Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were three convenient ways to get from Jiangnan Road to Jiangbei Road. No matter the path, one always had to cross the wide river. In this world, there were no concrete bridges with which Fan Xian was familiar. There were only the endless little boats on the two sides to support the busy crossing.
The three workshops of the palace treasury were in North Min. The transport company yamen was in Suzhou. Sir Fan junior was in Hangzhou. It appeared that the control of the palace treasury was in a relaxed state. After the Overwatch Council and palace treasury yamen joined hands, only a portion of the officials and merchants knew how strict the control was over the specialized roads for the goods spread out over Jiangnan.
In particular, the road heading North purposely made a detour to the West. Crossing the river in Shazhou and heading North, meant going around the wild mountains in Jiangbei Road and meadows in Cangzhou Road before delivering endless goods into Northern Qi territory. Then, it brought back abundant amounts of silver into Qing Kingdom and other necessary purchases on the side.
The goods heading North were mostly under Xia Mingji’s control. With Fan Xian’s help, Xia Qifei won a few large bids and secretly formed a small business and faction in the Jiangnan area. He had already gradually grown in power.
The reason he chose to cross the river in Shazhou, in the eyes of the officials, was because the Jiangnan Navy was stationed in Shazhou. Only Fan Xian and he knew that the reason he chose Shazhou was because the Jiangnan water bandit’s power was at their peak here. The palace treasury goods could be escorted by court-appointed officials. But, they did not want the court to see everything they had stashed between.
Xia Qifei sat at a tea stall outside the Shazhou city gates. As he drank tea, he watched, with his eyes slightly narrowed, the boats coming and going on the calm river. The second young master in the North had suddenly increased his appetite for goods. But, it was to a level that he couldn’t fulfill. After all, the doors of the palace treasury were completely open for people like him, Fan Xian’s trusted aides. However, to be able to deliver all the goods to that side in such a short time while ensuring the court didn’t become suspicious needed detailed planning.
Fortunately, according to the court rules, supervision of the transport of the palace treasury was solely managed by the Overwatch Council. At this time, the worries the officials in court had in the past had finally become reality. Fan Xian was supervising himself. How could there not be problems?
Xia Qifei put down his teacup and slowly savored the bitter taste in his mouth. There was not a trace of bitterness in his heart. Thinking over this year and a half, he sometimes felt that he was dreaming. Ever since he jumped onto the imperial envoy’s coattails, the thought of revenge that had clamped its jaws around his heart for over a decade like a venomous snake had finally been resolved. The Ming family had returned to his hands. His identity had changed from a shameful head boss of the Jiangnan water bandits to being a member of the Overwatch Council, whose name shook the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan.
The things in this world were indeed very strange.
He knew that the present-day Ming family was not the same as the one in the past. Although the court had not directly stretched their hands in, if Sir Fan junior truly spoke out, he would have to follow the instructions exactly.
Thinking of this, he retracted his satisfied gaze from the chests of goods on the boat in the river and furrowed his brows slightly. There were some things he didn’t understand, such as the goods being smuggled to Northern Qi and Dongyi. Without question, they were the most profitable business. Given Sir Fan junior’s status, what need did he have to be so greedy? Previously, Sir Fan junior had explained the reason that the Eldest Princess was greedy for silver was because she needed to buy power in court. She needed to lay the foundations for the princes and buy support in the military.
Sir Fan junior was a prince himself. Now that he had entered the Fan family, it was impossible for him to inherit the throne. Why did he need all this silver for? Furthermore, what the Emperor disliked in the past was the Eldest Princess emptying out his palace treasury in secret. Would the Emperor tolerate Sir Fan junior doing this now?
Ever since the Eldest Princess had lost power, this average-sized shockwave had been quietly swept aside in the hearts of the nobles. It did not cause any more ripples. Of course, this was just a superficial peace. No one knew what people were really thinking in secret.
Everyone did know just how deep the Qing court official Fan Xian was in the Qing Emperor’s favor and how much power he had in his hands. The people couldn’t help but grow wary and eager. No matter what, Fan Xian was still a scholar in people’s hearts. His behavior these years on the global stage made it clear to people that he was very different from normal nobles in Qing Kingdom. At least, he wasn’t as hot-blooded and filled with battle lust.
