Commander Liu Duxiu, leading a regiment of three hundred Flying Fish Robes, positioned himself on the street, surrounding the Keshengju building from a distance. He didn't know what was happening inside Keshengju, but he knew there were at least a hundred valiant and skilled Sui border soldiers there—not ordinary soldiers, but elite troops, each one handpicked from among the best.
If the garrison commander had summoned him to deal with these hundred-plus elite border soldiers, Liu Duxiu didn't have much confidence in his three hundred Flying Fish Robes. If those border soldiers caused trouble, a hundred-man force would be a formidable opponent. In terms of individual skill, the Flying Fish Robe guards were all experts. But when it came to killing, the Flying Fish Robe men might not be superior to the border soldiers.
The common people didn't understand the border soldiers; in their eyes, the most powerful and elite troops of the Sui Dynasty were the Sixteen Guards. But everyone in the court knew that the guards hadn't fought a war for fifteen or sixteen years, while the border soldiers engaged in small-scale skirmishes every year. Just as Liu Duxiu was filled with worry, he suddenly realized that someone had arrived to relieve his stress.
A carriage bearing the insignia of the Imperial Guards stopped at the street corner. The people inside didn't get out, but the driver beckoned to Liu Duxiu. Liu Duxiu recognized the carriage and immediately ran over. He lifted the curtain, climbed in, and bowed, greeting them.
"Greetings, Mr. Zhuo."
Zhuo Buyi grunted and said, "If there's any trouble at Keshengju later, those on the outside shouldn't rush in immediately. Tell the guards that if anything happens, immediately block off the main street. No one is allowed to leave Keshengju, whether they're diners or onlookers. As for how bad the commotion is inside, don't go in until I give the signal… You go back first; I'll keep watch here."
Liu Duxiu was naturally more than happy to comply.
He got out of the carriage and instructed the guards in their flying fish robes to hide and not make any rash moves. Sitting inside the carriage, Zhuo Buyi slowly closed his eyes, seemingly asleep.
Changchun Garden.
The yurt.
Emperor Yang Yi stepped down from the earthen bed and earnestly performed a set of exercises. These were the exercises Fang Jie had demonstrated for him in this room a few days ago, which the eunuch Su Buwei had slightly modified, and the emperor had specifically learned them. However, the sight of His Majesty, dressed in his imperial robes, hopping and skipping around the room doing the eighth set of broadcast gymnastics was rather endearing.
Luo Weiran suppressed a laugh, daring not to laugh at all.
"Yu Donglai's resignation has been submitted, and I have granted it. Even if Yu Donglai didn't instigate this, he is still culpable. The Ministry of War cannot be without a leader. I had Huai Qiugong and a few others draft a list, but I don't think any of them are truly capable of shouldering the responsibility. In peaceful times, these people could serve as Minister or Vice Minister of War, but not now. None of the people on the list can withstand the test of years of war… Foreign military campaigns are not something that can be resolved in a few days or months; only those with exceptional abilities can be competent in the Ministry of War."
The Emperor, feeling much lighter after completing his exercises, swung his arms and asked Luo Weiran, "Although you are..." "You come from the martial world, but have been working in the court for ten years. You are in charge of the Imperial Guard; your understanding of the court officials is probably better than mine. Tell me, who can take on the duties of the Ministry of War?"
Luo Weiran bowed and said, "I've heard that several high-ranking officials have jointly recommended Prince Yi..."
He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by the Emperor's wave of his hand: "In war, brothers are close... Huai Qiugong and the others make it sound so easy. If I were to actually use Prince Yi, another group would immediately accuse me of nepotism! I possess the entire realm, and I have plenty of talented people under my command. There's no need for Prince Yi to suffer as well."
Luo Weiran understood; His Majesty still didn't want to use Prince Yi.
Ten years ago, Prince Yi's not-so-major mistake would likely haunt him for life. If Prince Zhong were still alive, His Majesty certainly wouldn't have to worry about who to appoint. "The person I had originally chosen seems unsuitable."
Luo Weiran respectfully replied, "The court has been at peace for fifteen years. If war breaks out, the duties of the Ministry of War will be too heavy… Your Majesty just said you didn't want to be accused of nepotism by your officials, so the suitable candidate I had thought of is no longer appropriate."
