At sunset the following day, Wei Yuan entered Prince Ying's Estate.
Prince Ying's Estate was vast in scale, occupying even more land than Prince Wei's Estate, but the moment he stepped through the gates, Wei Yuan felt a bleak, desolate chill rush to meet him.
The aged doorkeeper led Wei Yuan toward the main hall. The entire estate was steeped in gloom, illuminated by only a scarce few lamps. In some spots, the dim lantern light was worse than darkness itself, only making the vast manor seem all the darker.
Weeds grew unchecked in the crevices between the large slate pavers on the ground, left untended. In such a sprawling estate, Wei Yuan hardly saw a soul. Had it not been for the occasional figure hurrying past in the distance, he might have suspected it was a haunted house.
Fortunately, the main hall had proper lighting. The doorkeeper led Wei Yuan through the main hall and into a side courtyard. In a pavilion beside a small lake, a table of food and wine was set out.
A man was already seated inside the pavilion. The moment Wei Yuan laid eyes on him, his pupils involuntarily contracted, and two streams of tears traced down his cheeks.
The man handed Wei Yuan a piece of white cloth to wipe the tears from his eyes, then said apologetically, "I sustained some injuries in the north that have yet to heal. My physical body and magic power are not quite in harmony, and I cannot fully suppress my strength. Still, unless one is naturally sharp-sighted, ordinary eyes would not be able to perceive the magic power radiating from me."
Wei Yuan said, "Your magic power reaches into the divine, Prince Ying—your reputation is truly well deserved!"
Prince Ying shook his head. "Cultivating such magic power only ties one to endless karma. I would rather return to my youth when I had accomplished nothing at all, were it not for the common people of the north whom I cannot bear to abandon."
Wei Yuan asked tentatively, "How fares the war in the north?"
"Jin's military strength is crumbling. Many of the soldiers exist only as names on the muster rolls. We claim to possess an army of a million, but in truth I have no usable troops left in hand; I can barely hold the front lines. Alas, thirteen million commoners of the northern marches have fallen into the hands of the Liao barbarians once more, and heaven knows when they will ever return to Jin." Prince Ying sighed.
"Come, eat what you like, and do not mind the modesty of the spread. There is only a single cook in this estate—an old man who knows only a few dishes, cooking them over and over."
Set before Wei Yuan were merely four dishes and a soup, along with two bowls of rice. Among the dishes was just a single meatball; the rest were vegetarian. The only commendable detail was that the rice was spirit rice and the greens were spirit vegetables. But what noble or dignitary still ate ordinary rice and vegetables? Even seventh-rank officials ate spiritual food at every meal.
Prince Ying said, "I have heard some things about you. Your original intent when erecting the boundary stone and protecting the common folk won my deep respect. However, the situation in Jin is complicated. Thick ice is not frozen in a single cold day. In many matters, one hesitates to pelt the rat for fear of smashing the vase, and so the situation gradually rotted away. When my royal brother first ascended the throne, he too governed with vigor and diligence. It was only after a series of unforeseen upheavals that his temperament changed drastically."
Wei Yuan replied, "Your Highness, such matters... seem best known as little as possible to me."
Prince Ying smiled somewhat wryly. "You are cautious indeed. Heh, had I possessed even half your caution back then, I suppose I would not have..."
Prince Ying trailed off, and Wei Yuan asked no questions. The less one knew of these past royal affairs, the better; otherwise, one would only court disaster. Though Wei Yuan sought to forge karma and cause trouble far and wide, it was best to steer clear of such matters.
Wei Yuan casually asked for some guidance on cultivation, deftly steering the conversation away. Prince Ying instructed him earnestly, and before long, the meal was over.
Truth be told, a cultivator's daily physical needs far exceeded those of ordinary men. Wei Yuan possessed a formidable physique while his cultivation realm was still modest, meaning he required immense amounts of food unless he consumed medicinal pills such as military ration pills or fasting pills.
Prince Wei was far too extravagant, while Prince Ying was far too frugal. By the end of the meal, Wei Yuan was barely twenty percent full. But the old cook evidently had no intention of cooking any more dishes; instead, he brought out a massive wooden tub of spirit rice, and Wei Yuan and Prince Ying polished off half a tub each.
After dinner, Prince Ying said, "The Autumn Hunt is the paramount affair right now, but there are hidden depths to it. If you encounter anything strange during the hunt, pay it no heed. Act as though it does not exist, carry on normally, and just take what is rightfully yours."
