Chapter 277: The Eighth Prince Requests Enfeoffment
Whispers spread through the banquet hall.
"With the Yun family having just accomplished great merits and General Yun holding both the positions of Grand General and Grand Commandant, they're currently at the peak of imperial favor. For the Eighth Prince to request enfeoffment now seems rather presumptuous."
"If the Yun Family Army has returned to Yun family control, should the Eighth Prince attempt anything... I fear..."
"His Majesty is still in his prime, and the Crown Prince is strong and capable. How could it possibly be the Eighth Prince's turn..."
The Emperor's expression was unreadable. "In our Great Jin Dynasty, imperial princes and grandsons are enfeoffed at age twelve. Tell me, why do you seek early enfeoffment?"
The Eighth Prince knelt on the ground. "Now that the Yun family has achieved great merits and become the most powerful clan in the history of Great Jin, with no other family surpassing them, and since my mother is from the Yun family, the Yun family's rise means my mother's rise, which in turn means my own rise..."
The Emperor looked at this son with surprise.
He had expected this son to say that after becoming a prince, he would share his father's burdens, assist in governance, and serve the common people—empty, lofty words of that sort.
He never imagined the Eighth Prince would voice aloud what everyone was secretly thinking.
"The Yun family has been loyal for generations," the Eighth Prince continued. "Even while commanding massive armies, they remain loyal to the imperial authority and the court. However, the civil and military officials may not see it that way. The Crown Prince and my other royal brothers may not believe that the Yun family and I have no such ambitions... Throughout thousands of years of history, whenever imperial power changes hands, royal siblings inevitably turn against each other. I don't wish for such things to happen, and if they do, I don't want to witness them... Therefore, I beg Father Emperor to enfeoff me and allow me to proceed immediately to my fief, never to return to the capital!"
The entire hall was shocked once more.
After imperial princes and grandsons were enfeoffed, they typically weren't sent to their fiefs until the next emperor ascended the throne.
When princes went to their fiefs, it was often described as exile because fiefs were usually located in remote, impoverished border regions—truly harsh places. Most imperial descendants tried every means to avoid going to their fiefs. Who would be so unwise as to request early departure? Wasn't that asking for hardship?
Moreover, the Eighth Prince had even said "never to return to the capital."
Any prince might potentially contend for the throne, but merely stating "I have no interest in the throne" wasn't enough to convince the emperor.
These four words from the Eighth Prince effectively eliminated all concerns from the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince.
"Rise and speak," the Emperor said, his gaze softening. "I ask you, is this request your own idea or Consort Yun's?"
"It's a joint decision after discussions between me and my mother," the Eighth Prince replied. "My uncle also supports it."
Yun Silin stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, I am loyal only to you and would never use troops to support any prince in contending for the throne. Only by having the Eighth Prince leave the capital can we best preserve trust between ruler and subject. Therefore, I support the Eighth Prince's decision."
"Excellent!" The Emperor clapped his hands. "Since the Eighth Prince values sentiment and righteousness, I bestow upon you the character 'Righteous' as your title—the Righteous Prince. I grant you eight hundred manor soldiers and a thousand taels of gold. Depart for your fief on an auspicious date."
The Eighth Prince knelt again. "Your son thanks Father Emperor! May Father Emperor live ten thousand years!"
The Empress's perpetually anxious heart finally settled.
To be honest, what she feared most was the Yun family. If the Yun family supported the Eighth Prince, the Eastern Palace might not be able to withstand them.After the Eighth Prince left for his fiefdom, the Yun family became a neutral faction and was no longer as intimidating.
She was still pondering—had she known earlier, she would have vigorously promoted the marriage between Gongsun Ning and Yun Chu. Wouldn’t that have naturally aligned the Yun family with the Crown Prince’s faction?
Unfortunately, she hadn’t known then that Yun Silin would return alive. Regret was useless now.
Fortunately, the Third Prince and Yun Chu were astrologically incompatible, so Yun Chu couldn’t possibly marry him...
At that moment, Chu Yi approached Yun Silin with a cup of wine and offered a toast. It wasn’t particularly conspicuous, as everyone would come to toast Yun Silin that day.
Yun Silin gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder. "You’ve done well, kid. It’s just a pity..."
He shook his head. Had Yun Chu been married to Prince Pingxi five years ago, she wouldn’t have suffered so much unnecessary hardship.
"No regrets," Chu Yi said in a low voice. "Five years ago, I was nothing—I had no power to oppose the Emperor. Now is the perfect time. Everything has fallen into place."
"If you dare let Chu’er suffer," Yun Silin declared, draining his cup, "I’ll spare no effort, even at the cost of my life, to make you pay. Thankfully, because of you, those two children survived, and Chu’er’s deepest regret was resolved."
At this, Yun Silin sighed deeply.
Five years ago, when his daughter was discussing marriage prospects, he wasn’t there—he barely made it back in time for the wedding banquet.
When his daughter was pregnant and giving birth, he wasn’t there.
When his daughter endured humiliation in the Xie family, he wasn’t there.
When his daughter divorced Xie Jingyu, he wasn’t there either.
And now, as his daughter was discussing marriage with Prince Pingxi, he still wasn’t present.
He had truly failed as a father.
The Yun family’s banquet lasted most of the day. After the Emperor and Empress returned to the palace, the guests gradually dispersed.
Yun Silin had been busy with matters since returning to the capital and only now could finally lie down on the couch to rest properly, with Lin Shi leaning against him.
The couple had spent little time together over the years, and it was rare for them to lie quietly side by side like this.
Lin Shi sighed. "The Grand Astrologer said Chu’er and Prince Pingxi are astrologically incompatible. What should we do about this?"
"Why worry?" Yun Silin chuckled. "Don’t fret—Prince Pingxi has a plan. The Emperor will soon issue the marriage decree. Instead, my dear, why not spend your time thinking about how large a dowry to prepare?"
Lin Shi’s attention immediately shifted to the dowry. "When Chu’er first married Xie Jingyu, we prepared a dowry worth thirty thousand taels of silver. This time, she’s marrying into the royal family—it absolutely cannot be less than thirty thousand. Our Yun family may seem wealthy and influential, but in reality, we can’t come up with much silver at all. You, as her father, are always off fighting battles and never care whether there’s money at home. What use are you..."
Yun Silin: "..."
Why was this being blamed on him again?
He had no choice but to sit up and embrace Lin Shi. "My dear, calm down. This time, I beheaded the King of Southern Yue, annexed the Southern Yue kingdom, quelled the Qicheng rebellion, and eradicated the Empress Dowager’s faction... Didn’t the Emperor reward me generously? Let’s put all of it into Chu’er’s dowry. How does that sound?"
Lin Shi chided him, "You’re being generous as a father, but we can’t give everything to Chu’er. Qianqian is about to give birth—we should save some for her child too."
As parents, they cherished all their children equally. Only by treating everyone fairly could the family remain harmonious and happy.
Five or six days passed in this manner.Ding Yiyuan had once predicted through divination that a major earthquake would occur in the south in three days. For such a massive disaster, beacon fires would be used to transmit the message. This meant that within at most three days after the earthquake, the capital would receive the news. However, no such message arrived.
On this day during the court assembly, the matter was brought up and made into a separate agenda item.
OpenNovel