Chapter 11: New Residence

　　Crown Prince Chen Li paid his formal respects to King Cheng Tang of Wei with full ceremonial rites, presenting the alliance treaty. Grand Tutor Jiwei received it and passed it up to the king.

　　After reading it through carefully, the King of Wei returned the document to the Grand Tutor. Then, with a measured word from his royal lips, he bade the prince rise and speak freely, without constraint.

　　The young prince scrambled to his feet, rubbed his knees a few times, offered his thanks, and stood with head bowed, waiting.

　　Cheng Tang sat high upon the dragon throne behind his desk. The grand hall of the court was vast, with ministers standing in two rows on either side. In the hall, there was not a sound. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed intently on that small figure standing in the center of the great chamber.

　　To dispel the invisible pressure bearing down on him, Crown Prince Chen Li produced the gift list, written in his father King Ying's own hand, held it up, and read it aloud before the assembled court.

　　For this diplomatic mission to Wei, Chen had prepared five thousand fine Shu horses, five hundred wagonloads of millet wine and millet, twenty exotic beasts, and various jewels and treasures besides.

　　Owing to the sheer volume of the gifts, the Crown Prince and his party had traveled ahead, with the tribute goods to follow in successive shipments.

　　After the Crown Prince finished reading, the King of Wei asked with a genial expression: "It is an ancestral decree of Wei that none may fly within our borders. Your Highness is young—did you find the crossing of Qinchuan difficult?"

　　The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and replied, "I thank His Majesty for his concern. I did not find it difficult at all—the journey was smooth."

　　King Cheng Tang laughed heartily at this. "Good, good. Rest now, and in three days I shall hold a banquet in your honor." He and Grand Tutor Jiwei had long since received the secret reports from the Wei King's guards—the young prince had walked for three days and was quite bedraggled—but he did not expose the fact. With that, he rose and departed.

　　At this, Grand Tutor Jiwei stood up, produced a decree, and announced in a loud voice: "By order of the King of Wei: The Crown Prince is hereby enfeoffed as Earl of Chen, with the fourth rank of nobility; a mansion befitting an earl shall be bestowed upon him; guards, maidservants, and household goods for daily living are also granted."

　　The meaning was clear: the Crown Prince was now a fourth-rank earl, and an "Earl of Chen" mansion was conferred upon him. Henceforth, residing long-term in Dingrong, he would have the appropriate noble status for all dealings and interactions. It also meant that, once within Wei, he would no longer be referred to as the Crown Prince of Chen.

　　The Crown Prince and all the ministers were taken aback—none had expected the King of Wei to bestow such honors.

　　Chen Li had no choice but to hurry through his expressions of gratitude and accept the decree. By then, the ministers in the hall had recovered their wits and offered their congratulations in unison to this newly made young earl.

　　The newly minted young earl then turned and hurriedly bowed to each of the ministers in thanks. Such formalities required the utmost deference and precision—one careless slip might offend the wrong person, and in the days ahead, there would be no end of petty slights to endure.

　　When the rounds of formalities were finally done, though the young prince—already at the fourth level of Qi Refining—was not physically weary, he was thoroughly impatient at heart. The ministers, seasoned and crafty as they were, could all see it plainly, but none chose to reproach him for it.

　　Soon, Grand Tutor Jiwei ordered that the young marquis's party be escorted to the Earl of Chen's mansion, and at the same time announced that the audience ceremony for the Crown Prince of Chen was concluded.

　　After the ministers had dispersed, Grand Tutor Liu Jian remained behind.

　　Jiwei knew that the Grand Tutor had something to ask, so he clasped his hands in salute and said, "Greetings to Grand Tutor Liu."

　　True to form, the Grand Tutor did not stand on ceremony. He opened his mouth and asked directly: "Has the King already decided on the alliance between the two kingdoms?"

　　This Grand Tutor Liu Jian was even older than Jiwei. He was a man of upright character. Though by office he was one of the highest administrators of Wei's court affairs—ranked alongside the Grand Tutor and Grand Guardian as one of the Three Dukes—his advanced years had meant that in recent times, he had taken less and less part in court business, leaving much of the decision-making to Grand Tutor Jiwei.

　　Among the Three Dukes, Grand Guardian Ji Fengshan and Grand Tutor Liu Jian were both veteran ministers of two reigns—yet neither enjoyed the same favor and trust from King Tang as Grand Tutor Jiwei did.

　　Though Jiwei was the youngest of the three, he was bold in action and ruthless in means. Over time, he had come to be deeply valued by the King of Wei, and now held the momentum of consolidating power. Moreover, among the five offices of the Six Ministers—the Minister of Education, Minister of Works, Minister of Personnel, Minister of Justice, and Minister of War—three were Jiwei's own disciples.

　　When Grand Tutor Fuli of Chen had first delivered the state letter proposing an alliance, King Cheng Tang had convened the Three Dukes and Six Ministers for deliberation. Thus, Grand Tutor Liu was well aware of the matter.

　　At that court deliberation, Grand Tutor Jiwei had advocated for the alliance, while Grand Tutor Liu Jian had opposed it. Ji Fengshan had remained noncommittal. Among the six ministers—Chancellor, Grand Cleric, Grand Historian, Grand Priest, Grand Diviner—only Grand Cleric Wei Xianhuai and Grand Diviner Li Luo remained silent; the other four all supported Jiwei's proposal.

