Chapter 939

Hu Xiaotian, hearing this, felt much more relieved; it seemed the old lady still had the Hu family in her heart. Thinking about it, she indeed was now facing a dilemma: if she openly aided Dakang, it would surely provoke the hostility of all nations, and the Jinling Xu family would become the target of public criticism; if she did not aid Dakang, after all their foundation lay here, yet she feared retaliation from the Dakang emperor, so she devised this plan merely to conceal the truth.

Hu Buwei said: "This matter must absolutely not be let your mother know, lest she worry."

Hu Xiaotian leaned over to look at the letter, but saw that there wasn't a single word on it; it was merely a sea chart. Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, do you intend to tell the Emperor about this?"

Hu Buwei nodded and said: "I'll go into the palace right now and make this clear to the Emperor." Since Madame Xu the elder refused the Emperor's demand, Hu Buwei has remained in a state of unease; having only just regained his happiness, he is even more unwilling to lose it, especially not wanting his precious son to suffer any loss.

Hu Xiaotian, however, shook his head and said: "This matter must not be rushed; the Emperor now basically does not concern himself with state affairs, having almost entirely delegated everything to the Yongyang Princess. I think we should first report this to the Yongyang Princess."

Hu Buwei does not have a deep understanding of the Yongyang Princess, so naturally he lacks the confidence his son has; he also does not believe that a girl under fourteen could salvage the precarious Dakang dynasty from its peril.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, the only two people the Emperor trusts most are Hong Beimo of the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets and the Yongyang Princess; for our Hu family to preserve itself, we must choose between them."

Hu Buwei's eyes lit up; he had thought his son was merely acting on impulse, but he hadn't expected that his son had already given it careful thought. He whispered: "Do you intend to sell a favor to the Yongyang Princess?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "Not only that, Father, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The Emperor is by nature suspicious, often changing orders from morning to evening; he now has no mind for state affairs, all his energy being poured into the imperial mausoleum and the pursuit of longevity. Hong Beimo not only fails to advise him to attend to state affairs, but actually aids the tyrant, helping him accelerate the progress of the imperial mausoleum. The people of Dakang live in fire and water; the common folk's endurance is always limited, and once it exceeds their breaking point, Dakang will not be far from internal turmoil."

Hu Buwei nodded and said: "You want to gain the Yongyang Princess's trust so that she will help protect our Hu family?" In his view, the Yongyang Princess could never be a match for Hong Beimo.

Hu Xiaotian said: "After all we've been through, Father, can't you see that relying on anyone is useless? The Dakang imperial house itself cannot even preserve itself. What ability do they have to protect us? They only think of us when trouble arises; if the court were stable and Dakang revived, perhaps the first to want to exterminate us completely would be us."

Hu Buwei let out a dim sigh; his son's words struck a chord in his heart. It's rare that this boy sees things so clearly. I just don't know what he really thinks about the future.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, if things continue like this, even if Dakang is not swallowed by foreign powers, it will sooner or later collapse from within. We must seize the opportunity to strengthen our own power and grasp Dakang's lifeline of national destiny, making them act according to our rules."

Hu Buwei stared at his son, somewhat shocked; indeed, as my son, he had long harbored grand ambitions to overturn the court and dominate the world—ideas I myself would never dare entertain.

Hu Xiaotian also did not harbor the idea of dominating the world; it is merely that fate is pressing him step by step, and he increasingly realizes that to survive in chaotic times and control his own destiny, he must continually strengthen his own power—relying on anyone is useless, only self-reliance is truly viable. In turmoil, only the strong can survive; as long as one possesses sufficient strength, one can live freely anywhere.

Hu Buwei whispered: "What do you intend to do?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Dakang lacks grain; outwardly Grandmother has refused them, yet secretly she gave us this chart. Whoever masters this sea route could salvage Dakang's dying fortunes, and this route must be firmly controlled by our Hu family."

Hu Buwei nodded and said: "Could it be that you intend to make this journey yourself?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "The most suitable person is not me, but you."

"Me?" Hu Buwei truly felt a bit confused.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Yongyang Princess now relies heavily on me and has entrusted me with the responsibility of establishing the Divine Strategy Manor; I think she will not easily let me leave. For me, establishing the Divine Strategy Manor is also an excellent opportunity—I can use this affair to develop and expand my power. Father, by traveling to open this trade route, you can take my mother away from Kangdu, this place of right and wrong. If the trip does not turn out well, you and Mother can then seize the chance to avoid disaster overseas; you will be safe and sound, and I will naturally have no further worries. Wanting to escape Dakang is no hardship. If everything goes smoothly, by mastering this trade route you will effectively hold Dakang's dynasty's lifeline firmly in our hands—even if the Emperor sees you, he will have to proceed with caution."

