Once the caravans of Nanjiang-wang and Pingxi-wang left, the capital finally quieted down.
Preparations for spring plowing began early in the third lunar month across Great Ning, starting earlier in the south and later in the north.
There was little change to the crops grown in most places, except for the sweet potatoes planted in Hexi Prefecture and the cotton in Nanjiang, which drew the attention of quite a few officials at court.
As the Minister of Revenue, Su Sheng was naturally the first to speak up and argue that if familiar crops were not planted in these two regions, the common people might go hungry.
Nanjiang was Nanjiang-wang’s territory, so instead of interfering there, he focused mostly on Hexi Prefecture.
The results from the experimental sweet potato fields had been sent to the capital before the New Year, though the wording was subtle and indirect.
At this point, Chu Jiubian said plainly: “Sweet potatoes are also a food crop, with a yield of six hundred catties per mu.”
At present, the maximum yield for wheat and rice was only around 300 jin. Chu Jiubian was actually understating the sweet potato yield, but it was still over twice that of the other two crops.
At these words, a commotion swept through the court.
If anyone else had spoken these words, it was likely that nobody would believe it. But since they were spoken by Chu Jiubian, there was no one who doubted them.
Su Sheng stared at him for a moment, and said nothing more.
Chu Jiubian then said to Bai Lihong: “Your Majesty, this subject has a matter to report.”
“Please speak, Grand Tutor.” Bai Lihong played along.
Chu Jiubian: “The incompetence of the Northwest Army allowed the Sai Kingdom to invade, and if Ning-wang hadn’t intervened and turned the tide, it might well have turned into a catastrophe.”
Everyone was uncertain, wondering what Chu Jiubian was getting at.
“If the border is unstable, the common people of Great Ning cannot rest easy,” Chu Jiubian said. “For this reason, this subject requests that Your Majesty send people to the Northeastern border to negotiate cooperation with the Jurchen tribes, and establish trade channels in order to promote development.”
During the Palace Examination, Chu Jiubian had raised this very question to Tan Yuzhu.
Although Tan Yuzhu’s answer hadn’t been perfect, it did have substance and depth. With just a few brief words, she had created a vision for everyone of the prosperity that would blossom in the wake of opening trade channels, as well as the endless benefits that would funnel into Great Ning.
And in light of such excellent benefits, nobody raised any objections.
However, everyone began to weigh the situation for themselves. This was a good thing for Great Ning, so didn’t it follow that it would also be a good thing for the officials sent to negotiate?
The path to promotion for civil officials was paved with acts of meritorious service, which were not easy to come by. This was a prime opportunity for them.
Standing among the officials from the Ministry of Rites, Wang Wenyao watched on with a cool gaze.
Such negotiations naturally fell under the purview of the Ministry of Rites, so they would certainly be the ones sending people out. He absolutely must secure this opportunity for himself.
As long as he performed this task well, he would surely be promoted.
He lifted his eyes slightly to look toward the front of the line. He didn’t have a clear line of sight, but he knew that was where Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan was standing.
It was true that Wang Zhiyuan was close with Wang Qichen at the moment, but the fact that he had recommended Wang Wenyao for officialdom showed that he still had the best interests of the family head’s lineage at heart.
So as long as he strove to secure this assignment, Wang Zhiyuan would definitely help him. After all, no matter how much infighting there might be, the Wang family presented a united front to outsiders, standing as one.
But much to his surprise, before he could even volunteer himself, Wang Zhiyuan proposed that he take charge of the matter.
When Bai Lihong called out his name, Wang Wenyao’s heart leaped. He immediately stepped forward and bowed toward the throne, saying: “Thanking Your Majesty for such trust. This subject is confident that he will handle the task well.”
Bai Lihong then looked toward Chu Jiubian and asked: “What does the Grand Tutor think?”
“There is nothing wrong with giving a young official an opportunity to gain experience.” Chu Jiubian could see the expressions of the other Ministry of Rites officials from the corner of his eye.
Lu Qiaobo hailed from the noble Lu family, and Cai Peng from the Xiao family. In terms of position and seniority, they both outranked Wang Wenyao. But with a single remark, Wang Zhiyuan handed this opportunity to a member of his own family. These two definitely wouldn’t concede willingly.
The high-ranking officials behind them would likely help them fight for the opportunity.
As expected, just as Chu Jiubian appeared to have words of approval on his lips, Lu Qiaobo stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, Official Wang is still young and lacks experience with negotiations. This humble subject suggests that a more experienced individual be selected in order to ensure smooth negotiations with the Jurchen tribes.”
“Deputy Minister Lu is correct.” Chu Jiubian nodded. “During the Palace Examination, Imperial Academy student Tan Yuzhu outlined a strategy for conducting the negotiations. In addition, she drafted a detailed list of negotiation points and submitted it to this official yesterday. It is quite thorough.”
