Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 114

The next morning, after court was dismissed, Puyang brought Eunuch Sun to pay his respects to Wei Xiu.

Eunuch Sun’s given name was Tai. He had a gentle and kind appearance, looking quite amiable. He was about fifty years old. When he knelt to bow, he was extremely deferential, yet without a trace of sycophancy.

Wei Xiu knew at a glance that this man was no simple character.

Such a capable person should be entrusted with great responsibilities. To transfer him here to manage a single palace was far too much of a waste of his talents.

Puyang secretly observed Wei Xiu’s expression. Seeing the corner of her brow twitch, she knew Wei Xiu disapproved. She quickly called out, “Minister Wei.”

Hearing her, Wei Xiu turned her head, about to voice her objection, but was cut off by Puyang. Puyang asked with a smile, “To make it easier for him to manage the palace staff in this hall, how about we grant him an official title?”

Sun Tai stood before the dais with his hands lowered, a faint smile on his face, appearing very easy to get along with. Yet, his eyes were as sharp and bright as a man in his prime.

Hearing this, Wei Xiu knew Puyang had a plan. She went along with it and asked, “What position does Your Majesty think would be suitable?”

Puyang blurted out, “How about Grand Chamberlain of the Empress?”

As soon as she said it, she saw a very faint smile appear in Wei Xiu’s calm eyes. Puyang knew that her intentions had been seen through by A-Xiu.

The position of Grand Chamberlain of the Empress carried extremely heavy responsibilities, overseeing all matters within the palace. Its special nature lay in the fact that only the Empress’s palace had a Grand Chamberlain.

The palace staff in the hall all thought that bestowing the title of Grand Chamberlain upon Sun Tai was a matter of course. The Emperor had no empress, so the Prince Consort was the master of the central palace. Sun Tai had originally served the former Empress and held a rank of the third grade. Giving him a lower title would seem like a deliberate suppression, making the position of Grand Chamberlain the most suitable.

However, Puyang knew this was not the case. She understood, and Wei Xiu understood as well, that it was unnecessary to transfer Sun Tai just to manage the staff of this small hall. Puyang was merely using this as a way to ask about Wei Xiu’s feelings. A Grand Chamberlain was only appointed for the central palace; the meaning was self-evident.

Such a thought, tactful yet simple, was laid bare before Wei Xiu’s eyes, completely exposed.

Wei Xiu looked at Puyang and saw her forcing a calm demeanor, but her body was tense and rigid—a clear sign of nervousness. Wei Xiu sighed softly in her heart. Such a roundabout and tactful approach… if she were to agree, it would be wonderful. If she didn’t, she imagined Seventh Lady must have prepared words to smooth things over.

She remained silent for a long time, and Puyang began to panic. The smile on her lips seemed forced, and her gentle, water-like eyes gradually dimmed. Wei Xiu watched her, watched as her eyes, which had been meeting hers, slowly turned away. She watched her smile go from forced to feeble, and watched her stiff shoulders slump in dejection.

Puyang pressed her lips together, her heart filled with another wave of disappointment.
A-Xiu is still unwilling. She’s still unwilling.
The confidence born from her recent gentle treatment and from her taking an arrow for her had completely dissipated in a short time. Puyang no longer knew how to describe her feelings. This was the last time. Since A-Xiu was so resolute, asking again would only put her in a difficult position. From now on, she would not try to probe her intentions again.

Puyang lowered her head, looking down in front of her. She composed herself, forced a natural smile, and was about to deliver the prepared excuse to save Wei Xiu from embarrassment when she heard Wei Xiu say in a gentle tone, “The position of Grand Chamberlain of the Empress is indeed appropriate.”

Puyang froze, staring at her blankly. Wei Xiu’s gaze was soft, wrapped in tenderness. She quietly reached out and took Puyang’s hand, as if to comfort her. Puyang immediately squeezed back, overjoyed.

Some things had to be expressed. Wei Xiu had no intention of leaving, and she knew that Puyang would never let her go again. She had faced life and death countless times in her life, but the two most perilous moments were the time her parents both died, and the arrow on Mount Mang.

The former planted hatred in her heart; the latter awakened the love buried deep within it.

Before losing consciousness from the arrow, all she felt was release, and all she thought of was Puyang. She had not thought of being a child of the Zhong clan again in the next life, but like an obsession, she told herself that in the next life, she wanted to be an ordinary couple with Puyang.

Such deeply rooted love—she had already let it go once. How could she be cruel enough to let it go a second time?

