Interlude IV: «却阑珊»
"Utter meaningless pleasantries, bear false smiles, and realise it is «All but Stagnant». There are few things that go well in this human world, but it always gets a little better with wine."
- Huai Li, Magistrate of Jiangnan
Deep in the bowels of Mount Tianheng, was a vast underground complex.
Meng Jiang quietly walked through the subterranean halls of Siwencao, lightly stepping so her footsteps would echo through the hallways. It was not accidental, Siwencao was built in the ancient jade mines of the mountain to ensure none could sneak in without alerting the guards, for the halls were carved and designed in such a way that the echoes would travel for miles.
However, with enough practice and familiarity with these desolate stone walls, anyone could mask their steps.
Hearing the approaching tapping of steps on stone, Meng Jiang swiftly changed her direction - darting into the entranceway to another chamber, leaning against the threshold until the person passed. After the echoes faded, she stepped back out and continued on her way.
Siwencao was a silent place. Whether borne from written rules or unspoken law evolved over the centuries, she didn't know. Nonetheless, there was no idle chatter here, only the lonely sounds of footsteps bouncing off the walls.
Meng Jiang continued on her way, passing through a large chamber where clerks knelt at low desks and wrote silently. She stepped with surety, as if she belonged, and none batted an eye as she exited the scribe chamber into another hallway.
She knew where she was headed, having walked through these bleak halls a thousand times before. She knew this gods-forsaken place as if it were on the back of her hand.
"Sir…" she heard someone whisper.
Looking up, she spotted a young man holding a small lacquered wooden box, anxiety visible on his face. A greenhorn then, she gathered, for one does not speak in these halls - no, one uses hand signs to convey messages. Weren't all new employees given a primer? Or has that been phased out already?
It shouldn't be, hand signs were an important safety measure - and it took months to learn them all fully. With these hand signs, it was easy to root out any insiders and spies. If anything, only the higher ups like head clerks and department chiefs spoke to one another verbally - since it was next to impossible for people like that to be replaced by moles.
Meng Jiang lifted her hands and produced a number of patterns, an eyebrow raised upon her face. The young man's eyes widened, and his face reddened, but responding with his own series of hand signs. She pointed to the box in his hand, then at herself, before producing another set of complicated patterns.
The man bowed, offering the box with both hands. After she took it, the man pressed his palms together and bowed again, before walking past her. Meng Jiang paused, staring at the box in her hands, before turning her head around to watch the man continue walking down the hall towards the scribe chamber.
Meng Jiang sighed lightly, before starting forwards again. She found a sliding door into another room, and quietly opened it, stepping through to see about a dozen men and women shifting through intelligence on their desks. The man at the head desk raised her head to look at her, eyes widening.
The clerk attempted to stand and greet her, but she waved her hand downwards, dismissing him. The man nodded and continued perusing through the reports on his desk. Meng Jiang inspected his work, staring at all the bamboo slips on the desk. She noted that all of the clerks' cushions were getting worn, and mentally reminded herself to acquire new ones.
Comfortable employees meant higher efficiency, after all. And in the Analysis Department, efficiency was paramount, for their jobs were tedious and mundane, yet just as important as those in the Operations or Internal Affairs Departments.
Intelligence was spread in three ways - silk, rice paper, and bamboo.
Silk was the rarest and most confidential. The senders were mostly the most elite of agents on the field, whether inside or outside the borders of the Republic. These missives went straight from the agent to the recipient - whether they be department chiefs, Qixing, or anyone else. In Siwencao, silk missives did not pass through the halls of the Analysis Department, and were destroyed immediately after being read.
However, the Analysis Department was very much overlooked by the other two departments. Why wouldn't they be, analysis and archiving was seen as banal and unimportant in comparison. That has been turned into an advantage, while the Operations and Internal Affairs Department were at each other's throats for more funding, the Analysis Department could covertly deploy their own agents into the other two departments.
Not for any antagonistic purposes, like the other two departments do to each other - no, it was the duty of the Analysis Department to archive as much intelligence as possible, and that extends to silk missives as well. Thus, one way or another, the Analysis Department will somehow get their hands on the silk messages before they reach their recipients, if only to record their contents.
Next were rice paper messages - these were the most common type of intelligence for fieldwork agents. They were flimsy and easy to ruin, thus they were usually kept in lacquered boxes like the one she had in her hand now. Rice paper missives were nearly always coded, and their encryption keys were all in the hands of the Analysis Department. After decryption, the messages would be sent to the recipients.
However, it wasn't rare for the recipients to request a copy of the encryption key - whether through official channels or underhanded methods like bribery. The Analysis Department usually accepts in any case, it was a good way to gain favour with politicians.
Lastly were the bamboo slips. These were sent from within the departments themselves, as bamboo was cheap and easy to bind into larger booklets to store more information. For example, after decrypting rice paper missives, the actual contents would be written on bamboo slips to be sent to the recipients, and another copy would be made for safekeeping. All archived information was written down on specially treated bamboo that could only be burnt with a special kind of fire that only top clerks knew how to create.
And most importantly, all non-confidential military intelligence was conveyed by bamboo. Furthermore, even confidential military intelligence would be stored on bamboo booklets through official procedure. Because unlike the dealings of politicians and business leaders, the military demands total transparency after war-time, so that past strategems and tactics could be reviewed in the future.
Meng Jiang snapped her fingers, and the head clerk looked back up at her. After a hand signal, the clerk opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a small key. She took the key and opened the lacquered box.
