Chapter 424: Yes!

Madam Wen.

The Min Clan.

Min.

Wen.

And then there was the Fan Clan.

Count Zheng could not help picking up the teacup he had only just set down and taking another sip.

No wonder.

It really was no wonder.

The Fan Clan’s excessive attentiveness.

Its excessive enthusiasm for becoming Chu traitors.

Its excessive courage in placing such a heavy wager.

At this moment, there was finally an explanation for all of it.

Fan Zhengwen’s wife was Consort Min’s younger sister.

That made her Little Sixth’s maternal aunt.

And Fan Zhengwen was Little Sixth’s uncle by marriage.

The Fan Clan had business dealings with Little Sixth.

So from the very beginning, the Fan Clan had known that Little Sixth was no idle prince who spent his days eating, drinking, and wasting time.

At the same time, so long as Little Sixth still wanted to make use of his uncle’s family, he could not possibly refuse to reveal at least some of the power he kept hidden.

That was not even mentioning the spectacle of Little Sixth’s wedding.

Or the changing winds inside Yanjing.

By using his marriage to formally announce his entry into the succession struggle, Little Sixth had already shown his hand.

Whether from the perspective of profit or family ties, Zheng Fan believed the Fan Clan desperately wanted Little Sixth to emerge victorious in the succession struggle and become the next Emperor of Yan.

Because if that happened the Fan Clan could transform overnight from hereditary servants of the Qu Clan into imperial relatives!

And not some distant, decorative kind of imperial relatives either.

Their connection would be as orthodox and ironclad as one could ask for.

Because among Little Sixth’s maternal relatives who still shared actual blood with him this maternal aunt was the only one left.

Count Zheng put himself in Fan Zhengwen’s place for a moment.

If he were standing where Fan Zhengwen stood he would be willing to gamble too.

The future was simply too beautiful.

Beautiful enough to wager the safety of the entire clan for a chance at success.

Suddenly another thought struck Zheng Fan.

This expedition into Chu had been ordered by the Marquis of Jingnan.

At first, Zheng Fan had not wanted to come.

But the Marquis had issued a direct military order.

He had no choice.

And years earlier, the man personally ordered to lead troops in exterminating the Min Clan had been the Marquis of Jingnan.

So did the Marquis know there was still a surviving remnant of the Min Clan?

And that she was living with the Fan Clan?

Was that why he had ordered Zheng Fan to enter Chu through this route?

Count Zheng frowned slightly.

So everyone else was sitting there with their eyes open, moving pieces across the board while he alone had been charging forward with his head down like a pawn?

Fan Zhengwen saw Zheng Fan frown and immediately said:

“Count, this matter is something Fan Zhengwen would never dare lie about.”

Zheng Fan waved a hand.

His expression instantly changed into a smile.

“Brother Fan, what kind of words are those?

“This Count naturally believes you.”

Then, Count Zheng, who had been reclining with one leg crossed over the other, rose from his chair.

He faced Madam Min.

And gave her a solemn salute.

“This general pays respects to Madam.”

“This general pays respects to Madam.”

The wording sounded somewhat mismatched.

But there was no helping it.

At minimum he needed to display the proper respect.

Whatever else one said, this woman was Little Sixth’s maternal aunt.

Even if the Min Clan had never been destroyed, Madam Min might still have received an imperial title because of her elder sister Consort Min.

But in terms of formal status, she would never have outranked Count Pingye, whose title had been earned through military merit.

Still this was not the moment to obsess over precise etiquette.

What mattered was attitude.

Sometimes, attitude meant nothing.

But at other times attitude possessed enormous value.

Madam Min’s identity alone was enough to allow Zheng Fan and the Fan Clan to move into genuine cooperation, removing countless layers of suspicion and distance between them.

Madam Min hurriedly shifted aside.

“Count, you mustn’t.

“You mustn’t.”

She was a surviving remnant of a destroyed clan.

In her heart, she understood perfectly well that even though she was related to Little Sixth, she still had no right to put on airs before Count Pingye.

Her husband had spoken to her about the man before them.

Yes, Count Pingye had originally risen because Little Sixth recognized and promoted him.

But the Count Pingye of today even Chengjue himself would never dare treat him as some household lackey.

