Chapter 980: Coup

State of Qian.

Jade Void Palace.

This was an imperial Daoist palace complex standing in the southwestern corner of Shangjing.

It had been built during Emperor Renzong’s reign.

At the time, a severe drought had struck the southwest, and Emperor Renzong wished to pray for the disaster-stricken people. He ordered this Daoist palace constructed and personally lived inside it on a vegetarian fast for three months.

That had become one of the virtuous acts for which Emperor Renzong was praised.

Of course, the scholar-officials who sang his praises had, intentionally or otherwise, collectively ignored the question of how much wealth had been consumed building such an enormous Daoist palace in the first place.

When the Yan army broke into Shangjing years ago, it had not lingered to fight.

Instead, it hurriedly turned around and rushed back to support and extract its own Prince, who had used himself as bait.

For that reason, many places around Shangjing escaped serious Yan devastation.

Jade Void Palace had survived intact as well.

Now... one man lived here.

His status had once been unimaginably exalted.

In the truest sense, he had stood beneath one man and above ten thousand.

But... that was only once.

Zhao Mugou, dressed in princely robes, walked through the deep palace grounds under the guidance of two eunuchs.

At last... in a courtyard covered with withered leaves, he saw the Crown Prince sitting there in white.

The Crown Prince looked somewhat dispirited, but his spirits were actually good.

His body was healthy too.

Five years of confinement had not made him thin.

Instead, he had gained quite a bit of weight.

After guiding Zhao Mugou here, the two eunuchs silently withdrew, leaving the courtyard to the two men surnamed Zhao.

“What made you think of visiting this Crown Prince?” the Crown Prince asked.

“Because it was time to come, so I came.”

Zhao Mugou set down the food box he carried, opened it, and took out several small dishes and a pot of wine.

The Crown Prince did not throw himself at the food in excitement.

One look at his current appearance made it obvious that he lacked neither fine clothing nor rich food here.

He dressed casually because when splendid clothes could only be worn at night and shown to no one, even bothering to dress properly became tiresome.

He not only ate well here.

Women were regularly sent in for him too.

Over these five years, the Crown Prince had already given the Zhao imperial house two more imperial grandsons and two imperial granddaughters.

The consorts, however, could only remain overnight.

Eunuchs would wrap them in quilts and carry them in after dark, then take them away again at dawn.

Any children born were not raised here either.

This was, in truth, the standard way an imperial clan confined one of its own.

They confined your freedom.

But only your freedom.

In the eyes of ordinary commoners... this was still a life they could only dream of.

Zhao Mugou arranged the food and wine, then sat directly on the ground.

The youthful greenness of his face had disappeared.

He now wore a beard and looked handsome, steady, and mature.

The Crown Prince leaned forward and stared carefully at Zhao Mugou.

“Look at you. Then look at this Crown Prince. Heh.”

Zhao Mugou did not invite him to eat.

Instead, he lifted his own cup, drank, then picked up a piece of dried tofu with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” the Crown Prince asked.

“I came from outside.”

Zhao Mugou put down his chopsticks.

“So naturally, Your Highness should be the one asking me questions.”

“What should I ask?”

“Anything.”

The Crown Prince pursed his lips.

“How is Imperial Father?”

“His Majesty’s health is not very good. But not truly bad either.”

Four years earlier, His Majesty had ordered the construction of a Clear Heart Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Shangjing.

One purpose was quiet recuperation.

The other was prayer.

Among common people, the popular story was that His Majesty, in his benevolence, wished to perform rites for the souls of those Shangjing commoners killed beneath Yan blades, helping them find release.

Another version said that Shangjing had fallen to the Yan precisely because His Majesty had handled matters incompetently.

So His Majesty had no face to remain inside the city.

Over the past two years, there had even been rumors that the capital might be moved.

The present arrangement in Great Qian was therefore rather absurd.

Neither Emperor nor Crown Prince lived inside the imperial palace of the capital.

Instead, one lived in a Daoist retreat in one corner of Shangjing, while the other lived in another.

“When do you think this Crown Prince will be allowed out?”

