## The Shadowed Alley and the Edict of Empire

Chen Pingan lingered in the narrow alley, his gaze tracing the weathered walls of his ancestral home and the houses flanking it.

Xiao Mo, ever perceptive, ventured, “My lord, the fragment of your destined porcelain lies hidden nearby?”

Chen Pingan nodded, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Aye, the question is whether it’s tucked to the left or the right. She knew I’d be blinded by its proximity.”

Truly, the hiding place was masterfully chosen – so far, yet so near.

“It’s not just about the proximity,” Xiao Mo countered, “She wagered that you wouldn’t dare trespass on another’s dwelling.”

***

Far to the north, on the embattled borders of Hongzhou, a regal procession halted at a humble waystation. As emissaries of the Dragon Throne, burdened with “matters of state,” they were afforded accommodations befitting their station. The station master, bound by ancient custom, ensured a seamless arrival. A dozen officials, cloaked in silks and solemnity, dismounted and sought respite within the verdant shelter of the rustic inn. For those well-versed in courtly ways, a comfortable slumber hinged on strict adherence to protocol. Quarters were assigned according to rank, the highest officials claiming precedence. Yet, while protocol reigned in matters of slumber, the whims of the palate offered more flexibility. The station master, at his own expense, could summon a skilled cook to craft a sumptuous banquet – a permissible indulgence. For true law, as the Grand Tutor Cui Chan had oft proclaimed, lay not in rigid austerity, but in harmonious accord with reason and human nature.

Within the austere confines of the official chambers, Emperor Song He ran a hand across the polished tabletop. His fingers, pristine, betrayed no trace of dust. He moved to the windowsill, repeating the gesture with the same result – immaculate. A faint smile touched his lips. “Old Lord Guan once challenged Master, saying that while your ability to manage grand affairs was commendable, your preoccupation with minute details bordered on distrust of the Six Ministries.”

Song He delicately rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. “Yet, time has proven the worth of those seemingly inconsequential ‘details’, those meticulous refinements. Their impact has only grown stronger with each passing year, a testament to your foresight.”

Cui Chan, known as the Embroidered Tiger, was not only the Grand Tutor of Great Li but also Song He’s own teacher. In some ways, Wu Yuan and the Emperor were brethren in the same lineage of scholars.

Yet, their lineage bore no connection to the hallowed line of the Sage of Letters.

Yu Mian, his voice hushed, pressed, “Your Majesty, what was Master’s reply to Lord Guan?”

Song He chuckled softly. “Master simply stated, ‘I trust your intentions and your ideals, but I do not trust your methods or your resolve.’ That single sentence left poor Lord Guan speechless.”

***

Beside the waystation’s stables, an elderly coachman observed a young Daoist perched upon a weathered fence rail.

A sense of futility washed over the old man. As he prepared to speak, the lotus-crowned Daoist gestured sharply, his finger pressed to his lips, silencing the coachman.

Lu Chen, resting his hands on the rail, chuckled. “Fear not, Venerable One, I’m not here for a nostalgic visit with you, but to seek another.”

The old man paused, suspicion forming in his eyes.

Lu Chen flashed a thumbs-up, offering a mocking salute. “You, sir, are worthy of your position as the head of the Thunder Department’s Eradication Bureau. I am most impressed.”

The old man chuckled. “If you wish to take her away, Daoist Lu, so be it. Think of it as a jest for that fellow Chen. Imagine, two countrymen, meeting in a foreign land, old grudges rekindled, a feast of bitterness!”

Lu Chen had plied his trade as a fortune teller in the Hidden Pearl Paradise for many years. They were hardly strangers.

Poor Lu Wei! An Immortal of the Yin-Yang school, scheming and calculating, yet he couldn’t even divine the presence of his own ancestor lurking so close by.

“We agreed, no idle chatter,” Lu Chen grumbled.

The old man roared with laughter. “Daoist Lu is known for his agreeable nature. He won’t begrudge a few words.”

Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed with mock resentment. “So you all take advantage of a good-natured soul, do you?”

The old man shook his head. “Ten years in the little town is but a fleeting breath to a cultivator. Daoist Lu and I parted amicably. Her arrival won’t hinder your reunion.”

With that, the old man departed.

A father and daughter approached, leading their horses.

