Not counting the counties of the capital region, before the rebellion Jinling City had housed over four hundred thousand registered residents—including imperial clan descendants, hereditary aristocratic family members, court officials and families of Imperial Guard and Forbidden Army officers, merchants and commoners, and most numerously, slaves and servants attending the powerful. At its peak, the palace alone employed sixteen to seventeen thousand eunuchs and palace maids.
During the Jinling Rebellion, countless people either died or fled elsewhere. Over a hundred thousand slaves and servants, along with family members of civil officials and military officers, were forcibly taken across the river by Anning Palace rebel forces. When Emperor Yanyu recovered Jinling City, the population had been reduced to merely seventy to eighty thousand.
These years, though Jinling was said to have recovered its vitality with five to six thousand eunuchs and palace maids serving in the palace, compared to before the rebellion, the population had still shrunk by nearly half.
This left the enormous Jinling City with abandoned residences everywhere among the crisscrossing streets and alleys.
Deep in West Willow Lane, a carriage stopped before a derelict mansion in the scorching afternoon.
Under the blazing sun, apart from three to five beggars curled like corpses in slightly cooler corners and tree shade, the entire alley showed not a single living person passing through.
Zhou Yuan, wearing casual robes, descended from the carriage after cautiously glancing both ways down the alley. He jumped down first, walked to the gate eaves, pushed open the half-closed courtyard door, and his figure flashed inside. After a moment, Li Pu—whose hair and beard were frost-white but whose legs and feet seemed even more agile than Zhou Yuan’s—descended from the carriage and entered the derelict mansion.
The carriage rumbled out of the alley as if nothing had occurred.
Inside the derelict mansion, a tall-framed young man wearing patched robes sat barefoot by a weed-overgrown pond, holding a bamboo pole. Though his clothing was ragged and his hair disheveled and dirty, this couldn’t conceal his imposing bearing.
When Zhou Yuan and Li Pu entered, the young man glanced back and gestured for them to sit on the muddy ground by the pond, saying: “Your court’s Shen Yang and Yang En both petitioned the Chu Emperor to approve Han Qian’s memorial. They’ve also calculated that Han Qian’s urgent violation of legal convention in establishing an heir apparent means he could personally lead large forces north at any time. While Tangyi has continuously expanded its military, apart from elite troops garrisoning central areas like Donghu and Liyang, the twenty thousand troops stationed in Shiliang, Yiyang, Huailing, and Longtan are mostly newly formed. Thirty thousand elite troops along with the navy’s main forces are all concentrated in Shouzhou and Huoqiu. Liang forces in southern Chenzhou are also rushing to repair the wading courier road at Yinshui. Han Qian leading troops north could happen within ten days—have Duke Changguo and Chamberlain Zhou still not persuaded Li Zhigao to take action?”
Li Pu furrowed his brow and sat carelessly with Zhou Yuan on the scorching mud embankment, saying: “Not only is Zhigao’s side still wanting to wait, but Changfeng and Axiu both oppose acting rashly…”
“Wait any longer and the opportunity will be lost,” the young man said with a derisive smile. “Now Li Zhigao, Li Changfeng, and Li Xiu don’t matter. I just want to know—has Duke Changguo made up his mind?”
“Zhu Yu and Han Qian joining forces won’t be so easy to deal with. Even if Han Qian leads forces from Chenzhou to reinforce Bianjing, victory and defeat remain fifty-fifty. I estimate Xu Mingzhen, having suffered too many losses at Han Qian’s hands, is also still hesitating without making a final decision. If even Xu Mingzhen hasn’t made his final decision, how can we know that your every scheme to incite Xiangbei forces to plot against Shu isn’t aimed at dragging Tangyi’s main forces down on the southern Huai River bank?” Li Pu wasn’t so foolish, asking in a heavy voice.
“The teacher said Han Qian was an anomaly in Jianghuai. When I first heard this, I felt somewhat dismissive, yet never imagined you would all be so wary of him like rats fearing a cat. It seems the teacher’s words were indeed true,” the young man laughed. “You think Xu Mingzhen may still have a chance to turn back, but the problem is—before Han Qian leads thirty thousand elite troops north, does Xu Mingzhen dare turn back? Or rather, what conditions would Han Qian and Zhu Yu accept for Xu Mingzhen’s return? Would Xu Mingzhen be willing to completely and thoroughly relinquish military power, hand over all remaining Xu clan blood relatives as hostages in exchange for a chance to turn back? Once Han Qian leads thirty thousand elite troops north, Duke Changguo surely doesn’t think Han Qian would dare risk having his rear cut off by leading thirty thousand elite to help Han Yuanqi defend Bianjing City without first defeating Xu Mingzhen and taking the cities like Taikang and Tuocheng his divided forces now control, without securing the eastern flank of the Chen-Bian courier road? Between Xu Mingzhen and Han Qian, there’s absolutely no trust. For Xu Mingzhen, it’s either surrender outright to Tangyi or wait for Han Qian to lead forces north and fight him first. If Duke Changguo were Xu Mingzhen, what choice would you make?”
