At the Spring Banquet on the third day of March last year, the Crown Prince picked the flowers and presented them to a beauty. In front of everyone’s attention, he presented the military competition prize to the young gentleman who had won the literary competition. Many painters wielded their brushes on the spot to record that beautiful scene.
This painter happens to be among them.
Although it has been nearly two years since the incident, due to the rare absence of the Crown Prince Mansion from participating in this year’s Spring Banquet and the stunning young gentleman of the Wei Kingdom also not appearing again, there was no special attraction in both the literary and military competitions, let alone outstanding talents emerging. The most talked about Spring Banquet was still the previous one.
The painter only looked up and quickly lowered his head, trembling and afraid to make any noise.
Salt-like snowflakes were still falling silently, and time seems to be at a standstill.
Those fierce iron cavalry, known as the Blood Slaughter, stood quietly in the center of the street, watching their Commander holding a painting that he had picked up halfway. His sharp and cold eyes, which had always been sharp and stern, dissipated their coldness and sharpness, leaving only a deep silence.
“In the future, do not sell this painting again.”
After an unknown amount of time, the person above spoke in a solemn and resolute tone that could not be violated.
An ingot of gold fell into the painter’s arms.
The painter was taken aback. Even if all the paintings in his booth were combined, they were still far from worth the money. He looked up and was about to speak, but the iron cavalry was already rolling away like dark clouds, raising dust.
The painter actually has a more outrageous idea in his mind.
Even with just a quick glance, the overly sharp and handsome eyebrows and eyes left a deep impression on him… No, never, the painter thought to himself.
“Your Highness!”
As he approached the entrance of the private courtyard, Xu Qiao rode his horse forward and called out, carefully observing Sui Heng’s expression.
Unconsciously, almost two years have passed. For the past two years, His Highness has been addicted to military affairs and has spent most of his time locked up on Mount Li for military training, seemingly forgetting all the past events.
Regardless of the people in the private courtyard, as well as Xu Qiao and other trusted subordinates, they all understand that the young gentleman, who has been missing for nearly two years, was still an untouchable thorn in their Highness’s heart.
His Highness has searched all over the south and north of the Yangtze River, but there was no news. That big person seemed to have really evaporated from the human world. Now the Jiang Empire has become the only remaining hope, but will he really be in the Jiang Empire?
He’s afraid that even His Highness himself dare not contemplate this issue.
On that day, during the meeting on the river, His Highness agreed to the two-year agreement proposed by the other party. Whether it was a cat-and-mouse game with a clear chance of winning or because His Highness himself dared not face the final answer.
No one knows, and no one dares to ask.
They just pay attention every day and did not mention it in front of His Highness.
The body retrieved from Mount Li by Dali Court was still preserved in a specially made ice coffin and placed in the government office of Dali Court. The elderly Dali Court’s Magistrate hesitated to come several times, hoping to ask Sui Heng if he could dispose of the body and let the deceased be buried in peace. However, every time he met the cold and terrifying gaze of the Crown Prince, he silently swallowed back his words.
Who would have thought that such a portrait would fly out when they were walking down the street today?
Xu Qiao was worried that Sui Heng’s mood was affected.
Sui Heng didn’t have any special expression on his face and calmly instructed him, “Tell Chen Qi that after tonight’s palace banquet, Gu has something to order. Tell him to come.”
Xu Qiao said yes.
He said again, “When this subordinate entered the city just now, this subordinate saw a group of envoys from the Kingdom of Qi. The leader seemed to be Tian Que. If the King of Qi sent Tian Que over, it might not be as simple as attending His Majesty’s birthday banquet.”
Sui Heng gently tugged at the corner of his mouth. “The old fox? He probably came because he smelled the meat.”
The birthday banquet of Emperor Sui was held in the Mingyi Palace.
The hall was brightly lit, and the courtiers of Sui and envoys from other countries gathered together. Except for the Qi Kingdom, which sent their Prime Minister Tian Que as an envoy, almost all other subordinate countries were attended by the Guozhu and important officials. Even Wei Lian, the Guozhu of the Wei Kingdom, who had never appeared in the Sui Empire, sat next to the Chen Kingdom’s Guozhu.
Everyone knew in their hearts that this trip to the Sui capital may seem like attending the Emperor Sui’s birthday banquet, but in reality, there are more important issues waiting to be discussed.
