The Capital.
Ruyi Pavilion.
The donation of grain by the three commanderies sparked massive discussions in the capital.
There were those who took it upon themselves to spread the word, giving impassioned accounts to the commoners in teahouses, taverns, streets, and docks.
Even the storyteller at Ruyi Pavilion stopped his usual tales, choosing instead to recount the disaster relief efforts at the Xiang River from years ago.
"...And so, with the imperial court unable to collect enough grain, if it weren't for the Seventh Prince, the soldiers fighting on both fronts wouldn't even have enough to eat!"
Those with less courage naturally dared not discuss the imperial family and nobles openly, opting to whisper among their friends.
"If you ask me, looking at his achievements and abilities, isn't the Seventh Prince better than all the other princes?"
"Indeed. It's only because he was in poor health in his earlier years, and being His Majesty's youngest son, he was the last to establish his own estate and attend court. That's the only reason he fell a step behind his older brothers. Otherwise, who knows who would have the most secure position in the imperial court right now..."
Ruyi Pavilion gathered refined guests; those discussing these matters were mostly children of officials, or scholars and literati concerned with the current state of court politics.
"When the Seventh Prince returns, do you think he will... His Majesty... Crown Prince..."
The low whispers dissolved between their lips and teeth.
But Xi Zixing knew what they were implying: the Seventh Prince's competitiveness for the position of Crown Prince was so strong that he might leap to become the foremost candidate among the princes.
Standing on the second floor and looking down, his brows furrowed unconsciously.
He was glad that more and more people were discovering the brilliance of the person he had chosen to support, but right now, the capital was like a boiling pot of oil for Little Seven.
It was a scene of dazzling prominence, yet as volatile as oil poured on roaring flames.
Words of praise were everywhere.
It seemed like a bed of roses, but dark undercurrents surged beneath.
Xi Zixing beckoned a waiter over, stuffed the coin pouch from his waist into the man's hands, and gave him a few instructions.
The waiter went downstairs beaming with joy.
Not long after, the storyteller below took a quick break. When he returned to the stage, he stopped talking about the Xiang River disaster relief and resumed telling his usual fictional tales.
As a result, those who had been following the trend to discuss the grain donation muttered a few confused words before dropping the subject.
Only then did Xi Zixing leave Ruyi Pavilion, heading straight for the Fang Manor.
Grand Tutor Fang had been suffering from severe internal heat these past few days.
When Xi Zixing arrived, the old man was wearing a bamboo vest, sucking on an ice cube to soothe the canker sores in his mouth.
He cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Grand Tutor."
Grand Tutor Fang said, "Little Xi is here, sit down." He straightened his back and handed Xi Zixing a palm-leaf fan. "Here, make do with this."
"You certainly seem composed."
Xi Zixing took the fan and fanned himself.
"Can't you see I'm suffering from internal heat?" Grand Tutor Fang sighed. "It's no use being anxious. No one expected the three commanderies of the Xiang River to give him a push at a time like this."
As they spoke, it was evident that they were both fully aware of each other's political allegiances.
The two of them were not entirely without connection to begin with. Back during the banquet celebrating Qu Dubian establishing his estate, Xi Zixing had visited Grand Tutor Fang's home to prepare for the spring imperial examination, forming a slight bond of mentorship.
Xi Zixing had publicly aligned himself with Qu Dubian. Grand Tutor Fang had originally thought highly of him, and later, when Xi Zixing won first place in the imperial examinations and entered the Hanlin Academy with his stance clearly declared, Grand Tutor Fang gradually began to interact with him.
Grand Tutor Fang was an old fox. Through their gradual interactions, he discovered that Xi Zixing seemed to already know about the true talents the Seventh Prince had hidden away.
On the day they finally decided to lay their cards on the table, Xi Zixing had said, "I faintly sensed your probing, so I played along with your guesses, neither confirming nor denying the Seventh Prince's talents. I never expected that you were actually on Little Seven's side."
Grand Tutor Fang had been stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
The old fox had been outsmarted by the little fox, but fortunately, the outcome was to everyone's satisfaction.
Grand Tutor Fang truly hadn't expected that Xi Shiqiu, that rigidly orthodox old fellow who was neutral to a fault, would produce such a son.
