The Taiji Palace appeared no different from usual. When Fang Jie, Shen Qingshan, and Mu Xiaoyao entered, they noticed that the number of guards on duty hadn't increased, and the number of patrolling guards in flying fish robes was the same as always. Fang Jie knew this was just a facade; the situation inside was likely incredibly tense.
Prince Yi wanted to rebel, but if he didn't rebel immediately, there was no direct evidence. Yang Yin was a very cautious person; at least, it would be difficult to uncover his involvement through the trade network. Even if the emperor suspected him, he wouldn't arrest a prince without reason. Fang Jie also knew that the emperor was waiting for Prince Yi to make his move, perhaps with the intention of wiping out the entire rebel faction in one fell swoop. But he didn't understand why the emperor was so confident. Prince Yi hadn't shown any panic yet, clearly indicating his confidence; the two brothers shared a similar deep-seated self-assurance.
The Yang family seemed to share this trait, perhaps a temperament gradually formed over centuries of ruling the country.
The young eunuch Mu San led Fang Jie and his companions deeper into the area. Once they reached a secluded spot, he deliberately slowed his pace to close the distance between them.
"A terrible thing has happened in the Northwest. Seven hundred thousand troops have been wiped out… His Majesty is furious. He turned gray at the temples after hearing the urgent report from the border; he looks quite frightening," he said in a low voice.
Fang Jie hummed in agreement, then continued walking forward, feigning nonchalance. "I already know about the situation in the Northwest. What I want to know now is... has His Majesty given any instructions regarding tomorrow's military departure ceremony?"
Mu San replied, "I only overheard a few words before leaving; I dared not linger. When His Majesty received the urgent report from the Northwest, he dismissed all of us servants. I deliberately lagged behind to hear a bit. But I don't know what His Majesty said afterward. However, His Majesty urgently summoned General Xu Xiaogong of the Right Guard and General Yang Shunhui of the Left Guard to the palace. These two generals are currently waiting in the East Warm Pavilion, not in the outer court."
Fang Jie's mind raced, but he couldn't find any clues in these words. "You said His Majesty's temples have turned white?"
"Yes."
The young eunuch Mu San sighed softly, "Young Master Fang, you didn't see it. They turned white in such a short time. They were fine when I left, but when His Majesty summoned us to court and we went in to serve him, I saw it immediately. My heart ached then; you can imagine how angry His Majesty was."
Turning a corner, they reached the East Warm Pavilion. Mu San fell silent. After the four of them entered the East Warm Pavilion, Fang Jie saw two generals sitting upright in the outer room. He immediately straightened up and greeted them with a military salute. The two generals, seeing Fang Jie salute, also stood up and returned the salute.
"This humble servant, Fang Jie, greets the two generals!"
Xu Xiaogong, quite familiar with Fang Jie, returned the greeting and smiled, "I was quite surprised by your military salute upon entering. I had forgotten you also come from a military background. Very good, very good, you haven't forgotten your roots."
Fang Jie was meeting Yang Shunhui, the Left Guard General, for the first time. He was completely unfamiliar with this general who looked only in his thirties. However, he had heard people mention him before; among the sixteen guard generals, Yang Shunhui was the youngest. If it weren't for his royal blood, how could he have reached the pinnacle of military rank at such a young age?
Yang Shunhui was of medium build, neither fat nor thin, with a slightly pale complexion, but not in a sickly way. He was clean-shaven and looked rather refined, lacking any military bearing; he resembled more of a schoolteacher. Fang Jie knew that given the current emperor's personality, if Yang Shunhui truly lacked ability, even with his royal blood, he would never have risen to the position of general. The emperor has always valued ability. With so many descendants in the Yang family, Yang Shunhui's ability to stand out must stem from his exceptional talent.
"You are the renowned Fang Jie?"
Yang Shunhui smiled and said, "Bringing two beautiful women with you to the palace, you are indeed extraordinary."
