The Book of Rites Monthly Ordinances states: Great Snow, the eleventh month’s solar term. “Great” means abundant. By this time, snowfall becomes abundant.
Qing Yang sat before the latticed wooden window, watching fine snow drifting through the courtyard of Changxin Palace. Most of the day had passed without seeing it accumulate into any substantial form. She sighed wearily and absently wrote out a poem on rice paper: “Already surprised by cold bedding and pillow, again seeing bright window and door, deep in night knowing snow is heavy, from time to time hearing sound of breaking bamboo…” She crumpled the rice paper into a ball, thinking to herself that this scattered, fragmentary remnant snow formed no proper scene—it truly didn’t suit this poem’s landscape.
“What is Your Ladyship thinking about?” A palace lady with refined features walked in. Seeing Qing Yang sitting by the window, her exquisitely flawless face wearing an expression of worried melancholy, she approached and asked.
“I’m thinking that at this season, every household in Shu’s capital is pickling salted meat, aren’t they?” Qing Yang raised her snow-white arm, cupping her soft, delicate chin with her palm, turning her head to glance at the palace lady and saying.
“Jinling city also has the saying ‘pickle vegetables at Minor Snow, pickle meat at Great Snow.’ Before this servant entered the palace, when this solar term arrived, every household in the neighboring streets would be busy preserving salted goods—adding coarse salt with star anise, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper, maltose and such into the pot to roast until fragrant, then when cooled, coating it inside and outside of fish, meat, or poultry and repeatedly rubbing it in, watching the meat color turn from fresh to dark, placing it in a crock, pressing it down with stones. After half a month, taking it out, boiling it in brine and re-pickling, then in another ten days, it could be hung under the sunny eaves to dry, waiting for the New Year festival to arrive…”
The palace lady reminisced longingly about life before entering the palace, but then suddenly realized that speaking of these things before the Noble Consort far from her homeland was somewhat presumptuous. She changed the topic, asking:
“These past two days, honey oranges and snow oranges have been presented to the palace as tribute. Oh, and there’s also red sugarcane tributed from Xuzhou. Shall this servant fetch some for Your Ladyship?”
“Xuzhou also grows red sugarcane?” Qing Yang asked doubtfully.
Having read extensively since childhood, she was knowledgeable about local products from various regions. She knew that southern Zhejiang, Lingnan, Nanzhao, and other places widely cultivated sugarcane, and during the previous dynasty these places had gradually developed large-scale sugar extraction from sugarcane. However, she had never heard that Xuzhou cultivated sugarcane, yet now it was being presented as palace tribute.
Since she was idle anyway, Qing Yang had the palace lady fetch some of the oranges and red sugarcane tributed from various prefectures and counties, and sent someone to Chongfu Temple to invite Daoist Yun Puzi into the palace to accompany her in playing chess.
Yun Puzi, with white hair, was nevertheless extremely vigorous in spirit. After entering the palace and paying respects, he moved to sit in the warm pavilion on the eastern side of the main hall and set up the chess board.
Seeing the white porcelain fruit plate filled with seasonal oranges and sugarcane, Yun Puzi smiled and said: “The Great Snow season is suitable for nourishment to strengthen the body. The common saying goes ‘nourish oneself at Great Snow, next year you can fight tigers’…”
“What would I fight tigers for?” Qing Yang laughed, inviting Yun Puzi to help himself.
“Red sugarcane is a good thing. His Majesty previously bestowed some of what Xuzhou tributed to the temple, but unfortunately this old Daoist’s teeth are loose and can no longer bite through it.” Yun Puzi looked at the sugarcane in the fruit plate that female attendants had already peeled of its tough skin and split into thin strips, saying with emotion.
“I previously never knew Xuzhou also cultivated sugarcane,” Qing Yang asked curiously.
“Xuzhou didn’t plant these things in the past, or very rarely. But in recent years the Marquis of Qianyang has widely promoted sugarcane and cotton cultivation in Xuzhou. Traveling back and forth to the capital region on merchant vessels, Xuzhou red sugarcane has become quite renowned in Jinling city, not much weaker than Qianyang cloth.” Yun Puzi casually told Qing Yang about things outside the palace prohibitions.
Qing Yang looked longingly toward the sky beyond the high courtyard walls. No matter how exalted her status, she was still a caged bird unable to gallop through the long streets, passing her days in utter boredom.
