Chapter 21 Settling Accounts After the Autumn Harvest

In the main tent of the hunting palace, Emperor Yuanjing, Xiao Liheng, sat high on his throne, his face gloomy.

Below, the Empress held the frightened Fourth Prince Xiao Jin in her arms, her eyes red-rimmed. "Your Majesty! You must seek justice for Jin'er! Who is trying to harm our son?!"

The second prince, Xiao Yu, and the third prince, Xiao Jue, stood with their hands at their sides, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, not daring to utter a sound.

Princess Xiao Yue of Ruian stood a little behind, her back ramrod straight, but her face was as pale as paper.

A short distance away, the General of the Golden Guard and the Commander of the Imperial Guard stood to one side after finishing their report, looking down at their noses and indifferent to their own thoughts.

Emperor Yuanjing's gaze, sharp as ice, slowly swept across the entire hall.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Jue lingered on their faces for a particularly long time, their gazes like knives, scraping the skin and causing pain, filled with undisguised suspicion.

This doubt is more chilling than any roar.

Finally, that cold gaze swept over Xiao Yue.

There was no stopping, no questions asked.

"My autumn hunting camp! The royal forbidden garden!" Emperor Yuanjing spoke, his voice not loud but like shards of ice striking down, "yet these villains have entered as if their own territory were empty, directly attacking the Empress and the princes! Commander of the Imperial Guards!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt down with a thud: "Your subject deserves to die ten thousand times!"

"Could a thousand deaths really spare Jin'er from being frightened?!"

Emperor Yuanjing slammed his fist on the armrest. "Are the guards just for show?! How did the assassin get in? Who is the inside man?! Dig three feet into the ground to find out! Anyone who dares to harm my eldest son shall have their entire family executed! Their bones crushed and scattered to the winds!"

His gaze fixed on Xiao Yu and Xiao Jue again, his voice lower and more dangerous: "I will pursue this matter to the end! Whoever it is, I will make them regret ever being born!"

Xiao Yue stood quietly, her face pale and her lips tightly pressed together.

Emperor Yuanjing waved for the "unauthorized personnel" to leave. Xiao Yue looked up: "Father, your subject..."

"Waaah—Father! It hurts! My neck hurts!" Fourth Prince Xiao Jin burst into a loud wail at just the right moment.

He immediately bent down to comfort him.

Empress Xie hugged her son tightly and cried as she recounted how Jin'er had been held captive by the villains.

The emperor gently comforted the empress: "You've been frightened, Zitong. Get some rest."

The family of three huddled together, filled with worry and tenderness, making the princes and princesses below seem like complete strangers.

Ling Wei needed to ask questions to save the emperor, so she knelt in the shadows at the far end and secretly rolled her eyes.

The little fat boy's crying was full of energy, but he became quiet when the emperor got angry; he was quite good at reading the room.

His gaze swept over the princess's solitary figure as he recalled their less-than-pleasant meeting a few days prior.

Princess Xiao Yue of Ruian appears dignified and imposing in public, but within her close circle of advisors, she is surprisingly approachable.

They regularly held "elegant gatherings in their boudoirs," which were actually secret meetings to analyze the political situation and formulate strategies.

The attendees were all women; to outsiders, it was nothing more than a princess and her female companions having fun.

The princess had high hopes for Lingwei's potential and kept a close eye on her studies, often personally inquiring about them.

Even when Ling Wei occasionally put forward some immature ideas, the princess would listen patiently, analyze the pros and cons in detail, and never belittle or suppress her.

This tolerance for others and dedication to cultivating talent reveal the potential of a wise ruler.

Knowing that she was still relatively inexperienced, Ling Wei listened attentively to the meetings and quietly sorted out the intelligence from all sides.

After learning more about her, I admire Princess Ryan even more.

In the winter of the nineteenth year of Yuanjing, the Di and Rong tribes of the north invaded the border, and the war became critical. Shen Wei, who was then the General of Zhenbei, was seriously injured and fell into a coma during the bloody battle.

Xiao Yue, who was only eighteen years old, was sent to the front line as a military supervisor with the emperor's tacit approval because his maternal clan was from the northern border and his maternal grandfather's lineage entered officialdom and moved to the capital. He was given the tiger tally.

