Wei Yuan did not answer the Crown Prince's question directly. Instead, he said, "I am a short-sighted man. Unable to see the future, I can only see the little plot of ground right around me."
The Crown Prince smiled faintly. "Then just how far has Lord Wei seen?"
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then replied, "I mostly look west. But whichever direction it may be, having a barrier of one or two thousand li beyond the domain is the only way I can rest easy. If I could look out and see Hanyang Pass, that would be ideal."
The faces of several civil officials darkened.
The Crown Prince's expression remained unchanged. "Hanyang Pass is a grand, formidable pass renowned under heaven. If Lord Wei wishes to sightsee and take in the view, it is not entirely out of the question. However, the best vantage point for appreciating the scenery of Hanyang Pass is to look far eastward from the heights to the west. Only then can one take in its full majesty."
Wei Yuan tapped lightly on the tabletop. "Your Highness speaks with absolute truth. So long as I can see this majestic pass, that is enough; indeed, there is no need for me to step inside it again."
The Crown Prince chuckled. "Then I wish Lord Wei every success in your westward advance, that you may expand Great Jin's borders and territory once more!"
Wei Yuan gave a wry smile. "Advancing west is hardly so simple. When the Shamans attacked last time, their vanguard alone numbered five hundred thousand, accompanied by five Nether Shamans. My lair was nearly wiped out."
The Crown Prince laughed. "With Lord Wei guarding the Western Regions, no matter how many Shamans come, misfortune will surely turn to blessing."
The conversation had gone as far as needed.
The gathering drank and made merry until Wei Yuan, claiming he could drink no more, took his leave. This time, the Crown Prince escorted him all the way to the estate gates, watching Wei Yuan's carriage depart into the distance before turning back.
Returning to the heated pavilion, the Crown Prince had the wine and food cleared away and replaced with tea sets.
As the Crown Prince brewed the tea himself, the several officials noticeably relaxed. One official spoke up: "What an appetite this Wei Yuan has—to actually demand Hanyang Pass! Wouldn't all seven thousand li of Ningxi Prefecture fall straight into his pocket?"
Another sneered, "Does he fancy building himself the foundation of an aristocratic clan?"
The Minister of Works, who had maintained a sour countenance toward Wei Yuan earlier, now said solemnly, "Given the talent Wei Yuan has displayed thus far, ascending to immortality is not entirely impossible. Though he asks for quite a bit, his timing is impeccable. If we grant his request now, Your Highness's succession to the throne will be free of any uncertainty. Furthermore, once Your Highness ascends the throne, the west can be left in peace, allowing us to focus entirely on expanding northward. The Wu domain is unlike the Liao domain; even if we take land there, it would take decades of slow transformation to make it usable, whereas transforming the Liao domain takes merely a few years."
The Crown Prince hesitated. "Even if he can ascend to immortality, that is a matter of hundreds of years in the future. Once I take the throne, I will not live anywhere near that long. Is it truly necessary to pay such a high price for what happens centuries from now? We must deliberate this further."
An official suddenly piped up, "From what I gathered of Wei Yuan's words, Qingming could expand to five thousand li in the future. Measuring from end to end, that would span ten thousand li! I hear the Qingming Domain possesses all manner of wonders, well worthy of its title as an immortal stone. Wouldn't it be splendid if we could seize this land for Your Highness before he reaches full maturity?"
The Minister of Works shook his head. "Is Wei Yuan so easy to deal with? Have you not seen how the Xu family suffered heavy losses time and again? Even they dare not make a move now."
That official replied, "Perhaps it is not so difficult. Your Highness, look here!"
With a wave of his hand, a map materialized, and he drew a line running along the northern edge hugging the mountains of the Absolute Domain. "I have heard that Qingming has recently been procuring massive amounts of silk and brocade. Such a huge volume has only one destination: trade with the Shamans. Since it is trade, if Qingming can do it, the Xu family naturally can as well. Why go through Qingming as a middleman?
"Therefore, Your Highness need only have our inside agent in the Xu family step forward and organize a trade route to the Shamans. After one or two ventures, the Xu family will acquire a taste for the profits and cut off all silk supplies to Qingming. This trade route cannot be moved north, while to the south it hugs Qingming. With Wei Yuan's temperament, how could he bear to watch the Xu family's caravans grow rich right under his nose?
