Chapter 887: Health Preservation

“Aaaaaah~~~~”

“Ooooooh~~~~”

Early in the morning inside Yonghe Palace, Ji Chengjue, Emperor of Great Yan, stood with both arms spread wide and drew out the sounds.

It might have sounded ridiculous, but the Emperor was not warming up his voice. He was practicing breathing exercises.

A true cultivator’s breathing exercises involved sitting cross-legged, circulating a breath through a full cycle inside the body, then exhaling a thread of white mist through the nose, as natural and effortless as morning glow drifting through a mountain valley.

For someone who did not cultivate, or simply an ordinary person, “breathing exercises” usually had to look a little more exaggerated. Otherwise there was hardly any effect to speak of.

Once he finished, the Emperor performed a set of “fist techniques.”

Zheng had taught him this years ago. And just as the man surnamed Zheng had always possessed an endless supply of memorable sayings, together with a rather alarming amount of talent, the name he had given this fist art was equally profound:

Taiji.

Its exact routine, or perhaps its fist intent, was extremely simple, direct, and easy to understand. It contained three principles: first, slow; second, elegant; third, dream.

Slow meant the movements had to be slow.

Elegant meant the posture had to look refined.

Dream meant that while performing it, ideally you should gradually enter the feeling that, inside your dream, you were an unrivaled master.

The Emperor had once asked Wei Zhonghe what he thought of this fist art.

Eunuch Wei replied that he was a Qi Refiner and did not understand fist-and-foot martial arts, so he dared not offer an opinion.

The Emperor then asked Lu Bing.

Lu Bing was exactly as his name suggested: an icy man. Since he lived outside the palace, compared with Eunuch Wei he was inevitably a little less slippery and a little more straightforward.

His answer had been:

“If this subject were fighting someone outside and my opponent started using this fist art, I’m afraid I’d wake from my dreams laughing.”

Real Taiji was actually a fairly fierce martial art. “Fists fear youth and strength” had remained true since ancient times, and there were not many people in the world capable of developing some mysterious internal force that truly “borrowed strength to return strength.”

The version Prince Pingxi had passed on could be said to have selected nothing but the most superficial outward features.

And yet whenever the Emperor had free time, especially before morning court, he would still perform one full set.

His body would break into the faintest sweat, and afterward his spirit would remain healthy and vigorous for the entire morning.

There was such a thing as placebo therapy when treating illness, and its effect could not be entirely dismissed. After finishing this set of fists, the Emperor could immerse himself in the illusion that his body was in excellent condition. His energy and spirit truly did improve in a very obvious way.

Put simply... he felt fantastic.

Today was a rest day. There was no morning court.

After finishing the routine, the Emperor had palace maids wipe him down inside his sleeping chambers and changed into a lighter dragon robe. Then he went to the imperial garden and lay back in a rocking chair, a cup of fragrant tea beside him.

Back and forth he rocked, enjoying one of the rare moments of leisure available to an Emperor.

At times like this, Eunuch Wei normally waited on the outer edge. Unless news arriving from outside was genuinely urgent, he would intercept it for the moment. Having served one generation of sovereigns already, Wei Zhonghe naturally understood where the line lay.

He could let his Master rest without actually delaying important affairs and earning himself the infamy of some power-mad eunuch who cut the throne off from the outside world.

There was still one imperial Prince and one imperial Princess inside the palace.

But the Emperor was usually consumed by state affairs. His visits every so often felt almost official.

When parents had many children, they generally placed their highest expectations upon the eldest son. The middle batch inevitably received less attention. Then, when the parents grew older and another late-born youngest son arrived, that child tended to receive an extra measure of affection.

The eldest carried ambition.

The youngest carried tenderness.

After dozing lightly for a while, the Emperor woke, yawned, drank half a cup of warm tea, and sat up.

At that moment, Eunuch Wei approached together with Eunuch Zhang.

Eunuch Zhang had been the Emperor’s trusted attendant back when Ji Chengjue was still an imperial Prince. Usually, when a new ruler ascended the throne, new men replaced old ones throughout the inner palace. Yet from the moment the new Emperor took the throne until today, Eunuch Wei’s position had remained steady as Mount Tai, while Eunuch Zhang had, to some extent, been sent outward.

In truth, the Emperor had dispatched Eunuch Zhang to serve as “Army Supervisor” over a newly established yamen under the Ministry of Revenue.

Back when Ji Chengjue had still been a Prince, in order to help fill the financial pit his own father’s foreign wars kept digging, he had already created notes similar to the jiaozi banknotes of later generations.

This was not truly unprecedented. In the history of Great Xia, one Emperor had once created “deerskin currency,” literally writing a value upon deerskin and declaring that this particular skin was worth however many taels were written on it.