Lu Chen slid off the rail, landing lightly on the ground, and waved enthusiastically to the pair. “Over here! Over here!”

He subtly wove an illusion, masking his youth, lending his features a certain world-weary charm. As Ah Liang would say, “The alluring air of a seasoned man!”

Zhu He found the smiling “middle-aged Daoist” vaguely familiar.

The Daoist, quick to seize the moment, gestured wildly, mimicking the shaking of a fortune-telling cylinder. “Does that ring a bell? I’m the one who set up shop by the main road in Huai Huang County!”

Zhu He’s face lit up with recognition. “Daoist Lu?!”

Zhu Lu had recognized him from the start, yet she pretended ignorance of the divining priest.

The father and daughter had both sought his counsel in the little town, though their motivations differed. One had sought to know when his daughter’s fortunes would rise, the other had hoped to glimpse the fate of her romantic endeavors.

Lu Chen chuckled. “So you are Zhu He, yes? Friend Zhu, I have a query for you, from a friend of mine.”

Though puzzled, Zhu He replied affably, “Ask away, Daoist Lu.”

Lu Chen smiled faintly. “He wonders, how did you manage to convince Chen Pingan that you were a master swordsman during that journey away from the town? My friend has been pondering this for years, baffled by the mystery.”

Zhu He’s face was a mask of confusion. What was he talking about? How had *he* become a swordsman? And what did this have to do with Daoist Lu’s friend?

Zhu Lu’s countenance darkened.

Her arms crossed defensively, she braced herself, determined to decipher the true intentions of this fortune-telling charlatan, whom she had never liked.

In the Bureau of Weaving, Zhu He held the nominal position of second-in-command, subordinate only to Master Weaver Li. He oversaw a vast cohort of clerks and artisans, monitoring the myriad details of the weaving process. His current role resembled that of Lin Zhengcheng, the assistant official in the kiln office back in his hometown, placing him in a comfortable, semi-retired state.

His daughter, Zhu Lu, was a different matter entirely. The state of finances, governance, and scholarly activities were meticulously recorded and submitted to the imperial throne. She was, without a doubt, on an official payroll, but not recorded by the Ministry of Revenue.

Lu Chen leaned against the fence, his gaze fixed upon them.

Zhu He, nearing his sixtieth year, had honed his physical form for years, now closing in on becoming an expert of the Far Roaming stage. Zhu Lu had only recently attained the sixth realm of martial arts.

Had Lu Chen not intervened, Zhu He would have fulfilled his life as a martial expert in the Far Roaming Stage, and Zhu Lu would never be able to continue to break through, dying as an expert of the Far Roaming Stage.

It was a life dictated by two figures who were always out of reach. One was Master Weaver Li Baozhen and the other was the boy from Mud Jar Alley.

Zhu Lu found the Daoist’s gaze unsettling, raising goosebumps on her skin.

Lu Chen chuckled. “Have you ever heard of a saying, ‘The Zhus and Chens, forever united’?”

Zhu Lu, her face taut, shook her head.

Lu Chen smiled faintly. “It’s a saying from the Azure Vault, not widely known, but common knowledge in a place called Jue Lu County, in Youzhou. Curious that you haven’t heard of it.”

Zhu He was thoroughly lost. Had Daoist Lu misspoke?

Shouldn’t the sentence end with “not curious”?

Lu Chen continued slowly, “In terms of birth and a head start, you have far more than Changmei of Tao Ye Lane, than Xie Ling of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, or even Hu Feng, whose grandfather runs the wedding shop and is the master of the nation’s matrimonial affairs. Far more than many of your peers from the little town. Yet, you’ve spent so many years lamenting your ill fortune, blaming fate itself. This is fundamentally wrong.”

“You were born in the Hidden Pearl Paradise but are something of a foreigner, even you do not need a crutch because you already have yourself from a past life.”

“You were in the little town before even I was, incarnating into the Li family of Fortune Street to safeguard Li Xisheng. And like the others who have quickly increased in power, you will do the same.”

Lu Chen raised two fingers in a vow. “May I be struck by lightning if a single word I’ve spoken is untrue!”

The old coachman, who once held sway in the Thunder Department’s Eradication Bureau, was at his wit’s end with the Third Master of the Jade White Capital.

