Hearing the footsteps of his Imperial Father grow distant, drawing close to the exit of the hall.
“Your son has never harbored any disrespect toward Imperial Father.” The Prince of Huai remained kneeling on the ground, facing the empty dragon throne on the dais, while the Emperor had already reached the hall’s entrance — father and son standing with their backs to each other.
The Prince of Huai continued, “Perhaps your son’s methods were wrong — yet can it be that what your son desires is also wrong?” He called himself “son,” not “your subject.”
His ambition was immense.
“It is wrong,” the Emperor said, cold as a bucket of water poured over the head. “Born into an imperial house, the one born a day earlier — even if he does not wish for it, he must accept it. The one born a day later — even if he wishes for it, he cannot have it.” The Emperor made his position unmistakably clear.
“But he has plainly committed a grave error!”
“Insolence — he is your Imperial Elder Brother,” the Emperor’s voice cooled several degrees. “Why Youzheng would commit a grave error, and who it is that has truly committed a grave error — you know this in your own heart.”
Both having climbed step by step from the ranks of princes, the Emperor understood perfectly well the stratagems and scheming the Prince of Huai had employed. Looking at it now, the Emperor’s agreement with the Empress to allow the Prince of Huai to return to the capital for the birthday celebration seemed less like favoritism toward him, and more like bringing the man before him to see what act he intended to perform.
“Remember this: merchants can use wealth to tempt people because they can earn that wealth themselves. If not for the robes I have bestowed upon you, what do you have with which to recruit advisors and retain private counselors? Have you properly assessed the price you can afford, before daring to harbor such ambitions?”
With that, the Emperor swept his wide sleeve and departed — neither telling the prince to rise, nor ordering him to remain kneeling.
By the time the slanting sun could only reach the tops of the surrounding corridor roofs, the yellow glazed tiles gleaming like gold, while the interior of the hall had grown dim and lightless, the Empress took pity on her son and had the eunuch beside her lead attendants to carry the Prince of Huai out.
In the Kunning Palace, the Prince of Huai refused to have his knees treated with medicine. He stood upright beneath the eaves, raising his head to watch the canopy of sky grow dark by degrees, his heart burning with rage.
A fledgling swallow leapt from its nest and, unable to spread its wings in time, tumbled headfirst into the front courtyard. No matter how hard it struggled, it could not lift itself from the ground and take flight.
The Prince of Huai laughed — a laugh like that of a man who had lost his senses, all inhibitions abandoned. “Only the birds and creatures that manage to survive — heaven will grant them wings.” The laughter gradually darkened into something overcast and brooding. He ground his teeth and bit out each word, “Those that cannot survive — wings given to them are wings that will never fly.”
Empress Sun’s heart clenched upon hearing this. A shadow of worry and fear settled deep in her eyes. She urged him, “Your Imperial Father has no intention of changing the heir. Let it rest for a while — perhaps when he grows older, he may come to see things differently and change his mind.” She feared the Prince of Huai would take desperate risks. Having lived close to the Emperor’s side for many years, the Empress knew that the Emperor could tolerate princes contending with each other, but could not tolerate brothers harming and killing each other. “Your Imperial Father chose your territory with great care,” she said. “It is prosperous and abundant — unrivaled among all the princely domains.”
The implication was: if the bid for succession failed, there was no shame in returning to Raozhou Prefecture to live as a wealthy prince.
“An arrow once released cannot return. From the very beginning, things in this world have only ever been great success or great failure — there is no such thing as ‘waiting a little longer.'” The Prince of Huai had made up his mind. He reversed the appeal and turned to persuade Empress Sun instead. “Mother Empress, no matter how prosperous Raozhou Prefecture may be, compared to all of Da Qing, it is nothing more than a tiny corner. No matter how much Imperial Father may favor his son, the moment Yan Youzheng takes the throne, he could have me killed as easily as crushing an ant…”
“Once Yan Youzheng becomes Emperor, your son will be forever reduced to a branch of the outer clan — permanently stripped of the legitimate line. Not a single minister will ever speak on my behalf again. Your son cannot afford to wait any longer.” Yan Youdao, seeing that his mother still had reservations, said, “By then, mother and son will never have another chance to meet in this life — what purpose does it serve for your son to sit at ease in a wealthy princely estate?”
In a fleeting instant, Empress Sun’s gaze shifted from hesitation to something sharp and resolute. “Allow this Empress to think on it further,” she said. “… Think of a way.”