Inside was a small booklet made from tied bamboo slips. She carefully set down the box and unfurled the booklet, the bamboo slips clacking as they hit each other. Her eyes scanned the contents, running from up to down over the characters. After doing so, she quietly rolled up the booklet and placed it inside the box, locking it and pocketing the key.
Meng Jiang did not waste any time after that, leaving the chamber and closing the sliding door behind her.
She wandered down the maze of twisting hallways, purposefully designed to be disorientating and confusing. Clutching the box tightly, she soon approached a large archway guarded by two Siwencao soldiers.
Upon sighting her, they raised a palm to stop her - before beckoning her to state her purpose. Meng Jiang raised the wooden box to their sight, pointing at it before making a hand signal. After glancing at each other, one of the guards finally bowed and let her through. She bowed in return, and crossed under the archway into the Department of Internal Affairs.
Meng Jiang wetted her lips. The guards would surely inform the Chief of Internal Affairs, and her pretext would soon be revealed to be false. Thus, she must make haste - fortunately, she had planned her route in advance.
She heel-and-toes down the hallways, ducking out of view of passing clerks and leaning against the walls to remain unseen. Finding a spiral staircase carved of stone in one deadend, she dropped all illusions of staying covert and rushed down, her footsteps echoing throughout the hallways.
At the bottom were four guards, and when she approached they bowed to let her pass. Perfect, she had timed her entrance right - the Chief of Internal Affairs was a dangerous woman, a Vision Bearer as well, Meng Jiang could not afford to take any chances. Thus, she had some of the Analysis Department's guards infiltrate the Internal Affairs Department - which were the guards that had let her through. Like all departments, the Analysis Department has their own secret way of conveying messages, and thus she knew all the shifts of the Internal Affairs Department's guards.
As she passed by the guards, one of them whispered in her ear.
"Lowest level, third on the left," they murmured, "There's a grate on the roof at the end of the corridor."
Meng Jiang nodded shallowly, and another guard withdrew a key to unlock the thick oaken door. After the heavy door creaked open, the guard handed her another key, and she crossed the threshold.
Striding through the prison, she shrugged off the stares of the men and women inside the cells flanking the corridor. She did not know who they were, nor did she have to - for they were unimportant. The highest level stores the unimportant ones, maybe petty foreign spies caught by the agents of the Internal Affairs Department.
Meng Jiang found a stairwell and moved downwards, to the second floor. Here were the more important prisoners, as well as ones that the Lady Tianquan wouldn't want to see the light of day - her political rivals. Meng Jiang scoffed, and continued walking down the stairs.
Finally, she reached the lowest floor - and stepped onto the landing. There weren't any open cells here, nor any bars. All prisoners were kept in thick stone chambers reinforced with Geo. Meng Jiang stopped in front of the third door on the left.
She raised the key she had received, inspecting its craft. After a brief moment, she grasped that the key was a forgery of the real one. Inserting the key in the lock, the latches opened with an audible click, and she opened the door.
Stepping inside the room, she was met with a pungent smell. The walls were barren stone brick, and the floor was covered with a layer of hay, splattered with dry blood. On the right side of the room were thick bars of Geo, housing the prisoner in his cell. On the left side was a large wooden cross and a table covered in knives and other interrogation apparatus. On the far wall, there was a wooden stool, and a single lone torch on the wall above it - recently replaced.
"Oh?" the Young Lord drawled, "Another one? I am quite blessed, aren't I? I had just been tortured this… morning? Ah, I don't know, can't really tell the time down here. Are we going for a second round?"
"You talk too much," Meng Jiang told him in the Snezhnayan tongue of Hyemat.
She walked over to the stool and dragged it out in front of the cell, sitting down with a huff.
"Oh, just here for a talk then, is it?"
"So," she asked, "Why haven't you escaped yet?"
The Young Lord stared at her with wide eyes, before barking out a laugh.
"What!? Escape?" he chuckled, "Look around, you think I can escape from here?"
"I expected more from a Fatui Harbinger," she admitted.
"Trust me," he smiled, and the lawbreaker brand burnt into his face twisted hideously, "I tried to escape before, and they broke my fingers for it. These bars are pure Geo, you know!? And the guards too, they don't talk at all when they give me food - shouldn't you know all this?"
"Of course the guards don't talk, all their tongues were pulled out," she leaned back, "And besides, this is my first time down here."
"Then, what…" the man narrowed his eyes, raking them over her body, "...I was told our contact was a female."
"Do I not look female to you?"
"..."
"I can't get you out today," she continued, "The Chief of Internal Affairs would be visiting in… a few moments. So I'm just here to sound you out."
The Young Lord huffed, before leaning against his cell wall. After a few moments of staring at each other, the Harbinger sighed, plucking a strand of hay from the ground and fiddling with it.
"Why are you helping us?" he asked softly, "Aren't you afraid of being caught?"
Meng Jiang shrugged, "My husband died years ago, and I have no children. What do I have to lose?"
"There needs to be a reason," he insisted, "Any at all. Betraying one's country is not any insignificant-"
"I am not betraying my country," she cut in, "Simply acting in defiance of its leaders."
"Ahh," the man nodded, "How did your husband die? You have a grudge against the Qixing, then?"
"The Qixing," she scoffed, "They sit on their lofty thrones above Liyue, acting as if they were gods themselves. Even if I hold a grudge against them, why would they care?"
They pride themselves on their complexities and cleverness, she mentally scorned, they surround themselves with their posse who bow to their every word in some vicious feedback loop. They manipulate their markets, viewing every person as a piece and puppet, only fit to be ordered around - and they forget that their subordinates are people too. People who can think for themselves.
