Chapter 86

Since the Grand Tutor had already entertained the thought of formally ascending the throne, Qiu Mingyan naturally had to do his utmost to see this final step handled well.

At present, the Grand Tutor’s troops were stationed around the territories of the various vassal princes.

After the campaign in the Southern Frontier, the vassal title of the Prince of Lingnan was no longer secure.

Looking across the entire Great Wei, the imperial power of the Nie family, the royal surname, had withered even further.

But to ensure that when the Grand Tutor took the throne, none of those princes and grandsons of the late emperor would stir up trouble, Qiu Mingyan memorialized to the Grand Tutor to further reduce the vassals’ power.

The specific measures were to use the resettlement of refugees as a pretext, confiscating more than half of the land from the great vassal princes into state ownership, then leasing it back at low rent to farmers who had lost their land.

At the same time, the vassal armies were to be reorganized: aside from the guard units stationed at the princely residences, all troops would have their designations changed and be merged with the Wei armies outside the cities.

In addition, silver refineries were to be dismantled, and the vassals were forbidden from privately minting coins within their domains.

Because this was to rip out the vassals’ fangs and claws from the root, it was not suitable to implement everywhere at once.

Instead, it began in a few of the larger vassal territories.

At this, those vassal princes who found themselves in the lead grew furious, sending envoys to the capital to loudly protest at court.

“Your Majesty, although you have not directly governed yourself, at this moment we ministers who have traveled from thousands of miles away to the capital must at least hear a word of your true thoughts. To weaken the royal clan and strip away the blessings of land and wealth bestowed by the late emperor upon his sons and grandsons…was this Your Majesty’s will, or is it some people borrowing the sacred name to act under the guise of public duty while pursuing private gain, usurping power and seizing the throne?”

These impassioned words came from the envoy of the Prince of Qilu, a man named Lu Feng.

Though not yet thirty, five years earlier he had been the jin ke top scholar of the Great Wei’s imperial examinations.

(T/N: Means “passing the examination and entering office.” Sometimes it’s written as the golden law/code, used as a metaphor for the imperial examination system. Together, it signifies the examination system that leads to official appointments.)

His sharp, incisive essays at the time had been passed around and read by scholars everywhere.

His literary style was unrestrained, his character astonishingly lofty.

Originally, as the top scholar, he should have entered the palace to receive the readily available honors and office.

But Lu Feng had declared, “I, Lu, came to see how many talents of the world stood before me. The result disappointed me. The Prince of Qilu once showed kindness to my late father. Though my father has passed away, I, Lu, cannot but repay that kindness. Fame and rank are to me like floating clouds. Here we part!”

The top scholar of the imperial examinations had actually scorned even meeting the emperor, abandoning a bright future, and instead turned to serve as an obscure retainer and scribe under the Prince of Qilu.

This was far too eccentric.

If not for the protection of the Prince of Qilu, Lu Feng could hardly have escaped the capital punishment of slighting the late emperor.

Even now, the officials at court remembered this Lu the Wanderer.

And today, they saw that Lu Feng’s unrestrained nature had not changed in the least.

He actually dared to openly denounce the Grand Tutor’s ambitions in full view of the court.

Hearing Lu Feng’s pointed accusations, Nie Qinglin, seated upon the dragon throne, slowly lifted her head.

The one seated on the Flood Dragon Throne did not look pleased, but kept a calm face, and her eyes drifted subtly toward her.

That look seemed to mean she was expected to speak up in reply.

How could Nie Qinglin not know the intentions the Grand Tutor had harbored in recent days? Although the vassal princes handed over tribute silver each year without fail, it was but a drop in the ocean.

The power of the vassals was too great.

It was often the case that vassal princes occupied public fields as their own, which was the very root cause of the mass of refugees.

Thus the Great Wei had such a bizarre scene: the local vassal princes were fat and overflowing with wealth, while the Son of Heaven’s own ministers lived pinched and impoverished lives, scraping by with hardship.

This was all because, as the Son of Heaven, the vast national treasury had to provide for the people of the whole realm, while the vassal princes clutched their private treasuries, richer even than the emperor himself.

The Grand Tutor indeed had private motives, but from the standpoint of an emperor, the reduction of the vassals’ power was imperative, no matter if the vassal bore the surname Nie, Zhao, Qian, Sun, or Li.

Lu Feng, standing in the court on behalf of the vassals, pressed the Son of Heaven for a statement, and the Grand Tutor, it seemed, also wished to hear the words of this emperor.

