Chapter 55 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Chapter 55
The soldiers and civilians of the six southern prefectures worked together to resist the enemy, recovered Liang and Long prefectures, drove the barbaric barbarians out of the country, and finally reclaimed their homeland.
If Pei Zan's only goal was to recover lost territory, he should have stopped after achieving this result.
However, Pei Zan was known for his vindictive nature. While he claimed it was to eliminate any potential threats, he secretly harbored a murderous intent to avenge his wife.
Pei Zan ventured deep into the snowy heart of the grasslands and personally killed the Tibetan Khan, Chide Atai. The Tibetan cavalry suffered a severe blow, several allied tribes had already disintegrated, and the country's power gradually declined.
Pei Zan used his powerful military force to forcibly split Tibet into various tribes, and then promoted a prince born to a captured female slave from Wei to the throne. In this way, he was able to make the weak new Tibetan Khan rely on and get closer to the Central Plains.
After this battle, the Tibetan army's fighting strength was greatly reduced. Without five years of recuperation, the barbarians were no longer able to invade the Central Plains.
Taking this opportunity, Pei Zan also demarcated the border between Wei and Fan, established a military command, and closely monitored the movements of foreign lands to prevent those barbarian tribes from invading the borders again.
Even while busy with military and state affairs, Pei Zan did not give up searching for Lin Rong's whereabouts.
Pei Zan personally examined the corpses of those who died in the battle, but the search yielded no results. Suspecting that Lin Rong had been sold as a female slave to the border regions, he specifically ordered his scouts to keep an eye on the black markets for female slaves in the Western Regions to prevent any oversights.
Even with such a meticulous investigation, Pei Zan still couldn't find Lin Rong...
Pei Zan did not send troops to attack the northern lands again, but instead took control of the three border prefectures and six southern prefectures, thus occupying the southwestern territory of Wei.
In this way, all that would be left for the Chen imperial family would be a few barren small states in the north.
Thus, the great Central Plains state split into the Western Wei and Northern Wei states.
Pei Zan knew that border battles were frequent and that training the cavalry was urgent. After ascending the throne, he made Liangzhou the capital.
Pei Zan continued to use the name "Western Wei" for his state and created a new reign title, "Yong'an".
The people of Lianglong and the southern regions were saved by Pei's army and had a way to survive. They deeply hated the Northern Wei emperor and instead revered Pei Zan as a god.
The people of Western Wei obeyed all the decrees issued by Pei Zan, following the lead of the Pei family emperor.
Aside from major livelihood projects such as post-war reconstruction, disaster relief, and epidemic prevention, Pei Zan also issued a fake edict of self-reproach, publicly revealing his tainted background and implying that he was not of Pei family blood, and insisted on being removed from the Pei family in Jiangzhou to establish his own household outside.
Upon hearing this news, both Old Madam Pei and Madam Shen, the first wife, fainted from anger.
How could they have known that Pei Zan was such a madman, willing to defy the world and abandon his family, even if it meant being scorned by everyone!
However, this completely shattered their dreams of entering the harem and being honored as "Empress Dowager" or "Grand Empress Dowager"!
But with the lingering power of the God of War still intact, and Pei Zan enjoying the hearts of the people, how could any commoner bear to criticize him? They simply treated it as idle gossip, and forgot about it as soon as they heard it.
Another year passed, and the situation in Western Wei gradually stabilized.
On the day of Pei Jiashu's first birthday banquet, Pei Zan named his eldest son as the Crown Prince.
By then, Pei Jiashu had already grown up.
Like Lin Rong, she had snow-white skin and cherry-red lips. Only her nose and eyes were somewhat similar to Pei Zan's, both having high, straight noses and slender, phoenix-shaped eyes.
Pei Jiashu was indeed very beautiful, but compared to Pei Zan's masculine and heroic appearance, she had a somewhat feminine look, appearing much more delicate and obedient.
Pei Jiashu had no mother, so he was very attached to his father.
Pei Zan was happy to let his son follow behind, but Pei Jiashu was very active and at the age of learning to crawl and walk. He wiggled around in Pei Zan's arms as if he had thorns on his bottom and couldn't stay still for a moment.
