Chapter 95

Update Time: August 29, 2012

(Chapter 2)

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.

Xu Fengnian redirected his attack towards the most prominent young noble, aiming to make Jing'an King Zhao Heng hesitate. The more entangled he was, the more Xu Fengnian could take advantage of the chaos. The "Regulations" that bound the feudal princes were much less restrictive for the non-royal Prince Xu Xiao. Even a powerful royal prince like the Guangling King had to report to the provincial governor three times every ten days, and failing to do so would result in detention. The weaker Huainan King Zhao Ying could not even arrange marriages for many of his young adult children. However, the Beiliang King, who could carry a sword to court, had never once reported to the Liangzhou governor in over a decade. Whenever Xu Xiao returned to the capital, the former governor Yan Jiexi would eagerly visit the Wang residence to report matters. It was no wonder that Yan Jiexi, who had "defected" from Beiliang, harbored resentment. No wonder he became one of the most vocal critics of Beiliang's military and political affairs in the capital. His daughter, who had married Prince Zhao Yanwu, was unfortunately raped and killed by Wei Echao. The censor, who had a low rank but significant influence over public opinion, could not even clear his daughter's name before his death. As a result, Wei Longwang only lost command of the giant warship, while Wei Wei, who had caused a major incident, was only confined for half a year before resuming his arrogant ways. This clearly showed the close ties between the Qingzhou faction in the capital and the Qing Party in Qingzhou. It was rumored that the censor, who had fallen out of favor, wrote a poignant poem before his death, criticizing the current censors for losing their integrity, with one line particularly scathing: "I say censors are worse than dogs, for even dogs bark and roosters crow in response."

Xu Fengnian seemed to have underestimated the courage and audacity of Wei Wei and his ilk, who were accustomed to being ruthless in Qingzhou. When Wei Wei's arrow failed, and Xu Fengnian challenged him to a duel, Wei Wei was so enraged that he turned to the commander of the warship and ordered, "Use the ramming poles!"

The ramming pole was a formidable weapon in naval battles, especially in close combat between large warships. Unable to use grappling hooks to capsize the enemy, skilled naval forces often coated their sails with thick mud to prevent fire attacks, ultimately relying on the ramming poles to smash the enemy. The ramming pole, similar to a large mast, was over ten zhang long, with a large stone at the top and a mechanism at the bottom to rotate and swing. When the enemy ship approached, the pole would be swung to smash it. Xu Fengnian turned to Ning Emei and Wei Shuyang and said with a light smile, "To gauge the combat effectiveness of a naval force, see how many times the ramming pole can be used. I think the Qingzhou navy can manage at most twice, and using it three times would be a miracle. They are far inferior to the Guangling navy."

While Xu Fengnian spoke calmly, the Qingzhou Huanglong was preparing to use the ramming pole. The two warship commanders gave orders, and the helmsmen and the officers responsible for the ramming poles, under the direction of the oarsmen, began their preparations. Arrows filled the arrow slots. The men and women on the third deck returned to the cabin, while Wei Wei and a few other young men with blood on their hands sat by the windows to watch the battle. The young noble, who had been indirectly insulted and provoked by Xu Fengnian, held a cup of wine but did not drink, instead rotating the porcelain cup with his fingers, his face as dark as a storm cloud. He sat alone at the table, and no one dared to approach him. This young noble, known for his elegance and approachability in Qingzhou, now resembled a coiled venomous snake.

The young ladies in silk sleeves gathered and whispered to each other. Initially, a couple of them were biased towards Wei Wei's group, but after being swayed by their affectionate companions, they all began to praise the out-of-town young man, describing his heroic appearance, his beautiful eyes, and his impressive sword skills. Their wavering loyalty quickly shifted, and they wished they could run out to cheer for the unknown white-robed young man. Women from prestigious families, whose lives were usually calm, often gathered to discuss interesting men they had encountered. Apart from the prominent young noble, their family backgrounds were not inferior to Wei Wei's, so they did not care about his attitude. Qingzhou, with its deeply entrenched interests, was highly exclusive, which is why the Qing Party in the capital had to help clean up after Wei Wei's murder of the censor's daughter. Moreover, internal conflicts in Qingzhou were minimal, so despite his notorious reputation, Wei Wei was generally kind to the women on the warship, even tolerating their teasing about his past misdeeds. The people called him a river monster, but the women preferred to call him a worm, affectionately referring to him as "Wei Worm." Wei Wei did not mind and accepted it with a smile.

The Qing Party's current status, which rivaled the Zhang Shoufu faction, the Gu Dajiang's military, and the remnants of fallen kingdoms, was closely tied to the blind solidarity of Qingzhou's noble sons. Wei Dong understood this well, as did the provincial governor Huangfu Song and the old foxes in the capital. Otherwise, why would they try to arrange the marriage between Princess Sui Zhu and Huangfu Song's eldest son, Huangfu Jie? Originally, this marriage was unlikely, but the Qing Party leaders worked hard to make it happen.

"Who is the man with the armored guards?" a young lady in pointed lotus shoes asked softly, hitting the key point.

"Who else? The Prince of Liang, of course," a lady in duck yellow replied with a light laugh, glancing at the young noble in the same cabin who was lost in thought, and lowering her voice, "We only heard that the Prince of Liang was arrogant in Beiliang, but seeing him today, I truly believe it. If our prince were to go to Beiliang, would he dare to challenge Xu Dazhuoguo's descendants like this?"

"Probably not. Our Jing'an King is no match for the Beiliang King. The Beiliang King is in the capital to meet the emperor, and my father says he is there to secure a dragon robe for the Prince. Other feudal princes don't even have the chance to enter the capital, so the Great Pillar of the State is indeed powerful," a lady with an oval face said with a playful smile. "I heard that the Prince of Beiliang is very indulgent towards women he likes, spending a fortune to make them smile. My second sister, who married into Beiliang, wrote in her letters that all the women in Liangzhou are honored to be taken back to the Wang residence by the Prince. Compared to the flower-destroying Wei Worm around us, there's no comparison."

