FAN YUN STILL VIVIDLY remembered that gloomy day.
A misty rain had been falling from the sky as he'd sat alone by the roadside, conducting divinations beneath a thatched roof, when a young man in coarse clothes had approached him. He had closed his broken umbrella and sat down opposite Fan Yun. But Fan Yun was immersed in the small array he'd laid out with wooden sticks; he ignored the newcomer.
The stranger watched for a while before speaking. "You should add a defensive line at the position of xun."13
Fan Yun was holding a wooden stick in his hand, about to place it at xun. Surprised that the young man's thoughts so neatly matched his own, he finally raised his head to get a look at him. "You've studied divination?"
The young man shook his head. "I've merely read The Six Yin of the Sublime Grotto by Huang Shigong, but there were many parts I failed to understand."
He'd read the book with incomplete understanding, yet he'd already achieved this level of skill. Geniuses really did exist. Fan Yun had a fondness for talented people. He examined the young man's sickly complexion and his listless air, then shook his head. "You're fated to achieve great things, yet you find yourself beset by constant misfortune. Crises atop crises, danger atop danger. This is especially hard on your family and friends. The closer someone is to you, the more they will suffer."
The young man was unruffled. "It's as you say. But I don't believe in fate."
"You're young and energetic now," said Fan Yun. "You believe the will of man can overcome the will of the heavens. What you don't yet know is that one's fate is a difficult thing to change."
"I've never thought of changing my fate," the young man said mildly. "I simply don't believe in it. What the heavens wish to do to me is their business; what path I choose to walk is mine. There's no connection between the two."
Fan Yun had never met anyone like this young man before. Everyone he'd ever known either strongly believed in fate and organized their life around it—looking for good luck while running from the bad, taking care in everything they did—or had been resolute in rejecting its influence. But this man did neither. He simply refused to cooperate.
What fate would befall a person like that?
Suddenly Fan Yun was interested. "What's your name? What do you do for a living?"
"Cui Buqu. I did business—trading—with my foster father. He passed away last month."
"Why not come with me? The arts, astronomy, geography, writing, and divination. I can teach you all these subjects and many more."
"I won't become anyone's disciple."
"That's fine."
***
A look of nostalgia came over Fan Yun as he recalled the past. "Though not in name, we're master and disciple in all ways that matter. You're one of the most talented men I've ever met. If your health hadn't prevented you from learning martial arts, you'd probably be a practitioner on par with Yuan Sansi."
Yuan Sansi laughed at being used as a benchmark. "No one is perfect, as the saying goes. Xianzhi became the Zuoyue Bureau's chief at an extremely young age, and Dugu Qieluo views him as her confidant. He's already a titan. If he were as skilled with the sword as he is with the pen, even the heavens would grow jealous!"
The more amiable they pretended to be, the more warning bells rang in Cui Buqu's heart. Fan Yun could have come to Cui Buqu at any time and spoken these words if he wanted to recruit him. But that would have been too mundane a method, and far less effective than what they were doing now: setting a trap and waiting for Cui Buqu to fall into it, wearing down his morale, then offering him rewards and appealing to sentiment.
The appearance of Fan Yun and Yuan Sansi was surely only the beginning. The Thirteen Floors of Yunhai must have more tricks up their sleeve. Something was lurking at the back of Cui Buqu's mind, eager to come to the forefront. He squashed it. "Since you wish you to recruit me, shouldn't you do the same for my three companions?" he asked flatly.
Yuan Sansi's lips curved in a knowing smile. He looked at Cui Buqu for a long moment before answering. "There's no rush."
Cui Buqu frowned. It was a fleeting motion, gone in an instant, but Yuan Sansi drew the obvious conclusion: The chief of the Zuoyue Bureau, a man of relentless logic and reason, was finally experiencing a rare moment of uncertainty.
From the minute he'd set foot in Boling, it had been inevitable. Yuan Sansi smiled softly. He looked forward to seeing Cui Buqu's expression when he realized the truth.
Fan Yun was still speaking. "Buqu, you were blessed with an immense talent for administration, practically the reincarnation of Zhang Liang himself.14 Would it not be a pity to limit yourself to leading the Zuoyue Bureau? Perhaps Yang Jian values your talent, but he doesn't see you as a pillar of his nation the way he does his prime minister and generals. If he did, you'd be part of the Department of State Affairs by now. You were born frail and have suffered your entire life. If you continue to exhaust yourself with all this plotting and running about, you'll die before your time."
Cui Buqu lowered his lashes, concealing his eyes from Fan Yun. Even ants strove to stay alive. No one was willing to die, especially not someone like Cui Buqu, who held such immense authority.
If one lost their life, what good was authority?
"What are the goals of the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai? If there's someone you wish to make emperor, at least let me meet him so I can judge how capable he is for myself," said Cui Buqu.
"You'll find out once you join us," said Fan Yun. "Didn't you come up against Duan Qihu in Qiemo? He dominated the northwest for decades and was a man of great ability, yet even he only ranked twelfth."
"And what about you, Xiansheng? What rank do you and Yuan Sansi hold?"
Fan Yun didn't keep him in suspense. "Yuan Sansi is fourth, Si-xiansheng. I am third, San-xiansheng. Go Un, the leader of the Buyeo Sect who died at the hands of the Jiejian Bureau's Deputy Chief Feng, was fifth, Wu-xiansheng."
"Two mighty talents, yet you rank only third and fourth. If I join the Thirteen Floors, I fear they'll give me Duan Qihu's empty seat and no more."
