Chapter 1 The Gathering Dust

A faint haze of dust rose as Marquis Zheng, clad in a black python robe, sat astride his pixiu, gazing at the approaching procession.

Within the approaching ranks, Xu Wenzu rode a horse, its panting noticeably heavier than its companions, the white vapor it exhaled flecked with foam, a clear sign of its struggle.

On Zheng Fan's side, perhaps it was because he had finally attained a high position. People, ah, couldn't help but ruminate about the past from time to time. He recalled the first time he had seen Xu Wenzu, on the streets of Tiger Head City, when he and the Blind Man were still debating the fundamental nature of the world.

Then, Xu Wenzu, riding his pixiu, had shattered the peaceful existence that had lasted for half a year for himself and the devils.

Perhaps destiny truly existed in the shadows. These past few years had been filled with campaigns against Qian, punitive expeditions against Jin, the pursuit of the Wilds, and the conquest of Chu…

But to say, if he hadn't seen Xu, the chubby man, riding his pixiu passing by that day, perhaps when the devils asked him that evening whether he wanted to be a wealthy man or stir up trouble, Zheng Fan might really have chosen the former.

A plump butterfly had flapped its wings, influencing the entire situation in the East.

"Hahaha, Zheng, my old brother, I've missed you to death!"

Xu Wenzu dismounted, stumbling backward several steps upon landing. Perhaps he was too excited, or perhaps he wanted to deliberately show off his "vigorous shaking," or perhaps after years of separation, he was now facing someone in a python robe, and felt a little nervous;

In any case, Xu, the chubby man, tumbled and fell on his rear.

"Hahahaha."

Marquis Zheng laughed heartily, not bothering to restrain himself, and dismounted from his pixiu, walking over proactively.

Xu Wenzu's personal guards wanted to help him up, but Xu Wenzu brushed them away.

Zheng Fan naturally stepped forward, one hand gripping Xu Wenzu's shoulder and the other his hand, channeling a bit of qi and exerting force to pull Xu Wenzu to his feet.

Afterward, Zheng Fan helped him brush the dust off his back and buttocks, everything so natural.

"Tsk, tsk…" Xu Wenzu clicked his tongue.

Zheng Fan smiled and said, "Moved?"

"Damn you, you're better at acting than your big brother, hahaha."

Zheng Fan shook his head, stepped back half a pace, and looked at Xu Wenzu's face.

Time seemed to have left no mark on him. In the past, the term "ageless" was used to describe women who were naturally beautiful and remained youthful even in old age.

But now, Zheng Fan felt that this term was truly fitting for describing fat people.

Plump and white the year before, plump and white last year, and still plump and white today.

However, the current era did not consider fatness unhealthy; men considered it a form of beauty. A body full of blubber walking down the street had a similar effect as a luxury car or watch in later generations.

"It's still a day's journey to Yingdu," Xu Wenzu said.

"Picking you up in Yingdu would be too dismissive; I had to come out to welcome you."

"Hahaha, that's right, that's right."

"I've set up a camp ahead to calm your nerves, old brother."

"Yes, it should be so, it should be so."

The camp was not large, as it was not intended for military campaigns. Besides, the outer ring of personal guards and the cavalry he had brought from Fengxin City were enough to ensure his safety.

Even if the Xu family stronghold was "rebelled against," if another "Ding family stronghold" or "Li family stronghold" rebelled, with several Jin army troops deployed, Marquis Zheng would not hesitate to leave the camp and attack, such was his confidence.

Inside the tent, Xu Wenzu sat down first.

The relaxed expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a sigh:

"Zheng, my old brother, the Jin territory is much more unstable than I imagined."

"How is the Jin West?" Zheng Fan asked.

"It's much more stable than this Jin East," Xu Wenzu replied.

Zheng Fan nodded. "That's because the imperial court nearly exterminated the Helian and Wen families back then. Even if there are a few survivors, they won't be able to cause any major trouble."

The conversation instantly entered a serious state, without much preamble between the two.

"But the Prince Cheng's Mansion area is difficult to deal with; so many eyes are watching," Xu Wenzu licked his lips. "Right now, it's still a standard-issue orphaned widow."

"Didn't the Qian Dynasty's Grand Ancestor also seize the foundation by bullying an orphaned widow? Didn't the Qian Dynasty's Emperor Taizong also kill and cripple so many generations of my brothers?

If the Jin people, if that Prince's Mansion, are willing to live quietly, then we'll let them live in peace. If they insist on causing trouble, then we'll have to strike them down hard and wake them up."

Xu Wenzu nodded. "That's right. Actually, before I came, I thought about it. The situation in Yingdu is nothing more than two possibilities.

