Chapter 142
Logically, Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi, having traveled thousands of miles to defend the emperor, had earned all the merit.
The crown prince had not participated in the rebellion, so he had neither merit nor fault.
Yet now, the crown prince was injured, standing before the emperor, leaving Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi completely baffled.
The emperor spoke for some time, but it was all praise for his sons.
As for the dead Yuwen Jing, the emperor only said he had been deceived by Yuwen Mingji and should be buried with the honors due a prince.
Concubine Liang, who failed in raising her son, was demoted to a lower concubine rank.
Yuwen Mingji’s household was confiscated and punished; he was forbidden from entering the imperial tombs.
As for Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi’s rewards, the emperor would consult civil and military officials tomorrow to decide.
After saying this, the emperor let his three sons step forward.
As they exited the palace gate, the elderly eunuch beside the emperor spoke kindly to Yuwen Min, “Your Highness, the emperor has ordered me to bring back some restorative herbs and medicine for Wang Fei in the household, to calm his nerves.”
Yuwen Min nodded and had Lu Xuzhi wait nearby while he followed the eunuch.
After turning past the main hall, the eunuch handed Yuwen Min a porcelain medicine box and continued, “After Your Highness and your brother quelled the rebellion and left the palace, the crown prince brought his guards here. He killed a few rebel soldiers who had not yet surrendered. His timing—neither too early nor too late—was suspicious. But for some reason, the commander of the Feather Guards, Commander Xue, who had not appeared before, suddenly showed up and launched an attack on the emperor. The crown prince immediately stepped in to protect His Majesty. Though he killed the commander, he injured his right arm in the process. Your Highness should be aware of the situation; that is all I have to report.”
Yuwen Min nodded. “Thank you, Gonggong.”
The chief eunuch shook his head. “Wang Fei generously provides for us every month; it is more than enough for us to live comfortably in old age. You must not say thanks—you are far too honorable for us to receive thanks from you.”
Yuwen Min’s thoughts stirred. His Wang Fei truly thought of everything.
But those who worked close to the emperor were indeed capable of great deeds.
Holding the porcelain vial, Yuwen Min went to the front hall to reunite with Lu Xuzhi, and the two left the palace together.
On the way, Yuwen Min told Lu Xuzhi what had happened.
Lu Xuzhi frowned. “He certainly knows how to seize opportunities. But we really have no evidence to punish the crown prince. He did not participate in the rebellion and has never shown disloyalty to the emperor. Still, the matter with the Feather Guards commander is quite peculiar.”
Yuwen Min asked, “Was the crown prince’s residence besieged today?”
Lu Xuzhi said, “It was, but Yuwen Mingji never gave a death order for his subordinates. The only ones under a death order were Prince An’s and Prince Chu’s residences. The other ministers’ residences that were besieged were only surrounded, nothing more.”
Yuwen Min understood. Only Yuwen Mingji had known Yuwen Min’s true strength.
Now Yuwen Mingji and Yuwen Jing were dead, and the two vanguard soldiers at the crown prince’s residence had fallen.
In truth, he looked forward to seeing the crown prince’s next move, and he also admired him.
Since childhood, Concubine Li had been meticulously laying the groundwork for him, guiding him to the position of crown prince.
Later, his side concubines with extraordinary talents gathered the powerful figures of Great Zhao under the crown prince’s command, all to advance his rise.
He was a fortunate man, but also an ignorant one.
Yuwen Min said to Lu Xuzhi, “That side concubine of his is no ordinary woman, and she’s not just a surface-level lady either.”
Lu Xuzhi nodded. “Judging by the grand schemes she pulled off in the western territories, our battle isn’t over yet.”
The two exchanged a smile, extended their right hands, and clasped them in a pact. Lu Xuzhi said, “For the glory of our country, for our wives and children.”
Yuwen Min chuckled. “General Lu, why is it always about wives and children?”
