The deputy general saw that Prince Duan Yunfeng had entered the tent with a sullen face, but came out with his eyebrows lifted and the corners of his eyes full of delight. The joy on his face was unmistakable—he knew the matter had been settled. The marriage with the princess was now as good as confirmed.

He teased, “General, when are you going to treat us to your wedding banquet? Ever since we arrived in the capital, we’ve been tightening military discipline day after day. We’ve all been waiting for this joyous event of yours.”

“Soon,” Duan Yunfeng clapped him on the shoulder. “Once the date is set, I’ll host the banquet myself. And none of you are allowed to leave unless you drink yourselves under the table!”

The deputy general laughed along with him.

“Oh right—have we received any letters from my father?” Duan Yunfeng suddenly remembered the important matter and rushed back to his command tent. “I need to inform them right away.”

But when he asked upon returning to his tent, the waiting attendant looked hesitant and said there was a letter—but it wasn’t delivered by the official courier. He told Duan Yunfeng to go in and see for himself.

When Duan Yunfeng lifted the flap of the tent, he saw a scholarly-looking man in his fifties waiting inside. Startled, he blurted out, “Uncle Zhou? What are you doing here?”

The man before him was Zhou Ye, the most trusted advisor under the King of the North. He was supposed to be in Taiyuan, helping defend Hedong alongside the King.

Zhou Ye gave him a troubled smile and spoke frankly, “The Prince wasn’t at ease about you, so he sent me to… check on things.”

As expected, Duan Yunfeng frowned in displeasure. “What’s there to worry about? Uncle Zhou, where’s my father’s letter?”

Zhou Ye’s smile turned more bitter. The old man’s just afraid you’ll stir up trouble. But he didn’t say that aloud. Instead, he pulled a letter from his robes. “Here, here it is.”

Everyone knew the King of the North had a son who was an unparalleled military genius, but his temperament was fiery and had to be handled with care.

Though Duan Yunfeng rose to fame young, he had never led a full campaign or commanded from the front lines before the battle at Hangu Pass. In fact, he had rarely been to the front at all.

The King of the North, Duan Yu, doted on his wife and never took a concubine. Duan Yunfeng was his only child by blood. In the early years, he was treated like a precious gem—Duan Yu couldn’t bear to let him set foot on the battlefield.

Before this, it was Duan Yunfeng’s cousin, Duan Yunsheng, who had trained under Duan Yu in battle. Though not Duan Yu’s biological son, Yunsheng was raised at his knee and treated like his own. He enjoyed the same clothing and food as Duan Yunfeng. The soldiers of the Hedong command called Duan Yunsheng the Eldest Young Master and Duan Yunfeng the Second Young Master.

Duan Yunsheng was Duan Yu’s carefully nurtured heir and the officially designated successor to the Hedong command.

But a year ago, while suppressing a rebellion in northern Shaanxi, Duan Yunsheng was sabotaged by the imperial inspector assigned by the court—who happened to be the adopted son of the Grand Eunuch, An Youliang. Due to a false report, Duan Yunsheng was led into a trap and died in battle.

Duan Yu was devastated. Fueled by grief and rage, he had the inspector dismembered by five horses as a blood sacrifice for Yunsheng. From then on, he and An Youliang were mortal enemies.

Six months later, An Youliang accused Duan Yu of rebellion and rallied three regional armies to launch a punitive expedition.

At the time, Duan Yu was besieged at Hangu Pass, his life hanging by a thread.

It was Duan Yunfeng who went against all opposition, persuading the elder generals with ruthless determination. He personally led three thousand elite Northern Riders in a nighttime assault, taking a perilous route and charging straight through ten thousand enemy troops. That victory made his name. From then on, he led the Hedong army all the way to the capital.

After losing Duan Yunsheng, even if Duan Yu still didn’t want his son to take the battlefield, he had no choice.

He had spoiled his son since childhood—his harsh words rarely matched his actions. This had nurtured Duan Yunfeng’s bold and reckless temperament. Since he was little, he acted like a tyrant, constantly clashing with his father and always charging into danger. No one but his mother could keep him in check.

When it came to things he wanted, Duan Yunfeng never backed down. He would get them no matter what.

Take this marriage for example—when Duan Yu received Yunfeng’s letter rejecting the Li family proposal and insisting he would marry no one but the princess, he was furious.

