Chapter 121: I Will Forever Support Little Wei |
The snow in Shuofeng was already falling heavily.
Though the Deputy Envoy of National Trust was a civil official, he wasn't one of those delicate, pampered aristocrats from noble families. Because his duties required him to travel as an envoy to various nations in all seasons, he had long grown accustomed to harsh weather.
Wearing a hooded brocade cloak and riding a fine, tall steed—a crossbreed between Hequ and Ferghana horses—he set out on his return journey to Sheng'an.
Wei Wusheng traveled alongside him, though he wore only a gray, thick cloth cloak that revealed not a trace of princely magnificence, showing only the roughness of a military officer.
Little Wei had already become a hardened man.
The two of them, accompanied by a dozen cavalrymen, rode through the wind and snow, growing ever more distant from Shuofeng.
Suddenly, Wei Wusheng reined in his horse.
He removed his hood and slowly turned to look back.
There, standing in the wind and snow beneath the city gate, was Song Shi'an, still watching him off, with Xinyue at his side.
Wei Wusheng gazed at him and smiled as he lifted his own left hand.
The Deputy Envoy noticed the deep furrow in the Sixth Prince's hand.
Yesterday, when receiving Song Shi'an's hospitality, he had also noticed an identical wound on his left hand.
"Lord Zhu, let's go."
Wei Wusheng turned his head and continued forward into the wind and snow.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The cavalry slowly disappeared from view.
Song Shi'an at the city gate also turned back after Little Wei vanished, returning to the city.
At that moment, San Gou hurriedly draped a black wolf-fur cloak over his shoulders from behind.
Song Shi'an pulled it off expressionlessly and handed it to Xinyue beside him, walking quickly forward.
Xinyue took it and, though reluctant, put it on herself.
The two continued all the way to the county yamen.
There, a brazier was burning.
Song Shi'an sat down before the stove. After Xinyue hung up the cloak, she also sat beside him. "You seem to have something weighing on your mind?"
"I'm reluctant to part with His Highness. It makes me sad," Song Shi'an said.
Xinyue showed a subtle expression.
"That's one aspect of it."
As Song Shi'an spoke, he waved at the two soldiers standing guard at the door.
They immediately understood and left the entrance of the main hall, going to stand guard at the yamen gate instead.
"Should we close the door?" Xinyue asked.
"No need."
The brazier in the hall burned warm and bright. Outside the open door, wind and snow raged. This scene made Song Shi'an feel very peaceful.
"Xinyue, whose idea was it for you to stay behind?"
Song Shi'an's sudden question made Xinyue pause briefly, then she replied in her usual emotionless tone: "His Highness suggested it."
"I thought as much. Our relationship isn't that close yet," Song Shi'an said.
Xinyue showed displeasure. "What are you trying to say?"
"Just joking. I know our relationship is actually pretty good." Song Shi'an's tone remained somewhat heavy. "As His Highness's personal guard, you naturally couldn't have made such a request yourself. What I mean is, what His Highness worries about is also what I'm worried about now."
"..."
Xinyue froze.
Is this person a demon?
Without saying anything, he already saw what His Highness was worried about?
Or was His Highness's concern too obvious?
But last night, it really was quite evident...
...
"Only you are his reason for not leaving me."
Facing His Highness's gaze that carried a hint of 'please,' after a long silence, she had said: "Does Your Highness want me to seduce him?"
"No, I said I would never force you to do anything outside your duties."
"Then..." She was confused. "How should I be of value?"
To keep him here.
Yet not seduce him.
Then that would be... stringing him along?
"No, you don't need to do anything. Just like being my personal guard, protect him, do what falls within your duties." Wei Wusheng smiled gently. "Besides, you're relaxed when you're with him too, aren't you?"
She couldn't refute it, nor could she lie. "Yes."
"Then let it be. There's no mission at all."
"Do I need to monitor and report?"
"No."
Wei Wusheng spoke with extreme latitude: "Just treat him as you would me. But... you don't have to completely treat him as me."
...
"I talked a lot with His Highness yesterday, but there were some things we didn't say explicitly." Song Shi'an looked at Xinyue and said, "The Prince of Wu personally entering the factional struggle was something I didn't anticipate. The path he's taking is also one of relieving the sovereign's worries."
"It overlaps with His Highness's path."
"Right." Song Shi'an asked, "So if two people want to do the same thing, which one would you trust more?"
"The Prince of Wu."
After saying those two words, Xinyue gradually became somewhat angry, muttering in dissatisfaction: "His Highness nearly lost his life in Shuofeng, while the Prince of Wu just said a few words from the rear. Is it because he's an illegitimate son? Is it because he's not favored?"
"Thank you for speaking up for us illegitimate sons."
After joking briefly, Song Shi'an continued: "Since the Prince of Wu has entered the fray, His Highness has two paths: one is to become part of the Wu Prince faction, two is to continue remaining non-factional."
"Then wouldn't becoming part of the Wu Prince faction be enough?" Xinyue felt the choice was already clear.
"If it were a choice, then of course. But what if the Emperor doesn't let him join the Wu Prince faction?"
"..."
"And if the Prince of Wu personally protects my father, should my father join the Wu Prince faction or not?"
These words left Xinyue silent for a long while. Finally, she spoke: "Then you... would have no choice but to be part of the Wu Prince faction."
"Exactly." Song Shi'an said.
This outcome made Xinyue feel somewhat saddened.
It wasn't exactly grief, just the realization that under the great tides of court politics, no one had freedom, no one could control their own destiny.
His Highness had said that Xinyue was a free bird, unbound by any constraints.
But the reason for that was that she was far removed from the court and power.
