The autumn chrysanthemums in the imperial garden were in full bloom at this moment—yellow, pink, and white. The sight was dazzling. One onl...
The autumn chrysanthemums in the imperial garden were in full bloom at this moment—yellow, pink, and white. The sight was dazzling. One only needed to step near the garden to be overwhelmed by its refreshing fragrance.
The Emperor gazed at the chrysanthemums and said, "Chen-er, it seems you haven't played the qin in a long time. Do you have the interest to play a piece?"
Yuchen smiled and nodded in agreement.
The Emperor said somewhat regretfully, "It's a pity that crabs are no longer in season." Otherwise, admiring the chrysanthemums while eating crabs and listening to Chen-er's qin music would have been a great enjoyment.
The melodious and pleasant sound of the qin allowed the Emperor to forget the tedious state affairs and his countless worries temporarily.
Yan Wushuang, who was passing by the Imperial Garden, paused upon hearing the music and asked the palace attendant on duty, "Who is playing the qin?" Anyone able to play it must certainly not be an ordinary person.
After receiving a red envelope, the palace attendant lowered his voice and replied, "Today His Majesty was in an elegant mood and brought Her Majesty the Empress for a stroll in the garden. This beautiful music should have been played by the Empress."
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Yan Wushuang's face. "His Majesty and the Empress are truly loving." Despite the rebellions breaking out everywhere, the Emperor still had time for such refined leisure—this level of composure was something even he had to admire.
The next day, the Grand Censor submitted a memorial recommending that the Emperor select consorts. His reasoning was sound: the Emperor had too few offspring. Up to now, the Emperor had only one heir: Zhou Yan. Although Zhou Yan was currently healthy, having only one son was insufficient; if anything were to happen to him, it would cause major issues.
The Emperor did not oppose the selection of consorts. He himself felt that having only one son was inadequate; it was only because he had recently been in mourning that the matter had been delayed. "I will leave this matter to the Empress to handle."
Subsequent court discussions were no longer so pleasant. They were either about reduced tax revenues from Jiangnan, local officials disobeying orders or the suppression of rebellions.
The Emperor's good mood was swept away completely.
At that moment, the Eldest Master Yu stepped forward and suggested that the Imperial Court agree to Yun Qing's request and appoint him Governor-General of the Northwest, which angered the Emperor.
Originally, after Grand Chancellor Yu passed away, members of the Yu family were expected to take time off to mourn. However, the Emperor overrode this obligation, so the Eldest Master Yu did not go into mourning and continued to serve as Minister of Personnel instead.
Although the late Emperor had burned many officials to death, half of those later promoted were still from the Yu faction. Naturally, the Eldest Master Yu's proposal received support from the people of their faction.
However, Marquis Taining strongly opposed it. "Your Majesty, this must absolutely not be agreed to. If Yun Qing is appointed Governor-General of the Northwest, what authority will the Imperial Court have left over that region?" Granting Yun Qing the title of Northwest Governor-General, even though he had been a rebel, would only legitimise his actions. The regional leaders with large armies would surely follow suit, each relying on their military strength. By then, the Imperial Court would be nothing but an empty shell.
Feeling stifled, the Emperor said, "We'll discuss this matter later." The current problem was that Yun Qing and Han Shi wanted a Wang title, not the position of Governor-General. However, since this was a private interaction between the Empress and Han Shi, it could not be mentioned in court.
After the Imperial Court was dismissed, several senior ministers went to the Imperial Study. The Eldest Master Yu explained, "Your Majesty, if Yun Qing is appointed as Governor-General of the Northwest, the Imperial Court can then send officials there." Sending officials to the Northwest would effectively allow them to interfere in its internal affairs; even if they could not stop Yun Qing and Han Shi, they could gather intelligence and create trouble for them. If nothing was done and the Northwest was allowed to develop freely, it would eventually become a state within a state1.
The Emperor remarked, "Yun Qing and Han Shi are no longer satisfied with just the position of Governor-General." Glancing at everyone, he added, "Han Shi demands that the Imperial Court must grant Yun Qing a Wang title, and that the couple will handle all affairs of the Northwest." How could he, as the ruler of a nation, possibly agree to such humiliating conditions?
