Chapter 249: Crown Prince

Xue San was feeling extremely awkward right now, because he knew perfectly well that the Demon Child was in a very bad mood.

It was like a little kid happily going downstairs with money his father had given him to buy candy, only to come back grinning and discover the door had been locked from the inside.

“Maruko, if I said I climbed onto the wrong roof, would you believe me?”

...

The next morning, Zheng Fan, refreshed and full of energy, practiced his saber in the courtyard.

After about half an hour, he sheathed the blade.

Siniang brought breakfast over and handed him a warm, damp towel at the same time.

“Master, there’s no need to be so impatient. You only advanced recently. You should give yourself some time to settle and rest.”

“It’s not like back when we were drawing comics, where we deliberately held back the pace of advancement just to stretch the plot and pad out more chapters.”

“That may be true, but a few days won’t make any difference. A proper balance between work and rest is enough. Besides, several people have already examined Master’s constitution. In this world, your martial talent already counts as extremely high.”

“I’m used to training. If there’s a day when I don’t sweat, I actually feel uncomfortable.”

“Siniang, I need to use this silver to purchase equipment. Approve it for me.”

Zheng Fan, who was wiping away his sweat, turned his head in confusion when he heard the voice.

Xue San stood there with his face swollen and bruised.

“San’er, what did you do last night?”

Xue San smiled.

“Had a fight with A’Ming.”

“Why would you fight him right now?”

He had recovered one level more than you. How were you supposed to fight him?

“He called me short. A man can endure many things, but not that. So we fought.”

“Oh. Then he deserved it.”

Zheng Fan sat down, picked up his bowl of congee, and asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes, Master.”

“All right. Approved.”

Siniang handed Xue San the authorization slip.

Any additional expenditure from the common treasury required approval from either Siniang or the Blind Man. Even if one of the Demon Kings wanted to draw funds, there was no exception.

“Master, take your time eating. I’ll get back to work. Those brothers under me are all waiting for their equipment.”

“Mm. Go on.”

Xue San turned and left.

He had selected fifty men to receive his training. In the future, they could serve as battlefield scouts, so a new batch of equipment had to be prepared for them—concealed weapons, grappling claws, lightweight leather armor, and the like.

“San’er actually left just like that.”

Siniang propped her chin on one hand and watched Zheng Fan drink his congee, looking somewhat curious.

“He seems a little off emotionally.”

“It’s because of you, Master. Even A’Li advanced, and San’er still hasn’t.”

“The Blind Man hasn’t either.”

“The Blind Man is different. No matter how anxious he is, he’ll never show it. San’er isn’t like that.”

“Heh. A’Ming was pretty ruthless last night, though.”

“Wasn’t he just? San’er’s even whistling through the gaps in his teeth when he talks now.

“Oh, right, Master. Merchant caravans have gradually started arriving here.”

“Mm. You can handle attracting merchants and investment.”

“Yes. We still have quite a bit of goods stored in the residence, and there were plenty of valuable things in those three savage strongholds Master captured earlier. All of that can be traded.”

Shengle City was not densely populated, but it was perfectly suited to serve as a transfer point along the trade routes.

Now that the war among the three states had ended, merchants had long since been unable to sit still. A new wave of caravan traffic was beginning.

“Right. How are things progressing with Gao Yi?”

Gao Yi was the deputy general of that one-thousand-man Jingnan Army contingent.

When the Marquis of Jingnan had assigned those troops to Zheng Fan, Gao Yi had been the highest-ranking officer among them.

If Zheng Fan wanted to swallow those one thousand elite Jingnan cavalry whole, Gao Yi had to be dealt with first.

“The lieutenant commanders among the Jingnan Army are fairly easy to talk to. Once the gold, silver, and valuables were handed out as rewards, they all loosened up somewhat.

“Besides, they know about Master’s relationship with the Marquis of Jingnan, and they all believe Master has boundless prospects ahead.

“But Gao Yi himself is rather impervious to both soft and hard methods.”

“Oh?”

“The mid-level officers promoted by the Marquis of Jingnan over the years are all extremely loyal to him.”

“You mean no matter how I try to win him over, it won’t work? He only obeys Tian Wujing?”

