Chapter 230: The Old Minister Schemes for Himself; the Pure Minister Schemes for the State

Faced with Lu Xiangsheng's fierce interrogation, Huang Liji merely set his wine cup down gently.

He even smiled slightly.

"Jiandou, do you think His Majesty today is someone who can be 'talked around'?"

Huang Liji shook his head, and without waiting for Lu Xiangsheng to answer, went on by himself: "The matter of the Grand Secretariat's court recommendation to add more Grand Secretaries — they've been arguing about it in the extended conference for nearly a month now. How many have submitted memorials? How many have sought an audience? But once His Majesty said, 'Those without practical affairs experience are not permitted to enter the Grand Secretariat,' then not permitted means not permitted."

"He would rather withdraw the post of Governor-General of Northern Zhili and set up separate Regional Inspector teams and Provincial Administration Commission working groups than yield a single inch on something he has made up his mind about."

"This sovereign of ours appears to welcome all remonstrance, but at bottom, on certain things he has settled in his mind, ten oxen could not drag him back."

The worry in Lu Xiangsheng's heart still had not lifted, and he pressed on: "When I investigated the fodder matter in Yongping Prefecture, I did indeed find traces of meddling by border troop garrison eunuchs and ennobled nobles — only I haven't yet traced it further upward."

"Teacher, could it be that some ennobled house, or some palace eunuch, whispered a word in His Majesty's ear?"

"Everything must have a reason! Is it that I, Lu Xiangsheng, investigating a case in Yongping, have gotten in someone's way?"

Huang Liji gave a sardonic laugh and answered beside the point: "Do you know that every afternoon, as fixed as thunder, His Majesty must summon five officials?"

Lu Xiangsheng started, then nodded: "I have heard of this. Friends in the capital mentioned it in their letters."

"That's all old news." Huang Liji reached out a finger and tapped lightly on the tabletop. "The matter has already changed now."

"Every afternoon, the officials received are still five in number, but apart from civil officials, His Majesty has also begun summoning Depot and Guard officers, military officers, ennobled nobles, juren, Imperial Academy students, and the like."

"In addition, five slots for 'subjects and commoners' have been added."

Lu Xiangsheng's brows furrowed; he clearly did not understand what these "subjects and commoners" meant.

Huang Liji paused, as if savoring the bafflement on Lu Xiangsheng's face, and only then explained unhurriedly: "So-called subjects and commoners means that His Majesty bestows a brocade pouch three to five days in advance. Embroidered Uniform Guard riders gallop out of the capital, no one permitted to pry, and according to the instructions inside the pouch, they travel to the capital environs, Northern Zhili, and even to Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and other places, inviting all manner of people to enter the capital for an imperial audience."

"Among them are lower households who labor in the fields, middle households with some family property, and wealthy households with fortunes in ten thousand strings of cash. There are local gentry esteemed for their virtue and standing, dock laborers carrying sacks on the wharves, and merchants selling coal from the Western Hills —"

"In short, nothing is excluded, nothing is left out."

Huang Liji looked at Lu Xiangsheng, his gaze deep: "Jiandou, do you still think now that an emperor like this can be easily swayed by a few slanderous words or a bit of personal consideration?"

Lu Xiangsheng, hearing this, let out a long breath and fell silent.

What local gentry, military chiefs, palace eunuchs, ennobled nobles — had he ever feared any of them?

He only feared that his own hot-blooded devotion would be betrayed by his sovereign's suspicion and wavering.

Judging from his previous experience of an imperial audience, this Son of Heaven, though sagely and illuminating, and even treating him as a kindred spirit, was after all young in years — whether his heart and nature could remain steadfast was truly hard to say.

But now, hearing Huang Liji speak thus, that worry at last vanished like smoke.

An emperor who can stretch his ears into the fields and furrows, to the side of the dock laborers — how could he possibly be easily deceived by those around him?

Once the indignation and worry in his heart were gone, he began turning over again in his mind the enterprise he had stopped halfway.

Yet Lu Xiangsheng did not know that Huang Liji had only spoken half the truth.

This emperor — how could he be described as merely steadfast?

He plainly trusted no one at all.

Yes, although since the Yongchang Emperor ascended the throne, there had been many acts of benevolence and magnanimity, and quite a few stories had spread of harmonious relations between sovereign and minister,

in the private exchanges between Huang Liji and several veteran ministers, the deepest undertone beneath that young emperor's gentle face was suspicion.

