Chapter 47: The Palace and the Mansion

After Xu You bid farewell and left, the vast hall was left with only Zhan Wenjun, Qian Qin, and Bai Hua present. Qian Qin lowered her voice and said, “Madam, since Xu You has arrived in Hangzhou and is confined to a corner, what actions can he possibly take? Why expend so much effort to concern himself with the movements in Jinling? Is he not overreaching himself?”

Zhan Wenjun remained seated, her posture upright and dignified, and replied, “This young man harbors the ambition of a swan, which you cannot truly gauge. From this moment onward, you are not to be disrespectful to anyone else, do you understand?”

Qian Qin bit her lip and lowered her head slightly, her hands clasped as she answered, “Yes, madam.”

“Dismiss the ship workers in Jinling for the time being. Set aside all current duties and direct them to fully investigate the aftermath of the dismissal of the two chief guards of the Eastern Palace. Include every detail: the internal arrangements within the palace, the attitudes of the court officials, the rumors circulating in the markets, and how the Eastern Palace side responds. Leave no matter too small or too large unexamined.”

Qian Qin bowed deeply and slipped through the side door, heading straight for the ship pavilion. Bai Hua chuckled and teased, “Madam, you are becoming increasingly strict with Qian Qin.”

Zhan Wenjun let out a soft sigh, a fleeting weariness crossing her eyes, but the moment of softness vanished beneath the unyielding resolve in her nature. She said, “Being strict is for her future. If she does not change her temperament, after marrying into a lord’s family and not being favored by her in-laws, will she not suffer for the rest of her days?”

Bai Hua waved away the concern with a casual gesture. “What is there to like about these men? If she does not wish to marry, then she will not. We have followed you all this time, playing and enjoying ourselves every day—surely that is not so bad.”

Zhan Wenjun gave a light laugh. Her usual dashing elegance softened like spring rain, rendering her beauty utterly captivating. She said, “Silly girl, you are still young and do not understand the love between a man and a woman. Life is short; it cannot be spent merely in play and amusement.”

“Yet Qian Qin told me that no man is good…”

Zhan Wenjun frowned. “Qian Qin is not you. Do not listen to her. Also, when I am away, if the Divine Consort wishes to see you alone, try not to go.”

“Understood!” Bai Hua held up her little finger, looking puzzled. “Madam, what exactly is love? Are men truly so good?”

Zhan Wenjun rose and walked to the doorway, her right hand lightly resting on the wooden frame. In that instant, her alluring silhouette—normally so full of allure—carried an indescribable loneliness and solitude.

Strangers on the road like jade, gentlemen without equal in the world.

Yet the strangers remain, while the gentlemen has already departed this world. In this lifetime, unless she marries again, Zhan Wenjun is doomed to know no happiness.

Bai Hua seemed to grasp something. Though she was still innocent, her intelligence was exceptional. Madam had remained unmarried yet widowed, her years of blooming beauty having passed like water, and could only flow away like water itself.

As a woman, this was the deepest sorrow.

Her heart suddenly ached, and two clear tears silently traced down her cheeks.

Why cry, she did not know. I do not understand longing in this life; only then do I know longing, and it harms those who feel it.

The words “longing” harm people in this way!

Wan Qi entered from outside. First he saw Zhan Wenjun’s dazed gaze, then Bai Hua’s tear-streaked face. His body paused. A faint sorrow flashed through his eyes before turning cold and stern. He approached quietly and said,

“The wind has risen. It is cold outside, madam. Take care.”

Zhan Wenjun returned to herself. “You are back? Did that man confess?”

Wan Qi nodded. “He confessed that he belongs to the Ten Record Keepers of Yangzhou and was instructed by Li Yifeng to kidnap madam. However…”

“Hm?”

“I suspect he lacked the courage to openly accuse anyone and was merely buying time under torture… The confession is useless. His entire body is covered in wounds, clearly the result of beating to force the statement…”

Zhan Wenjun waved it away. “It does not matter. Once we capture this person, there will come a time to settle accounts with the Heavenly Master Dao, no need to argue the point now.”

Xu You climbed upstairs. He Ru Ji sat on the floor, lazily asking, “How long were you gone? Did you learn anything?”

“The Crown Prince’s two chief guards of the Eastern Palace have been dismissed by the Lord!”

He Ru Ji jolted upright. “Truly?”

