The son of the Gao family, whom Li Zengyu placed high hopes on, was named Gao Changjian. He had a rather favorable reputation among various factions, and having completed his mourning period, he was just right to come and build his reputation in Jianping. As for when he would enter official service, Li Zengyu and others were somewhat anxious, but Gao Changjian himself appeared relaxed and at ease, embracing a go-with-the-flow attitude.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Li Zengyu and others did not openly form a faction with him – scholars naturally belonged to the same camp. As long as the other party’s influence gradually grew, others could comfortably align themselves with him later.
The Emperor’s birthday was approaching, and many people wanted to make a move during the celebration. However, the Emperor herself in the Taiqi Palace did not seem particularly concerned about it.
[System:
Side quest [Eternal Joy] has begun. Wishing you a pleasant gaming experience.]
As long as the player did not meet a premature end after ascending the throne, they would inevitably encounter the side quest of celebrating their own birthday. However, compared to following a step-by-step progression on the PC version, Wen Yanran now possessed great flexibility.
She left the arrangements for the ceremony entirely to the Imperial Household, seldom involving herself in the details. Hou Suo had already come to understand that as long as the process was not overly extravagant or wasteful – contrary to the Emperor’s own simple and frugal nature – Her Majesty was quite willing to give them room to exercise their creativity.
Everything was more or less finalized. Hou Suo should have gone to report to the Emperor on the procedures for the Imperial Birthday today, but as he happened to see Zhang Luo from a distance, carrying a wooden box containing documents and heading toward the Western Yong Palace, he slowed his pace slightly.
As an inner official, Hou Suo understood clearly that even though the outside world had gradually relaxed due to the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, the Taiqi Palace remained as solemn as ever. The Emperor herself had repeatedly summoned the Vice Minister of Revenue, Lu Yuanguang, for discussions, yet the content of those discussions had never leaked to the outside.
Zhang Luo paid his respects and presented the wooden box containing the documents, saying, “Your Majesty, Attendant Cui sent a letter today.”
Wen Yanran calculated the days and smiled, “She works quite fast.”
Although the Cui family was considered surrendered officials, their family education was exceptional. Naturally, those recommended to serve the Emperor could not be lacking. Despite her young age, Cui Xinjing already exhibited the qualities of an all-around talent. Previously, when Wen Yanran casually inquired, she learned that Cui Xinjing even knew the local dialects of the Western Tribes. Immediately, she took up her brush and dispatched Cui to meet with Tai Province Inspector Wang You.
As for the local dialects of the Western Tribes, Cui Xinjing had indeed deliberately put effort into learning them back in the day, but her initial purpose was actually to better assist the Marquis of Quanling in the future…
The larger the number of people in a convoy, the more easily its progress becomes limited. While Cui Xinjing was still on the road, she dispatched a fast horse to send a letter back to the central court to ensure they received intelligence sooner. Drawing on her meticulous experience in recording key points from court meetings, she provided a detailed account of her meeting with Wang You in the letter. Having previously decided to divide the forces in Tai Province, Wen Yanran intended to start with the Inspector herself.
Wang You was indeed formidable, but unfortunately, she lacked capable successors. None of her children were able to take over her foundation in Tai Province, and in recent years, she had gradually struggled to suppress the three clans: the Li, the Lao, and the Fuhe.
Before sending Cui Xinjing to Tai Province, Wen Yanran provided her with some instructions.
To ensure her safety, two hundred soldiers from the Imperial Guard would accompany her. Upon entering the Tai Province region, forty of them would first change into local attire while maintaining some distance from the main group. Then another forty would break off from the convoy… By the time they reached the Inspector’s residence, only forty would visibly remain by Cui Xinjing’s side.
Cui Xinjing also carried an appointment document issued by the central court and a private letter from Wen Yanran. Since Wang You was aging, she was inevitably concerned about the future of her family. In the letter, Wen Yanran offered different options for Wang You’s three children: the eldest could be appointed as a Captain, allowing them to hold some military authority so that even if Wang You were to pass away unexpectedly, they would not be left completely defenseless. Though the family’s influence might not be what it once was, they could still establish themselves steadily. The second option was to summon one of the children to study at the Imperial Academy in Jianping, gaining experience for a few years before entering official service – a common path for many scholars.
