IDWBE -Chapter 177 The Grand Internal Succession Ceremony

Life was difficult, and many of the Qian people’s leaders were already discussing returning to their hometowns.

At this moment, Prince He was rebuilding the Elephant Training Guard, providing food and lodging.

They couldn’t help but feel pleased.

But the Sanhe people who had previously profited from them were very unhappy. They had expected to continue making money off these newcomers. Instead, the Qian people had not only followed them to Sanhe but were planning to settle there permanently. That was unacceptable.

These people caused trouble everywhere, fighting and relieving themselves in public—it was already infuriating.

Even worse, the Baiyun City constables applied double standards, failing to punish them with labor reform!

Fortunately, with the Qian people joining the Elephant Training Guard and the Li and Lian people joining the Sanhe Guard, only a few elderly, weak, and women-and-children remained, and this situation was slowly improving.

This year’s winter was colder than usual.

The elders of Baiyun City said they had never experienced such freezing weather in their lives.

Lazy men lying on the streets had no shelter from the wind or rain, sleeping each day with their hearts in their mouths, fearing they might not wake up the next morning.

Reluctantly, many joined the road construction teams. There, not only could they eat their fill, but they also had a place to sleep and blankets to cover themselves.

“This damn cold… this weather is completely abnormal.”

Lin Yi couldn’t stay in the courtyard, so he moved into the hall and watched the fine drizzle begin to fall outside.

These days, he went out less and less. Every outing required an entourage, troubling others and himself.

It was much better to stay safely at home.

He thought: sooner or later, he would annihilate that bunch of women from the Jizhao Nunnery!

Then he could walk again freely under the sunlight.

“Prince,” Mingyue brewed tea for Lin Yi again and smiled, “I heard that the Lian people keep clamoring to return home because they can’t stand the cold.”

“I wonder how freezing Ankang City must be now,” Lin Yi unconsciously thought of his mother and younger sister. “Sanhe may be cold, but it won’t kill anyone. Ankang City… it will.”

Every winter morning, Ankang City’s soldiers would haul cart after cart of frozen corpses out of the city, mostly homeless beggars and wanderers.

Zixia nodded in agreement, “That’s why I prefer Sanhe. Prince, your governance is wise. Everyone has clothes, everyone has food, everyone is happy, and I feel happy every day too.”

“You’re getting better at sweet-talking people,” Lin Yi laughed heartily. “I wonder who taught you that.”

When Tian Shiyou returned with over thirty large ships, he felt like he had come to the wrong place.

At dusk, the sun’s rays faded, the cold wind whistled, and he shivered in his bare chest.

“Commander Bao, long time no see!”

Tian Shiyou approached Bao Kui and cupped his hands in greeting. “How have you been?”

“Thanks to you, I’m doing well,” Bao Kui smiled. “According to your last letter, you should have returned ten days ago. I didn’t expect you back only today.”

It made it so Prince He had him standing guard on this shore every day.

Tian Shiyou sighed, “We encountered a hurricane along the way. We had to take shelter on a small island. The food was poor, the drinks were poor… it took several days to get here.”

Bao Kui smiled, “The important thing is that you returned safely.”

Tian Shiyou asked, “Shall I freshen up before meeting Prince He?”

Bao Kui smiled, “Prince He doesn’t care about such formalities. You can come straight away.”

Tian Shiyou nodded, grabbed a horse from a nearby constable, and rode along with Bao Kui.

At the gate, he first glanced at Fang Pi, then at Cui Gengren, and said, “May I borrow some clothes?”

Shivering in front of Prince He, looking half-frozen—what kind of image would that be?

Cui Gengren took off his clothes and tossed them to the bare-chested Tian Shiyou. “Remember to return them.”

“Of course.”

Tian Shiyou laughed heartily and followed Bao Kui into the mansion.

“Long live Prince He!”

“Rise.”

Lin Yi gave him a glance and continued focusing on the crickets in his jar.

This was another pastime he had invented after getting bored from being idle.

Unexpectedly, within two days, Baiyun City held its first Cricket Contest, with gamblers betting furiously.

It made him want to throw the crickets away—it ruined the Sanhe culture! How could the city develop like this?

“Prince,” Tian Shiyou stood, “I’ve already sent Prince Yong’s troops back to Yongzhou.”

“Did you get paid?”

Lin Yi only cared about whether the money had been received.

