Chapter 402: Today He Is First Called Prince

Three days later, the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army departed Wuwei City on its own, advancing eastward to set up camp at Wulan Pass.

From this point on, the various units of the Anxi Expeditionary Army had all returned to their original formations, and were disbanded in Liangzhou.

The rumors spread by certain people at court who memorialized that Fang Chongyong wished to "build up his own power with troops in the Western Regions" collapsed on their own.

To commend Fang Chongyong's achievements in conquering the Western Regions, and also to soothe the resentment within the army, the court specially dispatched a Director from the Ministry of Rites, who traveled together with the eunuch Yu Chao'en from Jige's side, to come to Liangzhou to console the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, and brought along Fang Chongyong's promotion documents.

On this day, outside the narrow gates of Wulan Pass, Yu Chao'en read out the enfeoffment and rewards for Fang Chongyong in the presence of numerous military officers.

The court officially conferred upon Fang Chongyong the title "Prince of Pingxi Commandery," permitted to establish a mansion and yamen in Chang'an. But with no fief and no actual enfeoffment, his food estate was in Ganzhou (number of households undetermined).

Hereditary without replacement for one generation, after which the rank would be reduced by one grade with each successive generation.

In other words, Fang Chongyong could not go to Hexi to be his so-called "Prince of Pingxi Commandery"; he could only collect some taxes from the local government of Ganzhou—not a large amount, better than nothing.

The title of Prince of Pingxi could be passed down to his legitimate son, but starting from the grandson's generation, it would drop one rank with each generation.

Wang Yunxiu was conferred the title of Princess Consort of Pingxi Commandery, and the several women around Fang Chongyong also each received titles. It could be said that having boarded the carriage early, they had secured themselves a proper status.

As for things like Opening a Mansion with the San Equivalent and Auxiliary General of the State at the second rank, they were piled on as if they cost nothing.

Yet what was truly useful remained only that one title of "Commander of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army"!

In other words, the military authority and personnel authority that Fang Chongyong had previously held were almost entirely stripped away, exchanged for a large pile of empty honorary titles with name but no substance.

Since the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army was not part of the court's regular military establishment (it belonged to Jige's private army), rounding things off, Fang Chongyong was essentially a security captain bearing the title of "Chief of the General Staff."

Of course, they could also pile onto him some useless titles like "Vice Chairman of So-and-So Association." But no matter how many were added, no matter how much was piled on.

It could not change the fact that his power and influence had been suppressed below the baseline.

The three essential elements of power are nothing more than authority over personnel appointments and dismissals, control over finances, and authority over decision-making. It seemed the court had not granted a single one of these, keeping the pockets of power shut tight.

This could not help but make the seasoned soldiers around Fang Chongyong indignant.

"Your Highness, the Sage holds you in very high regard! For one so young to be enfeoffed as a prince, this slave can see that aside from members of the imperial clan, Your Highness is the only one."

Yu Chao'en smilingly handed the imperial edict in his hands to Fang Chongyong and spoke, his tone full of envy.

"Inner Minister Yu, do you choose to return to Chang'an first to report to the Sage, or will you return to Chang'an together with this Prince?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile, not showing the slightest sign of anger.

However, Yu Chao'en was no ignorant fool; the moment he heard these words, he knew that Fang Chongyong was bottling up fire inside and wanted to drag him into it.

In fact, when it came to political matters, eunuchs were not only not stupid, they could be considered "possessing learning enough to fill five carts."

In the early Kaiyuan years, Jige had launched a "eunuch literacy campaign."

It involved setting up training classes within the palace, selecting those who could read and write to undergo study. Before this, the quality of eunuchs in the palace had been wildly uneven; many were slaves of border-region Hu people, castrated and sent to the palace to do menial chores.

As a renowned "man of culture," how could Jige tolerate illiterate eunuchs wandering back and forth before his eyes?

Breathing the same air as these people in the same palace hall would make Jige feel uncomfortable!

So he spent a great deal of effort and wealth, training a large number of eunuchs who could read and write, and who even possessed considerable cultural literacy, to help him manage various affairs.

Yu Chao'en was among the outstanding ones.

