Becoming the Emperor’s Greatest Woe - Chapter 54

T/L – I have edited the previous incomplete chapters please check them out

 

The Grand Monitor of the Xuan Seal brought experienced horse breeders from Zefang County to the military camp.

 

He was about to enter the tent to report to the emperor, but saw him gazing down at the booklet in his hand, a faint smile in his brows.

 

Even his usual imposing aura was softened.

 

The Grand Monitor stopped in his tracks and looked over at a soldier not far away.

 

He mouthed the words, “Is His Majesty busy?”

 

The soldier immediately mouthed back the same way, “He’s looking at the situation of the military farms.”

 

The situation of the military farms?

 

The Grand Monitor was puzzled.

 

Although Zefang County had completed the task of farming as scheduled, there wasn’t much to speak of.

 

Why would His Majesty be so pleased?

 

Suspicious, he cast another glance at the soldier.

 

The soldier firmly nodded at him.

 

Seeing the soldier so earnest, the Grand Monitor murmured “strange” to himself and retreated from the tent.

 

…

 

The military tent returned to silence.

 

Ying Changchuan slowly closed the booklet, casting his gaze down to his side.

 

—Back in Xiangyou Palace, Jiang Yuxun often sat here.

 

The desk in Liuyun Hall was set slightly higher than the floor.

 

Jiang Yuxun would often secretly stretch his muscles, using the desk as cover, silently transitioning from sitting on his knees to slumping.

 

Ying Changchuan had long noticed this but never brought it up.

 

Yet, he hadn’t realized that, aside from moving around discreetly, Jiang Yuxun had also scribbled down all this under his nose.

 

The emperor stopped looking at the booklet and set it aside.

 

The Zherou people relied primarily on animal husbandry, supplemented by plunder.

 

They not only didn’t conceal their acts of “plundering,” but even took pride in it.

 

Early the next morning, just as Tang Yimeng had mentioned before, the Zherou people led the Da(Great) Zhou envoys on a tour of their royal court.

 

—Rather than a “tour,” it might be more fitting to call it a “display of superiority.”

 

The Zherou people led Jiang Yuxun and his group around the edge of the royal court, then took them into a luxurious tent.

 

The luxurious tent, adorned with pearls and jade, was piled high with their spoils of war and rare treasures collected from various places.

 

“… This cloud-patterned bronze censer was sent by your former Emperor of Chu,” said the Zherou guide showing them the treasures, speaking in standard Da Zhou official language with a tone so full of arrogance and disdain that it was even clearer. “He sent over twenty such censers back then. Some our king kept for his own use, while others were given casually to nobles, leaving only two here.”

 

“Chu” was the dynasty before Zhou.

 

Although a new dynasty had long since replaced it, seeing the cloud-patterned bronze censer displayed here as a Zherou “trophy” felt like a sharp slap to the envoys, stirring anger within them.

 

Worried that their reactions might arouse the Zherou’s suspicion, Jiang Yuxun had not shared his plan with the other envoys.

 

To them, this “tour” was nothing short of an insult.

 

After a brief silence, someone finally couldn’t help but mutter through clenched teeth, “Just relics of the previous dynasty.”

 

The Zherou man responded with loud laughter, continuing to introduce more treasures from the previous dynasty with an air of superiority.

 

The envoys’ faces grew increasingly grim.

 

Throughout, Jiang Yuxun, the chief among the envoys, remained at the back of the group.

 

The Zherou assumed he stayed back out of pride, so they harbored no suspicion.

 

Inside the enormous tent, the voice of the Zherou guide echoed, “Oh! The carpet beneath your feet was gifted by the Kingdom of Chao Luo. Made of silk, cotton, and wool, it can last a hundred years without decay or fading.”

 

As the Zherou man boasted, Jiang Yuxun quietly used his peripheral vision to observe the huge tent.

 

The tent had no tables or cabinets; all the treasures plundered from various lands were piled directly on the large carpet.