Wei Yuan asked, "If it truly involves matters of such consequence, should I withdraw?"
"There is no need for that—or rather, for the realm and its people, you cannot withdraw." At this, Prince Ying smiled with a mixture of mockery and resignation. "The state treasury is empty now, with precious little left. These remaining resources and provisions—if you do not take them, others surely will. But in their hands, it will only make the rich richer, doing nothing for the common people, nor will half an ounce of silver ever be spent on military defense."
Wei Yuan pondered this for a moment. "Then I will take the share due to me."
Prince Ying smiled. "That is for the best!"
Even after leaving Prince Ying's Estate, Wei Yuan still did not quite understand why Prince Ying had invited him for this meal. Thinking it over, the most likely explanation seemed to be that the prince simply wanted to take a look at him.
As for the hidden depths of the Autumn Hunt, Wei Yuan was not the least bit curious, nor did he wish to know. All he intended now was to participate normally and collect some rewards; making the trip worthwhile would be ideal, but coming away empty-handed would hardly matter either. Reading between the lines of Prince Ying's words, it seemed troops from the Western Regions were to be transferred back to the north, which meant Wei Yuan would no longer have to worry about threats from behind and could concentrate fully on advancing west.
***
Atop Mount Yun outside the royal capital stood a magnificent palace. Its architectural style was peculiar, resembling both a Daoist temple and a Buddhist monastery, making it impossible to tell which sect's sacred grounds it belonged to.
The grand hall stood thirty zhang tall, filled with swirling haze and the faint, low murmur of chanting. Within the hall lay a pond whose waters appeared bottomless. At the hall's far end stood an altar, yet atop it was no statue of any deity.
The King of Jin stood before the altar, with the square pool behind him. He bowed seven times toward the empty altar. Suddenly, dense, five-colored mists rose from the pool and sank into the King's body.
The King of Jin trembled slightly. A lustrous glow gradually spread across his face, and his aura surged upward.
The clouds and mists within the hall parted to either side, and from within stepped a figure clad in azure gauze. The azure robe was so sheer that the naked body beneath was almost entirely visible.
She walked slowly toward the King of Jin, white blossoms sprouting from the ground wherever her feet trod.
The King of Jin seemed to sense her presence. Turning to behold the gracefully approaching figure, he bowed his head slightly. "Bodhisattva, my progress has been slow of late. What should I do?"
She did not stop until she stood right before the King of Jin. "There is no need for haste. Only after the Autumn Hunt will the great medicine sprout, and only then will the medicinal catalyst appear. Thereafter, the realm's destiny will naturally be stirred to life. Now, it is time for the evening lesson."
"Merciful Bodhisattva."
She turned and led the way toward the rear hall. The King of Jin followed behind her, walking along the path blooming with white flowers. As she walked, her azure robes fell away piece by piece, turning into lush green grass.
A small door led into the rear hall. She opened it but did not step through immediately; instead, she stood by the entrance until the King of Jin walked in, only then following him inside.
Within the doorway was boundless light, which dispersed the haze veiling her face to reveal a pair of azure eyes.
***
In Chunhua Hall of the Jin royal palace.
The night was already late, but Consort Yuan had no trace of drowsiness. She was twirling a stalk of dried grass, teasing a caged thrush.
Behind her stood a young eunuch with red eyebrows. Head bowed, eyes firmly averted, he recounted swiftly yet clearly everything Wei Yuan had done since arriving in the royal capital.
The stalk of grass in Consort Yuan's hand paused abruptly. "When he said that line—'nothing more than a prince without real power'—did Prince Wei hear it?"
"Many young lords in the hall heard it at the time. Prince Wei must have heard it as well."
"You may withdraw."
The young eunuch bowed his head and withdrew swiftly from Chunhua Hall, not daring to cast a stray glance from beginning to end. The last eunuch who saw something he shouldn't had lost his eyes on the spot, and no one knew where he had ended up.
Consort Yuan asked placidly, "Where is the King?"
A maidservant who had been standing in the shadows replied, "His Majesty went to the Jingang Zen Monastery outside the city tonight and likely will not return."
"Oh. Then let us sleep."
The maidservant withdrew from the room to prepare water and toiletries.
