An hour later, Xu Junyuan arrived at the palace. He was led by the eunuch to the Imperial Garden, where he saw not the Emperor but saw a pair of outstanding men.

Xu Junyuan was not at all surprised. On the contrary, he was even able to talk cheerfully and joke with the, “Ever was it that great beauties accompanied heroes. Seeing the two of you from afar, I must be forgiven for thinking I have entered into some painting of a beauty. If Imperial Physician Lin had worn plain white, enhancing each other’s beauty with this winter snowscape, that would have been even better.” As he said that, he nodded his greeting to the two of them, “Greetings, General Gu, Doctor Lin.”

Lin Qingyu went straight to the point. “I invited the National Teacher to the Palace because I would like for you to perform a divination for General Gu.”

Xu Junyuan raised his eyebrows. “It was actually Imperial Physician Lin who called me? But the officials who came to Changsheng Temple clearly said that it was the Emperor who wished to see me. Is there some sort of misunderstanding?”

Gu Fuzhou said: “What’s the difference? The Emperor is occupied with a myriad of state affairs. Naturally, he cannot attend to everything personally. My wife and I are acting under orders. Is there something the National Teacher is dissatisfied with?”

Xu Junyuan said in a playful tone. “I would not dare. May I ask Imperial Physician Lin, what regarding the General would you wish me to divine?”

Lin Qingyu said, “I would like the National Teacher to divine for the General what you divined for my late husband, Young Master Hou.”

Xu Junyuan looked embarrassed: “This… I’m afraid it would be improper.”

Lin Qingyu’s eyes twitched. “And why would that be?”

“I perform only one divination for each matter, that’s all. I used Jiang Gongzi’s Eight Characters to find out whether he was destined to die two years ago. That was the divination.” Xu Junyuan’s expression remained as usual while he mentioned the name ‘Jiang Gongzi’, as though it were already a consensus among the three of them. “Now, General Gu wishes for a divination on the same matter. Might I ask, is General Gu intending to use his own Eight Characters or Jiang Gongzi’s? If it is the former, General Gu already died in battle two years ago. If it is the latter, using the same Eight Characters to forcibly perform a divination would be akin to catching the moon on the water.”

Lin Qingyu sneered, “As expected, the National Teacher all-knowing.”

“Doctor Lin offers undue praise.” Xu Junyuan said with a smile, “I simply know a little more than others.”

“Being in possession of such superhuman skill, why can you not perform two divinations?”

Xu Junyuan said, “The Way of Heaven is not for us to see. To be able to see it one, is already a blessing. Repeated scrying might well result in disaster.”

“Ridiculous.” Lin Qingyu said coldly, “I must insist that you perform a divination today.”

Xu Junyuan was helpless. “As I have already said, were I to forcibly perform a divination what we gleam will not be of the Way of Heaven.”

“Qingyu.” Gu Fuzhou grabbed Lin Qingyu, “Talking with him is useless.”

Last year, on the anniversary of Lu Wancheng’s death, Lin Qingyu woke up in the middle of the night, completely distraught. It took a lot for Gu Fuzhou to able to coax him. He even wrote him a letter of guarantee. What Lin Qingyu didn’t know was that Gu Fuzhou went to Changsheng Temple alone the next day, insisting that Xu Junyuan perform a divination for him; he practically had his blade to Xu Junyuan’s neck. Regardless, all he got were the same excuses as today’s.

Lin Qingyu swept his eyes away coldly. “You already knew?”

Gu Fuzhou was noncommittal. He said, “If the National Teacher truly knew all about life and death, he should just change his name to Xu ‘Book of Life and Death‘ Junyuan. In the end, all he is is just another mortal. The things he can know of are limited.”

Xu Junyuan smiled and said, “As expected of one who has gone through life and death. The General truly sees things clearly. Life and death, wealth and poverty -- these are all destined. I hope that Imperial Physician Lin will not insist.”

Lin Qingyu’s gaze turned sharp. “Despite your wishes, I’ve already insisted many times. What’s one more?”

Xu Junyuan said, “Then all I can ask is for Imperial Physician Lin to trust Jiang Gongzi. He was chosen by Heaven, travelling from afar. Naturally, he has his own strengths. Although I cannot divine Gu Fuzhou’s fate, I am willing to believe in Jiang Gongzi. The favored son of Heaven will be unexpectedly rescued from desperate situations.”