There was no sarcasm in his words; Fang Jie could tell the general was joking. Since he was in the mood to joke with someone he barely knew, Fang Jie guessed they were quite confident about tomorrow's events. Or perhaps… they were completely unaware? And judging from their relaxed demeanor, they were clearly still unaware of the great defeat in the Northwest. His Majesty was still at court and hadn't returned; presumably, no one had mentioned it to them.
Unsure, Fang Jie smiled and said, "These two were summoned to the palace by His Majesty for questioning. How could I, a humble servant, have dared to bring my family into the palace?"
"Family?"
Yang Shunhui paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You're quite the ladies' man!"
This man was completely unpretentious and naturally sociable. After all, in terms of status, Fang Jie was now worlds apart from him. The young eunuch Mu San brought tea, and Fang Jie sat down at the back. Shen Qingshan and Mu Xiaoyao exchanged glances, but didn't sit; instead, they stood behind Fang Jie. This gesture greatly envied Xu Xiaogong and Yang Shunhui; both of them had multiple wives and concubines, and none of their jealous women were as submissive as Fang Jie's.
The three of them chatted about trivial matters, none of them mentioning tomorrow's plans. Clearly, these two generals were wary of Fang Jie.
Just then, a young eunuch outside shouted, "His Majesty has arrived!"
...
...
The Emperor strode into the East Warm Pavilion, casually removing his crown and handing it to Su Buwei behind him: "You two come in with me first. Fang Jie, you wait outside; I'll speak with you in a moment."
Fang Jie quickly bowed and said, "Your subject obeys."
As he stood up, he noticed that the Emperor's temples were indeed white. And it wasn't a mottled white; it was a pure, unadulterated white. The emperor seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant. Generals Xu Xiaogong and Yang Shunhui followed the emperor into the inner room. Before entering, Su Buwei gave Fang Jie a slight nod. Fang Jie could tell from the eunuch's eyes that this man seemed much closer to him.
His Majesty had warned him not to interfere in Wu Yidao's affairs, and Fang Jie had been somewhat uneasy before entering the palace. But now, it seemed the emperor's mind wasn't on that at all.
He waited outside for a full hour, until it was completely dark. Palace maids hung lanterns throughout the corridors, and watching the graceful beauties walk by under the lights was indeed a pleasant sight. But Fang Jie had no interest in admiring the beauties; his mind was filled with thoughts of tomorrow.
An hour later, the two generals emerged from the inner room, nodded to Fang Jie, and left, their expressions extremely grave. Su Buwei waved to Fang Jie at the door, saying, "Come in, all of you." Fang Jie quickly stood up.
Upon entering the East Warm Pavilion, Fang Jie noticed that the Emperor was not sitting on the earthen bed as usual, but standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the massive map of the Sui Dynasty's territory on the wall. In the northwest corner of this map, an area outlined in red stood out prominently. But that red had once been a color of celebration, signifying the Sui Dynasty's expansion of two thousand li of territory. Now, however, that red was as jarring as blood, unsettling to behold.
"Fang Jie, what you did today… you acted rashly!"
The Emperor did not turn around, but his tone seemed devoid of reproach.
Fang Jie lowered his head and said, "It was my own initiative; please punish me, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's gaze seemed fixed on the northwest corner of the map, his voice calm: "I forbade you to interfere in Wu Yidao's affairs, but you did anyway. Do you know what this is?"
The Emperor slowly turned around, looking into Fang Jie's eyes, and said, "This is disobeying an imperial edict."
Fang Jie didn't try to explain, simply lowering his head in silence. His attitude eased the Emperor's expression slightly. The Emperor didn't sit back on the earthen bed, but instead, unusually, sat down in the large chair.
"I've never liked sitting in this chair. Do you know why?"
He asked. Fang Jie remained silent for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, I do not know."
The Emperor said, "Because this chair is so comfortable; one becomes addicted to this comfort after sitting for a while. Sitting on an earthen bed is very uncomfortable; one has to change positions frequently. Even leaning against the wall is uncomfortable. Discomfort prevents one from becoming complacent… But I have sat on the earthen bed for so long that people think I'm foolish, unaware that a chair is more comfortable."
