Chapter 65: Enfeoffment

Chapter 65: The Conferment

Xue Qi, discerning her thoughts, said gently, "I am not questioning your ability to lead troops, Princess. It's simply that the Xiqi cavalry are renowned for their ferocity, and you must not underestimate them. Furthermore, our Golden Crow Guard are all from the capital and unfamiliar with the border regions. Even if we must engage, we shouldn't undertake such a difficult battle. And there's more—"

Here, she paused for a moment before continuing, "Once war breaks out, it won't conclude for at least six months to a year. And since our Golden Crow Guard is composed entirely of women, beyond guarding against the enemy, we must also be wary of the men fighting alongside us. In war, anything can happen. There's truly no need for us to take such a risk."

Zhao Mingyue was momentarily stunned before grasping Xue Qi’s meaning, then her eyes widened in shock.

Compared to this young girl, who had long resided deep within the palace, Xue Qi possessed not only greater age and knowledge but also the extensive experience of traveling the world with her master for many years.

She knew all too well the nature of men.

As much as she might have resisted, Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to concede, letting go of the idea in her heart.

She hung her head, sighing dejectedly, "Understood, Master."

Zhao Yuzhang looked up, a flicker of pain in her eyes. "Archivist Xue has spoken precisely what I intended to say. At no time should you ever associate with men."

After a brief pause, she turned to Xue Qi, her voice heavy. "Archivist Xue, your wisdom is exceptional. Should there ever come a day when we must go to war, I will surely ask you to be my strategist."

Xue Qi demurred, "You flatter me, General."

Witnessing the mutual admiration between them, Zhao Mingyue felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

She knew in her heart that Xue Qi was right, yet it was rare for her to actively propose an idea, only to have it rejected. She couldn't help but feel disheartened.

Not wanting them to notice her mood, Zhao Mingyue excused herself under the pretext of spear practice and departed.

However, the war against Xiqi truly became mired in a stalemate from the very beginning, just as Xue Qi had predicted, with the battle lines stretching ever longer.

Although the Xiqi army was fierce, Duan Rong, who had long been stationed in Tangzhou, was no easy opponent. After receiving reinforcements from the court's main army, he launched several fierce counterattacks against Xiqi.

As the weather gradually grew colder, supplies were nearly depleted, and army morale sank. Yet, Tangzhou City remained unconquered, and King Motuo of Xiqi grew increasingly anxious.

Just then, someone secretly delivered a shipment of weapons and winter uniforms to him.

This person was none other than Prince Zhao Zhuo of Yu from Yanzhou, the very one who had earlier informed him of his brother Baima’s murder.

The Prince of Yu demanded that Xiqi support him in becoming the emperor of the Da Rong Dynasty in the future. King Motuo considered it—anyone could become the emperor of Great Rong, and cooperating with this man would be temporarily advantageous and without downside—so he agreed.

Little did he know, however, that the Prince of Yu was truly a traitor. To overthrow the reigning Empress Dowager Chi, he actually sent supplies at this critical juncture to alleviate King Motuo’s urgent shortage.

King Motuo immediately accepted the supplies. Upon inspection, he found the weapons exceptionally sharp and the uniforms sturdy and durable. Overjoyed, he ordered the supplies to be distributed immediately so they could take Tangzhou City in one fell swoop.

At that moment, his general presented a scroll. "Your Majesty, the Prince of Yu said this rare treasure is a gift for your enjoyment."

King Motuo frowned in confusion. How could a mere painting be considered a rare treasure?

He commanded, "Unroll it for me."

The general quickly unrolled the scroll, and a young woman dressed in luxurious attire instantly appeared before King Motuo’s eyes.

"This is Princess Mingyue, the most beloved of Empress Dowager Chi. She is sixteen years old, breathtakingly beautiful, and can truly be called a rare treasure."

King Motuo, now over fifty, immediately displayed a lecherous expression. His weathered, blotchy skin trembled as his eyes greedily scanned the painting.

He grinned, revealing yellowed and blackened teeth, his voice raspy with excitement. "Good, good! This rare treasure will be mine!"

He then turned to the Prince of Yu’s subordinate. "Go back and tell your prince that he alone has my support as the emperor of the Da Rong Dynasty."

The subordinate acknowledged the order and took his leave.

What King Motuo didn’t expect was that upon returning to Yanzhou, this subordinate did not report to the Prince of Yu first but instead went to see the Prince of Yu’s advisor, Xie Qinjian.

Xie Qinjian sat by the window and asked unhurriedly, "Well? Did King Motuo accept the painting?"

The subordinate replied, "He did. King Motuo also said he would definitely support the Prince of Yu as emperor."

Xie Qinjian smirked scornfully. "The Prince of Yu? That utter moron—is he even worthy?"

The subordinate showed no reaction to this remark but instead asked curiously, "Sir, why did you send Princess Mingyue’s painting to King Motuo?"

Xie Qinjian glanced at him. "You don’t need to know that. Go report back to the Prince of Yu."

"Yes," the subordinate replied before leaving.

Xie Qinjian turned his gaze back to the beautiful scenery outside the window, a smug smile curling his lips. "Of course, it’s to set the stage for the hero saving the beauty!"

Even if Zhao Mingyue had been changed by Chi Jing’s influence, he still had a way to have her for himself.

Unfortunately, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Xie Qinjian believed he was masterminding everything from behind the scenes, unaware that all his schemes had been witnessed by Chi Jing.

————

"Summon the princess."

Chi Jing placed the bronze mirror face down on the table and turned to instruct Dan Ying, who was waiting in the outer chamber.

Dan Ying lowered her eyebrows in acknowledgment, turned, and withdrew.

