Chapter 70 The Motherly Barrier and a False Peace
In the winter of the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era, the snow fell exceptionally heavily in Chang'an. The charcoal fire in the Lizheng Hall burned day and night, and the fragrance of medicine lingered year-round, but Empress Zhangsun's illness still worsened with the arrival of the severe cold.
Every day, Wang Yi would go to the Lizheng Hall to examine the Empress's pulse and administer acupuncture. Looking at the Empress's pale face and suppressed cough, her heart felt heavy. She knew that although she had used all her knowledge of modern medicine and Tang Dynasty medical skills, Empress Zhangsun's health was too poor, and she had been overwhelmed with worry in recent years. She had only managed to hold on until now.
What troubled her even more was that the Empress's once wise and clear eyes now often gazed out the window in a daze, with a deliberately maintained calm and a deep-seated worry in them.
"Master, is my illness incurable?" Empress Zhangsun asked softly after one acupuncture treatment.
Wang Yi's hand trembled slightly, but she remained calm: "Your Majesty, what are you saying? As long as you take good care of yourself, you will definitely get better when spring comes and it gets warmer."
Empress Zhangsun smiled faintly, not pressing the matter, but the knowing look in her eyes made Wang Yi's heart tighten. This empress was too clever; she knew her own body better than anyone else.
Did she really not know about the infighting in the imperial court?
Wang Yi knew that Li Shimin, Changsun Wuji, Li Chengqian, and Li Tai were all deliberately concealing the truth. Whenever there was a report involving the struggle between the two factions, Li Shimin would have it filtered before presenting it to the Empress; whenever a heated argument broke out in the court, Changsun Wuji would use the excuse that "the Empress needs to rest" to prevent the news from reaching the Lizheng Hall; even the Crown Prince's Palace and the Prince of Wei's residence restrained their subordinates from mentioning any sensitive topics in front of the Empress.
This was an unspoken understanding—as long as Empress Zhangsun was alive, this unspoken agreement could not be broken. Because she was not only the Empress and the mother of the nation, but also the mother of her two sons, the last emotional bond and moral constraint between these brothers.
Everyone understood that once the Empress was gone, the veil of warmth that maintained the surface of peace would be completely torn away, and the brothers' struggle would enter a life-or-death stage.
Therefore, even though the court was already fiercely inflicted on the infighting, even though the two factions of officials met coldly when they met outside the palace gates, even though some people had begun to bet on who would be the final winner at private banquets—in the Lizheng Hall, in front of Empress Zhangsun, everyone maintained a false harmony.
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, a banquet was held in the palace to celebrate the Little New Year. This was Empress Zhangsun's first public appearance since her condition worsened, and everyone was extra careful.
At the banquet, Li Chengqian and Li Tai sat on either side of the Empress. The two brothers frequently served their mother food and inquired about her health in soft voices, their demeanor natural and affectionate. If Wang Yi hadn't known the true situation in the court, he would almost have believed that they were truly a pair of loving and respectful brothers.
"Chengqian, how have you been handling state affairs lately?" Empress Zhangsun asked softly.
Li Chengqian smiled gently: "Mother, rest assured, everything is going smoothly. With the assistance of Chancellor Fang and Chancellor Du, I am much more relaxed."
"What about Qingque? How is the compilation of the 'Kuodi Zhi' progressing?"
Li Tai respectfully replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, progress is going smoothly. Seventy percent has been completed, and the manuscript is expected to be finished next autumn. It will then be presented to Your Majesty for review."
"Good, good." Empress Zhangsun nodded, her eyes filled with satisfaction. "I am relieved that you brothers can work together for the Tang Dynasty."
She spoke calmly, but Wang Yi noticed that the Empress's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. She was putting on a brave face, cooperating with this performance.
Halfway through the banquet, a young official who had drunk too much, probably a member of the Prince of Wei's faction, stood up to offer a toast and inadvertently let slip: "Your subject toasts Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince of Wei, wishing both of you... uh, wishing the Great Tang Dynasty prosperity!"
He had intended to say, "May the two princes live in harmony," but changed his words in time. However, that brief pause was enough for a perceptive person to notice something amiss.
The atmosphere at the banquet paused slightly. Empress Zhangsun swirled her wine cup, spilling a few drops onto the table.
Li Chengqian and Li Tai simultaneously looked at the official, their gazes sharp. The official, startled, sobered up considerably and hurriedly lowered his head, admitting his mistake: "Your Majesty, I misspoke... Your Majesty, I misspoke..."