Nie Qinglin rubbed her temples and lowered her voice as she said, “We was too young and ignorant, and We cannot quite recall the original intention behind the founding ancestors of Great Wei establishing the vassal states. We ask Minister Lu to enlighten Me.”

Lu Feng curled the corner of his lips slightly, as if he, too, looked down on this muddle-headed little emperor.

“Back then, the founding ancestors, having seen how during the previous dynasty the traitorous Marquis Yun rebelled and the monarch stood isolated with no one to come to his aid, decided upon founding the new dynasty to divide territories among the descendants of meritorious officials. This way, should turmoil arise under heaven, help would come from all directions, relieving the emperor’s burdens…”

Nie Qinglin nodded.

“So that was the reason. If that is so, then why, two years ago during the flood, when three thousand refugees lost their farmlands and villages and crowded outside the city of Prince Qilu, asking my imperial uncle to open the gates and set up porridge kitchens, did my uncle instead order five hundred archers to stand upon the gates, declaring that any who dared to break in would be executed without mercy? As a result, those refugees were driven off everywhere, wandering until they reached the outskirts of the capital, where they remain homeless to this day. Minister Lu, We indeed young and ignorant. Please tell Me, where exactly lay the deeper meaning in my uncle’s so-called relieving of My burdens?”

Lu Feng had not expected that this baby-faced young emperor, circling the matter round and round, would suddenly lead the topic to Prince Qilu’s weak point.

His expression tightened at once.

After a brief thought, he replied, “The actions of Prince Qilu may appear heartless, as if he did not care for His Majesty’s welfare, but at that time Prince Qilu was already the foremost among the vassals in his tribute payments, and he had done his utmost to share the burden of the court. If he had rashly opened the gates, the food inside the city would not have sufficed even for the vassal’s own subjects. Prince Qilu’s decision came from compassion in his heart, made with tears, but it was truly a case of tending to one thing and losing another. His heart was willing, but his power fell short.”

No wonder he had once been the top scholar.

His tongue was sharp and agile, and within a few words he had slipped free of the trap the emperor had set.

But Nie Qinglin remained unfazed.

With a look of sudden realization, she pressed on, “So that was it. Yet… why was it then, that later, taking advantage of the food shortage after the flood, Prince Qilu hoarded grain and resold it at high prices, causing that year’s food prices in Great Wei to soar sky high? Countless commoners poured out all their life savings, only to exchange them for a tiny bag of grain to save their lives. We far too young, We simply cannot understand it. Could it be that after Prince Qilu had wiped away his tears, he discovered that the people of his domain were not lacking grain, but rather lacking silver and gold for the winter?”

With the Grand Tutor reducing the vassals’ power, all felt endangered.

Never had the minds of the princes been so united as now.

These words made many ministers nod again and again, while Lu Feng’s face grew uglier and uglier, unable to answer for a time.

Speaking in a lowered voice made Nie Qinglin uncomfortable, so she leaned back against the dragon throne and, with languid softness, added, “Since you will not speak, We will suppose that the late emperor feared his descendants might go hungry, and so only sent them out to seize lands and mint coins. Minister Lu’s words that the vassals ease My burdens sound quite pleasing. Now, We sorely lacking both grain and silver. The harem has but three concubines, and even then We can hardly make ends meet, My household more impoverished than that of rustic village gentry. My uncles have been amassing wealth for decades. Why not take out some practical benefit to help Me share the worries?”

The latter words were indeed like the ignorant nonsense of a childish boy, not fit for a formal court.

But coming from this young emperor, whose very face still bore the air of immaturity, these words left the envoys, who had been brimming with anger and shame at their master’s faults, unable to retort.

Others might call him arrogant, but today he dared to boldly question the Grand Tutor in the great hall, clearly because he had nothing to fear.

These envoys had all come to the capital prepared to die for their lords.

Lu Feng himself was a mere scholar, with no strength even to bind a chicken, but once a famous talent in the capital, and still somewhat influential.

If the Grand Tutor, for the sake of his own face, were to have him executed on the spot, that would never silence the voices of the world.

For the Grand Tutor to strike against innocent vassals, then slay a civil envoy who had come to petition…if the princes then rose in rebellion together, they would be justified in name and in reason.

That was what he was wagering on.

His interrogation of the emperor in court was carefully calculated to fit the current political situation.

The Grand Tutor’s intent to depose the emperor was already too obvious.

