Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Damn it, with such generous conditions from the imperial court, they're leaving no way for anyone else to survive!"

Upon hearing the court's attitude towards the soldiers' funeral arrangements, the Prince of Huainan couldn't help but swear. If he were just an ordinary citizen, he too would have been willing to fight for the court. No wonder the Prince of Ding'an's 200,000 soldiers defected on the battlefield. If he were in that situation, he would have surrendered as well.

"Alas, those who act justly gain much support, while those who act unjustly find little. Look at what the imperial court did, and look at what the Prince of Ding'an did. He deserved his defeat! If someone like him could conquer the world, then the common people of this world would never have a good life."

After pondering for a long time, the King of Huainan suddenly uttered a very cultured remark, which made his sons' eyes widen. It turned out that they had misunderstood their father before; he was not just a brute but also quite thoughtful and cultured.

Hearing the news from his sons, the Prince of Huainan believed his decision was absolutely correct. He thought of the 100,000 taels of silver he had sent out at noon that day. "Jiang Pingda will surely put in a good word for me," he thought.

The waiting was nerve-wracking, and every day the Prince of Huainan would bring his officials to the military camp to drink with Jiang Pingda. Seeing his attitude, Jiang Pingda knew the court wouldn't really do anything to him, at most revoking his right to maintain an army. But the Prince of Huainan's honor would be preserved, and seeing his overtures, he was happy to do him a favor.

As they continued their back-and-forth exchanges, a genuine sense of mutual appreciation developed between them.

Half a month later, the imperial edict finally arrived in the capital, summoning the Prince of Huainan and his family to the capital to meet the emperor. General Jiang Pingda was to escort them and ensure their safety.

Upon hearing the imperial edict read aloud, the Prince of Huainan finally felt relieved. Although his actions were not manly, at least the lives of his entire family had been saved.

He immediately made arrangements for matters within the manor and instructed his servants to pack the luggage needed for the trip to the capital. On the day of departure, everyone fell silent as they watched the nearly one hundred carriages filled with luggage belonging to the Prince of Huainan's family.

In the end, Jiang Pingda couldn't help but ask.

"Has the prince emptied the entire palace?"

"No, we didn't move the big, hard-to-move items; everything else that could fit on the cart was loaded," the Prince of Huainan said casually.

Jiang Pingda looked at the Taihu stone, which was over two meters tall, loaded on a large carriage pulled by four horses. He couldn't understand why the man had even loaded this thing onto the carriage. What other large items had he forgotten? Was it a house? Or a pillar?

"Does Your Highness intend to stay in the capital permanently?" Jiang Pingda asked again.

"We don't know yet. It depends on His Majesty's will. If His Majesty tells me to live in the capital, I will live in the capital. If His Majesty tells me to come back to live here, I will move back here!"

Jiang Pingda was speechless at his answer. Who said the Prince of Huainan was a brute? He felt that the Prince of Huainan was the smartest person there. Putting aside the Emperor's intentions, just looking at his posture of preparing to reside permanently in the capital, the Emperor would probably be more tolerant of him!

Jiang Pingda led a large army to escort the Prince of Huainan and his family back to the capital in a grand procession. Their journey was not particularly fast.

The Prince of Ding'an and his family were also traveling with them, but their treatment was vastly different from that of the Prince of Huainan and his family.

They were being escorted to the capital as prisoners. Jiang Pingda was initially worried that someone might try to intercept the prison cart along the way, but it turned out he was overthinking it. The Prince of Ding'an wasn't particularly well-liked, and the journey was very smooth; nothing happened.

As the army passed through a small town, a crowd of onlookers gathered on both sides of the road. Although the prison carts were covered with cloth, some people still knew who was inside, and many people gathered on both sides of the road to discuss the matter.

A middle-aged man, carrying a rabbit he had hunted from the mountain, stood in the crowd, listening to the whispers of those around him, staring blankly as the prison cart drove past. Once the army had completely passed, the market had long since dispersed. He knelt on the ground and respectfully kowtowed several times in the direction the army had gone. Then, carrying the rabbit, he turned and walked in the opposite direction from the army.

The market was over, and he decided not to sell the rabbit he had. He would take it home for his wife and children to enjoy. In the past few years, he had worked hard outside for the sake of a glimmer of wealth, causing his wife and children a lot of hardship. He wanted to make it up to them properly from now on.

The day the army entered the capital was a glorious occasion. Zhou Luo led the civil and military officials to welcome the triumphant army and the family of the Prince of Huainan who had also entered the capital.

The King of Huainan knelt before Zhou Luo, weeping bitterly and expressing his unwavering loyalty.

Zhou Luo behaved very appropriately, giving the Prince of Huainan ample face. In a harmonious atmosphere, the Prince of Huainan happily accepted the new decree issued by the Emperor, a decree closely related to his life.

Huainan Commandery remained the fiefdom of the King of Huainan, and the imperial court established government offices to manage the daily affairs of the counties within Huainan Commandery. The King of Huainan was no longer allowed to maintain an army, but he could maintain a contingent of no more than five thousand soldiers. The annual tribute to the imperial court remained unchanged.

Furthermore, the sons of the Prince of Huainan, upon reaching the age of five, were to be sent to live in the capital. The Emperor, understanding the Prince and Princess's longing for their son, allowed them to reside in the capital for a period each year to alleviate their yearning.

This means that from now on, the Prince of Huainan will be the same as those princesses with fiefdoms. The fiefdom is their estate, but the right to govern the fiefdom belongs to the imperial court. Moreover, the prince's son must reside in the capital, and if you wish, your son can return to live there, for as long as he wishes.

This was an outcome the Prince of Huainan had anticipated: he retained his title and honors, but his power was diminished. Previously, he was the local tyrant of his fiefdom; now, his fiefdom only provided him with money, and nothing else was under his control. It was impossible not to feel a sense of loss, but considering the Prince of Ding'an was still in prison, he felt that this result was already a testament to his wise decision-making.

"The memorial from the Crown Prince of Dingbei informing him of his father's death should have arrived soon, right?" Xia Yu asked Zhou Luo.

"According to the intelligence sent by the scouts, it should be soon." Zhou Luo steadily placed the black pieces in his hand on the chessboard in front of him, and then picked up Xia Yu's dozen or so white pieces and replied.