Late at night, in the imperial palace of the capital of Southern Chu.
Chu Yi put down the paper covered in writing, walked to the window, opened it, and looked out at the starry night sky.
The letter was written by Chu Mingyao herself and delivered by an envoy from the Western Rong. Three horses died of exhaustion on the way. The contents were so bizarre that at first he even thought Chu Mingyao was making it all up.
He recalled his encounter with Su Wan in the holy land, when he asked her about the person who had healed him. Su Wan said it was a monster who had lived for over five hundred years. At the time, he thought Su Wan was joking, but it turned out to be true.
What surprised him most was that the founding emperor, Chu Ming, was actually alive. How could he, as the great-great-great-great-great-grandson, face this ancestor?
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, walked to the door, opened his mouth to call out but then stopped.
The family of divine healers is the most sacred place in Southern Chu. Successive emperors of the Southern Chu royal family have held it in the highest esteem, and even ministers of high rank like the prime minister dare not set foot in this sacred place without permission. Calling these ministers to discuss this would probably be of little use.
He stood at the door for a while, then called out to the outside, "Princess Xuan, I want to meet her in the Imperial Study."
The eunuch outside the door relayed the message.
Chu Yi, dressed neatly, entered the imperial study, where a eunuch brewed tea for him. After he had drunk half a cup of tea, the Eighth Princess, Chu Yun, arrived.
Chu Yun, still half asleep, greeted him upon entering and then yawned widely, saying, "Seventh Brother, why did you suddenly call me so late? I'm still dreaming."
"I'm dreaming too, eating a belly full of delicious food," Chu Yi said. "But after reading this letter, I'm not sleepy at all."
He waved for the palace maids and eunuchs inside to retreat to the door and wait, then picked up the letter on the table and handed it to Chu Yun: "Eighth Sister, this is a letter from Third Sister. Read it quietly and don't shout."
Chu Yun took the letter and sat down at the table, saying, "Third Sister wrote a letter? Let me see."
She glanced down at a few lines, and suddenly she was wide awake, switching from holding the letter with one hand to both. After reading a few more lines, her eyes widened, and she held the letter up to the lamp to examine it closely. After a few more lines, she opened her mouth as if to shout, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her terrified eyes turning to Chu Yi with a questioning look.
Chu Yi nodded: "Third sister wouldn't lie to me. The founding emperor of our Southern Chu was from a family of divine doctors. I didn't know what to do, so I called you over."
It took Chu Yun a long time to calm down. She said in a low voice, "Seventh Brother, this is too bizarre. I... my mind is a mess. Do you still expect me to give you advice?"
She was the youngest of her siblings, and everyone doted on her. Before the Jin-Chu War, she lived a carefree life as a princess. After the great war, the royal family was devastated, and her father and brothers were all dead. She was lost and helpless. Fortunately, Chu Yi ascended the throne, which helped maintain stability in Southern Chu.
Now she relies on this brother for everything, but unexpectedly Chu Yi wants to ask for her opinion instead.
Chu Yi said in a low voice, "All the civil and military officials are extremely respectful to the Holy Land, so asking them won't do any good. My father has passed away, and my elder brother is also gone. I have no one else to consult with but you."
The eldest and second princes were killed by Chu Kai, and the fourth prince and others perished in the flood. Now, only he and his eighth sister, Chu Yun, remain in the Southern Chu royal family.
Chu Yun asked, "Third Sister wants to save Sister Su Wan, what does Brother think?"
Chu Yi coughed and said, "I was just unsure, that's why I called you over."
Chu Yun pondered for a moment and said, "Brother, the Holy Land is the most sacred place in the hearts of us Southern Chu people, and we must never fight against it. Since Third Sister said that we should try to communicate with the Holy Land first, I'll go. But how should I ask?"
Chu Yi said, "Don't mention the founding emperor directly. You can ask about the giant eagle capturing the Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty first, and see what the other party has to say."
The two agreed that Chu Yun would leave the capital of Southern Chu early the next morning and head to the sacred land of Jinhua Mountain.
Chu Yi was anxious and went through the motions at the morning court session. The ministers all knew that their emperor was habitually irresponsible and sometimes, when he was in a bad mood, he simply wouldn't take matters of state seriously. Everyone was used to it and no one took it seriously.
Chu Yun returned at noon, looking angry. She said to him, "I went to the family of divine doctors, and they did receive me. But when I asked about the giant eagle, they evaded the question and just wouldn't give me a straight answer. They let me stay for a meal and then came back."
Chu Yi said, "The fact that they don't give a direct answer means that they do know about this matter, and they don't want us to get involved."
Chu Yun said, "Seventh Brother, why don't we just leave this matter alone? The Holy Land made a deal with Sister Su Wan. Sister Su Wan exchanged her life for Wei Jingzhuo's life. It was a mutual agreement, and neither party forced the other to agree."
Chu Yi said, "That makes sense."
“Besides, the Holy Land has such a powerful weapon, the one that glows green,” Chu Yun pointed her finger at it like a gun, “We don’t need to offend the Holy Land for Su Wan’s sake.”
Chu Yi said, "It would be fine if someone else said that, but Su Wan has done us Southern Chu a great favor."
Putting everything else aside, he couldn't ignore Su Wan's blocking of the Gui River. Besides, Su Wan was the woman he loved most, and although he couldn't marry her, he desperately didn't want anything to happen to her.
Chu Yun said, "But it's the Holy Land that wants her dead. What else can we do? I think our best course of action is to remain neutral."
"Where is Third Sister's army?"
"Don't let them enter our territory yet. Otherwise, if the Holy Land finds out, things will definitely get much more complicated."
Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, then paced back and forth in the room a few times.
The Western Rong army has already dispatched troops, clearly indicating that they've resorted to force after failing to negotiate, and Chu Mingyao obviously didn't expect the negotiations to succeed. However, her own side had only just ended the Jin-Chu war a few months prior, leaving her with depleted national strength and unable to muster many soldiers.
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