The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 4 - The Contempt of the Regional Magnates

“Liu Fu, take my edict and summon the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture.”

Zhao Xu returned to his bedchamber, where Feng’er and Luan’er had prepared the writing materials for him. As the saying goes, to take something, one must first give something. At the moment, his influence was no match for the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture; confronting them head-on was not an option. In this chaotic frontier, they had a hundred ways to ensure his demise. Therefore, he needed to feign cordial relations with them to lull them into complacency. His ultimate goal, of course, was to extract the wealth they had plundered from Yan Prefecture. Simultaneously, it was a test to gauge the attitudes of different magnates towards him, allowing him to divide and conquer.

Though passionate, he was not reckless. As the great leader once said, one must make many friends to deal with true enemies.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Liu Fu replied, waiting nearby.

Once Zhao Xu finished writing, Feng’er went to the gatehouse to retrieve the seal of Prince Yan, which Zhang Han had been monopolizing, and stamped it on the edict. With the edict in hand, Liu Fu turned to leave.

Suddenly, the sound of fighting erupted outside the Prince’s Mansion. Zhao Xu felt a jolt of tension. Zhang Han had just been imprisoned, and now someone was attacking the mansion. It was clear that someone inside had conspired with outsiders, spreading the news. They intended to seize control of him before he could establish himself. After all, everyone knew he was the mad prince. If they could imprison him again, they could continue to claim he was insane, whether he was or not.

“Your Highness…” Luan’er, timid by nature, instinctively clung to Zhao Xu’s arm in fear, while Feng’er stood with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised in defiance.

“You stay here. I will be back,” Zhao Xu said, anger surging through him. He stood on his own land, surrounded by his own beauties. Having come to this world, he was determined to protect it all. Clenching his fists, he ordered Liu Fu and a dozen servants to arm themselves and follow him outside. There was no retreat; he could only move forward courageously.

Arriving at the main gate of the mansion, he saw a group of black-clad servants wielding swords, engaged in combat with the guards. Several black-clad servants and guards lay on the ground.

“Whose servants are you? Such audacity to trespass into the Prince’s Mansion!” A tall commander clad in brown armor shouted.

“We come under the orders of Chief Counselor Zhang. There is a plot against Prince Yan within the mansion, and we are here to rescue him. Stand aside, or face charges of treason!” the leading servant shouted.

“That’s nonsense! I guard the mansion and know of no such plot!” the commander retorted angrily. “I think you’re trying to rebel!”

“They are indeed attempting rebellion! Zhang Han has been captured for treason, and if you do not retreat, you will be executed for insubordination!” Zhao Xu stepped forward boldly.

“Prince Yan!” The commander turned, shocked to see Zhao Xu, and the servants froze in place.

“Retreat!” With Prince Yan present, their plan was exposed, and the black-clad servants scattered in retreat.

The guards prepared to pursue, but the commander halted them. The guards at the mansion’s gate were already few, and with several injured, pursuing them might lead to a trap.

“Chang Wei.”

Zhao Xu recalled information about this person from his memory. He was the guard commander appointed by Emperor Zhao Heng from the imperial guards to oversee the hundred guards at Prince Yan’s Mansion. The fact that Feng’er was threatened by Zhang Han using Chang Wei showed that Chang Wei was not aligned with Zhang Han, which brought Zhao Xu some relief. It was this realization that emboldened him to act decisively.

“Commander Chang Wei, reporting to Your Highness,” the commander approached Zhao Xu, saluting with a heavy clasp of his fists. The armor clinked with a metallic sound.

“At ease.”

Zhao Xu’s gaze remained fixed on the fleeing servants. These men were clearly servants raised by the regional magnates. He could hardly believe the audacity of the Yan Prefecture magnates, daring to collude with the chief counselor against him.

“I just heard that Your Highness’s madness has been cured, and now it seems true,” Chang Wei remarked after his salute, his tone indifferent. According to protocol, guards were not allowed to enter the Prince’s Mansion without orders, so he couldn’t enter to offer congratulations.

“Indeed,” Zhao Xu frowned. The guard commander was rather aloof, unlike Feng’er and Luan’er who were joyful. But it was understandable; from the capital to Yan Prefecture, Zhao Xu had no interactions with this guard commander. Everything was communicated through Zhang Han.

