Volu (1/2)

Volu

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1</sup> the eleventh year of the sixty-year cycle, Lu Xin, the Marquis Who Suppresses Distant Lands, led all of officialdonal era was changed to Tongtai The distant King Yang was honored as the retired e was honored as the queen mother and ruled in place of the emperor² The affairs of state were entrusted to Marquis Lu After the new King ascended the throne, he issued a decree enfeoffing Lu Xin as the Duke Who Suppresses Distant Lands and dispatched an envoy to Great Yong, paying tribute and declaring vassalageSouthern Chu Dynastic Records</e Min of Chu</es of praise and scenes of prosperity,⁴ New Year’s Day arrived at last This day was truly bustling First was a full court assembly where all of officialdo Emperor Li Yuan at the Hall of the Supreme Ultimate⁵ Then the nificent Culture in the Eastern Palace⁶ to bow and pay their deference to the crown prince Although the crown prince had his own residence in the Imperial City, he had never been able to move into and reside in the symbol of the authority of the heir apparent, the Eastern Palace Eventually this year, due to various reasons, Li An was finally permitted to formally enter and beco the stability of his position as the heir apparent When the Prince of Yong, at the head of all the ministers, arrived at the Eastern Palace to pay their deference to the crown prince, when they perfor six times, Li An had become the heir apparent in the eyes of the people of the world in both na, towards who hi joy filled Li An

Afterwards, Li An substituted for the e sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine At this moment, Li An had beco the center of world, acknowledging their allegiance

In co, Li Zhi had an expression that was inevitably son and histhis way No one could think that at thisZhe’s stratage and conceited The crown prince’s joy at co caused the crown prince to practicallyas the plan was appropriate, he could consign the crown prince to eternal damnation without any hope of reprieve It was easy to talk about ains However, for soy, he e Up until now, Li Zhi did not knohat Jiang Zhe was planning, soZhe’s intentions He only felt that Jiang Zhe’s plan appeared to be an interlocking and interrelated net And Li An was the butterfly that was slowly fluttering into the net

After the sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine were coed a banquet at the Honeydew Hall,⁷ inviting all of the officials I acco to the banquet While I took a seat towards the side with shi+ Yu, the Prince of Yong naturally was occupied with drinking toasts with the other ministers In a low voice, he introduced all of the ies of the court

In a low voice, shi+ Yu spoke, “In the first seat ast the civil officials is the Prime Minister and Director of the Imperial Secretariat,⁸ Wei Guan He is the chief assistant to the E the period when both the E, the court was nominally supervised by the Crown Prince However, in reality, the affairs of state were all ed by that person alone His personal character is one that is deep and profound, and full of sche of how to serve a ruler As a result, he has been at the center of govern However, as his age has risen these last few years and the disorder in the court stele to become the heir apparent, as a result, he has put his own safety above all else, very rarely expressing his opinions However, fro towards the Crown Prince, because he has worked alongside the Crown Prince for years But, this person will not really involve himself in the dispute If one day we are successful, he will not have any objections His Ihness is of mind that it is sufficient to steady him However, we cannot use him to help

“Below him, the official in the fifth seat is Palace Attendant⁹ Zheng Xia This man is loyal and honest, and dares to ad attempted to assassinate noble Consort Ji,executed, arguing that he was guilty of unfilial conduct by atte to assassinate his mother Thisthat although His I to assassinate the noble consort was inappropriate, however, he was atteardless of whether this ened, there was no reason to have the Prince of Qing punished Even if he was guilty, he was not guilty of unfilial conduct, as noble Consort Ji wasn’t his first rets toward the Prince of Qing, he sent away the Prince of Qing to his fief I’m afraid that this hness has stated that if we are able to use righteousness to persuade him, then this person is a seldom-seen important minister”

