Chapter 610: Too Late

Western Jin, Political Hall.

Only seven or eight ministers, plus the Prince of Wei and the Crown Prince, were present. On the hall's terrain sand table lay the districts of Qingming and Ningxi.

The Minister of Revenue, Xu Gong, and the Military Governor of Yunxiang, Lu Lu Wenbai, were absent—both were essentially representatives of the Xu and Lu families. Though some other senior ministers had origins in these two families, they still leaned slightly toward the Prince of Jin.

Around Qingming, the land lay empty. With the opening of Han Yangguan, it was widely believed the Xu family had softened its stance toward Wei Yuan. Thus, the region around Qingming had finally stabilized—for now, no external enemies remained.

After listening to his ministers analyze the situation for a while, the Prince of Jin smiled: "This Wei Yuan now has no enemies around him. Surely he'll calm down for a while?"

The Prince of Wei suddenly said: "The court plans to establish Qingzhou, set up Qingyang Prefecture, and appoint a Qingyang Military Governor. Must the Qingyang Military Governor be the same person as the Dingxi Military Governor?"

The Prince of Jin's expression darkened slightly. "What else? The imperial decree is already on its way. Can you make the court retract it?"

"This is interference in our internal affairs. Such a precedent must not be set," the Prince of Wei did not retreat.

The Prince of Jin tapped the table lightly, surprised by the sudden challenge. He fell silent. His silence meant others must speak.

The Left Chancellor said: "The Tang dynasty represents great righteousness. Though it is customary not to interfere directly in other states' governance, this is merely an unwritten rule. When the Son of Heaven issues an edict, we are still nominally bound to obey—unless we have an exceptionally good reason."

The Prince of Wei added: "Qingyang Prefecture covers not only the original territory of Ningxi's four districts but extends a thousand li further west. If Wei Yuan becomes Qingyang Military Governor, we will be completely blocked from advancing westward—never again will we have any chance to touch Qingzhou!"

The Prince of Jin's expression remained unchanged; no one could guess his thoughts. He said calmly: "Say what you mean directly."

The Prince of Wei gritted his teeth: "I am willing to stand guard for the kingdom as its frontier commander and assume the post of Qingyang Military Governor! I beg Your Highness to grant me twenty thousand elite troops, plus Ying Wang's five thousand new soldiers—that will be sufficient!"

The ministers all grew pale. Even the Crown Prince, rarely one to speak, was moved, turning to look at the Prince of Wei.

The Political Hall fell silent. Only the Prince of Wei's increasingly heavy breathing filled the air. Sweat rolled down his forehead.

The Prince of Jin suddenly laughed, breaking the silence: "Wei Yuan repelled millions of Wu tribesmen and forced the Xu family to open Han Yangguan. Do you think twenty thousand men are enough to walk into death?"

The Prince of Wei's face flushed with indignation: "Wei Yuan himself lost over a million men. The graves on Spirit Hill stretch across the mountains. He is now a spent force—how many elite troops can he possibly have left? Even if I cannot defeat him, if I die at his hands, Your Highness gains the moral high ground and can destroy him. Then the Tang court, no matter how it tries, will have no grounds to object."

The Prince of Jin's anger faded. He pondered, then asked: "What exactly do you plan to do? Launch a direct attack?"

The Prince of Wei perked up: "That would be unjustified—unacceptable. I will concentrate my main force at key positions, send out light cavalry to the flanks, and set up checkpoints along major trade routes. I will impose heavy taxes on all merchant caravans. Once trade is cut off, I refuse to believe Wei Yuan can endure it. If he kills even one of my soldiers, he commits high treason!"

The Prince of Jin, unusually patient today, said: "But Wei Yuan has plenty of bandits. When they strike, he'll simply claim they were bandits. What then?"

The Prince of Wei replied: "If he can use that trick, why can't I? If he says bandits killed them, I'll just dress a few men in Qingming soldiers' uniforms and claim they were Qingming's assassins."

The Prince of Jin fell silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "This matter will be reconsidered later."

The Prince of Wei added: "There is another matter. Wei Yuan has served as a minister of Great Jin for many years, yet he has never paid a single silver tael in taxes. This precedent must not be allowed. Otherwise, every Military Governor will claim border wars as excuse and refuse to pay the court—soon we'll have states within our state!"

The Prince of Jin did not answer. Instead, he turned to the Left Chancellor and asked: "What do you think?"

The Left Chancellor said: "This matter requires careful deliberation over time."

The Prince of Jin knew the old fox would say nothing decisive. He said: "That will be all for today. I am tired."

After leaving the Political Hall, the Prince of Jin proceeded to the Chunhua Palace. Moments later, he sat in the garden, sipping tea with Empress Yuan.

Empress Yuan said: "The last time His Majesty visited my palace was four months ago."

The Prince of Jin replied: "State affairs have been busy lately, and you've been caring for the children. I didn't wish to disturb you."

"I've heard His Majesty has been spending much time in the Political Hall, even shortening morning audiences. Why?"

The Prince of Jin chuckled: "Lately, I've felt my energy waning constantly. I suppose age has caught up. When one grows old, one begins thinking of things one never considered before. Recently, I've wondered: after I die, how will posterity judge me? What will history write of me?"

So I devised a plan: from now on, I'll hold more discussions in the Political Hall, where nothing is recorded. I'll no longer issue direct edicts. The unpopular orders—those likely to draw criticism—I'll have my ministers carry out. I'll leave only the good deeds to myself: general amnesties, grain distribution, tax reductions, punishing corrupt officials.