This suspicion was not only toward the eunuch faction, toward the Donglin, nor only toward ennobled nobles and high officials — it was a deep-seated wariness toward everyone around him.

That was why all those working groups with their bewildering variety of names had appeared, and why every assignment dispatched outside the capital, every investigation, had to be staffed with Depot and Guard officers,

ennobled nobles, ministers, and a host of other roles.

That was why there were those summons, as fixed as thunder, used to listen broadly and thereby gain clarity.

That was why there were those statecraft documents, exhaustively detailed and requiring repeated revisions.

But precisely because of this, they felt that this Yongchang Emperor was perhaps a born emperor after all.

It was just that there was no need to say these things to a "pure minister" like Lu Xiangsheng — the relationship between the two sides was still far from reaching that point.

Over on his side, Lu Xiangsheng sorted through the matters at hand in his mind, and still could not help but open his mouth to ask: "Teacher, what exactly is the follow-up arrangement for the fodder affair?"

"When I handed over the case, I asked specifically. The court seems to have no intention of sending another special commissioner. This matter — is it just going to be dropped like that?"

Huang Liji shook his head: "Once the New Policies in Northern Zhili are launched, every county will survey and measure the fields, verify taxes and levies, and purge the sub-official clerks — then the matter of fodder land encroachment and graft will naturally resolve itself. What need is there to specially establish yet another Fodder Governor?"

"Teacher, this matter is not so simple." Lu Xiangsheng immediately countered. "If we speak only of surveying and measuring the fields, the abuses in fodder can indeed be clarified."

"But to truly lighten the people's burden and at the same time benefit the state, we absolutely must vigorously promote honeycomb briquettes and increase coal mining."

"Yet county magistrates everywhere have always detested mining, fearing only that miners will gather and cause unrest; the local gentry also dread the revival of mining taxes. If no special commissioner watches over this matter, I fear it will gradually just be left unresolved."

Huang Liji, hearing this, instead of growing angry, smiled and asked in return: "Jiandou, do you think the Northern Zhili New Policies assess only the fields alone?"

"Rest assured, His Majesty long ago set the core guiding principle for this matter. In the end, it comes down to eight words: adapt measures to local conditions, set results accordingly."

"For every county, department, and prefecture, the uniform assessment covers fields, population, and tax revenue — but these are only the foundation. Below that, there are detailed additional and subdivided requirements."

"The Prefect of Shuntian, Xue Guoguan, is right at the center of power and moved the fastest — he has already produced a model."

"Next year, Shuntian Prefecture's assessment, besides the three 'superior-grade' items of land survey, population, and land tax, will also include the four 'middle-grade' items of commercial tax, water conservancy, banditry, and sub-official clerks, and beyond that, over a dozen other 'inferior-grade' items."

"Fields, people, and money are only the most basic parts of the assessment. For all other matters, each additional item accomplished, depending on its difficulty and utility, can earn a varying number of 'red marks' in the merit ledger."

"Everything depends solely on how much ambition each department and county prefect and magistrate has to strive for this official merit and fame."

Huang Liji, having said this, looked at him with earnest gravity: "Jiandou, if you want to accomplish things, you cannot only bury your head in your work — you must also lift your head now and then to look at the sky."

"These matters, though they have not yet been formally published in the Great Ming Times, are truly no longer news in the capital."

Lu Xiangsheng, hearing this, straightened his back and said in a deep voice: "Teacher, this student cannot agree with your words. The Great Ming has fallen to its present state precisely because there are too few people doing the work, and too many people lifting their heads to look at the sky!"

"'My Way is bound together by one thread' — and that thread lies in the two words 'doing the work.' If everyone lifts their head to look at the road, then who will walk the road beneath their feet?"

Huang Liji was taken aback, then smiled wryly and shook his head: "You, ah, you — with such an upright and unbending nature, I fear you will suffer greatly for it one day."

Lu Xiangsheng said frankly: "Suffer, then let me suffer. This student once wished to learn that Doctrine of the Mean of 'neither this nor that,' weighing everything before and after, pondering endlessly — and was rebuked by His Majesty for lacking courage."

