Chapter 627: - From Then On, the Sovereign Never Held Morning Court

“Old Fifth?”

“Master, the one who builds Gundams.”

“Mm. I know which one. I mean, why would anyone assassinate him?”

A carpenter prince.

Over the past year, he had even unlocked the river-dike construction skill tree.

He was a textbook technical prince.

Rather like a technocratic official.

Or, put another way... harmless to both men and beasts.

The last time they had met on the Wang River, Zheng Fan had heard a few implications beneath the Fifth Prince’s words and had reciprocated by symbolically sending him New Year gifts and the like.

But that had been nothing more than the Fifth Prince’s instinctive maneuvering as a prince and Zheng Fan’s corresponding instinctive maneuvering as a military strongman.

In terms of actual influence, the Crown Prince faction and Sixth Prince faction were fighting viciously inside Great Yan’s court.

If the Emperor of Yan were not still alive and suppressing everything with his absolute prestige, thereby keeping the highest ministers and chiefs of the various yamen from openly entering the struggle, the Yan court might already have become a battlefield of bloody political slaughter.

But what did any of that have to do with Old Fifth?

His mother’s clan had almost no presence.

He himself possessed virtually no power in court.

Even in the most extreme possible situation... say, after Hong Taiji died in Later Jin, when Dorgon and Hooge fought over the succession and ultimately both compromised by allowing Fulin to take the throne... in other words, even if both the Crown Prince and Old Sixth were somehow forced or persuaded to step aside, then Little Seventh should be the one to sit on the throne.

A young ruler with a doubtful succession made it easier for powerful ministers and every other faction to expand and flourish.

The Fifth Prince had neither a power base nor an age advantage.

However Zheng Fan calculated it, the man was a marginal, transparent figure.

Put unpleasantly, even if someone wanted to assassinate him, he should have been handed a number and told to wait in line.

“Could it be... His Majesty needs another excuse to start a war?”

Marquis Zheng rubbed his chin as he guessed.

After all, His Majesty had precedent.

The Third Prince had already gone from admiring the snow at Lakeheart Pavilion to admiring the moon from Naihe Bridge.

Fourth Lady said:

“If starting a war requires sacrificing a prince just to manufacture an excuse, that seems rather expensive in sons.”

Zheng Fan extended his fingers and counted.

“Not really. There are still enough sons to use.”

Then Zheng Fan and Fourth Lady both laughed.

In truth, they both understood that this was unlikely to be the Emperor of Yan’s work.

The same trick had been used once already.

Using it again would not be worthwhile.

The Third Prince’s death had stirred public fury and successfully helped push forward the great war against Chu.

Now the people’s livelihood was already in ruins, and the coming spring and summer would be even more difficult.

Trying to copy the same trick again was unrealistic.

“Oh, right. I forgot to ask the most important thing. Did he die?”

“No. He was severely wounded and is unconscious. He could die at any time. The weapon was poisoned.”

“Not dead, then.”

Zheng Fan leaned back slightly, tapping his knuckles against the back of his hand.

“If he isn’t dead... send someone to offer condolences and concern. If he dies halfway through, our people can simply arrive in time for the funeral.”

Just then, Xiao Yibo entered holding an official letter.

“Marquis, an official communication from Prince Dingqin’s Residence.”

Fourth Lady took it, opened it directly, and read.

Then she said to Zheng Fan:

“Sun Youdao must have sent us word the moment he received the news. This communication from Prince Dingqin’s Residence should have been sent after the people there discussed the situation. And the meaning of this letter is very interesting.”

“How interesting?”

“They are actually requesting that you, Master, personally go to Yingdu and take charge of the overall situation.”

Zheng Fan looked as though he had misheard.

“What?”

“It does not look like polite formalities. They truly want you to go there and take charge. Whatever happened in Yingdu may be much more serious than a single assassination attempt against the Fifth Prince.”

Zheng Fan was a Marquis raised through military merit.

He was not some idle imperial-clan noble.

If he were the latter, like the Marquis who had once come to confer Zheng Fan’s own title, he could be used as a ceremonial mascot and placed wherever someone needed him.

But a figure like Zheng Fan had already reached a level where every movement carried deep political meaning.

Years ago, when Li Liangting entered Yanjing, how great had the shock been?

And since annihilating his own clan, had the Prince of Jingnan ever returned to the capital?

Zheng Fan’s influence certainly could not compare with those two.

