Chapter 815 Overturn It!

"A little more to the left, a little more to the left, hey, a little more to the right, a little more to the right, hey, hey, a little higher, a little higher."

Xiao Yibo, the chief steward of the mansion, was directing a group of Jinyi (imperial guards) to hang the "Prince Pingxi Residence" plaque.

He was directing from below, while the people above were busy.

"Chief Steward Xiao, this subordinate thinks it's hanging perfectly straight."

"I know that."

"Then..."

"This plaque, no matter how straight it is at the beginning, it must be moved to the left and adjusted to the right. The point is to deliberately make things difficult beforehand, for a good omen that nothing bad will happen in the future."

"Oh, that won't do. Our Prince might..."

The guard realized he had misspoke. He was already a Prince; what more could he become?

Everyone might think it in their hearts, but saying it out loud so carelessly was inappropriate.

Xiao Yibo smiled and didn't reprimand him.

He had been with the Prince since Hutou City, an old-timer who had witnessed the Prince's rise. If anyone was looking forward to the future, it was him.

What was impossible?

No,

Nothing was impossible!

After the plaque was hung, he clapped his hands and instructed the servants outside to sweep and water the gate again before heading inside.

The first act of the investiture ceremony had just ended. The imperial edict had been announced, and what remained were the military parade and martial display. Afterwards, there would be rewards for those who had contributed to the last battle in Chu, and many nobles from the Savage tribes had also come.

Although the Savage auxiliary troops hadn't entered Chu for the last campaign due to a last-minute change in the battle plan and had mostly sat and waited in the Zhennan Pass, they had still gathered their men and horses and brought their own weapons.

Rewards were a must. Tens of thousands of dogs that could be summoned and dismissed at will still needed to be valued.

In the evening, the mansion would hold a banquet with a hundred tables. The guest list included members of the imperial envoy, the various generals under the Prince's command, representatives of those who had contributed, representatives of various industries under the Prince's control, etc.

The commendation ceremony that had been postponed last year due to the war was also being held today.

Therefore, Xiao Yibo had to inspect everything again to make sure nothing went wrong.

After inspecting everything,

It was still early.

Xiao Yibo walked into a courtyard with a red table and saw two people sitting there, sipping small cups of wine with peanuts.

The two men saw Xiao Yibo and immediately waved and smiled:

"Come, Chief Steward Xiao, have a drink with us. Sit down and rest."

The two were none other than Chen Daole and He Chunlai.

Both of them were from Jin, former righteous men who had opposed Yan and sought to restore Jin, but later became the court's "lackeys."

Because they were talented and promising, they were both "rinsed" in the yamen and then "rinsed" in the military. After being rinsed back and forth several times and thoroughly flavored,

They were taken by Blind (referring to Bei Gongwang) to be his assistants, handling general affairs.

Chen Daole started working earlier than He Chunlai. Because He Chunlai was an excellent cook, he had spent more time as a cook for Prince Pingxi. However, this favor was something others envied.

Even now, when He Chunlai had his monthly leave, he would return to the mansion to cook for the Prince twice. As people in the yamen outside said, Lord He could wield a spatula, measure the saltiness of the dishes, and also measure the weight of the matters in his hands.

Both of them were developing well and could be considered independent figures under Blind's command.

Xiao Yibo politely bowed but didn't sit down.

But Chen Daole was used to being unrestrained, so he directly pulled Xiao Yibo over to sit down and poured him some wine.

"Where were we?" Chen Daole asked.

He Chunlai replied, "We were talking about His Majesty's edict."

"Yes, this time I'm truly impressed. This edict, this gesture, what do you call it? This is what you call true magnanimity.

I understand your heart, and you understand my intentions;

Not caring about petty gains,

Just being open and honest,

Just laying it all out,

Just letting the world see,

How the Ji family treats our Prince.

High,

Truly high."

He Chunlai nodded and said, "Throughout history, the most difficult things to resolve are not conspiracies and petty calculations, but open and honest machinations."

"That's right, let's drink a toast to this open machination!"

Chen Daole and He Chunlai raised their glasses. Xiao Yibo hesitated for a moment, then raised his glass as well. The three clinked glasses and drank it all.

