Chapter 1 Jin Wangfu's Days

The Jin Wangfu (Prince of Jin's residence) was actually doing quite well in Yanjing.

Ji Laoliu was ruthless when wielding the knife against meritorious officials, but he alone did not target the Jin Wangfu.

No matter what,

the Yu family,

had to have a presentable face.

Moreover, the Yu family cherished it. After entering the capital, the former Jin Emperor, now the Prince of Jin, lived a very peaceful life, reading books, writing calligraphy, with scholars in his mansion accompanying him in chess, poetry, and pleasant conversation, as well as an exclusive opera troupe singing tunes with the flavor of Jin;

A wealthy family, truly nothing to complain about.

In the first two years after arriving in the capital, he was relatively low-key. Apart from going to the palace by imperial order or accompanying the Yan Emperor to attend some ceremonies, the Jin Wangfu did not socialize with outsiders, and outsiders did not dare to have too much interaction with the Jin Wangfu.

Now, it's better, and everyone is more relaxed.

One of the Prince of Jin's sons even arranged a betrothal with a daughter of a vice minister of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, because they both loved music, playing the zither and composing poems in response to each other, and after enjoying themselves to the fullest, they directly settled the matter.

As for the Prince of Jin himself, he successively took in several concubine princesses, some of whom were from meritorious families in Yanjing, which also reflected the acceptance of this Prince of Jin by the Yan Kingdom's hierarchy.

In fact, the change in mentality could be seen from the Jin Wangfu daring to send someone to invite Marquis Pingxi (Pacifying the West) to a banquet at the residence.

The main entrance of the Wangfu opened, and the carriage Zheng Houye (Marquis Zheng) was riding in directly entered the Wangfu.

However, although it was a banquet, there were not many people. What kind of people you invite must be matched with people who are qualified to accompany them. Obviously, if you invite Marquis Pingxi, it's really unrealistic to find a large group of people qualified to accompany him. Forcing a group of people who are not presentable would make people think you are deliberately neglecting him.

Therefore, a steward of the Wangfu personally welcomed him with a lantern. After passing through the front hall and arriving at the backyard, Prince of Jin Yu Ciming, dressed in a blue robe like a scholar, personally came out to greet him.

"This humble prince greets Marquis Pingxi."

The Prince of Jin saluted Marquis Pingxi.

It wasn't uncommon in Great Yan for a prince to salute a marquis.

Zheng Fan smiled and walked over to help Yu Ciming up, while his gaze fell on the Jin Empress Dowager standing in the house behind him.

The Empress Dowager was not very old when she gave birth to Yu Ciming. Now, she was probably only forty years old, the age when a peach is most ripe and rosy.

"Marquis, please."

"Your Highness, please."

This was a family banquet, so apart from two maids adding dishes and pouring wine, only Yu Ciming, the Empress Dowager, Zheng Fan, and the Sword Saint were left in the house.

After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats.

As soon as they sat down, before the hosts could say any pleasantries, the Sword Saint picked up his wine cup and looked at Yu Ciming.

Yu Ciming was stunned for a moment, nodded, and picked up his own wine cup. Before he could stand up, the Sword Saint drank it all in one gulp.

Then,

he put down his wine cup,

and left the table on his own, going outside.

He came only to see the former emperor of the Jin people, the supreme of the Yu family. Seeing him was enough;

Sit down and exchange pleasantries?

Comfort each other and ask after each other's well-being?

Share nostalgia for their homeland?

There was no need for that, and it was meaningless.

Yu Ciming smiled awkwardly and said to Marquis Zheng, "Please forgive me, Marquis. The last time you came, I was unable to meet you because I was observing the ancestral temple. Please forgive me."

Zheng Fan waved his hand,

and said,

"Your Highness is too polite."

The two of them each drank a cup of wine.

Next,

was a very tasteless exchange of pleasantries.

The Prince of Jin expressed his concern for the Jin homeland and its people,

while Marquis Zheng said that he would definitely guard the territory and protect the people well, and asked the Prince of Jin to rest assured;

The Jin Empress Dowager then smiled along, acting like an elder.

Just as Zheng Fan felt that this family banquet was becoming increasingly dull, Yu Ciming got up, walked to the entrance of the hall, and said to the Sword Saint, who was standing outside enjoying the breeze:

"I have here his memorial tablet and some of his belongings."

He, of course, referred to the Sword Saint's younger brother.

Back then, the Sword Saint's younger brother was the commanding general of the Jin capital region, and his relationship with Emperor Yu Ciming was extremely good.

Even, it was the true Jin style.

The Sword Saint nodded.

"Please."

Yu Ciming led the Sword Saint to another courtyard.

And here in the hall, only Zheng Fan, the Empress Dowager, and two maids were left.

"Go, bring up the soup."

"Yes, Empress Dowager."

