Chapter Ninety-Five: The Art of Compromise (III)

When Li Xian's memorial on river works was submitted, it sent shockwaves through both the court and the country. For days on end, the capital buzzed with heated discussion. In general, supporters were few while opponents were many, and the proposals for the liquor bureau and carriage license that Li Xian had outlined in his memorial drew particularly vociferous condemnation. With unseen hands quietly stoking the flames, the attacks against Li Xian grew ever more intense, and countless court officials had secretly prepared impeachment memorials of their own, awaiting only the next morning audience to launch a concerted assault.

At this point, the general situation at court could hardly have been more unfavorable for the young brothers Li Xian and Li Xian. Yet the two of them seemed utterly oblivious to the impending catastrophe, paying it no heed whatsoever. Li Xian, citing the need to study, shut his doors to all visitors—not only outsiders, but even his own trusted subordinates. As for Li Xian, he went about his days exactly as before: apart from practicing martial arts, he concerned himself with nothing else. He received anyone who came to call, but never breathed a word about the river works memorial. All who arrived hoping to glean some information departed disappointed, for no one could extract even a shred of reliable intelligence from Li Xian's lips.

Casual indifference? Complete unconcern? Of course not. For one thing, Li Xian's so-called seclusion for study was merely a pretense to keep others from witnessing his profound anxiety—he had no choice but to hide behind closed doors. As for Li Xian, though he chatted and laughed exactly as he always had, the torment within him was no less searing than what his brother displayed so openly. The river works memorial was the first step the two brothers had taken onto the stage of the court, and the most important one at that. If they failed to make a resounding impression, they would face a long stretch of hard times ahead. Until every unfavorable influence had dissipated completely, the brothers could accomplish nothing at all—and that period would likely take two or three years. Clearly, neither Li Xian nor Li Xian could afford to wait that long, so of course they were beside themselves with worry. However, Li Xian understood well that this was not the time for rash action; holding steady was the only wise choice. No matter how bitter the agony of waiting, he could only grit his teeth and endure. Li Xian had good reason to believe that a turning point would soon present itself; the only thing he could not be certain of was exactly when it would arrive.

"Stop. Your Highness, I have told you many times—when thrusting with the spear, it should fly out like an arrow and return like a thread. The way Your Highness is handling the spear now, if you ever faced a real enemy, you would not survive a single counter-thrust. Watch closely—I will demonstrate once more."

Li Xian's heart was churning with anxiety over the river works memorial. Though he appeared perfectly normal on the surface, the truth was quite different. In idle moments nothing showed, but once he stepped onto the drill ground, his hands betrayed him. Running through the basic spear forms, his force was either too great or too slight, and the transitions between techniques were riddled with openings, causing Li Boyao, who had come to instruct him, to frown deeply. In the end, unable to bear watching any longer, Li Boyao called for a halt and personally demonstrated the forms for Li Xian. His spear shot forth like lightning, his hands spun the weapon as a dragon plays in water, and his retreating step with a sweeping thrust shook heaven and earth—truly a magnificent display of martial might.

"Have you seen it all clearly?" Having finished his run, Li Boyao showed no flush on his face nor any shortness of breath. He planted his spear and stood, glancing at Li Xian with an expressionless face, and asked calmly.

"Yes, I understand my error."

Though Li Xian's mind was occupied with other matters, he was still deeply captivated by Li Boyao's spear technique. He took a deep breath and answered with respect.

"Very well. Again!"

Over the year or more of their acquaintance, Li Boyao had witnessed Li Xian's martial talent and perseverance firsthand. Though he remained stern and unbending toward Li Xian on the surface, in his heart he had come to regard Li Xian as a true disciple. Apart from the Duke Wei's Art of War, he had imparted all his skills without reservation, and naturally his demands on Li Xian were exceptionally strict. Seeing Li Xian acknowledge his mistake, Li Boyao did not press the matter further and gave a terse instruction.

"Yes, I obey!"

Li Xian answered in a loud voice, then shook his head fiercely to drive all distracting thoughts from his mind. With solemn deliberation he leveled the spear he had been holding upright, gathering his strength for the strike. Though the spear had not yet moved, its intent already surged forth. The moment that towering, mountain-still aura emerged, he displayed the bearing of a true master—all that remained lacking was the polish of technique. Li Boyao watched and sighed inwardly with admiration. As the saying goes, "A month for the saber, a year for the staff, a lifetime for the spear"—the spear arts are easy to learn but exceedingly difficult to master, and mastery lies largely in the cultivation of presence and spirit. Only with that inner vitality can one even have the possibility of becoming a spear master. Ordinary men might practice the spear their entire lives without ever developing such presence. Even Li Boyao himself had needed several years of practice before slowly beginning to grasp the essence of that presence, and that already counted as extraordinary natural talent. But Li Xian—remarkably—had developed his presence after barely half a year of spear practice. Though still immature, it had already taken shape. Such monstrous aptitude filled Li Boyao with both admiration and regret. He often thought that had Li Xian not been of imperial blood, he would truly have been the finest heir to the Duke Wei's martial tradition.

