Chapter 632: - Perfect! (Please Subscribe)

The memorial ceremony had been arranged in haste, so everything had to be kept simple.

Fortunately, there were plenty of people present, and every one of them carried real weight.

Some wept. Some looked stricken with grief. In that short span of time, everyone did his utmost to produce a convincing display of “true feeling.”

Put plainly, Yingdu had once been an imperial capital. It was still a great city, with enormous influence, a vast reach, and a huge population. Once the base beneath you became large enough, the people at the top were never going to be fools. At minimum, their acting skills would always pass inspection.

Marquis Zheng even saw several officials who were obviously Yan men come down with tear tracks on their faces.

What the hell were you crying for?

Only when they passed in front of Marquis Pingxi did those men seem to come back to their senses. Apparently, they had gotten carried away earlier, itching to compare acting skills with their Jin colleagues, and had forgotten which side they were supposed to be on.

But no matter what, the ceremony was finished.

Marquis Pingxi’s party left Stone Mountain and headed toward Yingdu. That city, after all, was the true purpose of this journey.

The detour to Stone Mountain had been nothing more than a warning. And the target of that warning was naturally Prince Cheng Residence. More precisely, it was every faction that regarded Prince Cheng Residence as a possible future banner, or secretly hoped to push Prince Cheng Residence forward as its representative when the time came.

A Marquis Residence established through military merit existed, at its root, to suppress powerful enemies. That was the fundamental nature of Great Yan’s military Marquises.

The Marquis of Zhenbei Residence suppressed the desert. The former Marquis of Jingnan Residence deterred Qian. As for Zheng Fan himself, he had the Savages to the north, Chu to the south, and to the west, Yingdu.

In other words, the Jin people.

Zheng Fan knew perfectly well what the Blind Man and Gou Moli were thinking. But the two of them were, in many matters, simply too aggressive.

As Zheng Fan saw it, so long as the Emperor of Yan had not yet died, he had to continue playing the role of Great Yan’s Marquis Pingxi properly.

Before Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, had he not also been a loyal and righteous subject of Great Han?

However impatient one might be, there was no need to rush this particular moment.

As the procession reached the outskirts of Yingdu, columns of cavalry rode toward them.

There were four great camps outside Yingdu’s four gates. Two were garrisoned by Yan troops, two by Jin troops. The Jin forces were somewhat more numerous, but their commanders held lower official ranks than their Yan counterparts.

That was the fundamental reason Gong Wang wanted so badly to cling to the thigh of the Marquis of Pingxi Residence.

Otherwise, there would always be a ceiling over his head. Worse, it would be only too easy for the Yan to become suspicious of him and gradually divide his command.

“The commander of the East Gate Camp...”

“The commander of the West Gate Camp...”

“The South Gate Camp...”

“The North Gate Camp...”

The generals dropped to their knees in turn.

“Greetings, Marquis Pingxi! May the Marquis enjoy good fortune and health!”

Back when Zheng Fan had still been Count Pingye, he had needed to falsely invoke the Prince of Jingnan’s military orders to mobilize these troops and send them into Yingdu.

Now, there was no longer any need.

Unless the court had sent advance word, or made special arrangements, or unless there were open signs that Zheng Fan and the court had fallen out, then under ordinary circumstances, such as the present moment, one word from him was enough.

He no longer needed to borrow the Prince of Jingnan’s authority. He could directly order the camps outside the city to obey him and enter Yingdu if he wished.

Great Yan’s military system at the lower levels was chaotic.

But in truth, its military command structure at the very top was even more chaotic.

Over the past several years of continuous foreign campaigning, because the two Marquises possessed such overwhelming prestige within the army, even Great Yan’s two principal field cavalry forces, the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army, had been freely transferred and mixed beneath their commands. As for local garrisons, commandery troops, and the like, they were moved wherever needed. The Emperor of Yan and the court had deliberately left the door wide open for this.

One generation planted the tree so the next could enjoy its shade.

