Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5294 Eat and Leave
Princess Baling realized that she was trapped in a web of love, unable to extricate herself and sinking deeper and deeper. So, on the morning of the first day of the new year, she packed her bags and headed to Japan without even participating in the various sacrificial ceremonies of the royal family. She was afraid that if she stayed in Chang'an, she would not be able to suppress the longing in her heart.

After all, regardless of the taboos brought about by their respective identities, or the power and skills involved, that man had made her crave more and more, and only by staying far away could she completely sever ties.

But who could have imagined that they would meet again halfway through the journey...

She somewhat regretted sending the maid to serve her; it would have been better to ignore her and treat her like a stranger.

What should we do now?
To ignore it?

Or should we go to meet again and rekindle our relationship, only to sever all ties once we've set sail?

Hesitant and unsure, he found it difficult to make a decision.

It wasn't until the water in the bathtub had cooled down that he suddenly realized what was happening.

Just as he stood up and grabbed a handkerchief to wipe the water off his body, he heard a maid outside suddenly call out, "Grand Commandant!" and then add, "His Highness is taking a bath..."

Then footsteps approached the door.

Princess Baling panicked and hurriedly stepped out of the bath to grab her robe and put it on. In her haste, she tripped over the edge of the tub and lost her balance, falling headfirst out of the tub. Although there was a carpet on the ground, she still cried out in pain.

The door was pushed open, and Fang Jun, who had just finished bathing, strode in dressed in casual clothes. By the candlelight, he saw Princess Baling lying on the floor, her body exposed and radiant, and was immediately startled: "Your Highness, how did you fall?"

They rushed forward to help him up.

Princess Baling was completely naked and wet. Although the two had secretly met countless times and knew each other well, she still felt ashamed at this moment. She endured the pain and barely covered her body with a handkerchief. Before she could speak, Fang Jun grabbed her by the knees and lifted her up, carried her a few steps and placed her on the bed.

Fang Jun stood before the couch, looking down at him carefully, his smile radiant: "Your Highness, you were so eager to see me upon hearing of my arrival?"

Princess Baling quickly pulled the blanket over herself, her delicate body darting under it in a few swift movements. She said, embarrassed and annoyed, "I just tripped and fell. Grand Commandant, don't flatter yourself."

Fang Jun reached under the covers and rubbed his hands a few times, his smile meaningful: "But His Highness's reaction was quite intense..."

Princess Baling blushed crimson, biting her lip to suppress her trembling: "We said we'd cut ties and each be happy, so why are you still trying to sow discord between me... Take your hand away!"

"If we're going to sever all ties, why bother having a maidservant to serve me?"

"Those brats have been eyeing you for who knows how long. I'm just letting them have their wish fulfilled. You're getting off easy!"

"Why would I even look at them? If you want to serve, Your Highness should do it yourself."

"You, you, you can't do that."

"Does Your Highness mean that I should serve you?"

"..."

……

Fang Jun often felt that his body was a bit strange. Not only was his strength increasing and his physical condition getting better, but his desires were also getting stronger. When he left the capital, he still had energy left after several fierce battles. In the midst of heavy snow and difficult travel, he traveled hundreds of miles and was still able to make Princess Baling lie on her back, begging for mercy.

Could this be the innate superhuman strength, making him as brave as "Lu Bu among men"?
After patting Princess Baling's snowy buttocks, Fang Jun got up and dressed, saying, "Your Highness, please rest. I haven't eaten yet. I need to go back and eat something and get a good night's sleep."

"Well……"

Princess Baling, exhausted from the bumpy journey and now subjected to further torment, felt utterly drained and on the verge of falling apart. She drifted off to sleep.

Fang Jun dressed and went outside, where he saw several maids standing respectfully. They looked at him with pitiful eyes and resentful expressions, as if they were complaining that he hadn't let them in to help despite His Highness's repeated pleas for mercy...

Fang Jun smiled wryly: "Go in and give Her Highness a good wash. Be gentle so she can get some sleep."

He then quickly left.

The maids entered the room only after he had walked away. They saw the mess on His Highness's body and the bedding that looked like it had been pulled out of the water. They blushed and some brought hot water to wipe His Highness's body, while others went out to fetch new bedding from the carriage.

Lord Baling fiddled with it, becoming drowsy, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next morning, Princess Baling woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy. She stretched lazily in bed before calling her maid to help her wash and get dressed.

Yawning, Princess Baling glanced at the sky outside and said, "I'll take some of the pastries I brought to the Grand Commandant later, and ask him if he wants to come over for breakfast."

She has always been indecisive. She had previously made up her mind to break up with Fang Jun, but after a passionate and intoxicating night, she decided that she could just break up with him after she went to Japan...

The maid tied her hair into a bun and replied, "The Grand Commandant left the post station before dawn."

"..."

Princess Baling was taken aback, and her good mood vanished instantly.

You're a dog, right? You're going to eat and then leave?

*****
After leaving Chousang Post Station, Fang Jun traveled eastward along the Xiaohan Ancient Road, passing through Yinghao, Mianchi, Yima, and Xin'an before exiting the Hanhan Ancient Road. Upon arriving in Luoyang, Fang Jun did not enter the city but instead detoured to Longmen Post Station south of Luoyang to rest and recuperate.

