Chapter 63: The Desire for Stability

Chapter 63: The Desire for Stability

"Your Highness, Xin Cai is crying outside again with the Seventh Princess in her arms."

"Nonsense," scolded Empress Liu in the Phoenix Pavilion, irritated by the glaring sun, "Go, have the nanny bring in the Seventh Princess, let her stand outside." She paused, then added with a sigh of resignation, "Bring them both in."

Aunt Liu promptly obeyed and soon returned, leading Xin Cai and the nanny holding the Seventh Princess into the hall.

As Xin Cai finished her bow and lifted her head, tears welled up in her reddened eyes. "Your Majesty, I am wronged, and so is little Qi..."

"Silence," Empress Liu couldn't bear Xin Cai's weeping and sharply interrupted her, "Sit down and speak properly."

Empress Liu signaled Aunt Liu to assist Xin Cai to a rosewood armchair, then sternly reprimanded the nanny holding the Seventh Princess, "In this scorching heat, bringing the princess outside could cause harm. If she suffers from heatstroke, can you bear the responsibility?"

"I dare not," the nanny quickly knelt to apologize.

Seeing the Seventh Princess's flushed face, Empress Liu felt a surge of pity. The princess was only two by nominal age, but actually just a year and a month old. She suffered due to her mother's foolishness. "If you can't take care of her properly, others will."

Then, turning to Aunt Liu, "Take her and the princess. First, wipe off the princess's sweat, then apply some powder to absorb the moisture."

"As you command," replied Aunt Liu.

Xin Cai, who had hoped to gain sympathy through her daughter, now could only weep silently as she watched her daughter being carried away by the nanny, turning back to the Empress, "Your Majesty..."

"My earlier words were meant for the nanny, but they apply to you as well."

Empress Liu, rarely so stern, said, "Ah Xing, I told you the other day, if you feel wronged or bullied, come to me. If you're in the right, I'll stand by you. But don't involve little Qi; she's too young for such turmoil. You ignored my words as if they were mere wind, not heeding a single one."

"I remember, Your Majesty, but the people in the Si Chai Si are too oppressive." Xin Cai complained. Si Chai Si, a bureau in the palace in charge of grain, firewood, and ice, falls under the Imperial Kitchen. "Since I was demoted, they have been shortchanging and delaying the ice for me and the princess. Today, they even made me wait behind a palace maid."

"Is that really what happened?" Empress Liu doubted Xin Cai's selective narrative. "Which palace maid were you waiting behind?"

"It was Xiang Ru from the Fuhua Palace. Your Majesty, Fuhua Palace doesn't even have a master now. Why do they need so much ice? It's infuriating how the Si Chai Si people indulge them and not provide ice for my palace. You must punish this behavior."

Hearing this, Empress Liu guessed the crux of the matter: demoted Xin Cai was receiving lesser treatment and, along with the opportunistic behavior of the Si Chai Si, felt indignant. "Ah Xing, before the Emperor left the palace, he mentioned conferring Zhu Yan as a concubine, with the ceremony to be held upon his return from the Jiu Ji Mountain Royal Lodge."

"Ah, why her?" Xin Cai was taken aback, forgetting her complaints and tears.

Empress Liu coolly responded, "You ask why her."

"I can't live like this. The Emperor's favoritism knows no bounds."

"Enough. If you really want to cry, do so when the Emperor returns. Cry in front of him," Empress Liu said, seeing Xin Cai about to weep again. "I remember the Emperor saying you look beautiful when you cry, like a pear blossom in the rain. Save your energy for then."

Empress Liu privately thought this kind of beauty was beyond her appreciation, wondering about the Emperor's taste.

"Behave yourself for the next two months. After Zhu Yan's conferment, I will speak to the Emperor on your behalf to restore your title," Empress Liu continued, ignoring the joy in Xin Cai's eyes. "But remember, take good care of little Qi and stay out of trouble."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I'll listen to everything you say," Xin Cai quickly agreed, her tears ceasing.

Such control over her emotions showed Xin Cai's mastery in manipulating through tears.

Empress Liu, no matter how many times she witnessed it, always marveled at this ability and dismissed her, "Return to your palace. I'll send little Qi back after the sun sets."

Xin Cai left joyfully, even forgetting to ask the Empress to punish the Si Chai Si staff, indicating to Empress Liu that Xin Cai was likely at fault.

Aunt Liu returned after sending Xin Cai off, looking concerned. "Your Majesty, aren't you promising too much about Xin Cai's reinstatement?"

Her concern stemmed from the Emperor's unpredictability.

"Don't worry. If not for the monk, then for the Buddha's sake. With Seventh Princess here, and coinciding with Zhu Yan's celebration, the Emperor will be pleased. He'll likely agree to promote a few low-ranking concubines with children," Empress Liu was confident, knowing the Emperor didn't pay much attention to promotions below the second-ranked concubine.

"Your Majesty, the decree to confer Lady Zhu as a concubine hasn't been issued yet. Isn't it too early to announce it?"

"At the lodge, the Emperor already asked Linghu You to think of a title for her. Everyone outside who needs to know is aware. There's no need to hide it in the palace. This time, the Emperor only took Lady Zhu and the Fourth Prince to the lodge. Many in the palace are dissatisfied. It's better they know now, to come to terms with it sooner."

