IDWBE -Chapter 325 Merit and Rewards

“Take your time to find him. No rush. From now on, he’ll be like a rat in the sewers—afraid of the light. Let’s see how he’ll still dare to act,” Lin Yi snorted coldly, then pushed the imperial seal across the table to He Jixiang.

“This is the imperial seal. Take it and stamp all the necessary appointments. I need a proper rest and can’t be bothered with these trivial matters.”

Essentially, the imperial seal was just like phrases such as “Supreme Martial Leader, Dragon Slayer, Commands All Under Heaven”—all for show.

If it were really lost, carving a new one would only take ten or so minutes.

So he didn’t value it at all.

There was no reason to take this seriously; otherwise, for the tiniest matters, he’d have to come and stamp them himself—how would that be different from his father? He already controlled Ankang City. Why continue doing the grunt work? What’s the point?

“Prince!”

He Jixiang jumped in alarm. “The imperial seal is the treasure of the realm! How can it be entrusted to someone else!”

He had only heard of chief eunuchs handling the seal, never ministers doing so! If it existed, it would only be in the hands of treacherous men of old. But he wasn’t one of those! If it ended up in his hands, even a spit could drown him.

“Take it. You are now the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, Governor of the Five Armies, and all military and civil affairs are decided by your word alone. If you don’t take it, who else will?”

Lin Yi was gradually losing patience.

“Prince, absolutely not! Please reconsider!”

He Jixiang knelt in desperation.

He only knew that their Prince was eccentric, but never imagined it could go this far—handing the imperial seal directly to a minister was unheard of throughout history!

Lin Yi, exasperated, said, “There’s so much going on here and there. You want me to hold the imperial seal? Do you want to tire me to death?”

He Jixiang nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. Are you not afraid of killing me from exhaustion?

“Prince…”

He Jixiang truly did not want to take it.

This wasn’t just any object—it was the imperial seal, hot to the touch! No, it was burning all over! No different than holding it over a fire.

“Enough talk,” Seeing He Jixiang so frightened, Lin Yi could only wave helplessly, “Take it to the Hall of Diligent Governance. Whoever needs it can stamp. Don’t bother me.”

“Yes.”

Hearing that it only needed to be placed in the Hall, not held in his hands, He Jixiang finally breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly said, “Prince, why not appoint a chief eunuch to handle the seal?”

Lin Yi sighed: “Isn’t that little Yingzi bastard still not back?”

Xiao Xizi, standing nearby, had known this was the situation, yet felt a tinge of disappointment.
After all, the miracle he had hoped for hadn’t happened.

He Jixiang smiled: “Prince speaks wisely.”

Lin Yi continued: “Bao Kui, for now, will serve as Governor of the Capital Garrison.”

“Understood,” He Jixiang asked: “Who will serve as commander of the Military Affairs Office?”

“Jiang Yi came along as well. Let him be deputy commander first, stationed at Qingyuan City as a gate commander—it’s a bit beneath him,” Lin Yi thought for a moment: “Then send word to Zhang Mian. When he returns, appoint him commander. He was originally commander of the South Gate forces—experienced and familiar. As for the navy, leave it all to Jiang Kan.”

“Prince is wise,” He Jixiang pondered: “During the city’s capture, over ten thousand surrendered. How shall we handle them?”

Lin Yi said: “Hold them for now. After tomorrow’s morning court, reorganize them. Those who stay will serve me. The Wadan are aggressive; now is the time to use manpower. The more forces at hand, the better. Those who wish to leave may do so—let them return to their families, each to their own mothers.”

“The South Gate commander Han Long and Capital Garrison Governor Sun Da are unruly. Releasing them may be like letting the tiger back into the wild,” He Jixiang worriedly said, “Please, Prince, reconsider.”

“If they refuse to see reason, it just gives me a reason to kill them,” Lin Yi snorted coldly. “Saves me from having to hesitate. So, you’re suggesting we keep them for service?”

“Exactly.”

He Jixiang nodded.

Lin Yi said: “Do as you see fit. I won’t interfere. Do you really think my father would give up so easily? It doesn’t feel real.”

His father was an extraordinary man. How could he surrender so easily? The more he thought, the more uneasy he felt.

He Jixiang said: “When His Majesty first ascended, his desire to govern was too hasty. Ambition became utilitarianism, utilitarianism became law; Law became suspicion; suspicion became obstruction. Prince, now His Majesty is old, the realm shattered, the country no longer a country, his heart disheartened—he has lost the ambitions of his youth. Moreover, Prince, His Majesty no longer has the strength to turn things around.”

