The early morning mist was particularly annoying.
Lady Pei, the Princess Consort of Donghai, had risen early and was now seated at her desk, opening and reading several letters.
The first letter was from her father, Pei Kang.
It contained nothing of great importance, mainly urging her to teach their son, Sima Pi, the importance of filial piety and fraternal duty.
Reading this, Lady Pei felt a wave of irritation.
Their son was only seven years old and had always been rather unruly.
Every time she tried to discipline him, her husband would dismiss her concerns.
As a result, the young prince had become even more unruly.
Speaking of her husband, she felt even more frustrated.
There were too many seductive women in the palace, and they had completely bewitched the king.
He preferred to spend his time with them, leaving her, the virtuous and dignified princess consort, alone in their fiefdom.
This time, when they came to Luoyang, he had barely spoken a few words to her before rushing off to those seductresses, which infuriated her.
After stuffing the letter back into its envelope, she opened the next one.
This one was from her elder brother, Pei Dun.
In the letter, he asked her to use her influence to help him secure a position as a provincial governor.
After reading it, Lady Pei sighed deeply.
How could she possibly influence her husband when they barely shared a bed?
Another letter arrived from her other brother, Pei Shao.
Besides the usual family matters, he also mentioned the current situation of the Pei family's younger generation.
The Pei family of Wenxi was a prominent clan with connections spread across both the military and political spheres.
After reading the letter, Lady Pei pondered for a moment before starting to write her reply.
She knew her husband's ambitions all too well.
He had grand aspirations but lacked the strength to act on them.
He could only bide his time and wait for the right opportunity.
She, however, was not entirely convinced.
There were many descendants of the Sima family, and not all of them were rushing to Luoyang.
The Donghai Prince's household was too weak to make a significant impact.
"Did you rest well after the long journey, my dear?" A cheerful voice came from the doorway.
Sima Yue, the Grand Minister of Works and Prince of Donghai, walked in with a smile.
"My lord," Lady Pei set down her brush and stood up to greet him.
Rest well? She could only smile bitterly.
She was no longer naive and didn't bother to bring up such matters.
Sima Yue glanced at the letters on the desk and seemed to understand something.
The Pei family was a valuable ally, but they were hesitant to fully support him, which displeased him.
Of course, he didn't show it, merely glancing at the letters before turning his attention elsewhere.
The couple fell into an awkward silence, with nothing to say to each other.
After a while, Lady Pei broke the silence, "Have you finished your discussions, my lord?"
"Hmm..."
Sima Yue clasped his hands behind his back and stood tall, gazing out at the pond outside the window.
"There's not much to discuss. We just need to wait for the right moment."
Lady Pei lowered her head, saying nothing.
They didn't seem like a married couple but more like strangers, filled with distance.
She suddenly felt disheartened.
Despite her efforts to maintain her beauty and mature figure, her husband paid her no attention.
He was either scheming or spending time with those seductive women.
Those women had no shame and used every trick in the book to seduce him.
But she had been raised with dignity and propriety and couldn't bring herself to stoop to such lowly tactics.
If life was dull, so be it.
A woman of her status had her own pride.
She wouldn't beg for his attention.
All she wanted now was to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother and live a quiet life.
But even that simple wish seemed hard to achieve.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you really planning to get involved in the affairs of Luoyang?"
Sima Yue's gaze instinctively fell on the letters before shifting back to the window.
"Sima Jiong is digging his own grave, and Sima Yi is nothing but a brute. This is a golden opportunity. It would be a shame not to seize it. With some support, our chances would increase."
Lady Pei seemed not to understand and only advised, "Prince Hejian has troops stationed in Guanzhong, and Prince Chengdu controls the forces in Yecheng. Both have substantial armies. Prince Changsha is in a strategic position with tens of thousands of troops outside the city. If you wait for the right moment, what if Sima Jiong falls and Sima Yi takes his place? We must not forget the lessons of Prince Zhao Lun."
Prince Hejian, Sima Yong, held the military power of the Guanzhong region and was stationed in Chang'an with tens of thousands of troops.
Prince Chengdu, Sima Ying, controlled the forces in the Jizhou region and was also eyeing Luoyang.
Prince Changsha, Sima Yi, was currently in Luoyang with his troops stationed just outside the city.
When Sima Yi first arrived in Luoyang last year, he brought with him 200,000 troops, causing widespread fear.
Although most of them had been disbanded and sent home, there were still tens of thousands stationed near Luoyang, ready to clash with the forces of Prince Qi, Sima Jiong, who controlled the Yuzhou region.
In such a volatile situation, what was a powerless prince like you doing getting involved? Was Sima Jiong so easy to deal with?
Even if you managed to overthrow Sima Jiong, what then?