But he had already reached the point where he needed to pay attention to such things.

There had never been an explicit imperial decree saying that he could not casually leave his territory after becoming Marquis.

Yet politically, that understanding should already exist in his own mind.

Put another way, Zheng Fan himself might ignore rules or fail to respect them very much, but how could the officials in Yingdu, whether from the old Cheng State system or the present Yan administration, possibly fail to understand them?

And yet even knowing that, they still had Prince Dingqin formally send a letter requesting that he come to Yingdu and preside over the situation.

That meant the affair was many times more serious than the Fifth Prince merely being attacked by an assassin.

Zheng Fan beckoned.

A maid brought over a hot towel.

He wiped his mouth and said:

“Truthfully, I could refuse. There is no imperial decree. Now that I’ve been made Marquis, it is inconvenient for me to travel wherever I please. If I continue acting without restraint, the people above will inevitably become suspicious. Old Tian may be standing in front of me, but if the court grandees or the Emperor of Yan decide to cut down some of my influence or suppress me, I have no way to resist that for now.”

The policy of the Marquis of Pingxi Residence was presently very simple: farm diligently and develop quietly.

Put even more plainly, before the Emperor of Yan died, it was best not to jump around too much.

Once he did die, the departure of a ruler of extraordinary stature would inevitably create movement in power between the center and the regions.

At that point, local forces would naturally be able to move their necks a little more freely.

That was why rulers who established feudatories often thought nothing of it, only for their descendants to suffer terribly when trying to reduce those same feudatories later.

While you were alive, those regional princes and military governors naturally did not dare jump around.

Every one of them behaved obediently.

But your sons and grandsons might not possess the same prestige or strength to keep holding the leash.

Old Tian had never taught Zheng Fan these principles.

But Zheng Fan understood them.

So did the Blind Man and Fourth Lady.

Now that he had become Marquis, his political influence was different.

Secretly and cautiously trading warhorses with Chu was one thing.

Openly failing to understand his own position was another.

If the court decided to put a few extra shackles on him, weaken his influence, or insert outsiders into his administration, he would have no choice but to accept it.

Fourth Lady asked:

“Then Master intends to refuse and wait for an imperial decree?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“Our territory is in eastern Jin. But in reality, if you exclude the snowfield and Shanggu Commandery, our actual sphere of control does not cover anything close to all of eastern Jin. At minimum, the Yupan City region is not under our control. The Wang River line is still very far from the territory we actually hold. Since Yingdu is now asking me to go, this is also a chance for the Marquis of Pingxi Residence to strengthen its influence over eastern Jin, perhaps even over all the Three Jin lands. The last time I led troops into Yingdu, I was borrowing Old Tian’s tiger skin. This time, I would be going beneath the banner of the Marquis of Pingxi Residence itself. That sends a message to outsiders: not only can we speak in eastern Jin, we can speak in Yingdu too. If we speak there often enough, over time our influence will naturally begin entering that place. Besides the Sun Clan, we can cultivate another group of forces friendly to us. This place is open to attack from all four directions. If we march north onto the snowfield or south into Chu, as long as we have enough soldiers and supplies, neither route presents a major problem. The greatest problem is that our road west is actually the most blocked. Whether we rebel someday is a separate matter. The main point is that I want the route open. Look at it another way. If I refuse to go now, or sit obediently and wait for an imperial decree, then I am publicly declaring the Marquis Residence’s position to the world: I only care about these three cities. I only look after my own tiny patch of land. That would be limiting ourselves. No. More accurately, it would be castrating our own future development and the expansion of our influence.”

“So Master still intends to go?”

“Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. So I’ll go.”

After a pause, Zheng Fan added:

“Besides, Old Tian is still here. The sky can’t fall.”

...

“Madam, the Princess attended the Marquis last night.”

A maid quietly reported this to Liu Ruqing as she sat before her dressing table.

“Mm?”

Liu Ruqing looked mildly surprised.

Then she reached out and pinched the maid’s cheek.

“You little hoof, what are you doing running over first thing in the morning to tell me things like this? Has spring entered your heart? Did you take a fancy to one of the Marquis Residence’s personal guards?”

When the Fan Clan sent Liu Ruqing to Snow Sea Pass, they had provided her with a full complement of maids and servants.

None of those people had been allowed inside the residence.

Whether it had been the old Count’s Residence or the present Marquis of Pingxi Residence, there had never been many women in the rear household.

It was comparatively quiet.

