Chapter 916: Prince Pingxi Welcomes the Imperial Procession

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!”

“Your Majesty... we beg you to reconsider!”

The Emperor sat inside an enormous imperial carriage drawn by thirty-six Pi Beasts.

Beside him sat Empress He Sisi.

Outside, the ministers who had come to see him off were still carrying on their tearful farewells.

He Sisi peeled a grape and placed it in the Emperor’s mouth.

Back when they were still in Nan’an County, boy and girl had been mutually interested.

He Sisi had, in a sense, taken the initiative and slept with the future Emperor of Great Yan.

Ji Old Sixth still remembered the night she first became a woman.

He woke very late the next morning.

When he opened his eyes, He Sisi was already sitting there with her hair arranged in a married woman’s style.

For a moment, Ji Old Sixth had been strangely dazed.

Exactly which one of them had lost their virginity last night?

Back then, when affection was still thick enough to drip, even fruit had been fed mouth to mouth.

The butcher’s daughter had been relatively simple in such matters.

But Ji Old Sixth, in order to confuse his own father, had spent a very long time pretending to be an absurd and debauched Prince.

One could more or less call that “sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall.”

In short... he knew how to play.

He taught.

He Sisi learned.

It was not even really about serving him.

When a young man and woman first came together, both naturally enjoyed it.

Now... they had two children.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, feeding fruit mouth to mouth had fallen out of fashion between husband and wife.

It was not because they found it disgusting.

In truth, something worse than disgust had happened.

It simply no longer seemed necessary.

“Your Majesty, what are you staring off into space about?” He Sisi asked.

Ji Old Sixth returned to himself.

He glanced outside the imperial carriage again.

At last, the ministers seeing them off had faded into the distance.

“Ah. Those old bastards made my head hurt.”

The Emperor lifted one hand and knocked his own forehead.

The Empress leaned into him and began massaging his temples.

There were people at court who possessed great seniority.

Their reputations for official conduct were decent.

Their practical administrative ability was not outstanding, but could still be called acceptable.

They did not form factions.

They did not pursue private interests.

And they were loyal.

Old ministers like that... even an Emperor could do very little with.

There was almost nothing one could use to pressure them.

No.

More accurately... they were hardly worth pressuring.

That was precisely why they had dared cling to the imperial carriage and weep today when the Emperor left the capital.

“Those gentlemen are loyal too,” the Empress comforted him.

“I know. In their eyes, this Eastern Inspection is basically me wrapping myself up as a fat sheep and delivering myself straight into Prince Pingxi’s mouth.”

“Pfft...”

The Empress laughed.

“Sometimes I think it’s rather sad. And the sadder it feels, the more I understand how great my father was... how difficult things were for him. An Emperor is still human. Across all of history, how many Emperors truly possessed the breadth of mind to tolerate powerful ministers? If the relationship merely ends with everyone preserving appearances, that already counts as excellent. Ruler and minister truly remaining in harmony until the end? Almost none. And what about the minister? Take that bastard surnamed Zheng. He wins battle after battle, opens territory after territory, and raises the prestige of the state. He has never truly failed. Basically, as long as he takes the field, I can sit inside the imperial study waiting for victory reports. But the more victories he wins... the more the ministers at court regard him as a thorn in their eyes and flesh. Clearly he has repeatedly rendered great merit for the state. Yet they increasingly believe he resembles a national traitor. If I put myself in Zheng’s position... I would feel resentment too.”

The Empress sat quietly and listened.

The Emperor truly was the “lonely orphan” he styled himself as.

There were only a handful of people in the world qualified to hear what lay in his heart.

Perhaps... only two.

One was herself.

Even Lingxiang did not count.

Behind Lingxiang stood the Lu Clan.

The Lu Clan behaved properly.

But the responsibilities now resting in Lu Bing’s hands were simply too heavy and too great.

Fortunately, Noble Consort Lu had given birth to a Princess.

If she had borne a Prince... the present situation would certainly be different.

Perhaps Lu Bing would not even have possessed the qualifications to reorganize the Secret Intelligence Department.

