Chapter 847: Princess Consort of Prince Fu

“Raise the incense!”

“Kneel and bow!”

Zhao Yuannian stood at the very front in a python robe. Behind him were members of the imperial clan, relatives, and the assembled officials of Chuzhou City.

Every year, there was one day in the State of Qian devoted to ritual observance by the imperial clan.

On that day, whether it was the Emperor in Shangjing or the feudal princes scattered across the realm, all had to conduct themselves with solemnity and perform the prescribed sacrifices.

This was because the day marked Qian’s official state memorial.

Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of Qian had been blood brothers. The day of state sacrifice marked the death anniversary of their father.

Emperor Taizu had seized the realm after the yellow imperial robe was draped over his shoulders. By ordinary ritual logic, when the preceding three generations were posthumously ennobled, his father naturally ought to have received an imperial title as well.

After Emperor Taizong succeeded the throne in his capacity as the Imperial Younger Brother and designated heir, he did two things: first, to silence the murmuring mouths beneath Heaven; second, to emphasize the legitimacy of his own succession. He therefore incorporated his father’s death anniversary into the great rites and made it a public observance throughout the realm.

The idea was to push Qian’s dynastic legitimacy back one generation, to their father.

Put simply, it blurred the awkward fact that Taizong had taken the realm from his elder brother. The dynasty now honored their father as the true origin of the house. The two brothers stood as equals beneath him, and legitimacy had passed down from their father before being transferred from elder brother to younger. In ritual terms, everything became much more proper and defensible.

The grandfather of Qian’s current Emperor, Emperor Renzong, later reduced the extravagance of the state observances on this day and changed it into an imperial-clan rite.

Emperor Renzong left an exceptionally “glorious” page in Qian’s official histories.

His reign had been long. He was famously frugal, employed worthy ministers, tolerated differing voices, and ushered in an age in which “the upright filled the court.” Scholar-officials praised him without end.

And yet it was also beginning in his reign that the horse-administration policies established after Emperor Taizong’s failed northern expedition gradually fell into decay. Qian’s cavalry, which had once grown somewhat more substantial, began declining again in both real numbers and actual combat strength.

At the same time, southwestern native chieftain rebellions broke out and festered for decades.

The Northern Qiang rose in revolt, ravaging an entire region and at one point proclaiming their own king.

Piracy became a scourge along the coast. Great maritime merchant houses led by the Wu Clan became nearly uncrowned kings of Qian’s southern seas.

And Qian suffered the largest peasant uprising since the founding of the dynasty, stirred up by a local religious sect.

It was said that the Third Prince of Yan had once submitted a memorial to his father, Ji Runhao, proposing that Great Yan use Qian’s “Emperor Renzong” as a model for establishing a new political program.

At the time, Great Yan was crowded with great aristocratic houses, imperial authority was under pressure, and officials loyal to the court were all trying to find ways to break the deadlock. The Third Prince’s memorial had simply been one such attempt.

Emperor Ji Runhao received it and quickly sent rewards to the Third Prince.

But Wei Zhonghe remembered very clearly that night in the Imperial Study.

After reading the Third Prince’s memorial, the Emperor merely shook his head casually and laughed.

“Renzong’s benevolence was benevolence toward scholars. Renzong’s virtue was virtue toward scholar-officials.

“A pity. Great Yan has too few scholars.”

Wei Zhonghe remembered the Emperor slowly bending the memorial until it snapped with a crisp sound.

Years later, when Wei Zhonghe came to the Third Prince’s residence and personally witnessed Zheng Fan, who at the time was merely a Garrison General, pick up a saber scabbard and smash it toward the Third Prince’s crotch...

Crack!

The scene from that night in the Imperial Study immediately resurfaced in Wei Zhonghe’s mind.

Perhaps... some things had been decided long, long ago.

...

Today, the status and standing of Prince Fu Residence had not diminished.

If anything, they had risen considerably compared with when the previous Prince Fu was alive.

When the late Prince Fu held the title, he had deliberately lived in extravagant indulgence and fattened himself like a pig.

And he truly had become an enormous pig.

In memorials exchanged with the court and the Emperor, the court and His Majesty had repeatedly advised Prince Fu to take care of his health and not overindulge in blessings and bounty.

But... were they truly only concerned about his health?

Zhao Yuannian remembered something the late Prince Fu had once told him:

In this world, unless it is your own family, when someone tells you that you are too fat and urges you to lose a little weight, you think they are showing concern.