He would have to speak to him politely.

Fan Zhengwen truly did possess an exquisitely calculating mind.

At this moment, he spoke:

“It is a pity my unworthy eldest son is studying at the Qu Clan Private School and is not at home.

“The other two are still too young, so I did not bring them.

“That is their loss.

“They were unable to witness Count Pingye’s bearing with their own eyes today.

“My eldest boy greatly admires Count Pingye.”

Madam Min added:

“When Shaoliang is at home, he often says that only a man like Count Pingye—someone who relied on no family background and walked this road through his own ability—can be called a true man.”

Given Fan Shaoliang’s age, saying something like that was not strange at all.

The Fan Clan might look infinitely prosperous from the outside but it still could not remove the label of hereditary servant.

As the young master of the Fan Clan, possessing this sort of yearning was perfectly natural.

Of course, Zheng Fan also understood that Fan Zhengwen and Madam Min had not suddenly begun talking about their son simply to praise him through the boy’s mouth.

They were telling Zheng Fan something else.

The marriage between Fan Zhengwen and Madam Min was not merely the Fan Clan sheltering one surviving Min remnant.

Nor was it simply some opportunistic political marriage.

Whether the mutual respect the couple displayed today was genuine or staged they had three children together.

Children were the greatest reassurance of all.

And since Fan Zhengwen had specifically said his eldest son Fan Shaoliang studied at the Qu Clan Private School then the boy had to be a legitimate son.

Only legitimate sons of servant families qualified to enter the Qu Clan Private School and study alongside the young masters of the Qu household.

Zheng Fan had no idea what methods Fan Zhengwen used to make Madam Min his principal wife.

But regardless a principal wife.

A legitimate eldest son.

Those were the strongest possible vessels for preserving bloodline and political influence.

Because if Little Sixth’s maternal aunt were not Fan Zhengwen’s principal wife but merely a secondary wife, or even a concubine then what relationship would Fan Zhengwen truly possess with Little Sixth?

Almost none.

And if Little Sixth’s cousin were not Fan Zhengwen’s legitimate son but an illegitimate son or worse, if they played out some miserable story where the boy was bullied and neglected inside the family from childhood then Fan Zhengwen would not have become Little Sixth’s relative.

He would have become his enemy.

By explaining these things, Fan Zhengwen was laying the matter out plainly for Zheng Fan: the Fan Clan—

Fan Zhengwen himself possessed a solid, effective, and firmly realized relationship with Little Sixth.

With a prince who might one day inherit the throne of Yan.

His cousin was truly his cousin.

His blood cousin!

If Great Yan truly broke Zhennan Pass one day if Yan armies entered Chu and annexed the state just as they had swallowed the lands of the Three Jin then the Fan Clan could genuinely soar into the heavens.

At this point even Count Zheng could not help silently raising a thumb toward the head of the Fan Clan.

Impressive.

Genuinely fucking impressive.

Turning Madam Min—whose true identity could not be publicly revealed—into his principal wife could not possibly have been easy.

The Fan Clan might be hereditary servants of the Qu Clan but it was still an enormous household with vast wealth and influence.

It was no minor family.

Set aside “love,” that seemingly plausible explanation which, for people who drilled themselves so deeply into power and calculation, usually became nothing more than excess baggage.

What remained was obvious.

Fan Zhengwen had been waiting for this opportunity laying this foundation for a very, very long time.

The Fan Clan had been waiting to become Chu traitors for a very, very long time.

Zheng Fan smiled and pointed toward the table.

“Since we’re family, there’s no need to remain so restrained.

“Let’s all sit around the table.”

Before—

Count Zheng had been reclining while the married couple sat upright and formal.

Now everyone could sit as equals.

Fan Zhengwen did not put on a show of hesitation.

He led his wife over and sat.

Siniang stepped forward and refilled everyone’s cups with cooled tea.

“I won’t hide it from Brother Fan.

“Before entering Chu this time, this Count imagined many possibilities.

“But after actually entering Chu—

“I never expected to see this.”

Fan Zhengwen smiled.

“Forget the Count.

“Even Fan Zhengwen never expected the person entering Chu this time would be you.

