Secrets of the Prince's Manor

"Husband, these lily chicken morsels are wonderful. Have a taste." "Brother Yu, the Yellow River carp is Chef Liao's specialty, and the back is the tenderest part. Here, try a piece." Wang Yu sat in the seat of honor, with Li Yunxiu and Qianqian flanking him on his left and right. Fang Shaobai sat in the guest seat, while Zhao Rong kept him company from the side. Zhao Yingjie did not even qualify for a seat at the table. The banquet spread consisted of sixteen dishes—eight cold and eight hot. A maidservant stood behind each diner to pour wine and serve dishes at a moment's notice, ensuring no cold leftovers lingered before any guest. Wang Yu, however, had no need of them, being thoroughly pampered by Li Yunxiu and Qianqian. Nor did he stand on ceremony, for the real Zhao Yu would never have done so. Between a princess consort bestowed by imperial decree and a fiancée arranged by his late father, shouldn't they be serving him, the prince? Whatever Li Yunxiu and Qianqian placed in his bowl, he ate, chatting casually with Fang Shaobai about Western Regions grape wine along the way. It was a midday feast where host and guests alike enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Once the banquet concluded, however, Fang Shaobai prepared to take his leave. "At least stay for a few days!" Wang Yu took Fang Shaobai by the hand, trying to detain his guest. "Stay for what?" Fang Shaobai pulled Wang Yu aside and teased in an undertone, "To watch two women fight over a husband in front of me?" Wang Yu replied calmly, "Don't misunderstand. It isn't two women fighting over a husband. They are both my wives." Fang Shaobai was struck speechless. "Now that sounds more like the Prince of Zhenxi!" Fang Shaobai burst into laughter, then grew serious. "Your esteemed father passed away not long ago, and you've been away for ten years. There must be a mountain of affairs awaiting you in the manor. I won't stay and get in your way. "We're both in the Northwest anyway. We'll have plenty of time to meet in the future." At that thought, Fang Shaobai seemed to recall something. "Besides, I expect I might return to the Northwest before long. "Right!" Fang Shaobai added, "If you ever move against the Mount Qi bandits, send word to the Taihua Sect. I'll bring some men to back you up." "Then I won't be polite!" Wang Yu said. "Why be polite? I ought to be thanking you." Fang Shaobai did not conceal the truth. "The Mount Qi bandits include quite a few degenerate disciples from various sects, among whom is one of my martial uncles." Wang Yu understood. He thought to himself that it was no wonder so many skilled fighters had turned to banditry; they were simply banding together for survival. The Mount Qi bandits were practically an organization akin to the Valley of the Wicked. *** Taking a fine horse from the prince's manor, Fang Shaobai spurred his mount and galloped away. Afterward, Zhao Rong arranged for Zhao Yingjie to take Li Yunxiu and her servants on a tour of the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, while he led Wang Yu alone to the main residential courtyard in the rear. "Your father did not die of illness!" Zhao Rong stood with his back to Wang Yu, his opening words shattering like thunder. "He was murdered!" Wang Yu's eyes flickered, and he instantly asked, "By whom?" "The late emperor." Zhao Rong did not beat around the bush, turning around to face Wang Yu. "You must still remember what happened ten years ago, right?" Wang Yu's cheek twitched. "Ten years ago, my father sent me to the capital as a hostage. But as for the exact reason, my father never said." Zhao Rong sighed. "Because you were too young back then. Telling you would have been pointless, and it might even have invited the greed of others. "Over thirty years ago, the old master led armies across the Northwest, establishing an independent domain. Even though the imperial court unified the realm, they never dared claim they could easily crush us." Zhao Rong raised his eyes to the clouds at the horizon, a look of reminiscence surfacing in his gaze. "Thus, the court conferred upon the old master the title of Prince of Zhenxi, hereditary without diminution, and ceded the three prefectures of Longshan, Qing'an, and Fengming. The officials were appointed by us, and the tax revenues were at our disposal. "In name, the manor submitted to the court, guarding the Northwest on its behalf and repelling the northern desert Qiang. But power, money, and military forces remained entirely under our own control. We