Altogether, it added up to a value of some fifteen thousand taels of gold.
His military funds had just grown a little more!
How delightful!
Emperor Wen noticed Yun Zheng's small movements, but he did not pursue the matter, continuing instead: "Tomorrow is the time to officially negotiate with the Beihuan delegation regarding the grain request. What do my lords think Beihuan actually wants in terms of grain this time?"
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the crowd instantly fell silent.
Who the hell knows!
What Beihuan wanted was certainly the more, the better!
It was not a question of how much Beihuan wanted, but rather how much Da Qian could give, and where Da Qian's bottom line lay!
That was the fundamental issue!
Just as everyone was wondering how to speak up, Xiao Wanchou stepped forward, his face full of displeasure. "Give them a bit of grain, just enough so their people don't starve to death! If they want more, let them trade warhorses for it!"
Xiao Wanchou was of the pro-war faction and extremely reluctant to give any grain to Beihuan.
Yet, since Emperor Wen had already decided against going to war, he could say nothing more.
He was well aware in his heart that waging war against Beihuan at this moment would be extremely disadvantageous for Da Qian.
"I'm afraid Beihuan's appetite doesn't stop there!"
Emperor Wen let out a long sigh, his heart filled with incomparable worry.
"Imperial Father, this son believes that if Beihuan is willing to sign an agreement returning our dynasty's lost territory, giving them a bit more grain is of no consequence!"
At this moment, the Fourth Prince, Yun Ting, also stepped forward.
The Fourth Prince's words instantly won the echoes of the crowd.
After all, lost territory was far more important!
Emperor Wen pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Yun Li. "Third Prince, what do you think?"
Yun Li knew Emperor Wen was testing him. After a brief moment of thought, he immediately replied: "This son believes that, aside from what Fourth Brother has mentioned, we should also consider exchanging things scarce in our dynasty, such as warhorses, with Beihuan!"
"At the same time, besides granting grain, our dynasty can also consider providing Beihuan with salt, iron, and other commodities!"
"This time, it is not merely a request for grain; we can also publicly declare it a trade venture launched with Beihuan, thereby pacifying the hearts of the people..."
Yun Li rattled off a great deal in a fluent stream.
Quite a few court officials nodded along.
The pretext of trade was indeed a fine one.
Though it was self-deception, how much did the common people at the bottom know of such things?
Emperor Wen was quite appreciative of Yun Li's proposal and then began to question the Second and Fifth Princes.
However, since the two had not seized the initiative, whatever could be said had basically been finished off by the Third and Fifth Princes; they could only mumble a few perfunctory words to get by.
Just as everyone thought Emperor Wen would also question Yun Zheng, the Emperor seemed to have forgotten that Yun Zheng was present in the court hall, and directly proceeded to ask Grand Secretary Zhang for his opinion.
Listening to the monarch and his ministers exchange questions and answers, the onlookers could not help but chuckle inwardly.
The Seventh and Eighth Princes were not yet of age and could not stand in the court hall.
For Emperor Wen to directly bypass Yun Zheng clearly meant he had no intention of testing Yun Zheng at all.
No testing meant that Emperor Wen had never even considered appointing Yun Zheng as the Crown Prince!
It seemed that even though Yun Zheng had achieved great merit, in the Emperor's eyes, he had simply relied on luck!
He fundamentally lacked the talent to govern the state and pacify the realm!
Yun Zheng naturally understood the Emperor's meaning and felt entirely indifferent about it.
Whoever wanted to be Crown Prince could go ahead and be it!
He certainly had no desire for it!
Once he secured military power, even the Crown Prince would have to back down when he saw him!
Let them fight until their heads were broken and blood flowed!
He would be quite content just being the Sixth Prince in peace!
Having questioned the various ministers, Emperor Wen already had a plan in mind. Taking advantage of the fact that Yun Zheng was present, he had the officials of the Ministry of Rites pick an auspicious date on the spot, setting the wedding date for Yun Zheng and Shen Luoyan.
The wedding was set for the end of the month.
There were still ten days or so left.
The Beihuan delegation shouldn't be staying in the Imperial City for much longer; once the delegation departed, preparations could begin for Yun Zheng's wedding.