He took the memorial submitted by Tan Yuzhu from his sleeve.
Qin Xiao rose from his seat and stepped down from the high platform. He took the memorial and read through it, then turned and bowed to Bai Lihong: “Your Majesty, this subject believes that the regulations in this memorial are indeed excellent. Perhaps this scholar should be asked to accompany the Ministry of Rites officials to the Northeast.”
They had already read through this memorial the day before, revising it in a few places and adding several more points.
Tan Yuzhu accepted each new addition and acknowledged her own shortcomings. She now looked at Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian with even more respect in her eyes.
Even the officials of the Six Ministries were unable to find fault with the regulations currently in their hands.
As expected, after Wang Zhiyuan took the memorial and read through it, he nodded several times and said: “It is indeed excellent. Even if this official were to undertake the task himself, he would never reach this level of meticulousness.”
Wang Wenyao wasn’t convinced. He felt that if he had known about this earlier, he would have done a better job.
And this was just the preliminary list. When the actual negotiations began, what could a woman like Tan Yuzhu actually achieve? She would probably be held in contempt.
He had a high opinion of himself, but he wasn’t foolish enough to reveal his true thoughts in a public setting, and simply lowered his head as he awaited the verdict.
Deputy Minister Lu Qiaobo took the memorial, and his expression became increasingly grave the more he read.
He really couldn’t find a single fault.
But he bowed low with his hands clasped, saying: “Your Majesty, Student Tang has planned this well, but negotiations are not performed on paper. It would be safest to send experienced officials from the Ministry of Rites.”
Cai Peng in the Ministry of Rites was a student of Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan. This should have afforded him countless opportunities, but now that Xiao Huaiguan was so frequently addled, he could only find those opportunities for himself.
With such an opportunity before him, he was naturally prepared to seize it.
He stepped forward and said: “This official agrees. Having served in the Ministry of Rites for three years, one could say that this official is quite experienced. This official humbly requests to travel to the Northeast and assist Student Tan in negotiations, securing the greatest possible benefits for our Great Ning.”
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao exchanged a glance.
This Cai Peng was the person they had previously sent to deliver the second batch of military provisions to the Northwest, and whom they had intended to promote.
This person may have been Xiao Huaiguan’s student, but his background was clean. While he was somewhat calculating, petty, and greedy for small gains, he did have genuine talent.
Sending just Tan Yuzhu and Wang Wenyao to negotiate with the Jurchens was never going to be feasible.
Tan Yuzhu would be going there to secure cooperation, but Wang Wenyao was just being sent into a trap. And Tan Yuzhu was young. The twists and turns of officialdom were difficult to navigate, and she might not be able to handle negotiations and an entrapment scheme at the same time.
Therefore, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Rites was still needed to accompany the delegation.
A full minister like Wang Zhiyuan was naturally unable to leave the capital, so the candidate must be chosen from the lower ranks.
Deputy Minister Lu Qiaobo held a very high rank in the Lu family, second only to Minister of War Lu Youwei. If he were to go to the Northeast, he would undoubtedly make it even more difficult for Tan Yuzhu to do her job.
So after Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao spoke at length the day before, they had decided to send Cai Peng as well.
There was a department head position vacant in the Ministry of Rites, and Cai Peng could be promoted to it upon his return.
With such a big carrot dangling in front of him, a pragmatist like Cai Peng who was always looking out for his own interests would no doubt accept this olive branch from the Imperial Court without hesitation and sever ties with the Xiao family.
Since he was aligned with the Xiao family at the time, Cai Peng hadn’t received any personal benefits from escorting the military provisions.
But if he aligned himself with the throne this time and received a direct promotion, he would of course be more loyal to the court from then on.
With Cai Peng and Tan Yuzhu working together, Wang Wenyao was guaranteed to get into serious trouble in the Northeast, and by the time he returned, the official post he had just barely settled into would slip from his grasp.
This would even implicate other members of the Wang family.
At that time, the Wang family head’s power would decline even further. If Wang Zhiyuan then held another meeting with the clan elders, Wang Huanzhi’s position as family head would be destabilized, paving the way for Wang Qichen to assume the role himself.
The Wang family would then become a noble clan completely aligned with the Imperial Court. With their power over public opinion, the Imperial Court would no longer have to worry about being maligned.
This game of chess belonged to Wang Zhiyuan. Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao would just help him set the board, then await the outcome of the game.
Lu Qiaobo had originally intended to perform this act of meritorious service himself, but when the experienced Cai Peng stepped out to volunteer, there was nothing more he could say.
In the end, the people heading to the Northwest were Tan Yuzhu, Cai Peng, and Wang Wenyao.
With the detailed regulations in hand and with Chu Jiubian backing her, this “student” became the “commanding officer” of the delegation to the Northeast.