Fang Jie did not understand what he meant.
"Am I really foolish?"
Fang Jie dared not answer this question. The emperor didn't need his answer: "I'm not stupid, just sometimes I don't consider things comprehensively. Since I'm not stupid, I know that what you did today was out of loyalty. Because of loyalty, you disobeyed my orders, and the actions were indeed effective, so I won't punish you. I work diligently and painstakingly simply because I don't want history to record me as a foolish ruler."
"Since you've interfered in Wu Yidao's affairs, then let me ask you... what are your thoughts on Wu Yidao and the 'Trading Goods Across the World'?"
Fang Jie hesitated for a moment before answering: "I believe... Wu Yidao is still loyal to Your Majesty, from..." "The troop transport to the northwest is a good example. As for the nationwide trade, that's indeed a bit too ambitious..."
"Idiot!"
The Emperor rolled his eyes at him and said, "I thought you were much smarter than those courtiers, but now it seems you're not so much smarter. You say Wu Yidao is loyal, and I've never doubted that. He helped you, and I understand your desire to repay that debt... but do you think you can change my mind with just a few words?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
The Emperor said, "You wouldn't dare? You seem to say you wouldn't dare do many things, but actually wouldn't do many."
Fang Jie lowered his head, still offering no explanation.
The emperor seemed unperturbed by Fang Jie's lack of explanation, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "I called you an idiot because you truly are. Those courtiers don't consider, and neither do you, how could a trading company grow so large without my permission? You all think I'm going to swallow up Huotong Tianxia Hang, don't you? Idiot! Utterly idiotic! Huotong Tianxia Hang is mine! Would I steal from myself?!"
This statement greatly surprised Fang Jie: "Huh?"
"What 'huh'?!"
The emperor said, "When I first ascended the throne, I intended to issue an edict emphasizing commerce. But as you know, raising the status of merchants always faces too much opposition, and even I can't force it. So I devised a method..." "If it can be done openly, I'll do it covertly. I had Wu Yidao establish a trading company to do business with the people of Dongchu. We did whatever was profitable, and in less than ten years, 'Goods Circulating Throughout the World' became the number one trading company in the land! Because of 'Goods Circulating Throughout the World,' merchants of the Sui Dynasty were also stimulated. Do you know how much more tax revenue the country collected because of this commercial prosperity?"
"I want to set an example of integrity... but I am the emperor. I can't really be short of money. If I don't even have enough to reward the harem, wouldn't I be a failure as emperor? So, 'Goods Circulating Throughout the World' can also be considered something I set up to supplement my household expenses. Wu Yidao is a genius; I never imagined he could build such a large trading company."
Fang Jie thought to herself, "What you said before sounded grand, but what you said later is the truth."
"Now you understand?"
The emperor asked. Fang Jie nodded: "Your Majesty, I understand. No wonder Wu Yidao was so confident."
The Emperor snorted: "I originally intended to use this opportunity to force those court officials to reveal their true colors. But you, of all people, interfered! Fortunately… you didn't ruin my plans. I've known for a long time about their involvement in the 'Trade Through the World' business, but I didn't intervene because I knew the court officials had their own difficulties. Relying on their salaries, it was indeed difficult to sustain themselves… so I always turned a blind eye. However, what I didn't expect was… the 'Trade Through the World' business exposed them..." "They've fostered greed. Greed for money isn't the scary part; what's truly terrifying is that they've even harbored ambitions to seize my empire!"
Fang Jie replied, "I was rash."
The Emperor said, "It's good that you've stirred things up. Who's just greedy for money? Who's plotting rebellion? You've forced them to reveal themselves. Otherwise, I don't know how many treacherous people are following the Seventh Prince!"
Fang Jie remained silent for a while, then couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty… then… where did Wu Yidao go?"
The Emperor glared at him. Fang Jie gave an awkward smile, "I know I shouldn't ask."