When the news of unrest in the northwest reached the capital, the Imperial Court was observing a holiday break.
Bai Lihong was taking a nap while Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian reviewed memorials in Yangxin Hall.
A memorial sent by Qi Zhili addressed the establishment of a branch office for the waterway transport business. It stated that after his arrival in Tongzhou, he had contacted local government officials and also sought out three local scholars who were on the list.
Because of the Imperial Decree and the fact that establishing a branch office there would be beneficial to Tongzhou itself, boosting the political achievements and financial gains of the local officials, those officials were very cooperative and the establishment of the branch office proceeded smoothly.
The three students on the list were indeed capable talents, each with their own strengths. They also respected one another, and worked together to help Qi Zhili solve many issues.
Even the most difficult tasks, such as “recruiting personnel” and “recommending officials” were handled by these three. They had to navigate through their interactions with local officials and wealthy nobles, and while avoiding causing any offense, managed to select capable lower-ranking officials to the greatest extent possible, rather than those who were merely wealthy or well-connected.
Qi Zhili also stated that in about two weeks, he would be able to leave for his next destination.
“Entrusting this matter to him was definitely the right decision,” said Chu Jiubian.
Qin Xiao nodded: “The three thousand taels of silver given to him is too little. I wonder how long it will last.”
“The caravans selling fine salt should be back by now, shouldn’t they?” Chu Jiubian asked.
Qin Xiao: “The Lu family caravan returned just this morning, and those of the other families will all be back by next month.”
At that time, the revenue from the first batch of fine salt would be deposited into the National Treasury, which would help relieve some of its financial pressure.
However, these powerful families would certainly not meekly pay the required amount, so Chu Jiubian already had plans in place to deal with them.
Take the Qiu family for example.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival Imperial Banquet, the Qiu family had given the court a sum of money essentially for the purpose of currying favor with Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, and with the end goal of obtaining from Chu Jiubian the fine wine that had been served at the banquet.
However, Chu Jiubian never gave them a definite answer, and simply waited for the Qiu family to send over the remaining dividends in a timely manner.
The other noble families were easier to deal with than the Qiu family.
Because Chu Jiubian had established a limited quota to the amount of fine salt they could receive, and the price at which each merchant caravan sold the salt could be tracked, it was very difficult for any of them to manipulate the accounts.
At most, they could only gain some petty, negligible benefits.
But the Qiu family was different.
Their caravans were capable of traveling to regions across the border, such as the Northern Desert and the Western Regions, and they had established trade routes in all of these locations.
Taking advantage of the information gap between Great Ning and the outer regions, as well as the fact that people on the frontier had never seen fine salt, the Qiu family resorted to many underhanded tactics.
As Qin Xiao had previously learned, the Qiu family did not sell pure fine salt, but instead mixed in a certain proportion of rough salt in order to create a “refined” salt that was superior to coarse salt, but inferior to fine salt.
Due to this mixing process, the quantity of fine salt available for sale increased, leading to greater profits.
Other noble families naturally wanted to follow suit, but those who could afford to buy fine salt in Great Ning were well-informed. Knowing what fine salt looked like, they wouldn’t even be tempted to buy the mixed “refined” salt, and only desired the pure product.
These two factors combined led to the Qiu family being able to earn significantly more wealth than the other noble families.
And due to this, the Qiu family found it easier to manipulate their accounts.
But at present, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian planned to simply turn a blind eye as long as they didn’t go too far.
After all, they had just snatched away their waterway transport business. If they also prevented them from profiting off the fine salt trade, the Qiu family might be driven to desperation.
Now was not the time to completely sever ties with the great families.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” said Chu Jiubian. “Haven’t our people already taken over the salt fields in Haizhou? Once production is stabilized over there, we’ll take back the fine salt trade for the Imperial Court.”
At that time, with the revenue from the fine salt and the taxes from the waterway transportation business, the Imperial Court would no longer be short of money.
Haizhou was located at the border of Southern Zhili and Shandong, adjacent to the vast Eastern Sea, and boasted a large salt field – the third largest in Great Ning.
After fine salt was introduced, Qin Xiao had sent people to seek out Prefect Wei Yi in Southern Zhili and instruct him to find a way to assume control of the salt fields in Haizhou.
These salt fields had initially been under the direct control of the Imperial Court, but due to managerial neglect, local forces colluded with the prefect of Haizhou to deceive and mislead the central government. This led to rampant illegal salt trading, which defrauded the Imperial Court of a considerable amount of money.