Since that was the case, why be stingy with words and make Seventh Lady uneasy?

With Sun Tai’s appointment as Grand Chamberlain, the knot in the heart between Wei Xiu and Puyang was also untied.

Wei Xiu still felt it was a pity for a man of Sun Tai’s talent to only manage her small palace, finding it a waste. So she suggested to Puyang that they should rename the Directorate for Palace Attendants to the Changle Supervisory, appoint Sun Tai as its Director, and have him concurrently manage her residence. In any case, he was already accustomed to managing the Directorate for Palace Attendants; it was just a change of name, allowing him to continue his duties.

Such an arrangement was convenient for both sides. Puyang agreed after a moment’s thought and went to draft an edict to be issued.

Their life together was like returning to the period just after their marriage—tranquil yet warm. The difference was that back then, Puyang often consulted her on difficult matters, and Wei Xiu constantly paid attention to the court, analyzing the best course of action with Puyang. Now, however, Puyang dared not ask her about state affairs, only wanting her to recuperate properly.

Thus, Wei Xiu was extremely idle. Over time, she began discussing medical arts with Imperial Physician Zhou.

Puyang wouldn’t go so far as to forbid even this, and besides, she had not been free recently. For a woman to rule was already difficult. Even though she was diligent and conscientious in all matters, there were still people who rebelled under the banner that she had illegitimately seized the throne.

The one rebelling was Li Shou, the Inspector of Liangzhou. His family was a powerful clan in Liangzhou and had been established there for a long time. After he was appointed Inspector, he was like a fish in water, gathering a considerable force. Li Shou naturally wouldn’t say that he himself wanted to be emperor. He used the Prince of Han as a cover, claiming that the current Son of Heaven had illegitimately seized the throne and that he would protect and support the Prince of Han, assisting him in reclaiming the imperial seat.

When Puyang saw the urgent dispatch, she trembled with anger. Upon hearing the news, the Prince of Han was so frightened that he tried to hang himself in his residence to prove his innocence. Fortunately, the Princess of Han was a calm and sensible person who stopped him and told him to hurry to the palace and submit a memorial to plead for forgiveness.

It was fortunate that the Princess of Han had stopped him. Otherwise, the imperial court truly would not have been able to explain itself. The people of the realm would not have believed the Prince of Han hanged himself to prove his innocence; they would only have claimed his death was forced by the Emperor.

The Prince of Han, clutching a hastily written memorial, rushed into the palace just as Wei Xiu was comforting Puyang in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.

The moment Puyang saw her, most of her anger dissipated. Perhaps it was because Wei Xiu had come that she felt she had someone to rely on. Her towering rage transformed into a sense of grievance, making her eager to find someone to confide in.

Wei Xiu sighed and comforted her, “There will always be people with wolfish ambitions. Even if you were not the one ruling, he would still have rebelled.”

A rebellion is not something that happens overnight; it requires three to five years of preparation. Forging strong alliances, preparing provisions and fodder, supporting soldiers, persuading followers and advisors, planning marching routes—all these matters require time. Wei Xiu glanced at the document spread open on the desk. When she saw the words “one hundred thousand troops,” her brow furrowed.

An army of one hundred thousand was a massive number. It must have taken a long time to gather such a force, which showed how long this person had harbored his treacherous intentions. When he first conceived of rebellion, Puyang had perhaps not even ascended the throne yet.

What she had thought of, Puyang had naturally thought of as well. She lowered her eyes and said unhappily, “I still don’t know what the Prince of Han will do.” She had never intended to kill the Prince of Han, but now, not only could she not kill him, she had to treat him well to show her magnanimity.

It was less a dilemma and more a fit of pique. Wei Xiu tapped her on the nose and said with an amused smile, “Can Your Majesty truly not guess the Prince of Han’s petty thoughts?”

She had been on the throne for three years. If she hadn’t thoroughly understood the Prince of Han’s character, how could he have lived so well until now?

With just a few words, even the last bit of Puyang’s anger vanished. If A-Xiu hadn’t been here, she wouldn’t have known who to vent these angry words to. Puyang leaned against her shoulder, her tone softening as well. “A man as timid as a mouse. Upon hearing this, he was probably too scared to even stand steadily.”

Wei Xiu looked down at her, smiled, and shook her head.

The Prince of Han arrived at this very moment.

His timing was not good, forcing Puyang to lift her head from Wei Xiu’s shoulder.

