When Ye Guixue arrived in Daliang, the Capital City, he didn’t immediately pay homage to the Emperor. What he was waiting for was an opportunity to probe the Emperor’s attitude towards Su Rong and his stance on the identity of the Nanchu Princess.
Now that the Emperor has asked to see him multiple times, he had a hunch about what the Emperor was thinking. The Emperor must really care about Su Rong and valued her identity; otherwise, there wouldn’t be such urgency to see him.
He saluted, "Since Your Majesty agrees with Guixue, our king’s view aligns with yours. May I ask when Your Majesty plans to meet our princess?"
The Emperor responded with a question, "When do you plan to set off for Nanchu, Second Young Master Ye?"
"No more than half a month."
The Emperor nodded, then asked, "I heard that you went to the Buddha Temple with Su Rong. Have you talked about her returning to Nanchu? What did she say?"
Ye Guixue replied, "The princess agreed to return to Nanchu, but she has a deep attachment to Daliang, quite out of the ordinary. She was born and grown up in Daliang. It’s hard for her to leave her homeland, let alone the Jiangzhou Inspector Residence. Yet she couldn’t bear to leave her family there. She needs to make arrangements for everything before setting off. I cannot wait that long and might leave earlier. She will set her departure date once all arrangements are finished."
The Emperor nodded, "As you have come for her and she has agreed to go to Nanchu, why don’t you wait and leave with her?"
"The Nanchu court is very complicated, I cannot stay in Capital City for long." replied Ye Guixue.
The Emperor, who had kept an eye on Nanchu for many years, knew about the state of its major forces. He nodded, "I will see Su Rong as soon as possible."
With a sigh, he said, "You have been in the city for several days and may already know that the ones setting traps against her are probably not few. Although I want to protect her, emergencies might catch us off guard. If you could stay in the city a while longer and leave with her, it would be best."
Of course, the Emperor wouldn’t say forcing Su Rong to stay in Daliang is a good choice. After all, as the only daughter of the Nanchu King and Princess Zhenmin, going back to Nanchu to succeed the throne is beneficial to Daliang.
He hoped for her safety in Capital City and wished her safe return to Nanchu and smooth accession to the throne. But he, as the Emperor, knew all too well how difficult this path could be. Although the Nanchu King had paved the way for her for five years, the entrenched Nangong Family’s influence was just too massive. The Nanchu King himself didn’t have the final say in Nanchu, let alone those ambitious royal families who didn’t want Su Rong back in Nanchu.
Ye Guixue smiled thinly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, with your protection, and as the princess is also capable of self-preservation, there will be no mishap during her stay in the city."
He looked at the Emperor, "Our king puts great faith in your ability, Your Majesty. I believe you will safeguard our Nanchu Princess throughout her journey home."
The Emperor rubbed his temples, "Very well."
After an hour of conversation with Ye Guixue, the Emperor commanded someone to close the doors of Mingde Hall. An hour later, the Emperor told Ye Guixue to join him in a meal. Declining, Ye Guixue promised to accept an invitation for a banquet another day. The emperor then allowed him to leave the Imperial Palace.
After Ye Guixue left, the Emperor sat alone in Mingde Hall for a while, then he commanded to his servants, "Send for the old Duke to meet with me in the palace."
The eunuch acknowledged his command and went to carry out the orders right away.
When the Old Duke was informed of the emperor’s summon, and learned that Ye Guixue had just left the palace, he could more or less guess the purpose of the summon. He tidied up and went to the palace.
The Emperor was waiting for the Old Duke in Mingde Hall. On seeing that evening was approaching, he ordered the servants to serve dinner, planning to dine with the Old Duke. The Old Duke didn’t refuse, he had dinner with the Emperor, before they started the official meeting.
The Emperor asked about the military’s current situation, condition of the troops, and military supply and demand. The Old Duke, of course, knew all about it and answered accordingly. Feeling reassured after the responses, the Emperor noticed the Duke Residence had never neglected military training over the years. Furthermore, he sensed that this year, the three sons, including the heir apparent, of the Duke Residence were hardly at home and practically lived in the military camp. Apparently, the Old Duke launched preparations for any potential issues following the disclosure of Su Rong’s identity long ago.
The Emperor complained a bit, "Old Duke, you’ve kept me in the dark for too long. The Nanchu King learned of Su Rong’s true identity five years ago, and you didn’t tell me until Su Rong came to the Capital City. If you had informed me earlier, I wouldn’t have been kept in the dark, and I could have prepared for five years."
