Chapter 57 Wu Ning Prince's Mansion, Betting on Prince Jin

After hearing Zhuge Yunsheng's words, Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning frowned slightly and remained silent for a long time.

For a moment, he was unsure about the matter of the marriage agreement between the black-robed old monk Dongfang Xiao and the Prince of Wuning's mansion, which he had deliberately brought up to the steward Zhuge Yunsheng before his departure.

Was it at the behest of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, or was it the restless old monk acting on his own initiative?

But there was one thing Liu Xinwu was very clear about.

That is, the reason why Chen Huai'an agreed to his request must be because his influence and remaining power in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, well, now it should be the Fifteen Prefectures of Youyun excluding Yun Prefecture are still there.

Later, Chen Huai'an's army in Longcheng continued its southern campaign to quell the rebellion, with the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun bearing the brunt.

If Chen Huai'an could bring the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun under his control, it would mean that he would possess half of the Great Xin Dynasty's territory and have the power to rule across the river from the imperial court.

Going forward, whether it's war or peace, the initiative will be firmly in Chen Huai'an's hands.

This little brat looks harmless and well-mannered, but when it comes to scheming and cunning, he's far more capable than his father, Chen Polu!

Inexplicably, Liu Xinwu recalled the few times he had interacted with Chen Huai'an in the imperial court of the capital.

To be fair, he had a fairly good impression of Chen Huai'an; he was a refined, polite, and handsome young man.

Although Chen Huai'an, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin, did not achieve any fame or merit on horseback in the Great Xin Dynasty, which valued martial prowess.

He was a "useless son" in the mouths of the generals in the court, and the "弼马温" (Bima Wen) in charge of the logistics and provisions of the Po Lu Army.

However, only Liu Xinwu, who was also a king of a different surname, knew that overseeing the military and political affairs of his fiefdom and being responsible for feeding the 300,000-strong army was much more difficult than defeating the enemy commander from horseback.

The seemingly useless heir Chen Huai'an in the eyes of the world is not useless at all; rather, it would be more appropriate to say that he is wise in appearance but unassuming and humble in spirit.

Sure enough, when faced with the devastating news of the Prince of Jin's death, the Emperor's usurpation of power, and the reassignment of the heir apparent, he was in a precarious situation where death seemed inevitable.

Chen Huai'an, the useless heir apparent in the eyes of everyone, took matters into his own hands and raised the banner of "cleansing the emperor's inner circle and eliminating treacherous officials" to start a rebellion in Longcheng.

Within just two months, they successively captured two important military towns, Yunzhou and Shuobei, and annihilated 300,000 Yunhui troops.

He even led a lone army on a northern expedition, plunging deep into the Gobi Desert to launch a lightning attack on the Turks, directly striking their royal court and forcing the remaining Turkic forces to flee to the south of the Gobi Desert.

Each and every one of these feats is an astonishing and extraordinary achievement.

It should be noted that Chen Huai'an was only twenty-four years old, yet he had already achieved such merit.

Given time, the trapped dragon will ascend to heaven—what a disaster that would be!

The old monk Dongfang Xiao's proposal to enter into a marriage agreement with the Prince of Wuning's mansion may seem like taking advantage of someone in distress, but it is actually a righteous act of offering help in a time of need.

If the Prince of Wuning's Mansion and the Prince of Jin's Mansion were to form a marriage alliance, the Prince of Wuning's Mansion would be the absolute beneficiary after Chen Huai'an conquered the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, whether he ruled separately from the imperial court or continued south to unify the country.

For Liu Xinwu, being the father-in-law of the future founding emperor was far more real and reliable than being granted the title of a king of a different surname.

Besides, what the old monk Dongfang Xiao said makes sense.

I know I will eventually pass away, and my daughter's later life truly needs to be entrusted to someone worthy of my trust.

From the current perspective, looking at the entire Xin Dynasty, no one is more suitable than Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.

This little rascal is not only cunning and resourceful, but also a true genius.

He was a handsome young man with exceptional looks and temperament, a good match for his daughter. Shujun marrying him was a good match in terms of social standing.

However, once the two families are united by marriage, the future of the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion will be completely tied to that of Prince Jin, Chen Huai'an.

We all prosper together, and we all suffer together.

After much deliberation, Liu Xinwu finally decided to place his bet on Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.

Now that things have come to this, we must summon the courage and determination to "risk everything and even bring down the emperor."

"Your Highness—"

At this moment, seeing that his prince remained silent, his face sometimes gloomy and sometimes grinning foolishly.

