Chapter 894: Who Can Bind Him?

“We pay our respects to Her Highness the Princess! May Your Highness live a thousand years!”

Prince Pingxi was still holding his daughter and coaxing her when the generals beneath him suddenly shouted those words.

His movements paused faintly.

But... he did not scold them.

Nor did he remind anyone about overstepping rank or violating protocol.

After a brief pause, he simply lowered his head again and continued coaxing his daughter as though he had noticed nothing.

You are a princess.

My little princess.

Whether merely the princess of this household or a true princess in title, your father can give it to you.

Perhaps that was the difference between having a son and having a daughter.

With a son, the boy asked for something and his father worked hard to obtain it.

With a daughter, before she even had to ask, her father would shove every good thing he possessed into her arms.

Thinking about it that way... why had Old Tian insisted on having his child raised here?

Why had he even deliberately restrained his own longing for the boy?

And what about the time the Blind Man taught Tian Tian about “dragon-throne-flavored shaqima”?

Had that truly been mostly a joke?

No.

It had not.

The thing the Blind Man understood best had always been the human heart.

Tian Wujing.

Prince Jingnan of the Great Yan Dynasty.

No matter how powerful or towering a figure you were, powerful enough that Qian and Chu assassins did not even dare conceive the idea of targeting you, the Blind Man had still keenly caught your weakness.

Everyone beneath Heaven believed you were a murderous devil who recognized no kinship at all.

Even among the common people of your own state, your reputation had been atrocious.

Then why had your hair turned white overnight?

Tian Tian had never once told Tian Wujing that he wanted a “dragon throne.”

But look at what Old Tian did during his final two years.

He gave Zheng Fan soldiers.

He gave him authority.

He gave him territory.

Before a major war, Zheng Fan would first be pushed to the front line like a duck forced onto a perch. It was the most dangerous position, yes, but it also placed the fattest military merit of the entire campaign directly before him.

Zheng Fan’s road upward had been extraordinarily smooth.

To outsiders, it looked simple.

Prince Pingxi fought a war.

Earned merit.

Received rewards.

Then fought another war.

Earned more merit.

Received more rewards.

His title climbed from Count to Marquis to Prince.

But where beneath Heaven did things ever happen so naively, so naturally, so perfectly in sequence?

A farmer could work from sunrise to sunset every day.

If the weather turned bad and the harvest failed, he might still end up selling his sons and daughters.

The court was not stupid.

His colleagues were not stupid.

Yet no one kicked him while he was down.

No one suppressed him in advance.

Not because Zheng Fan had hidden himself especially well.

But because throughout his entire period of growth, an enormous figure had always sheltered him beneath its wings.

When that figure trampled the Barbarian Royal Court flat and then rode west, disappearing from the world...

Zheng Fan, who had spent all those years beneath its shelter, naturally stood up.

And once he stood... no one could force him to kneel again.

Not the court.

Not the Emperor.

If every warlord from ancient times to the present had enjoyed the same smooth path—“build high walls, accumulate grain, and delay proclaiming oneself king”—advancing safely one step at a time, they would probably have laughed themselves awake every night.

So in the end...

Old Tian had let go of a great many things.

For his son.

And also... for this younger brother of his.

By the same logic...

Zheng Fan’s own style had even fewer restraints and far more recklessness than Tian Wujing’s.

Now that he was holding his biological daughter... what was wrong with being a little unrestrained?

What was wrong with being a little arrogant?

Make him imitate Tian Wujing and leave his child to be raised in someone else’s home?

Not a chance.

Make him imitate Li Liangting and throw his child outside while she was still young?

Dream on!

Prince Pingxi had only just become a biological father.

Of course he was swelling with pride.

...

Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye entered Fengxin City three days later.

Their group naturally traveled more slowly.

Prince Pingxi had remained calm enough for most of the journey, but once they were close to home, he had finally been unable to resist dividing the escort army into two sections and personally leading the forward detachment home first.

By now, Fengxin City was covered in lanterns and streamers.

The streets were extraordinarily lively.

In truth... the soldiers and civilians inside the city had been rather disappointed when they learned their Prince’s Princess Consort had given birth to a girl.

They had desperately hoped the Prince would have a son.

That way, everyone would possess a young lord they could continue serving after the Prince.

Besides, this was an age where preference for sons over daughters was extremely severe.

Among wealthy households it was somewhat better.

Among ordinary commoners, it was much worse.

So the soldiers and civilians had not really understood:

Why was the Prince making such an enormous celebration over the birth of a daughter?

What exactly was there to celebrate?

But the moment the shops belonging to Prince Pingxi Residence announced discounts in celebration of the newborn child... the soldiers and civilians immediately erupted into joyous celebration.

