EWRN - Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Concealing Merit and Fame
The next day.
Huo Jinyu attended the morning court session early. After a full day of travel yesterday and another early court session today, the ministers expressed that their bodies couldn't take it. Seeing their listless faces, Huo Jinyu, who had no desire to continue listening to a group of old ministers drone on about political matters, swiftly dismissed the court and smoothly rolled back to the Hall of Imperial Governance.
In the study.
With practiced ease, Eunuch Wang reviewed the memorials. By now, he could handle political affairs perfectly even without Huo Jinyu looking over his shoulder or offering help.
"Eunuch Wang," Huo Jinyu called out after a moment of contemplation.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this slave is here." Eunuch Wang stopped what he was doing and quickly answered.
"There's some loose silver in the national treasury. No need to go through the Ministry of Revenue. Take it yourself in a bit and be responsible for building a Serpent Garden for Us on the west side of the imperial palace, and a snake house on the east side of the Hall of Imperial Governance." Ever since the Autumn Hunt, Huo Jinyu had tasted the deliciousness of snake meat and couldn't forget it. Now that she had left the Jiangbei Hunting Ground, the batch of snake meat she brought back was hardly enough. Thus, Huo Jinyu thought of building a Serpent Garden. However, she still detested live snakes and would absolutely never set foot in it.
"Replying to Your Majesty, isn't building a snake house on the east side of the Hall of Imperial Governance a bit inauspicious?" Having served by Huo Jinyu's side for so long, Eunuch Wang naturally had a grasp of her temperament. So he boldly asked.
"No matter. We want it to be inauspicious." Huo Jinyu laughed coldly. In any case, what was inauspicious was this court, this country. What did it have to do with her?
"Make the exterior of the snake house more luxurious for Us. Inscribe the plaque with 'Treasure Pavilion'." Huo Jinyu's icy gaze fell upon Eunuch Wang, who shuddered violently.
"Yes!" Eunuch Wang accepted the order and departed. When he later saw the empty national treasury, he was truly shocked. Looking at the scattered silver coins half-buried in dust on the floor, he suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
As for the treasury, as for the snake house, Eunuch Wang didn't think too much, didn't dare to think too much, and couldn't think too much. He could only guess at a fraction of His Majesty's thoughts, but he dared not overstep.
With the matter of the Serpent Garden delegated, Huo Jinyu's mood lightened somewhat. She ordered Eunuch Li to lead out a horse, then spurred it towards Baili Mountain.
Several days later, at the northwestern border.
The Second Prince had been recuperating for over a month and could now get out of bed and walk normally. Only the occasional sharp pain from his buttocks reminded him of the utter humiliation he had suffered in the throne room that day. Of course, it never occurred to him that he had brought that humiliation upon himself.
Young General Hou, however, was quite concerned about Huo Jinye, visiting him every few days with roasted chicken and beef. Whenever this happened, the two would "weep in each other's arms," pouring out their misfortunes to one another and denouncing Emperor Yuanjin's tyranny. And every time, they would end by viciously declaring that they must overthrow Huo Jinyu's despotic rule.
The seeds of rebellion were sown in their hearts, gradually taking root and sprouting, almost ready to grow strong.
And the person who would force these shoots to grow appeared very soon.
Chief Steward Lu was the chief eunuch in Second Prince Huo Jinye's residence. When Huo Jinye was first exiled to the northwestern border, he, in order to take care of Huo Jinye, resolutely and boldly requested of Emperor Huo Jinyu to be allowed to accompany him. Just a eunuch, Huo Jinyu paid him no mind. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed him.
Upon arriving at the northwestern border, after Second Prince Huo Jinye woke up and learned that Chief Steward Lu, who had always been by his side, had actually volunteered to come with him to the border, giving up a promising future in the palace, Huo Jinye was deeply moved and immediately regarded him as a trusted confidant. And in the month since arriving at the border, Chief Steward Lu had been building up Huo Jinye's reputation everywhere and had suppressed the real reason for his arrival. Thus, he earned Huo Jinye's great favor, who felt he had finally gained a capable assistant.
Chief Steward Lu was this very person who would "force the shoots to grow."
Inside the general's tent, Chief Steward Lu stood respectfully behind the Second Prince as usual, listening to the two of them vent their grievances, his face devoid of any superfluous expression.
After an hour, seeing that the two had finished eating and drinking and were about to part, Chief Steward Lu walked before them and knelt. As if having made a great decision, he said firmly, "Your Highness, Young General, this slave has long had an immature idea in mind that I wish to report to you two lords! I beg you two lords to forgive this slave for the crime of impertinence!"
The Second Prince and Young General Hou both had a very good impression of Chief Steward Lu and paid no mind to some nonexistent crime of impertinence. "Chief Steward Lu, why don't you tell this Prince what it is." The Second Prince picked up his teacup and gently skimmed the foam with the lid.
"This slave ventures to suggest that if Your Highness truly wishes to overthrow Emperor Yuanjin's tyranny, the northwestern border is the best opportunity right now!" Chief Steward Lu said respectfully, still kneeling.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Huo Jinye asked with great interest, looking at the steward who had always followed him.
"Replying to Your Highness, the northwestern border is now far from the imperial city. The heavens are high and the emperor is far away, making it the most suitable place to develop your own power! Why doesn't Your Highness take this golden opportunity…" Chief Steward Lu's eyes darted about as he looked at Second Prince Huo Jinye with a sly grin.
"Why not take this golden opportunity…" Huo Jinye murmured, stroking his chin. "You, Chief Steward Lu, you truly have some nerve! Hahaha!" Huo Jinye suddenly burst out laughing. He felt Chief Steward Lu was right. Here on the northwestern border, the heavens were high and the emperor was far away. As a dignified member of the imperial family, did he need Huo Jinyu's permission to do something?
