Chapter 960

Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu had indeed come to the door late at night after hearing the news of the emperor's bestowed marriage; Zhou Mo was an impatient sort, and as soon as he saw Hu Xiaotian he could not wait to ask, 'Third Brother, how could this be so sudden? Why did the emperor suddenly grant the marriage?'

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and said, 'I'm just as confused; the bestowed marriage came without any sign, it must have been his idea, and even the Yongyang Princess isn't entirely clear about it. But since he granted the marriage, it couldn't be a spur-of-the-moment decision; he must have given it careful thought before deciding— the old coot surely has some ulterior motive.'

Xiao Tianmu said in a low voice, 'Could it be that the emperor has already grown suspicious?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'His Majesty should already know about my father's trip to Luosong to seek grain supplies; during this period he has handed over state affairs to Qiqi to handle, devoting himself to the pursuit of longevity, which now appears to be nothing more than a superficial show on his part.'

Zhou Mo said, 'Third Brother, are you saying he's merely feigning madness and stupidity to deceive the subjects?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'At first I didn't dare to conclude, but now I can almost be certain— he originally used this very method to eliminate Ji Feihua, sparing no effort, and only with great difficulty managed to climb back onto the dragon throne; there's no reason he would hand over the power he just gained to Qiqi, I think Qiqi may merely be a tool in his hand.'

Xiao Tianmu's brow twitched as he said, 'Third Brother, why did you suddenly have such an idea?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'He let me and Qiqi become engaged here, then immediately decided to send me on a mission to Xichuan, to enfeoff Li Tianheng as a king, and to give me the identity of a future prince consort— his true intention lies precisely in this.'

Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu were both startled by these words; Zhou Mo said, 'Third Brother, you barely managed to escape from Xichuan with great difficulty, and now he's sending you back— isn't that practically handing you over to the tiger's den?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Although the old emperor showers me with favors on the surface, in reality he bears a grudge because the Xu family of Jinling refused his demand; I believe this Xichuan trip must conceal a plot.'

Xiao Tianmu said in a low voice, 'Could it be that he wants to seize Xichuan?'

Zhou Mo said, 'How could that be possible? Li Tianheng has managed Xichuan for years and has many loyal followers. Given Dakang's current situation, where even military provisions cannot be met, the idea of seizing Xichuan is pure fantasy.'

Xiao Tianmu said, 'That's not entirely accurate either; although Li Tianheng has many loyal subordinates, the soldiers and civilians under him are ultimately Dakang people. When Li Tianheng first raised troops and declared independence, he did so under the banner of loyalist service to the throne. Now that the emperor has successfully restored his rule, Li Tianheng's old excuse no longer holds, and using Prince Long Yefang as a hostage makes his position even less defensible.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'In fact, Li Tianheng's current situation is also very difficult; I'm afraid the one who most hopes for the old emperor's death in the world is none other than him.'

Xiao Tianmu said, 'If the emperor were to die, Li Tianheng could naturally support Prince Long Yefang to the throne and use the emperor to command the world; no one could utter even a half-word of objection against him.'

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mo could not help but grit his teeth and say, 'That treacherous villain truly deserves to die.'

Xiao Tianmu said, 'The emperor sending Third Brother at this time to go to Xichuan and enfeoff Li Tianheng as king is likely intended to pacify Li Tianheng; with an imperial title, Li Tianheng would at least have a legitimate reason in the eyes of the world and could still hold Xichuan. However, the emperor's doing this seems to bring no benefit to Dakang.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I think the same; even if he didn't enfeoff Li Tianheng as king, Li Tianheng would not dare to lead troops to attack Dakang, given the present situation. Once hostilities break out between Xichuan and Dakang, Da Yong will surely send its forces south from the north. Then both Xichuan and Dakang would face the threat of annihilation. The old coot enfeoffed Li Tianheng as king, yet Li Tianheng may not feel grateful, and it's even less likely he would lead his followers back to Dakang or offer any aid to Dakang's current state. Instead, it gives him a legitimate reason to carve out Xichuan for himself. This sort of action that brings no benefit to himself— why would the old emperor do it?' This is precisely what Hu Xiaotian cannot figure out.

Xiao Tianmu said, 'The emperor must certainly have other plans; enfeoffing Li Tianheng as king benefits only Li Tianheng. If he were to accuse Li Tianheng of being a traitor to the state, internal turmoil would surely erupt in Xichuan. According to ordinary reasoning, one would certainly choose the latter, yet the emperor does the opposite, indicating he still has other designs.'

Zhou Mo said, 'How could a dying old coot possibly have so many schemes and tricks?'

Xiao Tianmu shook his head and said, 'Xichuan occupies a strategic stronghold, surrounded by mountains on all sides with a fertile plain in the middle; its land is rich and its rivers and lakes are scattered like stars. Dakang has suffered continuous natural disasters these years, whereas Xichuan enjoys year after year of abundant harvests. If Dakang could smoothly recover Xichuan, it might very well overcome its present predicament.'

Zhou Mo said, 'How easy would it be to recover Xichuan?'

Xiao Tianmu said, 'If a large-scale military campaign were launched, it would certainly exhaust the people and drain the finances; even if both sides suffered losses, victory might still not be worth the cost. However, if it were undermined from within, perhaps it could be achieved without expending much effort.'

Zhou Mo and Hu Xiaotian both turned their gazes toward Xiao Tianmu.

Xiao Tianmu said, 'As I just said, the people and officials of Xichuan may not truly submit to Li Tianheng; he has long proclaimed himself loyal and patriotic, yet now that the emperor has retaken the throne, he still shows no intention of returning his allegiance— his treacherous intent is plain to see. If someone were to step forward now and eliminate Li Tianheng, they would surely occupy the moral high ground.'

