Chapter 484: - Offering Incense

Hooves struck the blue-brick streets of Litian City with a succession of dull thuds.

At the head of the procession rode a man dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, his Pixiu moving slowly beneath him.

The officials who had prepared to receive him all fell silent when they saw this. The festive bustle they had arranged beforehand, along with all the auspicious words they had prepared, suddenly had no place here.

The people of Litian City had originally been quite interested in Count Pingye. Half of that interest came from his military exploits, and the other half from the princess of Great Chu.

They were people of Jin, so naturally they felt none of the pride or reflected glory that Yan subjects might. That did not stop them from enjoying the spectacle.

Yet at the sight of this procession, the people of Litian City seemed to remember the suffocating terror that had descended upon the entire city two years ago, when the wife of the Marquis of Jingnan suddenly died.

No one dared step forward to obstruct them. Everyone merely watched from a distance.

Liao Xian, Prefect of Litian, was not here. Nor were the truly high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the city whom he represented.

They knew Count Pingye had been summoned to the capital, but Litian City should not have been on his route.

Given their status, there had been no need to rush outside the city to welcome him. Had they done so, it would have looked less like an expression of affection and more like dangerous over-flattery.

Privately, however, a steward from the Prefect’s yamen had already reserved the finest restaurant in Litian City for a welcoming banquet.

Then word came that Count Pingye had entered the city with his personal guards dressed in mourning. The steward returned to the restaurant and canceled the reservation for that evening.

Even an idiot could tell that tonight was no night for feasting.

The procession continued through Litian City and finally stopped before the former Residence of the Marquis of Jingnan.

The plaque reading “Residence of the Marquis of Jingnan” still hung above the entrance. For a time, it had been taken down and replaced with “Residence of the Prince of Jingnan,” but after the slaughter of prisoners outside Yupan City, His Majesty stripped Tian Wujing of his princely title.

The army did not have to care about such technicalities. The soldiers could keep calling Tian Wujing “Your Highness” as enthusiastically as ever, each louder than the last.

But here, in the official world of Litian City, the plaque really did have to be changed back.

The two stone lions at the entrance had never been touched.

This was, after all, the residence of the Marquis of Jingnan.

Changing a plaque was one thing. Anyone thinking of touching anything else inside had to weigh the consequences carefully.

The Jingnan Army still existed.

And the Marquis of Jingnan himself was still alive.

It was not yet time for everyone to shove at a fallen wall.

Count Pingye dismounted, and the riders behind him dismounted as well. Many civilians and officials stood on both sides outside the residence, while runners from the Litian yamen nervously maintained order.

For eight hundred years, Great Yan had defended its realm from horseback. Now it was contesting all under Heaven from horseback. Military men had always occupied an exceptional position.

And with the many identities and honors attached to Count Pingye, he was exceptional even among the exceptional.

No one stopped him. No one dared question him. They could only watch in silence.

The curtain of the carriage lifted. Xiong Liqing, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, stepped down and quietly took her place behind Count Pingye.

The gates of the residence were closed, with a group of armored soldiers standing guard outside.

Within the residence stood the memorial hall of the Marquis of Jingnan’s wife.

For a very long time, there had never really been one fixed place that could be called the Residence of the Marquis of Jingnan.

The Tian Clan estate did not count.

The mansion in Nanwang City did not count either.

The Marquis had lived in this Litian City residence for quite some time, but originally even this should not have counted.

Except Dujuan’s memorial tablet was here.

Count Pingye climbed the steps.

The two stone lions on either side seemed still to exude a faint scent of blood. That phantom smell went to Zheng Fan’s head. For a moment, even his steps felt unsteady.

Without waiting for an order, the armored guards opened the gates.

Then they divided into two rows and dropped to one knee before Zheng Fan.

“Greetings, Count Pingye!”

“Greetings, Count Pingye!”

Ever since the Marquis of Jingnan had taken command and marched east, he had never returned to Litian City. To these soldiers of the Jingnan Army guarding the residence, Count Pingye was the first guest to enter since their Marquis left.

Count Pingye and the princess entered together, followed by the personal guards. Once everyone was inside, the soldiers at the entrance closed the gates again and resumed their posts with hands on their sabers.

This should have been the season when all things returned to life and flourished, yet the residence felt desolate.

Before leaving, the Marquis had ordered that the residence not be maintained.

In truth, it had not been maintained since the day Dujuan died.

Even the memorial hall remained exactly as it had been then.

Behind it was a small courtyard.

