In an instant, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Emperor Wen.
After a brief silence, Emperor Wen asked again, "What did Yuan Cong say?"
The Shadow Guard replied immediately, "Yuan Cong brought Yuan Gui to the Sixth Highness's mansion to apologize..."
He detailed the entire process of Yuan Gui and his son coming to apologize.
Hearing the Shadow Guard's report, Emperor Wen couldn't help but be stunned.
Making Yuan Cong ghostwrite the invitations?
And swapping out the fine horses of Yuan Cong and his son, leaving the father and son to swallow their anger in silence?
Was this something the Sixth Prince was capable of doing?
After a moment of silence, Emperor Wen asked again, "Was this move by the Sixth Prince intentional or accidental?"
"It should be accidental," the Shadow Guard said. "The Sixth Highness had Yuan Cong write the invitations because his own handwriting is unsightly, and he swapped Yuan Gui and his son's horses because he had just moved into the mansion and didn't even recognize that the horses belonged to them..."
Listening to the Shadow Guard, Emperor Wen's face twitched slightly.
He found the whole affair somewhat comical, yet he also felt his son was utterly useless.
Emperor Wen pondered secretly for a moment, then instructed the Shadow Guard, "Find an opportunity to give Yuan Gui a severe beating! Just make sure our identity isn't exposed!"
"Ah?"
Breaching court etiquette, the Shadow Guard stared in astonishment at Emperor Wen.
Secretly beat Yuan Gui?
This... this didn't sound like something Emperor Wen would do.
"Ah, what?"
Emperor Wen glared at the Shadow Guard. "Just carry it out!"
Yuan Gui had shoved his son off a horse; given his temper, he would normally have awarded Yuan Gui dozens of heavy board beatings.
However, since Yun Zheng had already accepted the gifts brought by Yuan Cong and his son, it would appear inappropriate for him to punish Yuan Gui further.
Yet, unable to swallow this grievance, he had no choice but to send someone to give Yuan Gui a secret thrashing.
Acknowledge the order, the Shadow Guard bowed and withdrew.
Once the Shadow Guard left, Emperor Wen couldn't help but curse under his breath: "This good-for-nothing! He didn't even dare to lose his temper after being shoved off a horse! How did I ever father such a wretch?"
After berating Yun Zheng for a while, Emperor Wen began relentlessly massaging his temples.
The Beihuan delegation would arrive in the Imperial City in two days at the latest.
Whether to make peace or to wage war remained undecided.
He dared not fight, nor did he have the strength to fight any longer!
His military might was inferior to Beihuan's, and the Crown Prince's rebellion had not yet been fully quelled.
What was there to fight with?
Yet, handing over grain to Beihuan was something he simply could not swallow!
A headache—an incomparable headache!
Emperor Wen pondered until almost dawn before finally reaching a decision.
Hand it over!
If he didn't give it now, when the Beihuan iron cavalry came to pillage, not only would the grain be lost, but the territory of Da Qian would also be indefensible!
It might even shake the very foundation of Da Qian!
He would stabilize the internal affairs of Da Qian first, and in a few years, seek revenge and wash away the humiliation from Beihuan!
...
Two days later, in the afternoon.
Yun Zheng had just bought a young maid who was nearly sold into a brothel by her gambling addict biological father when someone from the palace arrived.
"His Majesty is hosting a banquet tonight at Wanshou Palace to entertain the Beihuan delegation. He requests the Sixth Highness and the Princess Consort Sixth to attend punctually."
"Very well, thank you for your trouble, Eunuch!"
Yun Zheng accepted and had someone reward the eunuch who delivered the message.
Receiving the tip, the eunuch expressed his gratitude and departed happily.
"From today on, your name is Xin Sheng—Xin for toil, Sheng for bamboo! A homophone for 'new birth'!"
"Thank you, Your Highness, for the name!"
"Alright, take her to wash up!"
Yun Zheng instructed the maids of the mansion and then left with Gao He.
Soon, Gao He drove the carriage to the Shen Mansion.
