The three words Qin Prince Residence struck Hong Chengchou harder than any battlefield cannon.
For a brief instant, terrifying phrases flashed through his mind.
Royal rebellion.
Prince uprising.
Civil war.
The Jingnan precedent.
These were not minor disturbances. These were events that shook dynasties to their core.
Even a man as composed as Hong Chengchou felt a thin layer of cold sweat form on his forehead.
Then, almost immediately, he remembered Mi Qingli was standing in front of him.
A Minister of War sweating in panic would not look dignified.
That would not do.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hong noticed a small ornamental pond in the garden.
His body shifted.
In a blink, he was at the pond's edge.
In another blink, a handkerchief dipped into cool water.
In a final blink, the moisture was wiped clean from his brow.
He returned to Mi Qingli's side as though he had never moved.
Mi Qingli blinked.
For a moment he thought he had seen Hong rush away in agitation.
Now the Minister stood serene again.
Perhaps it had been his imagination.
Hong's voice was low and controlled.
"You are telling me that the Qin Prince is rebelling. That he is secretly detaining court officials. That you and I were both seized for this reason."
Mi Qingli nodded vigorously.
"Yes."
Hong continued.
"And he has colluded with former bandits to do so."
Mi Qingli's eyes widened.
"That makes sense. The bandits who once ravaged Sichuan and the Central Plains were crushed by this faction. They captured many bandit leaders. They claimed it was reform through labor. In truth they must have absorbed them as enforcers."
Hong's expression darkened.
"This is extremely dangerous."
Mi Qingli lowered his voice further.
"That is not the strangest part."
"What else."
"I witnessed something myself."
"Speak."
"They have divine assistance. A deity cast down an enormous chicken wing from the heavens. I tasted it. It was delicious."
Silence followed.
Hong Chengchou stared at him.
If not for the absurd final sentence, Mi Qingli's report would have sounded grave and coherent.
Now it bordered on lunacy.
Hong slowly turned his gaze away.
Perhaps the prolonged detention had damaged the man's mind.
Before he could respond, footsteps entered the garden.
A group of men walked in carrying trays filled with food.
It was evening.
Hong suddenly realized how hungry he was. The anesthetic must have kept him unconscious for many hours. His stomach felt hollow.
One of the men delivering the trays wore the uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
He smiled brightly.
"Captain Mi. Minister Hong. Tonight's meal is excellent. Tianzun has bestowed a rare delicacy from the heavens. It is called Wang Zhong Wang sausage."
Hong blinked.
Mi Qingli lit up.
"That is my favorite."
He rushed forward and took a tray.
From the surrounding houses, more than twenty men emerged. They were Mi Qingli's subordinates, all detained here. They gathered around the stone tables in the garden and began distributing the dishes.
Hong took a tray as well and sat across from Mi Qingli.
Curiously, the man who delivered the food also sat down. He bowed politely toward Hong.
"Minister Hong. I am responsible for the Xi'an sector of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My surname is Tie. You may call me Captain Tie."
Hong's eyes narrowed.
"Xi'an."
"Yes."
"So we are in Xi'an."
"You are currently a guest in the rear garden of the Qin Prince Residence in Xi'an."
Hong processed this calmly.
Mi Qingli had not been delirious.
He lifted a small cube of sausage with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. The taste was unlike anything he had experienced before. Savory. Rich. Strangely refined.
He chewed slowly.
"Captain Tie. Based on what I observe, the Qin Prince Residence is engaged in treason. Ministerial officials have been detained. You admit participation."
"Yes."
The admission was immediate.
Hong felt a flicker of irritation. Such openness bordered on mockery.
"You dare openly imprison the Minister of War. Your confidence suggests significant military strength. How many troops do you command."
Captain Tie shook his head.
"With Tianzun's protection, troop numbers are secondary. We do not prioritize numbers. We prioritize whether the people can pass through national transformation without suffering from war."
Hong's brows furrowed.
"National transformation. Bold words."
"You traveled from Ningxia. You passed through Yan'an. You boarded a train. Did you not observe change along the way."
That sentence struck Hong more deeply than any accusation.
He had indeed noticed changes.
Infrastructure improvements.
Disciplined local governance.
Unusual prosperity in certain regions.
He had not allowed himself to dwell on it.
Hong replied evenly.
"Is this the appropriate time for transformation. The Jurchens watch from the northeast. The Mongols raid the grasslands. Bandit remnants still lurk. Severe drought has left the people struggling. Western pirates harass the southeastern coast. If you choose this moment to rebel, you risk creating chaos that benefits only our enemies."
