Volume III: Southern Expedition and Territorial Expansion - Chapter 113: The Marquis of Qingyang’s Estate (Part II)

Wei Fufeng nodded and said, "Early last year, the Military Commissioner of the Wuzhen Army was defeated in an attack on Kuizhou. My nephew’s forces then seized Lizhou, Shizhou, and Langzhou," Wei Fufeng explained.

Chu Yanhe looked surprised and, staring at Wei Fufeng, asked, "What did you say? An attack on Kuizhou?"

Wei Fufeng replied, "The four prefectures of Badong are, in fact, under the administration of the Wei family of Jinzhou. It is possible to bypass Jingzhou and advance into Lizhou."

Chu Yanhe nodded blankly. Wei Fufeng continued, "The official positions in the four prefectures of Badong are all decided by my grandfather. If you, uncle, wish to serve as a county magistrate, you can only go to Xizhou."

Chu Yanhe nodded subconsciously. Wei Fufeng added, "Please do not spread the word about the situation in Kuizhou, uncle. If you are willing to accept an appointment as a county assistant in Lizhou, please tell others that you are taking a post in the six administrative bureaus of Fangzhou."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't let it slip," Chu Yanhe quickly promised.

Wei Fufeng nodded with a smile. Having Chu Yanhe serve in Lizhou would act as a form of administrative check, causing the officials there to be more cautious and less likely to act recklessly.

As the territory he governed expanded, Wei Fufeng faced the hidden danger of being unable to exert control over distant regions. In these chaotic times, people lacked steadfast loyalty and conviction; once talented individuals held power, they often developed ambitions to rise above their status. While Wei Fufeng trusted Gan Fengchi, he had to take precautions; placing Gan in charge of the military and civil affairs of Lizhou and Langzhou was merely a temporary expedient.

Chu Yanhe pondered for a moment and asked, "Fufeng, what will my salary be as a county assistant in Lizhou? I am asking because I will need to hire guards."

Wei Fufeng was slightly taken aback; Chu Yanhe’s practicality caught him off guard. He replied, "If you serve in Lizhou, I will provide a platoon of soldiers to serve as your guards. You will not need to spend your own money, and in times of crisis, they will protect you and help you escape."

Chu Yanhe nodded happily and said, "That is excellent. I am willing to go to Lizhou to serve as a county assistant."

Wei Fufeng smiled and nodded, then switched to a serious, direct tone: "Uncle, Lizhou has only just been taken and requires the hearts of the people to be won over. I hope that once you take office, you will uphold the law impartially. Do not ruin the greater cause for the sake of temporary gain. Please do not make things difficult for me."

Chu Yanhe was startled, then nodded. "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."

Wei Fufeng nodded and said earnestly, "I speak so bluntly because there is a precedent. When we first seized Fangzhou, my eighth uncle went to serve as the Prefect. Upon taking office, he embezzled military funds for his own gain. When I found out, I had to travel from Junzhou to Fangzhou, arrest him, and take him to Jinzhou to hand him over to my grandfather."

Chu Yanhe was surprised and nodded subconsciously, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he couldn't help but ask, "What about your eighth uncle now?"

"He remains in Jinzhou serving as an Administrator," Wei Fufeng replied.

Chu Yanhe nodded, then asked in confusion, "Fufeng, your father is the Magistrate of Xicheng County. Is there no vacancy for him to be a Prefect?"

Wei Fufeng laughed. "My father enjoys being the Magistrate of Xicheng. In truth, being a magistrate with real power is better than being a Deputy Military Commissioner or an Administrator in Jinzhou. His Highness the Prince of Xuan, now in Jiangling Prefecture, is infinitely noble, yet in reality, he is nothing more than a puppet and a prisoner."

Chu Yanhe’s expression changed slightly, instinctively repelled by Wei Fufeng’s treasonous words. In Chang'an, the imperial family remained, in the minds of most, noble and inviolable.

After a pause, Chu Yanhe returned to reality and asked, "Fufeng, when would it be best for me to take up my post?"

