Chapter Four: Bear Dali

At this very moment, he finally no longer feared that he wouldn’t survive the winter. Yet he understood clearly that this was just the first step of a long journey.

“My identity might not withstand scrutiny, but given the era’s slow communications, any investigation wouldn’t come until spring next year. My best course is to firmly establish myself within the He family, so firmly that they won’t even feel the need to verify me.”

“That would be true security.”

“How can I achieve that?”

“By becoming indispensable to the He family. They must not be able to do without me.”

“That requires careful planning. For now, the first thing is to find a way to meet the person in charge of the Hou mansion. The marquis is at the front lines; the real authority in the household is Lady He. Only by meeting her can I take the next step.”

“But how exactly do I do that?”

He could only analyze the situation pragmatically and understand the mansion’s dynamics before making a move.

As He Zhong’an pondered, outside, Xiong Dali spoke up: “Third Young Master, there’s no more hot water.”

He Zhong’an felt the water in the basin growing cold. He had no choice but to get up and dress, asking Dali to pack up the basin.

After tidying up, Xiong Dali pulled out a small jar. From it, he scooped out a substance that looked like ointment, carefully applying it to He Zhong’an’s frostbitten areas.

“Third Young Master, this is a special frostbite ointment from the mansion. The eldest young lady asked me to bring it to you.”

He Zhong’an donned a simple white garment beneath a layer of cotton and allowed Dali to apply the ointment.

“Dali, how long have you been serving in the mansion?”

“My family has been servants here since my grandfather’s generation.”

“Servants,” He Zhong’an’s interest was piqued, catching the crucial point. “So you know the mansion well.”

“Of course.”

“Tell me about the household so I don’t offend the wrong people as a newcomer.”

Xiong Dali replied, “The Hou mansion has few taboos. The servants are all relatives of the household staff. Lady He is a good person. The marquis has two sons and two daughters. The eldest and second sons are with him at the front line, so you, Third Young Master, are effectively the third. There are also two young ladies: you’ve met the eldest, and the second is only seven—a clever little one.”

“As long as you don’t offend Lady He, there’s nothing serious.”

“What kind of person is Lady He?”

“Lady He comes from a military family; her father is the Duke of Juyan. The old Duke and the old Marquis were sworn brothers. But the Duke’s title was for life only. Lady He is generous and bold, her spirit no less than any man’s. Even the marquis fears her within the mansion.”

“But you don’t need to worry that Lady He will harm you. At worst, if she doesn’t like you, she’ll just pretend you don’t exist.”

He Zhong’an was speechless. He wasn’t sure if these words were meant as consolation or a warning.

He certainly didn’t want to be treated as invisible by Lady He.

He asked further about her character.

Xiong Dali described how she managed the household’s affairs with fairness and discipline.

Gradually, a vivid image of Lady He, Marchioness of Wuning, formed in He Zhong’an’s mind.

She reminded him of Madam She from the legendary Yang family generals—a matriarch strong enough to uphold a military household.

“That’s good,” He Zhong’an thought. Different people require different approaches. For women obsessed with inner palace intrigues, one tactic suffices; but for Lady He, another approach is needed.

“She doesn’t seem like a malicious woman of the inner chambers.”

“As long as I can demonstrate my talents and benefit the Wuning mansion, Lady He won’t ignore me.”

With his mind settled, He Zhong’an asked Xiong Dali about other matters.

Xiong Dali was a broad-shouldered man who looked like an iron tower. Yet he was simple-minded, straightforward, and somewhat rambling. He spoke whatever came to mind without reserve, revealing the He family’s situation in full.

He Zhong’an listened quietly, occasionally steering the conversation back on track.

After nearly half an hour, He Zhong’an finally understood the Wuning Marquis’s household.

The He family’s ancestors were hereditary commanders of the Yulin Guard, a prominent local clan. When the Qing dynasty entered China, chaos ensued. The He family defended Yulin and became minor local lords.

When the Great Xia dynasty’s founder conducted his northern campaign and secured Beijing, the He family surrendered and relocated to the capital, joining the Imperial Guards.

During the founder’s reign, the He family was not heavily favored.

When the second emperor campaigned northward, He Sheng, head of the He family, led over a thousand of his kin as volunteers. The emperor admired his valor and made them the vanguard.

He Sheng charged forward, breaking away from the main force, tailing the enemy cavalry, and killed the enemy’s young prince. The opposing khan was furious and brought over a hundred thousand riders to encircle them. He Sheng captured the Black Water Camp and held it for over ten days.

When the camp fell, they used their wagons as fortifications.

When provisions ran out, they killed horses for food.

In the end, only a hundred wounded remained. With no gunpowder left, they fought with knives, vowing never to surrender. Then the emperor’s main force arrived, crushing the tens of thousands of enemy riders and killing the khan and over a hundred princes. The steppe was pacified.

This became known as the Great Victory at Black Water Camp.

That was how the He family earned the title Marquis of Wuning.

Because of the battle’s horrors, many of He Sheng’s sons and nephews did not survive. The family’s genealogy was rewritten with a new motto: “The emperor values heroes; scholars are esteemed above all.” The depth of their grief was known only to themselves.

The world only knew the Wuning Marquis’s family as resilient warriors.

The saying went: “If you know you can endure hardship, endless suffering awaits.”

From then on, the Wuning Marquis’s family lived a life far different from their noble title.

Since the second emperor, through the third and fourth emperors to the present, over nearly a century, the Wuning family has fought in almost every war. Because they were descended from surrendered generals and not close to the royal family, they rarely reaped rewards, always left with scraps after battle. They bore the hardest fights, the bloodiest battles, with no spoils—always the He family at the front.

Though they earned merit, their suffering was far greater.

In Great Xia’s nobility system, titles were either inherited from founding heroes or granted for life. The He family, however, maintained their status for three generations through sheer battlefield merit.

In essence, the Wuning Marquis’s family was more Yulin Guard than He family.

Their military achievements and prudent acquisitions amassed estates in the east, west, and north—over twenty thousand acres.

These lands were all distributed to their servants—more than five hundred households—who paid nominal rent.

Each household had to provide one member to serve the marquis. In peacetime, they did odd jobs or repairs; in wartime, they donned armor and fought.

This was the deepest foundation of the Wuning Marquis’s household.

These five hundred households were generations of soldiers, skilled in combat. From childhood, trained by their elders, growing up alongside the He children. On the battlefield, whether as bodyguards or supervisors, they had solid roots.

Thus, He family members leading armies with these servants could command respect and obedience.

As long as the He children weren’t too reckless, they might not always win victories, but outright defeat was impossible.

This shaped the family’s unique ethos.

On the battlefield, comrades might save each other’s lives, so master and servant were relatively equal, making the household atmosphere more harmonious.

“So, from now on, when we go to war, you’ll be my personal guard,” He Zhong’an said to Xiong Dali.