……
……
Unlike the north wind of winter that sweeps south in a single night and chills one to the bone, the south wind of summer inches northward gradually, bringing a rain with each successive range of hills it crosses.
When Yan Chengzhao came to visit Pei Shaohuai, rain had just ceased, and drips fell steadily from the eaves of the small courtyard.
“The counterfeit silver coins have begun to circulate,” Yan Chengzhao told Pei Shaohuai. “The counterfeit coins are flowing out from Yingtian Prefecture, spreading to the various prefectures of the south of the Yangtze, where they are being used by those posing as grain merchants to purchase vast quantities of grain and daily goods from farmers.”
“Has the coin-forging site been located?”
Yan Chengzhao gave a nod. “We only dare to watch from a distance at the outer perimeter — we do not yet dare to startle the grass and alert the snake.”
This was, by all accounts, good news — yet Pei Shaohuai could not bring himself to smile. He watched the unbroken drips of water fall into the drainage channel beside the stone steps, each drop blooming into a little splash.
The heavy rain had long since passed, leaving only these lingering drops from the eaves.
Huang Qingxing had indeed done vile things and committed wicked deeds. He had betrayed the kindness and upbringing bestowed upon him by Master Nanju. If Master Nanju were to learn of this, what grief and anguish it would bring him.
Pei Shaohuai collected his thoughts and continued to listen as Yan Chengzhao relayed the intelligence gathered.
“This grain is collected along the Yangtze River and conveyed into Jinling, hidden in the lower cargo holds of boats, slipping past the layered guards of the Inspecting Censor of the Yangtze, and heading east toward the sea…”
“Once at sea, it immediately heads north,” Pei Shaohuai finished for him.
Yan Chengzhao looked over at Pei Shaohuai with some surprise. “Pei Langzhong had already surmised this?”
“Not surmised.” Pei Shaohuai struck a pose of modesty, and said with a smile, “It was deduced. This humble one never guesses carelessly.”
“You deduced… that the unrest would come from the northern frontier?”
Pei Shaohuai gave a nod. He drew a comparison: “The people of Da Qing build their homes facing south, with their backs to the north — so it is for the humblest private dwelling, and so it is for the towering grandeur of the Forbidden City. Hall after hall opens its face to the south, and it is precisely because of this arrangement that unrest has so often come from the north… Striking someone in the back is plainly simpler than facing them head-on.”
Throughout history, palace coups that succeeded had always attacked the palace from the north.
If one attacked from the south, to capture the Emperor, one must first breach the Meridian Gate, cross the golden bridge, and still force one’s way through the Gate of Heavenly Purity — and having barely entered, one is met with the great central axis and its three ceremonial halls, with the Emperor’s Qianqing Palace still far off in the distance. And every one of these city gates, each was guarded by heavy troops.
To enter from the north, however, was a different matter entirely. Through the Gate of Divine Might and one was already in the Imperial Garden. A group of palace consorts and concubines offered no resistance whatsoever — past the Empress’s Kunning Palace, and the Emperor’s Qianqing Palace was right there.
So it was with the Forbidden City, and so it was with all of Da Qing. To march from south to north, one must cross the Yangtze, then the Huai, enter the Central Plains, and still face the Yellow River — not to mention the overlapping ranges of mountains in between. The march northward alone was enough to wear away half of one’s forces.
To march from north to south, one had only to break through the fortified passes, and then pour through like the north wind itself, sweeping everything before it.
And so, for the other side, the south was an excellent place to accumulate wealth and grain — but not a good choice for raising troops and fomenting disorder. They could only use the wealth of the south to sustain troops in the north.
If not for the silver coins’ sudden appearance in the world, cutting off the other side’s scheme, it was likely they would have already stockpiled grain supplies across the north long before this moment arrived.
After hearing Pei Shaohuai’s explanation, Yan Chengzhao fell silent for several breaths, then said with feeling, “There really is something to be said for reading more books.”
Thinking back on how they had been led about by the nose in southern Fujian, and how the situation had at last been turned around — as long as they kept a close watch on this northbound shipment of grain, they would naturally be able to trace it back to the hidden mastermind.
“It ought to be time to pull in the net,” Yan Chengzhao said. It was not only Pei Shaohuai who missed home — Yan Chengzhao also missed his wife and children.
“Now that the stage has been so carefully built up, with all its spirits and shadows already performing upon it — none of them can leave the stage until they have finished singing their own part,” Pei Shaohuai said.