“The message came from the ship pavilion… Speaking of which, what is this ship pavilion?”

He Ru Ji offered a casual explanation. “It was personally assembled by Guo Mian. On the surface it appears to be an intelligence agency collecting price differences and grain shipments from across the lands, but in truth it is almost certainly the hidden agents planted by the King of Jiangxia. I need not elaborate on their purpose, do I?”

“It should be fairly reliable. What crime did the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace commit to provoke the Lord into disregarding the world’s reaction and dismissing his two chief guards?”

“The Eastern Palace” sounded like two simple words, yet it was in fact an independent miniature court separate from the outer administration. Since ancient times the relationship between emperor and crown prince had been one of mutual love and hatred, each depending on the other while remaining ever vigilant. The Book of Rites states: “There is no second sun in the sky, no second king on earth, no second master in the house, no second superior in honor.”

The emperor feared the crown prince’s power would grow too great and leave him desolate in old age; the crown prince feared he lacked the strength to protect himself and would be set aside midway. Thus, in the previous timeline before Xu You, over a hundred years of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the two chief guards of the Eastern Palace had been dismissed and reinstated multiple times. The cycle of rise and fall mirrored the struggle and compromise between imperial authority and succession rights.

The so-called two chief guards of the Eastern Palace held duties akin to the two guards of the Qin and Han eras—left and right guards, each assisted by a deputy of fifth rank and one thousand shi salary. Each deputy commanded an army of twenty-five hundred to three thousand elite troops, equipped with the finest armor, strong crossbows, one-thousandfold-forged sabers, and purple-gold spears—top-tier weapons wielded by the crown prince’s personal guards and the most powerful force he could personally control.

“The Crown Prince is perverse and intolerable. His current position was, of course, within everyone’s expectations. It is not easy for An Zidao to have endured him for so many years. With the two chief guards dismissed, the crown prince’s position as heir will inevitably become unstable…”

Xu You said, “The crown prince has ruled for many years. How could there be no strategists among his followers? Facing a crisis, they must devise a means of escape.”

“The only figure in the Eastern Palace who can be of use is the crown prince’s retainer Wei Tianzhi. Of humble birth and mediocre talent, the crown prince favored and promoted him, so Wei Tianzhi swore to repay that kindness with his life—he is extremely loyal.”

He Ru Ji was a man of formidable arrogance; those he praised must possess genuine excellence. Xu You found the name faintly familiar and, after reflection, recalled that when Li Zhi had come to Yixing, the man had mentioned him. It was precisely this person who had journeyed from Jinling to Yixing, compelling Li Zhi to urge Xu You to leave at once.

“Wei Tianzhi…”

Xu You repeated the name in silence. He Ru Ji sneered, “Feng Hu, tell me—if a pillar becomes loose and sways, what should one do?”

Zuo Yi smiled. “Ask the right person. Before joining the army I did manual labor on the river dikes. If a pillar is loose, fill it with soil, compact it thoroughly, and secure it with three iron chains.”

“Exactly! Where is the soil to come from? The rent rice and tax revenue of the Heavenly Master Dao have already provided the answer. It is possible to command the current Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master Dao to break the deadlock. Wei Tianzhi lacks the boldness and grandeur to do so; the one offering counsel to the crown prince must therefore be someone else.”

Zuo Yi was startled. “Could Sun Guan’s sudden imposition of the rent rice tax have been intended to benefit the crown prince?”

“To secure the heir’s position, both money and people are essential. With money one can fill the void and prop up a collapsing edifice. Once the structure is somewhat stable, one can win over hearts. With people in place, three iron chains can be deployed and the situation reversed at the brink of collapse.”

A light seemed to dawn on He Ru Ji’s face; he could scarcely contain his excitement. “If one thinks one layer deeper, with the Heavenly Master Dao’s financial support, the two chief guards that were openly dismissed might still be secretly reestablished in hidden places. Once a change occurs, it would be a decisive hidden move that decides victory or defeat.”

Xu You’s expression shifted. He Ru Ji’s idea may have been audacious, yet it was entirely plausible. The crown prince was perverse; if someone secretly encouraged him and fed his hatred of the emperor, it was not impossible for him to commit some act of rebellion.

Should that day come, the Chu Kingdom would know no peace—precisely to He Ru Ji’s liking.