Chapter 62: Enfeoffment and Rewards, a New Favorite of the Court

With Prince Yan about to ascend the great throne, it was naturally time to reward meritorious service. The old court officials in the capital who had supported his enthronement could be given some symbolic rewards.

The most important were his old subordinates from Youzhou; those were his true, loyal followers.

Of course, this also included Li Zhong, Shen Ji, and the others who had defended Youzhou on Prince Yan’s orders and repelled the northern barbarians.

Shen Ji, in particular, had made no small contribution to this success.

When Prince Yan had first entered the capital to quell the rebellion, he had held a secret two-hour discussion with Shen Ji. The final route for entering the city was also one that adopted Shen Ji’s suggestion.

—Shen Ji had spent more than half a year in the capital and had unexpectedly learned of a secret path that led directly into the city. Although it was more difficult to traverse, it was perfect for a surprise attack. Prince Yan’s grand army caught the enemy off guard, swiftly annihilating the foreign troops that were wreaking havoc in the capital.

This not only rescued the common people from their suffering sooner but also minimized the casualties among the soldiers.

In Prince Yan’s eyes, such a talent had to be given a position of great importance.

Thus, Prince Yan ordered Shen Ji to escort his family to the capital and, at the same time, receive his enfeoffment and reward.

As for the magistrate of Anle County, he would appoint another official to take over the post.

Upon receiving this news, Su Zhenyue’s eyelashes trembled. She found it somewhat hard to believe. “To the capital?”

“Yes.” Shen Ji gave a slight nod. There were no outsiders here, so he simply handed Prince Yan’s decree to his wife for her to see.

Su Zhenyue examined it closely, murmuring, “Escort the family to the capital… to receive enfeoffment and reward?”

“Mm,” Shen Ji said with a faint smile. “I didn’t expect we’d be returning to the capital so soon.”

He had originally thought they would stay in Anle County for a few years. He never imagined that the world would change so much, with so many things happening in just one short year.

Su Zhenyue was also filled with emotion. After a moment’s thought, she asked softly, “Am I going too?”

“Of course. You and I are husband and wife, one and the same.” Shen Ji’s brow twitched, as if he found it strange that she would even ask. Then, he lowered his voice slightly and leaned in close to her ear. “Could it be that my lady plans to abandon her husband?”

Su Zhenyue’s cheeks flushed red, and she gave him a light push. “That’s not what I meant. When are we setting off?”

“The sooner the better. It would be best to reach the capital before the enthronement ceremony.” Shen Ji put away his playful mood and answered seriously.

Su Zhenyue nodded. “Alright, I’ll go pack right away.”

They had been in Anle County for a full year, but they had acquired quite a few new things. When she first arrived, Su Zhenyue was still not quite used to it. But now that it was truly time to leave, she felt a sense of reluctance.

The newly planted fruit trees had not yet matured, and the swing set they had built was still beautiful. There were also some other miscellaneous trinkets…

It wasn’t just Su Zhenyue who was reluctant; Nanxing was too. “Miss, are we not taking any of these?”

“No, we’re not.” Su Zhenyue was comforting both Nanxing and herself. “Once we get to the capital, we’ll have better things.”

Nanxing understood the logic but still felt a pang of regret.

Su Zhenyue felt it too, but on second thought, what were these few things compared to what they had gained?

Shen Ji had already promised her that once they returned to the capital, he would plant new fruit trees, build another swing set, and bit by bit, decorate their new home just the way she liked it.

The next day, the group set out. They would first rendezvous with Prince Yan’s family and then travel to the capital together.

With Prince Yan about to ascend the throne, his family’s status rose with him. There could not be a single mishap on this trip to the capital.

Shen Ji was well aware of this and was exceptionally cautious. Fortunately, they had a large retinue of guards, all of whom were fiercely loyal to Prince Yan. Everyone was also willing to cooperate with Shen Ji’s arrangements.

The only exception was Prince Yan’s heir.

The journey from Youzhou to the capital was a long one.

After leaving Youzhou, Prince Yan’s heir refused to sit obediently in the carriage and insisted on riding a horse himself. He had grown quite a bit taller compared to half a year ago. Though only nine, he cut a fine figure on horseback.

Yan Wangfei was about to stop him, but seeing how happy her son was, she didn’t say much more, only reminding him, “Be careful.”

“I know.”