“For Xu Mingzhen, it’s still best if Xiangbei forces move first, then he moves—that way he can minimize the pressure Shouzhou forces will have to bear,” Zhou Yuan said. “Zhou would like to ask—why should Xiangbei forces move first?”
Zhou Yuan was increasingly certain the Mongols ultimately still feared Han Qian staking everything to lead forces into the Huai River war. Though they urgently wanted Shu territory, carefully considering Tangyi’s rise these years, who wouldn’t feel apprehensive facing a desperate Han Qian?
“Xiangbei forces naturally have no reason to move first, which is why neither the teacher nor I ran to Li Zhigao to waste our breath. The Zhou brothers, Chamberlain and Commander, also seem to have no need to move first. Or perhaps Lu Qingxia’s thinking now matches Shen Yang, Yang En, and Yang Zhiyuan’s—all hoping in their hearts that Tangyi forces go north to fight us to mutual destruction. Once Tangyi forces truly fight us to mutual destruction, Xiangbei plotting against Shu will have far fewer concerns. Even competing with East Huai, Prince Shou’s mansion, and the Zheng clan, won’t Xiangbei forces ultimately have better odds of winning?” the young man asked with a smile. “Are you all calculating things so nicely?”
Zhou Yuan and Li Pu’s faces were grim as water, neither speaking. But the situation was obvious—with Tangyi so powerful, whoever moved first might not gain great advantage, but once targeted by Han Qian, they would certainly suffer greatly.
Zhou Yuan had previously rushed to Chuzhou with Yao Xishui, hoping to persuade Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan to act together, even thinking to exploit the Wang family. But unexpectedly, Han Qian directly established his concubine-born eldest son Han Wenxin as heir apparent, severing the Wang family’s delusions and cooling their ambitions. Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan’s side naturally grew more patient.
Without East Huai’s cooperation and with Xu Mingzhen dragging his feet, if Xiangbei forces moved first and prompted Han Qian to ultimately abandon plans to reinforce north, instead sending troops to attack Suizhou and Nanyang first, who would they cry to?
“You all calculate so nicely, all plotting your own escape routes. But Duke Changguo—you truly have no escape route at all,” the young man stared at Li Pu, shaking his head and sighing.
Li Pu asked in a heavy voice: “What do you mean by this?”
“Has Duke Changguo always believed that Lu Qingxia bringing the Second Prince into Cishou Palace means one day she’ll fully support establishing the Second Prince as legitimate heir, and Duke Changguo’s mansion will eventually rise again?” the young man asked with a smile.
Li Pu furrowed his brow, staring at the young man, wanting to see what he would say.
“What if Duke Changguo and the Second Prince have always been merely chess pieces in Lu Qingxia’s hands, and moreover are destined to ultimately be ruthlessly discarded by Lu Qingxia—what would Duke Changguo think?” the young man asked.
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Li Pu’s heart grew shadowed, his questioning voice involuntarily becoming stern.
“Li Zhigao has called you foster father at Duke Changguo’s knees for twenty-eight years. Does Duke Changguo truly have not the slightest suspicion about Li Zhigao’s origins, truly believing he’s the orphaned son left by your subordinate officer surnamed Deng?” the young man said with a smile. “But the teacher says the current Li Zhigao resembles Prince Lu from back then as if cast from the same mold. Of course, Duke Changguo had no opportunity to meet Prince Lu in Jianghuai. This time I’ve come, I specifically obtained at great cost a portrait of Prince Lu from those years. Would Duke Changguo be interested in looking…”
The young man gestured to the attendant standing in the willow shade to bring over the scroll with somewhat tattered corners and hand it to Li Pu.
Li Pu’s face turned iron-gray. Standing to receive the scroll, his hands trembled slightly. Zhou Yuan standing beside him also stared in disbelief at the gradually unrolling scroll.
“By the way, Li Zhigao so easily followed the Empress Dowager’s edict back then, and these years Li Zhigao and Lu Qingxia have always shared extraordinary trust—has Duke Changguo’s heart truly never suspected?” the young man asked, staring at Li Pu’s face.
Li Pu seemed struck by lightning, bracing himself against the mud embankment to sit down again. His robe hem slipped into the pond water without him noticing at all.
“Duke Changguo and Minister Zhou always suspect our motives, but I want to ask Duke Changguo and Minister Zhou—if we merely wanted to bind Han Qian’s hands and feet, preventing him from participating in the Huai River war, we need only reveal the Marquis of Xinjin’s origins. Why would we repeatedly risk danger to persuade Duke Changguo and Minister Zhou? Hasn’t the teacher spent these years traveling the realm wanting to realize the dream of former dynasty survivors governing the realm together? Of course, we have no intention of harming the Marquis of Xinjin, which is why we’ve placed this portrait in Duke Changguo’s hands…” the young man said.