 

The most valuable gold, silver, and jade items were stacked in the center of the tent.

 

The “worthless” items were placed in the corners.

 

The old Zherou king lived extravagantly, having squandered most of what the previous dynasty had sent him.

 

It didn’t take long for the Zherou people to finish introducing the remaining items.

 

“The golden plate contains dates, a local specialty from the Kingdom of Chaoluo.”

 

With that, a Zherou maid carrying a golden plate walked over to Jiang Yuxun.

 

She was not only tall but had a thick callus on the hand holding the plate, a mark left from drawing a bow and shooting arrows.

 

It seemed the Zherou people indeed valued martial prowess, as anyone among them could be sent to the battlefield.

 

The Zherou official responsible for introducing these treasures suddenly turned around, squinting his eyes with a smile as he looked at Jiang Yuxun, “Lord Jiang, would you like to taste it and see if it’s completely different from the dates in Da Zhou?”

 

Jiang Yuxun shifted his gaze to the golden plate.

 

Dates had a high yield, with one tree capable of producing hundreds of pounds of fruit, and they were easy to preserve once dried.

 

Yet in the five-inch golden plate, there was only a single dried date… the Zherou people were truly stingy.

 

Instead of tasting it right away, Jiang Yuxun smiled lightly and nodded, saying, “These dates are thick-fleshed and extremely sweet, though when fresh or unripe, they can be slightly astringent and hard to digest. Indeed, they are somewhat different from our Da Zhou dates.”

 

Then he nodded to the maid and casually took the date for a taste.

 

His expression remained calm, showing none of the curiosity or awe one would expect upon seeing a rare item.

 

It was as if he was already used to such things.

 

Seeing this, the Zherou official, who had been eager to boast, immediately frowned. “This—”

 

The rise of the Zherou had cut off Da Zhou’s exchanges with the Western Regions. These dates, which were native to the Kingdom of Chaoluo and other places, should be entirely new to the people of Zhou!

 

But judging by Jiang Yuxun’s reaction, why did he seem entirely unsurprised?

 

The maid also looked up at the official with slight confusion.

 

Jiang Yuxun had accurately described the characteristics of dates, and it was clear he wasn’t making it up.

 

…Could it be that Da Zhou also had dates?

 

The Zherou official cleared his throat and forced himself to stay calm. “Ahem… You may go now.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The maid frowned as she left the tent, glancing back at Jiang Yuxun with lingering doubt.

 

Dried dates had a distinct flavor of their own.

 

As he chewed, the sweetness instantly spread through his mouth, accompanied by a noticeable astringency.

 

Jiang Yuxun ate silently, inwardly thinking: childish and pointless!

 

The Zherou had offered dates just to see him act astonished at a novelty, and thereby mock the people of Zhou.

 

Too bad they could never have calculated that he had come from the modern era.

 

Dates were nothing rare in modern times; they simply hadn’t become popular in that land because of their overly sweet, astringent taste, which wasn’t well-suited to Chinese preferences.

 

Jiang Yuxun had tasted them once in his previous life and remembered their distinctively sweet and astringent flavor.

 

Unexpectedly, after his time-travel, this bit of “knowledge” actually proved useful.

 

Tang Yimeng and the others couldn’t help but exchange glances.

 

They had never seen dates before, but after noticing the Zherou people’s reaction, they immediately guessed—Lord Jiang was correct!

 

Realizing this gave them newfound confidence.

 

The Zherou official’s face darkened.

 

After Jiang Yuxun finished the date and wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief, he reluctantly led the group forward.

 

Worried that the same thing might happen again, the Zherou official became much more cautious with his words.

 

Meanwhile, the Da Zhou envoys, now feeling emboldened, began to look around without reservation.

 

Blending into the group, Jiang Yuxun quietly searched the tent for what he wanted.

 

Before he could spot wheat, his attention was drawn to a patch of vibrant green.

 

In the corner of the tent were a few greens that Jiang Yuxun couldn’t be more familiar with!