The Qixing, men and women who think so high and lofty in the Yujing Terrace, that they forget about those below them in Feiyun Slope and Chihu Rock. They watch as money continually pours into their coffers, and they remain willfully ignorant of the blood of honest men and women spilled to fill said coffers. Once you treat people as mere pieces on a board, you start to forget how to be human.
Chief Yin Ji is the Lord Yaoguang's lickspittle, Chief Luo Yelan is the Lady Tianquan's sycophant. The Qixing treats Siwencao as a basket of golden eggs, fighting over one another for just another egg, another department chief under their control, another department under their influence.
But they forget that Siwencao is not the organisation, or the departments, or the chiefs. No, Siwencao is the people who toil everyday, the people who risk their lives on the field to ensure the sanctity of the Republic remains untouched, the people whose eyes bleed for perusing information day in and day out to ensure no threat goes amiss. Siwencao is the paper-pushers, the ignoble clerks, the insignificant messengers who ensure intelligence gets into the right hands in the first place.
The Qixing prides themselves on being clever of mind, for to be able to raise themselves so high is no easy feat. And yet as they start to see the larger picture, they forget about the smaller pictures that make up the larger one. They focus on the golden eggs, but forget about the goose that lays them.
Stealing Siwencao from right under their upturned noses was so gods-damned easy, and that was truly a shame - a reflection of what the Republic has become, she dare say.
"No," she corrected, "I don't have a grudge against the Qixing, I just have a grudge."
"I'm going to get you out of here," she told him, "And then perhaps they'll start fixing the problems that they created."
Meng Jiang abruptly stood up, pushing the stool back to its original position. She flicked the key in her hands to the Young Lord, who caught it in mid-air. As he stared at the inconspicuous tool in his hands, she reminded him that nobody had visited him at this time, and left through the open door.
Closing the door behind her, Meng Jiang heard footsteps echoing down the stairwell to her right, and thus started quietly walking down the hallway in the opposite direction. At the end of the corridor was a dead end, and above, in the left corner, was a metal grate.
The ceiling was low enough to be reached, so she jumped up and pushed the grate out of the way - finding that it had been loosened beforehand. As she landed, she swiftly glanced to the end of the hallway, seeing the first leg step onto a stair. Holding her breath, Meng Jiang jumped up and latched onto the floor above, pulling herself up onto the second floor.
Hastily, she skittered away from the hole and swiftly replaced the grate into its original position. Looking around, she found herself in a storeroom - numerous crates and barrels stacked on top of each other against the walls.
Meng Jiang slowly approached the door, and cautiously opened it - finding that it was unlocked.
Leaving the storeroom, she sped down the hallway, passing by all the cells and reaching the stairwell. Peeking down, she heard the footsteps fading away, and took that as her cue. She quietly stepped onto the stairwell and crept upwards to the first landing, where the guards were nervously waiting for her behind the open oak door.
She nodded in greeting and passed through the threshold, followed by the guards who shut the door behind them.
Meng Jiang huffed, wiping away her sweat before leaning against the wall opposite to the prison door. While waiting, she unlocked the wooden box and took out the missive inside, scanning the words once more - and a second and third time, to commit all the words to memory in their exact phrasing.
How fortunate, to chance upon this information.
After a long while, one of the guards snapped their fingers, and her eyes darted upwards. She hastily placed the bamboo missive back in the box and locked it - just in time for the door to open and reveal the Chief of Internal Affairs walk out with her retinue.
"Chief Lin Feixing!" Luo Yelan exclaimed in faux-surprise, "I was told you had a message for me, but I couldn't seem to find you!"
"Chief Luo Yelan," Lin Feixing greeted in return, "My apologies, I got quite lost in these unfamiliar halls. Thankfully, these fine men here informed me you were busy, so I waited for you."
"You shouldn't have," the fellow chief smiled, "You could've just handed it to anyone here, they all know me. But, considering you had to hand it to me personally, it must be important, no?"
"Indeed," he bowed, offering the box with two hands, "It was sent by the Lady Tianquan's office."
"I see," Luo Yelan accepted the box with two hands, her smile unfaltering, "And how would you know that? You haven't opened the box, have you?"
"Of course not," he returned her smile, "I'm the Chief of Analysis, I don't need to open this box to know who sent it!"
"How dull of me," she nodded, "You are right, of course. I'm afraid I may have insulted you there."
"Oh," Lin Feixing waved her off, "I am not that kind of person. In any case, I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."
"Do not let me hold you back, do you need an escort?"
"I would gratefully accept."
The Chief of Internal Affairs nodded to one of her attendants, who bowed and stepped forwards to guide 'him.' Before 'Lin Feixing' left, the two chiefs bowed to each other - hands together - in exaggerated courtesy, neither losing the smile on their faces.
'Lin Feixing' turned and left, and followed the attendant back to the entrance of the Department of Internal Affairs. Upon reaching their destination, 'he' bid the man farewell with thanks and returned to 'his' own Department of Analysis.
Meng Jiang heaved a great sigh, feeling relief wash over her as she returned to familiar grounds. She had a destination in mind, and arrived thusly - opening the sliding door and returning the key back to the head clerk of the chamber.
As she left, she made no attempt to stay as hidden as when she first came - making no effort to conceal her steps. Passing by her subordinates they bowed their heads in greeting as they passed. Swiftly reaching her office, she shut the door behind her and locked it.
Meng Jiang scanned her office, and after seeing nothing amiss, she loosened her robe - a shenyi - to access her bandage-bound chest. Upon loosening the binds, she felt the literal weight be taken off her chest, breathing easier. Then, she donned her robes once more, and pulled the cushion out from under her desk.