This time, Madam Shen did not claim illness to avoid seeing him.
Upon entering the room, Yun Zheng intentionally glanced at Ye Zi, seeing that Ye Zi was also looking at him with a meaningful smile.
Yun Zheng quietly winked back at her, returning a knowing smile.
It appeared Ye Zi had understood the signal he asked Shen Luoyan to pass on to her.
Truly a clever woman!
She held potential to be brought under his command!
After brief pleasantries, Yun Zheng stated the purpose of his visit.
Though reluctant, Shen Luoyan could not refuse since Emperor Wen had specifically requested it, and she could only agree with an unwilling expression.
"I am simply going with you tonight to humiliate myself!"
Inside the carriage, Shen Luoyan kept her distance from Yun Zheng, wearing a displeased expression.
Those attending tonight would undoubtedly be imperial princes, princesses, and high-ranking ministers of the court.
Accompanying Yun Zheng to the banquet would only invite mockery!
She refused to believe Yun Zheng was playing the fool to bide his time!
A spineless prince with neither foundation nor power—what good was biding his time?
Could he possibly fly up to the heavens?
Her Second Sister-in-law was merely putting in a good word for Yun Zheng so she would accept him sooner!
"We'll just eat more and speak less," Yun Zheng said casually with a smile. "We eat our fill and leave."
He didn't even want to attend!
Constantly uncomfortable and forced to scheme against others—how exhausting!
Yet, since Emperor Wen had sent word, he couldn't afford not to go!
"Eat your fill?"
Shen Luoyan curled her lip and scoffed, "I think getting a bellyful of humiliation is more like it!"
"Then you should set your mind at ease," Yun Zheng maintained his calm and breezy demeanor. "If others mock you, just treat it as passing gas!"
"I don't have your talent for swallowing insults!" Shen Luoyan taunted.
"Then you can just act as your temperament pleases," Yun Zheng shrugged. "If you die, His Imperial Father can simply bestow another marriage upon me! In any case, I am a man destined to die on the battlefield; whatever trouble you cause, it won't implicate me!"
"You..."
Shen Luoyan choked slightly, instantly rendered speechless with anger.
She suddenly realized this spineless wretch lacked any real competence, but his words were capable of driving someone to vomit blood.
Yun Zheng closed his eyes, smiling without a word.
He prayed for people to mock him!
If people didn't mock him today, he would actively seek it out.
He was counting on his brothers to lend a hand!
Chapter 13: Third Brother, Lend Me Some Silver
Wanshou Palace.
It was still slightly early before the banquet was set to begin.
However, many people were already waiting outside the palace.
This was a banquet hosted by Emperor Wen to welcome the Beihuan delegation—a moment to display the national dignity of the Da Qian Dynasty; no one dared to be late.
Just as Shen Luoyan had anticipated, aside from the imperial relatives, the attendees were all prominent officials of the court.
Courtiers below the third rank were basically unqualified to attend.
"Sixth Brother, what wind blew you here today?"
"I thought the Sixth Brother was going to fake illness again!"
"So this is the Sixth Brother? How is it that I seem to have never seen him?"
"How old are you? Let alone you, even we have rarely laid eyes on your Sixth Brother; he is harder to catch a glimpse of than a maiden in her boudoir..."
With the arrival of Yun Zheng and Shen Luoyan, a crowd of princes and princesses began to mock him, even the thirteen-year-old Eighth Prince joining in the taunts.
Facing the sneers and jeers of the crowd, Shen Luoyan felt stifled to the point of exploding, but Yun Zheng remained exceptionally calm, his expression devoid of the slightest ripple.
"Sixth Brother, say something!"
The Fifth Prince, Yun Ting, looked at Yun Zheng with amusement. "I heard you spoke quite fluently in the imperial court a few days ago. Why are you mute again today?"
"Indeed, Sixth Brother!"
The Eighth Prince smiled with undisguised contempt. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your Princess Consort Sixth? Isn't that rather inappropriate?"
