Chapter 1 Arranged Marriage.
Fifteen years after the Jiahe reign, the Great Han Dynasty seemed to have lost its good fortune.
First came a three-year drought, turning tens of thousands of acres of fertile land into scorched earth, and the drought did not ease until eighteen years later.
Before the people could catch their breath, a sudden heavy snowfall hit the south in the spring of the nineteenth year, affecting five prefectures and counties. Fortunately, the Jiangnan region had always been prosperous, and although many people froze to death, it did not lead to a civil unrest.
In early summer, continuous rain fell in the north. In July, the Yellow River breached its banks, and more than ten prefectures and counties in the north were affected by the disaster, especially the five prefectures of Bing, Xiang, Qing, Yong and Huang. Many former fertile fields had not yet recovered from the drought and were turned into a vast expanse of water.
The imperial court's relief supplies were insufficient, and the disaster victims turned into refugees who flocked to nearby prefectures and counties.
Not to mention that the surrounding counties and prefectures were also affected by the disaster and were too busy to take in refugees. Moreover, too many people had died this time, and there was no time to bury them. The weather was hot, and a plague broke out in the disaster area, which quickly spread to the surrounding counties and prefectures.
All those prefectures and counties had their city gates tightly closed and were heavily guarded. In some prefectures and counties, anyone who came within a hundred paces of the disaster victims was shot and killed with arrows.
Many disaster victims had no choice but to become bandits, engaging in robbery and plunder.
At first, the imperial court did not take it seriously, thinking that sending troops to suppress it would suffice.
Unexpectedly, the bandits who had already fallen during the drought took the opportunity to gather a large number of refugees. Several bandit leaders had already become quite powerful, not only fighting back and forth with the local government troops, but also starting to plunder villages and county towns, and their power grew step by step.
The situation was getting out of control, and local officials, who were used to reporting good news but not bad, dared not hide it anymore. Memorials came one after another, piling up on the cabinet's desk.
Outside the imperial city, public resentment was boiling, but Emperor Jiahe was engrossed in seeking immortality and had been skipping court every few days. This time, he had completely stopped attending court for almost a year, and even the Grand Censor's indignant suicide by striking his head against a pillar could not rouse him from his reverie.
Only when an urgent report arrived from the border did he take off his Taoist robe, put on a dragon robe, and sit on the throne again.
To the north of Da Han, the Xiongnu were lurking, to the south, the Nan Yue were watching with predatory eyes, to the east, the Japanese pirates frequently invaded, and to the west, there were constant conflicts with the Western Rong.
For many years, the imperial court had prioritized civil affairs over military matters. Coupled with domestic turmoil, they came to invade as if they had smelled wild beasts.
Compared to the Japanese pirates who only sought to plunder, the Western Rong of Nanyue only sent small groups of soldiers to harass the northern border, making the situation there extremely precarious.
The Xiongnu on the grasslands had amassed an army of 200,000 to invade, while the border troops stationed in Jizhou numbered only 60,000.
Although Emperor Jiahe was devoted to cultivating Taoism, he had not yet become an immortal and still cherished the throne beneath his feet.
The lives of ordinary people were of no concern to him, but if Jizhou, which was only a few hundred miles from the capital, fell, he would soon become a ruler of a fallen kingdom.
He naturally knows in his heart what is more important and what is less important.
When the emperor held court, his first imperial edict was to send troops to Jizhou, but after calculating the troop strength, he was stumped.
The other three border garrisons were not to be moved, and local officials and soldiers were busy with disaster relief and bandit suppression.
The 50,000 Imperial Guards in the capital region bear a heavy responsibility to protect the imperial city and must not act rashly.
Several ministers in the Ministry of War worked themselves to the bone to finally muster 20,000 troops to provide support.
The matter was urgent, and the imperial court dared not be perfunctory. Although these 20,000 soldiers were not well-equipped, nor were they old, weak, or disabled, they were all emaciated and pale from hunger when they arrived at the border, and were in a very undignified state.
The Vice Minister of War, who came to deliver the troops, apologized profusely, and then made a request with the same remorse: because the national treasury was empty due to the disaster relief efforts, the food for these 20,000 soldiers had run out on the way, and from now on, Jizhou would have to provide for their own meals.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers who came to meet them sneered and questioned, "If the national treasury is empty due to disaster relief in recent years, then why were military salaries not paid on time even when the weather was good in previous years? Not to mention that weapons and supplies have not been provided for several years."
