Zhangsun’s complexion looked haggard. Sitting on the mat, she listlessly nibbled at a millet bun. No matter how you prepared this thing, it would never be delicious. Millet was rough on the mouth, quite coarse—not fine and delicate like grain. Even making porridge with it wasn’t particularly pleasant to drink. Its only advantage was drought resistance, which was why many people in Guanzhong still grew it.
Yun Ye spread out a clean hemp cloth before her and opened up lotus leaf packages one by one, placing them in front of her. Her favorite braised pork, which Yun Ye had packed in a bamboo tube and sealed, was tossed into a pot of boiling water to heat.
Only when Yun Ye presented the fermented rice wine did Zhangsun come back to her senses. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up the bamboo tube and took a sip.
“This fermented rice wine is from Huang Shu’s household. That fellow Huang Shu has been secretly keeping a mistress outside recently. His wife found out, and now they’re at each other’s throats—the couple doesn’t even speak to each other anymore. Ying Niang moved out of Huang Shu’s mansion and opened a small fermented rice wine stall herself. Many people drink there—I patronized it as well.”
“When affection reaches its peak, it turns thin—thus it has been since ancient times. How could little Huang Shu be an exception?” Zhangsun spoke casually, but this remark nearly made Yun Ye flee in terror. The Emperor and Empress were at odds, and it was best for him to know as little as possible.
“Sit properly! What does all that twisting and turning look like? Speak—the solar eclipse is coming soon. There will inevitably be unpleasant voices in court. You ran far away, planning to stand outside and watch the show?”
“This subject bears an imperial command and is currently inspecting the Chang’an industrial district.”
“Shut your mouth! You’re building houses while extracting yourself from major trouble. What fine calculations! Now my brother has his own ideas, and you also have your own ideas. Has not one of you considered how I’m managing in the palace?”
Zhangsun’s eyes immediately reddened. Among the ministers, her closest brother had essentially broken with the Emperor over the matter of appointing provincial governors. The Mount Tai imperial sacrifice affair had completely exhausted the affection between them outside of their ruler-subject relationship. The Emperor sent Yun Ye to inspect the industrial district precisely to send Zhangsun Wuji a signal—the imperial family no longer relied on your household’s steel. The industrial district would now increase production capacity to squeeze out the Zhangsun family. That boastful report Yun Ye submitted, the Emperor had people from the Secretariat read aloud in court and discussed with all the ministers expanding the industrial district once again.
Precisely because of such news, the Emperor tacitly approved Yun Ye’s casual house-building on the dry plateau. Finally, Li Tai got involved and completely shattered the Court of Imperial Manufactories’ calculations.
Zhangsun truly suffered in this matter—on one side was her husband, on the other her brother. She could neither handle her brother with complete impartiality, nor could she help her brother oppose the Emperor. Thus, during this period, being caught in the middle made life worse than death.
“Your Majesty, those are all small matters. The great trouble hasn’t arrived yet. Do you think this is merely a simple solar eclipse? You couldn’t possibly imagine—the comet is also joining the excitement. Just think, when the sun is obscured and the earth plunges into darkness, the comet drags its long tail across the horizon. What did the ancients call this spectacle? Celestial Opposition! Your Majesty, the comet appears once every seventy-six years. This appearance happens precisely during the solar eclipse. Your great trouble has arrived.”
Zhangsun started violently. She understood all too well what the appearance of an inauspicious star meant. When King Wu attacked Zhou, he faced east to welcome the year-star; it reached Fan and flooded, reached Gongtou and fell. A comet appeared, presenting its handle to the Shang people. At that time there was a comet with its handle pointing east, capable of sweeping away the western people! This was the sign of women disrupting government!
Now things would become lively indeed. A solar eclipse portended the Emperor’s demise, and the comet’s appearance signified women disrupting government. These two things together—this wasn’t just trouble, this was enormous trouble.
Yun Ye now felt the imperial couple were actually quite pitiful. When the sun was obscured, the Emperor would be finished. When Halley’s Comet appeared, the Empress would need to be beheaded or cast into the Cold Palace. When those rigid ministers learned of this, the first thing they would do was advise the Emperor it was better to wrongly execute than wrongly release. They had always been foolish doctors who treated headaches by cutting off heads and foot pain by cutting off feet.
Truly worthy of being a famous historical figure, Zhangsun merely paled slightly and broke out in a little sweat on her forehead before immediately regaining her composure. She peeled a braised egg and while eating asked Yun Ye: “Regarding the comet matter, how confident are you?”
“In reply to Your Majesty—astronomical phenomena like solar eclipses are extremely precise. If there’s an error, it must be a problem with the water clocks we use to tell time. The solar eclipse will absolutely occur. The comet inevitably appears every seventy-six years without fail. In ten days during the solar eclipse, the comet will certainly appear. Moreover, it will appear on the star charts three days from now and will likely remain for three or four months. Your Majesty must be careful.”
“Who currently knows the comet will appear in three days?”
“Master Zhao Yanling. He took a large sum of silver from the Academy and built himself an extremely magnificent observatory. He also inlaid various star charts with gemstones in one room. Although those incompetents at the Bureau of Astronomy can calculate solar eclipses, they absolutely cannot calculate comets. So, Your Majesty, you have four days and three nights to make use of.”