There was nothing to worry about when speaking here.

After all, they were speaking in the Prince's mansion. It wasn't a public place, but at least they could say they had a clear conscience, so they could be as frank as possible.

Moreover, how could the Prince or Master Bei Gongwang not tolerate the occasional sourness of the literati among their subordinates?

Xiao Yibo stood up to pour them wine.

Chen Daole continued, "The Emperor's move, first, silences the Jingnan army warlords, and second, the highest level of business is nothing more than doing favors.

When the Prince went to war with Chu, the Emperor sent the Crown Prince, and at the same time, Xu Wenzu of Yingdu was ordered to prepare, not hesitating to start another national war.

He has both the justification and the sentiment.

Difficult,

Difficult."

He Chunlai nodded and said, "Yes, throughout history, in principle, there is bound to be infighting and deception between the imperial court and the vassal states. The imperial court adopts a policy of division, and the vassal states use the method of banding together.

Pulling apart and squeezing together, fine lines slowly appear.

But this one is insightful in his actions, open in his dealings, and broad in his vision. It's really hard to find a weakness to exploit.

Sometimes it's also helpless,

Is it really the Mandate of Heaven that belongs to Yan, and Yan is destined to unify Zhuxia (all under heaven)?

Two enlightened rulers, two enlightened rulers.

No one understands the Prince's abilities better than us. If this Emperor continues to treat him with such sincerity, our Prince's Mansion will have to continue to conquer the world for Great Yan.

In our lifetime, the destruction of Qian Chu and the unification of the world is by no means a delusion."

Chen Daole sighed and said, "We can only call it the Mandate of Heaven. A few days ago, Master Bei Gongwang was busy, so I gave a lesson to the Heir and the Crown Prince on his behalf.

How old is the Crown Prince, and he's already so precocious.

At first, I heard that the late Emperor praised the Crown Prince as a 'good holy grandson,' and there was also a saying that the late Emperor chose the Sixth Prince to succeed him because he valued the Imperial Grandson;

I didn't believe it at first, but now...

It might really go for three generations.

Three generations of enlightened rulers, how can Qian Chu endure it?"

He Chunlai laughed and said, "It's okay for us to endure it, but how can Bei Feng endure it?"

Chen Daole and He Chunlai laughed together, their laughter filled with a hint of loneliness.

They were from Jin. Whether it was because the situation was stronger than people or because they were captivated by Blind and the Prince's charisma, there was something to it, but what they lacked was loyalty to the so-called Great Yan.

It wasn't just them; throughout Jin East, Blind's "de-Yanization" had been remarkably effective.

Jin East was originally Jin land.

Therefore,

They actually had ambitions in their hearts. To a certain extent, these ambitions were similar to those of Qu Peiluo, the young master of the Qu clan.

When the Jin state was destroyed, they carried the name of traitors to Jin to some extent, but if they could assist a new ruler in re-establishing a new dynasty, all the stains on their bodies could be said to be washed away at once, and they could even be plated with a layer of gold;

Even if the Prince was a Yan person, the place where he rose, the place where he started his army, which was also the future place of his dragon rise, was in Fengxin, in Jin land, then the new dynasty could be called the rebirth of the Jin state.

Watching them drink and exude a hint of decadence,

Xiao Yibo, who had been silent all along, smiled and said:

"Why are you two in such a hurry? I haven't read much, but I know there's a saying that 'this is one time, that is another.'"

"Oh?" Chen Daole looked at Xiao Yibo. "What insights does Steward Xiao have?"

"I wouldn't dare offer insights. I just have to take my leave first. The two madams are pregnant, and the lotus seed soup that they must have in the evening must be prepared in advance. This is more important than the banquet and cannot go wrong."

Chen Daole and He Chunlai heard this,

The two looked at each other,

Then,

The corners of their mouths rose,

And they laughed again,

Sweeping away their previous decadence.

Yes,

There were still young masters and mistresses.

…

The martial display was being performed by a unit under Liang Cheng's command, which had just experienced the campaign in Chu, and the smell of blood on their bodies hadn't completely dissipated.

An orderly infantry formation was simple but not simple. But it wasn't too difficult either.