And in that courtyard stood a grave.

Yes. Dujuan’s grave was inside the residence.

The world was vast. More than half of Jin had been conquered by the Marquis of Jingnan, yet there was nowhere in all that land where his wife could rest.

The Tian Clan ancestral cemetery in Yanjing still existed, but obviously she could never return there.

Zheng Fan sat down on the threshold before the memorial hall.

He remembered the day he had ridden into Litian City and entered this residence. The Marquis of Jingnan had been sitting right here.

That was also the day Tian Wujing’s hair turned white overnight.

Right and wrong, who had been justified and who had not... many things simply could not withstand being examined too closely. No matter how intricate the laws and statutes, they could never pass judgment on every tangled affair in this world.

Many things had no clear right or wrong, nor any single principle that could settle them.

Argue long enough and, in the end, everyone still judged matters according to the chair beneath his own ass. So forget all that hollow solemnity. Start from the chair beneath your own ass, and everything becomes clear.

“Husband, I’m going to offer a stick of incense.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

The princess entered the memorial hall to offer incense.

Zheng Fan remained seated outside.

And he sat there until deep into the night.

At one point, the princess came over, draped a cloak around his shoulders, then quietly withdrew again.

Truthfully, Zheng Fan had never been especially close to Dujuan. At first, he had merely done a few things for the Secret Intelligence Department and met her several times. Later, because of her relationship with the Marquis of Jingnan, Zheng Fan had shamelessly called her “Elder Sister” a few times.

For Zheng Fan to sit here mourning Dujuan for so long would have been far too sentimental.

The person he was thinking about was the Marquis.

He still remembered how, in the Tianduan Mountains, the Marquis had asked him questions about caring for an infant.

That was when Zheng Fan had first sensed something human in him.

Years ago, everyone had believed that the Marquis of Jingnan had exterminated his own clan for personal wealth, glory, and advancement. But after one great victory after another, very few people still said such things.

Because if personal glory and power were all Tian Wujing wanted, why not simply rebel and become emperor himself?

The Four Eastern States possessed countless brilliant generals. Who among them would truly dare stand up and say with certainty that he was better at war than Tian Wujing?

Besides, the Tian Clan itself had already been one of Great Yan’s foremost great clans.

“Ah.”

Zheng Fan shook his head and remained where he was.

Tonight the moon wore a halo, its light spilling across the ground like quicksilver.

Zheng Fan turned his head slightly.

For a moment, he could almost see the Marquis sitting beside him, just as he had sat there that day, his hair snow-white.

“Why did it have to come to this? Why put yourself through it?”

Zheng Fan’s head slowly drooped.

He fell asleep.

...

At the Prefect’s yamen in Litian City, Liao Xian sat in his study. Before him sat a gathering of the city’s senior officials.

The report from Yingdu had arrived later than usual.

The earliest copy naturally went straight to the capital. Communications among the other offices always lagged somewhat behind.

Count Pingye had entered the city that afternoon.

Only around dusk did news of what had happened in Yingdu reach the Prefect’s yamen.

At last, the Pacification Commissioner of Litian cautiously asked, “Count Pingye... he didn’t come here to suppress a rebellion too, did he?”

Some of the officials present wanted to laugh.

But they could not.

Because it suddenly occurred to them that their colleagues in Yingdu might have laughed exactly the same way.

They could only look at one another.

Finally, Liao Xian spoke. “Transfer half the Yan troops camped outside the city into Litian. Divide the remaining forces into two groups and have them keep watch on the Jin camp. Order every officer of Assistant General rank or above from the Jin camp to report to the Prefect’s yamen. Tell them I am holding a banquet to reward them.”

“Yes, Prefect.”

“Yes, Prefect.”

Whatever happened, it was better to be prepared.

Liao Xian picked up his snuff bottle, inhaled, then waved his hand. “That will be all. Every bureau and yamen is to go back and put its affairs in order. If nothing happens, fine. But if something does happen, whichever office causes trouble can answer for it with the official hat of the man in charge.”

...

In stark contrast to all the troop movements and tension inside and outside Litian City, Count Pingye slept soundly that night despite spending it sitting on a threshold.

When he woke, he stretched.

Just then, the Blind Man came in from outside.

“Perfect timing. Eat breakfast with me.”

Breakfast was simple. More precisely, no fires had been lit in the residence, so everything had been bought ready-made outside.

Zheng Fan and the Blind Man sat facing one another.

Count Pingye ate noodles. The Blind Man ate congee.

