“These ten bright pearls were bestowed by His Majesty upon the Imperial Consort. The Imperial Consort says she has no use keeping them by her side. Knowing that your achievements this time are very great and you’re almost at marriageable age, if you fancy some young lady, perhaps they could come in handy. So she sent us to bestow these ten pearls upon you.”
The Marquis of Xinchang’s adopted son Li Zhigao possessed a steady and composed bearing. After Han Qian dismissed unrelated personnel, he took out a brocade pouch from his bosom and handed the ten Hepu pearls it contained to Han Qian, who lay wrapped in furs.
The Imperial Consort had never enjoyed favor. It was only after the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu truly entered Emperor Tianyou’s consideration for succession that the Imperial Consort’s bestowals increased somewhat. But even now, adding it all together, she hadn’t enjoyed many good days. Being able to produce ten Hepu pearls at once was already quite difficult.
Generous rewards based on merit were one aspect. More importantly, this action was actually Imperial Consort Lady Wang lowering her head to admit her mistake to Han Qian for her previous suspicion and exclusion.
Li Chong was resentful in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.
Whoever had the ability like Han Qian to enable the Third Imperial Prince, who was precarious and controlled by Anning Palace’s servants without freedom, to become a military commander wielding five to six thousand troops in just three to four months, would have the qualification to force Imperial Consort Lady Wang to lower her head and admit her mistake.
Although for these five to six thousand troops, the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion had produced over twenty thousand shi of grain and other large quantities of provisions in just one month, and before the garrison fields became productive, the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Tower still had to contribute large amounts of money and grain every month—these were the fundamental foundation for the Longque Army’s establishment. But Li Chong also had to admit that without the Plague Water Relief Memorial, especially without the brilliant strategy of Han Qian and Han Daoxun first suppressing then raising, no matter how much money and provisions the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Tower controlled, it would be impossible to improve the situation to this step in such a short time.
“With this sickly body of mine, what talk is there of marriage? Also, at the beginning of the month, the garrison military headquarters borrowed over a hundred shi of rice plus iron and charcoal and other provisions from the manor. The lime account for over ten days hasn’t been settled yet. It’s already year-end now, and the family soldiers and servants below are all hoping for rewards. Every time I think about this, my illness gets worse.” Han Qian didn’t forget to groan a couple of times. In his heart, he thought that this one month’s production of five thousand loads of lime, sold to the garrison military headquarters at only one-quarter market price—just this one item meant he lost a hundred ingots of gold.
These ten longan-sized Hepu pearls could barely equal a hundred ingots of gold.
Calculating it, the Imperial Consort’s side hadn’t really given him any reward at all!
The Granary Section Adjutant was someone from the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion, controlling the military headquarters’ money and grain. This person also didn’t know Han Qian’s true identity. Even though the accounts were all approved by Shen Yang, they were still delayed at the Granary Section Adjutant’s end, waiting for Han Qian’s side to send someone to show proper respect. Han Qian thought that since it was already year-end, the accounts needed to be settled first before he had the energy to do other things.
Not expecting Han Qian to not forget debt collection while lying sick in bed, Li Zhigao and Chai Jian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They could only promise: “As long as Young Master Han is in good health, we’ll remember to urge this matter when we pass by on our way back to the city.”
Since Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu couldn’t directly come forward to help the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu control the army, the Marquis of Xinchang’s adopted son Li Zhigao, who served as First Vice Commander of the Longque Army, was the true military commander. Chen De, as Deputy Commander, was just a figurehead placed openly on the surface.
“If Young Master Han is still too seriously ill to attend tomorrow’s banquet, His Highness might personally come to the manor to visit. I believe Young Master Han doesn’t want to alarm His Highness, does he?” Chai Jian, who had hardly made a sound since arriving, said in a hoarse voice at this moment.
Hearing Chai Jian’s voice, Han Qian was slightly startled. He hadn’t expected that the swordsman wearing a bronze mask and guarding the secret passage for the black-veiled woman at the Marquis of Xinchang’s villa that day was the Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu’s second son-in-law, Chai Jian.
The mutually symbiotic and dependent relationship between the Marquis of Xinchang’s mansion and Wanhong Tower was even closer than he had imagined!
Or perhaps, Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu had been a person of Wanhong Tower from the start. It was just that these years, following Emperor Tianyou’s campaigns north and south, his status had gradually become distinguished. Or perhaps, the reason Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu could achieve meritorious deeds and establish his career these years was also inseparable from Wanhong Tower’s covert support?
Han Qian paid no attention to Chai Jian’s threatening tone. He couldn’t help but glance at Li Zhigao again, thinking in his heart: Is this Li Zhigao really as simple as being the son of Li Pu’s subordinate general?
What Han Qian was now trying by every means to do was still mainly to avoid attracting the attention of Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction as much as possible. Naturally, he also didn’t want to create a situation where the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu really came to the door to invite him. Going with the flow, he said:
“Recuperating from illness these past days, I’ve neglected quite a bit of coursework. My body also feels rusty. I should indeed get up and move around. Oh, right, tomorrow when His Highness holds the feast, we could invite Miss Yao to dance a piece to add to the festivities!”
“If Young Master Han has this refined interest, we’ll remember to mention it when we return. As for whether Miss Yao is willing, we can’t guarantee that.” Chai Jian said impassively.
“That’s easy to handle. Even if His Majesty issues an edict, there’s still the saying ‘when a general is abroad, not all imperial commands need be accepted.’ In this day and age, who can force whom to work?” Han Qian said with a smile.
