Chapter 1347: Shan Xiongxin

In the blink of an eye, another year had reached its end; the twentieth year of the Kaihuang era (600 AD) was drawing to a close.

The past year had been one of flourishing prosperity once again; the Turks were governed well, with numerous tribal chiefs and Khans eliminated, further strengthening the Sui Dynasty's rule over the grasslands.

Various infrastructure projects within the country had also increased to varying degrees, and the construction of the Grand Canal was still underway.

Although not every region enjoyed a bumper harvest, with some suffering droughts and floods, and winter snow bringing snow disasters, the Sui Dynasty was indeed very wealthy at present; thanks to Wang Yan, the previous war had not dragged on indefinitely, and instead, many resources from the Turks were acquired, so that, all things considered, this war had even turned a profit.

Wang Yan was the only commander who made money from warfare; looking back at the battle that first made his name on the grasslands, followed by his command of the navy, and later the destruction of the Turkic state, he had never lost money; every general and soldier who fought under him, if not filled to the brim with wealth, had at least gained substantial rewards.

In fact, people had realized this long ago, but only when settling the accounts did they feel it more acutely.

Thus, with the imperial treasury full, disaster relief had force, and the common people in afflicted areas at least managed to survive; however, everything they possessed had been stripped away by the disaster; official relief could only keep them from dying, but there were still various other expenses, and coupled with their previous debts to local powerful families, their land was naturally taken away, forcing them to sell their sons and daughters, and even sell themselves into slavery...

Yet no one felt this was wrong; after all, debts must be repaid; but they never considered how they had incurred those debts in the first place, and no one would ever tell them the truth of those matters.

Another major reason for the effective disaster relief was, of course, attributable to Yang Yang Jian's attitude.

Nowadays, Yang Yang Jian was undoubtedly a wise ruler excelling in both civil governance and martial prowess; he had felt his own weakening and sensed that his life was nearing its end, so naturally, he wished to accomplish more and secure a better legacy for posterity.

In fact, the overall evaluation of Yang Yang Jian in the Central Plains nowadays was quite favorable; from top to bottom, things were acceptable; because his struggle against the powerful aristocratic families was not intense, akin to boiling a frog in warm water, allowing everyone to play the long game, while at the same time, some policies were effectively implemented, naturally raising his reputation.

The demands of the common people were never many; as long as someone treated them slightly better, they would be overflowing with gratitude...

As the year-end approached, everyone began exchanging gifts to cultivate relationships, and feudal princes from all regions rushed to Daxing for the grand court audience.

Although Wang Yan had been excluded from the central government, the Wang family had long established its momentum, wielding considerable influence among the Turks, the border armies of Bingzhou, and the navy, while also impacting maritime trade and commanding vast power in domestic commerce.

Therefore, everyone came to present gifts to Wang Yan; even the Yuwen family and the Yang Su family sent excellent items, along with various feudal princes and powerful aristocratic families; all who qualified came to offer gifts to Wang Yan.

However, Wang Yan only returned gifts to two families: one was Shi Your Majesty, and the other was Li Jing.

He returned nothing to anyone else.

Naturally, people harbored grievances, cursing Wang Yan for ignoring etiquette, but they were helpless and continued to send gifts anyway; it was well-known that Wang Yan was petty; once, someone had failed to send a New Year's gift, and consequently, their fleet was sabotaged by Wang Yan, their domestic transport convoys were robbed, and there was nowhere to seek justice.

Compared to the losses incurred by being targeted by Wang Yan, holding one's nose and enduring the disgust to prepare a generous gift for Wang Yan during festivals resulted in far fewer losses.

It was not that they did not want to deal with Wang Yan, but they could not find a place to exert force; accusing Wang Yan of rebellion was futile, as he was utterly loyal to the imperial family; being squeezed out of the central government did not bother Wang Yan in the least; even Yang Su, who remained in the central government, had to dodge whenever he saw Wang Yan; if they targeted his commercial affairs, Wang Yan would dare to sink their entire overseas fleet, ensuring not a single person returned.

Attempting assassination was even more laughable; Wang Yan himself was an invincible fierce general under heaven; on the battlefield, he hunted down enemies to kill; amidst open attacks and hidden arrows, Wang Yan not only survived but also fought his way to his current status and position.

Given Wang Yan's temper, if he suffered an assassination attempt, he would undoubtedly retaliate wildly; the aristocratic families were formidable, but they could not withstand Wang Yan risking his life to brutally attack a few of them, especially with the Emperor biased in his favor; in the end, they would still be the ones to lose; therefore, without a foolproof plan, they would absolutely not commit such a foolish act.

Thus, Wang Yan achieved an impervious state; though he held no important official post, he possessed influence far exceeding the scope of his actual authority...

Heavy snow had fallen just the day before, and today, fine snowflakes were once again drifting from the sky.

In the afternoon, Wang Yan left the yamen early, mounted his warhorse, and leisurely rode home.

