Ma Xiyue!

Zhu Wen, who had neglected state affairs for over a month, held an early morning court session today, which was truly unprecedented.

It was not because Zhu Wen had suddenly resolved to become a wise monarch, but because some matters could no longer be set aside and left unaddressed.

Naturally, these matters could only be handled by himself, or rather, only by the Emperor of Great Liang.

The Jiaolan Hall was filled with a solemn silence. Zhu Wen sat high upon the dragon throne, with civil officials lined up on the east and military generals on the west.

Zhu Youning was also present at court, standing among the military generals on the right.

At the head of the civil officials on the left stood a middle-aged man with a stern and composed appearance. He held his hu tablet, facing Zhu Wen with a respectful attitude.

This man was Jing Xiang, the foremost civil official of the Great Liang Dynasty.

At this moment, Jing Xiang stepped out of the ranks and said to Zhu Wen, "Your Majesty, I have a matter to report."

"Speak."

"Li Sijian, the Jiedushi of Xia Prefecture, has passed away due to illness. His son, Yichang, succeeded him but was killed by the subordinate general Gao Zongyi. Zongyi was subsequently executed by the officials and soldiers, who then proposed Yichang's paternal uncle, Renfu, as the commander. They have submitted a memorial to the imperial court."

Zhu Wen listened for a moment, pondering that Xia Prefecture was far away and difficult to manage anyway, so he simply said, "Granted, granted. Convey my decree: appoint Li Renfu as the Jiedushi of Xia Prefecture."

Jing Xiang continued, "Luo Shaowi, the Jiedushi of Weibo, has died of illness. Shaowi's eldest son, Tinggui, passed away long ago, and his second son, Zhou Han, is currently at the garrison and has submitted a request to inherit the position."

"Granted, granted. Furthermore, posthumously confer upon Luo Shaowi the title of Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, with the posthumous title of Zhenzhuang."

Jing Xiang nodded and added, "Ma Yin, the King of Chu, requests that Your Majesty bestow upon him the title of Grand General of Tiance."

"Ma Yin?" Zhu Wen muttered the name, thinking to himself, I have already enfeoffed Ma Yin as the King of Chu; what use does he have for this title of Grand General?

Zhu Youning pondered for a moment, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Ma Yin's intention is to use the title of Grand General of Tiance to justify establishing his own government offices and officials, allowing him to dominate his region."

Ma Yin's position as the King of Chu was not enfeoffed by the previous dynasty, but by the Great Liang Emperor, Zhu Wen. Therefore, the relationship between the Liang and Chu states was relatively stable.

Nominally, the Chu State was even a vassal state of Liang, and all major state affairs of Chu required consultation with Zhu Wen.

Ma Yin's request for the title of Grand General of Tiance was nothing more than a pretext to establish his own government and appoint his own left and right chancellors.

"That makes sense."

Zhu Wen nodded and said, "That old scoundrel Ma Yin has quite a few schemes. However, even if I do not grant it, he will still establish his offices; it would just be illegitimate."

Jing Xiang said, "Your Majesty, the Chu State is one of the most powerful nations in the south and plays a vital role in checking the Wu State. It is important to win them over. It would be better to grant Ma Yin's request, bestow the title, and make him a Grand General to prevent him from turning against us."

Zhu Wen was still weighing the pros and cons and remained silent.

Jing Xiang added, "Your Majesty, in order to secure this request for the title of Grand General of Tiance, Ma Yin has already sent his eldest son, Ma Xiyue, as an envoy to the capital. Ma Xiyue is currently outside the Jiaolan Hall."

"He's ruthless enough to send his own son. Does Ma Yin have a grudge against this child of his?"

Hearing this, Zhu Wen could not help but mutter to himself. He looked at the eunuch beside him and said in a low voice, "Let Ma Xiyue enter the hall."

"Summon the envoy from Chu to enter the hall!" The eunuch's shrill voice echoed throughout the Jiaolan Hall.

The sound of footsteps approaching the hall slowly emerged. A moment later, under the gaze of Zhu Wen and the court officials, a man dressed as a noble youth in magnificent attire ascended into the Jiaolan Hall.

"Ma Xiyue, envoy of the Chu State, pays respects to the Emperor of Great Liang."

As soon as Ma Xiyue entered the hall, he performed the rites of a subject to a sovereign before Zhu Wen, his etiquette flawless.

"Rise, noble envoy."

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Chu has come to present one thousand catties of fine tea to the Great Liang Dynasty."

Ma Xiyue spoke, yet he made no mention of the Grand General of Tiance, which made Zhu Wen consider Ma Yin even more cunning.