With the princess consort having spoken, Shen Ji could not openly object. He only gave strict orders for everyone to protect the Heir Apparent closely.

The Heir Apparent galloped around the convoy, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. After a while, he grew bored and rode back, stopping beside Su Zhenyue’s carriage. He rode alongside it and asked curiously, “Lady Shen, where is your ‘Sai Xue’? Why don’t you ride too, and we can have a race?”

He had stayed in the Anle County Yamen Back Residence for several days and had an excellent impression of Shen Ji and his wife. He also remembered Su Zhenyue’s small pony named “Sai Xue.” He recalled that when he had visited Anle County, Lady Shen had been learning to ride.

Su Zhenyue shook her head and politely declined. “My riding skills are poor. I won’t compete with the Heir Apparent.”

“It’s because they’re poor that you need to practice more. Maybe if you practice enough, you’ll be able to surpass me,” the Heir Apparent urged, his spirits high.

Su Zhenyue smiled and said softly, “I never thought of surpassing the Heir Apparent.”

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t. Don’t you feel bored in the carriage?” the Heir Apparent continued.

His words did give Su Zhenyue an idea. A thought stirred in her mind, and she lifted the carriage curtain. Perhaps for better ventilation, the carriage window was made very large, easily big enough for a person to pass through.

A gentle breeze blew in, feeling quite refreshing.

Seeing that she didn’t answer but was fiddling with the curtain, Prince Yan’s heir grew curious and leaned closer. “Lady Shen, what are you doing?”

Yan Wangfei, in the carriage ahead, had been listening to their conversation for a while. At this moment, she couldn’t help but lift her curtain and gently scold her son, “Don’t cause trouble. If you keep this up, get back in the carriage!”

He was still a child, after all, and hadn’t outgrown his mischievous nature.

The Heir Apparent made a face at his mother.

Su Zhenyue was just thinking of how to phrase a few good words on the heir’s behalf.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, disaster struck. An arrow flew out of nowhere, aiming straight for the heir’s back.

With no time to think, Su Zhenyue shouted, “Watch out!” and forcefully pushed him.

The carriage and the horse were very close, moving in parallel at almost the same speed. She was right by the window, and she used all her strength in that push. The motion was so fast that she couldn’t pull back in time and actually flew out of the carriage, tackling the Heir Apparent. The two of them tumbled to the ground together.

At the same time, the sharp arrow flew over the saddle of the heir’s horse.

Shen Ji had been riding at the front. Hearing the commotion, his expression changed instantly, and his heart leaped into his throat. He immediately wheeled his horse around and galloped over.

The accompanying guard was also stunned for a moment. He had been ordered by Lord Shen to protect the Crown Prince closely. The moment he spotted the sneak attack, he saw Lady Shen had already helped the Heir Apparent dodge it.

He truly hadn’t expected a delicate woman like her to be so brave and decisive.

Feeling both grateful and relieved, he immediately shouted, “Protect the Heir Apparent! Protect the Princess Consort!” and formed a protective circle around the carriages with his brothers.

A few others went to apprehend the assassin.

With the Heir Apparent cushioning her fall, Su Zhenyue was largely unharmed. She stood up and pulled the heir to his feet. “My apologies, the situation was urgent just now, I…”

“I know you were saving me,” Prince Yan’s heir replied. He wasn’t stupid; he had already figured out what had happened.

That arrow had been aimed at his heart. If he had still been on his horse and hadn’t dodged, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

In an instant, Shen Ji had ridden up, his gaze falling on the two of them.

Su Zhenyue looked up and met his deep, dark eyes. Her heart trembled, and she quickly said, “We’re fine.”

“Right, we’re fine.” The Heir Apparent, his face pale, also nodded. His back hurt a little, probably from a scrape, but he decided to hide it.

Seeing that they were indeed unharmed, Shen Ji relaxed slightly. He gave his wife a deep look before leading his men to hunt down the assassin.

Su Zhenyue let out a sigh of relief.

Beside her, the Heir Apparent composed himself and gave her a long, deep bow. “Lady Shen’s great kindness is something I, Xiao Chengqi, will never forget for the rest of my life.”

In his view, it was the guards’ duty to protect him. But for a woman like Lady Shen to risk her own life to shield him was a debt of profound grace.

“Heir Apparent, please don’t say that. You honor me too much.” How could Su Zhenyue dare to accept his bow? She quickly moved aside.

