Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Prince Yong didn't believe he was in the wrong. Liangzhou and Jinzhou weren't short of warhorses for the time being, but his northern camp had a batch of horses long overdue for retirement. These could only be kept in the camp for show, filling up the numbers; in actual combat, they might not even outrun a commoner's donkey. So, even if his elder brother were in the capital, he would have dared to make this request. With his elder brother away, he discussed it with his nephew. He neither cursed nor threw punches—how could that be considered coercion?

However, Prince Yong understood that he had indeed exploited his nephew's weakness to make this happen. If it were his elder brother, he would have scolded him harshly, leaving him too afraid to talk back.

If the Crown Prince were well, Prince Yong would still have pressed for those four hundred warhorses, relying on the Crown Prince's verbal promise. But the Crown Prince seemed seriously ill, and the Left Chancellor, Yan Xizheng, clearly refused to give him the horses. Rather than continuing to make a scene without gaining anything, Prince Yong decided to yield for once. He told his ashen-faced nephew that he no longer wanted the horses and that everything should proceed as previously arranged.

After the Crown Prince had somewhat calmed down with acupuncture and medicine, Prince Yong cast a few suspicious glances at his nephew before taking his leave.

Back at his residence after his duties, Prince Yong discussed the matter with his wife and son, speculating, "Could that boy have deliberately feigned illness to force me to back down?"

Qin Liang said, "He isn't that cunning. He must truly be ill."

Having grown up with Qin Hong, there was likely no one in the world who understood Qin Hong better than he did. Yong Kang and the Emperor, as his elder sister and father, were somewhat biased, truly believing Qin Hong was much better than he actually was.

Deng Shi said, "Last year, when Yong Kang insisted on becoming an official, I heard the Crown Prince also suffered from a severe headache. This child looks sturdy, so why does he keep getting headaches? I hope it’s not some chronic condition."

Though her words sounded concerned, Deng Shi’s eyes gleamed, clearly hoping the Crown Prince really did have a chronic condition.

Prince Yong glared at his wife: "Stop gloating."

Deng Shi leaned back in her chair, twirling the large gold bracelet on her wrist, and tutted, "I wouldn’t dare gloat. My heart is pounding with anxiety. What if the Emperor also thinks the Crown Prince fell ill because of you? If he strips you of your official position or your title, I won't be a princess anymore. How could I have the heart to laugh at others?"

Prince Yong was not easily intimidated. Since the Crown Prince had recovered, he didn’t believe his elder brother would actually hold him accountable. At most, he would scold him a couple of times for asking for the horses.

What Prince Yong cared more about was the Crown Prince’s health. Look at how pathetic he was—if he didn’t want to give the horses, then just refuse. Was it really necessary to worry himself into illness?

Prince Yong had always looked down on the Crown Prince’s weakness, and now that it had manifested as an illness, he felt even more that the Crown Prince was unfit for great responsibility.

The second nephew looked fierce but was actually a good-for-nothing who didn't even dare kill on the battlefield. The third nephew was even worse. The eldest nephew, at least, was gentle and refined, resembling a benevolent ruler. The second nephew, at least, had the intimidating appearance of a fierce general, while the third nephew, standing there, was like a sheep in a pen—the kind that would stupidly keep grazing even when a wolf came and all the other sheep scattered.

The little niece was impressive, but after all, she was a woman.

Thinking this, Prince Yong’s gaze fell on his own son, Qin Liang, who was both cultured and martial, wise, resourceful, calm, and composed. Nephews were all branches from the same family tree of the Qin family. His elder brother was so brilliant—when he realized his three sons were useless, might he consider arranging for a nephew to inherit the throne?

Qin Liang understood his father’s thoughts, which relieved him. He had long coveted the throne, but what he feared most was that his father, who should have supported him, remained blindly loyal to his uncle’s family.

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With the Emperor away from the capital, Yong Kang entered the palace once every ten days, always choosing days off so she could use the pretext of visiting her younger brother’s family to inquire about recent major events in the court. Asking every ten days prevented her brother from becoming too nervous, and if the Emperor found out upon his return, he wouldn’t suspect her of political meddling.

