Futile Devices Scans

“Ah-choo!”

Mu Heng pulled up his sleeve to cover his face, shifted farther away from Wei Fu, and ordered the tea on the table replaced. With open disdain, he said, “Running around outside drinking the northwest wind first thing in the morning—caught a chill, did you? Serves you right.”

Early winter was approaching, and at this time of year the inside of a house could actually feel colder than outdoors. Ordinary people were accustomed to heading outside to bask in the sun after meals, but the South Hall of Xianxiang Palace within the inner palace had long since had its incense braziers lit, warming the room until it felt like spring. Mu Heng might not have been an emperor given to extravagant luxury, but he certainly had no intention of mistreating himself in his daily comforts.

“Someone must be thinking about me.” Sitting in the steady warmth, Wei Fu rubbed his itchy nose. “We just saw each other at morning court. Why did Your Majesty summon this minister alone? I’ve already handed over all my duties at the Western Secretariat.”

Did an emperor need a particular reason or designated hour to summon one of his ministers? And this man actually dared ask him that aloud!

Wei Fu’s nominal sovereign, actual elder brother, and father in every sense except blood—His Majesty Mu Heng—gave a sinister laugh. “To inspect your dowry. Is that important enough to move Young Master Wei?”

Wei Fu: “…”

“Outrageous!” Mu Heng scolded. “You haven’t even left on the diplomatic mission yet, and you’re already thinking about abandoning your duties and slacking off. You are a minister of Xiling, not actually being sent away in a marriage alliance!”

“Oh, I’m not?” There was even a trace of disappointment in Wei Fu’s voice. “But everyone says I am.”

Mu Heng: “…”

The words How did I end up raising something this useless? nearly burst from his mouth. He barely swallowed them back and frowned instead. “Everyone? Why are they saying that?”

Mu Heng was ruler of the realm and had been close to Wei Fu since childhood, so naturally he knew the whole story and could joke about it in private. But if the entire court was gossiping this way, who knew what rumors had already begun spreading? If people started saying that the Minister-Regent already had private dealings with a prince of a vassal state, it would be disadvantageous both to Wei Fu personally and to the diplomatic mission.

Wei Fu said resentfully, “Obviously because this minister still hasn’t married. My family doesn’t dare arrange it without permission, while Your Majesty never bestowed a marriage either. My best youthful years have been wasted away until now, and then suddenly I’m being sent abroad. Isn’t this practically a marriage alliance for the sake of the realm?”

Mu Heng: “…”

That enormous black pot of blame landed squarely on the emperor’s head. Mu Heng originally wanted to slam the table, but after considering it carefully, the situation really did sound a little like that. So he settled for knocking sharply on the tabletop instead and said irritably, “You were the one crying and shouting that you wanted to go. I merely granted your wish, and somehow this becomes my fault? What, after all that, you still want a ten-li bridal procession? Dream on. Go home and continue your fantasies in broad daylight.”

“Those are merely baseless speculations from outsiders who know nothing of Your Majesty’s magnanimity and benevolence. This minister is naturally willing. This minister thanks Your Majesty for your grace.” Wei Fu edged forward two cun, pretending coyness while actually probing. “Then how much does Your Majesty plan to give me?”

Mu Heng gave a cold snort. “I’ll give you a bowl so Yugong Zhaoye can carry you away in it. If you hurry back, you might even make it in time for the Lantern Festival.”

The sesame tangyuan personally designated by His Majesty stopped smiling instantly. The corners of his eyes and mouth drooped together, faint sorrow gathering between his brows. His eyes shimmered like spring water stirred by a breeze, as though he might clutch his chest and burst into tears at any moment.

Most people would already have begun wondering whether they had spoken too harshly and hurried over to comfort him. Mu Heng knew his tricks far too well and was entirely immune. “What nonsense are you pulling now?”

Wei Fu looked at him mournfully. “Your Majesty, what if Prince Yugong doesn’t like sweet tangyuan?”

Mu Heng: “…”

All his mental preparation had been wasted.

At last the emperor could bear no more and smacked the table. “Wei Shuchen, can you have even a little dignity?!”

