Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5279 A Pleasant Breakup
Emperor Taizong's sons were either treacherous, tyrannical, or arrogant; the nine sons of the dragon had different character traits. However, even the most foolish and ignorant person could see that Li Zhi's current situation was extremely dangerous. Whether he was in Chang'an or had gone to his fiefdom at sea, countless people secretly wanted to kill him and frame His Majesty.

Conversely, who can say that His Majesty doesn't have the intention to do the opposite?

Since many people believe that someone will kill Li Zhi and frame His Majesty, it is not impossible that His Majesty will personally eliminate Li Zhi and then frame those people.

In short, no matter how many schemes and plots were carried out, it would be extremely difficult for Li Zhi to save his life.

Even in Chang'an, there was nowhere to rest in peace; and even when sent to a fiefdom by sea, one was still vulnerable to violent assassination attempts…

Regardless of their past feelings towards Li Zhi, the brothers were now lamenting for their ninth brother. How easy was it to escape from a certain death situation?
Li Zhi patted Li Yun on the shoulder and said gratefully, "Thank you, but you don't need to worry about this, Seventh Brother. I know what I'm doing."

The only chance to survive is to break free from the cage of Chang'an and flee overseas to rely on Fang Jun's influence to protect oneself.

Although his relationship with Fang Jun was not harmonious, he trusted Fang Jun's character very much. As long as Fang Jun promised to do everything he could to save his life, he would be safe on the sea.

Hearing Li Yun say that he could easily get Fang Jun to do something, the brothers were envious again.

Li You said, "Why didn't I think of that before? This entire sea is Fang Jun's territory. As long as I marry Fang Xiaomei, Fang Jun will definitely advise His Majesty to set up his fiefdom along the coast so that the navy can take care of and support him! With the navy's full assistance, you can be too comfortable!"

Li Yin also said, "Even if the fief is a barren and infertile land, Fang Jun can still build a mountain of gold with gold! After Seventh Brother takes up his fief, he will probably live like an immortal. If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!"

"That's right, that's right! Now that Seventh Brother is doing well, you must take care of your older brothers!"

"Although we have gone to sea to serve as vassals, we are still the bulwark of the country and one family by blood. We must take care of each other!"

Given Fang Jun's "sister-doting maniac" nature, one can imagine that once Fang Xiaomei gets married and goes to sea with Li Yun, he will definitely do everything he can to take care of her. With Fang Jun having people, ships, and money overseas, wouldn't Li Yun be able to rise to the top in one step?
While others who go to sea to settle down in their fiefdoms will have to endure a period of hardship, Li Yun will definitely start with max-level equipment...

Marrying Fang Xiaomei has so many advantages!

Li Yun knew he had become the target of everyone's envy, and his brothers were extremely jealous of him. He could only plead for mercy: "Brothers, rest assured, as long as you need my help and I have the strength, I will do my best and never shirk my responsibility! Although we may seem to be separated by vast distances after going to sea to take up our fiefdoms, our friendship will last forever and our blood ties will never be broken. Even ten or a hundred years from now, we will still be brothers and the bulwark of our nation!"

"That's how it should be!"

"Well said! Friendship lasts forever, and blood ties are unbreakable! Playful bickering at home is harmless, but once we step outside, we're like brothers fighting tigers together, like father and son going to war side by side, supporting each other and standing shoulder to shoulder!"

The banquet became lively again, with the princes drinking and shouting incessantly.

Only Li Zhi stood aside, sipping his drink slowly, looking somewhat forlorn, filled with regret. If only he hadn't been so ambitious and provoked by Changsun Wuji...

What more can be said now?

*****
Snowflakes fell softly, covering the outstretched canopy of the pine trees. The mountain valley was quiet and windless. Ripples on the water pushed the steam from the hot spring upwards, condensing and lingering among the artificial hills, pines, and lake rocks, creating a hazy, dreamlike scene.

Only when the panting completely subsided did the rippling water gradually calm down...

Princess Baling emerged from the hot spring, revealing her exquisitely beautiful body. Barefoot, she walked up the steps to the edge of the pool, dried her hair, put on a robe, and sat on a mat laid out in the pavilion. Despite the scalding hot spring and the burning stove, she felt no cold at all.

Fang Jun also dried himself off, put on his robe, and walked over. He sat down to one side, put his arm around her slender waist, and looked at her fair hands as she boiled water and made tea. He smiled and said, "You were very proactive today, which is commendable. Keep up the good work."

Princess Baling rolled her eyes, placed a cup of tea in front of Fang Jun, took a small sip from her own cup, and snorted, "You wish! How can you treat someone like this... There will be no future for you."

"Oh?"

Fang Jun took a sip of tea, not surprised at all, and calmly asked, "When do we set off?"

Princess Baling didn't answer. She put down her teacup, turned around, and glared at Fang Jun with resentment in her beautiful eyes: "Don't you have even the slightest bit of lingering affection in your heart?"

Chai Lingwu has already gone to Japan to take up his post. The Prince of Wei has just taken over Japan and has many things to manage, so he naturally needs the full support of the shogunate and it will be difficult for him to find time to return to his homeland. Although there are some discords between the couple, it is not appropriate for them to live apart for a long time, so she will go to Japan after the New Year.

She did want to stay in Chang'an, where there was no one to supervise her or hold her back. She could secretly meet with him once every ten days or so to satisfy her cravings, living a carefree and unrestrained life...