The Second Prince patted the Eighth Prince's shoulder. "Stop giving your Sixth Brother a hard time. You know his flaw—whenever there are many people around, he loses the courage to speak..."
Unable to listen any longer, Shen Luoyan quietly gave Yun Zheng a gentle tug.
You spineless wretch, say something!
They are princes, and you are a prince too!
You can't afford to provoke them, but can't you even utter a word?
Seeing that the timing was right, Yun Zheng looked "timidly" toward the Second Prince. "Second Brother, I... I want to discuss something with you."
"Speak!"
The Second Prince mocked, "A real man should state what's on his mind directly! You are General Hulie now, after all! Stop dawdling and acting coy!"
Hearing the Second Prince utter Yun Zheng's title of "General Hulie," the crowd burst into loud laughter.
He shouldn't be called General Hulie.
He should be called General Suicide!
"Oh, oh."
Yun Zheng nodded and tentatively said, "Second Brother, lend me some silver."
"Ah?"
The Second Prince froze, and the crowd's uproarious laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Lend silver?
This spineless wretch—the very first sentence out of his mouth was to borrow silver?
"Second Brother, lend me some silver!"
"Mustering his courage," Yun Zheng spoke again.
The Second Prince's face darkened. "Sixth Brother, why are you asking me for silver?"
"The expenses of the mansion are simply too heavy," Yun Zheng put on a pitiful expression. "In a few days, Luoyan and I are getting married. Although the Imperial Household Department is helping to manage it, my hands are truly strapped; I'm running out of silver even for tips. Second Brother, please, lend me some silver!"
"Old Sixth, this is where you're in the wrong!"
The Second Prince said with displeasure, "I heard that when you moved into your new mansion a few days ago, you received quite a haul of gifts. You've run out of silver already?"
Yun Zheng shook his head and said with a bitter expression, "Those were the kind intentions of the court ministers and all my brothers; how could I take them and sell them for silver? If word got out, would it..."
"Why on earth can't you sell them?" The Second Prince widened his eyes. "Whenever I'm short on silver, I sell the things His Imperial Father bestows upon me! Sell them, go ahead and sell them with boldness!"
Listening to the Second Prince's words, Yun Zheng laughed inwardly.
I've been waiting for you to say those exact words!
You're the one who told me to sell them!
In the future, if anyone dares to claim I sold those items to accumulate wealth for rebellion, I'll send them straight to you!
Suppressing his laughter, Yun Zheng still wore a troubled expression. "Would that really be proper? Second Brother, you should just lend me some silver instead. I'll pay you back after my wedding."
The Second Prince pointed toward the other princes and princesses. "In any case, I have no silver to lend you. You can ask them if anyone is willing to lend you any."
With that, the Second Prince bolted immediately, fearing he would be entangled by this plague god for loans.
Yun Zheng raised his eyes and cast a "worried" gaze at the other princes and princesses.
Meeting Yun Zheng's gaze, the crowd reacted as if they had seen a plague god, hastily scattering to avoid being cornered for money.
In the span of a breath, the crowd that had surrounded them vanished completely.
Without this bunch of idiots, Yun Zheng felt the surrounding air instantly grow much fresher.
"Have you no shame?"
Furious, Shen Luoyan glared at him and snapped, "Knowing full well they wouldn't lend you silver, you still had the nerve to ask? I feel humiliated on your behalf!"
"Didn't I have no other choice?" Yun Zheng sniffed, his gaze falling back onto Shen Luoyan. "How about you lend me some..."
"Don't even dream about it!"
Shen Luoyan abruptly cut off Yun Zheng's thought and turned her head away.
If possible, she truly wished to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Just at that moment, Yun Li arrived surrounded by a throng of people.
The Third Prince's faction was currently the most influential in the court.
The moment Yun Li arrived, he became the center of attention.
Yun Li instantly spotted Yun Zheng and Shen Luoyan standing alone off to the side.
The moment he saw Yun Zheng, a sharp glint quietly flashed through Yun Li's eyes, and he slowly walked toward him.
