Hearing Han Qian say this, Feng Yi and Kong Xirong deeply agreed. Xuzhou was remote with high mountains and distant waters, the local customs were fierce and violent, and it was an area where the Five Streams barbarians lived in clusters—miasma and poison spread everywhere. For those wanting to gain promotion and wealth, no one would think to take office in such a remote place. They thought to themselves that perhaps this was Han Daoxun’s helpless choice after gaining notoriety from causing a great disturbance at court by remonstrating against driving out the disaster refugees.
“Will you also go to Xuzhou this time?” Feng Yi asked again.
At this time, Han Qian served as an aide in the marquis’s residence, only a semi-official position. Since Han Qian hadn’t yet established a family and career, it was quite possible he would accompany his father Han Daoxun to take up the post in Xuzhou.
“That depends on whether His Highness will let me go,” Han Qian said helplessly.
Thinking of the leverage held against them, Feng Yi and Kong Xirong felt quite sympathetic toward Han Qian’s predicament.
“Has His Highness returned to the residence?” Han Qian asked again.
“I heard he just came out from the Imperial Ancestral Temple. If he doesn’t stay in the palace for a banquet, he should return soon,” Feng Yi said.
Today was the third day of the grand wedding. According to protocol, the Third Prince should bring his new wife to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay respects to the Yang family’s ancestors.
Han Qian also privately felt fortunate that all these matters were presided over by the Palace Domestic Service. On one hand, Guo Rong, who belonged to the Palace Domestic Service, couldn’t easily get away. On the other hand, these tedious ceremonial affairs had nothing to do with low-ranking assistant officials like Han Qian.
More importantly, these past few days the Third Prince had been appearing before Emperor Tianyou alongside high-ranking military officials at court. This made the Palace of Tranquility’s side even more apprehensive, not daring to easily tamper with his father’s appointment as Regional Inspector of Xuzhou.
Han Qian waited with Feng Yi and Kong Xirong at the marquis’s residence until noon, when the Third Prince finally returned with his new wife.
Only then did Han Qian see for the first time the Marchioness, Li Yao, the youngest daughter of Marquis Xinchang Li Pu.
Only thirteen years old this year, set against the voluptuously beautiful Song Xin, Li Yao was completely just a delicate little girl who hadn’t yet matured, with a slender figure.
After these past days of tedious ceremonial torment, the new marchioness also wore an expression of exhaustion. Seeing Han Qian and the crowd of people come over to pay their respects like stars surrounding the moon, she appeared somewhat alarmed and uneasy, instinctively shrinking behind the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu to hide from everything before her eyes.
Seeing the new marchioness stand before Song Xin in such an uneasy manner, Han Qian smiled inwardly, secretly thinking that Marquis Xinchang Li Pu had probably already repeatedly warned his daughter that within the Marquis of Linjiang’s residence, deep as the sea, murderous intent and killing energy were heavy everywhere.
However, facing Guo Rong’s sinister gaze that pierced over like nails, Han Qian dealt with it calmly.
On one hand, after Han Qian integrated the dream memories, he no longer had that initial chaotic and powerless feeling of being unable to grasp control. On the other hand, the current situation had already improved considerably. Moreover, all of this was something Han Qian had personally participated in and reversed step by step. The powerful confidence born from this meant that figures like Guo Rong could no longer exert any pressure on Han Qian.
Feng Yi and Kong Xirong still feared Guo Rong. More people within the undercurrents of the Marquis of Linjiang’s residence, including Li Chong and Chai Jian, also appeared vigilant and tense. Only Han Qian stood among the crowd with unhurried composure and extraordinary bearing, like a crane standing among chickens.
Guo Rong still remembered the situation when he first saw Han Qian at the Han residence. At that time, Han Qian had just returned from being dragged by Feng Yi and Kong Xirong to visit the Evening Crimson Tower. Han Daoxun wore a face full of fury, hating that he was addicted to wine and women without knowing how to repent.
Later, accompanying the prince’s studies at the marquis’s residence, Han Qian did gain the Third Prince’s favor. Whatever lessons Shen Yang taught, Han Qian’s explanations were quite thorough.
