Chapter 899: Prince Pingxi's Incognito Inspection

Zheng Fan held a bowl of soup in his left hand and a flatbread in his right, washing down every two bites of bread with a mouthful of soup as he sat half-turned toward the marketplace before him.

The market was extraordinarily lively. It was filled mostly with merchants and traveling traders, and the cries of business never ceased, but this was not retail trade. Sellers displayed samples while the bulk of their goods remained elsewhere; buyers examined the quality of those samples, then tucked their hands into their sleeves and bargained by finger signs.

Back in the days of the Situ Clan, Ming’an City had already been a border trade market connecting the region to Snow Sea Pass. It had endured several rounds of war, and when the Savages were defeated and retreated, the place had nearly become an empty city. But as Prince Pingxi Residence imposed order on Jin lands and commerce flourished again, Ming’an City’s golden location allowed it to recover with astonishing speed. Judged purely by the prosperity of its trade market, it had already surpassed its former glory.

Zheng Fan liked this kind of noisy bustle very much. All beneath Heaven bustled in pursuit of profit, and prosperity like this, given enough time, would quickly attract even more people to settle here.

On his triumphant return from the last campaign, he had discussed this very matter with Xu Wenzu and bluntly told him that Yingdu was not to obstruct population migration toward eastern Jin.

At the same time, eastern Jin’s enormous shortage of people would itself produce a siphoning effect. They could recruit Chu people from Chu territory, and recruit Savage “nobles” and Savage slaves from the snowfields.

Whenever he remembered that this entire region had still been practically blank land during the wars years ago, and then looked at how much had already been built, the Prince felt a powerful sense of satisfaction.

True, the planning and design had all been the Blind Man and Siniang’s work, but that did not stop him, the household mascot, from occasionally finding time to stand here and feel very good about himself.

“So?” Zheng Fan asked.

Standing beside the table were Chen Daole and He Chunlai. Sitting there were the Sword Saint and Sword Maid, master and disciple, together with two little fellows.

Yes.

Zheng Fan had brought both the Heir Prince Jingnan and the Crown Prince of Yan with him.

That Prince Pingxi intended to cultivate the Heir Prince Jingnan was practically an open secret within the Residence. From the moment Zheng Fan had held the boy aloft during the princely investiture ceremony and presented him before the world, everything had already begun laying the groundwork for it.

But bringing only Tian Tian and leaving the Crown Prince behind would have looked bad.

A friend’s child was living in your home. To say you would truly treat him exactly as your own was impossible, but at the very least, outwardly, you had to keep the bowls of water reasonably level. You could not make the favoritism too blatant.

Ji Chuanye answered first.

“Godfather, Imperial Father once said that all beneath Heaven knows Godfather as the fiercest and most accomplished commander of this age, the present God of War of Great Yan, but very few people understand that Godfather’s talent for governing is no less than his own. Since entering eastern Jin, Chuanye had never traveled this far east before. Fengxin City is prosperous because Prince Pingxi Residence itself is there, but after this journey east, Chuanye finally understands Godfather’s true ability. Godfather is not merely Great Yan’s God of War. If Godfather dismounted from his horse, you could also serve Great Yan as Grand Chief Minister!”

Grand Chief Minister was one of the cabinet rankings Ji Old Sixth had invented. After elevating the standing of the Grand Secretariat, that fellow had deliberately arranged its great officials by seniority and rank to keep them from forming one solid bloc.

Chen Daole laughed inwardly. Abandon an army loyal to him, abandon a territory he had already built up, and insist on entering the capital to serve as some Grand Chief Minister? That would require their Prince to go insane first.

He Chunlai’s thoughts went one step deeper. Given the Prince’s cautious nature, even if he did enter the capital, there was no possibility he would go alone, nor would he ride in with a handful of light cavalry. Most likely, he would bring a great army into the capital.

If the day truly came when things reached that point, then entering the capital to serve as Grand Chief Minister or Chancellor or whatever else actually sounded rather good.

Zheng Fan merely smiled faintly and looked toward Tian Tian.

Tian Tian answered, “Mr. Bei once said that goods and silver matter most when they circulate. Only through circulation do they generate value. This child sees flourishing commerce here. I see circulation.”

Zheng Fan nodded but offered no judgment.

At that moment, a patrol of armored soldiers passed along the street outside. When the officer leading them noticed the group seated here, he frowned slightly.

In Ming’an City—no, more accurately, anywhere east of Fengxin City—there was basically no such thing as a “tourist.” Everyone traveled in merchant caravans. Yet the people before him plainly were not merchants.

The armored patrol immediately moved to enter and question them.

He Chunlai stepped forward on his own and produced the waist token of the Brocade-Clad personal guards.

The officer’s expression instantly turned solemn. Then he looked toward the table again, just as the Prince happened to turn around.

