Chapter 1: Where There Is an End, There Is a Beginning—The Way of Heaven
It was a dimly lit room.
Relying on the faint light of a candlestick and the moonlight streaming through the window, a young man was reading bamboo slips laid out on the table.
“Once, the Yan Dynasty ruled all under heaven.
The Yan Dynasty was a state of the Ji clan.
Its ruler, Emperor Zhou of Yan, was tyrannical, and all under heaven eventually rebelled against him.
In the east, there was the State of Yu.
It was a state of the Jiang clan, and its ruler was called Jiang You.
Knowing that the people of the world suffered under Emperor Zhou’s tyranny, Jiang You led his brothers and the feudal lords on a western campaign.
At the plains of Hequan, he defeated the Yan Dynasty.
The feudal lords wished for Jiang You to become the Son of Heaven.
Jiang You refused three times before accepting.
Thus began the Yu Dynasty.
Jiang You enfeoffed his brothers and the feudal lords across the continent.
In general, those who now bear the Jiang surname across the continent are all relatives of the Yu Dynasty—”
Beside him, on a bed, a small child lay wrapped in white cloth, sleeping peacefully.
At that moment, a middle-aged man entered.
He was the master of this house and the father of the child—Shi Wen.
He had a gentle face and the air of a slender, scholarly man.
“Surely, a newborn child cannot understand the ‘Records of Yu.'”
Shi Wen gave a wry smile.
However, the young man bowed respectfully and spoke with a serious expression.
“Humans often remember things from before they become self-aware, or even from when they were in their mother’s womb.
Or rather, perhaps it is better to say that what they see and hear during such times helps shape who they become.”
“I see, is that so?”
“At least, that is what I believe.
Whether it is true or not, I do not know, but having been entrusted with the upbringing of the young master, I wish to do anything that might aid his growth.”
The young man was a retainer of Shi Wen and also the tutor of Shi Lian, Shi Wen’s son.
That said, Shi Lian had only just been born, and Shi Wen had merely intended for him to be educated once he grew older.
Yet this retainer came day and night to read books aloud to the infant.
“I am grateful that you say so.
I have been blessed with a good retainer.
Lian, too, must be fortunate.”
“No.
This child will not be able to obtain the ordinary happiness of most people.”
The young man spoke ominous words.
Though they sounded almost like a curse, Shi Wen did not rebuke him.
Rather, he wore a bitter expression, as if he was aware of it himself.
“You truly are perceptive.
That is precisely why I can entrust Lian to you.”
Saying this solemnly, Shi Wen sat down before his retainer.
On this continent, there currently existed a dynasty called Yu.
Four hundred years ago, the Yan Dynasty, which had ruled all under heaven, gave rise to a tyrannical king.
Jiang You, the founder of the Yu Dynasty—posthumously titled King Wu—overthrew Yan and established Yu.
Shi Wen was the half-brother of the current King of Yu, Jiang Zhuan, and served as the Grand Historian of Yu.
The surname Shi was his clan name, and if one were to speak of his full name, it would be Jiang Wen.
Although he was the elder prince, his mother’s low status prevented him from becoming the crown prince.
The Shi clan had, for generations, held the position of court historians.
Moreover, they were of the Jiang surname.
For generations, they served as Grand Historians, overseeing all records of Yu.
At the time, the Shi clan had no heir, and since Shi Wen was intelligent, he was adopted into the clan to prevent issues of succession.
The rule of the Yu Dynasty had continued without major trouble—at least until before Jiang Zhuan.
Jiang Zhuan indulged in alcohol and women, neglecting state affairs.
Among his favored consorts was a woman named Xia Si.
A peerless beauty, she had completely captivated Jiang Zhuan, who obeyed her in all things.
In the end, he even established the child born between them as crown prince, deposing the previous one.
The former crown prince, styled Meng Fa, was born to a princess of Qin, a western feudal state.
Qin was descended from those who had contributed to the founding of Yu and had long supported its rule.
Enraged that the child of their princess had been unjustly deposed, Qin grew furious.
It seemed they were plotting something in the west.
Yet Jiang Zhuan ignored all such reports and continued to indulge himself with Xia Si in the harem.
—The fate of the Yu Dynasty was nearing its end.
Shi Wen had often thought so while at court.
A historian was an official concerned with history and did not interfere in politics.