“Congratulations, Your Highness. Your recovery is a joyous occasion, and the capture of a treacherous villain like Zhang Han is even better news. Since that’s the case, could Your Highness perhaps settle our three months’ salary?” Chang Wei asked, clasping his fists. “Right now, the soldiers are starving, too weak to lift their swords; otherwise, these petty thieves wouldn’t have injured them.”

This was not the time to bring up such matters, but he couldn’t hold back any longer. Whether Zhao Xu was mad or not was irrelevant to him; he simply didn’t want to see his brothers starving while protecting Prince Yan’s Mansion. His nature was always straightforward and explosive, not favored by superiors in the imperial guards. That’s why he was recommended to the emperor and assigned to Prince Yan. Coming to Yan Prefecture was not his wish. But since he was here, he could only accept his fate, hoping to fight against the Beidi and fulfill his ambitions.

What he didn’t expect was that after arriving at the fief, not only was there no battle against the Beidi, but for three months, he and the guards hadn’t received any salary. They had brought their families along, and now every household was struggling to get by. Previously, when he asked Zhang Han about the salary, Zhang Han would imply and manipulate him, trying to make him submit. He refused, and Zhang Han kept evading the issue. Now, seeing Zhao Xu and with many guards injured, his temper couldn’t be contained.

“Salary?”

Zhao Xu recalled that the account book showed no record of salary being issued to the guards for these three months. It seemed Zhang Han had embezzled the funds.

“To be honest, your salaries were all taken by Zhang Han, and the mansion’s accounts have no silver,” Zhao Xu sighed.

Upon hearing this, Chang Wei and the guards reacted like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They were already angry about the unpaid wages. Now, having been injured protecting the mansion, Prince Yan’s statement that there was no silver left them utterly disheartened.

“We risk our lives to protect Your Highness, and Your Highness is truly stingy.”

“No silver? Lies!”

“This lousy job isn’t worth it.”

“…”

The guards were agitated, and Chang Wei was even more furious. Having witnessed the corruption and embezzlement among the Dasong Dynasty’s officials and nobles, his disdain for the dynasty’s elite had long been entrenched.

Instinctively, they believed Zhao Xu was no different from Zhang Han, merely trying to withhold their army provisions. Thus, they spoke harshly:

“Your Highness, don’t jest. How could the Prince’s Mansion, with such vast estates, fail to pay our salaries? Are you, like Zhang Han, unwilling to part with silver?”

Zhao Xu thought to himself, this is bad.

There’s an old saying about soldiers needing their provisions, and history is rife with mutinies caused by delayed payments.

If the guards rebelled, he would lose his only source of strength.

Therefore, he needed to stabilize the guards immediately.

“Absolutely not. Give me three days, and even if I have to sell the Prince’s Mansion, I’ll ensure you receive your salaries,” Zhao Xu declared firmly.

During the interrogation of the old accountant, it was revealed that Zhang Han had secretly transported the embezzled silver back to the capital recently.

Thus, the mansion truly only had a few dozen taels of silver left, which was insufficient to pay the salaries.

And these few dozen taels were needed for his plans.

His only hope now was that his plans would succeed.

“I’ll wait three more days,” Chang Wei said, clasping his fists. “Your Highness, the soldiers are not greedy. Today, they risked their lives to protect you. Please don’t let us down.”

Zhao Xu glanced at the guards groaning on the ground, feeling a pang of guilt.

Despite being owed their army provisions, these guards fought valiantly, each one a straightforward man.

“I will keep my word,” Zhao Xu said solemnly, not trying to deceive Chang Wei.

To earn the respect of these guards, he had to act like a true Prince Yan.

Chang Wei nodded and dismissed the guards.

Zhao Xu then signaled Liu Fu.

Understanding the cue, Liu Fu took the edict and went to invite the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture, starting with the Zhang Mansion.

…

“Has Prince Yan recovered from his madness?”

In the Zhang Family’s garden, three middle-aged men were sipping tea and chatting.

After Liu Fu explained his purpose, the man sitting at the head feigned surprise.

He was Zhang Qian, the family head of the Zhang Family, the foremost regional magnates in Yan Prefecture.

“Please inform His Highness that I am unwell and cannot visit personally. I will send servants from the mansion to pay respects in the afternoon,” Zhang Qian said, gently blowing on the hot water in his teacup.

Liu Fu’s smile froze momentarily before relaxing again.

He had anticipated this response before coming.

The disdain of Yan Prefecture’s regional magnates towards Prince Yan’s Mansion was rumored even among the common folk.

