Chapter Forty-Five: Imperial Envoy

  Huang Jingchen listened to Zhao Che's words and was again covered in cold sweat. He had been so delighted that he forgot the "Basic National Policy" of the Great Song Dynasty. Although Wang Ye had been granted the title of Marquis of Junzhou, he might not even be able to set foot in Junzhou for the rest of his life, let alone leave the capital city, which was like a large prison. If he wanted to go on a trip, he would have to ask the Emperor's permission first. As a prince, he couldn't even mobilize the imperial guards or a single soldier from the palace guard, and it was out of the question for him to train troops privately, as that would be considered treason.

  China's dynasties have never lacked wise and courageous emperors, but to ensure the peaceful succession of the throne, avoiding confrontation and fraternal strife has been a constant headache. However, the development of events often goes against one's wishes, and the change of imperial thrones is often filled with intrigue and bloodshed.

  In the Song Dynasty, in order to prevent a repeat of the mistakes of previous dynasties, after the founding of the country, Taizu Zhao Kuangyin not only took away the military power from the generals but also adopted a policy of governance by scholars. The imperial family was also strictly guarded against, without following the practices of previous generations, which sent princes to their fiefs, but instead kept the sons of the imperial clan in the capital, giving them high-ranking positions with no real power, just like now letting you enjoy ministerial-level treatment, but you can only show up at meetings, say a few harmless words, raise your hand to show your attitude, and there is no way for you to gain any real power or participate in politics or lead an army.

  This good policy was changed by Zhu Yuanzhang and led to the great play of "Uncle Stealing Nephew's Throne" performed by Yan Wang Zhu Di, with blood flowing for thousands of miles. However, this policy was passed down through generations to the Qing Dynasty, where it was turned upside down by the 'queue-wearing ones', who revered it as a sacred canon and implemented it in a grand manner. But I've digressed, let's get back on track!

  "Your Highness, what can we do now? Guarding this small piece of land will not achieve anything. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to think of a way to return to the capital while you are still king? Perhaps there is still a chance for a turn of events!" Huang Jingchen thought and said.

  "Huang Bo, we will have to return to the capital city sooner or later, but now is not the time. Although our current territory is only about ten miles in circumference, this is our foundation and we can still do some things. If we go back to the capital, we will put ourselves under the scrutiny of the public eye, making it even more difficult for us to do anything. So for now, we cannot return to the capital!" Zhao Che said as he stood up.

  "The prince is right, but what can we do by guarding here?" Huang Jingchen thought for a moment and nodded, then asked.

  "Money! Everything requires money, training troops needs money, fighting wars even more so. Now the first big thing we need to do is make money, let this land grow with wealth!" Zhao's small fist heavily pounded on the table as he said.

  "Yes, the prince is right. With money, we can recruit soldiers and feed them. Once we have money, what can't we do?" Huang Jingchen unconsciously followed Zhao's train of thought, thinking that the prince's idea was correct. If things really went as the prince said, with war and chaos everywhere, anyone could become a king with money. At the very least, they could flee to the south and live as a wealthy gentleman.

  "The king must be able to make money, doing big things is not a small sum of money. Relying on these hundreds of hectares of land, even if there are bumper harvests every year, the income will only be a few tens of thousands of taels! When it comes to making money, the old man becomes worried again. In the past, their way of making money was just collecting some '孝敬' from below and taking some from the emperor's pocket. They can still make do with some unconventional means, but they really don't have a proper way!"

  "Huang Bo, don't worry about the money, I'll think of a way. The most important thing right now is that we can't let some people make an issue out of my being crowned king and persuade the Emperor to bring us back, or else we'll really be like tigers entering a cage, at their mercy!" Zhao Che frowned as he spoke to Huang Jingchen.

  "Hehe, Your Highness doesn't need to worry about this matter, just let the old man handle it. I may not have a way to make money, but when it comes to dealing with these people in the palace, I have plenty of methods. Rest assured, I'll make them give up on this idea." Huang Jingchen said with a smile.

  "Huang Bo, is there a good way?" Zhao Tie asked anxiously.

  "Your Highness, although I'm a fallen phoenix now, I used to be quite influential in the palace. Some people won't want me back in the palace, and tomorrow's imperial edict will likely be delivered by one of these two individuals... We can..." Huang Jingchen whispered to Zhao Che's ear, who was taken aback at first but then burst out laughing, nodding repeatedly. This old man is usually so serious, but when he gets mischievous, it's a whole different story.

  On the official road from Fucheng to Xiangyi County, a team came from afar, braving the cold wind and heading south. In front were more than a dozen yamen runners from Gongzhou Prefecture, ringing bells to clear the way, holding up signs that read "Make Way" and "Imperial Envoy on Inspection Tour". Behind them was a team of imperial guards in bright uniforms, riding spirited horses, wearing armor, with large red cloaks flowing behind them, carrying swords and guns, looking majestic and awe-inspiring. They were escorting two sedan chairs with red tops and green curtains, as well as several large carts loaded with goods, moving slowly along the way. People and vehicles on the road saw this and knew not to mess with them, scattering to get out of the way.