However, as one who read historical records and documented daily events at court, he could see signs of a dying state in the various incidents occurring around him.
At this rate, he might one day have to write the line, “The Yu Dynasty fell,” with his own hands.
Carrying that resolve in his heart, he had lived until this day.
“Please entrust the young master to me.
And as for you, my lord, I ask that you fulfill your duty as the king’s elder brother without regret.”
“My duty as the king’s elder brother, you say?”
Shi Wen thought his retainer was rather strict with his master.
Shi Wen himself strongly identified as a historian.
Those who handle historical records must adhere to the principle of recording without fabrication.
They must not insert personal opinions, make arbitrary judgments, or write falsehoods, but instead calmly record only the facts.
He had been taught this by his late adoptive father, and he had resolved to live his life as a historian of Yu until the very end.
Thus, no matter what happened, he intended to remain amidst the turmoil of the Yu Dynasty, never directly intervening, and to leave behind an accurate record of events.
However, this retainer urged him to fulfill his duty as the king’s elder brother.
Naturally, when a dynasty faces the brink of destruction, those of royal blood should strive to prevent its fall.
The retainer was telling him that he should throw himself into the chaos and fight for the continuation of the Yu Dynasty.
He was admonishing Shi Wen for intending to live and die merely as a historian.
“But what can I, a mere historian, possibly do?”
“Courage is not only about throwing oneself into raging flames.
It is also courage to take what lies in the weaker parts of the fire and carry it away to safety.
If a dynasty is sustained by blood and lineage, then my lord should ensure that it does not perish, and wait from afar until the flames subside.”
In other words, he was advising him to approach one of the princes and send them away from the capital.
To abandon the current capital, Qiyou, give up on Jiang Zhuan, and when Qin attacked, let a prince escape, lie low, and restore Yu when the turmoil had passed.
Following this plan, Shi Wen began approaching the princes the very next day.
At the same time, he secretly gathered private soldiers in preparation for an emergency.
However, before these preparations could bear fruit, disaster struck.
Qin, allied with the western Rong tribes, the Zhuan, invaded Qiyou.
Shi Wen fought bravely in Qiyou until the very end and fell to enemy blades.
However, thanks to his efforts, one of the princes, Jiang Han, successfully escaped eastward.
Jiang Han stopped in the land of Guo, one hundred twenty li east of Qiyou, declared it the new capital of the Yu Dynasty, and proclaimed himself King of Yu.
This came to be known as the Eastern Migration of Yu.
On the night Qiyou was destroyed by the forces of Qin and Zhuan.
The young man, a retainer of the Shi family and tutor to Shi Lian, stood atop the ridges of Mount Qi, overlooking Qiyou.
Mount Qi lay to the east of Qiyou.
It was said that long ago, King Wu of Yu had stood here as the leader of the feudal lords and sworn an oath before overthrowing the tyrannical Yan Dynasty.
In that distant past, it was a place where King Wu, bearing great righteousness and the trust of all under heaven, gazed down upon the city.
Now, countless fires of war danced across it.
The armies of Qin and Zhuan had set Qiyou ablaze.
“That which rises will fall, and from its fall, something new is born.
‘Where there is an end, there is a beginning—this is the way of heaven.’”
Though the city he had lived in until yesterday was engulfed in flames and his master had died, the young man spoke in a strangely indifferent voice.
In his arms, Shi Lian cried loudly.
The young man quietly gazed at the infant’s face.
Yet, seeing the baby of his lord’s house wailing, his face reddened further by the flames of war, the young man thought:
‘As I thought, it is not something one should stare at too closely—another person’s face.’
Thinking this, he lifted his gaze to the sky.
As if mocking the bloody conflicts below, countless stars shone brilliantly in the deep blue night sky.
“The fate of the Yu Dynasty has not yet ended.
But powers will rise in the west, east, and south—so it seems.”
The young man, who possessed knowledge of star reading, observed the signs painted across the heavens and foresaw further turmoil engulfing the continent.
Of course, star reading did not depict everything in this world.
While it sometimes showed the rise and fall of nations as though predetermined, it could also project impossible anomalies upon the people below, like a mirage in the night sky.
Even so, he believed that the world would fall into chaos.
That alone was certain.
In later historical records, this year would be recorded as the twenty-sixth year of King Xu.
King Xu, Jiang Zhuan, was assassinated by the Zhuan, and Yu was forced into an unwilling relocation of its capital.