Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 57

Late autumn was cold, and winter was just around the corner.

A minor chill had kept Wei Xiu bedridden for over a month. The osmanthus flowers by the wall had already withered by the time she finally began to recover.

Puyang was deeply worried about her frail constitution. Yet, knowing Wei Xiu would refuse to see a physician, she could only search everywhere for precious medicinal herbs and let Wei Xiu prepare her own remedies. It was fortunate that Wei Xiu was well-versed in the art of medicine; otherwise, Puyang would never have allowed her to have her way.

In the bitter cold, even the bright sun could not dispel the biting chill in the air.

Wei Xiu emerged from her room, her refined face considerably thinner, which made her features more defined and her figure appear even more slender. Sunlight streamed down, enveloping her. The crisp, cold air made her let out a long, comfortable sigh. “If I lie down any longer, my bones will fall apart,” she lamented.

With that, she turned her head and smiled at Puyang. “It’s all thanks to Your Highness.”

A Rong and the others, terrified that something might happen to her, had confined her to her room, refusing to let her out until she was fully recovered. Fortunately, Puyang had a soft heart and finally relented after her repeated pleas.

Hearing her soft, pleasing words, Puyang shot her a playful glare. She pushed her to a spot facing the sun, placed a blanket over her legs, and wrapped her tightly in a heavy cloak, not stopping until she was certain not a single draft could touch her.

Seeing her so focused and earnest, as if facing a great enemy, Wei Xiu couldn’t help but smile.

Puyang always felt much more at ease caring for her personally than entrusting Sir Wei to the servants.

“Are you cold?” Puyang asked.

Wei Xiu looked down at her many tightly wrapped layers of clothing, then looked up at Puyang with a smile and said gently, “I’m not cold.”

Good. Puyang sat down beside her. With the change in their relationship, their mindset had changed as well. Even just sitting together like this brought immense joy.

The teacup steamed with swirling vapor. Late autumn no longer seemed so cold.

Puyang pressed her palm against the teacup, the slightly scalding heat seeping through its body and spreading continuously into her. She turned to look at Wei Xiu, only to find that Wei Xiu was also looking at her. The moment their eyes met, they both looked away in unison. Their faces flushed involuntarily. Though they had known each other for a long time, it felt as if they were getting to know each other all over again. They were shy to look at one another; a single glance would make them blush to the ears, yet they couldn’t resist stealing another look.

Perhaps this was how it always was when first tasting love: wanting to be close, yet unable to suppress the shyness. Seemingly near yet not, seemingly far yet not. It was like a hundred claws scratching at one’s heart, making one long to steal a glance when the other wasn’t looking.

Wei Xiu looked elsewhere, the tips of her ears slightly red. She held her teacup, her fingers tapping lightly on its side twice. Finally finding a topic of conversation, she asked as if nothing were amiss, “Your Highness seems to have been quite at leisure this past month.”

Puyang also feigned composure, though her eyes were as soft as water. She answered casually, “There’s been some friction on the border between Song and Qi. The Emperor of Song has threatened to raise an army to attack Qi, so everyone at court is focused on that. Other matters have become less important.”

The Emperor of Song was tyrannical, occasionally devising cruel tortures and taking pleasure in watching people bleed and suffer. The country suffered greatly under his brutality. That such a cruel and violent man could sit securely on the throne without anyone in the country raising a banner in rebellion was all thanks to his having a good chancellor. But there were times when even a good chancellor could not dissuade him, and the present situation was one such instance.

Wei Xiu knew of this matter. It had all started with a misunderstanding. A Qi border patrol encountered a troop of Song soldiers who had crossed the border and went to question them. Somehow, the two sides began to argue. They were all hot-blooded young men with weapons in hand, and the argument eventually escalated into an armed brawl, resulting in dozens of casualties.

When news of this reached the two capitals, both Qi and Song were in an uproar. The Emperor of Song immediately wanted to attack Qi and even intended to lead the campaign himself. The Emperor of Qi, who coveted a life of ease and pleasure, feared this affair would disrupt his enjoyment, so he took the initiative and sent an envoy to Song to negotiate.