"You should go soon, uncle. I will assign a platoon of soldiers to serve under you. Lizhou has four counties under its jurisdiction; from west to east along the Li River, they are Cili, Shimen, Li County, and Anxiang County."

"In terms of prosperity, Li County and Anxiang County are the best, but they face the threat of the Jingnan army. Cili County is near the Liao people, but the Liao will not attack Lizhou. You may choose between Cili and Anxiang."

Chu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Let it be Anxiang County. I know nothing about the Liao people, and I have heard that Anxiang County borders Dongting Lake. I would very much like to see the misty, vast beauty of that water town."

Wei Fufeng nodded. "Very well, uncle, just head there. I will have the current county assistant of Anxiang reassigned elsewhere."

Chu Yanhe’s expression shifted slightly. He hesitated and asked, "Fufeng, does my appointment not need to be reported to the Ministry of Personnel?"

Wei Fufeng was momentarily stunned, then smiled faintly. "You are overthinking it, uncle. Nowadays, apart from the Jingzhao Prefecture, county officials across the empire are essentially not appointed by the Imperial Court. Even the positions of Prefects are only symbolically requested from the Court for approval."

Chu Yanhe nodded, his expression filled with a lingering, unnatural melancholy. As a man from Chang'an and a descendant of the nobility, he did not want to see the Tang Dynasty fall and be replaced. The decline of the Great Tang meant that the glory of the ancestors of the Chang'an nobility was no more.

Wei Fufeng understood Chu Yanhe’s reaction. He knew well that once the Tang fell, the nobles of Chang'an would lose their halo of nobility and become commoners. Unless they defected to the new dynasty early, they could not preserve their status; but in an era of warring heroes, if they backed the loser, they would face the destruction of their families.

After a moment of silence, Wei Fufeng prompted Chu Yanhe to prepare for his departure. Chu Yanhe left as suggested, leaving Wei Fufeng and Mingyu in the side room, waiting in a relaxed and carefree manner.

An hour later, a maid came to pass a message: Wei Fufeng was to return on his own, as his aunt was staying the night to be with her mother. In truth, his aunt had wanted Wei Fufeng to pay his respects to the old matriarch, but due to the words of the Marchioness of Qingyang, she had no choice but to keep Wei Fufeng at a distance from the Qingyang Marquis's estate.

...

As the lanterns were lit, his aunt rested in the main room of a private courtyard in the back of the estate. Although the Marchioness of Qingyang refused to be close to the Wei family of Jinzhou, she always maintained a respectful attitude toward her sister-in-law who had married into the family, mainly out of fear of displeasing the old matriarch.

Not long after she had begun to rest, a servant came to report that the wife and daughter of the Sixth Master had come to see her.

His aunt was surprised. Her sixth brother, Chu Yanhe, was born of a concubine and had been treated as inferior to the legitimate siblings since childhood; he was not close to his sister.

His aunt hesitated but went out to greet them. Since returning to her maiden home, she had not seen her sixth sister-in-law. The sixth sister-in-law came from a common family and, coupled with her husband's status as the son of a concubine, she lacked the standing—or perhaps the self-confidence—to appear in public.

Stepping out of the room, she saw a servant leading two women in plain cloth dresses. The woman in front was about forty, with a refined and pretty face.

His aunt descended the steps and smiled. "Sixth sister-in-law."

"Seventh sister," the woman replied, clearly nervous.

"Is there something you need, sister-in-law?" His aunt did not invite them inside, asking directly instead. She was worried about displeasing the eldest sister-in-law, so she asked about their intent in front of the servants.

"Seventh sister, today the Sixth Master was entertaining Fufeng, and they spoke very happily. Fufeng asked the Sixth Master to take a post in the six bureaus of Fangzhou. I heard you wanted to find a concubine for Fufeng, so I brought Wanyu along. Wanyu is sixteen and has yet to find a suitable match." The woman spoke as respectfully as a servant, her voice tense.