However, since Ma Yin had already presented a thousand catties of tea, it was difficult for Zhu Wen to refuse, so he said, "I am aware of the King of Chu's request. Since the King of Chu has shown such sincerity, I shall grant his petition."

The fact that Ma Xiyue had come to Bian Prefecture was something that truly surprised Zhu Youning.

Of course, besides surprise, there was also excitement.

The excitement stemmed from the fact that Ma Xiyue was the eldest son of the King of Chu, and the power he held in Chu was second only to one.

Naturally, if one were to strive for it, one could eliminate that "one" above him and take the position of the King of Chu for oneself.

Thus, Zhu Youning hosted a banquet for Ma Xiyue.

Ma Xiyue gladly accepted Zhu Youning's invitation.

After meeting Zhu Wen, Ma Xiyue did not immediately return to Chu, intending to build connections with the powerful figures of Liang. Now that Prince An, Zhu Youning, had extended an invitation, he was more than happy to accept!

Consequently, Zhu Youning and Ma Xiyue enjoyed the banquet in high spirits.

Afterward, Zhu Youning suggested they find some entertainment.

Ma Xiyue seemed quite pleased and said, "My second brother (Ma Xisheng) loves cuju the most, but I personally believe cuju cannot showcase one's true ability. It would be better to play jiju—that is more stimulating."

Jiju was polo, which required riding horses and was indeed more competitive than cuju. Since the guest enjoyed polo, Zhu Youning would naturally do his best to accommodate him.

To be honest, Zhu Youning did not particularly like jiju. After all, his own brother, Zhu Youlun, had died after falling from his horse while playing jiju in Chang'an.

Although the mastermind behind it was Emperor Zhaozong of Tang and jiju was merely the means of murder, this did not prevent Zhu Youning from feeling some aversion toward the sport.

Since the Liang Emperor Zhu Wen ascended the throne, he had not held any large-scale jiju matches, so Zhu Youning had to build his own field. Because Zhu Wen himself had little passion for the sport, he preferred beauties instead.

However, several emperors of the previous Tang Dynasty had been very keen on jiju, holding matches from time to time; Emperor Xizong of Tang had even used the outcome of jiju matches as a standard for appointing Jiedushi.

When Huang Chao's rebel army was advancing toward Chang'an, Emperor Xizong held a polo match in front of the Qingsi Hall in Daming Palace. Chen Jingxuan, Yang Shili, Niu Xu, and Luo Yuangao were all about to be sent to regional posts, so Emperor Xizong used the outcome of the polo match to decide who would have priority in choosing the most prosperous regions for their appointments.

Chen Jingxuan was the first to strike the ball into the goal, and thus he secured the position of Military Commissioner of Xichuan.

Such an absurd practice of using the results of a polo match to appoint officials was unheard of in history.

And so, the Tang Dynasty fell.

It deserved to fall!

Of course, those are all matters of the past.

Since the palace lacked an official polo field, Zhu Youning found a suitable location and sent men to prepare a pitch about a thousand paces long, covering the ground with sand to prevent injuries from falls and dampening it with water to keep the horses from kicking up dust while running.

With the field ready, Ma Xiyue was clearly in high spirits; he immediately changed into a sturdy outfit, took up a polo mallet, and entered the field with a heroic air. If nothing else, once Ma Xiyue changed his attire, his posture was upright, and he looked truly valiant while mounted on his horse.

Zhu Youning naturally accompanied him in the match, playing until they were both satisfied.

After the polo match, the two went to Zhu Youning's residence for tea. At this moment, Ma Xiyue's face glowed with excitement: "Prince An, I am truly impressed! It has been such a long time since I felt this exhilarated!"

Zhu Youning smiled and said, "If the Eldest Young Master loves polo so much, why use the phrase 'such a long time'? Is there no one in the Chu State to play with you?"

Ma Xiyue sighed and said, "Prince An, you don't know, but when I was in Tan Prefecture, I had no time for polo at all; if I even touched a mallet, my father would lecture me. On top of that, my father handed all the heavy administrative duties over to me, so how could I possibly have time for polo!"

Having said this, Ma Xiyue seemed to recall something and sighed, "I truly envy my second brother; he doesn't have to do anything, just stay in his own residence playing kickball, waited on hand and foot, with not a single worry in the world."

Zhu Youning knew he was referring to Ma Xisheng, but he brought up the King of Chu, Ma Yin, in a casual tone: "Xiyue, your father, Ma Yin, is truly a hero among men."