Tangli Fried Snow

The Imperial Palace of the Capital.

A grand banquet is being held here today for the eighth birthday celebration of Empress Jin's beloved son, Zhao Xi'an.

In addition to the grand palace banquet, there will be a three-day martial arts tournament in the capital in a few days.

You ask why, while the front lines are fighting, the people in the palace are indulging in extravagance and spending time and effort on parties and large-scale competitions?

The same question Empress Jin asked Shen Shibai back then.

Shen Shibai said earnestly to the beautiful empress, "Precisely because there are wars in the north and south, the emperor is bedridden, and Duan Yuanshan is imprisoned, the whole country is in a state of panic. It is precisely at this time that we should hold these two grand events."

"Firstly, this is a great opportunity for some noble descendants who cannot inherit their titles without military merit to seek glory, and it can also help the people of the capital to forget their worries. Young talents from all over the country will gather in the capital after hearing the news. At that time, His Majesty and the Empress can directly recruit those outstanding individuals who are skilled in martial arts and good at troop deployment into the Northern Army to serve as generals and fight on the front lines."

"It not only supplies our army with outstanding talents, but also directly instills in them a strong sense of belonging to the royal family, making them feel that serving the country and being able to fight on the front lines is a great honor. With this once-famous martial arts champion creating momentum, talented people from all over the country who are not yet successful will flock to the army to serve the court. Isn't this a win-win situation?"

"At that time, all the inns, taverns, and teahouses in the capital will be fully booked. People who run these places will make money. Peddlers will sell their goods, woodcutters will chop wood, and farmers will sell their vegetables, meat, and eggs in the city. They will also have spare money for the New Year. I dare not say about other places, but the people in the capital will definitely be overjoyed."

Empress Jin remained noncommittal, but after considering it for several days and discussing it in detail with the Emperor, she finally decided to accept Lord Shen's proposal.

This undertaking cost the national treasury over ten thousand taels of silver.

Jiang Qimo and Hong Zhiying are currently in the capital.

After rescuing Jin Cheng, the two men returned directly to the capital to report back.

Hong Zhiying was on leave due to injury. Hearing about the martial arts tournament, he came to the capital with him, eager to show off his skills.

Hong Zhiying temporarily stayed at Lord Jiang's house. Jiang Qimo's family were all nobles in the capital; his father was a duke and his mother a princess. They were a prominent family, and the Jiang family lived in the largest mansion in the east of the city. Hong Zhiying was assigned to Tingfeng Courtyard, where he spent his days hanging out with Jiang Qimo's second younger brother in the capital.

That day, he rushed into Jiang Qimo's courtyard like a whirlwind, and said with great enthusiasm, "Lord Jiang, we have been back in the capital for three days, why don't you show me the current prosperity and splendor?"

Jiang Qimo smiled and invited him into the house. The two sat down, and a quick-witted servant immediately brought them hot tea.

Jiang Qimo asked with a smile, "Your own home is in Kyoto, so why don't you go home and insist on staying at my house as a guest? Weren't you hanging out with Minister Liu's second son yesterday? Didn't he take you out for some fun?"

Hong Zhiying said excitedly, "Of course he's taking me out to have fun. These past few days have been really exciting. There are crowds of people competing everywhere. I heard that he took a group of people out to challenge experts. A few days ago, he single-handedly defeated three people. If we had come a day earlier, we could have witnessed this exciting event. Maybe if I were with him, I could have become famous in the capital sooner."

He rolled his eyes and said, "We're sworn brothers. To be honest, my mother is very strict. I got injured and ran back from the south without telling my family. I'll definitely get a scolding from her when I go back. She'll cry because she's worried about me until I'm healed, and she'll give me a good beating once I'm healed. She'll be watching me all day, so how can I go to the arena? I hope Brother Jiang will let me stay with you for a few days. After the martial arts tournament and all the excitement, I don't need to go home. I can go straight back to the south to be a soldier."

Jiang Qimo laughed and said, "Don't worry, stay here with me. I will never kick you out."

He then changed the subject, saying, "Isn't the capital a place of strict discipline? How can we allow people to cause trouble and injure others at will?"

Hong Zhiying said with a smile, "The capital is in chaos right now. Martial arts masters from all over the country have gathered here. Especially since the martial arts tournament is involved, some have pledged allegiance to Lord Shen, the moneybag, while others have pledged allegiance to the old prime minister and the crown prince. As long as it involves people above, no one dares to interfere."

"I heard that although it's called a martial arts tournament now, it's actually a game of power between two upper-level forces. They've both sent their most skilled fighters to compete for supremacy on the last day of the tournament."

Hong Zhiying lowered his voice and said again, "The prizes in underground gambling are now in the thousands of dollars."

Jiang Qimo inwardly knew something was wrong, but he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled and said, "There are too many nobles, warriors, and Jianghu people who are skilled in martial arts but cannot inherit titles. They are all young and warlike. You should stay away from them. I will take you to my Jiang family's military camp. You can practice riding, archery, and swordsmanship with my soldiers. If you can stand out in the martial arts tournament, that would be a good thing."

"There will be a banquet at the palace tonight. I can take you in to have a look. Go back and get ready."

Hong Zhiying was overjoyed: "Then I must go back, take a bath, change my clothes, and dress up nicely."

. . .