Yan Wangfei, who had witnessed everything, already had red-rimmed eyes. She hastily jumped down from her carriage and rushed to them. She took her son’s hand, looking him up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he wasn’t injured.

Then she took Su Zhenyue’s hands and examined her closely. “Sister, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Su Zhenyue said, shaking her head.

“You scared me to death,” Yan Wangfei said. She turned and patted her son’s shoulder heavily, then pulled him into a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

Held by his mother, the Heir Apparent said nothing, but his eyes were fixed on Su Zhenyue.

He thought to himself, he would definitely repay her.

The escort team was full of experts, and the assassin who fired the arrow was quickly caught.

It turned out he was a former subordinate of the Third Prince. He cursed incessantly, believing that Prince Yan had usurped the throne and that he wanted to kill Prince Yan’s son to avenge the Third Prince.

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was gagged and he was dragged away. After confirming there were no accomplices nearby, he was executed on the spot.

After this incident, Prince Yan’s heir no longer rode his horse. He sat obediently in a carriage, accompanying his grandmother, the Royal Grand Concubine.

Yan Wangfei, however, insisted on sharing a carriage with Su Zhenyue.

Inside the carriage, she held Su Zhenyue’s hand, her eyes red. “Silly sister, you don’t even know martial arts. Weren’t you afraid just now?”

Su Zhenyue said, “I didn’t think that much.”

It was mainly because she had been too close to the Heir Apparent at the time. In that split second, she had no time to think. There was only one thought in her mind: stop it.

Yan Wangfei’s eyes instantly welled up, and she wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

A person’s true character is revealed in critical moments. There were many guards present; perhaps even if Su Zhenyue had done nothing, the Heir Apparent would have been fine. But she had acted.

Yan Wangfei was deeply indebted to her.

Once they reached the capital, many people would show their mother and son respect or flattery, but the friendship forged in the princely estate was the only true friendship.

Moreover, having saved him twice, Shen Ji and his wife were definitely her son’s fated benefactors. Yan Wangfei firmly believed this.

The group continued on their way, seemingly no different from before. However, Shen Ji, who had originally been leading the way at the front, would now and then ride his horse back to linger near the carriage.

He knew she wasn’t injured, but he still couldn’t feel at ease. Every time he recalled the earlier scene, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

That evening, the group rested at a Postal Station.

Shen Ji carefully checked his wife’s body from head to toe. Only after confirming that she was truly uninjured did his expression soften slightly.

Su Zhenyue said in a small voice, “I already told you, I’m fine. The Heir Apparent, on the other hand, might have a few scrapes.”

“There were so many guards there, why did you…” Shen Ji’s brow was still furrowed, clearly displeased with her actions during the day.

“I wasn’t thinking that much at the time. I just wanted to push him away. Who knew I wouldn’t be able to pull back my strength?” Su Zhenyue took his hand and shook it gently. “Besides, I’m fine, aren’t I?”

Not only was she fine, but the Heir Apparent was also fine. If something had really happened to that boy, who knows how many people would have been implicated.

“You’re fine because you were lucky this time. What if something had happened?” Shen Ji disapproved, warning her in a low voice, “Mianmian, you must never do this again.”

Su Zhenyue grumbled inwardly: What if, what if. Everything’s fine, and he’s still talking about ‘what if’. But on the surface, she looked extremely receptive, nodding repeatedly and giving him a most sincere promise. “I won’t. Really, this won’t happen again.”

She leaned against Shen Ji’s embrace, deliberately changing the subject, and said softly, “So sleepy, so sleepy, and we have to travel again tomorrow. Let’s rest early.”

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and lay perfectly still, as if she had already fallen asleep.

Shen Ji sighed softly, shook his head, and said no more.

He wasn’t blaming her for saving someone; he just didn’t want her to put herself in danger.

The next morning, the group continued on their journey.

They proceeded with caution and care, and there were no further incidents.

After traveling for another ten days or so, they met the men Prince Yan had sent to receive them. The man in the lead, with a full beard, was an old acquaintance, Shi Jun.

Seeing him, the Heir Apparent was exceptionally excited.

Shi Jun was also delighted, cheerfully telling everyone about the various happenings in the capital.

—The enthronement ceremony was to be held in three days, and everyone was already addressing Prince Yan differently.

A sense of anticipation grew in everyone’s hearts.

After several more days of travel, they finally arrived in the capital.