At that time, Guo Rong had specifically paid attention to Han Qian for a period. But after Han Daoxun caused the great disturbance at court remonstrating against driving out the disaster refugees, Han Qian had claimed illness for almost a month without coming to the marquis’s residence. After the new year, he took leave every other day or so, not even as diligent as the two wastrel sons Feng Yi and Kong Xirong. So Guo Rong had dismissed him from his mind.
Like at the wedding banquet the other day, when Han Qian made such a scene, it made him appear even more frivolous and reckless. Everyone thought that even if the Wang family broke off his engagement, he completely didn’t deserve sympathy.
However, after last night, Guo Rong suddenly realized that matters might be far from as simple as imagined.
And today, with Han Daoxun’s appointment to be transferred to Xuzhou officially announced, Guo Rong couldn’t help wondering—the scene he witnessed when he visited the Han residence at night before the new year, could it have been a performance the Han father and son deliberately staged for him to see?
Thinking of this, Guo Rong requested leave from the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu, saying, “Yesterday His Majesty inquired about the establishment of the Dragon Sparrow Army. This humble official was shocked to realize I have been too negligent these past six months, failing to live up to His Majesty’s and Your Highness’s great trust. Today I specifically arranged to meet with Administrator Shen Yang to go together to the garrison headquarters to inspect the troops. There are temporarily no other matters at the residence today, and Your Highness has been exhausted for many days and needs to rest. This humble official will take this opportunity to go outside the city.”
“After His Highness’s wedding, he should also formally begin handling military affairs. Why not go together with Administrator Guo?” Han Qian suggested.
Yang Yuanpu had long wanted to see with his own eyes what stage the Dragon Sparrow Army’s preparations had reached. As soon as Han Qian finished speaking, he excitedly stood up and instructed Chen De and the others to quickly prepare horses and carriages.
Chen De still hesitated, not wanting to go to a plague-infected area and encounter bad luck. Just as he was about to remonstrate, Chai Jian pushed him from behind, so he didn’t make a sound.
The residence’s secretary Song Xin looked over with beautiful eyes full of doubt. These past days she had been busy accompanying and attending to the new wife at her side, with no time to contact Guo Rong. She had no idea what had happened.
Guo Rong’s heart filled with great hatred. That Han Qian at this moment showed no concern about epidemic contagion and directly suggested the Third Prince go to the garrison—all of this could only mean that last night Li Zhigao and Han Qian’s pretentious acts had successfully frightened and deterred them.
After dining at the Marquis of Linjiang’s residence, they also notified Capital Commandant Gao Chengyuan, who had been resting in the city these past two days, to come to the residence to assemble. Afterward, surrounded by over two hundred cavalry from the Guard Battalion, they rode out of the city in grand formation.
After incorporating the Dragon Sparrow Army’s veteran soldiers, the Guard Battalion had already expanded to five hundred men, usually divided into two shifts for duty and training. Chai Jian served as Deputy Commander of the Guard Battalion, actually holding command authority over it.
With the Ministry of Personnel memorial already issued, Han Qian no longer concealed anything. Openly together with Chai Jian, he directly flanked the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu’s side and recounted in complete detail everything that had happened these past days for the Third Prince to know. For some suspicious points among them, Han Qian also spared no words in providing detailed explanations.
For the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu, this was also another form of learning.
At this time, the various camps within the garrison were organizing personnel to harvest wheat and plant soybeans. The over seven thousand garrison troops also implemented rotational training—half continuing normal training and guard duty, half organized to dig river channels and drainage ditches, construct garrison camps, and strengthen the embankments. Everything within the garrison appeared orderly and full of vitality.
Guo Rong sat on horseback with an ugly expression. How could he have imagined that the scene before his eyes was so completely different from what he had seen yesterday?
Thinking further that all of this had been accomplished by Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and the others right under his nose, Guo Rong felt even more like he was sitting on a bed of nails, truly not knowing how the Palace of Tranquility would punish him when they learned of all this!
Yang Yuanpu, however, was exceptionally excited. These past days he had only heard Li Zhigao and Li Chong speak of the situation at the garrison headquarters, but nothing compared to seeing it with his own eyes.
Regardless of what ulterior motives the people of the Marquis Xinchang’s household harbored, Shen Yang presiding over the garrison headquarters still insisted on proclaiming the Emperor’s vast grace to the incorporated disaster refugees.