“Mother Consort,” a young child, carefully protected by several attendant eunuchs and palace maids, stumbled in, calling out in a baby voice. He then solemnly bowed to Yun Puzi: “Pu’er greets Daoist Master Yun…”
“This old Daoist greets the First Prince.” Yun Puzi returned the courtesy with equal solemnity.
Qing Yang took the young child into her arms, letting him sit on her lap and play with two snow oranges, indicating that the attendant eunuchs and palace maids should stand under the corridor. She asked Yun Puzi: “The Marquis of Qianyang’s grand wedding is approaching. According to you, what congratulatory gifts should Changxin Palace send to be appropriate?”
“The Marquis of Qianyang’s grand wedding hasn’t stirred up any disturbance in Jinling. It seems to be an utterly ordinary, commonly seen matter. His Majesty and the Empress Dowager will both have bestowals. I hear Director Zhang Ping of the Palace Attendants’ Office has been troubled these past days over compiling the gift list. As for other bestowals, Consort Han and the Marquis of Qianyang are paternal cousins—her bestowal certainly won’t be light. If Your Ladyship accompanies Empress Huang with a gift, that would fulfill the proprieties…” Yun Puzi said.
“The Marquis of Qianyang is marrying Wang Wenqian’s daughter, and Prince Shou personally served as matchmaker. Daoist Master Yun, how do you view this matter?” Qing Yang asked.
“Although Wang Wenqian is Prince Xin’s counselor, Prince Xin is ultimately a vassal prince of Great Chu, and both the Marquis of Qianyang and Prince Shou are also nobles enfeoffed by Great Chu,” Yun Puzi said. “If we merely speculate about people’s hearts, there truly aren’t many loyal ministers and virtuous sons among the court’s civil and military officials. But as long as the court’s military grows stronger daily and border troubles are pacified, without concerning ourselves with people’s hearts, then everyone is a loyal minister and virtuous son of Great Chu.”
“Excellent!”
Hearing Yang Yuanpu’s exclamation of approval ring out right at the doorway, both Qing Yang and Yun Puzi were startled. Turning to look, they didn’t know how long Yang Yuanpu had been there—not a single one of the attendant eunuchs and palace maids in the corridor had made any sound to alert them.
“Yun Puzi spoke nonsense—this subject begs Your Majesty’s forgiveness!” Yun Puzi practically rolled to kneel before Yang Yuanpu, kowtowing and begging pardon.
His words just now sounded unproblematic, but speaking such words to Princess Qing Yang—in this age when discussing politics in the rear palace was forbidden—if his crime were judged severely, it would be considered bewitching the palace quarters.
“Daoist Master Yun, please rise,” Yang Yuanpu impassively indicated for Yun Puzi to stand. He sat on the soft couch opposite Qing Yang. Seeing that not a single stone had been placed on the chess board, he asked with a smile: “Haven’t placed even one stone yet?”
Qing Yang suppressed the chill rising in her heart, restraining herself from looking to see which palace attendants and eunuchs who had been serving in the corridor earlier were present. She smiled charmingly: “These past days, hearing everyone in the palace discussing the Marquis of Qianyang’s wedding, this consort thought that since the Marquis of Qianyang has established illustrious merit for Great Chu and for Your Majesty, Changxin Palace should at least present a bestowal, so as not to chill the hearts of meritorious officials—Your Majesty, don’t you agree this is reasonable?”
Yun Puzi glanced at Chen Ruyi and An Jixiang who had entered following Yang Yuanpu, thinking to himself that although the Jinyun Bureau had been forcibly dissolved and these two had returned to serve Emperor Yanyou, their skills hadn’t diminished at all.
He had actually been so careless, not noticing that so many people within Changxin Palace had been secretly bought off by these two, such that while he was conversing with Princess Qing Yang, he had no idea how long Emperor Yanyou had been eavesdropping outside.
Thinking of this, Yun Puzi also felt a chill shoot straight up his spine.
“The Marquis of Qianyang has indeed established outstanding military merit for me. I’ve been troubled these past days over bestowals. Beloved Consort, you should also deliberate for me…” Yang Yuanpu stretched his body, pulling his eldest son over to sit on his lap, saying.
“This consort also had no ideas, which is why I summoned Old Daoist Yun into the palace to consult,” Qing Yang laughed.
“Then let Daoist Master Yun deliberate for me,” Yang Yuanpu said.
“This old Daoist can only speak nonsense. Your Majesty, forgive me.” How could Yun Puzi dare say anything more? He didn’t dare stand up either, continuing to kneel prostrate on the ground.