Wei Yi had long harbored the idea of taking over the salt fields, but Emperor Yingzong’s inaction during his reign had prevented him from doing so. His repeated memorials were ignored, and since privately-produced salt was cheaper than government-controlled salt, the common people preferred to buy the illegal product. Therefore, he was forced to turn a blind eye to the situation.
However, Qin Xiao’s message informed him that the price of salt would definitely be lower in the future, but before that, the Imperial Court needed to regain complete control of the salt fields.
And the Haizhou salt fields were the first target for reform and restructuring.
Therefore, Wei Yi personally made the trip to Haizhou several times, and recent rumors suggested that he had seized the salt fields and had already begun processing and refining fine salt according to Chu Jiubian’s method.
This was a huge step forward. Once the production of fine salt stabilized, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian planned to sell salt at three different grades.
Coarse salt was considered low-grade salt, so its price must naturally be lowered.
Even if the price wasn’t directly cut in half, it should at least be reduced by one third, so that more common people would be able to afford to buy salt.
The second grade consisted of fine salt that contained impurities.
It wouldn’t be as expensive as pure fine salt, but its taste would be superior to that of coarse salt, making it very suitable for wealthy households.
The highest grade, of course, was fine salt as white as snow.
Fine salt would be twice as expensive as the lower-grade impure salt, but even so, the wealthy and powerful would flock to buy it.
Like this, the salt fields capable of producing fine salt would be under the control of the Imperial Court, and all of the profits would naturally go into the National Treasury.
The inexpensive, non-profitable coarse salt was simply for the purpose of benefitting the common people.
Once Great Ning’s political situation was entirely stable, the National Treasury was prosperous, and the common people were living in peace and contentment, the coarse and impure salt could be phased out of existence.
But these were all matters for the future. Right now, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were steadily moving step by step toward their goal.
Qin Xiao raised his eyes to glance at Chu Jiubian. He didn’t say anything, but merely watched him in silence, lost in thought.
Qin Xiao had been staring at him like this all the time lately. Chu Jiubian had grown accustomed to it, so he simply ignored that palpable gaze and continued to steadily review memorials.
But at that moment, a chorus of greetings from the palace servants suddenly echoed from within the courtyard: “Greeting Commander An.”
Chu Jiubian looked up reflexively, first meeting Qin Xiao’s eyes before turning his head toward the doorway.
At nearly the same time, An Wuji rushed through the door.
There was a look of anxiety on his face as he approached Qin Xiao and handed him a confidential letter, saying: “My Lord, there is an urgent military report from the Northwest!”
Military report?
Chu Jiubian’s brow furrowed, and he rose and walked to Qin Xiao’s side.
He leaned forward slightly with one hand resting on the table, his head nearly touching Qin Xiao’s.
But neither of them were cognizant of their intimate posture at this moment, as both were focused intently on the military report.
These few lines were written by Pang Ruizhi, the Commander of the Northwest Army.
On the thirtieth day of the eighth month, the Sai Kingdom of the Western Regions launched an invasion. Our army was defeated, and Gansu fell within three days. Dingbei-wang went to negotiate, but was instead detained and placed under house arrest. Moba Zanpu, the ruler of the Sai Kingdom, has declared that he requires Ning-wang to personally attend the peace talks, and that if he doesn’t arrive within a month, he will begin to massacre the city’s inhabitants. The fighting will only cease upon Ning-wang’s arrival!
The Western Regions of the Great Ning Dynasty were divided into two main sections.
According to Chu Jiubian’s initial demarcation of this world, the area referred to as the Western Regions included parts of Xinjiang and all areas outside of Gansu, including Xizang.
The people of Xinjiang mostly existed in the form of small tribes, and didn’t pose a significant threat.
However, during the previous dynasty, Xizang and the surrounding regions were unified by the royal family of the Sai Kingdom, which was ruled by a “zanpu,” or king.
In the military report, Pan Ruizhi had mentioned the Western Regions kingdom bordering Gansu.
And this Pang Ruizhi was also not an ordinary person.
Hailing from a noble family in Gansu, he had married Lu Yourong, the eldest daughter of the Wuwei Lu family. She was also the younger sister of Minister of War Lu Wuwei.
During the reign of Emperor Chengzong, he obtained the position of Commander of the Northwestern Army through his connections with the Lu family.
However, his military capabilities were clearly inadequate, or else his 70,000 Northwest troops wouldn’t have been defeated by the Sai Kingdom Army in just three days.