“Your—”

The Lieutenant Commander started to kneel.

He Chunlai reached out, caught him by the arm, and gave him a meaningful look.

The Lieutenant Commander nodded to show he understood, immediately turned around, and led his men away.

Nowadays, almost every local officer of consequence in eastern Jin had once been an old soldier discharged from the army. And most old soldiers had, at one time or another, charged into battle beside Prince Pingxi. It was hardly strange that they recognized him.

Zheng Fan stood and gestured for Chen Daole to settle the bill.

“All right. Let’s move.”

Since they had already been recognized here, they ought to reach Snow Sea Pass sooner rather than later.

...

The party boarded their carriages, and two carriages rolled out through the city gate.

Just after leaving the gate, Zheng Fan ordered them to stop.

He climbed down first. Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye followed.

The Prince faced the city gate.

Along the walls to either side hung row after row of corpses, no fewer than a hundred.

Only five were fresh. Most of the others had long since dried in the wind. Some had nothing left but a skull dangling there.

The bodies had been specially treated, so there was no concern about disease.

Zheng Fan made no move to cover the boys’ eyes. He let them stand there and look openly.

One was the Heir Prince Jingnan.

The other was Great Yan’s Crown Prince.

If even this much scenery was too much for them to bear, that would be truly embarrassing.

“Chunlai.”

“Yes.”

He Chunlai stepped forward, pointed toward the corpses hanging from the wall, and said, “Your Highnesses, these people can basically be divided into three groups. One group were managers of this trade market who used their positions to line their own pockets. One group were officials and clerks in the city who enriched themselves at public expense. And one group were merchant-caravan managers who evaded taxes. Under the laws of Prince Pingxi Residence, merchant caravans traveling through eastern Jin must obey the Residence’s law. Those who violate it are severely punished. Under the laws of Prince Pingxi Residence, officials governing beneath the Residence who accept bribes and pervert the law are killed without pardon.”

Tian Tian and the Crown Prince nodded together.

Zheng Fan asked, “Look at these corpses. The oldest have hung here for years. The newest still have tender flesh on them. Let me ask you: do you think the corrupt and lawless people of this world can ever all be killed?”

Tian Tian answered, “This child has always loved shaqima. After I eat some, a while later I still want to eat it again.”

The Crown Prince said, “Imperial Father once told Chuanye that one who stands above others should guide them with profit.”

Zheng Fan reached out and rubbed Tian Tian’s head, then looked toward Ji Chuanye.

“Your father told you that when he was still a Prince, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Different time, different position. The scale changes.”

“This child has learned.”

Zheng Fan looked again at the corpses.

“Harsh laws can work for a time, but they cannot rule for all ages. Every spring, wild grass grows again. The principle is the same. You will never uproot every weed forever. Even if the ground looks clean, one rain later and new shoots will inevitably appear. But does that mean we simply stop tending the field because the work will never end? One generation clears the weeds of its generation. One generation handles the affairs of its generation. It is the same with this Prince’s saber. A man who carries a saber must wipe it often. The moment he grows negligent, rust appears. And once the saber rusts, when he reaches the battlefield, the one who dies will be himself.”

“This child has learned.”

The two boys saluted together.

The Prince clicked his tongue lightly. Having satisfied his urge to play teacher, he waved one hand.

“All right. Back into the carriage.”

...

The carriage party finally entered the territory around Snow Sea Pass.

Eastern Jin had three major military-farming regions.

The largest was naturally Fengxin City, where the greatest concentration of people lived.

The areas around Snow Sea Pass and Zhennan Pass were also military-farming zones, however. The aim was to make the garrisons of those two strategic passes as self-sufficient in grain as possible.

Snow Sea Pass had inherited a solid foundation from the old Marquis Residence, so once they approached its territory, they could clearly see fertile fields spreading in every direction. The autumn harvest had already begun.

The carriages moved along an official road between the fields, passing men and women, old and young, all busy with the harvest. There was no shortage of strong laborers either.

During the busy farming season, Standard Household soldiers were expected to participate in production.

In earlier years, Zheng Fan had wanted to maintain a purely professional standing army detached completely from production. But as his household grew and the scale of the forces he required expanded, he realized that simply could not work.

There was no other reason.

The burden was too heavy.

It was not that eastern Jin could not afford it. Back then, Great Yan had supported the Zhenbei cavalry with the strength of the entire state, and eastern Jin today could do something similar.

But if they wanted both to maintain the army and continue developing the territory, consuming everything they earned merely to stay afloat would leave nothing for the future.

Prince Pingxi Residence’s ambitions certainly did not stop at simply avoiding collapse.

At present, only the thirty thousand elite cavalry personally commanded by Liang Cheng could truly be considered fully detached from production. Garrisons elsewhere all had to participate in military farming.

