Chapter 89 Vassal Princes Leave the Capital

Chapter 89: The Vassal Princes Depart the Capital

Two or three days passed, and Chu Jiubian found himself growing somewhat wary of Qin Xiao.

Whether it was during the day or at night, or even in brief moments between reviewing memorials in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qin Xiao would seize any opportunity to kiss and embrace him if they were alone. Once back in their chambers, he would do as he pleased.

However, Chu Jiubian consistently prevented him from taking the final step.

It wasn't merely a fear of pain; there was also an inexplicable sense of awkwardness and resistance within him.

Perhaps, ultimately, he was still unable to fully accept another person.

Or perhaps he still felt unworthy, fearing that if he surrendered himself completely, the other person would lose interest.

Qin Xiao clearly perceived this. Knowing that it would take a considerable time to unlock that door, he never crossed the ultimate boundary.

Yet, the suppressed affection and longing within him deepened with each passing day.

Chu Jiubian even felt that Qin Xiao's occasional gazes were so intense they made his heart pound.

He couldn't help but recall the original novel's description of Qin Xiao—a sinister villain.

Sinister was one thing, but why did it have to be directed at him?

Was this reasonable?

==

Before the vassal princes departed the capital, Chu Jiubian found an opportune moment to visit the Southern Frontier King's residence. There, he handed a bottle of Gu worms to Situ Anli, asking for her help in identifying them.

Situ Anli took the Gu worms to the backyard, leaving Baili Hao to entertain their guest.

Baili Hao was quite conversational, ensuring the atmosphere never grew cold.

Chu Jiubian naturally reciprocated, and the two engaged in a lively and pleasant exchange.

During their conversation, when the topic of the Southern Frontier drought arose, Baili Hao's words carried a hint of probing, as if he suspected Chu Jiubian and the "High Priest" were one and the same.

Chu Jiubian, however, never took the bait. Still, he could discern that Baili Hao's intellect was no less sharp than Prince Zuiliang's; he must have already formed some suspicions.

Truly clever individuals could see beyond superficial appearances.

For instance, Lu Yao had never once doubted that they were two distinct people.

Situ Anli emerged shortly after, looking a little fatigued but in good spirits.

"Sir, these Gu worms are indeed of the same lineage as those from our Southern Frontier," Situ Anli recounted a past event she knew.

It turned out that during the previous dynasty, a lineage of Gu masters from the Southern Frontier had taken advantage of wartime chaos to leave the region. Their whereabouts had remained unknown ever since.

Situ Anli had only heard this from the elders once. It was only after confirming the Gu worms' southern origin that she recalled the story.

However, no one knew where this lineage ultimately went, though it was generally believed they had headed north.

Having received his answer, Chu Jiubian left the Southern Frontier King's residence and returned to the Ministry of Personnel.

Before he could even reach his own office, Vice Director Wang Yu came to find him.

He handed a document to Chu Jiubian, saying, "Sir, Minister Wang Zhiyuan of the Ministry of Rites has written this, seeking to recommend Wang Wenyao, the second legitimate son of the Wang family head, for an official position."

Chu Jiubian raised an eyebrow, took the document, and scanned it.

It was a formal letter of recommendation, lavishly praising Wang Wenyao and ultimately requesting his appointment to the court, specifically within the Ministry of Rites.

Wang Zhiyuan was currently aligned with Wang Qichen and, by extension, with Chu Jiubian.

Yet, he was now recommending the son of the family head, Wang Huanzhi—a man of some talent—for an official post. This could not mean he had switched allegiance to Wang Huanzhi, nor was it likely for the sake of the Wang family.

The Wang family had no shortage of talented individuals, and Wang Wenyao was hardly exceptional among them.

After pondering for a while, Chu Jiubian roughly understood the other party's objective.

Wang Huanzhi's influence had recently been overshadowed by Wang Qichen, so he would undoubtedly seek a breakthrough elsewhere. Having his son enter officialdom was a good strategy.

He must have appealed to Wang Zhiyuan with arguments about family honor and interests, and Wang Zhiyuan had "reluctantly" agreed.

But Wang Zhiyuan's agreement was not intended to help him.

On the contrary, he aimed to use Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao's influence to suppress Wang Wenyao and completely undermine the main branch, thereby paving the way for Wang Qichen to become the family head.

This aligned perfectly with Chu Jiubian's goals.

As the Vice Minister of Personnel, Chu Jiubian held significant authority and approved it directly.

