This night tour of the deep palace lasted two full two-hour periods as the King of Ji guided Wei Yuan along. Not only did he expound on the secret histories and architectural nuances of the various halls, but he also recounted numerous covert happenings that had transpired in specific chambers.
Naturally, given the King of Ji's peculiar predilections, none of the palace's clandestine affairs could ever escape his eyes and ears.
What left Wei Yuan most speechless was a secluded compound nestled in a distant corner of the palace grounds. Built specifically to lodge outsiders temporarily within the inner palace, it was subdivided into four separate small courtyards, each possessing its own hidden passage leading to different quarters of the palace.
Under deliberate orchestration, encounters were constantly unfolding between outsiders and palace residents in these courtyards, each presenting its own distinct drama. The King of Ji watched with relish, but since Wei Yuan had no idea who these secret lovers were, he could only yawn repeatedly.
To Wei Yuan's mind, the greatest enjoyment of watching such illicit trysts lay in their identities, not the act itself. If the lovers were not acquaintances, the fun was halved. Thus, the whole spectacle struck him as utterly drab and tedious.
By the time they had finally toured the entire palace, the King of Ji's demeanor toward Wei Yuan had shifted noticeably. They were now chummy enough to drape arms over shoulders and grasp each other by the waist. Reluctant though Wei Yuan was, beneath the gaze of the heavens above, he had no choice but to begrudgingly play along.
Fortunately, having witnessed the King of Ji's heroic demeanor and learned of his century-long endurance, Wei Yuan felt that treating him as an equal was not entirely unacceptable.
Still, viewing things in this light, Sun Chao'en's every action and true motives had likely long been plain to the King of Ji. Wei Yuan briefly hesitated over whether to drop a hint to Sun Chao'en, but after careful deliberation, he dismissed the thought.
Sun Chao'en understood the grand scheme and recognized the broader tides; his shortcomings were merely limited talent and mediocre cultivation.
In getting things done, Sun Chao'en's primary consideration was a century of clear governance rather than a fleeting burst of flourishing prosperity. Second came Qingming and Wei Yuan, third the King of Ji, and only then other concerns. Following this priority, Wei Yuan felt that whatever the man did would stay on track without major blunders.
If any adjustment were needed, the moment Wei Yuan shifted policy, Sun Chao'en possessed ample wits to immediately catch the change in the wind and adjust accordingly.
This was only natural. For a powerful chancellor who had risen as a favored minister, divining superiors' intentions and trimming sails to the wind were second nature.
And those superiors included not just the King of Ji, but even more so Wei Yuan—a friendly neighbor far mightier than the State of Ji itself. Often, this friendly neighbor mattered more than the King of Ji. If the friendly power took alarm, the heavens would collapse on Ji and a vast host of its people.
Thus, carrying out Wei Yuan's will was entirely natural for Sun Chao'en; at worst, it might earn him some scolding down the road. Yet the vast majority of Ji's clean-stream court historians were currently drawing remuneration from the Qingming Development Bureau, so in future historical records, Sun Chao'en was all but assured to go down as a worthy chancellor and able minister, lauded by posterity.
After two disastrous military defeats and heavy propaganda by numerous bought scholars, the invincibility of Qingming had become deeply rooted across all ranks of the State of Ji. Scholars went even further, publishing embellished accounts of life in Qingming across various periodicals.
In short: Qingming's moon was rounder, its sun larger, its fatty meat more fragrant, and even the water in its gutters tasted sweet. Better to be a maggot in a Qingming ditch than a man above men in the State of Ji.
The scholars' capabilities far exceeded Wei Yuan's expectations. The funds spent by the Qingming Development Bureau were less than one percent of military expenditures, yet the results matched—or even surpassed—an army of a million. Facing the current situation, Wei Yuan felt that even had he been the King of Ji, he would have found no answer.
Naturally, a countermeasure did exist, and Qingming was already implementing it: enlightening the minds of the people.
Once popular intellect was awakened, ordinary folk would naturally realize that the moon was equally round everywhere, and maggots were no different. A maggot from Ji was still just a maggot in Qingming.
Sun Chao'en's cultivation fell short after all, and his acting lacked the seamless naturalness of the King of Ji and Wei Yuan. Knowing too much would inevitably cause him to betray himself. After weighing all factors, Wei Yuan decided to let nature take its course and keep Sun Chao'en in the dark.
By now, dawn was approaching. Though reluctant to bring the tour to an end, the morning bell had already chimed and the palace was stirring. The King of Ji had no choice but to lead Wei Yuan back to the Imperial Study to discuss their next steps.