“Your saying ‘as long as the court’s military is strong, everyone is a loyal minister and virtuous son’—I’ve had deep feelings about this recently. Rise. I pardon you of guilt. I have few people around me who can speak. Rise and keep me company in conversation,” Yang Yuanpu said.
“This subject thanks Your Majesty.” Seeing Yang Yuanpu’s expression unchanged, Yun Puzi kowtowed once, then climbed up from the cold brick floor and sat on the embroidered stool Chen Ruyi handed him.
“Recently Shuzhou submitted a memorial saying that with forty thousand elite Huaixi Forbidden Army troops garrisoned at Lujiang, unable to be deployed hastily, they cannot be effectively utilized. The memorial requests to relocate a portion of the troops to garrison Suizhou, to probe Huozhou through the gap between Tongbai Mountain and Huaiyang Mountain,” Yang Yuanpu said. “Daoist Master Yun, help me analyze whether the court should approve this memorial, and how the court officials will view this memorial from Shuzhou.”
As the war situation stabilized, provincial troops that had come from various regions to reinforce and serve the king gradually returned to their localities. However, the Left Vermillion Bird Army and Left Martial Guard Army—two Forbidden Army units under Li Zhigao’s command in Shuzhou—still had forty thousand elite troops.
The Shuzhou memorial Yang Yuanpu mentioned was naturally Li Zhigao’s memorial.
From the perspective of military efficiency, the Lujiang defense line east of Shuzhou was less than a hundred li long. Unless they quickly organized a major offensive against Chaozhou, attempting to capture all of Chaozhou territory again, otherwise merely maintaining a defensive standoff couldn’t bring out the effectiveness of so many elite troops.
Tangyi forces used merely twenty thousand-plus elites to powerfully support a defense line over two hundred li long east of Chao Lake.
Now that the war situation had stabilized, as a Forbidden Army general with aspirations, how could Li Zhigao be willing to perform slightly weaker than Han Qian?
From the perspective of reasonable Forbidden Army troop disposition, transferring part of the Huaixi Forbidden Army to Suizhou in the northwestern corner of Jingxiang, probing the northern Guangzhou and Huozhou through the gap between Tongbai Mountain and Huaiyang Mountain, opening a new battlefield from the northwestern flank to contain and strike at Shouzhou forces—this would not only relieve pressure on the southern line from Shouzhou forces, but also effectively suppress and weaken Shouzhou military strength.
Merely from a military strategic perspective, Li Zhigao’s memorial suggestion was entirely correct.
However, how complex Great Chu’s internal situation was at this time—common people might not know, but how could Yun Puzi not be clear?
As part of Jingxiang, Suizhou was located in Jingxiang’s northwestern heartland. The Zheng clan had probably long regarded it as something in their pocket that couldn’t tolerate others’ interference, hadn’t they?
Regarding Li Zhigao’s memorial, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, and Zheng Hui—serving as Deng-Xiang Defense Commissioner and Right Vermillion Bird Army Commander—would be the first to jump out in firm opposition, wouldn’t they?
Furthermore, Li Zhigao’s suggestion carried heavy self-interest. Yun Puzi believed that Yang Yuanpu at this time should also be able to see this clearly.
Li Zhigao’s self-interest—or rather, the self-interest of the Wanhong Pavilion faction behind Li Zhigao—was also quite simple: Shuzhou alone was truly insufficient as a base territory for them to maintain tens of thousands of elite troops.
Currently, the main officers of the Left Martial Guard Army and Left Vermillion Bird Army had all been won over by Li Zhigao and could be said to all come from the Wanhong Pavilion lineage. However, the soldiers below came from various garrison military offices under the Ministry of War’s jurisdiction.
Shen Yang at this time was on one hand controlling the scale of private troops under various generals’ command, while on the other hand striving to regularize the appointment and selection of commandants and captains in various garrison military offices, having more civil military officials fill these positions. He was also doing everything possible to reduce the land rent and taxes borne by military household farmers, to ensure Great Chu court’s control over grassroots soldiers.
At this time, the Ministry of War was orderly arranging military household farmers to enter various Forbidden Army units for rotation guard duty. If Li Zhigao and other commanding generals didn’t want to provoke mutiny, they couldn’t obstruct this arbitrarily.
If Li Zhigao wanted to emulate Tangyi—besides improving soldiers’ combat effectiveness as much as possible, making them more professional and easier for him to win over, essentially implementing a quasi-recruitment system—without directly controlling several prosperous prefectures and counties, where would they obtain the additional funds to maintain the army?