In Fengxin City—no, more accurately, across almost the entire eastern Jin—Prince Pingxi Residence monopolized nearly every industry.

Food.

Clothing.

Housing.

Travel.

Even the red-curtained establishments where men sought entertainment ultimately belonged to the Residence.

The common people knew street prices perfectly well.

Nobody was an immortal.

And the discounts were not some trick with hidden conditions.

The savings were genuine.

That immediately ignited everyone’s appetite for shopping.

Even the coffin shops sold considerably more coffins than usual.

Riding the same wave, the bonds issued by Prince Pingxi Residence, known among the people as Treasure Notes, began gradually surfacing in ordinary life.

During the previous quarter, a portion of the salaries paid to officials under the Residence and a portion of soldiers’ pay had been distributed in Treasure Notes.

But very few people used them for purchases.

Instead, wealthy households sent men to buy them up.

Since the Treasure Notes were bonds, they naturally paid interest.

The interest was not especially high.

Even in later ages, every kind of lending business remained notorious for black-hearted practices.

In the present age, the so-called stamped-money usurers could easily destroy an ordinary household and scatter an entire family.

Yet even this small amount of interest attached to the Treasure Notes made Fengxin City’s wealthy households regard them as treasures.

What they were redeeming was not the Treasure Note.

What they were redeeming... was loyalty.

The current eastern Jin system centered on Prince Pingxi Residence was, strictly speaking, a newly rising military-production bloc.

Half of Fengxin City’s wealthy households consisted of generals who had fought their way upward beside the Prince over the years.

Another significant portion consisted of managers of the shops, workshops, and trading houses beneath Prince Pingxi Residence.

The former had received generous military rewards.

The latter received generous shares and bonuses from business.

Either way, their households were prosperous.

They were the wealthy class that had risen together with Prince Pingxi Residence.

They could also be called... the ruling class.

To them, even if the Treasure Notes issued by Prince Pingxi Residence were nothing more than piles of wastepaper, they would still buy them simply to display their intentions.

They were symbols of loyalty.

And by coincidence... the scale of this bond issue happened to be exactly small enough that this class could absorb the entire amount without feeling too much pain.

So a genuine market circulation of Treasure Notes had not yet formed.

But next, within the Residence’s external trade, Treasure Notes would be used as a medium of equivalent exchange.

Whether Savage merchants, Chu smugglers, or even merchants coming from Yan territory in the future, anyone who wanted to trade with Prince Pingxi Residence would first need to exchange for Treasure Notes before conducting goods transactions with the Residence.

Of course, Siniang had never intended to use the thing as literal “paper currency.”

That was unrealistic.

Her plan was simply to lay the foundation now, then later transform Treasure Notes into war bonds.

In the future, every time Prince Pingxi Residence fought an external war, it could issue a corresponding batch of war bonds.

Once the war was won, the profits from the campaign could then be distributed back among the bondholders.

At its core, this was another method of mobilizing deeper reserves of social resources.

Under ideal conditions, when war truly became necessary, it could encourage the soldiers and civilians under the Residence to willingly contribute everything they possessed while also entering the campaign with extremely strong personal motivation.

Treasure Notes had not yet circulated broadly.

But the silver and copper coins minted by Prince Pingxi Residence had already begun spreading.

Compared with privately cast silver ingots elsewhere, whose purity and quality varied wildly, the Residence’s silver coins were exquisitely made.

The double-headed eagle matched the emblem on the royal banner.

And the actual silver content could be called “conscientious.”

So the soldiers and civilians were very willing to accept them.

Elsewhere... after Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye entered the city, the Brocade-Clad Guards took over their escort and brought them directly into Prince Pingxi Residence.

After entering, the two boys first went together to the yamen office where the Prince had just finished hearing reports from Fengxin City’s major shop managers.

There was no helping it.

Now that the Prince had returned, and with Siniang carrying such a large belly, some work could only fall upon him personally.

Tian Tian and Chuanye paid their respects to Zheng Fan and withdrew.

Then they went to greet Siniang.

After that, the two boys returned to the small courtyard they had always shared.

They bathed.

Changed into clean clothes.

Then went directly to Xiong Liqing’s courtyard.

Ji Chuanye already had a younger sister, so his reaction was fairly calm.

Tian Tian, however, cared enormously about this new sister.

Before Ji Chuanye moved in, Tian Tian had grown up alone in his own courtyard.

Now, at last, he had a little sister connected to him by “blood.”

Yes.

In Tian Tian’s heart, Zheng Fan’s daughter was his own true little sister.

There was no doubt about it.

The Princess was still observing her confinement after childbirth.