There was still a relatively generous amount of time.
Stepping out of the court hall, Yun Zheng immediately felt the air outside was incomparably fresh.
Ah!
All these struggles in the court were truly a pain in the ass!
Yun Zheng sighed with heartfelt emotion.
Just as Yun Zheng was about to slip away, a eunuch came chasing after him.
"Sixth Highness, His Majesty was afraid you might forget, so he specifically sent me to remind you not to forget to attend tomorrow's court session on time..."
"Ah?"
Yun Zheng's face turned as green as a gourd. "Do I still need to come tomorrow?"
The eunuch gave a dry laugh and replied, "That is what His Majesty said..."
Damn it!
You guys can just deal with it yourselves, what the hell do I need to attend court for?
Yun Zheng cursed inwardly.
There went his beauty sleep again.
What on earth was Emperor Wen playing at?
Surely he didn't want to cancel his trip to Shuobei, did he?
Damn it!
Old man, don't force me to unleash my ultimate move!
Chapter 22: Damascus Steel!
Returning home, Yun Zheng first went to catch up on his sleep.
Of course, catching up on sleep was just for show; he was actually lying on the bed pondering matters.
Before long, the newly acquired maid, Xin Sheng, came to call him, saying that someone had come from the imperial palace bearing rewards.
Looking at this young maid, Yun Zheng could not help sighing that clothes truly made the person!
Previously, this girl had been filthy and looked just so-so.
Now that she had washed up and put on new clothes, he suddenly realized she was quite a spirited and pretty lass.
However, the girl was only sixteen and hadn't fully blossomed yet.
Though Yun Zheng felt he ought to experience the extravagant life of an imperial prince now, as a good youth of the new era, it was impossible for him to harbor any plots against this girl.
Well, let her grow a bit more!
A thought suddenly popped into Yun Zheng's mind.
This thought instantly gave him a fright.
Damn it!
As expected, I am still quite wicked!
Ah, no!
It was most likely the remnant soul of that fellow who hadn't quite cooled down yet, playing tricks!
That must be it!
Yun Zheng found a suitable excuse for himself, and only then did he lead Xin Sheng out of the room.
Outside, the people from the imperial palace had already delivered the rewards.
Looking at the pile of items filling the courtyard, Yun Zheng felt an internal surge of secret satisfaction.
Being the Sixth Prince meant the rewards had to be secured too!
Having military power alone wasn't enough; once you had men, you had to be able to feed them!
After individually rewarding and dismissing the people who had delivered the rewards, Yun Zheng instructed the estate steward, "Take some fabric and have a new set of clothes made for everyone! When Lady Luoyan and I hold our grand wedding, everyone will wear new clothes..."
The steward was overjoyed, hastily bowing. "This humble servant thanks Your Highness on behalf of everyone in the estate!"
Yun Zheng waved a hand, though inwardly he sneered.
There was a hundred-percent chance there were people arranged by Emperor Wen in this estate to monitor him!
The most suspicious one was precisely this steward!
After some delay, noon had already arrived.
Following lunch, just as Yun Zheng was preparing to head out with Gao He, Shen Luoyan unexpectedly arrived for a visit, accompanied by Ye Zi.
"Why have you two come?"
Yun Zheng looked at the two women in surprise.
"Rest assured, we haven't come to carve up the rewards your Imperial Father gave you!"
Shen Luoyan shot Yun Zheng a sideways glance.
After yesterday's events, her view of Yun Zheng had indeed altered slightly.
Yet it was only a slight alteration.
Yun Zheng could neither wield a pen nor fight with a sword; in the end, he was still useless!
Ye Zi looked helplessly at Shen Luoyan, smiling with pursed lips. "Someone from the palace came to announce the wedding date for His Highness and Luoyan. Madam Shen sent me over to see if there is anything here that His Highness needs help managing..."
As she spoke, Ye Zi even winked quietly at Yun Zheng.
Yun Zheng understood instantly.
It must have been Ye Zi who deliberately guided Madam Shen into letting her come and help.
That way, she could legitimately stay at his estate and await his dispatch at any time!