"After that day, this student saw things clearly. The gentleman is open and at ease — whatever his nature, so he acts. Even if there are losses and setbacks, it is still nothing other than his original heart."

This was bringing out the admonition Huang Liji had previously given Lu Xiangsheng to make his point.

At that time, Lu Xiangsheng had likewise come to the capital and visited his honored teacher Huang Liji.

Yet what Huang Liji had taught him was the way of moderation and caution.

The result was that Lu Xiangsheng learned it only halfway, and ended up making a great fool of himself before the Emperor.

With this old matter brought up again, Huang Liji felt rather embarrassed, and coughed dryly before saying, "At that time, Your Majesty had just ascended the throne, and no one could fathom the imperial will. Your teacher——I merely offered a conventional, all-purpose solution. How could I have anticipated——"

Lu Xiangsheng shook his head, no longer dwelling on this matter, and simply pressed on with his questions: "The promotion of the Yongchang coal mines might perhaps be incorporated into the merit assessment. But what of the investigation into the embezzlement of horse fodder within the army?"

"This matter involves the military affairs of western Liaodong. Surely it cannot also be folded into the Yongping prefectural assessment?"

Huang Liji drew a deep breath, and still patiently explained: "The Ministry of War has already taken the lead in organizing a Liaodong Pay Audit Group."

"The personnel for this group were decided long ago, yet they have delayed leaving the capital, instead holding consecutive meetings within the capital for over ten days."

"Why? Precisely to first settle on the assessment targets within the capital, gather intelligence on irregularities from all sides, and produce a detailed response plan."

"The things you have uncovered, you may deliver all of them to them."

Lu Xiangsheng's spirits lifted, and he immediately pressed: "Who is leading this group?"

"Yuan Jixian." Huang Liji said, "He passed through Yongping on his way back from distributing pay in Liaodong. I wonder if you had the chance to meet him?"

"So it is him!" Upon hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng finally let out a complete sigh of relief, "Though we have never met, if it is him, then this student can set his mind at ease."

Now it was Huang Liji's turn to be curious: "Oh? You are neither of the same examination cohort, nor from the same native place, yet you know of him?"

Lu Xiangsheng said, "When this student went to western Liaodong to investigate the horse fodder matter, I heard the soldiers and civilian households below speak his name."

"Everyone follows the parlance of that 'Tales of Loyalty in the Liao Sea,' and respectfully calls him 'Imperial Envoy Yuan'!"

Hearing this, a shrewd glint flashed in Huang Liji's eyes; he was truly intrigued now: "Speaking of which, in your view, what exactly is the situation over in western Liaodong right now?"

Lu Xiangsheng hesitated for a moment, as if weighing his words.

At last, he said in a deep voice: "Eight words: drawn bow, unreleased arrow; dark currents surging."

"After Supreme Commander Sun took office, he mobilized the various border troops, pressed forward with the fortification of Jinzhou's defenses, and tallied grain, fodder, and heavy supplies, yet on the matter of auditing pay and rectifying quotas, he has not uttered a single word."

"Every day, he merely orders each city and fort to rotate troop assemblies and martial drills, and dispatches scouts far and wide, nothing more."

"At first, it was fine; military morale was still steady. But later, rumors gradually began to spread through the ranks, saying that now His Majesty has assumed personal rule, the first great undertaking would be to investigate the unpaid back wages."

"After that, Supreme Commander Sun, from who knows where, found storytellers, and in every town, fort, and outpost, had them everywhere recite and sing that book 'Tales of Loyalty in the Liao Sea.'"

"Slowly, the whole of western Liaodong came to know the story of the imperial envoy coming west, bearing the royal mandate to punish the corrupt."

"When this student was investigating in western Liaodong, several old soldiers secretly pulled me aside and asked if I was that Imperial Envoy Li from the book, the one with the fair complexion who could pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces."

After Huang Liji heard this, he stroked his beard for a long while, and finally let out a long, emotional sigh: "A drawn bow, unreleased——what a masterful 'drawn bow, unreleased'! This His Majesty, his methods are truly formidable!"

Lu Xiangsheng asked, puzzled: "Teacher, this matter——what connection does it have to His Majesty? Is this not Supreme Commander Sun's doing?"

Huang Liji glanced at him and asked in return: "When was the first installment of 'Tales of Loyalty in the Liao Sea' published?"

