Last year during the New Year festival, the Third Imperial Prince and the core forces of the Dragon Sparrow Army had been trapped in Xichuan City and Jingzikou. Naturally, the Marquis of Linjiang’s residence had no festive atmosphere whatsoever.
This year, the Marquis of Linjiang’s residence had been elevated to the Prince of Linjiang’s mansion. But at this time, it had been a month and a half since Literary Clerk Han Qian had coerced Left Bureau troops into fleeing, yet the adverse effects had not dissipated. The atmosphere during the festival season seemed shrouded under dark clouds before a storm’s arrival, suffocating everyone.
An internal round of even stricter investigations and implementation of stricter surveillance systems had already created chaos. But more serious was the blow the flight incident dealt to the Prince’s mansion’s prestige.
The flight incident exposed the Third Imperial Prince’s weak ability to control subordinates.
Although demanding extremely strong ability to control subordinates from a youth who would only turn sixteen after the New Year was itself an excessive demand, if one wanted to break the convention of establishing the legitimate eldest son and become Great Chu’s successor, this wasn’t excessive.
The flight incident also exposed serious problems within the Prince’s mansion’s core team.
Under these circumstances, how many of the court’s princes and high ministers would still be inclined to advocate replacing the Crown Prince with the Third Imperial Prince as the new Emperor’s candidate?
Not only had the Third Imperial Prince and Shen Yang been repeatedly summoned to the palace by His Majesty for questioning, but the Dragon Sparrow Army’s original plan to conscript some troops from Junzhou under Zhou Dan’s leadership to establish a cavalry battalion in Jinling had also been directly halted by His Majesty.
These troops had already completed conscription in Junzhou. With a single edict, Emperor Tianyou transferred Zhou Dan and these forces to garrison Ezhou.
Although Emperor Tianyou didn’t clarify his intent in the edict, discerning people understood clearly—without Tanzhou’s tacit permission and clearance, Han Qian’s flight couldn’t possibly have successfully reached Xuzhou.
Jingzhou north of Langzhou had always been the court’s major garrison for western defense against Shu and southern restraint of Tanzhou, where General Zhang Xiang led troops stationed. There was no worry of problems arising there.
However, from Yuezhou eastward through Ezhou and Huangzhou to Jiangzhou along the Yangtze River, especially the southern bank’s defenses were empty. When Emperor Tianyou transferred Zhou Dan’s forces to garrison Ezhou—did his intent still need spelling out?
Of course, when ordering Zhou Dan to garrison Ezhou, Emperor Tianyou also specially issued an edict granting Zhou Dan a residence in Jinling City. The purpose was even more obvious—requiring Zhou Dan to send his wife, children, and elderly relatives as hostages to Jinling before going to Ezhou to assume the position of Campaign Army Commander.
Major officials of the Prince’s mansion and Dragon Sparrow Army like Guo Liang, Gao Chengyuan, Li Zhigao, Zhou Shu, Chen Jingzhou, and even Zheng Xingxuan, Zhou Yuan, and Zhang Qian had all been granted residences near Fengxiang Street. Frankly put, this facilitated close surveillance and prevented further flight incidents.
This incident dealt quite severe blows to the Prince’s mansion and Dragon Sparrow Army. But dragging on until the Lantern Festival, the court still hadn’t discussed a final disposition conclusion.
The incident was clearly not as simple as low-ranking officials of the Prince’s mansion fleeing.
Xuzhou Prefect Han Daoxun’s memorial of self-accusation had been delivered to Jinling half a month ago. Chizhou Prefect Han Daoming had proactively returned to Jinling before the New Year to “report on his duties,” remaining at the Han residence in Jinling awaiting disposition. And seventy-some-year-old Old Master Han Wenhuan had even had family members carry his sickbed to the capital, wanting to enter the palace to plead guilty.
However, Emperor Tianyou didn’t grant Han Wenhuan permission to enter the palace and made no response to Han Daoming remaining in the capital.
Naturally at such times there was no shortage of those adding insult to injury. But the occasional memorials impeaching the Han family that were sent into the palace sank like stones in the ocean without echo.
A carriage’s wheels rumbled as it entered Lanting Lane. The bright-horn windows boiled from sheep horn blocked the cold wind outside while letting outside light penetrate, allowing rough discernment of scenery outside. One couldn’t help but admire how ingenious this method transmitted from Qiuhu Mountain workshops truly was.
