Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5214 A Trivial Matter

Empress Su was very displeased with Princess Jinyang's "taking advantage of the situation" and warned her, "Don't think too much about it; that is absolutely impossible."

Princess Jinyang, with an air of calm confidence, ignored the Empress and decided to take them down one by one. Her voice was clear and crisp: "What did Sister Baling say?"

Princess Baling hesitated and looked at the Empress.

The Empress retorted angrily, "Why are you looking at me like that? It's one thing for you to get yourself into trouble, but now that you've at least realized your mistake, how can you just stand by and watch your own sister fall into a fire pit? Can't you come up with something?"

I was quite angry at their lack of ambition.

Princess Baling pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "It's one thing if you say other things, but calling it a 'fire pit' is not necessarily true."

Besides, how would you know if it's a "pit of fire"?

However, fearing the Empress's authority, he dared not say much and only gave Princess Jinyang an apologetic look.

However, for Princess Jinyang, such a look was enough. She did not need Princess Baling's support, as long as she did not object.

Ultimately, Princess Baling didn't have much say within the royal family; the real decision-makers were His Majesty and the Empress…

Princess Jinyang was the most clever and witty. She usually appeared gentle and elegant, even a little aloof, but when she needed something from someone, she was very good at putting aside her pride and knew how to humble herself and cater to their preferences.

She then took Empress Su's arm, smiling radiantly: "In the end, it is His Majesty who is opposing it. My sister-in-law has been the best to me, how can I be the same as His Majesty? If in the future, as long as my sister-in-law does not explicitly oppose it, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life."

Su frowned, tugged at his arm but couldn't pull him out. Instead, she rubbed her hand against Jin Yang's chest, feeling his small, soft body. She swallowed the scolding that was on the tip of her tongue, stroked Jin Yang's temple with her other hand, and sighed.

"You're such a smart girl, how could you be so obsessed with him? There are countless good men in the world. Just broaden your horizons and look around, and you'll surely find someone who matches you. Why waste your time on an impossible man?"

Princess Jinyang nestled against Madam Su with a smile and said softly, "Then, sister-in-law, why don't you tell me, among all the noble families and powerful clans in Chang'an, which son can compare with brother-in-law?"

Princess Baling sat quietly to one side, secretly giving herself a thumbs up.

While Fang Jun might not be as handsome as those delicate, powdered-faced "pretty boys," his good looks were certainly not inferior. Furthermore, with his literary and martial talents, he exuded a powerful and dignified aura, far surpassing that of those纨绔 (spoiled brats).
Furthermore, the most important quality of a man is not his appearance, talent, achievements, or official position, but his ability to endure and persevere in bed... Although we can only compare him to Chai Lingwu, the vast difference between them is enough to show that Fang Jun must be outstanding and unmatched by others.

Su was speechless for a moment, her mind racing through the names of the scions of prominent families she knew, but she had nothing to say.

Princess Jinyang smiled and asked, "Does my sister-in-law also think my brother-in-law is good?"

"Pooh!"

Su felt a little guilty and spat out, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Fearing that Jin Yang might say something inappropriate again, he asked, "Are you going to help or not?"

Princess Jinyang smiled and said, "Of course I will help. Sisters should help each other. Today I will help you, and tomorrow you will help me."

Su snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Princess Jinyang knew the principle that too much of a good thing is bad, so she left this topic for today and decided to deal with it slowly later.

"My brother-in-law is currently in Japan, supposedly presiding over some kind of 'election,' and I'm afraid he won't be able to return to Chang'an for a while. Should I write a letter now and have it sent over, or wait until he returns to Chang'an and we can discuss it in detail?"

"Just write a letter; you should see him less often."

Su said irritably, "It's natural for a young girl to be in love. Since Fang Jun was able to make a move on Chang Le and Baling, he must not be a gentleman who can resist temptation. With such a pretty and tender little princess being offered to him, can Fang Jun really resist taking advantage of her?"

If another unplanned pregnancy were to occur, His Majesty would surely go mad...

Princess Jinyang smiled and won, then asked, "Which prince does Prince Consort Chai wish to follow to his fiefdom, and which fiefdom does he wish to go to?"

Empress Su looked at Princess Baling, but she didn't ask about it.

Princess Baling hesitated for a moment and said, "How about we go to the Prince of Wei's side? I heard that after Japan becomes a vassal state, His Majesty will grant the land of Japan to the Prince of Wei and establish a feudal country. Japan is located overseas, but it is not too far from the Tang Dynasty, which is just right."

Empress Su nodded, realizing that Princess Baling, though seemingly foolish, was actually quite shrewd.

The biggest drawback of the feudal system was that vassal states were highly likely to amass military power and become strong in their own regions, eventually turning against the central government, sending troops to their homeland, and ultimately seeking the throne. Even if they could not turn against the central government, they were very likely to become too powerful to control within their own vassal states and cause chaos in the region.

The Chai family has a history of treason. If Chai Lingwu were to serve as an official under a young prince, he might turn the tables and incite the prince to rebel again. In that case, how could she, as a princess of the Tang Dynasty, possibly cope?

Should we ask Fang Jun one more time?