 

He lightly bit his lip.

 

In Da Zhou, there were five common types of vegetables, collectively known in later times as the “five greens.”

 

These five vegetables were winter amaranth, Chinese chives, soybean sprouts, scallions, and garlic chives.

 

Except for scallions and chives, the other varieties were rarely eaten in modern times.

 

But that vibrant green in the corner was different.

 

Even Jiang Yuxun, who rarely visited the supermarket, could instantly recognize it—spinach.

 

Spinach grew quickly and was highly adaptable to its environment.

 

Not only was it hardy enough to be grown in autumn and winter, but it also had minimal soil requirements.

 

Just as Jiang Yuxun was looking at the spinach, the Zherou official finally mentioned it.

 

Not considering this unremarkable vegetable worth much, and fearing another embarrassing incident, he dismissed it with a single line: “This is also a vegetable from the Kingdom of Chaoluo.”

 

According to the original history, after the Battle of Zhou-Rou, the majority of surviving Zherou people integrated into the Central Plains, while the remaining portion fled westward.

 

Over the following century, they caused turmoil among the Western countries.

 

Due to this influence, spinach was not formally introduced into the Central Plains until four or five hundred years later, when it quickly became popular, widely cultivated, and an essential green vegetable on the people’s tables.

 

Jiang Yuxun hadn’t expected that it had already been gathered here by the Zherou people.

 

If he remembered correctly, watermelon seemed to be another crop introduced to the Central Plains a bit later than spinach.

 

When Jiang Yuxun arrived, he had only intended to look for wheat seeds. But now, seeing what was in the tent, he suddenly had more plans in mind.

 

…

 

Fearing that boasting would backfire and reveal their ignorance, this year’s “tour” was much shorter than in previous years.

 

Before leaving the tent, Jiang Yuxun finally saw the wheat ears placed in the corner.

 

He silently noted them in his mind, saying nothing.

 

※

 

Perhaps it was because the old Zherou king had died, or because Princess Lian Yi’s status as the Empress Dowager was now different from before.

 

Or maybe it was due to the gradually strengthening power of Da Zhou, but this time, the Zherou people didn’t neglect the envoys as they had in previous years. Instead, they held a banquet in the royal court that evening.

 

This banquet was quite unusual, with envoys from several Western countries stationed here also invited to attend.

 

The young Zherou king had no interest in this event.

 

He made a brief appearance and then left rather arrogantly.

 

There was no moon tonight, and the sky was filled with stars, like a river of light spilling down.

 

Under the starlight, a bonfire flickered. A young musician sat on a carpet, striking a drum made of ram skin in front of him, producing a crisp sound.

 

This musician looked to be in his twenties, with deep-set features and slightly greenish eyes, likely a Westerner who had come to Zherou as a hostage.

 

Curious, Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but look at him a few more times.

 

“Western music has a lively style; it’s really quite different from ours in Da Zhou,” Tang Yimeng remarked, following Jiang Yuxun’s gaze.

 

Jiang Yuxun, who was drinking water, was instantly choked by his words. “…Cough, cough, cough.”

 

Tang Yimeng asked, confused, “What’s wrong, Lord Jiang?”

 

“…Nothing, I just drank a bit too quickly,” Jiang Yuxun hurriedly explained.

 

Just then, Tang Yimeng’s words had suddenly reminded him of that white-haired, wrinkled court musician in the palace of Da Zhou.

 

Although it had been days since, whenever he recalled that incident of him and Zhuang Youli accidentally wandering into the Water Music Pavilion and getting caught by Ying Changchuan, Jiang Yuxun couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

 

…Calm down, calm down, Jiang Yuxun.

 

Only you know about this incident!

 

Jiang Yuxun took a deep breath and finally finished his remaining half cup of water.

 

In the end, he couldn’t help but feel relieved: luckily, Ying Changchuan isn’t here, or he’d mock me again.

 

To show off their strength, the Zherou prepared an abundance of beef and lamb for the banquet.