“Yes,”

Tian Shiyou said. “Yongzhou was covered in heavy snow. The cold froze the sea. Many soldiers froze or died as soon as they disembarked.”

“That’s harsh,” Lin Yi said casually. “Did the Wadan people retreat?”

“I’m not sure,” Tian Shiyou said cautiously, “I heard Yang Changchun is now serving Prince Yong.”

“And?” Lin Yi asked.

Tian Shiyou recounted the story of the Qizhou naval attack and added, “In my humble opinion, the Qizhou navy didn’t go all out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a chance to return.”

“Oh?”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. “So this means I still owe that naval officer… what was his name?”

“Zhao Chaoliu,” Tian Shiyou accepted the tea Mingyue handed him and said, “He didn’t seem willing to make things difficult for Prince Yong.”

“Was that one of my Sanhe ships?” Lin Yi asked curiously.

“Prince, our Sanhe navy is newly established. The reputation of the Otter Banner hasn’t spread yet.”

Tian Shiyou felt that Prince He was different than before, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed.

“Then it’s out of respect for Prince Yong, not for me,”

Lin Yi said indifferently. “I owe him nothing. In the future, I don’t need to be polite either.”

“Exactly.”

Lin Yi said, “I understand. You’ve traveled far, go home and rest.”

“Yes.”

Tian Shiyou bowed and left, without even sipping the hot tea in his hands.

Outside, Ye Qiu and Xiao Xizi were sparring with swords, exchanging blows, shadows flying. He couldn’t help but call out, “Well done!”

Ye Qiu smiled, “Master Tian, I think you have a natural affinity with the Pixie-Slaying Sword Technique. Should I tell the commander that we learn together tomorrow?”

“Are you kidding me!”

Tian Shiyou cursed, flustered, and ran off without stopping.

It was a joke… he was supposed to just be a eunuch! That would have been the sane choice.

Everyone watched his back and laughed heartily.

A young man in white holding a bamboo stick suddenly said, “Young Master Ye, you have a blood calamity approaching. You must be careful. I advise you not to linger in the mansion today.”

“Wang Dong, Prince He had you learn bone-reading fortune-telling from that old Taoist Sun Xing to scam people for money, not to amuse the household.”

Ye Qiu, usually proud, didn’t dare retort against this blind man.

Because this blind man never missed.

The more unknown the thing, the scarier it was.

Wang Dong shook his head, “I never lie. Believe it or not, young master.”

“I’m already Ninth Rank! What blood calamity could I have?”

Ye Qiu was exasperated.

This guy was a jinx! Whatever he said, it happened.

“The secrets of Heaven must not be revealed.”

Wang Dong shook his head, leaning on the bamboo stick, and left swiftly without any guide or support.

That night, Ye Qiu received a beating from Hong Ying, and his forehead bled.

Wang Dong amazed everyone again—a true divine calculator.

No one could argue; they were awed.

They worried that if old Taoist Sun Xing taught his disciple well, he’d outshine the master.

Sun Xing himself was frustrated too.

The incense at Baiyun Grand Temple grew more prosperous, and business improved.

Most people came for his disciple anyway.

After all, the title “Divine Calculator” had already spread through Baiyun City.

Now his master was merely assisting his own disciple.

Yet the disciple had merits: no concept of money. Whatever he earned, most remained in his hands.

For money, Sun Xing reluctantly complied.

“Disciple, wash your feet. You’ve worked hard.”

Returning from the Hu Banquan household, they had earned ten taels of silver. Sun Xing happily drew water for his disciple.

“Thank you, Master.”

Wang Dong didn’t move, letting his master remove his shoes and socks.

Once his feet were in the basin, he scrubbed them while saying, “Master, let’s not go to the Hu family again.”

“Why?”

Sun Xing was puzzled. “Who among the big families of Baiyun City is more generous than the Hu family? Disciple, once we earn enough, I’ll get you a master’s wife.”

“Master, climbing from flat ground to the snow-capped sky,” Wang Dong said calmly, “Master, you understand better than I do what this means.”

“Climbing from flat ground to the snow-capped sky…”

Sun Xing shivered, murmuring, “Damn… no one can save this. Fine, we won’t go there again. If they come to us, we’ll feign illness. Can’t go chasing bad luck.”

“Yes, disciple will follow your teachings.”

