Chapter 45: Don’t Be So Arrogant
Chapter 45: Don’t Be So Arrogant
“I didn’t expect the Imperial Eldest Grandson to get along so well with you!”
Lady Li of the West said in surprise.
The woman was leaning close to them, watching Yang Xin draw the structure diagram of the Rubik’s Cube for Tianqi with a curious look, though she was obviously baffled. Everyone else was also confused, but Tianqi watched with a serious expression. Yang Xin knew a little about drafting; though not truly skilled, he could manage simple three-view and three-dimensional drawings. The Rubik’s Cube wasn’t a complex structure anyway.
Clearly, these diagrams that seemed utterly mysterious to outsiders had already been understood by Tianqi. This meant the young boy had excellent spatial imagination and a clever mind…
“This object could be made of ivory. A craftsman could carve the inside parts!”
Ignoring his stepmother, Tianqi looked excitedly at the diagram Yang Xin had drawn on the ground and spoke.
“I have no money!”
Yang Xin said very frankly.
Behind him, Nine Thousand Years Old and Wei Chao simultaneously facepalmed.
“I really have no money. All my assets combined probably amount to about thirty taels of silver, and I still live in my uncle’s house to this day, tagging along with Junior Advisor Xu’s nephew for meals every day. I have no idea how much it would cost to buy ivory and hire craftsmen, but thirty taels is likely very tight. This thing needs to be made smaller than a fist, and the inside must be extremely precise. Ordinary craftsmen might not manage it. Plus, there’s bound to be waste. The final cost probably wouldn’t be less than a hundred taels. So even if I wanted to give this to the Imperial Eldest Grandson, I couldn’t.”
Yang Xin spread his hands.
Tianqi glanced at his stepmother but said nothing, fully displaying the awkward relationship between a rebellious teenager and his stepmother…
“Your Ladyship, consider this as my humble offering to the Imperial Eldest Grandson.”
Nine Thousand Years Old said with a smile.
“I’ll go ask Imperial Grandfather. You should continue serving here. I don’t like the food others make, and besides, I’ll need him often from now on! You’re on duty at the Western Storehouse. Going back and forth is inconvenient anyway—it’s several miles from the Eastern Palace to the Western Storehouse.”
Tianqi said.
He still ignored his stepmother.
This was normal. His mother and Lady Li of the West couldn’t possibly have a good relationship. A teenager who had just lost his birth mother getting along well with such a stepmother would be strange.
“Then let it be as the Imperial Eldest Grandson wishes. No need to trouble His Majesty the Emperor. I’ll go ask the Imperial Noble Consort.”
Lady Li of the West said, looking slightly awkward.
Yang Xin gave her a sympathetic look.
Lady Li of the West sighed lightly, fanning herself with a small round fan, wearing an expression that said being a stepmother wasn’t easy. However, she couldn’t help but gaze somewhat wistfully at Yang Xin’s handsome appearance.
Meanwhile, Nine Thousand Years Old was already prostrating himself excitedly in gratitude.
Of course, Yang Xin was deliberately giving Nine Thousand Years Old a chance to shine. The reason he came here so often was simply to return, but whatever had happened between him and Wang An earlier, after Consort Wang’s death, he had been driven out of the Eastern Palace. Since returning via Wang An’s connections was impossible, he simply took another path. His currying favor with Consort Zheng was likely for the same purpose—she was the one who ultimately called the shots. If Consort Zheng wanted a particular eunuch to serve the Imperial Eldest Grandson, Wang An wouldn’t dare to stop her. Ultimately, the Imperial Noble Consort was the true master of the inner palace. The Imperial Noble Consort wasn’t just a regular consort; she was essentially the deputy empress, enjoying the same treatment as the Empress.
Lady Li of the West could raise Tianqi only by currying favor with Consort Zheng.
This was ordered personally by Wanli, and Wanli definitely listened to Consort Zheng on such matters.
Yang Xin then asked for paper and brush, redrawing the diagram on the ground. Just then, a blue-robed civil official walked in…
“Chief Sun Zhongyun has arrived!”
Lady Li of the West said with a smile, waving her small fan.
“Greetings, Lady Select.”
The newcomer bowed with clasped hands.
Lady Li of the West returned the courtesy.
Though a civil official, this man had a somewhat rough-hewn appearance, with a full beard and a burly frame. In armor, he might have looked a bit like the fierce Zhang Fei. His official robe was the same as Xu Guangqi’s, meaning he held the sixth rank. However, whether it was the senior sixth rank or the junior sixth rank, Yang Xin couldn’t tell. Xu Guangqi was actually junior sixth rank.
“Imperial Eldest Grandson!”
He addressed Tianqi, who was leaning over the table watching Yang Xin draw.
Tianqi looked up.
Immediately, his expression turned unpleasant.
Wei Zhongxian quietly signaled to Yang Xin with his eyes. Yang Xin pushed the diagrams toward Tianqi.
“Imperial Eldest Grandson, please keep these diagrams to study. Call me anytime you need anything in the future. This commoner will first return to finish the work for Junior Advisor Xu. As for the Rubik’s Cube, it probably won’t take too long. You can call me directly whenever the Terrestrial Globe is ready. However, the person who draws the maps—I’m not in a convenient position to contact her. She’s a woman, and recently there have been rumors spreading about us on the streets. When the time comes, we’ll need Your Ladyship to summon her. I expect Your Ladyship knows of her—she’s Grand Secretary Fang’s niece, the daughter of Master Fang. She drew the last Terrestrial Globe, and the draft maps are also with her.”
He continued.
“That’s easily arranged. I will summon her. Then you can work together for the Imperial Eldest Grandson.”