 

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuxun ate while glancing southward…

 

After spending a few days with the army, he discovered that Ying Changchuan truly lived with the soldiers, just as those captains had said.

 

The Northern Frontier Army’s rations were as simple as could be.

 

Now, here he was, feasting and enjoying himself, while Ying Changchuan was suffering in the army.

 

Having lived peacefully in the Zherou royal court for so many years, Princess Lian Yi, now the Empress Dowager, naturally had high emotional intelligence.

 

Having likely noticed Jiang Yuxun’s intent to make the name “烈酒” (fiery liquor) known in Zherou, she took out the liquor during the banquet and gave it high praise in Zherou.

 

Though it was their first time tasting it, a few Zherou nobles in attendance quickly felt the effects of this fiery liquor, getting slightly tipsy in no time.

 

Midway through the banquet, a lady-in-waiting beside Princess Lian Yi suddenly asked Jiang Yuxun, “Lord Jiang, someone wishes to know how much grain it takes to brew this liquor?”

 

Jiang Yuxun followed her gaze to the side—if he wasn’t mistaken, the person asking seemed to be an envoy from the Kingdom of Chaoluo?

 

He thought for a moment and replied, “Ten stones of grain can produce one stone of liquor.”

 

The distillation efficiency of the steamer was quite low, and the yield was generally not high.

 

But Jiang Yuxun intentionally exaggerated a bit.

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the envoy from the Kingdom of Chaoluo’s face changed, and he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Jiang Yuxun.

 

At the same time, Jiang Yuxun looked back at him, slightly raising the wine cup in his hand.

 

The Chaoluo envoy was immediately startled and hurriedly nodded in response.

 

In the next moment, Jiang Yuxun used the action of lowering his head to drink to conceal the complex look in his eyes.

 

—The Zherou had made a wrong move here.

 

The existence of Zherou completely severed Da Zhou’s connection with the Western regions.

 

Now, not only is Da Zhou unfamiliar with the customs of the Western regions, but the countries in the West also lack an understanding of Da Zhou.

 

They only vaguely know that the Zherou people somewhat fear the emperor of Da Zhou, even refraining from coercive marriages and tributes as they did in the past.

 

They have no clear understanding of Da Zhou’s overall national strength.

 

Unlike the Zherou people who were drinking themselves into a stupor.

 

The envoy from the Kingdom of Chaoluo not only stayed sober but was also very clever.

 

On the surface, he seemed curious about the fiery liquor, but in reality, he was using it to gauge Da Zhou’s national strength.

 

This liquor was brewed from grain, a genuine luxury item.

 

If Da Zhou dared to make liquor in this way, didn’t that imply they had more abundant grain reserves than imagined?

 

Thinking of this, the envoy from Chaoluo couldn’t help but ask a few more questions.

 

Jiang Yuxun patiently answered each one.

 

Only Tang Yimeng at the scene knew that Jiang Yuxun was looking for wheat seeds.

 

As the banquet was about to end, he couldn’t help but lower his voice and lean forward to ask, “Lord Jiang, when do you plan to bring up the matter of the wheat seeds?”

 

“No rush,” Jiang Yuxun lightly shook his head and said, “We’re strangers in this place; let’s wait for these Westerners to come to us first.”

 

Jiang Yuxun and his party couldn’t stay in Zherou for too long. Seeing two days pass by, Tang Yimeng started to worry. “What if they don’t come to us?”

 

“They will,” Jiang Yuxun replied with particular confidence.

 

Ever since losing to Ying Changchuan, Zherou had grown increasingly tough with the Western countries, and naturally, these nations wouldn’t be content with that.

 

Historical records indicate that after the Battle of Zhou-Rou, faced with the Zherou people who migrated westward, the countries like Chaoluo were the first to send envoys seeking help from Da Zhou.

 

Unfortunately, just as the envoys arrived, Da Zhou began to crumble with the death of Ying Changchuan.

 

Afterward, the Western regions descended into a century of chaos.

