Chapter 161: Changing the Name, Declaring No Dynastic Title

Early the next morning, the news that the Prince of Xuan had announced his separation from Great Dasheng and a complete severance of ties at his wedding banquet was swiftly dispatched by various parties to all four corners of the realm. However, not a single envoy from Northern Di, Xiliang, or Southern Zhan offered their farewells or departed.

Meanwhile, the council hall of the Prince of Xuan's estate was already packed. With the exception of Master Piaomiao, all the civil and military officials who had attended the wedding banquet the night before gathered together, engaged in lively discussions.

When Meng Yuanheng and Shen Qianmo walked into the hall hand in hand a little later, the crowd finally ceased their discussions and stood up to bow.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Princess."

Meng Yuanheng pulled Shen Qianmo's hand and sat down, smiling calmly, "Everyone, please dispense with the formalities. Have a seat."

Glancing sideways to notice the dark, bruised circles under Yun Yi's eyes, the corners of Meng Yuanheng's lips twitched slightly as he asked with concern, "What is wrong with the Manor Lord Yun? Did you not sleep well last night?"

Yun Yi's face darkened as he gritted his teeth and replied, "Naturally, I could not compare to Your Highness, who spent your wedding night drunk in the embrace of tenderness and resting in such comfort."

This fellow's refreshingly radiant and beaming smile made him grind his teeth in hatred. Recalling the shock he felt last night when he unfolded the silk and read its contents clearly, if not for his strong composure, he might have flung the object in his hand right then and there. Barely managing to compose himself enough to read the words aloud, heaven knows his palms were slick with cold sweat at the time. He had never suffered such a fright; how could he possibly have slept well last night?

Retribution! This was undoubtedly the revenge of that black-bellied fellow Meng Yuanheng against him!

Who told him to accidentally let slip to Qianmo previously that the foremost beauty of the Northwest held a favorable impression of the Prince of Xuan.

"That goes without saying." Meng Yuanheng nodded as if it were only natural, without the slightest trace of anomaly in his expression. He raised his eyes to scan his subordinates, who wore various expressions, and said with a smile, "What, were all of you frightened as well?"

"What is there for us to be afraid of? His Highness should have done this long ago!" roared Wei Zhongting, the burly chief general of the Meng Army with a thick black beard, his voice like a booming bell.

Others, such as the veteran General Lin Chao, Wenyun Cavalry Commander Wenren Yuan, and members of the Mo clan, chimed in one after another. For a moment, the hall erupted into noise once more, the atmosphere turning extremely heated.

Xie Chunjing listened quietly to everyone's discussions and said to Meng Yuanheng, "Since Your Highness has made up your mind to divide and rule separately from Great Dasheng, it is only right to first dispel the misunderstandings that the people of the Northwest and Great Dasheng have held toward the Prince of Xuan's estate over this period."

Meng Yuanheng nodded. "What are the thoughts of Recluse Songyue?"

After pondering for a moment, Xie Chun said, "The first thing to be done is to clearly proclaim to the world the grievances between the imperial family of Great Dasheng and the Prince of Xuan's estate. Moreover, this proclamation must be issued before last night's news reaches the imperial court, catching the one in the palace off guard. Although the common people may not be very literate, they still understand reason; right and wrong will have their own public verdict."

Mo Qingshan nodded and said, "Recluse Songyue's words are sound. Only by taking the initiative can one achieve total victory in a single strike. By the time last night's news reaches Shengjing, the imperial family's chilling methods will already be common knowledge, and the one in the palace will no longer be able to turn the tide."

The others chimed in with their agreement as well. Back then, when Meng Tianxu issued over a dozen imperial decrees in succession to condemn and smear the Prince of Xuan's estate, Meng Yuanheng had not offered any response or refutation. What he was waiting for was precisely this decisive counterattack today!

Naturally, neither Meng Yuanheng nor Shen Qianmo had any objections.

"I will have to trouble Recluse Songyue with this matter," Meng Yuanheng said calmly, looking at Xie Chun.

Xie Chun was already a widely renowned and learned scholar, so such a task was naturally a breeze for him.