I looked at Wei Guan His appearance was average, graying at both te He truly had the presence to co Xia, he had a square face and large ears His eyes were like the distant stars Although he was only thirty-so years old, his each and every randeur Just there tere enough to co becoemon of the Central Plains was thus inevitable and expected

shi+ Yu continued, “The person beside the Crown Prince is the Junior Mentor of the Crown Prince, Lu Jingzhong Although this e appearance, he is extreal system As a result, he was appointed as the junior h this man’s appearance seems to be honest and considerate, his mind is actually treacherous and devious He is the most important adviser under the Crown Prince We have suffered many losses because of hi At present, he was , I could see that his appearance was indeed ordinary However, his skin color was somewhat excessively pale His pair of eyes were half open and half closed, see hi and his eyes opened wide They were filled with cold electricity as he looked towards aze sweep pastthat it was shi+ Yu, Lu Jingzhong seemed to be at ease From a distance, he raised his cup and toasted shi+ Yu shtly and also raised his cup The two drank the contents of their cups in one gulp

Only after Lu Jingzhong’s gaze moved away did I speak softly, “That man is indeed not ordinary Much thanks to Brother shi+ for helping me out of trouble”

“He and I are old opponents As such, he won’t take note of you,” replied shi+ Yu lightly “Look, that person toasting the E Shu The h his eneral If he wins, the victory is decisive If he loses, he is somehow able to withdraith his entire army In addition, he cares little about wealth and ehteousness, and loves to ’s proud soldiers and heroic generals is perhaps the Prince of Yong However, theShu If he wishes to do so, he does not require official approval docu a sie it He actually deeply regards His Ihness on nue the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince can’t do anything about him due to his popularity and the favor and trust of the Emperor This man is also completely loyal to the Ehness However, if His Ihness ascends to the throne, he will certainly look favorably upon it”

I looked at that person’s languid and indolent bearing Although his bearing was soe presented approachability and ware of fifty, his hair and beard were still jet-black and there wasn’t a hint of exhaustion in his eyes Seeing him toast, Li Yuan smiled and raised his cup, the relationshi+p between a sovereign and his subject joyous and harh, he was an unusualmilitary is divided into four factions,” added shi+ Yu “The four hundred fifty thousand troops under the co, is the strongest force Many of the current, fahness Now, for the ic positions outside of the capital Therefore, you haven’t met them

“Apart from this, the Prince of Qi has a force of two hundred thousand troops and the Prince of Qing has one hundred thousand troops Although these troops aren’t as good as the Prince of Yong’s, they are still elite

“The re clique Qin Yi, the General Who Pacifies Distant Lands, and Cheng Shu, the Duke of Wei, jointly control one hundred fifty thousand iuardsmen and two hundred thousand border troops In other words, they are the generals most trusted by the Emperor, and are used by the Emperor as a protective talisman to suppress and inhibit all of the princes

“Currently, of the three princes, the Prince of Qing has no power to contest for the position of heir apparent, while the Prince of Qi and His Ihness are inco an army of three hundred fifty thousand, the emperor’s position is as steady as Mount Tai”

I looked at the head of the military officials, Qin Yi His appearance was cultured and handsome, his hair and beard the color of ash He al his hale and hearty vigor, as well as his ability to talk cheerfully and wittily, one could tell that he was an awe-inspiring aged tiger No wonder he was the general that the emperor relied most heavily upon

“Suiyun, look over there,” said shi+ Yu at this tih that person is not famous, you will do well to remember him He is Attendant Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat Qin Wuqi Usually, this man only loyally carries out his duties However, he has stayed in the Imperial Secretariat for nine years Of the Emperor’s edicts, sixty to seventy percent are composed by him Moreover, you , is his eldest daughter”

I trehtly asked, “Could it be that this yi Sect?”

shi+ Yu smiled and responded, “Suiyun is indeed astute Reportedly, this yi Sect Master in his youth Therefore, he has always been grateful and sought to repay the kindness”

I htly said, “Since I’ve seen all the people that I needed to see, it’s been a hile trip Brother shi+, in a moment, when the banquet ends, I will depart first Tomorrow and the day after, I intend to rest well What about you?”

“I’m afraid that you won’t be able to rest,” confessed shi+ Yu with a surreptitious expression “Beginning froood fun”

I stared at him somewhat blankly He sood For after the lunch banquet, he had issued a decree of holding a military skills competition outside the Ver official at or above the fourth rank, or the children of aristocratic fae of thirty, are perister and participate in the competition For the one who prevails, the Emperor intends to bestow hefty rewards I’ve heard that the co, archery, and fighting If you are able to co honor to your ancestors With this kind of grand occasion, how can you not take a look?”