CH 4

Chapter 4. Hollow Splendor

At this point in his past life, Jing Qi was a mere child who lost his father in just a single night. Part fearful of his unknown future with possibly nowhere to settle down, part broken-hearted for his own fate, the child fell gravely ill due to those accumulated feelings; to the point that he could not take care of his father’s First Seven and missed the Great General’s visit.

Feng Yuanji and his father had been friends for a long time, and as customs were not taken too seriously by the former, he came to pay his respect despite it being the middle of the night. His action showed a rarely seen trace of sincerity in a world full of deception.

Who could have thought in this life he was able to see the older man for one last time before he left the capital.

Upon his questions, Jing Qi smiled suddenly. “I’m the Crown Prince’s study partner1 after all; and now that His Highness is old enough to be involved in court matters, even though I can’t be there directly I have heard the news being thrown around.”

“Hah,” Feng Yuanji barked out a laugh. Jing Qi’s words had managed to touch his worries, and on his face was indignation and anger, unable to be concealed. But he was a strong-willed individual, so he did not want to show those emotions in front of the young child. He turned his head away to look at the dark sky outside the hall. After a long bout of silence, he finally managed to take control of his expressions and voice. He spoke in a low voice, trying his best to stay calm, “Even a child like you know about it, but the one who needs to know the most doesn’t.”

At midnight, seated in front of the King,

But instead of asking about the people, the King asked about ghosts.2

Jing Qi raised his brows, but before he could say anything, Feng Yuanji turned his gaze back inside and spoke in a deep voice. “Those words aren’t supposed to come out of my mouth, so you better pretend that they were never uttered in the first place.”

In the hall, the light from the white candle flickered in the breeze, and there was a slip of paper money half-burned inside the brazier. The young boy’s expression seemed to borrow some warmth from the fire; he sat silently with his deep, dark eyes, looking like he possessed knowledge of everything. Feng Yuanji could not help but soften.

He treated Jing Beiyuan like one of his own children; now that Jing Mingzhi had passed away and he was to leave for South Xinjiang, uncertain if he could ever come back alive, he could only see a magnitude of loneliness in the young boy currently clad in funeral garment and sitting in this mourning hall.

His voice went soft. “His Majesty ordered me to defeat the rebellion in South Xinjiang, this trip… I’m afraid this will be a taxing journey. Please take care of yourself when I’m not here.” He paused, then added with no less worry, “I know that you have always been close with the Crown Prince, and he is a decent individual, but…”

Feng Yuanji might not be a book-smart scholar, but he had been dealing with court matters for decades. Jing Qi understood his hesitation; the current Emperor seemed to still be in his hayday, but that was only a pretty layer of skin to cover the rotten parts inside caused by overindulgence. There was no guarantee about who this country’s next ruler would be unless the three princes waged war against each other; and this was the kind of corruption Great General Feng was afraid the young boy would be dragged into.

Jing Qi laughed softly, throwing more paper money into the brazier. “I am but a leisurely prince with a bad reputation who can only rely on the shadows of my predecessors, and is still a snot-nosed brat no less; being raised in the capital and is occasionally the entertainment of the elder royalty who is fond of children. In those officials’ eyes, I am no better than “Mister Supervising Censor” in His Majesty’s study, who will ever throw a glance my way? You worry too much, Great General.”

“Mister Supervising Censor” was actually the Emperor’s current favorite crested myna bird that never ceased its cussing out of court officials. At the boy’s almost satirical words, Feng Yuanji thought, How can a kid possess such thoughts?

He stared at the younger’s smiling, obedient posture; leisure and mysterious, he did not at all look his age.

Jing Qi said, “I will be alright, but do you know that this battle in South Xinjiang can only result in death?”

Feng Yuanji startled, and could not stop himself from blurting out, “Why would you say that?”