So he was very clear that Fang Chongyong had in fact been stripped of the vast majority of his authority, in exchange for a princely title of "Prince of Pingxi" that could neither be eaten nor drunk.

Any clear-headed, normal person could not possibly be satisfied with this.

And for Fang Chongyong to have achieved great merit in the Western Regions, he was clearly no simple figure. The court's twists and turns appeared like a bouquet of flowers, but the malice within could not be hidden from Fang Chongyong.

This made Yu Chao'en feel somewhat ill at ease, even a bit creeped out.

"Your Highness, this slave still needs to return to deliver messages to the Sage. Your Highness need only bring the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army back to Xingqing Palace to return to formation."

Yu Chao'en smiled with a somewhat stiff expression and spoke politely. In fact, regardless of anything else, to avoid suspicion, he could not return to Chang'an together with Fang Chongyong.

Because he was not like Bian Lingcheng, a eunuch dispatched to the border regions as an army supervisor, who could return to Chang'an together with the border generals. If Yu Chao'en were in contact with Fang Chongyong for too long, there would be suspicion of inner court eunuchs colluding with a general.

To be suspected by Jige meant losing one's head!

"Inner Minister Yu, please take care on your way."

Fang Chongyong walked over without changing expression and slipped a small pouch of gold beans from inside his sleeve into Yu Chao'en's hand.

"The Sage originally wanted Your Highness to be Grand General of the Gate Guard, responsible for inspecting the various sentry posts within the Imperial City. But the Policy Hall did not agree. The Southern Command Palace Guards are directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. And the Ministry of War follows the orders of the Policy Hall.

The intricacies involved, Your Highness should understand."

Yu Chao'en finished speaking at an extremely rapid pace, then took his leave as if nothing had happened.

Fang Chongyong frowned slightly and could not help sighing silently.

Chang'an, ah, Chang'an—truly bottomless, impossible to tell friend from foe!

The Northern Command Palace Guards, which were now the Divine Strategy Army, were Jige's personal armed force; the court had no authority to interfere with their troop strength or personnel appointments.

The Gate Guard, however, belonged to the Southern Command Palace Guards, responsible for guarding the various sentry posts and strongpoints of the Imperial City, for registering personnel going in and out and providing basic security, and was also administered by the court.

Their relationship with the Jinwu Guard was actually somewhat like that between "fixed sentries" and "roving patrols."

However, Jige did not live in the Imperial City! Whether the Imperial City was safe or not, what did that have to do with Jige?

Jige lived in Xingqing Palace, while the officials of the court's central administration all worked in the Imperial City. In reality, the Gate Guard was more like the officials' security force, not Jige's security force.

Jige clearly knew that Fang Chongyong did not get along with the Zhang clan's people, yet still wanted Fang Chongyong to stick his foot in there. And the Zhang clan, as descendants of the renowned Kaiyuan-era Chancellor Zhang Shuo, had deep roots and an enormous network of connections in the court.

One could only say that Jige was truly a dog, treating everyone as a tool to be used.

Fang Chongyong grumbled about Jige in his heart, then returned inside Wulan Pass, coming to an inconspicuous small stone hut within the pass.

With a face full of helplessness, he looked at Jiang Wuyan, who was gnawing on a hu flatbread, not knowing how to deal with this "relentless" assassin.

She could even be picked back up while "inspecting" a female slave transaction—truly like a fly that couldn't be swatted away.

"Finish your flatbread and get going. Stop following me around for free food and drink.

West of Wulan Pass is no longer Liangzhou territory; this area falls under the jurisdiction of Lanzhou, and the court's control here is tight.

Whether it's the An clan's people or Li Guangbi, their subordinates won't pursue anyone this far."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand impatiently, plopped down onto the stone bench, feeling an urge to vent to someone, yet not knowing who to talk to.

Fuck the Prince of Pingxi—which ball-less bastard came up with this title?

If Jiang Wuyan weren't here, Fang Chongyong would have wanted to curse outright!

Jiang Wuyan, now dressed in coarse hemp cloth, wiped her mouth with her sleeve without any regard for appearances and asked, "You seem very agitated. Did someone offend you? You saved me twice, so I'll kill two people for you and call it repayment."

