The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 111 Preparing Generous Gifts

Snow fell on the palace paths.

Wang Yan led the way, bowing slightly as he smiled and said, "This old servant is extremely honored to accompany General Xiao to Xuzhou to welcome the Emperor."

Xiao Yi said, "If Eunuch Wang is willing, he will be of great merit when the new emperor ascends the throne."

"General, you are too kind to me. I am unworthy of such praise."

As they were speaking, they saw two palace maids standing in front of them; they were people who served An Yuanzhen.

They must have been waiting for Xiao Yi. Their faces were red from the wind and snow. They stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "General Xiao, now that you have entered the palace, that's perfect. The Empress has something to ask you. Please come with us."

Xiao Yi knew that An Yuanzhen just wanted to go back to Xiangzhou again. He hadn't even seen Guo Xin and Li Zhaoning, so he had no desire to see her either.

"This humble general still has military duties to attend to, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Ah? This is an audience with the Empress! How dare you disobey?"

Xiao Yi was bold enough to bow and signal Wang Yan to lead him out of the main gate, leaving two palace maids behind him stomping their feet in anger.

Upon returning to the guardhouse in the two corridors, Wei Renpu had already sent someone to tell him to go to the Ministry of Rites to meet Zhao Shangjiao, the Vice Minister of Rites, and Wang Du, the Academician of the Privy Council. Xiao Yi then took Wang Yan with him.

Upon arriving in Taiwan, the group met in a harmonious atmosphere. Zhao Shangjiao was appointed as the chief envoy, with Wang Du, Wang Yan, and Xiao Yi as deputy envoys. Of course, these were all nominal appointments; Xiao Yi was the actual leader of the group.

In addition, Wei Renpu also selected an official, a minor clerk in the Left Treasury, who was to assist Xiao Yi and provide intelligence.

"Greetings, General. My name is Zhang Mei, courtesy name Xuan Gui, from Qinghe County, Beizhou. I am skilled in strategizing."

Zhang Mei was in her early thirties, slightly hunched over with rounded shoulders and squinting eyes, likely due to years of burying herself in her work and being nearsighted. Her face was thin and she appeared quite shrewd and capable.

"Brother Xuan Gui, do you know anything about Xuzhou?"

"You flatter me, General Xiao, you are too kind."

Zhang Mei bowed and said, "I worked as an accountant at the Xuzhou border market for three years, and I have some knowledge of officialdom, trade routes, local customs, and people."

"In that case, I'm sorry to trouble you, Brother Xuan Gui, with this trip. Is there anything I should prepare?"

“A generous gift.” Zhang Mei narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered, “Liu Yun is indecisive. General, you should bribe the people around him. His wife, Dong, is the niece of Dong Zhang, the former military governor of Pengmen. She is fond of luxury and vanity. I heard that she often buys luxury items. If you can bribe Dong, you will be halfway to success.”

Xiao Yi thought to himself that if he wanted to buy lavish gifts, he would need to ask the Marshal's Mansion for money, and he would have to spend it wisely to win over Madam Dong.

"In Brother Xuan Gui's opinion, what gifts should be prepared?"

“Xuzhou is prosperous and its goods are traded throughout Jiangnan. Ordinary items may not catch the eye of the Dong family. If you want to cater to their tastes, it would be best to have rare items from the palace that are extremely difficult to find outside.”

As she spoke, Zhang Mei's gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over Wang Yan beside her.

Xiao Yi understood and waved.

"Eunuch Wang, may I choose a treasure from the palace treasury for Lady Dong of Xuzhou?"

Wang Yan was immediately at a loss, and replied earnestly, "What treasures are left in the palace? The Empress Dowager even gave the last treasure to the general."

Xiao Yi had no choice but to say to Zhang Mei, "In that case, I would like to trouble Brother Xuan Gui to go to the East Market to pick out some generous gifts and get the money from the Marshal's Mansion."

"That's the only way."

It was agreed that they would meet at the Cao Gate in the East City at 1:15 AM the next day to depart.

Upon returning to Xuanwu Gate, before he could even say goodbye to Wang Yan, Zhang Mantun strode over, shouting loudly as he walked.

"How did the general offend the Empress again? She sent a eunuch to scold him..."

The little monkey caught up from behind, hopped twice, and nimbly leaped onto Zhang Mantun's shoulder, covering his mouth with its hand. The two then began to wrestle.

Xiao Yi had no choice but to go over and stop him.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

The monkey said mysteriously, "General, don't worry, I didn't tell Iron Tooth to do anything reckless. The General and the Empress... well, that's not something to talk about."

"The Empress summons the General, what can't I say? I'll beat you to death."

Xiao Yi ignored the two clowns. Going to see An Yuanzhen would be pointless and pointless, so he might as well think about how to send a generous gift to Madam Dong.

No, the Empress already has a generous gift in hand.

"Eunuch Wang, may I request an audience with the Empress?"

"..."

As the sun sets, there is not much time left before the palace gates close.

Passing through layers of vermilion gates, in front of the Kunning Palace, the palace maids guarding the gate were yawning. When they saw someone coming, they stepped forward and bowed.

The dynasty was founded by the Shatuo people, whose rules were not strict to begin with. With the death of their ruler, the palace staff became even more undisciplined.

Wang Yan stopped and said, "This is General Xiao, whom the Empress has summoned. This old servant will wait here. General, you must come out within a quarter of an hour."