Now, the situation had progressed to the Qi envoy entering Song, and it was still unknown how the Emperor of Song would receive him.

Considering the Song Emperor’s absurdity and cruelty, if there were no one at court to advise him, he would probably have the Qi envoy boiled in a cauldron.

The three kingdoms had been at peace for over twenty years, and now waves were suddenly stirring. Although Wei was not directly involved, it was a perfect opportunity to incite the two nations against each other, either by exploiting their weakness or by watching from the sidelines to reap the fisherman’s profit.

So why had Her Highness become idle instead?

Wei Xiu asked with great interest, “The court must be in a heated debate. Does Your Highness truly have no thoughts on the matter?”

“Of course I have my thoughts, but not at this moment.” Puyang’s expression was gentle, her smile tinged with a hint of teasing. “With you ill in bed, Sir, how could I have the mind for anything else?”

The words were mostly a joke, but Wei Xiu still felt a warmth in her heart. Puyang’s eyes were bright and clear, as if waiting for praise. Thinking of her meticulous care over the past month, Wei Xiu’s heart softened. “Your Highness has worked hard during this time.”

Puyang immediately blushed. She had wanted Sir Wei’s praise, but hearing her say it so solemnly made her feel that the trivial little things she had done were far from deserving of such words.

A cold wind brushed against their faces. Wei Xiu covered her lips and coughed lightly twice. Puyang stood up. “The wind is picking up. Sir, you should go inside.”

Wei Xiu agreed. A brazier was already lit in the room, and Puyang pushed her inside.

They had only discussed half of the matter concerning Qi and Song. Once inside and seated, with fresh tea brewed, Puyang continued. According to her memories from her past life, the two nations would not go to war. They would exchange envoys for a year, and the matter would ultimately come to nothing. Too much time had passed, and she couldn’t recall the specific details, only the general outline.

“Qi has no will to fight, and the Emperor of Song is merely venting his anger. I’m afraid that in the end, it will be nothing more than a war of words.”

Wei Xiu was surprised by her conclusion, but on second thought, it made perfect sense. “In relations between states, one first negotiates. Only when negotiations fail does one resort to attack. The Emperor of Song wants war, but Qi does not. With the Song chancellor and other ministers mediating, it would indeed be difficult for a war to break out.”

“Unfortunately, most of the ministers in our court have no mind for foreign affairs.” They were all too busy with the succession struggle to spare it any thought. Puyang sounded regretful, her eyes shining brightly, but her tone was somewhat cold. “Otherwise, if Wei were to stir up trouble between them and make the two nations turn against each other…”

She didn’t continue, but Wei Xiu understood her meaning. The grand tide of the world is that what has long been divided must unite; all that was lacking was an opportunity. Looking at the three kingdoms, Wei surpassed both Song and Qi in national strength, military power, and the wisdom of its ruler and ministers. It had the power to unify the realm. Unfortunately, it was mired in internal politics and dared not expand.

The situation of the world was similar to that of a single nation; it would not remain unchanged forever. The Emperor of Song was young, not yet thirty, and it was unknown when he might die, but the Emperor of Qi was already over sixty, so that day was likely not far off. The Crown Prince of Qi was known to be wise, ambitious, and beloved by his ministers and people. When he ascended the throne, he would likely not be content to remain in a corner like his father. As for Song, with its emperor’s reckless ways, it was feared that in another decade or so, even the Song chancellor would be unable to hold things together, and the country would only descend further into chaos. At that time, Song would grow weaker while Qi grew stronger, and an annexation would only be a matter of time. By then, Wei would have lost its best opportunity.

Wei Xiu had never thought so far ahead. Her heart was not set on the world; whether it was divided or united, what did it have to do with her? But Puyang clearly had thought about it. Not only had she thought about it, she had planned it meticulously.

