No reward to be sought

On the day of the investiture ceremony, Tang Feng, dressed in heavy official robes, boarded the sedan chair. Usually, Tang Feng especially liked to squeeze into the same sedan chair with Zhang Mobai, claiming that they could chat together. But today, he couldn't. Sitting in the sedan chair, Tang Feng propped his head up with his hand, thinking that Li Yunrui must also have a hard time. He was already entangled in these matters at Lishan Academy. What's so good about being the crown prince? Look at the third prince, he's still carefree and happy. This is probably why he can't go along with them!

Tang Feng got off the carriage and saw Zhou Ziliang standing not far away. Just as Tang Feng was about to follow, Zhang Mobai grabbed him. "Little brother, what are you doing! Does Zhou Ziliang have the ability to summon spirits? He's a military officer, he's going that way. What are you, a civil official, doing following him? Come with me!" Zhang Mobai, being of higher rank than Tang Feng, stepped forward, leading Tang Feng to his seat and beginning to instruct him, "Little brother, this is your seat. Stay put. I'll be right in front. Call me if you need anything. Also... this is the investiture ceremony, you..."

"You absolutely mustn't do anything reckless. Don't worry, you little madman, I know what I'm doing," Tang Feng pushed Zhang Mobai forward. "What could you possibly worry about? Go on."

Zhang Mobai sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I can't be at ease with you like this." He vividly remembered Tang Feng arguing with Li Yunrui back at Lishan Academy and couldn't forget it at all. "Forget it, little brother, take care of yourself!"

By the time everyone was in position, it was almost noon. Tang Feng, standing to the side, felt his stomach growling incessantly. Lost in thought, he heard a voice command, "Kneel!" Tang Feng lifted his robes and knelt on the cushion. He saw Li Yunrui walk past him. Looking at Li Yunrui in his magnificent robes, Tang Feng sighed. Perhaps this was the feeling of being second only to the emperor, above all others, that Li Yunrui had been pursuing! Standing high above, looking down at the ants below—perhaps for the children of royalty, this was the greatest glory and the ultimate goal of their lives.

Li Yunrui uttered a few simple words, the gist of which was that he cared for the people, would try his best to support his father, and maintain good relations with his brothers. Tang Feng had already heard these hypocritical speeches at Lishan Academy at least a hundred times. After the ceremony, most of the officials swarmed forward to offer their congratulations. Tang Feng smiled; these old fogies really knew how to flatter! If Li Yunheng had been the one to take office, today would probably have been a completely different scene.

"Hey bro, let's go!" Zhang Mobai poked his head out from the crowd and waved to Tang Feng. "Sigh! This investiture ceremony is so boring. I was hoping there would be something new and exciting!"

"It's pretty boring. All those things they said sounded fake to me. Where's your Yang Fei? I haven't seen him in ages." Zhang Mobai looked back but couldn't see Yang Fei anymore. Then he remembered that he hadn't seen him since he went to the Qiang and Hu tribes.

"Ugh, don't even mention it. Do you know Zhang Minghai? He's the Grand Commander of the Xiling Guards."

Tang Feng shook his head. Seeing this, Zhang Mobai continued, "Actually, it's quite strange. Zhang Minghai, someone who has absolutely no connection to the pawnshop, actually embezzled its account books! To be honest, I work in the Ministry of Personnel, so I should have known. And..." Zhang Mobai leaned close to Tang Feng's ear and whispered, "And... I heard he was a scapegoat hired by Li Yunrui."

"A scapegoat? You can't just say things like that, you little madman."

"Yang Fei went to investigate! Think about it, such a thick stack of account books from the pawnshop are gone, where could they have gone? They must have been embezzled by someone in the pawnshop. Zhang Minghai, can a governor really get in there? I reckon Li Yunrui probably knows about this, but with the investiture imminent, he's just pushing it onto Zhang Minghai."

"No way..." Tang Feng frowned, then put his arm around Zhang Mobai and whispered, "Given Li Yunrui's personality, how could he protect someone else? He's such a simpleton, he'd make a big fuss over something as simple as pulling strings for me, how could he... use such methods?"

"I don't know, maybe they just couldn't wait any longer! You know, it's been five or six years since they started vying for the throne. They couldn't have gotten this far without some underhanded tactics. Don't tell Ziliang and the others, Uncle Zhou hates these scheming people the most."

"Yes, I can tell." Tang Feng recalled the old Marquis's expression at the dinner table a couple of days ago and knew they didn't really like these kinds of things.

"But to be honest, your father, my father, and Uncle Zhou were all people who helped the current emperor conquer the country. They didn't seem to want us to get involved in these things. But decades ago, I saw that they were quite happy when they were helping His Majesty conquer the country."

It's true, these old ministers who once followed Emperor Yun, fighting on the battlefield and vying for the throne, are all so wary of matters concerning the royal family. But Tang Feng seems to understand. Perhaps he's seen too much of this in his life. After all, being constantly by the emperor's side is different from others; one wrong move and you could lose your head. Throughout history, whether loyal or treacherous, few have met a good end.

Tang Feng was about to leave when Li Yunrui called out to him, "Tang Feng, I have something to say to you." Tang Feng turned around and saw it was Li Yunrui. He put his hands on his hips and sneered, "My goodness! Didn't you say you weren't looking for me anymore? My dad said I can't play with you, and my father-in-law also said I should stay away from you. Tell me, how come you have such bad interpersonal relationships?"