"Even if he does not dispatch an army to intercept them, he will pose as horse bandits to block their way. And once the Qingming Domain expands to this area, he will directly establish checkpoints. That will inevitably reignite strife between Wei Yuan and the Xu family. We need only add fuel to the fire, and another great war may erupt."
The Minister of Works grew thoughtful, then said, "This plan is viable! In passing, it can also knock Wei Yuan down a peg, lest he grow too conceited."
The Crown Prince nodded slowly.
***
Back at his quarters, Wei Yuan first reviewed his meeting with the Crown Prince and felt his handling of it had been sound. The Crown Prince wanted him to stay out of the struggle for succession, so Wei Yuan had capitalized on the opening by naming his terms: the entirety of Ningxi Prefecture, including Hanyang Pass.
This was a condition the King of Jin would never agree to, nor would the Xu family. If Hanyang Pass fell into Wei Yuan's hands, he would be positioned to attack or defend at will. Not only would it seal off the Xu family's westward route, but he could also use Hanyang Pass as a base to threaten the Xu family's heartland at any moment.
Thus, Wei Yuan never truly expected to get Hanyang Pass; besides, it wasn't the Crown Prince's place to decide such a matter anyway. What Wei Yuan actually wanted was the territory beyond Hanyang Pass. Taking a step further back, even if the Crown Prince agreed to nothing at all, it did not matter. As the Left Prime Minister had put it, Wei Yuan needed to do nothing, and he would naturally emerge the victor.
Taking part in the succession struggle was far too premature for Wei Yuan. The Young King of Chu had to survive first.
As he was pondering, Wei Yuan's heart suddenly stirred. He pushed open the door and stepped outside, only to see Zhao Tong standing in the courtyard. The night was already deep, well past midnight, and he did not know why Zhao Tong had come visiting at such an hour.
Zhao Tong said, "The Sacred King has issued an edict summoning Lord Wei to an audience at once."
"Very well. Please wait a moment, Eunuch Zhao."
Wei Yuan turned back into the room. When he came out, he held a box, which he slipped into Zhao Tong's hands. "Inside are ten Nether Blood Minor Longevity Pills. Eunuch Zhao surely knows their effects. Our yield has increased recently, so I brought another box. However, while these pills do not conflict with other longevity medicines, one must not take too many. Given your cultivation, Eunuch Zhao, two are optimal; it is best not to consume a third."
"Aiya, what... what can our humble self even say? But a treasure like this is simply impossible to refuse... Ah, so be it! From now on, our humble self and Lord Wei are in the same boat!"
Wei Yuan smiled. "In my heart, the Eunuch and I have long been on the same side."
"Let us go. No need for a carriage this time. His Majesty is not in the palace, but at Jingang Zen Monastery outside the city. Our humble self will lead the way; we shall fly there."
The two took to the air amid the night, heading straight outside the city. Zhao Tong carried a magical treasure that controlled the city-protecting grand formation, allowing him and Wei Yuan to pass through without hindrance and fly all the way to Jingang Zen Monastery atop the mountain outside the city.
Zhao Tong led Wei Yuan into the rear compound of the monastery and toward a side hall.
Passing by a lotus pond, Wei Yuan suddenly paused and looked into the water.
Although it was the depth of winter, inside Jingang Zen Monastery it felt merely like late autumn. The water of the Merit Pond was clear and unfrozen. A few lotuses bloomed in the pond, all ordinary white lotuses.
Wei Yuan sensed something beneath the water seemingly entwining around him, attempting to make a connection. This was an entanglement on the level of karmic luck; had Wei Yuan not formed the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and sharpened his sensitivity to karmic luck, he would likely have struggled to detect such an entanglement.
However, having detected it, he naturally had means to handle it. Wei Yuan guided that entangling intent into the karmic luck formation of Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, then casually grabbed a handful of mortal karmic luck and cast it into the formation to link with the entangling intent.
The water of the Merit Pond suddenly churned. An unopened lotus bud surfaced and blossomed into yet another ordinary white lotus. It turned out this Merit Pond was a supreme treasure of karmic luck capable of manifesting corresponding fortune.