An Emperor skilled at business naturally understood that he could not drain the pond to catch all the fish. If he abused the system recklessly, the people would lose trust and the state’s foundations would shake.

But that did not stop him from pursuing limited financial reforms within a range he believed he could control.

The reform was somewhat ahead of its time. Although the system had actually been operating for years, it remained concentrated mainly within merchant trade. Even now, the yamen still hung beneath the Ministry of Revenue, and with Eunuch Zhang overseeing it, it did not feel like a formal court office so much as a business belonging to the Emperor’s private treasury.

That was also why Eunuch Zhang still had to be led in by Eunuch Wei. He was currently serving an outside appointment.

Eunuch Zhang brought account books for His Majesty to inspect.

The Emperor flipped through them.

He was no immortal. With so many ledgers, there was no possibility he could understand everything inside at a glance.

But he was an expert in the field.

Even if the men below knew the Emperor would probably only flip through a few pages casually, the mere knowledge that he understood accounts placed enormous pressure on them. Their courage to play tricks in the books naturally became much smaller.

In that regard, the Emperor was actually no different from that Prince.

The distinction was that the Prince himself did not know how to read accounts.

But if anyone beneath Prince Pingxi Residence dirtied his hands with embezzlement, the punishment waiting for him was to be skinned and hung from the city gate tower. His children and relatives would be stripped of Standard Household status, entered into slave registration, and reduced to a position even below that of the Savages.

Publicly, of course, the explanation would be that the Prince’s piercing eyes had seen through the corruption and this punishment had been carried out by princely command.

“Master, this is the latest memorial from the Secret Intelligence Department. It came from the east.”

Wei Zhonghe now presented another document.

The Secret Intelligence Department had already withdrawn from eastern Jin.

Prince Pingxi Residence did not exterminate every spy discovered inside eastern Jin. Instead, it identified them, kept them under watch, and controlled them.

But anyone who remained determined to hide and operate covertly would be classified as hostile and removed.

Coupled with the delicate relationship between Prince Pingxi Residence and the court, the Secret Intelligence Department had long since withdrawn from eastern Jin proper. Only one openly visible branch remained wandering around Fengxin City, more as a symbolic declaration that eastern Jin still belonged to Great Yan.

Prince Pingxi Residence had even hung a plaque outside that branch.

It read:

“Liaison Office.”

Clearly, Eunuch Wei and Eunuch Zhang had already coordinated beforehand.

The report Wei Zhonghe presented contained intelligence collected by the Secret Intelligence Department’s Yingdu Branch, focusing mainly on the banks operated under Prince Pingxi Residence.

The Emperor did not dislike subordinates who communicated with one another in advance.

Compared with the late Emperor, who had delegated military authority but personally interfered in practically everything else, the present Emperor actually understood delegation far better.

After inheriting the throne, he expanded the Grand Secretariat, elevating it from what had originally been a secretarial office led by Zhao Jiulang into the highest inner-court institution, where senior ministers ranked by standing and worked out policy.

To a certain extent, this allowed the Emperor to pull himself away from details and concern himself mainly with the larger picture.

That too had been influenced, more or less, by that bastard surnamed Zheng.

There was no reason the Emperor should work himself half to death every day while that bastard surnamed Zheng, whenever he was not campaigning, lived like some idle wealthy gentleman.

Tch.

That was unfair!

The Emperor himself understood that the enlarged Grand Secretariat might one day create a situation where powerful ministers overshadowed a weak future sovereign.

But the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

Taking ten thousand steps back... if necessary, trampling a Grand Secretariat under cavalry hooves would still be far, far easier than trampling great hereditary clans.

The Emperor had only skimmed the earlier ledgers.

This intelligence report from eastern Jin, however, he read extremely carefully.

Over these years, whether back when he had still been a Prince or after becoming Emperor, he and the man surnamed Zheng had maintained a very close exchange of letters.

But Ji Chengjue had realized long ago that many of the replies he received had not actually been written by Zheng Fan.

The reason he had swallowed his anger instead of exploding over some “I offered my heart to the bright moon, only for the moon to shine upon the ditch” grievance was simple:

The letters written by whoever was answering on Zheng Fan’s behalf were usually more valuable, more detailed, and far more useful than anything Zheng Fan himself would have sent.

So he grudgingly accepted the bastard’s excessive laziness.

“He really does dare to do anything.”

The Emperor gave his assessment.

The banks under Prince Pingxi Residence had actually existed for a long time and likewise operated mostly within merchant trade.