In truth, they are laughing at you.

Prince Fu had died in battle.

The exact cause of his death was somewhat mysterious, because Mianzhou City had not been breached that night, yet Prince Fu still lost his head.

Later... it was said that a certain Garrison General had taken Prince Fu’s head and gone to Prince Jingnan to claim merit.

Later still, that Garrison General climbed step by step until he ultimately became one of Great Yan’s military Princes.

Ironically, because Prince Fu had died by that man’s hand, the value of Prince Fu’s death rose along with the man’s own meteoric ascent.

A story even began circulating that Prince Fu could originally have survived, but after seeing that Garrison General, he sensed that this man would one day become a mortal threat to Great Qian. Prince Fu therefore risked everything to eliminate him.

Unfortunately, he failed.

The death of the late Prince Fu had left Prince Fu Residence a considerable political inheritance.

After all, the late Prince Fu had gone to Mianzhou City under imperial orders. The Emperor and the court naturally carried some guilt over his death. No one wanted the reputation of treating the imperial clan and their own relatives harshly.

Unlike the late Emperor and current Emperor of Great Yan, whose treatment of their imperial clan had already become nearly shameless in its severity.

The present Prince Fu, meanwhile, had observed the proper “proprieties” when the Yan army broke into Chuzhou City.

The Wen Clan had betrayed the state and even moved the entire household to Yan with the Yan army.

Only through comparison could Prince Fu Residence’s conduct shine brighter: it had withstood temptation and held to its bottom line.

Afterward, Zhao Yuannian, once formally invested with the title, began voluntarily petitioning the court to reduce his stipend and privileges so as to ease pressure on the treasury and help fund stronger armies.

Once he took the lead, the other feudal princes could hardly refuse to submit similar memorials.

A whole series of matters followed. Again and again, Zhao Yuannian acted in the name of the imperial clan and did not hesitate to sell out the interests of his own class in exchange for goodwill from the court and the Emperor.

The result was that not only did his position as Prince Fu become solid as Mount Tai, his actual authority continued to rise.

The court needed an obedient feudal prince like him to cut into the privileges of the imperial clan. Naturally, it was willing to hand him a few sweet dates in return.

Today, the guard establishment under Prince Fu Residence in Chuzhou City had been expanded to five thousand men.

Back then, two major camps had stood outside Chuzhou City.

When the Yan army invaded, one had already been transferred to the Three Frontiers. The remaining camp was smashed apart by the Yan in a direct charge.

Now Chuzhou City had three major camps, with Prince Fu Residence’s own guards stationed farther out.

The Yan invasion years ago had torn Qian’s face to shreds.

After that war, Qian truly had expanded its military establishment and done its best to strip away a great deal of the empty numbers that had existed only on paper.

That was especially true in northern Qian.

Once the court realized that relying purely on the Three Frontiers could not actually stop Yan cavalry from driving south, it began expanding military forces around major prefectures, cities, and strategic towns throughout the north.

The goal was simple: if the Yan came south again, they would be stopped here instead of riding unimpeded across open country.

The ceremony ended.

Zhao Yuannian turned and thanked the assembled members of the imperial clan and officials. Everyone returned the courtesy.

It was obvious that their expressions were unusually solemn.

This was not solemnity performed for the ritual occasion.

Bad news had been arriving continuously from the north, especially from the northeast.

In recent days, rumors had begun spreading through Chuzhou City that the Yan army was coming again.

There was no helping it.

The Yan had come here once before. The moment people heard that Yan troops had invaded Qian again, they naturally assumed the army was headed toward Chuzhou just as it had been last time.

The common people thought this way.

Naturally, the great lords of Chuzhou felt even more uneasy.

“This Prince is weary. I ask everyone to wait a moment. I will go to the inner residence to pay my respects to Mother, then return to confer with you all.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yuannian inclined his body slightly and walked into the rear residence.

He had grown older and matured. He now wore a beard, and the python robe swayed faintly with every step. He possessed the natural bearing of an imperial clansman and feudal prince.

After what had happened years ago, he seemed to have become a completely different person.

Once he reached the rear, he stopped for a moment and sighed.

Then he gathered his emotions once more and entered the quarters where his mother lived.

At a wave of Zhao Yuannian’s hand, the eunuchs and maidservants outside quietly withdrew.

He crossed the threshold and entered.

His own Princess Consort and two secondary consorts were kneeling on cushions beside his mother.

They too were members of the imperial clan.

