Chapter 711: Our Realm

Afterward, Zheng Fan and Ji Chengjue both sat down on the steps beneath the Dragon Throne in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Zheng Fan, do you know? The old bastard is gone. I've become Emperor. And inside my heart..."

Ji Chengjue raised a hand and patted his chest.

"Inside my heart, when I look at people, at affairs, at Lu Bing, at Wei Zhonghe, at Old Madam Lu, then at my own brothers, at the imperial palace, at all those palace maids and eunuchs... and after that, I'll have to look at the hundred officials too. In an instant. Truly. Just one whoosh... and it changed. Everything changed completely."

"I can understand. Back when I ran an inn in Tiger Head City, I was very, very different from who I am now. Practically another person."

"But mine happened all at once. Just like that..."

"You became Emperor. From an unfavored imperial prince who was constantly suppressed to the Ninth-Five Supreme in one leap. Chickens and dogs rising to Heaven along with you. Naturally the change came fast."

"Exactly. That's it. So..."

Ji Chengjue turned to look at Zheng Fan.

"When you rode your Pixiu over and knocked on the carriage window, I kept praying one thing over and over inside my heart. If there was one person who wouldn't change, it could only be you, Zheng Fan."

"So when I called you an animal, were you deeply moved?"

"Hahahahaha." Ji Chengjue laughed and nodded. "Moved enough to cry. Truly."

"Heh-heh-heh." Zheng Fan laughed too.

"I understand now what it means to be the lonely sovereign. The loneliness of being unable to trust anyone came pouring over me like the tide the instant the old bastard died. I felt like one tiny boat alone upon the sea..."

"Like a storm petrel flying above the sea before the storm?"

"That is an incredibly fitting comparison."

"Right?"

Zheng Fan shrugged.

"It's lonely. Exhausting. The moment I imagine spending an entire lifetime the way Imperial Father did, I feel despair. Utter despair. But I also understand something even more clearly. No matter how much I resist it, I will change."

"Yes."

"But I want to try not changing toward you."

"I understand what you mean, but could you phrase it differently? You're making me sick."

Ji Chengjue reached over and placed an arm on Zheng Fan's shoulder.

Slap!

Zheng Fan knocked it away.

"Let me lean on you for a moment. We both know neither of us has that kind of taste."

"Prevention starts with the smallest things. How many Emperors have shared Lord Longyang's tastes?"

"Who outside would ever think the Emperor of Great Yan and Marquis Pingxi of Great Yan had that kind of relationship?"

"Why do I feel like the commoners in teahouses and wine shops would be even more interested in exactly that kind of relationship?"

"Heh." Ji Chengjue sneered at Zheng Fan. "Zheng, I don't want to become a completely solitary sovereign. So I want to promise you something. As long as both of us are alive, I will never move against you. Even if one night you, Zheng Fan, come to my sleeping palace with a saber in your hand and ten thousand troops behind you, all the way to my bedside, I will only assume you came to ask me out for a late-night meal."

"I understand what you mean. But keeping something like that alive is difficult. Extremely difficult. Pure trust like this cannot tolerate even the smallest selfish thought. It's not like your father and Old Tian, desperately enduring each other for the sake of Great Yan."

Zheng Fan turned his head and looked at Ji Old Sixth very seriously.

"So when you let me try sitting on the Dragon Throne just now, I didn't think you were testing me. I wanted to try it, so I sat. I'm not even afraid to tell you that there are several finished dragon robes sitting in my Marquis Residence. Their cuts and design concepts may be better than whatever you're about to put on. If you get tired of your dragon robes someday and want a change, send me a letter. I'll have some delivered."

"..." Ji Chengjue.

Zheng Fan continued:

"I lack friends. Truly. Friends whose temper matches mine, people I genuinely have history with. I have very few. You cannot understand the loneliness I feel in this world, the distance and unfamiliarity I feel toward it. That feeling is no weaker than what you felt when your father used to suppress you. The problem is that with my current status, making friends is difficult. I'm different from Old Tian. Old Tian can swallow a great deal of bitterness. I can't stomach suffering. Little Sixth..."

"Keep talking. I'm listening."

"Sigh. Let's put it this way. Someday, if you decide you absolutely have to move against me... I said if. You might feel confident and radiant now, but what if you fall ill? What if you're terminally sick? What if Heaven grows jealous of talent?"

