The Blood Crown - Chapter 173

After leaving prison, Yan Sikong took a few days off to recover at home. This was to understand what had happened during his incarceration and to arrange matters for his departure from the capital.

Ah Li wanted to accompany him to Hetao, a region of wild and rugged terrain in the northwest, fraught with dangers. But Yan Sikong refused to let him go along.

The first thing Yan Sikong did upon returning to his residence was to expel Zhao Quan, Xie Zhongren’s spy planted within the estate, along with several of the household servants and maids. However, he couldn’t leave the estate completely unguarded. Although Ah Li was mute, he was loyal and reliable. Yan Sikong could not trust Wan Yang with the large Yan residence. With Ah Li around, at least he could prevent any remaining spies from betraying him or using Wan Yang against him. Ah Li would also be needed in a few months’ time when Wan Yang reached the point of needing to produce an heir.

She Zhun secretly met with Yan Sikong again at his residence. With Xie Zhongren imprisoned and awaiting trial, She Zhun had finally avenged his grudge. His demeanor had truly brightened, no longer veiling his concerns with cynicism.

However, when he learned that Yan Sikong intended to go to Hetao, his brow furrowed tightly. “You’re going to find Feng Ye? Why are you only telling me now? And why didn’t you discuss it with me?”

“I had this plan in mind all along. Now, I can officially act as a negotiator for the Sheng army, maneuvering between Sheng Jun and Feng Ye.”

“‘Maneuvering’? Nan Yu, what exactly is your goal?” She Zhun’s tone grew cold. “If you say you genuinely want to persuade Feng Ye to surrender, I won’t believe it.”

Yan Sikong gazed directly at She Zhun, his face full of worry. “She Zhun, right now, Da Sheng faces external threats from barbarians and internal troubles with an incompetent emperor. Continuous years of disasters and the reliance on reducing the number of vassal states and maritime taxes have barely sustained the treasury. Even if we eliminate the eunuchs now, it will take at least five years for the dynasty to recover. But with internal and external troubles, where will we find that much time? Looking across the nation, the capable officials are few and far between, and those with good intentions are powerless. If this continues, the Jin state may annex Liaodong, advancing directly to the capital, and the Wala might rise again, invading the northwest. The suffering of the people will lead to countless uprisings, and soon, it won’t just be Sichuan and Shu rebelling. When that happens, if the various lords rise in rebellion, the whole country will be finished.”

She Zhun was stunned. “But right now, local uprisings are insignificant, and the court is also providing disaster relief. Zhao Fuyi is holding off in Liaodong, and Wala hasn’t recovered from its defeat four or five years ago.”

“Do you think I’m being alarmist?” Yan Sikong said seriously. “While things don’t seem critical now, and we’re not yet in a state of complete collapse, last year’s treasury was still quite ample. But if I tell you that next year, at most the year after, the treasury will be exhausted, what would you think?”

She Zhun was startled. “…How is that possible?”

Yan Sikong spoke slowly, “At the beginning of the year, eighty thousand taels of silver were used for disaster relief, with most of it lining personal pockets. The war in Liaodong cost one hundred and thirty thousand taels in just a few months and will continue to drain silver heavily. To fend off Feng Ye, at least a million taels in military expenses are required. Do you know how much the treasury earns annually?”

“In its heyday, excluding the emperor’s private treasury, it was about seven to eight million.”

“Correct. In the peak of the Ming Wu era, Da Sheng, which had nations come to pay tribute and subdued the four seas, had annual silver revenue approaching ten million taels, including the emperor’s private treasury. But since Emperor Zhao Wu’s reign, or rather, since his father’s time, the treasury’s richest period was the last two years when it received a large influx of silver through reducing vassal states and maritime taxes, reaching nearly six million taels. Now, however, the reduction of vassal states has been ongoing for many years and is no longer effective, and maritime taxes from Jiangnan will soon no longer be collected.”

She Zhun’s eyes widened. “Because the eunuchs have fallen!”

Yan Sikong nodded gravely. “Yes, with the fall of the eunuchs, the gentry class rises again, and we will gradually return to the era when officials in Jiangnan dominated, leading to a reduction in maritime taxes. Next year, the treasury will collect at least two million taels less. And next year, wars won’t cease. If there are additional disasters or calamities, such as natural disasters…”

She Zhun finally understood Yan Sikong’s concerns. They were not mere alarmist warnings. For thousands of years, the rise and fall of dynasties on this land were often rooted in poverty. If the treasury were full, it meant that the people were living in peace and that taxes could be collected. With sufficient tax revenue, it meant a strong military and good governance, deterring foreign invasions.

Without silver, no matter how strong a dynasty, it would crumble.

She Zhun said, “You’ve already seen this far ahead.”