But some time ago, while the man surnamed Zheng had been leading troops outside, Prince Pingxi Residence had continued functioning without interruption. In fact, under the tense atmosphere of wartime preparation and the concentration of military supplies, the banks had begun issuing bonds stamped with Prince Pingxi Residence’s great seal.

The problem was... eastern Jin had sent neither troops nor grain for that war.

What exactly had they been tense about?

Clearly they had merely seized the mood and the excuse to push the bonds into circulation.

The banks transferred the bonds into the various industries under Prince Pingxi Residence. Those industries then distributed them farther outward. The bonds themselves could also circulate inside princely industries and be used to purchase goods.

A portion of soldiers’ pay and officials’ salaries was already being issued in bond form.

They had not yet opened the system broadly to ordinary civilians.

But once things had reached this point, spreading such bonds through civilian society was only a matter of time. After all, soldiers and officials were among the principal members of prosperous households and therefore among the main consumer groups of the age.

In eastern Jin, local soldiers and civilians had already taken to calling these bonds...

Treasure Notes.

At the very end of the report came one more piece of intelligence.

The Secret Intelligence Department had observed signs that Prince Pingxi Residence was beginning to develop a silver mine discovered inside the Tianduan Mountains.

The great affairs of a state lay in sacrifice and war.

But war and sacrifice both eventually rested upon finance.

The bastard surnamed Zheng was plainly campaigning outside.

Yet back home, his territory was continuing to push forward financial reforms with potentially enormous influence...

Could it be that before leaving for war, Zheng Fan had already left detailed instructions behind?

But did he truly trust other people enough for that?

Seeing the Emperor sink into thought, Eunuch Zhang licked his lips and cautiously spoke.

“Master, regarding these bonds, this slave believes...”

“You want to do it too?”

“This slave... this slave believes...”

“He can behave lawlessly and care only about his own lifetime. Are We supposed to imitate him? This is draining the pond to catch the fish. Draining the pond!”

The Emperor grew agitated.

“Treasure Notes, Treasure Notes... the moment this thing appears, its value is already discounted. While that bastard surnamed Zheng is alive, perhaps it will remain fine. But once he is gone and his Heir Prince succeeds him, these things will immediately turn into wastepaper!”

Unfortunately, neither the Blind Man nor Siniang was present.

Had either of them heard this judgment, they would probably have raised a thumb in admiration.

As expected of an Emperor who had begun in account books and business and possessed a genuine talent for finance, Ji Chengjue had seen through the essence of Treasure Notes immediately, together with the fate that would most likely await them.

He was Emperor.

He could not chase temporary gratification.

Even now, he remained hesitant to bring Eunuch Zhang’s yamen fully into the light.

Naturally, it was even less possible for him to imitate Prince Pingxi Residence in eastern Jin and issue Treasure Notes merely for immediate profit.

While he himself remained alive, perhaps he could stay clear-headed and restrain the system.

But what about his son?

His grandson?

Could later generations resist the temptation to simply print more money?

By then, the entire financial structure would collapse.

“Unless... he intends to use something as backing.”

The Emperor once again fell into thought.

Eunuch Zhang, having just been scolded, wisely closed his mouth.

Wei Zhonghe knew nothing about finance and naturally offered no opinion.

“Forget it. We will write to him personally and ask... ask that person.”

Seeing that the Emperor had stopped thinking and was preparing to rise, Eunuch Zhang had no choice but to steel himself and speak again.

“Master, there is one more matter. It was not included in the Secret Intelligence Department’s report. It is only a rumor among the people.”

“The Secret Intelligence Department report doesn’t include rumors?”

Memorializing on hearsay was the power of the censors.

But the Emperor’s true eyes and ears were offices like the Secret Intelligence Department.

“Master, the implications are simply too great. This slave felt I had to report it to you personally.”

“Speak.”

“Master, there are rumors that Prince Pingxi Residence intends to mint a batch of new coins.”

“Coins?”

“Mainly gold and silver coins.”

“What is strange about that?”

Melting silver and casting it into ingots was entirely normal in the present age.

Back when Great Yan had still been filled with hereditary great clans, many of those houses loved doing exactly that. Commoners even had rhymes about whose silver had good purity and whose silver was black-hearted trash.

“Master, please look.”

Eunuch Zhang took a silver coin from his sleeve.

A double-headed eagle had been engraved on its face.

“Master, this silver coin is said to have circulated out of eastern Jin. There are very few of them at present. This slave has already sent men to verify the matter further. I know I am being presumptuous by reporting something that has not yet been confirmed.”

The relationship between the Emperor and Prince Pingxi was exceptionally sensitive.

Anyone attempting to sow discord between them had to prepare for the fire to burn back upon himself.

Eunuch Zhang was knowingly walking into a tiger’s mountain.

In that sense, it could be called genuine loyalty.

