Chapter 41: Dou Tai

The content discussed today was substantial enough to potentially reshape the structure of the Qi Dynasty. Consequently, Gao Yang’s mind had been under intense strain, leaving him utterly exhausted even after less than an hour.

He waved his hand and yawned. "Go on now. Return to the palace later for the banquet; I need to consult with your mother and the Empress Dowager regarding your marriage."

Gao Yin understood the implication. "Then I shall take my leave."

At some point, E Yongle had appeared nearby. Gao Yang nodded at him, and with that signal, E Yongle stepped forward, accompanied by a man dressed in fine armor, with dark skin and a resolute expression.

"Dieyun Tuyan, from this day forward, you are to lead a squad to accompany the Crown Prince."

"As you command."

Dieyun Tuyan bowed to Gao Yin. When they left the area, Kang Hu'er, who had been waiting outside, looked slightly surprised to see the new additions to the Prince's retinue. Dieyun Tuyan nodded to him slightly.

The Crown Prince had clearly gained further recognition from the Supreme Emperor. Kang Hu'er felt a sense of relief; with the Prince’s position solidified and more men assigned to protect him, his own burden was lightened.

On the way back to the Eastern Palace, Dieyun Tuyan took the initiative to speak to the Prince: "Your Highness, are you planning to recruit soldiers north of the Imperial City in eight days?"

Gao Yin nodded. "That is the plan."

Dieyun Tuyan, having himself emerged from the Six Garrisons, was quite invested in this. He hurriedly said with a smile, "I have a few brothers who fell on hard times back then and are now looking to serve the country. If the Prince does not mind, I could recommend a few."

The old brothers still in the Six Garrisons had sent word, expressing that the Prince intended to select soldiers from among them. Everyone had consciously ignored the Prince’s so-called "Han style"; as long as the pay was good, it mattered little whether it was Han or Xianbei.

However, Dieyun Tuyan remained slightly anxious. The Supreme Emperor was notoriously selective, and he worried that if the Prince had adopted the same style, his brothers might be rejected, which would cause him to lose face.

Gao Yin was not averse to such social networking. In fact, it was a good sign. To the palace guards, he was a side worth betting on; the more powerful the factions tied to him, the safer he would be.

He nodded. "Draw up a list for me."

Dieyun Tuyan was overjoyed. "The Six Garrisons were the old imperial guards, and the brothers who came from there are all skilled fighters. Even if the Supreme Emperor wanted to select commanders for a hundred men, he could find three thousand such elite soldiers among us. There were two unlucky brothers who missed the chance back then—He Buluo and He Yupo Douyu. Had they been there, they would surely have stood alongside me as guards... They are quite renowned in the Six Garrisons. If the Prince secures these two, he will have no shortage of capable men."

Gao Yin noted the two names down, reciting them in the Xianbei language, which caught Dieyun Tuyan by surprise and earned him even more favor with the guard.

Gao Yin raised his hand and whispered to an attendant, who left and soon returned with two exquisite ornaments.

"These were not made in the palace, but the design is quite good and they hold some value. Give these to them to wear, so that I may recognize them at a glance when the time comes."

Dieyun Tuyan accepted them without hesitation, thinking to himself that the Prince was truly thoughtful—a noble, indeed.

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Dou Xiaojing, the Commander of the Left Guard, wearing his military cap and crimson court robes, came to pay his respects.

Dou Xiaojing was the son of Dou Tai. Back in the day, Dou Tai had been recruited by Gao Huan and married the sister of Gao Huan’s wife, Lou Zhaojun. As Gao Huan’s brother-in-law, he was deeply trusted—a fierce general of both wisdom and courage. When the Erzhu faction—Erzhu Dulu, Erzhu Zhongyuan, and Erzhu Zhao—prepared to unite against Gao Huan, Dou Tai offered a strategy of sowing discord, causing Dulu and Zhongyuan to retreat without a fight, which helped Gao Huan defeat Erzhu Zhao.

Later, after Erzhu Zhao launched several raids, Gao Huan set a trap, feigning a campaign against him while remaining idle to lower his guard. Estimating that Erzhu Zhao would be holding a banquet during the New Year, Gao Huan dispatched Dou Tai with elite cavalry for a surprise raid.

Dou Tai marched three hundred miles day and night, managing to infiltrate Erzhu Zhao’s courtyard. The soldiers, caught in the midst of feasting, saw Dou Tai’s men descend like celestial warriors and were struck with terror. Dou Tai pursued them to Chihong Ridge and routed them, leading to Erzhu Zhao’s suicide by hanging.