Kneeling down, Meng Jiang thought of what she had to write.
For the Lady Tianquan's missive to the Chief of Internal Affairs was quite interesting.
Quite right, if there was one Qixing unlike the rest, it would be the Lady Yuheng - and the Meng Jiang was quite certain the Lady Yuheng would be interested in this little piece of information.
As Keqing rode down the war-torn streets of Feiyun Slope, she couldn't help but wonder why it was so difficult to obtain a warrant.
It was as if the Qixing was actively being obstinate, even though it was quite certainly their best course of action to remove any and all Fatui presence from the Republic immediately. You cannot expel diplomats, they say - hah, diplomats!? The Fatui were criminals, criminals of the highest order - so says not mortal law, but Divine Law.
Keqing did not delude herself - she has never been a faithful person, not to any god, Rex Lapis especially. However, even she knew that the law was the law - and the Divine Law was the highest order in the land, higher than even the Qixing, than Vision Bearers. Who were the Qixing to ignore such a thing?
Perhaps the Republic's newfound godlessness has emboldened them. Or perhaps that was a little disingenuous, for the same godlessness has emboldened Keqing as well. However, it was clear to her more than ever, that the Qixing and her were not on the same side. Keqing believed that it was now the people's time to rise above their station, to rebuild their nation with their own two hands. The Qixing, on the hand, seems to think the Republic is now their playing field.
Keqing snorted derisively at that thought, gripping the reins of her steed tighter and shaking her head.
"Lady Marshal?"
She glanced to the side, noticing the elderly General Li Mu looking at her from atop his own horse.
"Just amusing myself with my own thoughts, good sir."
"A bit of amusement will do well at this time," the man mused, "Considering our purpose on this fine day."
"Quite right," she laughed lightly, before spurring her horse forwards.
Ahead of her, their retinue cleared the roads - pushing civilians to the side, civilians who waved and cheered at them as they passed. Behind them, hundreds of her finest soldiers marched in perfect lockstep, their spears and swords glinting under the glaring Sun. Dozens of banners fluttered gently in the light breeze, proudly displaying the office of the Lady Yuheng.
General Li Mu was an old veteran, having served in the Central Army for decades - climbing the ranks until he was a general. Hailing from an old, prestigious noble family, Keqing had been acquaintances with the man since she was a child, for the House of Liu and House of Li were old allies. However, their relationship never hithered until a decade ago, when the Magistrate of Mingyun raised his banners in rebellion.
Back then, the Millelith was in a state of deterioration - lack of real combat had softened their senses and decreased their discipline. Unlike their northern neighbours who regularly wetted their blades on the blood of hilichurls and beasts of the Abyss Order, only the Western Army of Liyue has seen regular combat in peacekeeping operations in the Western Protectorate and the Chasm.
And even then, their kind of combat were minor raids on hilichurl and bandit tribes, as well as regular patrols. They also hadn't any real battle experience, and were growing overconfident from their successes.
The Qixing really didn't do much, despite Keqing's and Ningguang's insistence - for they viewed the peacefulness as a point of pride, letting it delude themselves into a false sense of security.
So when Mingyun revolted, Keqing acted immediately. She was well aware of the stories about herself, of how she swiftly raised an army in Wangshu and set off to quell the rebellion in Mingyun - but that was decidedly false. Keqing was a noble-borne daughter, the only daughter of a military family - she was well educated in the manners of war, and knew hasty action was the downfall of any commander.
No, she didn't act immediately in the sense of attacking Mingyun - she instead acted immediately in securing their logistics. Raising an army is no easy feat, especially when the government was acting against you - for the Qixing seemed set on trying to negotiate a peace with the Magistrate of Mingyun. Keqing couldn't believe her eyes when she first read that missive, for attempting to negotiate a peace like that would be a sign of weakness.
So instead, she rallied the Millelith garrison of Wangshu to the banner of her retinue. She sent ravens to the four corners of the Republic, to the Central Army headquartered at Shanhui Fortress in the shadow of Mount Tianheng, to the Northern Army at the Stone Gate, to the Western Army at Lifeng. She and the three generals had a plan - to have every army of Liyue participate, so that the experience of war would be shared between all.
It was high treason, for everyone involved worked under the noses of the Qixing - who uselessly negotiated with Mingyun through ravens back and forth. It wouldn't have been possible without the help of Ningguang and her handles in Siwencao, who secretly conveyed their messages without the rest of the Qixing noticing.
After the end of the war, their crimes were released to the public - but by then it was too late for the Qixing, they were all heroes of the Republic. Everyone started calling the war the Lianshan Campaign, seeing as how some of the released messages mentioned the name. However, unbeknownst to them, the Lianshan Campaign wasn't the war against Mingyun, the Lianshan Campaign was actually the unbelievable plan to gather three armies from every corner of the Republic in Tuzhong without a single person noticing.
All of the three army generals were her keenest supporters, for it was the name of the Lady Yuheng who raised the military from a backwater sector of the Republic with little funding to the decorated institutions that they were today. General Li Mu among them, they had mentored Keqing in the art of war back then, and it was thanks to them that she could justify her position as Grand Marshal of the Republic.
"Lady Marshal," Li Mu murmured, "We've arrived."
Keqing was snapped out of her thoughts, looking up and to the left - at the great building of Northland Bank. She mentally scorned the structure, so large and ostentatious as it was - just about unscathed from the perilous Siege of Liyue Harbour, not a moon before. Could one imagine, that this building was merely a branch of the main institution back in Snezhnaya?
How bold they must be, how arrogant, to construct such a building more luxurious than those of the country hosting them - in the Liyuean style, no less. It was as if they were mocking them.
