Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 97

Since the beginning of summer, the Prince of Jin had been frequently entering and leaving the palace.

When Xiao Dewen ascended the throne, Consort Shu and the other concubines of the late Emperor were all promoted to the rank of Dowager Consort. Concubines with sons were originally allowed to leave the palace and live with their sons. However, at the beginning of his reign, Xiao Dewen, fearing that the Prince of Jin and others harbored ill intentions, kept the consorts within the forbidden palace. He claimed it was to support the Dowager Consorts and fulfill his filial duty, but in reality, he was using them as hostages to intimidate the various princes.

At that time, the Prince of Jin was greatly displeased and submitted memorials for days on end, demanding to bring Dowager Consort Shu into his princely residence. Xiao Dewen sealed and returned all the memorials, refusing to release her. The two nearly reached the point of becoming sworn enemies. Yet, a few months later, they were surprisingly able to sit down together, talking and laughing peacefully.

The court was full of shrewd individuals. While they found it strange, they also knew that these two had come together merely out of a pursuit of profit. Xiao Dewen relied on the late Emperor’s legacy, controlling the Feathered Forest Guard and the Tiger Warriors, and was securely established within the inner palace. The Prince of Jin had contacted a group of old clans to support him at court, but he had no troops under his command. Xiao Dewen wanted to rely on the ministers under the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Jin wanted to borrow the power of the Feathered Forest and Tiger Warriors. The two hit it off immediately, completely setting aside their previous grievances.

The new monarch loved luxury. The furnishings in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue had been mostly replaced, changing from the simple and vigorous style of the late Emperor’s time to something quite delicate and ostentatious.

The Prince of Jin lacked the late Emperor’s grand talent and strategic vision, but his aesthetic tastes were quite similar. Upon entering the hall and seeing its perfumed, effeminate atmosphere, he frowned.

But this displeasure was quickly suppressed by the Prince of Jin. How the hall was decorated was merely a minor detail. After he replaced Xiao Dewen, he could naturally have it renovated again.

A flash of contempt crossed the Prince of Jin’s eyes. He raised a hand to adjust his jinxian cap and then strode inside.

Xiao Dewen had been waiting in the hall for a long time. His current routine was much the same as when he was the Imperial Grandson, still focused mainly on his studies. Puyang had not replaced the imperial tutors; the ones teaching his lessons were still the same great Confucian scholars the late Emperor had chosen for him.

At this hour, he should have been in the Lindian Hall listening to the imperial tutors’ lessons, but in fact, he had not attended the great scholars’ teachings for a long time. The court was quite dissatisfied with this, believing the emperor to be lazy and willful.

Xiao Dewen paid it no mind at all. Even if he studied with an open mind, the ministers would not praise him. As long as the Grand Princess was present, the ministers would not dare to flatter him.

The Prince of Jin walked into the hall and bowed respectfully. “This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty.”

Xiao Dewen was seated cross-legged in a round-backed chair. He gave a reserved smile, looking down at the top of the Prince of Jin’s head from his high position, and said leisurely, “Uncle, you may dispense with the ceremony.”

The Prince of Jin did not rise immediately. Instead, he said, “I thank Your Majesty,” before straightening up.

Xiao Dewen nodded to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch understood, fetched a square cushion, and placed it on the floor in front of the Prince of Jin. The Prince of Jin straightened the hem of his robes and sat on the floor.

Xiao Dewen was very satisfied with the Prince of Jin’s deference. He felt that if the Prince of Jin could always be like this, for the sake of them both being of the Xiao family, he could let bygones be bygones. After the matter was settled, he could even spare the Prince of Jin’s life. As for holding power, the prince shouldn’t even think about it. The power of the court should rightfully be in the emperor’s hands.

After becoming emperor, although he had yet to achieve any great accomplishments or draft many edicts, the attitude of those in the palace toward him had changed dramatically. The honor and disgrace of the palace servants were tied to the emperor, so they dared not be disrespectful to Xiao Dewen. Because of this, Xiao Dewen had grown increasingly proud and arrogant.

“Uncle, have you come here with something to report?” Xiao Dewen asked.

The Prince of Jin replied, “It is not enough for Your Majesty to be secure within the palace. You must also pay attention to the defenses outside the palace.” He asked with confusion, “The Capital Commandant is also a loyal subject left to Your Majesty by the late Emperor. Why have I not seen him come to pay his respects to Your Majesty?”