“The National Teacher is still the same.” Gu Fuzhou groaned, “Listen to your words is ten years of study in vain.”

Xu Junyuan said with a hearty smile, “You flatter me. You simply flatter me.”

Gu Fuzhou had yet to express his position about undertaking a military expedition. More and more letters to Emperor asking for battle assignment reached Lin Qingyu’s hands. Most of these officers were generals below fourth rank. Each with their own merits and drawbacks. They were suitable to lead the vanguard but they were hardly commander-in-chief material. One of them caught Gu Fuzhou’s attention—Wu Youyuan, Wu Guogong’s grandson, a seventeen-year-old general, who was currently training in the Imperial Guards.

“Wu Youyuan?” Gu Fuzhou said, “Wu Guogong’s grandson?”

“Yes, that’s him.” Lin Qingyu asked, “Do you recognize him?”

“I’ve met him once or twice. The little guy’s quite handsome. And he’s a General Gu fanboy. This person was mentioned in the extras for “Huai’s Refusal of the Monarch”. It is said that Wu Youyuan inherited Gu Fuzhou’s last wish and led Xixia’s fall within ten years. I once entertained the thought of recommending him to be sent to the Northwest, but he was too young. He wasn’t developed yet. In the original book, he suffered numerous defeats in his youth. It was only past the age of twenty-five when he became increasingly steady, gradually revealing his talent as a general.”

Lin Qingyu said: “Seventeen years old, the same age as when you first came to the Dayu.”

Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, “Yeah. When I was seventeen, I was raising birds and playing Touhu in the Hou’s Mansion. While here we have someone already thinking about winning honor on the battlefield.”

Lin Qingyu asked, “Do you want him to go?”

Gu Fuzhou said, “Given his current qualifications, he certainly qualified to command but being a vanguard shouldn’t be a problem.”

After Lin Qingyu weighed the matter and said, “If he wants to go then take him with him. If he stays in the capital, he won’t be able to reach the heights he had in the original book. One doesn’t attain something like that without experiencing the storm. When you arrive in the Northwest, look after him a bit. Don’t let him tread the same old road and act rashly for the sake of momentary impetuousness.”

Gu Fuzhou grasped the main point. “So, you’re agreeing to let me go?”

Lin Qingyu said indifferently, “Whether I agree or not, wouldn’t you still go?”

Gu Fuzhou gave a low laugh and said, “Life is already so difficult as is. There are some things that Doctor Lin shouldn’t expose.”

Early the next morning, in the main hall, Gu Fuzhou, down on one knee, said sternly, “During this time of great peril for the Dayu, this minister is willing to put his own life on the line to keep the Northwest safe. This minister, Gu Fuzhou, asks for battle assignment.”

As soon as the words were out, the military officers were filled with joy. Wu Zhan clenched his fists in excitement. “I knew it! I knew it! What did I say? General Gu would never simply sit back and watch!”

“With General Gu in the Northwest, retaking Yong Liang will be just around the corner!”

“General Gu, you must cut out the tongues of those Xixia scoundrels to avenge General Zhao!”

Wu Guogong showed a gratified smile. The corners of Xi Rong’s lips ticked up silently, a secret calculation flashed in his eyes. Even the Empress Dowager Wen had an expression of relief.

Everyone was happy that Gu Fuzhou had taken the initiative to ask for a battle assignment. Only Lin Qingyu, standing behind the dragon chair, looked down at the ministers, his eyes gloomy.

The emperor’s imperial countenance looked well-pleased. He immediately granted Gu Fuzhou’s request for assignment. Furthermore, he appointed Wu Youyuan as vanguard.

There wasn’t much time left until Xixia’s threatened day of slaughter. The Son of Heaven gave Gu Fuzhou three days to prepare. Three days later, Gu Fuzhou would lead the reinforcements from the capital to the Northwest.

Before the expedition, Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou each had important things to do. The servant on night duty have not brought hot water to the Masters’ bedroom for many nights. It can easily be seen where these two’s thoughts were.