The men performed the rites outside. The women did the same within the inner residence.

Zhao Yuannian looked toward his mother.

The years seemed not to have left any mark upon her at all. She remained just as refined and gentle as ever.

“You may all leave for now. This Prince has something to discuss with Mother.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The two secondary consorts helped the Princess Consort to her feet and left with her.

Only mother and son remained in the hall where the offerings had been arranged.

Zhao Yuannian walked over and helped his mother rise.

The Princess Consort of Prince Fu sat down.

Zhao Yuannian served her tea, and she accepted it.

“I hear an unusually large number of officials came today,” she said.

Zhao Yuannian nodded.

“A great deal of news has come from the northeast. One report says the main Yan army has invaded. Another says a detached Yan force left the battlefield. Another says that force is carrying Prince Pingxi’s banner. Everyone says something different.

“A few days ago, word came that Lanyang City had fallen to the Yan. But the latest report says the imperial army has already recovered Lanyang and driven the Yan back.”

The Princess Consort of Prince Fu looked at her son.

“What does my son think?”

Zhao Yuannian shook his head.

“Hard to say. Grand Commander Zu is at the Three Frontiers. Commander Meng is leading troops in Liang. The Three Frontiers themselves aren’t entirely secure, and several forces were already drawn away from there and sent into Liang. Commander Meng can’t possibly return at once either. The Yan may be making a feint in one direction while striking another. Commander Meng will certainly have to account for that.”

Prince Fu Residence maintained an excellent relationship with Meng Gong.

Years ago, Meng Gong had been burdened by matters involving his father’s generation. He reached middle age frustrated and unable to advance.

It was the old Prince Fu who recognized his ability and recommended him.

Eventually, Old Chancellor Zhong took notice, allowing Meng Gong to rise within the army.

When the Chu army under Grand General Nian invaded the frontier, it was Meng Gong who organized the forces that stopped him. That battle established Meng Gong’s standing within the military.

Meng Gong and Prince Fu Residence also exchanged gifts and courtesies during festivals every year.

“What Mother means is this,” the Princess Consort said. “Do you think he has come?”

Zhao Yuannian understood.

“He is a Prince now, Mother. A Prince of Yan is very different from a Prince of Qian. No, wait, I’m a feudal prince. Mm... no, he’s a feudal prince too. That...”

The current Prince Fu, who moments ago had conducted himself with perfect dignity during the rites outside, suddenly found both his tongue and his thoughts tied in knots.

Because his mother had mentioned that man.

The moment that figure stopped being some abstract “Prince Pingxi of Yan” and became an actual person again, memories sealed away for years suddenly flooded back.

“Ai.”

Zhao Yuannian sighed.

“In Yan, he now stands below one man and above ten thousand. Even the Emperor of Yan has to coax him and yield to him. Yan’s Crown Prince was actually sent to his side to be raised.

“From ancient times onward, it has always been the regional lord who sends a hostage son to the capital. In his case, everything is reversed.

“Your son thinks he has no need to risk his life like this anymore.”

“No. He is different.”

The Princess Consort of Prince Fu spoke quietly.

Zhao Yuannian froze.

“Will my son be angry if Mother speaks of him this way?”

“I will not. I understand the sacrifice Mother made. Without you back then, forget whether I could have inherited the title of Prince Fu. It is difficult to say whether Prince Fu Residence itself would still exist.”

In Zhao Yuannian’s understanding... his mother had personally attended upon Prince Pingxi for an entire night.

But he did not consider her wanton because of it.

At the time, the wolfish and tigerish Yan army had flooded into Chuzhou City, destroying Heaven knew how many households. Prince Fu Residence had survived only because of his mother.

If Zhao Yuannian was going to hate anyone, he should hate that man.

That man had once carried his father’s severed head away to claim merit.

That man had once made his mother serve him.

On this point, Zhao Yuannian’s understanding was remarkably sound.

At the very least, he was far more of a man than those who were too powerless to protect the women beside them, then turned around and cursed those same women for being shameless after they were violated.

There was only one thing Zhao Yuannian did not know.

Prince Pingxi had never actually done anything with his mother.

His mother had indeed prepared herself to make that “sacrifice” back then.

Unfortunately, the other man had refused to take the bait.

Whenever the Princess Consort remembered it in the early years, she would secretly curse that man for not knowing what was good for him.

She had already gone that far, yet he had actually turned her down and pretended to be noble.

Human thoughts were simply like that.

