A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 57

New tea was served in the flower hall.

Xie Wenjun sat on the main seat in the center of the hall, with tea stoves placed on both sides, the charcoal fire burning brightly.

The tables and chairs below the main seating area had been removed, leaving only the main table and one chair. Thus, everyone else had to stand. Twenty or thirty people in official robes and caps stood below, lined up according to their rank from front to back.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a thunder-releasing day in the height of summer.

Maidservants, holding tea trays, served the tea in sequence.

Xie Wenjun gently lifted her tea cup, brought it close to her nose, and inhaled the fragrance. “This is ‘Guzhu Zisun,’ a Dragon Tea Cake bestowed by the palace every year. It is considered superior even among the tribute teas. I invite all esteemed officials to sample it.”

The buds at the bottom of the cup were tinged with purple, and the curled, bamboo shoot-like leaves began to unfurl.

The tea aroma permeated the air, yet the taste was lost on the imbibers.

Under their black silk turbans and official caps, their faces were so sullen they seemed to droop to their heels, looking for all the world like men about to drink their final, execution tea before being marched to the grounds.

Their expressions were understandable.

Rong Jun had dispatched two vehicles to collect the officials: one sedan chair and one prison cart. Upon arriving at an official’s residence, he would first state his purpose, hold up a black-and-white portrait, compare it with the official’s face, smile, and ask, “Which carriage will the esteemed official take?”

What was this if not an arrest?

Those who feigned illness failed, those on official business were recalled, and even those who hid deep in the mountains to offer incense to the Bodhisattvas were ferreted out by Rong Jun. Except for Sima, who had gone to the military camp with Xie Yuan, every official of the seventh rank and above within Linxia’s jurisdiction, including all county magistrates, was present, standing here neatly to “peacefully” sample the tea.

Xie Wenjun gently rotated the cup lid around the rim, took a small sip, and set the cup down. “All of you look rather displeased. What’s wrong? Do you find the tea I offer lacking?”

“We would not dare, we would not dare!”

“Tea from the palace is, naturally, the very best.”

After listening to their insincere flattery for a while, Xie Wenjun made a gesture. The Princess Royal’s manor maidservants, dressed in short jackets and embroidered silk skirts, stepped forward with tea saucers, and the cups were returned one by one.

The maidservants withdrew from the flower hall.

“Now that you’ve all had your tea, I won’t beat around the bush. I have summoned all you esteemed officials here to discuss the matters of the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture.”

A quiet buzz of whispering and private discussion started below the main seating area.

One official asked, “Your Royal Highness, hasn’t the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture already been abolished by public decree?”

Xie Wenjun: “When was it abolished?”

Silence fell over the hall.

After a moment, another official said, “The public decree to abolish the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture in the third month bears Prime Minister Xun’s signature, as well as the official seal of the Central Secretariat. It cannot be fake!”

Xie Wenjun stated, “Yongdu has been under Prince Qi’s control for quite some time. Even my Imperial Father is confined by him. Since Xun Xian is willing to be his minion, aiding and abetting the villain, can a decree bearing his signature be considered valid?”

Heavy soldiers were deployed around the manor, and it was time for the change of guard. The synchronized marching of their heavy boots shook the ground, filling people’s hearts with unease.

East Palace Guards stood watch on all four sides of the flower hall’s corridor, one man every two steps.

Three layers of guards, inside and out.

Rong Jun’s spacious prison cart was still parked outside the manor.

“Two Emperors in one nation—it truly sounds preposterous,” Xie Wenjun said. “But the matter is as it stands. I wonder which authority all you esteemed officials now look up to? Whose decree are you carrying out?”

The remark was grave.

To abide by the Yongdu decree and abolish the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture was equivalent to supporting the one in Yongdu.

The officials lost their composure and even the right to stand. They hastily knelt, declaring their allegiance:

“We, your servants, have served in Linxia with His Royal Highness Prince Shen for many years. Naturally, we long for His Royal Highness Prince Shen to inherit the great line. We are willing to serve the new Emperor faithfully, pledging our lives and loyalty!”

“We, your servants, swear our loyalty!” the crowd echoed.

Xie Wenjun half-curled her jade fingers and gently tapped the tabletop, her nail clicking rhythmically, as if gauging the sincerity of their words.

“Since all you esteemed officials have spoken thus, you are all our own people. Bring seats for the esteemed officials!” Her tone suddenly shifted. “There is a more urgent matter I must inform you of.”

Just as they were about to touch their seats, Xie Wenjun’s words made them jump up again, bowing and awaiting her command.

Xie Wenjun: “Sit.”

The Linxia Regional Governor and the Revenue Officer, standing closest, rubbed their palms, which were completely sweaty.

