A Teacher's Counsel
Even after Taibu Guomu had spoken thus far, I could no longer press him. Though he treated me as a prince, the future crown prince and core royal, strictly speaking I was not yet the crown prince. Guomu, on the other hand, was a renowned figure of Yan bearing the title of Taibu, the king's own teacher. If I pushed him too hard, he might feel I was disregarding his position. 'Besides, Guomu has his own firm principles.'
His respect for me was not mere pretense. I could sense that he genuinely worried for my sake. Yet he placed Yan itself above me. Had he cared for me more than the state, he would never have stirred up this affair in the first place. If relations between the two kingdoms soured, the one caught in the middle—myself—would only suffer more. Guomu could not have been unaware of that, which meant he had protested to the King of Zhao with full knowledge of the consequences. 'He valued his public duty as Taibu of Yan over his private concern for me, even if it risked war.'
Or perhaps, until he met me, he had simply believed Yan stronger than Zhao and assumed Zhao would not dare touch me. Still, it was fortunate he was not completely rigid. The fact that he accepted the danger of war and chose to prioritize reconciliation made all the difference; having an advocate for negotiation within the court was no small matter.
"Let us set that matter aside for now. May we discuss the next issue?"
"Ah, of course, Taibu. Please speak."
I had assumed the remaining topics would be the usual—how I had been faring, how far my studies had progressed. While I prepared my answers in my head, Guomu raised a subject entirely unrelated.
"Since the young master has also reached the age of twelve, it is time we began considering marriage prospects, is it not?"
"…Pardon?"
§
The moment my brief meeting with Guomu ended, Han Jing came looking for me. He must have been anxious as well; the question of whether war would break out still hung in the balance.
"What did the Taibu say?"
"Let's speak inside."
As I hurried toward the inner quarters, I noticed Jeong lingering awkwardly nearby. He had likely come to greet me, but seeing Han Jing and me speaking so gravely, he had missed his chance to approach. When our eyes met, Jeong hurried over.
"You… you're back?"
"Did you wait long?"
"No? Ah, Dan, today I—"
"I'm sorry. I'm busy right now. I'll come find you tomorrow."
"Oh… all right."
He tried to hide it, but the disappointment was plain on his face. In the past he would have masked his feelings with ease, yet after spending time with me he had grown more open with his emotions—at least in my presence. He still kept his distance from everyone else, so I was likely the only person in this residence with whom he could be completely unguarded. Knowing that, I wanted to spend more time with him, but I truly had none to spare. I patted his head apologetically and entered the inner room with Han Jing.
The door had barely closed before Han Jing spoke.
"Did the Taibu agree? Will he overlook the matter and pursue reconciliation even now?"
"No."
"Ugh… So it came to that after all. I expected as much, but…"
"You expected it?"
"I have met the Taibu before, so I have some idea of what sort of man he is."
Which meant he had deliberately withheld that information from me. Was he lacking in urgency? A flicker of irritation rose, but Han Jing, as if reading my thoughts, quickly offered an excuse.
"Your Highness's greatest strength lies in doing the unexpected. I worried that telling you the Taibu's character in advance might limit your thinking. Besides, I am not so close to him that I know his personal circumstances well."
"Who said anything?"
I shrugged and let the irritation go. If Han Jing had been deeply familiar with Guomu, he would have handled the matter himself without needing me.
"Still, there was some gain. He said that even if war breaks out, he will cooperate to end it through negotiations as quickly as possible."
"Will it truly go as he says? You mentioned that Lü Buwei is the one pushing for war in the capital, did you not? He is the king's favored minister."
It was rare for someone to hold the highest office without the king's favor. Unless one possessed overwhelming prestige or proven ability like the Lord of Pingyuan, the position was impossible without royal backing. Look at Lord Xinling, who had been demoted from Chancellor to Prime Minister the moment he lost a measure of the king's affection. Even if Guomu played the dove from within, Lü Buwei led the hawks; the King of Yan would still choose war.
"Unless we can change the Taibu's mind, preventing war is impossible. No—even if Guomu changes his mind now, Lü Buwei will use this as a pretext or manufacture another incident to force a war. After all, it is also my father's will."
"Then we must end the war as swiftly as possible."
This incident might actually be an opportunity. Crisis and opportunity were always two sides of the same coin. If one shifted the angle slightly, a path of light could always be found even in the darkest place.
"Haa… That is certainly the best course."
"Come to think of it, the Taibu and I spoke of something else as well."
"Something else?"
It had been an abrupt topic, but I saw no reason to hide it.
"He brought up marriage prospects."
"Marriage prospects… It does feel a little early, yet it is not strange that the subject has arisen."
Han Jing added that according to the Rites of Zhou, men married at sixteen, and because royal heirs were of paramount importance, it was common for discussions to begin even earlier—sometimes as soon as a child turned ten. While the full six rites of marriage were not immediately performed, betrothals were quite ordinary.
"They do not proceed straight to the six rites, but betrothals are common enough."
"Is that so?"
"But for the Taibu to raise the matter…"
"Well, I had been speaking only of serious topics, so perhaps he simply wished to lighten the mood."
Because of my modern sensibilities, the word "marriage" still felt distant. I was about to dismiss it as one of those commonplace conversations one heard during holidays when Han Jing shook his head, his expression grave.
"I do not believe that was his intention."
"Hm?"
"In my view, the Taibu was offering advice. He is a man who clearly separates public and private matters and will never let this incident pass, yet because he values principle, he is not the sort to leave Your Highness—the king's eldest son—in danger."
"So the marriage proposal he mentioned means…"
"Yes. He likely believes it would be wise to secure your safety through marriage. There happens to be someone of suitable age who shares a connection with Your Highness and holds considerable standing within Zhao."
"You mean the Lord of Pingyuan's granddaughter?"
"Yes. Though it is known that you parted on poor terms, you still possess that."
My hand moved unconsciously toward my robes, where it was safely kept—the legacy the Lord of Pingyuan had left me. His personal seal. I had already told Han Jing about receiving it; he was my closest companion, the one who had stood by me from beginning to end.
"The Taibu does not know of it, but even without the Lord of Pingyuan's granddaughter, a marriage arrangement could be made somehow."
"A marriage arrangement…"
Marriage was, in any era, the swiftest and surest path to an alliance. I had never intended to remain unmarried. As someone aiming for the throne of Yan, I had always assumed I would eventually form a political marriage with a noble house within the kingdom. But not now.
'Come to think of it, this is exactly the same pattern Ying Zheng followed.'
Ying Zheng had married the daughter of a wealthy Zhao family—Zhao Ji—while in Zhao, then married into a noble house after arriving in Qin to build his foundation. For a hostage returning to his homeland to claim the throne, it was perhaps an unavoidable path. 'But I have no intention of following that route.'
I was different from Ying Zheng. His patron, Lü Buwei, was an immensely wealthy merchant but a native of Han; Ying Zheng himself had no foundation and had to be adopted by Lady Huayang for legitimacy and marry into nobility for power. I, however, was the legitimate eldest son with unquestioned legitimacy from birth and already possessed an independent base through my trading company. Marriage was a card to be saved and used with utmost care, not a stepping stone for foundations.
"Let us keep that option in reserve until the very last moment. For now, we will focus on ending the war as quickly as possible and steering it toward the most favorable outcome for us, just as we originally planned."
Han Jing nodded, agreeing that it should remain our final move. Yet we had not discarded everything discussed. I slipped my hand into my robes and closed my fingers around the seal the Lord of Pingyuan had left behind. It seemed the time to use it had come far sooner than expected.