Chapter 368

Chang'an

Xiao Taijian, clutching a memorial, hurried all the way, turned past a fake mountain, and finally saw the bustling performance stage.

On the stage laid with a crimson carpet, a group of Hu women danced gracefully, barefoot and spinning rapidly, the bells on their bodies chiming 'ding-ding' incessantly, accompanied by the new emperor's cheers.

Xiao Taijian felt a bit dazed, unable to tell what day it was. The scene was very familiar; he had seen it hundreds of times in his life.

Approaching, he could see Bai Li Jing leaning wantonly against the newly arrived Zhaoyi, one hand holding a cup, the other beating time.

Indeed, this was the son most resembling the late emperor.

He knelt down honestly and paid his respects, then resignedly raised the memorial in his hands above his head, awaiting the impending anger.

He didn't want to come, but he had no choice.

"What is it?" Bai Li Jing asked lazily.

"Your Majesty, it is a letter sent by the rebel king of Youzhou, and also a memorial copied and sent by the King of Shangdang Commandery. The Zhongshu Province says… it is a matter."

Originally carefree, Bai Li Jing sat up straight at once upon hearing the two words 'Youzhou'.

"Old Three? What good deed has he done again?"

Xiao Taijian dared not answer, thinking who would dare repeat the words scolding you throughout.

The above was sent by the King of Shangdang Commandery.

Beyond the Luo Pass in Beijiang lies his territory; Xie Yuan's article first spread in Shangdang, and this commandery king, after reading it, immediately laughed heartily, then dutifully copied and sent a copy to Chang'an, fearing Bai Li Jing would be too far away to see it.

Da Wang's masterpiece was sent directly to Chang'an, arriving almost at the same time as the one from Shangdang, so Bai Li Jing received two blows in one day.

Moreover, it was the King of Shangdang Commandery's own handwriting, his words full of sympathy.

He said, "Your Majesty, this article criticizing you is written with considerable skill; once posted in our Shangdang, it caused a great uproar. Although I ordered it torn down upon seeing it, you know such things—covering them up is useless."

I also inquired around; neighboring commanderies and counties have posted it too, and the public reaction has been significant. I hope you prepare yourself mentally! I have specially copied and sent the original text for Your Majesty's perusal.

Bai Li read a few lines and smashed the wine cup and wine pot; the Zhaoyi screamed in fright, he kicked her in the chest with his foot, and the Zhaoyi immediately fainted.

Xiao Taijian took a deep breath, there was still one more, and it was almost his turn……

Indeed, Bai Li Jing picked up the letter Da Wang wrote for him, three full pages of scolding him for being talentless and virtueless; this time, the kick finally fell on Xiao Taijian.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous! Bai Li Jing! How dare he?!"

"Frontline defeat, and I barely came out to relax, yet you dare to present such things?! What is my Zhongshu Province for?!"

Palace maids and eunuchs knelt all over the ground, no one daring to speak up to advise him; this temper is a hundred times more violent than the former emperor's!

"Get out! All get out!"

The Hu women dancers and attending palace attendants retreated swiftly; Xiao Taijian dared not leave, lest he abandon the emperor here, so he continued kneeling honestly, awaiting orders.

After a long while, he heard the emperor's voice squeezed through his teeth: "Bai Li Jing, I will surely kill you sooner or later."

The next day at court, hearing that Hanshou still had no good news, Bai Li Jing flew into a rage again.

Someone in court spoke for the suppressing rebel general Sun Yun, saying the rebel king of Hanshou had good fortune, obtained a fierce general, and was very difficult to deal with, etc.

"Even Hanshou cannot be taken down; let Sun Yun roll back! No, change route to Jiangxia! Don't tell me, he can't even beat my good royal uncle!"

This time, more people spoke in opposition, including the Grand Commander.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider; how can suppressing rebellion be such child's play! If the situation is unfavorable, we can withdraw, but directly changing route to Jiangxia is simply a major taboo in military affairs!"

"Your Majesty must absolutely not do this; it will affect our side's morale, and the rebel king of Jiangxia's strength is not to be underestimated either!"

"I concur! Thus, the rebel king of Hanshou's morale will also rise completely, and he will surely continue to expand outward……"

Bai Li Jing smiled sinisterly, "Who said I abandoned Hanshou? I merely chose another for suppressing the rebellion."

Grand Commander: "Your Majesty's choice is?"

Bai Li Jing: "Wei Tinghou."

Grand Commander: ……

You don't want to live peacefully even for a single day!

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Grand Commander: "If this edict is sent to Changzhou, and Wei Tinghou refuses to send troops, what does Your Majesty plan to do?"

Bai Li Jing: "Then he is defying the edict!"

Grand Commander nearly laughed in anger at him, "Then what? Execute him or recall his military authority? Will the Wei family let go? No! That old minister tells you, then things will become more complicated; if the Wei family breaks surface harmony and directly raises the rebel banner in response to the Youzhou rebel king, how will Chang'an cope?"

