Chapter 635: Not a Single Coin Spent

Xie Yuan and Xue Lin'an got the news up ahead, saying the Emperor received the Wusun envoy and the Prince of Hengshan at Lantai Hall, and they hurriedly rose and went to Lantai Hall.

Who knew that when the two arrived in a hurry at Lantai Hall, the hall's entrance now had several fully armored guards, something that had never been before.

The two old colleagues exchanged a glance and sensed a different atmosphere.

Lantai Hall is a refined place for reading and writing; its entrance never had stone lions but two elegant bronze cranes. Now, as Xie Yuan and Xue Lin'an entered, they saw that besides the pair of bronze cranes at the left and right of the main gate, there were two additional gatekeepers.

The King's favored beasts, a bear and a lion-dog, crouched one on each side of the door; most oddly, each had half an ear of corn on its forehead…

Those two critters weren't idle at the door; you glare at me, I bare my teeth at you—silent communication in full swing.

Xie Yuan and Xue Lin'an were completely baffled—what's going on? Are these mascots or deterrents? Could this be some new show of force?

After the two hurried into the hall, they found that both groups of people had already been swiftly dismissed by the King.

After the greetings, Xie Yuan went straight to the point: "…I heard the Emperor received the Prince of Hengshan and the Wusun envoy group?"

The King was a bit hungry, just stuffed a piece of candy into his mouth, and upon hearing this gave an inscrutable nod. Xue Lin'an saw that only the King and the Wei Second Prince remained in the hall, and hurriedly asked, "Where are they?" The King hated to spit out his candy, stammering, "I sent them away…"

His attitude left the two feeling ever more puzzled; the gate guards still stood fully armored, holding their sword hilts—could they have angered him enough to be thrown straight into the lake? They hadn't seen anyone like that on their way here either. They observed carefully, but saw no sign of the King's anger.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Hengshan rushed into the city—what business does he have?"

"The Wusun envoy group didn't make any excessive demands, did they?"

The King swallowed a sip of the sweet drink he'd just tasted, "Nope～ I've taken care of everything."

The two senior officials grew even more frantic upon hearing this—how could it already be settled? It's too fast!

The King gestured to Zhao Bao beside him to explain the two groups' requests to the two officials; upon hearing, they wondered, "Such a big matter settled in just this bit of effort?" They looked at the King with eager faces.

"Zen… Your Majesty! Using the silver earned from selling Wusun weapons, I bought a grand residence and granted it to the Prince of Hengshan, spending not a single coin myself～"

Xie Yuan: "……Who asked you that!"

Xue Lin'an: "……I don't even want to know how the Prince of Hengshan's residence came about, thanks."

After reading the secret letter Zhao Bao delivered, Xie Yuan said, "The rebellious King of Hanshou's wolfish ambitions can no longer be contained; surely he's stirring up more than just Hengshan. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

While the King was happily crunching candy at the opportunity: "…ah?"

He hurriedly, thinking he was being discreet, swallowed the candy, and Xie Yuan wordlessly turned his gaze back to the letter.

"I mean, this is a good thing! This way I can openly station troops in Hengshan, and then I can use it as an excuse to garrison and take over the neighboring petty states around Little Chu, possibly even peacefully removing the fiefdoms!"

Xie Yuan pondered; the little fox's words made perfect sense, and this handling was fine. He shifted the topic: "This is a major matter; we need to discuss it thoroughly. Will we be able to see Your Majesty at tomorrow's morning court?"

The King immediately spoke up solemnly: "Huh? No way! Our first court session in Youzhou can't just be casually opened like that—it's too meaningful! Let's prepare a few more days. Chengguang Hall is under renovation and unusable this year, so we'll likely hold the court in Mingguang Hall—no rush. Besides, the Noble Consort misses me terribly; I have to keep her company, and filial duty is important too, right, sir?"

Xue Lin'an almost laughed; after being here so long, mentioning court finally made the King say more than a single word, and his speech suddenly became dense. He glanced at Xie Yuan with a smile and asked, "Then what does Your Majesty think, sir?"

Xie Yuan: "……"

"I take my leave; I'll go ask Grand Tutor Xu what he thinks."

The King: "……"

Although this student is a bit 'in demand', achieving the goal is enough. Just as the King was about to smile, Xie Yuan turned and said, "Since the Emperor won't hold court these two days, when you have a free moment, copy out those missing characters you owe. Don't worry about Xie Tu—his father is ill, so these days after his shift he'll go to the Imperial Academy to attend to his father's illness."

The King wrung his hands: "Xie Che is so young—how can his body be so weak!" Won't this delay his duties?

Xie Che's younger brother Xie Yuan: "……"

【Forcing the King to bow here, thanking everyone for their companionship throughout 2025～ Let's continue together in 2026～

Stupid Author: Today's a good day, the King says a couple of words～

King: Everyone, eat well, drink well～

Stupid Author: Any way to look a bit more cultured?

King: Ladies and gentlemen, eat well, drink well～】】