"..." Ji Chengjue.

"What if you decide Marquis Pingxi Residence has grown too powerful to be controlled? What if I have a child someday? Let's open the skylight and speak plainly. If you want to move against me, if you want to cut down the regional military powers, if you think Great Yan's foundation might start going crooked because of me, Zheng Fan... tell me beforehand. We can discuss it. Does that proposal sound naïve?"

Ji Chengjue nodded, then shook his head.

"It is naïve. But I understand."

"Good. Exactly. Best to warn each other first. I probably won't be the one to move against you first. More likely, you'll be the one trying to move against me. If we can't settle it through discussion, then we fight."

"I don't like the way that sounds. I'm an Emperor now, after all. My heart is broad. There's no reason becoming Emperor should make it narrower, right? I could tolerate you before. Now I can only tolerate you even more. Only after becoming Emperor did I finally understand why Imperial Father used to look at you, Zheng Fan, and find you so damned adorable. Great Yan genuinely lacks men of talent like you."

"Let me finish what I was saying."

"Fine. Go on." Ji Chengjue nodded.

"We keep it open. If discussion fails, we fight openly. But if you don't even warn me and instead try to strike directly, then I suggest you make sure you bury me and every last one of my people in a single blow. Otherwise..."

Ji Chengjue smiled.

"Otherwise what?"

Zheng Fan looked at Ji Chengjue.

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His voice dropped softly.

"Otherwise, I'll exterminate your entire Ji Clan."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation fell silent.

Silent enough to hear a needle drop.

Outside the hall, Wei Zhonghe narrowed his eyes.

One sleeve trembled faintly.

Then slowly settled.

The two men inside had made no effort to lower their voices.

Eunuch Wei had not deliberately eavesdropped either.

His hearing was simply far better than an ordinary person's.

So he heard everything clearly.

Little Sixth had once told Zheng Fan that the word "friend" was like two strings of money placed side by side.

If Zheng Fan were not Marquis Pingxi, with the stability of Great Yan's eastern territories tied to him and the balance of the snowfields and Chu hanging from his body; if Zheng Fan did not possess extraordinary gifts in war, carrying the true inheritance of the Prince of Jingnan while already resembling the mold of Great Yan's next God of War; if he merely spoke pleasantly and knew how to produce memorable lines... then Ji Chengjue might laugh and chat with him.

But he would never allow such insolence.

Zheng Fan understood that perfectly well too.

Being friends with Little Sixth in the past had been one thing.

Being friends with an Emperor was another.

First, you had to guarantee one of two things.

Either you could kill the Emperor himself.

Or you could throw his realm and state altars into chaos.

For a wise Emperor, the latter was often the greater threat.

Without that confidence.

Without that capability.

Without that capital.

Marquis Zheng would never have sat on the Dragon Throne earlier.

What made Marquis Zheng different from all those "worthy men of old" who imagined themselves able to stand above imperial authority and befriend an Emperor was that Zheng Fan's mind contained no deep concept of preserving a family line.

He still had no children.

He remained convinced he would have one someday.

But the reality was that, barring a miracle, the odds were probably still poor.

And so the old saying suited Marquis Zheng almost perfectly:

A man willing to be cut to pieces dares pull the Emperor from his horse.

Few people would believe that a man who had risen from the black-haired common people all the way to a Marquis still possessed the freedom to return to the rough grasslands if he wished.

The smile on Ji Chengjue's face finally faded.

He was not angry.

Instead, he nodded.

"Good."

Then Ji Chengjue pointed toward the vast space below the steps.

"This world is enormous. Large enough for you and me. Before long, the Prince of Jingnan and Prince Zhenbei will launch a long-range strike into the desert against the Barbarian Royal Court. If that battle goes smoothly, the threat on Great Yan's western flank will nearly disappear for a hundred years. After that, we can continue the loose-rein policy on the snowfields. Snow Sea Pass blocks them in anyway. Then... there will be Qian and Chu. Two great states. Zheng Fan, tell me, are they enough for the two of us to chew on for the rest of our lives?"

"I only know that anything you do for an entire lifetime becomes boring."

"Too long?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me. How long?"

"What I say doesn't decide it. In war, what matters in the end is still national strength. Qian and Chu have both already been taught lessons by our iron cavalry through thousand-li long-range raids. Trying the same move twice would be looking down on them far too much. Future wars will probably resemble the opening stage of the campaign against Chu, slowly pulling out one fortified camp and fortress after another."