Outside the residence at that moment, beside the stone lions, a row of snowmen of various sizes was piled up, some even carved with care into shapes like tigers; inside the residence, there was also a large pile of snowmen.

These were all the masterpieces of the many children in the household; children who lacked for nothing in food, drink, or clothing naturally had great enthusiasm for playing in the snow; yet just three li outside the city, there were people freezing to death; this was a massive barrier.

As he walked from the front courtyard toward the rear, he saw Qin Qiong standing in the yard with his hands behind his back, chatting and laughing with another tall, sturdy man, watching the bunch of Wang family children building snowmen and playing war.

"Greetings, Duke Wang," Qin Qiong said politely, bowing.

"We are all brothers of the same family; why so formal?" Wang Yan asked, looking at the person beside him; "This must be Master Shan, correct?"

Shan Xiongxin cupped his fists and said, "Shan Xiongxin pays his respects to Duke Wang."

Wang Yan waved his hand and beckoned, "Come, let's go inside and drink."

Qin Qiong had come with Princess Yu on a visit; it seemed that after returning from delivering gifts previously and reporting on matters in the capital, Yang Lin had brought Qin Qiong along for this return to the capital for the grand court audience and gift-giving.

Since Qin Qiong had come, Princess Yu had naturally come as well; however, since Wang Yan's household consisted only of women and children, and Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin felt uncomfortable staying there, they had come outside to play with the children.

As for Shan Xiongxin, he had come just before the New Year to pay respects to the big boss; ever since Wang Yan rose to power and expanded his commercial operations, starting businesses in the Shandong region, the Shan family had connected with Wang Yan, and over these many years, they had earned fortunes.

The reason he hadn't visited before was that Wang Yan had been in the south; now that Wang Yan was securely serving as an official in Daxing, if Shan Xiongxin did not come, it would show a lack of propriety; Wang Yan might choose not to see him, but he could not choose not to come...

Wang Yan led Qin Qiong to the main hall of the rear courtyard, where he indeed found Princess Yu talking with Qionghua and Xiao Mei; surprisingly, Shan Qiu Yingying was also present.

"Husband, you're back."

"Greetings, Duke Wang," said Princess Yu.

"Greetings, Duke Wang," said Shan Qiu Yingying, her eyes lively and spirited, revealing her vivacious nature.

After everyone exchanged greetings, Wang Yan waved his hand and smiled at Chunhong, who was attending nearby, instructing, "It's snowing today, perfect for hot pot; have the kitchen slaughter a sheep so we can all celebrate together."

"Yes," Chunhong replied with a graceful bow, then went out to direct the servants to work.

This was the treatment for a concubine; even though she had borne a son for the master, her status was not particularly high.

Of course, things were different in Wang Yan's household; these women all lived quite well, each having their own maids and older female servants to command; it was merely that since Princess Yu was visiting to talk, it was inappropriate to let others listen and spread gossip, so Chunhong was temporarily attending to them.

The family chefs were very efficient; before long, the sheep was slaughtered and the meat sliced; the women sat at one table, the children at another, and Wang Yan sat with Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin at a third.

With so many people and so many children, the meal was naturally lively, albeit chaotically noisy.

There were always some children who didn't know better and had to be beaten during the meal...

Wang Yan paid no attention to those matters, drinking wine with Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin.

"How are things over in Shandong?"

Hearing Wang Yan's question, Shan Xiongxin said, "Over these many years, I haven't seen much change; the common people live just as they always have; it is still Duke Wang who treats the people well; as far as I know, the people living best are those in Duke Wang's estates; that is truly how humans should live; the neighboring common people are all envious."

Wang Yan had always been dedicated to enclosing land; estates belonging to his family and people under his command existed everywhere under heaven; Shan Xiongxin cooperated with him, and the estates in the Shandong region had been acquired through Shan Xiongxin's own efforts.

The method was very simple: Shan Xiongxin personally led men to find a powerful family with a poor reputation, went to their door, and killed everyone; afterward, the matter was dropped without resolution; the local officials did nothing, and the people Wang Yan sent over smoothly took possession of the estate.

From this perspective, Wang Yan greatly appreciated Shan Xiongxin; he truly got things done and took real action.

Swishing slices of meat in the pot, Wang Yan said, "Wasn't there a famine last year? Was the disaster relief effective?"

"How could it possibly be effective, Duke Wang? How many hands are involved from top to bottom? The powerful families are still waiting to divide up the land, waiting for the common people to sell their sons and daughters..."

"Indeed so, Duke Wang; under heaven, only Duke Wang treats the red-headed commoners..."

Wang Yan waved his hand, raised his cup to take a sip with the two men, then picked meat from the pot, eating as he spoke, "Those who treat the red-headed commoners best are Your Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Prince, not me."

In a room full of people, at least one-third were spies; how could such words be spoken carelessly?

But these two clearly lacked such insight; they merely looked puzzled, thinking that flattering the Emperor didn't need to extend to inside one's own home.