“The new Emperor personally led the army north to put down the rebellion. All you esteemed officials have worked tirelessly to raise military funds, for which your contributions are undeniable. I have summoned you here to bestow rewards on behalf of my Third Brother! This ‘Dragon-Following Merit’ is a tremendous service and should rightly bless your descendants. The families and collateral relatives of all esteemed officials are considered meritorious subjects. Simply submit their names, and I will personally consider the matters of granting land and awarding official titles based on their merit.”

Upon hearing this, the more experienced officials let out a sigh of relief.

Such a grand display, with a prison cart and deployed troops, was merely a tactic by the Princess Royal to win them over on behalf of the new Emperor, a warning delivered first. Though the methods were a bit excessive, her true intention was revealed after a few more words.

The officials below mumbled amongst themselves.

One said, “We are grateful for the Emperor’s grace, but fields and lands are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. Without the Ministry’s land registry, how would Your Royal Highness know which lands can be allocated for reward? Granting official positions requires the seal of the Ministry of Personnel. The registers and seals for both the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel are in Yongdu. Can the granting of land and titles Your Royal Highness speaks of be anything more than an empty promise?”

“I was raised beside the late Crown Prince and grew up in the East Palace. Do you all recall the end of the 16th year of Xuanyuan to the 17th? Many virtuous scholars voluntarily offered their private properties to the state to alleviate the national crisis. How much farmland, salt, iron, and mines the court received that year, no one knows better than I! Naturally, for anyone who thought themselves clever and managed to evade this, I also have a ledger in my heart.”

Xie Wenjun lightly exerted pressure on the armrest with her jade hand, like a phoenix awakening from its nest. Her gaze swept over the crowd like a passing cloud, sending a chill up everyone’s spine.

“The Department of Agriculture and Sericulture must be re-established! The late Crown Prince maintained the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture for many years. To abolish it so suddenly, with policy changes day by day—how will the court’s decrees earn the trust of the common people in the future?”

The officials remained silent, quietly calculating. Their minds were like abacuses, the beads clicking non-stop.

“All of you wouldn’t want the new Emperor to be reviled by the populace before he even reaches Yongdu and takes the Dragon Throne, would you? Losing the people’s support means losing the sovereign’s authority. How will you, the backbone officials of the new dynasty, establish yourselves?”

The tea was drunk, and the words were spoken. Xie Wenjun then ushered her guests out.

“I believe the tea did not fully satisfy all the esteemed officials today. I have prepared some tea cakes; please take them home and savor them. Do not let this fine tea go to waste. Rong Jun, escort the esteemed officials back to their residences properly.”

The large prison cart that had been parked outside the gate upon their arrival was gone. Two rows of sedan chairs waited, with the drivers standing beside them, each holding a tea cake of Purple Shoot Dragon Tea wrapped in bright yellow silk.

Rong Jun escorted them to the manor gate and said, “Esteemed officials, please excuse me for not seeing you off further.”

The group bowed in return.

As soon as Rong Jun returned to the manor, they began to discuss the event amongst themselves.

“Our children and relatives will all receive favors. The Princess Royal’s actions are undeniably generous! But Linxia is not the only state raising military funds; there are colleagues in other states and commanderies. This is a massive ledger. Can the Princess Royal truly produce that much land to distribute?”

“She probably can! Don’t you remember a few years ago when the late Crown Prince…”

It sounded good, but where were these “virtuous scholars” who voluntarily offered their property to the state?

The late Crown Prince and Prime Minister Zhang ordered wealthy gentry from across the land to relocate to Helu Town in Yongdu, where they were monitored day and night by garrisoned troops. Some of the wealthiest families, desperate to avoid relocating, rushed to sell off their properties cheaply. But the poor couldn’t afford them, and the rich dared not buy them. With no other option, they could only surrender them to the government, in exchange for a commendation document.

Thus, the wealth of the rich across the realm flowed into the national treasury.

Considering this, dispensing some farmland and adding a few official positions to demonstrate the new Emperor’s benevolence wouldn’t be a debt she couldn’t repay.

“What about the official positions?”

“If it’s too thick, you add water; if it’s too thin, you add rice. In the past, there was no Department of Agriculture and Sericulture. Isn’t it just a matter of a single word? Why worry about a shortage of official positions?”

The money they had handed over these past few days was no small sum. They had eagerly awaited the abolition of the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture, hoping to recoup their losses and make a profit. If the Department was re-established, where would they find a better source of wealth?

The Princess Royal’s reward would offset a portion, and granting official posts to their younger generation made everyone sensible enough to accept the loss, viewing it as exchanging money for official positions for their own families, lest they end up with nothing.

The tea party concluded relatively smoothly, and so, the officials returned home and worked through the night to draft their memorials to the throne.

Xie Wenjun was staying in the Bamboo Garden of the royal manor.

It was an elegant location, planted with a grove of bamboo. The bamboo pavilion was hidden beneath the green stalks, simple and refined.

Xie Wenjun chose this place for one good reason: the Bamboo Garden connected both the Inner and Outer Courts.

