Chapter 66: Zhao Heng's Decision

The Gongcheng of the Great Song.

Nanzhang Gate.

Guan Zhong straightened his collar; inside the towering gate before him lay the residence of the Emperor.

Within the gatehouse were red walls and green tiles, with lofty palaces covered in carved corridors and painted beams.

On the bluestone-paved path, palace maids in gorgeous attire and eunuchs passed by from time to time.

At the entrance, soldiers of the Personal Army stood solemnly in bright armor, their expressions blank.

He knew that if he dared to trespass, he would certainly be hacked into mincemeat on the spot.

"You lot, carry the Wine away; you, come with me."

At this moment, a group of eunuchs emerged from the gate; the elder eunuch shouted for the younger ones to carry the Wine, then came before Guan Zhong himself.

"The palace is not like other places. Once inside, don't look around, and don't walk about as you please. Stay exactly where you are told to wait," the eunuch warned as he walked.

He was sent by Liang Cheng to escort Guan Zhong into the palace.

Guan Zhong's palms were sweaty with nervousness; he was, after all, merely a servant of Yan Wang.

To have seen Liang Chief Steward in such a short time, and now to see the Emperor—what an honor this was.

This trip alone would be enough for him to brag about for a lifetime.

Yet, he also understood in his heart that these big figures did not favor him, but rather favored Yan Wang.

Therefore, he deeply understood one principle: to achieve wealth and status, one must follow Yan Wang.

"Certainly, certainly," Guan Zhong replied, hurrying forward a few steps and quietly slipping some Silver into the hand of the guiding eunuch.

The eunuch weighed it, his smile gradually becoming warmer, and his words grew more frequent.

"With Yan Wang going to Yan Commandery, everyone in the palace said he would suffer greatly there. Who would have thought that he would turn a misfortune into a blessing, recover from his brain ailment, and stir up such a commotion?"

"The Emperor seeing you this time is equivalent to telling everyone that he intends to favor Yan Wang from now on. After all, this is the Imperial Palace, a restricted area watched by countless eyes."

"..."

Guan Zhong listened all the way, nodding frequently.

Following the eunuch, they wound through many turns before finally stopping in a room.

Upon arriving, the elder eunuch withdrew, and Liang Cheng came out to greet them, leading him before a beaded curtain.

Guan Zhong dared not look up, but through the beaded curtain, he could see a pair of feet wearing gold-threaded shoes.

He hurriedly knelt and shouted, "Yan Wang's servant Guan Zhong pays respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor."

"Rise."

Zhao Heng lifted his eyes to glance lightly outside the beaded curtain, then stood up and walked slowly to the window, asking as if casually, "When did Yan Wang recover from his illness, and what has he done in Yan Commandery?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, it has been over a month since His Highness recovered. At that time, the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery bullied His Highness for his illness and encroached upon the manor's farmland..." Guan Zhong recounted one by one how Zhao Xu sold the Ice-making Technique to the Rich Clans, then brewed Fine Wine, established the Personal Army, and subsequently eliminated the Huang and Du families.

Zhao Heng nodded as he listened, and by the end, a subtle smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Although he already had some understanding of these matters, hearing them from Yan Wang's own man made him look at this Ninth Prince with new eyes.

He believed that if any other Imperial Prince were in that situation, they would not have done better than the Ninth Prince.

After all, these methods of ice-making and wine-brewing were not things just anyone could think of.

"The Ninth Prince was the most diligent in his studies when he was in the palace; now that he has recovered, he is finally showing his talent," Liang Cheng added.

He had served Zhao Heng since he was young, and he could often guess the thoughts of this Emperor from a single subtle expression.

When Yan Wang was first mentioned, although Zhao Heng did not show it, he had pondered the meaning after returning.

Therefore, his care for Yan Wang during this time was not merely for his own private gain, but more to show the Emperor.

Now that Zhao Heng was willing to receive Yan Wang's servant, it further indicated that Zhao Heng had thoughts of employing this Imperial Prince again.

"That is true," Zhao Heng had to admit; the Ninth Prince was indeed diligent.

He turned and looked at Guan Zhong again.