But that also meant it was absolutely clean.

The Demon Kings would never allow outsiders to insert sand into the place where they themselves lived.

Background checks were naturally extremely strict.

So Liu Ruqing’s present senior maid was actually one of the girls who had followed the household all the way from Tiger Head City.

Her background could be trusted.

Now that she served Liu Ruqing, however, she naturally considered Liu Ruqing’s interests.

And she knew very well that ever since her Madam entered the residence, the Marquis had never once truly favored her.

Naturally, she was anxious.

The maid herself came from Yan, from Beifeng Commandery.

She did not think widowhood carried any great stain.

The people of Yan were already more open than those of Qian and Chu and did not care nearly as much about ritual restrictions.

Besides, her Madam was so beautiful!

She also understood that for a woman in a rear household, the best foundation was a child of her own.

But if the Marquis never slept with her, how could she possibly become pregnant?

So the maid had always kept an eye on the Princess’s courtyard.

She had even become friendly with several of the Princess’s maids and deliberately tried to probe for information.

As coincidence would have it, the Princess’s maids had exactly the same thoughts about their own mistress.

So both sides had been spying on each other.

“Madam, now that the Princess has been favored, shouldn’t you be next?”

“You little hoof, shut your mouth. Running it first thing in the morning like that. Aren’t you afraid the wind will twist your tongue?”

“This servant only came to remind Madam to prepare yourself. Maybe the Marquis will come tonight.”

With that, the maid pulled a face and immediately ran away.

Liu Ruqing remained seated before the dressing table, somewhat lost in thought.

Before entering the residence, she had been intensely curious about what life here would be like.

She had imagined many possibilities.

In truth, her life had been extremely easy.

Not merely materially, but mentally as well.

She did not know what it felt like to like someone.

More accurately, although the word “like” contained only two characters, it could hold ten thousand different meanings.

She did want to serve him.

To make him happy.

To give him pleasure.

She would even willingly bear him a child and give that child his surname.

A man like him ought to have many children.

Previously, although his hands had wandered all over her and his teasing intention could not have been more obvious, he had never actually entered the alley.

At first, she had wondered whether he thought she was dirty.

Later, after learning that even the Princess had remained untouched, she had relaxed.

She could not see through the relationship between him and Mr. Feng.

But instinct told her it had to be extremely deep.

Liu Ruqing was still thinking when the maid who had just run out hurried back inside.

She lowered her voice and exclaimed:

“Madam! Madam! The Marquis is coming! The Marquis is coming!”

“Ah!”

...

Marquis Zheng finished breakfast, discussed matters for a while, then specifically summoned the Blind Man for a brief meeting.

In the end, they settled on a plan.

He would go.

But he could no longer travel as casually as before, riding a Pixiu with only the Sword Saint beside him.

First, there had to be a formal retinue.

Fortunately, the Flying Fish Robes and Embroidered Spring Sabers had already been prepared.

Those men could form the core of the ceremonial guard.

Add another eight hundred cavalry around the outside for front and rear support, and the display would be sufficient.

At the same time, the two westernmost garrisons, meaning Gongsun Zhi’s and Gong Wang’s forces, would first receive military orders from the Marquis of Pingxi Residence in Fengxin City.

Their troops could be moved somewhat.

First, to provide support toward Yingdu if necessary.

Second, even if the movement had no practical purpose whatsoever, they still needed to move a little for appearances.

The outside world needed to see that Marquis Zheng possessed exceptionally strong control over all the military forces of eastern Jin.

Years ago, when Li Liangting entered Yanjing, half of the three hundred thousand Zhenbei Army had shifted directly from west toward east.

In the end, it proved to have been part of the Emperor of Yan’s performance.

But in truth, that kind of movement had always been the natural response.

Put plainly, Marquis Zheng was only a Sixth Grade Martial Artist.

Taken alone, that did not amount to much.

What truly upheld his stature was the army loyal to him.

And he was not going to war.

They would need more intelligence before they understood exactly what had happened in Yingdu, but his posture had to remain calm and composed.

That would preserve his own status and influence.

At the same time, it would reduce suspicion from above as much as possible.

His own people understood that he could flip the table whenever he pleased.

Worst case, they could always go back to running an inn.

But everyone above and below him had to believe that the Marquis of Pingxi was willing to continue playing with them under the existing rules.

Preparing each piece of the arrangement would take at least one day.