Now that Zheng Fan himself was a Marquis raised through military merit, he naturally enjoyed the same privilege.

Mm.

There was one state where all of this was divided and regulated with exquisite precision, from top to bottom, every rank and authority neatly defined.

That state was Great Qian.

Marquis Zheng lifted the curtain of his carriage and looked at the kneeling generals ahead.

“Everyone has worked hard.”

“It is our duty. We dare not speak of hardship!”

“It is our duty. We dare not speak of hardship!”

“While this Marquis remains in Yingdu, I expect all of you and your commands to keep your spirits up and your eyes open.”

“This general obeys!”

“This general obeys!”

Marquis Zheng lowered the curtain again, and the procession entered Yingdu.

Once inside the city, the party from Prince Cheng Residence, which had already been ordered by Marquis Zheng to keep its gates shut, went directly back to the residence.

Tonight, many people would undoubtedly lie beneath their blankets grinding their teeth, cursing the Yan for their arrogance and tyranny.

Many others would weep over the treatment now suffered by their former sovereign’s house.

Still others would sigh with melancholy over the lost state they once served.

But none of it mattered.

Marquis Zheng did not go to see the Fifth Prince first.

From the moment his procession entered the city, it headed directly to the Prefectural Yamen.

Zheng Fan had once clashed with Mao Mingcai. Later, as their misunderstanding deepened again and again, Mao Mingcai had somehow developed an exceptionally favorable opinion of Zheng Fan.

Leaving their personal relationship aside, Mao Mingcai was indeed an able administrator.

And not some minor clerk either.

In theory, Mao Mingcai was the one who truly counted as a great frontier official entrusted with an entire region.

Someone like Zheng Fan was a special product of special national circumstances. In a peaceful age, a military governor like him would inevitably become the central court’s target for suppression.

The personal guards entered first and established security.

Yingdu had only recently suffered a major assassination, so protection could not be treated lightly.

The people who came out to receive Zheng Fan were Mao Mingcai’s wife and daughter.

When the male head of a household could not receive guests, it was perfectly proper for the woman in charge of the inner residence to come forward in his place.

And with Marquis Zheng’s status, etiquette certainly could not be neglected.

Marquis Zheng sat down in the reception hall.

Mao Mingcai’s daughter, Mao Qingqing, personally served him tea.

Zheng Fan noticed her hairstyle.

She was plainly a married woman, and judging by her age, she was certainly no unmarried girl. By rights, she should not have been living here.

Of course, the situation was not difficult to guess.

She had likely married before, but something had happened to her husband’s family, forcing her to return to her parents’ household.

Yan customs were rough and open. They did not carry nearly as many restrictions as Qian or Chu, and widows in particular were treated with much greater tolerance.

After mother and daughter withdrew, Gou Moli stepped forward and whispered into Marquis Zheng’s ear:

“Marquis, Mao Qingqing once married into one of the great aristocratic clans. Before the Emperor of Yan trampled the aristocratic families beneath his cavalry, she divorced her husband and returned home.”

Marquis Zheng nodded.

Mao Mingcai had been one of the Emperor of Yan’s trusted ministers. He had even served as Minister of War.

So he had probably predicted His Majesty’s intentions in advance and forced his daughter to separate from her husband’s family before disaster struck.

That had indeed saved his daughter.

But it had also made remarrying difficult afterward.

Yan customs might be open, but a woman who had flown away before catastrophe struck was not exactly an attractive choice for another family of equal status.

A pity for such a full, mature figure.

Especially with that faint, perfectly placed shadow of melancholy between her brows.

At that moment, Mao Mingcai’s wife, Madam Xu, came out again and saluted Marquis Zheng.

“Marquis, please come this way.”

The fact that Mao Mingcai could receive a guest meant he was not yet on the verge of death.

Sun Youdao’s first letter, together with the earlier official communication from Prince Cheng Residence, had mentioned only that the Fifth Prince was in critical condition.

That meant Mao Mingcai’s safety had probably already been confirmed before either message was sent.