Seeing this white lotus, Wei Yuan felt deeply satisfied. Had he been careless just now and allowed that entangling intent to grasp hold of some other karmic luck, heaven knew what might have sprouted.
If a jade-green lotus had emerged, that would have been truly intriguing. But that sort of flower was something Wei Yuan had always refused.
Past the Merit Lotus Pond, they entered the side hall. The spiritual energy inside was dense, carrying a heavy aura of incense aspiration power. The hall's furnishings were exceedingly simple, and the Buddhist shrine sat completely empty, bearing only indentations; it was impossible to tell what had originally been enshrined there.
The King of Jin sat cross-legged on a prayer mat like a statue. An incense burner smoldered before him, sending up curling wisps of blue smoke.
The side hall was not large, yet its ceiling was strikingly high. Sparks glimmered in the incense burner, and several thick candles stood on the floor beside it, their melted wax congealed into a single mass against the floorboards. In the flickering candlelight, the King of Jin's shadow was cast against the wall—colossal, monstrous, and writhing incessantly.
The King of Jin opened his eyes and gestured toward an adjacent prayer mat. Wei Yuan took a seat.
"The reason Gu summoned you to meet Gu in this place is to tell you that between sovereign and subject, there are not so many barriers between us. At present, a great portion of Western Jin's state fortune rests upon your shoulders. In truth, our glories and losses are shared."
The King of Jin's voice was somewhat peculiar, carrying a faint irritability and latent pain. As he spoke, Wei Yuan seemed to hear two people speaking at the same time; though their vocal timbres were extremely similar, Wei Yuan could still distinguish the difference.
The King of Jin paused, then said, "The state treasury is currently depleted, and the expenses of the new army are far higher than anticipated. If this continues, Gu fears Gu will have to sell off ancestral treasures from the palace. Do you have any solutions?"
The question was surprisingly direct, stripped of imperial condescension, sounding almost like an inquiry between friends. Yet Wei Yuan knew well that throughout history, whenever a sovereign asked questions like this, a minister had to be doubly cautious. If one lost one's head and truly bared one's soul to a ruler, clan extermination would not be far behind.
Wei Yuan said, "There is indeed a method that can yield results within a single year."
"Oh? What method?" The King of Jin showed interest.
"Replacing grain with mulberry. To be specific, converting the grain fields of several western commanderies in Ningzhou into mulberry groves to produce mulberry silk. Your Majesty surely owns substantial lands in Ningzhou; this humble minister believes all of it can be turned into mulberry orchards. To speak frankly with Your Majesty, this minister currently possesses a variety called ice mulberry. The silk it yields, known as ice silk, is truly the finest of its kind. However, the number of ice mulberries will be limited during the first few years. Should Your Majesty wish to convert to mulberry orchards, I can hand over all the ice mulberry saplings from the first two years to Your Majesty."
"Speak in detail."
Wei Yuan elaborated on the current practices across the seven commanderies of Ningxi.
After listening, the King of Jin asked, "Then why should Gu plant mulberry rather than weave brocade? What the Shamans need is brocade, not raw silk."
Wei Yuan replied, "The margin between the price of brocade among the Shamans and the price of silk in Ningzhou is where the profit in this trade lies. The more brocade the Shamans acquire, the lower brocade prices will fall. The more brocade we produce, the higher the price of silk will climb. Thus, this margin will only shrink over time until it vanishes entirely. Throughout this process, silk prices will only rise, never fall—and on top of that, taxes can be levied on silk."
A cold glint flashed in the King of Jin's eyes. He asked, "If all the fields are planted with mulberry, what will the common folk eat? What will the soldiers eat?"
Prepared for the question, Wei Yuan answered with total confidence, "Naturally, we cannot convert all fields to mulberry. But even if Your Majesty does not convert yours, others surely will, and quite a few of them at that. Since conversion to mulberry is inevitable, yet converting all is impossible, why shouldn't Your Majesty convert first? Once Your Majesty has finished converting, you may then forbid everyone else from doing so. Would that not achieve the best of both worlds?"
Chapter 455