Having been summoned, the Prince of Han hurried into the hall. His kneeling motion was almost a forward lunge. “Your Majesty, this Li Shou is a man of ill intent and wolfish ambition! Your subject has never met him. His use of my name this time must be an attempt to sow discord among the imperial family. I pray Your Majesty investigates this clearly!”

The Prince of Han lay prostrate on the floor, his words timid and his bearing completely gone.

Puyang, however, was gentle. She asked kindly, “We only received the report an hour ago. From where did Our Imperial Brother get the news?”

The Prince of Han’s heart jolted. He fearfully raised his head and met the Emperor’s sharp gaze. He quickly lowered his head again, not daring to hide anything. “Your subject resides idly in my manor and does not care for excitement, rarely going out on normal days. This time was no different. It was Lord Qiao, the Vice Minister of Rites, who burst into my residence and informed me of this matter. If not for that, I fear I would have remained completely unaware even tomorrow.”

Puyang and Wei Xiu exchanged a glance. She then asked, “Besides informing you of this, did he say anything else?”

The Prince of Han hurriedly said, “Lord Qiao advised your subject that if I wished to protect my wife and children, the only way was for me to atone with my death. Your Majesty, my death is of no consequence, but the Princess is innocent. She has only been married to me for a year…”

The Prince of Han spoke pitifully, and tears began to stream down his face.

“Enough.” Puyang had no time to listen to his weeping. In a quarter of an hour at most, the ministers would surely enter the palace to report this matter, and she had to discuss how to respond with them.

The Prince of Han immediately fell silent, not daring to speak.

Puyang sighed and said, “You may withdraw for now. Do not leave the palace. Stay here. When we discuss matters later, you will also attend.”

The Prince of Han then withdrew, weeping and sniffling.

Puyang ordered Qin Kun to take two squads of the Feathered Forest Guard to arrest the Vice Minister of Rites and hand him over to the Ministry of Justice for a thorough interrogation about his dealings with Li Shou. To act in such a way, persuading the Prince of Han to die, surely held some ulterior motive.

Before long, the ministers would surely arrive, so Wei Xiu took her leave.

An army of one hundred thousand sounded terrifying, but in reality, it was confined to a small area. The most urgent matter now was to immediately dispatch troops to suppress them, not allowing Li Shou to capture cities and expand his forces.

How to suppress them and who to send were matters for the Emperor and her ministers to discuss.

The matter was of great importance; a decision could certainly not be reached in a single day.

Puyang discussed with her ministers in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue until nightfall. Only when the palace gates were about to be locked did she dismiss them, telling them to return the next day.

Wei Xiu had not yet gone to sleep; she was waiting for her. As Puyang made her way back, her mind was in turmoil. She tried her best to picture the marching route between Liangzhou and Luoyang. She pondered the prefectures and commanderies along the way, who the commanders and inspectors were, and how far the various garrisons were from Liangzhou. But she could not calm her mind enough to think clearly.

She washed up and entered the bedchamber. Wei Xiu was leaning against the headboard, a book in her hand. Seeing her enter, she put the book down.

Puyang sat beside her and laid her head on her lap. Her black hair cascaded down, soft and gentle. Wei Xiu looked down at her, raised a hand to gently stroke the nape of her neck, and asked softly, “Are you unable to reach a decision?”

Puyang was skilled in state affairs but not in military matters; Wei Xiu knew this. She herself knew a little, but could not be called an expert. In her youth, she had admired her father and sought out many books on military strategy. Though she had read a lot, it was all just armchair strategy.

Puyang shook her head. She gently stroked Wei Xiu’s knee, and through the layer of brocade, it was as if she could feel the warmth of her lap.

Puyang turned her head and saw that Wei Xiu was also looking at her. She didn’t press the question, but her gaze was full of concern, and Puyang’s heart felt a pang. When Wei Xiu was unconscious, she had Imperial Physician Zhou examine her legs. The physician had diagnosed that the meridians in her knees were severed, and she had no feeling from the knees down.

She had once asked old Chancellor Wang about Grand Marshal Zhong and had also investigated his life in detail. During the day, when she heard of Li Shou’s rebellion, the first thing she thought of was that the Grand Marshal had served as the Inspector of Liangzhou in his early years. She couldn’t help but think again of Lord Zhong’s assassination. At that time, A-Xiu must have been present as well.

Puyang bit her lip, looked at Wei Xiu, and asked insistently, “A-Xiu, how were your legs injured?”