“Father, hasn’t His Majesty already shown considerable inclination to cultivate the Third Imperial Prince? Why would Han Qian flee to Xuzhou?”
Wang Jun wore a fur jacket that made her face appear even more delicately radiant. Though the carriage didn’t stop, she pushed open a corner of the bright-horn window and saw the Han family’s great residence entrance now guarded by several soldiers in brown armored robes. Dust marks accumulated on the threshold—clearly it had been quite some time since anyone had pushed open those two doors.
At this moment, Wang Jun couldn’t help recalling the scene from two months ago when she had stormed Lanting Lane at night to rescue Yin Peng.
Although she had only glimpsed Han Qian from afar across the courtyard in the night by lamplight, the unrestrained manner when Han Qian waved his hand seemed imprinted on her heart.
It was that momentary impression that made her increasingly unable to understand Han Qian’s flight.
However, that fleeting feeling was difficult to voice as a reason. Before her father, Wang Jun could only ask why Han Qian would flee when the Third Imperial Prince had hope of succession.
“Who knows?”
Wang Wenqian spread his hands. No matter how meticulous his thoughts, he couldn’t possibly guess what doubts truly lay in his daughter’s heart. However, whether the Third Imperial Prince ever had hope of succession—he merely smiled at this. The Third Imperial Prince’s foundation was still far too shallow.
However, thinking now of the Han Daoxun and Han Qian father and son, he hadn’t puzzled it through. Pondering more now was also fruitless. What troubled him was that the Prince of Linjiang’s mansion’s prestige had suffered major blows, and Prince Xin’s chances had consequently become even more remote, because His Majesty now dared even less to easily disturb the current chess game.
“How will His Majesty dispose of this matter?” Wang Jun asked again.
“How else to dispose of it?” Wang Wenqian spread his hands. “The Han Daoxun and Han Qian father and son are too clever. Xuzhou is south of Tanzhou—they may have long secretly colluded with Tanzhou. Should His Majesty send troops to suppress them, or order Tanzhou to suppress them? Either approach presents difficulties. I estimate after His Majesty remains silent this long and swallows this grievance, he might even do the opposite!”
“Do the opposite?” Wang Jun asked puzzled. “Don’t tell me he’ll actually reward the Han father and son with merit and titles?”
“Beyond one’s reach—what else can be done?” Wang Wenqian said with a bitter smile.
“Oh!” Wang Jun responded softly.
At this time the carriage turned out of Lanting Lane. Wang Jun inadvertently saw that in the courtyard backing the mountain on the street behind Lanting Lane, the door opened a crack and a woman in green robes looked this way, crying out in surprise.
Wang Wenqian turned to look. The green-robed woman’s head and face had already withdrawn, the door closing again. He asked his daughter Wang Jun: “Who did you see?”
“It seemed to be that Chun Niang Uncle Yin mentioned!” Wang Jun had only glimpsed Chun Shisan Niang from afar initially, later hearing Yin Peng mention her. She was now quite certain and said: “Han Qian initially captured Uncle Yin in this Chun Niang’s residence. Daughter worried Uncle Yin would be harmed and rushed to plead in urgency, unexpectedly truly saving Uncle Yin. Looking back now, when Han Qian realized the Feng family had suddenly changed their attitude, his main concern was preventing this Chun Niang from falling into our or the Crown Prince’s hands. But such a figure—why isn’t she Han Qian’s direct subordinate who accompanied him to Xuzhou?”
Wang Wenqian’s brows furrowed slightly. Currently, according to information sources they had infiltrated into the Prince of Linjiang’s mansion, they could confirm that Jinyun Tower’s Left Bureau was secretly established jointly by Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Han Qian, which must contain both Han family direct subordinates and Marquis Xinchang’s mansion direct subordinates.
That this Chun Niang hadn’t fled to Xuzhou with Han Qian naturally meant she should be a direct subordinate of Marquis Xinchang’s mansion.
Regarding Han Qian’s flight, it must have been meticulously prepared. Perhaps even before the Feng family case erupted, Han Qian had already had this notion—otherwise it would be difficult to succeed so smoothly.