After all, declaring one's political stance before even entering officialdom would make for a rather difficult career path.
He had asked about it, but the boy had shown absolutely no fear, stating that an official position was merely a supplementary tool to him. If the Seventh Prince ascended the throne, he would naturally fight his way through the political battlefield; if the Seventh Prince had no such intentions, he would resign and follow him to his fiefdom.
Since a lord and his strategist were bound to be together anyway, why fear the gossip of others?
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Grand Tutor Fang said, "The military power of both Zhennan Pass and the northern border are almost entirely in the hands of the Seventh Prince. This alone is enough to make the Emperor and the other princes' factions wary. He was already standing in the teeth of the storm, and now comes another wave pushing him forward. With everyone singing the praises of the Seventh Prince, where does that leave His Majesty? Outshining the sovereign is something even a prince must avoid."
Xi Zixing replied, "I will contact my fellow scholars. In addition, I can use my father's name to exert some pressure, so the court officials will speak less of this matter during court assemblies."
"..." Grand Tutor Fang silently praised his filial piety and stroked his beard. "I can also suppress some of it. That old miser Lin Zongping stands firmly by His Majesty's side and refuses to align with anyone else. While we don't have to worry about him causing trouble, he won't speak up for the Seventh Prince either."
He, Lin Zongping, and Xi Zixing's father, Xi Shiqiu, were the three Grand Secretaries who assisted Emperor Chongzhao in handling state affairs. They were all old veterans who had survived in the imperial court for a long time.
If they were to act together, even the princes' factions would have to give them face. Right now, only one and a half of them could act, the half being borrowed through filial piety, but it was still a force to be reckoned with.
At the very least, it would prevent remarks like outshining the sovereign from running rampant in the imperial court.
Xi Zixing said, "Over the next few days, I will write another letter to the border to remind the two of them to be careful."
Zichen Palace.
Even with Grand Tutor Fang and Xi Zixing suppressing the rumors, Emperor Chongzhao still managed to hear a few whispers about outshining the sovereign and even talk of establishing a Crown Prince.
Eunuch Yu thought His Majesty would be furious.
But surprisingly, His Majesty was not.
His Majesty merely said, "Do those officials ever talk less in private? Bringing it out into the open now is nothing more than an attempt to test who I lean toward as the Crown Prince."
Although angry, Emperor Chongzhao knew in his heart that his energy was declining day by day and his body was failing him, and the officials were well aware of this too.
The position of the Crown Prince ought to be decided within the next year or two.
Emperor Chongzhao once again recalled the matter of the black brocade he had given away previously.
He asked himself: if he had known earlier that his youngest son's health would improve, and seen the abilities he had displayed over the past few years, would he still have used the black brocade to sever his youngest son's path to the throne?
The transaction involving the black brocade was known only to the two of them, father and son; no one else had any idea.
Emperor Chongzhao paced around the hall several times.
"The person delivering the grain to the northern border this time, I remember it's the Deputy Transport Commissioner, correct?"
Eunuch Yu replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The grain and forage being transported to the two battlefronts this time were collected from various prefectures and commanderies, rather than being shipped from fixed granaries to the front lines. Therefore, the Water Transport Authority was needed to manage the transportation routes and escort the provisions.
The importance of this batch of provisions went without saying. The northern border was much farther away than Zhennan Pass. Originally, the Water Transport Commissioner should have personally overseen the escort, but he had taken a fall a few days ago. With his mobility impaired and fearing he might delay the schedule, the task could only be delegated to the Deputy Commissioner.
The Water Transport Commissioner was the Second Prince's father-in-law, while the Deputy Commissioner had little connection to the imperial family.
Emperor Chongzhao pondered for a moment before saying, "Summon Cui Rong here."
Eunuch Yu acknowledged the order.
Soon, Cui Rong arrived hurriedly at Zichen Palace.
He was the current Director of the Eastern Depot, though he already harbored thoughts of retiring. Having served Emperor Chongzhao for many years, he was the one who handled many of the dark and secret matters. Although he usually kept a low profile, he was Emperor Chongzhao's trusted confidant.
With pure white hair and beard, and dressed immaculately, he was a respectable and dignified old eunuch.
Cui Rong: "Your Majesty."
