Princess Six’s reaction piqued Ming Tan’s curiosity. She wondered how much of the gossip about this precious daughter of the Southern Lu King was true.
The princess, being naturally open, quickly warmed up to Ming Tan’s subtle friendliness. Forgetting that Ming Tan was her rival in love, she began spilling everything, both relevant and irrelevant, without any prodding.
It turned out that the rumors about her admiring Prince Ding Bei were true. However, the stories about her and Zhai Nianci were wildly exaggerated!
“…I don’t even want to see her. Why would I pick fights with her? After she came to Southern Lu and heard about my admiration for Prince Ding Bei, she kept talking to me about the Prince and his consort – you!” Princess Six glared at Ming Tan. “She wouldn’t stop going on about how in love you two are! I told her I didn’t want to hear it, but she just wouldn’t stop. It’s like I offended her somehow. She can’t have him, so she’s determined to make me miserable too. It’s so annoying!”
“Oh, and once when she was paying respects to my mother, we happened to meet. She started talking again! I couldn’t help it and argued with her. My father overheard us and scolded me harshly. He even criticized my mother for poor parenting. I was furious!”
“So, does your father usually favor her more?” Ming Tan inquired.
“Of course not! I’m Father’s most beloved little princess!” She puffed out her chest proudly. “He only scolded me in front of her to save face. Afterward, he sent me lots of nice things, including my favorite little bow.”
Remembering something, she put on a serious face. “But Father does treat her well because he values your Great Xian. Don’t misunderstand – no one in our Southern Lu palace mistreats her.”
Ming Tan nodded slowly. “That’s truly unfortunate.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I meant that since she’s gone to Southern Lu for the political marriage and become your father’s consort, she should follow the palace rules. You’re a princess; you don’t always need to yield to her.”
As Ming Tan spoke, she watched the princess’s chubby cheeks bobbing and couldn’t resist reaching out to poke them.
“What are you doing?” Princess Six asked, puzzled.
“There was something on your face,” Ming Tan lied smoothly, while inwardly exclaiming: These cheeks are so pokeable! They feel so good – I want to poke them again!
Oblivious, the princess continued, “I don’t yield to her. That’s why we argued at Mother’s birthday banquet. Don’t worry, I won’t let her cause trouble. Besides, isn’t your Great Xian’s Empress Dowager claiming illness and not appearing in public? I heard she was Zhai Nianci’s biggest supporter. Since getting this news, Zhai Nianci has been much quieter lately.”
Ming Tan agreed. As the Empress Dowager’s granddaughter, Zhai Nianci’s family couldn’t escape scrutiny after the Empress Dowager’s fall from grace. With her greatest supporter confined to Shoukang Palace, Zhai Nianci could hardly remain haughty in Southern Lu.
Princess Six, quite the chatterbox, continued sharing things Zhai Nianci had said. While some comments disparaged Ming Tan, the princess dismissed them as Zhai Nianci’s fabrications before Ming Tan could explain.
Ming Tan was surprised that simply sharing a roasted chicken had put her firmly in the princess’s good graces, with the princess now seeing them as allies against Zhai Nianci.
Meanwhile, as Jiang Xu entered the imperial tent, Emperor Cheng Kang rose from his desk and handed him a confidential letter. “Read this,” he said.
The letter contained hundreds of characters, but the most crucial information was: that Guo Bingmao is suspected of communicating with the Northern He, possibly planning a rebellion.
Jiang Xu quickly scanned the letter, his expression unchanged.
Emperor Cheng Kang spoke gravely, “Since the new Northern He leader took power, he’s been eyeing the Yangxi Route. If not for their internal strife, they would have taken advantage of the Lingzhou chaos. Now, seeing our empire barely recovered, they’re likely planning to ally with the Qiangyu.”
Jiang Xu placed the letter on the imperial desk. “One wants to take the three prefectures of Yangxi Route, the other wants to protect Rongzhou. It’s not surprising.”
“Earlier, when Ming Tingyuan was in Yangxi Route, nothing went awry. Now with Guo Bingmao in charge – Ming Tingyuan’s trusted subordinate whom he strongly recommended to succeed him as Commander –”
Jiang Xu suddenly interrupted, “This matter shouldn’t involve the Marquis of Jing’an.”
“How can you be sure?” Emperor Cheng Kang immediately countered.
