This display of skill left Qu You dumbfounded. She leaned closer to examine the dagger, then turned to Zhou Tan, admiration in her voice: “You can do this too?”

Zhou Tan’s expression remained calm, as though it were nothing extraordinary: “I trained in martial arts as a youth. Disheng must have mentioned it.”

“He did,” Qu You nodded vigorously, recalling Aunt Yun’s comment about Zhou Tan being unable to fight after falling ill as a child. “That’s why I didn’t expect you still could! I thought you only knew archery. That move just now—can you show me again sometime? It was incredible!”

Her candid praise caught Zhou Tan off guard. Before he could respond, Yan Fu stifled a laugh. Though slightly annoyed, Zhou Tan refrained from reprimanding him, instead saying: “Nonsense… Once we’re settled, I’ll teach you.”

Qu You eagerly agreed: “Wonderful, wonderful.”

She squeezed beside Zhou Tan, yawning: “Now that I think of it… Young Master Yan, you received my husband’s recommendation letter to join General Wang’s forces. Does General Wang have ties to you?”

Zhou Tan shook his head: “When I wrote the recommendation, General Wang Ju Qian wasn’t in charge. The previous commander had transferred to the western camp with General Chu. This General Wang—I truly don’t know him.”

Qu You turned to Yan Fu: “From what you said earlier, this Prefect Wu seems quite unpopular in Ruo Prefecture. General Wang is related to him but easily swayed. Since you’re trusted by both, do you know their private relationship? Are they truly without conflict?”

Her question hit the mark. Yan Fu inwardly praised her insight and replied: “That’s precisely what I wanted to discuss. When General Wang Ju Qian replaced the previous commander, he should’ve purged us old-timers. However, he’s relatively lenient, allowing me to gain favor with both him and Wu Fen. From my observations, he’s deeply frustrated with his brother-in-law. Even regarding this ambush stunt Wu Fen ordered—to intimidate you, Lord Zhou—General Wang argued fiercely against it.”

“Prefect Wu assumes I’m a scholarly official unfamiliar with warfare, incapable of handling frontier affairs. He thinks our fake bandit attack will leave you terrified, unwilling to leave home again.” Zhou Tan’s face remained impassive. “General Wang disagreed, likely advising Wu Fen to first try befriending you—an unknown guest from Bianjing—not to offend unnecessarily.”

The young man from Henan exclaimed: “Good heavens, Lord Zhou! You speak as if you witnessed everything firsthand.”

“The case of Gu Shi’s daughter may have been suppressed tightly in Bianjing, but who can guarantee Wu Fen doesn’t know about it? If he knows you orchestrated Peng Yue’s downfall, he’s probably panicking right now. Why would he listen to General Wang’s advice?” Qu You interjected sarcastically. “Years on the border have made him arrogant, underestimating refined guests like you from the capital… If you want to deal with him, breaking his alliance with his brother-in-law first will make things much easier.”

Zhou Tan instinctively reached out to pour her a cup of tea, only to realize there was no teapot on the table. He chuckled softly: “You truly understand me, my lady.”

Qu You patted his shoulder and smiled: “Naturally… Do you have more to discuss with Young Master Yan? If not, why don’t we go eat? I haven’t eaten properly since I got sick earlier—I’m starving. We can figure out how to deal with things later.”

Zhou Tan agreed, and Yan Fu called for the innkeeper to prepare food and wine, smiling: “Lady, please don’t call me ‘Young Master Yan.’ You avenged my sister—you’re like a second parent to us. Just call me Xiaoyan.”

Qu You shook her head vigorously: “No, no, that would make me sound too old. You look older than my husband…”

The surrounding people chuckled, and Yan Fu scratched his head, embarrassed: “Soldiers are often rough around the edges. I’ve only just turned eighteen this year…”

Qu You immediately apologized: “Xiaoyan, forgive me!”

Zhou Tan glanced at her: “Xiaoyan was originally the son of a disgraced official, barred from military service. I had someone forge new records for him, and he chose his own name…”

“I took Lord Zhou’s surname and named myself Zhou Xiaoyan,” Yan Fu explained, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly. “Later, General Wang removed the ‘xiao’ character from my name.”

“Zhou, Yan…” Qu You repeated the name, suddenly feeling it sounded familiar.

Then she remembered his courtesy name—Zhuozhou, as Zhou Tan had mentioned earlier.

The innkeeper brought a roasted lamb leg, its aroma filling the room, but Qu You seemed lost in thought, oblivious to the smell. Zhou Tan tugged her sleeve, snapping her out of her daze. She sighed softly: “Do you remember the last poem I recited before meeting Xiaoyan?”

The chieftain has bowed at Wei Bridge; where shall the general seek fame?

General Zhuozhou need not worry about earning fame in the future. After the enlightened emperor ascended the throne, Zhou Yan became one of the most celebrated generals of the western pacification campaign. Xiao Yue died too young, and Chu Lin’s later years were tragic, but Zhou Yan’s brilliance surpassed them both. He was even regarded as the foremost general of Bei Yin.

How fascinating. Around Zhou Tan gathered figures destined to leave their mark on history. He had nurtured Bei Yin’s great poet, formed early ties with Su Chaochi, and elevated generals from obscurity to immortalize them in historical records. Yet, Zhou Tan himself remained confined to the first page of the Biographies of Wicked Ministers , vaguely described in a single stroke. Beyond the reforms, few showed interest in him.

Her inability to find materials on the Flower-Cutting Decree stemmed from the fact that no one in the country specialized in studying Zhou Tan. History had already sealed his fate, relegating him to the margins of other research.

Yet these accomplishments deserved remembrance.

A cool hand brushed against her cheek. Qu You looked up to see Zhou Tan gazing at her with concern: “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?”

She shook her head, taking his wrist and discreetly nuzzling her face against his palm when no one was looking. Her lips grazed his palm, and Zhou Tan’s mouth parted slightly. Once she released his hand, he immediately pretended nothing had happened and resumed eating.

Though he accidentally picked up his chopsticks upside-down.

Meanwhile, Yan Fu enthusiastically introduced his companions: “Lord, forgive us. Wu Fen is watching closely, so we had to disguise ourselves. This brother didn’t believe you were as clever as I claimed, which is why he offended you earlier… But rest assured, they’re comrades who’ve shared life-and-death moments with me in the army. They come from humble backgrounds, know my identity, and won’t speak out of turn… Feihu, come apologize to Lord Zhou!”

Thus, Qu You listened in stunned silence as Yan Fu introduced a group of men with names like “Feihu,” “Erha,” and “Niujiao.” Her earlier melancholy dissipated completely.

Such naming conventions were indeed brutally straightforward.

________________________________________

The next day, Yan Fu and his men returned to report while Zhou Tan ordered everyone to dress in dusty, disheveled attire. They then feigned panic as they entered Ruo Prefecture.

Waiting beyond the city gates was a middle-aged man with a rat-like mustache—undoubtedly Prefect Wu Fen.

As the carriage approached, Wu Fen greeted them with an obsequious smile.

Qu You peeked through the curtain and thought the man resembled a treacherous magistrate from a drama she’d seen.