The officials in the hall were discussing amongst themselves, suggesting that the Empress’s letter should be thrown away.
Deng Yi smiled and stopped their discussion: “Let’s see what the Empress has to say first.”
She would say what she wanted; what they did about it was their business.
The officials ceased their discussion. Deng Yi didn’t dismiss everyone because of the Empress’s private letter to him. He read the contents aloud as he went through it.
From the letter’s description, it was clear that the girl had indeed gone to persuade the Prince of Zhongshan to surrender, or rather, to threaten him.
She had captured the Crown Prince Xiao Xun and threatened to perish together with the father and son, leaving the Prince of Zhongshan with nothing to show for his efforts. The Prince of Zhongshan had ultimately decided to surrender and stop the war, but on the condition that it wouldn’t all be for nothing, so—
“The Prince of Zhongshan and his son must be pardoned of their crimes. Apart from the Crown Prince entering the capital as a hostage, the Prince of Zhongshan should not be subject to any restrictions.”
Reading to this point, Deng Yi laughed: “Is the Empress being too polite? Should she also write that the court should reward the Prince of Zhongshan?”
The officials all exclaimed in disbelief.
“How ridiculous,” one official sneered, holding his teacup. “Has the Empress lost her mind?”
If the Prince of Zhongshan submitted, of course, he would be punished, demoted to a commoner, to eliminate future trouble—this prince with broken legs had raised so many troops. Although there was still a thin veil of decency covering it, who didn’t know what his intentions were?
Another official picked up a pastry and said: “The court isn’t afraid of the Prince of Zhongshan. If we fight, we can eradicate him—mmm.”
He took a bite of the pastry and immediately praised it, calling others to try it.
“Try this apricot blossom cake, it’s very fresh.”
An official next to him took a piece and said: “The court has a high chance of victory in this battle. How can we not fight? Much less talk about letting the Prince of Zhongshan go.” After eating the apricot blossom cake, he nodded in approval and then said to Deng Yi, “Grand Tutor, the old madam loves sweets. Send some of this for her to taste.”
Even the tastes and preferences of that blind old woman are remembered by people now.
Deng Yi smiled faintly: “Another day, you should try my kitchen maid’s skills. The pastries were sent by Editor Zhang.”
The seated officials in the hall looked in one direction, where a middle-aged official from the Hanlin Academy with a dark red complexion smiled and raised his teacup: “It’s my family shop’s traditional skill, nothing special, nothing special.”
This Editor Zhang’s family ran restaurants and pastry shops that were extremely famous in the capital and throughout Great Xia. Some of their unique pastries and dishes were not even available in the imperial palace’s kitchen.
Sometimes, gift-giving wasn’t about the cost but about thoughtfulness. Among the officials, some disdained it, some envied it, and some joked about it. The hall was lively and bustling.
Deng Yi took a sip of tea, coughed lightly, and lowered his eyes to look at the letter, reading the words the girl had written: “If we fight, the world will fall into chaos, the border counties will be in danger, the army’s morale will collapse, the people will suffer, and they will be unable to make a living.”
War had always been like this; everyone knew that.
An official with a grizzled beard folded his arms, closed his eyes, and said lightly: “The Empress has a merciful heart.”
“The soft-heartedness of a woman,” another official added.
Deng Yi continued reading: “Even if the imperial court is imposing and has sufficient troops, the Prince of Zhongshan has been amassing his strength for a long time. With the Prince of Western Liang also biting and not letting go, once the war starts, the world will fall into chaos, and it might not be pacified for ten years thereafter.”
Where did this girl get such certainty to predict that the Great Xia would fall into troubled times?
Although it was already quite chaotic now, but—
“With the Grand Tutor here, with the Xie family here, with His Majesty here,” an official said solemnly, “even if Great Xia falls into chaos, be it one year, two years, or three years, the world will be pacified. But if we leave the Prince of Zhongshan alone, it will never be pacified. Better to cut the knot quickly, better a short pain than a long one. Surely the Empress understands this principle?”