He Sisi, by contrast, had no maternal clan worth speaking of behind her.

The Emperor knew perfectly well how her father, elder brother, and sister-in-law’s household lived.

He Sisi was unquestionably more emotional by nature.

She had always harbored a suspicion about her father-in-law... the late Emperor of Great Yan.

When he had permitted her to marry his son... had this also been part of his consideration?

Not merely eliminating the possibility of maternal relatives interfering in politics... but also hoping his son would possess someone beside his pillow with whom he could speak without fear?

She had not spent much time with the late Emperor.

Nor had they met often.

But whenever he received her, or whenever they encountered one another at major ceremonies... the late Emperor had always shown her a kind of courtesy an elder might offer a junior.

Perhaps even... a faint measure of kindness.

She naturally knew how deeply her husband had once resented his own father.

But the late Emperor had treated her well.

Perhaps because of first impressions.

Perhaps because the concept of “Emperor” had simply towered too high in her mind back then.

Even a tiny bit of courtesy from him had felt like basking beneath imperial grace.

“There’s an old saying: barefoot men do not fear men wearing shoes. That saying can also be reversed. Precisely because an Emperor possesses everything belonging to an entire state... the Emperor is often the most timid man. The one least able to gamble. That bastard Zheng once said something: Better that I betray everyone beneath Heaven than let anyone beneath Heaven betray me. Damn it. That surnamed Zheng always has so many good lines. And the more you chew on them... the more flavor they have. Every so often, you have to drag one back up and chew it again.”

The Emperor reclined against the dragon couch inside the imperial carriage.

His gaze grew distant.

The Empress smiled faintly.

She peeled another grape and placed it in his mouth.

Earlier, she had thought there were perhaps only two people in this world before whom this supreme ruler could speak without restraint.

One was herself.

Their glory rose together and their ruin would come together.

She had no powerful maternal clan.

So there was nothing to guard against.

The other... was Prince Pingxi.

And Prince Pingxi was almost the exact opposite of her.

Precisely because Prince Pingxi commanded powerful armies, dominated one region, and shook all Great Yan with his prestige... he possessed the qualifications to sit with the Emperor... as an equal.

And because they could sit as equals... there was no need for disguise.

Her husband had used the character for “friend” more than once as a metaphor.

Only when both sides possessed an equal string of cash could they truly be friends.

“Heh-heh. Those old fellows are terrified that once I enter Jin territory, that surnamed Zheng will do something treacherous. Only I know Zheng would never do that. He’s pretentious. He is the most damned pretentious man I have ever met in my entire life. Even if he wanted to rebel, he would disdain taking me hostage and winning unfairly. He would think that lacked beauty.”

“Lacked beauty?”

“Like looking at a painting. Or tasting a jar of wine.”

“This concubine... thinks she understands.”

“Unless I make the wrong move first and make him uncomfortable, I suspect he cannot even be bothered to toss the board. That is why I keep reminding myself. Keep reminding myself to remain a good man. A good brother. Stabbing your brother in the back is actually a very tempting thing. But I understand clearly that I absolutely cannot do it. It is not even because I fear him. I simply think turning against him over something like keeping the dragon throne secure... would be too damned boring. He has sat on that dragon throne before too. It looks majestic. In reality, it digs into your ass. So this time I ignored the court’s demands to assign large numbers of Imperial Guards as escorts. I did not order local armies mobilized ahead of the procession either. I am simply coming like this. And I will leave like this. Come slowly. Go slowly. And look slowly. I want to look at the Three Jin lands my father conquered for me. I want to look at these people... my people.”

As the Emperor spoke, fatigue seemed to settle over him.

He slowly closed his eyes.

The Empress felt a little sorry for him.

She knew another reason the Emperor had rushed to leave the capital almost immediately after the New Year was that ceremony after ceremony before the year’s end had exhausted him.

And the great rituals after the New Year were no fewer.

By leaving early... the Emperor was also skipping work.

With his eyes still closed, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Empress. Do you know why I dare leave the capital this openly without worrying about what happens back home?”