The old Duke thought to himself, if I had told you earlier, would you have the patience of the Nanchu King to keep this secret for five years? I fear Su Rong’s identity would have been revealed too early. Five years ago, the Crown Prince’s capabilities were not as advanced as they are now, and Su Rong was not yet an adult. He dared not gamble on this.
He pretended to sigh helplessly, "Alas, Your Majesty, Princess Zhenmin made me promise not to reveal her true identity until Su Rong came of age. I agreed at the time and cannot break my promise, it is not gentlemanly to do so."
Indeed, he wasn’t lying. Princess Zhenmin had asked him repeatedly not to reveal the secret. He, understanding the Emperor’s temperament, had promptly agreed. If the Emperor had known of Su Rong’s existence earlier, Su Rong probably wouldn’t have lived to see the day he came of age. After all, when an Emperor moves, the whole court moves with him.
Regardless, Su Rong had grown up safely now.
Although the Emperor was dissatisfied, he couldn’t really blame the old Duke, feeling deep sorrow, he said, "So my cousin didn’t trust me."
The old Duke sighed, "Your Majesty, it’s not that the Princess didn’t trust you, but your position is far too important. Any move you make concerns the state of affairs. She dared not gamble."
The colour of the Emperor’s face darkened for a moment, "Indeed."
He was silent for a moment then said with renewed energy, "Today, I met Ye Guixue who came bearing the decree of the Nanchu King..."
He relayed the Nanchu King’s message as conveyed by Ye Guixue, and then asked the old Duke, "Old Duke, what do you think of this?"
The old Duke had expected it all along. He had been involved in arranging Princess Zhenmin’s betrothal to Chu Rong, the Nanchu Crown Prince, and knew the depth of Chu Rong’s affection. If it wasn’t for that affection, he wouldn’t have asked the previous Nanchu King for his help and later facilitated her departure.
He nodded approvingly, "In my view, when Dawei launched a war and violated our borders, they also coerced the Princess into a marriage alliance. Although she faked her death to escape, causing Dawei some trouble,it was largely because Dawei acted unrighteously first, which led to the Princess responding in kind. Today, although the truce is still in effect, there’s that prior history. If Dawei dares to break the agreement, Daliang will not fear the battle."
The Emperor nodded, "You advised me earlier not to see Su Rong, when do you think would be the right time for me to see her?"
The old Duke said, "Your Majesty, we must wait, there is no rush. Our urgent task now is to ensure we have sufficient military strength and to prepare for war, which requires securing ample provisions and military supplies." After finishing his speech, he sighed, "I can assure our military strength, but as for matters of provisions and military supplies, currently, it’s quite lacking. This is also one of the reasons why I advised you against meeting her."
The Emperor understood upon hearing this. These years, he had been suppressing the Crown Prince. Although he didn’t openly suppress the Duke Residence, people underneath were quite adept at interpreting his intentions. They knew he was wary of the Duke Residence, and the Duke Residence was aware of it too. Consequently, the provisions were only enough to meet demand. There were no expansions to the military arsenal, let alone significant improvements to the weapons in recent years.
But of course, the Emperor wouldn’t reflect on his own actions. As an Emperor, he had to be cautious of people who might plot to take him down from the Dragon Throne. It was better to be vigilant than be permissive. He cleared his throat, asking, "Old Duke, in your opinion, how much provisions do we need if we mobilize troops?"
The old Duke held up his fingers to provide the Emperor with a figure.
The Emperor took a deep breath. He had a rough idea of how much money the national treasury held. If they were to provide for the number that the old Duke suggested, even draining the treasury wouldn’t be enough.
The old Duke studied the Emperor’s reaction and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, the fact that Dawei launched a war against Daliang years ago is still a disgrace to us. While the backbone of a person can be bent, the backbone of the nation must remain steadfast. Even if it bends for a while, it cannot bend for too long. If Dawei wants to fight, Daliang absolutely cannot show any signs of weakness again. After all, it’s been sixteen years now, whether it’s the previous Emperor, the Empress Dowager, or the Princess, they are all watching from above."
The Emperor sat up straight, "You’re right." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
He said in a grave voice, "I will summon the Minister of Revenue at once. Old Duke, please remain in the palace with me for the meeting with the Minister of Revenue."
The old Duke nodded. If they were preparing to mobilize the army for war, they would not be able to bypass the Duke Residence. He should attend the meeting to gauge how much money the Minister of Revenue could raise after years of financial stress. If it wasn’t enough for provisions and military duties, he’d have to pressure the Minister of Revenue to find a solution.
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