Chapter 79

Chapter 79

After ascending the throne, Emperor Xingwu decreed that the commanders of the seven border prefectures must return to the capital every three years to report on their duties.

These seven commanders were all distinguished generals, renowned for their military achievements and deeply trusted by Emperor Xingwu. Whenever they returned to the capital, the emperor would host a grand banquet, enjoying drinks and entertainment while listening to their reports. This year was no exception, and the accompanying guests were exclusively high-ranking military officials such as Prince Yong, Deng Chong, and Lü Zan—not a single civil official was present.

This year’s debriefing banquet was scheduled for the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month.

In addition to the military officials, Emperor Xingwu summoned his three princes and all legitimate sons over sixteen from the generals’ families. Of course, he did not forget the Little Princess, who particularly enjoyed such gatherings.

The banquet was held in the Taiji Hall. When Emperor Xingwu arrived with his four children, the military officials and young nobles were already assembled, bowing in unison to greet the Emperor and the four Royal Highnesses.

Emperor Xingwu smiled and bade everyone be seated.

Qingyang sat to the emperor’s lower right, next to her third brother, positioned on the outer side.

The nearly thirteen-year-old Little Princess, when standing, was already as tall as the eldest princess had been at seventeen during her first court banquet. Though her slender figure had not yet developed graceful curves, her presence was radiant like the moon, with skin like jade and an ethereal elegance. The moment she entered the hall with Emperor Xingwu, several young nobles could not help but steal lingering glances.

Seated high on the dragon throne, Emperor Xingwu clearly observed the generals’ composure and the young men’s involuntary attention. Yet his Little Princess had accompanied him to court since the age of three and had even visited the Liangzhou battlefield. Since his daughter paid no mind to such gazes, Emperor Xingwu was not angered. With such beauty, it would be strange if young men felt nothing. Admiration was acceptable—disrespect was not.

"Let the feast begin."

As He Yuanjing announced the start of the meal, palace servants streamed in, carrying exquisite delicacies and fine wines.

After a round of lively greetings and toasts, Emperor Xingwu took a light sip of wine and asked Meng Ji, the Commander of Liangzhou, to deliver his report on the past three years, followed by Chen Chong, Commander of Jinzhou, Guo Yanqing, Commander of Jizhou, and Zhang Jie, Commander of Liaozhou.

Only three years had passed since Emperor Xingwu’s last northern inspection, and the military affairs and border defenses of the four northern provinces had remained largely stable. Only Jizhou and Liaozhou had experienced minor skirmishes with the East Hu.

Next came Li Yu, Marquis of Jining and Commander of Qingzhou.

Qingyang was familiar with the commanders of the four northern provinces, having spent time with them. However, she had only seen the commanders of Qingzhou, Fuzhou, and Yunzhou briefly, once every three years, at these debriefing banquets. As a child, her memories of their faces were not strong, and after three years apart, she would almost forget them. So today, she took the opportunity to scrutinize each one anew.

Li Yu, Marquis of Jining, was forty-nine this year. Among the generals, he was the shortest—only about seven feet five inches tall—but also the stoutest. Even before eating much, his belly strained the seams of his purple official robe, making it appear round. While this was not obvious when he stood among the others, it became strikingly evident when he stood alone in the center of the hall. Deng Chong immediately teased, "Li Yu, have you been neglecting your troops? How did you get so fat?"

Li Yu scoffed at him, then clasped his hands and said to Emperor Xingwu, "Your Majesty, please understand. I did not mean to be idle, but Your Majesty’s divine rule has brought peace to the land. In recent years, with no battles to fight, idleness led to weight gain."

Deng Chong said, "We’ve all been idle. Why haven’t we gained weight?"

Li Yu replied, "Every family has different constitutions. The Li family has always been prone to plumpness. Someone as thin as I was in my youth is rare."

Qingyang smiled and glanced at the three Li brothers seated at the back of the hall. Indeed, each had a round face, especially the third young master, Li Fuyuan, who, like her third brother, had been idle yet sharp-witted since childhood.

Emperor Xingwu joked, "So you’re saying you gained weight because I didn’t give you any wars to fight?"

Li Yu said, "Yes, but I would rather have no wars and gladly witness Your Majesty’s benevolence benefiting the world, protecting the people and ensuring peace year after year."