It would be Keqing's great pleasure to pull them down.
"Surround the building!" she roared, "Block all the exits! Prowling Tiger Battalion, with me!"
Keqing dismounted and strode up the stairs to the entrance of the bank, her loyal retinue filing in directly behind her. As General Li Mu coordinated the blockade of the building, two of her men rushed forwards and pushed open the doors - just in time for the Prowling Tiger Battalion to storm through the opening.
Stepping past the threshold, she was greeted with shouts of alarm as her men detained everybody in sight, kicking their legs out from under them and onto their knees. It did not matter if they were Snezhnayan or clearly locals - as per Keqing's orders, everyone in the building was guilty until proven innocent.
Her soldiers pulled a young woman out from behind the counter, forcing the receptionist to the ground before her feet.
"You- You can't do this!" she cried in Hyemat, "You have no right! What have we done wrong?"
"You are… Ekaterina, yes?" Keqing crouched to meet her eye, pulling out a parchment scroll, "I have every right, for in my hands is a military warrant."
She replied in Yushe-hua, and to her pleasant surprise, the receptionist replied in fluent yet somewhat accented Yushe-hua as well.
"The Qixing has assured us that we would be untouched!" Ekaterina struggled in the arms of her men, "That warrant must be fake!"
One of her men raised a hand to smack the woman for her words, but Keqing raised a hand to wave him off. She took notice of the receptionist's words, and grimly wondered why the rest of the Qixing never deigned to inform her - nevertheless, she filed the information away for later.
"Ah, but I am not here as the Lady Yuheng," Keqing smiled firmly, "I am the Grand Marshal of the Republic, I have all the authority to issue a military warrant."
"Lady Marshal!" one of her men rushed to her and knelt, "We have found the manager!"
Keqing stood up, beckoning the soldier to stand as well. She raised her head, and watched as her men pulled out more men and women from the rear rooms of the building, as well as carried crates and boxes out into the foyer. Other men brought out precious metals of jade, gold and silver - as well as countless files and papers.
Two men held the manager of Northland Bank - a man named Andrei - in a lock, bringing him to her and forcing him to kneel. The man glanced at Ekaterina, but the woman just shook her head sullenly in response.
"Tell me," she asked softly, "Does the Northland Bank have any relation with the Fatui?"
"Most definitely not!" Ekaterina proclaimed, almost insulted by the insinuation, "They are our customers, just as anyone is!"
"Another lie out of your mouth," Keqing told her slowly, "And I will kill one of your employees. Now, answer me again."
"I said what I said," Ekaterina scoffed, "We have no-"
schlick- thump
A body fell to the floor, and the smell of warm blood filled the air as blood pooled around the neck of the body. Keqing glanced upwards, and saw one of her men wiping his dagger of blood.
"Answer me again."
"We… we were founded by the Regrator, miss," the manager squawked, to the receptionist's glare, "And the Fatui Harbingers use our facilities regularly."
"Harbingers…" Keqing faux-mused, "Harbingers such as the Fair Lady and the Young Lord?"
They only looked half-surprised that she knew such information.
"You already have everything you need," Ekaterina spat, "What else do you want from us? Beg for our lives?"
"Oh, no. You aren't going to die."
"Then… then what is to become of us, miss?" Andrei shivered.
"Do not be so afraid," Keqing smiled at him, "I represent the military here, not the Qixing. We are much more honest in our proceedings - if you were going to die, then it would be by painless beheadment. No, all of you will be taken to Shanhui Fortress, where you will be held until Zapolyarny Palace offers a ransom. Don't worry, your Young Lord will shoulder all the blame and punishment."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the back and drew her eyes away.
"Hey, what are you doing-!?"
"For the Harbingers!"
Keqing watched as a Snezhnayan man broke free of his restraints and slashed the throat of one soldier with a hidden knife - the soldier then fell to the ground lifelessly, caught by one of his comrades who began stemming the blood. The Snezhnayan glanced around like some savage, before setting his eyes on hers.
"Grahhh!" the man charged at her, leaping over kneeling men and women as her soldiers made no attempt to stop him.
He lunged at her, knife's killing edge glinting in the foyer's golden light. Keqing's eyes flashed, and her Vision glowed - and at the speed of light she caught the man's extended arm and pulled it beneath her own armpit. Then, in a single move, she twisted the man's arm and snapped it in two at the elbow.
"GYYAAAAGGHH!"
Keqing swept his feet out from under him, causing the man to slam face first into the floor, his knife clattering out of his hands. As he struggled beneath her, she lifted her foot and placed it on his head. The man froze.
crunch- squelch
Andrei and Ekaterina stared at the man's corpse in some manner of shock, blood and brain matter splattered across their clothes and faces. Keqing huffed, before wiping the bottom of her boot on the bank's polished wooden floor.
Truthfully, she hated being brutal like this - however, it wasn't without purpose. The more fear instilled into prisoners now will lead to less meaningless deaths later, in the event they try to resist. One man's death was a small price - for her own soldier was already being healed by a Hydro Vision Bearer, the wound across their throat miraculously closing up.
"Bring them out," she ordered, "You have your orders, do not let anyone stop you."
Keqing held back a sigh as she watched her men begin shepherding the detainees out of the foyer and onto the streets, where they would then be taken to Shanhui Fortress for questioning. She reminded herself that they have not yet been arrested, just detained - only after auditing those who had dealings with the Young Lord would then be arrested, while the rest will be released.
She closed her eyes, breathing in, feeling the men and women walk past her. The stench of blood sobered her mind.
"Lady Marshal!"
