Qin's Moon: Yang Shi's Long Song

Han Fei brought a jug of wine with him. He brought no books, no ink, and no paper. After entering, he placed the wine jug on the table in the elegant room, sat down by the window, and said, "I won't write today."

Zi Nu then came up, carrying four cups, which she placed one by one on the table. Yang Hui was the third to arrive. He glanced at the wine and cups on the table as he entered, then sat down opposite Han Fei without saying a word. Zhang Liang was the last. He walked upstairs faster than usual, pushed open the door, and sat down to the side and slightly behind Han Fei, without carrying any bamboo slips.

Han Fei glanced at the four people present—Zi Nu sat on a low stool by the door, without leaning against the table; Yang Hui sat opposite him, his hands resting on his knees; Zhang Liang sat down to his side and slightly behind, his back straight. He reached for the wine pot, lifted the lid, and poured wine into all four cups. After pouring, he placed the wine pot back on the table and said, "I called you here today to discuss something."

Zi Nu said, "You speak."

"I've already stated what I'm going to do—write a book that will allow the law to stand firm." Han Fei picked up his cup but didn't drink. "I also know what Yang Hui is going to do—destroy Qin and change the way we live."

He paused, put down the cup, and looked at Zi Nu: "But I can't do it alone. Writing a book requires someone to be there to supervise, lest I go astray."

He looked at Yang Hui: "To destroy Qin, you need someone standing behind you when you draw your sword."

He glanced at Zhang Liang one last time: "Copying books also requires someone to memorize what has been copied."

He picked up the cup again and offered it to the three of them: "Loose, flowing, unfixed—but when it gathers, it can engulf everything. Quicksand. That's the name I came up with. Would you like to come in?"

Zi Nu was the first to pick up the cup. She didn't say "good" or "bad." After picking it up, she didn't drink from it, but simply held it in her hands, as if feeling the temperature of the cup.

Yang Hui was the second to pick up his glass. He said, "I have another senior classmate. He might not come. But if he does, he'll be here before me."

Zhang Liang was the last to move. He hesitated for a moment as he picked up the cup—not because he didn't want to, but because, in that instant, a question crossed his mind. He didn't speak after picking it up, staring at the surface of the wine. It was as if he was confirming what this action meant, and then he placed it in the same position as the other three cups, like pushing a rook to its proper place on a chessboard.

Han Fei looked at the three cups, then raised his own and gently touched the rim to the ground. "Quicksand. Starting tonight."

He took a sip. Zi Nu followed suit with a sip. Yang Hui took a sip. Zhang Liang also took a sip. After the four of them finished drinking, there was no banging on the table, no cheering, no high-fiving. They simply put down their cups, as if they had done something extremely ordinary, something they should have done.

Han Fei placed the empty wine cup on the table and glanced at the night view of Xinzheng outside the window. He said, "What's next?"

Yang Hui said, "I'm waiting for someone."

"How long?"

"Three days."

Han Fei nodded. "Three days. Enough for you to set up a game of chess. Not enough for me to write a chapter."

Zi Nu stood up to collect the cups, and as she walked to the door, she turned her head and said, "You two continue chatting. I'll go downstairs and close the door."

After she left, Yang Hui looked at Han Fei and asked, "When Zhang Xiang came to see you that day, you said you were waiting for someone—that when that person arrived, you would be able to answer Zhang Liang's question. Do you know who that person is now?"

Han Fei picked up the empty wine jug, shook it, and saw that it was empty. He looked at Yang Hui and said, "I thought we could answer the questions once you arrived. But it turns out we can only answer them together once we're both here."

He put down the wine jug, stood up, and dusted off his sleeves. "Your senior brother will arrive in three days; only then will Quicksand truly possess a sword. I'll tell you the answer then."

He left the elegant room. Zhang Liang remained seated. Looking at Han Fei's empty seat, he murmured, "The law cannot be abandoned because of a person… but what if the person is bad?"

Yang Hui glanced at him but didn't answer. He simply said, "Three days from now, if someone can answer you, listen to their answer."

Zhang Liang nodded, stood up, and followed him out of the elegant room. Yang Hui was the last to leave. He sat at the table, looking at the arrangement of the four empty cups on it—Zi Nu's cup was by the door, Han Fei's cup was by the window, Zhang Liang's cup was next to where he was sitting, and his own cup was in the very center.

The chessboard of quicksand is already set up. The chessboard is Han Fei's law, and the pieces are Zi Nu's connections, Zhang Liang's memories, and Yang Hui's sword. There is one piece yet to be placed on the board. That piece is outside the city, in the autumn wind, in the sheath of a horizontal sword.

It will fall in three days.

Yang Hui stood up and walked out of the elegant room. The night breeze from Xinzheng flowed in through the window at the end of the corridor, blowing on his face, carrying the scent of distant lands. He stood in the corridor for a moment, hearing the sound of Zi Nu bolting the door downstairs, hearing Zhang Liang's footsteps fading into the distance, and hearing the sound of water boiling in the kitchen. The Purple Orchid Pavilion, in this night, was enveloped by the loosening force of the shifting sands.

He returned to his room, lay down, and closed his eyes. Outside the window, the city of Xinzheng awaited him quietly and silently. Three days later, a man would enter the city through the north gate.

At that point, the first move of this game will truly be decided.