“Your Majesty must already have made arrangements.”

“First, all the affairs after the New Year simply need to continue according to the structures fixed before the year ended. I already set the direction and targets. The Grand Secretaries can handle that. Second... I have absolutely no fear of something happening in the old home. Precisely because I have gone east... the old home will become even more stable. In fact, resistance to the new policies may be even weaker than expected.”

“Why is that, Your Majesty?”

“Even an Emperor like Father, who could decide the fate of the realm with one word, could not personally represent the whole court. The court is one thing. But the court is also tens of thousands of people. They possess countless ties to the provinces because most of them came from those very places. They do not dare openly resist me. But if they decide to comply outwardly while dragging their feet in secret... I genuinely cannot do much about it. The court is an ox. The Emperor is the man driving the ox. You have to whip it. And I should thank Father for that stunt he pulled back then. Heh-heh. Now that I have come out... they’ll panic. They’ll instinctively start running. They’ll plow the field properly for me. Back then Father borrowed the two Princes of North and South and had their cavalry trample the hereditary clans. They’re afraid. Afraid I, the son, will copy my father... and go to eastern Jin to borrow a knife. Hahahaha!”

The Emperor laughed delightedly.

Perhaps he became too emotional.

Perhaps he had risen too early that morning.

And although the imperial carriage blocked sunlight and wind, the air outside was still much drier than inside the deep palace.

The Emperor’s nose began bleeding.

“Your Majesty, you’re... bleeding again.”

The Empress immediately took out a handkerchief and wiped it for him.

Fortunately, there was not much blood.

After two wipes, it stopped.

The Emperor paid it no mind.

He slipped one hand beneath the Empress’s ceremonial robes.

Then, with a deliberately lecherous look, he said:

“I’ve got too much internal heat. Your Majesty the Empress, help Little Sixth drain some fire.”

The Empress slapped his chest.

She did not remove the hand misbehaving beneath her robes.

Instead she scolded coquettishly:

“You only just left the capital and you’re already behaving improperly.”

“Zheng has a son and a daughter now too. He’s catching up with us. No, no. We need to work harder. Come, come. Lie down. Damn it. Why does this ceremonial robe have so many fasteners? When we return, I’m ordering the Ministry of Rites and the Embroidery Directorate to redesign the Empress’s phoenix robe. This thing is delaying the imperial succession!”

At the front of the imperial carriage...

Eunuch Wei flicked his horsetail whisk.

The curtains slowly descended behind him.

He stepped forward three paces and swept his gaze across the attendants.

Every palace maid and eunuch nearby lowered their heads and quietly withdrew from the carriage.

Eunuch Wei listened to the sounds behind him... and entered meditation.

...

The Emperor was making an Eastern Inspection.

Everyone with clear eyes understood where he truly intended to go.

But an Eastern Inspection was still an Eastern Inspection.

The late Emperor had reigned for many years, yet after taking the throne he had almost never left Yanjing.

The farthest he had gone was little more than spending time recuperating in an imperial garden outside the capital.

So this was the first time in nearly twenty years that an Emperor of Great Yan had formally left the capital to inspect his realm.

It was also the first official imperial confirmation of Great Yan’s rule over the newly annexed Three Jin lands.

Naturally... the imperial carriage could not travel quickly.

Whenever it reached a place, the Emperor had to stop.

Meet local officials.

Show concern for the people.

Receive representatives of local gentry.

Recognize descendants of old noble lines.

Meet celebrated scholars.

All kinds of arrangements had to be made and endured.

When passing famous mountains and rivers, the Emperor had to climb high, gaze into the distance, write a few characters, and leave behind inscriptions for stone steles.

The Emperor was the symbol of Great Yan.

Only land personally walked by the Emperor truly seemed dyed with the aura of Yan.

In short... the Emperor was extremely busy.

And the road moved extremely slowly.

But as the procession drew closer and closer to eastern Jin... more and more gazes unconsciously concentrated upon it.

Even the Silver-Armored Guard and Phoenix Nest Internal Guard grew far more active, willingly sacrificing several local stations merely to gather information.