Keqing opened her eyes wearily and spun around, seeing General Li Mu and another young man approaching her from the door.
"What is it?"
"This man says he has a message for you."
The messenger bowed and offered a small lacquered wooden box with two hands. Keqing took the box off his hands and inspected its exterior, finding a small equinox flower etched into the bottom corner of the box - invisible unless you knew where to look.
Keqing opened the lid and found a booklet of bound bamboo slips inside. She took it out and unfurled, before handing it to the messenger to read. The man hesitantly took the missive and glanced at her questioningly, obviously asking her whether she actually wanted him to read it in front of so many people.
She waved a hand, telling him to get on with it. As his eyes ran up and down the booklet, Keqing fiddled with the box in her hands, finding a false bottom.
"This message was sent by raven to Yuehai Pavilion from the Stone Gate, where it was transcribed onto bamboo," the man read aloud the foreword, "..."
Keqing raised her head, "What is it?"
The man swallowed, voice shaking as he said - "T-The Magistrates of Qiaoying and Qingce have raised their banners in rebellion against the Republic. The Northern Protectorate is requesting reinforcements from the capital. This message was stamped with the Northern Protectorate General's personal seal."
Keqing froze - no, everyone in earshot froze. She slowly lowered the box in her hand before snatching the message from the man's hands, eyes darting across the bamboo mediums. The man was not lying.
This was absolutely unacceptable, for Qiaoying and Qingce were the breadbaskets of the Republic. If this prolongs too long, they would either starve or be forced to indebt themselves to the Union further.
"General Li," she asked lowly, "Remind me, Magistrate Feng has two children in the City, yes? And Feng Chonglin had unfortunately fallen in the city's defence."
"Yes, Lady Marshal," the old man paused, "As for his sister, Feng Jingfei… I heard she had caught a sinister wind not long after finding out about her brother's passing. She died not long after."
Keqing's eyes widened, she had not known of that. It was surprising - the fact that she hadn't heard - not that the young lady had died. The Republic was a vast country, and Qiaoying couldn't be any further from Liyue Harbour - their land was different, their culture was different, their language was different. It was not unusual for people with weak bodies to catch a sinister wind from being unused to new living conditions, such as food and water.
Furthermore, the stress of the battle and fear of death likely further weakened her body - and the unfortunate passing of her brother was the final straw. Keqing had heard that Feng Jingfei loved her brother dearly - thus with an ill body and distressed mind, it was no surprise she would die.
But that did not explain why the Magistrate of Qiaoying decided to revolt - and why the Magistrate of Qingce decided to support the rebellion. There was something going on here, and she did not like it.
"What about their retinue?" she asked.
General Li closed his eyes in thought, "I recall that they left the City yesterday at first light."
"Qiaoying is more than a moon's ride away from Liyue Harbour," she stated, "How in seven hells did Magistrate Feng find out so quickly? Did their retinue have access to the city's ravenries?"
"Not to my knowledge, my lady," the general shook his head, "Nor did I receive any request to access them."
Arcs of brilliant violet Electro danced across her fingers, sparking the bamboo booklet and setting it alight with flame. Keqing dropped the message in frustration, before remembering the wooden box in her other hand.
She hastily brought it up and removed the false bottom, finding a rice paper message. Carefully lifting it out of the box, she pulled the paper taut in her hands and began reading. The messenger took a wary step back as her face gradually morphed into a rictus of rage.
Electro crackled, and the paper in her hands burst into flames and disintegrated.
"Your orders, my lady?" General Li asked, unmoved.
Keqing dug through her armour and withdrew a jade seal, placing it in the general's palm.
"This is my personal seal," she snarled, "You will act with all my name and authority in this city."
"Understood."
Keqing glanced around, noticing all the men and women staring at her with wide eyes - and upon noticing her gaze, they swiftly duck their heads and scurried to continue their work.
"Qiaoying and Qingce want a war?" she scowled, "I will give them one! Messenger!"
"Yes my lady!" the man snapped into a hasty salute.
"Work with General Li," she barked, "I want all available men in the city to muster at Daoxiang Pass, including the Prowling Tiger Battalion, the Flying Feather Battalion, the Gilded Mace Battalion, and the Feathered Forest Battalion."
"Understood!"
"Understood."
The two men departed swiftly, leaving Keqing to stew in her own thoughts.
Oh Ningguang, she thought, what do you think was going to happen?
Fine then, this Lady Yuheng will yield her title.
You have set a brilliant stage for an equally masterful play. Let me be your main actor, let me put on a mummer's show for all of the Republic to gawk in awe. Let me break your gods-damned stage.
This Marchioness of Liu will be your shining star - but she will not fall so easily.
Xiangling huffed as she finally reached the top of the hill, leaning against her staff for support.
Raising a hand to her face, she gazed out into the horizon - to the setting Sun in the west - to the dilapidated earthen walls of Tuzhong in the distance. The ruined city sat upon a high bluff in the centre of the Guili Plains, stone sentinels watching over their ancient homeland.
She had seen this sight once before, years ago. A young, naive child back then, Xiangling had gotten wind of a caravan travelling north to Dawnton and left her house in the middle of the night to join them - only leaving behind a note for her father, bless his soul. It could've gone much worse, but the caravan was a Windic one, and they were very kind of her.
In fact, the staff she held in her hands now was actually the broken haft of a Windic lance. She remembered asking for a walking staff of her own because she saw everyone else having one, so one of the merchants chopped an old battle lance in half - because it was too long for her - and then gave her one half to use. Even now, years later, she still had it. It was a testament to the craftsmanship, Xiangling thought, that an old spear like this was still in one piece.