Of course, she knew. Deng Yi lowered his eyes to look at the letter: “But the Prince of Zhongshan has the intention to rebel, but not the backbone for it. Break his momentum, and he will hesitate at every step afterward. The court can then win step by step, subduing the enemy without fighting.”
Another official laughed and shook his head: “Saying all this is useless. His Majesty has already personally led the expedition, and Xie Yanfang is in high spirits, magnificently eliminating evil. Everyone can see His Majesty’s authority.”
Subduing the enemy without fighting was like wearing brocade in the dark; Xie Yanfang wouldn’t allow it.
Although they didn’t particularly want to see the Xie family shine, they couldn’t stop it either, as it concerned the authority of the dynasty’s emperor.
“His Majesty has personally led the expedition. If we make peace with the Prince of Zhongshan from the rear, the infamy can be imagined.”
Moreover—
He looked at Deng Yi.
“Grand Tutor, Xie Yanfang has been focusing on your old business with the Prince of Zhongshan.”
Previously, he had tried to force Deng Yi to reveal the old matter of being bought by the Prince of Zhongshan. The Empress’s family had fled first, showing a guilty conscience and proving themselves guilty without need for further evidence. Deng Yi didn’t need to provide additional proof anymore.
But now, if they followed what the Empress said, accepting the Prince of Zhongshan’s admission of guilt without punishment or inquiry, making a big issue small and letting the small issue fade away, Deng Yi would truly bear the infamy of being the Prince of Zhongshan’s lackey.
“Let the Empress be absurd on her own; you cannot be.”
Deng Yi leaned against the armrest, holding the letter in one hand and accepting a cup of hot tea from an attending clerk with the other. In the night, the rising steam danced, making his features somewhat blurry.
He should indeed throw this girl’s nonsensical letter into the fire basin and burn it, without reading any further.
But—
The girl had stopped talking about these grand principles and had written a line.
“There is great merit in pacifying a chaotic world, but there is also great merit in preventing chaos and maintaining peace. Grand Tutor, do you want to be the Grand Tutor in chaotic times, or the Grand Tutor in peaceful and orderly times?”
He, Deng Yi, came from humble origins, without family background, without deep old friendships or marital connections.
He raised his eyes slightly, looking at the officials seated throughout the hall. Now, many surrounded him, listened to his commands, and assisted him, offering people and money, allowing him, Deng Yi, to dominate the court and stand as an equal against the Xie family, who were nobility with imperial connections. This was because he was entrusted by the late Emperor, held the imperial seal, and had the authority to act as regent.
They weren’t attached to him, Deng Yi, but to the power in his hands.
Chaos was created through fighting, and even as the chief civil official holding the imperial seal, during times of war, generals in the field might not fully obey imperial orders, and it wouldn’t be his place as Grand Tutor to direct military affairs.
Power that wasn’t well-used would become increasingly difficult to use.
Deng Yi looked at the letter. Lady Chu came from ordinary origins, with a thin family background. Although she had troops, she knew she couldn’t compete with Xie Yanfang in chaotic times, so she had come to him as a kindred spirit.
This kindred spirit had written another line.
“If the Grand Tutor cannot help me, I will perish together with the Prince of Zhongshan and his son, doing my part to help the Grand Tutor achieve peace as quickly as possible.”
“Although I want to strive to live, I have never feared death.”
“From the moment I stepped into the Prince of Zhongshan’s residence, I was going toward death.”
“This death of mine will leave no regrets for the country, for the people, or myself, and for you, Lord Deng, there will be no regrets either.”
“Chu Zhao bids farewell here.”
She was right. If he didn’t help her, she would certainly die.
No regrets, yet she wrote so many words—young but sincere and experienced, self-interested yet dignified. Wasn’t this using death to threaten him?
Was he, Deng Yi, someone who cared about others’ lives or deaths?
Deng Yi put down the letter and looked at the tea in his hand. This girl seemed to have been gone for a long time; he couldn’t even recall her appearance.
“Deng Yi, why are you here too!”
He vaguely remembered their first meeting, when the girl had exclaimed his name in shock—though it was their first meeting, he could sense the girl’s familiarity with him.
