Chapter 462: Imperial Audience

Chuanye.

Ji Chuanye.

The name inevitably invited speculation. Once the eldest imperial grandson’s name spread beyond the palace tonight, a new wave of discussion was certain to sweep across the realm.

After all, the Sixth Prince’s momentum had been rising by the day. His methods were sometimes excessively forceful, whether dealing with those above or those below, and he carried a distinctly decisive, even ruthless air. But after so many years beneath the Emperor of Yan’s authority, court and countryside alike had largely grown accustomed to that kind of ruler.

If the next Emperor were another man of the same type, the officials could hardly say they were unable to accept it. They had survived this many years already, had they not?

Of course, if the Crown Prince inherited the throne, that would be best in the eyes of many ministers. He fit their imagined picture of a “sage sovereign” far more closely, and perhaps the chains around everyone’s necks would loosen a little.

But right now, the Emperor of Yan’s word was law. If he truly wished to replace the Crown Prince, no one would dare object, and no one possessed the power to stop him.

Which made the eldest imperial grandson’s name impossible to ignore.

Chuanye: to inherit the enterprise, to carry on the great undertaking.

If the eldest imperial grandson was meant to inherit the great enterprise, then what did that imply about the boy’s father?

When Ji Chuanye began crying for a second time and needed a wet nurse to feed him, the Emperor of Yan finally rose and returned to the palace. Little Seventh went back with him.

The Fourth and Fifth Princes returned to their own residences as well. They lived nearby, so the distance was negligible.

The First Prince and the Barbarian Princess stayed a while longer.

“Ji Chuanye. Ji Chuanye.” The First Prince chuckled. “After today, Sixth Brother, you’ve moved another step closer to that seat.”

Ji Chengjue remained remarkably calm.

“You and I both know what sort of man the old man is. Forget naming my son Chuanye. Even if he named him Chuanwei—‘Inherit the Throne’—what would that prove to the old man?

“He’s just roasting me over the fire now. I feel like a duck clamped in iron tongs while Father Emperor slowly turns me around, rendering out the fat evenly.”

“There you go again. Back to your old trade,” the First Prince laughed.

Ji Chengjue shook his head. “Being our father’s son is genuinely difficult. If anything, I’m more nervous now than before. I used to be below while Second Brother stood above. Now the two of us have practically exchanged positions.

“You saw what happened to Second Brother after he entered the Eastern Palace. Look how haggard he’s become.”

The First Prince almost replied, *And isn’t half of that because of you?*

In the end, he kept the thought to himself. Taking advantage of the birth of the next generation, all the brothers and their father had finally gathered in one place again. No matter how strained matters had become, there was still at least some brotherly affection left between them.

The Barbarian Princess sat silently beside them. She understood that the two brothers were already showing her enormous respect by discussing matters like this without sending her away. But she had no standing to interrupt.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Ji Chengjue continued. “I refuse to believe Father Emperor has already decided to replace the Crown Prince with me. If I were naive enough to think that, I’d be almost fully roasted already.

“Right, Eldest Brother. We haven’t had a proper talk since you came back last time. What is the situation below actually like?”

“Not especially good. The great aristocratic clans are gone, but aristocratic clans can never truly be rooted out. Tear up the big ones and smaller ones grow almost immediately. They may lack the ‘hundred-year clan’ signboard, but what they do is no different from what those old families used to do.”

“That’s only natural. No one is stupid. Everyone knows how to eat, and everyone knows how to make sure they get a larger share. It’s like moss on stone steps. Every so often, someone has to scrape it clean. You can’t become negligent.”

“So your elder brother has been scraping moss for you?”

“That’s hardly a small task. The pot is only so large, and there is only so much rice it can cook. The most I can do to increase our income is add a few extra dishes from outside. But if there isn’t enough rice, eating side dishes alone will never fill the belly.

“If the court eats a little more, those below must eat a little less. If those below eat more, the court goes hungry.

“And when the court goes hungry, Father Emperor gets angry. Then your little brother here...” Ji Chengjue chuckled.

“If you need my help, say it directly,” the First Prince said. “My mind is not as quick as yours, especially when it comes to money and grain. But Qian’s Jiangnan is simply too rich. Given the same amount of time, the Qian people will recover and accumulate strength far faster than we can.