“I want dignity too,” Wei Fu protested pitifully. “But this minister is traveling abroad on Heaven’s behalf. Only if Your Majesty stands behind me will I have confidence once I’m outside Xiling. Besides, there’s still a whole crowd of sisters-in-law and other in-laws over in Longsha. Who knows what sort of temperaments they have or whether they’re easy to get along with? What if they use their status to bully me? Then Heaven will be high and the emperor far away. Who am I supposed to ask for justice?”

Calling him a sesame tangyuan was exactly right. No matter how soft and harmless he looked on the surface, once cut open, everything inside was calculation.

Wei Fu understood the situation perfectly. Money was secondary. Neither Xiling nor Longsha would shortchange him in his daily expenses. What truly mattered was tangible support backed by actual power. The title Minister-Regent sounded impressive, but if he possessed no real authority to mobilize the suzerain state’s military strength and resources, he would be little more than a commander with no troops.

Moreover, Yugong Fengting had not placed all his bets on Xiling alone. Qiyun, Dongyu, and Wuchi each possessed influence within Longsha, and not one of them would be easy to deal with.

Mu Heng knew perfectly well that this was what Wei Fu had been waiting for. At least this hopeless romantic had not become stupid enough to care only about old affection and a pretty title while ignoring everything else. If Wei Fu’s head contained nothing but dreams of flying off together with Yugong Zhaoye, then sooner or later the other people Mu Heng sent with him would reduce this Minister-Regent to a figurehead.

“I’ll have the Royal Army escort you to the border. Your personal guard will consist of thirty elite men transferred from the Egret Guard. They will remain in Longsha and await your orders. If you have messages to send back to Xiling, you may have them delivered directly to me through those men.”

“There is also an imperial handwritten order and a command tally. In an emergency, these two items will allow you to mobilize the Black-Feather Army stationed along the southern border. I will inform Commander Li Yunzhi in advance.” Mu Heng pushed a sealed box toward Wei Fu. “These are what will keep you alive. Guard them carefully.”

Earlier, when bargaining with him, Wei Fu had not dared ask too openly and had partly been joking around. But now, seeing that Mu Heng had genuinely prepared everything in advance, his heart trembled. He immediately put away his careless attitude, rose solemnly to thank him, and accepted the box with both hands.

Mu Heng continued, “As for trade agreements, diplomatic exchanges, and other trivial matters, send major issues back to court for discussion. Handle the smaller ones yourself. You are the Minister-Regent, after all. Once you are outside Xiling, you must stand on your own. When it’s time to be firm, don’t hold back—especially in front of the other states. Do not diminish Xiling’s authority.”

Wei Fu bowed deeply. “This minister will respectfully obey Your Majesty’s instruction and devote himself wholeheartedly. I will not fail Your Majesty’s great expectations.”

“That’s enough. Get up.” Mu Heng casually raised a hand, excusing him from the formalities.

Wei Fu could tell he still had something left unsaid. Thinking about all the fine things he himself had done lately, he hugged the box to his chest and remained standing where he was. “If Your Majesty has no further instructions, this minister will take his leave. There are still many complicated matters regarding the diplomatic mission that I must discuss with my colleagues…”

“You just finished handing over the Western Secretariat. You’ve got plenty of free time. No need to hurry.” Mu Heng set down his teacup and calmly tapped the tabletop. “You think you can take advantage of me and run? Get back here. Sit.”

Wei Fu moved back across from Mu Heng as reluctantly as though someone had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

“So, those fine deeds you accomplished by moving the Egret Guard around under my nose through deception and concealment. If I hadn’t said anything, you’d really have thought you hid them quite well, wouldn’t you?”

Wei Fu hurriedly put on a flattering smile. “How could that be? This minister merely passed messages back and forth. How would I dare exceed my authority and mobilize Your Majesty’s personal troops? If the Egret Guard moved, then naturally it must have been with Your Majesty’s approval. As for the subsequent handling, it would hardly be appropriate for a mere court official like me to interfere without authorization, so I naturally did not dare question Your Majesty about it.”

Mu Heng said coolly, “Oh, now you know to avoid suspicion where my personal troops are concerned? Then did Bihua grow wild out in some field?”