"Go, hurry the kitchen for the snacks."

"Yes, Empress Dowager."

Well, the two maids were also dismissed.

Zheng Fan couldn't help but find it amusing. What were this mother and son planning?

Although Marquis Zheng liked to hear Ru Qing call him uncle in his own backyard, and although he was indeed very satisfied with the Jin Empress Dowager's beauty, moreover, the relationship of sending Horned Sirs also added a touch of ambiguity.

But,

Zheng Fan wasn't the kind of person who liked to play the forceful card, especially in someone else's home.

Someone's son was not far away, of course, that son might even agree to or even deliberately facilitate it.

However, Marquis Zheng was not Dong Zhuo after all, and besides, his Jin Eastern Marquis's army hadn't entered the capital yet, it wasn't his turn to be wanton.

The Jin Empress Dowager stood up,

The Jin Empress Dowager picked up the wine pot,

The Jin Empress Dowager bit her lip,

The Jin Empress Dowager took the initiative to walk over;

Zheng Fan raised his hand,

and said,

"Sit down."

The Empress Dowager sat down, as if relieved of a burden.

"Ciming doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what?"

"There are no spies here right now," the Empress Dowager said.

Firstly, Prince Jin had been here for a long time, and he had some understanding of the people around him; secondly, the Secretarial Directorate probably relaxed its surveillance after seeing how docile the Jin Wangfu was.

But Marquis Zheng still took out a red stone from his clothes and placed it on the table, tapping it with his finger.

Since the blind man wasn't here, he relied on his son to eavesdrop, in case the walls had ears.

The Magic Pill trembled, then calmed down.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Zheng Fan asked.

"I've told Ciming, so Ciming only knows that I'm staying to ask you a few questions, but he doesn't know that you and I..."

"You and I, what's wrong?"

"You and I..."

"You and I?" Zheng Fan pointed at himself, then pointed at the Empress Dowager, "You and I, have a relationship?"

"No, that's not it, it's just, it's just..."

Zheng Fan didn't think that he would have developed deep feelings for this Empress Dowager after meeting her once in the imperial palace of the capital region, and then again on his last trip to the capital;

The reason why she deliberately lowered her pride and abandoned the dignity that belonged to the Empress Dowager, investing so much in him, must be for something.

It's just,

the Empress Dowager doing this was a bit too forced.

Perhaps, in his son's eyes, he went to distract the Sword Saint, and incidentally draw away some of the spies in the mansion, so that he could leave a secret meeting opportunity for his mother and Marquis Pingxi, but what he didn't know was that there was also the connection of Horned Sirs between his mother and Marquis Pingxi.

Between men and women, if that little something is added, either it will be very awkward, or it won't be awkward at all.

"Don't speak yet, let me guess."

The Empress Dowager nodded.

"Choosing sides?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up immediately.

"Hehehe, hahahahaha..."

Marquis Zheng laughed,

The Empress Dowager looked puzzled.

Finally, Marquis Zheng stopped laughing and asked, "Is the Jin Wangfu's life not good now?"

Choosing sides was to try to gain merit from supporting the future emperor.

If you were to ask whether it was useful for the Jin Wangfu to choose sides, whether the Jin Wangfu was qualified to choose a side;

Then it really was.

After all, don't look at them living in Yanjing now, having gone from emperor to prince, but their ancestors were once prosperous;

More than eight hundred years ago, their ancestors opened up the border together with the Ji and Xiong families.

So, if the Jin Wangfu were to stand up now and say that they would stand on the side of which prince, or express their support for a certain prince, that prince would definitely be happy, and even Ji Laoliu would be happy, equivalent to receiving blessings from their ancestors.

Of course, it was only a blessing.

The barbarians liked to have priests dance before a war, and the snowplain barbarians liked to have the Star Envoys divinate before a war, but this didn't prevent them from being repeatedly crushed by the Northern Garrison Army and the Southern Pacification Army.

Good omens, everyone liked them, but this kind of thing had no practical use, just like the current Jin Wangfu:

Did they have soldiers? No.

Did they have wealth? Marquis Zheng had the most say in this. Back then, in the Jin imperial palace, he even scraped off the gold statues in their ancestral temple and took them away. Did the Wangfu still have any money now?

As for influence?

The Yu family's influence in Jin was really far inferior to that of the Prince Cheng's residence. Even a bizarre orphan of the Helian family or the Wenren family had more influence than the Yu family.

Many bandits or rebels in Jin wouldn't use the banner of the Yu family's relatives when starting an uprising, because the Jin people would only find it ominous when they saw this banner. Not only would it fail to mobilize them, but it would also make their own people feel hopeless.

"What exactly does the Prince of Jin want to do?"

"Ciming, he just wants... just wants..."