His aunt was stunned, her eyes turning to the young girl behind her. The girl wore a simple cloth dress, had an oval face, delicate features, and skin as white as jade. Her dark hair was tied back, and she stood respectfully with her eyes lowered.

"Wanyu, it has been years. You have grown into such a beauty," her aunt praised with a smile, her mind racing with hesitation.

This young girl, Wanyu, she had seen years ago; she had been a beautiful child, and the memory had stuck. Wanyu was not born to the sixth sister-in-law, but to a concubine who had been a courtesan.

In truth, her aunt absolutely did not want Wanyu to be the girl for the marriage alliance, but her previous suggestions had been rejected, leaving her feeling resentful toward her brother and sister-in-law. However, her sixth brother had been accepted by Fufeng for a position. Even if it was a lowly one, her aunt understood that once her sixth brother caught Fufeng's eye, becoming a Prefect in the future would not be difficult.

Her aunt sighed inwardly. She could not refuse. In fact, her desire for a marriage alliance was primarily to deepen the connection with Fufeng; she believed that having a girl from her own family bear Fufeng’s children was the only way to ensure a lasting bond.

"Sixth sister-in-law, please come inside to talk," her aunt said with a smile, turning to the side. The woman was flattered and nodded repeatedly, walking toward the steps with her daughter.

...

Wei Fufeng left the Qingyang Marquis's estate. On the way, half of his subordinates turned toward the Qinglong Ward, while the other half escorted Mingyu back to Anyi Ward. Wei Fufeng was not fully aware of his aunt's desperate yearning for closeness. As a man of power, his mind was primarily focused on military and political rule, agonizing over how to maintain his position and survive.

Upon arriving at the Qinglong Ward, Wei Fufeng met with his soldiers and checked the Quichi pond, expressing satisfaction with the repairs to the defensive fortifications. He knew that by buying the loyalty of his troops without leaving a trace and respecting the work of others, he would earn their respect in return.

Wei Fufeng spent the night in the Qinglong Ward and left Chang'an early the next morning. Mingyu remained in Anyi Ward to wait for his aunt and, per Wei Fufeng's instructions, explain the situation to her. Before leaving, Wei Fufeng dispatched a platoon of highly skilled personal guards to be at Chu Yanhe's disposal.

Leaving Chang'an, Wei Fufeng felt as if he had escaped a cage. Chang'an was the imperial capital, and even in its weakened state, it was a threat to his freedom. If the Emperor were to find out that Wei Fufeng was in Chang'an, he might hold him hostage.

...

Two days after Wei Fufeng left Chang'an, one of the chancellors, Cui Shaowei, rushed to the Yanying Hall to meet the Emperor and impeach Li Xi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Upon hearing Cui Shaowei's report, Emperor Zhaozong’s face darkened. "Is what you say true?"

"Your Majesty, I also reside in Xinchang Ward. My servants discovered over a dozen warriors entering Li Xi's residence. After they left, my servant bribed one of Li Xi's house slaves and learned that Li Xi’s granddaughter has secretly married Marquis Fufeng, and Li Xi’s son, Li Ji, is serving as the Prefect of Fuzhou," Cui Shaowei replied.

Zhaozong frowned in silence. Cui Shaowei continued, "Your Majesty, Li Xi is secretly colluding with foreign vassals. As a Vice Minister of the Imperial Court, he is acting with ulterior motives to profit himself and the vassals. This cannot be tolerated."

Zhaozong’s brow twitched, then he said calmly, "I am aware of this. You may withdraw, Chancellor."

Cui Shaowei bowed and left. Zhaozong sat in the hall, his face dark, deep in thought. The more he thought, the angrier he became at Li Xi’s betrayal. Zhaozong had always admired Li Xi's talent and stability, and had intended to entrust him with the position of Chancellor.

"Summon Li Xi," Zhaozong ordered. A eunuch went to the outer court to convey the decree.

After receiving the summons, Li Xi left the Ministry of Personnel with a trembling heart and headed toward the Yanying Hall. Being summoned privately by the Emperor gave him a bad premonition, and he began to calculate what improprieties he might have committed.