"And on what date did Sun Chengzong leave the capital?"

"Why is it that the moment this Pay Audit Group delayed its departure from the capital, the storyteller's tale of 'Wang Sancai meeting the imperial envoy' suddenly stopped updating?"

Huang Liji paused, his expression composed, yet his smile unfathomably deep: "Just wait and see. This old man will not have misjudged."

"Whenever the governance document submitted by Yuan Jixian's Pay Audit Group passes review, that is when the story of Wang Sancai will get its next installment."

Lu Xiangsheng said hesitantly: "Teacher, do you mean——all these methods are interconnected?"

"Indeed." Huang Liji stroked his beard, a look of worldly understanding in his eyes, "I am gradually seeing it clearly now."

"His Majesty's conduct can be summed up as: 'In all things, preparedness ensures success, and lack of it ensures failure.' He likes to make absolutely thorough preparations for everything, and then strike with the force of a thunderbolt."

"Where he could use ten parts of strength, he insists on using a hundred, even a thousand, ensuring he uses an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, so that the blow is fatal in a single strike."

At this point, he looked deeply at Lu Xiangsheng and said, word by word: "Jiandou, this brings us to the true reason you were called back."

"This His Majesty has opened a new game board! It is precisely the moment for an ox-cleaver like you to take the field."

Lu Xiangsheng's expression turned solemn, and he immediately straightened up, cupped his hands, and said: "Please, Teacher, speak plainly!"

Huang Liji did not answer immediately, but turned to a servant at the side and said: "Go, bring the map from the study, and my crystal spectacles as well."

The servant assented and left.

Only then did Huang Liji slowly begin to speak, his voice carrying an ineffable undertone: "To use His Majesty's words, the ancestral institutions of the Great Ming, after successive generations of patching and mending, have by now long since become unrecognizable."

"Therefore, from now on, let no one invoke the ancestral institutions to make their case all day long."

"If we truly wish to speak of ancestral institutions, then apart from the men of the new policies and the men of the old policies, we shall establish a separate category: 'men of the ancestral institutions.' Any found to be corrupt shall, uniformly according to the Hongwu Emperor's old statutes, be flayed and have their skins stuffed with straw, and that will be the end of it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng could not help but laugh: "That indeed sounds like something His Majesty would say."

Huang Liji, not even waiting for the servant to bring the items, continued: "So, that reform is necessary is beyond doubt. The key is how to reform, and where to begin."

"The capital, after all, is the foremost place of virtue, at the feet of the Son of Heaven. Many reform policies there are ultimately exceptional and difficult to use as models for the commanderies and counties of the realm."

"Therefore, His Majesty intends to select, within the metropolitan region and apart from Shuntian Prefecture, one more location to serve as an experimental field for complete and thorough new policy reform."

"All matters—farmland, officials, commercial taxes, canal transport, sea transport, military preparations, military merit—all the great state policies of the dynasty must first be trialed on this new ground, to serve as a model for all under Heaven!"

Just as his voice fell, the servant respectfully presented the map and a pair of crystal spectacles.

Huang Liji put on the spectacles, slowly unrolled the map across the desk, and asked: "Jiandou, where do you think this place will be?"

Lu Xiangsheng's gaze did not even fall upon the map before he immediately spoke with absolute certainty: "This place must be Tianjin!"

"Correct." Huang Liji nodded approvingly, but then shook his head, "It is Tianjin, but it is also more than just Tianjin."

He lowered his head, and wearing his spectacles, carefully scrutinized the map for a long time, then extended a finger and, using his fingernail, traced a shallow arc on the map around the Tianjin Garrison.

Only after completing this gesture did he push the map toward Lu Xiangsheng.

"His Majesty, in the vicinity of Tianjin, drew such a circle. Several surrounding counties and districts will each be carved out from their original prefectures and merged into Tianjin."

"This place will have its counties consolidated and be elevated to a prefecture, named the 'Tianjin Prefecture Experimental Zone'! It is to be the other benchmark for the new policies, apart from the capital!"

"One could even say, it will be the true benchmark for all the departments and counties of the Great Ming in the future!"

Lu Xiangsheng took the map and fixed his eyes upon it. Even with his usual composure, he could not help but draw a sharp breath.