"Who?"
"Prince Xu, Yang Kai."
Luo Weiran paused and said, "However, the court indeed has no precedent for appointing a prince or duke as Minister of War."
"Yang Kai?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then said, "The late Emperor used…" "Although young, Yang Kai has already led an army independently, conquering Suzhou, Huizhou, and Qinzhou, annihilating the Shang Kingdom's 90,000 elite troops with only 20,000 men. After the conquest of Shang, Yang Kai led troops to quell rebellions several times. He is indeed a brilliant commander… Before the final battle against Shang, the late emperor entrusted Yang Kai with the logistics and management of the army, which he handled flawlessly. However, he hasn't dealt with state affairs for fifteen years, and I fear he may not be up to the task…"
The emperor pondered for a moment, then turned and instructed, "Su Buwei, invite Prince Xu to Changchun Garden for a meeting."
Su Buwei responded and immediately ordered his men to carry out the request.
Seeing that His Majesty showed no disapproval of his suggestion, Luo Weiran secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I had thought of two other people before, but I held back for fear of Your Majesty's reprimand. Just now, I've been blaming myself; how could I be so hesitant in recommending talented individuals for the country..."
"Speak!"
"Your Majesty, do you still remember these two virtuous ministers?"
"Mou Liangbi, Zong Lianghu... How could I forget?"
The Emperor let out a long sigh, walked back to the earthen bed, and sat down, asking, "Are these two still imprisoned?"
"They are still imprisoned."
"They've been imprisoned for eleven years; their tempers should have been tempered by now."
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Bring them out, and bring them to see me along with Prince Xu."
"Your Majesty..." "I have something else to report."
"What is it?"
"Just before I entered, Zhuo Buyi sent an urgent message saying that several young men from prominent families at Keshengju seem to be at odds with the border troops who are gathering there, and that some sordid matters are brewing."
"Border troops gathering?"
The Emperor was taken aback, then asked, "They gathered at Keshengju before, during the Martial Arts Academy exams in the Upper Realm. Back then, you were worried they were plotting something, so you personally went to keep an eye on them. This time, Zhuo Buyi went? In the future, there's no need to keep watch over them. I trust these elite border troops."
"Your Majesty trusts them, but some people look down on them."
...
...
Keshengju.
Zhang Kuang poured Fang Jie a cup of wine, smiled, and said, "We're used to this kind of thing. Actually, people from truly prestigious families aren't so ostentatious. A few days ago, we bumped into Prince Yi and Minister of Rites Huai Qiugong fishing by the river. Upon seeing us lowly border soldiers, Prince Yi actually stood up to greet us warmly and asked after our well-being. Before we parted, he even gave each of us fifty taels of silver."
Zhang Kuang continued, "But some so-called prestigious families that are on the verge of ruin, unable to revive their fortunes, act even more arrogantly and haughtily. Aren't they deliberately trying to appear noble, not wanting people to say their families are on the verge of collapse?"
He pointed upstairs and said, "The Wang family of Jiangnan, who doesn't know they're in decline?"
"Even the worst prestigious families have no shortage of sycophants."
Fang Jie gestured with his lip, and Zhang Kuang and Mo Xidao immediately smiled disdainfully.
Wang Wei, the brigade commander of Baishui City, came down the stairs, clearly hesitating for a moment before continuing in this direction. It was clear that his expression was somewhat unpleasant in front of so many comrades. He had clearly heard what Wang Ding had said when he entered, but he still chose to stand behind Wang Ding instead of joining his comrades.
"Brother Mo…"
Wang Wei walked to Fang Jie and the others, his expression somewhat troubled, and said, "I didn't mean to refuse the brothers' invitation yesterday, but I had already promised Young Master Wang. It wouldn't be right to refuse someone else, so please forgive me, Brother Mo and the brothers."
"They invited you first, we won't blame you for that."
Zhang Kuang, not wanting to make things too awkward, stood up and said, "The brothers just wanted to catch up, nothing important."