It was a flattering, yet pleasing, remark. Emperor Xingwu smiled, asked Li Yu a few more questions, and then allowed him to return to his seat.

Qingyang recalled her father’s assessment of Li Yu: worldly and shrewd, but without major faults.

Next was Peng Ying, Commander of Fuzhou, forty-seven this year.

Among the seven commanders, only Peng Ying was in charge of the navy of Fuzhou and Yangzhou. Originally a renowned naval general of the former Yue Kingdom, during Emperor Xingwu’s campaign against Yue, Peng Ying’s fierce resistance had inflicted heavy losses on the imperial navy and caused the death of a great general. After Yue’s fall, Peng Ying was captured. While Deng Chong and other generals urged execution, Emperor Xingwu overruled them and chose to retain Peng Ying as his own naval commander. Deeply grateful, Peng Ying thereafter pledged unwavering loyalty to Great Qi.

Because he often trained his fleet by the sea, Peng Ying was the most tanned among the commanders. He was broad-shouldered and calm, giving the impression that he could remain composed even in the fiercest storm.

His report was concise yet thorough. Emperor Xingwu approved his proposal to decommission over a hundred outdated warships and build new ones.

After Peng Ying returned to his seat, it was the turn of the last commander—Fu Daonian, Commander of Yunzhou and also the father of the Imperial Son-in-law, Marquis of Zhennan.

Fu Daonian was fifty-seven, the eldest commander present. His temples were slightly gray, but his body was robust, his posture upright, showing no sign of age.

Though now related to Emperor Xingwu by marriage, Fu Daonian did not neglect protocol. He delivered his report with great respect, yet Qingyang could still detect a trace of unease in his demeanor.

Immediately after, Fu Daonian apologized for the repeated invasions by Biao State into southern Yunzhou over the past two years. He had sent troops twice, but both campaigns failed due to extreme heat and torrential rains during the march.

Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "Though you returned empty-handed twice, you did kill eight hundred elite soldiers of Biao State once—that can be seen as balancing merit and fault."

Fu Daonian said shamefully, "Such a minor achievement cannot offset two failed campaigns. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Xingwu said, "Victory and defeat are common in war. If the failures were truly due to adverse weather, I would not blame you. But how is it that I heard you only went through the motions because you accepted a beauty sent by Biao State? And that the eight hundred Biao soldiers you claimed to have killed were actually prisoners deliberately sent by Biao to be reported as your military achievements to appease the court?"

At these words, the military officials, who had been drinking leisurely, dropped their cups in shock and turned to stare at Fu Daonian.

Fu Daonian knelt in panic, raising his head and crying that he was wronged.

Emperor Xingwu sneered and gave a subtle glance to He Yuanjing.

He Yuanjing advanced three steps, withdrew a slender booklet from his sleeve, and unfolded it solemnly. "In the summer of the tenth year of Xingwu," he declared, "Yunzhou Commander Fu Daonian was commissioned by imperial decree to lead thirty thousand troops in an expedition against Biao State. On the nineteenth day of the sixth month, while traversing Sili Village within Biao territory, his forces seized a woman of unparalleled beauty..."

As He Yuanjing read out the woman’s height, appearance, and other characteristics, and detailed how she had persuaded Fu Daonian to withdraw his troops—including her identity as the daughter of a concubine of Biao State’s prime minister, all backed by evidence—Fu Daonian finally stopped protesting his innocence.

Emperor Xingwu raised his hand, signaling He Yuanjing to stop. Looking at Fu Daonian kneeling in the hall, he said, "In recognition of your past merits in following me to conquer Chu, Xiang, and Yue, and your years of dedicated border defense—only recently have you been deceived by Biao State’s honey trap and lied to me—and since no major disaster has occurred, if you confess honestly, I will spare your life. Otherwise..."

"Your Majesty, I am guilty! I was foolish!"

Realizing Emperor Xingwu had solid evidence, Fu Daonian dared not lie further. He kowtowed repeatedly, repenting and admitting that because Biao State was poor, he had gained little from previous campaigns and had wasted military resources. Thus, he had been momentarily bewitched by the beauty. However, he swore he had no intention of betraying the emperor or the court and remained loyal!