Ahead of them traveled a merchant caravan flying the banner of Prince Pingxi Residence. It was bound through Snow Sea Pass for the snowfields.

The caravan manager waited respectfully.

Once the two carriages merged into the column, the caravan continued forward, passed through the checkpoints, and entered Snow Sea Pass.

The Sword Saint lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

“I thought this place would become somewhat deserted after Prince Pingxi Residence moved away, but somehow it feels even busier than before.”

“That is how development is supposed to work,” Zheng Fan said with a smile. “Whether there is a war or not, whether the Residence is here or not, there is no reason this pass should ever become deserted.”

The Sword Saint glanced at him.

“Why enter the city this way?”

It was not only the manner of entering. Their deliberate concealment along the road had made the Sword Saint curious as well.

The Brocade-Clad personal guards had remained far away instead of following closely.

“If you want to see something real, you have to keep a low profile.”

“So what exactly are you hoping to see?”

“Not sure yet.”

The Sword Maid cut in.

“Master, stop asking. Our Prince just enjoys the feeling of a white dragon slipping among the fish.”

Then she added, “The more Master asks, the better His Highness feels about himself.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Zheng Fan laughed, flicked a peanut at her, and cursed with a grin:

“You’re the clever one, are you? You think your master doesn’t know?”

The Sword Saint said nothing.

But after years as next-door neighbors, with constant visits at home and near-inseparable company on campaign, the two men had long since become thoroughly familiar with one another’s temperaments.

The Sword Maid was still unconvinced.

“Then why knowingly put on this performance, Your Highness? Did you come here to catch someone with evidence in hand?”

Then she immediately corrected herself.

“No. If you still had to come here and hunt for evidence at the last moment, that would be embarrassingly incompetent.”

“So if Your Highness already has the evidence, why not simply punish the people involved?”

“That is a good question.”

Zheng Fan looked toward Tian Tian and Ji Chuanye beside him, then focused especially on the latter.

“Chuanye.”

“This child is here.”

“Has your Imperial Father ever taught you how to deal with someone you strongly dislike?”

“He has. Imperial Father said whether you dislike someone is secondary. What matters first is whether that person is useful.”

“Go on.”

“If the person is useful, then even if he makes mistakes, as long as the harm caused by those mistakes is smaller than the value of his usefulness, the mistakes can be set aside.”

“Mm. Listen to that. Did you hear?”

Zheng Fan flicked another peanut at the Sword Maid.

“The people who need arresting can be arrested. The people who need taking down can be taken down. But after that, are you planning to stay behind by yourself and guard this city for me?”

“I...”

“You’ve eaten my food for all these years and still have less sense than a child.”

At that, the Sword Saint turned his head and looked at Zheng Fan.

“Learn more from your master. How to act, how to conduct yourself, how to read affairs and people—there is sword intent in all of it.”

“Heh.”

The Sword Saint could not even be bothered to answer.

The Sword Maid, however, looked openly doubtful.

“Your Highness, do you even understand swordsmanship?”

“Ask your master.”

The Sword Saint had no choice but to say, rather helplessly:

“Listen to him. It is useful.”

“Oh.”

The Sword Maid could only accept it.

She trusted her master.

...

They had been inside the city for a long time by the time the merchant caravan approached Snow Sea Pass’s northern gate. Only then did the two carriages carrying the Prince separate from the caravan.

Jianghu rumor claimed that years ago, when Prince Pingxi had still been Marquis Pingxi, he had built his marquis residence almost directly beside the northern gate to demonstrate his determination to defend Snow Sea Pass to the death for Great Yan and hold back the Savage threat.

The truth was much simpler.

Back then, the Sword Saint had been serving as an ordinary gate soldier at the north gate.

The carriages stopped before the old Marquis Residence.

The two rows of guards outside immediately stepped forward to inspect them.

“Insolence! Is this a place where carriages may simply stop wherever they please?”

He Chunlai climbed down first, produced his token, and barked:

“The Prince’s carriage is here! Kneel and pay respects to His Highness!”

At the same time, Zheng Fan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped outside.

“The Prince...”

Prince Pingxi Residence had long since moved from Snow Sea Pass to Fengxin City. Naturally, the soldiers assigned to guard the gates of the old Marquis Residence these days were not men whose careers had gone particularly well. None of them recognized Prince Pingxi’s face.

But first, the token could not be forged.

Second, pretending to be Prince Pingxi inside Snow Sea Pass would be an exceptionally direct method of seeking death.

Most importantly... when Zheng Fan’s gaze swept over them, the kind of pressure only military men could truly recognize shattered every remaining doubt.

The soldiers immediately dropped to their knees.

“This lowly officer pays respects to Your Highness! May Your Highness enjoy health and fortune!”

Zheng Fan ignored them.

He stood before the gate for a little while longer, looking at the plaque of the old Marquis Residence.