The officials from the Ministry of Revenue standing nearby were speechless, pretending not to hear.
Emperor Jiahe diligently attended morning court sessions for two months, a rare occurrence, and finally news arrived that Jizhou had achieved a great victory against the Xiongnu with fewer troops.
The Jizhou army pursued them for hundreds of miles, killing all of the Chanyu's more than a dozen sons, leaving only two infants in swaddling clothes. The Chanyu was forced to submit a letter of surrender and kneel down to become a vassal.
When the news arrived, the entire court was shaken. Emperor Jiahe was overjoyed. This battle not only saved the Daqing Empire, but also dispelled a widely circulated folk song.
—The emperor is tyrannical, and Heaven has sent down punishment. The Great Han is about to die, and a new dynasty should be established.
Emperor Jiahe was greatly pleased, for the fate of the Great Han Dynasty remained intact, and I was still the true Son of Heaven.
He then issued an imperial edict to enfeoff Qin Shiyan, the governor of Jizhou, as the Prince of Dingbei of a different surname. Since his eldest son had passed away, he enfeoffed his second son, Qin Xu, as the heir apparent of the Prince of Dingbei, and his third son, Qin Lie, as the General Who Conquers the North.
Furthermore, Tongzhou and Chongzhou were placed under the jurisdiction of Jizhou, and they could govern their own taxes, grain, and corvée labor, only needing to pay a small amount of silver to the imperial court each year.
After issuing the imperial edict, Emperor Jiahe felt that he had neglected his cultivation for the past two months due to these mundane affairs, so he hurriedly changed into his Taoist robes and went back to cultivate immortality.
But before he could go into seclusion, he was forced out by the eighty-year-old chief minister who knelt for a long time.
The former chief minister did not come alone; he was followed by the vice minister of the Ministry of War, who had just returned from Jizhou.
Upon seeing Emperor Jiahe, the trembling old chief minister touched his forehead to the ground, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! The Great Han is in grave danger!"
Emperor Jiahe initially thought the old chief minister was exaggerating, since these civil officials loved to whine and make a mountain out of a molehill when they had nothing better to do.
After hearing the Vice Minister of War's account, Emperor Jiahe was also alarmed.
Not to mention that the Vice Minister personally witnessed how the people of Jizhou lived in peace and prosperity, how the generals of Jizhou used their military skills like geniuses, and how brave and skillful the Jizhou army was in battle.
It is said that Ji Province is indeed able to support and properly care for those 20,000 soldiers.
If the Qin family of Ji Province harbors rebellious intentions, I fear...
With just this one thought, Emperor Jiahe felt as if he had a thorn in his back, and his eyes twitched slightly.
When Emperor Jiahe was the crown prince, the old chief minister had served as the crown prince's tutor. How could he not see that the emperor harbored murderous intentions? Yet, the Qin family had not committed any acts of rebellion. Even if they had, the Qin family had managed Ji Province for decades and commanded a large army. If they were truly forced to rebel, who would be able to suppress them? The common people had suffered for too long and could not endure the chaos of war any longer. Instead, they earnestly advised the emperor: "General Qin followed the founding emperor in raising an army, and the two were like brothers. Afterward, he volunteered to guard the border. In the decades that the Qin family had been in Ji Province, we had never heard of any rebellious intentions. Now, they have made great contributions. Perhaps it is all just my overthinking. Without evidence, we must not act rashly, lest we chill the hearts of the people!"
Emperor Jiahe pondered for a moment and said, "In your opinion, teacher, what should be done about this matter?"
The old chief minister said, "Why not choose a princess to marry into the family? Firstly, it would demonstrate the Emperor's favor to them, and secondly, it would be an opportunity to summon the Qin family to the capital to observe whether they are disrespectful to the Emperor. If such clues are discovered, it won't be too late to catch them while they are in the capital. In this turmoil in Hanoi, several local generals have made great contributions. The court has long valued civil officials over military ones. Why doesn't the Emperor take this opportunity to bestow favors upon a group of military generals to curb powerful families like the Qin family of Jizhou and to create a balance of power?"
On the 19th day of the seventh month of the 19th year of Jiahe, Emperor Jiahe issued an edict to confer the title of Princess Yong'an on the 13th princess, Princess Yongyi on the 14th princess, Princess Yongle on the 16th princess, and Princess Yongjia on the 17th princess.
They were respectively betrothed to Liu Yunfei, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard; Geng Qing, the protector of Shu Prefecture; Xie Yu, the grandson of the former chief minister; and Qin Lie, the son of the Prince of Dingbei.