The two boys respectfully greeted her from outside the curtain.

“Greetings, Second Mother. May Second Mother remain healthy.”

Ji Chuanye followed Tian Tian and called her “Second Mother” as well.

Once he entered this household, his identity as Crown Prince became somewhat less important.

Besides, strictly speaking, the woman inside was a daughter of Chu’s Xiong imperial house and the biological younger sister of the Chu Emperor.

Calling her “Second Mother” did not exactly lower his status.

No matter how brutally the two states fought, the Ji and Xiong imperial clans had still been relatives and old acquaintances for centuries.

As for Qian’s Zhao clan... that was a family that had never really belonged at the table.

“Bring the two boys iced drinks.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“Big Girl just finished nursing. Go see your little sister.”

“Got it, Second Mother.”

Big Girl was the child’s nickname.

As for her formal name, they would wait until the child’s hundred-day celebration, when the Prince would name her personally.

In truth, Zheng Fan had already thought of several names.

But there was no need to hurry.

He still wanted to weigh them properly.

This was a name his daughter would carry for her entire life.

Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye each accepted an iced drink and thanked the servants.

Then the two boys eagerly went into another room.

Inside, Big Girl had just finished nursing and had not yet fallen asleep.

The two brothers stood on opposite sides of the cradle and looked down at her.

Zheng Fan’s daughter simply loved smiling.

And at this age... an infant’s smile possessed frightening destructive power.

The moment she saw two older brothers suddenly appear, Big Girl smiled.

Tian Tian smiled too.

Unable to resist, he extended one finger and gently rubbed her cheek.

Big Girl twisted her neck and trapped Tian Tian’s finger lightly between her cheek and chin.

“Heh-heh.”

Ji Chuanye reached out one finger as well, wanting to touch her.

Big Girl turned her head away.

“...” Ji Chuanye.

His Highness the Crown Prince was deeply wounded.

Was the difference in treatment really this obvious?

In truth, Big Girl could not be blamed.

She was only an infant.

Everything she did came from instinct.

Naturally, she would be close to the parents connected to her by blood.

As for Tian Tian...

Tian Tian himself was a spirit child.

The black cat and fox in his courtyard loved staying beside him.

Even the Princess’s great green python often wandered over when it had nothing else to do.

The aura Tian Tian naturally released made creatures like them feel extremely comfortable.

Big Girl possessed a Fire Phoenix spirit body.

For her to instinctively draw close to Tian Tian, who carried a similarly extraordinary spirit body, was perfectly normal.

As for the Crown Prince... his imperial bloodline might be noble.

But in the eyes of an infant, titles acquired after birth meant absolutely nothing.

“Little Sister, hurry up and grow,” Tian Tian said. “Big Brother will teach you to ride a big horse and feed you shaqima.”

Madam Ke had remained in the Princess’s courtyard during this period as the senior matron overseeing everything.

Seeing Tian Tian tease Big Girl... she could not help thinking how much he resembled the Prince.

One was a daughter slave.

The other was rapidly becoming a little-sister slave.

Tian Tian finally pulled his finger back.

At that instant...

Big Girl, who almost never cried, began crying.

“Oh, oh. Little Sister, don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

Tian Tian lightly patted his little sister’s belly.

Big Girl immediately stopped crying.

Then Tian Tian withdrew his hand.

She started crying again.

Madam Ke came forward, lifted Big Girl from the cradle, and placed her on the bed beside them.

Then she gave Tian Tian a meaningful look.

Tian Tian immediately climbed onto the bed and sat down.

Big Girl was placed on his lap.

Tian Tian carefully held her.

In truth, he had wanted to hold his little sister earlier.

He had simply been afraid he might not hold her properly and drop her, so he had never asked.

The attraction between spirit children was like the unspoken resonance between two geniuses.

Very quickly...

Big Girl fell asleep.

Only then did Madam Ke gently lift her from Tian Tian’s lap and return her to the cradle.

Tian Tian rubbed his slightly numb legs, but his face remained full of smiles.

He jumped off the bed, walked to his sister’s cradle, and whispered:

“Big Brother will come see you again tomorrow.”

Then Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye left together.

Madam Ke gently lifted the curtain and entered the inner room.

The Princess lay on the bed eating large red dates.

As she ate, she asked:

“Is Big Girl close to Tian Tian?”

Madam Ke smiled broadly.

“Very much so. She smiles the moment she sees His Highness the Heir. If she hadn’t fallen asleep, I’m afraid she might not have allowed His Highness to leave.”

“What about the Crown Prince?”

“She doesn’t seem very interested in His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Heh.”

The Princess shook her head and laughed.

“My daughter already knows who to favor.”

