Zhù Lian no longer needed to find ways to prove his innocence — the Prince of Qi had not marched south at all. He had barely allowed himself to relax before his heart clenched again. “Rally to the throne”? It looked as though war was about to break out. What had the people of the realm ever done to deserve this? They were going to suffer again!
Zhù Lian glanced at the several Chief Ministers and saw that their brows were deeply furrowed, their faces flushed with anger. He drew a quiet breath and stood in silence, not uttering a single word. Before heading north, Zhù Ying had given him some guidance; teacher and student had both anticipated that the journey would bring a measure of trouble — perhaps a palace coup, or attempts to win them over, or purges of court factions. For all of these they had formed a rough sense of how to respond.
That things had deteriorated to the point where the Prince of Qi had fled and war was imminent — this was something even Zhù Ying had not foreseen. No, nothing of the sort had ever happened in the history of this dynasty! In the old days, when Prince Lu had raised his rebellion, he had done no more than attempt to “behead” the Crown Prince right there in the capital.
Zhù Lian had only a hundred men under his command; in a situation like this they could accomplish little. Better to watch and wait, and gather as much information as possible to send back south.
His heart sank. The best outcome would be that no one heeded the Prince of Qi. Otherwise…
Wang Shuliang said to Zhù Lian, “You may withdraw for now. Do not wander about. We may have need of you again shortly. Once you leave, do not speak of what you have heard here.”
Zhù Lian made a deep bow and said, “Chief Minister, I fear that even if I say nothing, the Prince of Qi will proclaim it to all under heaven. Please arrive at a decision as soon as possible.” With that he bowed to each of the men in turn and withdrew.
Once the room was cleared, Xian Jing began to berate the Prince of Qi: “What a fool!”
Yao Chenying said, “There is no use saying things like that now. What are we to do?”
Shi Jixing said, “Let us go together to see the Empress Dowager.”
In name, the most revered person at court was now the Empress Dowager; any decree that was issued had to carry her name. Xian Jing was old and could not walk quickly, so a strong attendant carried him on his back. At the gates of the palace precincts he was transferred to a stout eunuch. The four men walked and talked as they went. Xian Jing, who had always upheld the rituals and proper order, found himself compelled at this moment to treat the Prince of Qi as an outright enemy.
Wang Shuliang said, “First, issue the Empress Dowager’s command ordering the Prince of Qi to return to the capital. Then we must reassure the realm.”
Shi Jixing said, “The Prince of Qi will likely refuse to comply, so let us send a senior elder of the imperial clan to serve as envoy. Whether or not he succeeds, this step must be taken. We should also circulate documents to every region under the Empress Dowager’s name, making clear that she will personally uphold fairness and justice.”
Yao Chenying said, “But the Empress Dowager and the Empress have already declared him unfilial.”
Xian Jing said, “We must proceed in this manner regardless; we cannot afford further delay. An affair like this amounts to a scandal. The longer he remains outside with a mouth to spread his version, the more public opinion will churn and the greater the damage to the court’s dignity.”
Yao Chenying said, “Is the Imperial Consort not still within the palace?”
A hostage.
The four men deliberated further, deciding that all government troops would answer solely to the central command, and that generals and officers were forbidden to move without orders. At the same time, the borders were to be placed on heightened alert — this situation was far more dangerous than the ordinary death of an emperor, and far more easily exploited by outside powers. Arrangements had already been made for the north and west. When their thoughts turned to the south, where Zhù Ying was, everyone felt a fresh headache coming on; they resolved to send her an edict instructing her to keep watch on the Western Barbarians.
Having hammered out the broad outline, the delegation arrived at Empress Dowager Mu’s quarters. Empress Mu was also present, and the two women had been discussing which young son to enthrone. Only with a young emperor on the throne could a dowager empress wield substantial power.
When word came that all the Chief Ministers had arrived together, Empress Dowager Mu said, “Surely something has happened? Has the Prince of Qi been found?”
Empress Mu said, “One can only hope!”
Empress Dowager Mu said, “Do not hate him too deeply. The Shen woman is contemptible, but the Prince of Qi is still the Late Emperor’s son.”
“Are we to welcome him back, then?”
“It is enough to demote him. If we go too far, there will be an uproar within the court and beyond, and it will not look well.” Empress Dowager Mu said.
As the two women conversed, the Chief Ministers arrived. Empress Dowager Mu saw that Xian Jing was trembling as he made his prostrations, and had eunuchs help him to his feet: “Never mind these formalities. What news is there?”