She had more say in the matter, but Cai Peng would be there to assist, and had roughly the same status as her.
Wang Wenyao, on the other hand, seemed nonessential.
This caused him to grow even more resentful. What right did Tan Yuzhu, this female scholar without even an official rank, have to tell him what to do?
This resentfulness was exactly what Chu Jiubian and others wanted to see.
When someone was unwilling to accept a loss, they tended to act on their own accord and make more mistakes.
Cai Peng was a very astute person. Once the short three-person list was finalized, Qin Xiao said to him: “Perform this task well.”
Just from this one sentence, he understood that said task was not just to assist in negotiations with the Jurchens. He would need to coordinate with Tan Yuzhu, and would only find out what this task entailed after meeting with her.
As long as he was successful in this endeavor, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were certain to reward him generously when he returned.
He could no longer rely on the Xiao family. If Cai Peng wanted to secure more power and benefits for his own clan, he would need to change his plans.
The Imperial Court was now reaching out a hand to him, so of course he would grasp it firmly.
And so, the matter was settled.
Two days later, the group set out to the Northeast without fanfare.
*
*
Meanwhile, in the border town.
At this point in their journey, the seven vassal kings would be splitting off to return to their respective territories.
The day they arrived in the border town, Huguang-wang invited the other six vassal kings to join him for a meal.
There, he evaluated everyone’s attitudes toward the Imperial Court.
There was nothing more to be said about Nanjiang-wang and Zuiliang-wang. The former had cooperated with catching the gu at the palace banquet, and Chu Jiubian had even paid a private visit to his estate later on. He had also invited Nanjiang-wang’s twins to share a meal, so they were obviously very close.
Zuiliang-wang was much the same. He was the sole vassal king allowed to proclaim the Edict of Grace himself.
So since the two of them were firmly aligned with the court, Huguang-wang naturally didn’t intend to press them.
There was just one thing: if the vassal kings clashed with the Imperial Court in the future, would these two take action?
All smiles, Zuiliang-wang simply said that he lived far away and was accustomed to an easy life, so as long as trouble didn’t come to his doorstep, he would not interfere.
Nanjiang-wang said much the same. He also lived in a remote area, and lacked the level of power held by the vassal kings located in the Central Plains. Naturally, protecting his own territory was his top priority.
This reassured the other vassal kings. The two of them would not involve themselves in the conflict, and would remain effectively neutral.
Having said their piece, the two didn’t linger any longer and left the table one after another.
As for what the others spoke about once they were gone, they were neither listeners nor participants.
Huguang-wang and the others were satisfied with their stance.
The silent Pingxi-wang Bai Lizheng finally spoke up: “This lord only cares about the safety of the common people in his fief. The rest has nothing to do with me.”
He was a very inflexible person, and once his mind was made up about something, it was almost impossible to change it.
Huguang-wang urged him to stay, but the other party just wasn’t having it. After finishing his final cup of wine, he stood and took his leave.
“What a blockhead,” Dongjiang-wang Bai Lihe scoffed, sweeping his baleful eyes over the remaining few.
Huguang-wang Bai Liyue, Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu, and Anhui-wang Bai Liming.
Bai Liming was just a little brat, of no use at all to them. But sitting beside him was his shrewd and cunning advisor, Jiang Yongshou. Since he remained sitting at the table, it stood to reason that he intended to oppose the Imperial Court.
Huguang-wang then turned his gaze toward Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu, who had been sitting next to him in silence all this time.
This youngest brother of theirs, so unassuming and low-profile, had quietly made a major move and nearly succeeded in eliminating Qin Xiao.
Furthermore, he had acted repeatedly during this visit to the capital, unleashing the gu at the palace banquet and orchestrating the death of Jiannan-wang. Huguang-wang had to admit that the ruthlessness of his own methods was far inferior.
Huguang-wang had previously regarded Dongjiang-wang as his only rival. But now, he felt that Dingbei-wang was even more enigmatic.
Working with such a person was like asking a tiger for its pelt, but things had already come to this. The Edict of Grace clearly revealed the Imperial Court’s determination to eliminate the vassal kings, and they needed to strike first to gain the upper hand.
They couldn’t afford not to use Dingbei-wang.
The other party might have more ways to stir up trouble, so it would be better to bring him into his own camp and ensure temporary peace between them.
Dongjiang-wang naturally shared the same opinion, and it only took a shared glance to reach a tacit understanding.
Before long, the heads of the four great noble families arrived in response to the invitation.
The Wang family was represented by Wang Huanzhi and his advisor Wang Zhang, and the Xiao family by Family Head Xiao Yao. However, the representative from the Lu family was not Family Head Lu Jinfeng, but Minister of War Lu Youwei’s advisor Lu Quan. The representatives from the Qiu family were Family Head Qiu Xuanzheng and his paternal uncle, Qiu Hongkuo.
Everyone sized them up.