“South Xinjiang may be a small land, but ever since our Great Founder united the realm, obtaining the Nine Regions3 and creating a dynasty no less glorious than the previous, that area has always been a sore spot. His Late Majesty with all of his great might had waged war with the North twice, making the people there bend the knee, but even he and his army was unable to conquer South Xinjiang. That region was full of unpredictable and dangerous environment; beside the problem it poses for travel, the fact that our soldiers will be unable to acclimate to the conditions there is serious enough. Not to mention…”

There was no need for a history lesson; Feng Yuanji knew his fate was sealed the moment he received the order. But he would never expect this young boy to point out all of it. He cut in, “Who taught you all this?”

Jing Qi picked a random name, “Grand Tutor4 Zhou.”

Feng Yuanji shook his head. Zhou Ziyi might have a name that was as light as the wind5, but no one could compete with him in terms of small-mindedness and stubbornness. With the way he would never stray from his precious books, there was no way he would talk about court matters to a young child. Furthermore, he was a short-sighted scholar, it was highly impossible for him to be able to understand military principles this comprehensively.

Jing Qi smiled and said nothing.

Feng Yuanji clearly wanted him to continue. “Go on.”

With some difficulty, Jing Qi stood up; he was dizzy the moment he started to move. He tried to straighten up and went to close the door of the hall before returning to his seat, letting out a sigh as if it was one of the most straining activities he had ever done. After some hesitation, he spoke in a low voice. “His Majesty with his indulgence in lavishness seems intemperate, but he definitely doesn’t lack self-awareness about it…”

He was cut off by Feng Yuanji’s raised voice. “His Majesty is not your subject of gossip! The insolence!”

Jing Qi reached out and patted the elder man on the shoulder to calm him down, the whiteness of his sleeve was as light as a breeze. Despite the man’s harsh tone, the young man did not seem affected. “…Therefore, he will try to gain some kind of achievements worth being written in history books, so that he looks like a useful ruler. Beiyuan will be frank with you, since you’re not an outsider, those people have been eyeing your command tally for a while. You are as stubborn as a wall and has absolute control over the army, so it is not a surprise that they will have plans for you. As a result, they will try to please His Majesty by using this opportunity to remove you. Am I wrong, Great General?”

Feng Yuanji did not answer.

Jing Qi sighed. “This incompetent child should not have said these incredibly ill-mannered words, but…” His elegant eyelashes raised, revealing a hint of sharpness as he scoffed, “Great General, even if you don’t care about your own well-being, will you really turn a blind eye to those vile officials further corrupting His Majesty and ruining his reign?

Feng Yuanji looked at him, face grim, his expression unable to be read. After a good while, he let out a small sigh. “You’re just a child, why must you care so much about these adult matters?”

“If this country can maintain its peace and prosperity, I am content to stay a child until the end of my life.”

Ignoring this soul-crushing remark, Feng Yuanji asked softly. “Then what do you think I should do?”

Jing Qi was about to speak up, but the older man raised a hand to stop him.

“No, you don’t have to say it.” Feng Yuanji, after examining him, exclaimed. “Beiyuan, you take after your mother a lot, only your eyes were like Mingzhi’s. But personality-wise, you are so different from both of them.”

He stood up, hands behind his back, looking down at the kneeling boy. He had yet to reach his growth spurt, and his body was even thinner after this tragedy; his facial features were delicate like a maiden’s, but his posture exuded unimaginable assurance. Looking at him, he had the illusion that he was discussing with one of his peers and not a child at all.

But it was only that… an illusion. Feng Yuanji was sure that at the end, Jing Beiyuan was just a typical child who was raised surrounded by court politics.

“I should only tell you this two or three years in the future, but… then it’ll be too late, it seems. You have matured pass your age, so I think you can understand all of this, but I won’t force you to take it in if you don’t. Back then, I didn’t approve of Mingzhi’s choice to let you be raised in court, but he wasn’t really himself anymore, so he wouldn’t have been able to take care of you. Besides, seeing that you bear so much resemblance to his late wife would only cause more grief. I did plan to take you under my wings, but after all, this general Feng Yuanji whom is praised by people is merely a lowly man with lowly military background. You weren’t even fully one year old at that time, and I was afraid that I would only hurt you; it was impossible for me to raise a noble-blooded prince of Nan Ning Residence. So I decided against it and waited until you’re a little more grown…”

It was a rare occasion for Feng Yuanji to talk this much this patiently. Jing Qi, in his silence, suddenly realized that the man had passed away too soon for the younger to know him better.