Wang Shuliang said, “There is news of the Prince of Qi. He has issued a proclamation, accusing the Prince of Qin of plotting against him and calling on all under heaven to ‘rally to the throne.'”
“The ungrateful wretch!” Empress Mu was startled and furious; she had never imagined the Prince of Qi would dare go this far.
Empress Dowager Mu raised a hand to calm her. Her own complexion was extremely poor. She was very old now, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and across her brow dense and deep, and at this bad news her entire face took on a grim, foreboding cast. She asked, “And what measures do you gentlemen propose?”
Empress Mu spoke first: “Things have come to this pass — are we truly to welcome him back? He fled without waiting for the Empress Dowager’s or my decision, and never once sought the judgment of the Chief Ministers or the senior members of the imperial clan. His heart had already grown cold toward us long ago. If he returns, we will all be killed!”
Empress Dowager Mu coughed once, then asked, “And what do you say?”
The Chief Ministers had a clear and well-ordered set of proposals: first, to address the Prince of Qi; second, to address the realm.
Regarding the Prince of Qi: first they needed to establish the court’s position firmly. If they could summon him back and resolve the matter within the palace, that was the best outcome. If the Prince of Qi persisted in his willful course, the court would at least have staked out its moral ground.
Regarding the realm: the priority was to reassure the subjects and prevent unrest. The Prince of Qi was the surviving eldest son; everyone had previously regarded him as the heir apparent, and precisely because of his status, when he had sought to leave the palace and then the capital, who would have stopped him on some flimsy pretext?
Because he held that position, there would be those whose hearts leaned toward him. Persecuting a man of such standing required clear justification. Otherwise, the hearts of the people would be unsettled.
Last of all — only as a last resort — was the question of military action. This matter was not so very grave: the Prince of Qi’s mother’s family was of humble origin, his faction was weak, and he had no truly devoted partisans. Furthermore, there were few generals in the realm who could enforce absolute discipline over their men. Supplying their armies was also a major problem; units that could fully supply themselves were extremely rare. The common soldiers were not serving in their home regions, and their families remained under the court’s control.
At the same time, they would have both the Shen and Yan families write letters urging surrender.
A soft hand and a hard hand — the ideal outcome would be to dissolve the trouble without a trace. If that proved impossible, the Imperial Guards would be dispatched. Wen Yue was old, but Yao Jingxia was in the prime of his strength. Without worrying about anything else, they would equip him with the finest arms, mount him on the finest warhorses, and drive straight for where the Prince of Qi was hiding to capture the ringleader first — they would “invite” the Prince of Qi back, without allowing him to be harmed.
“One overriding principle: we cannot afford delay,” Wang Shuliang said.
Empress Dowager Mu said, “Very well. Do as you have proposed.”
Wang Shuliang added, “A realm cannot go a single day without a sovereign. We ask that a new emperor be enthroned without delay, to settle the hearts of all under heaven.”
The two palace women exchanged glances, but the Chief Ministers felt they could not afford to wait any longer. The business of the Prince of Qi’s “moral unfitness” was something they had always felt could not be spoken of openly within the deep palace. Now, if every matter had to be referred back to the two palace women, that too would be most inconvenient. The Empress Dowager was old and the Empress was too young; both were women, and the Empress’s earlier remark had not quite sounded right upon reflection. The shrewd men around her had already begun to suspect whether she had been secretly at work — her hostility toward the Prince of Qi was far too obvious.
The ministers greatly disliked interference in court affairs by the inner palace, which was always entangled with the families of imperial consorts; nor was the Mu family short of unsavory figures. The Prince of Qi would not do, but a new emperor was needed; they could not simply leave the Empress Dowager to decide everything.
The two palace women had no choice but to defer to the Chief Ministers’ wishes. On the matter of who should be enthroned, the two sides reached an impasse, until Yao Chenying proposed that the Prince of Qin serve as regent — this was the least contentious solution.
The Prince of Qin had taken a sword wound from the Prince of Qi that day and was still confined to his bed recovering; all formalities were kept to a minimum, with the Chief Ministers and the hundred officials merely kowtowing outside the hall. The administration of state was left in the hands of the Chief Ministers, and it was only at this point that the Empress Dowager and the Empress realized they had been maneuvered out of power by the ministers.
The Chief Ministers were methodical, and once they began to act they moved quickly.
The news of the Prince of Qi arrived in the morning; by the afternoon, all manner of orders had been dispatched. With someone directing matters, panic had not yet spread through the capital.