“Last time, Li Fusheng and Li Bao attacked Qian along two routes and pushed one army all the way beneath Shangjing. We originally thought northern Qian would be littered with starving corpses the following year. That never happened. With support from Jiangnan, the Qian people not only stabilized the north, but the troops along the Three Frontiers have actually increased instead of decreased.”

“Eldest Brother, that isn’t how the account should be calculated. Great Yan is indeed less prosperous than Qian. We have fewer people and less fertile land.

“But Great Yan’s century-old sickness was treated by Father Emperor and the Northern and Southern Marquises with the equivalent of scraping poison from the bone. What about Qian?

“Do they truly believe one Emperor and a few clear-eyed ministers can transform a state that enormous from top to bottom with a few light imperial decrees?

“Impossible. Pure fantasy.

“Take ten fingers as an example. Qian has ten fingers. Great Yan has only five. But the Emperor of Qian can mobilize only three of his ten, while Father Emperor can mobilize four of Great Yan’s five.

“Four against three. We still hold the advantage.”

Ji Chengjue then looked toward the Barbarian Princess.

“It’s the same with Sister-in-law’s barbarians. The desert is vast, and barbarian tribes are beyond counting. The barbarians themselves have not declined. What declined was only the Royal Court.”

The Barbarian Princess did not become angry. Instead, she smiled and nodded.

Women of the Xia lands had an old saying: marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Even Li Qian, once she believed she was going to marry the Crown Prince, had immediately treated Ji Chengjue as a thorn in her eye that had to be removed.

Those were the rules of this age.

The women of the desert barbarians were even more firmly bound to that custom. In some ways, the idea that a married woman followed her husband ran deeper among barbarian women than among women of the Xia lands.

Ji Chengjue remembered something Zheng Fan had once told him: productivity determined everything.

At first, Ji Chengjue had not understood the term “productivity,” but he could roughly grasp the principle.

For a woman to survive alone in this world was simply too difficult. Every household needed someone to serve as its pillar.

The barbarians lived in an even harsher environment, which meant barbarian women had even fewer choices.

Ji Chengjue spoke casually, but he was no fool. Understanding how to deal with people was something he had practically begun learning in the womb, so his very next sentence was:

“If the Royal Court were still the Royal Court of a hundred years ago, Sister-in-law would not have married into our family. Eldest Brother would have been the one marrying into hers.”

“Pfft.”

The Barbarian Princess laughed.

The First Prince shook his head. “But in the end, Qian still has seven fingers remaining.”

“Eldest Brother, I don’t understand warfare, and I’ve never been on a battlefield. But even I know that a battle does not end only when one side kills every last person on the other. Most armies collapse after losing ten or twenty percent.

“So two years from now, what Great Yan needs to do is strike like thunder and sever Qian’s three usable fingers. Once those are gone, the remaining seven won’t be able to gather into a fist.

“Right, Brother, there is another matter. At first I thought it was too rushed, but now the timing feels about right. Xu Wenzu has been tormented badly by Zhong Tianlang over in Yinlang Commandery.

“Go to Yinlang Commandery.”

“Would that be appropriate?” the First Prince asked.

But his eyes had already lit up.

“I’ve arranged for Xu Wenzu to memorialize the court in a few days and request reinforcements. Then I’ll personally step forward at court and recommend you. What you need to do is avoid modesty and refuse to yield. Walk out openly, draw your saber—”

Ji Chengjue paused.

“Ah, no. Weapons aren’t allowed during court. In that case, grab one of the palace pillars and act as though you’ll smash your head against it if Father Emperor refuses.”

“...”

The First Prince stared at him.

After a moment, he asked, “And if Father Emperor still refuses?”

Every son knew exactly what sort of temper their father possessed.

If the Emperor of Yan refused him before the entire court, was he truly supposed to smash his head against a pillar and die?

Ji Chengjue shrugged. “You’re older than the rest of us anyway. Dying before us would be perfectly normal.

“Besides, perhaps your death would suddenly make Father Emperor understand something and treat the rest of us surviving brothers a little more gently for the rest of his life.”

“So I wouldn’t even die for nothing?”

“Hahaha. Exactly. Exactly.”

The First Prince shook his head. “But seriously, Sixth Brother. If you personally step forward and fight for this appointment on my behalf, won’t that be a little too...”

“You’re overthinking it, Eldest Brother. You spent the past year helping the Ministry of Revenue clear trade routes outside the capital. In everyone else’s eyes, you already belong to my Sixth Lord Faction.”

“Sixth Lord Faction?”