Thus, the very next day, Wang Wenyao appeared in court, standing among the officials of the Ministry of Rites as a Supernumerary Official.

Chu Jiubian observed his proud demeanor and calmly averted his gaze.

To suppress him, they would need the right opportunity. For now, let him enjoy his moment for a few days.

==

The death of Prince Jiannan caused no stir in the capital, and the common people paid it no mind. Their attention remained fixed on the lively street parades, the handsome top scholar, and the incredibly graceful female second-place graduate.

Such exciting topics could keep people talking for over half a month without growing tiresome.

However, they soon found a new topic of conversation—the vassal princes were preparing to leave the capital.

Originally scheduled to depart in the first month of the year, they had lingered until the palace examinations concluded.

Now, with no further reason to remain in the capital, they naturally began making preparations to leave.

Before their departure, they all went to the palace to bid farewell to Baili Hong.

Baili Hong smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them, then expressed his reluctance to part, saying that it might be a long time before he saw his imperial uncles again. He had prepared a gift for each of them.

"This is also for my cousins whom I’ve never met," Baili Hong said. "May their future lives be filled with wealth and peace."

The child's young, sweet voice left everyone somewhat puzzled and even gave them a sense of foreboding.

"Hong Yu," Baili Hong called, turning to Xiao Yuzi.

Xiao Yuzi came forward holding an imperial decree, raising it respectfully to Prince Huguang, who stood at the front.

Prince Huguang took the edict, scanned it quickly, and his expression changed dramatically. He read it again, looking completely shocked.

Prince Dongjiang, noticing his reaction, took the decree to read for himself. His face turned just as pale as Prince Huguang’s.

Qin Xiao, seated nearby, chimed in. "His Majesty, out of familial affection, wishes to ensure a wealthy and peaceful life for all his relatives. Thus, he has issued this Decree of Enfeoffment. The edict has already been sent to the domains of all the princes. I believe it should have arrived by now."

"Your sons must be immensely grateful at this moment. Shouldn’t you all thank His Majesty?" Qin Xiao said calmly.

The imperial edict had been issued and had already reached the hands of the illegitimate sons in the princely estates, making its retraction impossible.

The matter was settled. Prince Huguang and Prince Dongjiang stared at Qin Xiao with gloomy eyes.

In the end, they still bowed to Baili Hong, expressing gratitude and accepting the reward.

The Southern Frontier King had only one son and one daughter, so this Decree of Enfeoffment had minimal impact on him.

Prince Anhuai, Baili Ming, also maintained an orderly household and naturally remained unconcerned.

Prince Pingxi, Baili Zheng, and Prince Zuiliang, Baili Yan, felt both shocked and conflicted.

They gazed intently at the three individuals seated solemnly in the hall.

This Decree of Enfeoffment was truly an inescapable overt strategy, making it impossible for them to continue expanding their power. From the next generation onwards, they would inevitably grow weaker, until eventually, there would be no more "vassal princes."

Prince Dingbei smiled faintly, showing even less reaction than Baili Ming, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

"By the way," Chu Jiubian spoke up, looking at Prince Zuiliang, "Although the incident involving Prince Jiannan did not lead to any serious consequences, it did cause Prince Zuiliang genuine distress."

"His Majesty, considering compensation, has reserved the imperial edict for the Min-Zhe region."

As he spoke, Xiao Yuzi handed another imperial edict to Prince Zuiliang.

Chu Jiubian continued, "This edict shall be taken back by Prince Zuiliang himself. Find a leisurely moment to announce it, and let the children in your household rejoice."

The wording was quite intriguing.

"Find a leisurely moment" implied that Baili Yan could choose the timing to announce the matter himself. However, if he consistently "had no time," the edict would be null and void in the Min-Zhe region.

Thus, they were openly granting Prince Zuiliang this special privilege, ensuring that the illegitimate sons in his princely estate would not cause trouble over it.

On the contrary, since the edict was in Prince Zuiliang’s hands, the illegitimate sons would have to curry favor with him. At least until they obtained the edict, they would not dare to openly break ties.

Of course, even if they schemed to get the edict, it would be useless, as it required Prince Zuiliang to read it aloud himself. Without his reading, it would be invalid.

Clearly, this was the "reward" for Prince Zuiliang’s allegiance to the court.

Baili Yan accepted the edict with a smile and expressed his gratitude, feeling quite pleased and indifferent to the gazes of the other vassal princes.