Lu Xuzhi said, “If not for them, why would I go to such lengths?”
Yuwen Min… actually agreed inwardly.
But in Yuwen Min’s eyes, Lu Hanzhi was a strategist who served the country and its people.
He could slaughter countless enemies, but Lu Hanzhi could govern without spilling blood, achieving his goals without violence.
If Lu Hanzhi knew Yuwen Min held him in such high regard, he would probably spit blood in disbelief.
Bloodless strategies for governing?
Ridiculous! He was just a lazy office drone forced by a system to act like a hero.
By the time Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi returned to Prince An’s residence, it was already the middle of the night. They checked on Lu Hanzhi and Yuwen Jue, as well as the sleeping children, then one slept in the front courtyard and the other in the study.
They had been utterly exhausted in recent days, their nerves tightly wound; this sleep was deep and peaceful.
Only Shadow Guard No. 1 had remained on duty throughout the night, finally dozing off on the roof as daylight approached.
Fortunately, he was trained in martial arts; even with only two hours of sleep a day, he could maintain his energy.
When daylight arrived, Lu Hanzhi finally woke.
Yuwen Jue had woken earlier and asked the steward to prepare breakfast for everyone.
The little ones had already woken. Yuwen Jue hurriedly moved to serve them, unsure why he insisted on doing everything himself, even turning away help from Luan Feng.
He fed Ah Meng and Ah Chan and also served Xiao Liuzi his food.
Xiao Liuzi obediently called him martial uncle and sat down to eat with Ah Chan.
Seeing martial uncle busy, he took over feeding Ah Chan, one bite at a time.
Ah Chan was almost a year old now and didn’t need such careful feeding.
He could now eat rice porridge, red date cakes, corn paste, and glutinous rice balls. As his diet expanded, he lost his obsession with snacks.
For Ah Chan, anything edible was delicious.
Not picky and easy to feed—Lu Hanzhi was satisfied with that.
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi also woke. They spoke as they walked into the hall.
Yuwen Jue made a shushing gesture. “Hanzhi is still asleep; let him rest a bit longer.”
He was pregnant, had traveled all the way from the western territories, and endured so much—there was no way he wasn’t tired.
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi immediately softened their voices and footsteps. After breakfast, they returned to the study to discuss affairs.
Yuwen Jue followed with Ah Meng. They hadn’t had a chance to review the previous night’s events, and he needed to understand the situation.
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi recounted everything that had happened after returning to the palace the night before. Yuwen Jue whispered, “No wonder there were rumors in the city early this morning, saying the crown prince was severely injured while saving the emperor and was near death.”
Gossip was unreliable, but it was based on some truth. He wondered, “Wasn’t the Feather Guards commander loyal to the crown prince? Why would he attack the emperor?”
From outside the study, Lu Hanzhi’s voice rang out: “Sacrifice pawns to protect the king! Even if we lose the Feather Guard faction, at least the crown prince’s reputation remains intact. If Yuwen Mingji forces a palace coup and the princes do nothing—doing nothing is tantamount to collusion—then wouldn’t the crown prince’s plan completely fail?”
Everyone understood the principle, yet they couldn’t grasp why the commander of the Feather Guards, a man with a bright future and the son of a high-ranking official, had suddenly become expendable.
Lu Hanzhi said, “With such a capable assistant at the crown prince’s side, he obviously wouldn’t be discarded so quickly. But at least for now, it seems the crown prince is no longer stirring up any trouble.”
The emperor had eliminated Yuwen Mingji, and the officials in the capital were in turmoil. It was time for the country to recuperate and restore stability.
Yuwen Min nodded. Back when he seized power, it hadn’t been easy either.
Killing was simple, but many problems couldn’t be solved by killing alone.
Lu Hanzhi also reminded him, “Don’t get close to the crown prince’s side concubine, Su Wan’ning. Until she reveals her true hand, we still need to lie low for a while.”
