Volume Two: The Feudal Lord and His Grandson Chapter 64: Schemes Stirring the Waves

Looking from another perspective, Li Xi’s decision to change the marriage arrangement to one involving his legitimate daughter was, in fact, a demonstration of political sincerity.

Wei Fufeng glanced at Fourteenth Lady and asked her gently, “Fourteenth Lady, what are your thoughts?”

“My sister treats me very well. I like being with her for a long time,” Fourteenth Lady replied with innocence.

A faint, bitter smile appeared at the corner of Wei Fufeng’s lips. He reached out with his left hand to stroke Fourteenth Lady’s elegant hair, his heart filled with a mixture of affection and helplessness. This matter was truly unfair to Fourteenth Lady, but he was still an outsider. He had no right to interfere with which daughter the Li family chose to marry off.

“Fourteenth Lady, could you go check on my attendant and see if he needs anything?” Wei Fufeng used this as an excuse to send her away.

Fourteenth Lady nodded her agreement, turned, and left the side room. Wei Fufeng then turned to Mingyu and asked gently, “Mingyu, what do you think should be done?”

Mingyu shook her head and spoke softly, “I do not know, my lord. This is not a matter I should comment on.”

Wei Fufeng’s tone remained warm. “I am asking you: between Ninth Lady and Fourteenth Lady, who is more suitable to be the principal wife? If you feel Ninth Lady is not suitable, I can choose only Fourteenth Lady.”

Mingyu’s rosebud lips curved in a bitter smile as she answered softly, “My lord puts me in a difficult position. In my opinion, Ninth Lady is better suited to be the principal wife. She is gentle, courteous, and kind-hearted. Fourteenth Lady is a bit too young, and compared to Ninth Lady, she lacks the bearing of a true noblewoman.”

Wei Fufeng gazed at Mingyu, his tone gentle. “You prefer Fourteenth Lady as the principal wife, but you believe Ninth Lady is more suitable.”

Mingyu nodded and said, “The mistress of a household must not only manage domestic affairs, but also deal with the etiquette and interactions outside. My lord is now a marquis.”

Wei Fufeng nodded, “You will continue to serve Fourteenth Lady. In the future, if she receives a lady’s title, you will remain by her side and not be subjected to grievances. If you wish to have your own quarters, you may also tell me.”

“Thank you, my lord, for your care,” Mingyu replied in a choked whisper.

Wei Fufeng reached out affectionately to stroke Mingyu’s hair, then suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

Mingyu turned shyly away from Wei Fufeng, her bashful demeanor stirring Wei Fufeng’s heart, making him long to embrace her.

But being in the Li residence, Wei Fufeng had to exercise restraint, fearing Fourteenth Lady’s sudden return might be awkward.

...

They had dinner in the side room, with only Fourteenth Lady and Mingyu for company. The meal was much better than last time—at least the rice was not watery porridge.

After the meal, Wei Fufeng and Amber’s father left the Li residence. The prospective father-in-law was not at home, the mother-in-law did not dine with him, and he was not invited to stay as a guest—these were all normal.

On their way back to Pingkang Ward, Amber’s father said he had not eaten his fill and feared he would feel uncomfortable during the night.

Wei Fufeng smiled and replied that he, too, had not eaten enough. The two of them returned to Pingkang Ward and casually found a tavern for some extra flatbread, while also overhearing some rumors from Chang’an.

The next morning, Wei Fufeng and his attendants returned to Lantian County. He summoned five staff officers and asked which of them would be willing to return to Shizhou to serve. All five expressed their willingness.

Wei Fufeng gave them instructions and had the five prepare for the journey. Accompanying them were forty-five soldiers, assigned to the five staff officers, granting them the rank of ten-man commanders.

After sending off the staff officers, Wei Fufeng dispatched a messenger to Jinzhou to find his fifth uncle and ascertain whether he now commanded military forces there, and to learn the state of those troops.

Wei Fufeng was never one to accept a loss. The weapons he had obtained in Hedong he gave to his grandfather as a matter of course—a grandson’s filial piety. Once his grandfather distributed them, the soldiers would not remember the labor he had put in.