"Therefore," Song Shi'an changed his tone, "I need to go back and conveniently pass the zhuangyuan exam as well."
For anyone else, this statement would be incredibly arrogant, but the way he said it so naturally made Xinyue feel no pretension at all—she even felt he was making plans pragmatically.
"Then you're quite impressive."
"I definitely can't control my choices, but I need to make some changes through my own personal efforts."
Song Shi'an continued seriously: "When the time comes, my father will definitely be promoted to a very important position, either Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, or occupy an important post in the Secretariat. At that time, though he'll be part of the Wu Prince faction, he won't become the Prince of Wu's nominal subordinate."
To reward the Prince of Wu, the Emperor would certainly give him particularly important authority.
Either judicial power or appointment power—one of them for sure.
At that level, it wouldn't be purely the Wu Prince faction anymore. You could say he'd be one of the Prince of Wu's allies.
"What about you?"
"I absolutely cannot become a Wu Prince府 secretary. That position is basically no different from being a retainer of the Prince of Wu's household."
"I understand what you mean now." Xinyue got it. "You can be part of the Wu Prince faction, but you can't completely become the Prince of Wu's person."
Once you take that position as Wu Prince secretary, it's like having the Prince of Wu's brand burned onto your ass. If you end up helping Little Wei win in the future, you'll be put on the pillar of shame.
Not everyone could be like Wei Zheng, who served several masters yet still thrived.
That worked partly because he genuinely had ability and thick skin, and partly because the second phoenix needed such an exemplar to reduce the Crown Prince faction's fears and ensure long-term national stability.
But this guy from Sheng'an wants to keep his face.
"As long as it's any position with some real authority other than Wu Prince secretary, that would at least preserve some independence of character," Song Shi'an said.
"And then?" Xinyue asked.
"Then have His Highness defy orders and forcibly join the Wu Prince faction." Song Shi'an said firmly.
You, Emperor, won't let me join the Wu Prince faction, so I won't?
I'll damn well join anyway!
"Defying orders again?"
Xinyue saw something called a rebellious streak in Song Shi'an.
"His Majesty won't allow it because he's worried His Highness will grow too powerful. But would the Prince of Wu worry about that?" Song Shi'an didn't even bother pretending. "If it were the Prince of Wu, he would definitely want both me and His Highness. He'd only worry about having too little support. As long as someone's part of the Wu Prince faction, the more the merrier."
The Emperor was already old.
Once old, he couldn't just have everything his way anymore.
Otherwise it would be too unfair.
When the Emperor ascended the throne, he was eleven years old, bullied by meritorious nobles and imperial relatives for all those years, relying on himself to gradually seize back power bit by bit. Now that he's old, he should accept his age and return to being that eleven-year-old child again.
"So what effect are you trying to achieve?" Xinyue pressed.
"The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal."
This was Song Shi'an's thinking, and his further explanation was: "His Highness can be the Prince of Wu's person, but I can only be His Highness's person."
At this moment, Xinyue showed a trace of bewilderment.
Thinking about it this way, His Highness's concerns actually seemed somewhat distrustful.
"Should I relay this to His Highness?" Xinyue asked blankly.
Song Shi'an looked at her and complained: "What's wrong with you? I'm chatting with you precisely because I consider you a friend, and you want to pass along gossip again?"
"What do you mean 'again'? I've never passed along gossip." Xinyue also got angry immediately. "All those treasonous things you've said, I've never told His Highness even once."
"Then you're not loyal to His Highness."
"You're the one contradicting yourself however you want."
Xinyue stared at Song Shi'an, stubbornly saying: "I'm only responsible for His Highness's safety. I don't have monitoring duties. I did ask His Highness if he wanted me to monitor you, but he didn't care at all. He said just being myself was enough."
"I know."
"What do you know?"
"Of course I know."
Song Shi'an looked toward the heavy snow outside, murmuring: "His Highness is lonely. What he fears most is loneliness."
Song Shi'an had seen through this long ago.
Hence, there was someone like Xinyue.
No power, no position, no mission.
What kind of death warrior is this idle?
Little Wei wasn't wealthy enough to go around controlling people.
He dared not use something like the 'Jinyiwei' to control hearts and minds, letting it corrupt the genuine bond between them.
At least, Little Wei right now was sincere.
"I really don't doubt you." Song Shi'an looked at Xinyue and said, "Haven't you noticed? When you're by my side, when have I ever been nervous?"
That was true.
Xinyue reviewed her time with Song Shi'an.
The two of them really were just friends.
"Since that's the kind of person I am to you, then let me ask you a question too." Xinyue looked at him intently. "You came to Shuofeng to accomplish what you wanted to do. You approached His Highness only because he could give you that opportunity. But at that time, you were complete strangers—it couldn't have been 'wholehearted devotion' from the start, right?"
This question was very sensitive.
But Song Shi'an answered without thinking: "Right."
"Because of you, His Highness also received rewards. You don't need to repay any additional debts of gratitude. As for merit of following the dragon, if you go to the Prince of Wu now, he'll definitely make you his top confidant. It's not much different from assisting His Highness—if anything, it's simpler."
Xinyue would never pass along gossip, so she spoke even more bluntly: "Even if you became the Prince of Wu's person, no one could blame you. It would be the Emperor's command."
"By both sentiment and reason, there would be no problem." Song Shi'an said. "But what about feelings?"
"Don't sentiment and reason include feelings?"
"Those are only the feelings the Prince of Wu has invested in me."
Song Shi'an looked at his slowly opening left hand, at that winding scar, and said: "Without shared experiences with me, one cannot cherish this kind of feeling."