Instead of directly leading the troops into battle, she swiftly enforced discipline, united with Shen Wei's former subordinates to stabilize the defenses, and proposed a crucial counterattack strategy, ultimately assisting the deputy general in repelling the enemy.

After this battle, she began to gain prestige in the Northern Army. To reward her for her achievements and to counterbalance other forces, the Emperor temporarily granted her partial control of the Northern Army, numbering about 30,000 men.

However, as the princes came of age and the borders stabilized, the emperor, out of consideration for checks and balances and the idea that "a princess should not hold military power for too long," had Xiao Yue voluntarily relinquish most of her military power in the twenty-third year of Yuanjing, retaining only an elite personal guard of about five thousand men.

Here we must mention General Shen Wei, who was childhood sweethearts and neighboring siblings with Princess Ruian's mother.

He had only one daughter, Shen Qinglan, and did not remarry after his wife's death.

He was Xiao Yue's master in the northern border. A while ago, he captured a heavyweight leader of the Di Rong and personally escorted him back to the capital to present him as a prisoner. After lingering there, he returned to the border.

They did not take Shen Qinglan away—the intention was self-evident.

At the meeting, a female advisor surnamed Xia, who was the first to propose using the system of female officials to expand influence, raised the most pressing issue: "Your Highness is currently outnumbered and needs to leverage external forces to succeed. An alliance is imperative."

But with whom should we ally?

Everyone expressed their opinions, and the focus of the debate was mainly on the princes.

The second prince, Xiao Yu, was born to Consort Wang, whose maternal clan, the Langya Wang clan, was a centuries-old family with immense wealth and power.

I am mediocre, ambitious, and entangled with Du Qianqian.

The third prince, Xiao Jue, was born to Consort De, a member of a noble military family with deep roots in the army, especially in the capital region and the border regions.

Xiao Jue himself appears to be mild-mannered, but he has powerful connections with the Li family behind him, making him a formidable force.

The fourth prince, Xiao Jin, is the legitimate son of the emperor. His maternal family, the Xie family, the Duke of Zhenguo, has a profound background, but he is only eight years old.

The most popular choice was the young fourth prince, and the princess remained silent after hearing it.

She turned her gaze to Ling Wei, who was frowning and deep in thought, and asked, "What do you think?"

Ling Wei was somewhat surprised to be called on, but she quickly composed herself and said what she cared about most: "Wei believes that what Your Highness needs most right now is not to form an alliance," she paused, speaking steadily and clearly, "but to show weakness."

An advisor immediately frowned and retorted, "Show weakness? Your Highness has been biding your time all these years, even going so far as to tarnish your reputation by feigning infatuation with love. Isn't that weak enough?"

Ling Wei didn't answer him directly, but looked straight at Xiao Yue with clear eyes and a hint of youthful arrogance: "The person Your Highness needs to show weakness to the most is His Majesty."

Xiao Yue's eyes darkened slightly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Father has seen my abilities, why should I show weakness?"

If she shows weakness in front of her father, wouldn't that position only be obtained through dishonest means?

What she longs for is fair and square recognition.

Ling Wei understood her. The princess had a familial attachment to the emperor because she had received special favor since childhood. She always believed that she was capable of competing with the other princes and wanted to prove her abilities to her father.

However, times have changed.

Since Ling Wei is to act as a sharp eye, she must see the current situation clearly and help the princess make the most appropriate judgment.

She knew that what she was about to say would upset her, but she said it anyway.

"Your Highness desires His Majesty's approval and trust, but you must see reality clearly. If His Majesty truly favors Your Highness, he will never sit idly by while you are oppressed by all sides without showing any favoritism, nor will he easily take back the power you have earned by proving your abilities."

At this point, some people held opposing views, citing historical records: "Historical records show that there were also instances where monarchs feigned dislike to protect their preferred heirs..."

Ling Wei listed the reasons:

"Firstly, the crown prince is a prince, and naturally possesses the rightful status. The princess's status itself is the biggest obstacle. If His Majesty truly intends to help, he should pave the way for His Highness earlier and more clearly, accumulating popularity and strength, rather than leaving him isolated and helpless."

Secondly, that monarch was controlled by his maternal relatives and had no choice but to do so. May I ask you all, our Emperor has reigned for over twenty years, holding absolute power; is he the kind of person who would be manipulated by powerful relatives and ministers?

The study was completely silent.