It was not so simple to make Jiangnan Fu Zhiyu's fiefdom. What Xie Ke prepared for Fu Zhiyu was much more luxurious than that of ordinary princes.
The reason for the reward is secondary. When it comes to giving rewards, as long as one has the power, one can naturally come up with any high-sounding reason.
In this case, the so-called death of King Zhao in the palace by fire was not that important. He was just rescued by God's blessing, and the rumor of being burned to death was naturally self-defeating.
There was even more than one imperial edict. One was for Yuan Jiangxing. According to the imperial edict, he no longer had to guard the border, but was transferred to Jiangnan to become a military commander under Fu Zhiyu.
That’s right, Xie Ke was willing to give him not only the fiefdom, but also independent military power.
"This way, Zhiyu can protect himself."
These are the exact words Du Yin heard from Xie Ke.
Before this man fell into coma, he was still muttering about his concern for Fu Zhiyu.
"I know... He doesn't want Jilin's authority anymore, not only because he's tired, but also because he's afraid," Xie Ke said. He didn't know if he was admonishing them or talking to himself. "After returning from the Qianyuan War, I knew he still had the world in his heart, but he always felt that he would be sorry for the people if he took power, so he didn't dare to touch it."
"I gave Jiangnan to him... First, I wanted to tell him that he doesn't need to run away. The whole world is his place. As long as he is willing, with Jiangnan, he will at least not live a bad life, and he won't be bullied by others," Xie Ke said. He sighed and coughed violently. "If he doesn't want to manage Jiangnan, then he can find someone he trusts to manage it. Yuan Jiangxing can do it, or Yuan Mingdao can do it. He just needs to enjoy it. If he is willing to try it... that's fine. I always want him to have some hope for himself. He, he is actually a very good person. What happened before... was all my fault."
After spending so much time together, Xie Ke also saw what Fu Zhiyu's mentality was. If it weren't for the Yuan family and Yuan Mingdao, people he still cared about, still living in this world, he would have no motivation to do anything.
Fu Zhiyu has almost no expectations for himself. He now lives a day-to-day life with very few desires. This scares Xie Ke, who is afraid that he will suddenly disappear again.
"He doesn't want to see me, he can hate me as much as he wants," Xie Ke said, "but I hope he is fine."
Du Yin went to Jiangnan with such instructions. Although he was confused in his heart, as a soldier, he would do what he was told.
Since someone has to do it anyway, you might as well do it yourself.
He did not go to Jiangnan right away. Instead, he went to the border first and issued an edict to Yuan Jiangxing.
There was no way. Although we knew that Fu Zhiyu was in Jiangnan and was very likely with Yuan Jiangwen, Yuan Jiangwen owned a large number of houses and countless businesses. No one knew where Fu Zhiyu was exactly, so there must be someone to receive the order.
Yuan Jiangxing didn't seem surprised by the visitor from the capital. In fact, he could leave at any time. This place was far away from the emperor and he had soldiers at his disposal, so no one could control him.
But Yuan Jiangxing had heard some rumors recently. He was very confused when he first heard that Fu Yanran ascended the throne as emperor. According to his assumptions, it could be either Xie Lin or Xie Ke, and the latter was slightly more likely. The final result was really beyond his expectations.
Moreover, Xie Ke disappeared inexplicably and there was no news about him at all.
So when he saw the imperial edict, Yuan Jiangxing's expression became even stranger.
Logically, the decree should be issued to Fu Zhiyu first, establishing him as the King of Jiangnan, and then to Yuan Jiangxing, the soldier transferred to guard Jiangnan, to tell him that his duties have changed and that he will only listen to Fu Zhiyu from now on.
However, Yuan Jiangxing received his own copy first. Although Fu Zhiyu's edict had not been issued, he could guess most of it by listening to its meaning.
Fu Zhiyu once mentioned Fu Yanran to him, but based on this simple relationship, Yuan Jiangxing felt that it would not be enough to send Jiangnan away.
Du Yin stayed there for a while, and several days later, he received the message from Yuan Jiangxing.
"Get ready to go," he said, "We're going to Jiangnan together."
This probably means that you can meet Fu Zhiyu.
This was also Du Yin's first time in the south of the Yangtze River.
Winter is almost here. If we were in the capital, the cold wind would have already been blowing. But it is not the case in the south. The weather still retains some warmth, and there is no trace of the bleakness of winter.
Although the capital city is prosperous, it has a somewhat rough flavor. The prosperity of Jiangnan is refined, and the people look different from those in the capital city in the north. Even the trees on the roadside look much more graceful and elegant.
The so-called Jiangnan is not just one city.
The Jiangnan that people talk about includes seven or eight cities in the Mingjiang River area. The fiefdom given to Fu Zhiyu is from the middle section of the Mingjiang River to the border of southern Xinjiang, covering the most prosperous cities in the Jiangnan area. The most famous of them is the Luanzhou City in front of us.
