Chapter Twenty-One

Black clouds churned like spilled ink, and the thunder rumbled in the gloom. With the first strike of the celestial drum, a torrential night rain descended, pelting the glazed roof tiles in chaotic, rhythmic shards.

In the Xingqing Palace, lamps and candles burned throughout the night. Since the poisoning incident at the Palace of Eternal Life, the entire imperial residence had been under unprecedentedly tight security. Aside from the Empress, no other consort, princess, member of the imperial clan, or court minister was permitted entry to pay respects.

Deep within the bedchamber, the canopy of the dragon bed was inlaid with night-luminescent pearls arranged in auspicious patterns. Emperor Shun’an lay flat on his back, his clouded eyes opened only to the narrowest of slits, devoid of even a flicker of light. His mouth hung slightly agape as the Empress, seated beside the couch, slowly poured a brownish-yellow medicinal decoction into him with a jade spoon.

The Empress’s movements were steady and unhurried, yet entirely devoid of gentleness or care. Once the jade bowl was empty, she took a silk cloth from the side, roughly wiped the corners of the Emperor’s mouth, and stood up to cleanse her hands.

A trusted lady-in-waiting immediately stepped forward to lower the thick curtains of the dragon bed, drawing them shut and securing them firmly before standing in silent vigil.

Having seen to these matters, the Empress walked alone toward the palace gates. The heavy vermilion doors opened slowly, and the damp, fishy scent of the summer night storm rushed in, overpowering the fragrance of the dragon-saliva incense within the hall.

The Empress narrowed her eyes and continued her stride toward the side hall of the Xingqing Palace. At this moment, everything here was entirely under her control.

Inside the western side hall, only two floor-standing palace lanterns were lit. The heavy guards had been ordered to withdraw from the hall’s perimeter. Once inside, she turned past an eight-paneled screen; behind the translucent gauze, a shadowy figure waited. The Empress calmly parted the curtain and entered. On a luohan couch sat a prince in night-traveling clothes, currently pouring tea.

"Your Majesty, the Empress," Prince Gong rose with a smile, "please, come in."

The Empress cast a glance at this brother-in-law, who was usually gentle and humble in public but dared to plot the murder of the Emperor in private. She curled her lips into a faint smile and sat down without haste.

Prince Gong followed, a smile on his face, and offered her a cup of warm tea with both hands.

The Empress took it but did not drink, setting it directly onto the small side table. "Enough. You can spare me these hollow displays of courtesy."

"I cannot stay away from the Palace of Eternal Life for long. Tell me, what is the next step? Do you need me to throw more fuel on the fire, or is there something else?"

Prince Gong, showing not a hint of annoyance, became even more respectful. "Your Majesty is wise. The fire is already burning quite brightly, but..."

"There are still some who refuse to enter the cauldron."

The Empress narrowed her eyes. "Prince Jin."

Prince Gong nodded, looking somewhat bitter. "Your Majesty, being in the palace, you see all things. I originally thought this seventeen-year-old was young and impetuous, and like Prince Chen, sought to establish his prestige through military merit. If Prince Chen made a move, he would surely not sit idly by and watch others gain power. I never expected that he would remain completely motionless to this day."

Hearing this, the Empress’s expression darkened slightly.

Their original plan had been to let Prince Kang and Prince Qi fight, and have Prince Jin and Prince Chen contend with one another. Once the various princes had drained each other’s strength, the Xingqing Palace would issue a posthumous edict from Emperor Shun’an naming Prince Gong as the successor.

Unexpectedly, after the initial hostility between Prince Kang and Prince Qi, Prince Jin did not clash with Prince Chen as anticipated. This led to a situation where Prince Kang and Prince Qi temporarily ceased their fighting to stand against the militarily powerful Prince Chen. Consequently, Prince Chen, who had initially held the upper hand, was gradually losing ground in the imperial court.

Like a cornered beast, if Prince Chen were pushed to the brink, then...

Prince Gong frowned, his voice dropping further. "Your Majesty, surely you know Prince Chen—a crude man of little strategy and no virtue. If he is backed into a corner, I fear there is nothing he would not do."

The Empress sneered. "Even if he himself isn't anxious, can the generals behind him allow him to retreat? This throne is ultimately built upon piles of corpses. If you had Prince Chen’s capabilities, we wouldn't need to be plotting here."

Since the declaration of martial law without an imperial edict, Prince Chen’s faction had been left with no room for retreat. The only reason they hadn't forced their way into the palace to demand a decree was that half of the city's troops remained out of Prince Chen's control, giving them cause for hesitation.

Prince Gong lowered his head. "Your Majesty is right. It is my incompetence. I beg you to assist me."

"If you have neither troops nor men in your hands, even if I manage to obtain the Emperor’s posthumous edict, you will not be able to hold the throne."

Prince Gong looked up, his expression serious. "Your Majesty, rest assured. My thousand axemen from my fief have reached the outskirts of the capital. They are lying in wait outside the city, but with the city gates under martial law, they cannot enter."

