Chapter Ninety-Four: The Regent Behind the Curtain

There are three installments today. This is the first.

No one knew how long the figures in the ice chamber had knelt before the coffin. The Crown Prince’s grief and remorse gradually subsided, and in a hoarse voice he said in a low tone, “Why place His Majesty’s remains here instead of announcing his passing to the world, so that all under heaven may mourn him?”

The ice cavern was bitterly cold, and by now Yang Yaozong’s strength was beginning to fail him. He clenched his teeth and looked solemnly at the Crown Prince, saying, “You should understand the present situation in Great Zhou. Within, there are rebels ready to rise in support of the throne; without, there are foreign raiders harassing the frontiers. If His Majesty’s death were proclaimed to the world now, the consequences would be unimaginable. I believe Your Highness understands that even better than I do.”

Seeing that Yang Yaozong was not well, Jing Yijun frowned in concern. “You... are you feeling unwell? It is too cold here. Shall we go out and talk?”

Yang Yaozong shook his head, smiled, and leaned against her side. “It’s fine. We can talk here. Let me sit for a while; just let me lean on you.”

The Crown Prince frowned at how weak he looked. “Sit down. No one will blame you.”

Jing Yijun’s martial arts were profound enough that she did not need a fur cloak, so she took hers off and draped it over Yang Yaozong, holding him tightly in her arms.

Shivering, Yang Yaozong said to her, “Aren’t... aren’t you cold?”

With mist in her eyes, Jing Yijun said, “Don’t you know how good my inner power is? This temperature is nothing to me.” After speaking, she took hold of Yang Yaozong’s wrist and slowly sent true energy into him, doing her best to warm his body.

Watching how tenderly Jing Yijun cared for Yang Yaozong, the Crown Prince still felt that Yang Yaozong was unworthy of her. Yet he had also come to accept reality. So long as Yijun was happy, and felt blessed with him, then let her be with Yang Yaozong.

Frowning, the Crown Prince asked Yang Yaozong the question that had been troubling everyone in the chamber. “Even so, how many days can this really be delayed if His Majesty never appears in court and never shows himself in public?”

Yang Yaozong did not answer directly, but instead asked, “Your Highness, before His Majesty’s remains, will you tell the Crown Grandson and Yijun that from this day forward, you will continue to support the Second Prince, Jing Yu?”

Regarding the matter of the prison in Capital Province, although the Crown Prince had never given Yang Yaozong a direct answer, Yang Yaozong had already discerned the truth from his attitude. Now he raised the subject again in order to ensure that the Crown Prince had truly changed his stance. At the very least, the Crown Prince would not lie before the late emperor, before his own deceased elder brother.

The Crown Prince sighed. “As you said, Yang Yaozong, this prince has only ever believed what he is willing to believe. Jing Yu saw this weakness of mine and spoke words I was willing to hear and willing to believe, which stirred up my hatred toward His Majesty. Jing Yu and I have long been in contact, though always in great secrecy. The prison riot in Capital Province was planned by Jing Yu as well, while I was responsible for providing men. The leaders of the riot were all death warriors utterly loyal to me. Jing Yu planned the prison uprising in Capital Province in order to help Jing Min escape smoothly, so that the Prince of Loyalty could march south without concern. Then, when the Prince of Loyalty ascended the throne, I would use my prestige in the army to eliminate him on the pretext of suppressing rebellion. But I never intended to become emperor myself, nor to let Jing Min or Jing Yu become emperor. I still meant to support Jing Sheng to the throne.”

Yang Yaozong shook his head and said slowly, “Your Highness, think about it. The Second Prince, Jing Yu, has endured in silence for so many years that no one discovered the most calculating man of all was him. He could ask you to help his brother flee, then use the Prince of Loyalty’s rebellion to kill His Majesty, and afterward use your authority to remove the Prince of Loyalty. Do you really think his purpose is that simple? Merely to act out of hatred for his father and elder brother? I fear he harbors far greater ambition. If events truly unfold according to the Second Prince Jing Yu’s design, then after you eliminate the Prince of Loyalty, Jing Yu will immediately find a way to eliminate you! A man who can commit patricide and kin-slaying would he spare mercy for you? If I am not mistaken, he is the one truly coveting the throne!”