Strip away great questions of right and wrong and enter the absolutely safe corners of one’s own heart, and strange ideas would often emerge.

Later, however, she heard of that man fighting battle after battle in Jin. She heard of him rising in Yan until his brilliance seemed to fill the sky.

Sometimes the Princess Consort could not help wondering whether the “restraint” he had shown back then came from absolute confidence, deep in his heart, that one day he would rise to greatness.

If their respective standings were compared now, she was the senior Princess Consort of an imperial branch family, while he was a genuine military Prince of another surname.

Even if she openly offered herself to his bed now, outsiders would probably think she was the one climbing upward.

Of course... although that bastard had not actually taken her back then, he had certainly taken plenty of liberties.

He had even advised her to eat more and not let herself grow haggard and thin.

If she slimmed down, he had said, she would not feel as good in the hand.

This misunderstanding was not something a mother could explain to her son.

She could hardly open her mouth and say:

That man never actually slept with me.

And the son could hardly open his mouth and ask:

So how exactly did that man sleep with you?

Mother and son sat there, each occupied by thoughts of their own.

At last, the Princess Consort raised her head and looked at her son.

“These past few days, Mother has kept dreaming whenever I sleep. My heart has been terribly unsettled.”

“I’ll summon a physician at once. Mother needn’t worry about affairs outside. You must take care of your health.”

The Princess Consort bit her lip.

“He is coming.”

“Where did Mother hear that?”

The Princess Consort pointed at her own chest.

“A feeling.”

“...” Zhao Yuannian.

Seeing his expression, she laughed self-mockingly.

“My son, do not blame your mother for lacking proper restraint.”

Zhao Yuannian immediately dropped to his knees.

“Your son absolutely does not mean that. I would never think such a thing.

“Mother, when Father was still alive, your son behaved absurdly and neglected all proper matters.

“Later, when the Yan army entered Chuzhou City, your son was terrified and made a complete disgrace of himself.

“It was only because Mother maneuvered through the crisis that Prince Fu Residence survived.

“Since then, all these years, your son has constantly reflected upon himself and repented. I have grown up. I have matured. I am not some bastard without conscience.

“For Mother to say such a thing to me means you are truly worried that I may fail to react in time. Mother is thinking of me even at the cost of your own dignity.

“Your son is grateful. I will remember it.”

“My son...”

The Princess Consort knelt as well and drew her son’s head into her arms.

“Very well. If Mother says he is coming, then of all the reports from the front, the one claiming that Prince Pingxi himself is leading troops south into our State of Qian is almost certainly true.

“It may even be like last time.

“The Yan army may pass through Chuzhou City again.”

“My son truly believes Mother?”

Zhao Yuannian said:

“The first time is unfamiliar. The second time is familiar.”

A blush immediately rose across the Princess Consort’s face.

Zhao Yuannian continued:

“Marching and fighting are extraordinarily dangerous. Not a single step can be allowed to go wrong. Since the same road succeeded once before, why would he not take it again?”

Only then did the Princess Consort realize that she had misunderstood what her son meant.

“What does my son intend to do? Can the troops outside the city hold Chuzhou?”

Zhao Yuannian shook his head.

“There is something Mother does not know. His Majesty granted our Residence a special favor. Our princely guard was expanded to five thousand men, and I was also placed in charge of part of Chuzhou City’s defenses.

“But all these years, your son has never dared cross the line by even half a step. The guards belong to Prince Fu Residence in name, but aside from handing out rewards during festivals, I have never actually planted any of my own people among them.

“Over these years, the court has trained many new armies and transferred many officers and veteran soldiers from other formations into them. As for local forces, their authorized strength may look larger on paper, but manpower, grain, fodder, weapons, and equipment have never caught up in time.

“There are far more troops outside Chuzhou City than there were back then. In truth, however, they are still mostly an impressive-looking shell.

“If a real battle begins... and especially if that man is leading the army personally, then the men under him will inevitably be true Yan elites.

“Your son believes...”

Zhao Yuannian shook his head at his mother.

The Princess Consort immediately asked:

“Then what are we to do?”

“Easy.”

Mother and son both jolted.

They looked up together and discovered a dwarf hanging upside down from one of the roof beams.

Third Master Xue moved with a swish, backflipped down, added three and a half rotations in midair, and landed smoothly on his feet.

“Our Master sent me ahead.”

After the first shock passed, Zhao Yuannian immediately reacted.

“How is Father?”

[End of Chapter 847]