In the sweltering heat of a midsummer night, beneath a lonely beacon tower on the northeastern frontier of the Huachao Empire, two young boys were squirming through a narrow soot-filled chimney.
Years of beacon fires had left layers of thick ash inside the vent, smearing the children's once-pristine faces with grime.
The older and slightly larger boy had gotten himself wedged in a narrow section. If they hadn't both been mere children, barely in their pre-teens, they never would have fit inside the smoke duct in the first place.
"If I'd known the Barbarians were out hunting tonight, I never would have listened to you! I wouldn't have run out here!" the older boy complained.
His white brocade robe was now stained a deep, sooty black. Under the moonlight filtering down from the chimney opening, the only clean thing left on him was a magnificent mutton-fat jade pendant hanging from his blue-and-white sash.
The younger boy looked up at him and grinned with satisfaction. "I've always found your all-white outfit annoying to look at. Now? You look much more pleasing to the eye."
"Why did you trick me into coming here?" the boy in white gritted his teeth. "Now we're trapped under this beacon tower, right in the middle of a border guard rotation. The Barbarian vanguard cavalry will be here in the blink of an eye! What are we supposed to do?"
The younger boy, dressed in a black robe embroidered with a Python pattern—a symbol of high nobility—rolled his eyes.
"If you're that much of an idiot, saving you won't do me much good anyway."
"What are you planning?" The boy stuck in the narrow shaft was starting to struggle for breath. He took a deep gasp before continuing, "I don't know what brilliant strategy Your Highness, the Heir Apparent, has for this crisis, but I truly don't understand why you trapped me here."
He buried his head in his arms, hiding his expression.
Hearing this, the boy positioned above him kicked the wall. Whoosh. A cloud of accumulated ash rained down, covering the stuck boy even more.
Seeing no reaction to his bullying, the boy above spoke again. "Since you know who I am, you should probably tell me who you are. Right, my friend?"
"Reporting to Your Highness... I am the second son of the Governor of Youzhou, Lin Shimo. My name is Lin Huaijue. My father originally held a post in the Capital, but because..."
Before he could finish, a boot was shoved into his mouth.
Lin Huaijue's expression shifted from terror to rage. The boy above him pressed a finger to his lips in a shush gesture, removing his foot while pressing his ear against the chimney wall.
"Shut up. They're close."
"Who?" Lin Huaijue whispered, suppressing his fury.
"The Border Guards."
Hearing the words 'Border Guards', Lin Huaijue couldn't hold back his anger any longer. "Xiao Shaojin! Don't think just because you're the Heir to the Prince of Dongqi that you can toy with a noble family of the scholarly class like this!"
At the mention of 'noble family,' Xiao Shaojin, the Prince's Heir, suddenly snapped.
"You lot aren't fit to be called a noble family! You're just a bunch of nerds reading dead books. Even if I, the Heir of the Dongqi Prince's Mansion, gifted you to the Barbarians as a male slave today, you should count it as a blessing!"
Xiao Shaojin didn't waste any more words. "Follow closely if you don't want to die."
He began to climb out. Lin Huaijue, speechless and fuming, had no choice but to follow.
The two boys scrambled out of the chimney one after the other. Xiao Shaojin crouched low, creeping to the edge of the beacon tower. He took a quick peek over the parapet, then immediately scrambled back and sat down behind the wall, his face pale.
"It wasn't the Border Guards?" Lin Huaijue asked anxiously, seeing Xiao's bitter expression.
"I heard wrong," Xiao Shaojin sighed. "It's the Barbarian cavalry."
Lin Huaijue was confused. "Then why did you say the guards were here?"
"The Dongqi Frontier Army never handles rotations like this. Something is wrong," Xiao Shaojin analyzed, his voice steadying. "According to protocol, the old garrison only returns to camp after the new troops arrive. Even if the new troops were just patrolling, it's impossible for this tower to be completely unmanned. I brought you here because I thought this was an abandoned tower from the previous dynasty."
"How do you know if it's from the previous dynasty or the current one?" Lin Huaijue asked.
"The chimney," Xiao Shaojin looked at him like he was looking at a fool. "You really have read yourself stupid. I'm going to tell your teacher that his books are garbage; they turn people into idiots."
Lin Huaijue scratched his head awkwardly but asked earnestly, "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
"After the founding of the current dynasty, at least here in the Youzhou borderlands, my father redesigned the beacon towers. He added chimneys to increase the height and visibility of the smoke signals, since there are so many sandstorms beyond the Great Wall. Do you understand now?" Xiao Shaojin finished with another eye-roll.
"Brilliant! Truly worthy of the Prince of Dongqi," Lin Huaijue licked his dry lips.
He had long heard that the Prince of Dongqi was a military genius. Most people only knew of his legendary units—the Iron Pagoda Heavy Cavalry, the Silver Army, the Winged Riders, and the Divine Fire Battalion. But few knew the details of his logistical genius.
"Sycophant. My dad isn't here, so save your flattery," Xiao Shaojin cursed, though he seemed to be in a slightly better mood. He immediately went back to strategizing.
"If the Border Guards were ambushed on the road... a squad is only a few dozen men. It's possible they were wiped out," Xiao Shaojin speculated. "Even if this tower can signal for a hundred miles, the Barbarians will be here in less than half an incense stick of time. Rescue won't arrive in time."
"Should we light the beacon to warn the army?" Lin Huaijue suggested.
"And do what after? Can our two legs outrun their horses' four?" Xiao Shaojin shook his head. "I have a better idea. You're a handsome kid. Why don't I offer you to them as a slave? It might buy me enough time to escape."
"Your Highness truly has a graceful bearing, joking at a time like this," Lin Huaijue tried to change the subject, his heart pounding.