After all, he no longer had any political need to gamble.

What, was he going to overthrow Eunuch Wei merely to compete for favor?

The Emperor took the coin and weighed it in his palm.

“Copied from the coinage used west of the desert?”

“Yes. But the workmanship is finer than theirs,” Eunuch Zhang reported. “And the double-headed eagle is precisely the emblem on Prince Pingxi Residence’s royal banner.”

“Heh.”

The Emperor did not grow angry.

Instead, he laughed.

“So did the bastard surnamed Zheng actually go to war or not? Was the Prince Pingxi who led troops into Qian and broke Shangjing some counterfeit?”

How had that man managed to personally lead troops and fight outside while his home territory simultaneously produced so many new tricks?

The Emperor could never have imagined the truth even in his dreams.

All these tricks had been produced purely because a certain pregnant woman had become unbearably bored during her pregnancy and started implementing some of her earlier ideas as entertainment.

As for whether her man would become angry once he returned and discovered what she had done...

Heh.

Set aside the fact that the Prince never paid much attention to matters like these and understood many of them only superficially.

All she had to do was touch her belly and glare at him.

Even if she had set Prince Pingxi Residence itself on fire, the Prince probably would not get angry.

He would stand beside her and hand her more firewood.

“Master...”

“We will write to him personally.”

The Emperor rolled the silver coin between his fingers and waved one hand.

“We are going to see the Empress.”

“Prepare the imperial procession!”

The Emperor arrived at the Empress’s residence.

Today, she was not busy in the vegetable garden.

Instead, she was doing needlework.

Imperial Princes and Princesses obviously never lacked clothing.

But as their mother, with both the means and the occasion, she still had to sew a few things herself. Even if it was only symbolic, it was something a mother ought to do.

Besides, her eldest son was away from her.

These objects became another place to rest her longing.

“Empress, has the water been prepared?”

“Your Majesty, it is still morning.”

“We feel like soaking.”

“This concubine will have them prepare it immediately.”

A new bathing pool had recently been built inside the Empress’s palace garden.

Ji Chuanye had written home saying that he and Elder Brother Tian Tian often soaked together, while that man surnamed Zheng soaked almost every day.

Before long, the Emperor was sitting completely naked in the hot pool.

The Empress entered wearing a thin robe to attend him.

“Ever since Your Majesty learned of Prince Pingxi’s great victory, the burden on your shoulders seems to have lifted,” the Empress said with a smile.

The Emperor nodded.

Still playing with the silver coin, he sighed with feeling.

“Now that Qian and Chu have settled down, the next task is to begin anew with the people. The people need rest and recovery. The state needs rest and recovery. And We... need it too.”

“Your Majesty will surely live ten thousand years.”

“Those are words ministers shout at Us. Between husband and wife, there is no need. Since ancient times, have you ever truly seen a man live ten thousand years without dying?”

“This concubine misspoke. Your Majesty, please punish me.”

The Empress entered the pool as well and embraced the Emperor.

Ji Chengjue gently lifted her chin.

The young husband and wife understood one another perfectly and naturally slipped into that familiar stage of cultivating the proper mood.

“We need to preserve this body. We cannot exhaust Ourselves. We do not demand to outlive that bastard surnamed Zheng. He is a proper Martial Artist expert, after all, and always pays attention to preserving his health. We probably cannot beat him there. But We at least need to outlast him for a while. At the very least, by the time We go, that bastard surnamed Zheng should be old too.”

“Why is that, Your Majesty?” The Empress’s breathing had already begun to quicken.

“We want that bastard surnamed Zheng to be old enough that even if he enters the capital, his body won’t be useful anymore. Hahahahaha!”

“Your Majesty! How can the sovereign of a state say something like that? Aren’t you ashamed? Aren’t you ashamed? I’m ignoring you!”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

Though they were Emperor and Empress, when alone together they preferred the rough playfulness of an ordinary married couple.

Neither cared much for all that ritual propriety.

The Emperor caught the Empress from behind inside the pool and hugged her tightly.

“Wife, look at this. That bastard surnamed Zheng has two Princesses about to give birth. We need to hurry. We cannot let him start later and still overtake us. Come. Give Us another child.”

“Your Majesty, must even this be a competition?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“But it isn’t fair.”

“Not fair?”

“Prince Pingxi has three Princesses. Your Majesty only has two.”

The implication was obvious.

The Empress was urging the Emperor to hold a selection and take more women into the palace.

Whether Ji Chengjue genuinely failed to understand or understood perfectly and deliberately refused to follow her meaning, nobody could say.

Instead, he raised his voice and declared:

“Exactly! That’s what proves Our ability!”

[End of Chapter 887]