Wei Fu: “…”

He summoned every ounce of tact and humility he possessed and chose his words with exquisite care. “In order to wipe out the rebels who plotted to assassinate the envoys in one stroke, Prince Yugong risked himself and ventured deep into danger. Such a matter could hardly be formally submitted through the Court of State Ceremonial to the Ministry of Justice. Nor did he possess absolute certainty. The only person he could contact was this humble minister.” “This minister is the Minister-Regent personally appointed by Your Majesty. How could I simply ignore the matter and wait for Longsha to act alone?”

“Bihua disbanded long ago, and Longsha refuses to speak of it. There is no need for us to create trouble for ourselves. Prince Yugong, representing Longsha, offered his sincerity; Your Majesty sent the Egret Guard to receive it. The entire matter is perfectly clear from beginning to end and has absolutely nothing to do with Bihua. Even if the person we captured were the Crown Prince of Yanyuan and even if the King of Yanyuan personally came to ransom him, he still wouldn’t be able to find a single fault with Xiling.”

Perhaps because winter was arriving and the weather had grown cold, His Majesty felt that he had spent the entire day sneering.

Wei Fu’s answer was as comprehensive and smooth as it could possibly be, and his protection of a certain someone was so blatant that he was not even bothering to hide it. If Mu Heng had not known the old history between them, he might almost have believed him.

“Whether you call it Bihua or Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Hua, it’s still the same thing underneath. Stop trying to muddle through with word games.” Deciding not to wrestle with a fool whose head had been turned by a foreign fox spirit, Mu Heng went straight to the point. “What exactly is going on with Yugong Zhaoye? How did a perfectly respectable prince end up as the head of an assassin organization?”

Because he had inherited both his mother’s profession and the family tradition.

Wei Fu had promised Yugong Zhaoye that those secrets would rot in his stomach forever, so naturally he could not answer honestly. He said vaguely, “Mm… because great skill makes one bold, and having many skills never weighs a person down?”

Mu Heng: “?”

Wei Fu’s eyes shifted, and he forcibly changed the subject. “Right, isn’t Commander Zhong handling the Ten Aspects Sect case? Since Your Majesty has already decided to eradicate the sect’s influence within the realm, the Egret Guard will inevitably have many dealings with its followers in the future.”

“Yes. And?”

Wei Fu enthusiastically encouraged him, “The Ten Aspects Sect is extremely sinister. They act in secret and excel at manipulating people’s hearts. They are nothing like ordinary bandits. Longsha and Yanyuan have been fighting for so many years that Longsha must have accumulated a great deal of experience in tracking Ten Aspects Sect followers. Why not take this opportunity, Your Majesty, to build a bridge and let Prince Yugong speak with Commander Zhong?”

“Don’t use Chuiyun as a raft.” Mu Heng pierced straight through him. “You simply want an excuse to meet Yugong Zhaoye.”

“Doesn’t Your Majesty want to see Chuiyun too?” Wei Fu showed not the slightest embarrassment and even dared turn the tables. Smiling brightly, he continued, “The Egret Guard just caught a very large fish. Their leader holds no low position within the sect and is highly likely to be a member of the Yanyuan royal clan. He certainly knows a great deal. We need someone familiar with the inside details to help judge his answers, or he may fool us.” “Besides, the Ten Aspects Sect has deep roots. It’s entirely possible our two countries may need to join forces against it in the future. Giving Prince Yugong advance notice would do us no harm.”

Both practical benefit and appearances had been perfectly accounted for. Seeing Mu Heng remain silent, Wei Fu delivered his final vicious blow. “This minister is about to leave his homeland. Once I go, it may be three years before I see my old friends and family again. Commander Zhong and I have shared so many years of friendship. If he cannot return in time to see me off, he will surely regret it for the rest of his life. I beg Your Majesty for mercy!”

The staircase had finally been built all the way to the emperor’s feet. Mu Heng swept him a sidelong glance with his phoenix eyes and at last condescended to step down. “At least you haven’t forgotten… ahem, the homeland that gave birth to you and raised you.”

“In a few days, once Chuiyun returns, summon Yugong Zhaoye into the palace. It just so happens that he has always wanted to meet…”

The final words were bitten out with particular clarity beneath his half-smiling lips—

“Your… lifesaving benefactor.”