Clever!
At that moment, Yun Zheng dearly wanted to say: Sister-in-law is truly the best!
After a brief moment of thought, Yun Zheng immediately said to Ye Zi, "For the moment, I have no idea what needs to be done. How about this, Sister-in-law, you stay at my estate first. Once I go and consult the people at the Ministry of Rites, we'll talk further!"
"That's fine," Ye Zi smoothly agreed.
The two shared a tacit smile, and Yun Zheng said to them both, "Right, I was just about to go out for a stroll; why don't you both come along? Imperial Father just rewarded me with quite a bit of wealth. If there's anything you like, I'll buy it for you!"
"As if!"
Shen Luoyan gave a light snort, but she did not refuse.
Ye Zi naturally accepted with pleasure.
Thus, Yun Zheng took them both out.
Yun Zheng also took along some of the gifts he had received when moving house, intending to sell them.
"Didn't His Majesty just reward you with ten thousand taels of gold? You're going to sell these things already?"
On the way, Shen Luoyan asked with a face full of dark lines.
"Expenses are high!"
Yun Zheng sighed with a heavy heart. "Just the rewards Imperial Father's people delivered this morning—I've already given out dozens of taels of silver in tips alone..."
"That is true."
Ye Zi nodded slightly. "Although the palace is helping to arrange this wedding, Your Highness is an imperial prince after all. With all the coming and going of guests, there really are many places that cost money."
Yun Zheng nodded slightly and smoothly chimed in, "Sister-in-law, I still have some other gifts in my estate. Later on, would you help me take them to be sold and exchanged for silver?"
Ye Zi was slightly surprised, then teased, "Is Your Highness not afraid I'll embezzle it?"
"I believe Sister-in-law is not such a person," Yun Zheng said with a cheerful smile. "Besides, Luoyan and I are about to be married; isn't what's mine hers? With Sister-in-law and Luoyan on such good terms, you certainly wouldn't embezzle her money, right?"
Shen Luoyan curled her lip and scoffed, "I reckon you're just afraid of losing face by selling those things yourself, which is why you're making my sister-in-law help you do it!"
"Ahem..."
Yun Zheng gave two dry coughs, putting on a look of having been seen right through.
Ye Zi gently glared at Shen Luoyan, signaling her not to talk nonsense, while also nodding with a smile. "Originally, Madam Shen sent me here to help out. Since Your Highness trusts me so much, I'll take charge of this matter!"
"Then many thanks, Sister-in-law."
Yun Zheng's heart settled, though the corner of his eye swept past Gao He.
Damn it!
I need to find an opportunity to test Gao He and Zhou Mi!
Constantly remaining on guard like this is no way to live!
Soon, the four of them found a shop and sold off several gifts, netting over three thousand taels of silver.
Just as they were wandering aimlessly about, the sound of rhythmic hammering suddenly drifted to their ears.
A thought stirred in Yun Zheng's heart, and he immediately said to Shen Luoyan, "Let's go take a look at the blacksmith's shop!"
"Why go to a blacksmith's shop?"
Shen Luoyan frowned. "Are you going to forge weapons?"
"Hmm?"
Yun Zheng nodded slightly. "Since I'm going to the battlefield after all, how can I not have a weapon that suits my hand? Gao He, later have the people at the blacksmith's shop forge an identical copy of the saber you're carrying for me."
"Understood."
Gao He nodded slightly.
"You might as well forget it!"
Shen Luoyan shook her head lightly. "With your physique, could you even swing a weapon? Once you're truly on the battlefield, whether you take a weapon or not makes no difference!"
"What are you saying!"
Ye Zi glared at Shen Luoyan. "Can't His Highness get a suitable weapon in advance to practice his killing skills? Do you really want to spend your whole life as a widow?"
Shen Luoyan curled her lip, thinking inwardly that what she said was the truth anyway.
With a weakling like Yun Zheng who lacked even the strength to truss a chicken, no matter what weapon he took onto the battlefield, he was simply going to his death!
After mentally complaining for a moment, Shen Luoyan cast a suspicious look at Ye Zi.