Xiao Yi quickened his pace, and the palace maid guarding the gate had no choice but to jog to lead the way.

Ahead, the sound of conversation could be heard from around the corner of the corridor.

"They are traitors and rebels, of course they don't take the Empress's decree to heart, and they'll bully you later."

"I'm not afraid of him at all. I kept looking at him the whole way to the funeral that day. Luckily, it wasn't the 'black devil' on duty, or I would have been miserable." "Why were you looking at him?"

“I think, um, I think he likes me. He’s so particular, he never has an awkward posture in front of me. When he stands, he turns to the side like this. His eyes are so bright when he talks to me. He walks gracefully and rides a horse gracefully. I love watching him swoop onto the horse’s back.”

"If you ask me, you want him to roll over on top of you."

"Ugh, get out of here, I'm so embarrassed."

"What's there to be ashamed of? What kind of handsome men haven't I seen? Kuang Zan and Guo Yunming, how handsome they are! Heh, I have the same taste as the Emperor. Guess who was holding the spear when they were playing? I heard Li Ye was with them too. He's the right age, handsome and dignified."

"Stop talking, the Empress will get angry if she hears this."

"The Empress is not angry at all; she is happy to have some peace and quiet."

Xiao Yi turned around the corridor.

The two palace maids turned around when they heard footsteps. One of them was startled and quickly covered her face and ran away, while the other hurriedly ran into the hall to announce their arrival.

Once they left, no one outside the hall stopped them.

Xiao Yi stepped straight across the threshold and entered.

"Your Majesty, General Xiao..."

"Hmph, don't mention him again, and don't call me anymore. I'm already furious with him."

"Yes, yes, General Xiao has arrived."

"Huh? Stop pressing it, get off, where are my shoes and socks?"

A subtle fragrance wafted through the hall. Behind the screen, one could vaguely see An Yuanzhen reclining on a chaise longue, being massaged by two palace maids. Afterward, they busied themselves with their tasks.

Xiao Yi didn't want to look too closely, so he turned to the side and saw a large bronze mirror in the outer hall. It was unusually clear and reflected his entire body.

This was the first time in his life that he had seen himself so clearly, and he couldn't help but examine himself closely.

The original owner's timid demeanor had completely vanished; his posture was upright, and he must have grown taller in the past two months, his shoulders and back much broader, perfectly suited to carry the armor. From afar, he appeared exceptionally heroic. Upon closer inspection, his features were quite good, and most importantly, his eyes were still his own—sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, full of spirit.

In the mirror, a beautiful woman emerged from behind the screen, walked gracefully closer, admired herself in the mirror for a while, and her eyes also showed satisfaction.

Xiao Yi didn't really look at An Yuanzhen. He had seen many beauties, but it had been too long since he had appreciated his own eyes.

An Yuanzhen suddenly became annoyed, snorted, and said, "Why are you looking at my mirror?"

"I will be rude."

Xiao Yi took a few steps back and then took a quick look around. The palace was quite luxurious, with a brocade carpet with floral patterns on the floor, light gauze curtains hanging on the walls, and a silver rouge box on a sandalwood dressing table... Which one should he give to Madam Dong?

A palace maid emerged from behind the screen carrying a silver basin filled with milk.

He realized he hadn't had milk in a long time, so he glanced at it again.

"Still looking?" An Yuanzhen spat. "You dare look at what I use for foot baths?"

Reminded by a palace maid, she slowly sat down in the chair, adopting the dignified posture of an empress, and changed her tone, saying, "General, you are busy with military affairs, how could you have time to come to the palace for an audience?"

"This humble general has come to inform the Empress that Your Excellency has dispatched an envoy to Xiangzhou to confer upon your father the title of Prince of Nanyang."

Upon hearing this, An Yuanzhen immediately stopped pretending, her eyes lit up, and she asked, "Really? When can I return to Xiangzhou? Will you escort me?"

"It depends on your father's wishes. If he is willing to help the Ming Dynasty stabilize the situation, the Empress will naturally return home."

"Hmph, isn't this a threat?"

"Is not the title of prince sufficient to demonstrate your sincerity? If the Empress is still concerned, she may write a letter to inquire about your father's opinion."

"Alright." An Yuanzhen smiled and said, "You've done a decent job, so I'll let you off this time."

Xiao Yi didn't have much time, so he didn't waste any words and said, "This humble general would like to borrow something from the Empress."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Phoenix crown".

"You dare!" An Yuanzhen suddenly stood up and said angrily, "I just praised you once, and you dare to make a move on me? Don't even think about it."

"..."

Before the palace gates were locked, Xiao Yi, holding a wooden box, hurried out of Kunning Palace, ignoring the angry shouts behind him.

Wang Yan was pacing anxiously outside the door. When he saw him coming, he stepped forward and said, "Is this the palace treasure you want to give to the Dong family?"

"Exactly."

"Such a precious item, the Empress is actually willing to offer it up?"

"Of course, the Empress is very righteous and believes that the new Empress should not lose face after entering the palace."

"General Xiao has quite the eloquence..."

Thus, the personnel for the eastward journey were determined, and the necessary gifts were prepared.

Xiao Yi slept soundly through the night, fully rested, and the next morning, the twenty men gathered at Cao's gate, carrying the imperial regalia, and set off for Xuzhou to deceive Liu Yun.

(End of this chapter)