“Go to the front lines personally?” Old Madam Cui’s heart leaped with alarm when she heard this, feeling even her lower abdomen starting to ache. She turned her head to scrutinize Cui Da. “Did I hear that correctly? His Highness the Crown Prince is going to the front lines personally?”
Cui Da stood respectfully to the side with both hands hanging down, his gaze unwavering. He showed no trace of curiosity toward Song Chuyi, who sat beside Old Madam Cui. This cousin was capable and no ordinary person—a shrewd person like him had seen through this long ago. Now hearing Old Madam Cui ask this way, he immediately took up the conversation. “In reply to Old Madam, it’s true he’s going to the front lines. I heard that early this morning before dawn he had already left the city together with the Imperial Consort, with Imperial Guard Commander Lai accompanying him.”
Yu Shi and Third Old Madam sat below Old Madam Cui. Seeing Old Madam Cui so worried, they couldn’t help but be tinged with concern themselves. When they learned that Cui Yu had instigated the second branch to get involved with the copper mines and collude with the rebels, their legs had gone weak with fear. They never dreamed that such matters would emerge from within the Cui family. Later, when it was discussed at the clan meeting, they were so shocked they couldn’t sleep well for several days. Fortunately, as Song Chuyi had said, Lai Chenglong hadn’t come specifically for the Cui family at all. The court hadn’t received any information either. Lai Chenglong purely wanted to do a good job helping His Highness the Crown Prince suppress the rebellion, so he thought to use the secret report to test the Cui family.
But now they couldn’t help but share Old Madam Cui’s anxiety. If the Crown Prince returned safely, all would be well. But if anything happened to His Highness the Crown Prince, then all the officials throughout this entire Jinzhong region—even those already dead would probably be dug out of their coffins to be exposed to the sun.
Old Madam Cui suppressed her worry and calmly instructed Cui Da, “Have people follow closely and gather news. If there’s any information from there, send it in immediately!”
Second Master Cui and Third Master Cui were currently helping Ye Jingkuan gather provisions at the front lines. But by now, the two of them were no longer the most worrying. The most worrying was still that favored son of heaven.
News arrived on the evening of the seventh day. Cui Da hadn’t even had time to change his clothes, arriving in a somewhat disheveled rush to stand before Old Madam Cui, Yu Shi, and the others, respectfully reporting the news. “Villages like Xiaxi Village and Heqian Village—those farthest from the mines who never got much benefit to begin with—were the first to turn traitor. There was no stopping them. Being locals, they had all kinds of methods for climbing mountains and crossing water. They fled with their entire families, and in no time had escaped to become prisoners. They spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube—which mansion in the county Ma Yuantong was hiding in, where each mine was distributed, how many people were guarding them, which mine currently had the most people, what weapons they were using, how much grain and provisions remained.”
“Then more and more people started running out. Later, even people from inside the county town began fleeing in succession. I heard it was the county magistrate and runners under the previous magistrate who had been killed. When they came out, to save their lives, they told the Imperial Consort’s army about the distribution of forces inside the city. Commander Lai’s Imperial Guards appeared and disappeared like ghosts, going into the city to scout for several days. Once they came out, everything was confirmed.”
Link by link, they had calculated human nature to its limits. This Crown Prince truly had terrifyingly meticulous thoughts—probably not much inferior to Commander Lai Chenglong himself.
Yu Shi suddenly felt that Madam Cui might be thinking too naively. Though Cui Hualuan was excellent and a favored daughter of heaven, standing before the Crown Prince she probably wasn’t quite his equal. With the Crown Prince’s level of scheming, in all the world perhaps only Song Chuyi could match it. And Song Chuyi’s unfathomable depths of calculation could probably only be appreciated by His Highness the Crown Prince.
Old Madam Cui’s emotions surged for a long while. After a moment she asked, “What happened next?”
Cui Da had already sent people back to report all this news before. Since he had returned personally now, there must be even bigger and more remarkable news.
“For three consecutive days, His Highness the Crown Prince personally took the lead at the Yangquan city gates to read His Majesty’s imperial edict, saying that Ma Yuantong had spread demonic words to bewitch the common people, which is why they had made such grave errors. His Majesty, receiving his mandate from Heaven and teaching the world through virtuous conduct, would not hold past offenses against these common people as long as they abandoned darkness for light. Moreover, they would be exempted from taxes for three years and for three consecutive years would share thirty percent of the mine profits.” Cui Da hurriedly took the water Nanny Qian handed him, drank a mouthful to moisten his parched throat that felt ready to catch fire, then hastily continued, “The people inside the city were already in a state of panic. The Imperial Consort and Commander Zhou had been surrounding them since the fourteenth of the third month until the twenty-fourth, completely blocking their grain routes. This time the Imperial Guard even entered the city to set fires everywhere, burning the granaries completely clean. After blocking them for several more days like this, by yesterday they couldn’t hold out any longer. More and more people wanted to flee. In the end, those wanting to flee and those not wanting to flee fought so fiercely that countless people died. Our Crown Prince decisively ordered an attack on the city amid the chaos. Before this, Yangquan plus its common people totaled over forty thousand people, but after all that fleeing, only less than half remained. But on His Highness the Crown Prince’s side, those were all genuine garrison troops and drill soldiers requisitioned from various parts of Shanxi, plus the five thousand well-trained government troops under Commander Zhou! Victory was already determined. The city gates were breached last night.”
At least it was all good news. Old Madam Cui let out a heavy sigh of relief, then asked, “What happened after that?”
“Ma Yuantong disappeared.” Cui Da wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Seeing the situation turn bad, he greased his feet and fled. Right now the main army has already fought into Yangquan. The county town has been captured. Next are those townships and villages. This isn’t any great matter—in another four or five days at most, everything will be completely swept clean.”
When they didn’t strike, they didn’t strike. But once they moved, in a total of just two months’ time, His Highness the Crown Prince had accomplished the matter. Moreover, more than half of Yangquan County’s common people had been spared.
Third Old Madam pressed her palms together and recited a Buddhist verse. No matter what, as long as His Highness the Crown Prince was fine, Lai Chenglong and His Highness wouldn’t cling tightly to the Cui family’s previous matters. For the sake of Princess Duanhui, they wouldn’t press too aggressively.
Previously, because of this matter, their third branch hadn’t dared mention Cui Huaying’s marriage prospects, fearing the Cui family was doomed. Now that His Highness the Crown Prince was fine and had moreover accomplished such a great deed, it seemed Cui Huaying’s marriage could proceed smoothly.
Outside, the night had already deepened. Old Madam Cui, having set down the great weight on her heart, nodded warmly toward Cui Da. “You’ve been exhausted running east and west during this time, and at your age too. Go back quickly and rest. Take some time to recuperate.”