“Yes, Master.”

“That makes things difficult.

“I originally planned to swallow this force first and create a fait accompli. Then I could run over to Tian Wujing, throw a tantrum, roll around on the floor, and I figured he’d probably just agree in the end.

“But if Gao Yi can’t be subdued and refuses to nod, then there’s no way to truly digest this force.”

“Master, the original commander of these troops was Ren Juan, the garrison commander of Xinsu City.”

“Heh. Your own troops are flesh in your own palm. Who would willingly give them away?

“There’s no path through Ren Juan either.

“When Tian Wujing carved these thousand cavalry out and handed them to me, I already thought part of his intention was to knock Ren Juan down a peg.

“Besides, over drinks everyone can slap their chest and call each other brothers, but when the real accounts are settled, those old Jingnan Army generals under Ren Juan aren’t actually going to treat me as one of their own.

“Forget it. I won’t try to force-feed myself this meal yet.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll need to find another chance to meet Tian Wujing.”

At first, Zheng Fan had felt reverence toward the Marquis of Jingnan.

Then fear.

After that, a strange feeling had gradually developed—as though an older brother were looking after a younger one.

How many older brothers in this world could save their younger brother’s life twice?

“The Marquis of Jingnan fought the Sword Saint of Jin last time. His injuries may not have fully healed yet.

“I have quite a few medicinal herbs from the Tianduan Mountains in storage.”

“A gift like that isn’t enough. Tian Wujing is a realist.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Unless we’re willing to share the profits from our workshops with Tian Wujing’s Jingnan Army.”

“For only one thousand Jingnan troops… Master, that may not be worth it. Besides, our workshops haven’t even been built yet.”

“I know. I know.”

If you wanted to obtain something, you had to pay an equivalent price.

“If that really doesn’t work, then there’s only one path left—nurture the enemy so we can justify our own importance.”

Zheng Fan narrowed his eyes and continued, “During this trip into the Tianduan Mountains, troops from the Situ Clan appeared as well.

“Their main force may be defending against the savages in the northeast, but clearly, whether it was the former imperial region of Jin or Geda Mountain, the Situ commanders left behind still want to stir up trouble.”

“Master, you intend to provoke a border conflict without authorization?”

“Provoke a border conflict? Heh. Don’t you think it’s a pretty good method?

“The Situ Clan’s main force isn’t here anyway. We can hit one city at a time. We’re unlikely to suffer any serious loss, and we may even gain something from it.

“Besides, have you forgotten? We already did this back when we were at Cuiliu Fort.”

“But last time the State of Yan already intended to go to war. Master merely acted with the momentum of the larger situation.

“This time, it is obvious that Yan does not want to fight the Situ Clan right now.”

“If there’s no momentum, then we create momentum ourselves.”

“But skirmishing inside the Tianduan Mountains doesn’t have much impact. If we begin clashing directly with the Situ Clan, the trade routes will be obstructed.”

“As long as we control the scale, it’ll be fine.

“Eat one of their troop detachments or capture one of their cities. Yan is strong and the Situ Clan is weak. As long as we wipe our mouths afterward and run, they won’t dare expand the scale of the war.

“By the calendar, Liang Cheng should be back tomorrow or the day after, right?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. Once Liang Cheng returns, we’ll discuss it properly.

“There are still two months left before the three-month deadline I agreed upon with the Marquis for returning these troops. No rush.”

“Master, should I keep working on Gao Yi?”

Zheng Fan waved his hand.

“No need.

“He isn’t Hong Chengchou, and I don’t want you playing Dayu’er.”

At that moment, the Blind Man walked over holding a letter.

He said, “Master, news has arrived from Yanjing.

“On the third day of next month, the Second Prince will be formally invested as Crown Prince.”

Hearing that, Zheng Fan set down his chopsticks and sighed.

“What was coming has finally come.”

“There is also a letter from the Sixth Prince.”

“Which channel did it come through?”

“The relay stations.”

“Oh. What does it say?”

If it had traveled through the official relay system, then obviously there could not be any heartfelt secrets inside.

It was like a suspect mailing a letter out of prison—the contents would obviously be inspected.