After the imperial decree was issued, the women in the inner palace began to discuss it amongst themselves.
The imperial edict was clearly intended to appoint and marry unmarried princesses in order of their rank, so why was the fifteenth princess omitted, and why was the seventeenth princess chosen instead?
It should be known that daughters of the Great Han Dynasty were considered precious guests. Although it was not uncommon for daughters of poor families to marry at the age of fourteen or fifteen for the sake of dowry money, wealthy families were reluctant to let their daughters leave home so early. Furthermore, childbirth was a life-threatening ordeal for women, and their families preferred to let their daughters marry at an older age to avoid harming their bodies or even causing their deaths during childbirth before their bodies were fully developed.
Let alone royalty and nobility, even the daughters of wealthy merchants and gentry had to be married at least seventeen or eighteen years old.
The fifteenth princess has already turned eighteen, while the seventeenth princess will only turn sixteen at the end of the year.
Princesses are not to be betrothed before the age of seventeen, so by any measure, it is not right to arrange a marriage for her.
The seventeenth princess's maid was particularly puzzled, not only because the princess was young, but also because the person she was betrothed to had made a mistake.
.
Inside the former chief minister's study, Xie Yu knelt upright before the desk, his thin lips pressed tightly together, a rare hint of stubbornness showing on his usually handsome face.
The elderly Grand Secretary, leaning back in his armchair with his hand on the armrest, asked in a cold voice, "You grew up by my side, reading secret reports to me for over a decade, and many of the orders issued were drafted by you. Often, you are more thorough than I am. You know perfectly well the causes and consequences, so why do you still put on this act?!"
Seeing that Wei Yu remained silent, the old chief minister slammed the secret report on the table down: "Read it again!"
Xie Yu stiffly picked it up and read aloud in a low voice: "The news of His Majesty's intention to arrange a marriage reached Jizhou in ten days. The Qin family was overjoyed upon hearing the news. The Prince of Dingbei wanted to ask the Sixteenth Princess for Qin Lie to marry, but Qin Lie refused, saying that the Qin family had made great contributions in battle and the court would have its own judgment. There was no need to associate with important officials of the court. The sons of the Qin family could be granted titles and honors by their wives and children. Why should they rely on the support of their wives' families? Therefore, any princess would be fine. However, the Seventeenth Princess's mother was of lowly birth, and she came from a Yangzhou family. She was not a suitable match for him. Someone was sent back to the capital to negotiate."
The former prime minister asked, "Do you now understand why I did this?"
Xie Yu remained stubborn: "Grandson doesn't understand!"
The old prime minister sighed: "You understand, but you just don't want to accept it. Your father passed away early, and I had too high expectations and demands of you, forcing you to be calm and reserved from a young age, never daring to slack off easily. I still remember when you were four years old, I sent you to the Eastern Palace to be a companion to my studies. When you arrived at the palace gate, you bowed to me respectfully and said goodbye. After entering the palace, you walked very steadily, never turning your head once. But when the maid was tidying up your bed, she found that the large pillow was soaked with your tears."
"The Xie family is already extremely illustrious and there is no further honor to bestow upon them. I should have arranged a wife for you from a humble, scholarly family long ago. But over the years, you have only had this one person in your heart, and now you have moments of genuine joy. As the eldest grandson of the Xie family, you have already done almost perfectly. As your grandfather, I should do something for you. Over the years, I have indulged your refusal to engage in marriage proposals, and I have even risked my reputation to block those marriages for you, even if it offended people. I only wanted to fulfill your wishes."
Xie Yu was moved and looked at his grandfather with hope.
The former chief minister sighed again: "But Yulang..."
"The person you have your eye on is now the only knife you can use to test others."
Xie Yu pleaded, "Grandfather, there's another way! There must be another way! Your grandson will definitely be able to think of another method!"
The old Grand Secretary shook his head: "I know there are other ways, but I... can't wait any longer. The Crown Prince was besieged by refugees for several days while on his disaster relief mission. For the Crown Prince to be forced to crawl out through a dog hole is an utter disgrace. The Emperor is furious and has ordered him to reflect on his actions behind closed doors. Although the court officials may not say it, how could they not have their own thoughts?"
Xie Yu explained, "That's because Prime Minister Guo interfered and bribed people close to the Crown Prince, which is why this happened!"
