Rising Phoenix

Silence filled the room and everyone fell into deep thought. The Tian Sheng Dynasty had learnt a serious lesson from Da Cheng’s failure, and in the late Dynasty’s last years, many powerful figures had severally raised rebellion, almost simultaneously, bringing chaos to the land. All this time since, the Tian Sheng Dynasty had been trying to isolate Da Yue, and guard against any outside influence entering and intermixing with Tian Sheng. Feng Zhiwei’s suggestion today challenged the fundamental foreign policy of the Tian Sheng Emperor and the current dynasty! This Wei Zhi dared to think, and dared to speak!

Da Cheng had dealt with barbarians for six hundred years, and every person in this room were recognized as the current dynasty’s most capable ministers. Naturally, everyone understood Feng Zhiwei’s advice: disseminating civilization, starting a war in order to command the peace, and using trade were the three main methods of suppressing and pacifying nomadic peoples, but each method had its limitation. The threat of the nomadic tribes constantly loomed over the central plains, and tough, warrior nomads were like weeds in the grass, impossible to root out with flame, returning again and again each year with the spring wind. After conquering and assimilating one nomadic tribe, another newer and tougher barbarian will appear. As one tribe falls, another rises, and permanent control is never achieved.

Once the soldiers start moving, what followed might be a long and attritious war, leaving the dynasty vulnerable to challenge from other powerful and aggressive political figures. When this happened, and the dynasty became entangled in conflict on multiple sides, resolution and return to peace would be a long and arduous affair. Once this happens once, which minister of the next generation would dare to propose such a solution?

Even now, to Tian Sheng’s southwest lay the flourishing Xi Liang Dynasty, secure in their link to the sea and famous for its salt production and commerce. Once war reached a stalemate, who could say whether Xi Liang would not take advantage of the fire to loot the burning house?

This responsibility was one that no one could carry, and even if the plan were good, no one dared support it.

“Have you not considered that once the nomadic people have embraced our central plain civilization, learned our technology, adopted our laws, and gained access to our national policy, they would become even more powerful?” After a long while, Hu Shengshan slowly replied.

“Intermarriage and trade relations can only ever be long term ambitions. Copying our central plain civilization is not something one can do in a morning and a night.” Feng Zhiwei smiled as she replied. “And other than Da Yue’s Hulun Steppes, there are also the Tie Le, Gu Ā, and Duo Shu tribes. All these tribes have been growing restless, and once we have defeating Da Yue, we can give aid to the other tribes and use the nomads to limit one another. In the next decade, Da Yue will not be able to resolve these difficulties and leave the steppes.”

“Furthermore.” Feng Zhiwei smiled, her soft and gentle temperament vanishing and a witty, brilliance rising in its place. “This Minor Minister has two goods that are certain to bring Da Yue under our dynasty’s control, and turn the wolf into a dog!”

“Oh?” The Tian Sheng Emperor replied, mood uplifted. To the side, Ning Yi suddenly squinted his eyes.

Feng Zhiwei’s eyes turned and she walked over to Ning Yi, sketching a small bow.

“Your Highness, would you mind lending me something?”

Ning Yi looked up and into Feng Zhiwei’s face. He could not read the young, masked girls face, nor decipher anything from her naturally misty eyes.

Their eyes met and both of them turned away. Ning Yi’s eyes fell to his sleeves, and indifferently responded. “Okay.”

He did not ask what the thing was, as if he had already figured out the request.

Feng Zhiwei smiled coldly, biting her lips.

The others did not understand the riddle in which the two were speaking and watched impatiently. Feng Zhiwei pointed to Ning Yi’s wrist and smiled. “I need to borrow Your Highness’s Buddha Beads.”

Ning Yi wore a moon-white silk robe lined with gold, the voluminous sleeves embroidered tastefully with green, five petal plum blossoms. His clear and elegant bear was dazzling, and the Buddha Beads on his wrist were completely hidden from view. The Tian Sheng Emperor smiled as he spoke,” Old Six, I never knew you were a layman. When did you start believing in the Buddha?”

“A couple days ago, Seventh Brother invite me and some of the other brothers to his mansion for a feast.” Ning Yi smiled as he replied. “At the feast, he gave everyone a string of Buddha Beads, telling us that these beads were part of the tribute from Xun Luo. If it is worn in the summer, it will protect the heart and clear the eyes, and prevent your body from sweating. This Minister Son wore it because I dislike the hot weather, not because I am a layman.”

