Situ Jue received one hundred thousand taels of silver the very next day.
Money not his own was not felt as keenly. He used Sheng Ge’s funds extravagantly, aiming to outshine the Crown Prince. In three days, the entire hundred thousand taels were gone. He had expected the Minister of War position to be his, but fate intervened.
On the day Jie Chongjun's home was raided, Prince Yong, Situ Sheng, returned to the capital. Accompanying him was Xie Mian, the heir to the Duke of Xie’s estate.
They had just achieved a great victory.
Following Da Mao's beheading of the Northern Frontier General Tuo Hele, Xie Mian also took the head of the Southern Barbarian's third prince. Under Prince Yong's command, they had annihilated forty thousand of the enemy troops. Now, the Southern Barbarians had retreated fifty li and were engaged in peace talks with the Duke of Xie.
Even though these talks might merely be a ploy by the Southern Barbarians, and no one could guarantee they wouldn't return, this victory was undeniably significant.
Emperor Changwu, dispensing rewards for meritorious deeds, happily bestowed the position of Minister of War upon Xie Mian.
When the imperial edict arrived, the entire court was stunned, including Xie Mian himself. However, a windfall like this was not to be refused. With someone in an influential position, future endeavors for his father and brother fighting on the front lines would be much more secure.
Otherwise, with only Xie Chen, his capabilities would be limited; how could he compare to the highly positioned Minister of War?
It was a pity, though, as the Minister of War was a capital official, and he wouldn't be seeing any battlefields for years to come.
Situ Yan secretly savored the varied reactions of the court officials. His steps toward Dali Temple after the morning assembly felt considerably lighter. What could be more satisfying than witnessing an opponent's misfortune? Just the thought of the undisguised gloom on the faces of the Crown Prince and Situ Jue made him feel he could eat two extra bowls of rice.
Everything was as he had planned. Emperor Changwu was overjoyed. After some guidance for Xie Mian, he had a long chat about life with his fourth son, whom he hadn't seen in a while. Not only did he invite him for dinner, but he also let him stay in his own palace for the night, indicating great favor.
Even Consort Hui was beaming.
The next day, Emperor Changwu hosted a welcoming banquet in the palace to honor their return.
That night, sovereign and subjects rejoiced, and guests and hosts were thoroughly pleased.
With the position of Minister of War settled, Xie Mian was a general chosen by the Emperor himself. The Emperor would surely guide him in training the troops. Because of this, Situ Yan quickly put the matter behind him. He believed in trusting those he appointed, and the Emperor’s judgment was certainly superior to his own.
Three days later, Emperor Changwu enthusiastically summoned all his sons to the Imperial Garden. He declared that with so many fortunate events this year and his sons gathered in the capital, a reunion was in order. Situ Yan scanned the crowd and noticed that the sixth prince, Situ Lang, who was supposed to be guarding the imperial tombs, was also present.
When had he returned? He was supposed to guard the tombs for five years; had his sentence been reduced?
Situ Yan's confusion passed in a flash. The Crown Prince and Situ Jue, however, were less composed.
Before being assigned to guard the tombs, the sixth prince had been the fifth prince’s right-hand man, utterly devoted. While the Crown Prince had the third prince, Situ Feng, as his supporter, Situ Feng preferred to work quietly and disagreed with his political views. On the surface, they appeared to be the best of brothers, but they both knew the chasm between them ran far deeper than brotherly affection.
If the sixth prince and the fifth prince joined forces, the Crown Prince might not be able to contend with them alone.
However, since the sixth prince had taken such a significant blame for the fifth prince, he must have given up on him by now. The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes. If they had fallen out, perhaps he could sway the sixth prince to his own side.
Clearly, Situ Jue had the same idea.
With a stiff expression, he sidled up, "Sixth Brother, you've finally returned."
Situ Lang merely glanced at him. "Fifth Brother must be disappointed that your younger brother did not perish at the imperial tombs."
"What are you saying? Why would Sixth Brother think that?"
"Hmph."
Situ Lang offered no pretense of politeness, leaving Situ Jue looking utterly embarrassed.
Emperor Changwu pretended not to notice and led them through the garden. When they reached the Taiye Pond, he suddenly announced, "My imperial sons have not composed poetry for a long time. Today, inspired by these blooming lotuses, each of you shall compose a poem."
The unexpected assessment threw Situ Yan into disarray.
Compose poetry?
Spare him. He had only just overcome his tendency to misspell words; where would he find such high literary skill?