Xie Chun nodded in agreement. "You are too courteous, Your Highness."

After a period of discussion, Meng Yuanheng dismissed the various generals and officials, leaving only a few trusted aides from the Xie clan, Mo clan, Meng Army, and Wenyun Cavalry, along with Qiao Yuan, the newly appointed prefect of Jingzhou City.

Jiang Tianyu, the former prefect of Jingzhou City, had moved out of the prefectural residence after recovering from his illness. Considering his upright character and his diligent and loving service to the people during his tenure, Meng Yuanheng did not make things too difficult for him. At Shen Qianmo's suggestion, he even arranged a small courtyard for him in the southern part of the city to house his family.

Although Qiao Yuan was young, he was rigorous and responsible. Over these past days, he had handled government affairs in a standard and proper manner, with no missteps to be found. Given the chaotic situation in Jingzhou City, for someone of his seniority and experience to achieve this was already exceptional. Meng Yuanheng and Shen Qianmo were exceedingly satisfied with him.

Seeing Qiao Yuan sitting upright in his seat with a straight back, his expression solemn and poised, stirred an inexplicable sense of familiarity in Shen Qianmo's heart.

This demeanor was truly a match for Lu Ziqing, the Minister of Punishments.

With a smile in her eyes, Shen Qianmo asked, "Prefect Qiao, what movements have the envoys from Northern Di, Xiliang, Southern Zhan, and other nations made? Have any of them submitted their farewells?"

Qiao Yuan stood up, bowed deeply, and replied, "Reporting to the Princess, no farewell documents have been received from the envoys of the various nations as yet. Early this morning, the Crown Prince of Northern Di, the Heir of Prince Yanping of Xiliang, and the Prince Consort of Southern Zhan all left the city, stating that they wished to experience the scenery across various parts of the Northwest."

Shen Qianmo smiled knowingly and said, "In that case, let them go as they please, provided they observe the rules. Prefect Qiao should feel free to act boldly. If any issues arise, simply send someone to report to the prince's estate without feeling constrained. Should anyone cause trouble, you need not be courteous with them."

A trace of emotion flickered across Qiao Yuan's young, upright, and somewhat rigid face. He was young, lacked seniority, and had previously been no more than an insignificant, ninth-rank sesame official within Jingzhou City. Though he had often felt the regret of unrecognized talent, he had never imagined he would be so heavily relied upon by the Prince and Princess.

He bowed deeply to Meng Yuanheng and Shen Qianmo, saying respectfully, "Please rest assured, Your Highness and Princess. This subordinate will certainly devote all his loyalty and exhaust every capability to live up to your trust."

Looking at him, Meng Yuanheng nodded calmly and said, "In employing people, this master has never used age or seniority as conditions. Since you are now capable of managing the affairs of Jingzhou City, the Princess and I entrust Jingzhou City to you. Just tend to your duties with peace of mind."

Suppressing his excitement, Qiao Yuan bowed respectfully, "This subordinate acknowledges the command. This subordinate takes his leave."

Watching Qiao Yuan's departing figure, Xie Mingyu smiled brightly and remarked, "His Highness employs people with wisdom and manages subordinates with skill. No wonder all parts of the Northwest are now united as one, striving together with a single will."

Meng Yuanheng smiled faintly, "Young Master Mingyu flatters me. In truth, my subordinates are mostly rough-hewn military men, with very few civil officials to begin with. Employing Qiao Yuan was a matter of necessity at the time, though fortunately, he is diligent and possesses decent administrative ability. However, future affairs in the Northwest will still heavily rely on Young Master Mingyu and Recluse Songyue."

Xie Chun raised an eyebrow slightly. "Does Your Highness trust the Xie clan?"

Meng Yuanheng smiled, "Naturally, I trust them, or I would not act thus. If even the Xie clan cannot be trusted, who else could Moer and I rely upon? To take root in the Northwest, military might alone is not enough. Unfortunately, while these generals of the Meng Army are fine at leading troops into battle, if they were asked to handle administrative affairs, they would likely turn everything into a shambles. It is impossible for Moer and me to handle every single matter ourselves, is it?"

