Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Emperor Xingwu remembered his daughter’s birthday and the ages of the sons from several meritorious families, but he had no leisure to keep track of their exact birth dates.

However, on the morning of July 23rd, after the morning court session, while having a meal together, his daughter told him she needed to take leave that morning to visit Yan Zhenzhen. Emperor Xingwu suddenly recalled: "Is it Zhenzhen’s birthday today?"

In previous years, his daughter would also leave the palace to go to the Left Chancellor’s residence to deliver gifts and celebrate her friend’s birthday.

Seeing his daughter nod, Emperor Xingwu pondered as he ate, occasionally glancing at the little princess sitting across from him.

Time had flown so fast—in the blink of an eye, the little girls had grown into young ladies. He had already selected a potential imperial son-in-law for his daughter—the prime candidate from the Left Chancellor’s family. Had the officials outside already set their sights on him?

After his afternoon nap, Emperor Xingwu went to the imperial garden and sent someone to invite Noble Consort Yan and Consort Li.

Noble Consort Yan was not surprised to hear the emperor wished to see her. Over the years, although the emperor had favored Consort Li exclusively, he had never neglected the respect due to her. Elegant activities such as flower viewing, boating, and listening to opera always included both her and Consort Li. Sometimes, he would summon her alone to discuss palace affairs.

After a quick tidy-up, Noble Consort Yan set out with one palace maid. Just outside her door, she met Consort Li, who had come to join her, and the two imperial consorts walked side by side to the imperial garden.

Emperor Xingwu sat in the waterside pavilion. The lotus flowers by the lake had withered, leaving only patches of green lotus leaves with yellowing edges. The sky was blue, the water clear, and a cool breeze blew gently—quite pleasant.

Noticing the emperor was in good spirits, the two imperial consorts relaxed considerably. They entered, paid their respects, and took their seats on the chairs prepared for them beside Emperor Xingwu.

Emperor Xingwu spoke in a casual, conversational tone: "Liner has gone to celebrate Zhenzhen’s birthday and hasn’t returned yet. Did you both send gifts to Zhenzhen?"

Yan Zhenzhen was Noble Consort Yan’s niece, so she had certainly prepared a gift. Consort Li, loving the crow for the sake of the rook, had also sent one.

Emperor Xingwu sighed emotionally: "Fourteen years old already—all grown into young ladies."

Consort Li’s heart tightened, fearing the emperor’s next words would be about betrothing her daughter to a young man neither she nor her daughter knew well.

Noble Consort Yan’s heart also tensed, already guessing that the emperor intended to betroth her niece, Yan Zhenzhen.

Under the nervous and inquisitive gazes of the two imperial consorts, Emperor Xingwu smiled and said: "Zhenzhen is innocent and lively, and the third prince is pure-hearted and kind. I think they suit each other quite well. What do you think?"

Consort Li was stunned—this wasn’t about betrothing her daughter, but her son?

After her surprise, Consort Li glanced guiltily at Noble Consort Yan. She also thought Zhenzhen was beautiful and adorable, with an impeccable family background. The problem was, the third prince was lazy and indolent—would Noble Consort Yan and the Left Chancellor even consider him acceptable?

Noble Consort Yan also wore a surprised expression, but her mind was racing, pondering the deeper implications behind the emperor’s proposal.

She was the Noble Consort, with a father who served as Left Chancellor. In earlier years, she had feared the emperor might suspect her of scheming to support the second prince as crown prince, so she had been cautious in every word and action. After the eldest prince was made crown prince, she had relaxed somewhat, though a small part of her still worried the crown prince might suspect the second prince because of the Yan family.

So, was the emperor betrothing Zhenzhen to the third prince to weaken the Yan family’s potential support for the second prince? At the same time, if the Yan family gave up thoughts of supporting other princes, the crown prince could also relax. After all, the third prince seemed content to stay out of trouble—he wouldn’t compete for the throne himself, nor would he help his second brother contend against the eldest.

Emperor Xingwu looked back and forth between the two imperial consorts and said: "Don’t overthink it. I just happen to like Zhenzhen."

Noble Consort Yan hurriedly replied: "It is Zhenzhen’s great fortune to have earned Your Majesty’s favor. As long as Consort Li does not disdain Zhenzhen, I am willing to accept on her behalf."