“But seems like I won’t see the day you become a grown man, after all.” Feng Yuanji smiled self-deprecatingly. Then he suddenly turned stern. “You are raised in lavishness, under the care of women, but you must never forget that you are first and foremost a man!”

Jing Qi was stunned… where did this come from?

Feng Yuanji turned, eyes blazing. “Jing Beiyuan, a true man in this day and age needs not to strive for noble titles, but to live as a hero. He needs not wealth and luxury, but to live with his head held high. I, Feng Yuanji, receive the royal salary and is graced with the title of Great General, and my job is to battle both internal and external adversaries, and defend the border of our nations. It’s not like I can’t do these cheap dirty tricks in court you pointed out, it’s that they’re all beneath me!”

Jing Qi did not answer those dauntless boasts for a long while. In the hall there was only the crackling sound from the brazier while the two men, one big and one small, sat there in silence.

Then Jing Qi said, “Sir, one that is too firm is more prone to breaking.”

Feng Yuanji scoffed. “I’d rather be broken than bent.”

Jing Qi suddenly felt like the older man stood much taller than in his memories. He was always stubborn and listened to no one’s advice, perpetually determined to walk his own straight path without taking anyone’s words into consideration, without turning back.

However…  that was why he did deserve to be praised as indomitable and unyielding.

Heroes will be heroes until the end, Jing Qi laughed with self-ridicule. He spoke such disrespectful words to the old man only because he did not want such a talent to go to waste.

Feng Yuanji sighed, expressions softening. His big hands reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair, “You’re still young, don’t learn from those people…”

Don’t learn what from them? He realized he had no idea what to continue with, don’t learn their scheming mind, their vicious immorality?

But in the end… this child was not like him.

“Great General.” The boy’s voice pulled him back to reality. With a softer heart, Feng Yuanji thought, It’s good for him at his age to be able to discern good and evil, as well as being thoughtful about me. He thought his words just now were too harsh and could prompt unnecessary worries in the child, so his face turned gentle as he answered him.

After mulling it over, Jing Qi knew that Feng Yuanji would never be someone who could walk the same path as his, so he swallowed what he was about to say. “Please take care of yourself, Sir, the road to South Xinjiang is long and arduous.”

The current situation was similar to the end of spring: Like how faded petals covered the ground, people who were privy to it were all blinded, unable to see the claws of summer inching closer. With an incompetent ruler and useless officials, even if he was reborn, he was just a child without any power in his hands. He might own the “Prince of Nan Ning” title, but how different was he from a puppet clad in silver and gold?

He was helpless.

He could not stop this man from heading towards his death, he could not help this nation which was on the brink of ruin…

At the end of that year, victorious news from South Xinjiang reached the capital – Feng Yuanji did not disappoint. The Great Shaman of South Xinjiang proposed a peace treaty, agreeing to send his own heir to the palace to become hostage, giving rise to celebration.

The only sad news tainting the situation was that the Great General had died in battle, along with forty thousand soldiers of Da Qing.

Though, to the man sitting in the most valuable chair in the palace, it was merely a faint smudge on the victory. A general and forty thousand people for a reputation worthy of the history books was a fair sacrifice. Furthermore, that unpleasant man would no longer be able to admonish his shortcomings, so his life was getting better by the day.

Even further pleased was First Prince He Lianzhao, who was finally able to have a hand in controlling the impenetrable military force.

Everywhere was filled with joy since the end of the year was approaching.

Some said that even if something was extinguished, its influence would still remain. Others would also say that just a flap of a butterfly wing would bring about catastrophic consequences.

One was external struggle, one was internal corruption.

In that cold winter, the nation cheered for its own prosperity as always.