 

It wasn’t until several centuries later that close exchanges with Huaxia were restored.

 

The musician continued striking the drum, and with the upbeat rhythm, Jiang Yuxun took a sip from his wine cup.

 

He found that his ambitions seemed to grow day by day.

 

At the beginning, Jiang Yuxun only wanted to use the fiery liquor to learn about the map of Zherou.

 

Then he wanted to use Zherou as a springboard to find the right wheat seeds.

 

By today, Jiang Yuxun not only wanted the vegetables and fruits that wouldn’t arrive in Da Zhou for hundreds of years to appear early.

 

He even wanted… to bring peace and stability to the Western regions and establish exchanges with Da Zhou.

 

Trade could not only increase tax revenue and enrich resources but could also drive the development of various industries together.

 

How could a prosperous era be built without these?

 

The sound of the drum suddenly grew louder, and a dancer stepped into the center of the carpet, beginning to dance with the music.

 

This commotion finally pulled Jiang Yuxun’s attention back.

 

Realizing what he had been thinking, he couldn’t help but be startled by the thought.

 

“Haha, Lord Jiang, catch the wine!”

 

“Hm?”

 

Hearing Tang Yimeng’s words, Jiang Yuxun finally noticed that the dancer standing in the center of the carpet had already brought a cup of wine to him.

 

Seeing that she had been waiting for a while, he quickly reached out to take the wine. “Thank you.”

 

Everyone had more or less had some to drink.

 

The atmosphere at the banquet became lively with the drum’s rhythm suddenly picking up speed.

 

Not only had the envoys avoided mistreatment today, but thanks to Jiang Yuxun’s handling of the situation, they had even managed to gain the upper hand over the Zherou people.

 

By evening, everyone was more spirited than usual.

 

Seeing the dancer offer wine to Jiang Yuxun, the envoys seated on the same carpet couldn’t help but tease, “Was Lord Jiang feeling shy just now?”

 

Jiang Yuxun’s eyes widened. “How could I be?”

 

From leaving Zhaodu to visiting Zherou, more than half a month had unknowingly passed.

 

During this time, the group had grown familiar with one another.

 

It was unclear who started it, but someone suddenly asked Jiang Yuxun, “By the way, Lord Jiang, you’re not young anymore. Do you have anyone you fancy?”

 

Jiang Yuxun quickly waved his hand, having choked on his wine. “Cough, cough…”

 

Seeing this, Princess Lian Yi became curious as well. “Lord Jiang isn’t married yet, nor has he any engagement?”

 

She had come to Zherou at the age of twenty, but her marriage arrangement had been set a few years prior.

 

“In response to Your Highness, I am unmarried,” Jiang Yuxun replied.

 

Da Zhou men could marry at fifteen or sixteen. Even if not in a hurry to marry, most would at least have an engagement set.

 

Hearing this, Princess Lian Yi found it curious. “Cases like yours are rare, Lord Jiang.”

 

Just as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and turned to ask the person beside her, “Wait, hasn’t His Majesty also refrained from establishing a harem?”

 

Tang Yimeng nodded, “Yes, Your Highness.” He then didn’t elaborate further.

 

As his aunt, Princess Lian Yi could appropriately inquire into her nephew’s personal life.

 

However, as officials, they’d have to be weary of being overly curious on such matters.

 

Knowing their concern, Princess Lian Yi didn’t dwell on the topic.

 

She simply joked with her maid in Zherou language, “Such rare cases—I actually have two around me.”

 

The maid laughed along with her.

 

Officials dared not joke about Ying Changchuan, but Jiang Yuxun couldn’t escape being the subject of gossip.

 

As the banquet neared its end, people grew even more talkative.

 

He had no choice but to raise his cup with everyone while using the excuse of being “focused on his career, uninterested in settling down” to brush off his colleagues.

 

Jiang Yuxun originally thought they might quiet down for a while, but unexpectedly, they still wouldn’t let it go.