Aunt Liu, seeing her mistress's nonchalance, added anxiously, "Your Majesty, I asked the messenger. Ever since Linghu You let it slip, the wives of the accompanying officials have been sending visiting cards to Lady Zhu, trying to ingratiate themselves with her."

"Why are you so worried? Ayen won't meet with them," Empress Liu assured Aunt Liu, confident in her judgment.

——

The Jiu Ji Mountain Lodge, resembling a Jiangnan garden, is interlaced with five mountain streams, surrounded by water and nestled in a valley. It receives direct sunlight for only two hours at noon, with the sun otherwise blocked by towering mountains. The lush trees on the mountainsides keep the lodge cool.

It's an ideal summer retreat.

The lodge is vast, at least half the size of the Forbidden City, with numerous pavilions and terraces. Initially designed to accommodate the imperial consorts, its vastness became more apparent as Lady Zhu, accompanied by her son Ah Ji, took three days to explore the entire lodge, due to the absence of others.

Upon arriving at the lodge, Lady Zhu realized that the one truly liberated outside the imperial palace was the Emperor Dog. He was rarely seen during the day and occasionally didn't return at night. Even after repeated invitations from Princess Chongyang to visit her residence, he never showed up.

Eventually, the invitations were redirected to Lady Zhu.

So, when the Emperor Dog returned one evening, Lady Zhu mentioned this to him.

"Ignore her. What serious matter could she have? It's all just frivolous enjoyment," the Emperor Dog said indifferently. "I'm tired, haven't closed my eyes in two days." Dismissing the attendants, he embraced Ayen and yawned, leaning on her. "Aren't you going to ask where I've been?"

"If Your Majesty wishes to tell me, you will," replied Lady Zhu, knowing it was pointless to ask if he didn't want to share.

The Emperor Dog, upon hearing this, didn't speak but stared at her with a half-smile. It was only when Zhu Yan pushed his face away that he moved, draping his arm around her neck and lying down on the cool couch, eyes closed. "I heard from Xing En that you've explored the entire lodge?"

Zhu Yan hummed in affirmation. Xing En, who served the Emperor Dog, had been her guide through the lodge. His absence from the Emperor's side led her to speculate that the Emperor must have ventured outside.

"I remember you once told me you could ride horses."

Zhu Yan, surprised, tried to sit up but was pulled closer into the Emperor's embrace. "I remember everything you've said." Opening his eyes, he gently caressed her face, smiling, "Unlike you, who never remembers what I say."

Zhu Yan turned her head away, not engaging in this conversation.

By now, taking things too seriously seemed pointless.

Zhu Yan listened and lowered her eyelids, asking, "Could it be that Your Majesty wishes to take me horseback riding?"

"If you're skilled in riding, not only will I take you horseback riding, but I'll also take you on a long journey. However, it'll take some time. It depends on whether you're willing to leave your son behind."

Zhu Yan was shocked to hear this. A long journey? What was the Emperor Dog planning?

What was the Emperor Dog up to?

Recently, he had been inspecting the horse ranches, situated thirty li from the lodge. At the beginning of his reign, when he ordered the construction of the lodge, he also established a horse ranch nearby. Over five years, with imports from the northwest and breeding efforts, the ranch now boasted a scale of fifty thousand horses.

To fully resolve the frontier troubles, he knew he must reform the military system and rebuild the cavalry, with horses being key.

Since the third year of Emperor Xianhua, when Duke Dingguo led a hundred thousand troops in a battle against the Huihe in Hexi, resulting in a disastrous retreat from Hexi, all hundred thousand soldiers perished, and Duke Dingguo and Marquis Jingbei committed suicide after their defeat.

This battle had shocked both the court and the public.

The four states of Hexi successively fell into the hands of the Uyghurs and nomadic tribes.

Following this conflict, the imperial policy shifted from expansion to defense. Not only did the court lose contact with the Anxi Protectorate, but the Anbei Protectorate also existed in name only, retreating to defend along the Great Wall.

From east to west, the tribes causing disturbances along the northern border were the Eastern Hu, Gaochang, and Uyghurs. In recent years, the Eastern Hu and Gaochang were engaged in constant battles, while the Uyghurs in the west struggled against the nomads, leaving them unable to advance southward or eastward.

Similarly, the imperial court lacked the strength to advance northward or westward.

The founding generals and veteran warriors were withering away, and their descendants became increasingly less capable with each generation. The Deng family was a prime example. After five generations, not a single man was able to wield a sword effectively, leading the empire into a situation of scarce military talent.

In recent years, the empire formed alliances with four other nations, sending annual tributes, silk, and even weapons and armor. The more devastatingly a country lost, the more it received to ensure its continued combat capability, while also deploying spies to sow discord among them.

This strategy was proposed by the then Imperial Secretary Hua Xun after the Hexi campaign, suggesting the ploy of letting the snipe and clam fight while the fisherman reaps the benefits.

At the time, this strategy faced severe opposition. After all, during the reigns of the founding emperor and his successors, Taizong and Gaozong, these barbarian tribes were suppressed and defeated. The court ministers couldn't accept the idea of seeking peace with them, leading to Hua Xun's removal from his position.

Yet, this strategy brought about fifty years of peace for the empire.

These fifty years of peace turned what seemed like a ridiculous strategy at the time into a national policy. No one in the court wanted to start wars anymore, as the goods sent out amounted to less than a tenth of the annual military expenses, thanks to the nation's wealth.

Ultimately, the greatest issue lies in the hearts of the people.

Author's note:

Today's update, kisses~~