Captain Tie exhaled slowly.
"Tianzun revealed fragments of heavenly secrets. If transformation does not occur now, the realm will eventually fall into Jurchen hands. They will mismanage it. The nation will grow weak and poor. Centuries later, our people may even be labeled sick men. We cannot allow that path."
Hong remained silent.
Captain Tie continued.
"For Tianzun, it does not matter whose surname rules the throne. He is a celestial being. Mortal emperors do not affect him. What matters is whether the common people eat enough. Whether they avoid dying in wars. Whether our civilization endures for hundreds or thousands of years."
Hong wanted to dismiss this as madness.
Yet he knew the strength of the Jurchens. He knew the fragility of the court's finances. He knew reform was overdue.
He spoke carefully.
"Even if your prophecy holds truth, launching rebellion now invites disaster. Are you not afraid that bandits or the Jurchens will invade and seize the advantage. You would become eternal sinners."
Captain Tie smiled faintly.
"That is why we first subdued the Mongols."
Hong paused.
"Subdued."
"Yes."
"Then eliminated the major bandit threats."
"Yes."
"Next you plan to defeat the Jurchens."
"Yes."
"And only when external enemies are gone will you proceed further."
"That is correct."
Hong allowed himself a thin smile.
"Speaking is easy."
Captain Tie leaned forward slightly.
"Minister Hong. How long has it been since Mongol forces raided the Three Borders under your command."
The question struck like a hidden arrow.
Hong's mind raced.
The frequency of raids had indeed declined.
Supply caravans had reported unusual calm on certain routes.
Scouts had noted reduced activity among certain tribes.
He had attributed it to seasonal factors.
Or coincidence.
Or temporary weakness among the steppe confederations.
Captain Tie continued softly.
"The Mongol Heavenly Khan is currently swimming."
Hong blinked.
"Swimming."
"Yes."
"In what sense."
"In a heated pool."
Silence enveloped the table.
Mi Qingli leaned closer, whispering excitedly.
"I saw it myself. The Heavenly Khan enjoys modern bath facilities. He eats imported sausages. He signs trade agreements."
Hong stared at Captain Tie.
"You are claiming you have pacified the Mongols through luxury."
"Through leverage."
"You control their leadership."
"We influence their stability."
Hong placed his chopsticks down.
"If the Mongols are neutralized, it would explain the calm on the frontier."
Captain Tie nodded.
"The grasslands are quieter than reports suggest."
Hong's thoughts shifted rapidly.
If the Mongols were indeed contained.
If bandit leaders had been reformed rather than annihilated.
If infrastructure was expanding.
If financial reforms were underway quietly.
Then what appeared as rebellion might instead be staged consolidation.
He spoke slowly.
"You isolate key officials to prevent interference."
"Yes."
"You buy time."
"Yes."
"You aim to restructure without triggering total war."
"Yes."
Hong studied the faces around him.
These were not frenzied revolutionaries.
They were organized.
Disciplined.
Confident.
"Do you truly believe you can defeat the Jurchens."
Captain Tie's answer was calm.
"They are strong cavalry. We are building stronger industry."
Hong did not laugh.
Industry.
Firearms.
Rail transport.
Supply chains.
These were advantages that frontier warfare had long lacked.
He folded his hands.
"If you fail, history will curse you."
"If we do nothing, history will erase us."
The garden grew quiet.
The detained officials continued eating around them, their conversation subdued but not desperate.
They were not chained.
They were not tortured.
They were paused.
Hong finally spoke.
"You are gambling the empire."
Captain Tie replied.
"No. We are hedging it."
Hong allowed a faint sigh.
"And what of me."
"You are part of the calculation."
"You expect me to cooperate."
"We expect you to observe."
"And if I refuse."
"You are free to argue."
Hong looked around once more.
The Qin Prince Residence.
Xi'an.
A garden prison that felt more like a controlled symposium.
Beyond these walls, armies maneuvered. Diplomacy shifted. Enemies evaluated weakness.
Or strength.
Hong Chengchou leaned back slightly.
"You claim the Mongol Heavenly Khan is swimming."
"Yes."
"Then I would like proof."
Captain Tie smiled.
"You will have it."
The night air cooled. Lanterns flickered to life around the garden. The scent of unfamiliar sausage lingered.
In the distance, unseen beyond stone walls, the future of the Great Ming turned quietly on unseen gears.
And somewhere far to the north, in water warmer than any steppe river, a khan adjusted to a world he did not fully understand.
The transformation had already begun.