Ma Xiyue!

After neglecting state affairs for over a month, Zhu Wen had, for once, held an early court session.

It wasn't because Zhu Wen had suddenly resolved to become a wise ruler. Some matters simply couldn't be left unattended forever.

And of course, these were matters only he could deal with—or, more precisely, matters only the Son of Heaven of Great Liang could handle.

Jiaolan Hall was utterly silent. Zhu Wen sat high upon the imperial throne, while the officials stood in two rows below him, civil officials to the east and military officials to the west.

Zhu Youning was also at court, among the military officials in the right-hand row.

At the head of the civil officials in the left-hand row stood a middle-aged man with a stern expression and a steady, dignified bearing. He held his court tablet in both hands and faced Zhu Wen with respectful composure.

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

At that moment, Jing Xiang stepped out of the line and addressed Zhu Wen. "Your Majesty, I have a matter to report."

"Speak."

"Li Sijian, Military Commissioner of Xia Prefecture, has died of illness. His son, Yichang, succeeded him, but was killed by his subordinate Gao Zongyi. Zongyi was then executed by the officials and officers, who put Yichang's paternal uncle, Li Renfu, in command instead. They have submitted a memorial to the court."

Zhu Wen thought for a moment. Xia Prefecture was a long way off, surrounded by mountains, and there was little he could do even if he wanted to interfere. He simply said, "Approved, approved. Convey my decree: appoint Li Renfu as Military Commissioner of Xia Prefecture."

Jing Xiang continued, "Luo Shaowei, Military Commissioner of Weibo, has died of illness. His eldest son, Tinggui, also passed away some time ago. His second son, Zhou Han, is currently in command and has submitted a request to inherit the post."

"Approved, approved. In addition, posthumously grant Luo Shaowei the title of Minister of State and the posthumous name Zhenzhuang."

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

"Ma Yin?" Zhu Wen murmured the name, then wondered to himself, I've already made Ma Yin the King of Chu. Why does he still want the title of Grand General? What use is it to him?

After considering it for a moment, Zhu Youning stepped forward. "Your Majesty, in my view, Ma Yin wants to use the title of Grand General of Tiance as a pretext to establish his own court and appoint officials, so he can rule one side of the realm independently."

Ma Yin's title as King of Chu had not been bestowed by the previous dynasty. It had been granted by Zhu Wen, the emperor of the Liang State. As a result, relations between Liang and Chu were still fairly amicable.

In name, Chu was even a vassal state of Liang, and all matters of state in Chu required Zhu Wen's approval.

Ma Yin's request for the title of Grand General of Tiance was nothing more than a way to establish his own court and appoint officials, including left and right chancellors.

"That makes sense."

Zhu Wen nodded. "That old Ma Yin certainly has plenty of schemes. But even if I refuse, he'll still establish his own court and appoint officials. The only difference is that he won't have a legitimate title for it."

Jing Xiang said, "Your Majesty, Chu is one of the strongest states in the south and plays an important role in keeping the Wu State in check. It is better to win them over. Why not grant Ma Yin the title he requests and make him a Grand General, so he will not harbor resentment?"

Zhu Wen continued to weigh the pros and cons without replying.

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

"He's ruthless, sending even his own son here. Is Ma Yin at odds with that boy or something?"

Hearing this, Zhu Wen muttered under his breath. He glanced at the eunuch beside him and lowered his voice. "Have Ma Xiyue enter the hall."

"Admit the envoy from Chu!" The eunuch's shrill voice rang through Jiaolan Hall.

Footsteps slowly approached. A moment later, under the watchful eyes of Zhu Wen and the assembled officials, a handsome young nobleman dressed in splendid clothes entered Jiaolan Hall.

"Envoy of Chu, Ma Xiyue, pays his respects to the Emperor of Great Liang."

As soon as Ma Xiyue entered the hall, he performed the rites of a subject before Zhu Wen, with not the slightest breach of etiquette.

"Envoy, rise."

"Your Majesty, I have come on behalf of Chu to present a thousand jin of fine tea to the Liang Dynasty."