Why did she feel her sister-in-law was acting a bit strange today?
Yet she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange about her.
She just felt that she seemed a bit different from usual.
Yun Zheng smiled and led them straight toward the blacksmith's shop.
He wasn't actually eager for a weapon.
He wanted to see the skill level of Da Qian's blacksmiths.
He had already thought of a wonderful item.
Damascus Steel!
Using that stuff to forge weapons and equip the soldiers under his command would be like cutting melons and vegetables!
However, that stuff was too hard.
If they relied purely on manual labor for forging, he had no idea how many blacksmiths would need to be recruited to meet the demands of an entire army.
A bit difficult!
Never mind, let's take a look first!
Before long, the group arrived at the blacksmith's shop.
Inside, several bare-chested smiths were hammering away at agricultural tools.
Each of them possessed knotted muscles—proper, textbook muscle-men.
Beside the bellows, a one-armed man was pulling the lever.
Upon seeing the man operating the bellows, Gao He let out a sharp cry of shock.
"Du... Commander Du?"
Chapter 23: Blood-Clad Army
Hearing Gao He's voice, Du Bugui, who was pulling the bellows, turned his head to glance over, then said indifferently, "You've recognized the wrong person."
"No, I haven't!"
Gao He hurried forward, saying with conviction, "Back then in Shuobei, you even performed mounted archery right in front of His Majesty and received His Majesty's praise!"
"You've recognized the wrong person."
Du Bugui repeated himself and went back to pulling the bellows on his own.
Gao He wanted to say more, but Yun Zheng stopped him. "You know this person?"
"Yes!"
Gao He nodded. "He used to be the commander of the Blood-Clad Army!"
The Blood-Clad Army?
Yun Zheng asked in puzzlement, "What Blood-Clad Army?"
"You don't even know the Blood-Clad Army?"
Shen Luoyan looked at Yun Zheng with utter disdain, and her urge to complain flared up again.
Wasn't he shouting and screaming about going to Shuobei?
How could he not even know the Blood-Clad Army?
Ye Zi smiled and spoke up, "The Blood-Clad Army was the most elite unit of the Northern Prefecture Army. It is said that there were fewer than five hundred men in the Blood-Clad Army, and the conditions for joining were extremely harsh."
"In every battle, they would be drenched in blood from head to toe, which is why they were called the Blood-Clad Army!"
"Pity that five years ago, in the battle of Shuobei, the Blood-Clad Army suffered unimaginably heavy losses, with almost nine out of ten perishing! After that, they completely vanished..."
Listening to Ye Zi's words, Yun Zheng felt his heart give a fierce jolt.
The Northern Prefecture Army guarding Shuobei numbered a full two hundred thousand troops!
To select fewer than five hundred men out of two hundred thousand—just imagining it made one realize how elite the Blood-Clad Army must have been!
This was the Da Qian Dynasty's special forces unit!
Yun Zheng stared intently at Du Bugui with burning eyes. "Since you were the commander of the Blood-Clad Army, why are you willing to make a living hammering iron here?"
"Don't ask such a stupid question!" Shen Luoyan gave Yun Zheng an unamused sideways glance before pointing at Du Bugui's severed arm.
Yun Zheng choked slightly, shaking his head. "My meaning is, with Commander Du's achievements, there should have been quite a few imperial rewards, right? Surely it wouldn't come to you having to forge iron for a living!"
"What business is it of yours? Go stay wherever it's cool!"
Du Bugui gave a cold snort and continued pulling the bellows.
"Commander Du, show some respect!"
Gao He hurried to stop Du Bugui. "This is the current Sixth Prince!"
The Sixth Prince?
The several blacksmiths who were currently hammering metal hastily stopped what they were doing, dropped to their knees, and kowtowed in salute: "This humble commoner greets the Sixth Prince!"
Du Bugui looked at Yun Zheng and, with great reluctance, dropped to his knees. "This humble commoner did not recognize the Sixth Prince and has committed an offense. I beg the Sixth Prince to forgive me."
He was now a mere commoner and ought to perform the kowtow.
"No crime is committed out of ignorance! Rise, all of you!"