Do this for a few years, and perhaps my reputation might recover a little."

"Your Majesty is not yet old. And aren't there still sages and secret methods?"

The Prince of Jin shook his head: "How high can any sage rise above an Immortal? Now, some Immortals are already growing impatient. I'm still alive, yet their preparations have already begun."

Empress Yuan spoke calmly: "If Your Majesty isn't in a hurry, perhaps you should tell me."

"The Tang court suddenly issued an imperial decree: establish Qingzhou, set up Qingyang Prefecture, and appoint a Qingyang Military Governor. Qingyang Prefecture is none other than Ningxi's four districts."

"Hmph. Those Tang courtiers, clinging to life yet refusing to be still—they issue such edicts without naming anyone outright. They're tossing Qingming like a bone into a pack of dogs to fight over." Empress Yuan said: "Isn't this meant for Wei Yuan? Who else would dare claim the position? Even if someone seized it, what good is a title without power?"

The Prince of Jin chuckled: "You're wrong. Many want it. Just now, my fifth son said he'd gladly guard the kingdom's gate and take the post of Qingyang Military Governor."

Empress Yuan thought a moment: "Fifth son still has some wit—he wouldn't be this foolish. Has someone put him up to this?"

The Prince of Jin said: "Who else but my own bloodline? No one else. If not for his instruction, how would this boy have the audacity? Hmph. He even asked for the new army. If I recall it, what will stop the Liao tribes?"

"Then what will Your Majesty do?"

"One word: delay. Delay for a few years—the matter will resolve itself."

Empress Yuan frowned slightly: "It won't be that easy."

The Prince of Jin chuckled: "I know it won't be easy. I mean, in a few years, I'll be gone. Then I won't have to see it. Let the Crown Prince and the Left Chancellor worry about it."

Empress Yuan said nothing. The light in her eyes vanished.

The Prince of Jin sighed softly, his expression softening: "I once thought I'd be a man of extraordinary talent. But in the end, I'm just an ordinary man. If I could live a few more years, the best arrangement would be to send Prince Chu to take the Qingyang Military Governor post. But now… it's too late."

"After I'm gone, what will you do?"

!

Empress Yuan sighed: "I'll return to Zhao Guo. I can't stay in this palace. The children are still young—I can't follow Your Majesty. Your son… hmph. His eyes look at me with ill intent."

The Prince of Jin nodded: "Returning home is best. It's late. I must go to the Vajra Meditation Courtyard."

"Isn't that sage unreliable? Why not stay tonight?"

The Prince of Jin shook his head, smiling bitterly: "Now, even a straw is worth grasping. I won't rest. I'll go and practice."

After the Prince of Jin left, Empress Yuan finally exhaled, collapsing weakly.

Her maids rushed to support her to bed, unfastening her outer robe—beneath it, a one-foot-long wound gaped across her ribs!

Blood had soaked through layers of gauze, and a faint black mist seeped from the wound. As the bandages were removed, a foul stench filled the air.

Empress Yuan gritted her teeth against the pain: "Bring me the Earthfire Pill that awakens latent power. I'll take it now!"

One maid couldn't help but say: "That might damage your foundation!"

"That's trivial. If I don't take it, I won't survive tonight."

One maid tended to her wound while another hurried to fetch the pill. As Empress Yuan swallowed it, one maid ventured: "Shouldn't we send word to Lord Wei?"

Empress Yuan's face was pale. She shook her head: "No. He's overwhelmed already—he has no capacity to help me."

"It's not that he lacks capacity—it's that he lacks heart!"

"Be silent!" Empress Yuan snapped.

In Qingming's Yong'an City, Wei Yuan was meeting with a group of trusted merchant captains.

Wei Yuan asked: "How much silk has the Xu family shipped west over the past three months?"

Each captain reported figures from their own region. When the last one finished, Wei Yuan nodded: "Forty thousand bolts of silk in three months—the numbers match. Hmph. They've made a fortune. But have they used that money to buy silk?"

An elder captain said: "According to my knowledge, every Xu family silk shop is buying silk aggressively—at prices higher than ours. They've even turned around and bought silk from us. As instructed, I've sold them five hundred thousand jin of silk, and sold our entire stock of another five hundred thousand jin. We're waiting for them to collect the goods. This one-way trade has netted us six hundred thousand immortal silver taels!"

"Lord, if we do this, won't we run out of silk ourselves?"

Wei Yuan smiled faintly: "Don't worry. If the Xu silk shops still want silk, sell it to them at current prices—but limit it to one million jin. Require payment upfront, and give them only ten days. When the ten days end, not a single jin of silk will be sold to them. All of it must be brought to me."

The captains found his plan inscrutable, unable to fathom his intent. Silk prices had already soared eightfold—and kept climbing.

This season, Wei Yuan could sell slightly more ice-mulberry seedlings—about ten thousand shoots. They were snapped up instantly, prices rising to fifty immortal silver taels per shoot.

The skyrocketing silk prices silenced all skeptics. People quietly uprooted their grain fields and planted mulberry trees instead.

Just from the data gathered by these merchants, eight districts had converted at least two million mu of farmland to mulberry fields this season alone.

Wei Yuan had no intention of revealing his plan to them. They would see soon enough: a Wei Yuan who doesn't fight is the most terrifying of all.

(End of Chapter)