Prince Huguang, Prince Dongjiang, and Prince Dingbei now realized that the Decree of Enfeoffment was ultimately targeting only the three of them.

It seemed a confrontation had become inevitable...

After the vassal princes left the palace, news of the Decree of Enfeoffment spread.

Reactions to the news varied. For instance, the Wang family remained divided, with both sides having their own plans. The Xiao, Lu, and Qiu families each received invitations from certain vassal princes.

A few days later, at the border between Henan and Shanxi, the vassal princes prepared to part ways and return to their respective princely estates.

They arranged to meet with the heads of these families, including Wang Huanzhi of the Wang family, in Wanglai Town, a settlement at the border.

Prince Zuiliang also sent a letter to the palace. To express his gratitude to the Emperor, he planned to prepare all salt pans in his princely estate and await court officials to take over.

This was equivalent to surrendering revenue streams to the court.

Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian did not want him to suffer losses either, authorizing him to take over the administrative control of the canal sections within his princely estate.

These canal management rights were actually the sections previously controlled by the Qiu family.

This was essentially using Prince Zuiliang’s hand to seize the Qiu family’s remaining canal rights.

If Prince Zuiliang acted, he would be serving the court and also gaining revenue from the canal, which were even greater than those from the salt pans.

If he did not act, he would gain nothing.

Upon receiving the reply, Prince Zuiliang could not help but sigh deeply.

These two were truly adept at using overt strategies, but this matter was something he found hard to refuse.

He had long coveted the profits from the canal.

No one knew what the vassal princes were truly thinking. The next day, they departed one after another.

Their long procession of carriages traveled through the streets, passing by the busiest area between the East and West Markets, where they brushed past students from the Imperial Academy dressed in sky-blue robes.

One group, wealthy and splendid, moved outward from the palace.

The other group, upright like green bamboo, proceeded into the capital.

That evening, Chu Jiubian invited the Situ siblings, who planned to depart the next day, to meet at Qingyun Tower.

The siblings were somewhat nervous but more curious.

However, they did not expect Chu Jiubian, who appeared aloof and detached, to speak to them so gently, making them feel as if they were facing the High Priest, feeling extremely close.

Chu Jiubian simply thought that since the two children had come to the capital, he had not yet had a chance to speak with them alone. So he hosted them for some delicious stir-fried dishes as a formal farewell.

At first, the siblings were a bit reserved, but they gradually became more lively.

It was mainly Situ Zhaoling who was lively, while Xiao Yao, the younger brother, was more composed.

They chatted about many things during the meal, mostly gossip from the capital. For example, whether Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo truly had only one male spouse, whether the handsome Commander An really intended to remain unmarried for life, and whether Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were actually involved with each other.

Seeing the siblings’ cautious expressions, Chu Jiubian smiled gently and said, "At your age, focus more on reading and studying."

The siblings did not obtain their desired answers but did not dare to press further.

"What about you and that person?" Situ Zhaoling lowered her voice and pointed upward.

This naturally referred to the High Priest.

Chu Jiubian smiled and said, "A life-and-death bond, I suppose."

The siblings exchanged a glance, as if they had stumbled upon something intriguing.

Chu Jiubian: "..."

The unconventional dynamic he had inadvertently created was actually being interpreted romantically by others.

The meal was enjoyed by all.

The three went downstairs, said their goodbyes, and prepared to part ways.

However, as the siblings looked up, they saw a tall, upright figure standing at the entrance. The man had an exceptionally handsome face and an imposing, cold demeanor.

It was Prince Ning.

Qin Xiao nodded slightly to the siblings and then left with Chu Jiubian.

Both of them were dressed in deep purple official robes, towering nearly a head above everyone as they passed by, their shoulders brushing against each other—looking perfectly matched.

"Wow—" Situ Zhaoling cupped her face, momentarily "intoxicated," then quickly patted her cheeks. "No, no, I must stay firm in my support for—"

High Priest!

Situ Zhaoyao, seeing his sister’s reaction, looked a bit puzzled.

But that didn’t stop him from mimicking her and patting his own cheeks.

Situ Zhaoling chuckled at his expression and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Little goofball."

Situ Zhaoyao didn’t mind, saying, "A-jie, we still need to say goodbye to him."

He pointed in the direction of the Jinxiu Workshop.

"Let’s go." The two still had to bid farewell to Wang Qichen before they officially leave the capital tomorrow.

The next time they would meet would only be in the Divine Realm.