— · —
Courier horses galloped along the official roads in every direction, carrying documents. The court dispatched the Director of the Imperial Clan as its envoy to see the Prince of Qi; everything was set in motion.
Everything, that is, except this year’s autumn tax revenues.
Half a year without an emperor had produced a kind of disorder — though not quite a complete disorder. The tax revenues from various localities had come in unevenly: regions closer to the capital had already escorted their grain to the city, while more distant regions dragged their feet. Annan was among those that had not submitted.
Many had a single thought in mind: wait and see. In the current state of confusion, if funds and grain were sent now, to whose credit would it be? Who would think well of them for it? Better to find some excuse to delay. Once a new emperor was confirmed, they could send everything immediately and be seen favorably in the new ruler’s eyes.
This prompted the Council of State to silently curse these “regional lords” and mark down in their minds a ledger of who had acted in the public interest and who was playing private games — so that once the dust settled, the “regional lords” could be reshuffled accordingly.
Yet the affair of the Prince of Qi did not proceed smoothly. He held an imperial title; he had no glaring faults in his ordinary conduct and had not acquired too bad a reputation. More scrupulous ministers did not dare to simply seize him and treat him as a traitor. Even the Prince of Qin himself had to show some deference to his “elder brother” — propriety before force.
The Director of the Imperial Clan, carrying the Empress Dowager’s handwritten letter and Shen Ying’s family letter, set out in haste and managed to secure an audience with the Prince of Qi without too much difficulty. At first the conversation went smoothly enough, but since his flight the Prince of Qi had grown more and more convinced that something was wrong. He and the Prince of Qin had certainly clashed, but how could the Prince of Qin have appeared at exactly the right moment? And what about the palace maid who had supposedly been “driven to suicide”? She had had no reason to be coerced — everyone in the palace had been currying favor with him. Why had she suddenly hanged herself? And left a note behind?
The Director of the Imperial Clan urged him to return to the palace. The Prince of Qi first asked, “And my aunt?”
The Director of the Imperial Clan said, “The Imperial Consort is in the palace. For her sake alone, you cannot compound error upon error.”
The Prince of Qi said, “Do not deceive me! If they could frame me, would they spare her? She must already be dead.”
Since Yan Gui could not possibly be brought to him on the spot, the Prince of Qi burst into loud weeping: “Auntie! What a terrible death you have met!” He cried out for those around him to set up a mourning hall, to demonstrate that he had an irreconcilable blood feud with the Prince of Qin. He also began to claim that the Late Emperor had been murdered, talking on and on, giving the Director of the Imperial Clan no opportunity to reason with him.
The Director of the Imperial Clan returned empty-handed, and the Prince of Qi even detained him so he could not go back and report.
The capital had not received the Director of the Imperial Clan’s report, but precautionary measures against the Prince of Qi had not stopped; officials continued to be dispatched in a steady stream, officially to “escort” the Prince of Qi. The regent did not need to concern himself with any of this; he had only to rest and recover while the Chief Ministers reported to him each day.
One day, while the Prince of Qin was reclining on his couch talking with his cousin, Yao Chenying came in with a cold expression: “Your Highness.”
The Prince of Qin greatly disliked the title “regent.” Given the Prince of Qi’s treacherous conduct, was the Prince of Qi still going to come back and ascend the throne? He clearly ought to have been enthroned himself by now, yet both palace women and the Chief Ministers were restricting him!
“What is it?” the Prince of Qin asked, his voice equally cold.
Yao Chenying said, “The Prince of Qi has fled to the barbarians.”
The Prince of Qin was startled, then elated, and finally his expression settled into fury: “What? He dares betray the country!”
Yao Chenying said, “At present it is not the Prince of Qi we must deal with — it is the barbarians. With him as their pretext, the barbarian troops now have a just cause for war.”
The Prince of Qin was again startled and furious: “What? But the border commanders were already ordered—”
“Heightened vigilance and open warfare are two different things,” Yao Chenying explained. Strengthening one’s guard was meant to let the enemy know you were alert, making them think twice before striking and thus preventing many wars. But once hostilities broke out, the scale was entirely different, and vigilance alone was not enough.
Wang Shuliang and Shi Jixing arrived shortly afterward, both exhausted.
The Prince of Qin asked, “And Chief Minister Xian?”
Xian Jing had fallen ill; upon hearing the news of the Prince of Qi’s flight to the barbarians, he had been struck down with sickness. The situation was now truly beyond retrieval. Whether or not the Prince of Qi had been framed or wrongly accused no longer mattered. He had taken the one path he should never have taken, and things had become acutely difficult.