　　At the time, Cheng Tang had turned to Liu Jian and asked, "And what does Grand Tutor Liu think?"

　　Liu Jian composed his features and replied: "Since our ancestors founded this kingdom, for a thousand years and more, there has been no precedent for alliances such as those of the ancient age. Now Qi has raised its army with the intent to swallow Chen, and thereafter to scheme for the realm. Though Wei will not take this lightly and will watch for the right moment to move against Qi, there is no need for an alliance with Chen. After Wei and Chen destroy Qi together, and Wei takes Qi's lands, we will inevitably be forced to break today's pact—and the world will mock us for it."

　　Jiwei countered from the side: "Though there is no precedent for alliance, this is a matter of the times. Qi is now powerful, and though Chen has its strength, this old servant sees it as a mantis trying to block a chariot—without outside help, Chen will quickly fall.

　　But if we follow the Grand Tutor's advice and wait until the two kingdoms have exhausted each other before taking Qi, the opportune moment will slip through our fingers. If we fail to seize the moment and attack Qi, we will only increase our own soldiers' casualties. And if we cannot achieve a swift victory, we will be mired in a quagmire, surrounded by rival powers. Wei would have no way to extricate itself—that would be perilous indeed."

　　Jiwei turned and clasped his hands toward King Tang, continuing: "With a formal alliance, Wei can see the situation as clearly as if looking into a fire, and can advance or withdraw as needed. If we can seize the momentum and take Qi, then Great Wei will surely dominate the realm, and the day of contending for supremacy will not be far off."

　　The Grand Tutor's meaning was clear: only through alliance could one grasp the opportune moment, check Qi's ambitions, or strike in concert with Chen from both front and rear—and destroy Qi in one fell swoop.

　　When that time came, with Chen's pledge already made, Wei would take Qi's lands alone, gain the aid of Qi's renowned weapon-forging skills—the sharpest arms under heaven—and then look down on the changing tides of the world. The day of ascendance to supremacy would be within reach.

　　For that very reason, King Ying of Chen had been forthright and resolute: to secure the alliance with Wei, he had sent his son as a hostage—and not just any son, but his only young son. His determination could not be more clear.

　　As for the eventual outcome—if the day came when Qi was destroyed, which of the two allied kingdoms would prove the stronger was still unknown. One could always choose the right moment to act.

　　Put simply, an alliance carried no loss for Wei. Why not do it? As for breaking a pact—between kingdoms, was that even a thing worth mentioning?

　　Of course, Grand Tutor Liu did not oppose the alliance solely on the grounds of being mocked by the world. But the King of Wei had already turned a deaf ear to all arguments. The ambition in his heart swelled stronger by the day. All he could think of was returning to the ancestral temple to offer three sticks of incense and tell his forebears: "To rule the central plains, to contend for supremacy under heaven—who else but me?"

　　And so the court deliberation ended inconclusively.

　　Thereafter, King Cheng Tang of Wei made up his mind and instructed Grand Tutor Jiwei to reply to Chen without delay. Swiftly, the alliance between Chen and Wei was sealed.

　　Grand Tutor Liu Jian, however, had not been privy to what followed. It was only when the King proclaimed the decree in court—conferring upon Crown Prince Li of Chen the title of fourth-rank earl of Wei—that he raised the question.

　　Though anger burned within him, he could not give vent to it openly before the court.

　　Grand Tutor Jiwei answered with a smile: the King's decision was not something that a venerable but aging minister could question.

　　Meanwhile, a supervising official led the newly appointed Earl of Chen and his party toward the new mansion bestowed by King Cheng Tang.

　　Chen Li, even at this point, was somewhat bewildered. He cared little for titles or mansions—but this was a gift from the King of Wei, and he had no choice but to accept it. In Commander Chen's view, at least it was a place to settle.

　　"Since we are here, let us make the best of it"—that was Aunt Hui's opinion as well. Chen Li could only nod and follow the Wei officials toward his new residence.

　　Along the way, the townsfolk once again caught sight of the young prince—but this time, things were different. The banner bearing the character "Li" had been replaced by one reading "Earl of Chen, Li."

　　The sharp-eyed among the crowd buzzed with chatter.

　　Bestowals of noble titles were rare—usually granted only to those who had rendered great service. Moreover, every kingdom was cautious and strict in matters of ennoblement. That this foreign young prince, not even half a day into Dingrong City, had been so generously granted a fourth-rank title by the King of Wei was nothing short of stunning.

　　Amid the murmurs of the onlookers lining the streets, the new earl's mansion soon came into view.

　　It stood in the most bustling and prosperous quarter of Dingrong—the very district where the capital's high officials and nobility made their homes. The guide, walking beside the young prince, pointed to a towering, imposing gatehouse in the distance and announced repeatedly that they had arrived.

　　Chen Li looked in the direction indicated—a grand gatehouse with neatly arranged, brightly colored green glazed tiles. Even by the standards of Dingrong's most distinguished quarter, it stood out as truly exceptional. He thought to himself: This old King of Wei is generous indeed—he really has no complaints about little me.