First, to ensure the logistics of your Pingxi Marquisate, and let you, old brother, help me solve all the military affairs on all sides;

Second, to completely incorporate Yingdu into the rule of our Great Yan. Some people who are nostalgic for their former country and just complain while drinking are fine. Those who not only think about it but also plan to do something about it will naturally have their claws cut off mercilessly."

At this point, Xu Wenzu looked up specifically at Zheng Fan and said,

"But this second point could easily screw up the situation."

Zheng Fan smiled and said,

"Within a few years, only I will be raiding the snowy plains, and the Chu people will not be able to launch a northern expedition at all. It would be a pity not to take this opportunity to properly deal with the Jin people.

Besides, with the banquet poisoning incident in the past and the Fifth Prince's assassination attempt now, you, the new prefect, can be said to have had the excuse for action delivered to your desk before you even took office. Other new officials have to search far and wide for their three fires."

"This time?" Xu Wenzu narrowed his eyes.

The topic finally turned to the recent assassination attempt on Xu Wenzu himself.

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "To defend the Jin territory, we must rely on the Jin army. To be honest, someone is still behind this, but unless absolutely necessary, we should not launch a large-scale purge of the Jin army.

How about this?

I'm already out here anyway; I'll run around to the various Jin army camps in Yingdu again for you, old brother, to warm up the field for you. Then, it will be much easier for you to seize military power from whomever you want, demote whomever you want, or arrange for whomever you want to be promoted."

The prefect himself held both military and local governance power, especially in newly conquered Jin territory like Yingdu, where the prefect's authority was even greater.

"You, old brother, are a marquis, and your fiefdom is not here. I know you're doing this for my own good, and I'm happy that you're doing this, and I'm even clearer that if you take this trip, I will be able to better control the military power in Yingdu.

But, if this gets out, it might cause controversy."

The censors might impeach you. Your marquisate is in Fengxin City; are you still not satisfied and want to take over the Jin army in Yingdu as well?

Zheng Fan shook his head freely and said, "As long as it benefits Great Yan, I, Zheng Fan, will do it. *******."

"Alas, old brother, you haven't changed; you're still that Zheng Fan, still my old brother Zheng!"

In fact, from Xu Wenzu's fall at the beginning to Xu Wenzu's expression of his concerns, it was all a test.

A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes. Now, the identities of the two had been reversed. Although Xu Wenzu verbally called him "Zheng, old brother" very diligently, in reality, he was not sure whether the friendship between the two was still there and whether it was still useful.

People, after all, do change.

Zheng Fan was giving him a reassurance.

After all, as a former subordinate, Xu Wenzu was still a target that Zheng Fan and the Blind Man often needed to plan against for a while, so Zheng Fan understood Xu Wenzu very well.

This was a fat man with great ambitions. He would not be satisfied with simply following the existing rules; he would inevitably want to create his own achievements.

Moreover, this person's bones were filled with Great Yan chauvinism.

In the past, he was loyal to the Marquis of Zhenbei. Now, the Marquis of Zhenbei's attitude was very clear, so Xu Wenzu had long ago turned his lifelong pursuit into supporting Great Yan and conquering the world.

From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on the Jin people.

Zheng Fan's previous suggestions were not deliberately stirring up trouble because Xu Wenzu would inevitably do it and would inevitably take ruthless actions.

Perhaps the imperial court's choice to let Xu Wenzu replace Mao Mingcai was to further control Yingdu.

Mao Mingcai's policy of unity had played a major role in the Eastern Expedition and the subsequent campaign against Chu. Now that the war was over, it was time to clean up internally.

The two sides met, started with reminiscing about old times, and quickly reached a consensus.

That was, Xu Wenzu, you can stir things up as much as you want, clean things up as much as you want. Once something goes wrong, the Pingxi Marquisate will be responsible for resolving it.

The beginning of a new official's term was the most suitable time to strike hard because any problems that occurred at that time could be blamed on the predecessor. It could be said that the predecessor had dug the pit, and he was filling it in or bursting the boil.

Anyway, as long as it did not cause a large-scale mutiny or uprising, the imperial court would turn a blind eye.

And the guarantee of the former came from military power, that is, the support of the Pingxi Marquisate.

"Phew... I'm tired."

After the serious business was over, Xu Wenzu's expression finally relaxed.

He was not afraid of having too many things to do; he was just afraid of not being able to handle things smoothly. Now, he had a kind of eagerness to fly to Yingdu as soon as possible to start his work.

"Hehe, I've prepared a hot pot at my place."

"Haha, good, good. The dishes at your place are exquisite and delicious; I've been craving them for a long time, but..."

Xu Wenzu hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Zheng, old brother."

"If there's anything, old brother, just say it. After all, we've been through life and death together. Although you were my superior in the past, and now my title is higher than yours, I, Zheng Fan, am not an ungrateful person. I've always remembered the kindness you showed me back then when you promoted me."