It’s already winter in Jiangbei, and in two months, the Yellow River will soon freeze. If nothing unexpected happens, the Sui Empire’s iron cavalry will drive southward and attack the Jiang Empire. According to the agreement, as subordinate countries, they must cooperate with the host country in combat. Although Sui Heng may not necessarily be able to look at the soldiers and horses of these subordinate countries of theirs, the attitude that should be shown must still be there.
During these two years, Jiangbei remained stable as before, while the situation in Jiangnan underwent significant changes.
The most eye-catching thing is that Jiang Rongyu, the Crown Prince of Jiang, who was famous for being sickly and frail, has successively recaptured the Luo and Yun Kingdoms with a strong hold, reintroducing the Yun and Luo Kingdoms into the Jiang Empire’s territory and stabilizing the Jiang Empire’s western gateway.
It is called a firm hold because, after the recapture of the Yun and Luo Kingdoms, the Jiang completely deprived the Yun and Luo’s Guozhu of their control over their own political and military affairs, and their troops were directly incorporated into the Jiang Empire’s army, completely belonging to the Jiang Empire.
The Yun and Luo Kingdoms are now called subordinate countries, but in fact they are just two puppets of the Jiang Empire without any real power, not even as good as ordinary local officials in Jiang who have real power.
“I heard that Jiang Rongyu even directly allowed the two Guozhu of the Yun and Luo Kingdoms to live in the Jiang capital with their respective princes, claiming to be guests, but it was actually house arrest. That Luo Changqing was dissatisfied with the Crown Prince’s decision to keep Luo Fengjun as a hostage in the Sui capital, and tried every means possible to get his son back. He even colluded with the Jiang Empire and kidnapped the Right Secretary Chen’s biological mother. Now that Jiang Rongyu is treating him with such enmity, I’m afraid that even his bowels will be green with regret.”
Some people lamented, others gloated.
The banquet had not yet begun, and several officials from the subordinate states in Jiangnan began to converse in a low voice.
“But it’s also strange, doesn’t this Crown Prince of Jiang, who claims to be virtuous and is famous all over the world, never do things against the gentleman’s behavior? Where does his style of behavior have anything to do with the word ‘gentleman’ nowadays?”
“Doesn’t this just prove that all those virtues that were preached before were false? Since His Highness built the recruitment plate form in the Chen capital, how many famous scholars have taken the initiative to appear on stage to expose Jiang Rongyu’s crime of forging the name of virtue? That Jiang Rongyu, perhaps seeing the irreversible situation, just broke the jar and revealed his true face.”
“But I have heard that nowadays, Jiang Rongyu has built a platform for washing away injustice at Muyun Pass, adjudicating unjust cases throughout the world. In just over a year, they have corrected thousands of false and erroneous cases, and the lights on the platform continue to shine day and night. The prestige among the people in Jiangnan has not only not weakened but has also increased and flourished. Nowadays, the people of Jiangnan regard Jiang Rongyu as a monarch descending into the mortal world. Many people even take the initiative to establish ancestral temples for him, sculpt the statue of His Highness’s face, burn incense, and pray for him every day, it is truly enchanting. Not to mention Yun and Luo, but there are many people who are influenced by him, even in the three kingdoms, Chen, Wei, and Jiang, also want to go to the Jiang Empire to find Jiang Rongyu and seek justice. You guys say, what is this called?”
“But it’s not surprising that people being like this. Apart from his hypocritical and ugly appearance, Jiang Rongyu does have some skills. It is said that he built a beacon tower stretching nearly a hundred miles between Muyun Pass and the Yellow River and built a long-range Lianyun Crossbow on the tower. He also had people blow up all the mountain roads, official roads, and plank roads between Yun, Luo, Chen, and Wei, completely cutting off the connection between several countries. He also accepted many refugees and let them move into Muyun Pass to cultivate wasteland. The refugees who entered the pass not only received free land but were also exempt from taxes for three years. If the harvest was good, they could also… obtain additional rewards from the court. Nowadays, the refugees in Jiangnan region are all competing to reclaim land at Muyun Pass. Since last year, Muyun Pass has begun to establish a specialized granary for military provisions. Now who doesn’t know the name Jiang Rongyu in Jiangnan region? He is going to break through, risk everything, and resist His Highness to the end.”
As they were talking, the palace attendant announced from outside that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had arrived.