A generous spread of Litian City’s local breakfast specialties covered the table between them.

“Master, I’ve finished interrogating those three Hunmen people.”

“Mm.”

Zheng Fan had never doubted the Blind Man’s ability to interrogate someone.

“They really are from Hunmen. Hunmen has no formal sect titles and no ancestral seat. Their work cannot bear the light of day, so naturally they cannot maintain an open headquarters where enemies could find them. Their base is in Quhe City.”

“Quhe City?”

“Yes.”

“What are they doing here?”

“Their master, known within Hunmen as Tea Wanderer, was arrested by the Secret Intelligence Department. He’s currently being held in Litian City’s prison. Tea Wanderer is implicated in a military-supplies embezzlement case and is due to be escorted to Yanjing for trial. The three of them planned to rescue him along the way.”

“They’re loyal enough, at least.”

“Not really. Their master secretly hid all the wealth the lot of them swindled over the years, and he’s the only person who knows where it is. They said themselves that otherwise they wouldn’t give a damn whether the old bastard lived or died.”

“Mm. That sounds more real.”

“Hunmen has many methods of deception. By the time Master encountered them, they had already cast one on themselves, forcing themselves to believe absolutely in their new identities. That way, when carrying out the con, they could make it completely convincing. Before you met them, they had actually been practicing at the foot of Tianhu Mountain. Afterward, they went into the wine shop to eat.”

“That’s a little convoluted.”

“Pure chance. All you can say is that the timing was absurdly perfect. Their practice was also meant to expose any flaws in their performance. It’s essentially a form of self-hypnosis, but it worked too well. The woman who had hypnotized herself into believing she was the Sword Saint’s disciple became utterly determined to see the Sword Saint’s sword. It really is self-hypnosis. They were planning to face the Secret Intelligence Department, so they couldn’t afford the slightest crack in their performance.”

“That’s quite a gamble.”

They had intended to use his name to take Tea Wanderer out of custody.

A fine case of deceiving the heavens to cross the sea.

“I think we should keep the three of them for now, Master. They may prove useful someday.”

“Tea Wanderer is in the prison?”

“Yes.”

“Should we take him too?”

“I think we can.”

“Have Gao Yi collect him later. How do we send them back?”

“Have the Litian garrison provide an escort to Snow Sea Pass. Hero Chen can take charge.”

“Him? He’s easy to fool.”

“That was before.”

“Forget it. Hero Chen came along this time because he wants to learn from the Sword Saint. Have Gao Yi take a hundred personal guards and escort them back.”

“Very well.”

Count Pingye did not think getting Litian City to release the prisoner would be much of a problem.

So long as he left immediately afterward, the Prefect of Litian would probably agree to almost anything.

“What about Fu Shun’er?” Zheng Fan asked.

“I didn’t ask him what his investigation uncovered.”

“Send him back with the others.”

“Yes, Master.”

Zheng Fan nodded and finished his noodle broth.

He set down the bowl.

“Pack up. We should get moving as soon as possible.”

...

Yanjing.

The Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Study.

If the imperial court was the center of power in Great Yan, then this Imperial Study was the symbol of the innermost core of power in the entire realm.

Under a weak emperor, an imperial study might be little more than decoration.

The current Emperor was very clearly no decoration.

Every day, the will issuing from this room would be scrutinized and interpreted by countless civil and military officials throughout the central government.

The sovereign’s will was difficult to fathom.

In this supreme ruler, that phrase found its fullest expression.

Behind the imperial desk, Emperor Yan tossed a memorial aside.

Wei Zhonghe immediately picked it up and carried it to the desk of Chief Minister Zhao Jiulang below.

Much of the time, the Imperial Study contained only sovereign and minister reviewing memorials together. Zhao Jiulang had risen from humble origins and had been personally elevated by Emperor Yan. If not for the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Jingnan standing before him, then when people spoke of perfect accord between ruler and minister in Great Yan, they might well have spoken of this Chief Minister.

Zhao Jiulang opened the memorial.

It had come from Mao Mingcai, Prefect of Yingdu.

Over the past month, Yingdu had sent several times as many memorials as usual.

This one, however, was not about the rebellion, nor did it request the imperial brush to approve another execution.

It concerned flooding along the Wang River.

The rainy season had not yet begun, but warning signs had already appeared. Mao Mingcai requested that the court increase the next season’s allocation of military provisions and grain so that part of it could be diverted toward river works.

Zhao Jiulang closed the memorial.