This time, however, before her scheduled visit, Yong Kang received news from the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, Fang Ji, whom she had promoted. The message said that the Crown Prince looked pale during the morning court and had staggered when he stood up before the court adjourned, suggesting he was unwell.

Yong Kang could no longer restrain herself and rushed to the palace, where she found her younger brother resting in Chongyuan Palace after being persuaded by the two chancellors.

Upon learning that her brother was suffering from another headache, Yong Kang didn’t dare question him directly. Instead, she took Lü Wenrong to the front hall and grilled her. It wasn’t that she intentionally bullied her sister-in-law; it was just that if she didn’t adopt a cold demeanor, her sister-in-law would try to brush it off like her brother.

After clarifying the cause, Yong Kang summoned the imperial physician who had treated her brother and asked privately, "Why are the symptoms of the Crown Prince’s headache this time exactly the same as last year’s attack?"

She occasionally suffered from headaches herself—dizziness from colds, irritability from being angered by Fu Kui and the children—but never to the extent of splitting headaches.

The imperial physician did not dare hide the truth and said with a grave expression, "Actually, this is already the Crown Prince’s third attack this year…"

Yong Kang exclaimed in shock, "Third time? When were the first two?"

The imperial physician sighed. "The first was in mid-March, shortly after the imperial carriage left the capital. The Crown Prince suddenly developed a headache while reviewing memorials. The second was in May when Liangzhou’s Ning County reported a severe drought. The Crown Prince had another attack. However, those two times the symptoms were milder. The Crown Prince recovered quickly after taking medicine, and we strictly followed his orders not to disclose it."

Yong Kang felt a chill run down her spine. "Why is this happening? Is there no way to cure the Crown Prince’s illness?"

The imperial physician shook his head and whispered, "I have discussed this with several other imperial physicians. The Crown Prince’s symptoms align with those caused by long-term anxiety and hyperactivity of liver yang, leading to head wind syndrome. Medical texts have long documented head wind syndrome, but there has never been a cure. We can only try to reduce the frequency of attacks and use herbal remedies, acupuncture, and massage to alleviate the pain when they occur."

Yong Kang refused to believe that her young brother had contracted such an incurable illness. She repeatedly questioned the imperial physician about possible misdiagnosis and asked how her brother should recuperate. When the physician suggested "calming the mind and reducing overthinking," Yong Kang nearly laughed bitterly.

Anyone else could afford to think less, but how could a Crown Prince or an emperor do so?

No, that wasn’t right. As long as her brother could hold on until ascending the throne, she could share his burdens!

Before meeting the imperial physician, Yong Kang had intended to seek out Prince Yong and scold him. But now, knowing her brother needed peace and quiet, she worried Prince Yong might cause a scene at her brother’s place and had to swallow her anger. Later, after her brother recovered, Yong Kang taught him a method: whenever he encountered something he couldn’t refuse due to face-saving, he should pass it to the two chancellors of the Secretariat. There was no need to trouble himself.

Having learned his lesson, Qin Hong naturally agreed.

However, even though Prince Yong had quieted down, state affairs continued to pile up in the capital, one after another, demanding Qin Hong’s attention.

In early July, the capital area experienced six or seven consecutive days of rain. With Mount Yao to the west and Mount Mang to the north, there was no fear of the Yellow River flooding the city. However, the Luo River, which cut through the capital, swelled, its waters spilling over and lightly flooding several low-lying neighborhoods on the south bank. This level of flooding mainly inconvenienced the capital’s residents without causing loss of fields, houses, or lives. In contrast, a breach occurred in the Yellow River’s embankment near Kaifeng.

When the disaster report reached the capital, Qin Hong was so anxious it made him sick, and he fell ill again.

Yan Xizheng comforted him: "Your Highness, there is no need to worry excessively. This flood in Kaifeng is minor. The breach has been plugged, the evacuation was timely with only a dozen casualties, and local officials have already organized efforts to dig channels for drainage. Perhaps some of the autumn harvest can still be saved. The court only needs to send disaster relief promptly and exempt the local people from autumn taxes this year."

It was the Yellow River, after all. In lucky years, it might breach its embankments once every decade or so; in unlucky years, it could happen annually. An emperor should focus on urging officials to manage the river rather than be frightened by its breaches. Still, considering this was the Crown Prince’s first experience overseeing the state during such an event, Yan Xizheng could understand his anxiety.