"The imperial court has already released the news that two princes will be entering the capital in the second half of the year."

"Yes, I may have to go too," Zheng Fan smiled. "Probably to determine the foundation of the country."

Xu Wenzu lowered his voice, his eyes slightly narrowed, but because of the excess fat on his face, they formed two slits.

"Old brother, is it just to determine the foundation of the country?"

Zheng Fan looked at Xu Wenzu.

Xu Wenzu bit his lip and continued, "There's also military power."

………

As night fell, Gou Moli walked to He Chunlai's side. He saw He Chunlai sitting there, drinking alone.

"What's wrong? It's your first time betraying your own people; are you feeling uncomfortable?"

He Chunlai shook his head and said,

"I told Mr. Liu Hui that I'm from the Marquisate and that I'm now working for Marquis Pingxi."

"Oh?" Gou Moli was a little surprised.

"Mr. Liu Hui told me that this was a good thing. He was also teaching in the Prince's Mansion to make a living; he always had to make a living."

"Hehe, the old gentleman is quite insightful."

"Mr. Liu Hui said that he had already accepted the Yan people's rule, but in the battle against Chu, the Yan people breached the dikes to use the navy. He couldn't stand this, and he was depressed and had anger in his chest.

The gentleman thanked me and said that I gave him a chance to carry a coffin and scold the new prefect."

"Free and unrestrained."

"The gentleman doesn't agree with raising troops again. He believes that some people in the Jin territory who want to stir up trouble will ultimately fail. In the past, there may have been a chance, but after the Pingxi Marquisate was established, there was no chance at all.

Continuing to stir up trouble will only cause more suffering and make the Yan people continue to treat our Jin people like grass, which is not worth the loss.

The gentleman said, since we are all people of the Xia, eight hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Jin people and the ancestors of the Yan people were officials in the same dynasty, worshiping the same emperor; we were originally one family, divided into two, and then merged back together, there's nothing big about it."

"Hehehe." Gou Moli laughed. "This is what I'm most uncomfortable with about you Xia people. You Xia people have already beaten each other's brains out, but you can still put down your swords and say that you were originally one family.

What about us Wildlings? We were actually defeated hundreds of years ago, but look, look, the Jin people, the Chu people, and the Yan people still regard us Wildlings as heretics."

"It will be better," He Chunlai comforted. "I think, in the Marquis's eyes, there doesn't seem to be any distinction between Yan, Jin, or even Wildlings."

Gou Moli yawned and directly ended the topic.

He said, "What else did the old man say? What about his family? Didn't he ask you to protect them?"

"The gentleman has no children. He didn't remarry after his wife passed away."

"Not bad, he left freely. Before he left, he scolded the new prefect again; it's worth it."

He Chunlai hesitated and said, "I think that although the new prefect is fat, he must be an extraordinary person if he can talk and laugh with the Marquis."

"In this world, anyone who can become fat and not be swallowed by others is not an easy person to deal with."

"I'm worried that there will be another storm of blood and carnage in Yingdu next."

"That old gentleman isn't worried. He scolded to his heart's content. Why are you worrying about this? Since the old gentleman dared to scold, how could he not know what this meant? This is directly offending the new prefect before he even takes office, adding a bellyful of anger to him."

"Then..."

Gou Moli patted He Chunlai's shoulder and said, "The storm of blood and carnage will only kill the powerful and the wealthy; what does it have to do with the common people? I even think that the reason why the old gentleman agreed to you and cooperated with you so readily is that he has long been displeased with the officials and the powerful in Yingdu and wishes that these traitorous officials would suffer even more ruin."

He Chunlai exhaled a long breath and said, "I feel much better after hearing what you said."

"Right? Sometimes you have to make up some lies to deceive yourself so that life can be easier, hehe."

He Chunlai nodded, relieved, but then seemed to think of something and asked, "The Marquis's intention seems to be not to return to Yingdu for the time being?"

"Yes, he'll be staying out for two days."

"Staying out?"

"Because it's not convenient to go back now, temporarily."

……

The new prefect of Yingdu, Xu Wenzu, has arrived to take office.

The procession entered through the West City Gate of Yingdu. On the streets of Yingdu's former Heavenly Street, now Upper Official Street, wine and food for the welcoming ceremony had already been prepared.

The civil and military officials of Yingdu were all waiting.

Mao Mingcai even put on his official robes and stood there, supported by someone.

After Xu Wenzu entered, there was a series of ceremonies. On both sides, the common people gathered to watch the spectacle.

When he saw Mao Mingcai standing there being supported, Xu Wenzu immediately dismounted and ran forward, personally supporting Mao Mingcai.

"It's cold, and you're ill; you shouldn't have come. Even if you came, you should have taken a sedan chair."

