Chapter 2 – Prince Si Zhao

Editor: mako

Upon opening the door, Zhuang Zhong saw a courier who wore an expression of reverence and apology.

“Official¹“官人” here is a respectful way of addressing the person. “Official” may not be the best way to translate it so just take note that I meant it as someone of a certain standing., I am so sorry to disturb you in the middle of the night, but kindly pack up quickly as I have arranged another room for you.”

At that moment, Zhuang Zhong realized that there would be a higher-ranking official arriving soon. As the post house was not too big with limited rooms, they could only ask him to give up his room. This was not in any case, an act of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, as it was stipulated that personnel with low official positions should give up to those with higher positions in the case of insufficient rooms. With the DaYou² “大佑” (DaYou) is the name of the country itself. post house set up by the officials, only officials can stay in it. In order to check in, one would also need an appointment roll³ Document that indicates their post as an official. as evidence. They were also treated depending on their grade. Despite board and lodging being free, those who request additional services would still have to pay out of their own pocket.

He had been in similar situations before, but those times had involved others giving up the room to him. That was the case since, after all, Zhuang Zhong was currently carrying the banner of Marquis WenYuan. In this world where traveling is not convenient, people do travel less. Even among those traveling, a high-ranking officer is rarely seen, with most of them being low-grade small officials. Zhuang Zhong had also told ZhouTong before that there was no need for such trouble of making people move around; they would just be staying for one night and one could just make do with it. However, ZhouTong had refuted that it was a symbol of identity. Even if they did not particularly mind, the lower officials would not dare to stay in the room. Such distinct hierarchies do make one’s hair stand on end.

By right, Zhuang Zhong was just a man without official status and of unknown origins. However, unlike his previous life, he was currently backed with a strong family that allowed him to act as the paws of the tiger⁴“为虎作伥” was used here. It approximately means having the ability to act out due to a powerful support.. For the time being, he had not understood ZhouTong’s intentions. It was obvious that he had not met Marquis WenYuan and established his identity yet, but ZhouTong had still served him respectfully throughout the journey, firmly believing that he was Marquis WenYuan’s wandering son from the beginning. Although it can be interpreted as being cautious, ZhouTong probably feared that things would be made difficult for him after Zhuang Zhong had claimed his birthright if he served him any less respectfully. To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short – it is easy to push someone too high until he is unable to fall back.

Upon hearing the commotion, ZhouTong appeared and helped Zhuang Zhong pack up. While doing so, he had also explained hurriedly, in fear that Zhuang Zhong would feel wronged and end up in a terrible mood. However, Zhuang Zhong was very calm as he had expected that there would be such a day where he might have to give up his rooms to others like those before him. The closer they got to the capital, the more likely they would chance upon a larger number of higher-ranking officials, making it normal to come across people who were better than Marquis WenYuan. Besides, he was not even the marquis himself. He simply felt tossed around, wondering who the high-ranking official (unsupressable by the banner of Marquis WenYuan) arriving at the post house in the middle of the night was. Generally speaking, most would not be too fussy if the gap in rank was not big. It was only those with a difference of a few grades that would be so troublesome and prudent. Most lower-ranking officials would also take advantage of this situation to get closer and familiar with them.

Marquis WenYuan, who held the title of marquis and was appointed as the left assistant minister of the military, a third-grade official could be said to be one of the most reputable officials. So generally speaking, even the first-grade high officials would not make such a fuss in the middle of the night. Was it the prime minister? Even though Zhuang Zhong was curious, he did not pry further for details. As a monk, he should not engage in too much of such talk.

As he did not have much luggage, he just left with a case in hand. The new room was also not any worse than the previous one. He planned to continue sleeping after sending away ZhouTong, but the din in the post house made him unable to enter sleep. That was when he realized why this room was inferior despite being of a similar standard to the previous one.

The sound insulation in this room was terrible. There were not many conversations going on, but he could hear the clatter of horses’ hoofs and footsteps distinctly. Being unable to fall asleep, he silently counted the number of people going about. His hearing has always been excellent and he used to solve many cases by using audio frequency to deduce the environment and location. Besides, he could also distinguish whether the audio was split and put together without using any high-tech means. With the environment he was currently in being much easier to determine than before, Zhuang Zhong then proceeded to close his eyes and listened. With reference to the layout of the post house, his mind had already guessed the movements made by those people.