Consort Yuan stroked her lower abdomen, a faint, teasing smile touching her lips as she murmured to herself, "Knowing to throw himself into the fray... For such a sensible little puppy, I'll definitely have to feed you another mouthful."
***
Over the next few days, Wei Yuan received no further calling cards. It seemed that after parting on bad terms with Prince Wei that night, many who had originally intended to set a Hongmen banquet for him had backed down. Others who had initially hoped to befriend him quietly withdrew their calling cards to draw a clear line between themselves and Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan was more than happy for the quiet. He instructed the post-house officials to bring over a dozen chests containing the History of Jin. Every day, he meditated upon his sword, and in his spare moments, he read through the books volume by volume.
Wei Yuan read from the present backward, beginning with the most recently recorded history. After reading just two volumes, he could discern the sighs of the court chroniclers hidden beneath the text.
According to the rites of Tang, vassal rulers could at most enfeoff marquises, not even dukes. Only the Son of Heaven possessed the authority to enfeoff princes and dukes. Yet as the Nine Kingdoms grew increasingly powerful and the Son of Heaven waned, each state had long since accumulated piles of Dukes of the Realm. It was not uncommon for royal clans to independently enfeoff their own princes, and some had even enfeoffed princes of differing surnames. By now, everyone had long grown accustomed to it.
The History of Jin was riddled with subtle spring-and-autumn nuance and veiled phrasing, making it laborious reading for Wei Yuan. Yet he was well versed in the History of Tang; by cross-referencing it with the History of Tang, many hidden truths gradually came to light.
Wei Yuan discovered that during the first thirty years of the King of Jin's personal rule, he had pushed the northern border outward by three thousand li. On that merit alone, he could be called wise and martial. But in the fifty years that followed, the King of Jin seemed like a completely different man—erratic in temper, appointing sycophants and villains, and driving the populace into misery.
Furthermore, misfortunes never come singly: every three to five years, a natural disaster severe enough to be recorded in the annals would occur. Consequently, the commoners suffered mounting distress, and starvation was a frequent occurrence.
The King of Jin had occupied the throne for eighty years. The current Crown Prince had been designated heir at the age of twelve and moved into Chengqian Hall, where he had remained for forty-four years.
Reading this, Wei Yuan fell into deep thought. An eighty-year reign for a mortal king was already remarkably long.
The History of Jin recorded only one side of events, fragmentary and obscure, riddled with historical obfuscation and taboos honoring the exalted. Besides the History of Jin, there was also the History of Immortals.
Western Jin was home to two of the great clans of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Clans: the Xu family and the Lu clan, each backed by an Immortal Monarch. Curiously, the main branch of the Lu clan, where their Immortal Monarch resided, was located in Ningzhou. The King of Jin's branch did not even appear to be the senior lineage of the clan.
Yet there were no texts on the History of Immortals available to consult; Wei Yuan could only recall what had been taught in the General Knowledge of the Immortal Path during centralized instruction. In hindsight, the internal dynamics of the Lu clan appeared rather strange.
For example, among the Three Li clans of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Clans, two were the Li clan of Southern Qi and the Li clan of Zhao, where the head branch was the royal house itself and their Immortal Monarchs hailed from the royal bloodline. In this regard, the Lu clan was entirely different.
At present, the King of Jin had nineteen sons and twenty-seven daughters, most of them between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five. A minority of his offspring were enfeoffed as princes, while the majority were made Dukes of the Realm, bringing the total number of dukes in Jin to more than fifty. Among all the sons, the one that caught Wei Yuan's attention was the seven-year-old son born to Consort Yuan, enfeoffed as Prince Fu.
When Wei Yuan had audience with the King of Jin, he had noticed that the king was brimming with vitality; living another ten years would be no problem at all. By then, the Crown Prince would have accomplished nothing despite decades in his position, while the various princes would be in their prime. Prince Wei's wings were already fully fledged now; ten years from now, his military might and influence would be even more formidable. And ten years from now, Consort Yuan's son would be seventeen. Could she possibly have no ambitions, no schemes?
Her moves were already bold enough as it was!
After days of studying historical records, a single phrase grew increasingly clear in Wei Yuan's mind: a battle for the throne!
By now, the night was deep. A frosty wind howled, rattling the great trees in the courtyard and shaking loose the last few lingering leaves.
When day dawned again, it would be time for the Autumn Hunt.
Chapter 314