In a drastic turn of events, even the most loyal minister turn their back from the Emperor;
"Bang..." After this loud noise, silence fell over the Imperial Study.
Chief Eunuch Li Debao didn't dare enter the Imperial Study. Grand Chancellor Yu slowly approached and said to him, "Eunuch Li, I wish to see His Majesty. Please announce me." While others tried to flatter and curry favour with this powerful eunuch, Grand Chancellor Yu was not one of them.
Although afraid, Li Debao knew he couldn't drop the chain1 at this moment. "My Lord, please wait here. This humble servant will go in and announce you."
Li Debao walked into the room, trembling with fear, head lowered, and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor seeks an audience." He knew exactly why the Emperor was angry and wouldn't dare try to talk him out of it.
The Emperor was seething with rage, but he knew this was not the time to lose his temper. The priority was solving the problem. "Invite the Grand Chancellor in."
After entering, Grand Chancellor Yu said, "Your Majesty, Yan Wushuang has slandered and spread malicious rumours, gravely harming Your Majesty's reputation and shaking the foundation of the state. He must be eliminated quickly, or chaos will sweep the empire."
The Emperor had long wanted to eliminate Yan Wushuang, but the problem was that he couldn't. "Does the Grand Chancellor have any good suggestions?" When one had a guilty conscience, it was only natural to fear ghosts knocking at the door2.
Grand Chancellor Yu's advice was straightforward: "Issue a proclamation denouncing Yan Wushuang, order and dispatch reinforcements to support Marquis Chiang in suppressing him." It was absolutely impossible to acknowledge the rumours spread by Yan Wushuang — to do so would be tantamount to giving up the fight and slitting one's own throat before the ancestors.
The Emperor nodded. "Very well. Dispatch 300,000 troops from Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong to wipe out Yan Wushuang." However, these provinces were not exactly peaceful, and pulling out all the troops could cause significant problems.
Grand Chancellor Yu said, "Your Majesty, Yun Qing has already taken the northwest. If we withdraw the forces from Shanxi, the province may fall. Let's just draw troops from Hebei and Shandong."
After a moment's thought, the Emperor responded, "For now, let's focus on appeasing Yun Qing. What does Grand Chancellor Yu think?" The plan was to deal with Yan Wushuang first, then k!ll Yun Qing later.
Grand Chancellor Yu disagreed. "No, that won't do. Yun Qing may have the northwest now, but the northern barbarians will definitely attack Yu City. If we send troops from Shanxi and Henan to encircle him, we can crush him. Once the barbarians strike Yu City, Yun Qing will be under attack from both sides — and no matter how good he is at war, he doesn't have powers that can reach the heavens3."
The Emperor realised that Grand Chancellor Yu was right — his earlier thinking had been too short-sighted. He nodded and agreed, "We'll pull 120,000 troops each from Hebei and Shandong for now."
The plan sounded good — but the reality was brutal. The Minister of Revenue lowered his head as he let out, "Not long ago, we allocated 600,000 taels of silver to General Lu Boda." Without funds, they could not fight in this war.
Rarely one to lose his temper, the Emperor burst out, "No money? Then find a way to get some for Zhen4!" If Yan Wushuang were not eliminated soon, his throne would no longer be secure.
The Minister of Revenue was silently crying out in frustration — not even a magician could pull off a trick like this. After a moment's thought, he said, "Your Majesty, there is still a sum left in the national treasury, but it has been allocated for constructing a villa for the Empress Dowager."
The Emperor could barely hold onto his throne — who had time to build villas? "Divert the funds for now. The villa can be built later." Empress Dowager Song said she felt stifled living in the palace and asked the Emperor to build her a villa in the Western Hills. At first, he refused, but she threw a full tantrum: crying, shouting, and threatening su!cide. The Emperor didn't want to be labelled unfilial or face his old mother's constant tears, so he agreed.
The Emperor discussed state affairs with his ministers until nightfall. After dinner, he decided that, since he had diverted the funds intended for the villa, he should inform the Empress Dowager in advance—it would be better than waiting for her to find out and cause a scene. "Let's go to Cining Palace," he ordered.