“I named it myself.” Ji Chengjue chuckled. “Besides, even if I stay silent, do you think people won’t realize this is my intention? Why bother covering your ears while stealing the bell?

“And since Father Emperor named my son Chuanye, if Father Emperor wants to place me over the fire and roast me, I may as well make use of the heat he’s giving me.

“If I step forward now, borrowing some of the prestige attached to my son’s name, then as long as Father Emperor intends to keep roasting me, he needs to display a certain degree of tolerance and support toward me. He won’t refuse lightly.

“Besides, Father Emperor has always valued you, Eldest Brother. The Ji Clan needs at least one Prince who can truly command troops and hold down the field.

“Otherwise, are we supposed to give that opportunity to Fourth Brother?

“He’s been sharpening his blade and waiting for a chance like this. The Deng Clan was defeated, but its lingering influence remains. He’s probably still hoping to gather it back together someday, just as I gathered the remnants of the Min Clan around myself.”

Now that the matter had been laid out this clearly, the First Prince nodded.

“I understand.”

Then he released a long sigh.

“If I hadn’t made that mistake during the Battle of Wang River, Sixth Brother, you wouldn’t need to maneuver so awkwardly for me now.”

Ji Chengjue shook his head. “If you hadn’t lost back then, you wouldn’t be sitting here listening to me arrange things for you either.”

Sometimes it was simply a matter of timing and fate.

The Emperor’s eldest son had been raised in the army from childhood. Yet after the defeat at Wang River, he had been reduced to a tool for a political marriage.

Ji Chengjue turned toward the Barbarian Princess.

“Sister-in-law, did the letter from home arrive?”

The First Prince looked at his wife. He had not known about this.

“Eldest Brother, don’t blame her. Sister-in-law didn’t know either. I was the one who took the initiative and sent a letter to the Royal Court through the trading houses. But Sister-in-law should have received their reply before I did.”

“Sixth Brother, that was your suggestion?” the Barbarian Princess asked in surprise.

Ji Chengjue nodded.

“My father agreed. My younger brother’s envoy has already departed. The letter simply arrived faster than the mission.”

“Good.”

Only then did the First Prince understand.

“You mean the matter of the young barbarian prince recognizing Father Emperor as Imperial Uncle?”

Clearly, the Barbarian Princess had not hidden the matter from her husband. The First Prince already knew of it.

“Sixth Brother, that was your suggestion too?”

“Yes. Who told you to keep wearing that hat of ‘barbarian son-in-law’? Since the young barbarian prince is willing to recognize Father Emperor as his Imperial Uncle, then the barbarian side has shown sufficient respect.

“That will reduce the pressure on you. The Ministry of Rites should receive the official letter soon. With that matter laying the groundwork, sending you to Yinlang Commandery becomes much smoother.”

“I was wondering why my honored father-in-law suddenly became so easy to talk to.”

If the young barbarian prince recognized the Emperor of Yan as Imperial Uncle, it indirectly meant the Barbarian King was acknowledging the Emperor of Yan as an elder brother. For the Royal Court, that was an enormous humiliation.

“The Royal Court lacks everything except titles and honorifics. Sacrifice a little face and, first, the Zhenbei Army along the frontier stops making troublesome movements; second, Great Yan’s Ministry of Revenue continues trading with the Royal Court; third, it reduces the political pressure on you and indirectly improves Sister-in-law’s treatment here.

“The Barbarian King knows how to calculate just as well as I do. No matter how you add it up, he loses nothing.”

“In that case, I can go back and begin preparing?”

“Of course.”

The First Prince cupped his fists.

“Sixth Brother. This time, your elder brother truly owes you thanks.”

Clearing trade routes had never counted as real warfare. If he could go to Yinlang Commandery and face Qian’s frontier directly, he would finally be returning to military life.

As a Prince raised in army camps from childhood, he yearned to return to the battlefield and prove himself again.

“No need to be polite, Eldest Brother. We’re all members of the Sixth Lord Faction. We all work for Sixth Lord.”

“You really are...” The First Prince was genuinely speechless.

“All right, Brother, Sister-in-law. I’m going to see my son. I won’t see you out.”

With official business concluded, Ji Chengjue went straight into the inner rooms. His son had only just been born. As the father, he wanted to spend every waking moment staring at the boy.

Old He and He Chu were inside as well. One was hopelessly devoted to his daughter, the other to his younger sister, and both had naturally fallen in love with the child.