Hu Buwei said: "The old Emperor is by nature suspicious; he may well not let me go."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Father, you need not worry about this; I myself have a way to persuade the Yongyang Princess to step forward and facilitate this."

That afternoon Hu Xiaotian went to Zilan Palace to see Qiqi.

Qiqi, upon hearing that Madame Xu Fengyi had returned, showed a look of delight: "Madame Xu has returned; why didn't you say so earlier? I'll go with you to meet her."

Hu Xiaotian naturally knew his mother did not have such prestige; she and Qiqi had never met before, and Qiqi's display of such closeness was not due to the Jinling Xu family connection. Hu Xiaotian said: "How dare I trouble the Princess to make the trip?"

Upon hearing this, Qiqi's face instantly turned cold: "What do you mean by that? Didn't you previously promise the Palace?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand; my mother has just returned from her journey, weary from travel, so I, your humble servant, wish to let her rest properly."

"I am going to welcome her, not to torment her; how could that interfere with her rest?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your Highness is of noble birth and also the Yongyang Prince bestowed by imperial decree; if my mother were to see the Princess, she would surely be terrified, and according to propriety she ought to perform the kowtow before you."

Qiqi, being young, had not considered this; she furrowed her brows: "I would naturally greet her with the respect due to an elder; how could I receive such a great ceremony from her? Hu Xiaotian, you are overthinking."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Actually, I understand that the Princess is so eager to see my mother merely because of the Jinling Xu family connection."

Qiqi snapped: "In your mind, everything the Palace does has an ulterior motive."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Please forgive my frankness, Your Highness; Dakang's current situation is not optimistic, and I also understand your difficulties. But I also wish to ask Your Highness to show understanding toward me: my mother is merely an ordinary woman, she knows nothing of court affairs, and I do not wish to burden her with thoughts or cause her alarm."

Qiqi let out a cold snort, turned back to her seat, and fixed her gaze on Hu Xiaotian: "I really can't see you as a filial son."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I dare not call myself a filial son, but for the sake of my family I would do anything; whoever dares to harm my family, I would even sacrifice my life to seek justice."

Qiqi's beautiful pupils suddenly contracted: "Are you threatening the Palace?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I dare not; the Princess's kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain—how could she harm my family?"

Upon hearing him say that, Qiqi's expression eased somewhat, and she spoke softly: "You need not be so wary; I only wish to see Madame Xu to inquire about the true stance of the Jinling Xu family. Although there are many rumors outside, I have never really believed them, for the Jinling Xu family are subjects of Dakang; in this time of national peril, how could they refuse to contribute to the state?"

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully: "The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every commoner; even peddlers and foot soldiers know this principle—how could the Xu family not understand? But given the current circumstances, were I in their place I would also have some selfish motives."

Qiqi blinked her eyes: "Please explain your words more clearly."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your Highness should be aware that Dakang's current grain shortage and continual domestic natural disasters leading to poor harvests year after year are related; moreover, a more important reason is that neighboring countries are unwilling to trade with Dakang—for example, the state of Nan Yue, a land of fish and rice with abundant produce, has always paid tribute to Dakang from the north, yet now it even refuses to engage in grain trade with Dakang, fundamentally because they fear that providing grain to Dakang would offend Dakang's powerful neighbors."

Qiqi nodded and sighed softly: "As far as I know, Da Yong has already sent people to threaten Nan Yue; if Nan Yue dared to supply grain to Dakang, after destroying Dakang the first thing they would do is march south to slaughter Nan Yue."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Such thinking is not uncommon; Li Tianheng of Xichuan is no different—they all await to devour Dakang's land, and naturally they do not want Dakang to regain its vigor."

Qiqi said: "Hu Xiaotian, the people are the foundation of the state, and food is heaven to the people; if they cannot even fill their stomachs, who could still be content as subjects of Dakang, and how could starving soldiers serve the state loyally? If not faced with dire straits, how could the lofty imperial house deign to seek aid from a mere merchant?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Has Your Highness not considered that, if even a powerful state that dares not offend Nan Yue would not dare to do this, how could an ordinary merchant family like the Xu of Jinling dare to? If the Xu clan were to solve Dakang's sea route, I fear that before long the Xu descendants would be slaughtered outright, and the Xu clan's enterprises spread across the nations would inevitably be destroyed."

Qiqi said indifferently: "If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? If Dakang falls, what foothold will the Xu of Jinling have?" In fact she understood clearly that the Xu clan's trade spans the world; even if they severed ties with Dakang, they could still survive.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Only Your Highness worries for Dakang's national destiny; I, however, have a plan."

Qiqi said: "Speak!"

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward, slowly unfurling the nautical chart he had brought with him before Qiqi, and with his finger traced a route from Kangdu to Hai Zhou and then out to sea: "Reliance on others is inferior to reliance on oneself; in fact we can entirely resolve this matter ourselves." (To be continued~^~)