Bai Li Jing sneered, "Then he is a treacherous minister and rebel, deserving of death by all!"

This time, members of the Wang family also jumped out to oppose, advising Bai Li Jing not to act rashly, and to not be angry with Wei Tinghou like Bai Li Jing's clueless son.

"Will I fear Wei Tinghou? The southwestern main force is besieged by the Fourth Prince in Dun City, suffering heavy losses; scouts from Changzhou report that Wei Tinghou's only adult grandson also fell there. The Wei family has only a group of old fogeys left; will I fear a toothless tiger?!"

The old Grand Commander was fuming at him, "According to this, will Wei Tinghou not value the Youzhou rebel king more? After all, he is also his own grandson!"

"Then Wei Tinghou should also give up his reputation! On one side, as a meritorious border general of the Jin Dynasty, on the other, defying the imperial edict—where in the world is there such a good thing! Want to be a rebel? I will fulfill him!"

Bai Li Jing, enraged, lost his reason, clearly knowing now is not the time to provoke Da Wang and Wei Tinghou; he needs to first deal with the other rebel kings in the south, not provoke Da Wang.

Without Da Wang blocking him in the north, he would be absolutely in trouble several times worse than now; Chang'an's position would also be untenable, and the Xiongnu would treat the Jin Dynasty as their pasture.

He understood the reasoning, but Old Three was too good at provoking people—he simply couldn't swallow this anger!

The Great King scolded him as if he were berating a servant waiting on him!

You should know that when Emperor Ning De was alive, he had always been the top-ranking brother among them. Now, some insignificant nobody he looks down on has opposed him how many times?!

I can't tolerate it at all!

After court, the Minister of Revenue slowed his steps to wait for the lagging Grand Marshal behind him, "Your Excellency, His Majesty truly pierced that paper of Marquis Wei Ting—this is no good move!" Old Li wore a face of earnest advice.

The Grand Marshal gave him a meaningful glance and sighed, "Didn't I advise you? His Majesty's temper is even more rigid than the late Emperor's. As for you, Minister Li, why didn't you advise just now?" Now he's firing blind shots at him.

"What face do I have as a minor official? Speaking up would surely anger His Majesty even more, sigh!... Your Excellency, what kind of reaction do you think Marquis Wei Ting will have? Will he directly raise the rebel banner?"

The Grand Marshal shook his head, only saying he couldn't guess.

He told the Minister of Revenue as much, but when he returned home and his grandson asked the same question, he instead shook his head in denial.

"The Northern Border King has begun large-scale construction of a major pass at Bei Ding in Shangdang, directly choking the northern throat—I guess he won't go southward.... I mean, these past two years he has had no intention of going south."

"But he can defeat both the Xiongnu and the Xianbei, truly..." Honestly? How could the barren Northern Border compare to the rich and beautiful rivers and mountains of the Central Plains?

That newspaper even said the Western Regions would have to pay tribute to the Northern Border!

"You think war is what? One war could drain the national treasury, let alone the Northern Border that just experienced turmoil.

The failed northern campaign cost the court its armies and finances; the Northern Border is a battlefield—who knows how many civilians have been displaced.

The Northern Border's finances are surely in utter ruin now; if he has a master behind him, he should know now is not the time to go south.

Sigh, the common folk in chaotic times suffer enough—yet the Northern Border King still harbors compassion for all under heaven, which is a good thing.

"Grandfather meant..."

"With the strength of his cavalry, fighting war to sustain war might not be impossible. But... the Northern Border King may not even care for that chair in the Chengzhang Palace. I've heard he gets along well with the Guangling King; looking now, he likely won't be the first to raise his blade against his brothers—he wants to hold reason, to hold righteousness.

"Grandfather seems quite optimistic about the Northern Border King?"

"It's not that Grandfather favors the Northern Border King—I've only met him a few times; it's the Xie clan that chose him." One thing is certain: that Northern Border fellow is definitely stronger than this palace one.

Bai Li Jing's temper grows more violent by the day; at first he still complained that Emperor Ning De left him a mess, but after a long time he's now too lazy to even grumble.

With Bai Li Jing of the Northern Border holding them back, those old fogeys in court again oppose relocating the capital, calling it a waste of people's strength.

Clearly, compared to the rising Northern Border King, these old fogeys in Chang'an fear the Xiongnu and Xianbei more.

Relocating the capital would certainly require massive construction; nowadays the Jin Dynasty's main front is suppressing rebellions, with no spare silver to divert for building a new imperial city. And Bai Li Jing himself? His pockets are empty.

Emperor Ning De's privy purse is now completely empty, leaving him nothing. He does have two suspects, but this matter is highly suspicious, with unclear elements, so to this day we still don't know whose hands that wealth ended up in—regardless, all three look suspicious.

He may be the poorest emperor in Jin Dynasty history; his irritability is only natural.

Even this Great King didn't spare him—the soon reached Chang'an, where someone openly sold newspapers on the street.