Even if the puppet boy-king dared not speak under the Grand Tutor’s shadow, before so many envoys from the vassals, if he showed even the slightest unease, they could all invoke the sacred legacy of the ancestors as justification to refuse obedience to the Grand Tutor’s orders.

But what none had expected was that the boyish emperor, slouched limply upon the dragon throne, would know so many of the old grievances and throw them out one after another in his calm questioning.

From the look of it, he was of one mind with the Grand Tutor, determined to cut down these long-entrenched uncles and princes.

Unprepared, Lu Feng had let himself fall into a passive position.

The man whose speech was usually sharp and unrestrained actually found himself choked for words.

At this moment, the Grand Tutor suddenly spoke.

“All you envoys who have come from afar must surely have heard the emperor’s difficulties. Since the vassals claim the intention of sharing their sovereign’s burdens, it is hoped that Prince Qilu and several others will take the lead, set an example, and act as models. Otherwise, if you defy the imperial will, do not blame my troops for being merciless!”

These words struck such fear that all the envoys fell into silence.

The Grand Tutor waved his hand, signaling the end of court, but kept Qiu Mingyan behind, summoning him to the study.

“These envoys have come with ill intent. Yanjing, you must assign more men to keep close watch on them. The moment there is any movement, report at once.”

The Grand Tutor narrowed his phoenix eyes, his long fingers tapping the desk lightly as he spoke.

Qiu Mingyan nodded in assent.

After a brief pause for thought, he said to the Grand Tutor, “As for the marriage arrangements you commanded, I have already seen to them, ensuring that Princess Yong’an will be satisfied… But Grand Tutor, you wish for the emperor to remain unwell. Today, to deal with the vassal envoys, we were forced to have the long-absent emperor appear in court. Though he looked somewhat listless, the words he spoke in reply to the envoys were sharp and well-crafted. When you are absent, he too has begun to show a trace of brilliance at court, refuting officials. If this is not handled carefully… such a sovereign, one with true strategy in his heart, may well become a hidden danger for you.”

After this exchange, the Grand Tutor’s face darkened.

He looked coldly at his favored general and only after a long pause did he say, “As for the emperor’s future path, I have my own arrangements. Yanjing, you need not trouble yourself over this matter anymore.”

Having long served at the Grand Tutor’s side, how could Qiu Mingyan fail to hear the displeasure in his tone? He quickly closed his mouth and quietly withdrew.

But once he stepped out of the study, his face was clouded with gloom.

The Grand Tutor had just spoken of a “path” and not an “end.”

That subtle difference, how could he not grasp its meaning?

That kind of person carried an invisible charm.

Even speaking lazily from the dragon throne, he could hold one’s gaze so firmly that it was hard to look away.

Especially when the Grand Tutor looked upon the young emperor, the light in those phoenix eyes would suddenly soften so much…

If such a bewitching emperor caused the Grand Tutor to falter and ruin his great plans because of beauty, then he would rather raise the matter and eliminate him!

When court was dismissed, Nie Qinglin returned to Fengchu Palace, but her throat still felt uncomfortable.

It was all the Grand Tutor’s fault, last night he had once again taken it into his head to tease and play with her pearl-like lips, burrowing under the covers and refusing to emerge, toying with her until her voice had gone hoarse.

Soon she would have Nanny Shan bring another bowl of loquat syrup to soothe her throat.

After changing clothes, Nanny Shan brought over a porcelain cup containing a sweet broth stewed from loquat paste and kumquat jam.

With just one shallow sip, the cool taste lingered in her throat, smoothing away much of the irritation.

She then sat in a rocking chair, fiddling with a little painting the Grand Tutor had sent into the palace the night before.

It appeared to be newly made by him, depicting the two of them admiring flowers in the greenhouse.

The Grand Tutor had been inventive, choosing a piece of charred wood as the canvas, then scraping away the blackened surface with a sharp blade to sketch lines that revealed the pale layer beneath.

It created the effect of the dark night sky, with fireflies swirling between the two figures.

In that faint glow, the two leaned close together, as if they were the only pair in all of heaven and earth.

Nie Qinglin gazed at it in a daze.

Nanny Shan, seeing this, softly asked, “Princess, shall I hang it up?”

Nie Qinglin gently placed the painting back into its wooden case and said, “The Grand Tutor’s gift should not be left to gather dust. Better to put it away safely.”

At that moment, the Grand Tutor, having finished his official duties, came over to dine with the princess.

Since Nie Qinglin’s throat was unwell, most of the midday meal consisted of broths and light foods.