Hu Xiaotian slowly nodded and said, 'What worries me most is this very matter; the old coot superficially sends me to Xichuan to confer a kingship, but who knows what scheme he hides behind? If he were to take advantage of my trip to Xichuan to do away with me, then frame Li Tianheng for it, and furthermore do away with Li Tianheng as well, and casually reclaim Xichuan for Dakang, wouldn't that be killing three birds with one stone?'

Xiao Tianmu said, 'Do not overlook Dakang's influence in Xichuan; Li Tianheng may not be able to control the situation there, but what Third Brother described is indeed a most perilous possibility.'

Zhou Mo said, 'If that's the case, we might as well find an excuse to call off this Xichuan mission.'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, 'His arranging my engagement to Qiqi proves he has already begun his layout; if I refuse to go, I fear he will resort to even more vicious means against me. Going to Xichuan may hold an uncertain future, but there may yet be an opportunity there.' He then turned to Xiao Tianmu and said, 'Elder Brother Zhan Peng accompanies my father to Luosong; this journey is of utmost importance— if we manage to open the grain route, it will be tantamount to seizing Dakang's economic lifeline.'

Xiao Tianmu nodded and said, 'Third Brother, rest assured; this humble brother will exert all his effort.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Since the old coot shows me no benevolence, I cannot be blamed for acting unjustly toward him; no matter what scheme he hatches, this time I will make him lose everything!'

The news that Hu Xiaotian had become the fiancé of the Yongyang Princess spread quickly throughout the capital; in a short time the capital's nobles and officials flocked to the Hu residence to pay visits, hoping to draw closer to the Hu family. Outsiders only saw the Hu family's outward prosperity, but who knew the true dangers and perils they faced? Hu Buwei had no choice but to return to the Minister of Revenue's residence to entertain all these guests.

With his father helping to handle these matters, Hu Xiaotian naturally became much more at ease. The day after his engagement to the Yongyang Princess was confirmed, Senior Eunuch Wang Qian personally came to the Minister of Revenue's residence to summon him to the palace for an audience with the emperor.

Hu Xiaotian guessed that the emperor had summoned him eight or nine times out of ten for the matter of his mission to Xichuan, and following Wang Qian he arrived at the palace.

The old emperor, Long Xuan'en, was enjoying the cool in the Flowing Cup Pavilion of the imperial garden; advanced in years, his energy was visibly flagging, and as he sat in the pavilion he actually began to doze off. The little eunuchs at his side dared not wake him, and they exchanged glances, each looking at the other.

Wang Qian and Hu Xiaotian arrived at the Flowing Cup Pavilion just then; Wang Qian coughed once, and Long Xuan'en gave a heavy nod, whereupon he woke up, opened his eyes, and yawned, saying, 'I actually fell asleep.' His gaze fell upon Hu Xiaotian's face.

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward quickly and said respectfully, 'Your subject Hu Xiaotian bows before the Emperor; long live the Emperor, long live, long live long live!'

Long Xuan'en waved his hand and said, 'No need for excessive ceremony, rise and sit awhile with me.' He then pointed to the stone stool beside him.

Hu Xiaotian sat down on the stone stool; Wang Qian gave a meaningful look, and a group of eunuchs and palace maids followed him as he withdrew to a distance.

Long Xuan'en looked Hu Xiaotian up and down, remaining silent for a long while.

Under his scrutiny, Hu Xiaotian felt a bit ill at ease, thinking to himself, 'Could this old coot have a problem with his sexual orientation? Why does he keep staring at me? Even if I'm good-looking, there's no reason for him to look at me like that.'

Long Xuan'en said, 'Your appearance and talent are indeed a match for Qiqi.'

Hu Xiaotian lowered his head and said, 'The imperial grace is vast; your subject feels deeply humbled and fearful.'

Long Xuan'en sighed and said, 'I have always doted on Qiqi; I originally did not want to betroth her so early, but I am advanced in years, and my body and energy deteriorate day by day—I know not when I will depart this world.'

Your Majesty, though aged, grows ever stronger; with the vigor of a dragon and the tiger, you shall surely enjoy a reign of eternal longevity, your life span matching that of heaven.

Long Xuan'en chuckled and said, 'Eternal longevity, a life span matching heaven? Who from ancient times to the present could actually achieve that? Not to speak of eternal longevity, even a century of life is rarely seen; you utter such words, and I suspect you don't even believe them yourselves.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, 'The old coot is not muddle-headed after all; he knows these are just empty words meant to placate him.'

Long Xuan'en said, 'I have betrothed Qiqi to you precisely so that there may be one more person in this world to look after her; even after I pass from this life, someone will be able to care for her, cherish her, and protect her. Hu Xiaotian, do you understand?'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'Your subject understands!'

Long Xuan'en said, 'Good that you understand; Qiqi has a strong-willed nature, and I originally thought she would object to this arrangement, but judging from the present situation, she likely harbors affection for you in her heart.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Your Majesty, rest assured; your subject will certainly exert his utmost to protect the Princess.'

Long Xuan'en nodded with satisfaction and said, 'Has Qiqi told you that I wish to send you on a mission to Xichuan?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'She has!'

Long Xuan'en said, 'What are your thoughts?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Your subject does not wish to go!'

Long Xuan'en's expression showed a hint of surprise; he had not expected Hu Xiaotian to speak his true thoughts so bluntly. (To be continued~^~)