How could Consort Li possibly disdain such an offer? It felt like a stroke of luck from heaven!

These were the reactions Emperor Xingwu had expected. He said leisurely: "No rush. Matters of marriage should be decided by the parents. First, consult the Left Chancellor and Wenxuan’s opinions."

Yan Wenxuan was Noble Consort Yan’s younger brother and Yan Zhenzhen’s father. At thirty-five, he currently served as Left Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, holding the Senior Fifth Rank. Yan Xizheng also had two sons by concubines, both serving as local officials, their ranks perpetually hovering around the sixth or seventh grade.

Emperor Xingwu had once approached Minister of Personnel Yang Zhimin, asking him to promote the three Yan brothers. Yang Zhimin had smiled bitterly and said he had long wanted to promote them, but every time he brought it up, the Left Chancellor would scold him, because the Left Chancellor felt his sons were of average talent and only suited for their current positions.

Since Yan Xizheng’s words were not entirely modest, Emperor Xingwu did not interfere further, allowing Yan Xizheng to maintain his image as a virtuous minister.

The next day, Noble Consort Yan invited her father and brother to Changchun Palace.

Yan Wenxuan, accustomed to leaving major and minor family decisions to his father, said he would follow whatever his father decided.

Yan Xizheng stroked his beard. The faces of Emperor Xingwu and the little princess alternated in his mind, but after much thought, he could only agree—after all, it was the emperor’s wish. As for the third prince, the less ambitious he was, the more stable he would be, and there was no fear of him bringing harm to his granddaughter.

Once they had privately reached an agreement, during the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, Emperor Xingwu happily announced the betrothal. The wedding date would be set after both came of age—the third prince at twenty, and Zhenzhen at fifteen.

Qin Ren, who had just picked up a dish to eat, froze. He looked at his father, then at the Left Chancellor seated beside his eldest and second brothers.

Yan Xizheng did not look at him but left his seat to thank Emperor Xingwu for his grace.

Emperor Xingwu glared at his foolish, lazy, yet fortunate third son.

Though still dazed, Qin Ren knew his manners. He put down his chopsticks and hurried to express his gratitude as well.

Emperor Xingwu waved his hand. After the old and young had returned to their seats, Emperor Xingwu raised his wine cup. His gaze swept over the officials below before settling on the Duke of Wei, Zhang Jie. Noticing Zhang Jie’s returning glance, Emperor Xingwu made a toast gesture toward him and smiled.

Zhang Jie: "..."

.

Having settled the third prince’s marriage, Emperor Xingwu was in a good mood for a while. In mid-September, the little imperial grandson Zheng Geer celebrated his third birthday, which delighted Emperor Xingwu even more. He had Zheng Geer nap in his quarters, and after the child woke, Emperor Xingwu took the little one to the imperial garden to play. He had done the same with his daughter in the past, but now that she was grown—busy with studies, martial practice, and outings—she had less time to cling to him.

While holding Zheng Geer by the pond to look at the fish, Emperor Xingwu said nostalgically: "Your little aunt began studying at Chongwen Pavilion when she was three. Zheng Geer, you’re three now too. How about going to Chongwen Pavilion tomorrow to study with your little aunt?"

Zheng Geer knew he should obey his imperial grandfather and nodded obediently.

Emperor Xingwu patted his grandson’s head fondly and instructed the nursemaid waiting nearby to inform the crown prince and crown princess to send the little imperial grandson to Chongwen Pavilion at 9–11 a.m. the next morning for a trial study session of half an hour.

The nursemaid respectfully agreed.

Remembering his daughter at three years old, Emperor Xingwu went to Jiuhua Palace at dusk. Seeing his daughter run out from the study to welcome him, Emperor Xingwu smiled: "Reading again?"

Qingyang shook her head and asked her father to guess what she had been doing.

Emperor Xingwu guessed a few things but didn’t get it right. He followed his daughter to the study, where he saw several messy sheets of paper on the desk. Each was densely covered with writing, interspersed with corrections. Emperor Xingwu picked one up to look and was stunned—his daughter had been calculating the provisions and military funds Deng Chong would need for his campaign against Biao State.