For she always brought this trusted staff with her on all her foraging expeditions, the familiar companion that it was.
"Of course," she said to herself, "Guoba is still more familiar, right Guoba?"
Upon hearing no response, she looked down to see her animal friend staring off into the distance with an almost forlorn look. Xiangling followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon the crumbling walls of Tuzhong.
"Guoba?" she tapped him lightly with the butt of her staff.
Guoba squawked, head swivelling to look up at her.
"We can visit Tuzhong tomorrow, or the day after, if you want," she told him, "Today is too late though, and we wouldn't make it before the Sun sets."
Guoba cooned, shaking his head, before moving onwards downhill.
Xiangling watched as he went, thinking. Guoba has never acted like that before, not to her knowledge. Then again, she was pretty sure he was some kind of adeptus, considering she found him in some kind of forgotten mountain shrine. Perhaps he once had friends in Tuzhong? She knew adepti could live for thousands upon thousands of years.
Oh well, if Guoba didn't want to, then she saw no need to visit the ruins.
"Hey, wait for me!" she cried, realising Guoba was now just a speck in the distance.
She raced after him, running down the hill to catch up.
Then, she spotted rising smoke in the distance - a small village of no more than a few dozen families squatting by the Stone Road. She glanced at the Sun as she ran, and decided they could make it in time. If fortune was on their side, then perhaps they could acquire a place to stay for the night.
Xiangling swiftly caught up with Guoba, and together they approached the village outskirts just as the Sun kissed the horizon. The farmlands around the village were small and fenced off by dilapidated wooden fences - and after a brief inspection of the crops Xiangling recognised predominantly millets, as well as some gourds.
Well, it made sense. The Guili Plains was an infertile land with barren and rocky soil, unsuitable for cultivating most types of crops on a large scale - and thus also unsuitable for large cities. So, despite the Guili Plains being a massive area in the heart of the Republic, it was also one of the most depopulated areas, just after Minlin.
Xiangling recalled an old homage, of the reason why the Guili Plains were nicknamed the 'Graveyard of Cities.' Just as the land was unsuitable for cities due to infertility, there was a reason why the cities of the Guili Assembly still withstood the disparages of time. Magic was the answer, ancient sorceries imbued into every wall and street so that even after the bloodiest of wars, the harshest of storms, and the unstoppable march of time, the cities still stood defiant.
"Across this vast, desolate land, ancient tombs rose from the earth - forgotten mausoleums enshrining the honoured ancestors of Liyue."
Xiangling walked under the village gates and headed deep into the heart of the village. She came to a front yard's wooden fence, sighting a white-haired old man sitting on a bench and basking in the sunset.
"Old senior!" she called.
"Ah? Who's calling me?"
"Old senior, I did!" she called again.
The old man raised his head and spotted her standing outside his fence, before standing and approaching her. Despite his age, he had no need of a cane and walked upright, clearly still hearty of body - likely from all the labour intensive farming he has done throughout his life.
"What is it?"
"Old senior," Xiangling greeted, "This junior is surnamed Mao, named Xiangling. And down here is my friend, Guoba. I am travelling to Qingce to visit my family there, and have travelled this far. But we have no place to stay and the day is late, so I wonder if I could pay for a room for a night's stay."
Suddenly, the door to the man's house swung open, drawing both of their attention.
"What is it, my old man?"
Likely hearing their conversation, an old woman - the man's wife probably - stepped out of the house and hobbled towards them.
"A young miss and her pet, they want to stay the night," the man answered, before opening the fence gate, "Come on in, us two old ones are the only ones living here. You two can stay the night in the room my son used to live in, free of charge."
"Thank you, old senior!" Xiangling bowed respectfully to the old couple.
The old woman turned around to re-enter the house, "I will steam a few more meat buns!"
"Oh, wait!" Xiangling cried, opening her sack and rummaging through its contents, "Take these! Don't decline please, consider it charity if you must!"
The eyes of the old couple widened to the size of dinner plates at the mere sight of the objects in her hand - three eggs, kept fresh thanks to the futhark rune inside her sack. With shaking hands, the old man gingerly took the eggs before passing them on to his wife.
"Fresh eggs!?" the old woman exclaimed, "You must be nobility, little miss!"
"Oh- no no!" Xiangling waved her hands frantically, "I am a chef! Keeping fresh ingredients on hand is part of the job!"
"How long has it been since we had eggs, old woman?" the man laughed, "Must've been moons!"
"We two on the last Lantern Rite, dumb old man," the woman scoffed, before entering the house.
As Xiangling escorted the man back inside, she glanced around the yard. The yard wasn't very big, a date tree grew in the centre, while a big yellow dog was tied to the west side. Curiously, there was a small stable right next to the house, a muscled horse idly eating hay from a trough. A lazy column of smoke was slowly rising from the chimney of the house.
"Thank you really, old senior," Xiangling bowed again, "Guoba, say thank you!"
Guoba squawked, standing up on his hind legs and waving before dropping back down.
"Ah… no need for thanks! You gave us eggs, after all. Young miss, your pet is very smart!"
"Ahaha," she scratched the back of her head, "Speaking of… old senior, did that horse belong to your son? Sorry if I'm being rude."
The old man just glanced at the horse just before he entered the house without speaking a word, Xiangling and Guoba close behind him. Inside, the fireplace was lit and crackling warmly. The furniture was very aged, but Xiangling did not mind, and the table was set. Still steaming meat buns sat on wooden plates on the table, the aroma making her mouth water.
The old woman called them over enthusiastically, "Come quick, sit, sit. Dinner is ready! You too, little bear!"