There were a total of more than 50 well-trained horses that had arrived. The people’s footsteps were very light – even the total sound made by the footsteps were not as loud as the post house official and his wife. Unless Zhuang Zhong used the horses to determine, it was practically impossible to deduce the number of people who had arrived. With these people rarely speaking, he could only hear the post house official performing a one-man show (a one-sided conversation). From his words, one could hear a strong sense of respect with the intention to flatter. Besides, this group of people had moved quickly and with order. In the time of a small cup of tea, the post house had restored its previous calm and tranquility.

As they were just travelers rushing by, Zhuang Zhong did not think further about those people. Furthermore, the other party seemed especially privileged and not of the same path as him⁵“不是一路人” is used here. It probably refers to how they probably do not have the same life paths/likelihood of their path in life crossing is slim..

He who arrived was the descendant of the emperor – the son of the current emperor’s brother born under the same father and mother. He, who is deeply favored by the current emperor, had such an unrestricted towering power that even the monks from the same village as Zhuang Zhong had known of him. Had it not been for the opposition of the ministers and the need to uphold the ancestral precepts by imperial censors, the emperor would have conferred Prince Si Zhao as a prince with a position akin to his own son.

Back then, the only son of the emperor was the crown prince. His weak and sickly constitution had made him a less favorable candidate for such a position. At that time, Prince Xian—the father of Prince Si Zhao—had been the former emperor’s most favored one. If it were not for his early death, no one would have been able to determine who the current emperor would be. Besides having literary talent and being skilled in martial arts, Prince Si Zhao was also brave and more intelligent than others. Thus, they feared that if he were made a prince, he would no doubt start harboring thoughts he should not have. At that time, both the court and the public would then be thrown into turmoil.

With all the ministers’ opposition and Prince Si Zhao’s own disagreement, the emperor had no choice but to just confer him as Prince Si and employ another method to make up for that – he was given a county that was better than what a prince would receive. The act of conferring a title of nobility among the members of the royal clans was similar to the basic principles that governed the Song Dynasty. Nevertheless, when compared to the other dynasties, they could be said to be not as generous. Originally, with the position of the prince, the title of Prince Si would not be conferred, and there would only be the appointment of the princes and marquis. Amongst their children, there would also be a further appointment of a duke with the remaining given titles of decreasing power. It was stipulated that the title of Prince Si should be conferred to the son of the prince, but that had only been true on paper. For the rest, they will be appointed as officials due to affiliation – those who were conferred nobility due to their family name and fortune. They may also be conferred as Prince Jun after considering one’s merits and qualifications, etc.

During the one hundred years that were taken to establish the country, Prince Si Zhao was the first Prince Si. By repeatedly leading the army to pacify chaos, he had broken the precedent that a member of an imperial clan could not hold any military power. Despite his initiative to return military power, no one could deny the 5,000 cavalry he had on hand that also functioned as guards. There was no lack of admonition in the imperial court due to this, but the emperor was persistent in his stance on the matter. With only 3,000 at the start, Prince Si Zhao’s cavalry had increased to 5,000 by the emperor due to the repeated complaints. There were also further threats to increase it to 10,000 if the ministers continued to voice out their disagreements persistently.

There were many places in DaYou that are also very similar to those in the Song Dynasty. One of the most similar aspects was that there are too few horses, with most traveling with donkeys instead. The cavalry was also in short supply of resources – a single soldier was usually equipped with only two horses that were used interchangeably. It would then be unimaginable if Prince Si Zhao really commanded a 10,000 people cavalry while being stationed at the capital. Therefore, at this moment, no one in the imperial court had dared to utter any additional words, as it was almost certain that the emperor would keep his words. Looking at the power he was holding and his occasional acts of recklessness, it was really not easy to believe that he had no intention of overthrowing the current emperor. Although the crown prince did not have any repeated thoughts of how it was improper, he had still maintained a watchful eye on him.

These are all what Zhuang Zhong had heard from YuanJue. Who knows how this little monk, who had been living in a broken temple on a remote mountain area, knew of such things. After listening then, Zhuang Zhong had recalled a saying that fits the emperor – when one has power, they become willful. This act of entrusting power due to the emperor’s fondness for Prince Si Zhao had undoubtedly made him a striking target for others.