Now that they regretted taking the stage and wished to step down, it was already too late.
Yan Chengzhao was quiet for a moment. Pei Shaohuai asked, “What is it?”
“Yan had barely managed to say ‘pull in the net,’ and Pei Langzhong had to go and say ‘build up the stage’ — does that sit right?” Yan Chengzhao said.
“Pei acknowledges the error.” Pei Shaohuai rephrased his words. “A net a thousand feet wide — fish, oh fish, where can you flee to?”
“…” Yan Chengzhao cupped his hands in a bow. “I take my leave.”
“Chief Commander Yan, do not be vexed — Pei has one more request.”
Yan Chengzhao’s steps were already hurried, but he stopped all the same at the top of the wall and asked, “What matter?”
“Please send word to my family that all is well, and ask them not to worry,” Pei Shaohuai said.
All the spirits and shadows had already taken the stage. Even knowing they were caught within the act, they had no choice but to steel themselves and see their parts through to the end.
……
Back at the Jingchuan Earl’s estate, Pei Shaohuai’s reassurance message through Yan Chengzhao had not yet arrived — but Huang Qingxing appeared first.
Pei Shaojin received him in the main hall.
“Speaking of which, Huang and your elder brother both studied under Master Zou, pursuing the study of fiscal matters — we can be considered fellow disciples.” Huang Qingxing sighed repeatedly, an air of anxiety plain upon his face. “Though my office is minor and my influence limited, Huang still wishes to contribute what he can.”
“Daren is very kind.”
Huang Qingxing came to the point of his visit. With an air of goodwill, he said, “Master Zou has retired from office, but his students still remain in the court. Many hands make light work — if all of us were to pool our efforts and submit a joint memorial on your elder brother’s behalf, perhaps there might yet be a way to turn things around.”
He paused, then added, “Huang has already called on several senior fellow disciples, and all of them share this intention. I do not know what Pei Jishizhong thinks of this? Huang believes this matter should not be delayed — if it succeeds, your elder brother may also be spared a few more days of imprisonment.”
In other words, he was hoping to ask Pei Shaojin to act as the central figure, joining him to gather together Master Zou’s remaining students and collectively petition the Emperor to release Pei Shaohuai.
At this moment, Shaojin’s face was haggard, as though he had not slept for several days and nights in a row.
Haggard in appearance, but clear-headed within.
Pei Shaojin did not refuse outright. Instead, he furrowed his brow in thought, and after a long while asked, “What does Daren have in mind?” He feigned an interest in going along with the matter.
“The matter came upon us so suddenly, I too have not thought it through fully — only a rough idea for now,” Huang Qingxing said. “But whatever approach is taken, the first step must always be for everyone to gather and talk it through, before we can discuss what comes next.”
“I only fear it would implicate all the other Darens — and my elder brother would certainly not wish to see such a thing,” Pei Shaojin said, with an air of reluctance.
“When one’s conduct is upright, one’s shadow stands straight. If at a time like this one does not dare to step forward and speak, how could one possibly expect others to come forward and help when the same fate befalls oneself one day?” Huang Qingxing urged. “Where sincerity is genuine, there is no such thing as implication.”
Seeing that Pei Shaojin was still hesitating, Huang Qingxing let a trace of helplessness show on his face. “It is only that I have just recently returned to the capital, and the various senior fellow disciples do not yet know Huang well enough — which leaves me with the heart to act, but not the means.”
If he had still held any doubt a moment before, hearing these words now, Pei Shaojin confirmed his suspicion. Huang Qingxing’s aim was not to submit a memorial and save anyone — it was to use the Pei family’s influence to gather together Master Zou’s students.
The other students trusted Pei Shaohuai, and therefore trusted the Pei family.
Pei Shaojin played the part of a man deliberating, pacing back and forth for some time before finally agreeing. “Then it shall be as Daren suggests — let everyone gather first and meet each other.” He bowed to Huang Qingxing. “I thank you on my elder brother’s behalf, Daren.”
Then they settled on a meeting place, and the matter was thus arranged.
……
The following day, at a private courtyard at the He Xiang Tower, from noon to the hour of the Goat, as the Prince of Huai watched an entire table of food grow cold, his patience at last wore through.
Having just been humiliated before his Imperial Father, he was now to suffer the affront of ministers — the veins across his fist beneath his sleeve bulged blue-green. Without warning he rose to his feet, and with no sign at all, struck Huang Qingxing across the face, shouting, “Where are they? Where are the people you promised?”