Qin Hong remained uneasy. "The past few years have been relatively peaceful and prosperous everywhere. But since Father left this year, first there was a drought in Liangzhou, and now the Yellow River has breached. These signs from heaven…"

Yan Xizheng’s expression changed, and he interrupted the Crown Prince: "Weather patterns—clouds, sunshine, thunder, and rain—follow their own natural course. Throughout history, even during the reigns of wise emperors, natural and man-made disasters have occurred. Your Highness’s urgent task is to recover quickly and resume governance to prevent unrest in the court due to your illness."

What else could Qin Hong do but comply with the imperial physicians’ treatments?

July passed on edge. As autumn arrived, rainfall decreased along the Yellow River’s banks, and Qin Hong no longer had to worry about the mighty river's tantrums. However, shortly after the Mid-Autumn Festival, an urgent military report arrived from the border of Jizhou: on the night of August 13th, the East Hu had launched a surprise attack on the Qipanling Pass in Wei County. The defenders were overwhelmed, resulting in East Hu cavalry massacring three villages’ inhabitants and seizing their autumn grain.

Upon receiving the report, Qin Hong passed out cold. When he woke and recognized Yan Xizheng at his bedside, he said tearfully, "Left Chancellor, quickly send the report to Father Emperor. Please ask him to return to the capital!"

If his father had been in the capital, the East Hu might not have dared to launch this night attack, and the people of those three villages in Jizhou would not have died.

Yan Xizheng replied, "The report will certainly be sent to the Emperor, but Your Highness, please remain calm. I dare guarantee that Guo Yanqing’s victory report will arrive within two or three days at the latest!"

East Hu border raids were even more common than Yellow River breaches. But the several generals were no pushovers and had never let the East Hu leave without paying a price.

Sure enough, two days later, another report arrived from Jizhou. It turned out that upon seeing the signal fires, Guo Yanqing had abandoned plans to aid Wei County and instead dispatched troops in two routes to cut off the East Hu soldiers’ retreat. Ultimately, at the cost of two thousand soldiers, they wiped out the East Hu forces, not only rescuing the captured women and reclaiming the seized grain but also capturing over five thousand warhorses and Hu blades.

This victory report worked better than the imperial physicians’ decoctions, quickly restoring the Crown Prince’s spirits.

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In late August, when Emperor Xingwu received the two combined reports from the Crown Prince, the imperial carriage had just left Qianzhou and was about to enter Yizhou. The more remote Yunnan, where morale was high, had recently experienced a war against the Pyu. However, due to being so remote, Emperor Xingwu decided not to include it in this southern tour, much like how he hadn’t managed to visit Liaozhou during his northern inspection years earlier.

Although the East Hu suffered greater casualties this time, Emperor Xingwu was still furious about the massacred villagers. The reports from his secret guards about the Crown Prince’s various reactions only added fuel to the fire.

Qin Bing, only aware of the surface-level East Hu invasion, volunteered: "Father Emperor, let’s go to war with the East Hu upon returning. I am willing to serve as the vanguard!"

He was no longer the second prince who dared not kill enemies years ago. Having experienced bloodshed once, he was confident he could prove himself on the battlefield.

Emperor Xingwu glared at him. "All you think about is war. First, calculate for me how many troops and how much funding and supplies would be required to campaign against the East Hu!"

Qin Bing retorted, "Fine, I’ll calculate!"

He went to the carriage to get paper and brush for his calculations. Emperor Xingwu turned to his youngest daughter, who remained by his side.

Qingyang said, "The East Hu claim to have three hundred thousand cavalry. For Great Qi to campaign into the grasslands, we would need to mobilize five hundred thousand troops, including combat and logistics personnel, and prepare at least four million dan of grain. The world has only been stable for over a decade. I believe, Father Emperor, you could first order border troops to launch several small-scale campaigns against the East Hu to demonstrate Great Qi’s resolve to conquer the enemy. Wait until the nation is prosperous and people are wealthy and military resources abundant before launching a full-scale campaign against the East Hu."

Hearing his daughter’s calm words, the weighed-down feeling in Emperor Xingwu’s heart finally dissipated.