Yan Wushuang, who had been acting like an invisible person2, stepped forward and spoke out, "Your Majesty, reputation is important, but substance is more important." After what happened with the late Emperor, the Imperial Family had long since lost any real dignity to speak of.
After some consideration, the Eldest Master Yu felt that Han Shi and Yun Qing's demands could still be met. Once they were granted titles, the Imperial Court could plant people in the Northwest. As long as those sent there were capable, the Northwest would no longer be as stable as it was now.
The Marquis of Taining and Second Master Lu, along with a few others, remained silent at this moment.
After a long silence, the Emperor still refused to agree. As the Marquis of Taining had said earlier, giving in to Han Shi's demands would lead to endless trouble in the future.
Upon returning to the Yu residence, the Eldest Master Yu received some bad news: "Wu Kuo has fled to the Northwest? Have the account books and name lists been found?" Not only had Wu Meng provided the Yu family with financial support, but he had also helped them win over local officials and recruit talent.
Yu Chunhao replied, "The account books and name lists have been found. However, the money Wu Meng hid has not yet been found. I've already had people question Wu Qian, but he claims he doesn't know where the money is." Wu Meng had indeed secretly hidden a sum of money from the Yu family. This money had been accumulated gradually over time; otherwise, it would not have escaped the Yu family's notice.
The Eldest Master Yu declared, "This money must be found." More than twenty years' worth of savings was no small amount. After a pause, he added, "This matter must be kept secret—no one else can find out." Countless people were watching the Yu family. Since Grand Chancellor Yu's passing, the Eldest Master Yu had become increasingly cautious in his actions.
Yu Chunhao nodded. "Don't worry, Dabo3, I'll be careful." Within the Yu residence, the Emperor had already planted quite a number of spies.
After discussing matters regarding the Wu family, the Eldest Master Yu shared, "Han Shi wants the Imperial Court to grant Yun Qing a Wang title before agreeing to submit." In truth, everyone already knew that the Northwest had slipped out of the Imperial Court's control. The Emperor's refusal, born of a fear of losing face, was akin to the fable of the man who tried to steal a bell by covering his ears4.
Yu Chunhao said, "His Majesty should come to understand." Aside from the Eldest Master Yu, the rest of the Grand Chancellor's household were on mourning leave. Had they really waited three years before returning to the office, the daylily dish would have already gone cold5 by then, so the Yu family hoped to muddy the waters as much as possible6 in the meantime.
Upon learning this information, Qiu Dashan indignantly told Yan Wushuang, "Master, this must never be agreed to. If Yun Qing is granted a Wang title, wouldn't you be a rank below him?" His master currently only held the title of Duke. If Yun Qing were made a Wang, they would fall into the lower wind7.
Yan Wushuang smiled and said, "Whether a duke or a Wang, it's merely a means for the Emperor and the Imperial Court to win people over. There's no need to care." The moment you care, you've already lost.
Qiu Dashan said, "Master, titles like Duke or Prince can be set aside for now. But you can't keep the brothers stationed on the outskirts forever, can you? If this continues, they will all start to rust." An army was like a sword—if it were not used for a long time, it would become dull. Moreover, many soldiers were dissatisfied with being stationed on the outskirts, and some had even begun calling for a return to Liaodong.
Yan Wushuang responded, "It won't take too long." After saying this, he waved his hand and dismissed everyone.
Although Qiu Dashan had many questions, he knew Yan Wushuang well enough to understand that if he was unwilling to explain, it meant he did not want them to know.
When Tie Kui saw Qiu Dashan, he asked, "Big Brother, you look so grim—did something happen?" Whenever someone came back from seeing Yan Wushuang, they had either been given a task or chewed out.