Zhao Mugou answered immediately:

“Years ago, Yan’s Third Prince was confined for many years in a pavilion in the middle of a lake. After he came out—”

“He was a Prince! This Crown Prince is the Crown Prince!”

“Do you still believe yourself to be Crown Prince, Your Highness?”

“You...”

“Do you truly think His Majesty will pass the throne to a Crown Prince who once prepared a posthumous title for his own father containing the character ‘Stern’?”

“You...”

“Everyone knows you have no chance anymore. Yet keeping you alive allows the position of Crown Prince to remain permanently occupied, which means His Majesty no longer needs to fear another heir growing powerful enough to threaten him. The foundation of succession exists. And yet it might as well not. Great Qian has no heir. Only His Majesty. That is His Majesty’s design. That is what His Majesty wants. Even if the officials below wanted to petition for a new Crown Prince, they would still have to deal with you first. But surely they cannot petition His Majesty to depose you first... or kill you first? So the knot remains tied here forever. And that... is your purpose.”

“You came here today merely to tell this Crown Prince these things?”

Zhao Mugou shook his head.

“Of course not.”

“Then tell me your purpose.”

“I want to save Your Highness.”

“You just said it yourself. The moment this Crown Prince gets out, I die. Unless...”

“Exactly that unless,” Zhao Mugou said directly.

“Hehehe...”

The Crown Prince began laughing in disbelief.

“So Heaven’s Dao really has changed. Emperor Taizu’s line spent nearly a century living like pigs, and now it has finally managed to stand upright again?”

Zhao Mugou did not become angry.

He merely looked at the Crown Prince calmly.

“Your Highness has no other choice.”

“You think I am stupid enough to give you this opportunity? This Dragon Throne belongs to my family! Your branch has no right to stain it. Dream on!”

“It belongs to your family. Not to you. If every imperial prince possessed that degree of enlightenment, how could history contain so many struggles and bloodbaths over succession?”

Zhao Mugou clapped his hands lightly.

“I did not come today to persuade Your Highness. If you refuse, it does not matter. I will leave.”

He turned and walked toward the outside.

The Crown Prince suddenly called out:

“When?”

Zhao Mugou stopped.

“Today.”

“Today?”

The Crown Prince looked utterly incredulous.

“So rushed?”

Zhao Mugou shook his head slightly.

“We have been preparing for a very long time.”

“Then why tell this Crown Prince only today?”

“Because Your Highness genuinely is not important at all.”

“You are not afraid I might refuse?”

“You are only a puppet. A signboard. For nearly ten years, the Yan have invaded our borders again and again, and Great Qian has suffered defeat after defeat. We even endured the humiliation of having the national capital destroyed. His Majesty’s reputation among court and people has long been precarious. Otherwise, he would not have needed to use this trick and keep you hanging here all these years. In the eyes of the great Confucians, you committed the supreme offense against filial piety. But strangely enough, your existence also suits the wishes of many people. Perhaps changing the man called ‘His Majesty’ would be better. Perhaps... it could set the world right again. Still, if Your Highness refuses, that is fine too. Your younger brother, Prince Kang, is already waiting.”

“I’ll go.”

The Crown Prince stood and walked over.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Then follow.”

Zhao Mugou walked in front.

The Crown Prince followed behind.

They first came across the two eunuchs who had guided Zhao Mugou in earlier.

Both lay beside the path.

Motionless.

Farther on, more guards and attendants could be seen dead on either side.

The smell of blood hung in the air.

At last... the Crown Prince followed Zhao Mugou out of Jade Void Palace.

Outside stood ranks of armored Imperial Guards.

Every one of them carried a murderous air utterly unlike the Imperial Guards the Crown Prince remembered from the old days in Shangjing.

“This Crown Prince has one more question.”

He moved closer to Zhao Mugou and lowered his voice.

“Are you not afraid that if this fails, Great Qian will descend into internal war and give Yan an opportunity?”

“I was worried before. Now I am not.”

“Why?”

“Yan and Chu began their second national war.”