At that time, the General’s Mansion, rather than be gloomy and dismal was actually blanketed in an atmosphere of awe. Huan Tong and most of the household thought that the General’s expedition was a matter of lofty sentiments and great aspirations. They believed he would return triumphantly in the future. While women like Hua Lu worried about sightless blades on the battlefield — after all, the General’s numerous wounds didn’t simply appear out of nowhere. However, they couldn’t do much. All they could do was a lot more care into the stitches they sewed on the General’s clothes.

Lin Qingyu met two people in succession in the Mansion. One Hu Ji. Hu Ji used to be the favored Imperial Physician of the former crown prince and Chen Shi but these two parted from the former Emperor. Concubine Chen moved to Jinyang Garden and with no prince or concubine in the palace, Hu Ji found himself with a lot more time on his hands. Part of his time was spent on treating the palace maids and eunuchs.

Lin Qingyu asked Hu Ji if he would be willing to accompany the army as their medic. Hu Ji agreed instantly. The Northwest has just experienced several major defeats and along with it countless casualties. This was where his skills would be best put to use. As a doctor, Hu Ji would advance courageously to wherever he was needed.

Hu Ji’s medical skills dwarfed most of his peers’. Moreover, he has been Lin Qingyu’s good friend for many years. Lin Qingyu could trust him. After that, Lin Qingyu wrote another letter and asked Zhang Shiquan to take it Zhu Yongxin in Shuzhou. When Shen Huaishi bid him goodbye, he told him that Zhu Yongxin would know his whereabouts should he seek him out for something in the future.

Shen Huaishi, though unversed in the art of war, was skilled in martial arts. He has spent his life learning skills of assassination of protection needed to serve as shadow guard to the royal family. If he was willing to go to the Northwest to help Gu Fuzhou, Lin Qingyu would be greatly relieved.

While Lin Qingyu was exhausting all this thoughts and ingenuity, the numerous military officers were at the cavalry camp, holding a farewell dinner for Gu Fuzhou. Drinking alcohol was not allowed in the barracks, so they simply roasted a freshly slaughtered fattened sheep and used tea instead of wine; wishing the general a great victory and triumphant return.

From the looks of them, it seemed that they genuinely felt that as long as the undefeated Gu Fuzhou goes to the Northwest, all the problems would be solved.

Wu Guogong patted Gu Fuzhou on the shoulder and said, “Brother Fuzhou, I will be entrusting my incompetent grandson to you. That kid has been learning the ways of the battlefield with me since he was a child. He has some real ability. On his first campaign, I’m not asking that he make any grand accomplishments, only that he not hold you back.”

Gu Fuzhou responded with a slight smile but in his heart he was urging Wu Youyuan to grow quickly so that he could take him to win while lying down.

“General, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that you were…you were…” Wu Zhan heaved a great sigh and said, ashamed, “I hope that the General, in his moral superiority, not take to heart the offenses made by a base person such as myself. I ask that you not lower yourself to my level, to that of boor.”

Gu Fuzhou said, “Of course. But I need you to stay in the capital and help me with something.”

“The General need but command, I shall shrink from no sacrifice!”

Gu Fuzhou cast him a meaningful look and Wu Zhan readily took the hint. The two moved away from the crowd and went to a secluded place. Gu Fuzhou said, “I’m going to the Northwest and I do not know when I will return. Truly, I worry about leaving my wife alone in the capital.”

“Is the General talking about Imperial Physician Lin?” Wu Zhan couldn’t understand. “Imperial Physician Lin is favored by both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. What could possibly happen to him?”

Gu Fuzhou said slowly, “I too hope that I am simply thinking too much. But just in case, I wish to leave him a ‘blade’ in the capital to protect him well.”

“A blade?” Wu Zhan said with a bitter face, “General, if you have something to say, just say it directly. My mind is not one for twists and turns.”

Gu Fuzhou lowered his voice, “I want you to hide a group of soldiers in the capital for me.”

For hot-blooded men, tea was fundamentally unsatisfying. Some people suggested that they take a page of out the scholars’ book and commission a pleasure boat on the Jinshui River. They would order a few pots of good wine and find some beautiful singers to entertain everyone. Everyone agreed. But when they went to ask General Gu’s opinion, hair nor hide of the General could be found in the barracks.