Within this circle, besides the original three garrisons of Tianjin, to the west, it took Jinghai, Xingji, and Qing County from Hejian Prefecture; to the north, it took Dacheng, Wen'an, Bazhou, and Wuqing from Shuntian Prefecture——

(Attached map; the area was not meticulously delineated, roughly considering the necessity for farmland, canal transport, fresh water, sea access, rivers, salt fields, and other factors.)

What a grand undertaking!

Yet Lu Xiangsheng's face showed not the slightest joy; instead, his brows furrowed deeply. "Master, this matter involves the finances, taxes, officials, and affairs of many prefectures and counties — a tangled web of interlocking interests. To divide it up like this — is it not — "

"— far too hasty?"

"Did no one at court try to dissuade His Majesty?"

Huang Liji laughed heartily at this. "Jiandou, ah, Jiandou — do not ask that question again."

"This circle, for now, is still only an empty circle. To truly implement it, I fear we will have to wait until the second year of Yongchang."

"Given His Majesty's manner of doing things, how could a matter of such magnitude be handled hastily?!"

Lu Xiangsheng raised an eyebrow. "Then why bring it up so early? Is this — what they call 'political signaling' in the capital?"

"It is, and it is not," Huang Liji said. "On one hand, it is to send a signal, to let all parties mentally prepare themselves."

"On the other hand, His Majesty has newly established a 'Policy Group' within the Secretariat."

"Fixed at ten members. No pure-talk officials from the capital, no Hanlin literary ministers — all must be men with practical local experience and outstanding records in local governance."

"Their assigned duty is to, over the course of this first year of Yongchang, discuss and finalize, one by one, the new policies to be implemented in the experimental zone."

"And further, to select suitable prefectures and counties in Northern Zhili to trial them first and observe the results."

"Only after the first year of Yongchang ends, all local feedback has been received, and the various policies have been verified as feasible within a small scope, will this Tianjin Prefecture Experimental Zone be formally established in the second year of Yongchang, and all the reform policies implemented as one!"

"At that time, the members of the Policy Group will be placed on the ground in Tianjin Prefecture, as Prefects and County Magistrates, while a new Policy Group will be selected anew."

He paused, looking at Lu Xiangsheng. "Now, do you still think it is hasty? This is to use an entire year to set the plan, and then another year to verify it."

Lu Xiangsheng suddenly understood. "So that is how it is. Then, my being recalled to the capital — is it to enter this Policy Group?"

Huang Liji shook his head, laughing. "It is not so simple."

"Yang Jingchen of the Ministry of Personnel has selected seventy capable local County Magistrates from across the realm; on my side, I have also chosen fifty capable officials with local experience from among the capital officials."

"Not to mention the more than one hundred Northern Zhili local officials summoned to the capital by imperial decree."

"All of these men, and even those beyond these two hundred-odd, so long as they set their minds to it, may submit their own governance proposals and pass through the three review stages: the Secretariat, the Committee, and His Majesty!"

"I called you back, on one hand, because the matter of the Liaodong horse fodder — with you or without you, the overall situation is already settled and no longer important."

"And on the other hand, it is to have you seize this opportunity, prepare well, and contend for a place for yourself!"

Lu Xiangsheng murmured, "So — that is how it is."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Many of our dynasty's regulations are indeed ill-suited to the times. Reform is imperative."

"But constrained by the rhetoric of ancestral institutions, in the past it was mostly ministers addressing matters piecemeal, patching things up, and many changes were often cloaked in the language of established precedents and old institutions."

"For His Majesty to directly set the tone that reform must start from the root — that is unprecedented."

As he spoke, countless ideas suddenly surged through his mind.

Abolishing exemptions and privileges, abolishing the poll tax, thoroughly consolidating the land tax, reforming the rank and salary system of sub-official clerks, merit-based evaluation and accountability for officials.

One by one, notions he had entertained in the past only to set aside with a sigh now all surfaced, only to be overturned and reorganized by him in turn.

The two men chatted a while longer. Seeing that Lu Xiangsheng was already laden with heavy thoughts, Huang Liji discreetly picked up his teacup.

Lu Xiangsheng took the hint, rose, and took his leave.

Huang Liji personally escorted him to the gate. Standing in the main hall, he watched Lu Xiangsheng's figure stride out the main door, then turned his head and said to the old servant behind him, "In ten days' time, during the holiday, several in-laws are also coming to visit. When the time comes, keep a close watch on the gate and usher them in promptly."