Yuwen Min replied calmly, “If we can kill her, then we kill her.”
Lu Hanzhi shook his head. “Of course, killing would be best if possible. But think about it—just her personal guards alone cost us so much effort. Su Wan’ning is not simple.”
Yuwen Min recalled how, when she was attacked, those few people had inexplicably fallen before her. He nodded in agreement.
Outside the door, Ah Chan and Xiao Liuzi were playing. Xiao Liuzi had stayed home from school today to keep Ah Chan company.
Lu Hanzhi laughed. “Since this matter is settled for now, why not enjoy some family time? By the way, shouldn’t we give Xiao Liuzi a proper grown-up name? We can’t keep calling him Xiao Liuzi. He’s six now—if we keep calling him that, he’ll just become ‘Da Liuzi.’”
Note: Xiao is small, Da is big.
Everyone laughed at Lu Hanzhi’s remark. Yuwen Min said, “These past few days have been hectic. Let me think it through, and in a couple of days, we’ll choose a name for him along with Ah Zhu’s.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded and accompanied Prince Chu as they stepped outside.
Elder brother had returned, and it was time for them to move back to Prince Chu’s residence.
The two husbands hadn’t seen each other for a while; it was time to be intimate again.
Yuwen Min went to the courtyard to hold Ah Chan. Father and child pressed close together—one crouching, one standing—as they embraced.
Ah Chan felt squeezed too tightly and struggled. When he could no longer endure it, he pushed his father’s face away and protested, “Zha zha zha!!”
Lu Hanzhi: …
“Hahaha, Your Highness, isn’t it about time you shaved?”
Yuwen Min’s face had grown stubbly, and the rough hairs were pricking Ah Chan’s soft little face.
In that moment, the family felt incredibly warm, a small drop of sweetness emerging amidst the tense atmosphere.
From behind came the sound of chuckling—a familiar elderly eunuch called out, “We bring congratulations to Prince An and Wang Fei. The emperor’s decree has arrived; Prince An and Wang Fei, please receive it.”
Lu Hanzhi and Yuwen Min exchanged a glance; the imperial decree had arrived quickly.
They both rose and knelt northward to receive it.
The eunuch was the same one who had delivered messages to Yuwen Min before. Lu Hanzhi regularly sent him small useful gifts and a silver note of a thousand taels each month.
When it came to building connections, Lu Hanzhi never spared money.
The eunuch cheerfully began reading the decree: “Prince An, Yuwen Min, has performed meritoriously in defending the throne. He is hereby granted the title Jinling An Prince. This title shall be hereditary and never revoked. His annual salary shall be 10,000 taels of silver and 10,000 hu of rice. He shall be granted the hereditary palace located at No. 1, Qinglong Street. By imperial command, so it shall be obeyed.”
Yuwen Min and Lu Hanzhi kowtowed in gratitude and accepted the decree.
Lu Hanzhi thought to himself: Oh wow, now he’s officially a ‘perpetual prince’?
Note; meaning his title can be passed down to his younger generations.
Indeed, Yuwen Min was already a prince; with one merit after another, he could only be granted the perpetual title.
Of course, in reality, before the Qing Dynasty, there was no such concept as a “perpetual prince.”
Usually, hereditary titles downgraded by a generation. A prince whose title was permanently hereditary was called a “perpetual prince” or “iron-cap prince.”
This was an alternate dynasty, so Lu Hanzhi didn’t comment further on the system.
After receiving the decree, Lu Hanzhi thanked the eunuch once again.
The eunuch only smiled. “It’s my duty. Shortly, I will deliver a decree to Prince Chu’s residence as well. Our own General Lu will also be granted a title.”
Lu Hanzhi felt immense joy. Looking back at the crown prince’s residence, there were families in joy and families in sorrow.
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
Support Ciacia’s translation temple on Kofi—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the Han’er Tier to purge them with advanced chapter access (up to 5!) before the masses even blink.