“This palace is merely a woman—what methods could I have? I can only submit to heaven’s will. If the comet truly appears, this palace will immediately commit suicide rather than let His Majesty be threatened.” Zhangsun’s expression grew increasingly calm, and her appetite seemed to improve as well. She ate an entire pile of meatballs before stopping.
“You’re being unreasonable! Clearly pushing this difficult problem onto us to handle while you do nothing.” Yun Ye was quite dissatisfied. If anyone said Zhangsun was someone willing to sit and wait for death, Yun Ye could absolutely spit in their face. What she said now sounded pitiful, but she actually wanted Yun Ye, Li Chengqian, and Li Tai to think of solutions for her. These three people would never harm her even if beaten to death. If something happened to Zhangsun, these three would all be grasshoppers on the same string—none could escape.
“You’ve all grown up now and can handle matters. Haven’t you managed many things excellently these past few years? I’m sure you’ll handle this matter well too. Previously you several made me worry myself sick—now it’s my turn to enjoy some blessings.”
Zhangsun spoke very irresponsibly, looking like she had everything with having sons as she reclined against a cushion, her appearance elegant and dignified.
“True enough. Right now, the more you do, the more mistakes you make; do less, fewer mistakes; do nothing, no mistakes. You need only stay in the palace and care for your health. We’ll handle the rest. A mere comet can’t stump us.”
Zhangsun nodded. Yun Ye picked up two chicken legs and left the tent. The Li brothers were sprawled on mats sunbathing, with two enormous millet buns discarded beside them. They didn’t even bother getting up when Yun Ye entered—only after the two chicken legs appeared did they reluctantly sit up. Each took a chicken leg and slowly tore at it, both brothers listless and spiritless.
“One chicken leg isn’t nearly enough. You should have brought at least one fat chicken.” Li Tai was quite dissatisfied with that small chicken leg.
“After you hear what I’m about to say, if you still have any appetite to eat, I’ll be impressed.” Yun Ye lay down on the mat and spoke leisurely.
“Don’t speak yet—let me finish my chicken leg, then you can talk.” Li Chengqian was rather clever, knowing that if Yun Ye couldn’t say something moving, it would definitely be extremely disgusting words that would, in any case, affect one’s appetite.
Yun Ye patiently waited for them to finish eating before saying softly: “In three days the comet will hang in the sky. In ten days during the solar eclipse, it will form the spectacular astronomical phenomenon of Celestial Opposition. The Academy has built a telescope—are you two interested in going to see? According to Zhao Yanling, it’s absolutely a sight unseen through the ages.”
“Why aren’t you speaking? It must be quite interesting. I’ll prepare a banquet then, bring some fruit, and we’ll watch together, shall we? Oh, you two already have dark glasses—no need for me to prepare them.”
Li Chengqian’s face turned white as paper. Li Tai shook all over as if suffering from malaria. Neither could speak because the consequences were too dire. In history, Zhangsun never lived to see the comet’s appearance. Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang unleashed their poisonous tongues at will, causing Li Er to never establish another empress afterward. Little Wu also suffered greatly at this moment. Such a major event couldn’t be concealed—the comet would hang brazenly with its tail at the horizon for three or four months. In three days it could be observed with the naked eye. They couldn’t exactly make an enormous tent to cover the sky, could they?
“Ye Zi, are you certain?” Li Chengqian sucked in air as if his teeth hurt, asking Yun Ye.
“Go to the Academy tonight to see the comet yourself. It’s still a dim star now, only vaguely visible with the telescope’s aid. After three days when the comet flies closer, the naked eye will see it. By then it can’t be hidden. You’d best pray that on the day of the solar eclipse, dark clouds cover everything and nothing can be seen. However, these clouds would need to be large enough—only covering all of Guanzhong would work. That way, if no one sees it, no one can speak nonsense.”
Li Tai kicked away the millet bun beside him and said viciously: “Whoever dares impeach my mother, I will annihilate his entire family. Chengqian! Will you do this or not? If you won’t, step aside and let me become Crown Prince. After I become Emperor, the first thing I’ll do is kill every last member of his family, young and old.”
Li Chengqian also said with reddened eyes: “No need for you—whoever dares impeach Mother, I will dismember him completely.”
“Calm down! What use is impulsiveness? Do you think they won’t dare impeach? Look at those censorial ministers in court—which one fears execution? When the time comes, they’ll swarm forth, their impeachment memorials enough to bury you two brothers. How will you kill them then? Slaughter everyone in the court hall? Not even the greatest tyrants in history have done such things. Your Li family would truly become the target of universal condemnation. Still hope to pass down the kingdom?”
“Then what do we do?” Li Tai asked Yun Ye perversely, his expression extremely frightening. This bastard might truly be considering murder. Last time when Prince Qi merely had his dog cooked into a dish, this fellow used hornets to sting the man into a cripple. Supposedly now he could only lie in bed drooling all day. Li Yuan wanted to execute him but couldn’t bring himself to do it.