The servant bowed in acknowledgment.

Huang Liji stood where he was and let out a faint, quiet sigh.

Chief examiner and protégé — though called master and student, it is in truth a relationship that can be loose or tight.

Several hundred men on a single examination roll — how could there be so much personal bond to speak of?

The key, in the end, is whether the two sides are of benefit to each other. If there is benefit, they will naturally come together.

For him, Huang Liji, to dig up this connection with Lu Xiangsheng anew and tend it with care, naturally had its reasons.

On one hand, although this new sovereign is suspicious by nature, for some unknown reason he clearly holds a scant few men in special regard. Sun Chuanting is one, and the Lu Xiangsheng before him is another.

On the other hand, Lu Xiangsheng's upright and "terrible temperament" has, against all odds, found even greater favor in this emperor's eyes. That he will rise swiftly in the future is all but certain.

Although he had told Lu Xiangsheng that entering the Policy Group would depend on his written submission, in his heart he was already nearly convinced: so long as the submission was not too poor, Lu Xiangsheng's entry into the group was a foregone conclusion.

And then, in the second year of Yongchang, he would be the Prefect of Tianjin Prefecture!

The Prefect of Tianjin Prefecture — could that be an ordinary Prefect?

And what a terrifying speed of promotion that would be!

He, Huang Liji, was after all the Chief Grand Secretary of the Tianqi court, a minister of the old regime.

This new sovereign seemed to have no intention of letting him lead any earth-shaking enterprise, using him more as a paperhanger — a stabilizing weight between the old court and the new.

Perhaps next year, or the year after, once new favorites like Huo Weihua and Xue Guoguan produced results, he would have to step aside and yield his place to worthier men.

In that case, those supreme honors — being enfeoffed as a duke, being enshrined in the Confucian Temple, having one's name placed in the Pavilion of Soaring Mist — seemed beyond his reach as well.

Thus, Huang Liji no longer hoped to advance another step in the new court. All he sought was to be granted an honorary title of the Three Dukes and then retire to his hometown.

That being so, now he, Huang Liji, naturally had to make plans in advance for his sons, grandsons, and nephews.

While his words still carried some weight, he must hurry to lift up capable and close talents — that was the proper course!

On the other side, Lu Xiangsheng walked out of the Huang residence.

His mind, his brain, was filled entirely with that "Tianjin Prefecture Experimental Zone" — or rather, the matter of "ancestral-institution reform."

Could this really work? Ancestral institutions, ancestral institutions — it is not merely a question of pros and cons, not something you can change simply by steering toward the good.

Every ancestral institution is, in truth, the most comfortable state that the officials and common people of the realm have settled into and worn smooth over centuries of time.

If one rashly shatters that, how great a backlash will it provoke?

Compared to the so-called surveying of fields and clarifying of tax registers, this seemed an even greater challenge.

Who would support it, who would oppose it? Where would one even begin? If it stirred up unrest, how would one respond?

Lu Xiangsheng walked on in silence, brows tightly knit, pondering problem after problem, shutting out the entire world for a time.

Just then, a clear child's voice suddenly rang out.

"Mama, look — that big man in the red clothes is so silly! The snow's already stopped, and he's still holding up his umbrella!"

At first the voice was only a blur of syllables, but right after came a woman's panicked "Shh!", and a stifled, wronged sobbing from the child after being struck.

The clamor of the living world rushed back into his ears in an instant.

Lu Xiangsheng halted, tilted the umbrella back, and looked up — only then did he realize the heavy snow had indeed stopped.

The grey, heavy curtain of sky seemed to have thinned a little; though the sun could not break through, at the edges one could faintly make out the evening glow scattering in all directions.

His gaze dropped, settling on that mother and child.

The woman was covering the child's mouth, her face full of terror, staring in fright at his garish crimson official robe.

Lu Xiangsheng closed his umbrella and said gently, "A child's words are innocent — why must you be so, madam?"

His expression was calm, yet carried an unburdened lightness he had never felt before.

"This official was so lost in thought, I did not realize — the sky has cleared."

"Come to think of it, I truly was — being foolish."

With that, Lu Xiangsheng gave them a slight bow, then walked straight toward the eastern glow.

I am utterly satisfied! All monthly tickets — come!