Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Regardless of whether Eldest Brother desired to oversee state affairs or Third Brother wished to remain in the capital, Qingyang was overjoyed to accompany her father on the southern tour.

She still remembered the promise Emperor Xingwu had made to her when she was nine—that he would take her to inspect the realm. He had brought her along for the northern tour, and this time, he did not leave her behind either.

What truly surprised Qingyang was that her father had also included her mother, Consort Li, in the entourage.

On the eve of their departure, Qingyang went to Xianfu Palace to check on her mother’s packing. To her surprise, Consort Li was still uneasy about the Emperor’s arrangement: “His Majesty’s southern tour is to inspect local governance. You have the talent to assist him, but what use am I? I’ll only tarnish His Majesty’s reputation by giving the impression that he is bringing his favored imperial consort along for leisure. Why bother?”

Qingyang laughed. “Father has been on the throne for sixteen or seventeen years, and his imperial household consists only of you and Consort Guo. In terms of restraint and avoiding indulgence in women, he stands out even among wise rulers in history. There’s no way a single southern tour would tarnish his reputation. Please put your mind at ease, Mother. Besides, with you by his side to care for him, Father will eat well and sleep soundly, which will keep him energized during the inspection. How is that not your contribution?”

Consort Li was half-convinced by her daughter’s words.

Qingyang pressed on, “Or is it that you’re reluctant to leave Third Brother? Would you rather stay in the capital to spend more time with him and his wife than accompany Father and me?”

Consort Li: “…”

The Emperor worked diligently and tirelessly, and her daughter works just as hard. Either of them deserved her care more than her idle son, let alone both together.

“Alright, alright, stop teasing your mother. I’ll come along.”

“You make it sound as if Father and I are forcing you. Just think of the beautiful scenery in Jiangnan—Father clearly wants to bring you along to enjoy it.”

Consort Li’s cheeks flushed. She wasn’t thinking about having fun; she only wanted to take care of the Emperor’s daily needs. After all, he was fifty-six and not as robust as in his youth.

The next morning, civil and military officials gathered to see off the imperial procession as it departed the capital.

Throughout history, emperors had their own ways of touring the empire. Some focused on governance, while others used the tours as an excuse for sightseeing, ordering the construction of lavish palaces everywhere they went long before their departure, wasting resources and burdening the people.

Emperor Xingwu was clearly not the latter. He hadn’t even issued an edict about the southern tour to the provinces, only informing a group of capital officials before setting off. Scouts were sent ahead to notify local officials to prepare for the imperial arrival. Beyond cleaning up existing government guesthouses and preparing for political inquiries, local officials only needed to provide supplies from official granaries for the three thousand cavalry Emperor Xingwu brought along.

Thus, Emperor Xingwu’s entourage traveled light, carrying only enough provisions for two or three days. If any county’s granary was inadequately stocked or the provisions were of poor quality, it would be the local officials’ dereliction of duty, not the Emperor’s concern—and this was precisely the purpose of his southern tour.

Though called a southern tour, the imperial procession headed east along the Yellow River after leaving the capital, planning to inspect the embankments on both sides of the river before officially turning south upon reaching Jinan Commandery, the administrative seat of Qingzhou.

The imperial procession set off on the fifth day of the third month and arrived at Yingyang City, also part of the capital prefecture, at noon on the seventh. Yingyang was a key eastern stronghold guarding the capital.

The forty-something Prefect Shang Chibai led local officials to wait outside the city gates to welcome the Emperor. They would have preferred to travel farther to greet him, but Emperor Xingwu had explicitly instructed the scouts to tell them to wait there and avoid making a fuss.

Shang Chibai had gathered the best chefs in Yingyang at the official lodgings and prepared a sumptuous feast to entertain Emperor Xingwu and his entourage.

Consort Li adamantly refused to accompany the Emperor in socializing with officials, and Emperor Xingwu did not force her. He brought only Prince Jing, Princess Qingyang, Fan Zhong, Zhang Su, and a few others to the banquet. After eating and drinking his fill, Emperor Xingwu instructed his children: “I am tired. For the next two days, you will inspect Yingyang’s military and governance on my behalf. If there are any oversights, I’ll hold you responsible.”

Both siblings were surprised. During the northern tour, their father had always handled everything personally. Why the change now?

After a brief moment of astonishment, they both accepted the order.

Emperor Xingwu then instructed Fan Zhong to assign a hundred guards each to the siblings.

With his instructions given, Emperor Xingwu went to find Consort Li. Holding her as they rested at noon, he smilingly made plans: “There are three or five good places to visit in Yingyang. Since we’re staying for two days, I’ll take you to see them all.”

Consort Li was terrified and asked anxiously, “Is Your Majesty not going to inspect governance?” Spending two days sightseeing was the behavior of a tyrant!

Emperor Xingwu: “Prince Jing and Lin’er can handle it. I already taught them during the northern tour. This time, I’ll leave the hard work to them and take a good rest.”

Consort Li dared not let him rest: “Prince Jing is fine, but Lin’er has only been serving for a short time. Your Majesty should still oversee such important matters for them.”

Emperor Xingwu: “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Instead, you should stop treating Lin’er like a child.”

Consort Li was undoubtedly a loving mother, but she was overly cautious and humble. She was accustomed to avoiding trouble through endurance, so whenever someone tried to cause trouble for Lin’er, her first instinct was to have Lin’er endure and yield. This would not do. Emperor Xingwu had specifically brought Consort Li along to show her how capable their Lin’er truly was.

.