The old Grand Secretary gave a bitter smile: "So what? Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is villain. I am still alive, and the Crown Prince is already so powerless. If I were to leave, the position of Grand Secretary would surely fall into the hands of Prime Minister Guo. At that time, Consort Guo in the harem would hold absolute power, and Prime Minister Guo in the court would control the government. Sooner or later, the position of Crown Prince would fall into their hands. The Crown Prince may be nothing more than a ruler who only maintains the status quo, lacking any great talent or strategy, but the seventh prince born to Consort Guo is licentious, tyrannical, and cruel. My Xie family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. How can we sit idly by and watch the country fall into the hands of this person, plunging the common people into misery?! Putting all that aside, just consider that the Crown Princess is your own sister. Can you bear to see her fall into such a desperate situation?!"
The old prime minister coughed as he spoke, his voice trembling. Xie Yu quickly stood up, expertly taking out a silk handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose. When she took it back, the handkerchief was stained with crimson again. He seemed not to notice, simply putting the handkerchief into his pocket.
He looked up and saw his grandfather's all-knowing gaze, calm and gentle as he looked down at him.
The old prime minister smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Yu, do you still want me to go to the palace and beg the emperor to rescind his decree?"
Xie Yu was heartbroken, feeling as if a dull knife was cutting his flesh. Knowing he was going to die, Xie Yu refused to give him a quick death and wanted him to end his own life.
His hands, clenched white beneath his sleeves, slowly bent down, touching his forehead to the ground. "Grandson understands."
The former prime minister swallowed the itch in his throat and nodded approvingly, but he saw his grandson lying on the ground, his back straight, but his body trembling slightly.
A mix of heartache and relief welled up in his heart. The old prime minister sighed, "If you're feeling sad, just have a good cry. When you reach your grandfather's age, you'll understand that these youthful romances are just fleeting moments, insignificant compared to the country, the nation, and the glory of the family."
.
On the 20th, just as the red-robed angel delivering the imperial decree set off for Jizhou, Qin Lie received a secret report.
"Third Brother, did the palace really arrange a marriage for you with that princess born to a prostitute?" Qin Hong asked, then realized he had asked a pointless question. When had his third brother ever guessed wrong?
Thinking about it this way, he immediately became smug and mocked, "Those so-called prime ministers and prime ministers in the capital are no good either. Third Brother just pulled out a noose, and they stretched their necks and crawled in themselves. A bunch of good-for-nothings!"
Qin Lie ignored his flattery: "Have you been keeping a close eye on the informant?"
"Do I need to ask questions about what I do?!" Qin Hong pounded his chest. "From the day he stepped out of this tent, he's been watched. Forget where he went or who he met, I know exactly what his fart smells like! The whole operation is under our control. All it takes is one word from you, and I'll immediately stab those traitorous dogs to the ground!"
Qin Hong had been trained in the army for several years, which tempered his temperament considerably, but he had also picked up even more of the slang and nonsense of those seasoned soldiers. Qin Lie didn't hold it against him, only instructing him: "Keep him for now. Remember not to alert him. I will deal with him after I return from the capital."
Qin Hong belatedly realized what was happening and scratched his head: "No, Third Brother, are you really going to the capital to marry that damn princess?"
Qin Lie raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? You want me to disobey the imperial decree?"
With a single, casual remark, Qin Hong was rendered speechless. He couldn't disobey the imperial decree, but the anger was stuck in his chest and he couldn't let it out. He was so angry that he grabbed a handful of his hair and paced back and forth in the tent several times. Finally, he came up with a good idea and leaned close to Qin Lie, lowering his voice to say, "How about... I intercept the people who come to deliver the imperial decree on the way?"
Since the Qin family did not receive the imperial edict, there was naturally no question of disobeying it.
Just now, while he was pacing back and forth like a trapped beast, Qin Lie had already picked up the map and was examining it. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but look up and glance at his cousin.
Qin Lie was a man of few words and aloofness, with sharp eyes, so much so that even many of the women in his family dared not meet his gaze.
But upon that glance, Qin Hong sensed a warmth and a touch of familiarity.
It's as if... Qin Lie looked at his three-year-old nephew with the same gaze.
"Have you finished reading the book on military strategy?" Qin Lie asked instead of answering.
"......I've finished reading it." Qin Hong stood obediently and answered in a low voice, feeling guilty. Whether he had finished reading it or not, at least every page was covered with his drool from when he was dozing off.
"Very good." Qin Lie smiled slightly: "Copy it ten more times, and you are not allowed to leave the military camp until you finish copying it."
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