"Ten years. Give me ten years. I will let Great Yan and the lands of Jin recover their strength. Then, pooling the manpower and resources of Yan and Jin, we launch the war to unify all Xia from north to south."

Zheng Fan shook his head.

"War isn't balancing account books. You still don't understand military affairs."

"I don't. You can teach me. If that still isn't enough, then you can simply tell me what to do and I can simply trust you. Saves both of us time."

"Ten years? Heh. Look at Li Liangshen's Zhenbei formation. How many years has it been stationed around the capital? The stink of blood on them has almost dissipated. Compared with the two formations constantly fighting in Jin and the three formations left in the desert to keep dealing with the Barbarians, the gap is enormous. Forget everything else. Just earlier, when I led the Jingnan Army to the palace gates, look at the people under your Fourth Brother. They didn't collapse, but the moment their courage got suppressed, they'd already admitted defeat inside their hearts."

Zheng Fan looked at Ji Chengjue.

"Old Sixth, why is Yan cavalry unmatched beneath Heaven? Because for centuries, we Yan people have had to face the threat of the desert Barbarians. If the blade isn't sharp, the armor isn't strong, and the men aren't ruthless, then neither country nor family survives. If this battle succeeds and the Barbarian people collapse completely, then after ten peaceful years, it isn't as simple as piling enough men and grain into your ledgers and assuming you'll win every battle. If that were true, Great Qian would've been invincible beneath Heaven long ago. Besides, the late Emperor and the two Princes beat up every neighbor around us. Jin is gone, yes, but Qian and Chu still retain enormous strength. They can rise too. They won't sit around eating and waiting to die while we recover, then obediently line up for us to deal with one after another. While we recover, they won't be idle either."

"Two years. Give yourself two years at most. Restore national strength as much as you can. Then don't begin another full national war. Begin local wars. Two years from now, whether we choose Chu or Qian depends on the situation then. But we still have to fight. We cannot stop fighting. Bleed them while keeping our own edge warm. Don't let ourselves freeze stiff."

"We'll be the side choosing the attack. We can control the scale. Fight while negotiating. When an opportunity appears, bite off one large piece. And we don't have to rush into wars where every patch of conquered land must immediately be occupied and governed. That costs too much. Better to raid for provisions more often..."

"Raiding for provisions. Isn't that just robbery?"

"Yes. Ideally, when the battle ends and you calculate the accounts, we haven't lost money."

"But they're all people of Xia."

"Chu once colluded with the Savages. Qian cooperated with the Barbarians a century ago to attack Yan. They betrayed their ancestors. We're disciplining members of our own household."

"Correct. That makes a great deal of sense."

"Then that's the framework. Two years from now, we decide where to fight. Or maybe we won't even need to decide. His Majesty is gone, but the Northern and Southern Princes..."

"Zheng Fan." Ji Chengjue drew in a deep breath. "I have a premonition."

"Say it."

"Imperial Father is gone. Perhaps... he won't be leaving alone."

Zheng Fan fell silent.

"Truthfully, I hope more than anyone that I'm wrong."

"I don't believe Old Tian will die in the desert. Barbarians, that's all. One Royal Court, that's all. Even Ying Capital couldn't bury Old Tian. The Royal Court isn't worthy."

"I hope the same. For Great Yan, if either one of the Northern and Southern Princes can continue standing here, it would be an enormous blessing. Especially... the Prince of Jingnan."

Tian Wujing was young.

Tian Wujing was a God of War.

"Enough. Let's stop talking about these ominous things. Today is your great day, after all."

"My Imperial Father just died."

"A joyous funeral."

"Believe it or not, I'll issue my third imperial decree right now and have Wei Zhonghe come in and slap you across the face?"

Outside the hall, Eunuch Wei raised one hand.

He looked almost eager to try.

"I just told you I can't stand being wronged. You dare have Wei Zhonghe slap me, and I'll dare pull your trousers over your head and beat you senseless with a club."

"You dare?"

"Go count them yourself. Inside the imperial palace right now, are there more of my men or yours?"

"Zheng, Young Master here just killed his own father and hasn't even formally ascended the throne, and my first imperial decree was already to order you to bring a Jingnan Army that obeys you into the capital to protect the imperial carriage. Do you know why? Wasn't it because I wanted to make it easier, lighter, and smoother for you when you kill the man you want dead?"

