Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 703 Distinguished Guest
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan's expression became subtle.

He was only thinking about whether Yunyang Prefecture had betrayed its alliance with him and was stirring up trouble in secret, but he completely ignored the possibility that Yunyang Prefecture had been "rebelled against".

Pei Yuan tapped the table lightly, his face somewhat gloomy.

Do those people think that the Jingxiang villagers who have left the mountains have been successfully tamed and are ready to share the spoils of victory?
But these refugees left their homes because they could not bear the exploitation.

The newly established Yunyang Prefecture has been in existence for less than fifty years. The memories of those who were displaced have not yet been erased from the minds of the new Yunyang people. Now they want to dismantle Yunyang Prefecture again?

Pei Yuan thought for a moment, then suppressed his anger and instructed the two men, "Find out what exactly happened over there as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan then summoned Cen Meng, "Go find Wei Ne again and have him keep an eye on things related to Yunyang. Also, have him investigate what changes have occurred in the court these days."

Sikong Sui and Tantai Fangtu both went there with great concern. Cen Meng returned shortly after going to Wei Ne's place and reported, "Commander, Wei Ne has been investigating these matters since he returned. When I went there, he happened to find a relevant document."

Pei Yuan quickly pressed for details, "What content?"

Cen Meng replied, "It is the document dismissing Hou Xun, the commander-in-chief of Yansui, and Wang Xian, the deputy commander-in-chief of Huguang."

Pei Yuan's spirits lifted upon hearing this.

If it were just about dismissing Wang Xian, the deputy commander-in-chief of Huguang, Pei Yuan wouldn't be so sure. After all, Huguang's jurisdiction was vast, making it difficult to make a direct connection.

But if he were to be dismissed along with Hou Xun, the commander-in-chief of Yansui, then it would make sense.

Because the imperial court hastily appointed the governors of Yunyang and Yansui the day before the Lunar New Year.

Pei Yuan asked, "Did you say why?"

Cen Meng replied, "Wei Ne has investigated, and the charges are all the same: officials have impeached them for 'greed and cowardice'."

"Greedy and cowardly?" Pei Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "I understand. Is there anything else?"

Cen Meng thought for a moment and said, "When I was in the Office of Transmission, I heard people talking about the matter of the Prince of Ning's heir being in charge of incense. Many people implied that the Prince of Ning's heir might inherit the throne in the future."

Pei Yuan was somewhat surprised, "They dare to say that?"

Cen Meng replied, "They dare to say more than that. The reason they are discussing this matter is because some people have even written memorials directly urging His Majesty to establish an heir."

Pei Yuan was speechless. "He's really asking for it."

In his utter despair, Zhu Houzhao, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, would naturally lean towards the heir of the Prince of Ning.

But after he won the Battle of Yingzhou, his mindset changed.

Unfortunately, by then, not only had Prince Ning been unable to turn back, but the entire court of officials had also been unable to turn back.

Pei Yuan remembered something and asked with some surprise.

"Wasn't it said that the Prince of Ning's heir would only participate during the grand sacrificial ceremony?"

Cen Meng replied, "Today is the day when the Imperial Son-in-Law Cai Zhen, Ma Cheng, and Cui Yuan offer sacrifices at Changling, Xianling, Jingling, Yuling, Maoling, and Tailing."

"The Ministry of Rites was afraid that the Prince of Ning's heir would make a mistake during the grand ceremony, so they let him come along first to broaden his horizons."

Pei Yuan responded with an "Oh".

Imperial sacrifices were a rather troublesome affair.

In the past, the only way to pay respects to emperors was for their sons-in-law to be present.

Emperor Zhu Houzhao had an even more important matter to attend to: worshipping Heaven and Earth.

According to the custom of previous years, Zhu Houzhao was to first go to the Fengxian Hall and Fengci Hall tomorrow to pay respects to the Grand Empress Dowager Zhou and the Empress Dowager Zhang, as a sign of filial piety.

After the ceremony, Zhu Houzhao would proceed to the Fengtian Hall to receive congratulations from civil and military officials and envoys from all over the world.

At the same time, the noblewomen also had to enter the palace to pay homage to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress.

Next, Zhu Houzhao would fast for three days in the Fengtian Hall to show his piety to Heaven and Earth.

Afterwards, they would go to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth again, and after returning to the palace, they would pay their respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, thus completing the entire ceremony.

After the grand ceremony was successfully completed, Zhu Houzhao would hold a grand banquet in the Fengtian Hall for his civil and military officials and envoys from all over the world, where everyone would eat and drink happily.

Then came the exciting moment.

The imperial court will grant a ten-day holiday so everyone can have a good time. Any business can wait until after the Lantern Festival.

Zhu Houzhao summoned the heir apparent of the Prince of Ning to serve as his assistant during these sacrificial ceremonies.

The incense in the altar must not be extinguished; someone must always be on the lookout to replace it.