Mao Mingcai smiled and said, "The civil officials of my Great Yan don't take sedan chairs; they'll be laughed at."

Then, Mao Mingcai grabbed Xu Wenzu's hand and continued, "My work here is considered complete. I don't ask for merit, but I ask for no mistakes. At least I've maintained the situation for these two years. Now that the war is over, it's up to you. I've already cleaned up the Prefect's Mansion. I'll be staying at the post station tonight, and I've thought of everything in advance for you regarding the procedures and handover. I want to return to the capital; I miss His Majesty."

Expressing his feelings in public was actually the most sincere form of political confession.

Of course, neither Mao Mingcai nor Xu Wenzu were rookies in the officialdom. As old crocodiles in the officialdom, they were actually skilled at reaching some mutually beneficial deals in public.

For example, Mao Mingcai's free and unrestrained departure, without any reluctance, would be exchanged for Xu Wenzu's quick takeover. Secondly, Mao Mingcai's remaining confidants and original staff would directly become Xu Wenzu's confidants and staff.

This was also a way to explain to those who had followed him in the past. The opportunity has been given to you; whether you can hold on to the new thigh depends on your own abilities.

Xu Wenzu also showed his approval of this plan with his attitude.

Because Xu Wenzu would be very busy next.

His broadsword was already hungry and thirsty!

He didn't have time or want to slowly plot and play another game of inserting confidants and power struggles.

Time waits for no one; he wanted to chop people!

Supporting Mao Mingcai's hand, he turned around.

The civil and military officials of Yingdu came forward to pay their respects.

The leader was none other than Prince Cheng, Situ Yu.

As a prince, he stood at the front, preparing to perform a half-bow to Xu Wenzu.

Xu Wenzu immediately handed Mao Mingcai to his subordinates, quickly stepped forward, and supported Situ Yu, shouting, "Your Highness, Your Highness, this is not allowed, this is not allowed. It should be this official asking about Your Highness's well-being. How can this official let Your Highness bow to this official?"

A warm current immediately surged in Situ Yu's heart.

He knew his own family's affairs. The sky in Yingdu had long ceased to be the Situ family's, but the Yan people's.

But if he could receive enough respect, it would already be a rare courtesy and satisfaction for a teenage boy.

It seemed that this new prefect was a good person and very knowledgeable about etiquette.

"This Prince..."

Situ Yu was about to say some polite words, but was interrupted directly by Xu Wenzu.

Xu Wenzu grabbed Situ Yu's hand, but leaned his body back and asked the civil and military officials behind him, "This official has heard that there were assassins in Yingdu recently, and many people died. The Fifth Prince was also assassinated?"

Situ Yu was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded and said, "That's right. The Fifth Prince is still..."

Xu Wenzu interrupted Situ Yu's words again, shouting even louder, "This official has also heard that Marquis Pingxi is on Stone Mountain, in order to protect His Highness's precious body safely, so he ordered you to protect His Highness well. If His Highness leaves the mansion, then all the guards on the official roster of the Prince's Mansion are guilty of dereliction of duty?"

"This..." Situ Yu's face began to turn pale.

At this time, Mao Mingcai, who had already sensed something, immediately turned his gaze to his trusted and beloved general, Ran Min.

And Ran Min, even without Mao Mingcai's gaze as a reminder, after Xu Wenzu had just finished asking, immediately stepped forward to salute and answer, "Answering your Excellency, that is correct!"

Xu Wenzu turned to look at Ran Min and asked, "You are?"

"Answering your Excellency, this humble officer is Ran Min, the Captain of the Yingdu City Patrol Division, from Tiancheng Commandery."

Saying that he was from a certain place was to tell Xu Wenzu that he was a Yan person, that he was... one of their own.

Xu Wenzu nodded, reached out and patted Situ Yu's slightly cold back of the hand, and said in a gentle voice, "Your Highness, rest assured, with this official here, I will definitely guarantee your safety."

"Many, many thanks, Your Ex..."

Again, without waiting for the Prince to finish speaking, Xu Wenzu turned around and shouted, "Captain of the City Patrol Division, listen to my orders!"

"This humble officer is here!"

"The guards of the Prince's Mansion, dereliction of duty, disregarding the safety of His Highness, are truly unforgivable. This official, by the authority granted by the Son of Heaven to this prefect, orders you to immediately arrest all the guards on the official roster of the Prince's Mansion."

Ran Min immediately knelt on one knee: "This humble officer obeys!"

But Ran Min did not rush to get up, but said again, "Your Excellency may not know, but many thieves have been caught in and outside Yingdu City recently, and the prison is already full."

Xu Wenzu smiled and said, "Since that is the case, then there is no need to put them in prison. Just... kill them all."