Chapter 738: The Harem

"Madam, please forgive us! Madam, please forgive us!"

Fan Zhengwen knelt flat on the floor.

This freshly minted maternal uncle of the Emperor of Great Yan trembled in genuine fear.

There was no acting in it.

Because the accusation was fabricated.

And a fabricated accusation... was precisely what made it terrifying.

Merchants were best at reading people.

Fan Zhengwen had personally dealt with Marquis Pingxi before.

Once, the old Fan ancestor who grew flowers in his heated residence had asked Fan Zhengwen for his judgment of Marquis Pingxi.

Fan Zhengwen had answered:

Within the halls of power, his palm bears a thousand-jun weight;
cast into the jianghu, his feet still tread on bold and unfettered spirit.

His meaning was that Marquis Pingxi clearly possessed immense status and terrifying authority, yet somehow still carried the freedom and heroic air found only among men of the jianghu and the wild grasslands.

When he acted... sometimes he truly moved on nothing but the impulse in his chest, completely ignoring convention and established rules.

Life was not treated like life.

Power was not treated like power.

If a business deal went sour... he might simply overturn the shop.

Take, for example, the time he had personally risked his life to seize the Princess.

That was the sort of story told in teahouses and taverns about heroic jianghu men.

Yet it had genuinely happened to Marquis Pingxi.

And the protagonists of those stories were usually penniless men with nothing to lose.

At the time, Marquis Pingxi might still have held only a Count's title... but he had already risen far above ordinary men.

That was why Fan Zhengwen did not dare treat this "lesson" casually.

He had to show genuine terror.

He understood perfectly well that if he failed to display the proper posture while being beaten, the Princess in front of him might not personally kill him and would certainly not make arbitrary decisions about the entire Fan family.

But if word reached Marquis Pingxi... it might become something like this:

What larger situation?

What Yan-Chu stalemate?

What strategic use does the Fan family possess?

Who gives a damn?

Destroy them.

Destroy them all.

Let this Marquis's heart feel satisfied.

Even the new sovereign might not be able to stop Marquis Pingxi once his temper rose.

After all... the distant magistrate could never compare with the official directly controlling your fate.

Fan Zhengwen had never served an Emperor.

But to a certain extent, the feeling Marquis Pingxi gave him truly resembled the saying: accompanying a sovereign was like accompanying a tiger.

The power of life and death.

The Son of Heaven whose will was Heaven's will.

Perhaps... that was roughly the same sensation.

Unfortunately, Fan Zhengwen could never say any of this aloud.

If he did...

Marquis Pingxi might genuinely enjoy hearing such a fresh and unusual angle of flattery.

All because of one cup of cold tea... half the Fan Residence's clan managers were seized.

Among them were close relatives.

One was even Fan Zhengwen's own younger brother.

A group were killed.

A group were beaten crippled.

A group were exiled.

The celebration that had filled the Fan Residence and spread throughout Fan City... was shattered completely by this sudden, bloody severity.

In the end...

Xiong Liqing herself began feeling somewhat guilty.

The Fan family had punished itself far more severely than she had expected.

Even Fan Zhengwen came to plead guilty with thorn branches strapped to his back.

He was no Martial Artist.

The torn skin and bloody wounds across his back were very real.

One had to remember... he had only just become an imperial relative.

"Withdraw," the Princess said.

Faced with a Fan family patriarch like this... she genuinely no longer had the heart to continue.

"Thank you, Princess. Thank you, Princess."

Fan Zhengwen escaped as though granted amnesty.

The Princess reached up and rubbed between her brows.

"In the past I lived inside the palace. Then Husband brought me into his residence. I never realized I had actually spent all these years inside a carefully protected basket.

"Mr. Gou... before this, I always thought rather highly of myself."

"Madam is being too severe toward herself."

"No. I'm not. The world outside truly is frightening. Perhaps I should simply go home, learn a few more little songs from Sister Ruqing, and focus on serving Husband."

Clearly...

Fan Zhengwen's performance had frightened her.

Not because she feared he harbored rebellion in the back of his skull.

She had simply seen the gap between herself and someone who was genuinely ruthless and genuinely capable.

Outside... was dangerous.

Home was safer.

Warmer.

"Madam, Fan Zhengwen may only be the head of the Fan family now, but judging by his temperament and methods, I would not be surprised if the new sovereign one day promoted him all the way to Chancellor of Great Yan. Give him enough time and he may become another Zhao Jiulang.