“Then this is exactly our opportunity! Yan and Chu fight each other and have no attention to spare for Great Qian. We can use the chance to—”

“News just arrived. Chu lost. In Shanggu Commandery. They lost several hundred thousand elite soldiers.”

“...”

The Crown Prince fell silent.

Zhao Mugou turned his face toward him.

“So now, whatever we do no longer matters very much. Because Great Qian... has already reached a point where things cannot become much worse.”

Zhao Mugou stepped forward two paces.

Facing the Imperial Guards before him, he shouted:

“Welcome His Highness the Crown Prince back to court!”

The soldiers dropped to their knees together.

Their voices rose as one:

“Welcome His Highness the Crown Prince back to court!”

...

“Xundao. Zizhan. This old man is ashamed. I already have one foot in the grave, with little time left, yet I am still wasting the time of you two.”

Yao Zizhan stepped forward, sat beside the bed, and gently tucked the blanket around Old Chancellor Han.

“Listen to yourself. By seniority, you are our elder. This is only proper.”

Li Xundao spoke as well.

“The affairs of state still cannot do without Old Chancellor Han.”

Old Chancellor Han shook his head and mocked himself.

“These past few years, even speaking clearly has become difficult. Sit somewhere for too long and this old man starts falling asleep. My mind is sometimes clear, sometimes muddled. How could I still manage state affairs?”

Yao Zizhan immediately said:

“As long as you stand there, you need not even speak. We all feel reassured.”

When the Yan first invaded Qian years ago and fought all the way to the walls of Shangjing, court and country had been shaken.

His Majesty had seized that opportunity to clear from the court many of the old chancellors who had remained in office since Emperor Renzong’s reign, then begun carrying out a series of reforms.

But just as those reforms were advancing with full force, the Three-State War erupted and the Yan army broke Shangjing.

That instantly triggered a furious counterattack from Qian’s old entrenched powers.

The backlash had been so severe that even His Majesty was forced to avoid confronting them directly.

Old Chancellor Han belonged to the representatives of that old establishment.

Over these years, many contradictions had remained suppressed precisely because he was still there.

Li Xundao spoke.

“News just arrived. Chu lost. And lost terribly. If nothing unexpected happens, Yan will soon turn its spear toward Great Qian. At this moment, our only choice is to unite against the foreign enemy. There is no other road.”

Old Chancellor Han nodded.

“Xundao is correct. At a time like this, unity comes first.”

Li Xundao sighed.

“Must it truly be done this way?”

A faint smile appeared on Old Chancellor Han’s ancient face.

“We must give All Under Heaven an explanation, mustn’t we? And we must let All Under Heaven see hope too.”

Yao Zizhan looked suspiciously between Li Xundao and Old Chancellor Han.

He was beginning to understand none of this.

Li Xundao asked:

“You know His Majesty is not a muddleheaded ruler. Is doing this to him fair?”

The heavy bags beneath Old Chancellor Han’s eyes drooped.

This old minister who had served since Emperor Renzong’s reign answered directly:

“Emperor Renzong was no benevolent sovereign either, yet he received the temple name ‘Renzong’ and a fine reputation in the histories. Was that fair?”

Yao Zizhan’s eyes went wide.

The Literary Saint of Great Qian suddenly did not even dare breathe too loudly.

Li Xundao asked:

“Then which one did you choose?”

“Mugou.”

“I thought you would choose from among His Majesty’s remaining sons. I did not expect...”

“Emperor Taizong’s northern expedition ended in failure and broke the spine of Great Qian’s military fortune. During the present Emperor’s reign, disaster has struck the state again and again, and we have repeatedly been humiliated by Yan dogs. The mountains and rivers of Great Qian were originally won by Emperor Taizu. Emperor Taizong succeeded the throne as the Imperial Younger Brother. As for the reason behind that succession... even ordinary commoners do not believe the nonsense about perfect brotherly harmony and a willing transfer from elder brother to younger. If Emperor Taizong’s line cannot govern the country properly... then return this chair to Emperor Taizu’s line. Restore the proper root. Clear the source. And give All Under Heaven... a new hope.”