"I just don't understand, is the Jin Wangfu's life not good now? Why do they have to get involved in this muddy water? Even if they get the credit, what can they exchange for it?"

They had no ability to protect themselves, no ability to add to the stakes, and not even the qualifications to share the gamble.

Was this really interpreting what it meant to participate for the sake of participation?

Relying on the merit of supporting the future emperor, to let Yu Ciming return to Jin to become an official, a prefect?

Did they really think of the Yan people as fools?

"Ciming means, he wants to plan for the next generation, hoping that the next generation can have a better future."

Zheng Fan shook his head helplessly,

reached out his hand,

and placed it on the table.

The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment,

looked at Marquis Zheng's hand, then looked at Marquis Zheng again, then looked at Marquis Zheng's hand again. Marquis Zheng beckoned with his finger.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and placed her hand on top.

Marquis Zheng wasn't polite either, he started touching it after holding it.

He wasn't a purely lecherous pervert who didn't know etiquette, but this kind of little flirtation was still acceptable, just consider it a consultation fee.

"Listen to my advice, so far, I don't know who will win or lose, advise our son...

Oh no, advise your son to be more obedient, don't forget the loss he suffered last time."

The loss last time,

was also because Yu Ciming wanted to gamble,

not wanting to continue being the Jin puppet emperor or waiting to be completely divided and abdicated by the three families;

But the result of the gamble was that his nominal Jin state completely collapsed.

When the Empress Dowager heard this, her hand began to turn cold, fortunately, Marquis Zheng's hand was relatively warm.

"I know, I understand," the Empress Dowager nodded.

"Take care."

Marquis Zheng released her hand, feeling a little reluctant, but he still had to let go.

He picked up the Magic Pill,

got up,

and walked to the entrance of the hall.

After standing for a while, the Sword Saint and Yu Ciming returned.

Yu Ciming's face was stained with tears, obviously he had cried.

The Sword Saint's expression remained calm.

"Your Highness, it's getting late, this marquis will take his leave first."

"This humble prince will see the marquis off."

"There's no need, Your Highness, don't make things difficult for this marquis, this marquis doesn't want to be impeached for arrogance in a few days."

Then,

Zheng Fan and the Sword Saint sat back in the carriage,

and the carriage drove out of the Wangfu. This time, they were really going home.

Inside the carriage,

Marquis Zheng looked at his palm;

The Sword Saint took the lead in saying, "Meaningless."

"Let me guess, did he try to appeal to your emotions and reason?"

"Almost."

"The Empress Dowager asked me which prince would win."

The Sword Saint laughed when he heard this, and Zheng Fan also laughed.

Zheng Fan raised his hand to stop the laughter,

and said,

"It's quite interesting, dealing with shrewd people all day long, finally encountering a fool, and finally realizing that this is still the human world."

"It's all in the past," the Sword Saint said.

The Sword Saint had long since given up on the idea of restoring the country, even though his surname was Yu.

"The First Prince will return tomorrow. I'm on the same level as him, so I have to go out of the city to greet him."

The Prince of the North and the Prince of the South would not go.

"Today was a bit fulfilling," the Sword Saint sighed.

Although he didn't draw his sword once, he still felt a little tired.

"Tomorrow is the last peace before the storm arrives."

Tomorrow night, there was also a banquet in the palace.

At that time,

there would definitely be singing and dancing, and all the officials would be in attendance;

The Emperor and the two princes would be demonstrating what a true Iron Triangle alliance was, what true mutual reliance was, and what the pillars of Great Yan were.

The princes would also sit together, raise their glasses to celebrate, and jointly toast to the future of Great Yan.

The officials would then offer up one flattery and praise after another.

Everything would be extremely beautiful.

Then,

at the grand court meeting the next day, the real fight for the throne would be presented in the most cruel and bloody way.

Ji Laoliu had just said,

that without his father always favoring one side, these brothers of his were simply not enough for him to fight.

Before, he hadn't fully launched it, he had always been advancing step by step or consolidating his position steadily, entirely because even if he launched a general offensive, in the end, his father's will would come down, and he would just be wasting his energy in vain.

Marquis Zheng was looking forward to it,

very much looking forward to the presentation of Ji Laoliu's methods the day after tomorrow.

As for going to pick up the First Prince tomorrow, it wasn't for Ji Laoliu's sake, because the First Prince's position in this battle for the throne was the same as his original position.

If the Emperor, the Prince of the South, and the Prince of the North were sitting in the chairs at the head watching the gladiatorial combat; behind them, there were maids holding umbrellas, and on the tea tables beside them, there were rich refreshments;

then,

he and the First Prince were about the same as leaning their hands on the railing, barefoot, watching the excitement inside, and then letting out some foolish laughter.

Going to pick up the First Prince was purely for the sake of their friendship back then.