Luanzhou City is also known as Taohuawu, but they came at an unfortunate time as there were no peach blossoms in this season. There were a few stalls selling peaches on the roadside.
Business is prosperous here. Unlike the capital city where the locations of shops are designated, business can be done everywhere and there are no restrictions on shop opening hours. The place is bustling with people and the lights are bright at night. Looking from the second-floor window where we stayed, the lights of strings of lanterns were reflected on the Mingjiang River. The beautiful place was like a dream.
Du Yin stayed temporarily in the inn. The officials in Luanzhou City treated him with respect, but they were not very enthusiastic.
There are many wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan, the network of relationships among officials is complicated, and it is far away from the capital. It is actually not an easy task to take over.
Fu Zhiyu has those two uncles, so he can get twice the result with half the effort. Even if he doesn't want to care, the situation won't be too bad. If he wants to care...
Du Yin knew that he had pretended before, but now that Emperor Qingyuan was dead, he didn't know what choice Fu Zhiyu would make.
The next day, Du Yin met Fu Zhiyu.
Fu Zhiyu came with Yuan Jiangxing, and the decree was issued at the government office in Luanzhou City.
After all, his power should not only be known to Fu Zhiyu himself, but also to others, who is the one in charge of this place now.
When the imperial edict was brought out, everyone had to kneel down to thank and accept the order according to the law, except Fu Zhiyu.
"According to His Majesty's order, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao does not need to kneel," Du Yin said.
Compared with being sent out of Jiangnan, this special thing is nothing.
Fu Zhiyu remained silent. He listened to the edict absent-mindedly.
Yuan Jiangxing had already sent him a message before setting out for Jiangnan, and he only set out after receiving a positive response from Fu Zhiyu.
The imperial edict has been stamped with the imperial seal and has actually come into effect. The issuance of the edict is just a ceremony.
Moreover, everyone in the imperial city knew that he was not dead, but was in the south of the Yangtze River. Now that the story had changed, there was no need to hide it. It would be like trying to cover up the truth.
This Jiangnan...
This incident was beyond Fu Zhiyu's expectation. He listened absentmindedly and took the order from Du Yin absentmindedly. Then he heard Du Yin ask in a low voice: "Would King Zhao like to talk to you?"
Du Yin paused for a moment and added, "Alone."
Fu Zhiyu thought about it and nodded.
"General Du, please follow me."
Du Yin followed Fu Zhiyu to where he lived now, which was a very exquisite small courtyard. It looked like it had been carefully maintained for a long time. It was not as luxurious as the imperial palace, but it was very comfortable.
Fu Zhiyu invited Du Yin to sit down in the pavilion in the garden. The light breeze brought the fragrance of some flower, which made people calm down unconsciously.
Du Yin looked at Fu Zhiyu and felt that this person seemed to have not changed at all.
Still in a somewhat lazy manner, he did not speak immediately after sitting down. He slowly poured himself a cup of tea, took a few sips, and then said, "What does General Du want to tell me?"
"Xie Ke... I was originally planning to tell you this myself," Du Yin said, "but His Royal Highness Prince Zhao shot him with an arrow, and he hasn't woken up yet, so I have to come here."
Fu Zhiyu smiled; he could hear the resentment in Du Yin's words.
From Du Yin's perspective, what Xie Ke did was as if he had been bewitched by him, and could only be described as "unreasonable".
Everyone has a different perspective, and sometimes it is difficult to tell who is right and who is wrong.
"He is still like this, always trying to give people something he thinks is good," Fu Zhiyu sighed, "General Du really doesn't have to look at me like that. I have never asked him for Jiangnan, and I... don't owe him anything."
"He gave Jiangnan to you because he knew you liked it," Du Yin said. "When I think about it now, I just feel terrified. Sometimes I even feel that he planned all this for you."
It was always Xie Ke who was eagerly pushing forward, and it was a matter of mutual consent. Du Yin knew in his heart that this was not a debt.
"But why?" He couldn't help asking, "I don't think there's anything wrong with Xie Ke loving you. I can't control how he treats others, but why do you treat him like this? It would be fine if you just didn't accept it. Sometimes, you are... too cruel."
Du Yin wanted to see a little trace of regret in Fu Zhiyu's expression, but there was none.
He was very calm, his expression extremely peaceful, as if nothing could move him.
Fu Zhiyu never intended to explain this matter to Du Yin because he couldn't understand it.
Du Yin suppressed his emotions and remembered that he had not finished speaking.
"Before he passed out, he was talking about you," Du Yin told him what Xie Ke said, "I really don't know why you hate him so much. Maybe Xie Ke really did something to let you down, but... can you be nicer to him? Just be nicer to him, and he'll be happy."
"General Du, you are really putting the cart before the horse by saying this to me who tried to kill him," Fu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "Why should he rely on me for his emotions? If he learns to let me go, he won't have to suffer all the torture you said, right?"