Li Shimin spoke up at the opportune moment: "Today is the Little New Year, so everyone should enjoy themselves. Come, let me toast you all, wishing for favorable weather and peace and prosperity in the coming year."
The emperor raised his cup, and everyone quickly stood up to echo him, temporarily masking the awkward atmosphere.
But Wang Yi saw that after Empress Zhangsun put down her wine cup, she gently covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed a few times. Although the sound was very soft, Wang Yi knew that it was not an ordinary cough, but a reaction to her emotions.
After the banquet, Wang Yi stayed in the Lizheng Hall to administer acupuncture treatment to the Empress.
"Your Excellency, there's no need for that." Empress Zhangsun lay on the bed, her voice weak. "I know my body won't last much longer."
"Your Majesty..."
"You don't need to comfort me." Empress Zhangsun looked at her, a clear sorrow in her eyes. "I'm not a fool. Although I don't ask about the affairs of the court, I can sense them. Chengqian and Qingque...aren't they already fighting fiercely?"
Wang Yi remained silent. She couldn't tell the truth, but she also couldn't bear to completely deceive.
Empress Zhangsun sighed softly: "Even if you don't say it, I understand. But I would rather not understand, rather believe that they are truly harmonious... At least, that way I can live a few more days."
These words sounded so poignant that Wang Yi felt a pang of sorrow. She grasped the Empress's hand: "Your Majesty, for the sake of the two princes and His Majesty, you must take care of your health. As long as you are well, the two princes will not reach that point."
"Really?" Empress Zhangsun's eyes welled up with tears. "While I'm alive, they can still pretend to be brothers. But if I die..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Wang Yi solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as I am alive, I will do my utmost to maintain harmony between the two princes and safeguard the stability of the Tang Dynasty."
This was the second time she had made this promise to the Queen, and this time, she understood the weight of that promise even more.
After leaving the Lizheng Hall, Wang Yi encountered Li Chengqian, who had been waiting for him for a long time, on his way back to Qixia Garden.
“Real person, the Empress Dowager…” Li Chengqian asked anxiously.
“Her Majesty the Empress was emotionally unstable today, and her illness recurred somewhat, but she is not in serious condition for the time being,” Wang Yi said. “However, Your Highness, although Her Majesty the Empress does not say it, she understands it in her heart. You and Prince Wei… at least in front of Her Majesty, you should act more like yourselves.”
Li Chengqian's face turned pale: "The Empress Dowager knows?"
"It wasn't explicitly stated, but I could sense it." Wang Yi looked at him. "Your Highness, the Empress's body can't withstand any more stimulation. Do you understand?"
Li Chengqian clenched his fists, a look of pain flashing in his eyes: "I understand. I will be careful."
The next day, Li Chengqian did something that surprised everyone—he took the initiative to go to the Prince of Wei's residence and invited Li Tai to visit the Empress in the palace.
"Qingque, Mother is not feeling well after yesterday's banquet. Let's go see her together." Li Chengqian said naturally, as if there had never been any estrangement between the brothers.
Li Tai was taken aback for a moment, then understood his elder brother's intention. He nodded: "Alright, your brother will prepare immediately."
The two brothers entered the palace together, served the Empress at her bedside, and kept her company. They talked about their childhood memories, their father's teachings, and their plans for the future... They didn't discuss politics or power struggles, only pure familial affection.
Empress Zhangsun looked at her two sons, and a genuine smile finally appeared in her eyes. She held their hands and said softly, "Seeing you like this, I am relieved."
At that moment, Wang Yi stood behind the screen, watching this scene, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She knew it was all an act, a deliberately crafted harmony, but at least, the warmth of this moment was real, and at least, the Empress was happy at this moment.
Perhaps, that's enough. In this complex court, in this vortex of power struggles, it's always better to have some false but warm moments, some deliberate but precious harmony, than naked cruelty.
From then on, Li Chengqian and Li Tai seemed to have reached a tacit understanding. In public, they tried their best to appear harmonious; in front of the Empress, they were even more intimate. Even though the struggle between the two factions remained fierce in private, and even though the confrontation in the court still existed, at least they maintained a facade of peace, providing a false but stable sky for their ailing mother.
This apparent peace has unexpectedly brought about some positive changes.
Some previously radical officials, seeing that the two princes at least got along well in public, began to tone down their rhetoric; some previously wavering centrists, seeing that the situation seemed to be easing, also temporarily adopted a wait-and-see approach; even the core members of both factions softened their tone during public debates.