Behind him, Tian Tian helped Ji Chuanye down from the carriage.

“Little Brother, this is where I used to live.”

The Sword Saint and Sword Maid descended as well. Out of habit, both looked toward the alley beside the Residence.

“We’re home.”

Zheng Fan turned and smiled at everyone.

Then he walked through the gate.

After Snow Sea Pass had been captured, the Marquis Residence had actually been rebuilt. Judged purely as architecture, it was still quite new.

But a house left empty, without people living inside to nourish it with their presence, easily began to feel old.

A house that had once been lived in showed that emptiness even more quickly.

Zheng Fan led the group through the old home.

At the same time, news that the Prince had returned spread outward at once.

Before long, the first group of civil and military officials from Snow Sea Pass gathered before the old Residence.

The soldiers guarding the gate did not stop them. The Prince had not ordered the Brocade-Clad personal guards to take control here.

Even so, once they learned the Prince was inside, not one of those first arrivals dared be the first to enter.

The Prince had come incognito.

He had entered the Residence directly.

What did he intend?

The intentions of Heaven were difficult to fathom.

The intentions of this Prince were no easier.

Everyone looked at everyone else.

Fine.

They would wait.

If the sky collapsed, the tall man could hold it up first.

Gradually, more and more people gathered.

At last, Keyan Dongge arrived on horseback. He had not actually been inside the pass today. He had been inspecting beacon forts to the west and had hurried back the moment he received the news.

He was the Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass.

In eastern Jin, civil and military affairs were spoken of in that order, but the military always came first.

The Prefect of Snow Sea Pass was surnamed Wen, a member of the Wen Clan, the natal clan of the Blind Man’s wife. He had arrived early but had simply stood there with his hands hanging at his sides, waiting.

Keyan Dongge looked at him.

The Prefect raised his eyelids and gave him a faint smile.

The two men normally worked together to administer the Snow Sea Pass region. To say they never had conflicts would have been impossible.

“Is it truly His Highness?” Keyan Dongge asked the gate soldiers.

“Yes. It is His Highness.”

Keyan Dongge adjusted his armor and climbed the steps.

The people behind him finally seemed to have found their backbone. They formed ranks and prepared to follow.

Who could have guessed that after reaching the top step, Keyan Dongge suddenly stopped and drew two deep breaths?

The entire group behind him stumbled.

Prefect Wen, standing second in line, was shoved directly to the ground.

Keyan Dongge glanced back at him.

Then, without delaying further, he entered the old Marquis Residence.

The men behind hurriedly helped Prefect Wen up, and everyone followed inside.

The Residence was cleaned every so often, but it had never been maintained like an imperial traveling palace, where palace maids and eunuchs remained even when the Emperor was absent.

Even when the Prince had lived here, the household servants had been pitifully few.

Keyan Dongge walked directly toward the rear residence.

At the threshold of the rear courtyard sat two children.

Before each boy lay a thick stack of memorials that they seemed to be sorting.

When the crowd approached, neither child showed the slightest panic.

“This memorial concerns Barbarian officers seizing the farmland of Standard Households. Put it here.”

“This one is about suppressing rivals and promoting relatives. Put it here.”

“This one concerns extorting the Hailan Tribe. Put it here.”

“Elder Brother, this one is about provoking and ambushing a merchant caravan from the Gesang Tribe without authorization. That should go on your side.”

“Right, right. This one is drunken disrespect toward the throne. That belongs on your side, Little Brother.”

Keyan Dongge opened his mouth.

His breathing began to tremble.

The military officers and civil officials behind him exchanged glances.

A dreadful pressure had already descended over all of them.

Tian Tian raised his head as though he had only just noticed the crowd.

He looked mildly surprised.

“Uncles, why are you all standing here? Go inside.”

Children changed quickly as they grew, but quite a few people present had already roughly guessed the identities of the two boys.

They were waiting for Keyan Dongge to lead the salute so they could all follow.

Who could have imagined that Keyan Dongge would sway as though his soul had already left his body?

He only nodded numbly and continued inside.

The officials and generals behind him could do nothing but follow, though none forgot to offer the two boys ingratiating smiles.

The children themselves looked completely harmless.

They did not call after anyone.

They simply sat down again and continued sorting the memorials before them.

At last, everyone entered the rear garden of the old Residence.

A man in a white python robe stood there.

Beside him was a chair.

When the crowd entered, the man turned around.

It had been a long time since many of them had last seen the Prince’s face.

For one instant, every mind present seemed to go blank.

Then the Prince made one simple gesture and spoke one sentence.

With a bang, Keyan Dongge, Chief Commander of Snow Sea Pass, collapsed directly to his knees, trembling like a sieve.

The Prince patted the chair beside him.

“Come, Dongge. My throne is right here. Why don’t you sit in it?”

[End of Chapter 899]