The fact that they had fallen in three days was rather strange.
Unless this person had done it intentionally…..
Qin Xiao’s face was grim as he placed the military report on the table.
Chu Jiubian rose and sat down in the chair beside him, a slight furrow creasing his brow.
An Wuji was unaware of the military report’s contents, as he had delivered the letter as soon as he received it.
When he saw that both Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were finished reading it, he took it back to read it himself.
After reading it, he was so incensed that he immediately burst into a round of loud curses: “Three days?! Bullshit! Even if the 70,000 Northwest troops just formed a human wall, it would be impossible for them to only hold out for three days! This surnamed Pang is truly an idiot! A waste!”
He whirled around in a frenzy.
Chu Jiubian turned his head slightly to view Qin Xiao’s profile and asked: “What are you thinking?”
Qin Xiao’s voice was soft: “Aside from Pang Ruizhi, the Northwest Army contains several other lieutenant commanders. Surely not all of them are fools.”
Chu Jiubian chuckled, but his eyes were completely devoid of warmth: “Even if there are no capable people in the army, there are many officials in the local area, and Dingbei-wang’s palace boasts even more strategists and subordinate officials.”
With all of these people, how could Gansu have fallen within just three days?
Was this logical?
Not to mention that after Gansu fell, Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu foolishly went in person to negotiate, only to be captured. How could that happen?
Which of these vassal kings didn’t have a few talents under their command?
How could these people stand by and watch their master go to his doom?
An Wuji paused in his steps and looked at the two of them, saying: “Could this be a trap set specifically for you, My Lord?”
Neither Qin Xiao nor Chu Jiubian spoke, but An Wuji understood. He paced to the opposite side and sat down, his expression terribly grim.
Yes.
This was the perfectly clear answer.
Qin Xiao had long been a thorn in the sides of these people from the capital, and they had attempted to suppress him at every turn. Given the right opportunity, they would likely kill him without hesitation.
Early on, various factions sent assassins after him almost every single day.
Only after coming to the realization that Qin Xiao was not so easily dealt with did these people eventually back down.
When covert tactics failed, they resorted to overt methods, using their influence within the Imperial Court to suppress Qin Xiao under a nearly suffocating pressure.
However, the sudden appearance of a major variable like Chu Jiubian at Qin Xiao’s side had caught them all completely off guard.
If not for this event, it would have been much more difficult for Qin Xiao to reach this point.
But it was precisely because of Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian’s growing influence in the Imperial Court, which was gradually surpassing that of the great families and causing all parties to suffer losses to some degree, that these people could no longer sit still.
They didn’t dare lay a hand on Chu Jiubian, so they simply thought to get rid of Qin Xiao in an open, straightforward manner.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the conflict in the Northwest had been orchestrated by Dingbei-wang, but there were certainly other forces involved as well.
It wasn’t just those in the Imperial Court – perhaps those other vassal kings were involved as well.
This was a unified, coordinated attack aimed at eliminating Qin Xiao.
An open and deliberate plot.
These people were aware that such an obvious tactic wouldn’t fool Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, but they still went forward with it. They didn’t even bother to put on a convincing act, leaving it full of flaws.
Ultimately, their only goal was to set Qin Xiao up.
The current situation in the Northwest was that the common people of Gansu were suffering horrifically and were very likely to face a massacre. All of their hopes rested on Qin Xiao; if he went, there was a chance that he could save them all.
Furthermore, the capture of Dingbei-wang was a matter of great concern. As a member of the Imperial family, his capture by a foreign power was a blatant insult to Great Ning’s dignity, as well as a clear challenge to the authority of the new emperor, Bai Lihong.
Only if Qin Xiao went to the Northwest and “rescued” Dingbei-wang would the Imperial family’s reputation and the lives of the common people of Gansu be preserved, and only then would he be able to justify himself in front of the country.
Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at Qin Xiao, his eyes filled with unreadable, complex emotions.
He could comprehend the intricacies of the situation, as could Qin Xiao.
There were currently only two options before him: go or not go.
If he didn’t go, he would lose the support of the common people, the Imperial Court would lose its prestige, and the hope that they had painstakingly built in the hearts of the common people over the past few months would also be lost.
But if he were to go, he would likely lose his own life.
So was there even a choice?
Of course there was.
Given Qin Xiao’s reckless personality and disregard for how people saw him, he could easily choose his own safety and well-being over his reputation.