The Emperor of Great Yan was about to enter eastern Jin.

What would Prince Pingxi do?

The spring breeze of Ying’an’s first year announced the revival of all things.

The other states were not fools.

They could taste the meaning hidden inside that era name.

If Yan did not fall into chaos now... then everyone else truly would lose their chance.

Besides... why?

Why should Yan be able to play this sort of game across two generations... and remain perfectly safe?

Surely... those shoes ought to get wet eventually.

...

“Empress, gracing the whole realm is honestly more exhausting than gracing you.”

The Emperor rubbed his waist as he complained.

The Empress saw him acting smug after benefiting and decided to stop indulging him.

She stepped forward, half crouched, and reached directly toward the belt of the dragon robe.

“No, no!”

The Emperor jumped back two steps in alarm.

“Let me recover. Let me recover.”

Husband and wife immediately burst out laughing together.

At that moment, Eunuch Wei announced:

“Your Majesty, Yingdu Prefect Xu Wenzu is waiting outside the imperial carriage.”

“Summon him.”

“By decree.”

In truth, the Emperor’s procession had already passed through Yingdu.

It had even remained in the city for several days, receiving representatives of the local powers, including Prince Cheng Situ Yu.

Xu Wenzu, however, had not been in Yingdu at the time.

He had gone below to inspect the spring plowing.

Originally, Xu Wenzu had cleared time in his schedule to await the Son of Heaven’s arrival in Yingdu.

But delays along the imperial route caused the Emperor to miss the window Xu Wenzu had reserved.

Since the Emperor had failed to arrive on schedule, Fatty Xu simply stopped waiting and returned to his own work.

In the end, it was the Emperor who remained in Yingdu for one extra day before departing.

One could say... he had waited for Xu Wenzu.

Xu Wenzu had also done something else.

As the Emperor’s procession was about to enter the broader Yingdu region, he submitted a memorial advising that the original route be changed so the imperial procession would not disturb local commoners and officials or interfere with spring plowing.

“Yingdu Prefect Xu Wenzu pays respects to Your Majesty! May my Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!”

Standing upright, Xu Wenzu looked like two mountains of flesh stacked together.

Once he knelt... they merged into one.

The Emperor left the dragon seat and personally stepped forward to help him up.

Xu Wenzu hurriedly protested:

“You mustn’t, Your Majesty. You mustn’t.”

What should have been the classic display of harmony between ruler and minister then suffered an accident.

Fatty Xu’s foot slipped.

He pitched forward and nearly rolled over completely.

The Emperor only remained standing because Eunuch Wei reacted in time and caught him.

“Hahahahaha...”

The Emperor burst into loud laughter.

“Beloved Minister Xu, you’ve gotten fatter again.”

Xu Wenzu had already scrambled upright.

“Yingdu nourishes a man well. I’ve made Your Majesty laugh.”

“You have done very well. In only a few years, you have managed Yingdu well enough to turn it into a place that nourishes people. Very good. I am very satisfied.”

“Your Majesty overpraises this subject. I am ashamed.”

“If anyone else dared miss my arrival, or dared notify me in advance that the imperial procession should make way for spring planting... I would probably think he was using blunt remonstrance to cultivate a reputation for integrity. But when you do it... I do not think that. You are a man who works honestly and gets things done. You are one of my capable officials. A pillar of Great Yan!”

Praise spoken personally by the Emperor would enter the histories.

In future records, when Xu Wenzu’s name appeared, there would inevitably be a line:

The Emperor praised him, saying: A pillar of the state.

Xu Wenzu dropped to his knees again.

He drew a deep breath and said:

“This subject is ashamed and dares not accept such praise. This subject has only fulfilled the duties of my office. As Prefect of a region, I naturally must shepherd the Son of Heaven’s people well. This subject dares claim no merit!”

“Ah. If every official in Great Yan followed Beloved Minister Xu’s example, the unification of All Xia would be close at hand. No. It would arrive early.”