"It's not that I'm unpopular, it's just that Zhou Wuhai and Tang Zhaonan are protecting you." Li Yunrui looked around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled Tang Feng's sleeve and led him into an alley. "I'm sorry about what happened in court a few days ago, I was too eager for quick results, but it did have an effect. My father praised you highly when he found out."

"It worked? Brother, you've almost ruined me! I've told you so many times I don't want to get involved in your affairs anymore, and then you do this, not only do you come to me, but you also seem to want all the officials in the court to know about our close relationship. My father came to question me the other day after court; you've left me with no way to clear my name!" Tang Feng pushed Li Yunrui aside. "My lord! You have so many men under you, one more won't make a difference. We should just forget each other and never see each other again. Farewell."

Li Yunrui watched Tang Feng get into the carriage, then followed him on his own. He told the driver to turn around and go to the Prince's Mansion. He then said to Tang Feng, "I called you here for no other reason than my father wants to see you. He might be drafting an edict. Don't be nervous, he just wants to reward you."

Tang Feng rolled his eyes. "I hope His Majesty will allow me to retire and return to my hometown, okay?"

"Can!"

Tang Feng stood with his hands on his chest and his cheeks puffed out. He knew that Li Yunrui was no good. Seeing that they were about to reach the Prince's mansion, he said, "Your Highness, I still stand by what I said: 'Forgive and forget.' Can you let me go? I have a family to support in the future, and I can't afford to take any more risks. Thank you!"

"Tang Feng, remember this: I will not harm you. Looking across the court and the country, few people would be as indulgent towards you as I am," Li Yunrui said, his brows furrowed. He knew that after the Qiang and Hu incident, Tang Feng was unlikely to have any further contact with him, so he had no choice but to resort to this tactic.

After hearing this, Tang Feng couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Your Highness, I don't need anyone to indulge me. I never intended to get involved in your affairs in the first place. As long as you let me go, I don't care at all whether others can tolerate me or like me."

Li Yunrui didn't lie to Tang Feng. Before they even got off the carriage, a palace eunuch came to announce the imperial decree, essentially telling them to come to the palace the next day to receive a reward. Tang Feng wasn't particularly concerned about the reward itself; what he cared about was whether his trip to the palace was a trap set by Li Yunrui. But just like his mission to the Qiang and Hu tribes, he had no reason to refuse. After receiving the decree, Tang Feng was taken into a small room by his grandfather and lectured for over three hours. His grandfather spoke at length, but Tang Feng didn't hear a single word. He was only thinking about how to protect himself the next day.

Those who receive honors are not allowed to ride in sedan chairs. The next morning, before dawn, Tang Feng was pulled up by his master, who dampened a handkerchief and slapped it against Tang Feng's face. The old man said coldly, "Didn't I tell you we were going to the palace today and you needed to get up early? You're still sleeping here. Don't you even know what time it is? Watch your mouth today. If you say something wrong this time, no one will save you."

Tang Feng, riding a tall horse in his white official robes, encountered Zhang Mobai, who was on his way to the morning court, at the palace gate. "You little madman! Did you see that? Li Yunrui, he's caused so much harm!"

"Shh! This is the palace gate. Don't call me by my name directly. Call me Crown Prince. Isn't this good? You'll be rewarded when you enter the palace, and you can even get some money as a bonus. You have to treat me to a meal." Zhang Mobai helped Tang Feng straighten his clothes. "You don't need to attend court, so a palace servant will take you to the front gate to wait until His Majesty summons you before you go in."

Tang Feng nodded. At that moment, the palace gates opened wide, summoning the officials to an audience. Zhang Mobai patted Tang Feng on the shoulder and went inside.

Just as Zhang Mobai said, no sooner had the official gone in than a palace servant came to find him. "Master Tang, please come with me." Tang Feng followed the servant into the inner hall to wait. "Hey, can you tell me when you're summoning me?"

"This... I don't know either, Mr. Tang, please wait patiently." After the palace servant withdrew, Tang Feng wandered around, admiring the red palace walls and the long cobblestone path...

Tang Feng frowned. Why did it feel so familiar? Just then, he heard someone outside announce, "Summon! Tang Sicheng, enter the main hall!" Tang Feng tugged at his clothes to make sure everything was alright, then walked into the corridor. The main hall was much larger than any Tang Feng had ever seen in his Qiang and Hu territory. Officials stood on both sides, with Li Yunrui, Li Yunheng, and Li Yunye standing side-by-side at the front. Tang Feng stepped forward, performed a deep kneeling bow, and said, "Your subject, Tang Feng, Sicheng of the Pawnshop and Protectorate, greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Tang Sicheng, rise! A few days ago, I heard from Rui'er about your affairs with the Qiang and Hu tribes. This journey has taken a year and a half, which has been extremely difficult. You have also brought considerable benefits to Yan Yun. Speak! What do you want?"

"Your Majesty, I have no reward to ask for."

"No reward to ask for?" Emperor Yun looked at Tang Feng with great interest. "I've never heard of such a request in all these years."

"As an envoy of Yan and Yun, I was already appreciated by the Crown Prince for my mission to the Qiang and Hu tribes. Successfully negotiating with the Qiang and Hu Khan was simply my duty. I do not consider this a great achievement, therefore, I have no reward to ask for."