Naturally, Northern Qi and Dongyi wished that Fan Xian could last a long time. No matter how much the young Northern Qi Emperor wanted to pull Fan Xian to his side and make a royal prince, he knew that Fan Xian staying in Qing Kingdom would be the most beneficial for him. He wished that Fan Xian’s power would grow even more and be even more favored by the Emperor. It would be best if he grew powerful enough to influence the Qing Emperor’s decisions.
However, this was only an extravagant hope and idealism. No ruler would be stupid enough to place the hope of peace on an official from a foreign country. Peace between countries was, in the end, demonstrated through strength. A country’s strength was its military power.
Ever since the beginning of spring, in the wilderness to the north of Yanjing and to the east of Cangzhou, Shang Shanhu, a legendary Northern Qi general who had been released from house arrest, had taken over the Southern line. In a short period of time, he had established his absolute might in the military and began to drill the soldiers every day, maintaining the great intimidation of the Qing soldiers and suppressing the Qing people’s wild ambition.
The person directly clashing with Shang Shanhu was a great Qing general, the Northern Governor Yan Xiaoyi. With these two bullish people crashing together, how could there not be any sparks or stench of blood gradually rising? Although it was said that there were no battles on the borders, friction and a purposely tense atmosphere gradually pervaded the air.
The reason the goods that Xia Qifei had Xia Mingji deliver detoured north toward the Northern Sea in the south of Cangzhou was actually because the situation in Cangzhou had long been tense.
All this completely changed during this month. For some reason, Shang Shanhu suddenly pulled his soldiers back north over 50 li. He moved the army and put up a show of being lazy and not defending or approaching. It was as if he cared not at all that Yan Xiaoyi was leading 100,000 elite troops in the region between Yanjing and Cangzhou, glaring like a bull as if he wanted to take a bit at any moment.
Tension suddenly turned to leisure. The two countries displays of force suddenly changed into an excursion. The instantaneous change made the Qing military feel an unreasonable anger and shock.
Just what were the Northern Qi people thinking?
Yan Xiaoyi knew what the Northern Qi people were thinking. He picked up the cup and took a drink of the liquor produced in the plains to the north of the Northern Sea. The liquor wet his beard slightly. The cold light in his eyes gradually grew stronger.
After the news from Jingdou reached Cangzhou, Yan Xiaoyi knew the crisis he was about to face. When his trusted aides were giving him ideas at night in lowered voices, he maintained his calm and didn’t say a single word.
When Shang Shanhu led the Northern Qi troops in a slow retreat and gave the appearance of naked women reclining on couches, Yan Xiaoyi was not surprised or confused. He only smiled coldly.
Naturally, the Northern Qi people knew the news of the Eldest Princess falling from power and that the Emperor would certainly take them down. Thus, at this moment, Shang Shanhu purposely appeared weak and removed all the pressure that had been placed on Yan Xiaoyi so that he could maintain all his power and spirit.
What was the purpose of maintaining them? Naturally, it was to deal with his own Emperor.
Yan Xiaoyi slowly put down his wine cup. A cold smile rose to the corners of his lips. If, at this moment, the Northern Qi Emperor suddenly moved against Shang Shanhu, he would also do this. When an enemy country has internal problems, as the opposing side, he would sit and watch. Furthermore, he would give the enemies as much space and power as needed. This way, he could have the other side squander their time and energy. After they had slaughtered each other, he would reap the benefits of a spectator. How could he not be happy?
However, it seemed that Yan Xiaoyi did not make any preparations. It seemed that he was waiting for that day, waiting for a few old and wrinkled eunuchs to come on horses, to tiredly, in hoarse voices, and with fear on their faces but still forcibly composed to announce the Emperor’s edict to him.
Yan Xiaoyi…
The Eldest Princess had fallen. As the Eldest Princess’ trusted aide and her greatest support in the military, the Emperor could not allow him to continue controlling the elite Northern expedition army. Yan Xiaoyi knew this well.