The prince's steward, Zhuge Yunsheng, could no longer contain himself and asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Um?

Liu Xinwu finally came to his senses and instructed Zhuge Yunsheng:

"Yun Sheng, I already know about what happened. You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yunsheng wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't. He simply bowed to Liu Xinwu and then turned and left.

"Yun Sheng, wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Liu Xinwu called out to Zhuge Yunsheng, who was about to leave, and whispered an instruction to him:

"By the way, tell them to keep all the chickens, ducks, and geese that were brought back to the palace today in the backyard!"

"In addition, the matter I instructed you to do last time—finding an honest and reliable blacksmith to work in the palace—can also be put on the agenda. The sounds of chickens, ducks, and geese in the backyard can conveniently cover up the sound of the blacksmith hammering iron."

"Do you understand?"

Zhuge Yunsheng nodded, bowed slightly, and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will do as you say!"

Liu Xinwu waved his hand and said, "Go!"

Soon, Zhuge Yunsheng hurriedly left.

Liu Xinwu followed closely behind, leaving the study and heading towards his daughter Liu Shujun's bedroom.

Princess Liu Shujun's boudoir occupies the best location in the entire palace. The flowing water, the artificial hills, and the occasional chirping of insects and birds add to the tranquil charm of the courtyard.

Liu Xinwu strode in, and before he could see his daughter Shujun, he heard the mournful sound of a guzheng.

Upon closer inspection, it was Princess Liu Shujun playing the guzheng in the courtyard, performing "Guangling San," one of the ten great guzheng pieces.

Liu Shujun's slender fingers danced across the strings of the guzheng, expressing her deep sorrow through the music, which was filled with a powerful and indignant spirit.

Princess Liu Shujun of the Wuning Prince's Mansion, in the prime of her youth, was originally a favored daughter of heaven, showered with love and affection.

However, Emperor Zhao Gan issued an edict ordering her to travel 6,800 miles to the Uyghur Khanate for a marriage alliance with a dying foreign old man. How could she possibly accept this?

From the moment the imperial edict bestowing upon her the title of Princess Anning and ordering her to travel to the Uyghur Khaganate for a marriage alliance the following spring was delivered to the Prince of Wuning's residence in Changshan County.

The once lively and cheerful Princess Liu Shujun became melancholy and taciturn, spending her days with the zither and lute, expressing her discontent through music.

Her face, which was originally as fair as jade and as clear as water, was now filled with sorrow and resentment.

When the song ended, Liu Shujun looked lost and melancholy.

"Book Lord—"

At this moment, Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, who had arrived at the courtyard gate long ago, hurriedly came over with a smile on his face. While greeting his daughter, he waved to signal all the maids in the courtyard to leave.

"All of you, step back!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

After the maid left, Liu Shujun stood up and greeted Liu Xinwu: "Father, you've arrived!"

Seeing his daughter's melancholy and sorrowful expression, the father felt a pang of heartache.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xinwu decided to first sound out his daughter's opinion.

He asked tentatively, "Shujun, your father has been busy lately trying to figure out how to avoid the marriage alliance with the Uyghurs."

"Now, things are looking promising!"

Um?

Upon hearing this, Liu Shujun's eyebrows relaxed, her face filled with surprise and disbelief as she asked, "Father, really? I really don't have to go to the Uyghur Khaganate for a marriage alliance?"

Liu Xinwu nodded heavily.

"Wow, that's great!"

Upon receiving her father's affirmative reply, Liu Shujun's sorrowful gloom vanished, and she even spun around happily, her silvery laughter echoing throughout the entire palace.

After a long silence, Liu Shujun, still unable to contain her excitement, asked Liu Xinwu again, "Dad, you're not lying to me, are you?"

Liu Xinwu nodded again and said firmly, "Of course, when has your father ever lied to you?"

Liu Shujun was overjoyed and said, "Dad, you're so good, hee hee!"

As she spoke, Liu Shujun walked back and forth in the courtyard with light steps, and said to herself with a happy smile, "Great! I don't have to go to the marriage alliance anymore. I can stay here in the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion with my father and not go anywhere else. Hehe!"

Beside him, Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, looked at his daughter, who had regained her usual lively and cheerful demeanor, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

The words of probing remained unspoken.

Never mind, I'll talk to my daughter about it when I have time. Anyway, this can't be rushed.

The most urgent task is to find a way to help Chen Huai'an get through the ordeal of Emperor Zhao Gan's personal expedition!

Liu Xinwu thought to himself that this was the case.