Chapter Fifty-Seven: Choosing the Fief

Zhou Bing and Huang Taiyi were once again displeased, inwardly lamenting that the King of Qi was indeed an old fox.

Upon hearing the king’s words, Chu Yun began to consider what other reward he might request from the King of Qi.

After pondering for a while, he suddenly decided not to accept Chu Family Town as his fief. Though that was his birthplace and home to many familiar faces, from both the memories of his predecessor and his own recent observations, Chu Family Town had no mineral resources to speak of. The land there was relatively barren, and it was not a military stronghold coveted by any power. This lack of strategic value had kept Chu Family Town peaceful; war had scarcely reached its borders.

Instead, soldiers were always conscripted from Chu Family Town and sent elsewhere to fight. This made it something of a haven for refugees. Li Duofu of the Ten-li Fragrant Inn, for instance, had moved there precisely to escape the ravages of war.

The town’s current prosperity was owed largely to the famous cuisine of the Ten-li Fragrant Inn, which drew people from far and wide. To Chu Yun, such a place was simply unsuitable for his ambitions.

Thus, he bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I have no other request, but I would like to ask for a different fief instead.”

The King of Qi was taken aback. “You don’t want Chu Family Town as your fief?”

Chu Yun nodded. “That’s correct. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request.”

The king considered for a moment, then said, “Chu Family Town is poor in resources and the land is barren. It’s not unreasonable for you to refuse it. Very well. I’ll have the map of the Great Qi Dynasty brought here and mark those places available to be granted as fiefs. You may choose one, but the area cannot exceed that of Chu Family Town unless the land is even more barren.”

Chu Yun bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

At once, the King of Qi had the map of the Great Qi Dynasty brought forth—a parchment scroll.

The map was rudimentary: apart from a few major rivers and mountain ranges and the rough outline of the dynasty’s territory, there were few other markings. Moreover, it made clear that this world was not like his original one. Thus, Chu Yun could not rely on modern maps to deduce what mineral resources might be found in these lands.

He frowned.

The King of Qi then took a handful of small wooden blocks and placed them around the periphery of the map and in places far from rivers. “Doctor Chu, you may choose one of these towns as your fief. All other towns already have lords; I cannot grant them to you.”

Chu Yun’s disappointment deepened as he looked at the marked locations. Compared to Chu Family Town, these places were even worse.

The only one remotely acceptable was to the west of the Great Qi Dynasty. Yet both his predecessor’s father and others like Zhou Ping, Jiang Lin, and Luo Feng, had all been sent to the west to fight. That region was likely embroiled in war even now.

After all, who wouldn’t want a fief near a river, where the land was sure to be fertile, if fighting was not raging there?

Still, Chu Yun did not hesitate for long. He pointed to a spot in the west, relatively close to the dynasty’s heartlands and somewhat safer than the rest. “Your Majesty, I hope you will grant me this place as my fief.”

The King of Qi was stunned by his choice. Zhou Bing and Huang Taiyi were equally astonished.

It was truly unexpected.

They had not foreseen that Chu Yun would choose a fief in the west. Although the place he indicated was near a river, with fertile land suited for growing crops, it was less than two hundred li from the front lines.

The King of Qi could not help but say, “Doctor Chu, are you certain you want to choose this place as your fief?”

Chu Yun nodded. “Yes, I hope Your Majesty will grant my wish.”

The king pressed him, “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? The west is at war—even though this particular area hasn’t yet seen fighting, it’s less than two hundred li from the battlefield. The chaos of war has made banditry rampant. Every autumn, villages are plundered by bandits and by the forces of the Western Xin Dynasty; almost no one lives there anymore.”

Before Chu Yun could respond, Zhou Bing interjected, “Your Majesty, since Doctor Chu has set his sights on this fief, you should grant it to him.”

He had decided that, since recruiting Chu Yun was troublesome and unattainable, it would be better to destroy him. If Chu Yun truly became the lord of that place on the map, he surely would not survive long. Even if he somehow managed to survive, there would be no need to worry about him interfering with the Wu Medicine Sect’s business.

Zhou Bing did not want Chu Yun buying medicinal herbs at high prices in peaceful areas, which would negatively impact the sect’s trade in Qi.

Huang Taiyi had thought of this as well and quickly echoed, “Yes, Your Majesty. Since Doctor Chu desires it, you should grant it to him and fulfill his wish.”

He had no idea why Chu Yun would choose a fief so close to the battlefield, but he did know that the Wu Medicine Sect had little chance of recruiting him. And if Chu Yun really went there, he wouldn’t want the sect to have to pay that two hundred taels of gold as a finder’s fee.

The King of Qi fell silent, still hoping Chu Yun would change his mind.

Yet Chu Yun persisted, “I hope Your Majesty will grant my wish.”

The king sighed deeply. “Very well. Since that is your wish, I hereby grant you this place as your fief. Because your fief is so near the front lines, I confer upon you the title of Earl, including Seven Towns: Shuanghe, Anning, and five others. These shall all be your domain. You may raise your own private army, and your forces will serve as a shield for Great Qi’s western frontier. If you succeed, you may one day attain the rank of Marquis, second only to myself.”

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