Her fighting spirit was high, regretful but not disheartened. If they missed this chance, there would surely be another in the future. She would simply wait for the next one. Wei Xiu, for some reason, felt moved by her casual words and her brilliantly shining eyes. She offered comfort, “The Emperor of Song is a tyrant. If one day we have no worries at home, the pretext for sending an army is ready-made.” That is, to punish the unrighteous on behalf of Heaven.

Puyang smiled radiantly. “Exactly. One day, I will ensure there is no more internal strife at court, and the entire nation, from ministers to commoners, will stand united against external threats.”

The realm was bound to be unified sooner or later. Since that was the case, why couldn’t it be by her hand? Puyang had never considered herself inferior to the princes just because she was a princess. In fact, because she was a princess, she could stand apart from the fray and see every single matter at court with perfect clarity. As long as the position of Crown Prince remained undecided, the ministers would never work together with one heart.

His Majesty knew this as well and had gradually given up on the idea of unifying the nine provinces during his own reign.

If His Majesty could not do it, then the new monarch would have to. Puyang had observed all her brothers and nephews. Only she could accomplish this great enterprise. For this reason alone, the imperial throne should be hers.

The Throne of the Ninth Five should be occupied by the most capable. If they were not up to the task, then she would take it.

The thought of a day when imperial edicts would issue from Luoyang, cross the Yangtze River, and reach Jiaozhi, with subjects prostrating themselves in submission all along the way, made her bl00d feel as if it were boiling. Puyang looked at Wei Xiu and said gently, “Sir, help me ascend the throne, and I will gift you ten thousand li of rivers and mountains.”

Her eyes were filled with sincerity, and such passion made Wei Xiu rejoice along with her.

The Qi envoy reached the Song capital. Although he wasn’t boiled in a cauldron by the Emperor of Song, his fate was not much better. The moment the state credential was presented, he was thrown into prison, his life hanging by a thread at any moment. The Emperor of Qi was greatly distressed upon hearing this. He had not been very decisive in his youth, and in his old age, he had become even more timid. The Crown Prince advised that they should simply mass troops on the border to show that Qi was not afraid of war. A person could be weak-willed, but a nation could not show weakness. If not for the Emperor of Qi’s cowardice, how could a Qi envoy suffer such humiliation in another country? In the Crown Prince’s view, they should have been more forceful, or perhaps even fought a battle to bolster Qi’s prestige.

But if the Emperor of Qi had that kind of mettle, he wouldn’t be pacing around in distress. In every court, in every dynasty, there was never a shortage of ministers skilled at catering to the monarch’s preferences.

Soon, a minister advised the emperor to seek help from Wei to intimidate Song, which could resolve the current crisis.

The moment this proposal was made, the Emperor of Qi was tempted. But he also feared that it might be a case of letting the wolf in through the front door, in which case it would be better to confront Song directly.

The ministers all talked at once. It was unclear how they debated, but in the end, they settled on a plan: send a prince to Wei to propose a marriage alliance. By forming a bond through marriage, Wei could neither stand idly by nor act in bad faith and take the opportunity to raise an army against them.

By the time this news reached the Wei capital, the Qi prince had already set out with his credentials.

The Emperor was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. To think there was such a cowardly monarch, and such naive ministers.

“The Crown Prince of Qi must be furious,” the Emperor said with amusement. The Crown Prince advocated for war, and his reasoning was sound in every respect, yet his imperial father wouldn’t listen to a single word, thinking only of avoiding disaster and not of making progress.

The ministers also found it quite amusing. But amusement aside, there was now a matter that required an urgent decision.

Qi was seeking a marriage alliance. Should they agree? If not, how should they refuse? This was a major matter of state relations, with implications for war and peace. But if they agreed, the one coming was a prince; Wei couldn’t just fob him off with a girl from a minor branch of the imperial clan. And among the unmarried princesses of suitable age, only Puyang was left.

Wei Xiu found the arrival of this Qi prince to be truly annoying.