When Zheng Fan entered the bedroom, the smell of medicine was extremely heavy.

Mao Mingcai was propped against pillows, watching Zheng Fan walk in.

“Now that Marquis has come, this old man can finally rest easy.”

“Please don’t talk like that. I only just arrived. If you leave the moment I get here, won’t that be pouring dirty water all over me for no reason?”

“Heh.”

Mao Mingcai chuckled.

Marquis Zheng sat down in the chair beside the bed.

“Has Marquis gone to see the Fifth Prince yet?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

Mao Mingcai was deeply moved.

Because of the long chain of misunderstandings between them, he already thought exceptionally well of Zheng Fan.

Naturally, this made him feel even more gratified.

What he did not know was that Marquis Zheng simply did not care very much whether Old Fifth lived or died.

Imperial princes were strange creatures.

Once you had personally crippled one of them, it became very difficult to take the species seriously afterward.

“How is your health?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Truthfully, I barely drank any wine that night. My health had already been poor, so I only touched it to my lips for appearances. Embarrassing as it is to say, I was frightened and agitated by what happened that evening. An old ailment flared up, and that is why I have been bedridden.”

Zheng Fan had already noticed the stacks of official documents inside the bedroom.

Clearly, Mao Mingcai had continued working even while confined to bed.

“Marquis, you must not think I am using illness as an excuse to escape responsibility...”

“If you tried to escape responsibility through illness at a time like this, that would be what truly brought fire onto your own head. I understand.”

Mao Mingcai nodded.

Being unable to come forward and stabilize the situation at a time like this was already a fault in itself.

This was Yingdu.

The old heartland of the Jin people.

A newly conquered territory of the Yan.

No one was going to tolerate an official here becoming lazy or evasive.

“I have already submitted a memorial to the court. I expect a new Prefect will be arriving soon.”

“How could it be that fast?”

For one thing, the road was long.

For another, the office of Yingdu Prefect was too important to hand over casually.

Yan territory itself was one thing.

Here in the Jin lands, every Prefect had to be selected with extreme care.

Otherwise, territory won through enormous sacrifice might genuinely collapse again.

“In truth, after the campaign against Chu, the court already intended to transfer me back to the capital. And I myself wanted to return to Yanjing and see His Majesty.”

At those words, Marquis Zheng’s gaze darkened slightly.

So they really were changing the man here?

Marquis Zheng could afford to ignore Prince Cheng Residence partly because his relationship with Mao Mingcai had already been smoothed out.

Although everyone close to Marquis Zheng could clearly sense his increasingly obvious “heart of Marquis Pingxi,” out in the wider world, in Great Yan’s present political environment, and with Li Liangting and Tian Wujing standing ahead of him as overwhelming examples, Zheng Fan’s public reputation remained extremely good.

No one truly regarded him as a seed of rebellion.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the Prince of Zhenbei, the Prince of Jingnan, and the succession struggle.

The possibility of Marquis Pingxi rebelling had not even made it onto the little blackboard of political discussion yet.

That was why Mao Mingcai had been able to change his opinion of Zheng Fan so completely without becoming suspicious.

The other nail Zheng Fan had planted in Yingdu was Sun Youdao.

Grand Tutor Sun was already one of his people.

If the office of Prefect changed hands, would Zheng Fan not have to start building a relationship all over again?

Cultivating connections was troublesome.

“The court asked for my opinion as well. Afterward, there was already a candidate under discussion...”

“Oh?”

They had already settled on someone?

“The Commander and Prefect of Nanwang City, Xu Wenzu, will be transferred to Yingdu and take my place as Prefect. Marquis should know Xu Wenzu, yes?”

Fatty Xu!

“Hehehe...”

Marquis Zheng laughed.

At that moment, he did not calculate gains and losses.

He did not consider what impact Xu Wenzu’s arrival might have on the Marquis Residence.

The instant Fatty Xu’s figure appeared in his mind, he simply wanted to laugh.