"You are here," Emperor Chongzhao said. "I remember you saying that you wanted to return to your hometown after resigning? Your hometown is near Shanming Pass, isn't it?"
Cui Rong paused for a moment: "Yes, to take my adopted daughter back to the ancestral home to acknowledge her roots."
Emperor Chongzhao nodded: "I grant your request. However, after you resign, you will travel with the grain transport convoy to the northern border to handle a matter for me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! It is just... what task does Your Majesty wish to entrust to me?"
Emperor Chongzhao looked at him: "Help me deliver something to the Seventh Prince."
Cui Rong stayed in the Zichen Palace for a short while before returning home.
At home, there was a little girl of five or six years old whom he had picked up a few years ago. This little girl looked like his biological younger sister who had died too early.
Although they had no blood relation, he raised this child as both a daughter and a granddaughter, doting on her as the apple of his eye.
People always said that eunuchs had neither roots nor hearts. That was simply not true, Cui Rong thought.
It was just that the people they could give their hearts to no longer existed.
If not forced by circumstances, who would willingly enter the palace to become a eunuch?
His desire to retire in recent years was also because he did not want his adopted daughter to be too close to the vortex of power and be tainted by bloodshed.
"Daddy."
The little girl hugged Cui Rong's leg.
Cui Rong smiled and patted her head. "In a few days, Huhu is going home with Daddy. Are you looking forward to it?"
The little girl named Huhu's eyes lit up: "Really!"
After receiving Cui Rong's confirmation, she jumped for joy, "That's wonderful! We can go out and play!"
The people in the Eastern Depot had also caught wind of Cui Rong's impending retirement.
Early the next morning, Wen Xiaochun and Chen Jian brought the other vice directors of the Eastern Depot to wait for Cui Rong's arrival.
But they waited from dawn until dusk, and Cui Rong never showed up.
It was not until noon on the third day that Cui Rong finally arrived at the Eastern Depot.
His complexion did not look very good; he was a bit pale and looked rather exhausted.
Wen Xiaochun's mind stirred. "Director, what's wrong?"
Cui Rong said, "My little girl fell ill, and I stayed up all night taking care of her. I forgot to send someone to tell you not to wait."
"It's nothing," Chen Jian said. "It's not that urgent. We were just waiting for the Director's arrangements."
Cui Rong spoke a few brief words, then looked at Wen Xiaochun. "After I leave to escort the grain, I will probably stay in my hometown for a while. From now on, the Eastern Depot will be under the charge of you two."
"As for which of you will ultimately succeed me, that depends on His Majesty's decree. You will know once I am gone."
Wen Xiaochun and Chen Jian nodded.
Cui Rong then instructed them to prepare some items needed for the journey to the northern border. After sending them away, Cui Rong went to the Eastern Depot's secret pavilion.
Only the Director had the authority to enter this place.
Two days later.
Cui Rong set off with the grain transport convoy. The Vice Commissioner of Waterway Transport, named Tang Yisu, traveled with him to deliver the grain to the border.
After the two met face-to-face, Tang Yisu said with a smiling face, "This journey will be arduous. I hope Eunuch Cui will cooperate fully."
A few seconds later, Cui Rong also forced out a smile: "That is only natural."
The two of them escorted the grain, heading all the way north.
After Cui Rong left.
Emperor Chongzhao promoted Wen Xiaochun to be the Director of the Eastern Depot.
Chen Jian was made his deputy.
The two officially took over the Eastern Depot. However, since Cui Rong had just left, it was not appropriate for them to immediately uproot Cui Rong's old subordinates and plant their own people.
If the Emperor found out, it would inevitably raise suspicions of them eliminating dissidents.
At the beginning of their takeover, playing it safe was the top priority.
Wen Xiaochun simply quickly familiarized himself with the places that previously only the Director could access, such as the Eastern Depot's secret pavilion.
He took a stroll around inside.
The secret pavilion contained all kinds of torture instruments, hidden weapons, and secret medicines.
Some of the bottles and jars did not even have labels on them. One could only rely on the shape of their contents to search through the record books to find out their effects.
He briefly browsed through them and then left the secret pavilion.
Afterward, he changed his clothes. He still had to enter the palace to receive the official token of the Director.