The imperial chef had prepared a soup of sea cucumber and shark fin stewed with Muqing snow pears.

The finest delicacies of the southern frontiers,sea cucumber, shark fin, and bird’s nest had been simmered for an entire day and night so that all their nutrients blended into the broth.

Freshly picked snow pears were hollowed, filled with a few Muqing leaves, and stewed in the soup with rock sugar until soft.

The fragrance of the Muqing leaves, the crisp sweetness of the pears, and the rich broth together soothed the heat and nourished the body.

After the meal, eunuchs brought out plates of fruit. Nie Qinglin picked up a piece of papaya and slipped it into her mouth.

At that moment, the Grand Tutor said, “If not for the pressing situation in court today, I would not have wanted the princess to speak. In just a few days, our wedding will be held, and then you will finally have peace of mind.”

Nie Qinglin paused, chewing the papaya slowly before swallowing it down.

In a low voice, she asked, “After the wedding, it will surely be the emperor’s time to step down. The emperor has long claimed poor health, so excuses will not be hard to find. But… the empress will be difficult to handle. If there is the slightest misstep, it could damage the Grand Tutor’s reputation.”

The Grand Tutor knew that the Dragon Pearl was speaking indirectly, actually pleading for the young Empress Xiao Shen.

By his own nature, such a hidden danger as Empress Xiao Shen must be removed.

She represented the orthodox line of Wei and still held considerable weight among the old ministers.

Keeping her would always be a risk.

Not to mention, she had once witnessed the emperor and the Dragon Pearl in their ‘past life’ together.

But the Dragon Pearl had almost no friends.

Of the few, Ge Yun’er had turned hostile, Princess Shaoyang was far away in the northern frontier, and the only one who could speak with her was Empress Xiao Shen.

If he spoke too bluntly, the Dragon Pearl’s heart might feel heavy.

So the Grand Tutor said nothing.

Yet when Nie Qinglin saw this, her heart turned cold.

Even without words, she already knew what he intended.

She swallowed the last of the papaya slowly and said no more.

The greatest difference between her and the envoys she had seen today was that she knew too well the nature of Wei Lenghou.

Once he made up his mind, he would act with relentless certainty.

Even her own life was in the hands of the Marquis of Dingguo.

How could she possibly have the right to guarantee anyone else’s survival? She had seen his cold ruthlessness before.

It was only because he now cherished her that he showed restraint.

But what if one day that affection was gone? Would she not become the next Empress Xiao Shen?

Wei Lenghou saw that Nie Qinglin suddenly stopped speaking.

His thick brows furrowed at once, knowing well that her delicate heart must have been turning over with twists and turns again.

He reached out and gently clasped her small hands, speaking slowly, “Princess must know my heart. It is a pity that from the very beginning of our acquaintance it was in such circumstances. I will try my best to make things whole, but I also hope that the Princess will not let unrelated people come between us.”

Princess Yong’an lifted her head slightly, looking at the handsome man gazing at her…his long phoenix eyes, the thin and indifferent curve of his lips.

The man who was always outwardly cold and ruthless had indeed shown much forbearance toward her.

If it had been any other woman, she would likely have been overjoyed already, believing she had won the heart of the most heroic man under heaven.

But Nie Qinglin knew that a man like this was probably destined to have no true fate with any woman.

To remain long at his side, perhaps the only companion would always be that one word—“power.”

The Grand Tutor suddenly sighed deeply, pulling this hard-shelled fruit into his embrace, kissing her carefully…

The orders of the Grand Tutor were always carried out strictly by Qiu Mingyan, and countless spies had already been deployed throughout the capital.

After being harshly rebuked by the young emperor in court, Lu Feng refused to give up.

In the past few days, he secretly contacted envoys of the vassal princess and several loyalist ministers to discuss countermeasures.

In his view, although the young emperor had a sharp tongue, it was surely the doing of that traitor Wei.

A young emperor could not be discarded; he was a chess piece to be put to good use.

Thinking carefully, once the Grand Tutor ascended the throne he would never allow the emperor to live, and the vassal princess outside would also become targets for annihilation.

So they struck an agreement, deciding to unite against the Grand Tutor.

The loyalist faction placed their hopes on the vassal princes to rescue the emperor, eliminate the traitor Wei Lenghou, and return the throne to the Son of Heaven.

The vassal princess also needed the emperor’s name as justification to openly denounce Wei Lenghou.

The plan of Prince Qilu and the others was to destroy in order to establish anew.