“To speak plainly—if it were anyone else, neither Fan Zhengwen nor the Fan Clan would ever receive them with this degree of openness.”

That was the truth.

Everyone knew the relationship between Zheng Fan and the Sixth Prince.

After all—

Zheng Fan’s earliest rise had indeed come through the Sixth Prince’s recognition.

“Still, Count, since we are family now, let us speak as family.

“Within Mengshan, the Fan Clan can keep control.

“Along this entire route, my Fan Clan can manage every level.

“The reason we invited Count to stay at this detached residence outside Xiayong was also to make one thing clear to you.

“If you go deeper into Xiayong—or continue beyond Xiayong—then it becomes difficult for my Fan Clan to keep hiding your movements.”

Farther inward they would leave the Fan Clan’s true sphere of influence.

Zheng Fan nodded.

“Then I ask Brother Fan to teach me.”

This man possessed deep calculation.

He was somebody.

Zheng Fan did not mind offering a few pleasant words or lowering his posture slightly here.

After all the person benefiting from it would still be himself.

“Count speaks too heavily.

“This time, Count entered Chu.

“Fan Zhengwen dares guess you possess three objectives.

“Count may listen and see whether I have guessed correctly.”

Zheng Fan raised one hand.

“Oh?

“Please.”

“The first objective is to inspect reality for yourself.

“Yan and Chu certainly have many spies moving between them, and the amount of information passed back must be enormous.

“But some roads—you still have to walk personally before you understand how deep or shallow they truly are.

“For a military man like Count Pingye—that is especially true.

“Fan Zhengwen once heard that before the Marquis of Jingnan launched the campaign to march through borrowed roads and attack Jin, he personally traveled that route several times in disguise.

“Only because of that did Great Yan later achieve the great victory of descending upon Jin like divine soldiers from the heavens.”

Hearing this—

Zheng Fan nodded.

"What books alone can teach will still be shallow;
true understanding comes through practice of your own."

Back during Zheng Fan’s first journey into Qian he genuinely had not expected that behind all those dense fortresses and strongholds, the frontier army would turn out to be such complete garbage.

Facts later proved that if everyone had known beforehand just how useless the Three Frontiers troops of Qian truly were there would never have been any need for Zheng Fan to be the first man to jump into the sea and taste the crab.

This journey into Chu especially everything involving the Fan Clan had already allowed Zheng Fan to perceive Chu’s social structure with remarkable clarity.

Chu did not mean only the tens of thousands of Azure Luan soldiers beneath Yupan City men whose combat strength had been so formidable that the only practical way to defeat them had been to starve them out through siege.

Nor did Chu mean only the one hundred thousand Imperial Clan Guards stationed behind Zhennan Pass.

A state contained far too many different things.

Zheng Fan had seen one Fan Clan.

But inside Chu there could not possibly be only one Fan Clan.

No matter how enormous Chu looked if Yan could smash it once if Yan could break through and truly enter its territory there would be countless ways to dissolve its ability to resist from within.

“Count’s second objective, in Fan Zhengwen’s view, should be laying foundations for the future.”

“Laying foundations?”

Zheng Fan sounded curious.

“Yes.

“Because Count is currently Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass.

“Fan Zhengwen believes the snowfields will no longer pose any serious threat to you.

“At present, the great trend beneath Heaven is Great Yan standing alone against three major powers.

“The first is the barbarians.

“But clearly, Yan and the barbarians will not go to war in the near future.

“The second and third—are Qian and Chu.

“As for Jin remnants and the savages—they no longer qualify to sit at the table.

“Count currently governs Snow Sea Pass.

“When Great Yan next deploys troops, unless some truly desperate situation occurs, the court will not send Count thousands of li west to Yinlang Commandery to fight Qian.

“Nor will it send you even farther away to fight the barbarians.

“The battlefield Count will inevitably face in the future—is Great Chu!”

The reason was simple.

Distance.

If Snow Sea Pass wanted to expand outward—

Chu was the natural direction.

The most extreme possibility would be some catastrophic collapse along another Yan front, forcing Zheng Fan to lead troops across enormous distances in support.

But that would be an exceptional case.

“For this journey into Chu—

“Count may treat Great Chu exactly as you treated this Great Marsh Fragrant Tongue tea.