But this man seems eager for me to get to Japan as soon as possible?

You're disowning me now that you've put your pants on, huh?
Fang Jun sipped his tea and asked in return, "Will you stay in Chang'an?"

Before Princess Baling could answer, he continued, "We are all adults now. We cannot be swayed by our emotions. We must know how to weigh the pros and cons between what we want and what we should do. Once we make up our minds, we must be resolute. The worst thing is to waver and want both."

"Ha! That sounds nice, but isn't it just that they've had their fun and now they're bored, so they're just trying to avoid seeing it?"

Princess Baling sneered, though she didn't know whether she felt relieved or disappointed.

She was afraid that Fang Jun would pester her and refuse to let go, making her a plaything forever, but she was also resentful that Fang Jun only treated her as a plaything and didn't care about ending the relationship... She also felt that she was being pretentious, and indeed she "wanted both".

Fang Jun sighed helplessly, "Look at you, acting on emotion again."

She paused, looking at the conflicted and disappointed expression on Xiu Mei's face, and said softly, "The relationship between us has always been in your hands, both before and in the future. If you go to Fusang to live a peaceful life, then we will sever all ties completely. If you refuse to go to Fusang and stay in Chang'an, then everything will remain the same."

Princess Baling retorted angrily, "I disobeyed my wifely duties and gave myself to you, yet you push all the blame onto me, claiming yourself to be as pure as a white lotus? Bah!"

Fang Jun said seriously, "It was indeed you who seduced me. Although I was not strong-willed and failed to resist the temptation, the fault lies entirely with you."

Princess Baling glared at her: "How could I...seduce you? You're shameless!"

Fang Jun said quietly, "I don't know who it was that came to my camp in the middle of the night, saw you, and didn't say a word, but took off their clothes first..."

"Pah! Was that something I wanted to do? You forced me to!"

Princess Baling blushed, feeling ashamed and angry at the mention of her embarrassing past, and refused to admit it.

Fang Jun chuckled and said, "Alright, what happened before is one thing, but just now you took the initiative..."

"Shut up! Stop talking..."

Princess Baling blushed deeply and, unable to bear it any longer, got up and ran away.

She ran to the door of the house, then suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Fang Jun, and said softly, "I'm leaving."

Fang Jun nodded and smiled, "Have a safe journey."

Princess Baling gave the man a deep look, as if she wanted to imprint his features in her mind so that she would never forget them. She bit her lip, turned around and went into her room to change her clothes. With the help of her maids, she went out, boarded her carriage, and returned to Chang'an.

Whether it was forced or voluntary, this ill-fated relationship has come to an end.

……

Fang Jun watched Princess Baling leave, and after sitting by the hot spring for a while, he felt a little hungry. So he asked his personal guards to prepare a stove, venison, and yellow wine. He sat alone under the snow-covered pine trees, roasting meat and drinking wine, feeling quite content.

The openness of the Sui and Tang dynasties was unprecedented. The Shandong aristocratic families still adhered to some Confucian doctrines, while the Guanzhong aristocratic families, who had Hu (non-Han) ancestry, brought grassland customs to the Central Plains. They valued practical benefits over chastity and paid little attention to the separation of men and women.

They arrived with fiery passion and mutual affection, and left just as gracefully and decisively, with no further connection whatsoever.

That's actually quite good.

I looked up at the treetops, which were covered with snow and slightly bent over. Through the misty fog, I saw snowflakes falling from the gray sky. Life is like this falling snow, unpredictable and drifting towards its end. Some people brush past me, some people drift further and further away, and some people eventually disappear.

Taking a sip of warm rice wine brings a sense of comfort and ease to the heart and mind.

*****
As the year draws to a close, Chang'an is bustling and prosperous. Even the heavy snow that has fallen for several days cannot stop the grand scene of merchants from all over the country gathering in Guanzhong. Countless goods pour into Chang'an through Jinguang Gate and Chunming Gate, filling the East and West Markets, which are packed with people.

The infrastructure construction throughout the empire has not only made great progress in roads, water conservancy, city defenses, and so on, but has also enabled millions of young men to participate and earn a lot of wages. With the festival approaching, the whole country is in a state of jubilation.

Within Chang'an City, the busiest government office was the Court of State Ceremonies.

The news that more than ten princes were about to go to sea to assume their fiefdoms inevitably leaked out. For a time, all the vassal states in the world were trembling with fear, lest their territories be taken by the Tang Dynasty and become the place where the princes established their own states. Therefore, they all rushed to Chang'an during the New Year festival, presenting a generous gift and hoping to swear allegiance to the Tang Dynasty at the New Year's Day grand court assembly. Many vassal states had even prepared documents to request to become vassal states.

If I surrender first and become a vassal of the Tang Dynasty, then the Tang Dynasty will have no reason to establish a state on my land...

The Minister of Zhenla, Kelun Ongding, got up early in the morning to bathe, change into traditional attire, wearing a black cloth robe and two feathers tucked into one side of his headdress. After dressing, he led his servants out of his residence carrying several large boxes. There, amidst the heavy snow, he saw a four-wheeled carriage belonging to the Court of State Ceremonies waiting. He loaded the boxes onto the carriage, and Kelun Ongding entered the carriage. The other servants followed behind in another carriage. After leaving the Court of State Ceremonies, the carriage drove along the main street into Zhuque Avenue, made two turns, exited Yanxi Gate, and walked eastward for a short while before entering Chongren Ward.

(End of this chapter)