Thinking of this, another idea suddenly came to Su.

She stared at Princess Baling and asked, "Tell me the truth, if Chai Lingwu really goes to Japan to serve as an official with the Prince of Wei, will you go with him?"

Could it be that her enthusiasm for getting an official position for Chai Lingwu is a scheme to send him to Japan so that she can stay in Chang'an and elope with Fang Jun without any worries?
Princess Baling immediately understood the Empress's concerns, and blushed deeply as she retorted, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes. If he goes to Japan, how can I stay in Chang'an alone? I must go with him."

Only then was Madam Su relieved and said, "Then let's do it this way. Si Zi will write a letter, earnestly requesting the Grand Commandant to seek an official position under the King of Wei for Chai Lingwu. The specific official position will be at the Grand Commandant's discretion."

Princess Jinyang nodded in agreement.

Seeing her obedient appearance, Madam Su quickly added, "Write here. Someone, bring me pen and ink."

Let her write a letter to Fang Jun. Who knows if the letter will contain some of a girl's thoughts and tender words?
It's best to keep a close eye on it.

Princess Jinyang rolled her eyes speechlessly: "Sister-in-law, you're judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person!"

Su sneered: "I'm no gentleman."

Princess Jinyang had no choice but to pick up her brush and ink under the watchful eyes of the two men, quickly writing a letter and putting it in an envelope. She then asked her maid to go back to her palace to fetch sealing wax and a seal, and to seal the envelope properly.

"Who should we send to deliver the message?"

Empress Su was in a dilemma. Although she was the empress, she had little contact with the outer court and could not think of a suitable person for the time being.

After all, given Fang Jun's current prestige and status, not just anyone could deliver a letter directly to him...

Princess Jinyang, however, did not find it difficult and said, "Just have the Ministry of War send someone to deliver it. The Ministry of War has its own fast channels for communication with the Grand Canal, the Yangtze River and overseas, which is faster and more convenient than the 800-li express courier service."

After speaking, he looked over his personal maid and instructed her, "Go back and find a capable eunuch and have him deliver this letter to the Ministry of War and give it to Minister Cui. Tell him that it was my order to have someone quickly send it to Japan and deliver it to the Grand Commandant."

"Here."

The maid took the letter and hurried away.

Su was speechless. How could a high-ranking official, one of the six ministries and an important minister of the court, be ordered around like a errand boy?

Judging from Princess Jinyang's casual tone and manner of instructing her servants, and her certainty that Cui Dunli would comply, it is clear that Princess Jinyang holds an extraordinary position within Fang Jun's group, and her relationship with Fang Jun is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface.

What ordinary princess could command Cui Dunli, one of the six ministers?

Even she, the empress, couldn't do it...

Suppressing her doubts, she criticized, "Minister Cui is an important official of the court. How can he be so arrogant? Be careful not to offend his dignity."

Princess Jinyang was also in a dilemma: "Logically, Liu Rengui should handle this, as he is more familiar with the navy and would be more suitable to do so. However, my sister-in-law also said that Cui Dunli is the Minister of War. If we bypass him and ask Liu Rengui for help, I'm afraid he might suspect that I don't respect him."

Su Shi: "..."

Can't you speak properly?!

Too lazy to pay attention to this younger sister-in-law, he said to Princess Baling, "If you turn back from the brink and go to Japan with Chai Lingwu, it would not be a bad thing. I just hope you will think carefully and not ruin everything with your greed."

As the saying goes, a broken mirror is hard to mend, and spilled water is hard to recover. Once a rift has formed between husband and wife, it is absolutely impossible to restore it to its original state.

But nothing in this world is ever truly "perfect." Disappointments are common, and the phrase "making do" may seem absurd and cruel, but it has become the norm.

Being able to make do is perhaps a blessing in disguise...

*****
As the "feudal world" had progressed to the stage of drafting imperial edicts, armies from all sides began to rush to their respective territories, preparing to conquer and destroy the kingdoms to claim as the fiefdoms of princes. This immediately caused a stir in Chang'an.

Even a fool like Chai Zhewei could think of going to the fiefdom to ask for an official position, to act arrogantly and enjoy power. How could others not think of that?
In an instant, nobles, powerful clans, and officials who were not satisfied with their careers began to inquire about the news and seek connections. People from all walks of life began to vie for official positions in the still-unestablished fiefdom.

As evening fell, Liu Ji saw the last group of guests off, returned to his study, took a sip of tea, and let out a long sigh.

Today is a day off, a day to rest and relax, but because of the matter of the fiefdom official position, many relatives and friends have come to his door, asking him, as the Grand Secretary, to give him preferential treatment and make exceptions, and promising a lot of gold, silver, silk, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings...

However, Liu Ji was not greedy for money, and moreover, as the head of the prime minister, how could he be tainted by such things? So he politely refused them all and sent them away one by one. However, this welcoming and seeing off was more tiring than working in the government office.

The eldest son, Liu Guangzong, and the second son, Liu Hongye, arrived together, bowed, and then sat down at the lower end of the table.

Liu Ji frowned: "Do you two brothers have something on your mind? Could it be that you've been asked by someone to also seek official positions in a fiefdom?"