These words drew nods of agreement from Wenren Yuan and the two chief generals of the Meng Army, Lin Chao and Wei Zhongting. Remembering the period when they had first captured various parts of the Northwest and had to handle local governance for a spell, the taste of that experience was simply too painful to recall.

After some lighthearted banter, the group turned back to serious matters.

Mo Qingshan asked solemnly, "Now that the Northwest has officially drawn a clear boundary with Great Dasheng, what are Your Highness's future plans?"

At this, he inwardly sighed. When he first learned of Meng Yuanheng's true identity, he had once probed his intentions. At that time, Meng Yuanheng had no ambition whatsoever for the throne. Who would have expected that after just over half a year, the situation would evolve to this point? It made him sigh at the impermanence of worldly affairs.

Meng Yuanheng pondered for a moment before speaking, "The first step, naturally, is to unify the administrative ranks of officials across the Northwest."

Xie Chun nodded, "I only wonder what Your Highness's true positioning is for the current Northwest and the Meng Army?"

Meng Yuanheng raised an eyebrow and said respectfully, "Please enlighten me, Recluse Songyue."

Looking at him, Xie Chun slowly said, "Now that the Northwest and Great Dasheng no longer share a relationship of ruler and subject, how does Your Highness plan to define the future of the Northwest and the Meng Army? Is it to guard the status quo and divide the realm with Great Dasheng, or to continue expanding our territory until... we unify the realm?"

Though Xie Chun spoke very gently, his words struck everyone present like a thunderbolt.

While speaking of unifying the realm right now might be somewhat premature, it was nonetheless a very realistic problem. With the Meng Army currently carving out a separatist regime in the Northwest, they could be said to be surrounded by enemies on all sides. If Meng Yuanheng lacked the ambition to unify the realm, then to secure his footing in otherworldly Northwest, he would have to choose a powerful state to submit to. But if he did that, it would be equivalent to walking back down the old path of the Prince of Xuan's estate, perhaps even ending up worse off than before. Therefore, on the path of territorial expansion, the Meng Army could only press forward relentlessly without retreating—not to mention that this had always been the shared aspiration of all the soldiers in the Meng Army.

However, if Meng Yuanheng were to overthrow Great Dasheng and declare himself emperor, then regardless of what intolerable acts the imperial family had previously committed against the Prince of Xuan's estate, and regardless of how irreconcilable the blood feuds between the estate and the Dasheng court were, in the eyes of the world, he would inevitably bear the stigma of treason.

Could this young man, who shouldered a century-old foundation and possessed such an awkward and unpublicizable birth, bear such infamy?

Meng Yuanheng was silent for a moment before letting out a low chuckle, his gaze toward Xie Chun calm yet resolute.

"I understand the meaning of Recluse Songyue. Since I have decided to break with Great Dasheng, am I someone who clings to empty reputations? The hatred of a murdered father, the malice of covert assassination, and the wrongful deaths of one hundred thousand soldiers of the Meng Army—I will never let these matters rest, lest the countless heroic spirits below rest uneasy!"

Hearing Meng Yuanheng's words, everyone understood his resolve. Wenren Yuan and the other chief generals of the Meng Army were evidently boiling with passion, while the rest were equally galvanized.

The male nature inherently contains elements of conquest, plunder, and bellicosity. Born in troubled times, for such knowledgeable individuals and iron-clad soldiers, expanding territory and contending for the realm were the only true ways to reflect the value of their lives.

Xie Chun stood up, bowed to Meng Yuanheng with cupped hands, and said, "Since Your Highness has made your decision, please give your instructions."

After pondering for a moment, Meng Yuanheng said, "Rename Jingzhou City to Mocheng, and establish the era name as Xuanhe."

The crowd waited for a moment, but seeing that Meng Yuanheng had nothing more to say, they were momentarily stunned. Xie Chun prompted him, "Your Highness, what of the dynastic title?"

Meng Yuanheng raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "I never thought about establishing a dynastic title."