 

Seeing him say he wasn’t interested in marriage, Tang Yimeng added, “Lord Jiang may be uninterested, but with your youth and talent, how could no one admire you? Surely, you just haven’t noticed.”

 

“Exactly! I don’t believe Lord Jiang has no pursuers.”

 

“Last year, when I first met you, Lord Jiang, I thought you seemed overly naive. But seeing you again this year, you appear refined and transcendent, uh… radiant and graceful.” The envoy, having had too much to drink, was already slurring his words.

 

The drumbeats grew faster and faster.

 

A Western dancer in a red dress lightly spun around, offering each person a cup of wine.

 

As the music grew more urgent, Jiang Yuxun quickly waved his hand. “Everyone, please stop teasing.”

 

Whether it was from being unaccustomed to this topic or from having had a few drinks, Jiang Yuxun’s ears were turning slightly red.

 

“Hahaha, how could this be a joke?”

 

Tang Yimeng leaned in, saying, “Lord Jiang, you’re no longer young. Even if you’re not in a hurry to settle down, you should at least start considering someone you like.”

 

“Indeed,” Princess Lian Yi joined in the fun.

 

Jiang Yuxun quickly tried to change the subject.

 

On the grasslands, the night was vast and misty.

 

Though it was spring, the night air was still cold.

 

The campfire gradually weakened, and the wind seemed to pick up at some unknown moment.

 

Just as Jiang Yuxun finished speaking, he couldn’t help but sneeze.

 

Seeing this, the tipsy Tang Yimeng quickly said, “Sneezing at a time like this must mean someone is thinking about Lord Jiang!”

 

Seeing Princess Lian Yi, seated in the highest position, also laugh, the crowd joined in teasing him. “Hahaha, maybe someone back in Zhaodu is thinking of Lord Jiang!”

 

Impossible.

 

The drumbeats grew faster and faster.

 

Unconsciously, Jiang Yuxun’s heartbeat sped up in rhythm with it.

 

Listening to their words, he instinctively refuted in his heart: since his arrival, he had followed Ying Changchuan to Xianyou Palace and hadn’t stayed in Zhaodu for long.

 

How could there be anyone in Zhaodu thinking about him at this time?

 

… If someone had to be thinking about him, maybe it was Ying Changchuan wishing he’d return to help him work overtime?

 

Jiang Yuxun: ?!

 

Wait, why would I think of Ying Changchuan at this moment?

 

Why couldn’t there be someone in Zhaodu thinking about me?

 

Zhuang Yue and Zhuang Youli might even be thinking of me right now!

 

At this thought, Jiang Yuxun instinctively picked up his cup and downed all of the strong liquor.

 

Forgetting what kind of drink it was, he once again choked and began to cough.

 

“Feeling guilty!”

 

“Lord Jiang must be feeling guilty.”

 

Setting down the cup, Jiang Yuxun retorted stubbornly, “How could that be? I just drank a little too quickly…”

 

All the envoys accompanying him to Zherou were already married.

 

Seeing Jiang Yuxun trying to argue, they all joined in, teasing, “That expression, Lord Jiang—you definitely thought of someone just now!”

 

The people on either side of him leaned in, whispering, “Be honest, Lord Jiang, who exactly were you thinking of?”

 

In his previous life, Jiang Yuxun was never very good at lying.

 

Now, with his recent experiences, he had become even more accustomed to speaking his mind.

 

He initially thought of making up a lie to get out of it.

 

But after hesitating for a while, he confessed, “I was thinking… His Majesty might want me back to help him with work?”

 

At the same time, he couldn’t resist glancing behind him to confirm that Ying Changchuan wouldn’t suddenly appear.

 

Tang Yimeng: “…”

 

Bringing up one’s superior at a banquet was truly a mood-killer.

 

After gossiping for so long, Tang Yimeng instantly lost interest.

 

Another official, while sitting up straight, couldn’t help but mutter, “Ah, Lord Jiang really doesn’t get it! Why bring up His Majesty at a time like this?”