Lady Li of the West said with a smile.
The blue-robed official stood there watching quietly.
Yang Xin then took his leave. Following Nine Thousand Years Old’s lead, he nodded to the man, and they left together.
“Who was that?”
Yang Xin asked.
“Left Chunfang Chief Sun Chengzong. He is also the Imperial Eldest Grandson’s teacher. He holds a rank higher than Xu Guangqi. Below Left Chunfang Chief is Junior Advisor of the Left; above are Instructors, and then Tutors. These officials of the Left and Right Chunfang are all subordinate officials to the Crown Prince, meant to assist with administrative affairs, but the Crown Prince doesn’t have much official business—mostly they teach the Crown Prince and imperial grandsons. Usually, they are Hanlin Academy members who have served a long time, have no suitable positions but still need promotion, so they’re placed in the Office of the Heir Apparent. However, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, they prosper.
Sun Chengzong used to be a tutor, so he’s mainly responsible for teaching the Imperial Eldest Grandson to read.”
Nine Thousand Years Old explained.
“The Imperial Eldest Grandson doesn’t seem to like him much!”
Yang Xin said.
“Our Imperial Eldest Grandson loves these strange and novel gadgets. He even enjoys carpentry himself. It’s just the nature of a young boy. But when it comes to reading, he isn’t very interested, especially in the Four Books and Five Classics—he finds them annoying. At his age, isn’t that how most are? Those young scholars outside study hard to become top exam candidates, but the Imperial Eldest Grandson is different—he will rule the realm sooner or later. His Majesty the Emperor dotes on this eldest grandson dearly. By the looks of it, he also quite likes you. Come visit here often when you have the chance. If I’m not around, find Wei Chao. Give him more silver. Remember, getting things done in the palace is simple: silver opens doors. With silver, everything is easier. Also, the Imperial Eldest Grandson’s wet nurse—she is closest to him. He obeys her word completely.”
Nine Thousand Years Old said.
“The other imperial grandson seems very quiet.”
Yang Xin remarked.
“Don’t pay too much attention to that one. The one who will rule is the Imperial Eldest Grandson. He will just be a feudal prince.”
Nine Thousand Years Old said dismissively of the man who would later have him killed.
The two thus left the Eastern Palace. Nine Thousand Years Old returned to the Western Storehouse, while Yang Xin went back to the Xu Mansion. He needed to quickly finish the telescope. He had taken on a lot of work recently, all unpaid, but he didn’t mind—it was an investment in connections, an opportunity others fought for but couldn’t get. Just then, a light rain began to fall again, and it seemed another heavy downpour was brewing. In truth, throughout the Wanli era, famines were constant. In previous years, western and northern Shandong suffered prolonged droughts. But the Ming government at that time had enough capacity to handle crises. The famine in Shandong was resolved through relief efforts by Fang Congzhe.
Wanli indeed did not hold court audiences.
But a cabinet-based government didn’t need court audiences.
Reports from various regions and ministries were sent to him. The Grand Secretariat studied them and proposed solutions. He reviewed them, then sent them to the Directorate of Ceremonial to draft edicts, which went to the Six Offices of Scrutiny for review. Then they were sent back via the Office of Transmission, while other ministries and the whole country were notified. It was an effective administrative system.
So what was the point of holding court?
To listen to officials gathering to argue?
Shortly after leaving, Yang Xin realized someone was following him.
Yang Xin didn’t waste words. He directly turned into a nearby alley. The man foolishly followed. They walked a stretch, one after the other, before Yang Xin suddenly turned around…
“Who sent you to follow me?”
Yang Xin said.
“The road isn’t yours. Can’t others walk on it?”
The man said with a hint of panic.
Yang Xin nodded. Suddenly, he leaped into the air. The man hastily turned to run, but Yang Xin, far faster, reached him in an instant, grabbing his neck from behind. Like a leopard pouncing on a fawn, he forced the man’s head into the muddy water on the ground. The man opened his mouth to cry for help, but rainwater and mud clogged his nose and mouth. He struggled wildly but couldn’t break free from Yang Xin’s grip. The feeling of suffocation made him weaker and weaker.
Suddenly, a gate to the side opened. A small patterned umbrella emerged, and a three- or four-year-old girl walked out happily…
“Shh!”
Yang Xin made a silencing gesture.
The little girl looked at him blankly. The man in his grip was still struggling in the mud.
“Ah!”
She suddenly screamed.
Immediately, a man ran out from inside, stunned by the scene. But he quickly snapped out of it, pulled the little girl inside at top speed, and shut the gate firmly. Yang Xin, speechless, yanked the man up. The man slumped, coughing and spitting out mud from his mouth. Just having brushed with death, his whole body trembled.
“Now will you talk?”
Yang Xin said.
“It… it was Imperial College Student Wang. He told me to follow you, sir.”
The man stammered.
“He didn’t say why he wanted you to follow me?”
Yang Xin asked.
“N-no, he just said to follow you, sir. Nothing else. Just to see where you went!”
The man said, trembling.
This was Wang Wenyan’s reply. He was telling Yang Xin he understood—since you dare to openly challenge us, we won’t pretend not to understand. If we’re going to fight, let’s fight openly. We won’t hide in the shadows, leaving you unaware of who’s targeting you.
In short, this was a declaration of war.
“He’s a straightforward man. Go back and tell him I like that about him! Also, in the future, don’t be so arrogant. If you’d just explained earlier, you wouldn’t have had to suffer, right?”
Yang Xin said with satisfaction.
With that, he threw the man back into the muddy water, then walked to the gate of that house and knocked on the door.
“Open up. If you don’t, I’ll break it down!”
He said.