Given his ruthless, villainous nature, he could easily abandon the common people of Gansu without a second thought.
But for some reason, Chu Jiubian was thoroughly convinced that Qin Xiao wouldn’t abandon them.
Qin Xiao might not care about his own reputation, but he did care about the prestige of the Imperial Court, and even more so about the innocent common people of Gansu.
Even though it was highly unlikely that Dingbei-wang would go through with ordering a massacre, Qin Xiao wouldn’t take the risk.
At this point in time, Chu Jiubian could no longer deceive himself.
Qin Xiao was a good official who cared about the common people. He had the coldest and most ruthless outward appearance, but deep down, he was more easily moved to compassion than anyone else, and also possessed more humanity.
He was a perfectly normal person; he had healthy familial relationships, a challenging but typical upbringing, and an incredibly well-adjusted personality.
Qin Xiao was not – or at least not yet – the heartless, brutal regent pictured in the original novel.
Thus, he and Chu Jiubian had never been the same kind of people after all.
Chu Jiubian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he unconsciously clenched his hands where they were hidden under his sleeves.
He instinctively wanted to scratch himself, but his rationality prevailed and he was able to suppress the urge.
The medicine I bought from the System Mall must be working, he thought.
Qin Xiao beside him spoke up to say: “An Ping.”
An Wuji immediately got to his feet: “My Lord.”
Qin Xiao calmly instructed: “Find Qin Chaoyang and instruct him to tell the Ministry of War to assemble troops. We’ll need at least 50,000 soldiers. Also have him instruct the Ministry of Revenue to prepare military supplies and provisions. Everything must be ready within three days, and we will depart at dawn on the thirteenth.”
“My Lord,” An Wuji said with a frown, “Who will lead them…..”
“Me,” Qin Xiao said calmly.
He sat on the chair with his legs crossed, leaning against the backrest. From his posture to his expression, he seemed completely relaxed.
An Wuji hesitated. He wanted to say something, but ultimately refrained, and just said with a respectful bow: “This subordinate accepts the order.” With that, he turned and swiftly left the room.
Once Qin Xiao decided on something, there was no one in the world who could change his mind.
With the departure of An Wuji, the Council Hall fell into a deathly silence.
Chu Jiubian turned his head to view Qin Xiao’s cold, grim profile.
At once, he remembered a description he’d read in the original novel: [Ning-wang Qin Xiao led his army to defeat a border kingdom in the Western Regions and was seriously injured. It took him three months to recover.]
Had he been paying closer attention at the time, he would have wondered why Qin Xiao, the dignified Regent, needed to personally lead his troops into battle.
But now, Chu Jiubian didn’t question it at all. He knew that Qin Xiao must go.
It must be said that the various factions in the capital understood one another very well, and had accurately predicted that Qin Xiao would step into the trap with full knowledge of what it was.
This plot point was also present in the original novel.
However, it was happening an entire year ahead of schedule!
Chu Jiubian pondered for a moment, and came to the conclusion that this was due to his own appearance.
His series of actions had accelerated Qin Xiao’s efforts to suppress the powerful families, allowing him to accomplish in a much shorter amount of time what should have taken him a year to do.
This undoubtedly placed great pressure, as well as a greater sense of urgency, on the other factions who were concerned about Imperial power growing, which was why they harbored murderous intentions so early on.
Perhaps sensing Chu Jiubian’s gaze, Qin Xiao snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head to meet the other’s eyes.
Chu Jiubian blinked, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Even saying something like “take care” felt unnecessary, because he knew that Qin Xiao would definitely come back alive.
But….Qin Xiao didn’t know.
He was aware that this campaign would be fraught with danger, but decided to lead it himself regardless.
Chu Jiubian genuinely felt that he and Qin Xiao had nothing left to say to each other at this point.
But after gazing at each other for an extended moment, Qin Xiao smiled.
Chu Jiubian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“When this lord departs on the campaign, he will have to trouble the Young Master to deal with matters concerning His Majesty and the capital,” Qin Xiao said, still smiling.
Chu Jiubian dodged his gaze and remained silent.
Qin Xiao leveled him with a long, searching look, then rose and walked to the table where the young emperor usually sat. There, he prepared to grind ink and draft an Imperial Decree.
Chu Jiubian dithered for a moment, then paced over to him and took the ink stick from his hand, saying: “I’ll do it.”
Qin Xiao withdrew his hand, softly rubbing his fingertips together.
The young man’s slightly cool touch seemed to linger there.