"Sixth Brother, it's been a few days. Your complexion looks much better!"
Yun Li looked at Yun Zheng with a forced smile.
"Isn't that thanks to Third Brother's blessing?"
Discarding his previous spineless demeanor, Yun Zheng grinned. "Third Brother, does your nether region still hurt?"
Does your nether region still hurt?
Yun Li's face twitched violently, and a fierce cold light surged in his eyes.
After resting for a few days, the pain down there had subsided.
Yet, the moment Yun Zheng uttered those words, he felt a dull ache flare up again.
"Haven't seen you in a few days, and your nerve has grown!"
Yun Li stared at Yun Zheng with a chilling gaze, leaned close to his ear, and whispered viciously, "Rest assured, I will personally send you on your way!"
"Third Brother, are you trying to frame me for treason again?"
Yun Zheng suddenly amplified his voice. "There's no need to trouble Third Brother further with this matter. I'll tell Imperial Father back at the palace that I want to go to Shuobei to raise an army in rebellion, and beg Imperial Father to grant me a cup of poisoned wine! I won't even need to go to Shuobei to throw my life away—as long as I don't die by your hand!"
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, Yun Li's face turned green.
He never expected this good-for-nothing to start shouting publicly.
In the next instant, the crowd outside Wanshou Palace all turned to look.
No one cared about Yun Zheng's declaration of going to Shuobei to rebel; they took it as angry nonsense.
Rebellion—what did this good-for-nothing have to rebel with?
Let alone giving him three thousand troops, even if he were given thirty thousand, he couldn't pull off a rebellion!
Everyone's attention was fixed squarely on Yun Li's statement that he would personally kill Yun Zheng.
Especially the adult princes and their factions; each of them was brimming with excitement.
Yun Li publicly stating he wanted to kill Yun Zheng was prime material to make an issue of!
Yun Li jolted inwardly and shouted angrily, "Sixth Brother, stop talking nonsense! When did I ever say I wanted to kill you?"
Yun Zheng snorted lightly, "Didn't you just say it? You said you'd personally send me on my way!"
"You misunderstood!" Yun Li, harboring a guilty conscience, forced a laugh. "I meant that when the time comes to personally send you out of the Imperial City to Shuobei, your Third Brother wanted to see you off personally, not kill you!"
"Third Brother, I may be useless, but I'm not stupid!"
Yun Zheng snorted, asserting with certainty, "I kicked your manhood into injury; would you kindly see me out of the Imperial City? You must be planning to kill me yourself to avenge that kick!"
"Ahem... Sixth Brother, you mustn't speak recklessly!"
Furious inside, the Third Prince hastily smiled and said, "As for that previous incident, it was Third Brother's fault. You kick me once, and we'll call it even! Let's turn our hostility into friendship from now on, shall we?"
"Really?"
Yun Zheng asked with an "innocent" expression.
"Really!"
The Third Prince nodded. "How could Third Brother take such a trivial matter to heart?"
Looking half-convinced, Yun Zheng peered eagerly at the Third Prince. "If Third Brother lends me some silver, I'll believe you truly want to bury the hatchet..."
Chapter 14: A Show of Force from Beihuan
Lend silver?
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, Yun Li's face turned green.
This bastard!
He really knew how to climb up the pole!
Fine!
Lend it then!
It would also serve to demonstrate publicly that he had buried the hatchet with him.
If this bastard caused any more trouble in the future, he had better not come looking for him!
"Sixth Brother, how much silver do you want to borrow?"
Yun Li inquired.
"Thirty thousand taels!"
Yun Zheng opened his lion's mouth wide and pitifully stated his plight.
The implication was clear: thirty thousand taels might not even be enough, and borrowing more would be ideal.
Thir... thirty thousand taels?
Yun Li's face twitched violently, and he almost lashed out with a kick.
Their monthly allowance as imperial princes was only a thousand taels.
This dog of a thing opened his mouth for thirty thousand!
Did he think he was the national treasury?