Seeing this, Mao Mingcai laughed as well.

In his eyes, Marquis Pingxi might occasionally act impatiently or seem almost inhumanly severe, but he truly placed public duty above himself and served the state with his whole heart.

What a simple and honest temperament.

“Marquis, I believe that after Xu Wenzu takes over as Prefect of Yingdu, he will only perform better than this old man.”

“Mm. I think so too.”

“...” Mao Mingcai.

Mao Mingcai began coughing.

“Ah, my apologies. My apologies.”

Marquis Zheng stood and patted him on the back.

Anyone who seriously investigated Marquis Zheng’s career would inevitably discover the connection between him and Xu Wenzu.

When Marquis Zheng had been a Commandant in Tiger Head City, Xu Wenzu had been Pacification Commissioner of Beifeng Commandery, with his yamen also located in Tiger Head City.

When Marquis Zheng served as Garrison Commander of Cuiliu Fort, Xu Wenzu was Commander at Nanwang City.

Only later had their paths diverged.

Zheng Fan followed the Prince of Jingnan into Jin.

Xu Wenzu remained in Yinlang Commandery.

Over the past few years, Marquis Zheng had risen like a cloud straight into the heavens.

But Xu Wenzu had also advanced steadily, step by step.

Four years earlier, when the war among the three states began, Xu Wenzu had assembled more than ten local commanders of wildly mixed backgrounds at Nanwang City and forcibly stopped the probing advance of Qian’s Three Frontiers troops toward the north.

More recently, when the First Prince killed Zhong Wenmian and earned his Marquis title, Xu Wenzu had likewise been rewarded for his assistance.

Moreover, although Fatty Xu had served as a military commander, he had originally entered officialdom through the civil track.

Now, with him replacing Mao Mingcai as Prefect of Yingdu, he would become a genuine great frontier official.

If he returned to court in the future, he would inevitably be headed for the post of Minister of one of the Six Ministries, or some other position of similar weight.

Most importantly, Xu Wenzu’s ability and methods were both first-rate.

There was nothing to criticize.

“My hope is that after Xu Wenzu takes over my office, he and Marquis can work together to stabilize this half of the Jin lands completely. Once this half is settled, the entire Three Jin region will lose the ability to descend into chaos.”

The other half was wedged between eastern Jin and Yan proper.

No matter how much trouble arose there, it would eventually be crushed from both ends.

“Mm. I have not seen him in several years.”

“I imagine Marquis and Xu Wenzu share an excellent relationship.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“In that case, the court has treated Marquis generously. By ordinary logic, Yingdu should have received a Prefect who did not get along with Marquis, precisely so the two of you could restrain one another.”

Those words were truly from the heart.

They were also politically dangerous words.

Zheng Fan shook his head and said casually:

“The lands of Yan and Jin are vast, but compared with Qian and Chu they are still relatively poor. The reason Great Yan has been able to awe the world is that under His Majesty’s wise leadership, people like us have not allowed private matters to damage public affairs. We do not spend our time restraining one another. The horses have not yet been released to pasture on the southern mountains. Where would we find the leisure for this sort of internal consumption?”

“Marquis sees matters clearly. This old man admires you.”

“Rest properly. For the next few days, I will help hold the situation up for you. Once Xu Wenzu arrives, I will come back to see you off. I will need to greet him in any case.”

Even after Xu Wenzu arrived, the transfer of authority would take time.

Whether from personal feeling or official propriety, Marquis Zheng would return.

Of course, if Fatty Xu showed the same enthusiasm he once had after being captured in the desert, when he had crushed two horses to death racing toward his destination, then perhaps the two visits could be merged into one.

The relay stations along the road would be sending reports anyway.

He could check later whether Xu Wenzu had already departed and roughly estimate his arrival.

“Then I will trouble Marquis. As for the affairs inside the city, please decide them as you see fit.”

“What affairs are there? Nothing more than calming people’s hearts. I read the City Patrol Office files on the road here. I doubt there is much left to investigate.”