After half an hour, the sound of boots echoed outside the hall. Zhao Mingyue, dressed in a rosy brocade robe edged with gold thread and a dark cloak, strode into the room, bringing a chill with her, her voice clear and cheerful. "What does Mother need?"

She approached Chi Jing and then performed a bow. "My greetings to the Empress Dowager."

Chi Jing smiled and motioned for her to sit, then lightly tapped a piece of paper with inked characters on the table and pushed it toward her. "These are the titles proposed by the Ministry of Rites. See which one you like."

Zhao Mingyue’s birthday was in March, and she would come of age in just half a month. She had already heard from Chi Jing about plans to confer a title upon her, so she wasn’t surprised when asked to choose one.

She took the paper and read through the options one by one, but her brows gradually furrowed.

The court favored using auspicious names for princess titles, and the Ministry of Rites’ proposals were no exception: Changle, Yongning, Fu’an, Hegong… She might have liked them in the past, but now they seemed too commonplace.

Noticing the frown on her face, Chi Jing couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?"

Zhao Mingyue said decisively, "I don’t like them."

She then stood up, walked to Chi Jing’s side, and swayed her sleeve pleadingly. "Mother, you choose one for me! I want one you pick!"

Chi Jing massaged her temples in frustration. She hated naming things the most, let alone choosing a title. But hearing Zhao Mingyue’s earnest plea, she felt both annoyed and worried that Zhao Mingyue wouldn’t rest until she proposed one.

After a moment’s thought, she said, "Since your name is Ming Yue, how about Fuguang? It signifies the bright moon in the dark night and the hidden sun of the fusang tree, illuminating the vast heavens and earth."

"Fuguang, Princess Fuguang…" Zhao Mingyue murmured, releasing her grip on Chi Jing’s sleeve. A smile spread across her face. "Good! I want this one!"

And so, the title Fuguang was decided and handed over to the Ministry of Rites to draft the conferment document.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Zhao Mingyue’s coming-of-age ceremony arrived.

That day, Chi Jing personally attended the princess's mansion to perform the coming-of-age ceremony for Zhao Mingyue—an honor never before bestowed upon any princess.

The newly built princess's mansion was exceptionally luxurious, and the invited guests were astonished at the lavish furnishings. The Golden Crow Guard was naturally among those invited, with Yu Zhao leading soldiers in patrols around the area to keep out unauthorized people.

Zhao Yuzhang had carefully prepared a gift of congratulations for Zhao Mingyue, while Xue Qi, Wu Wenxiu, and Ling Qiong also brought gifts of their own. Additionally, numerous officials, aware that Zhao Mingyue was Empress Dowager Chi's most beloved princess, presented generous gifts.

At Shen hour (3-5 PM), bells and music sounded together as a female official announced the decree, bestowing upon Zhao Mingyue the title of Princess Fuguang, granting her a golden scroll and a fief of a thousand households.

Zhao Mingyue kowtowed in thanks for the imperial favor.

After the conferment, the guests moved to the front hall and took their seats according to rank. Unlike previous occasions, men and women were not seated separately; in fact, female officials were even seated above male officials.

The male officials, though showing no outward expression, were deeply uncomfortable inwardly.

The Minister of Rites muttered under his breath, "Men and women sitting together—completely improper!"

An official nearby immediately added quietly, "Exactly! And this Princess Fuguang has too much power. Never before has a princess been conferred a title and granted a residence before marriage."

"Even if Empress Dowager Chi wishes to dote on the princess, there should be limits!"

As the two were whispering complaints, guards suddenly rushed in from outside. "Princess, many commoners have gathered outside the residence to present gifts to you!"

Zhao Mingyue, who was standing beside Chi Jing and speaking with her, was surprised by this news. "What? I'll go see."

She was completely puzzled—why would commoners come to present gifts to her?

Zhao Mingyue hurried outside, with Xue Qi and others naturally following suit. Curious officials also rose to join the crowd.

Thus, a large group made their way to the entrance of the princess's residence. Looking outside, they saw hundreds of commoners respectfully placing gifts one by one at the door—flowers, fruits, eggs—lining up all the way to the street.

Zhao Mingyue was stunned at the sight of these humble gifts.

Raising her eyes, she immediately spotted Liu Jiying standing in the crowd. Glancing around, she recognized others she had once rescued from the Ministry of Penalty prison.

Zhao Mingyue covered her mouth in surprise, so moved tears came to her eyes. This was, without a doubt, the best gift she had received that day.

The commoners grew excited at her appearance.

"Princess, it was you who saved me! You are the living Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy)!"

"The princess led troops to defeat those men, giving us women face!"

"The princess is the kindest bodhisattva in the world."

Suddenly, someone knelt and shouted, "Princess Fuguang, long live! May you live a thousand years!"

The rest followed, kneeling and kowtowing. "Princess Fuguang, long live! May you live a thousand years!"

Zhao Mingyue quickly urged, "Please rise! Please rise!"

But the crowd refused to stand. Zhao Mingyue had to order the guards to help them up one by one, only to see others kneel again as soon as they were lifted.

"If the princess does not accept our gifts, we will not rise."

Zhao Mingyue had no option but to have the gifts collected. She immediately set up long tables outside the residence and brought all the banquet dishes to treat the crowd.

The commoners were deeply honored and held even greater respect and affection for this princess, who acted without any royal pretensions.

However, to the male officials, this scene was deeply irritating. "Doesn't Princess Fuguang have too much of the people's support?"

"More than just the people's support—she also commands the Golden Crow Guard, a full Firearms Battalion!"

Yet some dismissed it. "Just a bunch of women and children—hardly counts as the people's support. Besides, the Golden Crow Guard only has a thousand soldiers. Nothing to worry about."