Nanny Mu entered the inner chamber and saw Mu Fulan lying curled on the beauty couch, her body hunched, as though in pain. Greatly alarmed, she rushed forward.
“Princess, what is the matter with you?”
“Did he hurt you?”
She wrapped her arms around Mu Fulan, asking repeatedly. Seeing that Mu Fulan still did not move, she hurriedly turned her over and checked her body.
Mu Fulan murmured softly that she was fine, closed her eyes for a moment, steadied her heart, and sat up.
Her face was somewhat pale, and cold sweat covered her forehead and neck, but once she opened her eyes, her gaze was clear and her expression appeared tranquil.
Only then did Nanny Mu ease her worry a little, and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Mu Fulan leaned against the head of the beauty couch. “Has he left?”
“Just now I was waiting outside and saw him come out — his expression was rather poor, not a single word, and he went straight out…”
“Princess, what on earth happened between you and him…”
Mu Fulan did not respond.
At this point, a maidservant came to relay a message: the Prince of Changsha and the Princess Consort had sent someone over to inquire about their Princess.
Mu Fulan immediately sent word that she would go see her royal brother and sister-in-law shortly, and also asked that Lu Lin and Yuan Handing be invited to come together — there was an important matter to discuss.
An incense stick later, she had combed her hair, straightened her garments, and appeared before Mu Xuanqing and Madam Lu.
Almost in the same breath, Lu Lin and Yuan Handing arrived together at the Prince’s residence in haste.
Mu Xuanqing said to Mu Fulan, “That man surnamed Xie has already taken his people and left the city during the night. The Prime Minister went to see him off. He said something about letting you stay here to recuperate. Little Sister, what did you two actually say?”
Yuan Handing had grown up alongside the Mu siblings as though they were all brothers and sisters, and Lu Lin was a relative by marriage, so Mu Xuanqing spoke without any reserve.
Based on Mu Fulan’s assessment of Xie Changgeng, though he had left in a fit of pique in the end without leaving a single word, he had more or less conceded to the compromise she had proposed — agreeing to separate himself from her in terms of their marital relationship, without making it public for the time being.
As she had anticipated.
“Royal Brother, that is indeed the case. After I arrived there, I was somewhat unaccustomed to the local conditions. Although he has not yet agreed to a formal separation, we have come to an understanding just now — he will let me stay here and recover properly, and he will no longer insist on taking me back.” She replied.
Mu Xuanqing was somewhat dissatisfied with this outcome, but the marriage between his royal sister and Xie was something their late father had arranged, and she had already passed through the gates. If that man surnamed Xie were to turn hostile and forcibly demand her return, there would be no good solution for the moment.
At least the royal sister had not been taken away by him, and so he cursed, “Today I have finally seen what it means to be utterly shameless!”
Mu Fulan said, “Royal Brother, now that he has gone, he should not be coming back anytime soon. Do not let it weigh on you.”
Lu Lin was full of worry and sighed from the side, “What on earth happened? How did things come to such a pass? When he left, though he was perfectly polite, I can’t help but worry — will he harbor resentment? Empress Dowager Liu has long harbored malice toward our Changsha Kingdom, and Circuit Intendant Xie is also, in a sense, her man. After coming here and suffering this setback, I fear he may seek revenge.”
Mu Fulan said, “In my estimation, Xie Changgeng should not move against the Changsha Kingdom so quickly. He has grand ambitions, and in his eyes, our Changsha Kingdom is not even a stumbling block right now. Even if he bears resentment, there is no need for him to exert the effort to come after us at this moment. It may well become a concern in the distant future, however. It would be wise to regard it as a distant threat.”
In her previous life, the first thing he had done after becoming Emperor was to abolish all remaining feudal kingdoms and purge the princes. At that time, the Changsha Kingdom had long since been dissolved, and the surviving members of the Mu clan — on account of her status as the “first Empress” — had still been permitted to retain the territory of Yue City. They were counted among the fortunate of the many princes.