Given Wei Yuan and the King of Ji's status, negotiations proceeded swiftly. Wei Yuan's current demands centered primarily on free commerce, the right to build bridges, pave roads, and construct docks across Ji, and protections safeguarding core Qingming personnel from persecution by local officials.
The two commanderies of Xianghan had already been settled earlier, effectively ceded to Wei Yuan as his fief. In return, Wei Yuan pledged that the two territories would eternally remain territory of the State of Ji. Furthermore, Wei Yuan conceded a step, intending to remit a portion of Xianghan's future tax revenues to Ji, albeit earmarked for designated purposes.
At present, throughout the State of Ji, none save Sun Chao'en and the King of Ji understood what this promise truly entailed.
As for the King of Ji, he urgently required substantial shipments of weapons and armaments, but the royal treasury lay empty. Wei Yuan proposed that the State of Zhao sell second-hand arms to Ji. This would equip Ji without drawing suspicion from the heavens above, while also preserving Li Zhi's face.
To cover the purchase costs, Wei Yuan secured the right to collect customs duties at Ji's border passes across all four frontiers, deducting future military expenditures from border trade revenues over time.
Border customs duties were something the King of Ji had never even heard of.
Previously ravaged by war, Ji had conducted almost no trade with neighboring realms. To the King of Ji, this was essentially trading a blank sheet of paper for countless desperately needed arms, so he had no reason to refuse.
Beyond that, Wei Yuan demanded that the King of Ji permit the free movement of impoverished commoners and open trade in displaced refugees. Wei Yuan would purchase Ji's refugees without quota at a fixed price. The King of Ji readily assented, promising that the refugee trade would be handled exclusively through the inner palace so no outside party could interfere.
This amounted to Wei Yuan funneling silver directly into the King of Ji's private privy purse while the King supplied people. Though the transaction could hardly be brought into the open, both sides got what they needed.
The rest consisted of minor matters, such as Qingming leasing several tracts of land for its own use and the legal procedures for trying core Qingming personnel within Ji—mere trivialities.
The provisions concerning armaments, trade, right-of-way, and border duties were to take effect immediately, while the land leases would proceed more slowly. Wei Yuan intended to select several key cities to lease land for garrisoning troops, and the King of Ji recommended a major metropolis that served as a central hub in the south. Wei Yuan gladly accepted.
That city occupied a vital position; should Li Zhi march north, he would have to pass through it. A Qingming concession established there would serve as an implicit shield, forcing Li Zhi to think twice before attempting an assault.
Regarding the jurisdiction over Qingming personnel, Wei Yuan proposed revisiting the matter three years later. Only then would all the prior terms be consolidated into a formal treaty, officially bringing an end to the state of war between Qingming and Ji.
In plain terms, Wei Yuan meant to stall for another three years. Whether the King of Ji saw through Wei Yuan's subtle intentions or not, he agreed without hesitation.
Afterward, the King of Ji expressed a desire to introduce some of Qingming's iron-smelting and mining technologies, to which Wei Yuan readily consented.
The true core of Qingming's current industry lay not merely in technology, but in its vast multitude of template Dao Foundations. Without template Dao Foundations, whatever neighboring states attempted to replicate—even if Qingming handed over the complete technical blueprints—would end up costing more than double Qingming's production expenses.
The King of Ji clearly understood the crucial factor and planned to dispatch a group of qualified young cultivators to Qingming for advanced study, returning home only after forming template Dao Foundations.
To Wei Yuan, this was merely a trivial favor.
Yet once this policy was enacted, after completing their Dao Foundations, the majority of the first few batches of young talents from Ji did everything in their power to stay in Qingming. Unwilling to return to Ji even if it meant starting over as guilty commoners, they produced an outcome that took both Wei Yuan and the King of Ji completely by surprise.
***
Having concluded discussions with the King of Ji, Wei Yuan returned to Yizhou, where he first reviewed the newly compiled quarterly reports for Qingming and Yizhou. The situation laid out in the reports, however, grew increasingly unpromising. Goods were piled high as mountains in Qingming with nowhere to go. Yu Zhizhuo had been forced to slow down production and rein in capacity.
The circulation of Qingyuan had also ground to a halt. Surrounding states had brought out everything they could muster to trade for Qingyuan, even resorting to selling off sons and daughters. As long as it was offered to Qingming, Wei Yuan accepted all comers; yet even so, the deficit widened relentlessly.
Though Wei Yuan held the immense advantage of minting Qingyuan out of thin air, he now found himself with nothing left to buy, leaving that advantage entirely useless.
Fraught with worry, Wei Yuan studied the map for a long while before heading straight for Western Jin. He meant to have another thorough talk with the King of Jin—and besides, the time had come once more to extend the King of Jin's life.
Chapter 1110