"Oh? You know who I want to kill?"

"Guess."

"I thought you'd forgotten your promise."

"I, Ji Chengjue, treat promises to everyone else like farts. But not promises to you."

"I'd be embarrassed to admit it, but I really didn't help you much during the succession struggle."

"You didn't take my family hostage to force me to help you either."

After the succession struggle ended, before the two of them even met again, Zheng Fan first confirmed the capital had stabilized. Then he immediately had Fan Li escort Ji Chengjue's family, whom Zheng had deliberately brought over for protection and prepared to evacuate before events erupted, safely back home.

Those people were now the new sovereign's Empress, Noble Consort, princes, and princesses.

"That hardly counts for anything."

"Then I'm not going to split hairs about what I promised you either. The Son of Heaven's word carries the weight of nine tripods."

"You literally just said your promises are like farts."

"Kill him. Do it cleanly. But wait until after I've ascended. In a moment, you're standing beside me to watch me take the throne. You have no idea how disappointed I was at that grand court audience when Imperial Father sent you away early."

"Heh-heh-heh. You clearly lost that grand court audience. Also, are you really willing to let me kill that man? If he dies now, court government could fall into chaos."

"I'm still young. Why the hell would I fear a little disorder in court government? Clean it up afterward. Treat it as one sovereign, one generation of ministers. I intend to put my own people in place. You can help me clear the old ones out."

"Putting it like that ruins the meaning. I'm not some simple-minded Martial Artist. And I never intended to use troops to kill him. A jianghu matter should be settled in the jianghu. He once used jianghu methods. I'll return the favor with jianghu methods."

"What jianghu are you talking about?"

"Mine."

"Since when did Marquis Pingxi Residence become a jianghu sect?"

"Just founded. It'll be famous someday. Right now nobody knows it."

"What's it called?"

"New Dragon Gate Inn."

"An inn counts as a sect now?"

"Calling it some Gate, Manor, or Sect is too tacky. I don't like it."

"Fine. Are you confident?"

"I've been calculating it for a long time. Close enough."

At that moment, Wei Zhonghe entered and reported:

"Your Majesty, it is time. You should change into the dragon robe."

Zheng Fan nodded.

"Go change. I'll wander around the imperial garden and get some air. Once you've changed, I'll have to start calling you Your Majesty."

"Then I should hurry. I've been looking forward to hearing that."

"Heh."

Marquis Zheng left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

A short while later, Wei Zhonghe led Ji Chengjue away to bathe.

After the simple bath, Eunuch Wei brought two eunuchs who had served the late Emperor and had them help Ji Chengjue into the dragon robe.

While the dragon robe was being put on, Lu Bing arrived and stood to one side.

Ji Chengjue asked:

"Have you carried out my second imperial decree?"

Difficulty appeared on Wei Zhonghe's face.

Lu Bing dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty, withdrawing the Secret Intelligence Department agents and this minister's men responsible for protecting that person is simply too dangerous. That person's safety is of great use to preserving the stability of the present situation. Moreover, the late Emperor assigned him many matters as well. The things requiring his cooperation are no fewer than those entrusted to this minister and Wei Zhonghe."

"Yes, Master," Eunuch Wei echoed.

"Are the two of you teaching Us how to do things?"

Wei Zhonghe immediately knelt as well.

Together with Lu Bing, he said:

"We ask Your Majesty to reconsider, for the stability of Great Yan's realm and state altars."

"Interesting. Very interesting. It seems the words of this new sovereign carry no weight. What is this? Let Us guess. Before that old bastard left, did he secretly leave another final edict? Are the two of you, together with that man, those so-called regency ministers from the stage plays? Heh-heh."

Ji Chengjue pushed aside the two eunuchs still fastening his clothes.

He sat directly on the chair nearby.

"Fine. Whenever you obey the decree, that is when I go to the main hall and ascend the throne before the hundred officials. We can take our time."

"Your Majesty, how can the state and the national foundation be treated as a joke?" Lu Bing exclaimed.

"Your Majesty, please put the stability of Great Yan's realm first," Wei Zhonghe urged.

Ji Chengjue's expression turned cold.

"A realm that refuses to obey...

"We... would rather not have."

[End of Chapter 711]