But in this lifetime, matters would surely be different.
Yuan Handing nodded and said, “Then the immediate concern would be the imperial court.”
“There was already intelligence last year that the court intended to move against our Changsha Kingdom. Just at that time, the revolt of Prince Jiangdu broke out, and the matter presumably fell through. Now that the revolt of Prince Jiangdu has been suppressed, once the court catches its breath, I fear they will stir up trouble again.”
Madam Lu frowned deeply. “Our Changsha Kingdom, built through generations of our late princes clearing and cultivating the land, now flourishes in the production of grain, rice, and silk and textiles. In their eyes, we are a tempting piece of meat easy to bite into!”
Though the Changsha Kingdom currently lacked for neither grain nor clothing, its military strength had always been limited — its regular standing army numbered only a mere twenty thousand men, which was also the maximum military strength the court regulations permitted a feudal kingdom to possess.
Previously, when the court had moved against several other princes of different surnames, they had almost invariably used this as a pretext.
Mu Xuanqing said, “This is not as it used to be! If we remain inactive, it is only a matter of time before we are destroyed. I am considering expanding our forces as quickly as possible!”
He looked toward Lu Lin. “In our Changsha Kingdom, how many able-bodied men of fighting age are currently available for conscription?”
“Last year the household official reported approximately five hundred thousand men between the ages of sixteen and forty.”
“Excellent!” Mu Xuanqing nodded.
“Even recruiting one in five would give us a hundred thousand soldiers. Added to our existing forces, if our Changsha Kingdom had an army of over a hundred thousand, what enemy from outside would we need to fear?”
“Your Highness, if you were to conscript soldiers now, the people’s devotion to you as their Prince would certainly mean a strong response. But Your Highness, this matter is something you have thought through too easily.”
Lu Lin shook his head.
“Even if we take the risk and secretly train troops, the problem is where to obtain so many weapons and armor. Would we have a hundred thousand soldiers go into battle bare-handed with clubs? The outside world is in great turmoil right now, and everyone is desperately gathering strength. Even if we spent the money, we could not buy weapons and armor. To forge them ourselves, we would need iron. Yet several years ago, when the uprisings of the feudal princes began, all the major and minor iron-producing areas had already been seized by the court and those princes bent on rebellion. Even during our late Prince’s time, there were thoughts of expanding the forces; secret searches for mines within our borders were conducted, but nothing was ever found and the effort was abandoned. Where is our Changsha Kingdom to find iron at a moment’s notice right now? And even if we obtained some, how would such a large weapons foundry escape the attention of the court?”
“Difficult — far too difficult.”
Lu Lin sighed.
Mu Xuanqing fell silent for a moment and looked toward Mu Fulan.
“Little Sister, you said earlier you had an important matter to discuss. What matter?”
Multiple gazes turned toward her.
Mu Fulan began to speak. “I know Royal Brother wishes to expand our forces. What I wish to raise is directly related to this.”
“I know where there is a mine that can be worked — very conveniently located, right within the Ru territory of our Changsha Kingdom.”
The others were momentarily taken aback.
“You all should still remember how I managed to send a letter back to save Royal Brother, correct? It must also have been a divine revelation — at that time I was made to know of this as well. Royal Brother may send people to inspect the Ru territory tomorrow. If it proves true, it would be advisable to use the pretext of selecting an auspicious location to build new ancestral burial grounds for the Mu clan, relocate all the local residents away, and secretly mine the iron ore within the mountains, then smelt it there on site.”
Mu Xuanqing was overjoyed.
“Could it truly be that Heaven wishes to support our Mu clan? This is truly wonderful news! I shall send people to investigate tomorrow!”
Lu Lin was also greatly excited; he stood up and with his hands clasped behind his back, paced back and forth several times, then suddenly thought of something and a troubled expression returned to his face.
“If the Princess’s vision proves true, our Changsha Kingdom’s expansion of forces can be looked forward to. But mining and smelting, conscripting and training troops — none of this can be achieved overnight. It will require at least a year and a half before yielding results. I fear the court may move against our Changsha Kingdom before we reach that point.”