Back then, when they captured Snow Sea Pass, the reason why they were able to defend it was because the First Prince had put in a lot of effort. He took the radish seal carved by Xue San and fooled many tribes in the snowplain. As a member of the Ji family, he had no choice but to accept the wild women's service in bed. When he came back, he actually brought back two carts of wild women for the sake of the overall situation and Yan-Wild friendship.

Just for this, Marquis Zheng had to go out of the city to greet him.

At this time, the Sword Saint spoke:

"Seizing the throne, seizing the throne, why can't they just be more straightforward?"

Zheng Fan knew what the Sword Saint meant;

Kill the competitors, wouldn't you win?

Why bother with the way of party struggle in the court?

This might be the most habitual way of thinking about solving problems for martial world people.

"It's different, but, there is, definitely there is, it's just, after all, it's the last resort."

Zheng Fan smiled,

and said:

"Don't look at that guy when he's with me, he's not serious and doesn't have any airs, just like a street hooligan, but, deep down, he's actually fiercely ruthless."

"Just like you?"

"..." Zheng Fan.

The Sword Saint raised his hand,

and said:

"You continue."

"About the same, what you think of, he must have thought of it long ago, but when that time really comes, he won't be polite.

Back then, when Ji Laoliu was a constable in Nanan County, he wanted the He family girl, and he figured it out, he wanted to return to the capital.

Guess what?"

"What happened?" The Sword Saint wanted to hear the rest, so he played along.

"The young Seventh Prince fell into the water while flying a kite in the palace, and caught a cold. His Majesty went to visit his young son.

Then, the kite that the Seventh Prince flew that day was exactly the whistle kite that Ji Laoliu had given to this younger brother of his back then."

The Sword Saint nodded when he heard this.

"The Fifth Prince is now busy consolidating the river embankments and repairing the river works, and is on the embankments almost every day. Do you remember, when we came out of Fengxin City this time, before crossing the Wangjiang River, when we passed Yupan City, who was replaced as the garrison general of Yupan City?"

"That Ran Min who killed his wife to seek promotion, I remember," the Sword Saint said.

"Ran Min is from Nanan County, and was originally sent as a death row prisoner. Originally, Ji Laoliu wanted to get him into my Shengle Army, but something went wrong and he didn't make it.

But this person is indeed competitive, and he climbed up on his own again.

I don't believe that Ji Laoliu really forgot this death row prisoner who had drank wine with him in the county government hall, even if he had forgotten it originally, he should have remembered it long ago.

Then,

he became the garrison general of Yupan City, and he has several thousand cavalry under his command.

If there is a need, with a call, going straight up and down along the Wangjiang River, that Fifth Prince on the embankment, hehe."

The Sword Saint nodded again.

"The Fourth Prince leads the army camp. Originally, with the downfall of the Deng family, his mother's family had long since declined, but there were still some people in the Ministry of War willing to help him.

People are very realistic, and these officials are even more realistic. The Deng family has become stinking dog shit because of the first defeat at Wangjiang, and he himself is already standing on the sidelines in the current situation of the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince vying for the throne. How could anyone really care about old feelings and not abandon him?

There are even former Deng family generals who can take the initiative to join him and help him pull together this battalion of soldiers.

He himself doesn't realize it, he is confused by the situation, always feeling that he was once glorious, and that the Deng family was also a towering tree in the past. It is true that when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, but there will always be a few monkeys left who miss the old days.

But what he doesn't know is that the monkeys who are left are not trying to eat peaches, but trying to eat human flesh."

Marquis Zheng opened the precious snuff bottle left by Ji Laoliu in the carriage,

waved it around,

and continued;

"And Wen Yin, whom the Crown Prince used to recruit martial world people earlier, is Ji Laoliu's sleeper agent. Although Wen Yin suddenly died violently for some reason, I don't believe that he would only place one Wen Yin there for his main competitor.

When Ji Laoliu was not yet ten years old, His Majesty once held him and smiled, saying that he was most like himself;

When the Min family was exterminated,

the other princes were still busy pretending to be well-behaved and cute, trying to please their imperial father.

He had already begun to take over the financial resources left by the Min family, with tears in his eyes.

Imagine, when a big kid and a little kid are playing together, that little kid is already using gold and silver to buy off the confidants around the big kid, and even placing his own confidants with them;

Hehehe, hehehe.

Isn't it very interesting?

The Sword Maid is a born sword embryo, but Ji Laoliu doesn't have the talent for martial arts, but his brain is indeed a child prodigy from a young age, or should I say, a born cheapskate?

Also,

do you know why I believe that sentence of his, which is that without His Majesty favoring one side, his brothers are simply not enough for him to fight.

Because,

if we don't consider the variables that the Secretarial Directorate and the Lu family's branch might present,

Ji Laoliu,

completely has the ability, in an instant,

to make those brothers of his,

all kick the bucket."