Chapter 116 Epilogue (Part 1) They are subjects, subjects...
Chapter 116
Six months later, it was midsummer again.
Summers in the capital are scorching hot. The daily blazing sun seems capable of turning living people into dried corpses. People in the capital say that it is normal for a month or two to go without a drop of rain in the summer, so it's nothing to worry about.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since He Hansheng went south on his expedition. Accompanying him were experienced veterans such as Shen Yan. In his letter, he said that there had been plenty of rain in the south this year, and the people would probably have a good harvest in the fall. However, there was too much rain in the Xiaoxiang area, and there was a fear of floods.
Shen Suining would write to him every ten days or so. She used the special carrier pigeons used by Qianji Pavilion to deliver messages. If things went smoothly, the letters would reach He Hansheng in about three to five days.
After he went on his expedition south, there were great changes in the capital. She couldn't recall the details, but she knew that the Empress Dowager was now in charge of the court, and Emperor Li Bo was just a puppet with no real power.
In his letter, Shen Suining told He Hansheng that less than half a month after the army that went south to quell the rebellion left the city, Li Bo's confidants, including Jian Zhenchuan, either died mysteriously or surrendered to the Empress Dowager. In addition, after Ouyang Lan's death, the Ouyang family had been putting pressure on Li Bo. Around mid-March, Li Bo announced his abdication from court and handed over all matters of the previous court to the Empress Dowager.
The empress dowager's relatives wielding power is a major taboo. Even with the efforts of civil and military officials led by Lin Qingrong, they were powerless to reverse the situation. Subsequently, officials were dismissed or removed from their posts, and the court underwent a major reshuffle. Now, half of the court is filled with the empress dowager's people.
After the Empress Dowager seized power, Lin Ling was stripped of his position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Chen Zui, as one of the parties involved in the Xu family's wrongful conviction, once wrote a very detailed accusation and submitted it to the Court of Judicial Review. He not only admitted his mistakes but also pointed out evidence of Xu Yong's innocence. However, the case was dropped, and Chen Zui almost ended up in prison.
After Xu Yong was sentenced to death, King Zhao secretly plotted overnight to replace Xu Yong with a death row inmate, and then arranged for him to be sent out of the capital and settled in a foreign land.
At that time, Xu Lanji's pregnancy was already showing. When King Zhao finally learned that Xu Lanji was carrying his child, he was both surprised and delighted. He immediately decided to send Xu Lanji and Xu Yong away from Huadu.
Shen Suining reassured He Hansheng, saying that he and Shen Yan were both on the front lines quelling the rebellion, while she and the Princess were in Huadu, and no one dared to cause them any trouble. The Empress Dowager did send people to inquire about the Princess's condition several times, hoping to invite her to the palace to recuperate, but Shen Suining turned them away with various excuses.
Shen Suining also said that the Empress Dowager and Prince Zhao had completely broken up. The Empress Dowager tried to win over the Crown Prince, but the process did not seem to be very pleasant. As a result, the court is now in a three-way power struggle. Although the Empress Dowager can dictate the government, she does not have the support of any prince, so her position is not legitimate and she probably won't last long.
Shen Suining wrote many letters frequently, and He Hansheng sometimes couldn't reply to her for a month or two. The last time he received a letter from her was in early June. He complained that her letters were full of political affairs, without mentioning her daily life or that she missed him.
In her reply to him, Shen Suining said that when he returned safely, there would be countless days and nights during which she would express her longing through her actions.
This was also the last reply Shen Suining wrote to He Hansheng.
On the night of the Ghost Festival (July 15th), every household kept their doors tightly shut, but the Crown Prince secretly visited the residence of the Marquis of Yong'an.
Upon seeing Shen Suining, the Crown Prince immediately removed his cloak and apologized, "If the situation were not urgent, I should not have bothered my cousin-in-law. Please forgive me."
As the crown prince, it was indeed improper for him to visit the wife of a subject at night, but Shen Suining didn't think much of it and asked directly, "What happened?"
The Crown Prince said, “My trusted confidant, whom I have placed beside my grandmother, said that my grandmother has colluded with the royal family of Da Dan and intends to invade the territory of Da Cheng. Now, the cavalry of the fourth prince of Da Dan, Tuoba Dian, has already crossed Ling’an County and is about to reach Danyu Pass.”
Shen Suining was suddenly startled.
Danyu Pass is a strategically important defensive location. If the Great Dan's iron cavalry crosses this pass, they can travel unimpeded all the way to the capital.
"Where are the soldiers and generals of Ling'an County?!"
The Crown Prince shook his head. “In our dynasty’s military system, local generals are rotated every three years. Since the Empress Dowager took power, all the original generals of Ling’an County have been transferred away, and now is the time when the border defenses are at their weakest.”
A surge of anger rose within Shen Suining. She clenched her fists, knowing that now was not the time to condemn the Empress Dowager, and asked the Crown Prince, "Then what do you mean?"
“The military generals who can be used in the court are all currently quelling the rebellion in Xiaoxiang with Marquis Pinghuai and my cousin. Marquis Zhenguo has long been in cahoots with the Empress Dowager, and at this critical juncture, I'm afraid he is also unfit for important positions. Cousin-in-law,” the Crown Prince began with difficulty, seemingly finding it hard to speak, “you are a woman, and it is not right for you to be sent to the front lines to guard the country’s borders. But right now, there is really no one else in the court who can be used.”