Whenever Pei Zan needed to work at his desk, he would loosely wrap a two-zhang-long rabbit fur rope around the child's waist, allowing Pei Jiashu to crawl and walk around in the inner hall, which was covered with soft carpets.
After Pei Jiashu ran far away and got tired of playing, he lay down on the ground and was slowly pulled back by his father, who then tucked him into his arms.
The first word Pei Jiashu uttered on the day he learned to speak was "mother".
After listening, Pei Zan smiled slightly, patted Yu Nu's head, and praised, "Good lad."
When Pei Zan handed Pei Jiashu to Uncle Feng, he turned his back, and the smile in his phoenix eyes gradually faded.
Pei Zan stepped into a Buddhist hall filled with the aroma of burning incense, adorned with banners for summoning souls, lit with candles, and adorned with fresh seasonal fruits.
He did not believe that Lin Rong was dead, so he did not set up a memorial tablet. Instead, he took a piece of old wood, carved the two characters "Lin Rong" by hand, and placed it on the high platform.
Pei Zan was just taking precautions... He was afraid that if something really happened to her, she would be penniless and struggling to make ends meet, with no one to burn paper money for her, and she would be bullied by those lonely ghosts in the underworld.
Pei Zan had inquired and learned that if he wanted to burn paper money for his family members accurately, he had to write their names on the paper money. Only in this way could he ensure that the money burned would not be stolen by spirits.
Pei Zan not only burned a lot of gold foil ingots for Lin Rong, but also burned more than a dozen paper figures to guard her house, so that Lin Rong, being dull-witted, would not be bullied by ghosts without personal guards.
“Yu Nu can walk and crawl now, and her legs are quite strong. She will probably grow to be seven feet tall in the future.”
"I weaned her when she was five months old and fed her rice water and noodles. I don't know if you also like naan bread, but Yu Nu can eat half a naan bread every day even if it's just plain. She's quite the glutton."
“A year has passed, and you have never appeared in my dreams. I have heard that the imperial city is imbued with the dragon's aura, and the door gods suppress the purple aura, preventing evil spirits from entering homes. In order to make you appear in my dreams, I even dismantled the stone lions in front of the palace, saying it was a taboo... But even so, you still haven't come. Could it be that you have been reincarnated?”
"She's heartless; she doesn't even know to wait for her husband."
After thinking for a moment, Pei Zan paused in burning the paper money. The faint flames in the basin burned his eyes, and he chuckled again. "Forget it, I still have at least thirty years. Yu Nu is too young. Even if he becomes emperor, he will be fifteen years old. In these years, I can take care of him, help him conquer the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, and subdue the Rong and Di tribes north of the Great Wall. By the time Yu Nu is twenty and has a family, and thirty and has children, it will be almost time."
Thirty years later, Pei Zan had lived a fulfilling life and was unafraid of death. His only worry was that Lin Rong would be reincarnated as a human, and that they would be separated by death once again.
Pei Zan thought that he had more patience than Lin Rong, and it wouldn't hurt to wait for decades on the Bridge of Helplessness.
There is only one thing: when Lin Rong comes to the underworld to report, she must not be holding hands with a lover again.
Otherwise, if Pei Zan saw this, he would surely turn into a vengeful ghost and tear her lover to pieces.
After finishing his conversation about everyday matters, Pei Zan lowered his eyes, picked up a piece of yellow paper with his long fingers, and passed it into the fire.
He and Lin Rong discussed some government affairs.
Pei Zan dared not repeat his previous mistakes. Even though he wanted to kill Chen Wenjin to avenge Lin Rong, he did not leave the southern region.
Instead, they used a borrowed knife to kill someone, lending the vassal king a batch of military supplies and provisions, allowing him to attack the city and take over the Northern Wei.
Pei Zan's only condition for supporting the northern vassal kings was to capture Chen Wenjin alive and send him to the south.
In the Lianglong area and the six southern prefectures, due to Chen Wenjin's countless crimes, families were destroyed and people died, leaving nine out of ten households empty.
On the day Pei Zan personally escorted Chen Wenjin onto the city wall, thousands of people rolled up their sleeves and clenched their fists, wishing they could tear Chen Wenjin apart alive.