Xiao Shaojin's reputation in the four prefectures of Youzhou was legendary. While he was far from 'wise and martial,' he was universally known as the Number One Silk-Pants (wealthy hedonist)—lazy, unlearned, and capable of any mischief. He would actually do something like that.
Xiao Shaojin stared at him with a malicious grin. "Don't you know I've been smuggling salt and iron to the Barbarians? Why else did you approach me this morning and ask to join my excursion? Are you really that stupid?"
The young master from the noble family froze. His plan had been exposed in a single sentence. He tried to deny it. "Your Highness jests. I am new here and know nothing of border affairs..."
"Let me educate you. Do you know why the previous Governor of Youzhou was exiled to the southwest to feed pigs? Because he impeached my father for letting me smuggle salt and iron, accusing us of treason and rebellion." Xiao Shaojin lay back on the ground, relaxing.
Lin Huaijue had indeed approached the Prince's Heir to gather evidence of the Dongqi Prince's crimes, hoping to one day topple this massive power looming over the empire's northeast. He hadn't expected the boy to confess everything so casually. He really is just a spoiled brat who only cares about pleasure, Lin thought, secretly delighted.
"Did the Prince submit a memorial to defend himself?" Lin probed carefully.
Xiao Shaojin crossed his hands behind his head and crossed his legs. "Naturally. I wrote to explain myself. I told them I just wanted to earn some pocket money. I admitted to selling salt and iron, but I denied the rest. 'Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you'—clearly, those civil officials read their books into a dog's belly."
Lin Huaijue was speechless. You committed a crime and you're blaming others for accusing you? But he felt relief; staying close to this boy would surely yield more evidence.
Yet, something felt off. "Your Highness is only twelve. How could you submit a memorial to the Emperor? Protocol dictates you must be twenty to participate in state affairs."
"I didn't write a memorial. I wrote the Emperor a private letter," Xiao Shaojin mumbled, slowly getting up to look into the distance. "The Emperor said I can't smuggle salt and iron anymore."
Probably because of his young age, the Emperor was lenient, Lin thought.
"But," Xiao Shaojin added, "He sent me two official trade permits instead."
He turned to see the look on Lin Huaijue's face. It looked as if the boy had swallowed a fly. Even the Imperial Family feared and appeased the Prince of Dongqi.
"Enough. I knew where you came from the moment I saw you. You want to bring down the Dongqi Palace to earn merit. Let me tell you: you, your family, and the entire court of civil officials are far from qualified."
Xiao Shaojin suddenly lost his playful demeanor. "I wanted to let you confess yourself—I might have spared you. Barbarians kidnapping kids is common here. But they are close now. Less than a mile. One last chance: tell me everything you know, or don't blame me for being ruthless."
Xiao Shaojin began striking flint and steel to light the firewood.
Lin Huaijue was terrified. He couldn't reveal the Emperor's secret decree to the Huaixi noble families. If the Prince of Dongqi rebelled, his 500,000 troops would plunge the empire into twenty years of chaos. But if he didn't speak, this devilish brat would feed him to the Barbarians.
Suddenly, the clash of metal rang out from below. Xiao Shaojin had lit the beacon. A gust of north wind caught the flame, sending a serpent of fire roaring into the dark sky.
Overwhelmed by fear, Lin Huaijue collapsed to his knees. "Your Highness, please see the truth! I have no such intentions!"
Xiao Shaojin looked disappointed. He sighed. "You missed your chance."
The shouts of Barbarian cavalry grew louder. Their strange war cries echoed, and the copper horse-head ornaments on their banners whistled in the wind—a sound like screaming horses.
A desperate idea struck Lin Huaijue. A Governor's second son is worth far less than the only Heir of the Prince of Dongqi. If he could convince the Barbarians, he might survive.
He stood up, walked to the edge of the parapet, and waved frantically at the approaching riders. "Hey! Over here! Come here!"
Xiao Shaojin looked at him like he was insane, but then a look of amusement crossed his face. "Master Lin is in a hurry to die?"
Lin ignored him and kept shouting until his lungs burned. A small squad of Barbarians arrived at the base of the tower. The leader and two soldiers dismounted and rushed up the stairs.
Lin Huaijue gasped for air, glancing at Xiao Shaojin's indifferent face. I can do this.
The three Barbarians reached the top. Lin Huaijue stepped forward, bowing with his hands clasped. "I am the son of the Youzhou Governor! This person is the Heir of Dongqi..."
BAM!
Before he could finish, a Barbarian soldier slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. The jagged edge of the soldier's bone armor and spiked shield tore through Lin's sleeve, cutting two bloody gashes into his arm.
Pain and shock blanked his mind. Are they killing us to silence witnesses?
But as his vision cleared, a bizarre scene froze him in place.
The three Barbarians walked quickly toward Xiao Shaojin. When they were ten paces away, they dropped to their knees with a heavy thud.
Thump.
Armor and shields smashed against the stone floor. Led by the captain in the center, they placed their right hands over their chests and their left hands behind their backs, bowing their heads so low they stared only at the tips of Xiao Shaojin's boots.
It was the highest salute of the Barbarian tribes—reserved only for their Supreme Leader.
Lin Huaijue's heart hammered against his ribs. This can't be real.
Was the bounty on the Prince's head fake?
Does the Dongqi Army not kill Barbarians every year?
Was the capture of 200 Barbarian nobles a lie?
Has the Prince of Dongqi already rebelled?
Sweat soaked Lin Huaijue's clothes, and a warm wetness spread through his trousers.
A booming voice snapped him out of his daze.
"This General greets Your Highness the Heir! May Your Highness enjoy eternal health!"
Lin Huaijue's jaw dropped, his mouth hanging open in shock.
It's over, he thought, staring in horror.
He really IS a traitor!