The men who delivered the wine were dead.

The winery people were dead.

The men who approved the wine’s entry were dead.

The assassins who attacked the Fifth Prince had all swallowed poison and killed themselves after making their strike.

This was the crudest form of cleanup.

And often the most effective.

Marquis Zheng had never believed himself especially talented at investigating criminal cases.

So he had abandoned the thought of solving this one almost from the beginning.

“So long as the situation is stabilized, the schemes of those petty vermin cannot succeed,” Mao Mingcai sighed. “Only now do I truly understand. Great Yan was founded upon men like you, Marquis.”

“You flatter me. We help one another. We support one another. Rest well. I am going to see the Fifth Prince.”

“All right. Go.”

...

Marquis Zheng left the Prefectural Yamen and went directly to the residence where the Fifth Prince was staying.

The carriage stopped at the gate.

His personal guards immediately rushed inside, just as they had done at the Prefectural Yamen, clearing the place ahead of their Marquis.

But this time, a confrontation broke out almost immediately.

Even after Zheng Fan’s guards displayed their tokens, the men inside still refused to withdraw.

Because the people currently protecting the Fifth Prince belonged to the Secret Intelligence Department.

However, the moment Marquis Zheng stepped down from the carriage and entered through the main gate, the Secret Intelligence Department branch chief immediately knelt.

At the same time, he ordered his men to sheath their sabers and clear the way.

Refusing to lower their weapons until the principal himself appeared could still be called proper diligence.

Hero Chen and the Sword Saint followed Marquis Zheng into the inner residence.

The branch chief glanced at the Marquis Residence guards, especially their uniforms and the sabers at their waists.

Only after the guards followed their Marquis into the rear residence did he smack his lips and murmur to one of his trusted men:

“Damn it. Why do the Marquis’s personal guards look more like Secret Intelligence Department men than we do?”

Unfortunately, Marquis Zheng did not hear him.

Otherwise, he would have been delighted.

He might even have praised the man.

Good eye.

A maid opened the door and allowed Marquis Zheng into the bedroom.

The Fifth Prince lay unconscious on the bed, his face pale, his body utterly still.

“Everyone out.”

Marquis Zheng gave the order.

The eunuchs and maids inside exchanged glances.

In the end, none dared disobey Marquis Pingxi. They all withdrew.

The Fifth Prince’s personal attendant looked as though he wanted to say something.

But beneath Marquis Zheng’s gaze, he shut his mouth and left as well.

The room was emptied.

Outside, the Sword Saint and Hero Chen stood guard.

Marquis Zheng walked to the bedside.

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a Xue San-brand poisoned dagger.

Mm.

Before meeting an imperial prince, no one had dared search Marquis Zheng.

Holding the dagger, Marquis Zheng sighed.

“What a pity. The Gundam still hasn’t been finished, and the man’s already about to die.”

At that moment, the “unconscious” Fifth Prince lying on the bed opened his eyes.

“You woke up too early.”

The Fifth Prince smiled.

“I did not want to wait until the dagger came down, then panic and roll off the bed trying to dodge. It hurts.”

“Then what fun is left for me?”

“We really have to go through the whole performance?”

“We do. Look. I even prepared the dagger.”

“Fine.”

The Fifth Prince closed his eyes again and cooperated with the performance.

Marquis Zheng lightly brushed a finger along the edge of the dagger.

When San’er had given him this weapon, he had specifically warned him not to lick the blade for style.

Marquis Zheng raised the dagger and said darkly:

“So you actually survived. What a pity. Anyone who dares stand in Sixth Highness’s road has to die!”

Then the dagger stabbed downward.

Thud!

The Fifth Prince rolled off the bed and hit the floor hard.

He opened his eyes and glared at Marquis Zheng.

His expression held three parts shock, three parts embarrassment, three parts panic, and one final part suspicion.

“How did you know I was pretending?”

Zheng Fan snapped his fingers.

Satisfied, he nodded.

“Perfect.”

[End of Chapter 632]