"You don't know a damn thing. All day long it's nothing but killing and fighting with you. Listen to me — wash your hands of this business, find an honest man, and live a quiet life.

Those who are good at swimming drown in water; killers and assassins will sooner or later die beneath the blade."

Fang Chongyong kneaded his temples, too lazy to explain to Jiang Wuyan — a fellow whose head was full of nothing but killing, killing, killing — what it meant to defeat the enemy by strategy!

Even if he explained it, she wouldn't understand.

After a long silence, Jiang Wuyan spoke: "That person was a Daoist priest, his dharma name Jingtian."

She suddenly said something completely out of the blue.

"What?"

Fang Chongyong, whose mind had just been full of complaints and curses, was bewildered.

"I don't say good things twice."

Jiang Wuyan turned her head away in anger and didn't look at Fang Chongyong again.

"Are you saying… the one who hired you to kill is a Daoist priest whose dharma name is Jingtian?"

Fang Chongyong snapped to alertness, grabbed Jiang Wuyan by the shoulders, and asked with a solemn expression.

"At least you're not stupid to the bone. That's all I know. Even that name might be fake, so don't pin too much hope on it.

But that person did have a certain, hmm, how should I put it, a kind of lofty, superior air — quite different from you."

Jiang Wuyan swatted away Fang Chongyong's claw resting on her shoulder as if swatting a fly, and said thoughtfully.

As if remembering something, she casually picked up a branch from the stove area and, with a few quick strokes on the ground, drew an extremely vivid yet concise sketch of a face.

"I remember he looked like this. There was a very large mole on the right side of his chin, and between his brows he looked a bit stern.

When he spoke, he carried that contempt of looking down on everything and everyone — of course he wouldn't think much of someone like me.

To put it bluntly, if I tried to serve him in bed, that Daoist priest would probably think me too dirty."

Jiang Wuyan had the intention of repaying her debt, so she spilled everything she knew in one breath.

"Fuck! It's him!"

Fang Chongyong's face showed great shock. At a single glance he recognized from Jiang Wuyan's "soul portrait" that this person was Wei Jian, whose appearance was highly distinctive!

That mole in particular was absolutely the genuine article!

"You know this person?"

Jiang Wuyan asked curiously. To guess who the mastermind was from this little clue alone — Fang Chongyong was truly no simple fellow!

"Of course I know him. He is Wei Jian, the one involved in Prince of Zhong Li Heng's rebellion case back then!

I understand now. It must have been Wei Jian who hired you to kill Li Linfu! If Wei Jian is the mastermind behind this, then it's no surprise he wants Li Linfu dead!"

Fang Chongyong said with some excitement.

Jiang Wuyan rolled her eyes and sighed, "Assassinating the Right Chancellor is far too conspicuous. I hadn't intended to say anything, but you really did guess right. Only, why would you know about this matter?"

"Since you're already involved this deeply, there's no harm in telling you.

Back in Chang'an there was a coup. Wei Jian was the one Li Heng sent out to lobby Li Linfu, hoping Li Linfu would stand on his side.

But Li Linfu refused. It's hard to say whether that was one of the key reasons the coup failed, but at the very least Wei Jian felt Li Linfu was guilty.

Li Linfu and Wei Jian were relatives, yet Li Linfu refused to take a side at the critical moment, resulting in Wei Jian's entire family being exiled. It's impossible for him not to hate Li Linfu!"

"That explains it, then."

Jiang Wuyan nodded thoughtfully. If that Daoist priest was Wei Jian, then with the Jingzhao Wei clan's network of connections, arranging a meticulously prepared assassination would be as easy as flipping one's hand.

But after thinking it over, she felt a bit deflated.

She had thought herself to be an indestructible "Fish Intestine Sword," yet that final crucial step didn't matter at all. The one who set up the scheme had everything under control; the assassination was merely the most peripheral link.

Deep within the scheme, anyone at all could have finished off Li Linfu. Even if Wei Jian found a frail prostitute with no strength to truss a chicken, how much strength would a drunken Li Linfu have left after fooling around with her in bed?

A mere servant could have handled it. Jiang Wuyan was not indispensable — it was just that she served the dual role of bait and killer, making the killing more efficient.

It wasn't that they couldn't do it without her.