After the founding of the Eastern Wei, Dou Tai served as the Censor-in-Chief, managing all affairs with such efficiency that he commanded the reverence of all officials.

To use an imperfect analogy, if Gao Huan were Liu Bei, then Dou Tai was a Mi Fang with the talents of Guan Yu. He was not only a meritorious hero but also a member of the imperial family, serving as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Region for the Gao clan. As long as he lived, the leadership of the Xianbei nobility was undisputedly his.

Unfortunately, Dou Tai made the mistake that all men make: he died.

This mistake was linked to Yuwen Tai. Twenty-two years ago, during Gao Huan’s western expedition, he ordered Dou Tai to lead his army into Tong Pass, but they were intercepted by Yuwen Tai and annihilated. Dou Tai, unable to face Gao Huan, committed suicide in indignation. The usually cunning and ruthless Gao Huan fell into a rare fit of madness, leading two hundred thousand troops into the Battle of Shayuan, as if possessed by the spirit of Liu Bei, to avenge his "Guan Yu."

Dou Xiaojing was the son of such a man. As a gesture of favor, Gao Yang appointed him as the Commander of the Left Guard for the Crown Prince, responsible for the security of the Eastern Palace.

However, neither Gao Yang nor Gao Yin could trust Dou Xiaojing the way Gao Huan trusted Dou Tai, for Dou Xiaojing’s mother was the sister of Empress Dowager Lou—a thorn planted by the Empress Dowager in the Eastern Palace to monitor the Crown Prince.

Gao Yang had once thought of replacing him, but Lou Zhaojun used Dou Tai’s memory as a shield to insist on Dou Xiaojing’s position. Unless Gao Yang was prepared to completely repudiate Dou Tai’s contributions to the Qi Dynasty, he could do nothing about the young Dou—it was not a matter of inability, but of the cost outweighing the benefits.

Those who frequently deal in death know that killing is easy, but disposing of the body is the hard part; the logic is the same.

Consequently, bestowing titles and honors upon Dou Xiaojing was sufficient; one could not truly expect him to be loyal to Gao Yang and his son. That was why Gao Yang had sent Kang Hu'er to act as Gao Yin’s personal bodyguard—in essence, a clear sign of distrust toward Dou Xiaojing.

History confirms this; after Gao Yang ascended the throne, he visited Dou Tai’s tomb to pay respects but took no further action. It was only after Gao Yan, supported by Empress Dowager Lou, took the throne that Dou Tai was granted the honor of being worshiped in Gao Huan’s ancestral temple.

With Gao Yin now overseeing the Grand Secretariat and wielding additional military power, the arrival of Dieyun Tuyan made Dou Xiaojing quite uneasy. *Does the Crown Prince suspect me?*

After reporting his duties, Dou Xiaojing could not help but ask, "Your Highness, who are these men...?"

"Oh, these are personnel assigned to me by the Emperor. They are not part of the Eastern Palace staff, so do not trouble yourself over them. They will simply be accompanying me at all times; you may act as if they are not there."

"If that is the case... this subject obeys."

Dou Xiaojing retreated with a submissive air. Though not particularly clever, he knew he was losing his grip on power.

If his own Left Guard were to "not see" these men, would that not mean they were closer to the Crown Prince than he was? In that case, who was truly the Prince's guard?

It was natural for the Crown Prince to have men from his own Secretariat. But according to palace rules, these men were not permitted inside the palace; the Prince’s primary protection within these walls remained the Left and Right Guards.

Yet, judging by the uniforms of these new arrivals, they were Imperial Palace guards of a much higher rank than those of the Eastern Palace. This was clearly the Emperor’s decision, so Dou Xiaojing dared not express his discontent.

Gao Yin felt a sense of regret. It was not Dou Xiaojing’s fault, but he had stood on the side of the nobility from the start. Unless that faction dissolved or fully defected to Gao Yin, he could not utilize such a "tainted" official. He was reminded of the saying, "I did not kill Borin, yet Borin died because of me."

High-level nobles like Duan Shao or Huli Jin were "major shareholders" who had the standing to switch sides, and both parties would welcome them. Dou Xiaojing did not yet possess that qualification.

There were about two hundred of these guards. After personally settling them in, Gao Yin returned to his quarters. From time to time, he ordered items to be brought in and summoned craftsmen, causing strange noises to emanate from the hall, much to the wonder of the passing Dieyun Tuyan.

"A noble is a noble indeed; the way he tinkers with things is quite different from ordinary people."

Fortunately, the Crown Prince was not as tyrannical as the Emperor; he only tinkered with objects, not with people.