A false peace is always better than a real war.
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve, a banquet was held in the palace, where members of the royal family gathered to celebrate the New Year.
This was Empress Zhangsun's first and possibly last New Year's Eve banquet since her condition worsened. Everyone knew this, which is why it was so precious.
At the banquet, Li Shimin personally served food to the Empress, while Li Chengqian and Li Tai took turns pouring wine for their mother. Other princes and princesses also came forward to pay their respects. Although Empress Zhangsun did not look well, she was in good spirits and always wore a smile.
Halfway through the banquet, Empress Zhangsun suddenly said, "I have something I would like to say in front of everyone."
The hall fell silent. Everyone looked at the Empress, including Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, and Li Tai.
Empress Zhangsun said slowly, "My health is deteriorating year by year. I don't know how many more years I can spend with everyone. But I have a wish—that our Li family can always be harmonious; and that the Tang Dynasty can always prosper."
She looked at Li Chengqian and Li Tai: "Chengqian, Qingque, you are brothers, blood relatives. No matter what happens in the future, remember this. When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal; when brothers fight, the country will be in turmoil."
These words were spoken with great earnestness. Li Chengqian and Li Tai rose at the same time, knelt down and replied, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered by your sons."
"Good, good." Empress Zhangsun nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "Remember what you said today. No matter what happens in the future... no matter what the future holds, never forget that you are brothers."
The scene brought tears to the eyes of many present. Even those officials who were locked in fierce power struggles in the imperial court temporarily set aside their factional stances and were moved by the deep affection between the mother and son.
Wang Yi stood in the corner, watching all this, her heart filled with both emotion and heaviness. She knew that Empress Zhangsun was using her last strength to pave a way out for her two sons and to fight for peace for her family.
But how long can this peace last? Once the queen is gone, can this fragile balance be maintained?
She didn't know.
After the banquet, on his way back to Qixia Garden, Wang Yi encountered Li Shimin standing alone in the snow.
The emperor was not wearing a fur robe, but only ordinary clothes. He looked up at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, and his back view appeared somewhat lonely.
"Your Majesty, it's cold. Be careful not to catch a cold," Wang Yi gently reminded him.
Li Shimin turned to look at her, his eyes filled with an unusual weariness: "Master, tell me... did I do something wrong?"
"Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"
“I have spoiled Qingque too much, which has made him harbor inappropriate thoughts; I have been too strict with Chengqian, which has made him feel pressured.” Li Shimin sighed. “If I had done better, the brothers might not have ended up like this today.”
Wang Yi remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, it is inherently difficult for parents to be completely fair in their love for their children. The two princes each have their own talents and personalities, so competition is inevitable. This is not Your Majesty's fault."
“But Guanyinbi…” Li Shimin’s voice choked with emotion, “She has worried herself sick over these two children. Now that she is so ill, she still has to force herself to stay strong and maintain a semblance of peace for them. It breaks my heart to see her like this.”
Wang Yi felt a pang of sadness. She thought of her three daughters in modern times, and wondered how she would feel if conflicts arose among them in the future.
“Your Majesty,” she said softly, “everything the Empress has done has been out of maternal love. She wants the two princes to be well, and she wants this family to be well. All we can do is try our best to fulfill her wishes, at least while she is alive, to keep this family in harmony.”
Li Shimin nodded: "You're right. At least while Guanyinbi is here... at least we should put her at ease."
That night, it snowed all night long. Wang Yi stood by the window of Qixia Garden, watching the snow fall silently, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
She recalled Empress Zhangsun's worried yet resolute eyes, the harmony that Li Chengqian and Li Tai deliberately maintained in front of their mother, Li Shimin's lonely figure, and her three daughters in the modern world.
Family ties, power, responsibility, choices... these complex elements intertwine to form the most real and cruel picture of this era.
And she, being in the midst of it all, must remain clear-headed and find her balance.
It wasn't for power or status, but for those she cared about, for the trust placed in her, and for the promise to "do her utmost to maintain harmony between the two princes and to safeguard the stability of the Tang Dynasty."
The snow has stopped, and it's almost dawn.
Wang Yi took a deep breath and returned to his desk. A great deal of work awaited him—the court intrigues needed to be balanced, the Empress's illness needed to be managed, various practical matters needed to be advanced, and… he also needed to prepare for possible unforeseen events.
The game has reached its most crucial moment, and she cannot afford to relax even slightly.
As the sky outside the window gradually brightens, a new day begins.
But challenges always lie ahead.
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