The Prince of Jin’s goal was to control the three military forces in the capital through Xiao Dewen. He had already made contact with the Tiger Warriors and the Feathered Forest Guard, but he had been unable to establish a connection with the Gold Guard. This made him feel quite uneasy.

Xiao Dewen showed a flash of annoyance, but he quickly concealed it and said in a cold voice, “What kind of loyal subject is the Capital Commandant!”

The Prince of Jin frowned slightly. “Could it be that Your Majesty has not summoned Jiao Yong?”

“I have summoned him, and he came as ordered. But he was always evasive, his attitude extremely perfunctory. I had no desire to see him, so I had him withdraw,” Xiao Dewen said nonchalantly. In reality, he had tried to win the Capital Commandant over in every possible way, but Jiao Yong remained unmoved, forcing him to give up.

Although the Gold Guard did not enter the imperial city, it commanded the left and right battalions, which patrolled the capital to maintain order. Outside the imperial palace, the entire capital city was under the jurisdiction of the Gold Guard. If they were not brought into his fold, it would be very easy for unforeseen variables to arise.

The Prince of Jin felt a little uneasy. He glanced at Xiao Dewen, suppressed his impatience, and said in a gentle voice, “The Tiger Warriors, the Feathered Forest Guard, and the Gold Guard—these three were loyal subjects chosen for Your Majesty by the late Emperor. How could the Capital Commandant not obey Your Majesty’s command?”

“Isn’t Uncle asking the obvious? With the Grand Princess in the court, my commands are like waste paper. She can even win over the Chancellor, let alone a mere Gold Guard.” Xiao Dewen was half defending himself, half indignant. “A hen crowing at dawn, hmph!”

The Prince of Jin mused, “That’s not right. Puyang has not yet won over the Gold Guard…” He saw more than Xiao Dewen did; he was generally clear on the movements within the court.

Xiao Dewen said impatiently, “The Gold Guard is outside the palace; they have no authority within the forbidden city. The Feathered Forest and Tiger Warriors are enough for us! Uncle, find a way to lure her into the palace, and I will arrange an ambush to kill her. Once the person is dead, the lamp is extinguished. With her dead, no one will be able to stop me from presiding over the court!”

As Xiao Dewen spoke, a treacherous smile appeared on his face. He felt it was very simple. The only difficult part was that Puyang was cautious by nature and heavily guarded. Luring her into the palace would not be easy.

When Xiao Dewen mentioned this difficulty, the Prince of Jin laughed and said, “What’s so difficult about that? Your Majesty can simply summon her directly. She wouldn’t dare refuse to come.” Puyang had not yet had a complete falling out with the emperor, so how could she openly defy an imperial edict? To get her into the palace, a single edict would suffice.

Xiao Dewen was not entirely ignorant. Hearing him propose such a plan, he immediately said, “If we do that, wouldn’t it be telling the world that I killed her? She is the regent minister, entrusted by the late Emperor to assist me. I have been on the throne for less than half a year, how can I kill her? This would be a clear defiance of the late Emperor’s final command. What would the people of the realm think of me?”

This was precisely the Prince of Jin’s idea. He had intended to use the emperor’s hand to kill Puyang, and then, on the grounds that the emperor lacked virtue, depose him. Afterward, the great clans would naturally take the lead and enthrone him as the new emperor.

“As long as she dies in the imperial palace, it will be inextricably linked to Your Majesty. Once Puyang is executed, all power in the court will belong to Your Majesty. At that time, who would dare to speak insolently? As for what the people of the realm will think, how would they know of matters within the palace? It all depends on Your Majesty’s will,” the Prince of Jin began to persuade.

Xiao Dewen already did not trust him very much. Hearing him persuade so forcefully, his suspicion grew even stronger. “I cannot bear the crime of killing a regent minister. Uncle, please devise another method.”

During this period, Xiao Dewen had always believed whatever he said. Yet at this most critical juncture, he had suddenly become shrewd. The Prince of Jin was greatly angered, but he could not continue to persuade. If he did, he feared Xiao Dewen would become suspicious of him.

The Prince of Jin felt that a puppet emperor like Xiao Dewen should believe whatever he was told, take the blame in the end, obediently give up the throne, and then resign himself to death. Now he actually dared to disobey! A trace of anger appeared between the Prince of Jin’s brows.