In the evening, the bamboo pavilion was brightly lit, and the shadows of the bamboo danced.

Chen Luan, followed by a few men dressed like scholars in blue robes, walked through the grove on the stone-paved path. The path was wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side.

Green moss clung to the crevices between the stone slabs.

Halfway there, they heard Gu Xie’s voice drift out from the window slit: “They’re utterly unrelated! But anyone remotely connected by family has been added to the roster.”

Xie Wenjun was sitting at a desk buried in rosters, playing with the iron-inlaid letter tube Chen Liangyu had given her. She couldn’t tell what the tube was made of—it wasn’t iron, copper, gold, or silver. The pattern looked ordinary from afar, but up close, it depicted a sky full of flying arrows.

“I’m not afraid they’ll add too many people; I’m afraid they won’t dare to add anyone at all.”

Gu Xie put down the roster. “Insatiable greed, completely losing the integrity of a scholar.”

Xie Wenjun asked, “What is the price of integrity?”

“Is integrity to be measured by mere pennies?” Chen Luan stood at the doorway and bowed. “Your Royal Highness, Miss. Not all scholars are those who hold their integrity and moral fortitude for sale. To truly principled scholars, measuring them with gold and silver is the greatest insult.”

The scholars behind him also bowed.

Xie Wenjun put the iron-inlaid letter tube back into her sleeve pocket and handed them the drafted land register. “Tomorrow, proceed according to the roster to the various government offices to award the rewards. Make a grand show of it!”

Chen Luan said, “Your servant obeys.” The men organized and collected the roster and the land register. “It’s late. If there are no other matters, your servant shall take his leave.”

“Chen Xingqian!”

Chen Luan had only retreated two steps before Xie Wenjun stopped him.

“Does Your Royal Highness have any further instructions?”

“It’s not official business.”

Gu Xie waved her hand, and the others withdrew from the bamboo pavilion, leaving first.

Xie Wenjun said, “I wanted to ask you, when she was at home, did she have any favorite objects?”

“Is Your Royal Highness asking about Liangyu?”

Xie Wenjun avoided Gu Xie’s gaze, looking elsewhere, and nodded slightly.

Chen Luan thought for a moment. Swordsmanship, horse riding, military texts—these didn’t seem to count as favorite objects; they were merely her daily routine.

“Reporting to Your Royal Highness, no.”

“Think carefully again. Is there anything that, upon seeing it, would make her happy?”

Chen Luan: “I am ashamed to say, I truly don’t know. Why doesn’t Your Royal Highness ask Liangyu directly?”

“It was just a casual question. If you don’t know, then so be it.” Xie Wenjun said, “Then, does she have anything she detests? Or, anyone she dislikes?”

Chen Luan abruptly looked up. His mind was preoccupied with how to stir up trouble at the various government offices, and the surprise instantly showed on his face.

Xie Wenjun: “Leave!”

“Your servant takes his leave!”

Xie Wenjun: “I never thought the person who could make her happy was this man named Zhai Ji.”

Gu Xie corrected her, “It’s not his person; it’s his life.”

Xie Wenjun handed Gu Xie another land deed folder across the table. It was much thinner than the registers given to the officials, enclosed in an envelope with only a single sheet of paper. “There are a hundred acres of fertile land at Cangnanwu Grove, which my Imperial Brother gave me. I will immediately grant it to Hanhong Academy as educational land. Take my personal mandate to Grand Tutor Gu, and instruct Hanhong Academy to establish a school section to educate women.”

“Your servant thanks Your Royal Highness.” Gu Xie tucked the letter and the mandate into her chest. “Your Royal Highness intends to plan a women’s academy and also reorganize the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture. Neither task will be easy.”

Xie Wenjun said, “To enlighten the people, one must first ensure their livelihood. Only when they are fed can they have the strength to think of other things.”

“It is your servant’s incompetence. I cannot assist Your Royal Highness with the affairs of the Department of Agriculture and Sericulture.”

Xie Wenjun: “Yuanrong, Daiqing.”

Yuanrong: “Your servant is here.”

Daiqing: “Your servant is here.”

“Regarding those land accounts, have you gleaned any insights?”

“Your servants are foolish.”

Xie Wenjun sighed lightly. “Do you intend to remain maidservants who serve people for the rest of your lives while you are by my side?”

Yuanrong and Daiqing knelt down together.

“I am not reprimanding you. If you are foolish, then learn slowly. In the future, I may need to rely on you to accomplish things. Even if it’s not for me, don’t you want to see a different world? To practice medicine, join the army, conduct business, become strategists, or even officials who work for the benefit of the people?”

Physicians, soldiers, merchants, strategists… While they were in the palace, these were lives they had never hoped for, or even imagined.

But walking this path, they had already met many such people.

Yuanrong and Daiqing bowed even lower, kowtowing, and earnestly pleaded: “We beg Your Royal Highness to teach us!”