The young man on the beauty couch soon fell asleep, the outer robe draped over him barely covering the marks on his body. He Xulan sat by the couch, watching for a while before getting up to review memorials. One particular memorial made He Xulan pause for a longer time.
Yin Qingxuan had crowned the deposed Li Dynasty Crown Prince, Yuan Si, as the Southern Emperor in Ningfeng, and the coronation ceremony had been quite grand.
The next day, during morning court, the ministers brought up this matter.
“This official believes we should dispatch the Zhenguo General to lead troops and recover Ningfeng as soon as possible. If we delay, Ningfeng will only grow stronger. Soon, the time for the vassal states to pay tribute will come, and they are surely observing us now. We must reclaim Ningfeng to show the vassal states that Mingcheng is the power they should follow.”
As soon as this was said, another minister immediately stepped forward. “This official believes now is not the right time for war. The country has just suffered through conflict, and the treasury is empty. If we launch a campaign now, we will have to raise taxes on the people. This new dynasty has only just been established; our priority should be stabilizing the people’s hearts.”
The ministers were divided into two factions, each with valid points. Seeing that they couldn’t reach a consensus, He Xulan interrupted, “It is indeed not the time for war while the country is still recovering, but we cannot do nothing. Grand Censor, draft a letter of persuasion to surrender. Make it simple and easy to spread. This letter must not only be delivered to Ningfeng but also be something that every child in the empire can recite.”
The Grand Censor accepted the task and spent three days composing a letter of persuasion in the form of a rhyming poem. Within seven days, every child in the capital could recite it.
Before the letter even reached Yin Qingxuan, it was already being recited by common folk in Ningfeng.
The gist of the letter was that Mingcheng had no intention of inciting war, the tyrant was dead, and Mingcheng had pardoned the world. It even offered leniency to the Li royal family. If Yuan Si surrendered to Mingcheng, he would be granted the title of Southern King, and Ningfeng would become his fiefdom.
Yin Qingxuan was so infuriated by this letter that he laughed. The Southern Emperor demoted to Southern King, with Ningfeng as a fief? This was clearly implying that Yuan Si was no longer an emperor, merely a lord granted favor by He Xulan.
Soon after, Ningfeng sent a rebuttal, accusing He Xulan of founding Mingcheng without legitimacy and extensively promoting the Confucian ideals of loyalty, filial piety, and benevolence. They branded He Xulan as someone lacking in all three virtues.
The two sides began engaging in a war of words, each refusing to mobilize troops, hoping to defeat the other through public opinion. For the time being, the situation remained calm, and He Xulan took this opportunity to push forward with reforms. He established open examinations to select talented individuals from humble backgrounds, no longer judging heroes by their lineage.
Traditionally, civil officials were valued over military ones, and merchants were looked down upon. In this reform, He Xulan significantly elevated the status of military officers, equalizing their salaries with those of civil officials. As a result, many abandoned civil careers to join the military. As for merchants, He Xulan did not immediately elevate their status, as the disdain for merchants was deeply ingrained in people’s minds. Farmers often consoled themselves with the idea that, though merchants lived better lives, they were of lower standing.
He Xulan reduced heavy taxes on merchants and offered them support. He also changed the tenure for imperial merchants from five years to two years. Whoever could offer the most favorable terms would win the title of imperial merchant.
Imperial merchants were a big deal, directly responsible for managing official salt, mining, shipping, and more—profitable ventures, indeed.
In agriculture, He Xulan granted the Minister of Works permission to skip morning court sessions to focus on creating farming tools that would benefit the people. Once such tools were developed, the official’s salary would be doubled for six months.
This reform was groundbreaking, particularly for civil officials who were alarmed at the idea of selecting talent regardless of background and elevating the military. Many were outraged, as this would disrupt the social hierarchy that had existed for years. They submitted petitions, urging He Xulan to retract his orders, but although He Xulan was always gentle with them, he didn’t concede on a single point. Before they left, He Xulan even remarked that the reforms were exhausting, and if the position of Prime Minister weren’t vacant, he wouldn’t have to work so hard.