He scolded Yunfeng for being rash: “How long have you known the princess? Talking about ‘marry no one but her’—what nonsense! At the very least, you should meet the Li family’s daughter first. If you truly felt nothing, then we’d reconsider. But you’re acting on impulse and offending the other family.”

In front of Zhou Ye, Duan Yunfeng quickly skimmed the letter and wrote his reply to the King of the North:

“There’s no need to worry about offending the Li family. I broke their son’s ribs today during training. Clearly, this wasn’t my fault, but if you still want me to marry their daughter, I’ll beat Li Min every time I see him under our roof. Who knows—our happy event might turn into a funeral. Might even end up attending his seventh-day memorial instead. That would be a very big grudge, wouldn’t it?

“Since the alliance, I’ve led most of the field battles myself. My conscience is clear—I owe the Li family nothing. If they want a path through our land in the future, I’ll give them ten routes to choose from!

“Would you really sell your son to repay a favor?

“If you’re grateful to the Li family, maybe you should marry their daughter yourself. Why’s the burden of gratitude falling on me?

“I won’t marry her.”

The King of the North was furious. He whipped up a response by express courier that night:

“You unfilial brat! Don’t marry if you won’t marry—but what’s with all that garbage? You want me to marry? I can’t control you anymore. Next time you’re back, your mother is going to give you a good scolding. You just wait!

“Also, about marrying the princess—has she even agreed? Don’t tell me you forced her.

“Don’t think I don’t know what kind of person you are. Are you only rushing to marry her because she’s pretty?”

His son had always had this problematic taste—ever since childhood, he liked pretty things. Even his horse had to be decked out in gold. His standards were sky-high. Countless people had come to propose marriage, and he hadn’t liked a single one.

Duan Yunfeng replied:

“I heard my mother was the most beautiful woman in Taiyuan back then. Dad, didn’t you fall in love at first sight and pursue her persistently, even after Grandpa rejected you twice? Clearly, you recognized her noble character right away.

“The princess, of course, agreed. Don’t project your own nonsense onto others, okay?

“The princess never turned me down. We’re clearly in love!”

The King of the North fell silent.

But with that letter came a list of betrothal gifts, with a note at the end in the handwriting of Duan Yunfeng’s mother.

“Since you like her this much, we can’t stop you.

“The world is unstable, and we can’t travel to the capital for your wedding. But proper ceremony is still required. Here’s a list of the betrothal gifts I had someone prepare. If you truly want to marry the princess, you must cherish her—don’t let her be wronged.

“Take care of yourself on campaign. Also, tell us—what kind of person is the princess?”

The Princess Consort knew her son best. When it came to choosing a wife, she didn’t care much about family background—what mattered was temperament. The girl had to be calm and steady, someone who could keep Duan Yunfeng in check.

If the girl was too soft, Yunfeng would bully her. If she was too headstrong, it would be a disaster.

Duan Yunfeng wrote back to the Princess Consort:

“As beautiful as a celestial maiden.”

After writing that, he felt it wasn’t detailed enough—so he went on to fill three full pages.

Because the imperial palace had been burned down by Li Jichang’s men, Xiao Heng was temporarily staying at the residence of a capital official. That official, formerly the Minister of Revenue, had nearly exhausted his entire fortune currying favor with Li Jichang’s close associates. As a result, he had fortunately avoided demotion. It was obvious he was eager to please the newly promoted Prince of the North, the Heir to the Grand General of Cavalry. Not only did he offer for the princess to stay at his estate, but he also showed great courtesy toward Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng was currently presenting himself as Princess Zhaoyi, the third younger sister of Emperor Jianing, Xiao Huan. Since the allied forces had invaded Luoyang, countless members of the imperial clan had fled in all directions. The Yongning Palace had long been abandoned.

“Your Highness, this is the bride price list sent over from the Prince of the North’s heir,” Li Jinxi said, pointing to the two wild geese delivered to the courtyard. He handed the booklet in his hands to Xiao Heng for review.

Xiao Heng was in the middle of flipping through the Ministry of Revenue’s account books, which he had asked Li Jinxi to retrieve a few days ago. The more he looked, the deeper his frown became.

The figures in these accounts were riddled with holes.

Even before the Duan-Li allied army invaded the capital, the Yan court’s finances were already deeply depleted. The entire country was riddled with corruption, and nearly all of the court’s funds had ended up in the pockets of the then-Privy Minister and Commander of the Imperial Guard—Eunuch An Youliang.