He had boldly summarized Emperor Delong’s failures while warning the Prince not to rush upon entering Ankang City.

“No, no,” Lin Yi waved, “The state of Daliang is critical; a strong medicine is needed. My father’s mistake was not impatience, but taking the wrong path. History proves that those who offend the people never end well.”

After saying this, he kept yawning, waved to He Jixiang, and returned to his room to sleep.

He woke early the next day, and by lunchtime his eyelids were heavy. Holding out this long was already difficult.

People shouldn’t be too idle; after long idleness, even minor effort feels like exhaustion.

When the Prince entered the city, news spread through every street and alley. Many stayed indoors, but the South City was different—everyone rejoiced at the Prince’s arrival.

By dusk, He Mansion Street became lively.

Many came out to set up tea and food stalls. Longtime residents were unafraid.

“Haha!”

Zhu Ruorong rode on a mule cart, shouting, “I’m back!”

“Hey, Zhu Ruorong!”

“The butcher is back!”

“You guys are really hardworking, still setting up at this hour,”

Zhu Ruorong stood, bowed, and said, “Better get home. Curfew comes soon.”

“You’ve struck it rich, Zhu Ruorong. How would you understand our poor struggles?”

A thin man shouted, “I haven’t gone out for over ten days. If this continues, my family will starve.”

An elderly woman added, “Thank heavens. Hearing our Prince is back, I dared come out.”

Zhu Ruorong and the other butchers laughed heartily.

“Let’s go. Turn that corner, and it’s my house.”

They passed a narrow alley and stopped in front of a low house.

Zhu Ruorong opened the door, brushed away spider webs, looked at the damp, dim two rooms, the cracked walls, and said angrily, “This is your home? Can anyone live here?”

Lighting a candle, he glanced around and said, “If you don’t like it, sleep at an inn.”

“In midsummer? I’m not wasting money,” Jiang Tuhu snorted: “Where’s the well? I’ll get water.”

They would stay in Ankang City for more than a day or two. Living in an inn daily would be unaffordable.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Zhu Ruorong brought the mule cart to a nearby shed, removed the harness, took down the buckets and yokes, and stopped by a well.

He drew water, with Jiang Tuhu helping, and Wang Xiaoshuan cleaned the rooms. Once tidy, they started cooking.

After making a simple meal, the three drank directly.

Wang Xiaoshuan rubbed his chest while drinking, angrily saying, “I really wanted to chop Han Long into pieces today. He dared stop me climbing the wall. Lucky I wore armor, or he would’ve skewered me. No chance to talk to you.”

Zhu Ruorong said, “You were reckless. General Shen said, without us, the soldiers would attack the city directly. You went to show off—if you survived, consider yourself lucky. This is Ankang City; the walls are taller than Wulin City or Jinling City. Didn’t you see? The walls are packed earth with brick exteriors, five zhang thick. Even with explosives, only a few bricks fell. The capital garrison are elite troops. If you got out alive, be thankful. In the end, the big cannon did the work—boom! A huge section of wall collapsed, killing many.”

Jiang Tuhu snorted: “Elite my foot. After I went up, I saw few skilled fighters. Completely no match.”

Zhu Ruorong hiccuped from drinking: “You don’t understand. You didn’t meet the real experts. Ye Qiu and the blind man were blocked entering the palace. With your skills, if you don’t believe, try yourself?”

“True,” Jiang Tuhu lowered his voice: “Later, Bao Kui attacked the Secret Guard Command, killing over ten fifth-rank or higher experts.”

He shrank in fear. Seriously, today had been perilous.

Wang Xiaoshuan grinned: “If we hadn’t worked so hard, would we even have entered the city? Otherwise, we’d be sleeping outside with the food packs. The real strength of Ankang City is its crossbows and cannons. Much better than our Sanhe. Elephant heads covered in iron? They still got blown away—deadly.”

He drank the rest of his cup.

Jiang Tuhu said, “Han Dongsheng and Liang Qingshu were smart, hiding outside instead of charging forward. General Shen said our laborers will also be rewarded. Let’s see if they get jealous tomorrow.”

“We get rewards too?”

Zhu Ruorong was surprised.

“Of course,” Jiang Tuhu said proudly, “If we hadn’t dug open the sandbags at the city gate with shovels, the South Gate wouldn’t have opened. Without the South Gate, how could the army get in?”

“Don’t expect too much,”

Zhu Ruorong knew Shen Chu was generous, but he knew the Prince better. Think he’d give us money? He didn’t believe it.