Li Debao advised, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has likely retired for the night. Whatever it is, it won't be too late to tell her during the morning greetings tomorrow." Li Debao was the Chief Eunuch, overseeing all palace eunuchs — he had eyes and ears everywhere. He had long heard whispers about the Empress Dowager's unusual behaviour. However, knowledge of such matters could only be kept secret—otherwise, it would mean a death sentence.
The Emperor said, "If Mu Hao5 has gone to bed, Zhen4 will come back later."
Before they had even left the study, the Minister of War arrived requesting an audience. Li Debao secretly sighed with relief—it was better to avoid the visit. If the Emperor were to discover the Empress Dowager's scandal, he might cough up blood on the spot. In these critical times, the Emperor could not afford to have a breakdown!
Noticing the grave look on Grand Chancellor Yu's face, Old Master Yu asked, "Dad, do you think the rumours of the Emperor colluding with the Donghu are true?" The rumours circulating outside were so detailed that it was hard not to suspect the Emperor's involvement.
After a long silence, Grand Chancellor Yu replied, "Yan Wushuang must have evidence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared publicise something like this with such confidence." Moreover, Song Guojiu6 would not have risked travelling to Liaodong in person unless the matter was serious.
Old Master Yu was usually calm during a crisis, but this information truly shook him. "How could the Emperor do something like this?"
And the fact that he had left behind evidence was beyond his comprehension.
Grand Chancellor Yu said, "If Yan Wushuang truly has proof of the Emperor's treason, then he has no right to sit on the dragon throne." Not only the Emperor, but his son had no right to sit on the throne either.
Old Master Yu said, "Dad, if the Emperor loses the throne, we can have Xuan-er ascend." Xuan-er was Yu Xiyu's youngest son. In his mind, the best outcome for the family would be for his grandson to become the Emperor.
Grand Chancellor Yu gave Old Master Yu a look as if he were an idiot. "If the Emperor is branded a traitor by the entire realm, do you think Xuan-er can take the throne?" Having a father who had committed treason would also disqualify his son.
Old Master Yu grew anxious. "Dad, then what should we do? If we had known the Emperor colluded with the Donghu, we never should've married Xiyu to him." If she'd married Jing Wang7 instead, they could've supported him to ascend the throne.
Grand Chancellor Yu let out a cold snort. "What's the use in saying that now?" Old Master Yu's biggest flaw was that he always dwelt on regret instead of finding solutions.
After a moment's thought, Old Master Yu suggested, "Dad, it might be better if we can reach out to Yan Wushuang now." Grand Chancellor had once offered Yan Wushuang an olive branch, but unfortunately, he had not taken it.
Grand Chancellor Yu looked grim as he responded, "We haven't reached that point yet." Yan Wushuang was not qualified to ally with them unless he could provide solid proof of the Emperor's treason and seize control of Liaodong. Yan Wushuang was no match for the battle-hardened Yun Qing, and Marquis Chiang was not as foolish as Ji Xuan. With Marquis Chiang in charge, Grand Chancellor Yu did not believe Yan Wushuang could capture Liaodong. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt for them to prepare, just in case.
The Emperor's collusion with the Donghu had led to the Tongcheng massacre, in which over a hundred thousand people were killed. When this came to light, it shocked many, but not Qiu Shi.
After hearing the news, Qiu Shi said, "I didn't expect Yan Wushuang to expose this to the world." Han Jianming said the Emperor was a traitor — others might have doubted it, but Qiu Shi firmly believed him. After all, Han Jianming had no reason to lie to her.
Ye Shi was startled. "Mother, is this true?" Then she quickly shook her head. "Wait, Mom, how do you even know about something so secret?" How could a woman from the inner quarters possibly know about such classified matters?
Qiu Shi didn't hide the truth: "Ming-er told me. He knows, and so does Yuxi, which is why Yun Qing rebelled. If the Emperor dared to collude with the Donghu, why would he spare someone like Yun Qing, who held power over a region?"
Ye Shi's mind was in a mess. After a while, she asked, "Mom, do you mean you and the Lord Duke knew Fourth Miss would rebel all along?"🦊
Qiu Shi replied helplessly, "If I had known something this big, do you think I could have kept it secret? Ming-er figured it out. When news of Yun Qing's rebellion reached the capital, he was afraid that I'd believe the rumours and that my body wouldn't be able to take it, which was why he told me."