“The Sixth Prince says there is no need to send the next batch of cornmeal.

“There is only him and a few eunuchs left in his residence now. They can’t even finish what they already have.”

“Heh.”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“Prepare a wagon of valuables and send someone to the Sixth Prince’s residence in Yanjing.

“Don’t bother concealing the journey.”

“Yes. This subordinate understands.”

“No. Someone should personally make the trip.

“You go…”

Zheng Fan pointed toward the Blind Man.

The Blind Man’s expression remained calm.

But Zheng Fan hesitated.

The Blind Man had still not advanced.

Sending him out to handle errands at a time like this somehow felt a little inhumane.

“Go call A’Ming instead.

“Have him take the valuables to Yanjing. While he’s there, he can also bring back all those shopkeepers who used to work under the Sixth Prince.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of the Blind Man’s mouth.

“Openly and without concealment?”

“Openly and in broad daylight.”

“This subordinate understands.”

Siniang, however, looked somewhat worried.

“Master, won’t that be too blatant?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“The emperor does not like his sons colluding with military commanders outside the capital.

“But he likes it even less when one of his sons shows favor to someone, only for that person to turn around and behave like an ungrateful wolf.”

...

Recently, Yao Zizhan had experienced an entirely different kind of sensation.

In the past, he had always thought of himself as the man steering a boat across a lake.

Now he had suddenly discovered that water truly could carry a boat.

“Master Yao, you really do look as though you’ve entered a second spring recently.”

Zheng Fan smiled while holding a teacup.

Outside, the clear sound of children reciting lessons filled the air.

Truthfully, including the newly conquered Jin territories, Zheng Fan could probably claim to be the first person in all of Great Yan to establish public education.

Under the educational system of the great clans and aristocratic houses in the past, books had certainly not been available for everyone to study.

Yao Zizhan nodded and smacked his lips.

“A different flavor entirely. A different flavor indeed.”

“As long as Master Yao enjoys it.”

“Why has Little Brother Zheng come looking for this old man?”

“Listen to you. Master Yao is teaching here under my roof. As the host, shouldn’t I come over every few days and ask after you?”

“Say what you came to say. There’s no need for riddles between the two of us.”

“On the third day of next month, the State of Yan will formally invest its Crown Prince.”

Yao Zizhan pinched his fingers and calculated for a moment.

“Judging from how long it took the news to reach Little Brother Zheng, the Situ Clan’s envoy will probably not arrive in time for the investiture.

“An envoy from my State of Qian won’t make it either.

“The Marquis of Jingnan is in Litian City, not far from the Horseshoe Mountains, so he has enough time to return.

“But the Marquis of Zhenbei probably will not attend. Which means the Marquis of Jingnan most likely will not return either.”

“Yes. The Marquis of Zhenbei only recently returned with his army to Beifeng Commandery.”

“Exactly.

“Although the Second Prince of Yan is Tian Wujing’s own nephew, if the Marquis of Zhenbei does not attend, then it would be inconvenient for the Marquis of Jingnan to return for the investiture ceremony.”

That was a political calculation.

The heir apparent was the foundation of the state.

He represented the continuation of the ruling political bloc’s interests and direction.

At present, the two Marquises standing north and south were clearly the two poles of power.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei did not attend the Crown Prince’s investiture but the Marquis of Jingnan did, the absent side would inevitably be interpreted as having fallen from favor.

“Although this investiture does feel somewhat rushed, there have long been signs that your Second Prince would enter the Eastern Palace.

“For several years now, he has practically been Crown Prince in all but name.

“So why has Little Brother Zheng specifically come to ask this old man about it?”

“Just chatting.”

“Is that so?

“The Emperor of Yan has six adult princes.

“The First Prince, Ji Wujiang, is in Beifeng Commandery.

“The Second Prince is about to become Crown Prince.

“The Third Prince was personally crippled by Little Brother Zheng.

“The Fourth Prince has the military background of the Deng Clan.

“The Fifth Prince is entirely ordinary.

“And the Sixth Prince is the one least favored by the Emperor of Yan.

“This old man will be bold enough to ask—could it be that Little Brother Zheng has chosen a side in this struggle for succession?”