Pei Zan raised his knife and severed Chen Wenjin's limbs, cut off his mouth and tongue, turning Chen Wenjin into a human pig for public display.
Upon seeing this, the people clapped and cheered, some even kneeling and weeping, thanking Pei Zan for avenging their families.
Thinking of this, Pei Zan's evil thoughts arose, and he smiled meaningfully, saying to the wooden sign: "If you saw this scene, would you praise me for ridding the people of a scourge, or would you curse me for being ruthless? You have always been soft-hearted, but sometimes... killing is also a way of saving lives."
After saying this, Pei Zan remained silent for a long time.
The man's face was serene and refined, hidden in the rising sandalwood incense smoke.
Pei Zan recalled something from the past.
At that time in the military tent, he could not suppress his desire and imprisoned Lin Rong under his body.
He stood up and played pranks on her like this for a whole night.
At night, Pei Zan fell asleep, and Lin Rong, feeling thirsty, got up to drink water. When she climbed out of the bed curtains, she moved very quietly.
Pei Zan was a soldier who spent most of his time on military campaigns, always ready to fight, and was very vigilant.
He had actually woken up long ago, but knowing that the person pacing back and forth was Lin Rong and that she wouldn't cause any trouble, he ignored her.
Despite having just made love, Lin Rong buried her face in the covers, crying her heart out, hating Pei Zan to death. But just as she was about to sit down and continue sleeping, she suddenly stopped.
Lin Rong looked at Pei Zan for a while, as if she had finally found an answer after struggling with it for a long time. She leaned over and carefully pulled up the corner of the quilt to cover Pei Zan's hands that were getting cold.
The woman's delicate fragrance wafted closer, and even her body temperature exuded a warm glow.
She was afraid that Pei Zan would catch a cold, so she secretly tucked him in.
At that time, Pei Zan really didn't understand why Lin Rong could still treat him kindly after being bullied.
She was a really dull and eccentric woman... but very interesting.
Gradually, Pei Zan developed a secret desire that no one else knew about.
He was never favored by anyone.
But Pei Zan wanted Lin Rong's kindness to last only for him.
-
Pei Zan was a capable ruler. He took control of the grain transport in the six southern prefectures, collected taxes from the rich areas, and supported the horse administration in the Lianglong border region.
With such well-trained soldiers and ample provisions, an elite cavalry unit was naturally cultivated.
To prevent the Rong and Di barbarians from invading the borders again, Pei Zan made many trips to the border regions, engaging in diligent diplomacy and enticing the Western Regions to submit to the Western Wei with benefits.
In addition, Pei Zan also established protectorates and military garrisons for the various small states that had submitted to him, and even conferred titles on tribal chiefs and dispatched envoys from Wei to deepen the ties and exchanges between the two countries.
In this way, Pei Zan could establish another barrier to prevent the Northern Rong and Tubo from repeating the tragic massacres that Tubo had committed in the past.
In just four short years, the southwestern border region, which had been severely damaged by war, has regained its vibrant vitality.
Pei Zan declared himself emperor and king, and his administration differed from that of the emperors of the northern regions.
He himself came from a local official background and knew all too well how lower-level officials would outwardly comply but inwardly defy them and line their own pockets.
Pei Zan had his own way of managing capable ministers, unlike those northern imperial clansmen who were closed-minded and easily fooled by treacherous officials.
Because the Western Wei was stable, Pei Zan did not need to attend court every day, but only once every ten days.
On ordinary days, officials from various prefectures and counties would submit important matters such as the appointment and dismissal of officials, and the management of finances, provisions, and military forces to the emperor in the form of memorials and petitions, and wait for Pei Zan's approval.
After Pei Zan ascended the throne, he did not stay in the palace for long. Instead, he often traveled incognito to visit local areas, using this as an opportunity to inspect military affairs and supervise the administration of the prefectures.
With such a "people-friendly and knowledgeable" emperor, how could local officials dare to engage in any deception? They'd be risking their lives!
In the fifth year of Yong'an, Pei Jiashu was already five years old.
Strangely enough, the emperors of Western Wei seemed to dislike women, as they did not establish a harem or take concubines.