Furious yet unable to vent it, Yun Li had no choice but to fish out a stack of silver notes from his robes and shove them at Yun Zheng. "All the silver notes I have on me are yours. If it's not enough, go borrow from your Second Brother and the rest of them!"
With that, Yun Li bolted away, thinking viciously: I'll deal with you later!
What a fool!
Yun Zheng laughed inwardly, happily beginning to count the silver notes.
Ah, thirteen thousand taels—not a small sum!
As expected of the Third Prince, carrying over ten thousand taels in silver notes on his person!
Truly wealthy!
"Put those away quickly, stop making a spectacle of yourself!"
Shen Luoyan glared at Yun Zheng with annoyance, secretly cursing this bastard for having zero shame.
He would resort to any means necessary just to borrow money!
Though, come to think of it, this bastard wasn't entirely stupid either!
He even knew how to take advantage of the situation to extort someone?
Well, not stupid—just completely useless!
With Yun Li as a cautionary tale, absolutely no one dared to approach Yun Zheng anymore.
Everyone was terrified of being cornered for loans!
After waiting another quarter of an hour outside Wanshou Palace, Emperor Wen finally ordered everyone to enter.
The guests took their seats in order of seniority and official rank.
Yun Zheng wanted to drag Shen Luoyan to hide in a corner, but the ceremonial eunuch pulled him and seated him right between the Fifth and Eighth Princes.
Fine!
Since he couldn't hide, he would accept it calmly.
Neither Emperor Wen nor the Beihuan delegation had arrived yet; seated, the guests whispered among themselves in low voices.
Yun Zheng glanced left and right, then locked his sights on the Fifth Prince. "Fifth Brother, lend me some..."
"I have no silver to lend you!"
Cutting off Yun Zheng's thought immediately, the Fifth Prince feigned whispering to the Princess Consort Fifth.
Yun Zheng turned his head and locked onto his neighbor to the right, the Eighth Prince.
Before he could even speak, the Eighth Prince averted his gaze.
"Stop embarrassing yourself!"
Lowering her voice, Shen Luoyan glared daggers at Yun Zheng.
What do you know!
Yun Zheng cursed inwardly, finally sitting quietly without raising his head.
Many people around the venue were chatting and laughing merrily, save for Yun Zheng and Shen Luoyan, whom nobody bothered to address.
Shen Luoyan found everything about Yun Zheng displeasing and couldn't be bothered to speak to him either.
Yun Zheng couldn't care less, already pondering where he could go to fence those gifts.
Ah, time to make money!
Time to recruit men!
Before heading to Shuobei, he still needed to cultivate his own trusted subordinates.
As he pondered, Yun Zheng's gaze drifted back to Shen Luoyan.
"Don't look at me!"
Shen Luoyan shot him a fierce glare, filled with utter disgust.
She truly wanted to flee this stifling, depressing wretched place!
Damn it!
Yun Zheng shook his head and banished the thought.
This chick was currently looking at him through colored glasses.
Although their marriage was settled, she clearly hadn't accepted reality yet. Developing her into a trusted subordinate carried a bit too much risk!
Forget it!
He'd go find her Second Sister-in-law instead!
Ah, sisters-in-law were always better!
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Just as Yun Zheng's mind was wandering, the ceremonial eunuch shouted loudly.
"Long live His Majesty!"
Yun Zheng stood up with the rest of the crowd to welcome Emperor Wen's arrival.
Once Emperor Wen was seated, he gave the order for the Beihuan delegation to enter.
"Announce the entry of the Beihuan delegation!"
Accompanied by the ceremonial eunuch's chant, the Beihuan delegation, led by the Beihuan National Preceptor Ban Bu, strode in with their heads held high.
Yun Zheng felt these bastards weren't here on a diplomatic mission; they looked more like they were here to declare war!
Seeing the arrogant posture of the Beihuan delegation, many in the pro-war faction gritted their teeth in hatred.
A cold glint flickered in Emperor Wen's eyes as well; he struggled to suppress his fury, his gaze locking onto Ban Bu, lingering for a long time.