Qingyang handed her clearest sheet to her father: "About 50,000 shi of provisions per month, right?"

Emperor Xingwu planned to issue the order for Deng Chong to march next month. The provisions and funds had long been estimated. He praised: "Just about. My Liner is becoming more and more impressive."

Qingyang asked her father to sit while she sat beside him, more concerned about whether the campaign would go smoothly: "Over the two hundred years of the previous dynasty, we were sometimes at war, sometimes at peace with Biao State. But regardless of victory or defeat, we always lost ten to twenty percent of our troops to Biao’s miasma. Deng Chong has never lost a battle in the Central Plains, but he has never set foot in Biao State. Aren’t you afraid he might fail in this campaign, Father?"

Hearing this, Emperor Xingwu glanced at a nearby bookshelf, which held a neatly arranged set of newly compiled historical records from the previous dynasty.

Emperor Xingwu pointed at those records and asked: "Liner, have you read all of these?"

Qingyang: "I started with the parts about the wars with Biao State. You must have read them too, Father?"

Emperor Xingwu sighed: "When would I have had the time to read them?"

Qingyang: "...And you still have the leisure to tease me when you’re about to send troops."

Unable to fool his daughter, Emperor Xingwu laughed again. He reassured her: "Deputy Commander Geng Yue of Yunzhou is also a veteran general from the previous dynasty. He has led two campaigns against Biao State. This time, he is overseeing the route, timing, and logistics for the campaign. With him in charge, Deng Chong only needs to focus on fighting. Moreover, I will tell Deng Chong that as long as this campaign forces Biao State to seek peace and surrender, it will be a great victory. There’s no need to prolong the battle. Several previous dynasties were unable to govern Biao Territory—it’s of no use to us. It’s enough to intimidate them so they don’t dare invade again."

Great Qi would not proactively attack Biao State, but if Biao State thought Great Qi was easy to bully and repeatedly provoked them, then Great Qi must send troops to assert its might.

Qingyang both resented Biao State’s past invasions and worried about Great Qi’s soldiers and military funds. Her father had founded the dynasty fifteen years ago. The first four years were spent unifying the realm, and the state treasury had been depleted by war. After unification, land taxes were reduced to allow localities to recover, and the treasury barely broke even. Add to that the expenses of building the Great Wall, constructing warships, digging canals, and most importantly, military pay—the treasury had only recently managed to save some silver. If this campaign went smoothly, the total cost would be around 1.8 million taels. If it didn’t go smoothly...

Qingyang didn’t want to think further.

Emperor Xingwu patted his daughter’s shoulder and said with unwavering confidence: "Don’t be afraid. Your father is here. Remember, Liner, some battles must be fought no matter how difficult. I have prepared everything that needs to be prepared. The rest is up to the soldiers. If one battle isn’t enough, we can sharpen our weapons and prepare for a second. As long as our national strength allows and we have capable generals and troops, we need not fear fighting anyone."

Qingyang looked into her father's calm and profound eyes, and her heart, which had been uneasy due to the approaching war, gradually settled down.

.

Yunzhou.

In early October, before Emperor Xingwu's edict to dispatch troops arrived, Zhang Su first received the third letter sent by the Third Prince this year.

The letter was written by the Third Prince after the Mid-Autumn Festival. He first recounted his shock at being betrothed by the emperor and the teasing from the little princess, then lamented how everyone had grown up, speculating that the Duke and his wife would also arrange a marriage for Zhang Su upon his return to the capital, wondering what kind of girl Zhang Su would marry, and so on.

Later in the letter, the Third Prince expressed his concerns about the upcoming campaign against the Biao and explained the origin of that large bag of unassuming sachets: they were prepared by the little princess, blended with herbs such as mugwort, angelica, and calamus to ward off miasma.

Zhang Su opened the bag and counted; inside were fifty palm-sized sachets. The letter instructed him to change and wear one every three days.

In truth, the military camp had already issued similar sachets to every soldier, though not in such quantity. The commanders naturally had enough, and his mother and sister-in-law had also prepared many sachets for him and his elder brother—so many that the brothers had even distributed the previously allotted ones to others.

Still, Zhang Su took out one sachet and held it before him, taking a long, deep breath of its scent.