Chapter 9
Future King of the West
Yuan Song woke up early in his bed, his first concern of the day being the report expected from the Yuwen household.
While waiting, Yuan Song read some interesting facts about ancient dynasties and browsed through some Analects of his ancestors. He laughed out loud, cried while reading the classic Wei empire diaries, and wrote about the things he wanted to do when he became king.
This was his typical daily schedule.
In the afternoon, he followed his routine of royal hunting twice a week, royal sparring to enhance his martial arts and strengthen his arms, royal bodybuilding to prepare himself physically as Wei's future king, and royal wuxia swordsmanship.
The prince also adopted other arts like fencing and chess. In the absence of Yuwen Yue, Yuan Song studied how to handle the Eyes of God, secretly exercising his authority over it with the help of his trusted subject, Princess Chun'er.
He was learning in secret, using his father's resources, as this was the only way he could utilize them.
At night, he wrote in his diary, noting the events of the day, his thoughts about Xinger, and his dreams and plans for their future, wondering if she was still alive since no body had been found.
Yuan Song, with a cold expression, called his servant: "Have any reports arrived from the Vision Lab yet?"
The prince had even created new code names known only to him and his trusted servants, which referred to his father's subjects, critical resources like the empire's military camps, and key personalities he would work with in the future.
The Eyes of God had been renamed the Vision Lab, allowing him to work on his own terms without having to explain everything to his father, thereby protecting his own interests.
In his small ways, he was slowly transitioning into a wise and intelligent ruler, determined not to repeat his father's mistakes. The prince made this promise to himself, chanting it daily.
He vowed to be more capable and involved in every decision when his time came. But when it came to Yanbei, he planned to be brutal, remembering what happened to his sister, his severed arm, and what Prince Yan Xun had done to his Xinger and to his elder brother, Yuwen Yue, memories that haunted him even in his sleep.
"Anything yet?" Yuan Song asked coldly, this time with a stern, impatient expression.
Suddenly, an unexpected visitor arrived unannounced.
"How is my little brother doing?"
Yuan Song, surprised, quickly cleared the items from his table in front of his brother, Yuan Che.
"Nothing, just doing the usual." He offered a bland statement with a childish grin to his brother, who had traveled back to the palace from the Xiaoqi camp.
"Looks like I've interrupted a busy prince, haven't I?"
The 7th Prince, Yuan Che, had rushed to the palace to deliver breaking news from Yanbei.
Yuan Song deflected: "And if I am busy here, what brings my handsome brother to the palace without prior notice?"
Once again, Yuan Song flashed his signature smile, exposing his two front teeth, which melted his brother's heart.
"I came here to deliver important news."
Yuan Song, still grinning, asked: "What could be more important than military strength for our empire, my dear brother?"
"I came to report to the Emperor about Prince Yan Xun and the Princess of Liang State."
Suddenly, Yuan Song's bright expression darkened with anger.
He asked: "What's new about Yanbei in the North and Liang State in the South?"
"It's important that we discuss this with the Emperor. We'll meet you in the Glass Hall," Yuan Che said, calling for an emergency royal conference.
"Sure, I'll come."
Yuan Che left the room but noticed the drastic change in his brother's look upon hearing the name of Prince Yan Xun. He saw how Yuan Song's expression shifted to one of deep seriousness and rage, as if just hearing the name made him want to kill.
Left alone in his room, Yuan Song clenched his left hand into a fist as if preparing to punch a wall, but instead, he slammed his fist onto the royal table.
Yuan Song stood up and went to his secret room, where maps, hidden fortresses, the Wei Valve, Shen Jin Gong rules, strategic locations like military camps, armories, supply storage, blueprints for the renovation of the Eyes of God, Jile Pavilion, and other vital resources and battle points were displayed.
He could rely only on himself in the absence of Yuwen Yue and with his brother Yuan Che busy at the Xiaoqi camp.
Yuan Song was furious and wanted to crush Yanbei.
As for the Liang State Prince, Yuan Song might not be able to avoid including him, even though they were once useful allies. Currently, the Crown Prince of Liang was in a treaty with Yanbei to help their economic growth and rebuild the ruins suppressed by the Wei Empire.
Liang State was known as a strategic ally that supported whoever favored them, but they withdrew quickly when they felt they were becoming the main player, shifting allegiances.
Whoever gained Liang's support would grow stronger economically, but not militarily.
Liang State never involved its military forces to reinforce allies, withdrawing treaties when asked to commit troops. Trade and economic relations were the only benefits one could expect from them.
All heads bowed as the Emperor entered the Glass Hall.
The maidservants lined up neatly, dressed in their palace uniforms, ready to serve once the Emperor sat on his throne in front of his royal sons, the 7th Prince Yuan Che and the 13th Crown Prince Yuan Song.
The three were positioned like a triad, Yuan Song on the right and Yuan Che on the left.
As usual, the Emperor began the royal conference: "Yuan Che, we have only this time of day. What news brought you here?"
"I come to inform the Emperor that Liang and Yanbei will be strengthening their ties through a marriage proposal between Prince Yan Xun and Princess Xiao Yu," Yuan Che said in a low and formal tone.
