Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 737 (1): Painting His Canvas

Just two or three days later, the Demon Suppression Bureau in the capital received an unexpected messenger pigeon from Bashu.

The entire bureau was thrown into an uproar. Pigeons were not something that could be casually raised in hiding; these birds followed meticulously trained routes, always returning to their designated roosts. The ones that had been bred in the Bashu Demon Suppression Bureau would, without fail, return to their original station—essentially delivering themselves into Li Shentong’s hands.

Since the bureau’s operatives in Bashu had been forced into deep hiding, there had been no way for them to train new pigeons.

That thus begged the question, where had this one come from?

Qin Dingjiang hurriedly untied the small scroll fastened to the bird’s leg. One glance at its contents made his eyes widen in shock. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward Tang Wanzhuang’s office.

“First Seat! First Seat! A letter from Bashu!”

Tang Wanzhuang paused, momentarily surprised, before offering a faint smile. “Why the rush? Bring it here.”

Only that very morning, she had received a letter from Zhao Changhe, written back in Miaojiang—the very same one he had penned while Sisi was hiding under the table.

That letter had detailed the current state of the Spirit Tribe and Miaojiang, the circumstances of Sisi’s coronation as the Queen of Dali, and a request for the court to send envoys for formal recognition and diplomatic engagement. It also posed questions about whether the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Pacification Commission should extend their reach into Miaojiang.

At the end, he had written, “I miss you all very much...” The words were sincere, but the inclusion of “all” made it ridiculous, so much so that Tang Wanzhuang had instinctively dismissed it.

She had simply passed it along to Xia Chichi for administrative handling, pretending not to have noticed anything sentimental.

Yet, before Xia Chichi and Tang Wanzhuang could even finalize their choices for the officials to be dispatched to Miaojiang, here came a letter from Bashu, as if a stage play were unfolding before them in perfect sequence.

The letter read: “Dearest Wanzhuang, my thoughts are with you...”

Qin Dingjiang had closed the letter and darted off the moment he saw those first words, not daring to read another line.

Something about the First Seat receiving a formal state letter addressed with “dearest” made him want to vanish from existence.

Even if there’s something between them, surely she wouldn’t tolerate him writing it so brazenly in an official missive?

Inside the quiet office, Tang Wanzhuang discreetly glanced left and right, confirming that no one was watching.

Then, for the first time all morning, the rigid expression on her face softened. A warm flush crept onto her cheeks, and a shy smile tugged at her lips.

In a voice barely above a whisper, she murmured, “If he had written this in the last letter, I wouldn’t have spent all morning enduring an unbearable audience with the Empress. Miss you all, he says.... Who is ‘all’ supposed to include?”

Across the desk, Baoqin raised a hand, pointing at herself as if to remind her mistress that someone else was present.

She was promptly ignored.

Finally giving up, Baoqin sighed and decided to be blunt. “If he had written this in the letter you received earlier, you wouldn’t have had to deal with Her Majesty’s mood, but he would’ve been torn apart by Her Majesty instead.”

Tang Wanzhuang idly stroked the letter, her expression languid. “She can’t beat me. She’d have to call her master.”

Baoqin: “...”

So much for the righteous First Seat, the loyal minister of Great Xia. She’s crossed the river of no return, and the greener grass on the other side has turned her into a different person entirely. Under Han, she’s well on her way to becoming a full-fledged traitor.

While she entertained these irreverent thoughts, Tang Wanzhuang was engrossed in her letter.

I witnessed Li Shentong’s rebellion for the people with my own eyes. It has been barely half a year since, yet today, when I look at Divine Brilliance Sect again, I see that little remains of their original resolve. Even Li Shentong himself has changed somewhat; only Situ Xiao remains as pure-hearted as ever. It proves just how difficult it is to escape the cycle of the dragon slayer becoming the dragon. Once in power, one’s thoughts inevitably shift. Fortunately, not much time has passed and Li Shentong has yet to fully lose himself. When I spoke to him about fundamental reforms for the people, I could see that he was moved. There is still a chance to win him over.

In truth, part of the reason might be that he is unwilling to lose face. Back when he took up arms against tyranny, what did he proclaim? ‘It’s merely a single man’s rage, blood spilling within five paces.’ His words resonated so strongly that even Old Xia sighed in admiration. But if, in the end, he allows the Divine Brilliance Sect to turn into just another faction of the Great Xia’s bureaucracy, then who will be the next commoner to rise in anger? When he faces Old Xia in the afterlife, will he dare meet his gaze? On the battlefield, will he dare look you and me in the eye? I did not state this outright and left him his dignity, but we both understood the implications.

Now, he has personally proposed to reinstate the Demon Suppression Bureau to oversee land redistribution and monitor official misconduct, and he asked me to reorganize its former members. This is a risk for the agents of the Demon Suppression Bureau, but I believe that it is worth attempting. By placing our men here, we will not only be watching the officials, we will be watching him. Every time he sees an agent of the Demon Suppression Bureau, he would have to think about whether I would mock him should his actions reach my ears. That moment of hesitation, of self-restraint, is precisely why he wants the bureau reinstated. It is his way of keeping himself in check.

But with the Demon Suppression Bureau reestablished, the governance of Bashu becomes delicate. It starts to resemble the semi-autonomous governance of Miaojiang, teetering on the edge of becoming a vassal state under the Han dynasty. That is not our goal. Miaojiang can operate that way, but Bashu cannot. It must not have a king; it must be governed by a prefectural governor we appoint. For now, we cannot enforce this outright... but the mark I left in front of the city gate shows my intentions. The fact that Li Shentong has not removed it yet means he is still watching, still waiting to see what follows.