With such a legend appearing in such vicinity as him, Zhuang Zhong felt both curious and excited. However, he did not think that such an event was unforeseen, as Prince Si Zhao was not someone who would stay in one place peacefully. With him traveling far and wide, many locals had also come across him. His popularity was not solely due to his family background and the emperor’s fondness, but more specifically, the frequency in which he led the cavalry to suppress bandits – a high enough frequency that he was called a small expert in suppressing bandits. Besides, with many widely known evil bandits vanquished by him, the imperial censors had no choice but to keep their disagreements silent too.

Being labeled as unrestrained and unconventional during this time period really makes Zhuang Zhong admire him. However, one should give up on initiating a conversation with him, as he was said to possess a bad temper. His love for suppressing bandits was not because of justice, but was instead, his love for fighting and killing due to his explosive temper. There was even a time when Prince Si Zhao had a fight in the imperial hall because of a disagreement. He had then proceeded to beat a civil servant so much that he was unrecognizable to his mother. Moreover, he liked to come and go freely while persisting in his own ways. In the capital, he was not close to the members of the royal clan and did not give face to anyone, even treating his mother’s family coldly.

The next day after coming across the legendary “son of heaven”, Zhuang Zhong left the post house. The atmosphere of the post house in the early morning was much more imposing than when he first arrived yesterday, as the premise was surrounded by soldiers on patrol. Others also did not dare to delay their stay in the post house and left as soon as they finished breakfast. They were all very careful in their actions, afraid of making a sound.

Everyone only breathed a sigh of relief after the post house could not be sighted anymore.

A guard had joked, “Last night I went to bed with my mouth covered. I was afraid that my snoring would disturb that esteemed guest.”

Hearing that, a group of people bursts into laughter.

Prince Si Zhao was truly worthy of being a topic figure. Even those who originally disliked speaking could not help but say something during this time. Additionally, some also could not help but speculate that Prince Si Zhao’s appearance meant he was currently on another journey to suppress bandits.

A guard enviably said, “One of my brothers is from the black cavalry camp and he is currently pretty affluent.”

Fully dressed in black armor and their horses adorned in black, Prince Si Zhao’s cavalry was known as the black cavalry camp.

Another guard shook his head and said with a smile, “The money they earn comes from working oneself to death for him. Although I am envious, I cannot earn this kind of money after so many years of living comfortably.”

Other guards echoed him in succession. With a family of the young and old waiting for them at home, they were all unable to risk it all as they did in the barracks. These guards were all initially under the command of Marquis WenYuan when he was still in charge of the army. Due to some forms of injuries, they withdrew from the army and were taken in by the marquis as guards. The reason the cavalry in the black cavalry camp was so well-off was due to the suppression of bandits. It either comes from the reward or the treasure found in the bandit’s nest. Except for some contraband, Prince Si Zhao had distributed them among his cavalry.

Therefore, the most interesting topic in the black cavalry camp had then become the locations of the bandits.

Even when the common people were faced with evil forces, the bolder people liked to say, “If you have the ability, then come. I will report this incident to the black cavalry camp who will then flatten your ancestral graves!”

With such a presence from the black cavalry camp, the capital ended up with very few forces that openly and unscrupulously perform evil acts. Even local ruffians and hooligans had to combat with some intelligence in order to earn some money.

This was exactly what happened in front.

*Translator’s Notes:
In this chapter, there are a lot of titles and positions so I had included a brief summary for easy review below. Those in bold are the ones that I decided to use in the novel as the translated form while those in brackets are the romanized/pinyin forms.

太子 (taizi) is the crown prince, most likely the emperor’s oldest son and the future emperor.
亲王 (qingwang) is a prince from the imperial family.
嗣王 (siwang) is a conferred title that I am going to just retain as prince Si in the translations.
郡王 (junwang) is also a title that I am retaining as prince Jun.

The ranking is as followed (highest to lowest): 亲王, 嗣王, 郡王

• 1
  “官人” here is a respectful way of addressing the person. “Official” may not be the best way to translate it so just take note that I meant it as someone of a certain standing. ↩︎
• 2
  “大佑” (DaYou) is the name of the country itself. ↩︎
• 3
  Document that indicates their post as an official. ↩︎
• 4
  “为虎作伥” was used here. It approximately means having the ability to act out due to a powerful support. ↩︎
• 5
  “不是一路人” is used here. It probably refers to how they probably do not have the same life paths/likelihood of their path in life crossing is slim. ↩︎