Just as the messenger set out, Li Xian arrived by carriage.

Wei Fufeng went out to greet him and invited him to sit in the parlor. He immediately complained, “Second Uncle, I get along very well with Fourteenth Lady. Why involve Ninth Lady as well?”

Li Xian was taken aback, then composed himself and said solemnly, “Your view is misguided. Chancellor Wei’s proposal—how could my father treat it lightly? Originally, we were cautious and chose Fourteenth Lady because we thought you an ordinary youth. Now, knowing you are a man of great talent, my father must consider the opinions of Chancellor Wei and Inspector Wei. To high officials, a marriage with a legitimate daughter is vastly different from one with a concubine’s.”

Wei Fufeng gave a helpless, bitter smile. “But it is unfair to Fourteenth Lady.”

Li Xian shook his head. “Everyone has their fate. Ninth Lady is, after all, a member of the imperial clan. Such a marriage would cause many nobles and officials to hold you in higher regard, and would make them more willing to offer their allegiance.”

Wei Fufeng frowned, but Li Xian continued, “It may not be pleasant to hear, but if your power is to flourish, you must be able to accept people from all walks of life. Relying solely on displaced people as your foundation, you may only ever secure a small corner of southern Sichuan.”

Wei Fufeng gave a wry smile. “The distant future is hard to consider. My subordinates who are to assist Second Uncle are already prepared to set out.”

Li Xian nodded, stood, and bowed. “Thank you, Lord Wei.”

Wei Fufeng nodded, then asked, “Second Uncle, do you think His Majesty the Emperor will be able to deal with Yang Fugong any time soon?”

Li Xian shook his head. “It will be difficult. The emperor is eager for quick results, but he lacks boldness. Without a secure means of self-preservation, he would not dare take on Yang Fugong.”

“If there were a way to give the emperor more confidence, would he be willing to act against Yang Fugong?” Wei Fufeng asked.

“What way?” Li Xian’s tone grew serious.

Wei Fufeng smiled faintly. “I hear the emperor trusts Zhang Jun very much?”

“Yes. During the suppression of the Hedong rebellion, most of the ministers opposed it, but only Zhang Jun firmly advocated for it. The emperor followed his advice,” Li Xian replied.

Wei Fufeng nodded. “Since the emperor pins his hopes on the return of the Hedong army, Zhang Jun could suggest that the emperor recall part of the troops, such as the five thousand stationed at Shizhou, now largely loyal to Sun Kui. Sun Kui can be summoned back to boost the emperor’s confidence.”

Li Xian nodded thoughtfully. Wei Fufeng continued, “Second Uncle, you could visit Zhang Jun personally and tell him that Yang Fugong intends to sabotage the logistics, openly colluding with Li Keyong of Hedong. If the imperial troops and Hedong forces go to war, many of Yang Fugong’s followers may deliberately collapse in battle. Therefore, Yang Fugong must be eliminated, and Sun Kui should oversee military logistics at the rear.”

Li Xian nodded, “This is an excellent strategy. Zhang Jun will surely accept it.”

“You could write a letter and dispatch it by fast courier to Hedong for Zhang Jun, and stop Sun Kui from taking up his post in Luzhou,” Wei Fufeng suggested.

Li Xian nodded, but then asked, “Lord Wei, if Zhang Jun wins in Hedong, might it be detrimental to your command in southern Sichuan?”

Wei Fufeng shook his head. “My greatest enemy now is the Bashu forces under Yang Fugong. My position in southern Sichuan is not yet firm, and I cannot withstand a harsh war. As long as Yang Shouliang becomes a rebel to the court, the pressure on Sichuan’s defenses will ease considerably.”

Li Xian nodded. “Yang Shouliang has yet to invade southern Sichuan. Is there any particular reason?”

“It is not that he is wary, but that he cannot yet advance into Sichuan. The region is remote, and Yang Fugong’s current focus is on consolidating control over the four prefectures under the Longjian Military Governorship, especially Jianzhou and Longzhou, which were formerly under the Eastern Sichuan command. In fact, Yang Fugong’s first target is Eastern Sichuan; once he takes it, southern Sichuan will lose its shield,” Wei Fufeng explained.