The Dasong Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, and Yan Prefecture had always been dominated by its regional magnates, who controlled the affairs of the prefecture.

Now, with a sudden appearance of Prince Yan, who sought to override them and seize their power, they were naturally displeased.

Moreover, with Yan Province in turmoil and the people relying on the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture to fend off the Beidi invaders, the authority of the imperial family was further weakened.

“I will relay this to His Highness,” Liu Fu said, turning to leave without further comment.

“Wait, tell him the Huang Family and Du Family can’t come either, but will send servants,” the other two middle-aged men said with mocking smiles.

Liu Fu snorted inwardly and left directly.

He knew the Zhang Family, Du Family, and Huang Family of Yan Prefecture were intermarried and cut from the same cloth.

“Scoff, Prince Yan thinks recovering from his illness means he can command us? What a joke,” Zhang Qian sneered after Liu Fu left.

The head of the Huang Family, Huang Yu, chimed in, “Exactly, his mother’s family was just a humble household, without power or influence. Even when he wasn’t afflicted by madness, he wasn’t favored by the emperor. It’s said that due to his lowly maternal origins, he was often bullied by other princes in the imperial palace, even crawling under their trousers, hahaha…”

“What a joke. He might be the most lowly prince since the founding of the Dasong Dynasty,” Du Ming, the head of the Du Family, sneered with disdain.

“Hmph, so he should at least have some self-awareness. Nowadays, which official in Yan Prefecture isn’t from our families? If he had any sense, he should be the one coming to pay respects to us. Otherwise, he shouldn’t think about staying in Yan Prefecture.”

“Hahaha, indeed. Besides, the sixth prince has already given us the nod. So what if we bully him? If anything happens, the sixth prince will back us up.”

“But how did his madness just cure itself? What could he want from us?”

“It’s definitely about the land. That Zhang Han sold all the Prince’s Mansion’s land to us. I bet the mansion is struggling to make ends meet, hahaha…” Zhang Qian laughed heartily.

Huang Yu and Du Ming laughed in unison.

“We made a fair deal, didn’t break any laws. He can’t do anything to us. If he really doesn’t know his place, we can just spend some silver to hire some desperados and get rid of him.”

“Oh, by the way, our men have pulled back. That Chang Wei is quite the fighter. We missed the chance; otherwise, Prince Yan would have been imprisoned for life.”

…

After running around all morning, Liu Fu returned to the Prince’s Mansion at noon, fuming with anger.

He recounted everything to Zhao Xu.

After Liu Fu left, Zhao Xu went to the gatehouse, where Zhang Han used to handle affairs.

There, he reviewed numerous documents and gained a basic understanding of the Prince’s Mansion and Yan Prefecture.

“Your Highness, these regional magnates in Yan Prefecture are truly despicable,” Liu Fu complained.

Originally a poor scholar, Liu Fu had sold himself to the Prince’s Mansion for a few pieces of silver to buy medicine for his sick mother. Knowing the hardships of the common people, he naturally had no fondness for the magnates.

This trip had infuriated him.

“Sit down and take a break, you’re sweating all over,” Zhao Xu said calmly.

Liu Fu felt a warmth in his heart but didn’t sit down, feeling honored by Zhao Xu’s kindness. After all, he was usually bossed around in the mansion.

“This is why I asked you to invite the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture, to roughly identify who is an enemy and who can be won over,” Zhao Xu said as he closed the household register of Yan Prefecture.

He was acutely aware that the Prince’s Mansion was weak while the regional magnates were strong.

He deeply resented the magnates for their bullying, but without the power to confront them, he had to proceed cautiously.

As a great leader once said, he needed to unite all forces that could be united to fight the real enemies.

Relying on the people of Yan Prefecture was right, but he also needed to win over some magnates to strengthen his position.

Liu Fu, being a well-read and clever man, quickly understood.

The regional magnates in Yan Prefecture couldn’t be a monolithic block; they were bound to have conflicts over interests, as there are always disputes where people are involved.

Those who held the upper hand naturally looked down on the Prince’s Mansion, while those who were at a disadvantage would naturally think of using the mansion to suppress their rivals.

In this way, the mansion could ally with some magnates to counter others.

Realizing this, Liu Fu showed a look of admiration.

Prince Yan not only recovered from his madness but also demonstrated the cunning expected of a prince.

He admitted that knocking out that servant involved some gambling, but evidently, he had gambled correctly.

Prince Yan was no fool.