“You people are mad! You people are mad!”

Yao Zizhan shouted and rushed out of the room.

But the instant he crossed the threshold... he saw the courtyard outside packed densely with armored soldiers.

The entire residence had already been surrounded so completely that not even water could leak through.

“Xundao! There are soldiers everywhere outside!” Yao Zizhan shouted.

Li Xundao did not panic.

He simply sat beside the tea table and poured himself a cup.

Old Chancellor Han looked at the frantic Yao Zizhan and smiled.

“Xundao came here by himself.”

“You knew already?”

Yao Zizhan stared at Li Xundao in disbelief.

“You knew already!”

Li Xundao nodded.

“Then why did you—”

Old Chancellor Han answered for him.

“Xundao came down from the mountain not for the Emperor of Great Qian... but for Great Qian.”

For Li Xundao, if replacing one Emperor was truly the price required to make all these factions unite... then replace him.

Compared with that, opening a civil war at this moment would be the stupidest possible choice.

The Yan would probably laugh themselves awake from their dreams.

All one could say was that these people... these factions... had chosen the best possible moment to act.

Yao Zizhan sat down, looking somewhat lost.

Great Qian’s Literary Saint was, in truth, still lacking in political craft and practical governance.

He was truly good at only two things: writing poetry, and being a decent human being.

The deceit and struggle of officialdom had never suited him.

Otherwise, he would not have spent his youth being demoted from post to post, almost dying on some island in the Eastern Sea.

Old Chancellor Han looked toward him.

“Zizhan...”

“Ai.”

Before Old Chancellor Han could finish, Yao Zizhan sighed.

“I’ll draft the enthronement edict for the Heir of Prince Rui.”

Old Chancellor Han reminded him:

“Draft the Crown Prince’s first.”

Yao Zizhan rolled his eyes.

“Why take off your trousers just to fart?”

Old Chancellor Han laughed.

“Because it makes the heart feel cleaner.”

Li Xundao held his teacup and asked:

“Who did you choose inside the army?”

A coup naturally required military force.

And outside His Majesty’s Clear Heart Pavilion stood an army personally loyal to the Emperor, guarding him at all times.

At this point there was no longer any reason to conceal things.

Old Chancellor Han answered directly:

“Zhong Tianlang.”

Yao Zizhan was shocked.

“He... how could he dare?”

Zhong Tianlang was the current Imperial Son-in-Law.

His Majesty had appreciated him, trusted him, and personally raised him through the ranks.

And now...

Old Chancellor Han did not seem bothered in the slightest.

“So there was never anything entirely wrong with elevating civil officials and suppressing military men. Those damned military brutes... every last one of them is an ungrateful wolf you can never feed tame. Heh-heh.”

At that point...

Old Chancellor Han suddenly clenched one fist and struck the side of the bed.

The exertion immediately triggered a fit of coughing.

Yet despite that, he still forced his voice up and cursed:

“Only that Regent Prince in Yan is a complete anomaly!”

Li Xundao corrected him:

“He is a marvel.”

Here, the word was praise.

Yao Zizhan sighed.

“If that Brother Zheng were willing to rebel just once, I would write a hundred poems praising his glorious virtues.”

Li Xundao laughed.

“His ability to write poetry may not be any worse than yours. He simply has no ambition in that direction. You said that yourself. Years ago, we hoped Yan’s Marquis Zhenbei would rebel. He did not. Later, we hoped Yan’s Prince Jingnan would rebel. He did not. Now we have to hope Yan’s Regent Prince rebels... and instead, he has just personally commanded a great army and crushed Chu. We keep waiting for Yan to fall into internal chaos. Waiting. And waiting. At this rate... we are going to wait until our own state is destroyed. Sometimes... even I find myself wondering... could the Yan truly possess Heaven’s Mandate? Generation after generation produces outstanding men. And not merely outstanding men... but men devoted wholeheartedly to their state.”

At that moment...

Old Chancellor Han, already exhausted, murmured:

“As long as Mugou sits upon the Dragon Throne... everything... will become better.”

[End of Chapter 980]