In truth, the Princess was delighted that her daughter was close to the other children inside the Residence.

And compared with the exalted Crown Prince... she hoped even more that Tian Tian would become close to her daughter.

First of all, Tian Tian could almost be considered half raised by her as well.

More importantly, Tian Tian had grown up “without father or mother,” and in every practical sense, he belonged completely to this household.

Later, once Sister Feng’s child was born, or if more children came into the Residence, no matter what happened, Tian Tian would remain the eldest son of the household.

An eldest brother was like a father.

Those words were not merely empty tradition.

The Princess understood Tian Tian’s intelligence and talent perfectly well.

Her man had already begun bringing him along on campaigns.

Once he grew older, he would unquestionably become someone capable of holding an entire front alone.

How fortunate would any little sister be... to have a big brother like that protecting her?

As for the Crown Prince... he had his own father and mother.

In the end, he was still an outsider.

And in Xiong Liqing’s eyes, the current Ji imperial house was, to some extent, using emotional ties to bind her husband into fighting their wars and preserving their realm.

She could not interfere with what her husband thought.

Nor would she be foolish enough to blow pillow wind and offer opinions about matters like that.

But no matter what... the thought still left her uncomfortable.

She herself had been born an imperial Princess.

Naturally, she felt little instinctive reverence toward another imperial house.

“Madam, word is spreading outside that a few days ago the Prince personally said he intended to request the title of Princess for our young mistress.”

“Request a Princess title?” Xiong Liqing spat out the pit of the red date in her mouth with open disdain. “Why would he need to request it? If the Emperor of Yan knows what’s good for him, he should send the title over on his own initiative.”

Then the Princess laughed herself.

“I’m willing to bet the imperial decrees were already prepared inside Fengxin City before I even gave birth to Big Girl. One version for a boy and another for a girl. Do you believe me?”

Madam Ke had never seen politics conducted at this level before.

She answered cautiously:

“Madam, that is still an imperial decree...”

“Heh. An imperial decree.”

...

“What is it? The Fire Phoenix spirit child isn’t to your taste?”

Siniang sat in a reclining chair in her courtyard.

On the tea table beside her stood a red stone.

“Oh, I understand now. The Fire Phoenix is an extreme-yang bloodline and naturally restrains evil beings. You’re not afraid of her, but she probably won’t like you very much. At least until she becomes sensible, she’ll probably feel an instinctive dislike toward you. Heh-heh. No wonder. A child has been born inside the Residence. Those two boys both went to see her, yet you somehow managed to resist your loneliness and float over here to keep me company.”

Siniang covered her mouth with one hand and yawned lightly.

“The child is quite cute.”

As she spoke, Siniang reached down and rubbed her own belly.

The red stone floated upward and moved over her abdomen.

“It won’t be long now. Another two months or so and this one should be born.”

The red stone bobbed up and down.

“Just as we agreed before, don’t worry. I don’t have the time to spend all day with a child. I can tease and play with the little thing when I’m free, but ordinarily, you can be the one to raise it.”

A cloud of black mist rose from the red stone and condensed into Demon Child’s figure.

It was obvious...

Demon Child was looking forward to it.

Demon Child’s temperament had always been childlike.

His likes and dislikes were exceptionally clear.

Big Girl was right there.

He had not bothered to look at her even once.

In his eyes... there was only the child inside Siniang’s belly.

“This is Master’s child and mine. At the same time... it is the child of all of us.”

Siniang spoke softly while rubbing her belly.

Then... she seemed to remember something.

A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

She remembered a conversation the Blind Man had once had with her shortly after she became pregnant.

In truth... the same possibility had occurred to the other Demon Kings as well.

Including... the Demon Child before her.

Why did the Demon Kings value the child inside Siniang’s belly so much?

Of course, the child represented the bond linking all of them together and their inheritance in this world.

But at the same time... the child represented one possibility.

At present... the Demon Kings had already recovered a considerable portion of their strength as Master’s cultivation rose.

But compared with their true peaks, they remained far, far too weak.

Every further grade Master advanced became more difficult.

Correspondingly... “licking” him upward became more difficult as well.

Besides, the Demon Kings’ strength might be bound... but the inherent level of their bloodlines still remained.

One only needed to look at Liang Cheng and A’Ming.

Even when their cultivation had once been lower than members of their own race, they had still been capable of suppressing those kin through bloodline alone.

And this child... would be carried and born by a Demon King.

Without question, the child would inherit Siniang’s bloodline.

So... would the child count as part of the Demon Kings?

Or as another little fraction of Master?

Or perhaps... would the child himself be both a Demon King... and at the same time... his own...

Master?

Then... who could possibly bind his power?

[End of Chapter 894]