Li Zhigao frowned slightly. Han Qian saying this naturally meant he demanded that in the future Yao Xishui would have to submit to him, and even Li Chong couldn’t boss him around anymore. Otherwise, even if they forced Han Qian to attend the banquet tomorrow, they shouldn’t expect Han Qian to献 献offer another strategy in the future.
Both Chai Jian and Li Chong were somewhat angry and closed their mouths without speaking.
Li Zhigao said: “Second Brother and Xishui have been somewhat reckless in their past actions. Zhigao apologizes to Young Master Han on their behalf. If we can persuade Miss Yao tomorrow, we’ll certainly ask Miss Yao to dance a piece to add to the festivities…”
Yao Xishui either wouldn’t come to the Marquis of Linjiang’s mansion tomorrow, or if she went to the Marquis of Linjiang’s mansion in her capacity as a singing and dancing entertainer of Wanhong Tower, how could she possibly conceal it from others’ eyes and ears without performing?
Li Zhigao wasn’t afraid of Han Qian being arrogant based on his talent. He still wanted to try to find ways to calm the resentment in each other’s hearts and not ruin things.
With Li Zhigao able to say this, Han Qian had to think more highly of him.
……
The moon hung like a silver hook from the flying eaves.
The lights in the building were dim. A few faint branch and leaf shadows were scattered across the wooden floor.
“The lowly trade Xishui engages in—singing and dancing to accompany wine and merriment—is also my duty. There’s nothing improper about it,” Yao Xishui sat before a table. Hearing the message Chai Jian brought back, she didn’t show any anger but said indifferently, “However, this person Han Qian uses every means to trample on His Highness’s trust in us. His Highness is still young and doesn’t understand people’s hearts. At this time, he has unavoidably been influenced by him. In the future, it’s even harder to say he won’t be manipulated by him.”
Although Han Qian was a target she had selected, and initially it was also her who advocated that keeping this person might be useful—and at this time it proved that Han Qian was not only useful but his usefulness was far beyond their initial expectations—at this moment Yao Xishui felt Han Qian was more like a venomous snake lurking deep in the grass. If they weren’t careful, Wanhong Tower would also be viciously bitten by him.
Han Qian’s several times unhesitatingly humiliating her and Li Chong—in others’ eyes it might be that Han Qian had a perverse temperament and was arrogant based on his talent—but no matter how Yao Xishui looked at it, she felt Han Qian did it intentionally.
The purpose was to weaken their trust in their side so that he could have stronger influence over the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu.
Including today when the Third Imperial Prince Yang Yuanpu forced Li Zhigao, Li Chong, and Chai Jian to go invite Han Qian to the banquet—all this showed that Han Qian’s intentions were taking effect.
“This youngster is eager to break free from Wanhong Tower’s control. If we don’t guard against him now, he may become a great threat.” Chai Jian had now been formally transferred to serve in the Longque Army and could show his face publicly in Jinling city, but at Wanhong Tower he was still accustomed to wearing the bronze mask, as if this fierce mask was his true face.
He also felt Han Qian was an extremely dangerous figure, and moreover, this figure was urgently trying to break free from Wanhong Tower’s control.
“This youngster Han Qian does have some arrogance based on talent and competition for favor, but it’s precisely his urgency that perhaps reveals his true nature. Otherwise, with his intelligence and talent, he wouldn’t fail to understand the principle of feigning obedience while concealing his schemes.” After returning to the city, Li Zhigao had changed into casual clothes but still appeared refined and dignified. He sat rather casually at the table and said.
It wasn’t that Li Zhigao’s perception was inferior to others. Rather, he simply couldn’t figure out why Han Qian was so urgent. The explanation he could think of was that this youngster Han Qian had a proud and lofty heart, combined with still harboring resentment about Yao Xishui’s poisoning attempt on him.
However, in Li Zhigao’s view, for someone like Han Qian, his harboring resentment had a reason. They couldn’t abandon him just because of this.
Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu glanced at the black-veiled woman and couldn’t help but smile bitterly: “People like this having some bad temper is truly headache-inducing!”
Seeing Li Zhigao and Li Pu’s attitudes still wanting to continue indulging Han Qian’s arrogance, Yao Xishui couldn’t help but say again: “The one who truly has talent is his father Han Daoxun. What Han Qian possesses is nothing more than some cunning petty schemes.”
In Yao Xishui’s view, Han Qian had been fostered since childhood under the knee of his scheming second uncle Han Daochang. Developing a cunning mind and sinister schemes from a young age was inevitable, but she didn’t think he truly had any administrative talent.
“Han Daoxun’s talent and character are noble and upright. He won’t easily be used by us. That’s why we need to keep Han Qian all the more.” Li Zhigao said.
Han Daoxun had a good reputation when serving as an official in Chuzhou and Guangling. Before Wang Jixiong resigned as Prime Minister, he had recommended Han Daoxun to enter the court—this was no secret to them. But Li Zhigao had no previous contact with Han Daoxun before and thought that this person’s great reputation might be hard to live up to in reality.
In fact, Marquis of Xinchang Li Pu and others hadn’t really paid much attention to Han Daoxun.
This time, seeing that the Plague Water Relief Memorial could actually play such a great role, although Li Zhigao didn’t quite approve of Han Daoxun’s behavior of completely disregarding his own fame and fortune in order to accomplish something beneficial to the refugees, it was precisely this that made him admire the man’s character even more.
Li Zhigao didn’t think Han Daoxun was someone any faction could easily win over. This made it all the more necessary to keep Han Qian for their use.