As he spoke, he pulled back his sleeve, revealing the string of black Buddha Beads on his wrist. The color looked old and elegant and carried a faint fragrance. Just from a casual inspection, the bracelet was not a simple ornamentation, and hanging on Ning Yi’s jade wrist, even the solemn Buddhist adornment seemed to carry a beautiful allure.

He extended his hand forward, not moving to take the Buddha Beads off, smiling up at Feng Zhiwei, his eyes dancing with color beneath his thick, long eyelashes.

Feng Zhiwei watched him.

He stared back at her.

His wrist hung in the air, and he refused to take it back.

Feng Zhiwei silently grit her teeth, and conscious of the growing embarrassment from the stalemate, she carefully reached out, pinching with her fingers while avoiding touching his skin. As the ministers watched the exchange, Hu Shengshan suddenly laughed. “Mister Wei’s orchid fingers really have the flavor of a fine woman’s hand.”

Everyone laughed, and Feng Zhiwei could only awkwardly laugh along. “This subordinate is the first son in my family. My older brothers all died in their youth, and my parents were worried that I would not live to maturity, so they brought me up as a girl. I have let the great ones see something laughable.”

While she spoke, she moved quickly, her fingers brushing Ning Yi’s palm and pinching the string of beads when Ning Yi suddenly curling his fingers, gently touching her palm.

The touch was as soft as the touch of a floating feather, but it shocked Feng Zhiwei, and she subconsciously withdrew her hand, almost dropping the Buddha Beads in the process. Face burning, Feng Zhiwei’s eyes reddened as she comforted herself, assuring herself that the mask covered her blush.

Ning Yi laughed. “Mister Wei really is a detailed person, this careful even when taking off a string of Buddha Beads.”

The room laughed again, but this laughter was different, and while some of the ministers in the room still laughed amusedly, others chuckled with a gleam in their eyes.

A poor boy from a peasant family should not have such mannerism…

Feng Zhiwei looked into Ning Yi’s cold, smiling eyes and responded frankly. “Wei Zhi is from a humble family. Today I was fortunate enough to meet with Heaven’s Face and am being specially regarded by Prince Chu and the other mighty ministers. I cannot help but feel joy and trepidation, if I have acted frivolously, please forgive me, Prince Chu.”

“It is nothing.” Ning Yi smiled gently. “When I saw you here, I was also very happy, and my happiness also had some nervousness.”

The ministers began laughing and joking, but the Tian Sheng Emperor’s thoughts remained fixed on Feng Zhiwei’s wolf-taming idea, so though the exchange just now piqued his curiosity, he did not think any deeper.

“Your Imperial Majesty.” Feng Zhiwei quickly changed topic and stepped forward to present the Buddha Beads.” The two wolf-taming strategies lie in this.”

The Tian Sheng Emperor took the Buddha Beads into his hand and examined the strange, complex patterns inscribed into the beads and suddenly understand. “Geluk Lamaism?”

“Exactly.” Feng Zhiwei did not want to tarry a minute longer than necessary so she quickly explained. “Da Yue is rooted in the nomadic tradition, and their founding Khan Hu La is said to have believed in Lamaism, and even though Lamaism has declined and been suppressed by Shamanism, most of the royal families of Da Yue believe in Lamaism. This Minor Minister thought that we could use various methods to popularize Geluk Lamaism in Da Yue.”

“Then what?”

“There are three advantages. Firstly, Geluk Lamaism has “Two Forbidden Commandments,” with monks forbidden from marriage and child-bearing. Secondly, monks are not allowed to take part in agriculture. When many strong, young men shave their heads and join Lamaism, the population and military might of Da Yue will fall. Even if the monks return to secular life in war time, their time living the Buddha life will grind away their killing edge. Secondly, Lamaism believes in the Six Great Divisions of the Wheel of Karma, and command an ascetic practice in this life in preparation for the next, so they wish for their followers to retreat from public life and set down their worries about the present. Thirdly, Lamaism is preserved in the temple, and is not like Shamanism that can hold worship anywhere, and building temples will pull the nomads from their horses and ground them in place.”