  Liang Shicheng wore a black sable coat, holding a hand warmer in the carriage with his eyes closed, as if he hadn't heard the commotion outside. Liang Shicheng had been in the palace for many years, first working at the Book Art Bureau, dealing with paper for books and paintings every day, without being noticed. The current emperor liked books and paintings, so he visited the Book Art Bureau more often, and Liang Shicheng's master passed away, he keenly felt that his opportunity had come, relying on his parents' gift of a seemingly loyal face, and having learned some poetry, calligraphy, and painting from years of immersion in the Book Art Bureau. He managed to get acquainted with the emperor and eventually obtained the position of Outer Library of the Lirui Temple, which was responsible for issuing imperial decrees outside the palace.

  Li Gang suddenly sighed, people are more ruthless than others. Yang Jia got the position of Nei Shi Province due to his eloquence and understanding of the emperor's mind. Tong Guan relied on his experience following Li Xian in the northwest and later became famous in the Ming Jin Bureau for getting things that interested the emperor. He also took advantage of this opportunity to get close to Cai Jing, and over the years, he was ordered to supervise the military in the northwest, recover the Yellow River, and become the official of the Jingfu Temple and the Xiangzhou Observation Station. As a result, he became the sole ruler of the northwest region. He counted on his fingers, thinking that although he was a rising new star, there were still too many people above him, and wondered when it would be his turn to have a chance to rise.

  Suddenly, a woman's shrill cry came from the carriage behind, and Liang Shicheng furrowed his brow, with the wrinkles on his face sagging down like a curtain. This little white-faced guy relied on his father being the current prime minister and his superb flattering skills to become the emperor's number one favorite. "No way, I must think of a solution too!" Liang Shicheng touched the deep wrinkles on his face, and the yellow satin box beside him suddenly smiled - wasn't this his own advantage?

  "Hehe, little girl, let me touch you again and see what treasures you have on your body!" Behind him in the carriage, Cai You had one arm wrapped around a stunning beauty with a thousand charms, while his other hand was groping her up and down.

  "Tsai, don't, there are people outside." She had just opened her mouth when another mouth covered hers. The carriage was filled with murmurs and the guards waved their hands to keep everyone at a distance from the vehicle. People on both sides smiled and slowly backed away from the carriage.

  Legend has it that Cai Jing had a pair of 'poisonous eyes', he could stare at the sun at noon for half a day without blinking, and people could see through his thoughts with just one glance. This Cai You didn't inherit his father's 'talent', but got his father's pair of eyes.

  During the Zhezong Yuanfu years, the current emperor was still Prince Duan, and Cai You was only a supervisor at the Imperial Workshop. At that time, he was only 22 or 23 years old. Every time he went to the workshop, he would arrive just as the officials were leaving after their morning audience with the emperor. He would deliberately wait until the right moment to come out, so that he could encounter Prince Duan on his way back from court. As a result, every time Prince Duan left the palace, he would see a youth slightly older than himself standing by the side of the road, bowing and dismounting with courtesy and humility, making him look quite endearing.

  Zhezong died, and Emperor Huizong ascended to the throne. He did not forget his "eye contact" with Cai Tao, who rose rapidly like a rocket to become one of the emperor's trusted officials. In the third year of the Chongning era, Cai Tao was granted the title of Gongshi Lang, and appointed as a compiler in the Secretariat, the Academy of Scholarly Worthies, and the Historiography Institute. He participated in compiling the "National History Essentials". Within two years, he was promoted to Academician of the Imperial Academy. After Cai Jing became Chancellor, Cai Tao was further appointed as Academician of the Dragon Diagram Pavilion, Reader-in-Waiting, and Compiler of the "Capital City Atlas", reviser of the "Imperial Code", Administrator of the Precious Officials' Bureau, Recorder of the Two Streets of the Secretariat Province, and Head of the Ritual Code Bureau.

  This matter originally had nothing to do with Cai You, it was just that the old man heard that Chen Tang was being cruel to the second prince, so he let him come and investigate the situation, and at the same time find a way to make amends, so as not to cause discord between the two "families". Cai You arrived in Gongzhou yesterday, of course, first scolding Chen Tang severely, then searching for some travel expenses. Chen Tang was also quite "honest", reporting on how he handled the situation, while expressing deep "condolences" for causing trouble to the prime minister, and at the same time giving Cai a stack of "promissory notes", and lending him his newly married concubine.

  Cai Da Gongzi's face immediately cleared up after receiving the benefits, and after helping him to calm down, he comforted him again, indicating that he would explain everything clearly to the Emperor at the right time and in the right place, eliminating the misunderstanding between them. Chen Tang had originally thought that he would send a large sum of money as a gift, hoping that Da Gongzi would come again, but there was no next time.

  The horse team galloped along, turned a corner and went down the road. Although the earth road was frozen after the snow, it was already like their mood, jumping and jumping. "Hey, this road is opened by me, this tree is planted by me, if you want to pass through this road, leave your toll!" The horse team entered the village entrance, almost arrived at Wang's mansion, suddenly a group of 'strong men' rushed out from the trees on the side of the road and blocked their way.

  Liáng Shī Chéng felt the carriage come to a sudden stop. He lifted the curtain and looked out through the crowd, only to see a large tree branch lying across the road, blocking their path. There were over ten strong men standing in the middle of the road, holding various weapons and exuding an aura of menace. Their faces were tense, their eyes flashing with anger, as if they would attack at any moment. However, upon closer inspection, Liáng Shī Chéng's nose was almost twisted out of shape - these "strong men" were not very old, only around eight or nine years old.