“I won’t hide it from Master Yao.

“I have.”

“Oh? May I ask whom?”

“The First Prince. Ji Wujiang is my patron.”

“This…”

Yao Zizhan had once specifically investigated Zheng Fan’s life after reading *The Zheng Treatise on War*.

He said, “This old man remembers hearing that Little Brother Zheng once saved the Sixth Prince?”

“Mm. The Sixth Prince introduced me to the First Prince.”

“Truly?”

“Absolutely.”

Yao Zizhan began laughing.

“It is rare for Little Brother Zheng to be this candid.

“You’ve actually surprised this old man.”

“I like keeping accounts.

“Money comes in with one hand and goes out with the other. When the books are clear, I feel at ease.

“But there are some accounts that are genuinely difficult to calculate.

“Debts of human favor.”

“This old man understands.

“I would like to add another such debt to Little Brother Zheng’s ledger, but truthfully, this is ultimately your State of Yan’s family affair.

“Even if this old man has ears and sources of information, most of what I hear is simply information transmitted back by the Silver-Armored Guard that the entire Qian court already knows.

“There is one exception.

“The Third Prince whom Little Brother Zheng personally crippled truly was rather inclined toward culture and education.”

“That’s it?”

You’re fucking telling me now that the Third Prince had already been culturally infiltrated by Qian and turned into a die-hard Qian admirer?

What use is that to me?

“Then shall this old man invent a little more for you?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“I was hoping Master Yao could help me analyze the situation.”

“Hmm?

“Little Brother Zheng, forgive this old man for speaking plainly.

“The Second Prince is entering the Eastern Palace and will become the future ruler of Great Yan.

“You are one of the Marquis of Jingnan’s men, and the Marquis of Jingnan is the Second Prince’s own maternal uncle.

“You do not need to do anything at all.

“Your future rise to wealth and rank is practically laid out in front of you already.”

“Master Yao, now you’re being insincere.”

Yao Zizhan froze.

Then he lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

“Tian Wujing will never meet a good end.”

Zheng Fan fell silent.

His fingertip lightly tapped against the tea table.

“Unless Tian Wujing becomes emperor himself, he will never meet a good end.

“And yet he is precisely the person least likely to rebel.

“So…”

“Who can say what will happen in the future?”

“Heh.

“Little Brother, do you know what both the former Emperor of Jin and the Emperor of my Qian once lamented in their hearts?”

Zheng Fan did not answer.

Yao Zizhan answered his own question.

“Why is there no Tian Wujing beside Us?”

“What a coincidence.

“I often dream about why there aren’t one hundred thousand iron cavalry beside me.”

“Little Brother Zheng, do you remember how this old man once asked you in the Tianduan Mountains whether the Emperor of Yan’s health had gone wrong?”

“I remember.”

“Actually, Little Brother Zheng, you misunderstood something.

“Perhaps you think that if the Emperor of Yan’s health fails, that would benefit my State of Qian.

“But in reality—what my State of Qian fears most is precisely the Emperor of Yan developing a health problem.”

For a minister of an enemy state to fear that the opposing ruler might fall ill would normally mean that ruler was a hopelessly incompetent sovereign.

Yet the opposite was true.

No matter how one looked at the Emperor of Yan, from any angle whatsoever, he had nothing to do with the words “incompetent ruler.”

One could accuse him of excessive militarism.

There was some truth to that.

But he had already conquered half of Jin.

It was like comparing Emperor Yang of Sui with Emperor Wu of Han or the Yongle Emperor.

All of them had some tendency toward exhausting the state through war.

The difference was that the first one lost.

And so his reputation rotted.

“Your Second Prince of Yan is a ruler suited to preserving what already exists.

“He is not a heroic sovereign suited to expansion.”

“Even the Silver-Armored Guard knows that?”

“What books the Second Prince reads, what essays he writes, what actions he takes—anything that can be investigated is collected and sent back to Shangjing.

“The Silver-Armored Guard has specialists who analyze and summarize everything for His Majesty.

“This old man is one of them.”

“I’m saying, if you Qian people put as much effort into reorganizing your army as you do operating spies, you wouldn’t have gotten beaten so miserably last time.”