"A thousand axemen?" The Empress repeated the words slowly, then laughed aloud. "A mere thousand men? They wouldn't even be able to breach the city gates."

Prince Gong smiled, unoffended. "Not so. These thousand axemen will be enough."

"Oh?"

Prince Gong continued, "Your Majesty, although Prince Chen’s forces are currently strong in the capital, Princes Kang and Qi are not without men of their own. If those two join forces, even if Prince Chen wants to rebel and can resist, it will cost him dearly."

"If you obtain an imperial edict stating that the Emperor is displeased with Prince Chen for mobilizing troops and sealing the city without authorization, ordering him to be confined to his residence for reflection before returning to his fief, and appointing Princes Kang and Qi to jointly oversee the state until the Emperor recovers, what do you think Prince Chen will do?"

The Empress raised an eyebrow. "He would, of course, fight to the death."

"Exactly. When that happens, Kang and Qi will surely join forces. Only after they have fought each other to the point of exhaustion can we sit back and reap the rewards."

"How can you be certain they will both be exhausted?" the Empress asked coolly. "Prince Chen is a veteran of the battlefield. Even if Kang and Qi join forces, it is hard to say whether they can withstand him."

Prince Gong replied, "Your Majesty, even if Prince Chen manages to crush Kang and Qi, his own forces will inevitably be severely depleted. The capital will be in chaos, and the axemen outside can seize the opportunity to enter. If Prince Chen wins, he will certainly force the palace. You need only obtain the Emperor’s tiger tally and the blood-written edict for me. The axemen in the city will immediately escort me out to the Dongshan Barracks to mobilize troops. As long as I can hold out until I return, everything will be settled. However, during this time, we must rely on you to mobilize the Imperial Guard to protect the palace and ensure Prince Chen does not enter."

The Empress lowered her eyes to contemplate for a moment before asking, "And what if Prince Kang and Prince Qi win?"

By then, those two would already hold the power of regents, and having been severely weakened, they might not immediately resort to forcing the palace.

Prince Gong drew a long breath and raised his chin. "Then we shall simply have to wait for another opportunity."

"The most urgent matter now is to deal with Prince Jin," Prince Gong added. "That young brat is no upright soul; he is treacherous and strange. Moreover, he was once entrusted by the Emperor to inspect the suburban barracks, which makes him truly dangerous. Fortunately, his fief is far away and his roots in the capital are shallow; he has not yet amounted to anything. Your Majesty, you must make a firm decision and drive him out of the capital first."

"I will find a way to build momentum at court to have him return to the Northwest to guard the borders. The factions of Kang, Qi, and Chen all view him as a thorn in their side and will undoubtedly do their utmost to support this. Once the court consensus is formed, you can follow through by issuing an imperial decree."

"If he complies and leaves the capital, then all is well. If he refuses, the matter will not be difficult to resolve. Alone, he will be unable to stand against the tide. We can then naturally use him as the first to be purged, throwing the capital into chaos ahead of schedule."

...

In the twenty-fifth year of Shun’an, mid-summer, secret reports arrived that the barbarian nations in the Northwest had intentions of violating the borders. The imperial court urged Prince Jin to return to the frontier.

With the Emperor’s health failing, the Empress issued an imperial decree in his name, ordering Prince Jin to return to the Northwest to guard the borders.

Prince Jin respectfully accepted the decree, and the following day, departed the capital.

-

Qingluo Lane.

"Mistress!" Lirmian ran into the hall from outside, carrying several strings of cured meat. "Things outside are getting more expensive by the day. You gave me so much silver, and this is all I could buy."

Li Lanxin, who had been taking inventory of the rice, flour, and grain she had been buying up over the past few days, turned back and said, "It's fine. It’s enough that we could buy it at all. Hang the meat inside; don't let it sit in the sun. I’ll go out with you again in a while."

"Yes!"

Li Lanxin straightened up and wiped the sweat from her brow. Since returning from Zhuang Ningyuan's estate that day, she had begun hoarding household necessities. At a time like this, she could not afford to be stingy with silver.

The people sent by the General's Mansion next door to monitor her had seen her going out frequently these past few days and had even come to warn and intimidate her, but she could no longer care about such things.

The look on Zhuang Ningyuan's face that day, her tone, and the things she had said had pushed her anxiety to its peak.

A few days ago, while passing through the West Gate, she had seen the city guards beating and driving away the common people. The night curfew had also become much stricter. Rumors were rife in the market, claiming that the city defense garrison was searching every household under the guise of catching thieves. But the most suspicious part was that they were searching blacksmith shops and smithies more thoroughly than they were searching brothels and taverns, which were easier places to hide people.

The embroidery shop had been selling off its stock at a discount for over ten days; she figured that after today, she would be able to close it down for good.

Once the shop was closed, she would take her two maids, bar the doors tightly, and never step foot outside again.