Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 60

In the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the Emperor had been waiting for some time. When Wei Xiu and Puyang entered and paid their respects, the Emperor ordered them to be seated and shot a look at Dou Hui.

Dou Hui understood and quickly brought a hand warmer for Wei Xiu.

“Sir, there is no need for formality here. Please make yourself comfortable,” the Emperor said, his tone very approachable.

Wei Xiu accepted the hand warmer, placed it on her lap, and offered her thanks, but she hardly touched it. The Emperor, his mind entirely on the strategy she had presented, failed to notice. He got straight to the point. “Sir Wei, you said that the Crown Prince of Qi is virtuous and has lofty ambitions, and that he will become a great threat to Wei.” He looked at Wei Xiu with a smile. “I wonder how you came to this conclusion.”

Wei Xiu said, “When a state falls into misrule, it is often because the court has lost its virtue and talent. And when the court loses its virtue and talent, it is often because the ruler is incompetent and dissolute. Looking at the world today, both Song and Qi are in such a state.”

The Emperor found this to be true. It was not just the case now, but had been so throughout history.

“Likewise, if a ruler is wise and brilliant, he can turn the tide and save his country from chaos,” Wei Xiu said, raising her eyes to glance at the Emperor.

The Emperor understood. In the final years of the previous dynasty, the bureaucracy had collapsed, the granaries were empty, the treasuries held no money, the armories had no weapons, and the cities had no defenses. After he ascended to the great throne, he reformed the administration, purged the court, abolished oppressive laws, remitted taxes, stockpiled grain, strengthened the army, and promoted both agriculture and warfare. In less than ten years, the realm was peaceful and prosperous.

The common people were remarkably resilient. As long as the ruler did not torment them and the officials did not oppress them, they could recover in two or three years. No matter how dilapidated a country was, as long as there were no foreign invasions, it could be revitalized after three to five years of rest and recuperation.

As the sovereign, the Emperor naturally understood this clearly.

Song and Qi were currently in chaos. Their rulers had no interest in state affairs, preferring only pleasure and indulgence. The ministers, in turn, catered to their whims and also neglected their public duties. The nations showed signs of decay, but if an enlightened ruler were to ascend the throne at this time, it would not be a difficult task to restore order to the court.

Puyang slowly spoke, “Father.”

The Emperor looked over, and Puyang continued, “The virtue of the Qi Crown Prince is known throughout the land. The men of insight in Qi, those who are pained by the state of their country’s governance, have all gathered closely around the Crown Prince. They are only waiting for him to ascend the throne to realize their ambitions and save Qi from ruin. With the ruler and his ministers of one mind, I fear they will be unstoppable in the future.”

The Emperor’s brows furrowed tightly, a turbulent undercurrent in his eyes.

Wei Xiu glanced at Puyang, then took it a step further. “Unlike Qi, which appears decadent but has hidden vitality, the tyranny of the Song Emperor is unprecedented in history. Although the Chancellor is holding things together, the Song Emperor is in his prime, while the Chancellor’s hair is completely white. He can no longer prop up a collapsing edifice. Of the two nations, Qi and Song, one will grow stronger while the other grows weaker. The strong prey on the weak; the day of annexation is not far off. Qi will ultimately become an immovable mountain on our path to the south!”

The stakes had been laid bare, and the Emperor was already moved. But establishing an heir was an internal affair, and Wei should not interfere in Qi’s domestic politics. He pondered this deeply. A moment later, the Emperor’s eyes grew sharp. He scanned his surroundings and commanded, “All of you, withdraw.”

The palace attendants filed out of the hall. In a moment, the only servant remaining was Dou Hui. Wei Xiu glanced at him as if unintentionally, then fixed her gaze back on the Emperor.

The Emperor said, “Everything you have said is reasonable, Sir. May I ask what your plan is?”

It had worked! A flash of joy flickered in Puyang’s eyes.

Wei Xiu, however, remained as unruffled as ever. Her tone was light and gentle, as if she were discussing the blooming of flowers in a courtyard, a display of elegant grace. Yet the meaning of her words was enough to send a cold sweat down one’s spine.