Some of the officials realized that He Xulan had made up his mind and that there was no room for compromise. However, He Xulan seemed to be subtly hinting that whoever supported the reforms might become Prime Minister. The position of Prime Minister was the highest among civil officials. Many had long harbored resentment toward Yin Qingxuan, who was young, rigid, and unyielding. Now that the Prime Minister’s seat was vacant, it was the perfect opportunity.
The officials split into two factions: one consisting of former ministers from the Li Dynasty and the other of new ministers from Kangwu County. Both sides wanted one of their own to become Prime Minister, so they began pushing for reforms, fearing that if they lagged, the other faction would claim the coveted position.
But they never expected that after the reforms were successfully implemented, the position of Prime Minister would be given to a rural commoner, a name none of them had ever heard of—but that’s a story for later.
The reforms in the court proceeded smoothly, and the imperial harem remained peaceful, especially since there were only two masters in the palace: He Xulan and Xueya. When autumn arrived, He Xulan asked Xueya if he wanted to visit his hometown of Qing County.
“Return to Qing County? Can we really go back?” Xueya had actually wanted to return for a long time but felt too shy to ask since He Xulan had been so busy with the establishment of the new dynasty.
“Of course we can. You’ve been in the palace for so long; it’s time to get some fresh air. I’ll leave Yi Yefeng in the capital. Nothing will go wrong while we’re gone.”
Hearing He Xulan say this, Xueya was overjoyed and had his things packed. He carefully prepared a box of gold jewelry and another box of rouge and powders. He Xulan noticed but said nothing.
They took a riverboat to Qing County. Xueya, having grown up in a coastal town, didn’t get seasick at all, but He Xulan did. Though He Xulan was a good swimmer, he couldn’t stand the boat’s rocking on the river. He managed fine for the first three days, but by the fourth day, he was bedridden and unable to go anywhere.
Xueya took on the duty of caring for He Xulan. He had taken care of He Xulan for a short period once before, but it had been too brief for him to enjoy it fully. Now that He Xulan was sick again, and since it wasn’t life-threatening, Xueya felt more excited than worried.
He thought to himself that he would take excellent care of He Xulan, proving that he was the most thoughtful person.
So, when He Xulan stayed bedridden, Xueya remained by his side, not going anywhere. He not only took charge of He Xulan’s food and clothing but also helped him bathe every night.
The longer they spent on the river, the more seasick He Xulan became. By this point, he couldn’t even get out of bed. After giving him his seasickness medicine, Xueya, with nothing else to do, sat on the edge of the bed and stared at He Xulan.
Previously, He Xulan had gone to war and tanned considerably, but now he had regained his fair complexion. Wrapped in silk blankets, he looked like a jade-like beauty.
That beauty belonged to him. The thought made Xueya chuckle. As soon as he laughed, he quickly covered his mouth, remembering that He Xulan had been sleeping poorly and had just fallen asleep. He couldn’t afford to wake him.
Seeing no reaction from He Xulan, Xueya relaxed and got up to wander outside for a while. When he returned, He Xulan was still asleep. Feeling bored, Xueya decided to lie down beside him, but before doing so, he glanced at He Xulan.
That one look sparked an incredibly bold idea in Xueya’s mind.
When he had taken care of He Xulan before, there was something he had often done but hadn’t yet tried this time.
With that thought, Xueya quietly loosened his collar and leaned closer to He Xulan’s lips.
…
He Xulan was truly unwell. Xueya fed him until his arms were sore, but he still didn’t wake up, so Xueya lazily crawled into bed beside him. After doing it once, he couldn’t stop himself from trying again—and again. Growing bolder, Xueya approached He Xulan right after he had just closed his eyes, only to be caught in the act.
When He Xulan suddenly opened his eyes, Xueya was so startled that he nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly sat up, fumbling to pull his clothes back into place, stammering, “I… I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his face turned bright red.
He Xulan’s eyes were full of exhaustion, and as his long lashes fluttered, he licked his lips. Seeing this, Xueya not only blushed but turned completely red from head to toe. Feeling utterly embarrassed, he burrowed into the blankets, but soon enough, he peeked his head back out.
“I was just… taking care of you! You… you can’t tell anyone! And I only did it once, definitely not multiple times.” Xueya lied unconvincingly, his fox-like eyes blinking nervously.
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