The Crown Prince had now truly awakened. No longer blinded by hatred, he considered Yang Yaozong’s analysis and found it deeply convincing. He recalled how, some days ago, when Jing Yu came to him, he had used emotion, reason, and even himself as example to explain how the Prince of Loyalty and Jing Min had abandoned him, deciding to hide the truth of his survival and let Jing Min escape alone, so that the Prince of Loyalty could march south with no worries. The Crown Prince had suddenly felt that he too had been abandoned by the world, that those he loved were long gone, while those he cared for were nowhere to be found, whether dead or alive. Then he heard Jing Yu speak of certain matters concerning Consort De, and of how His Majesty had treated Jing Yijun poorly, and at last he had flown into a rage. In that fury, he agreed to join forces with Jing Yu.

Now that the Crown Prince had laid down his hatred and even confessed the things he had done, he felt greatly relieved. With a faint smile, he said, “Yang Yaozong, my dealings with Jing Yu have always been cautious and secretive. We never even met openly. As for the prison riot in Capital Province, to my knowledge, all the men I sent to lead it died in the fighting. Where did you obtain proof, and how did you discover that I and Jing Yu plotted this together?”

All these days of suspicion and unease, everything at last had found its answer here with the Crown Prince. Yang Yaozong drew a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and said frankly, “I guessed.”

The people in the ice chamber were all stunned. In their hearts, they repeated the same thought: guessed?

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened. “What? You guessed it? And yet you dared confront me with such certainty, so confidently and forcefully? Are you not afraid I might not be persuaded by you and kill you instead? And do you not know what crime it is to frame a prince?”

Yang Yaozong looked a little embarrassed. “There were some clues, but they were all indirect. Of course I was afraid of death too, but the matter was urgent. I had no time to worry over every detail. Besides, from Yijun, I have more or less understood Your Highness’s character. A man who is not fundamentally bad, whose nature is not poor, may do wrong things, but there is always a reason. And from what Yijun told me, you treat her like your own daughter. For her sake, you would not punish me.”

The Crown Prince snorted, then gave two hearty laughs. “It seems His Majesty had good reason for choosing you as his son-in-law. Yang Yaozong, you do indeed have both courage and wit. This prince rather sees you in a new light. But you have not yet told me: if you keep His Majesty’s remains here and do not announce his death to the world, what exactly do you intend to do?”

“I only intended at first to delay matters for a few days, to see if I could think of a way to help the Crown Grandson ascend the throne smoothly, and then gather the armies of the various prefectures to prepare for the Prince of Loyalty’s rebellion. But now I have a better plan, though it will require Your Highness’s help, and the Crown Grandson’s agreement as well.” Yang Yaozong spoke with deep meaning.

The Crown Prince and the Crown Grandson asked in unison, “What plan?”

Yang Yaozong said seriously, “Your Highness and His Majesty look very much alike, only younger, and more robust than His Majesty. But all of that can be concealed with makeup, so that you appear exactly like the emperor.”

Before Yang Yaozong could finish, the Crown Prince hurriedly said, “You mean for me to impersonate His Majesty? Absolutely not! That is impossible!”

Yang Yaozong looked at the Crown Grandson, waiting for his choice.

The Crown Grandson studied the Crown Prince carefully and said with resolve, “Third Grandfather, Great Zhou is now in grave peril. Please help your grandson.”

The Crown Prince hastily said, “Your Highness, how can you also be so reckless? This must never be done!”