Back then, the Imperial Guards of the Qian capital could also march in neat formations during peacetime, giving their officials and the people of the capital the illusion of having a mighty army in their grasp.

But for cavalry, especially a large-scale cavalry, to achieve an orderly formation, it was definitely not a simple matter. It wasn't just a matter of people; it was also a matter of warhorses. If both the men and the horses were well-trained, such cavalry would be an absolute nightmare on any battlefield in the world!

In recent years, the Yan people had relied on two cavalry field armies to achieve their current national power!

After seeing this scene, the faces of a group of Savage nobles weren't very good. They also had knights and warhorses, but this kind of elite force was more than enough for one rider to equal five of their Savage warriors.

After the martial display ended,

Prince Pingxi personally rewarded those who had contributed to the previous campaign. Chen Xianba was given the first merit for beheading Dugumou's head and was given the opportunity to ride his horse in front of the formation.

The young man's heart was indeed wild and unrestrained.

Next were the rewards for those who had made outstanding contributions in logistics, planning, scouts, and other war-related aspects. They were all taking representative figures. The mass rewards for the rest didn't need to go through Prince Pingxi's hands. The various departments under the Prince's Mansion wouldn't miss them.

By the time all of this was finished, the sun had already set in the west.

Those who were qualified to attend the banquet began to enter the city and head to the Prince's Mansion. Prince Pingxi, as the protagonist of the banquet, wasn't in a hurry to go back first. Instead, he came to the entrance of the Calabash Temple under the escort of his guards.

Even though it was almost night, there were still many people burning incense and praying at the Calabash Temple. There was no way around it; this was the only religious place within a hundred miles of Fengxin City.

The guards cleared out the worshippers in the temple. After learning that it was the Prince's arrival, the worshippers weren't dissatisfied at all. Since they couldn't worship the Buddha now, they knelt down and prostrated themselves around the Prince's entourage.

They were all kowtowing. In their eyes, the Prince was no different from the Buddha.

Zheng Fan walked into the temple alone. Oh, and the Pixiu also followed him in.

Then, a group of retired wounded soldiers knelt there to salute him. Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment but still walked over to help a few people up, asking them about their well-being.

Then,

Zheng Fan walked into the backyard of the temple.

The little monk Liaofan knelt on the ground:

"Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness be blessed with peace and prosperity."

The old monk Kongyuan was sitting by the wellhead, holding a broom, blankly looking up at the setting sun.

His forehead was still bandaged; the injury from kowtowing last time hadn't fully healed yet.

The little monk Liaofan brought a stool, and Zheng Fan sat down.

But Zheng Fan didn't touch the tea and fruit that the little monk brought.

When Si Niang wasn't around, he wouldn't touch food or water from outside.

The monk Kongyuan seemed to not see Zheng Fan at all and continued to look at the sky in his own world.

Prince Pingxi seemed to have forgotten that there was a large group of people in the Prince's Mansion waiting to be entertained at the banquet and continued to sit here, staring blankly at the mad monk in front of him.

The little monk Liaofan stood on the side, his expression sometimes solemn and dignified, sometimes charming and graceful.

It was said that a few days ago, a shopkeeper from a Jin merchant caravan from Litian City came to this temple to burn incense and was moved by the little monk Liaofan's charm.

The wind of Jin couldn't reach the common people because many of them were prostrate on the ground all their lives. Only those powerful people were most influenced by this wind.

The shopkeeper seemed to be a sentimental person and even asked Liaofan to elope with him. Then he was tied up by the temple's helpers and thrown into prison.

Blind had told Zheng Fan about this matter as a joke while they were eating breakfast together.

In the end, Blind also sighed. The little monk didn't mind it and even came to plead for the shopkeeper;

He wasn't dissatisfied with his charm and didn't think it was a desecration of his status as a monk. He had a sense of breaking through the world of mortals and realizing that all aspects of sentient beings were illusory.

Zheng Fan listened and didn't tell Blind what the mad monk had said that day.

Si Niang obviously hadn't said it either.

They were all going to be parents. Who would deliberately publicize such words of curse about their children?

But, how could they not care?