Fan Yun smiled. "Yuan Sansi and I personally came to recruit you. That shows how much our pavilion leader esteems you. If you join us, he'll give you a rank higher than us old men, not lower. The Thirteen Floors overflow with talents, and the scale on which they operate is far beyond what you imagine. You've experienced it yourself. You went to such pains to eradicate Duan Qihu, and the Sui dynasty declared it a great achievement. But for the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, Duan Qihu was no more than a disposable chess piece."
Cui Buqu smiled. "Not only did I eradicate Duan Qihu, I also rooted out the Prince of Jin's confidant, Yuxiu, not to mention his double, Yuheng. There's also the leader of the Buyeo Sect, Go Un. You lost a great many men to me during the rebellion at Qingli Garden, and yet you're accepting me with open arms. I fear I'll suffer your vengeance if I join."
"There's no need to worry about that," said Fan Yun. "I called Duan Qihu disposable, but that Go Un was something else. Leading the Buyeo Sect made him arrogant; he often disobeyed orders. He was also a Goguryeon: a foreigner. That man couldn't be trusted. You did us a favor by removing him. We needed someone more trustworthy to take over the Buyeo Sect, and now they will."
Studying Fan Yun's brightly smiling face, Cui Buqu's heart sank.
"Buqu," Fan Yun patiently continued, "you're a clever person. Upstanding men should speak frankly: I've strongly recommended you to the pavilion leader, and he admires you greatly as well. Compared to that two-faced hypocrite Yang Jian, I believe the pavilion leader would make a better emperor. He's a broad-minded man with extraordinary abilities. He won't hold a grudge over what you've done until now. In fact, he admires the clear-minded ruthlessness with which you face down your enemies. You merely served your master loyally, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're willing to join us, what's past will be forgiven, written off in a single stroke."
"So I didn't guess wrong," said Cui Buqu.
Fan Yun was taken aback. "What?"
"You do resent Yang Jian."
Fan Yun hesitated, then sneered. "Yang Jian has thousands of enemies. Whether I number among them makes little difference. But you are my disciple. I won't harm you."
"Considering that I'm here now, I fear it no longer matters whether or not I'm willing."
"Do you remember the first time we met, and I divined your fate by reading your face? Yang Jian's fate is that of a king. He was born into luxury, yet his features tell me he won't meet his end from old age or illness, but some other misfortune. The imperial court is at its peak now, but it too has an inauspicious future. As prosperous as the Sui are today, they share the fate of Yang Jian—they won't continue beyond the second generation. Yang Jian is destined to end his life in desolation, and his descendants will fare no better. You learned almost every discipline while at my side. The only one you refused to study was divination. Still, you were exposed to it every day; you can't have failed to pick some things up. You must know I speak the truth."
"In that case, Xiansheng's new master must be a dragon and phoenix among men, blessed from birth with the fate of becoming emperor?"
Fan Yun nodded. "He is. The pavilion leader is not just a master of pen and sword—it is his fate to be a dragon soaring through the heavens in immeasurable glory."
Cui Buqu was growing tired of this talk. After a moment's silence, he heaved a sigh. "Since we've come this far, Xiansheng, I'll be blunt. If I wanted to join the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai, what kind of application would I need to submit? If you want me to assassinate Yang Jian, I fear it's impossible."
Fan Yun had been waiting for just this question. He smiled. "Yang Jian will of course be dealt with; your help is not needed there. However, Yang Jian's wife, Lady Dugu, is unyielding, no less so than a man. Even if we eliminate Yang Jian, she'll be a threat to us as long as she remains alive. Dugu trusts you implicitly—you have more opportunities to get close to her than anyone else. This is where you will lend us a hand, becoming the bridge by which we reach her. Once this matter is concluded, I will apply to the pavilion leader and nominate you for the position of deputy leader. You will rank above everyone else and answer only to him. When he ascends the throne, you'll be a king in all but name. Won't you then be able to enjoy a far more carefree life? Those who treated you callously, like the Cui family, will beat their chests and weep in remorse."
"These are empty promises," Cui Buqu said calmly. "You know they aren't enough to tempt me."
Fan Yun smiled. "Then what about a rare treasure that can repair your body, the Jade of Heaven Lake?"
Cui Buqu frowned.
Fan Yun glanced toward Yuan Sansi, who stood and went over to the stone wall, his hand groping among the night pearls inlaid in its surface. The ground rumbled, and the tile beneath his foot sank. He bent to the ground and produced a small box from a hidden recess. Yuan Sansi pulled back the lid. In the center, nestled on a bed of thick brocade, was an object. A stone as clear as crystal, shimmering in the dim light.
"You've seen the Jade of Heaven Lake with your own eyes," said Fan Yun. "You must know the object before you is authentic. Though this stone cannot completely cure your illness, it can prolong your life by several decades. This is the greatest gesture of sincerity I can offer."
Feng Xiao had long since turned over the Jade of Heaven Lake to the imperial court. How could it be here? If some mishap had occurred during transport, or if someone had stolen it from the palace after it arrived, Cui Buqu would have heard about it.
Yet this jade was the genuine article. He clearly remembered its texture, size, and shape; it was impossible for a second, identical stone to exist. Even the interior of the stone was the same, with that pool of icy blue-green at its center.
There could be only one explanation: a traitor. Someone who had been working against him ever since they'd arrived in Boling, or perhaps even earlier.
"Feng Xiao," whispered Cui Buqu.