Given that Zhu Houzhao had no son, it was particularly easy for him to send a strong signal to the entire court.

Pei Yuan had been thinking about this matter all day, but unexpectedly, Li Shishi arrived that evening.

In addition, the Imperial Guards guarding the gate reported that Li Shishi had brought another young man to Zhihua Temple to offer incense.

Pei Yuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he had some vague guesses.

Could this be the heir of Prince Ning?
Facing his staunch ally and the son of his major financial backer, Pei Yuan dared not be negligent and had them welcomed in.

really.

As soon as they met, Li Shishi winked at Pei Yuan, signaling him to dismiss his attendants.

Pei Yuan didn't have time to pay attention to him for a moment, and carefully examined the Prince of Ning in front of him.

The Prince of Ning smiled and gave Pei Yuan a few scrutinizing glances.

When Li Shishi coughed heavily again, Pei Yuan realized what was happening and told his men to leave for the time being.

Once the Imperial Guards who had been serving them left, Li Shishi, despite knowing that Pei Yuan had definitely guessed it, still took the initiative to introduce them, saying, "Brother, this is the heir apparent of the Prince of Ning."

He then said to the Prince of Ning's heir, "This is Commander Pei, whom I often mention to the Prince of Ning. Commander Pei is not only exceptionally brave in martial arts, but also outstanding in wisdom and strategy."

To make it easier for the Prince of Ning's heir to understand, Li Shishi wanted to cite a few relevant historical figures.

But with Pei Yuan in front of him, he couldn't afford to make the atmosphere too awkward.

The Prince of Ning nodded slightly and looked at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan thought to himself, "Is this guy waiting for me to pay my respects?"
They've become so immature.

Pei Yuan then looked somewhat embarrassed and questioned Li Shishi, "Since you are your son-in-law, why didn't you tell me, your younger brother, earlier?"

"I haven't prepared any gift for our meeting yet."

The Prince of Ning's face stiffened slightly.

The pleasantries that would normally come naturally to him were stuck in his throat.

Li Shishi, being a shrewd and experienced man, quickly smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "There are no outsiders here, no outsiders here, everyone just relax."

Pei Yuan chuckled and didn't bother to argue.

After all, when he started out, he relied heavily on Prince Ning.

Not only did he give him a lot of silver, but even the bandits of Bazhou, whom Pei Yuan couldn't handle at the time, had gone through his hands and returned a considerable amount. If we were to say why Pei Yuan was able to thrive, the assistance and springboard he received from Commander Han would be the top priority, followed by his ruthless ally, Zhu Chenhao.

Pei Yuan looked at Li Shishi and said, "You came so suddenly, is there something you want to tell me?"

Li Shishi quickly waved his hand, "No, no. Since the Prince of Ning's son entered the capital, he has been busy with training at the Ministry of Rites and hasn't had much free time. The sacrificial ceremony ended early today, so I brought him here to pay him a visit."

Seeing Pei Yuan's attitude, the Prince of Ning's heir was not quite sure what to do.

Hearing it from Li Shishi was one thing, but he couldn't help but feel that there might be some exaggeration.

However, when he saw with his own eyes that his father-in-law, who had already risen to the high position of Left Censor-in-Chief, was behaving in such a manner in front of this lowly commander, this direct experience finally made him begin to re-evaluate the lowly commander in front of him.

Pei Yuan also gave the Prince of Ning a compliment, saying, "Truly a distinguished guest."

He then gestured, "Please come in."

He then led the way into the main hall.

Prince Ning's heir and Li Shishi exchanged a glance.

Pei Yuan referred to the Prince of Ning's heir as an honored guest, clearly intending to treat him with the courtesy due to a host.

The Prince of Ning whispered to Li Shishi, "Didn't he say he wanted to join our Ning Kingdom? Why is he so arrogant?"

Li Shishi replied quietly, "I brought you here today so you could meet this person. We can talk about it when we get back."

The two entered the hall and, as expected, saw Pei Yuan already seated in the main seat.

Li Shishi pulled the Prince of Ning's heir to sit down in the guest seats.

Pei Yuan didn't beat around the bush with Li Shishi and asked directly, "How has the Prince of Ning considered the matter I mentioned last time?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi said, "I'm here today to also take care of this matter."

“Prince Ning has agreed to speak to the court and go to Shandong to resolve the issue of the De family.”

As he spoke, Li Shishi took out a memorial-like document and gestured to Pei Yuanyi.

Pei Yuan didn't go down to answer, and said casually, "Just tell me."

Li Shishi could only glance at the Prince of Ning's heir with a sullen expression.

The Prince of Ning was somewhat displeased, but he still got up, took the memorial, and placed it on Pei Yuan's desk.

Pei Yuan, who had just said "it's okay to talk about it," picked up the memorial from the table without any embarrassment and began to read it.

Seeing Pei Yuan examining the document closely, Li Shishi said, "Prince Ning said he asked me to bring it to you for a look. He also specifically instructed me that if you agree, I should submit the memorial after the Lantern Festival."