Huo Jinye thought of everything Chief Steward Lu had done for him in the military camp before and was overjoyed. This Chief Steward Lu was a clever man; he, Huo Jinye, had really found a treasure!
"Your Highness overpraises me, hehe," Chief Steward Lu said with a laugh, his sycophantic face covered in an ingratiating smile that somehow wasn't off-putting. "Your Highness need not worry about matters in the military camp; this slave will arrange everything. Right now, what Your Highness should be thinking about is how to establish military merit, no?" Chief Steward Lu guided him patiently.
"Military merit?" Huo Jinye asked, puzzled. Didn't he just need to seize military power on the border?
"Yes, Your Highness. Military merit is very important. Your Highness, this slave dares to say," Chief Steward Lu swallowed, looking up at Huo Jinye with pleading eyes. After getting a nod of approval, he continued, "That Prince Qin was enfeoffed as a prince—why? Prince Qin is still so young, what virtue or ability does he possess? It's because Emperor Yuanjin wants to raise Prince Qin by his side like a dog from a young age. But you, Your Highness, already have your own thoughts and are long beyond Emperor Yuanjin's control. And right now, Your Highness still lacks the power, the military authority, and the status to challenge Emperor Yuanjin."
As he spoke, Chief Steward Lu observed Huo Jinye's expression. Seeing that he wasn't easily angered, he continued, "Military authority—Your Highness is far away on the border; over time, you can win the people's hearts. But status must be sought through military merit! Only with military merit can Your Highness justifiably force Emperor Yuanjin to grant you the title and status of a prince. And once Your Highness becomes a prince, officials will naturally come to curry favor. At that time, with military authority in hand, naturally…" Chief Steward Lu didn't finish his sentence, but Huo Jinye understood his meaning.
A flash of excited delight crossed Huo Jinye's eyes. He felt Chief Steward Lu was right. Only military merit could force Huo Jinyu to grant him the title of prince. And only once he was a prince would he have the ability to buy the loyalty of court officials. And at that time, he could… hehehe.
However, that was easier said than done. How could it be so easy to achieve military merit?
"Chief Steward Lu, you make it sound better than it is. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to obtain military merit?" Huo Jinye frowned at this thought, his tone full of disbelief.
"Exactly! I, Hou Yuwen, have been at this border for so many years and am still just a Grand Marshal. How can military merit be so easy to get?" Hou Yuwen scoffed, his face full of disdain, as if certain this lowly eunuch couldn't possibly offer any useful advice.
"Replying to Your Highness, isn't military merit just a matter of charging into battle, killing the enemy, and repelling them?" Chief Steward Lu said in a gentle voice, as if not noticing the disdain on Hou Yuwen's face. "This slave has a bold idea!"
"Oh? What method does our great Chief Steward Lu have? Go ahead and speak. It's fine. There are only the three of us here; it's very safe." Seeing Chief Steward Lu glance around warily, Huo Jinye knew what he was worried about and spoke to reassure him.
After confirming that the area was secure, Chief Steward Lu said, "Your Highness could form an alliance with the Northern Kingdom and stage a few plays. Wouldn't military merit be within easy grasp then? Hehe." Chief Steward Lu chuckled, seeming very pleased with his own plan.
"Wouldn't that be secret collusion with the Northern Kingdom?!" Startled by Chief Steward Lu's bold words, Huo Jinye slammed his hand on the table and shouted. At this moment, it was Huo Jinye who needed reassuring. Although Huo Jinye had rebellious thoughts, he had never considered colluding with the Northern Kingdom! That was like bargaining with a tiger for its skin!
Seeing this, Hou Yuwen quickly patted Huo Jinye's chest to calm him down. "Shh! Your Highness, lower your voice. Be careful, the walls have ears."
After being soothed by Hou Yuwen, Huo Jinye was not so agitated. But the look he gave Chief Steward Lu turned cold.
Seeing that Huo Jinye was inclined to refuse, Chief Steward Lu quickly said, "Your Highness! It is said that those who achieve great things do not sweat the small stuff. As long as the result is right, who cares about the process? Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?"
Huo Jinye was struggling intensely inside. His status was noble, and he was reluctant to lower himself to seek cooperation with the Northern Kingdom. But the temptation of cooperating with the Northern Kingdom was truly too great. Dazzling military merit seemed to be right before his eyes, and a noble status that could rival the emperor's was within reach!
Hou Yuwen seemed to see through Huo Jinye's concerns. He made the decision, saying, "Your Highness, leave the matter of conspiring with the Northern Kingdom to this humble subject! You are the future ruler of the nation! Naturally, such a trivial matter cannot trouble Your Highness!" Hou Yuwen's unspoken meaning was: I'll do the dirty work; you just need to sit securely on the throne!
Huo Jinye was instantly moved beyond words. He punched Young General Hou firmly on the shoulder. "Then I'll leave it to you. You truly are this Prince's good brother!"
And so, the two began drinking happily again. Chief Steward Lu retreated to the side, hiding his merits and fame.
Late at night, Chief Steward Lu sat in his tent. By lamplight, he looked at a piece of paper, a cold smile playing on his lips. Finally, he burned the slip of paper in the candle flame, reducing it to ash. He put on a robe, walked out of the tent, and went to a deserted corner of the military camp. A pigeon flew over and landed on his arm. Chief Steward Lu placed a pre-written note into the small wooden tube on the pigeon's leg, gave his hand a gentle shake, and the pigeon flew south, disappearing into the night...
Chief Steward Lu, merit hidden, name concealed.
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