The Chief Steward distributed the most copies in Chang'an—five or six hundred scattered about—and Chang'an erupted.

What? The Xiongnu paying reparations to the Northern Border?

What? The Western Regions paying tribute to the Northern Border?

Is the Northern Border King towering above the Jin Dynasty?

Anyone seeing this news would think the Northern Border has already subdued the Xiongnu and Western Regions.

The teahouses and wine shops on Chang'an Street exploded in half a day.

"... The calligraphy is truly excellent—no wonder it's the famed Xie Jiwei under heaven."

"This calligraphy is indeed good, but this Northern Border... thriving day by day?"

"Look at these recruitment notices..."

"How could such sharp articles be allowed to be sold on Chang'an Street?"

"Shh!"

"That's not because those above don't know!"

Bai Li Jing nearly threw the paperweight at the Yin of Jingzhao's head, "Let them hawk this junk freely in the capital?! Is this Chang'an of the Jin Dynasty, or Chang'an of the Northern Border King?!"

The Yin of Jingzhao could only plead guilty, then return to sweep the city and arrest those selling newspapers.

Too bad they were just hawking on the street, with no shop—by now they've sold out and fled.

As it turns out, that shop nominally belonging to Youzhou has long since changed hands.

No recourse, so he began again to search the city for and recall the newspapers sold today...

The Grand Marshal returned to his manor, where his grandson produced the intercepted newspaper as an offering, "I heard the Jingzhao Prefecture is already recycling them—Grandfather, have you seen it? This topic is actually from the Xie Jiwei of the Qingyang Academy."

"I heard Xie Jiwei has been in the Northern Border these years—Grandfather, do you think the Xie clan has already defected to the Northern Border King?"

The Grand Marshal unfolded the newspaper and examined it closely for a long time before saying, "You think it's just his calligraphy? You think who wrote this article?"

"Could it be Xie Yuan?!

Then no need for others—the Wang clan should soon notice and remind His Majesty—wouldn't Chen Commandery then be troublesome? What is Xie Jiwei doing this for?!"

"They surely have arrangements—don't worry about this. With free time, better read that newspaper carefully."

"...... Yes."

All things considered, Bai Li Jing finally went ahead against opposition, issuing a holy edict to pacify Changzhou. There were opposing voices, and there would be supporting ones—like the Minister of Revenue, whom Bai Li Jing knew harbored no goodwill, but he couldn't attend to it.

Bai Li Jing has already ridden to the top of Chang'an, already begun spreading word that the Western Regions will pay tribute to the Northern Border—he isn't the slightest bit unaware of public opinion.

The populace is not lacking those who profit from glory.

After all, these years the Xiongnu and Xianbei have always been formidable foes to the Jin Dynasty; that newspaper said the Xiongnu would go to the Northern Border to discuss reparations, the Western Regions would pay tribute to the Northern Border—Bai Li Jing has already concluded the Great King is just building momentum.

He concluded Bai Li Jing wants to win hearts by stepping on him.

Admiring strength—such a simple truth. This is also one reason the Wang clan stands by, not exerting effort to stop him.

Baili Jin both wrote the newspaper content as a rumor and actively tried to ruin the Wei family's reputation.

As a border-guarding clan for three generations, the Wei family had too good a reputation in the southwest, and Baili Jin couldn't stand it when he thought of it.

And Wei Tinghou, upon receiving the imperial edict, received the envoy, indicated he understood, and then there was no further news.

The eunuch sent to deliver the edict waited three days at the relay station with no movement, so he had to go find the Wei family again; they could not approach the military camp.

After waiting half a day, Wei Tinghou returned. When asked when troops would be dispatched to attack Hanshou, Wei Tinghou said helplessly: "Don't blame the envoy, recently the Burnt Qiang have been active frequently, the Southwest Army suffered heavy losses in the Dun City battle, and even in Changzhou, not moving and eating has become a problem, and we still have to deal with the Qiang people; we truly lack the strength to send troops again to suppress the rebellion in Hanshou."

The envoy flew into a rage: "Is Wei Tinghou planning to defy the edict?!"

Wei Tinghou also stopped pretending to be distressed: "Of course not, without grain and fodder, the large army cannot move. Please, envoy, return and report to Your Majesty; once the Court Affairs' grain and fodder arrive, this marquis will immediately dispatch troops."

Wei Tinghou wore a cold face, and the envoy, also timid on Changzhou territory, shouted loudly while forcing himself to stay strong: "Is Wei Tinghou going to follow the Youzhou Rebel King in rebellion?! This envoy will truthfully report to Your Majesty upon returning!"

Wei Tinghou stretched out his hand, making a gesture of invitation.

Please leave.

The envoy held in his anger and could only leave, knowing that this trip back would certainly not end well for him.

He also dared not provoke Wei Tinghou's wrath, for this was Wei family territory, and Wei Tinghou was heaven here; making this person completely disappear was truly not difficult at all.