In the Azure Vault, a lesser known proverb circulated: “A fine match between the Zhus and Chens.” It spawned a more obscure saying: “The Zhus and Chens, forever united.”

In truth, every word Lu Chen spoke was true. Even the old coachman acknowledged that Zhu Lu was of exceptional “pedigree”. Amongst the younger generation of the little town, she was a luminary, second only to Ruan Xiu, Li Liu, and Li Xisheng. In essence, she was a “foreigner” within the Hidden Pearl Paradise.

The omens were there.

Even Chen Pingan might not yet realize that Zhu Lu was one of the young people most often discussed by the old coachman and Mrs. Feng.

The uncertainty itself was telling. Had her origins been less significant, there would be no need to speculate, no veil of mist to obscure the truth.

But because she was born into the Li family of Fortune Street, her family has already had “li xisheng” and then the master Lu Chen entered the Hidden Pearl Paradise.

Zhu He’s face reflected a storm of conflicting emotions.

Zhu Lu, her jaw clenched tight, fists balled so tightly that the veins stood out on her hands.

“Consider Youzhou in the Azure Vault as a continent, much like…”

The Daoist stamped his foot. “Like this Jewel Bottle Continent beneath our feet. Though, that comparison is not entirely accurate.”

Lu Chen pointed north. “Think of the vast Northern Reed Continent. In the Azure Vault, Youzhou is a first-rate province.”

“Two places within Youzhou hold particular renown. One is the Hua Yang Palace on Earth Lung Mountain, home to the Daoist Gao Gu, now ranked eighth amongst the world’s cultivators.”

“The other is the ancient battlefield of Jue Lu County.”

“And in your past life, you were a local Daoist official there. Your greatest achievement was transforming Jue Lu County into a wasteland of war. The last Daoist official you clashed with was Gao Gu, forced to abandon his mountain retreat. You were a master of coercion and intimidation.”

Zhu He gently gripped Zhu Lu’s arm, signaling her to remain calm.

Zhu Lu, her face impassive, fixed the Daoist with a piercing stare, her words sharp and precise. “Just… who… are… you?!”

Lu Chen continued, unfazed. “Allow me to offer another analogy. Imagine a gambling table. Some arrive with only a few copper coins, others with a handful of silver. But you, you carried sacks brimming with gold and silver ingots.”

“And yet, you wagered poorly, losing it all in a single, disastrous bet.”

“In accordance with a certain preordained path, you would first meet Li Huai, experience a series of events, then accompany Li Xisheng on a journey to the Northern Reed Continent. You would even receive a dagger etched with the words ‘Jue Lu’ – just one of the many opportunities that await you.”

“Recall your youth, when you left Fortune Street. Did you ever encounter a chubby, ragged child, perhaps still wearing open-crotch pants? You would see him again later, but would never warm to him, no matter what.”

“Ah, but you must have been close to Li Baozhen back then.”

“I imagine, within the Li family mansion, you deliberated endlessly, torn between choices, finally siding with the younger son. Your only condition for the master, was not to bring a word “Bao”.

“This, my dear, is your tribulation.”

“Much of what we learn in this life stems from the books we’ve read in the past. Of course, both within and outside the book are books in the grand scheme of things. The books we read now are not only for our current selves, but for the lives to come.”

“In your past life, your own brilliance, your excessive cunning, led you to make a fateful mistake, costing you the chance to join the Heavenly Dao. The Grand Master of the Jade White Capital interceded on your behalf, helping to rectify your errors, sparing you from death. Thus, you have been granted a second chance, to atone for your past sins, or to…” He paused. “…repeat them.”

“See? You were too clever, intelligent to a fault, now you resent me for not guiding you sooner, for standing idly by?”

“But consider, how old were you when I began setting up my stall in the Hidden Pearl Paradise? Do you think a person’s deeply ingrained nature can be easily altered? Is there not an old saying: ‘Mountains and rivers may be moved, but one’s character remains’?”

“Besides, I owe you nothing. Am I your father?”

“You persist in blaming others, never looking inward for the source of your troubles. Had I arrived ten years earlier in the little town… perhaps it would have made a difference. But I am only capable of so much. Do you believe entering the Hidden Pearl Paradise is a simple matter? Do you believe I could have helped you without consequence? Ultimately, we must face our own tribulations, learn from our mistakes, and forge our own destinies. To constantly seek a savior along the path is a dangerous mindset.”