Everyone’s eyes converged toward the entrance of the hall. Two years ago, in that famous meeting on the river, Sui Heng carelessly lost the Luo Kingdom and was defeated by a sickly young man named Jiang Rongyu. Upon his return, he kneeled down to admit his mistake in front of civil and military officials, as well as the Left Prime Minister, Jimo Qingyu. Although Jimo Qingyu did not accept that salute in the end, everyone understood the shame that incident meant to Sui Heng.
That night, Sui Heng once again climbed the Linglong Pagoda and sat at the top of the tower for three days and three nights. After descending the pagoda, Sui Heng plunged into Mount Li camp with his head down to train for several months, honing day and night and studying new tactical formations.
Since then, everyone knows that the words “Jiang Rongyu” are the scales of the Crown Prince of Sui. The Crown Prince of Sui could not wait to peel his skin, break his bones, and eat his flesh.
If Sui Heng had attacked the Jiang Empire in the past, it was because of the long-standing feud between the two countries and the ambition to unify the world. This winter’s war is bound to be mixed with the Crown Prince’s strong personal resentment towards Jiang Rongyu.
Xu Qiao and his trusted subordinates knew that His Highness hated Jiang Rongyu, not only because the other party won the competition and took away the Luo Kingdom in the meeting, but also because the other party used tricks to retrieve the Yun Kingdom.
On that day, Jiang Yun falsely claimed that his old illness had broken out and he wanted to use white elk as medicine, luring His Highness, who was across the river, to bid with him and promote the white elk’s name. Afterwards, the people of the Yun Kingdom gave up farming and ran into the mountains to hunt elk, and the Yun Kingdom’s grain production plummeted that year, leaving countless wastelands.
After descending from the Linglong Pagoda, Sui Heng suddenly figured out the real reason why Jiang Yun spent a lot of money to buy the elk.
Unfortunately, the white elk’s reputation in the Yun Kingdom has already been widely spread in various countries. Even the nobles and ministers of the Yun Kingdom are obsessed with hunting the elk to exchange for huge wealth, and it is too late to ban it.
Jiang Yun deposed the entire Yun Kingdom and its title as the “Number One Granary of Jiangnan” without spending a single soldier. Afterwards, Jiang Yun exploded the roads connecting Yun and Luo to other countries in the south of the Yangtze River, prohibiting Jiang1This is the other Jiang, not JY’s.and Luo from supplying grain to Yun. Yun was in danger of running out of food with its full treasury of gold and having nowhere to buy grain. After struggling for a month and exhausting all the food in its own country, the ruler of the Yun Kingdom cried and entered the Jiang capital, kneeling outside Jiang Yun’s curtain and pleading for mercy.
Sui Heng gritted his teeth in hatred over this matter, not because he hated Jiang Yun for secretly plotting, but because he hated Jiang Yun for deliberately spreading false news about his old illness, luring him to take the bait and raise the price.
Sui Heng had changed into a black brocade robe and was covered in fox fur. He is handsome and spirited, with a relaxed demeanor. He carried falling snow on his shoulders and entered the hall. The palace attendant immediately stepped forward and helped the Crown Prince remove his cloak.
Seeing everyone’s gaze converging on him, he narrowed his eyes lightly. “What? Is there something on Gu’s face? Why are you all so interested?”
He spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but his eyes concealed an invisible aura and sharpness.
The Crown Prince of Sui has been hiding his fronts for two years and seems to be sinking and refining his temperament, but compared to two years ago, his deterrent and oppressive power not only did not diminish in the slightest but also became more flexible and restrained, making it difficult for people to breathe.
Not to mention two years of hard work, the combat effectiveness of the Qinglang Battalion is probably beyond description.
Everyone scrunched their necks tightly and withdrew their gaze.
Sui Heng has broad shoulders and long legs, with ape arms and a bee waist2I used to see a cmt that seems to be confused about bee waist. Fyi, ber waist actually refer small waist.. He has a first-class figure and good appearance in the world, and he is truly a proud son of heaven. Even if he has been in the military for a long time, his every move and gesture has a graceful and heroic demeanor that ordinary nobles and ministers do not have.
He arrived at the palace and first bowed to Emperor Sui. Then, he ordered someone to present a thousand-year-old white ginseng obtained from the northern border as a birthday gift to Emperor Sui.
Thousand-year-old white ginseng is extremely rare, and in a sense, it is also a symbol of auspiciousness.
Everyone at the banquet stood up one after another to congratulate Emperor Sui.
Emperor Sui showed joy on his dragon’s face, and he had his inner officer pour wine and raise his glass with all of them.