However, Pei Zan had a son, and the Crown Prince was intelligent and quick-witted. The officials loyal to the Pei family did not care at all whether Pei Zan had concubines or not, and no one in the court commented on the matter.
Only those powerful ministers who wanted to rise to power through the prince had some ideas and would occasionally advise Pei Zan to expand his harem.
Many of the founding heroes in the court had followed Pei Zan in his early campaigns, and they knew Pei Zan's decisive and ruthless nature. They couldn't help but worry about this old minister who lacked foresight.
As expected, Pei Zan chuckled lightly upon hearing this: "Minister Su is truly a man of great talent. After finishing his official duties, he still has the leisure to manage my palace and inner quarters. In that case, it is currently the summer flood season in Xuzhou, and many places are suffering from floods. I know that you are concerned about the country and its people. Why don't you go to Xuzhou to repair the water conservancy project? This would fulfill your long-cherished wish to bring benefits to the people."
Pei Zan flattered him greatly, but who didn't know that Xuzhou was far from the capital of Liangzhou and located in the south, a region with many rivers?
The Jiangnan region, with its numerous waterways, is prone to frequent floods, a problem that even a divine being could not completely solve!
Pei Zan dispatched Su Xiangwen to local areas and even appointed him as a governor, which was a ostensible promotion but a demotion in disguise. It was clear that he wanted to abandon Su Xiangwen and force him away from the central government of Western Wei.
In the past, a governor was considered a high-ranking local official, in charge of the administration of a prefecture. But now that Pei Zan has reformed the system, he has consolidated military power and does not delegate money, grain and military affairs to the local areas. He even frequently goes on inspection tours. Which official can then act arbitrarily in the local area and monopolize power?
The officials in the court were all trembling with fear. They knew that the matter of the "harem" was Pei Zan's Achilles' heel, and for the sake of their official careers, no one dared to speak out against it.
At night, after listening to the Grand Tutor's lecture, Pei Jiashu washed and bathed, then crawled into a thin quilt with a jujube pattern on the couch, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep.
Pei Jiashu is now five years old, still a tiny child, standing up to Pei Zan's knees.
He dressed in robes and wore a hat just like his father, walked steadily, and spoke clearly and logically, looking every bit the handsome young man.
Perhaps because he had no mother since childhood, and because Pei Jiashu disliked being close to maids and servants, he followed Pei Zan around like a little tail all day long, and even shamelessly wanted to sleep with Pei Zan at night.
Pei Zan only had this one son, so he doted on him and let him do whatever he wanted.
Fortunately, Pei Jiashu doesn't have the habit of crying at night. He's very concerned about his manly pride these days and doesn't wet the bed, at least not soiling the bedding.
Pei Zan was busy with official business today, working until late at night.
He was exhausted after a long day, but Pei Jiashu was so talkative that he wouldn't go to sleep without his father talking to him.
Pei Zan pressed his temples, got into bed, covered himself with the quilt, and told Pei Jiashu to roll up in his own small quilt and sleep a little further away, clinging to him like a stove.
Pei Jiashu slowly moved over, his big, dark eyes sparkling as he told Pei Zan about what he had seen and heard that day.
"I've already memorized 'The Great Learning' and 'The Book of Documents,' but the Grand Tutor still makes me memorize them over and over again. It's really boring..."
Pei Jiashu was exceptionally intelligent. Books that others started reading at the age of seven or eight, Pei Jiashu could recite fluently by the age of five.
Pei Zan responded softly, without praising Pei Jiashu.
This kid has been showing off lately. If Pei Zan praises him, Pei Jiashu will recite his lessons all night long just to get a few more compliments, keeping the adults awake at night.
Sure enough, Pei Jiashu turned his head and saw his father slightly furrow his brow, seemingly not very interested, and then changed the subject.
"It's strange, Grand Tutor Zhang usually eats the meals prepared by the Guanglu Temple in the Wind and Rain Pavilion, so why did he send his second daughter to deliver food yesterday? It's one thing to deliver food, but she even asked me if I wanted to eat the osmanthus cake she steamed herself."
Pei Zan shot her a cold, fierce glance: "You ate it?"