Qiu Dashan briefly explained the situation: "I just don't know what the Master is planning." He was deeply loyal to Yan Wushuang—so loyal that he wouldn't even blink if asked to die for him. Because of this, he felt distressed every time he saw Yan Wushuang's gloomy expression. Thinking back, his master used to be so cheerful and outgoing that there wasn't a single person in the Marshal's residence who didn't like him. But now, his temperament had become unpredictable and hard to fathom. And all of this was caused by the Song family, and that dead dog Emperor—even the one sitting on the dragon throne now might not be totally clean.
When Tie Kui heard that Yuxi had actually dared to ask for a Wang title for Yun Qing, his expression changed slightly. However, with his face full of stubble, the change couldn't be seen. Of course, if Yan Wushuang were here, he would definitely have noticed.
Qiu Dashan put these troubling matters aside and asked Tie Kui, "Have you thought about what I mentioned earlier? That girl is genuinely good. Once you pass this village, there will no longer be such a shop8." He was referring to Chen Shasha, the illegitimate daughter of the Second Lord Chen, who was the Marquis of Taining's younger brother.
Tie Kui shook his head. "Big Brother, you know me—I'm just a rough, uncouth man. How could I possibly match a young lady from a marquis' household?" He joined the army at fifteen and had spent the past ten years in the military, remaining unmarried to this day.
Hearing this, Qiu Dashan asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Tie Kui answered, "That girl speaks like the buzzing of a mosquito. I only asked her to speak louder, and she fainted from fright." Chen Shasha was indeed timid, but not as bad as Tie Kui had made her out to be. He simply didn't want to marry the candidate Qiu Dashan had chosen, so he had deliberately scared her into fainting. Tie Kui wasn't a fool. Qiu Dashan had no dealings with the nobles in the capital, nor had he ever interacted with the Marquis Taining's younger brother. For such a marriage proposal to suddenly appear, it was obvious that it came at Yan Wushuang's instruction.
Qiu Dashan was utterly loyal to Yan Wushuang, not only because the Yan family had greatly benefited him, but also because they had grown up together. However, before Yan Wushuang revealed his true identity, Tie Kui hadn't even known such a person existed, so being loyal to Yan Wushuang was out of the question. In fact, Tie Kui even harboured resentment towards him. This feeling stemmed not only from Yan Wushuang's suspicious nature but also from his extreme control—everyone had to obey him unconditionally. If subordinates failed to satisfy him, they would be beaten or scolded at best, or killed outright at worst. Tie Kui himself had been beaten and scolded several times.
If you married a woman whose courage wasn't even the size of a needle's eye9, it would be strange if life went smoothly. Qiu Dashan said, "If that's the case, then she really isn't suitable to marry. But you're not young anymore—you should hurry and find a wife." As an elder brother, seeing his younger brother still being a bare stick10 at such an age worried him greatly.
Tie Kui knew he had to find a suitable partner; otherwise, Yan Wushuang might control his marriage. "Big Brother, I also want to marry quickly and have a chubby son. If anything unexpected happens, at least the Tie family will have an heir. But there's just too much going on—I can't find the time!"
Qiu Dashan didn't like hearing that and spoke out, "Don't say such inauspicious things again. There is no 'what if'—we will definitely live long lives."
Tie Kui smiled. "Mm, we will definitely live long lives."
Footnotes Full List
- 国中国 (guó zhōng guó): A semi-independent region beyond central control.
- 隐形人 (yǐn xíng rén): Someone who stays silent or unnoticed.
- 大伯 (dàbó): father's eldest brother; eldest paternal uncle
- 掩耳盗铃 (yǎn ěr dào líng): Deceiving oneself; wilful self-delusion.
- 黄花菜都凉了 (huáng huā cài dōu liáng le): It's too late; the opportunity has passed.
- 搅得越浑越好 (jiǎo dé yuè hún yuè hǎo): To deliberately create chaos/confusion.
- 落入下风 (luò rù xià fēng): To be at a disadvantage.
- 过了这村可就没这店了 (guò le zhè cūn kě jiù méi zhè diàn le): don't miss this rare opportunity
- 胆子没针眼大 (dǎnzi méi zhēn yǎn dà): extremely timid
- 打光棍 (dǎ guāng gùn): to remain unmarried
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