Yao Zizhan ignored Zheng Fan’s mockery and continued.

“The Emperor of Yan wants to finish in one generation what should have taken three generations.”

As he spoke, Yao Zizhan raised his fingers and began counting them off slowly.

“Ordinarily, reducing the power of the great clans and centralizing authority would already consume the reign of one emperor.

“The next emperor could then sharpen the army and prepare the horses, launching wars abroad.

“The emperor after that would inherit what came before, open what came after, and establish dominance over the eastern lands.

“Ji Runhao wants to finish all of it himself in one breath.

“For his descendants, even if he cannot leave behind a unified eastern realm and a new Great Xia, then at the very least he wants to utterly crush the other two states and make Yan the undisputed greatest state in the East.

“Originally, there should have been at least another five years of recuperation.

“Even ten years would not have been excessive.

“Yan could completely digest the newly conquered Jin territories.

“You must remember that the cavalry of the Three Jin lands genuinely were not weak.

“If Yan could raise another field army in Jin, then in the future, when war begins, three great cavalry armies could advance together.

“Who beneath Heaven could stand against them?

“Of course, my Great Qian would also gain breathing room.

“With the wealth and taxes of Jiangnan, we could reorganize our forces and strengthen our defensive lines.

“The internal struggle in Chu should also be over by then.

“At that point, a Qian–Chu alliance facing Yan—victory or defeat would truly be difficult to predict.”

“So?”

“So if the Emperor of Yan’s health truly has gone wrong, then within a year, a new round of war may begin.

“He will want, while he is still healthy enough to see it, to watch Yan’s iron cavalry truly trample through Shangjing of my State of Qian.

“At the very least, he will want to beat Qian down until only half the country remains, just like Jin.

“This is the obsession of a Son of Heaven.

“The heart-demon of an emperor.

“This old man does not understand warfare.

“But I am good at understanding people.”

Zheng Fan yawned.

“Master Yao, you’ve gone off topic.”

“This old man has already answered you.”

“Tsk. Where?”

“If the Emperor of Yan is healthy and nothing has gone wrong, then a ruler who can preserve the state is enough.

“The Crown Prince inheriting the throne in the future would then be practically certain.

“But if the Emperor of Yan’s health has indeed failed, and he forcibly launches another war…”

Yao Zizhan closed his eyes.

“You’re still trying to build suspense now?”

“This old man is not building suspense.

“It’s simply…”

He chuckled.

“If the Emperor of Yan forcibly begins another war, and everything goes as smoothly as last time until Qian is smashed apart outright, then there is nothing more to say.

“That would prove my Great Qian truly is mud that cannot be plastered onto a wall.

“And you people of Yan really are those favored by Heaven.

“But if my State of Qian holds…”

At this point, Yao Zizhan slowly opened his eyes.

They were faintly red.

His breathing had also grown heavier.

He said slowly, “Then the Emperor of Yan will replace the Crown Prince with the son who resembles him most.

“That prince will take over the mess, continue wagering the fate of the state, and keep fighting until one side collapses completely.

“Because in a war of national destiny, there is no path of retreat.”

“The prince who resembles him most?”

Zheng Fan stroked his chin.

A thousand thoughts turned inside his mind.

Yao Zizhan drained the tea in his cup.

Then he said, “Forgive this old man for speaking plainly.

“Among the six adult princes, based on all the information available and according to this old man’s analysis, the one who resembles the Emperor of Yan most should be…”

Yao Zizhan raised a thumb toward Zheng Fan.

Without making a sound, as Zheng Fan lifted his own hand, he tucked away the little finger he had initially extended and left only his thumb raised.

The two thumbs met in the air for an instant.

Yao Zizhan stood.

He reached out, patted Zheng Fan heavily on the shoulder, and said with heartfelt gravity, “So, Little Brother Zheng—that relationship of yours with the First Prince must never be allowed to break.

“You need to visit him more often.”

Enlightenment appeared on Zheng Fan’s face.

He stood, cupped his hands toward Yao Zizhan, and said, “Many thanks for Master Yao’s instruction.”

[End of Chapter 249]