“This subject is willing to serve Your Majesty with the strength of a dog or horse and contribute everything I possess to Your Majesty’s great undertaking of unifying All Xia!”

“Enough. Wei Zhonghe, help Beloved Minister Xu up.”

Xu Wenzu was helped to his feet.

Ruler and minister took their seats.

The formal audience began.

Most of the discussion concerned Xu Wenzu’s future plans for Yingdu.

The Emperor asked.

The Prefect answered.

An accompanying court historian sat nearby and recorded their words.

Naturally... those records would later be edited.

The historian understood perfectly well what should be written and what should not.

Ruler and minister spoke happily from the time Xu Wenzu caught up with the imperial procession that morning until nearly dusk.

At midday, they even ate together inside the imperial carriage.

Xu Wenzu received the honor of accompanying the Emperor at the imperial meal.

At last... the conversation ended.

Because the Wang River had come into view.

Without needing to say it aloud, ruler and minister naturally began bringing the audience toward its conclusion.

But just when everything should have ended...

Xu Wenzu suddenly knelt again.

He kowtowed.

“Your Majesty, this subject risks death to remonstrate! I beg Your Majesty’s imperial carriage not to cross the river! I beg Your Majesty to place the mountains and rivers of Great Yan and the altars of state above all else!”

The atmosphere... instantly turned cold.

The Emperor slowly rotated the tea cup that should already have been used to send his guest away.

He smiled.

“I know your relationship with that surnamed Zheng is extremely good.”

“We are confidants to one another, no less than brothers.”

“Then why say this?”

“This subject is a man of Yan. Your Majesty is the sovereign. Upon Your Majesty rests the realm of Great Yan!”

“You think that once I cross the Wang River, Prince Pingxi will rebel?”

“This subject does not believe Prince Pingxi will rebel.”

“Then why stop me from crossing?”

“Prince Pingxi will not rebel. But who can guarantee that the arrogant and fierce generals beneath Prince Pingxi will not commit the great treason of forcing their lord from below? Your Majesty... the founding Emperor of Qian was draped in the yellow robe by his subordinates. That lesson is not distant!”

The Emperor’s imperial carriage was protected by Imperial Guards.

But how could these Imperial Guards possibly match eastern Jin’s tigers and wolves?

“I have already come this far. I’m already standing beside the river. How could I possibly refuse to cross? The land on the opposite bank... is also territory of Great Yan.”

“This subject knows the remonstrance will not succeed. But I must still remonstrate. That too is the duty of this subject.”

“Very well. I understand. Beloved Minister Xu has worked hard...”

At that moment... a report arrived from the commander of the Imperial Guards outside.

Wei Zhonghe immediately went out to receive it.

He returned almost at once.

His expression... was somewhat strange.

“Your Majesty... Pri... Prince Pingxi has arrived.”

“Oh? That surnamed Zheng came to receive us? Is he on the opposite bank?”

“Replying to Your Majesty... Prince Pingxi has already crossed the river.”

“Oh. How many troops did he bring?”

Wei Zhonghe’s lips moved.

In the end... he smiled.

“Your Majesty should step outside and see with your own eyes.”

“You dog slave. You actually dare play coy with me.”

The Emperor cursed him with a smile.

Then he personally lifted the curtain and stepped out of the imperial carriage.

Outside... several thousand Imperial Guards who had escorted the procession all the way from the capital surrounded the imperial carriage in tightly layered protection.

The Emperor emerged and stood upon the platform of the traveling imperial headquarters.

He looked ahead.

Beyond the ranks of armored Imperial Guards... a single figure sat quietly upon a Pixiu.

Black armor.

No movement.

No army around him.

The instant the Emperor saw him... his nose suddenly stung.

He blinked hard.

Then cursed:

“Beast.”

A considerable distance still separated them.

Yet almost at the same moment... the Prince seated upon Pixiu also cursed:

“Bitch.”

In the spring of the first year of Ying’an, the Emperor made his Eastern Inspection to eastern Jin.

Prince Pingxi of Great Yan... rode alone to receive the imperial procession!

[End of Chapter 916]