“Whether you carefully brew it and sip it slowly—or dump the whole thing into one pot, boil it over a roaring flame, and let it cool into drinking tea—that depends entirely on Count’s preference.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

Then asked:

“And the third objective?”

“The third—is fame!”

“Fame?”

“Among idle people in the world today, there is a saying.

“The younger generation possesses Four Rising Generals.

“One is the young barbarian prince.

“One is Zhong Tianlang of Qian.

“One is Nian Yao of Chu.

“And the fourth—is you, Count Pingye.

“In Fan Zhengwen’s view—the other three do not deserve to stand beside you.”

Zheng Fan smiled faintly but said nothing.

“All three of them rely upon family background.

“The young barbarian prince has the Royal Court.

“Zhong Tianlang possesses the Zhong Clan, the foremost military family of Qian.

“Nian Yao began as the Regent of Chu’s household servant during his years as a prince.

“Only Count—yes, you also received help from powerful figures.

“But one was the Commandery Princess of the Marquis of Zhenbei Residence, whom people later mocked for having eyes yet failing to recognize talent.

“And the other was a Sixth Prince fallen so low that nobody respected him.

“So Count Pingye—your accomplishments were forged through your own blades and blood!”

Fan Zhengwen continued:

“To say something that may cross a line—

“Count is deeply valued by the Marquis of Jingnan.

“The Marquis even regards you as his proud disciple.

“That favor is practically without equal.

“But Count is still too young.

“So you must continue accumulating great achievements.

“Not to stabilize the position you already possess.

“But so that one day, when idle people in the jianghu begin ranking some new Four Generals or Eight Stars—they instinctively remove Count Pingye from consideration.

“They should feel you no longer belong among those younger men.

“They should compare you instead to the Marquis of Jingnan.

“To the Marquis of Zhenbei.

“To Zhong Wendao and men of that generation.

“A scholar requires works to build literary fame.

“A soldier requires victories to forge prestige.

“Count—you need military achievements.

“You need prestige.

“You need fame.

“You need them badly.”

The more Fan Zhengwen spoke the more excited he became.

This man possessed ambition.

But from birth onward, he had been forced to accept the fate imposed upon him.

Clearly, he was talking about Zheng Fan.

Yet as he continued it was almost as though he had infected himself with his own words.

“Count, what you need is one enormous military achievement!

“Only then can you inherit the Marquis of Jingnan’s mantle in the future!

“When Great Yan next goes to war—the first person His Majesty thinks of should be Count Pingye!”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“All three objectives.

“Brother Fan guessed correctly.”

Fan Zhengwen seemed to realize he had lost composure.

He gave an awkward smile.

“Count—

“Fan Zhengwen was presumptuous.”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“We are family.

“What is there to call presumptuous?”

Then, he continued:

“I still ask Brother Fan to teach me.

“What should the next move be?”

Since Fan Zhengwen had outlined these three purposes so clearly—

Zheng Fan believed he must already have planned the next move as well.

Fan Zhengwen lifted his teacup.

He drained the cooled tea in a single swallow.

Then, he slammed the cup heavily onto the table.

“Count—what a coincidence.

“On the fifteenth day of next month—the Lantern Festival—

“Xiong Liqing, Fourth Princess of Great Chu and the Regent’s full younger sister—will marry Qu Peiluo, the legitimate eldest son of the current Qu Clan generation.”

The moment Zheng Fan heard that he understood.

His mouth opened slightly.

Behind him—

Siniang’s eyes lit up instantly.

Fan Zhengwen continued smiling.

“On the day of the wedding—if Count Pingye leads troops in and carries off the princess—what kind of achievement would that be?

“What kind of fame?

“What kind of prestige?”

Fan Zhengwen drew in a long breath.

Like a beast that had suppressed itself for far too long finally finding a chance to bare the fangs it had hidden deep inside.

He stood.

Used his cup to scoop another serving of cooled tea from the basin.

Then faced Zheng Fan.

“Would that make this journey worthwhile?”

Count Zheng stood as well.

He lifted his own cup.

And struck it heavily against Fan Zhengwen’s.

“Yes.”

————

[End of Chapter 424]