With their father slacking off, Qin Bing, who had suddenly been tasked with inspecting Yingyang’s military and governance, was at a loss. How was he supposed to inspect? Since childhood, he had dreamed of becoming a great general and was most interested in training troops and warfare. Over the past three years at the Ministry of War, he had focused on military deployments and innovations in weaponry. Now, suddenly arriving in unfamiliar Yingyang, surrounded by unfamiliar officials…

Under Prefect Shang Chibai’s respectful gaze as he awaited instructions, the twenty-four-year-old Qin Bing instinctively looked to his sixteen-year-old sister.

Shang Chibai and the other officials exchanged quick glances before turning their attention to the princess.

Qingyang understood very well that their status as prince or princess only made them technically higher in rank than the local officials, requiring the latter to show outward respect. If the siblings failed to demonstrate competence and earned the officials’ contempt, their inspection would be nothing more than a formality.

This was true not only for local officials but also for those in the capital—otherwise, how could there have been so many instances throughout history of weak rulers dominated by strong ministers?

The weak are bullied, and even an emperor, if unable to control his ministers, would be manipulated by them.

So, seeing that her brother was momentarily at a loss, Qingyang immediately took charge. She directly arranged: “Father will only stay in Yingyang for two days, so time is limited. I will handle civil affairs and will go to the prefectural office this afternoon for inquiries. Second Brother, you will handle military affairs and inspect the Yingyang garrison later. How does that sound?”

With a specific task, especially one involving the military camp he was most eager to manage, Qin Bing naturally knew what to do. He smiled and said, “Good. I’ll come help you after I finish my part.”

Though not particularly interested in civil affairs, Qin Bing understood that local governance—covering fields, household registries, grain and commercial taxes, and even legal cases—was far more complex and tedious than managing a garrison.

The siblings, accompanied by a dozen civil and military officials, left the official lodgings. The two hundred guards selected by Fan Zhong were already waiting outside.

Qingyang said to Zhang Su, “Huai Zhong will accompany me. You go with His Highness.”

Though her brother was skilled in martial arts, he lacked attention to detail and might miss the real issues within the Yingyang garrison.

Just as Qin Bing was about to object, thinking it would be safer for Zhang Su to protect his sister, Zhang Su had already saluted in acknowledgment and stepped to his side.

Seeing his sister instruct Prefect Shang Chibai to lead the way, Qin Bing had no choice but to accept the arrangement. On the way to the Yingyang garrison, he said to Zhang Su, “I’m skilled in martial arts and have a hundred guards protecting me. I don’t need your protection. You’re still as obedient to my sister as you were when we were kids. Aren’t you afraid she’ll be tricked by those sly civil ministers if she’s alone?”

Qin Bing felt that with Zhang Su, the prospective Imperial Son-in-law, standing behind his sister to bolster her confidence, Shang Chibai and the other officials would be more likely to heed her. Just like last year, when she had righteously refuted Yan Xizheng and Nie Ao in the grand hall, it was only because their father and her three imperial brothers were backing her. Otherwise, how could a teenage princess have the audacity to stand up to the whole court?

Zhang Su: “With Her Highness’s wisdom, no one can trick her unless she allows it.”

First, he trusted the princess. Second, even if he had differing opinions, he should not voice them in public and undermine her authority in front of the officials.

Qin Bing did not doubt his sister’s intelligence, but smarts and nerve were two different things—his eldest brother was the perfect example.

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They arrived at the prefectural office.

Shang Chibai had received the news the day before. To prepare for the Emperor’s inspection, he had ordered his staff to work through the night to retrieve and neatly categorize the prefecture’s records of fields, household registries, grain taxes, and other accounts from the past three years.

After the princess alighted from the carriage, Shang Chibai led the way and asked if she would like to review the accounts first. Behind them followed the prefecture’s deputy prefect, scribe, and other officials—a small court in itself, albeit with jurisdiction over a dozen counties in Great Qi instead of the entire realm.

Qingyang: “The accounts can be reviewed tomorrow on the way to and from the embankment inspection. I’d like to tour the prefectural office first.”

Shang Chibai smiled and agreed.

The prefectural office was spacious. As she strolled, Qingyang said, “Yingyang Prefecture oversees thirteen counties. Please brief me on the performance of each county magistrate since their appointments.”

His subordinates’ achievements reflected his own, so Shang Chibai naturally wanted to speak well of all thirteen. However, as soon as he praised the first magistrate, surnamed Li, the princess pointed out one of his mistakes: “Last year, the Dali Temple overturned a wrongful murder conviction. Wasn’t that his misjudgment? I recall the old woman died from an accidental fall, but her younger son falsely accused his sister-in-law of unfilial conduct, claiming she pushed her mother-in-law to death. The so-called witnesses were only the younger son and his father.”

Shang Chibai was startled and hurriedly replied, “Yes, it was him. But he didn’t intentionally wrong the woman. It’s just that she often insulted her mother-in-law, and with a four-year-old child as a witness, who would have thought a child that young could lie? Still, I have sternly reprimanded him…”

Qingyang: “A four-year-old doesn’t lie? It seems Prefect Shang is skilled in raising children, with no mischievous children among your own family who would dare lie, which is why you, like Magistrate Li, so easily believed such a claim.”

Cold sweat immediately beaded on Shang Chibai’s forehead. He no longer dared to defend his subordinate and sincerely admitted their mistake.

Qingyang stopped walking. Seeing that Shang Chibai and the other officials behind him were now tense, she said, “To err is human. His Majesty has never demanded perfection from officials but seeks honesty—rewarding merit and correcting faults. Now, as I act on His Majesty’s behalf to review your administration, I wish to hear the truth about the officials of Yingyang Prefecture. If you only see the magistrates’ successes and not their failures, how can His Majesty trust you to correct their mistakes in time?”

Shang Chibai bowed in shame. “I was too focused on boasting. Your Highness, rest assured, from now on I will report truthfully without hiding anything.”