"A man like that is naturally formidable.

"But people like him are still rare beneath Heaven."

Talents of Fan Zhengwen's level were not cabbages growing by the roadside.

"Meeting one is enough to make my head hurt. There really isn't much fun outside. Everyone either gives way to me or humors me. Boring."

"It is good that Madam can think this way. But you do not actually need to care too deeply about these matters. Beside you already stands a great tree you can lean upon.

"Before that tree...

"Fan Zhengwen...

"No.

"Even this subordinate... is merely one grain of dust inside its shadow."

"You're right, Mr. Gou."

Before her wedding, when she chose Zheng Fan rather than Qu Peiluo... some things had already been decided.

"The more one walks outside and sees the world, the more principles become clear. Mr. Gou should understand that I possess ambition."

"Using Master's preferred wording...

"Madam should probably call it a dream."

"Perhaps. How could a woman born into an imperial house ever truly be content with dullness? If the outside is not suitable for me, then I will work inside instead. I grew up in a palace. Surely I understand at least that much."

Gou Moli became somewhat puzzled.

He understood the ecology of Marquis Pingxi Residence's "harem."

In his judgment, a woman as intelligent as the Princess could not possibly imagine herself playing ordinary palace intrigue inside the Marquis's household.

After all...

Mr. Feng was there.

Among all the gentlemen of the Residence, the Savage King feared the Blind Man most.

In a sense, the Blind Man resembled him greatly.

With one key difference.

The Blind Man possessed no ambition.

He wanted rebellion.

Wanted to build a ruler who would stand above the entire world.

But the motive behind it was extremely pure.

Fun.

It was like spending enormous effort painting a masterpiece, admiring it twice, then setting it on fire solely to enjoy the process and the brilliant moment when the flames curled upward.

Without ambition... there were no chains.

And without chains... one could become even purer.

That, in Gou Moli's view, was what made the Blind Man truly terrifying.

Strategists had been suspected by their lords since ancient times.

Strategists who worked from the shadows... were even less likely to meet good ends.

Yet their Master trusted the Blind Man completely.

Below the Blind Man... the second gentleman Gou Moli feared most was Mr. Feng.

Her own abilities aside, the fact that her personality fit Master's almost perfectly had already placed her in an unbeatable position.

In short... if Xiong Liqing wanted to play harem politics... she was absolutely no match for Siniang.

Gou Moli believed the Princess understood that even more clearly than he did.

Xiong Liqing reached down and gently stroked her belly.

"Mr. Gou, what do you think Husband still lacks?"

Territory?

He had it.

Troops?

He had them.

Status?

He had that too.

A complete group of trusted subordinates?

He had one.

What did he lack?

An heir.

Earlier, Marquis Zheng had deliberately restrained himself with the Princess and Liu Ruqing because he wanted his first time to be with Siniang.

After that... he had long since stopped restraining himself.

Yet children... could no longer even be described as "difficult."

For truly powerful nobles, "difficulty with heirs" usually meant having several children who died young, could not be raised to adulthood, or were all daughters.

But Marquis Pingxi had three women.

And not one belly had produced even the faintest sign.

If Marquis Pingxi had been a sickly man... that would be one thing.

But although his personal strength was not truly second only to the Prince of Jingnan as outsiders imagined, he was still a graded Martial Artist.

His constitution was stronger than that of ordinary men.

Even after all that diligent plowing... there was still no child.

Gou Moli licked his lips.

Halfway through, he suddenly realized the gesture was wildly inappropriate for this conversation.

He immediately pulled his tongue back and lowered his head.

He did not know how to answer.

This involved the affairs of the inner household.

How could an "outer minister" like him interfere?

Given the status Marquis Pingxi Residence had reached as a regional military power, matters inside it could already be considered using the framework of an imperial house.

"Mr. Gou."

The Princess pressed him again.

"This subordinate is here."

At this point, Gou Moli truly wanted to escape.

He would rather personally smear wound salve across Fan Zhengwen's torn back and act out some disgusting scene of mutual concern where both men smiled at one another through gritted teeth... than remain here discussing this.

"If I become pregnant with Husband's child, what will the situation become afterward?"

"Then naturally it will be a cause for great celebration. Congratulations to Master, congratulations to Madam, congratulations to all of Marquis Pingxi Residence!"