Emperor Xingwu said, "Biao State is indeed poor, and because of their poverty, they covet our central plains. Today, they use seduction to stop your attacks. Tomorrow, they may exploit your indulgence to launch a surprise large-scale invasion. The day after, they could use your fear of guilt to manipulate you into defecting and betraying your country!"

Fu Daonian said, "No! I swear on the lives of my entire clan—I would rather die than betray my country!"

Emperor Xingwu said, "That is only because I discovered it in time. Had you truly defected, causing suffering to the people of Yunzhou, the lives of several generations of your Fu family would not be enough to atone!"

Fu Daonian stiffened, then continued cursing himself, begging the emperor for mercy.

His eldest son, Fu Shu, and second son, Fu Kui, had long crawled to their father’s side, joining in the confession and pleas.

Emperor Xingwu then questioned Fu Shu and his brother. Fu Shu knew of his father’s mistake but had been unable to dissuade him, while Fu Kui, who lived in the capital, had been completely unaware.

In the end, Emperor Xingwu dismissed Fu Daonian from his post, stripped him of his title, confiscated his family’s property, and allowed him to return to his hometown to retire. Since Fu Kui was innocent, he was only demoted and allowed to remain as Imperial Son-in-law.

Soon, Fu Daonian and Fu Shu, weeping in regret, were dragged out by four imperial guards. The devastated Fu Kui, dazed, was about to follow when Emperor Xingwu stopped him, telling him to return to the banquet: "Your father is guilty, but the crime does not extend to you. As long as you conduct yourself properly, you will remain my good son-in-law."

Fu Kui wept and knelt to thank the emperor, kowtowing until his forehead turned red.

Qingyang had no interest in watching the Fu family’s sorrow. She had already turned her attention to the terrified military officials. Zhang Jie, Meng Ji, and others remained calm, while usually bold and straightforward figures like Prince Yong, Deng Chong, and Deng Kun were visibly shaken, stunned as if still recovering from the emperor’s thunderous actions.

Just as Qingyang was observing, a sigh came from the dragon throne: "First Yuan Zhaoxiong plotted rebellion, now Fu Daonian secretly colluded with the enemy—both were my founding generals. How did it come to this? Is it because I have failed in some way, causing my loyal officials to feel wronged?"

As Qingyang looked at her father, she heard the rustling of robes and hurried footsteps. Turning back to the hall, she saw that all the military officials and young nobles who had been seated now knelt neatly in the center. Deng Chong, Prince Yong, and Fan Zhong spoke first in rebuttal, then Guo Yanqing, the second eldest—Jizhou Commander and a surrendered general from the previous dynasty—boomed, "Your Majesty is the Wise Emperor of our time. We are all willing to serve with utmost loyalty. Yuan Zhaoxiong and Fu Daonian, though they had military merits, became arrogant and betrayed Your Majesty and the court. This is their crime, not Your Majesty’s fault. I beg Your Majesty to see clearly!"

Qingzhou Commander Li Yu added, "Indeed, Your Majesty need not grieve over such traitors. We will faithfully fulfill our duties and live up to Your Majesty’s great kindness!"

The officials united in voice: "We will faithfully fulfill our duties and live up to Your Majesty’s great kindness!"

Emperor Xingwu sighed again and said, "All rise. I was merely overcome by emotion. Rest assured, I remember their merits, and I remember each of yours. As long as you do not betray me, I will not suspect you without cause. The people have only enjoyed a few years of peace. I still need your support to defend against external threats and reassure the realm."

The military officials continued to pledge their loyalty: "We seek no glory—only to serve the emperor and repay the nation!"

Emperor Xingwu smiled faintly and looked at the four children.

Qin Hong was thinking about his big sister—now that Fu Kui had lost even his status as a marquis' son, what would she do?

Qin Bing was observing the kneeling military officers, thinking that if any of them were frightened by the emperor’s warning, it must mean they had a guilty conscience!

Qin Ren sighed for Fu Daonian—if only he had done his duty faithfully, he wouldn’t have lost everything, not even his title as a Founding Meritorious Official.

Only Qingyang met her father’s gaze with a smile, proud of the emperor’s dragon majesty!