Ma Xiyue had spoken, yet made no mention at all of the title of Grand General of Tiance. This only convinced Zhu Wen further of Ma Yin's cunning.

But since Ma Yin had already offered a thousand jin of tea, Zhu Wen could hardly refuse him. He said, "I know what the King of Chu seeks. Since he has shown such sincerity, I will grant his request."

Ma Xiyue's arrival in Bian Prefecture had genuinely surprised Zhu Youning.

Of course, along with the surprise came delight.

The delightful part was that Ma Xiyue was the King of Chu's eldest son, and in Chu he stood second only to the king in power.

Of course, if he made the effort, he could also remove that one man above him and claim the throne of Chu himself.

So Zhu Youning invited Ma Xiyue to a banquet.

Ma Xiyue gladly accepted Zhu Youning's invitation.

After meeting Zhu Wen, Ma Xiyue had not returned to Chu right away. He had stayed in order to cultivate ties with the powerful men of Liang. Now that Prince An, Zhu Youning, had invited him, he could hardly have been happier.

And so Zhu Youning and Ma Xiyue enjoyed their banquet together in high spirits.

Afterward, Zhu Youning suggested they go enjoy themselves.

Ma Xiyue seemed delighted as well. "My second younger brother, Ma Xisheng, is fond of cuju, but I don't think cuju shows a man's abilities. Polo is far more thrilling."

Polo was played on horseback, making it more competitive than cuju. Since his guest liked polo, Zhu Youning naturally did his best to accommodate him.

To tell the truth, Zhu Youning wasn't particularly fond of polo. After all, his own elder brother, Zhu Youlun, had fallen from his horse and died while playing polo in Chang'an.

The mastermind behind it had been Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, and polo had merely been the means of murder. Still, that did not stop Zhu Youning from feeling some resistance to the sport.

Since Zhu Wen ascended the throne as Liang's emperor, no large-scale polo matches had been held. Zhu Youning had to build a field himself. Zhu Wen had little enthusiasm for polo; what he preferred was beautiful women.

However, several emperors of the previous Tang Dynasty had been passionate about polo. They held matches from time to time, and Emperor Xizong had even used the results of polo games to decide appointments to military governorships.

When Huang Chao's rebel army advanced toward Chang'an, Emperor Xizong held a polo match in front of Qingsi Hall at Daming Palace. Chen Jingxuan, Yang Shili, Niu Xu, and Luo Yuangao were all about to be sent out as regional officials. Emperor Xizong used the match to decide who would get first choice of the most prosperous posting.

Chen Jingxuan was the first to hit the ball into the goal, and thus won the post of Military Commissioner of Xichuan.

The absurd practice of appointing and dismissing officials based on the outcome of a polo match was unheard of in history.

And so the Tang Dynasty fell.

It deserved every bit of it!

Of course, all that was in the past.

Since the palace had no official polo field, Zhu Youning found a suitable spot and had his men prepare a field roughly a thousand paces long. They spread sand across it to cushion falls, then wetted it to keep the horses from kicking up clouds of dust.

With a field ready, Ma Xiyue was clearly eager. He immediately changed into riding clothes, took up a polo stick, and entered the field, full of vigor. Even setting everything else aside, once he had changed, Ma Xiyue stood tall and looked truly valiant on horseback.

Zhu Youning naturally joined him, and they played until they had had their fill.

After the match, the two went to Zhu Youning's residence for tea. Ma Xiyue's face was flushed with excitement. "Your Highness, Prince An, I'm impressed! It's been ages since I've had such a good time!"

Zhu Youning smiled. "You love polo so much, young lord. Why say it's been ages? Is there no one in Chu to play with you?"

Ma Xiyue sighed. "Your Highness, you don't understand. When I was in Tan Prefecture, I never had time to play polo. The moment I so much as touched a mallet, my father would lecture me. On top of that, Father gave me all the tedious affairs of state to handle. How could I possibly find time to play?"

After saying this, Ma Xiyue seemed to recall something. He sighed wistfully. "I really envy my second younger brother. He doesn't have to do anything. He just plays cuju for fun in his own residence, with food put in his mouth and clothes laid out for him. He never has to worry about a thing."

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