He intends to wait and observe the battle at Guanlong, as well as the war against the northern barbarians. He intends to observe my strength, as well as your military might. If a few words from me were enough to sway him, he would not be the man he is. Still, for now, he is willing to march out of Hanzhong with his troops and even venture with me beyond the northern frontier. That is enough. He remains true to his original intent, and I can demand nothing more. The rest is up to us.

Other than that, he takes my ideals seriously, and these ideals should be examined for practical implementation. Some things require technological advancement. For instance, I know we have movable type printing. Old Xia proposed it decades ago, and craftsmen have already brought it to life. Yet even now, the materials remain fragile and inefficient, and the paper supply is severely limited. If we aim to establish widespread education, these limitations make it nearly impossible.

This must become a priority. Every great endeavor only lacks recognition to move forward. Addressing this will also greatly aid our imperial examination strategy. We must summon master craftsmen, improve techniques, reduce costs, and increase efficiency so that it can be widely implemented. And once this is done, once news of it reaches Bashu, then Li Shentong will directly face the challenge I told him about. And then... we shall see how he intends to proceed.

Baoqin peeked from the side, her head bobbing as she tried to take everything in. By now, her eyes were swirling with confusion. She stole a glance at her mistress. The blush that was initially on her young miss’ face had long since faded, replaced by a gleam of astonished delight.

“Incredible...” Tang Wanzhuang murmured under her breath. “Securing Qinghe, pacifying Langya, stabilizing Miaojiang... None of that surprised me. Those were military matters, things well within his capabilities. But Bashu? This is simply... Who dares say he’s just a man of the blade? This is true governance. What he lacked before was merely a platform.”

Baoqin did not quite understand, but it all sounded terribly impressive. In any case, judging by her young miss’ expression, what Zhao Changhe had done had to be impressive.

She had a sneaking suspicion that even if everyone lost their memories of the past, and Zhao Changhe had to woo her lady all over again starting from the founding of the new dynasty, her mistress would still end up falling headfirst into his arms.

Just look at her. She’s practically itching to be swept away...But this wretched world... He’s always on the move, always needed elsewhere.

Baoqin pouted. It was bad enough that her mistress, an old maiden, was getting all antsy, but by the time the new year came around, Baoqin herself would be eighteen. At that time, am I going to end up as a concubine? This isn’t how things were supposed to go!

Tang Wanzhuang had no idea that her maid’s thoughts had wandered into the clouds. She was still fixated on the letter in her hands. Logically speaking, now that the situation in Bashu was settled, Zhao Changhe should be returning to the capital to prepare for the expedition. Yet instead, he had sent this letter, filling her with a sense of unease.

Sure enough, the letter continued:

Originally, I planned to return to the capital to prepare for the campaign after resolving the matters here in Bashu. However, plans have changed. There is a risk that Yuxu will align with the Li Clan. I must put a stop to this. The best-case scenario would be convincing Yuxu to join me in dealing with the northern barbarians. At the very least, I need to sow discord within the Li Clan, turning their factions against each other. One way or another, I cannot allow them to form an alliance.

Don’t worry. Hongling is with me. She has already broken through her bottleneck. Though the situation in Chang’an is undoubtedly complex, I am confident I can handle it. Meanwhile, you should make all necessary preparations for the campaign in the capital. I will return soon.

Kisses~ (^ɜ^)

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He had actually drawn a little kissy face at the end of the letter. But Tang Wanzhuang did not find it cute at all; her elegant brow furrowed and she stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth.

“Chang’an is far more dangerous than he makes it sound. More importantly, Yuxu will not be as amicable as before, and he’s got gods and demons backing him. Even worse, Kunlun definitely has other beings like that lurking in its depths. As for the northern barbarians, who knows who is hiding in Chang’an? If things take a turn for the worse, it could be Bo’e or even Timur himself making a sudden appearance. Right now, Chang’an is a nest of dragons and tigers, with gods and demons lurking all over, yet he wants to go in alone...”

Baoqin commented, “He’s got Yue Hongling with him.”

Tang Wanzhuang completely ignored that remark. She continued pacing before muttering under her breath, “Contact Vermillion Bird. I don’t know how her mission in Jinzhong is progressing, but if she doesn’t have anything too urgent to attend to, have her make a detour to Chang’an.”

If anything, Tang Wanzhuang wanted to go herself. But times had changed. In the past, she had only been responsible for matters of warfare. She could come and go in the jianghu as she pleased. Now, however, she had to juggle numerous state affairs, serving as Xia Chichi’s right-hand, so she could not simply leave. Moreover, there were aspects of Zhao Changhe’s plans that required her direct oversight.

She was deeply worried, but what could she do?

Baoqin reminded, “Young Miss, if you wish to contact that bird, then it would probably be best to go through the Four Idols Cult. They must have a more direct means of communication. You should consult Her Majesty.”

Tang Wanzhuang nodded, turned, and threw on her cloak, heading straight for the palace.

Despite Baoqin’s tendency to provoke people into fits of anger, she was in truth an exceptional secretary, always quick to catch oversights. If only she could refill the tea while she was at it, she would be perfect.

At present, among all the court officials of the Han court, only Tang Wanzhuang had the privilege of entering the imperial palace without prior announcement, and even barge directly into the empress’ quarters at will. Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves, but all knew in their hearts—she was not a “court official” at all. She was, for all intents and purposes, the empress, or at the very least the imperial noble consort. The only distinction was that in this dynamic, the emperor was actually Zhao Changhe.

As for who was the empress and who was the imperial noble consort, there were even underground gambling rings placing bets on the matter. The Leisure Gambling House run by Ying Five had nearly made it public knowledge. The citizens of the capital made sly wagers with winks and nudges, while the Demon Suppression Bureau turned a blind eye, only to secretly place bets on their own bureau chief.