Shen Suining frowned. "What are you saying? Regardless of gender, as citizens of Dacheng, it is everyone's duty to defend against foreign enemies."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince bowed deeply to Shen Suining, saying, "The fate of the nation rests on my sister-in-law's shoulders... I entrust it to you!"
"Stop with the formalities, just say what you need to say," Shen Suining interrupted him. "What do you need me to do?"
The Crown Prince pursed his lips and pulled out an imperial edict and military tally from his sleeve. “My uncle, Hu Ji, has led an army to camp three hundred miles west of the city. My cousin-in-law, take the imperial edict and military tally and go there. You may command them at will.”
Sensing something was amiss, Shen Suining asked, "Why doesn't Your Highness simply send General Hu with the troops?"
At this point, the Crown Prince showed some shame and embarrassment, and could only say, "I'm not afraid of my cousin-in-law laughing at me, but my uncle... really has no military talent, otherwise he wouldn't be so old and not be valued by my father."
Shen Suining had heard He Hansheng mention Empress Hu's younger brother. She heard that he had been stationed at the border for many years, but had only been given a position that was not very useful. If he had been more capable, perhaps the Crown Prince would not have ended up in such an embarrassing situation in Huadu.
So Shen Suining didn't suspect anything. The situation was urgent, and she had no reason to refuse. She took the Phoenix Token and Tiger Tally and went to make preparations.
Because the Crown Prince's visit was secret and the events unfolded suddenly, it was only the next day that Prince Zhao received the news. The Princess sent someone to inquire about it, and that's when he learned of the matter.
King Zhao cursed under his breath and immediately sent men out of the city to intercept Shen Suining, while he himself hurriedly rode to the East Palace.
As soon as he arrived at the East Palace, he saw the Crown Prince squatting on the steps in front of the hall. As if he had expected him to come looking for him, the Crown Prince showed a smug smile for the first time, as if he finally had a chance to defeat King Zhao.
Li Yichuan admitted that he was inferior to Prince Zhao in every aspect. Some people are just naturally dull-witted, and he just happened to be one of them. He knew that the reason he was able to sit in the position of Crown Prince had nothing to do with his talent. It was just that he happened to be the legitimate son of the Empress, and his father happened to not like Prince Zhao.
So over the years, under his father's protection, he was able to contend with King Zhao and strengthen his own power amidst the covetous gaze of King Zhao's camp. However, he had to admit that without his father's help in the past six months, he was no match for King Zhao at all.
Moreover, at the beginning of the year, his father's call of "Shaoyu" in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was enough to show that his prejudice and resentment towards Prince Zhao seemed to have been put to rest. Although Li Yichuan did not know why, he was terrified. He knew that without the title of Crown Prince given to him by his father, he was nothing.
Over the past six months, his grandmother had extended olive branches to him, but Li Yichuan knew clearly that she saw his dullness and knew he was easier to control than Prince Zhao. She supported his ascension to the throne to make him a puppet. At first, he was happy, after all, he was the one who was chosen. But his grandmother was the one who raised Prince Zhao, and after a short time, she felt that he was dull. After several arguments between the two, she seemed to have given up on him.
At that time, Li Yichuan thought that even if he and King Zhao fought to the death, at least he could prove that he wasn't so bad after all.
So when King Zhao rushed to the East Palace, Li Yichuan finally had a sliver of hope that he was better than his fifth brother, even though the latter showed him no respect and immediately questioned him: "Are you crazy?! Qin Yanzhi and He Hansheng risked their lives for us on the battlefield, and you turned around and tricked Shen Suining into going to Danyu Pass to die! Li Yichuan, have you been kicked in the head by a donkey?"
"How do you know she's definitely going to her death?" Li Yichuan sat on the steps and asked in a low voice, "As far as I know, this Princess Tangxi is highly skilled in martial arts and has been carefully taught by two military marshals. What if she really can defend against the enemy and protect Danyu Pass?"
King Zhao suddenly raised his voice: "She's never been on the battlefield! Besides, what kind of person is Tuoba Dian? Back then, when Lord He was guarding the pass, he fought a bitter battle with him for a full six months, and in the end, both sides were severely injured! Shen Suining may not know, but how could you not know?!"
"So what? They are subjects, and subjects are meant to die." Li Yichuan said coldly, his expression remaining completely calm throughout, like a puppet whose soul had been taken away.
King Zhao was surprised to find that in just half a year, Li Yichuan, who was only in his early twenties, had aged considerably. His slightly hunched back made it hard to imagine that he was the same young man he had been six months ago.
He didn't know how he felt. Sometimes, King Zhao wondered to himself, what was the point of all this fighting with the Crown Prince and with his grandmother? What did they each gain in the process?
“You still have time to worry about others,” Li Yichuan sneered, standing up from the steps and gently brushing the dust off his body. His red robes were spotless. “If Danyu Pass falls, Huadu will surely fall. There is no one in the court as capable as He Hansheng to stand in front of us. At that time… Shaoyu, you should think more about your own way out.”
Having said that, he turned and walked into the hall, leaving King Zhao with a cold, indifferent back view and a threatening remark—
"Oh, right, I almost forgot to congratulate you. I heard that Xu Zhen's baby is due in two months. I have already sent the best imperial physicians to take care of the baby. After the baby is born, I have a big gift for you."
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