answered military summons but not imperial audiences—in effect, a kingdom within a kingdom." Wang Yu nodded. All of this was old history that he naturally already knew. "Fifteen years ago, when the old master passed away, many thought our manor was on the brink of decline. Yet my elder sworn brother burst onto the scene. With his Fire Cloud Saber, he swept across the deserts and held sway over the Northwest. Leading troops beyond the pass, he scored a crushing victory over the Qiang, becoming one of the youngest Xiantian Grandmasters in the world. For a time, his renown was unmatched, and even the court harbored great apprehension toward him." Whenever he spoke of Zhao Zheng, Zhao Rong's voice carried reverence, and his eyes shone with fervor. Soon, however, that light dimmed. "Yet ten years ago, he journeyed south to the Xingxiu Sea, and everything changed." Wang Yu followed up, "The battle against the disciples of Old Man Xingxiu?" "Indeed." Zhao Rong nodded. "The world knows only that my sworn brother fought one against two and scored a decisive victory over the Twin Stars of the Xingxiu Sea, severing Zhaixingzi's arm and Zhuixingzi's leg. What they do not know is that he sustained an extremely grave internal injury himself." Zhao Rong sighed with regret. "Alas, our manor's foundation was still too shallow to heal his injury. My brother had no choice but to send you, young master, to the capital as a hostage in exchange for the Hundred Spirits Yang-Restoring Pill, a secret medicine concocted by the Buddhist and Taoist sects for the imperial family. "You were his only son. Sending you to the capital as a hostage was, in truth, an act of submission to the court. Little did we know that the old emperor was still unsatisfied—he actually spiked the Hundred Spirits Yang-Restoring Pill with a secret medicinal ingredient! "Because of that ingredient, although my sworn brother appeared completely normal on the surface day to day, the injury to his dantian never truly healed. What was worse, the true qi within his body burned like fire, blazing hotter and hotter!" At this point, Zhao Rong's expression turned fierce. "If he didn't cultivate, his injury would only grow more severe; if he continued to cultivate, he would easily suffer qi deviation!" "So my father died from qi deviation?" "Precisely!" Mockery flashed in Zhao Rong's eyes. "The old emperor wished to seize our Prince of Zhenxi's Manor without shedding a drop of blood, yet he never imagined my sworn brother would hold out far longer than expected. Meanwhile, the emperor's own northern expeditions ended in failure, rebellions broke out in the southwest, and he died first. "These are troubled times, with rebels raising banners everywhere. The new emperor dares not make a rash move against our manor either. If he forces us into open rebellion, the entire realm will immediately plunge into chaos." "Which is why the emperor had no choice but to release me. Yet unwilling to let things go, he bestowed Li Yunxiu upon me in marriage, aiming to control the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor." Wang Yu raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Looking at it that way, my luck has been rather good." "Indeed it has." Zhao Rong let out a breath. "Perhaps it was precisely because my sworn brother saw this that he could finally depart in peace." Wang Yu kept his expression composed, thinking to himself that Zhao Zheng could never have anticipated another person existed in this world who looked identical to Zhao Yu. "Therefore, there is a blood feud between our Zhao family and the imperial throne." Zhao Rong looked at Wang Yu. "Tell me, shouldn't I guard against Li Yunxiu as though she were a thief?" Wang Yu nodded. "You should!" Zhao Rong narrowed his eyes, a tangible murderous intent rising from him. "Why don't we..." "We cannot kill her!" Wang Yu interjected immediately. "Why?" Zhao Rong asked. Wang Yu's mind raced, and he replied at once, "Because the realm hasn't plunged into total chaos yet. If we kill Li Yunxiu, it will be a blatant slap in the emperor's face. What if we enrage him and make our manor his primary target?" Zhao Rong pondered for a moment and nodded. "That makes sense." Wang Yu silently breathed a sigh of relief. Had it been the real Zhao Yu, he might well have agreed. After all, so long as the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor didn't raise the banner of rebellion, there was still room for negotiation, and the emperor wouldn't strike right away. Yet Wang Yu could not possibly agree, because