"Can the Beiliang King really inherit his title?" a lady with small lotus feet asked in surprise. Who says that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent? If you want to marry into a well-matched family, you need some talent to support your husband and educate your children. Even in the struggles between wives and concubines in noble households, you would be at a disadvantage without talent. A famous critic once said that women in Beiliang could ride and control horses, women in Dongyue were gentle and talented, women in Xichu valued loyalty, and women in Qingzhou were the most scheming. This was not without basis. Women from Qingzhou who married into other regions often managed to establish themselves firmly in their new families, becoming the primary wives and making life difficult for the concubines. This was partly due to the power of the Qing Party. Women from Qingzhou had a natural sensitivity to the political intrigues of the court and the deceptions of the world, which made them highly sought after by ambitious families in other regions.

"It's hard to say. According to common sense, the court is a hundred times unwilling to recognize the hereditary succession of Beiliang. Why else would the 'Regulations for Feudal Princes' only mention the succession of two royal princes and remain silent on the non-royal Beiliang King? Isn't it because they fear that Beiliang belongs to the Great Pillar of the State, not the dynasty?"

The lady with the oval face, whose second sister had married into Beiliang, was very interested in the secrets of Beiliang's military and politics. This was a private conversation, and leaking it would be considered a betrayal, endangering the entire family. She was not worried about this and spoke freely, resting her chin on her hand and looking out the window, waiting for the battle to heat up. "In the capital, the Chief Minister Zhang, General Gu Jian棠, and especially the old loyalists of the fallen kingdoms, led by the former minister Sun Xiji, who has been seeking death, decided to serve again to see the Beiliang King's downfall. As for our Qingzhou ancestors and the Jing'an King, well, I don't need to say more. Would they let Beiliang inherit the title without a fight?"

"Yan Nie, tell us what you know about the Prince of Beiliang. You know the most about this," a lady in purple sleeves asked her oval-faced friend, her eyes full of curiosity. She was the most excited among the group, and when she saw Xu Fengnian cut the arrow with his sword, she almost cheered out loud if not for her companions holding her back. Due to her family's influence and the Qingzhou culture, she had previously dismissed the Great Pillar of the State and the infamous Prince of Beiliang. But seeing the Prince's noble demeanor on the ship, she was completely enchanted, thinking that if she were to marry, she would marry Xu Fengnian. The more arrogant the Qingzhou young men were, the more she admired the Prince of Beiliang, who dared to challenge even the Prince of Jing'an, declaring that he would beat him so badly that even the Jing'an King wouldn't recognize him. Wasn't Xu Fengnian heroic enough?

"The men in Beiliang all curse him, especially the young men like Wei Worm, who are envious and resentful. Among the women, opinions are mixed. My second sister once saw the Prince of Beiliang from a distance and found him interesting. Her husband often argued with her over this, saying she was bewitched. Do you know what harsh words my second sister used to silence her husband?" She paused, her face beaming. She was known for her cleverness and had a knack for manipulating people like Wei Wei.

"What did she say?" the young ladies asked in unison.

"My second sister said, 'Husband, if you keep arguing about this, the next time we are intimate, I will call out the Prince's name.'" She burst into laughter.

That was indeed harsh.

The other women were first stunned, then laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

While they could leisurely discuss both bedroom secrets and political intrigues, the young men like Wei Wei, who were all on the same string, looked grave.

Earlier, using the ramming pole to smash the ship was seen as a way to liven up the gathering, as the opponent seemed insignificant. Now, anyone with a brain could guess the identity of the opponent—the standardized Beiliang sword that had once set a trend in the dynasty! The heart-stopping challenge to fight to the death! Wei Wei, proud of his status as a Qingzhou noble, had made a mistake and was now all in. Another mistake, and he ordered the Huanglong warship to use the ramming pole. He had dared to rape and kill the daughter of a censor from the capital, so he was not afraid to act recklessly again. This battle, regardless of the outcome, would spread his reputation of defeating the Beiliang army across the country, even reaching the imperial palace. Who wouldn't praise Wei Wei for his loyalty and righteousness, despite his lack of education? His father had been unable to command the giant warship due to his actions, and this feat today might push his father, Wei Longwang, to the pinnacle of power in Qingzhou!

The white-robed, sword-wielding Prince of Beiliang was undoubtedly the best stepping stone!

Unlike the rash Wei Wei, the young noble with the wine cup had deeper thoughts, his face dark.

The emperor enjoyed seeing the feudal princes compete, which is why there was a law that the two princes should not meet. This confrontation with Xu Fengnian was not just a quarrel between two princes but a continuation of the long-standing rivalry between their fathers, the King and Xu Renzhu. The King had been seeking enlightenment and Buddhism for years, and he vividly remembered how the emperor had repeatedly rejected his requests to visit Dragon Tiger Mountain, even harshly criticizing him. One of his brothers was stripped of his title and confined to a high wall in Fengyang, and over sixty people were exiled to the Liaodong garrisons. If not for the intercession of a Qingzhou-born empress, the King's succession as a feudal prince would have been in doubt. What would be the outcome for the King and him, regardless of the result of this naval battle? The emperor was a master of balancing power between the feudal princes and the regions, between civil and military officials, and between political factions. He had no confidence in predicting the emperor's intentions.

Should he take the opportunity to kill Xu Fengnian?

This shocking thought flashed through the Prince of Jing'an's mind, and he finally took a sip of wine to hide his strange expression.

{Piaotian Literature}