However, given the circumstances at the time, if Marquis Xinchang’s mansion’s direct forces in the Left Bureau suffered heavy damage, wouldn’t that better facilitate his flight?
***
“Who was it coming from Lanting Lane?” Yao Xishui stood in the courtyard asking.
“Couldn’t see clearly.” Wang Jun sat in the carriage compartment where light was quite dim, so Chun Shisan Niang naturally couldn’t see clearly. She said: “The carriage looked ordinary but was fitted with bright-horn windows…”
Boiling sheep horn with pickled radish water into liquid then solidifying it into lamp or window covers was called bright-horn lamps or bright-horn windows—a method transmitted after Han Qian created over a dozen bright-horn lamps at Yandang Jetty in late July last year and sent them to the Prince’s mansion.
If one truly intended to inquire, learning this method wasn’t difficult. But this seemingly ordinary carriage was not from an ordinary household. Yao Xishui thought—at this time there were still people paying attention to activities in Lanting Lane!
“What news has returned from Xuzhou?” Seeing Yao Xishui’s spring eyebrows darkly locked, Chun Shisan Niang changed the topic and asked.
After Han Qian fled to Xuzhou, Tanzhou and Chenzhou had in fact already severed merchant travel, which also made it even more difficult for Wanhong Tower to send people to infiltrate Xuzhou and gather intelligence.
Unable to openly travel by water, crossing mountains and ridges—how much time would that waste?
Only around this time did Yao Xishui learn the latest intelligence from Xuzhou.
“After the father and son staged a great drama of refusing the son entry to the city and bearing rods to plead guilty in Xuzhou, they disbanded the State Battalion previously controlled by the four surname great clans and newly formed a State Battalion, Prison Battalion, and Naval Battalion. Currently the Prison Battalion’s five hundred soldiers control Qianyang City. Han Qian personally led the State Battalion’s five hundred soldiers along with Feng family slaves to settle at the Xi clan’s ancestral Longya Mountain. I hear he has privately established Linjiang County there to recruit soldiers and buy horses, employing only personal retainers…” Yao Xishui related intelligence scouts had only transmitted back today.
“…” Chun Shisan Niang sighed lightly and said: “Now what more is there to say? The Han father and son are currently fully utilizing resources under their control to consolidate their foundation in Xuzhou. The indigenous major surnames in Xuzhou have taken no action—probably waiting for this side in Jinling’s attitude? Emperor Tianyou should also be quite clear about Xuzhou’s current situation?”
“We don’t know if the Inner Palace Bureau has dispatched scouts there. After the flight incident occurred, the Bureau of Military Affairs’ Topographical Section newly established an office in Hongzhou—clearly to facilitate their informants and scouts crossing Luoxiao Mountain to infiltrate Tanzhou and the southern prefectures of Shao, Heng, Chen, and Xu to gather intelligence. Emperor Tianyou should be aware of Xuzhou’s current circumstances,” Yao Xishui said.
“How will the court dispose of this? Has Marquis Li entered the palace these past days to learn the latest news?” Chun Shisan Niang asked.
“The court debates endlessly while Emperor Tianyou hasn’t uttered a word. No one knows what final edict will be issued. But besides Zhou Dan assuming position as Ezhou Campaign Army Commander, Emperor Tianyou has no intent to continue dispatching troops to Ezhou. I estimate he’ll let the Han father and son succeed?” Yao Xishui said.
Chun Shisan Niang silently agreed. At this moment she heard rapid hoofbeats outside, stopping to pound on the courtyard gate.
Chun Shisan Niang had people open the courtyard gate, only to see a household soldier dispatched from Marquis Xinchang’s mansion. Seeing Yao Xishui, he reported: “Regarding the Xuzhou matter, the palace has already transmitted an edict. The Marquis requests Miss Yao and Shisan Niang come to the Marquis’s mansion…”
“So fast?” Yao Xishui believed Emperor Tianyou should have only just learned of Xuzhou’s latest circumstances. She hadn’t expected him to make a final decision so quickly. She asked: “Where is my foster father?”
“Master Zhang is with the Marquis,” the messenger said.
Yao Xishui guessed her foster father Zhang Ping must have obtained the news first before rushing to Marquis Xinchang’s mansion to report this matter. She and Chun Shisan Niang didn’t delay, preparing a carriage to hurry to Marquis Xinchang’s mansion.