When Ji Chengjue entered, Old He smiled, cupped his hands, and stepped back two paces. He Chu scratched his head with a foolish grin.

Father and son did not dare act too familiar with this son-in-law. His status was simply too high. But acting excessively distant would not be appropriate either. They were family, after all.

So they settled upon a middle ground between familiarity and distance.

That middle ground was called awkwardness.

Ji Chengjue looked at his sleeping son, who had only just finished feeding, then asked his elder brother-in-law:

“You dismissed the tutor?”

Earlier, Ji Chengjue had hired a teacher to teach He Chu how to read.

“I recognize almost all the characters I need now,” He Chu answered.

“There’s still plenty more you could learn.”

“No, no. As long as I can help Father keep the accounts, that’s enough. I’m a rough man. Learning more won’t be useful.”

Old He nodded eagerly. “Exactly, exactly. Knowing this many characters is plenty. When he goes to arrange a marriage later, at least we can mention that he’s literate. People won’t look down on him.”

Relatives of the imperial family, yet still afraid others might look down on them.

Ji Chengjue understood perfectly. Father and son were determined to stay within their proper bounds.

Originally, he had considered having the First Prince take He Chu to Yinlang Commandery as a personal guard and give him some experience.

Now it seemed unnecessary.

“Right. Didn’t I hear that you once fancied the Registrar’s daughter back in Nan’an County?”

Old He immediately cut in.

“She’s already betrothed.”

“Oh. That’s a pity.” Ji Chengjue sighed. “My oversight. I should have sent someone to make the proposal earlier.”

“How could we ask for that? How could we?” Old He hurriedly replied. “Son-in-law, don’t worry. This old man has already found another possibility for him. There’s a tofu seller at the end of our street. Their daughter is pretty, hardworking, and honest. We’ve already asked someone to serve as matchmaker. If the girl’s family truly takes a liking to this blockhead, he’ll have picked up a tremendous bargain.”

He Chu nodded and continued grinning foolishly.

Only the smile was not quite as pure as before.

After all, that Registrar’s daughter had been He Chu’s “first love.” The two had barely exchanged any words, but those first hazy feelings were often the hardest to forget.

Ji Chengjue did not pursue the subject. Instead, he pointed toward the child.

“In a little while, I’ll be moving. I’ll have a residence of my own.”

“We’re not moving in,” Old He immediately said. “We’re living just fine where we are. The landlord who rents us that courtyard is also...”

Old He suddenly remembered the Emperor of Yan he had seen today.

That imperial in-law.

That... landlord.

Ji Chengjue smiled. “I won’t force you to move in. But from now on, Brother, I’ll have to trouble you to deliver the household’s meat.”

He Chu immediately slapped his chest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring the freshest meat every day!”

At that moment, Eunuch Zhang announced from outside:

“Your Highness, Fifth Highness has brought over the cradle and little bed.”

The Fifth Prince had left, then returned again, bringing the cradle and infant bed he had made with his own hands.

Both were exquisitely crafted, beautifully carved, and naturally made from excellent materials.

“Many thanks, Fifth Brother.”

“Ah, listen to you. Sixth Brother, I’m the boy’s uncle. What does making him a bed count for? It’s only proper. Only proper.”

Ji Chengjue suddenly remembered an old conversation with Zheng Fan about his elder brothers. When Zheng Fan heard that Fifth Brother enjoyed carpentry, he had laughed and teased him about it.

Haa.

Who knew when he would next see that fellow surnamed Zheng?

Perhaps because today he had already raged, panicked, and rejoiced in equal measure, Ji Chengjue was unusually willing to joke with Fifth Brother.

“Fifth Brother, have you finished building your Gundam yet?”

“...”

The Fifth Prince stared at him.

...

The next day, Ji Chengjue took personal leave and did not attend morning court.

But even while staying at home, he still learned of the three decrees issued that morning.

The first announced the birth of the eldest imperial grandson, named Ji Chuanye, and declared a general amnesty beneath Heaven.

The second ordered the Ministry of Rites to send officials to receive the envoy of the young barbarian prince.

Both had been expected.

But when Eunuch Zhang reported the third decree, Ji Chengjue, who had been playing with his son, immediately widened his eyes.

He was certain his father had conceived this third decree on a sudden impulse the previous night.

The third decree read:

**Summon Zheng Fan, Grand General of Cheng State, Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass, and Count Pingye, to enter the capital and attend an imperial audience.**

————

[End of Chapter 462]