The Emperor had always been wary of Ming Tingyuan. After completing his term and returning to the capital, Ming Tingyuan was naturally appointed as Deputy Commander of the Privy Council, the highest military and political organ of the dynasty. In this role, he oversaw the Northern and Hexi Departments of the twelve departments under the Privy Council.
The Yangxi Route fell under the Hexi Department’s jurisdiction, and Ming Tingyuan had managed it for years. Though the Commander position had changed hands, he still held significant power over troop deployment. Moreover, his former trusted subordinate now held the Commander position, further solidifying his influence.
Due to Jiang Xu’s intervention, the Emperor had missed the best opportunity to curtail Ming Tingyuan’s power during the noble families’ purge. In the past two years in the capital, Ming Tingyuan had behaved impeccably. His presence in the capital also served as a check on his power over the northwestern border regions, so the Emperor hadn’t planned to move against him without cause.
However, tonight’s confidential letter –
“The Marquis of Jing’an has always avoided court disputes. In his two years at the Privy Council, he’s never overstepped. Given his current position, he has no reason to betray the country. If he did have such intentions, it would only be to assist Your Majesty in some grand plan,” Jiang Xu suddenly said.
Emperor Cheng Kang was taken aback. “What nonsense are you talking about? I never doubted you!”
Jiang Xu’s expression remained neutral. “If Your Majesty doesn’t doubt me, there’s no need to doubt the Marquis of Jing’an either. Although he strongly recommended Guo Bingmao, Guo has held no significant military power in his two years overseeing the Yangxi Route. It’s not surprising he might harbor other ambitions. We need concrete evidence about Guo Bingmao’s communications with Northern He and their plans.”
Seeing the logic in this, Emperor Cheng Kang nodded after a moment’s thought. “Then I’ll leave this matter to you. If he truly has ulterior motives… we might as well use this to our advantage.”
This aligned with Jiang Xu’s thoughts, and he nodded slightly in agreement.
After a long silence, Emperor Cheng Kang sighed and patted Jiang Xu’s shoulder. “It seems you’ve grown fond of that little consort. Marriage has changed you quite a bit.”
Jiang Xu, never one for discussing personal matters, didn’t respond to this. He simply said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
As Jiang Xu was about to exit, Emperor Cheng Kang suddenly called out, “Ah Xu!”
Jiang Xu paused.
“I will always trust you.”
Jiang Xu hesitated for a moment but left the tent without looking back.
A newly favored palace lady, who had come to deliver roasted venison, overheard this exchange from her hiding spot nearby. Curiosity stirred within her.
After Jiang Xu left, she entered the imperial tent to serve Emperor Cheng Kang venison and deer blood wine.
Noticing the Emperor was slightly tipsy, she carefully massaged his shoulders and neck, casually mentioning, “By the way, I just saw Prince Ding Bei outside.”
Emperor Cheng Kang remained silent with his eyes closed.
She continued, feigning curiosity and caution, “I’ve heard that Your Majesty greatly trusts Prince Ding Bei. But with him commanding such a large army, and his father-in-law being the Deputy Commander of the Privy Council, isn’t Your Majesty concerned? Even blood brothers aren’t usually this close.”
She quickly added, softening her touch, “I speak too directly. Forgive me if I’ve overstepped, Your Majesty.”
This new palace lady somewhat resembled the former Favorite Jia, bold in speech but more adept at reading the situation. Emperor Cheng Kang enjoyed her personality and had been summoning her frequently of late.
The Emperor remained silent for a long while, eyes still closed, before finally responding, “You don’t understand, nor do you need to.”
He didn’t explain further but also didn’t reprimand her for meddling in state affairs.
In truth, it wasn’t just this palace lady who was puzzled. Many in the court couldn’t fathom the Emperor’s trust and leniency towards Jiang Xu. Some even believed that the Emperor’s actions were a deliberate strategy to set Jiang Xu up for an eventual fall.
They thought that Great Xian still needed this war god, so the Emperor had no choice but to allow Jiang Xu’s overwhelming power. But once Great Xian no longer needed him, or if he showed signs of disloyalty, his demise would be imminent.
However, Emperor Cheng Kang knew there would never be such a day. Great Xian would always need the Prince of Ding Bei, and he would never harbor thoughts of betrayal.
After all, when the throne was once within his grasp, he had chosen to relinquish it.