Having received his father's response, the child immediately leaned over and chuckled, "No, it's too sweet, I don't like it. Father said I can't eat things from outside, what if I take my medicine? Father, why does Grand Tutor Zhang have his daughter bring him food every day? It's not like there's no official food in the palace, he can't possibly go hungry, can he?"
"This woman wants to use you as a ladder to success, so that she can eventually enter the harem."
Pei Zan was not tactful in teaching his children. He privately believed that his son was not dull and that Yu Nu was precocious enough. He would tell him everything directly without hiding anything from him.
Sure enough, Pei Jiashu was startled when he heard this: "She's not even as pretty as my mother, and she wants to be my stepmother? Father, don't marry randomly, or Mother won't come home if she finds out."
Pei Zan sighed, "Don't worry, I have no intention of getting married."
"That's good." Pei Jiashu patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Zan did not tell Pei Jiashu about the possibility that Lin Rong had passed away. When Pei Jiashu asked about Lin Rong's whereabouts, he only vaguely said that Lin Rong had gone to a faraway place and might not return home for a long time.
Pei Jiashu would fall silent for a long time whenever his mother was mentioned.
Pei Zan assumed his son had fallen asleep because he was silent.
Pei Zan got up and turned off the light, but heard the child muffled in the blankets, his voice choked with sobs.
Pei Jiashu sniffed and asked in a muffled voice, "Father, will I be able to see Mother again?"
Pei Zan was taken aback by his son's question.
After death, people go to the underworld; the road to death is also the road home.
Pei Zan remained silent for a long time, unsure of what to say.
In the end, he patted Pei Jiashu's soft blanket and coaxed his son, "...we'll meet again someday."
Even a hundred years later, before the Bridge of Helplessness.
Author's note: I won't have amnesia, and I won't be writing amnesia tropes =3=
The next chapter is Lin Rong's story, and we should meet again in the chapter after that.
Rong'er must have her own concerns about not going home. After all, Pei Zan holds a high position and great power. Although she misses her son, she will also consider her own situation.
But don't worry, it has a happy ending. Although there are some ups and downs in the later developments, I think it's not too angsty overall.
However, Pei Zan still has a long way to go to win over his wife. Anyway, things will become much clearer later on. No spoilers, just watch and see!
As for their married life, I'm not sure if Pei Zan will seek personal gain (eyes darting around) because I'm following the main character, but there will definitely be side stories... and probably a lot of them.
Suddenly, something strange occurred to me: Pei had never given Rong oral sex, and Rong had never given him, so the strange things I'd seen before were probably lips from other places. (Later, Pei, of course, dared to do anything... This kid was quite the player.)
Pei Zan's territory wasn't large, but it was wealthy and militarily powerful. This gave him ample time to inspect various regions, preventing local officials from wielding excessive power, as the imperial authority remained far beyond his reach. (Don't worry too much about the rest; this is a fictional story.)
Some basic facts, cited from search results.
The system of court assemblies in various dynasties
During the Qin and Han dynasties, a system of daily court assemblies was established, which was largely followed by later dynasties, although the specific frequency varied.
During the Western Han Dynasty: A morning court session was held every five days.
During the Tang Dynasty: Officials had different rules for attending court according to their rank. For example, "regular attendees" attended court every day, but they also had a ten-day holiday.
During the Song Dynasty: The court assembly system was relaxed to some extent, and some emperors changed to holding court on the fifth day of the month (the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of the month). The systems of "court leave" and "rest of duties" also appeared.
During the Ming Dynasty: It was stipulated that there would be three court sessions a day (morning court, noon court, and evening court), but there were significant differences in actual implementation.
During the Qing Dynasty: Starting from the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the practice of holding court sessions at the emperor's palace became institutionalized. Later, it was gradually changed to a court session every three or five days. After Emperor Yongzheng, government affairs were handled more through reviewing memorials and deliberations in the Grand Council.
(Please note that this story is fictional.)
Finally, this chapter is from Tuesday. I'll probably finish updating on Wednesday. I really will be taking a day off on Thursday or Friday because I need to organize the final plot points and try to compile the most interesting and engaging parts so that daily updates will be easier from now on. That's all, love you all!
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