“It’s not that I see far, but that I see clearly. Historical records are full of such precedents. I’m not the only one who sees this. There are often officials in the court who express concerns, but that dog of an emperor doesn’t care at all,” Yan Sikong said solemnly. “She Zhun, if you wait until you realize the dynasty is on the brink of collapse, it will likely be too late to save it.”

She Zhun hesitated. “Even so, what does this have to do with you meeting Feng Ye?”

“I want to stop all of this.” Yan Sikong raised his voice. “If this decaying dynasty falls, it will be the common people of Central Plains who suffer. Since I have a chance to prevent it, how can I sit idly by?”

“What do you plan to do?”

Yan Sikong pressed his lips together, looking at She Zhun with burning eyes filled with desire. “I want to help Feng Ye bring his army to the gates of the Forbidden City, and then we will support Chen Li to ascend the throne, taking control of the power between us two.”

She Zhun shivered slightly, a cold wave washing over him. His scalp felt as if it were about to burst, and he trembled as he said, “You have such great ambitions. Back then, you and Feng Ye tried to force the palace during the spring hunt, but you ended in utter defeat. I didn’t expect you to have given up.”

Yan Sikong sneered. “When I speak, others may hear it as barking. If I cannot hold power, what talk of governance and saving the country is there? As long as I still draw breath, I will never give up.”

She Zhun replied coldly, “Do you truly want to save the country and its people, or are you addicted to power?”

“If I said both, what then?”

She Zhun narrowed his eyes. “Nan Yu, you are very smart, perhaps the smartest person I’ve ever met. But in this world, things often don’t go as you plan. What you want to do is a thousand times more dangerous than toppling Xie Zhongren.”

“So what? Everyone dies eventually. As a man, if one does not have great ambitions, isn’t that a wasted life?”

She Zhun fell silent.

“She Zhun, I don’t believe you’re content to wander the world for the rest of your life. Don’t you long for glory and to leave your name in the annals of history?”

After a moment of hesitation, She Zhun said, “I’m used to a free and easy life. Fame and fortune would be a burden to me. But if you’re truly sincere about helping the people, I will assist you.”

“She Zhun, you and I have known each other for over a decade. You know well that I have no interest in wealth, pleasures, or corrupt officials who harm the nation. My desire for power is because, with it, I can do what I wish to do. You must believe me on this.”

She Zhun nodded and then mockingly said, “But Feng Ye might not believe you. What if Feng Ye… wants to be emperor?”

Yan Sikong frowned. “From what I know of him, he cannot tolerate such constraints.”

“As you said, every man dreams of achieving great things and ruling the world. How do you know he doesn’t want that?”

Yan Sikong was silent for a moment and then said, “He is a military talent, not a ruler. Furthermore, this is the Chen family’s empire. If Chen Li ascends the throne, it will be rightful. If he were to claim the throne, the various lords would surely rebel, and the world would fall into chaos. He wouldn’t do that.” Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “If he truly desires it, I will stop him.”

“Nan Yu, you’re taking a great risk.”

“What step haven’t I taken that isn’t risky?” Yan Sikong smiled. “Even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I will not hesitate. Yan Sikong was born to overturn the world.”

She Zhun sighed. “I hope you get what you wish for. No matter who becomes emperor, I believe it will be better than this current dog of an emperor. After hearing your words, I feel that a great calamity is imminent.”

“It is indeed so, not alarmist rhetoric,” Yan Sikong said. “She Zhun, after I leave, everything will be up to you and Ah Li. You must inform me of all developments in the court, and protect Wan Yang well, especially ensuring the child’s situation remains hidden.”

“I will.”

“Wait for my news.”

“Nan Yu…” She Zhun hesitated, then said, “What if you meet Feng Ye?”

Yan Sikong was taken aback. Had he thought about it? Perhaps he had. In the idle days of imprisonment, he had repeatedly pondered whether his plan would succeed, whether he would see Feng Ye again. Yet each time he imagined the reunion, he avoided thinking further.

Back then, he had married Wan Yang and refused to abandon everything to follow Feng Ye. Their relationship had ended, and later, as he turned against the eunuchs and gained a notorious reputation, how would Feng Ye view him now?

He truly did not dare to think further. He would eventually have to face Feng Ye. Thinking about it a thousand or ten thousand times would not change anything and would only increase his worries.

But deep down, he held onto hope. He hoped that Xie Zhongren’s downfall might lead to reconciliation. Feng Ye had once been deeply affectionate towards him, and they had shared sweet and happy times. Would Feng Ye… understand him?

She Zhun shook his head, piercing through his thoughts. “You’re afraid to think about it, aren’t you?”

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. “What use is it to think? It’s just self-torment. I’ll deal with it when I see him.”

She Zhun stood up and said earnestly, “Nan Yu, the journey to the northwest is long and fraught with danger. You must take care.”

Yan Sikong nodded solemnly. “I will return, bringing with me a vast army to cover the sky and block out the sun.” (End of chapter)