As Pei Yuan looked at the book, he casually remarked, "I never expected that Prince Ning would value me so highly. I am truly grateful and feel ashamed."

Seeing Pei Yuan's utterly insincere attitude, the Prince of Ning could only stare blankly.

Li Shishi wanted to say something.

Isn't that because Prince Ning is afraid you'll betray him?

The main point of Prince Ning's memorial was that the number of members of the imperial clan had recently increased, and many of them were using various pretexts to exploit the people.

As a member of the Zhu family, he found this extremely shameful and was willing to teach those disgraceful members of the imperial clan a lesson.

"Recently, the number of imperial relatives has increased daily, and they often use the selection of officials, military officers, and colonels as a pretext to extort money from the people and indulge in their tyranny. I request that an imperial edict be issued to severely punish these past abuses. Those who persist in their evil ways shall be punished by my authority."

After explaining the general direction, Zhu Chenhao then addressed the specific issue concerning the Prince of Huai.

Then he deliberately clicked on those contents that were likely to provoke Zhu Houzhao's nerves, indicating that he, Zhu Chenhao, would definitely spit on such ungrateful bastards.

Pei Yuan nodded in satisfaction after reading it.

He basically covered all the things he had discussed with Li Shishi last time.

Zhu Chenhao couldn't easily get involved in the Shandong affair, but as a well-regarded prince of the imperial clan, he could teach a lesson to the Prince of Huai, who was also in Jiangxi, and no one could say anything about it.

Moreover, distancing himself from an ungrateful fellow like the Prince of Huai was also a way of indirectly showing goodwill to Zhu Houzhao.

—Just die without worry. We people of Ningfan would never do such a despicable thing.

Pei Yuan closed the memorial and placed it on the table. "Write it like this, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Seeing Pei Yuan's reaction, Li Shishi could only look helplessly at the Prince of Ning's heir again.

The Prince of Ning's heir grew increasingly displeased.

However, their father's memorials were on the table, and they couldn't leave them untouched. Li Shishi was, after all, their father-in-law, and they were just princes, not the crown prince.

So the Prince of Ning could only reluctantly go up and take the memorial down again.

Li Shishi's gaze followed the Prince of Ning's heir as he retrieved the memorial. He then looked at Pei Yuan again, his tone becoming much more serious.

"There's another reason I brought the young master with me this time. His role as the incense master has attracted a lot of attention, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I wonder if the commander has any advice?"

Pei Yuan's gaze shifted upon hearing this, and then he asked, "So what do you think?"

Li Shishi did not hide anything, "If we can take this opportunity to draw the attention of the court and the public to the Crown Prince, it would naturally be a good thing, but I am also worried that good things may not go smoothly and that there may be unexpected complications."

As he spoke, Li Shishi sighed, "It was precisely because I was unsure that I came to ask."

Pei Yuan felt a truly strange sensation upon hearing this.

If both parties still share common interests and trust each other as before...

Seeing that Pei Yuan had not answered for a long time, Li Shishi asked curiously, "Brother?"

"Hmm?" Pei Yuan snapped out of his reverie, then coughed lightly. "I just remembered something."

Li Shishi understood that Pei Yuan wouldn't waste time talking nonsense at a time like this, so he asked directly, "Then tell me, my brother."

Pei Yuan said, "The Grand Censor came from the orthodox path of the imperial examination, so he must be very familiar with the Zuo Zhuan."

There is a story like this in the Zuo Zhuan.

"It is said that Zhongshu Yuxi, a man from Xinzhu, saved Sun Huanzi, an important minister of the State of Wei, thus saving Sun Huanzi from death. Afterwards, the ruler of Wei wanted to reward Zhongshu Yuxi with a fiefdom, but Zhongshu Yuxi declined the fiefdom and instead requested that when he met the ruler of Wei, he be treated with the same ceremonial rites as a feudal lord, with curved tassels and elaborate ribbons."

"The ruler of Wei was very pleased with this and granted Zhongshu Yuxi's request."

After telling this story, Pei Yuan continued, "Confucius was very sorry when he heard about this, and thought it would have been better to give him more land and send him away."

—This is what is meant by "only the tools and the name cannot be given to others".

Li Shishi seemed to have gained some insight upon hearing this.

Pei Yuan continued, "If the ruler of Wei were to receive a high-ranking official with the courtesy due to a feudal lord, either that official would become as respected as a feudal lord in the eyes of the people of Wei, or Wei would be seen by the world as a country where etiquette and music have collapsed."

"This is because these ritual objects and titles represent the will of the people and the aspirations of the masses."

As Pei Yuan spoke, his gaze fell upon the Prince of Ning's heir, "Your Highness is able to preside over the incense offering during the grand sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. This is His Majesty entrusting you with both the 'instrument' and the 'name.' What is there for you to doubt?"

(End of this chapter)