Halfway through the banquet, Tian Que suddenly stood up with a wine cup and said, “This time, my King sent me to the Sui Capital, in fact, he also wants to reach another sincere cooperation with Your Majesty.”
Emperor Sui smiled and let him speak.
Tian Que said with a loud voice, “Regarding the Sui Empire’s attack on the Jiang Empire this winter, we, the Qi Kingdom, would like to help His Highness the Crown Prince.”
As soon as he said this, Sui Heng’s face remained unchanged, while the other subordinate states showed a surprised expression. For a long time, the Qi Kingdom has been dominant in the East, maintaining a neutral state and rarely participating in disputes between countries in the south and north of the Yangtze River. It is rare for Qi to break tradition and actively participate in war.
Tian Que pointed to his first few fierce generals, this time looking at Sui Heng. “My King said that if Your Highness needs anything, all of our Qi Kingdom’s Generals will be at your disposal.”
Sui Heng didn’t even look and only asked, “What does the King of Qi want?”
Tian Que was taken aback for a moment. He didn’t expect the other party to be so direct, but communicating with smart people was indeed effortless. He said, “My King wants to demand someone after Your Highness conquering the Jiang Empire.”
“Who?”
“The Crown Prince of the Jiang Empire, Jiang Rongyu.”
Everyone had different expressions, not understanding what old grudges were between the King of Qi and Jiang Rongyu.
But two people frowned at the same time.
One is Chen Qi, and the other is Jiang Yuping, the Guozhu of the Jiang Kingdom.
Because they all wanted to obtain the right to dispose of Jiang Yun, they had already discussed it properly, but unexpectedly, the King of Qi intervened.
Everyone looked at Sui Heng, waiting for his decision.
Sui Heng said expressionlessly, “Gu afraid that Gu will have to disappoint the King of Qi.”
“Anyone else will do, only this Jiang Rongyu not, Gu is going to deal with him personally.”
**
It’s already winter in Jiangbei, and the first snowfall has drifted, while it’s still late autumn in Jiangnan.
Led by his attendants, the Guozhu of the Kingdom of Luo, Lou Changqing, arrived in front of the palace called Lanxin in the Jiang Empire’s Palace anxiously.
The entire palace, whether it is pavilions, towers, or floral arrangements, exudes a pleasant and elegant atmosphere, just like the owner who resides here.
Luo Changqing stood nervously outside the palace and asked the palace attendants, “May I ask when His Highness Rongyu will be free to call upon this minister?”
The palace attendant politely said that His Highness had not woken up from his nap and asked him to patiently wait. If he was willing, he could go to the nearby pavilion to have a sip of tea.
How can Luo Changqing be in the mood? With the tense situation in the south and north of the Yangtze River and the imminent outbreak of war, he couldn’t wait to return to the Luo Kingdom.
While waiting anxiously, Luo Changqing suddenly saw a pair of dark eyes peeking out of the palace. Luo Changqing was taken aback for a moment. He had never seen such beautiful eyes before and wanted to take a closer look. The beautiful little creature, like an elf, had disappeared.
He suspected that he had seen things for a moment and asked the palace attendant, “That was?”
The palace attendant had a good temper and replied, “It’s Xiao Huangsun3Xiao Huangsun means little imperial grandson. I’m going to use the Chinese title which’s Xiao Huangsun here, I think the little imperial grandson sounds a little weird lol.”
After speaking, he kindly added, “Xiao Huangsun has a bad temper. Guozhu must not provoke him.”
Luo Changqing was taken aback.
He had long heard that on New Year’s Eve last year, the Crown Prince of Jiang returned to the Jiang capital from the Muyun Pass to recuperate from his injuries and brought back a little oil bottle4Refer to children from previous marriage or to bring one’s children into a second marriage..
No one knows who the mother of the child is, and no one dares to ask either. It was just said that she died in difficult childbirth.
Could it be that little baby just now?
Behind the curtain of the palace, the young Crown Prince was dressed in a golden robe, with his black hair only loosely tied up in a headband, long feathered eyelashes, and a jade-like appearance. He sat behind the table, reading the memorial with his left hand, and Gongsun Yang respectfully stood outside.
“Is he still out there?”
“Yes.”
Gongsun Yang thought for a moment, “How about this subordinate driving him away?”
Jiang Yun pondered for a moment, saying that there was no need. As he was about to finish writing, he suddenly felt the curtain move.