The spear of this era was not the red-tasseled weapon so often seen in later films and television productions, but rather a javelin-like pike somewhat shorter than a lance, roughly twelve feet in length. The spearhead was not conical either, but slender and blade-like, only slightly thicker than a sword's edge. If one sought a comparison, it more closely resembled the serpent lance wielded by Zhang Fei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Even a practice weapon with a wooden shaft weighed nearly thirty catties, and with its long, slender body, simply controlling the center of gravity was no easy matter, let alone executing forms with it. For Li Xian, who had spent more than a year building his foundation, this was evidently not much of a problem. Once the spear was in motion, the wind howled, the spear blossoms flashed brilliantly, and killing intent filled the air. Though his technique was still raw, his might was already beginning to show.

"Excellent!"

"Your Highness is formidable!"

When Li Xian's focus sharpened, his spear naturally danced far more beautifully. Though it was only the basic forms, his run through the sequence made him seem a tiger of a man with a dragon of a spear. Xiao Qian, Ling Zhong, and the other household guards of the prince's residence were all discerning judges and burst into enthusiastic praise. Even Li Boyao, a man not given to easy approval, nodded to himself.

"Your Highness, word has arrived."

Li Xian had just reined in his spear and stood, not yet having caught his breath, when Gao Miao approached with a damp cloth in hand. Seizing the moment he handed Li Xian the towel, he reported in a low voice.

Hah... finally, it is beginning! Though Gao Miao did not specify what word had come, Li Xian knew from his expression what it meant. He let out a long breath, and the weight that had been suspended over his heart finally settled. Yet he did not rush to press for details. He merely chuckled, wiped his face carelessly with the towel, walked up to Li Boyao, and bowed. "My practice is complete. I ask the general for his guidance."

"Three days hence, we begin the Overlord Spear."

Li Boyao looked at Li Xian with a complicated expression. After a long silence, he left those words and turned away, departing the drill ground without looking back.

The Overlord Spear? Ha, excellent! In his year or more of martial training, Li Xian had gathered a good deal of knowledge about the martial arts in his spare time, and he knew well that the Overlord Spear was said to have been passed down from Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, that peerless hero of old. Whether the legend was true or not, there was no dispute that the spear technique was profound and exquisite—it was the very art with which Li Jing had covered himself in glory on the battlefield. Li Xian had long wished to learn it but had never had the opportunity. Now, with Li Boyao's confirmation, though his mind was still on the news Gao Miao had brought, he could not help but let out a whoop of excitement, his joy written plainly across his face.

"Your Highness..."

Li Xian was beside himself with excitement, but Gao Miao was deeply worried. Seeing Li Xian so caught up in his delight that he had completely forgotten the important matter, Gao Miao's concern only deepened. Unfortunately, the drill ground was full of people and loose tongues—hardly the place for confidential discussion. Helpless, he could only murmur softly to remind Li Xian.

"Hmm."

Gao Miao was anxious, but Li Xian was in no hurry. He grunted in feigned calm, casually tossed his spear to Ling Zhong, and walked toward the inner residence with an air of ease. Seeing this, Gao Miao hurried after him, following in silence all the way to the study.

"Your Highness, word comes from the palace that Liu Yizhi, Zhou Simao, and a dozen or so other ministers have submitted a joint memorial recommending Your Highness to take charge of the overall river works effort. This..." No sooner had he entered the study than Gao Miao could contain himself no longer. He pressed close to Li Xian and reported with deep concern.

Oh? A fine move—they actually dare play this game with me. Impressive! Though Li Xian had anticipated this situation, the news still caused his heart to sink slightly. Yet he was not overly troubled, for this was nothing more than a scheme to kill three birds with one stone. There was little mystery to it once understood. Behind Liu Yizhi and Zhou Simao stood Empress Wu herself. This so-called joint recommendation was naturally issued at her instigation, carrying three hidden intentions. First, it signaled Empress Wu's approval of undertaking the river works. Second, it dangled this fat prize before the three princes, provoking them to fight among themselves over it, thereby further destabilizing an already chaotic court and creating an opening for her to take charge of state affairs. As for the third, it was an attempt to drive a wedge between Li Xian and Li Xian—clearly, the alliance of the two princes had drawn Empress Wu's serious attention, and she was determined to break it apart.

Empress Wu's move was certainly executed with great skill. Unfortunately, for Li Xian it had no effect whatsoever. The reasoning was simple: if Li Xian's goal in this affair had been the river works, then Empress Wu's stroke would have achieved wonders, and the chaos it stirred up would have been considerable. The problem was that Li Xian had never intended to take the river works project into his own hands. In fact, the river works were nothing more than the visible road built to distract the eye; the true path Li Xian sought was the matter of the imperial examinations. From that perspective, Empress Wu's so-called clever stroke was merely a blunder. Far from harming Li Xian, it would instead become the stepping stone for him to realize his plans. Of course, whether he could smoothly achieve his intended goal remained fraught with uncertainty, and this was hardly the time for celebration. Everything still hung in the balance.

"Your Highness, what do you make of this..."

Though Gao Miao lacked Li Xian's ability to see through appearances to the essence of things, he had still vaguely sensed that the memorials of Liu Yizhi and the others bore ill intent. Seeing Li Xian remain unresponsive for a long while, he grew anxious and called out cautiously.

"No matter. Let us speak after I have bathed and changed."

In the brief span of a moment, Li Xian had sorted through all the threads and settled on a course of action. Naturally, he was not much worried. But as this matter was of grave importance, he had no intention of explaining himself to Gao Miao. He laughed heartily and, paying no heed to Gao Miao's reaction, strode off toward the bathhouse...