Chapter 183

The noise of the victory feast faded, the Imperial Palace returned to silence, only the occasional crisp sound of the patrolling Imperial Guards' armor plates colliding remained.

The next morning, after the snow cleared, the glazed tiles refracted a blinding light in the dawn.

An Imperial Edict broke the tranquility of the Ministry of Revenue; the new Emperor Guo Rong, in the Purple Harmony Hall, summoned Minister of Rites Wang Hao alone.

When the news spread, undercurrents in the Court surged again. Everyone thought the Emperor was appeasing yesterday's "Clear Reduction", a tacit compensation.

Li Chongjin, hearing this in his mansion, merely gave a cold laugh and tightened his grip on the string of prayer beads. He was certain Guo Rong was just putting on a show, buying hearts. A pawn kicked out of the power core, no matter how appeased, remains a discarded piece.

Inside the Purple Harmony Hall, the brazier burned brightly, the air filled with a faint scent of ambergris.

Guo Rong wore no dragon robe, but a simple dark-blue common garment, losing a bit of imperial dignity and gaining a touch of the familiarity he had as Prince Jin yesterday.

"Minister Wang, please sit." Guo Rong pointed to the embroidered cushion beside him, indicating Wang Hao need not stand on ceremony.

"I dare not." Wang Hao bowed deeply, his posture humble, yet he did not sit. Between ruler and subject there is distinction; this is no longer his time at Prince Jin's Mansion, he must constantly remind himself and the other.

Guo Rong looked at his demeanor, his guilt deepening another fraction. He sighed, personally stepped down from the dais, and helped Wang Hao up.

"Between us, why be so distant?" Guo Rong's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "I know yesterday's award wronged you."

He did not beat around the bush, but got straight to the point.

Wang Hao raised his head, meeting Guo Rong's complex gaze, his face still bearing that light, carefree smile: "Your Majesty, you overpraise me. As Minister of Rites, a third-rank post overseeing the state's rites and music, it is a pure and noble office—where could there be any grievance?"

"You……" Guo Rong was momentarily at a loss. What he feared most was not Wang Hao's complaints, but his air of understanding everything yet saying nothing. It made him feel all his thoughts had been laid bare, with nowhere to exert himself.

"I know, given your merits, being made a marquis and premier would not be excessive." Guo Rong laid it out plainly, "But in the Court… some senior officials bear grudges against your Wang Family, against you… for rising too fast. Having just ascended the throne, my foundation is unsteady; I must sometimes make compromises."

He pushed all responsibility onto the "senior officials in the Court", preserving his own face while showing goodwill to Wang Hao, implying he had no choice.

This was a sophistry to excuse his own petty thoughts.

Wang Hao's mind was like a clear mirror, yet he did not expose it; instead, he went along with Guo Rong's words, bowing: "Your Majesty, laboring for state affairs, waking early and retiring late, still caring for officials' feelings—I, am endlessly grateful."

He paused, shifted his tone, and a sincere, heartfelt joy appeared on his face: "Actually, Your Majesty, you may not know. The post of Minister of Rites is, for me and for my Wang Family, more precious than any actual-power office of marquis and premier."

"Oh?" Now it was Guo Rong's turn to be surprised. He had thought Wang Hao's earlier words were mere pleasantries, not expecting them to be sincere.

"Your Majesty may not know," Wang Hao's eyes flashed with a scholar's particular light, "Although my Wang Family now has no one serving in the Court besides me, our ancestors' teaching holds that 'knowledge outweighs gold'. The clan's descendants, aside from business, must study widely. Since childhood I have held a deep interest in astronomy, calendrics, geography, and navigation."

"And the Ministry of Rites oversees not only sacrificial rites and music; its subordinate Imperial Astronomy Bureau has collected star maps, terrestrial maps, navigational logs, and countless lost ancient rare editions from Han to Tang and through the dynasties! To others these may seem useless piles of old paper, but to me they constitute an immeasurable treasure beyond money!"

Wang Hao's voice carried an irrepressible excitement. These were words from the bottom of his heart.

He continued: "I dare to implore Your Majesty's grace. I wish, while overseeing the Ministry of Rites, to collate and copy these ancient texts. Firstly, I can restore for our Great Zhou the lost rites and music of past dynasties; secondly, I can rediscover within them knowledge of agriculture, hydraulics, astronomy, and mathematics, compile it into volumes, promulgate it throughout the realm, and bless the myriad peoples."

Guo Rong was utterly stunned.

He looked at this eloquent, bright-eyed young man before him and for a moment could not tell whether he was a schemer or a pure scholar.

Perhaps, he is both.

Does the Wang Family seek knowledge? Are they truly uninterested in authority?

Guo Rong's heart wavered. If the Wang Family truly wanted only these "useless" knowledges, then his late father's worries might be excessive.

"Approved!" Guo Rong hardly hesitated, "I not only approve, I will also issue an edict letting the Secretariat and Imperial Archives fully cooperate with you! Whatever manpower or materials you need, the Ministry of Revenue and the Treasury will give full support!"

"Your subject, kowtows in thanks for Heaven's grace!" Wang Hao this time knelt down sincerely.

Guo Rong helped him up; the ruler and minister exchanged a smile, as if the slight estrangement from yesterday's victory feast had vanished like smoke.

The two then chatted about some details of the Northern Campaign, the atmosphere relaxed considerably.

As the talk was about to end, Wang Hao offhandedly remarked: "Your Majesty, in this Battle of the High Plain our army managed to turn the enemy's plan against them and crush them, truly heaven's blessing. Yet in my heart I have always harbored a doubt."

"Oh? Do tell." Guo Rong became interested.

"Our plan to set an ambush at Bagang Plain is top secret. How could the enemy anticipate it, avoid fighting, and instead try to wear us down with the Drag technique?" Wang Hao's tone was flat, as if discussing a purely military question.

But those words pierced Guo Rong's heart like a needle.

"Indeed, why?"

He had been intoxicated by victory before and hadn't had time to think it through. Now, after Wang Hao's remark, doubt instantly clouded his mind.

"When I was serving as regent in the capital, I heard some rumors," Wang Hao's voice lowered further, "It is said that after Your Majesty's campaign, some people… had close contact with the messengers from the north."

He did not name anyone, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Guo Rong's complexion darkened instantly. In his mind, Li Chongjin's grim face immediately flashed.

"I am aware of this," Guo Rong said, a bone‑chilling cold in his voice. "You have done well. Keep a close eye on the Taichang Temple as well."

His words were loaded. The Taichang Temple, though appearing to be a modest water‑court office, also oversees the royal ancestral temple's rites. Those who can reach it are either wealthy or noble, many of them royal clan members. He was hinting that Wang Hao should keep watch on those people.

"I obey the decree," Wang Hao bowed and agreed.

Stepping out of the Purple Palace Hall, warm sunlight fell on Wang Hao, yet he felt a slight chill.

He had always known that since Guo Rong's ascension, the relationship between him and Guo Rong was no longer a simple ruler‑subject one.

Even if he, even if the Wang Family had no ambition to dominate, those in power would never be at ease.