He said, "Take a message to Yan Wang for me. My original intention was for him to keep a low profile in Yan Commandery, be a wealthy prince, and live a life of leisure. But lately, with all this ice-making and wine-selling, there is no one in Jingshi who does not know that there is a Yan Wang in Yan Commandery. Now, he can no longer keep a low profile."

He paused slightly and said, "Tell him again, although he has been stirring things up quite impressively in Yan Commandery, he must be careful. He must not act recklessly, and his priority should be to preserve his own life. However, there is no need to be overly timid either. The Great Song Imperial Clan is one body; no matter what, he is a prince of the Great Song."

"Yes, Emperor." Guan Zhong felt a surge of joy upon hearing this.

These words were equivalent to the Emperor acknowledging Yan Wang's actions in Yan Commandery.

Moreover, there was a hint of secret support; if so, Yan Wang would have greater backing in Yan Commandery in the future.

Zhao Heng nodded and continued, "Also, tell him not to blame me for sending him to Yan Commandery. He and I are father and son, but also sovereign and subject. I can demote officials due to a moment of joy or anger, so naturally, I can demote an Imperial Prince."

"His Highness only fears that he cannot fulfill his filial duties at the Emperor's side; he would never dare to hold any resentment toward the Emperor," Guan Zhong said hurriedly.

"That is correct; after all, blood is thicker than water," Liang Cheng smiled.

Zhao Heng waved his hand at this moment, "Very well, you may return now. In these few days, I will issue an edict for him to set the record straight."

"Thank you, Emperor." Guan Zhong responded, bowed, and withdrew from the great hall.

Liang Cheng escorted Guan Zhong to the door and turned back.

"This time, Yan Wang should be at ease," Liang Cheng lifted the beaded curtain.

Zhao Heng paced out and nodded slightly.

He could still guess this bit of Yan Wang's mind.

Being alone in Yan Commandery, he naturally had to maintain his relationship with him.

After all, everyone believed that by sending Yan Wang to Yan Commandery, he had basically abandoned him.

Now, if he responded, this alone would be enough to deter many petty people.

But there were pros and cons; this would also bring him quite a bit of hostility.

However, Yan Wang's business had made his name known abroad; even if he wanted to cover it up, he could not.

Therefore, he decided to change his attitude and tell the world openly that he was the father of this son, Yan Wang.

"With Mo Di already stationed at Yanguan, and now with Yan Wang added, they form a pincer position; the northern frontier of our Great Song should be more secure," Zhao Heng exhaled softly.

This was also one of the reasons why he decided to support Yan Wang once he learned that Yan Wang had recovered from his illness.

As long as the northern frontier is not breached, even though the powerful clans within Great Song are carving out territories in secret, Great Song can at least remain peaceful and prosperous.

But if the northern frontier were to shatter, Great Song would never know another day of peace; he was clear-headed enough to understand this.

As for the Yuan Family, he did not trust them in the slightest.

After all, if the Yuan Family were to rely on their troops to act independently and lean toward the Northern Di or Western Liang, the northern barrier of Great Song would vanish into thin air overnight.

Based on this, he must also support Yan Wang in securing his position in Yan Commandery.

"This can only be said to be the Emperor being deeply favored by the Heavens; if any other Imperial Prince had entered Yan Commandery, something would have happened to them halfway there, but because Yan Wang was insane at the time, it caused the Yuan Family and the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery to lower their guard, which is how he had the opportunity to gain a firm foothold," Liang Cheng flattered.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng laughed heartily.

To him, the matter of Yan Wang was indeed a case of planting a willow without intent, only for it to provide shade.

However, although he had already decided to support Yan Wang at court, the extent of this support would still depend on Yan Wang's performance in Yanzhou hereafter.

After all, he could not control how Yan Wang conducted himself in Yan Commandery.

And once he issued an imperial decree to appease Yan Wang, those who held hostility toward Yan Wang would certainly target him.

If he ultimately could not hold on, he could summon him back and order him to be an idle prince,

but he would have no value from then on; upon returning to Jingshi, without the support of powerful clans, he would be nothing.

And once he passed away, it was feared that even being an idle prince would be impossible.

"Xu, you must not let your Imperial Father down again," Zhao Xu sighed slightly.