"Just now, after I went upstairs, I got into an argument with Wang Ding…"
Wang Wei sighed and said, "That guy has a foul mouth, but he's not really that bad at heart. I almost fell out with him upstairs, and he…" Knowing he had spoken too harshly, he intended to apologize to us brothers. He wanted to invite the three of us upstairs, saying he was willing to punish himself threefold as an apology. He originally wanted to come down and invite us up himself, but fearing it might cause misunderstandings and further unpleasantness, he begged me to come instead…"
"No."
Mo Xidao waved his hand, saying, "How could we, such uncouth men, be worthy to drink with the young master Wang from a prestigious family in Jiangnan!"
Zhang Kuang quickly pulled him aside, saying, "Why bother… Since Brother Wang has already come down to apologize on our behalf, we can't hold a grudge, can we? In terms of magnanimity, our border troops are second to none."
"Brother Fang, are you going or not?"
Mo Xidao turned to Fang Jie and asked.
Fang Jie was about to shake his head, but Zhang Kuang quietly tugged at him from behind. Fang Jie knew Zhang Kuang was a cautious man, afraid of creating too much tension with those scions of noble families. The border soldiers were all without powerful backers. If they really offended Wang Ding, and he resorted to some underhanded tactics, the border soldiers might not be able to handle it.
"No need for drinking," Fang Jie said after thinking for a moment.
"Since Young Master Wang has already apologized, we brothers will let it go. We might even be comrades in the Martial Arts Academy in the future. Brother Wang, please tell Young Master Wang that we appreciate his kindness, but we'll forgo the wine."
Fang Jie ultimately didn't side with Zhang Kuang. He felt something was off. Wang Ding didn't seem like the type to back down easily, especially since, as mentioned earlier, someone from a fallen aristocratic family wouldn't easily give the impression of being cowardly.
Mo Xidao habitually touched the scar on his face, glanced at Zhang Kuang's troubled expression, grabbed a wine jar, raised it upstairs, and then gulped it down. Wang Wei's face instantly darkened, and he said in an almost pleading tone, "Do I have to kneel down and beg you? Not for Wang Ding, but just for me, can't the three of you give me some face? If I can't get you three upstairs, then I..."
Hearing this, Mo Xidao's heart softened.
"In that case, shall we go upstairs for a drink?"
He asked Fang Jie.
Fang Jie shook his head again: "In the end, I don't want to go."
"Alright, alright!"
Zhang Kuang quickly said, "If Fang Jie doesn't want to go, then the two of us will go."
He pulled Mo Xidao towards the stairs. Wang Wei's expression softened slightly, and he gave Fang Jie a meaningful look before turning and leaving.
...
...
Wang Wei led the way, and after reaching the second floor, he said with a smile, "It's just ahead. Young Master Wang has already filled the wine and is waiting for you two."
He walked to the door of a room, pointed inside, and said, "Please."
Mo Xidao glanced at Zhang Kuang and went in first. Zhang Kuang followed closely behind. Upon entering, both he and Zhang Kuang paused, then turned to look at Wang Wei.
The room was empty.
Just then, Mo Xidao suddenly sensed something, abruptly looking up at the opposite wall, his expression changing.
"Quick, let's go!"
He grabbed Zhang Kuang, trying to pull him outside, but Wang Wei had already closed the door.
"It's terrible! Those audacious madmen Mo Xidao and Zhang Kuang have actually broken into the room where the founding emperor left his calligraphy, and they're even sitting in the chair he once sat in!"
As soon as Wang Wei shouted this, Wang Ding and the others in the opposite private room rushed out, shouting in unison, "Block them! Don't let them out! These madmen dare to disrespect the founding emperor! This is a grave offense deserving the execution of nine generations of their families! I think they did this on purpose; they've long harbored treasonous intentions!"
In a room not far away, Hou Wenji shook his head and sighed softly, "Those two idiots better not break down the door and destroy the things… then they'll truly be outmaneuvered. They're just waiting for you to go berserk, smash the door, and make a move… then you'll have no way to defend yourselves."
Just then, with a loud crash, the door was smashed open by Mo Xidao's fist, and he strode out, his eyes blazing with fury. He pointed at Wang Wei and cursed, "You scoundrel!"