Li Xian nodded, then stood. “I shall set out at once and write the letter in the carriage.”

“I will see Second Uncle off,” Wei Fufeng said, rising to escort him.

After Li Xian departed, Wei Fufeng began making arrangements to station troops in Chang’an. He sent people to buy many houses in Qinglong Ward and Quchi Ward, and had his subordinates inform the residents of those wards that they were garrisoning troops by imperial decree.

Wherever troops are stationed, the residents are usually unwilling to stay, and more than half the people in the three wards near Quchi had already left.

In Chang’an, the north is rich and the south is poor, the east noble and the west empty. The closer a ward is to Daming Palace, the more prosperous and populous it becomes.

Before noon the next day, the messenger sent to Jinzhou returned.

Wei Fufeng learned that his fifth uncle was leading troops to suppress bandits, commanding five hundred soldiers. Tong Shan and Tian Wen were under his uncle’s command. The five hundred included both Jinzhou militia and the former family soldiers of the Prince’s Mansion, now mixed together.

His uncle’s men were poorly equipped, with just over thirty bows and only thirteen sets of armor, all worn by various leaders. When his uncle learned that military equipment was being sent, he led his troops along the Kugu Trail toward Jingzhao Prefecture, arranging to meet at the mouth of the Kugu Trail.

Upon receiving word of his uncle’s approach, Wei Fufeng dared not slight him. He personally led the troops escorting the equipment to Kugu Pass, arriving ahead of time.

At dusk, his fifth uncle and his followers emerged from the trail.

As soon as they met, his uncle gave Wei Fufeng a friendly slap and laughed, “You rascal, it was a blessing you returned safely from Hedong.”

Wei Fufeng smiled in return. “I’ve heard Uncle is now serving as commander of Jincheng Army. That makes me happy.”

His uncle waved a hand dismissively. “The emperor just gave me an empty title. Even without it, I’d still be able to command the Jinzhou militia. What about those weapons? Let your uncle have a look.”

Wei Fufeng smiled and invited his uncle to the wagons, unveiling bows and sabers under the canvas. “Three hundred military bows, three thousand arrows, three hundred sabers, and a full set of armor—for Tong Shan.”

“Excellent, excellent! Tong Shan, come over here!” his uncle called out joyfully.

The burly Tong Shan answered and strode over.

Wei Fufeng gestured, and his men brought out a set of armor from the wagon. Tong Shan’s eyes lit up at the sight.

Wei Fufeng smiled, “This is the heavy armor of a Hedong champion. Does it fit?”

Tong Shan nodded eagerly, took off his chainmail, and donned the much heavier armor. A Fufeng soldier handed him an iron lance.

Tong Shan hefted the lance and stood tall, looking every bit the ironclad war god—more imposing even than Amber’s father, who was also armored.

The rest of his uncle’s followers came over, watching Tong Shan in his new armor with admiration.

His uncle laughed heartily. “With Tong Shan alone, we can utterly rout the bandits of Jinzhou!”

Everyone nodded in agreement. With such armor, ordinary bows and spears could not harm him. With Tong Shan’s great strength and courage, he could charge into enemy strongholds without hesitation.

Tian Wen remarked, “My lord, this looks like the armor of the elite broadsword troops.”

Wei Fufeng nodded. “This armor belonged to a Hedong cavalry officer, and indeed is a relic of the elite broadsword corps of the Great Tang. Of the two hundred cavalrymen we defeated, none actually wielded broadswords, so it is best given to Tong Shan.”

Hearing this, his uncle’s men were visibly moved. The might of the Hedong army, especially its cavalry, was well known—they were the terror of foot soldiers. Once again, they looked at the Fufeng troops with new respect.

They saw two hundred soldiers in shining armor, three hundred with crossbows and sabers at their waists, and the towering general standing behind the Fufeng commander.

With so many archers and armored troops, his uncle’s followers were convinced that they truly had defeated more than two hundred horsemen.