Yuan Song locked his brows while the Great Summer Emperor raised his brow. Seeing the Emperor's expression, the maidservants brought him a calming tea, which they also served to both royal sons as they waited for the Emperor's reaction.
"I couldn't be happier to wish them a happy life together!" the Emperor said, downplaying the news with a joke. "After all, Yan Xun is a low-hanging fruit. It's about time he gets married and stops fantasizing about his dead 'wild kitten.'"
The Emperor took a slow sip of his tea and stared blankly at the empty tea cup, waiting for his sons' responses.
Yuan Song suddenly said, "This cannot happen. If we allow this marriage, these two will crush Wei."
Yuan Che looked at Yuan Song. "I can only assume that Yan Xun wants to declare himself King of Yanbei. By making the Princess of Liang his queen, he would vastly influence Liang. Though she is Prince Xiao Ce's half-sister, Princess Xiao Yu is the head of Liang's elite spies and can strategically provide intelligence to Yan Xun."
Yuan Song replied, "I have a plan."
"Yuan Che, why don't you interfere and sabotage their proposal? After all, you are the most eligible bachelor. Why not show interest in Princess Xiao Yu, become Yan Xun's rival, and woo her? Make her believe in love, and we'll take care of the rest."
The Emperor suddenly clapped his hands, laughing. Instead of a formal reaction, he appeared more like a father than their ruler, amused by Yuan Song's "easier said than done" plan.
Yuan Che couldn't help but laugh too. "Instead of nominating me, why don't you step up? Are you still writing in your diary about your ghost love?"
Yuan Song, irritated, shot an annoyed look at his brother.
The Emperor, somewhat surprised, asked, "Who could this lucky girl in the diary be, and why would she be a ghost? Is she dead?" The Emperor was left clueless.
"Who said she's a ghost? She's alive!" Yuan Song retorted childishly, sneering.
Yuan Che replied, "If she's alive, you should marry her!"
The Seventh Prince laughed out loud, teasing Yuan Song, "Maybe I'll sneak into your diary and read all about her."
The Emperor, watching his sons, suddenly remembered his daughter Princess Chun'er, and his heart ached with the memory of his estranged child.
"I would be happy to meet her. Just don't fall in love with a ghost, she won't be able to bear children for the Wei Empire," the Emperor joked, bursting into laughter.
"She's not a ghost, Your Highness!" Yuan Song replied, pouting with irritation and childish anger.
The three of them shared a light moment, and the royal conference turned into a rare father-son conversation.
The next morning, Yuan Che left the palace for the Xiaoqi camp, leaving a short note for Yuan Song:
Little Brother, 13th Prince of Wei:
For me to approve your request, here are three conditions you must meet before we proceed:
Reveal the name of your 'ghost love.' Introduce her to me. Propose to her in front of me.
Yuan Che, chuckling to himself, felt like a teenager as he wrote the note.
His guards exchanged puzzled looks, as if to say, "What happened to our boss? Did someone die?"
Yuan Song received the second report from the Yuwen household, delivered via paper snow. To his frustration, the paper was blank. He was furious and wanted to visit the grandmaster of the Eyes of God to confront him.
But Yuan Song decided to solve the challenge himself, how to read a blank paper snow, something he had no experience with until now. He knew his father likely understood how, as he often received such reports from the Yuwen household.
Yuan Song snuck into the Emperor's office, finding various jade seals in different colors.
The heaviest one was used for what?
He noticed a pitch-black ink, a small blade, and a miniature bonsai tree garden with a tiny spring of boiling water. Nearby, there was a small container of powdered dust.
Yuan Song had never gone this far in discovering palace secrets, secrets his father had never told him.
He was about to touch the bonsai tree when he heard his father's footsteps. He quickly hid behind a golden palace post as the Emperor entered, sat down, and picked up a document.
The Emperor took the small blade and dipped it into the boiling water of the miniature bonsai garden. He then took a tiny bowl, added some pitch-black ink, and cut a small wound on his wrist.
When the wound bled, the Emperor let three drops of blood fall into the ink. He then washed his wound in the boiling water, wiped it with a clean cloth, and anointed it with a substance from a small Celadon canister.
The Emperor stirred the black ink, took the heaviest jade seal, dipped it into the ink, and stamped the document.
Yuan Song's eyes widened in awe, marveling at the delicate process his father had executed with such finesse.
He wondered what the seals meant and why his father would use his own blood in the process.
"Imperial messenger, deliver this imperial decree. Let it be done according to the blood of my ancestors and for the sake of future generations," the Emperor said.
The imperial messenger, bowing, accepted the decree, astonished by the rare black seal. It had not been used since the previous emperors.
Yuan Song pondered the meaning of the black seal.
"Could this be my father's secret decree in response to the alliance between Yanbei and Liang?" he wondered.
Yuan Song knew he had to uncover the dark side of the Wei Empire on his own. One thing was certain: the crown prince suspected it had something to do with Shen Jin Gong or the ashes of Cheng Guang Temple.
The Emperor left the imperial office, putting everything back in its proper place.
Yuan Song slipped out of the office and walked outside, appearing casual, but his mind raced as he wondered about the meaning of the black seal.
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