Which meant

Marquis Zheng had effectively gained another full day of vacation.

The Princess still had not gotten out of bed.

Fourth Lady had gone to arrange the ceremonial retinue.

So Marquis Zheng naturally wandered into Liu Ruqing’s courtyard.

Liu Ruqing had not deliberately dressed herself up.

Instead, she appeared before Marquis Zheng with the freshness of a lotus rising from clear water.

Truthfully, beautiful women were rarely genuine naive little fools.

They knew when they looked beautiful.

And they knew how to display their charm to its greatest effect.

Back in the Fan Residence, Zheng Fan and Fan Zhengwen had treated each other as peers.

So Liu Ruqing calling Zheng Fan “Uncle” had been entirely proper.

But after she entered his residence, she had never changed the form of address.

Before outsiders, she called him Marquis.

When they were alone, she still called him Uncle.

Was that not because she knew perfectly well that he liked it?

That did not count as some deep or sinister scheme.

She was simply trying with all her heart to please him.

As for the genuinely simple, sweet sort, those certainly existed.

Hu Bamei, for example.

Third Master liked that flavor.

Marquis Zheng truly did not.

Liu Ruqing dipped into a soft curtsy.

“Marquis.”

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“I have.”

“Good. Wear more clothes. It’s cold outside.”

Zheng Fan stepped forward and naturally wrapped an arm around Liu Ruqing.

At the same time, the maids in the courtyard immediately bowed and withdrew with perfect tact.

Without that much awareness, how could anyone survive inside the Marquis Residence?

With Liu Ruqing in his arms, Zheng Fan entered the room.

Marquis Zheng sat in a reclining chair.

He gave a light pull.

Liu Ruqing, already well practiced in cooperating, naturally fell into his lap.

On one side, Marquis Zheng had finally taken the Princess.

He had never liked harem stories and usually disliked opening a harem himself, yet after finally tasting meat he genuinely seemed to understand why people found the flavor addictive.

And once the sequence had begun, there were no real restraints left.

On the other side, the maid’s early report that the Princess had attended the Marquis had indeed stirred Liu Ruqing.

She might say she did not care, but inwardly she naturally had thoughts of her own.

Calling it “birds of a feather” sounded crude.

Calling it “mutual love” sounded too fake.

Better to say both sides felt the moment had arrived naturally.

Liu Ruqing’s full, soft body shifted gently against Marquis Zheng.

She raised her head and breathed lightly beside his earlobe.

Warm.

Slightly damp.

Lingering.

Seductive.

“Uncle~~~”

Zheng Fan had never heard what the music of Heaven truly sounded like.

But that one word already hooked his soul and dragged it to the clouds.

Perhaps the time had genuinely come.

Perhaps with his scruples gone, heavenly thunder could finally strike earthly fire however it pleased.

Perhaps wind and cloud had reached some tacit agreement at this exact moment.

Liu Ruqing moved her red lips close to Marquis Zheng’s ear, bolder than she had ever been since entering the residence.

In truth, Marquis Zheng had only come for a morning stroll.

In truth, he had planned to wait until the sleepy Tian Tian woke, then take him out to walk a horse.

In truth, he had intended to find time to inspect the specifications of the ceremonial retinue.

In truth, there were many things he could have been doing.

In truth, there were certain things he probably should not have been doing at this particular moment.

But at this moment, every last “in truth” could go to hell.

Marquis Zheng stood.

Lifted her.

And walked toward the bed.

For a time, inside the bedroom, winter had not yet departed, but spring had already arrived.

...

At noon, Marquis Zheng finally walked out of the courtyard.

This was normally the hour when he practiced the saber every day.

Marquis Zheng went to the weapon rack.

Drew his saber.

Swung once.

Then planted the point against the ground and dropped to one knee.

His thighs.

His hips.

His waist.

Every part of his body that normally had to coordinate and exert force when wielding the saber simultaneously turned sore and went on strike.

Kneeling there on one knee, Marquis Zheng had once galloped across battlefields.

He had once raided across a thousand li.

He had once driven deep behind enemy lines.

He had once soaked his battle robes in blood.

And yet only now did he finally understand the true meaning of softness wrapped around the finger.

Back at Snow Sea Pass, facing an endless tide of Savages assaulting the walls, he had never once felt this particular kind of helplessness.

With one hand braced on his saber, he tried to rise.

Then could not help sucking in a sharp breath.

“Hiss...”

[End of Chapter 627]