After the Sword Saint had Liu Dahu as his stepson, he was also particularly precious to his own son;

Prince Pingxi had been busy taking care of his adopted sons in the past few years. Although he loved his adopted sons dearly, he also had expectations for the continuation of his own bloodline in his heart;

Most importantly,

He always had a feeling of splashing water on the ground with his feet in this world;

In this world,

He wanted a root, a root that could truly bind and integrate himself into this world.

The feeling of being alone in a foreign land wasn't comfortable for long. It would be boring, tedious, and tiring.

But today,

For some reason,

After the investiture ceremony,

Zheng Fan wanted to come to this temple to sit down.

During the day, he had been inflated enough. He was somewhat belatedly aware of Blind and Sixth's long-distance struggle, but he was too lazy to go to Blind to talk about it, and he didn't have the energy to analyze Sixth's methods with others;

He just wanted to be quiet,

To find a place to sit down.

After being inflated, there was emptiness. Wasn't that right? He was a little empty now.

After sitting for a long time,

Zheng Fan closed his eyes, as if he had dozed off.

Outside, Xiao Yibo and others were already waiting outside the temple. A large group of people had already taken their seats in the Prince's Mansion, waiting for the Prince to start the banquet.

But if you asked Xiao Yibo to go in and urge him, he wouldn't dare.

After all, compared to the Prince's mood, it wasn't a big deal for the group of people in the Prince's Mansion to wait a little longer.

His Prince had already reached his current position. External likes and dislikes couldn't affect the Prince at all.

In the temple, the Pixiu who had followed in was a little bored, but because of the quiet atmosphere, he didn't even dare to snort. He could only walk slowly in the Arhat Hall with small steps;

When he encountered some Buddha statues with various mounts below, he would stop and carefully examine them from different angles and positions.

Finally,

The old monk Kongyuan lowered his head,

Looking at Zheng Fan;

And Zheng Fan seemed to understand at this moment and opened his eyes that had been closed for a long time.

The old monk Kongyuan was completely different after returning from the snowy plains. The old monk used to show his superficiality on his face, often saying "Because of the pressure of swords and soldiers, I can only do this."

But this was actually like detoxification. The poison was all on the outside.

After a life-and-death experience, no, after almost dying once, it was like being washed by a waterfall. It had a sense of washing away the lead, and it was like a different person from before.

The old monk Kongyuan had a compassionate smile on his face, which looked particularly devout under the candlelight of the Buddha hall, where the Prince Pingxi's longevity tablet was enshrined.

After their eyes met,

The old monk Kongyuan seemed to know what Prince Pingxi wanted to ask here;

And Prince Pingxi,

Seemed to know what the old monk Kongyuan wanted to answer.

The feeling was mysterious, but it was so real.

Since that was the case,

Zheng Fan got up from the chair, turned around, and walked out.

He had sat enough; it was time to go back.

He was somewhat grateful, grateful that he had made the decision to build this temple, a place where he could sit quietly. It was good.

Perhaps people in middle age had similar problems,

Home was a haven, but sometimes you desperately wanted to escape it briefly.

The Pixiu felt that its master wanted to leave and took the initiative to end its competition with the mounts of the Arhat statues,

Coming over to Zheng Fan's side.

It had a fiery temper and didn't want to stay in this quiet environment that it didn't dare to break anymore. It wanted to return to its shed in the Prince's Mansion and roll around happily on the thick stack of straw that exuded the aura of sunshine.

But the old monk Kongyuan asked at this time:

"Your Highness, what if the world is undecided?"

Zheng Fan stopped walking out but didn't turn his head and replied:

"Then this Prince will be the dark horse."

Dark horse?

Horse?

The Pixiu felt insulted and looked at its master with some grievance;

Am I not good enough? You actually miss the horses outside?

And you don't choose white,

But black!

The Pixiu was a little nervous and uneasy;

Its brain was indeed intelligent and could understand human speech, but it hadn't reached the point where it could understand allegories.

At this time, Zheng Fan continued to walk out.

The old monk Kongyuan threw the broom that he had been holding for a long time directly into the well. The well wasn't deep, and the sound of water splashing could be heard soon;

The old monk asked again;

"Your Highness, what if the world is already decided?"

Zheng Fan didn't stop,

Still didn't turn around,

But waved his hand casually,

And said:

"Then overturn it."