Wang Yan smiled and still offered an explanation: "Although they eat from my bowl, I myself eat from the imperial family's bowl; without the Crown Prince's appreciation, His Majesty's recognition, and the Empress's care, where would my today be, and where would I find the strength to care for more red-headed commoners?"

The two still hadn't caught on, so Qin Qiong played the straight man, saying, "Lord Wang values trust and righteousness."

"Indeed, compared to others, Lord Wang seems more like a man of the Jianghu," Shan Xiongxin chimed in.

The two traded lines back and forth, tacitly working together to play the straight man for Wang Yan.

Wang Yan accepted this gladly, eating and drinking heartily with them, laughing and chattering in great joy.

After three rounds of wine and a whole sheep consumed, Qin Qiong turned to serious business: "Lord Wang, this time Prince Kaoshan sent Princess Yu to accompany me to your residence. First, to deliver New Year's gifts; second, to thank you for your help last time; and third, since maritime trade has yielded excellent harvests these past two years, upon hearing your words, His Highness also wishes to dispatch some personnel to join your family's fleet in exploration."

"This is good news; since you aren't begging me for a favor, why make a special trip? A single letter would have sufficed."

Princess Yu, who had been pricking up her ears listening on the side, spoke up: "I wanted to come and chat with the Princess myself, Lord Wang. It just so happened that Elder Brother Shan was also coming, and Qiu Yingying has never been to Daxing, so we all gathered together."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, raised his wine cup, and said, "Come, everyone, today we drink until we are drunk or do not return—bottoms up!"

Thus, everyone began drinking together, lively and bustling, entering the second phase.

By this point, even Qin Qiong and Shan Xiongxin, who had been maintaining their composure the whole time, let loose. Of course, it wasn't just from drinking too much; although the alcohol certainly played a role, it was mostly due to Wang Yan's favorable attitude.

The gap in status was too vast; naturally, they dared not let their guard down.

Qin Qiong was somewhat better off, having had prior contact, but Shan Xiongxin had never expected to be drinking in Wang Yan's residence. It was because Wang Yan had been laughing and joking the entire time, putting on no airs, combined with consuming some high-proof strong liquor, that the lively scene came to be.

Princess Yu brought Qin Qiong along without asking for any favors; on the contrary, she was willing to provide manpower and effort to follow Wang Yan's family fleet on exploration. The message conveyed was very clear: Yang Lin intended to form a certain political alliance with Wang Yan.

However, the two could not interact too closely, lest they become the target of gossip, so they used the relationship between Princess Yu and Princess Qionghua to maintain some contact. The matter was that simple; next, it depended on the tacit understanding between the two.

Yang Lin was a reliable man, loyal to Yang Guang, and likewise a capable doer of things.

As for Yang Lin eventually falling out with Qin Qiong and the others, leading to them fighting each other, that was a matter for the distant future...

When the drunken revelry ended, it was already night; naturally, they could not leave then, so they all stayed overnight at Wang Yan's residence.

The next day, after breakfast, they departed and returned to stay at Yang Lin's Wang Fu in Daxing.

Shan Xiongxin rubbed his head in pain: "Judging by Lord Wang's alcohol tolerance, one can tell how brave and invincible he is in battle."

Qin Qiong was equally listless: "I heard Lord Wang got up early, practiced two sets of fist forms, and rode his horse outside the city..."

Last night, the two of them had colluded to get Wang Yan drunk, only to end up knocked out themselves.

Princess Yu smiled and said, "Just think about it: that wine was brewed by Lord Wang himself; how could the two of you possibly come out ahead?"

The two bitter-smiled, whereupon Shan Xiongxin said, "Qiu Yingying, what do you think of Lord Wang?"

"He's very good; he doesn't bully people, nor does he look down on us. Listening to Elder Sister the Princess and Sister Mei and the others, he treats them very..." Shan Qiu Yingying suddenly realized something, shivered, and turned to look at her own elder brother: "Brother, you're not thinking of making me a concubine for Lord Wang, are you?"

"Uh..." Shan Xiongxin was stuck for words, then explained, "You said it yourself, Lord Wang is very good, and you have reached the age for marriage. You know the Second Lady; she was a royal consort of the Chen Kingdom and is also Lord Wang's concubine. Our family isn't high enough to match as a principal wife, so becoming a concubine wouldn't be beneath you."

"I won't do it! If you force me, I'll die!" Shan Qiu Yingying spoke with extreme decisiveness, showing intense resistance.

Shan Xiongxin shook his head with a bitter smile and waved his hand: "I was just saying it; after all, our whole family relies on Lord Wang, he is a good person, and you must marry someone eventually; following Lord Wang is the best choice. You are my only biological sister; how could I possibly force you?"

"I won't marry; I'll just stick with my elder brother for this whole life," Shan Qiu Yingying said coquettishly.

Shan Xiongxin was helpless...

Qin Qiong and Princess Yu on the side offered no opinion...

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