Zhou Yuan was no three-year-old child. He guessed that Xiao Yiqing and this person hadn’t directly exposed Li Zhigao’s origins because they must have other concerns. Should Great Chu’s situation completely dissolve into chaos, it might give Han Qian opportunities to profit from the chaos—definitely not what the Mongols wished to see.
However, Zhou Yuan didn’t believe this person was lying about Li Zhigao’s origins.
Apart from this ancient portrait before them that would be extremely difficult to fake, as this person said, Lu Qingxia and Li Zhigao indeed had extraordinary trust that exceeded imagination. This matter also fit Lu Qingxia’s consistent style perfectly.
“But you’ve still revealed Zhigao’s origins,” Li Pu seemed to have aged a decade, asking bitterly. “You don’t use this matter to threaten Lu Qingxia and Li Zhigao, but come tell me these things—what exactly do you want?”
“I don’t want anything in particular. Duke Changguo might take this portrait to ask Lu Qingxia what she wants,” the young man smiled. “This mansion I’ll leave for Duke Changguo to consider slowly. Please excuse this nephew from further attendance…”
Having said this, the young man’s body bowed slightly. He received a bamboo staff from the attendant, and his figure immediately hunched over like a beggar begging along the streets. Leaving Li Pu and Zhou Yuan behind, he walked straight out of the courtyard into the desolate alley with his attendants.
After walking two streets, the young man huddled in the shadow at the corner of a rice shop. After a long while, he saw the carriage that had previously carried Li Pu and Zhou Yuan return and drive toward the desolate “Duke Changguo’s Mansion” in the distance.
“Duke Changguo had absolutely no awareness of Li Zhigao’s origins from start to finish—truly not someone who can accomplish great things. Why did you still hand Prince Lu’s portrait to him? In my view, it would be better to directly reveal this matter,” a small-framed beggar huddled beside the young man, asking in a lowered voice.
“The teacher worried Han Qian has long suspected Li Zhigao’s origins. Even if Han Qian didn’t know before, if we directly expose Li Zhigao’s origins, we can’t guarantee Han Qian won’t again choose to join forces and cooperate with Li Zhigao—after all these years’ events, don’t you know Han Qian isn’t a man with bottom lines?” the young man said.
The small beggar thought this made sense too. Han Qian these years had truly been unpredictable, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t joined forces with Li Zhigao and Lu Qingxia before. All their dense calculations and arrangements ultimately came down to being unable to predict Han Qian and Tangyi forces’ reactions, didn’t they?
“By the way, the teacher suspects something about Chu Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er obeying Lu Qingxia’s every word. He had us lurk in Jinling, fully collecting any possible doubts and secret rumors about Cishou Palace and Changchun Palace these years. There’s one matter that’s very suspicious…” the small beggar said.
“Oh, which matter?” the young man asked.
“Chu Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er was ill and convalescing in Changchun Palace for quite a long time. Just before the Five Fang Navy’s annihilation at Hongze Lake, secret news came from Changchun Palace about a palace maid and guard having an illicit affair, bearing a child, and being beaten to death with their bodies dumped in the wilderness—I suspect the Second Prince currently raised in Cishou Palace may not truly be the Second Prince. Only this would make Chu Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er so obediently compliant. This fits Lu Qingxia’s style better,” the small beggar said. “I worry that if Li Pu becomes aware of this matter, things may not develop as you’ve predicted, young master?”
“If the teacher weren’t present, would Lu Qingxia’s actions leave such easy flaws for people to see? Whether that one in Cishou Palace is the true prince or false prince, I think Lu Qingxia will have managed flawlessly. This matter doesn’t need our worry for her,” the young man said with a derisive smile. “Jinling City will fall into chaos for a while and is no longer a safe refuge. In the next day or two, all our people will withdraw…”
“Even if they can persuade Li Changfeng, Li Xiu and others to comply, they may not easily control Yang Yuanpu. Moreover, the Left and Right Wuyi Armies controlled by Guo Liang and Zhang Han are all elite troops. Shen Yang, Yang En, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others are all difficult to deal with. Han Daoming’s mansion also secretly harbors two to three hundred armored soldiers. Should we really not stay to lend them assistance?” the small beggar asked.
“Lu Qingxia has secretly controlled Cishou Palace for eight years. Do you really think besides Li Changfeng and Li Xiu, all she has available are those few palace maids and eunuchs from the Weaving Bureau?” the young man smiled. “Now we just need to force them to have no choice but to act. Even if they can’t succeed, they still have the ability to muddy the waters. First let’s watch them slaughter Jinling City until blood flows like rivers…”