On the day of my triumph, the emperor took away my tiger talisman in front of all the civil and military officials. I kowtowed calmly and packed up my clothes and returned to the countryside the next day. They all thought that I would die in depression in my hometown, or plot a rebellion, but I was really farming. It was not until three months later that urgent military reports from 800 miles away flew into the capital like snowflakes, and the border was in flames. The emperor was sitting on the dragon throne, looking at the experience of trial planting of new grains that I presented, and his eyes were red for the first time.