"Mr. Gou. That is not all I want to hear."

"Madam, forgive this subordinate's dullness."

"Mr. Gou, have you ever thought about reviving your Sacred Clan again?"

"The Sacred Clan is already walking the correct road toward revival."

"Would you like an even greater revival?"

"I've dreamed of it."

"Not in a dream."

"This subordinate... would not dare."

The cake being placed before him was too large.

Too direct.

Even the Savage King did not quite dare take a bite.

The Princess continued stroking her belly.

"Now that matters in Yanjing have settled, Husband should be coming home soon, yes?"

"Yes. Once the state funeral is finished, Master should return."

From what Gou Moli knew of Master, once Zheng Fan had been away from home for a while... he would miss it intensely.

"This time...

"I will become pregnant."

"Master is naturally destined to have descendants. Heaven's will, the stars above, all will certainly favor Master and favor Madam... and the others."

"No."

The Princess looked directly at Gou Moli.

The stare made the Savage King's scalp prickle.

"Mr. Gou, some words mean one thing before I become pregnant and another after I become pregnant. If I bear Husband's child, are you willing to assist my child?"

"Naturally. The child would be our Young Master. This subordinate would devote himself utterly, laboring until death."

Gou Moli immediately knelt and declared his loyalty.

The words were beautifully chosen.

And carefully empty.

"Good. Mr. Gou is cautious. I know that. But my words remain the same. The Savages are now dogs held on Husband's chain.

"Whether that chain can one day be removed... will depend upon Mr. Gou yourself.

"I am tired. Tell Ruqing not to bring the bird's-nest soup anymore. I cannot eat."

"This subordinate understands. Madam, please rest well."

Gou Moli rose to leave.

But just then... the Princess called him back.

"One more thing. If envoys from Chu arrive, I hope Mr. Gou will report to me first."

Official exchanges between Chu and Marquis Pingxi Residence had never stopped.

They were conducted in the Princess's name.

Even now, when neither side had formally broken relations and gone to war, that was natural.

Even during war... relatives remained relatives.

Back when Marquis Zheng had surrounded the Regent inside a city... the Regent had sent cakes and food down to his brother-in-law every day.

Marquis Zheng had returned the favor with one man's portion of fresh fruit and vegetables.

"Yes. This subordinate understands."

At last, Gou Moli walked out of the hall.

He had once been the Savage King.

He was good at building factions and managing power.

But he truly had never expected that one day... he would be dragged into something resembling an inner-palace power struggle.

It was still early.

There was not even a shadow of a child yet.

But the wind... had already begun to blow.

And Gou Moli believed the Princess would not fire an arrow without a target.

Master had difficulty producing heirs.

He had only one godson.

But a godson remained a godson.

Even if that godson was Tian Wujing's son.

At this rate, merely producing one biological heir would already be extraordinary.

The problem was... why are you so damned certain you're going to become pregnant?

Gou Moli reached up and knocked on his own head.

Hell.

This was even more exhausting than tricking Savage warriors into marching off to die.

...

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Chu troops broke through the mountain gate.

From the base of the slope to the creek below... the ground was littered with corpses belonging to Shanyue tribesmen and a small number of Chu soldiers.

Grand General Nian Yao stepped through the blood and climbed the stone stairs.

Ahead of him... was a cave.

This was the sacred ground of the Black Mountain River Tribe.

The Black Mountain River Tribe was a Shanyue people of Chu's southern frontier.

Its population approached twenty thousand.

Within a radius of several hundred li... it was a small regional hegemon.

Today, however... the tribe had been crushed by Grand General Nian Yao.

Nian Yao had only just finished the southwestern campaign, concluded peace with Qian, and begun leading his army home.

Then, halfway back... he suddenly turned his troops aside and attacked the Black Mountain River Tribe.

The war in the southwest had not actually been complicated.

Qian's main armies and strategic focus remained concentrated around the Three Frontiers.

So at first, Qian's southeastern defenses had been terrible.

Chu attacked with ease.

Cities fell one after another.

Progress was extremely fast.

Afterward, Qian began using the advantages of its vast national strength.

It built new fortified cities.

Held them stubbornly.

And refused to leave them.

From that point onward... the war became harder.

More accurately... it simply stopped being as smooth as before.

Chu had already achieved its political objectives anyway.

It had just been beaten by Yan.

