The morning sun rose, casting its light across the land.
Zhao Pu stood in the main hall of the Prince Tang's Estate and read to the Second Prince, Li Feng, who knelt before him: "By the grace of the Emperor, the mandate reads: We have heard that the great virtue of heaven and earth lies in nurturing all things, and the supreme governance of an emperor lies in pacifying the four corners of the realm... Second Prince Li Feng, possessing a gentle nature, talent, and virtue since childhood, is hereby granted the title of Prince of Hexi to carry on the lineage and ancestral rites... You are ordered to depart today for the Zhou Country to serve as a hostage, to forge a bond of friendship between our two nations and seek the path of peace. This journey is long and the responsibility heavy; it is hoped that you will restrain yourself, strictly observe propriety, and work with diligence, failing neither our expectations nor the hopes of the common people... This is the mandate."
Strictly speaking, this imperial decree did not simply grant the title of Prince of Hexi; it required Li Feng to inherit the peerage. The former was the typical treatment for a prince, allowing him to establish his own estate and branch out the family tree. The latter, however, meant he would inherit the line of the Hexi Prince, honor the previous Princes of Hexi as his own ancestors, and continue the legacy of the Hexi Prince's Estate.
Chapter 94