He was already prepared. Thus, he didn’t concern himself with his trusted aides’ faces of fear. Unexpectedly, the Emperor’s edict was yet to arrive. Worry rose on his face. He wondered to himself just what crime was the Emperor going to pin on him that needed so much time?
The liquor burned his heart and made Yan Xiaoyi’s heart hurt. Did the Emperor truly trust him so much? The Emperor knew that, in the past, he had been nothing more than a hunter. If it wasn’t for the Eldest Princess, he would have lived and died in obscurity.
Furthermore, he and Fan Xian had the death of his son between them. Although Yan Xiaoyi never found the evidence, he believed that inside Qing Kingdom there were only two lunatics bold enough to kill his son other than the Emperor. Other than the Eldest Princess, there was only the lunatic Fan Xian.
The Emperor would not kill his own illegitimate child to avenge his son’s death. This was the largest irresolvable conflict between Yan Xiaoyi and the Emperor. Yan Xiaoyi’s tyrannical nature would not allow him to let this go and grow old in Jingdou.
But, he wouldn’t lead his troops and defect toward the Northern Qi Emperor, who was sitting and watching the show, because that was a kind of humiliation.
Yan Xiaoyi once again raised his cup of liquor and threw it back in one go. He gave a long sigh and truly didn’t know what to do. Then, he received a letter. The person who wrote it was someone he had never seen before.
Looking at the letter, his hand holding it began to shake. The hands that had always been as steady as a mountain, drew a bow like a god, remained as solid as steel and iron even when caught between the great ninth-level aces, the Shadow and Fan Xian, actually shook.
…
…
Qing Kingdom was still in the end of spring. On the distant Southern borders, it was already scorching hot. The dense woods were drained of energy by the heat of the sun high in the sky. The drooped on the mountain stones while the vines on the stones had long been baked to a withered mess by the high temperatures.
The heat was not scary, but the humidity in the dense woods was terrifying. No one knew why the South had so many thunderstorms. Although the rains did not continue for long, once the rain hit the ground, it did not even have a chance to sink into the mud before it was turned into steam by the high temperatures. Enveloped by the woods, animals, people walking through the trails, and all life found it very difficult to breathe.
A large group was walking lazily on the official roads. Even the officials of the Honglu Temple, who were responsible for the dignity of the kingdom, had opened their robes without a care to etiquette. The military was always strict. The hundreds of imperial guards in bright grey armor also had their clothing askew. Even the Tiger Guards surrounding the carriages in the center had a tired and irritated expression in their eyes.
In the dead center of the carriage sat the Crown Prince of Qing Kingdom.
It had been more than a month since he had left the capital. The rituals in Nanzhao had gone smoothly. He had lain and cried in front of the dead monarch’s coffin a number of times and gently talked a bit with the child King. After he witnessed the coronation, the Crown Prince and his people began their return to the North.
The reason they had chosen such a blazing hot day to travel was because when the sun was bright, it was rarer for there to be fog in the forests. In the dense forests between Nanzhao and Qing Kingdom, the most terrifying thing was the poisonous miasma.
The Crown Prince Li Chengqian knocked on the window of the carriage to signal for the entire group to stop. Then, with the help of a eunuch, he got down from the carriage and quietly said something to the head official of the Board of Rites.
A Tiger Guard respectfully said,
Your Highness, it is best to travel while the sun is out so that we will not be soaked in the poisonous miasma.
The Crown Prince smiled slightly and said,
Have a rest. Everyone’s tired.
I’m afraid we won’t make it to the inn in front,
the Tiger Guard said awkwardly.
Didn’t you say yesterday that before that inn there is a smaller one?
the Crown Prince asked amiably.
It will be fine to stay there tonight.
The official of the Board of Rites that had been questioned earlier urged,
With Your Highness’ status, how can you casually live in the wilderness? The inn in Tiancheng County is truly too broken down. The large one we decided on last night should have made preparations and be ready to welcome Your Highness.
The Crown Prince refused to agree. He only said that his followers were all already exhausted. The official of the Board of Rites couldn’t hold back his slight fear and asked,
But if we miss our return date…
I will take all responsibility. I can’t let all these soldiers fall sick from exhaustion.
The Crown Prince furrowed his brows.