For ordinary people, seeing the Third Prince Yang Yuanpu personally visit the garrison, their feelings of support and gratitude naturally showed on their faces.
This also gave Yang Yuanpu a genuine, real feeling that at this moment, destiny was grasped in his hands.
When leaving the garrison to return to the city, rain began falling. Worried the Third Prince would get soaked and fall ill, everyone insisted he change to a carriage.
Though Yang Yuanpu wanted to show he could share hardships with his troops, unable to resist everyone’s urging, he climbed into the carriage. At the last moment he also called Han Qian to sit in the carriage to keep him company in conversation.
Seeing this scene, Li Chong’s lips couldn’t help twitching slightly.
Initially everyone had schemed exhaustively to arrange him to accompany the prince’s studies, hoping he could become the Third Prince’s absolutely trusted direct confidant. Who could have imagined today’s situation?
Moreover, just now elder brother Li Zhigao had consulted with Chai Jian and him, advocating to hand over all military intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and the training and deployment of spies to the Secret Bureau’s Left Division, to be controlled by Han Qian, while the Right Division would specialize in the deepest level infiltration work.
This actually meant giving Han Qian a position and power among their side similar to Zhao Mingting’s relationship to the Palace of Tranquility or Wang Wenqian’s to Chuzhou.
“Administrator Han’s appointment has already come down and he will soon take up his post. I discussed with Mother Consort and plan to recommend you to serve as Deputy Commander of the Guard Battalion. This way you can formally remain at my side in service,” Yang Yuanpu said, pulling Han Qian into the carriage, speaking impatiently. He hoped Han Qian would preside over the Secret Bureau’s Left Division affairs in the position of Deputy Commander of the Guard Battalion.
“Thank you for Your Highness’s appreciation, but Han Qian would like to request a leave of two to three months, or possibly three to five months. I must ask Your Highness’s gracious permission. Other matters can wait until Han Qian returns to Jinling for discussion,” Han Qian said.
“Why? Where do you want to go that you need to leave Jinling for so long? Didn’t you say the current situation is already urgent and brooks no delay?” Yang Yuanpu asked in confusion.
Outside the carriage, rain pattered down. Han Qian leaned against the carriage wall, looking at Yang Yuanpu whose eyes were filled with eager light, and said, “Now that my father’s appointment has come down, Guo Rong is still impatiently wanting to enter the garrison to investigate the true situation at Taowu Marketplace. I fear my father may encounter danger on the journey to his post.”
“They dare be so audacious?!” Yang Yuanpu had thought that after the Ministry of Personnel memorial was issued, the overall situation was already settled. He hadn’t expected Han Qian to still worry that afterward the Palace of Tranquility’s side would send assassins after his father.
“If my father encounters bandits who rob and murder him on the journey to his post, His Majesty’s side could never blame the Palace of Tranquility,” Han Qian said. “Moreover, my accompanying father to take up the post in Xuzhou is also to guard against the unforeseen in the future.”
“…” Yang Yuanpu nodded. At the same time, he thought of how in the palace there were always people dying for some insignificant reasons, with no one inquiring after their deaths. His face turned somewhat pale. He lifted the carriage curtain to look at the rain outside and the escorts riding horses in the dusk rain, and asked with some reluctance, “If you leave for three to five months, what should I do remaining in Jinling?”
“As the saying goes, knowledge gained from books is always shallow; one must practice personally to truly understand,” Han Qian said. “No matter how much learning we transmit to Your Highness, if Your Highness cannot connect it to reality, ultimately you will find it difficult to grasp its essence, nor will you know how much complexity far beyond ordinary people’s imagination lies hidden beneath what seems reasonable. Your Highness must come more often to the garrison headquarters to participate in practical affairs, must have more contact with those seemingly insignificant garrison soldiers and their families, must understand the real needs from top to bottom. The loyalty of all people to Your Highness, including mine, is built upon this foundation. After Your Highness knows the people’s hardships, Teacher Shen Yang will not hold anything back from Your Highness… At the manor here, I will leave Fan Dahei and Lin Haizheng in Jinling. If Your Highness has any additional tasks, you can instruct them to handle them.”