Mu Fulan said, “I have a method which, while it cannot remove the calamity entirely, should be feasible for buying the Changsha Kingdom some time. Among the current court ministers, the treacherous Empress Dowager relies on and favors the Imperial Secretary Zhang Ban. Zhang Ban appears righteous on the surface, but in reality he is a man greedy for wealth. It would do no harm to bribe Zhang Ban handsomely and have him put in a few good words on our behalf before the treacherous Empress Dowager.”
“Though the revolt of Prince Jiangdu has been suppressed, Prince Lu and Prince Pingyang are still threats to the court. If Zhang Ban can persuade the treacherous Empress Dowager to deal with Prince Lu and Prince Pingyang first, it would buy our Changsha Kingdom the opportunity to expand our forces.”
“This method is fine enough, but Princess, how do you know he is greedy for wealth?” Lu Lin asked, puzzled.
Mu Fulan knew about the Ru mine because, after the Changsha Kingdom was abolished in her previous life, the people of the Ru territory, fleeing the crushing burden of exorbitant taxes, had retreated into the mountains to open up wasteland, and by chance discovered a large deposit of iron ore. Word spread, the court got wind of it and came to claim it, and a great mine was established there. It was just that before large-scale extraction could begin, the kingdom had already been destroyed.
And this Zhang Ban — he was later killed, and after his death, enormous wealth was unearthed from beneath his house, worth a king’s ransom. The whole nation was shocked, and his true face as a colossal corrupt official was finally laid bare for all to see. He had simply disguised himself well in ordinary times, and most people did not know the truth.
“Trust my word on this.” Mu Fulan said.
Because of the previous occasion when she had sent a timely letter that saved Mu Xuanqing, all those present, even if startled, did not dare disbelieve her.
Madam Lu said, “Uncle, this concerns the fate of our Changsha Kingdom. Since Little Sister says so, why not give it a try?”
Lu Lin pondered for a moment and nodded.
“Very well. I once served as an official in the capital and know some people there. It would not be convenient for me to personally show my hand in this matter, but finding a trustworthy and capable go-between should not be difficult. I will take responsibility for this matter. Time is of the essence — I will make arrangements tomorrow!”
“I will quickly take craftsmen to the Ru territory!” Yuan Handing said.
Mu Xuanqing gazed at his sister. Despite the inconvenience of his legs, he rose, intending to thank her.
Mu Fulan attributed it all to divine revelation and the virtue of their ancestors, saying she dared not take credit for herself.
The group discussed the details of each person’s tasks, working out all the particulars. When the discussion was done, it was already deep into the night. Before dispersing, they made a final agreement to act covertly and maintain strict secrecy.
Since the death of the late Prince of Changsha, the Changsha Kingdom had seemed to lose its guiding pillar. Now, it was as though a guiding light had suddenly appeared ahead once more. On the faces of Mu Xuanqing, Madam Lu, and the others, joy showed without exception.
Mu Fulan held Yuan Handing back alone and asked, “Elder Brother, I previously asked you to take note of Xie Changgeng’s attendants — have you committed their appearances to memory?”
Yuan Handing nodded.
“Six men in total, all memorized.”
He hesitated and looked at Mu Fulan. “Princess, why did you ask me to memorize them?”
Mu Fulan said, “Xie Changgeng has left, but he is by nature suspicious, and relations between him and our Changsha Kingdom have become strained. I fear he may have left behind eyes and ears. When day breaks, keep a discreet watch near the city gates and see if any of his men have disguised themselves and entered the city. If there are none, all the better. If there are, do not alarm them — simply note where they are lodging, and then let me know.”
Yuan Handing understood at once and immediately agreed.
When it came to things Yuan Handing handled, Mu Fulan trusted him most completely. Having given her instructions, she watched his figure hurry away, lost herself in thought for a moment, then turned and walked back to her own quarters.