He managed to suppress his anger with great difficulty and forced a smile. “Since Your Majesty deems this improper, then let us forget it. This subject will go and think of another way. However, where to place the ambush, when to strike, and what signal to use all require detailed rehearsal. Every move Your Majesty makes is under scrutiny, so it might be inconvenient. It would be better to authorize this subject. I am willing to serve Your Majesty!”

Xiao Dewen subconsciously wanted to refuse. The stability of the palace was the foundation of his security, and he did not want the Prince of Jin to have too much contact with the Feathered Forest and Tiger Warriors. But a brilliant idea suddenly came to his mind, and he immediately smiled, “In that case, I will have to trouble you, Uncle.”

The Prince of Jin breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had come with two objectives; one had been rejected, but at least the other could be achieved. It was not a wasted trip.

After sitting for a while longer, the Prince of Jin rose to take his leave.

Xiao Dewen’s smile was exceptionally gentle, and his tone even more polite. “If you have matters to attend to, Uncle, please go and be busy. As for my Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, when could you not come if you wished?”

The Prince of Jin gave a slight smile, turned, and left.

Xiao Dewen watched his back, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. If the Prince of Jin hadn’t just inspired him, he would not have thought of it. He had been worried that after eliminating the Grand Princess, the Prince of Jin would end up rising to prominence. At that point, with no one to restrain him, he would still be nothing more than an emperor in name only.

This was perfect. After the Prince of Jin lured the Grand Princess into the palace and had her killed, he would push all the blame onto the Prince of Jin. Then, under the pretext of avenging his aunt, he would kill the Prince of Jin. Only then could he truly rest easy!

As for the Feathered Forest and Tiger Warriors, the two Middle Generals answered only to him. What harm was there in letting the Prince of Jin have contact with them for now? It would even lower his guard—nothing could be better!

It was not just them; all parties in the capital were making intensive preparations. Any scholar with a bit of insight could see that the Great Wei would soon face a calamity. The skies over Luoyang were about to change!

The morning had been clear and boundless, but after noon, countless dark clouds surged in from all directions, packing the entire sky tightly. A great downpour was imminent. Pedestrians on the street scattered, seeking shelter, hoping to get home before the heavy rain began.

Wei Xiu emerged from the Wei residence. Behind him, Grand Tutor Wei was personally seeing his guest out.

In the space of a morning, Wei Xiu and the Grand Tutor had reached an agreement and exchanged tokens. When the time came, the Black Armored Army would enter the capital in the name of serving the sovereign, to lend their strength to the Grand Princess!

Grand Tutor Wei looked up at the sky and tried to detain him, “A storm is coming. Why don’t you stay a little longer, Prince Consort?”

Wei Xiu politely declined, “It is no matter. Her Highness is still waiting at the residence for the Grand Tutor’s reply. The sooner I return, the sooner Her Highness can be at ease.”

Grand Tutor Wei smiled and did not insist further. He took an oiled-paper umbrella from a servant and personally handed it to Wei Xiu, saying, “In that case, please take this, Prince Consort, just in case.”

Wei Xiu accepted it gladly, then asked the Grand Tutor to go no further, before boarding the carriage and departing.

Muffled thunder rumbled in the distance.

The charioteer continuously cracked the whip, speeding up.

There was some distance between the Grand Tutor’s residence and the Grand Princess’s residence. Midway through the journey, the torrential rain came pouring down, drenching the entire party.

Upon returning to the residence, Wei Xiu ordered someone to prepare ginger soup and distribute it to the attendants who had gone out with her. She also ordered the household steward to give them some reward money to compensate them for their hardship, before hurrying inside.

Puyang also hurried out. Seeing that Wei Xiu was soaked, she quickly ordered hot water to be prepared.

The two returned to the bedchamber. Puyang took a cloth to wipe the water droplets from Wei Xiu’s face and neck. Wei Xiu took the Grand Tutor’s handwritten letter from her bosom and handed it to her, saying, “It is settled. Your Highness should try contacting those other two parties again. If the two Middle Generals are obstinately bent on supporting the young emperor, we will have no choice but to resort to this last measure.”

Bringing troops into the capital was not a good plan, but the situation was growing more urgent by the day. Neither Xiao Dewen nor the Prince of Jin were patient men. It was necessary to act before them and not let them get the upper hand.

Wei Xiu’s clothes were soaked through, but the handwritten letter was dry, still holding the residual warmth from her bosom when taken in hand. Puyang took it but did not open it immediately. Instead, she set it aside, removed Wei Xiu’s hair crown, and began to dry her hair.