Its capital, Ying Capital, had been burned by Yan's Southern Prince.

So it turned around and beat Qian instead.

Redirect domestic anger.

Release the frustration created by defeat against Yan.

Restore confidence among the people and within the court.

Rebuild the Regent's authority.

In short...

Chu achieved its goals.

As for Qian...

Qian had grown rather accustomed to being beaten.

From beginning to end, Qian never pulled its elite Three Frontiers forces back to reinforce the southeast.

Chu likewise showed no intention of driving endlessly into Qian's depths.

Both sides... were truly worried about Yan dominating the north.

Now... peace had returned.

After all, Yan remained the true great enemy of both states.

Yet no one had expected Grand General Nian Yao, who could simply have returned to the capital and accepted rewards... to suddenly turn his army against the Black Mountain River Tribe.

That tribe had been extraordinarily submissive.

When the Chu army passed through, it had proactively offered grain.

It sent tribal laborers to help transport military equipment.

Its posture could hardly have been more obedient.

And still... it was exterminated.

Nian Yao personally commanded the campaign.

The troops beneath him were Chu Imperial Clan Guards, elite soldiers who had once fought head-on beneath Zhennan Pass against the iron cavalry led by Great Yan's Southern Prince.

The Black Mountain River Tribe struggled.

But only struggled.

At the entrance to the sacred cave... the tribe's Grand Elder looked at the corpses of his people all around him and wailed.

When he saw Nian Yao approaching... he roared almost hysterically:

"Why destroy my tribe? Why destroy my tribe? Why!"

The Black Mountain River Tribe had already offered Great Chu its loyalty.

Already bowed its head.

Why... would Chu still bring down the blade?

Nian Yao reached up and brushed a leaf from the armor on his shoulder.

Then waved one hand.

Several shamans behind him entered the cave.

The Black Mountain River Tribe possessed one sacred treasure.

A plant called Calling Sparrow Grass.

Its leaves could dispel miasma.

Could ease plague and epidemic disease.

Every year, the tribe could harvest only a limited number of leaves.

Their value was comparable to the precious scarlet-robed tea prized in Qian.

Extremely high.

Every year... the Black Mountain River Tribe offered a portion to the Chu court as tribute.

"Grand General! Grand General! What exactly did my tribe do wrong? What did we do wrong?"

The Grand Elder continued crying out.

Nian Yao shook his head.

"The imperial court ordered your tribe to present the Calling Sparrow Grass. Your tribe refused the decree. Defying an imperial decree merits extermination."

"But the court wanted the entire plant! That is the lifeblood of our tribe. How could we hand it over?"

"Exactly.

"Which is why this general came to take it personally."

At that moment... the shamans who had entered the cave emerged again.

They carried a large jar.

Inside it... was the Calling Sparrow Grass.

It had been uprooted whole.

The Grand Elder's face went deathly pale.

There was only one such plant.

Once uprooted and transplanted... it would never survive again.

"You damned Chu bastards!"

The Grand Elder roared.

Dragging his badly wounded body forward, he lunged toward Nian Yao.

Nian Yao caught him by the throat with one hand.

Then pressed downward.

Crack!

His fingers loosened.

The Grand Elder's corpse collapsed to the ground.

Nian Yao clapped his hands clean.

Then ordered:

"The Black Mountain River Tribe colluded with Qian and plotted rebellion. This general discovered the matter and therefore destroyed the tribe as a warning to others."

The military clerks nearby immediately bowed and acknowledged the order.

Afterward... the Grand General's gaze landed on the jar carried by the shamans.

The foremost general of Great Chu... had personally led troops to exterminate one local Shanyue tribe.

All because of an imperial command... to obtain this single plant.

The world knew only the medicinal value of Calling Sparrow Grass leaves.

But in the notes left by earlier Grand Shaman Rectors of Great Chu, there was another record.

Take the root and stem of Calling Sparrow Grass.

Refine them with medicines that gather the spiritual essence of Heaven and Earth.

The result... was the Calling Sparrow Pill.

And that pill... could aid conception.

Grand General Nian Yao remained fully armored.

He sat down on the stone steps.

Raised both hands.

And rubbed his face.

He had no idea what the Great Yan Southern Prince, the man he had always regarded as his model, was doing now.

But as for what he himself was doing at this moment...

"Aiyo... this is fucking humiliating..."

[End of Chapter 738]