“Surely Li Baozhen’s moral books contain such words as ‘When conduct is unsatisfactory, seek the cause within; when one is upright, the world will flock to you’. Moreover, does not your hometown’s Crab Pavilion bear the inscription, ‘Seek nothing from without’?”

Lu Chen shifted his gaze. “Zhu He, ah Zhu He, you are a good man, honest and kind, but you have a habit of taking blame upon yourself, which you must correct. It is never too late to mend, perhaps, maybe.”

An aging man, still burdened by guilt for his treatment of a young boy, rejoicing in his success, yet afraid to reveal his true emotions to his own daughter – a difficult life indeed.

Lu Chen laid his hands across the fence, tapping lightly, his gaze lost in the distance.

What is a gambling table?

What you reject, another will seize.

Zhu Lu asked, “Who are you?”

Lu Chen smiled. “My name is Lu. Think big, aim high.”

Unbeknownst to her, Zhu Lu was awash in tears.

Lu Chen chuckled. “No need to weep so bitterly, it’s never too late. Otherwise, why would I seek you out? Did you think I revealed the truth simply to fill you with regret? I am a prominent figure on the mountain, a busy man!”

The old coachman spat on the ground.

“Busy man, you say?”

“We must proceed step by step through life, as we write, each stroke deliberate and steady.

“You must recognize the significance of one another so you can act accordingly”.

Lu Chen straightened, stretching languidly, smiling. “One once uttered a saying: ‘When winds and waves are fierce, the weeds stand tall.’ There is no other way. Only this. Let us all strive for excellence.”

“Enough, enough. Stop glaring at me with those murderous eyes. I’m offering you a choice, an opportunity. Bid farewell to your father, and then accompany me… home.”

“Zhu Lu, I have laid everything bare before you. If you still cannot grasp this chance, then I shall simply laugh and walk away!”

Lu Chen raised a sleeve, waving it gently. “Do you know what this is? I advise you, do not ever learn.”

***

Along the same journey, Southern Zan, liking Yu Yu and being around her company asked Yu Yu, “Do you have any long spring brew?”

“Then we’ll drink from bowls” southern Zan said and continued, “When I had a banquet with Chen Pingan, I gave him an offer for gold, power, and skills but he said no.”

Yu Yu asked her, “You weren’t rude to him right?”

Southern Zan went on to say, “You should’ve talked about morals, not money.” Yu Yu suddenly came back into the conversation, “Wait did he do anything to you?”

Southern Zan pulled out two jars of wine and as Yu Yu drank them, they got two more but she was stopped.

Southern Zan went back to her room and slammed her fist down, stopping herself last minute. She then suddenly fell off of the chair. She cursed, threw, and then returned to her room.

“There’s no way he would attack me in the capital right? Not against the sage? But he could ruin everything I worked for. He even destroyed my old master when they were on the same level.”

Southern Zan caressed her head and throat, but still couldn’t get over it. This was to bring herself more in line with the Taoist family.

She had already placed the porcelain shard in the mud jar alley.

Suddenly Lu Chen came into the room.

“How does it feel being with royalty?” he asked.

Southern Zan knelt over in shock. “Ancestor!”

Lu Chen said, “No, don’t do that.”

Southern Zan didn’t listen and kept banging her head on the floor.

Lu Chen asked her, “Okay I’ll say I never had the ancestor, just so I can have one less debt. I’ll give you until three before I leave. One two. ”

Southern Zan stood up immediately and asked him what was the matter.

Lu Chen asked, “Did you put the porcelain shard next to Chen Pingan’s house?” and Southern Zan said yes and that it was in a kid’s book.

Lu Chen responded with some remarks about that and told her, “Don’t curse him, he can hear you,” and immediately went back on that statement.

Lu Chen then told her, “The most difficult thing is to learn on a boat at night, the most difficult thing is to pick up money. It is easy to pick up, but no one does it, because no one is greedy, why is that?!”

“And what does money mean?” Zhu Lu asks.

“Morality” Lu Chen responds.

Then they both left.

**THE END**