*
*
Upon receiving the news from the Northwest, all of the major forces in the capital were shaken.
Everyone knew that this was a trap Dingbei-wang had set for Qin Xiao, and these powerful figures naturally involved themselves in the scheme.
Dingbei-wang had already set up the chess board; now, all they had to do was place Qin Xiao on the board and gradually force him into a desperate situation.
Unable to wait for Qin Xiao’s summons, they all rushed from their homes to the Imperial City, traveling all the way to Yangxin Hall to request an audience with him.
Hong Fu had also received the news at this time, and rushed over from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.
At present, he greeted everyone and escorted them to the Council Hall.
Inside, Chu Jiubian had already returned to his original seat, while Qin Xiao remained standing beside the emperor’s throne.
Bai Lihong sat obediently on the throne with a somewhat listless expression.
But upon seeing the ministers approaching, he immediately perked up.
Most of the Six Ministers were present. All of them wore anxious expressions, but in reality, Minister of Works Jian Hongzhu was probably the only one who was actually worried. Everyone else was secretly hoping that Qin Xiao would go to his demise.
And with Qin Xiao gone from the capital, the greatest threat would be Chu Jiubian.
A single tree could not stand alone. It was easy to imagine the immense pressure Chu Jiubian would be under. These powerful and ambitious figures were watching him closely, and would undoubtedly do their utmost to suppress him.
However, they still feared Chu Jiubian’s identity as a “god,” so the ideal situation would be to lure Chu Jiubian over to their side while Qin Xiao was away.
If it meant securing greater benefits for their families, they wouldn’t hesitate to pledge their allegiance to the emperor and become loyal subjects.
Reputation was paramount to them, and they had never intended to overthrow the Imperial family and seize power for themselves. Those were “rebellious ministers and traitors,” and they had no desire to leave such a reputation behind in the history books, bringing shame upon their descendents for generations to come.
Therefore, it didn’t matter to them who sat on the throne; what mattered was whether that person could be manipulated to give them greater benefits.
With their true intentions carefully concealed, everyone finished paying their respects to the emperor and proceeded to discuss the matter in the Northwest.
But before anyone could speak up, Bai Lihong said: “Esteemed ministers, you have undoubtedly come here at this time to discuss the matter in the Northwest. This emperor has already made his decision.”
Qin Xiao had instructed him to speak these words. He actually had no idea what “decision” had been made, only that his Jiujiu was going to war, that he would be gone for a long time, and that there was no telling when he would return.
When he thought of this, the child’s eyes welled up with tears.
His maternal grandparents had gone off to war and never returned. Grand Commandant Qin had suffered from lingering injuries sustained in the early years of warfare, which tormented him with illness in his old age. He only lived long enough to witness the birth of Bai Lihong before he passed away.
Therefore, to Bai Lihong, going to war was a very dangerous matter.
It was very likely that he would lose another loved one, perhaps even the only close relative he had left.
His mother was gone, and if his uncle left too, then he…..
The child tried his utmost to hold back the tears pooling in his eyes, clenching his little hands into the cloth of his robes.
Jiujiu said that he was the emperor, and he couldn’t cry in front of his ministers.
Chu Jiubian didn’t notice the child’s expression at that moment. He had his eyes lowered slightly as a jumble of thoughts spun through his mind. He seemed to be thinking about many things, yet at the same time, thinking about nothing at all.
Then he heard Qin Xiao say: “Since Moba Zanpu has specifically requested that this lord attend the peace talks, this lord shall go.”
He glanced over the crowd and said calmly: “With all of you present in the Imperial Court, this lord can depart with peace of mind.”
Much to everyone’s surprise, Qin Xiao had already decided to go to war before they could persuade him to do so.
Thus, they began to think things over again and wondered if they should persuade him to stay.
But Qin Xiao continued: “However, His Majesty is young and requires someone to guide him at all times. Therefore, once this lord leaves the capital, Grand Tutor Chu will temporarily assume the role of Regent.”
This came as a surprise to absolutely no one. In their eyes, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had long been inseparable from each other.
But Chu Jiubian just felt his heart sink as he slowly raised his eyes to look at Qin Xiao.
Others may not know what his relationship with Qin Xiao was like, but he had a clear understanding of it.
There was only a small amount of trust between the two of them.
He had never imagined that Qin Xiao would entrust him with the power of the Regent.
But…..
Qin Xiao’s penetrating gaze fell upon him, meeting his inscrutable gaze.
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Neon Dragonfly Translations 