This post station is located 25 li south of Luoyang City at Yique Longmen, and is the first post station on the southern post road.

That night, just after having dinner and bathing, a personal guard came to report that Yan Liben, the Minister of Works and acting governor of Luoyang, had come to pay his respects.

Fang Jun had a pot of tea brewed, and they met naturally.

A moment later, Yan Liben strode in from outside, bowed respectfully as he approached, and said, "This humble official greets the Grand Commandant!"

"Hey, we're all old acquaintances. Why be so formal when we meet in private? Come, come, sit down and have a cup of tea to warm up."

"Here."

Yan Liben took his seat.

He was over fifty years old this year. Due to years of working in construction projects and being exposed to the wind and sun, his skin was rough and dull, and his strong body was hunched over. After sitting down, he carefully examined Fang Jun and was amazed. From Chang'an to Luoyang, it was more than 800 li. The journey was difficult due to heavy snow in Guanzhong. Despite the arduous journey and the wind and snow, this man did not look much travel-worn. He sat there with his back straight and his demeanor upright. His face, with its short beard, had lost some of the sharpness of his youth and gained more gentleness and composure.

Seeing Fang Jun personally pour the tea and push the teacup in front of him, he quickly took it with both hands and thanked him respectfully.

Fang Jun waved his hand and said with a smile, "Why be so polite? Although you are only the Minister of Works now, you are temporarily serving as the Governor of Luoyang. Even the Governor of Henan is inferior to you. You are a powerful regional official and should have some pride."

Upon hearing this, Yan Liben showed no sign of pride. Instead, he wore a bitter expression and said, "I am currently holding the official title of 'Luoyang Garrison Commander' but I can hardly move an inch in Luoyang. With spring approaching, all the preparations for various projects have made no progress. I am truly on pins and needles."

Fang Jun raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Yan Liben put down his teacup and poured out his bitterness.

The original intention of the court in deciding to build Luoyang as the eastern capital was to construct Luoyang and reshape the eastern capital so that the two capitals could stand side by side. In the future, the emperor might even travel to Luoyang to handle government affairs, and many government offices would have to set up offices in Luoyang to alleviate the increasingly tense population and resource pressure in Chang'an.

This inevitably meant the commencement of various massive projects, turning most of Luoyang into a construction site, with the construction and renovation of palaces being of paramount importance.

After all, Emperor Taizong had severely damaged the palaces in Luoyang back then...

Large-scale projects and construction mean a huge supply of materials, which in turn represents a massive amount of wealth.

In the construction of Luoyang, apart from the materials allocated by the imperial court, most of the materials needed had to be purchased and requisitioned by the local government. The entire Henan Prefecture, from top to bottom, was controlled by the powerful clans of Henan.

Seeing such an opportunity to make huge profits, how could these powerful families let it slip by?

"After several rounds of negotiations, these guys kept delaying things. Either there was a lack of materials and they couldn't collect them on time, or the shortage was huge and they had to raise prices temporarily... Some of these people even colluded and conspired to pay the laborers' wages and allocate funds for their food."

Fang Jun remained silent, lost in thought.

The issue of conscripting laborers put Yan Liben in a bind.

Because the conscription of laborers required the cooperation of county-level government officials, otherwise there was a risk of insufficient laborers to be conscripted, or that the conscripted laborers would be mostly old, young, sick, or disabled... In this era where "imperial power did not extend to the countryside," no one could solve this problem.

However, the difficulties do not end there.

Yan Liben glanced at the door and, seeing that it was tightly closed and not worried about being overheard, whispered, "The most serious thing is that when His Highness Prince Wei left, he emptied most of the Luoyang treasury. All the money that the Grand Commandant had given to Prince Wei was taken to Japan! Now the Luoyang treasury is empty. If the Ministry of Revenue cannot allocate funds in time, the projects after the spring will have to be suspended."

He was in charge of the construction of the Eastern Capital and temporarily served as the garrison commander of Luoyang. Building the Eastern Capital was his duty, and the court would not care about such difficulties. As long as the project stopped, it would be Yan Liben's responsibility.

So, although Yan Liben seemed to be thriving and in control of power in Luoyang, he was actually feeling extremely uneasy and under immense pressure.

Finally, Yan Liben spread his hands and acted like a rogue: "I wrote to ask the King of Wei how to resolve this matter. The Queen Consort of Wei said that I should seek help from the Grand Commandant. The Grand Commandant is exceptionally talented and has a solution."

Fang Jun was so angry at these shameless words that he actually laughed: "The money was taken by the Prince of Wei, but your niece, the Princess Consort of Wei, sent you to me to resolve this. Don't you think that's a bit shameless?"

Yan Liben was also embarrassed and said helplessly, "Your Highness Prince Wei and the Grand Commandant are very close friends, and Princess Wei has always treated you as family. So even if it is a little embarrassing, please lend a helping hand, Grand Commandant."

How can we offer help?

"All the materials needed to build Luoyang were purchased from the 'Dongda Tang Trading Company,' but the price had to be 20% lower than the market price."

Fang Jun pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "In this way, the Henan families will hate you even more. If you cut off their source of income, won't they become even more opposed to you in the matter of conscripting laborers? The business can supply materials, but it cannot supply enough laborers."