Yun Zheng raised a hand slightly and repeated his previous question.
Du Bugui stood up, but remained silent.
It was one of the blacksmiths beside him who answered on his behalf: "Your Highness may not know this, but the pensions for Commander Du's brothers were largely embezzled. Feeling he had failed his brothers of the Blood-Clad Army, Commander Du distributed all his imperial rewards among the families of those soldiers who died in battle..."
So that was how it was!
Yun Zheng understood completely, praising, "Commander Du is righteous!"
Du Bugui shook his head slightly. "Your Highness should simply address this humble commoner by name; I am no longer the commander of the Blood-Clad Army!"
"Very well!"
Yun Zheng nodded lightly and cut straight to the point. "Blacksmithing does not suit you; you belong on the battlefield, cutting down the enemy! Come with me to Shuobei!"
Shuobei?
Du Bugui's heart gave a violent twitch, and he shook his head. "I thank Your Highness for your high regard! But this humble commoner is now nothing more than a cripple, no longer able to take to the battlefield and slay the enemy."
"A cripple?"
Yun Zheng chuckled dryly. "What a coincidence, I'm a cripple too—a cripple in the sense of a good-for-nothing!"
Du Bugui was slightly stunned, looking at Yun Zheng in surprise.
That the current Sixth Prince was a good-for-nothing was something he had caught wind of.
Yet for the Sixth Prince to actually admit to his face that he was a good-for-nothing?
This struck him as somewhat inconceivable.
"There's nothing strange about it."
Yun Zheng laughed indifferently. "To not keep it from you, my trip to Shuobei is solely to die in battle! As a cripple yourself, do you not wish to die a blazing, heroic death on the battlefield? The two of us can keep each other company."
Yun Zheng had also been a soldier before his transmigrations.
He believed he could read Du Bugui.
How could such a fierce general not possess a heart that yearned to die on the battlefield?
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, Shen Luoyan nearly leaped up to smash open his dog head.
This bastard!
He was dead set on going to Shuobei to court death, was he?
Was he determined to make her spend her whole life as his widow?
Du Bugui was equally startled by Yun Zheng's words. After a moment, he let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "Not to keep it from Your Highness, the battle five years ago not only severed this humble commoner's arm, but also shattered his courage! This humble commoner no longer has the courage to return to the battlefield..."
"Then go pick that courage back up!"
Yun Zheng shook his head, pointing instead at the nearby Ye Zi. "My sister-in-law here lost her husband on the Shuobei battlefield. Last night I asked her if she felt any regret at not being able to see her late husband's final moments—guess what she said?"
Hmm?
Shen Luoyan was surprised.
Yun Zheng had talked about these things with her sister-in-law last night?
Du Bugui said with a desolate expression, "This humble commoner is all ears."
Yun Zheng took a deep breath and murmured softly, "She said: Green mountains everywhere hold the bones of the loyal; why need one return wrapped in a horse's hide..."
As Yun Zheng's voice fell, the hearts of those present trembled violently.
Shen Luoyan slowly savored those lines of verse, then looked toward her sister-in-law with a face full of adoration.
She never imagined that her gentle Second Sister-in-law could write such heroic poetry.
Her own father and brothers were entirely worthy of these lines!
Yes, yes, she must definitely ask her sister-in-law to tell her the complete poem later!
Meeting Shen Luoyan's adoring gaze, Ye Zi could not help a bitter laugh in her heart.
This was nothing she had written!
This was clearly written by this husband of hers!
This Sixth Prince truly was full of hidden depths!
From this single line of verse alone, one could tell that this Sixth Prince unquestionably possessed grand ambitions!
Furthermore, he was a man of burning passion!
No wonder he was hell-bent on going to Shuobei!
He truly possessed a heart resolved to establish glorious achievements in Shuobei!
He had even prepared himself fully to die on the battlefield!
"Green mountains everywhere hold the bones of the loyal..."
Du Bugui muttered to himself, repeatedly reciting those lines.
Before he knew it, Du Bugui's eyes grew somewhat moist.
After a long while, Du Bugui rubbed his eyes and bowed deeply to Ye Zi. "Many thanks, Madam!"