As long as they could seize the emperor, they would then announce the relocation of the capital to Shengyi.

Shengyi was the ancient capital of the previous dynasty, surrounded by several powerful vassal kings.

By then, even if  Wei Lenghou had strong armies, he would lose the vital advantage of “holding the emperor to command the realm.”

If he acted rashly, he would surely lose the people’s support.

Once the young emperor became a puppet, he would have no choice but to rely on the vassal princess.

At that time, what excuse would Wei Lenghou have left to cut down the vassals? Thus, their first task after forming an alliance was to rescue the emperor from the capital, freeing him from Wei Lenghou’s control.

The spies under Qiu Mingyan infiltrated deeply into the yamen and residences, with several long-buried pieces lying dormant, never before activated.

Now all were fully deployed.

Although Lu Feng and the others believed their actions secret, Qiu Mingyan had already uncovered them with near certainty.

When he gathered the intelligence of the past days, ready to present it to the Grand Tutor, he paused…this Lu Feng thought too highly of himself.

A mere scholar, he had some courage, but unfortunately his ambition outstripped his ability.

His strategies, though clever, would ultimately fail.

However… this was an opportunity.

Though the Grand Tutor was bewitched by the beauty of the young emperor, if the right method were used, delivering him a harsh wake-up call, a man as great as he would surely be roused from the spell of that demonic youth.

At the thought, an image surfaced uncontrollably before Qiu Mingyan’s eyes: the emperor’s slightly upturned face, a trace of innocence in it, yet his eyes shimmering with rippling brilliance like brocade-lake autumn waves. The brush in his hand snapped into two pieces with a sharp crack.

He would pluck out any obstacle that could hinder the Grand Tutor’s great cause! Yes! All for the immortal glory of the Grand Tutor’s achievements, and… nothing else!

That day, Prime minister Qiu Mingyan reported at court that the new granaries had been completed and earnestly requested His Majesty to go in person to worship the Grain God before they could be formally put into use.

After the lessons of last year, this year’s granaries could be described as impregnable.

Even if blizzards fell or torrents poured from the heavens, the Ministry of Works dared to swear by their honor that the grain inside would remain safe.

Since the sacrifice was to the Grain God, who governed abundance, the emperor needed to perform the ritual together with the empress.

The young Empress Xiao Shen had long been confined within the palace.

Today, gaining such an opportunity, she was rather excited.

After donning her full ceremonial robes and phoenix crown, she sat upon the phoenix carriage.

Stealing a glance, she saw her husband, long unseen, seated on the imperial carriage.

Clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, the young man appeared refined and graceful.

Shen Hong’er had first met the fourteenth prince at a palace banquet four years ago.

Because the Shen family’s household training was extremely strict, she was unskilled in adornment.

Her plain and rustic attire had stood out awkwardly among the finely dressed noble ladies and young misses.

By chance, she overheard several women mocking her behind her back, likening her to a village girl selling pears in the street.

Overcome with shame and anger, she could no longer sit still.

Using the excuse of needing the privy, she hurriedly left the banquet hall without summoning her maid, and nearly tripped on the steps outside.

At that moment, a young man caught her in time, looked at her tear-streaked face, and said gently, “If I had painted my face as prettily as yours, I would never cry. Would it not be a pity if the tears spoiled it?”

Such warm words appeared again and again in her maidenly springtime dreams afterwards.

The fourteenth prince was truly so gentle and considerate, and what she never imagined was that she could actually become the wife of the tender fourteenth prince.

Now, in the harem, with rumors spreading everywhere that the Grand Tutor was preparing to depose the emperor, the other two consorts were thrown into panic, weeping through the nights.

Yet she remained as calm and composed as ever.

To be able to stand side by side with the emperor she loved, even if she dwelled in a perilous palace, what did it matter? She accepted it gladly, sweet as honey.

When they arrived at the granary camp, stepping down from the phoenix carriage, Empress Xiao Shen followed step by step behind the emperor.

With every footfall, she carried the resolve to live and die together with him.

At that moment, the emperor seemed to sense her steadfastness.

He turned his face and gave her a bright smile.

With that one smile, the young empress felt slightly intoxicated, as if flowers had suddenly blossomed all around and spring had returned to the earth.

After Nie Qinglin turned around, she thought the young empress would understand her meaning.

Yet she saw that the empress’s small face beneath the towering phoenix crown was still lost in infatuation.

She had no choice but to softly remind her, “Empress, you have stepped on Our dragon robe.”