The Emperor listened intently, making his decisions as she spoke.

Wei Xiu slowly explained, “The plan hinges on the Prince of Yuzhang. It is always inevitable for princes to contend for the throne. The Prince of Yuzhang is similar to the Qi Emperor in his love for pleasure, but the difference is that the Qi Emperor is timid and avoids all matters of consequence, while the Prince of Yuzhang is arrogant and craves power. Such a personality can be used by Your Majesty.”

The Emperor frowned slightly. “I fear he will be difficult to control.”

Wei Xiu smiled. “Why is there a need to control him? As long as he can take power, the plan will have succeeded.”

That was true. The Emperor smiled, then thought of how Wei Xiu had managed to devise a scheme to meddle with Qi’s succession. He couldn’t help but remark, “Sir Wei, your mind is quick and full of stratagems. It is a true pity you do not serve in the court.”

Wei Xiu shook her head and said, as if by chance, “It is not that I am resourceful, but that the state of Qi is full of openings for one to exploit. If our Great Wei were the same, perhaps another nation would also produce a ‘resourceful’ person.”

The Emperor laughed and repeatedly said, “Sir, you are too modest.” Inwardly, however, he was struck with alarm. It wasn’t that Wei had no vulnerabilities; in fact, the situation was more worrying than Qi’s. At least Qi had a virtuous and far-sighted Crown Prince. Among Wei’s princes, not a single one was capable of shouldering the great responsibility of the state.

At this thought, sorrow once again welled up in his heart.

Wei Xiu, however, seemed completely oblivious, her expression unchanged as she said, “This matter requires the Prince of Yuzhang to make a decision soon, while he is in the capital.”

The Emperor sighed. “I am already old. This should be a matter for my successor to worry about, yet I must still take precautions.” Whether it was interfering in Qi’s internal affairs or supporting the Prince of Yuzhang, it was all merely to weaken Qi’s future strength. This should have been the next emperor’s task, yet he was the one worrying about it.

Thinking about it, he was truly weary.

Wei Xiu then said, “Your Majesty is a ruler of great talent and vision. Tomorrow’s ruler may not possess Your Majesty’s breadth of mind. However, they are of Your Majesty’s bloodline, so I trust they will not fail the hopes of the nation.”

The Emperor gave a small smile, taking her words as mere comfort. But before the smile could fully form, it suddenly occurred to him that his bloodline did not consist only of his sons, but also his imperial grandsons! The thought had just arisen when he suppressed it again. The imperial grandsons were too young; even the eldest was only eight. If he could live another twenty years, it might work, but as things stood, a smooth transition of power would be difficult.

But in the end, the words “imperial grandson” had been brought to the Emperor’s mind.

And that was Wei Xiu’s goal: to use the instability of Qi’s succession to allude to the incompetence of Wei’s princes, forcing the Emperor to consider his grandsons.

Passing the throne to a grandson was not unheard of, but if an imperial grandson were to inherit the throne while his uncles were all in their prime, each holding power, they would not be so easy to deal with.

With the matter concluded, Puyang and Wei Xiu took their leave together.

They walked out side by side. Outside the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, the sky was high and the air was clear, making one’s heart feel open and expansive. Puyang sighed softly and said to Wei Xiu, “Father is approachable and very easy to talk to, but I always feel ill at ease in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue.”

No matter how many windows were opened in the great hall, it was inevitably dim, which was indeed oppressive.

Wei Xiu glanced at her but did not speak.

Puyang paid it no mind, and the two of them boarded the carriage to return to the residence.

On the way, Puyang discussed with Wei Xiu how the Emperor might proceed. If all went as expected, he would certainly have the Prince of Yuzhang complete his mission. However, to help him do so, it was not necessarily required to marry a princess to him. The Qi envoy had come to the capital to request Wei’s support to intimidate Song into retreat; the marriage proposal was secondary. If the former was achieved, the latter was negotiable.

Wei Xiu remained largely silent, only answering with a word or two on crucial points. Her attitude was very cold.

Even someone as slow as Puyang could see that Wei Xiu had no desire to speak with her much.