he was an impostor! If Li Yunxiu blurted out that secret before she died, and the capital brought out the real Zhao Yu, then with his martial arts far from mastery, wouldn't he be doomed right along with her? At this stage, his life and Li Yunxiu's were tied together. Saving her was saving himself. "Then we shall place her under house arrest in the manor, forbidding her from taking a single step outside," Zhao Rong said. "That won't do either." Wang Yu refused again. If Li Yunxiu couldn't achieve anything, she would surely try to borrow his influence anyway; he might as well settle the matter himself right now. "Why?" Zhao Rong was puzzled. "For the same reason: the emperor has shown us goodwill. Until he turns against us openly, we shouldn't take the initiative to flip the table." Wang Yu spoke with solemn gravity. "A personal feud can be avenged later. The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor concerns the common folk of three prefectures and fifty thousand valiant troops. It must not fall!" Looking at Wang Yu's solemn expression of willingness to make sacrifices, Zhao Rong felt surprised and deeply moved. He drew a deep breath. "Young Master, you have truly grown up!" Wang Yu's heart gave a jolt. Then the corners of his mouth curved into an arrogant, roguish smirk. "Besides, the emperor sending Li Yunxiu here may not be as clever a move as he thinks. We can turn his own momentum against him." "How so?" Zhao Rong asked. "Though Li Yunxiu is a woman, she is exceptionally skilled at governance and statecraft." "You intend to let her participate in the military and civil affairs of the three prefectures?" "The military and civil administration of the three prefectures belong to our people anyway. The better she governs them, doesn't that just make our manor stronger?" Wang Yu spread his hands. "When a critical moment comes, will the three prefectures listen to me, or will they listen to her?" Zhao Rong instinctively answered, "To you, of course." Having said that, Zhao Rong grasped the idea at once. "She has neither troops nor authority. Even if she meddles in the governance of the three prefectures, she relies on the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor and acts in the name of the Princess Consort. All her power is, in truth, given by you!" Wang Yu lifted his head and declared haughtily, "Only what I give her is hers. What I do not give her, she cannot take." Seeing Wang Yu's triumphant smile, Zhao Rong could not help but nod. Domineering and arrogant—this was the Zhao Yu he was familiar with. Furthermore, whether due to age or his father's death, beyond being arrogant and domineering, he had learned to use his head and even forge a friendship with Fang Shaobai. Zhao Rong could finally feel at ease handing the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor over to Wang Yu. "Tomorrow, we shall hold another memorial service for my sworn brother in the manor. Afterward, you will move into the main courtyard and formally assume leadership of the estate." Internally, Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally bluffed his way through. Then he heard Zhao Rong say, "Once your one-year mourning period is complete, I will arrange a wedding for you with both Lady Li and Miss Qianqian." Wang Yu paused at those words, asking again, "What is the story behind Miss Qianqian?" "Miss Qianqian was brought back by my sworn brother; she is supposedly the daughter of an old friend of his," Zhao Rong explained. "Yet as to who that friend was, he never told me, not even revealing her family name. He said only that once she married into the Zhao family, she would be one of our own. "At first, I feared her gentle temperament would make her vulnerable to bullying. Little did I expect that she has a remarkably strong mind and understands human nature well. Within half a year of entering the manor, she won considerable respect from the servants. In her verbal clash with Li Yunxiu today, her words were needles concealed in silk, yielding not an inch." Wang Yu nodded. Wasn't that practically what people called a green tea or a white lotus? Zhao Rong chuckled. "It works out well to have Miss Qianqian rival Li Yunxiu. Giving her some trouble will keep her from focusing all her thoughts on the three prefectures' affairs, reminding her to attend to the proper duties of a princess consort as well." Zhao Rong gave Wang Yu a knowing wink, which finally revealed to Wang Yu where Zhao Yingjie had inherited his penchant for keeping Passion Incense and Ecstasy Powder on hand.