The Crown Prince hadn’t truly made up his mind at first to protect Fan Liangdi—the reality was that he had somewhat run out of options. Everyone around him, without exception, advised him to kill Fan Liangdi to eliminate future troubles.
He actually didn’t feel that Fan Liangdi posed any future threat. These people all thought Fan Liangdi controlled him, but in reality, he himself was Fan Liangdi’s master. Fan Liangdi’s every move was within his grasp, and the lives of Fan Liangdi and her entire clan hung on his single thought. He simply couldn’t perceive any threat from Fan Liangdi. However, if he didn’t kill Fan Liangdi, the loyalty of his people would scatter. He was therefore quite hesitant.
Fan Liangdi detected the murderous intent early on. She had followed the Crown Prince for so long that she could be said to know his thoughts like the back of her hand. Before, she had still been able to sit calmly with divine composure, but later, watching the Crown Prince’s increasingly wavering gaze, she knew danger had arrived. Yet after all, she had been with the Crown Prince for so long and understood him sufficiently well.
She did two things. The first was to write home to her parents, telling them to present this year’s profits from the northwest—though Han Zhengqing was throwing a tantrum and refusing to reply to letters, he had done what needed to be done. These past years, because Cui Shaoting controlled the northwest, business there had become increasingly difficult. Fortunately, Han Zhengqing had operated in the northwest for over ten years, had established foundations and had people, so Cui Shaoting couldn’t find any handle on him for the time being. When the Fan family people returned from the northwest, they brought back this year’s profits and account books. Master Fan personally wrote a letter about this matter to Fan Liangdi.
The second thing Fan Liangdi did was find a remarkable persuader. She found Minister Wang of the Ministry of Rites to convince the Minister of Rites to submit this memorial requesting that Emperor Jianzhang observe Empress Dowager Rongxian’s death anniversary—this idea actually came from her son’s Chief Secretary, Qian Ying.
Qian Ying said they must first divert His Majesty’s attention away from the Crown Prince’s eldest son, to reduce the pressure on the Crown Prince. Once the Crown Prince’s pressure lessened, and the large sum of profits from the northwest was presented, the Crown Prince’s anger would naturally dissipate by more than half.
Fan Liangdi did as advised. Fortunately, Vice Minister Wang and the Minister of Rites hadn’t been master and disciple for all these years for nothing—when one prospers all prosper, when one suffers all suffer. With him taking action, naturally he persuaded the Minister of Rites—though this would greatly offend Emperor Jianzhang, the Minister of Rites was getting on in years and was about due to retire anyway. Before leaving, giving the Eastern Palace such a great favor was also thinking of the younger generation in his clan. Once he submitted this memorial, Emperor Jianzhang said nothing on the surface and even approved his memorial in court, but turned around and immediately issued an edict sending him to Jiangxi to serve as Educational Commissioner.
When Nanny Qi came to see Fan Liangdi, she reminded her: “Vice Minister’s meaning is that the Minister truly paid no small price for this matter. Though Your Ladyship cannot appear publicly, privately you should still give the Minister some compensation.”
This was natural—otherwise who would dare work for her in the future? Fan Liangdi wasn’t a stingy person. With a grand wave she wrote a letter home to the Fan family, having them send twenty thousand taels of silver plus the title deeds and property deeds for two estates to the Minister of Rites’ clan.
Fan Liangdi had reported this matter to the Crown Prince. While reporting to him, she also had Nanny Fang bring out a box. Inside the box were four or five thick volumes bound into books. She held them out with both hands and presented them to the Crown Prince, saying softly: “These contain last year’s profits from the northwest, totaling one hundred seventy thousand taels of silver.”
Even the Crown Prince couldn’t help widening his eyes. He had thought that with that door god Cui Shaoting there, the northwest business was finished—even if not finished, it wouldn’t yield ten or twenty percent of what it used to. Cui Shaoting was sharp as a tack. After the war horse smuggling incident, he managed that area extremely strictly. Plus Han Zhengqing had continuously sent back no news, and each time the Fan family people returned they were evasive. He had once thought this money was lost for good, yet speak of what you want and it shall appear—he was just worrying about silver!
Fu Youde and Chen Dezhong both advised him that now Jiujiang had major flooding, but the Ministry of Revenue’s funds were tight—last year’s Yellow River flooding had already disbursed quite a sum of silver, plus last year they had just renovated the late Emperor’s mausoleum, and there was also flooding in Jiangxi. Each and every matter required silver. Therefore Fu Youde and Chen Dezhong both advised him to take the lead in donating some silver to call upon the nobles and ministers to open their purses generously. This would first curry favor before Emperor Jianzhang, second establish a good reputation among the common people, and moreover, since the Crown Prince’s eldest son’s reputation was currently good, they could take advantage of the momentum to establish the Eastern Palace more firmly.
But though this plan was good, where would the silver come from? His silver—sending gifts to the palace each year cost at least forty to fifty thousand, plus rewards for people below during festivals and holidays, and maintaining those gambling dens, those people who did business and gathered wealth for him—everywhere required silver!
He stood up joyfully, watching as Fan Liangdi brought out the seal he used exclusively, and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Hearing Fan Liangdi say she had her natal family give the Minister of Rites twenty thousand taels of silver, he couldn’t help nodding.
This was the good thing about the Fan family—they were wealthy and powerful. While doing business for him, they also had their own methods of making money. They never thought of taking anything from him, but instead subsidized him everywhere.
He had been hesitant originally, but now that Fan Liangdi had resolved the matter herself and even brought him such a large sum of silver as timely assistance in his hour of need, the Crown Prince thought again of Han Zhengqing far away in the northwest—he was a capable and competent person. Not only that, besides knowing how to earn silver, he also knew how to wage war.
Weighing so many pros and cons, the Crown Prince knew what choice to make. He reached out to take the seal in his hand, looking at Fan Liangdi with an expression that was difficult to read.
Fan Liangdi became even more meek and submissive, prostrating herself on the ground and kowtowing several times heavily. On her jade-white forehead appeared a distinct bruise. She raised her head to look at the Crown Prince whose eyes were fixed on the seal, mustered her courage to grasp the corner of the Crown Prince’s robe, and begged: “Your Highness, I beg you to spare me this once. I will never again dare act on my own authority.”
This one time was actually already enough. The Crown Prince’s ears rang with the Empress’s warning, recalling Fu Youde and Chen Dezhong’s suggestions, and Prince Zhennan’s decisive words. For a moment he hesitated—Fan Liangdi dared to have the Fan family intervene to assassinate Zhou Weizhao this time, who’s to say there wouldn’t be a next time?
But the Crown Prince asked himself—was he angry that Fan Liangdi wanted to kill Zhou Weizhao? No, actually not. He had always been very clear about Fan Liangdi’s thoughts, and knew of Fan Liangdi’s jealousy and resentment toward the Crown Princess and Zhou Weizhao. What made him angry and furious was merely that Fan Liangdi had caused him trouble again and again, and had acted on her own authority.