Having not seen his mother, wife, and child for several months, the new Emperor missed them dearly and personally led people out of the palace to welcome them.

The family reunion was emotional and joyous.

Shen Ji thought it was time for him to take his leave. Unexpectedly, the new Emperor said, “A residence has also been bestowed upon you. It’s the former Marquis of Weining’s estate. I’ve had people do some simple renovations, so you and your wife can move in directly.”

“The Marquis of Weining’s estate?” Shen Ji was taken aback and gently reminded him, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s great favor, but I fear it exceeds my station…”

The new Emperor smiled faintly, cutting him off. “That estate is just sitting empty anyway, and it’s close to the imperial palace, which will be convenient for you to attend court in the future. It’s not just you; Shi Jun and the others have one too. Go and have a look, He Ming.”

The Marquis of Weining was originally Xiao Chengzhe’s maternal grandfather’s family. After the chaos in the capital, the estate had been left vacant. As for exceeding his station, it wasn’t a problem at all. Whether it exceeded his station or not was merely a matter of the Emperor’s word. Besides, if he were to be enfeoffed as a marquis, would it still be exceeding his station?

With the new Emperor’s ascension, all the trusted aides who had joined his uprising were promoted and ennobled. Although it was the dynasty’s custom that civil officials were generally not granted noble titles, Shen Ji and Li Zhong had defended Youzhou together and had also contributed strategies and plans to pacify the capital. Their merits were not small, so an exception could be made.

Moreover, the new Emperor intended to use Shen Ji’s promotion to show all the scholars in the realm that he was different from the late Emperor. He valued talent, treated meritorious subjects generously, would use anyone with ability, and would reward anyone with merit.

Shen Ji bowed solemnly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The new Emperor returned to the palace with his family, while Shen Ji and Su Zhenyue went to see their new residence.

The carriage stopped in front of the marquis’s estate.

The moment Su Zhenyue stepped out of the carriage, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

As she entered the estate, she grew more and more astonished.

The previous owner of the Marquis of Weining’s estate was Xiao Chengzhe’s maternal uncle. As a former imperial relative, his residence was quite luxurious. Although it had been plundered once, one could still see its former splendor.

With carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and terraces, it was in no way inferior to the Jing An Marquis Estate.

Nanxing was quite excited inwardly. This estate was ten times better than their County Yamen Back Residence in Anle County.

“Cousin, will this estate be our home from now on?” Su Zhenyue, amidst her astonishment, felt a little uneasy. “His Highness, no, His Majesty… isn’t he being a little too good to us?”

Shen Ji also felt the favor was excessive. But on the way to the capital, Shi Jun had told him that all of the new Emperor’s trusted subordinates from his princely days had received rewards, and being granted a residence was even more common. He figured he had also been classified as one of the new Emperor’s “own people.”

“He is very good,” Shen Ji said. “His Majesty values old ties.”

Whether it was a show of grace or a display of sentiment, it was not a bad thing for him.

“Mm.” Su Zhenyue nodded, thinking to herself: That night we met Prince Yan and his son at the Dragon King Temple, we really met the right people.

Three days later, Prince Yan reported to Heaven and Earth and officially ascended the throne.

He honored his mother as the Empress Dowager, enfeoffed his wife, Yang Shi, as the Empress, and established his eldest son, Xiao Chengqi, as the Crown Prince.

At the beginning of his reign, the new Emperor bestowed rewards as was customary. His subordinates who had followed him in pacifying the capital were all given titles according to the magnitude of their contributions. Even his old subordinate Li Zhong, who was stationed far away in Youzhou, was enfeoffed as Marquis Wuding.

The most shocking was Shen Ji.

This young man, who had once been the Number One Scholar and was then demoted to be a county magistrate in Anle County, was now enfeoffed as Marquis Yongchang, appointed as the Minister of Revenue, and concurrently served as the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor.

Once the news broke, the entire court was shaken.

For a civil official to be ennobled was a rare occurrence, with only a few examples in the dynasty’s nearly eighty-year history. Shen Ji, who was barely twenty, had already reached a height that many could not achieve in their entire lives.

Did the new Emperor truly value him so highly?

A few days later, more news came. The Empress Dowager issued the first edict of her life: Su Zhenyue, a woman of quiet and virtuous character, benevolent and kind-hearted, had meritoriously protected the Crown Prince. She was to be enfeoffed as a Commandery Princess with the honorific title “Jiayi.”