When An Youliang fled to Fengxiang, he had essentially emptied the national treasury and taken ten thousand imperial guards with him. That was why the allied army had broken through the city with barely any resistance.

Though ten thousand guards wasn’t a huge number, with sufficient money and provisions, they could continue to recruit and expand.

After this “passing of the baton” between An Youliang and Li Jichang, the imperial palace had been looted cleaner than a locust swarm. Having reigned as emperor twice, this was the first time Xiao Heng found himself so poor.

Poor.

Utterly poor.

So poor that he couldn’t even afford a dowry.

The dowry he had now had been allocated from the personal funds of the current “Regent Li” as a show of face for Duan Yunfeng.

“The heir also sent over the account books of his household treasury, saying that after the marriage, they’ll all be under your management.” Li Jinxi placed the thick stack of ledgers next to Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng said nothing. He merely reached out to glance at the bride price list, then opened Duan Yunfeng’s treasury books and looked through them once, twice, three times…

Then he slowly closed his eyes.

As he had suspected, Duan Yunfeng was broke too.

Hedong had been embroiled in war for years. In recent times, civil affairs had been neglected. Being close to the northern steppes, the region suffered frequent raids by the Turks. Add to that the burden of supporting a large cavalry force—how could there possibly be money left? Xiao Heng even suspected that Duan Yunfeng might end up in debt after the wedding banquet.

Li Jichang, on the other hand, was rich.

The Huainan region was under his control, including the prosperous Yangzhou—arguably the wealthiest land in the empire.

After their alliance, Li Jichang had provided Duan Yunfeng’s northern cavalry with generous funds and provisions. This was one of the main reasons why the latter was willing to serve as the vanguard and lead assaults on cities.

In the future, Xiao Heng would inevitably clash with Li Jichang. If he wanted to make use of Duan Yunfeng, he’d also have to support his army. Money and supplies would be a critical issue.

A ten-thousand-strong army required about 200 shi of rice per day, which came to 6,000 shi a month. With the current price of rice at about three to four taels of silver per shi, that meant 24,000 taels of silver a month—not including fodder for the horses, military wages, or transport costs. Duan Yunfeng’s army had around 10,000 cavalry. Horse fodder cost five times more than a soldier’s rations. All in all, expenses could easily reach 200,000 taels of silver per month.

Add in another 20,000 infantry, and the total monthly expenditure for 30,000 troops would be roughly 300,000 taels.

The money Xiao Heng had on hand probably wouldn’t last even half a month.

Luoyang could no longer support such massive military needs, and Huainan belonged to Li Jichang—there was no chance he would pay tribute to the Xiao imperial family anymore.

With this in mind, Xiao Heng slowly opened his eyes, the look in them dark and unreadable.

“Your Highness, is something troubling you?” Li Jinxi asked. After reading the ledgers, Xiao Heng had gone completely silent. His expression was unsettling.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Heng looked up at him, his long fingers lightly tapping the table as a sly smile tugged at his lips. “I hear the Fengxiang military commissioner, An Cenmo, is the adopted son of An Youliang? The two of them have a close relationship?”

Li Jinxi replied, “Yes.”

Xiao Heng said, “Tell me—how much silver do you think he made off with when he fled? One million… two million… or—”

Li Jinxi was caught off guard, because Xiao Heng wasn’t asking a question—he was stating a fact.

The tapping stopped, and silence fell.

Xiao Heng seemed to have reached a conclusion. “Ten million taels.”

While in office, An Youliang had amassed a fortune, and he also held the imperial commission over the capital region’s salt and iron taxes. Xiao Heng’s estimate was likely on the conservative side.

Li Jinxi dared not speak. That number was terrifying.

Xiao Heng’s eyes shifted. He took a sip of tea and asked, “Any news of An Youliang?”

Li Jinxi looked into the emperor’s cold, sharp black eyes, and suddenly felt a chill down his back. The way Xiao Heng said An Youliang’s name—it was like a hunter eyeing a rabbit that had entered his range.

He answered, “Not yet.”

“He will soon,” Xiao Heng said, curling his lips as he glanced at Duan Yunfeng’s bride price list, a glint of intrigue flashing in his eyes.

Once he resolved the issue of Duan Yunfeng’s alliance with Li Jichang, it would be time to reclaim what was rightfully his.

Such as—his money, his imperial guards, and several prefectures, including Fengxiang.