Without Wei Jian's layout, even if ten Jiang Wuyans struck together, killing Li Linfu would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Alright, you've repaid your debt. This information is far too useful — more than enough to repay the debt of saving my life.

In the future, if Wei Jian or anyone else tries to deal with you, just come to my estate. I'll cover you."

Fang Chongyong laughed heartily, clearly in excellent spirits. After learning who the true mastermind was, he had invisibly gained a few more cards to play.

This added a few more degrees of certainty to the uncertainties he would have to face.

"Uh, how about you lend me a thousand bolts of silk first… or five hundred would do too. The village needs to pay rent in autumn, and the situation in Hebei… the Jiedushi surely understands."

Jiang Wuyan sighed and said, lowering her head, somewhat embarrassed.

She wasn't afraid of being harassed by men — she'd seen plenty of such scenes, and her face wouldn't flush nor her heart race.

But she feared owing favors.

Borrowing money was truly not a good feeling; it always made her feel a head shorter than others.

Owing a favor today, for an assassin, might mean repaying it with her life in the future!

"Do you intend to repay this money?"

Fang Chongyong asked.

"Of course I'll repay it. I can pay it back after taking one job."

Jiang Wuyan said with absolute certainty.

Though she had a fiery figure, she had a face that looked slightly immature — which was also one of the reasons she could repeatedly use her beauty to kill.

"Then be careful. Right now, probably a lot of people are looking for you."

Fang Chongyong took out a cloth bundle from his robe, counted out twenty hundred-bolt Hexi jiaozi notes from it, and handed them to Jiang Wuyan.

Two thousand bolts of silk in one breath!

"If I come to you to kill someone in the future, is there a discount?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a look of amusement.

Jiang Wuyan surprisingly did not catch that this was a joke, but instead thought for a moment, then answered very earnestly:

"A discount won't do, at most it's buy one get one free. Earning money is to support the people in the city-side tribes. I kill people so my kin won't have to go to the border army and risk nine deaths for one life."

Jiang Wuyan answered with some helplessness.

Fang Chongyong detected something unusual in her words and asked in confusion, "In the city-side tribes, isn't joining the army a way out?"

"Circumstances differ from place to place; it can't be generalized. The city-side soldiers always do the most dangerous work. Without a backer, you die the fastest — far more dangerous than me killing with beauty."

Jiang Wuyan seemed unwilling to say too much about Hebei. The situation there was very complicated, and it was no paradise for the Hu people either.

Between Hu people and Hu people, their origins differed and the paths they chose differed too. The differences between them were often far greater than the differences between Hu people and Han people.

"If you can't get by in the future, bring your people and join me."

Fang Chongyong handed the Tang saber that Jiang Wuyan had left in his hands back to her, speaking earnestly.

"Jiedushi, you truly don't conform to convention. Others can't avoid us fast enough when they see us, but you — you really are willing to spend the capital. Two thousand bolts of silk, tossed into the water just like that."

Jiang Wuyan said with a smile, taking the Tang saber and tucking it into her tall boots to hide it.

"Wealth is but worldly possessions. All I want is talent — talent that serves me, regardless of their background."

Fang Chongyong said solemnly.

"I understand."

Jiang Wuyan took a deep breath and respectfully cupped her fists in a bow to Fang Chongyong.

"Then please take care, Jiedushi."

"Uh, I was just enfeoffed as Prince of Pingxi Commandery by the court. You can call me Your Highness from now on."

"After all, I'm no longer a Jiedushi now."

Fang Chongyong said somewhat awkwardly, thoroughly sickened by the three characters 'Prince of Pingxi.'

"Commandery Prince?"

This time Jiang Wuyan was genuinely startled by Fang Chongyong.

"Jiedushi... Your Highness, the speed of your promotion is a bit frightening."

"Enfeoffed as a Commandery Prince after just a few days — in a few years, won't you become the Son of Heaven?"

Upon hearing that Fang Chongyong had been enfeoffed as Prince of Pingxi, Jiang Wuyan's interest was clearly much higher than before, and her banter increased as well.

"Leave Wulan Pass quietly on your own tonight. I won't see you off."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand, not wanting to bring up the matter of being sickened by the court again, and turned to leave the stone house.

(End of this chapter)