Yao Chenying said, “We must respond promptly.”
The Prince of Qin said, “The New Year is almost upon us.”
Wang Shuliang said, “Indeed. Let us hope the New Year brings a fresh beginning.”
The Prince of Qin’s cousin said, “Chief Ministers, how shall the First Day of the New Year be observed? Is there to be a change of era name? And what of the new emperor? Now that the Prince of Qi has gone over to an enemy state, are we to keep our ancestral territories waiting for him to return?”
The Chief Ministers exchanged glances. Now that the Empress Dowager had been shut out, the time for enthroning the new emperor had arrived. The Prince of Qin’s barely concealed eagerness made the Chief Ministers shake their heads inwardly. The affair of the Prince of Qi was looking more and more like it truly did have something sinister behind it. And yet, running through the imperial princes one by one, the Prince of Qin was still the next in line.
Yao Chenying said, “Indeed it is so. But we are concerned about Your Highness’s health…”
The Prince of Qin said, “I am well enough. For the sake of the nation, what do I care about my own body?”
Wang Shuliang said, “In such haste, we may not be able to prepare the full ceremonial rites.”
The Prince of Qin said, “In extraordinary times, everything may be simplified.”
The Chief Ministers’ faces remained expressionless as they slowly bowed to him, their hearts all rather heavy. They would have to contend not only with the Prince of Qi and the realm at large, but now also with a new emperor. The new emperor had a birth mother, and with two Empress Dowagers and one Grand Empress Dowager, the inner palace would also be lively. There were those who were pleased, but many people spent the New Year in deep discomfort.
— · —
In the south, the New Year was celebrated in fine style, and Zhù Ying’s birthday was duly marked as well. As for the new emperor’s enthronement, Zhù Lian had already delivered the congratulatory memorial; the general’s office need not trouble itself further over the matter.
The letters, official documents, court bulletins, and edicts from the capital had all reached Zhù Ying, most of which she had held back. The New Year was coming — why make everyone miserable? Though Annan did not, in fact, base its happiness on the emperor’s fortunes.
Her birthday celebration was a gorgeous and lively affair, with everyone in high spirits. He Yueming was not even fretting over Zhù Lian’s continued presence in the capital, and even Lin Ge refrained from rolling her eyes at her great-uncle.
People came in groups to offer Zhù Ying birthday congratulations: a cohort of old hands like Zhao Su; another group of high-ranking indigenous officials like Zhù Chonghua; and yet another of the younger ones like Lin Ge and Zhao Ji. Even the general’s household servants joined in with merry toasts. Beyond that, townspeople had been selected — a mix of young and old — and came to the general’s office to drink the longevity wine.
It was a thoroughly festive affair.
Not long after the birthday celebration, Zhù Lian returned with Lu Danqing, Zhù Tong, and their escort. They had originally set out leading troops, expecting to navigate a tense period of transition; instead, the capital had produced an even larger disaster, and their hundred men had had no role to play at all. They returned exactly as they had left.
“How foolish,” Zhù Ying said. “From the very beginning they should have declared the Prince of Qi dead. If the court had issued a death announcement, he would have been a dead man in the eyes of the world, and anything he did outside would have been dismissed as a fraud.”
Zhù Lian said, “From the beginning no one anticipated that things would come to this. Everyone was still leaving room. One misstep, then another, until we have arrived at today.”
Zhù Ying said to Zhù Tong, “Go to the Northern Pass and assist Shu Sheng.”
“Yes.”
Zhù Tong did not ask why she was being reassigned from the Western Pass to the Northern Pass; she gathered her things and headed north without delay. The traffic through the Northern Pass had noticeably increased of late — not only merchants, but families dragging their belongings along, looking to settle in Annan. Zhù Tong had the feeling that this might be the reason Zhù Ying had sent her there.
By the sixth month, when the crops in the fields were just beginning to show a tinge of yellow, a swift rider brought fresh news from the north: war had broken out.
The Prince of Qi had colluded with the barbarians, but the northern populace harbored deep hatred for the barbarians, so the court had managed to hold its ground against them. However, with fighting along one front, the Western Barbarians had seized the opportunity to move as well — six months had been more than enough time for them to prepare their assault. To cope with two simultaneous wars, the court had to draft more laborers and conscript more soldiers. The country, which had just begun to show some improvement, was once again stretched to its limits.