They were more or less aware of the situation with the Lu family. Family head Lu Jinfeng was old-fashioned by nature and considered himself to be noble and virtuous, but didn’t get along with many people in his family.
But the position of family head was determined by bloodline, unlike the Wang family’s protocol of handing the position to whoever was most capable, so the clan had no choice but to hold their noses and accept his leadership.
In light of this, it made perfect sense for their representative today to be an elder of the Lu family who was also an advisor to Minister Lu.
As for the Qiu clan, it was well known that Qiu Hongkuo was the one with the real power in the family. The fact that he had come today in person clearly demonstrated the importance they attached to this matter.
The group took their seats.
Naturally, there was no way of knowing what was discussed there.
But while the specific details of the conversation remained unknown, once the scouts brought their report to the capital, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had a decent grasp of the situation.
It seemed that these people had already decided to cooperate.
Needless to say, Wang Huanzhi had a grudge against Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian for killing his son, and he would never pledge his allegiance to the Imperial Court like Wang Qichen.
The Xiao family was now weak, and the Imperial Court offered them no hope of turning things around. This being the case, they would accept any benefits the vassal kings offered them.
The Lu family had already conspired with Dingbei-wang, which nearly cost Qin Xiao his life.
In addition, knowing that their past plot to harm the Qin family might be exposed, they couldn’t allow their future to fall into Qin Xiao’s hands. It was natural for them to side with the vassal kings.
Perhaps only the Qiu family’s stance was up in the air, as they had yet to make any promises.
The Qiu family was driven by profit, and they would continue to behave themselves only so long as profit flowed to them through the Imperial Court.
But if the Imperial Court were to take away the benefits already in their hands, they certainly wouldn’t just sit still and let it happen.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had no intention of sharing profits with the Qiu family, but there was no need to take action now. Once Zuiliang-wang returned to his fiefdom, the Qiu family’s interests would be eroded away little by little.
Qin Xiao burned the letter in his hand.
Bai Lihong ran into the hall happily and said: “Jiujiu, Xiansheng, it’s really snowing!”
It was already the third lunar month, but when Chu Jiubian checked the System forecast, there was still one snowfall to go.
When Bai Lihong saw that it was actually snowing, he was endlessly excited.
“Can we go admire the plum blossoms tonight?” The child gave the two adults a beseeching look.
When Anhui-wang first arrived in the capital, Bai Lihong and Chu Jiubian had received him together, and Bai Lihong had said that when Qin Xiao returned, he would go with his uncle to admire the plum blossoms.
They just never found the chance.
An entire winter had passed, and the child should get his wish.
Qin Xiao: “I already sent people to make preparations. We’ll head over in a while.”
Bai Lihong jumped up and down in delight. Then he tugged at Chu Jiubian’s sleeve and said: “Xiansheng, let’s have hotpot tonight too. I didn’t eat well at lunch.”
Today was the fifteenth day of the third month – Bai Lihong’s birthday, as well as the day of the Longevity Festival.
But it was a tradition in Great Ning to avoid lavish birthday celebrations for children under sixteen, for fear that the Lord of Hell would take the child away.
So Bai Lihong hadn’t had a big celebration for his first birthday after ascending the throne, and only summoned the officials to the palace for a midday meal. After receiving some gifts and bestowing some dishes on them in return, the event concluded.
Since it was his birthday today, neither Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao nor Hong Fu asked him to do any work, and only told him to enjoy himself as he pleased.
“We will eat whatever Your Majesty wishes to eat.” Chu Jiubian pinched his little face.
Bai Lihong’s eyes curved in a smile as he leaned across the man’s knees and said: “Then may I ride the little cart, Xiansheng?”
That morning, Chu Jiubian had bought a child-sized bicycle from the System. After altering the more modern elements, such as replacing the foam seat with cotton padding, he handed it over to Bai Lihong.
Bai Lihong loved it so much that he couldn’t put it down. There was no telling how many times he had ridden the little bike around the main hall.
It was fortunate that there was enough room for him to play.
“Ask your uncle,” said Chu Jiubian.
The child immediately turned his pleading gaze onto Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao chuckled: “Go ahead.”
For a four-year-old who only got this single day off work each year, he should be able to do whatever made him happy.
Besides, the Imperial family held absolute power in the palace nowadays, so there was no need to wrong Bai Lihong.
Bai Lihong gave a cheer and immediately ran back outside. Xiao Yuzi hurried after him, fearful that he would trip and fall.
Chu Jiubian unknowingly smiled as he watched the child scamper off.
This was exactly how a child should be. Their Little Majesty would only dare to run around and play on a day like this.
Arms cinched around his waist as Qin Xiao plastered himself to Chu Jiubian’s back. Hot breath blew against his ear, and the young man’s fair, tender earlobe immediately flushed red.
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Chapter 89 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 91