Emperor Yan smiled. “Mao Mingcai truly is a man who gets things done.”

Zhao Jiulang agreed. “Indeed.”

The Yingdu rebellion had ended with Grand Tutor Sun coming out of retirement to put affairs in order. Mao Mingcai had not continued obsessing over the matter. Instead, he had already turned his attention toward the river works.

He truly deserved to be called a capable provincial administrator.

Some officials spared no effort when fighting political battles at court, yet shirked every practical duty they could.

Such men were useless to the state.

“Your Majesty, the Wang River works were originally a matter the Situ Clan had to address every year. The wars of the last two years caused them to be neglected. If the situation truly is as Mao Mingcai describes, we should prepare early. The Three Jin lands are only now recuperating. We cannot afford to have them battered by floods as well.”

Great Yan currently faced a serious problem.

Its annexation of Jin had happened far too quickly.

Originally, taking half the country and slowly absorbing and reorganizing it would have been manageable. But then the Savages entered the passes, ultimately forcing the Marquis of Jingnan to take command again and conquer the whole of Jin outright.

As a result, Great Yan now had to shoulder the defense and administration of the entire Jin territory. In practical terms, Yan proper was constantly pumping resources into Jin.

No one expected Jin to recover quickly enough to feed resources back into Yan. They only hoped the land would regain enough vitality to lessen the burden on Yan proper.

“Have the Ministry of Works dispatch specialists to oversee the river works. Order Mao Mingcai to employ former officials of Cheng State’s Ministry of Works as well as anyone with experience controlling the river. Arrange it, Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Have the Fifth Prince, Ji Chengwen, observe affairs at the Ministry of Works. Hasn’t he always liked such things? This time, I’ll give him an opportunity. My Great Yan does not support useless princes.”

“Your Majesty, do you mean for Fifth Highness to depart immediately with the Ministry of Works officials for Yingdu?”

“There’s no hurry. Count Pingye should be entering the capital soon, shouldn’t he?”

Wei Zhonghe immediately replied, “Your Majesty, he should arrive very soon.”

“The Ministry of Works will need time to prepare. The Ministry of Revenue also needs to make additional arrangements for next season’s grain and military supplies for Yingdu. When Count Pingye begins his return journey, have Chengwen travel back to Jin with him. By the way, Minister, have you read Wujiang’s memorial?”

“Your Majesty, I have. First Highness has led his troops in defeating two separate Qian forces along the Nanwang City front and has stabilized the situation.”

“Mm. Other than Wujing, I have never seen a general who wins every battle. Great Yan has only one Wujing. I placed that boy in the army when he was young. He’s good in every respect except that his thoughts run too deep. I truly worried the Battle of Wang River might leave him dispirited. It seems I worried for nothing. Issue an edict of commendation in the name of the central government. At the same time, warn him not to become greedy for merit or advance rashly. Stabilizing the situation is enough. I’m concerned he may be too eager to seek military achievements.”

“Your Majesty, the First Prince has always been steady and cautious in his use of troops.”

“Mm. Very well. We’ll stop here today. Minister, you should go home early and hold your granddaughter.”

Zhao Jiulang’s eldest daughter-in-law had just given birth to a girl.

“This subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace.”

After Zhao Jiulang left the Imperial Study, Emperor Yan, who had been sitting motionless behind his desk, suddenly stiffened.

Wei Zhonghe immediately produced a handkerchief and offered it to him.

“Cough... cough...”

Emperor Yan abruptly began coughing violently.

When the fit finally subsided, Wei Zhonghe swiftly put away the bloodstained handkerchief and offered him tea.

The illness had improved for more than two years.

Recently, it had begun again.

In the entire inner palace, only Wei Zhonghe truly understood the changes in Emperor Yan’s condition.

Emperor Yan lifted the teacup and took a sip.

“What day, exactly, will Zheng Fan enter the capital?”

“Your Majesty, at noon the day after tomorrow.”

Emperor Yan drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

He set the teacup on the desk, closed his eyes slightly, and said, “Good.”

“Your Majesty, this slave dares ask... the arrangements for the day after tomorrow?”

Emperor Yan’s eyelids slowly opened.

His gaze settled on Wei Zhonghe.

“What? Even a slave like you thinks that because Zheng Fan made a trip to Litian City, I must have some reaction?”

Wei Zhonghe immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

“This slave would not dare. This slave deserves death.”

Emperor Yan slowly closed his eyes again.

“Heh...”

[End of Chapter 484]