She grew anxious, glancing at Wei Xiu from time to time, and her words gradually trailed off. Wei Xiu remained as still as a mountain; if Puyang wasn’t speaking to her, she was happy to enjoy the quiet.

Upon arriving at the residence, they happened to see someone at the main gate presenting a calling card. The man was dressed in the official robes of Qi, clearly a minister who had accompanied the Qi envoy to the capital.

Since he was a minister of Qi, there was no need to guess who the calling card was from.

Wei Xiu merely glanced over before having her attendant push her into the residence.

The minister had sharp eyes. He spotted Puyang and immediately came forward to pay his respects. Puyang’s mind was entirely on Wei Xiu and she was about to chase after her, but she was blocked. Given the other party’s status, she couldn’t just brush him off and leave, so she had no choice but to stay and deal with him.

Wei Xiu entered the residence. She looked back and saw that there was no one behind her; the princess had not followed. Her eyes darkened. She turned her head back, looked straight ahead, and tried her utmost to remain unmoved.

It was quite a distance from the main gate to the small courtyard. She had traveled this path many times, but today it seemed exceptionally long, so long it felt as if it had no end.

Puyang finally extricated herself from the Qi minister and hurried to catch up. Now that she was in her own residence, she didn’t need to be so formal. Puyang walked to Wei Xiu’s side, peered at Wei Xiu’s calm expression, and tried to guess, with great unease, whether she was pleased or angry. She thought for a moment, then tentatively asked with a smile, “Sir, why didn’t you wait for me?”

She had expected a cold, perfunctory reply. Instead, Wei Xiu had her attendant stop the wheelchair. Puyang also stopped, standing beside her and watching her carefully.

Wei Xiu looked at the bushes by the path, which had already lost all their green leaves, and slowly began to speak: “A drizzling rain falls on the river, the river grasses of Qi grow lush. The Six Dynasties are like a dream, only the birds cry in vain. The most heartless are the willows of Taicheng, still shrouding the ten-li embankment in mist.”

The first snow of winter had not yet arrived, but the desolation of the garden was already apparent. As far as the eye could see, the plants were withered, a vast expanse of bleak, dry yellow, not at all different from the misty scene in Wei Xiu’s poem.

Puyang was bewildered. Wei Xiu looked at her expression and gave a faint smile. “Jiangnan, a fine place.”

After saying this, before Puyang could react, she had her attendant push her wheelchair away.

Puyang was stunned for a moment, then she understood. First came disbelief, then dawning realization, followed by an irrepressible joy. She quickly hurried after her.

Seeing her follow, Wei Xiu did not feel relieved, but rather more uneasy.

Her unease was not about the princess’s attitude, but about her own heart.

Why was she angry? If the princess’s affections had truly shifted, wouldn’t that be for the better? No, that wasn’t right. If the princess’s heart turned to another, her loyalties would be divided. If that person’s words conflicted with her own, the princess might not obey her every word as she did now.

At this possibility, Wei Xiu’s heart sank into an abyss. Even if it wasn’t the Prince of Yuzhang, it would be someone else. Her Highness never lacked for admirers.

“Sir.” Puyang caught up, full of joy. She looked at Wei Xiu with a teasing smile. “Are you jealous?”

The word “jealous” was like a prompt, awakening Wei Xiu’s heart to its own state. Realizing she had let her emotions control her to this extent, she lowered her gaze slightly and said with a smile, “Your Highness is overthinking things.”

She shouldn’t place the princess in her heart. She had nothing to begin with, so she shouldn’t delude herself into hoping to gain anything. She shouldn’t have allowed the princess to enter her heart, letting her dictate her joy and her sorrow.

She was clearly smiling, but there was no mirth in her eyes, which were as calm as the still surface of a lake. Puyang’s smile also froze. The small courtyard was just ahead. She glanced in that direction and said no more. Instead, she took over from the servant and began pushing Wei Xiu’s wheelchair herself.

It was a considerate gesture, but at this moment, it pierced Wei Xiu’s heart like a sharp thorn.

She had always been conscious of her inability to walk, but never had she felt as humiliated as she did at this moment.