Ye Shi felt a pang of bitterness. The Lord Duke hadn't mentioned a word of this to her.
Qiu Shi patted Ye Shi's hand gently and comforted her, "Ming-er only told me because he was afraid I'd be too shaken; otherwise, he wouldn't have.
He kept it from us for our own good. With something this huge, telling us would only make us worry without helping at all — it's better for us not to know."
Ye Shi nodded, though still puzzled. "Mom, are you saying the Lord Duke supports Yuxi and her husband's rebellion?"
Qiu Shi smiled bitterly. "He doesn't support it, but he can't oppose it either." She sighed. "Yuxi is one of the gentlest children — if she hadn't been pushed into a corner, she never would've taken this road of no return9."
Considering the current situation, Ye Shi didn't quite agree. "Mom, given the way things are, Si Gunainai10 didn't take a road of no return — she took a road to life11." By securing the northwest, they now had the strength to protect themselves.
Qiu Shi nodded. "That's what Ming-er said, too. Now that Yuxi has found her footing in the northwest, we'll have a retreat path." The idea was good, but not to mention that the distance from the capital to the northwest was several thousand li12 and the journey was unsafe—just the fact that the Emperor wouldn't let them go meant they couldn't leave the capital.
After discussing serious matters, Ye Shi changed the subject to family affairs. "I heard the old woman servant say that the family over by Jinyu Alley has started quarrelling with the Jiang family..." She trailed off as she glanced cautiously at Qiu Shi.
Although Qiu Shi disliked hearing about that family, she knew that Ye Shi was sensible and wouldn't bring it up without reason. "They've only just got married. How could things already be a mess?"
Ye Shi replied, "It's said Wu Guye13 refuses to consummate the marriage with Yurong." This kind of scandal had brought shame to the entire Duke's household.
Qiu Shi's face darkened with fury. "Married but won't consummate? Is Jiang Hongjin crippled or impotent?" In essence, the two terms meant the same thing.
Ye Shi had thought Qiu Shi would stop her by interfering, but her anger took her aback. "Mom, we still don't know exactly what's behind all this."
Qiu Shi quickly suppressed her anger. "Don't get involved — Yurong has a father and a younger brother. It's not your place to step in." She sneered. "If you try to help, they might even scorn you as the sister-in-law of a traitor." Qiu Shi had long known that Han Jingyan had cursed Yuxi as disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust — and this only made her loathe him more.
Footnotes Full List
- "掉链子" (diào liànzi), literally 'drop the chain', is an idiom meaning to mess up, fail, or fall short, especially at a critical moment — like a machine breaking down in the middle of work.
- This phrase, 做了亏心事，可不就怕鬼敲门 (zuò le kuīxīnshì， kěbù jiù pàguǐ qiāomén), is a common Chinese saying, meaning that if someone has done something wrong or has a guilty conscience, they will naturally be fearful of consequences or exposure, like a superstitious person being afraid of ghosts appearing. It suggests that guilt breeds fear and paranoia.
- 通天的本事 (tōngtiān de běnshì) means divine or godlike abilities
- 朕 zhèn: (used by an emperor or king) I; me; we (royal "we")
- 母 mǔ: mother, 后 hòu: empress
- 国舅 guójiù: Emperor's maternal uncle or brother-in-law
- 王 wáng: king
- Author, Yuxi is already a married woman. 😞
- 这条不归路 (zhè tiáo bùguīlù) is a metaphor for an irreversible course of action, often rebellion or betrayal.
- 四 sì: fourth; 姑奶奶 gūnǎinai: (a respectful form of address for a married woman used by members of her parents' family) married daughter
- 生路 (shēnglù) – a metaphor for hope, survival, or a viable alternative in crisis.
- 里 lǐ: a traditional unit of length, equal to 150 zhang (市丈), and equivalent to 0.5 kilometres or 0.311 miles
- 五 wǔ: five/fifth; 姑爷 gūye: [term of address for a man used by members of his wife's family] son-in-law
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