At the end of the letter, Wen Yanran also conveyed a personal suggestion: since the Li, Lao, and Fuhe clans were revered by the locals due to their indigenous heritage, the Wang clan, in order to secure their family’s future, might consider forging marital alliances with them.
All three children were meticulously arranged for.
Cui Xinjing did not know what the Emperor had written in the letter, but she only saw that Wang You’s face turned ashen after reading just a few lines, even going so far as to draw her sword in Cui’s presence and cleave the wooden table in front of her.
Though Wang You held the title of Inspector, she had earned her position through battlefield struggles. Even in a private chamber, she was accompanied by dozens of fully armed guards. Seeing their lord enraged, they too unsheathed their swords, ready to strike down Cui Xinjing’s head.
In that fleeting moment between life and death, Cui Xinjing instead calmed down. Standing tall and unwavering in the hall, she knew well the risks of this mission before she had even set out – and she understood its potential rewards even more. If she were to die while carrying out the Emperor’s tasks, the Cui family would have redeemed a significant part of their standing in the Emperor’s eyes.
Wang You remained silent for a long while, but in the end, she did not order her guards to act. Instead, she dismissed most of the escorts.
“Attendant Cui, do you know why Her Majesty sent this letter to this humble subject?”
When she spoke the words “humble subject,” Wang You’s tone carried a distinct note of mockery.
Cui Xinjing kept her gaze lowered and her focus inward, replying with decorum, “Her Majesty once said that you have been loyal and dutiful in your service. The imperial court must therefore give additional consideration to your circumstances, lest you face worries while carrying out your duties.”
Upon hearing this, Wang You burst into laughter, clasped her hands behind her back, rose, and walked over to Cui Xinjing. She then uttered words that Cui dared not record in her letter. “Since the Emperor is so considerate of the Wang clan today, surely she will extend the same consideration to the Cui clan in the future.”
Cui Xinjing bowed her head in silence.
Seeing that the other remained unshaken, Wang You lost interest in troubling the younger generation further. The anger she had felt moments ago arose from realizing that the Wang clan’s current predicament stemmed entirely from her own character.
In her youth, she had possessed remarkable decisiveness, but as she aged, she began to cling – unable to let go of her family and unwilling to relinquish her power, she had procrastinated until now.
In truth, since the family lacked capable successors, Wang You had only two viable paths: either wholeheartedly align with the central court and assist the Emperor in subduing Tai Province, or fully ally with the local indigenous people and rely on the strength of the Western Tribes to assert independence. Yet her prolonged indecision had led to growing unrest among the Western Tribes.
The Emperor’s letter, in essence, laid bare her innermost thoughts – since neither path could be pursued without reluctance, why not leave multiple contingencies and place bets on all sides? In doing so, though the family’s former power would inevitably be lost, regardless of which side ultimately prevailed, the Wang clan would still preserve some of their lineage.
Wang You said evenly, “I will draft a memorial of thanks later. Since Attendant Cui has already come in person, there is no need to trouble two parties over one matter – please convey it to Jianping for me.”
Cui Xinjing brought his hands together in a slight bow, indicating his assent.
At that moment, Wang You suddenly said, “Where have the Imperial Guards who accompanied you gone now? Since our conversation has been so agreeable, we might as well summon them.”
Cui Xinjing inclined himself slightly. “They have already set out on the return journey ahead of us. I fear your kind offer must go unfulfilled.”
Wang You gave a cold laugh and did not press the matter. “If that is the case, then so be it.”
Cui Xinjing knew that the other party did not believe her, yet she truly had not lied. After escorting her to Tai Province, the Imperial Guards had begun to withdraw in stages. At present, apart from the forty men still accompanying her openly, another sixty had changed their attire and were providing protection in secret, while the remaining hundred had already set out for Jianping.
She could more or less guess that this was a deliberate feint arranged by the Sovereign.
Given Wang You’s degree of control over Tai Province, even Imperial Guards traveling in disguise would be hard to keep from the notice of local forces. Only by genuinely pulling away and leaving could they escape his grasp. As for the sixty men who had deliberately changed clothes and remained as covert escorts, their purpose was merely to create a smokescreen, to mislead Wang You’s eyes and ears.
Old and suspicious by nature, Wang You – unable to ascertain the Imperial Guards’ true movements – might well grow doubtful, suspecting that the other hundred had been hidden away by the Li, Lao, or Fuhe clans, and thus come to believe that the other three families, too, were colluding with Jianping.