Guoba did not hesitate, immediately taking the woman up on her offer and leaping onto a chair and plopping his behind on it, making the woman laugh. Xiangling could only smile apologetically as she took a seat directly opposite of the old man, while the old woman sat opposite Guoba - placing a bowl of boiling water on the table. Inside the bowl were the three eggs.
Dinner was a simple affair - there were steamed meat buns for everyone and a bowl of millet porridge for each person. The old woman tried to offer Xiangling a boiled egg, but she turned it down, insisting they needed it more.
As the old man tapped the egg on the wooden table and began peeling the eggshell, he finally spoke.
"That horse belonged to my son, yes. She is a mare, though I have forgotten the name my son gave her."
"Sorry about your son."
The man waved her off, "Nothing to be sorry about, he died in a war about a decade ago. After the war, his ashes and his horse were returned to us - which is more than other families can say."
"Do you want the horse," the old woman asked, after swallowing a mouthful of soup.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare-"
"You clearly need her more than us!" the elder insisted, "How would our son think of us, wasting his beloved horse away in a rotting stable?"
"And besides," the old man smiled amusedly, "The good karma might mean Lord Marchosias would bless us with a good harvest this year."
"...Fine," Xiangling relented, though inwardly she was joyful, "But at least let me pay!"
"There's really no need-"
Their denials were interrupted when Xiangling pulled some two bags of fine white grain from her sack, along with a few more eggs.
"Is that… rice?" the old woman asked in awe.
"And more eggs!"
"Please," Xiangling insisted, placing the ingredients on the table, "Let me pay."
"Well," the man released a heart laugh, "I see no reason to decline! Who would think that by accepting a young miss and her pet into our house would be so fortuitous!? We will be eating like kings for the next few days, old lady!"
"Quiet down, dear!" the old woman scolded her husband, though Xiangling could see she was also fighting a smile.
Guoba cooned, waving his meatbun in the air - to their mutual laughter.
By the time they went to bed, the Sky was already dark as black, the stars shining high overhead. Xiangling entered the room, noticing the brick bed dominating the room. It was of typical build in the countryside, she knew, for under the bed was a small fireplace to keep one warm in winter nights. On the bed was a wooden board, along with a single blanket and pillow.
Though, Xiangling wouldn't need it - it was already spring anyhow, and she was a Pyro Vision Bearer too. Xiangling placed her sack at the foot of the bed, before climbing on and slowly lying down on the wooden plank. As Guoba joined her on the bed, Xiangling covered them with the pillow and closed her eyes. It was uncomfortable, she had grown used a mattress - but Xiangling was no stranger to sleeping in the wilderness, even a wooden plank was a blessing compared to hard rock.
The next morning, she was awoken by shouts from outside.
"Little miss! Wake up!"
Xiangling bolted out of the bed in a panic, scooping her sack up and kicking Guoba out of the blanket.
"No need to be so panicked!" the old woman laughed, "But you probably want to see this!"
Xiangling rubbed her eyes as she followed the woman to the door, Guoba following them out into the front yard. Outside, the old man was standing there and looking off into the distance, while a large crowd was gathering on the streets - and she felt as if the entire village was in attendance. The sky was dark and overcast.
"What…"
The woman grabbed her shoulders and pointed south, to the hill the Xiangling had crossed just the day prior. Xiangling's gaze followed her finger, and her breath hitched.
She could feel it clearly now, the subtle shaking of the ground growing more noticeable - and the incessant cawing of the birds overhead. In the distance, great plumes of dust were being kicked up in the air as a black tide seemed to swallow the hill in their numbers.
What must be hundreds of thousands of men, their endless numbers obscuring the dirt underneath their feet. The dust and smoke blown into the air by their march made it seem like the very earth was coming alive.
As they reached the bottom of the hill, the sunlight struck the mass and reflected off them in a perfect angle - and the skies were lit up by brilliant silver glow. Their arms and armour shimmered as they marched, the rumbling of the earth now even shaking the benches in the place.
Thousands of banners fluttered in the wind, the largest of them must've been the size of a ship's sail, for Xiangling could make out the details even from so afar. Gold bordered with carmen, emblazoned the character '劉.' Xiangling couldn't read well - her father tried to teach her, but he himself was illiterate. But even then, she knew the important words, and she knew this one.
Who didn't, in the Republic?
When she was yet but a child, sitting on her father's lap, he had told her all the stories. The stories every boy and girl her age in the City knew at heart.
That was the personal banner of the Marchioness of Liu, the Lady Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing.
"It was that army," the old woman murmured beside her, "That my son so eagerly joined, with all the rest of his friends. That was the army that brought me my son's ashes."
Xiangling could only bark an incredulous laugh, the Lady Yuheng had eaten at Wanmin Restaurant before, this she recalled with clarity. As the tide of glittering bronze and steel approached, she could only wonder if the Lady Yuheng still remembered her.
And more importantly, she thought numbly, it seemed Miss Megistus' words were correct.
She could feel the rhythmic thumping of war drums resonating in her bones now, and she shivered as she heard the silent roar of the most decorated army in the Land of Rock. Xiangling looked to the overcast skies, and saw a great rift in the clouds revealing the clear blue Sky above - a great ray of sunlight shining down upon the army as if they were a host borne from the gates of heaven.
They might as well be, Xiangling thought, for the Marchioness of Liu marches to war once more.
Author's Note:
Phew, that's done. I'm gonna take a small break for a few days now, but let's be honest, I'll still be updating faster than most authors on this site. Thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed the ride thus far, and don't forget to tell me what you think!
Rewritten on 11/7/2022