Before Sima Jiong, Prince Zhao Lun held power, and after a series of uprisings and battles, tens of thousands of soldiers died.
What happened to Sima Jiong after he took power? He was just another Zhao Lun!
Even if you killed Sima Jiong, the central power would most likely fall into the hands of Prince Changsha, Sima Yi.
How could it possibly come to you?
Lady Pei's assessment of the situation was spot on, but Sima Yue didn't want to hear it.
Moreover, this woman didn't seem to care about their marital relationship and pretended not to understand his hints—at such a critical moment, she should be urging the Pei family to support him, increasing his chances of success.
He turned his back to her, his eyes filled with complex emotions—frustration, anger, resentment, and even fear.
Finally, he couldn't hold back and raised his voice slightly, "My dear, you should know how hard it was for me to become the Prince of Donghai. Some princes have fiefs of 100,000 households, while I only have 5,000. Why? Even the Donghai region isn't entirely mine. Sima Mao dares to disrespect me. Why?"
His voice wasn't loud, but the emotion behind it was intense.
Lady Pei looked at her husband as if seeing him for the first time, stunned.
When they first married, her husband had a reputation for humility, which she had admired.
But now, she was utterly disappointed.
He clearly wanted the Pei family's support but pretended otherwise in front of her—this was hypocrisy.
Sima Jiong and Sima Yi had risked their lives to achieve their current positions, while her husband had done nothing yet was filled with discontent—this was jealousy.
What else?
Lady Pei shook her head, "My lord, what we have is enough. All this killing only brings suffering to the officials and common people, and depletes the court's military strength. In the end, when the soldiers are gone and the treasury is empty, any change could lead to the barbarians taking advantage."
"Foolish woman!" Sima Yue finally lost his temper, flicking his sleeve and storming out the door.
His voice echoed from afar, "In a few days, you can move to the eastern villa. Since you're so worried about Luoyang, it's better to stay far away."
Lady Pei knelt on the ground, expressionless.
There was nothing she could do.
Some truths were clear even to a woman like her, but her husband was blinded by ambition and greed.
It was truly lamentable.
Heartbroken and disappointed, Lady Pei didn't delay for long.
The next day, accompanied by Mi Huang and Liu Qia, she set off for Panyuan.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" A chorus of young but determined voices rang out nearby, filled with vigor.
The princess consort lifted the carriage curtain and quietly watched the soldiers training on the field.
They were young but well-trained.
The drill was nearing its end, and the officer in charge ordered the soldiers to sit down.
He then drew a bow, quickly strung it, and began explaining the essentials of archery.
After a brief explanation, he nocked an arrow and fired three shots in quick succession.
The arrows whistled through the air and struck the straw targets in the distance.
"Wow!" The young soldiers couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Lady Pei was also impressed.
"Zi Hui, is such archery skill common in the army?" she asked.
Mi Huang answered honestly, "Not very common."
Lady Pei nodded and lowered the carriage curtain.
The carriage passed by quickly and soon entered the estate.
Liu Qia found a moment to approach the training field, watching another group of soldiers drilling.
"Uncle."
Yang Bao noticed him and, after giving some instructions to his men, hurried over and bowed respectfully.
Liu Qia looked at his nephew.
In the local area, Yang Bao was considered quite strong.
So, when the Prince of Donghai was recruiting soldiers, Liu Qia had managed to get his nephew on the list and even gave him the position of a squad leader.
He didn't have any grand plans, but in these turbulent times, having real military power was more reliable than anything else.
After the second batch of recruits arrived in Luoyang, through Liu Qia's arrangements, Yang Bao naturally became a platoon leader, commanding a group of strong soldiers.
He knew that Mi Huang wouldn't remain as the battalion commander for long—he lacked both the ability and the energy.
If everything went well, Yang Bao could eventually replace Mi Huang as the battalion commander.
But—where did this Shao Xun come from?
"Tell me the truth—" Liu Qia didn't beat around the bush with his nephew and asked directly, "How skilled is Shao Xun?"
Yang Bao hesitated.
"Tell me the truth!" Liu Qia glared at him, furious.
"He's better than me," Yang Bao admitted dejectedly.
"How much better?"
"Much better."
Liu Qia took a deep breath and kicked his nephew.
Yang Bao stumbled but quickly straightened up, bowing his head to receive the scolding.
"Lead your men well!" Liu Qia glared at his nephew, disappointed, before turning and leaving.
Yang Bao slunk away.
Liu Qia wandered around the training field for a long time.
As the sky began to darken, he finally saw Mi Huang leaving the estate, ready to return to the capital.
(So exciting! That's all for today.
If there's any debt, I'll make it up tomorrow.)
(End of Chapter)