Cui Xinjing cupped her hands in salute. “Her Majesty’s sacred birthday is approaching, and he is broadly dispensing grace. Tomorrow, I will publicly proclaim the edict at your residence. As for matters of children’s marriages and the like, I trust you will see to them yourself.”
She was just about to take her leave when Wang You called her back.
The Tai Province Inspector – aged now and no longer possessed of her former imposing presence – looked at Cui Xinjing and actually smiled, teeth showing. “Attendant Cui, you are close in age to your elder sister, comparable in learning, and both of you are outstanding figures of the Cui clan. Yet in the eyes of others, you have long been considered inferior to Cui Xinbai… do you know why that is?”
Cui Xinjing’s expression shifted slightly. “I did not understand it before. Now, I understand it somewhat.”
Wang You burst into laughter. “Exactly. Had it been Cui Xinbai who came today, she would have spoken up the moment I drew my blade, rebuking me for disrespecting the Sovereign.” She went on, “Did Jianping send Your Excellency to here because there is no one left at the Emperor’s side?”
Cui Xinjing’s gaze sharpened abruptly. “Because I alone am fully sufficient for this task.”
There was a barbed edge to her words, as though she were mocking Tai Province itself – as if someone ‘inferior’ to Cui Xinbai were more than enough to see the matter through.
Wang You naturally understood her meaning. She fixed her gaze on Cui Xinjing for a moment, then smiled. “There will be matters requiring your attention tomorrow as well. Attendant, you should retire early.”
After Cui Xinjing had left, a figure dressed as a warrior stepped forward and knelt before Wang You. From her features it was clear that this was the Inspector’s eldest daughter. There was a trace of joy in her expression as she said excitedly, “Were Your Excellency’s words just now truly meant? Is there really no one left for the little Emperor to use?”
Wang You frowned slightly, then suddenly swung her arm hard, knocking her eldest daughter to the ground. “The Li Emperor slaughtered so many officials – naturally Jianping is left empty and understaffed. But what is it that makes you so happy?” She gave a cold laugh. “A little Emperor with no one to rely on nevertheless forced the Marquis of Quanling – who was someone she could use – to her death in the Northern Park. Do you think that was done by luck? It is only today that I have understood: all affairs in Jianping now bear the little Emperor’s own imprint.” She shot a glance at her eldest daughter. “If she could see that I was wavering and undecided, do you think she couldn’t also see what designs those three families truly harbor? On Tai Province’s side, I fear the old balance will no longer hold from this day forward!”
Though Wang You’s eldest daughter could not fully grasp the deeper meaning of her mother’s words, she nonetheless turned ashen with fear and dared not speak further.
Looking at her eldest child, Wang You finally softened her tone. “This time, it was not said that only one person may be sent to Jianping’s Imperial Academy. If you are willing, you may go along as well.”
“…”
Seeing her daughter hesitate and give no reply, Wang You guessed that she was reluctant to give up the title of Captain. She let out a sigh. “Very well. If the situation changes and I am not here, then change your clothing, take your personal guards, and hide within Shanglin. Wait until the dust settles before emerging – perhaps that way you can preserve your life.”
Although Cui Xinjing’s visit to Tai Province had not been conducted with great fanfare, the Li, Lao, and Fuhe clans were all major local families with deep roots and extensive branches, and they, too, had gradually received word of it.
The head of the Li clan spoke slowly. “The envoy from Jianping went out of her way to confer the rank of Captain upon Wang You’s eldest daughter, and even took her younger daughter along to study at the Imperial Academy… As for the head of the Fuhe clan, he himself is now no more than a Captain. By what right should the Wang clan enjoy such special favor from the court?”
A member of the Li clan said, “You mean… could it be that Jianping intends, after Inpsector Wang’s death, to continue entrusting Tai Province to the Wang clan?”
“…”
The head of the Li clan did not respond at once. At such a moment, failing to voice a rebuttal was itself a tacit acknowledgment.
Resentment simmered in the Li clansman’s heart. The Wang clan was, by blood, already more closely aligned with the Central Plains; had Wang You herself not been so overbearing, they would never have supported her as their leader in the past. Now that Wang You was old, and the three children beneath her knee were all mediocrities, this should have been the perfect opportunity to carve up Tai Province’s power anew. Yet Jianping had thrust itself into the affair, openly backing the Wang clan. After waiting for so long, how could they possibly be content to remain under another’s control?