Wang Dong smiled satisfactorily.

“Following the teacher’s words is never wrong.”

The year-end approached.

Ship after ship returned to Baiyun City.

Over 200 ships crowded the Xijiang River, as far as the eye could see.

At dismissal time, the children of Baiyun City swarmed onto the ships, climbing like monkeys.

Children’s world is simpler than adults’, but their conflicts are just as many.

Children formed gangs and fought, regardless of martial arts training. Group fights often involved over thirty people.

According to Baiyun City law, fighting meant labor reform.

But constables couldn’t bring themselves to punish these half-grown kids.

Consulting Lin Yi, he only ordered the offending children to copy 100 times.

On New Year’s Eve, Qi Peng finally brought news from the capital.

“The Crown Prince ascends the throne, the era name is Zhengchang. The De Long Emperor is honored as the Retired Emperor to instruct governance. The Ministry of Rites proclaims that the Zhengchang Emperor, under the Retired Emperor’s decree, issues the edict, announced by the Golden Phoenix, declaring it to the world.”

After reading, Lin Yi tossed the paper aside. “Let them make trouble, let them go all out. I want to see who ends up the fisherman and who the yellow bird.”

“Prince,” Qi Peng continued, “The Consort and the Princess are safe. You can rest assured.”

“If the eldest brother dares to do anything reckless, I’ll make him pay dearly,” Lin Yi added, “Tomorrow is the new year, the first year of Zhengchang. Truly a dynastic change.”

Shan Qi said, “Prince, General Mei’s 70,000 troops have already entered Nanling.”

“And my uncle?”

Lin Yi lifted his teacup. “Wasn’t he supposed to be a loyal subject? Has he returned to Ankang City?”

Shan Qi said, “By now the army has probably reached Jiangnan.”

“Keep an eye on him,” Lin Yi sighed. “I don’t care if one or two of my many uncles die, but my mother is especially close to this uncle. If he dies, my mother will be heartbroken. Let him live.”

“Prince He is wise!”

Shan Qi said solemnly, “The Crown Prince probably wouldn’t make such a foolish move.”

“Not necessarily,” Lin Yi shook his head. “The eldest brother has been in the Crown Prince position for 30 years. He’s long abnormal. Better to be cautious.”

A normal person wouldn’t risk so much and imprison their father!

Shan Qi said, “Yes.”

Lin Yi curiously asked, “I can understand the betrayal of the Yu family. But He Jin… why risk so much?”

He had three dynasty elders.

A eunuch could only serve one person for life.

Shan Qi said, “The Crown Prince must have found some leverage over He Jin.”

Chen Desheng shook his head. “He Jin controls the Imperial Guard. He has power. He’s not someone the Crown Prince can easily threaten.”

Bian Jing nodded, “Indeed, He Jin would never compromise so easily.”

“Then we won’t speculate,” Lin Yi raised his hands and stretched. “What’s Jiang Chong’s angle here? As far as I know, he’s never been friendly with the Crown Prince. They used to be enemies, each wishing to cut the other down.”

Qi Peng cupped his hands. “Jiang Chong’s position isn’t clear yet.”

Lin Yi stood abruptly. “Ah, headache. Never mind. Today is New Year’s Eve. Let’s celebrate together! I’ll drink with all of you—no one leaves until drunk!”

“Thanks, Prince!”

Everyone knelt again, knocking three times solemnly.

Sanhe’s ships returned, the finance bureau eased, and Lin Yi grew wealthy.

No shortage of money.

That night, a grand feast was held.

As the fireworks from Prince He’s Mansion rose, Baiyun City’s fireworks followed in succession.

Lin Yi raised his cup, shouting, “I drink this cup with you all, thanking you for your great support!”

“Thanks, Prince!”

Everyone shouted in unison and drank.

“I just want to live a quiet and peaceful life, being a simple man is enough,” Lin Yi put down his cup, muttering, “If they don’t allow it, there’s nothing I can do. Unless I become a pile of dog shit, they won’t step on me. But I refuse to be dog shit.”

Being simple mud was already his lowest limit!

Everyone listened quietly, unsure how to respond.

“From now on, if I do something poorly, tell me. Don’t bottle it up,”

Lin Yi drank another cup, “But I won’t change anyway!”

A funny statement—but no one laughed.

What did he mean by “won’t change”?

That was law and decree!