Yang Yaozong frowned. “Does Your Highness have a better way to buy time? Besides, I do not believe you are attached to the throne. Even if you were, then to speak a bit of treason, you are already advanced in years and have no heirs. In the future, when you pass away, the throne will still have to be given to the Crown Grandson. By then the Crown Grandson will also be grown, and will have accumulated some prestige and connections, making him all the more suited to inherit the empire. For him, this may instead be a good thing.”

The Crown Prince frowned and glared at Yang Yaozong, saying sternly, “You really are speaking treason!”

Yang Yaozong said without fear, “I promised His Majesty that I would keep the Crown Grandson safe. If my treasonous words can move Your Highness, and buy Great Zhou a little peace while ensuring the Crown Grandson’s safety, then what if you cut off my head, Yang Yaozong’s head? Of course, if I die, then the Crown Grandson will have to rely on Your Highness’s protection. I believe that by then, when I meet His Majesty beneath the Yellow Springs, His Majesty will not blame me.”

The Crown Prince said coldly, “No need to make it sound so noble. Don’t think that just because this prince pities Yijun, I would truly not dare kill you!”

Seeing that the Crown Prince was wavering, Yang Yaozong smiled respectfully and said, “Actually, all you need do while impersonating His Majesty is act as though he is ill, and announce that the Crown Grandson will oversee state affairs while Your Highness withdraws behind the curtain. Then you need only occasionally attend court, sitting behind the dragon throne, yes, holding court from behind the screen. Let the ministers know that His Majesty is still in fair health and can still sometimes appear to hear petitions and govern. And since you will be hidden behind the curtain, the ministers will not be able to see your face clearly. Even if they come close to look, I think unless they observe very carefully, no one will notice the deception. Tell me, who would dare examine the emperor closely?”

The Crown Prince considered Yang Yaozong’s words carefully and then asked, “And how long must this continue? We cannot keep His Majesty’s remains here forever.”

Yang Yaozong furrowed his brow. “Once my body is a little better, I will head north at once to the Imperial Capital. I will investigate what the Prince of Loyalty is relying on, to dare contemplate rebellion. As a prince, he is not permitted to privately raise an army. But the Imperial Capital is far from the Southern Capital, and I have heard that the Prince of Loyalty has already secretly taken control of the capital’s defenses, subjecting all merchants and travelers to strict scrutiny. Many can enter but not leave. That is why so much information cannot reach the Southern Capital at all. Especially this year, the defenses around the Imperial Capital are even tighter. Many people must be vouched for by someone reliable within the city before they can enter. Leaving the city is even more difficult.”

The Crown Prince pressed, “If you go to the Imperial Capital, are you certain you will uncover something? Certain you will be able to bring the intelligence back to the Southern Capital?”

Yang Yaozong smiled. “Some things can only be known after they are done. That is better than waiting here in the Southern Capital for the Prince of Loyalty to raise his troops and only then preparing a response. Strike first and gain the advantage. I will do my utmost to uncover useful intelligence and send it back to the Southern Capital, so that preparations can be made in advance and the Prince of Loyalty can be caught off guard. Perhaps we can even crush his rebellion before it has time to grow. However, nothing must happen at the frontier during this period. Therefore, after Your Highness assumes the emperor’s guise, you must issue an edict ordering General Nan Gong to guard the frontier with the utmost vigilance: defend only, do not fight! No matter how the enemy provokes us, do not take the field to meet them! The weather is growing colder by the day, and beyond the passes it will be even colder still. The barbarian horsemen began fighting our army at Goose Gate Pass in the fifth month, and now it is already mid-autumn. The provisions they brought must be nearly depleted. Even if they continue to receive supplies, so long as we refuse battle, they will not be able to hold out for long in such increasingly bitter weather.”

The Crown Prince fixed Yang Yaozong with a burning gaze. “Very well! I agree! I also want to see how you, Yang Yaozong, intend to resolve the crisis of internal and external peril now afflicting Great Zhou. You had best not disappoint me!”

Yang Yaozong met his blazing eyes and nodded. “I will do all I can.”