She feared him, guarded against him, yet also tried to please him, praised him, and even at certain moments, trusted him completely.
“Lord Deng is the most formidable.”
“Lord Deng is truly the most formidable.”
Deng Yi seemed to hear the girl’s voice in his ears. Formidable—he was indeed formidable. His becoming the person entrusted by the late Emperor was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity, but why did this opportunity fall on him, Deng Yi? Because he had planned and maneuvered step by step.
He, Deng Yi, had seized the opportunity and had not squandered it, firmly grasping it and stabilizing his position at court in a short time.
Being so formidable, what in this world wouldn’t he dare to do? What couldn’t he accomplish?
Deng Yi put down his tea and said: “I want to draft an imperial edict.”
The hall, which had been lively with laughter, tea-drinking, and pastry-eating, instantly fell silent. The officials looked surprised, thinking they had misheard.
“Grand Tutor,” several officials stood up, “please be cautious!”
Deng Yi looked around the hall: “Are you all unwilling to assist me now?”
Seeing his gaze, some officials avoided it, while others looked helpless.
Deng Yi looked at them and smiled again, swirling the tea in his hand.
“Think about it, everyone. What benefit do we gain from eliminating the Prince of Zhongshan?”
“His Majesty is young, and in the future, who knows what accidents might occur?”
Such bold words! The officials in the hall were startled—
“The Prince of Zhongshan is, after all, of the legitimate Xiao lineage,” Deng Yi said, his gaze sweeping across without saying more, then changing the subject. “The Prince has been quite friendly to all of you in the past, hasn’t he?”
If the Prince of Zhongshan could give such generous gifts to a minor official like him, hadn’t these court officials also received gifts from the Prince of Zhongshan?
Sure enough, these words caused the officials’ expressions to change even more dramatically.
After a moment of silence, an older official smiled bitterly.
“Grand Tutor, if we do this, infamy will attach itself to us,” he said. “What face will we have left?”
Deng Yi said: “This Grand Tutor has old connections with the Prince of Zhongshan, as you all know, yet you still associate with this Grand Tutor, and you seem to maintain your dignity quite well.”
The officials in the hall felt somewhat embarrassed.
“We can’t reason like this,” an official said helplessly. “The past is the past. Now you are the Grand Tutor selected by the late Emperor.”
Deng Yi said: “As long as the Prince of Zhongshan admits his guilt, he will still be a prince of Great Xia. If the Prince of Zhongshan wants to rebel, the court dares to fight. If the Prince of Zhongshan wants to admit his guilt, why shouldn’t the court dare to accept it?”
He looked at everyone again.
“Don’t worry, I will bear the infamy. You all just need to appear helpless.”
Helpless, unable to stop it, to be pitied—if they were pitied, there would be less infamy.
Now that they were aligned with Deng Yi, they not only couldn’t let him fall but also had to unite with him. The Emperor was young; this was a good opportunity for the noble families to govern. Everyone bowed and said, “We respectfully follow the Grand Tutor’s decision.”
Deng Yi put down his teacup and nodded: “Thank you all.”
This matter was settled, and the atmosphere in the hall eased.
“Grand Tutor, you’re doing this for the Empress, aren’t you?” a young official couldn’t help but ask.
Since her ascension, the Empress had also done many things that didn’t conform to the rules, and Deng Yi had indulged her without question.
Now, regarding this matter with the Prince of Zhongshan, he had originally left it alone, allowing the Xie family to control it. But after reading one letter from the Empress, he wanted to reconcile with the Prince of Zhongshan without consulting the Xie family—
The Grand Tutor naturally had his considerations, but these considerations must include the Empress, right?
It was said that the Empress and Deng Yi had a history. There were private rumors that on the night of the palace chaos, the Empress had shouted at Deng Yi that he owed her something—
The officials in the hall had complex, flickering expressions.
Deng Yi’s expression was calm as he glanced at that official: “The Empress acts for the sake of the world, and so does this official.”
He looked again at the Grand Tutor’s seal on the table, as well as the imperial seal.
“In this world, what I say now counts. If I don’t speak now, I might not have the chance to speak later.”