The order was sent down to have the hundreds of people rest where they were. They should be able to make it to Tiancheng county tonight to pass the night. After the soldiers and Tiger Guards heard these words, the immediately let out a breath. They thanked the Crown Prince. They set up guards on the two sides of the road and rested in groups.
Everyone knew that it was because the Crown Prince felt their pain and hardship. They all turned grateful gazes in his direction but didn’t let the Crown Prince see. In the past month, from Jingdou south to Nanzhao and back to the north, the path had been long and dangerous. However, the Crown Prince was not as delicate and fragile as they had all thought. He hadn’t made a sound of protest. Furthermore, he had been very encouraging to his subordinates and unspeakably amiable and intimate.
All along the way, everyone came to a new understanding of the Crown Prince. They felt that His Highness truly cared for his people. Not only did he have no resentment toward the Emperor’s edict, he also never forgot about them.
The Crown Prince accepted the edict to go to Nanzhao to observe the rituals. In the eyes of the people, such an arduous and thankless task was a warning from the Emperor to the Crown Prince, if not an exile. Or, perhaps, it was a twisted kind of punishment. Presently, these soldiers and officials were all confused. Such a gifted Crown Prince. What was the Emperor displeased about?
A tent was set up in the woods for the Crown Prince to rest in. Everyone knew that it was mostly for the convenience of the Crown Prince relieving himself. Although along the way, the Crown Prince had suffered hardships with them, they couldn’t have a Crown Prince crouch with the rest of them in a row on the ground with his backside bare to relieve himself.
Li Chengqian smiled helplessly at the imperial guards who set up the tent. He lifted one corner and walked in. However, he didn’t untie his pants. He only stood there coldly and waited tensely.
Before too long, a hand holding a medicinal pill stretched into the tent.
Clearly, such a thing had happened more than once. The Crown Prince directly took the pill and swallowed it down. He then used the tip of his tongue to carefully show the gaps between his teeth to confirm he hadn’t left any traces for the eunuchs, who were here nominally to serve him but secretly to spy on him, to discover.
Why can’t this medicine be provided to the soldiers?
After the Crown Prince was silent for a while, he spoke to the faint shadow outside the tent. His tone was very unhappy,
Seven people have already died on this trip.
There was too much poisonous miasma in Nanzhao. Although the Imperial Academy of Medicine had prepared very high-quality medicine, there were a still a few imperial guards and eunuchs who had breathed in the miasma and died.
The shadow outside the tent paused for a moment then said,
Your Highness, I find that I like you more and more.
After saying this, Thirteenth Wang shook his head and disappeared without a sound.
The Crown Prince crouched down and furrowed his brows slightly. He knew that Fan Xian had sent Thirteenth Wang, but he didn’t know why Fan Xian was protecting him so carefully. Fan Xian’s words had been very clear. He did not need to see this as a favor. However, he didn’t like the feeling of having an ace following him at a distance. And, he had once tried to have him give all the medicine to him.
However, every night he went to bed, he was served by eunuchs. If someone found the Crown Prince was carrying medicine from unknown sources, it would indeed be very troublesome.
Except, without medicine at this side, he couldn’t save anyone. Every time he thought of the people who had died along the way, the Crown Prince couldn’t help giving a sigh.
During this time, he had behaved well. He could have done no better. He knew what kind of person his father was. Father was looking for an excuse, a reason to depose him. If he couldn’t find an excuse that wouldn’t damage his face, his father would not rush to act.
His father loved face too much, Li Chengqian smiled slightly as he thought. Standing up, he tossed the used paper onto the ground. What difference was there between face and toilet paper?
However, it was indeed very necessary. At least, in this way, Li Chengqian could still persevere for a while. A stubborn expression rose to his face. Father, I won’t give you too many excuses. If you want to depose me, then don’t think you’ll be able to keep face.
He pulled open the tent and walked out. Looking at the piercing sun in the sky, he suddenly thought about the little child beside the coffin of the Nanzhao monarch. His mind wandered slightly as he thought, They were both Crown Princes. For a father to die early, it was actually a rather blissful matter.
He immediately remembered that tonight they were going to stay in Tiancheng County and felt the name of this county was very auspicious. He couldn’t help but smile.
