Chapter 36 Women are like the bronze pitch-pot game, the important thing is...
Inside the Jade Flower Hall, the sound of phoenix flutes stirred, and the jade pot shone with light.
Xiao Cheng wished that the singing and dancing could break through the clouds and soar straight to the heavens.
Each person's table was placed several feet apart, as if afraid that they might start chatting with each other.
Prime Minister Cui observed that the Prince of Huaiyang personally arranged a banquet and performances to entertain the imperial envoys.
The singer's face turned red as she strained to reach higher notes. The Prince of Huaiyang tried his best to guide her, but still felt it wasn't enough, and his face also turned red.
He immediately understood the meaning of the flattery.
The Huaiyang Kingdom, the Huaiyang Royal Palace, and the Huaiyang Prime Minister are inextricably linked, sharing weal and woe. In this sense, he is half a host.
So after being invited, he stood in the hall early on, and with his silver tongue and shrewdness, which he had used for many years to navigate the ups and downs of officialdom—or rather, to rise above the lowly and never sink—he led all the guests to one place before the Prince of Huaiyang could speak.
Every word came from the bottom of his heart, and his voice was as loud as a bell.
He raised his wine cup to Ling Feng: "I have long heard of the achievements of the Grand Master of Ceremonies in Huaiyang. Today, I am surprised to see that the esteemed Grand Master of Ceremonies is so young! Young and promising, he will surely achieve great things soon!"
Ling Feng declined repeatedly, then looked at Prince Xiao Jin and said with a smile, "On New Year's Eve, I saw you at Cuiwei Mountain. You are so young, yet you are already deeply loved by the people. You are truly a young hero."
Because the Prince of Huaiyang was right in front of her, Xiao Jin dared not laugh too freely.
Fortunately, the music drowned out the laughter. After he finished laughing, he rubbed his face and then introduced the Grand Master of Ceremonies to Lin Yu and He Ji.
A year and a half ago, Ling Feng was just a Yulin Cavalry General.
At that time, the Minister of the Imperial Household, Qu Qingchuan, had just been demoted by imperial decree to the border region of Shuofang County.
Among the group of Imperial Guards officers personally appointed and promoted by Qu Qingchuan, Ling Feng was the most capable.
Although Qu Qingchuan was not particular about trivial matters and did not care about the greater good, he could distinguish between good and bad.
—Just close your eyes and think about Qu Yang, and you'll know.
Anyone who incites Qu Yang to the point of picking up a stick must be a bad person.
Anything that makes Qu Yang tense up and remain silent is definitely not a good thing.
Since he could remember, Qu Yang had never smiled or been gentle in front of him once; nothing he did was good.
To keep the benefits within the family, Qu Qingchuan deliberately promoted Ling Feng, and put a lot of thought into it.
He first spoke to His Majesty, promising to persuade Qu Yang to go to Shuofang immediately, in exchange for his protection of Ling Feng.
Then, he served tea and water to Qu Yan, and massaged his waist and back.
One is a loving mother, the other a devoted mother.
In the midst of their tender moments, he asked Qu Yan to whisper in Qu Yang's ear and recommend one of his cronies, a son of a Marquis of Guannei, who was quite famous in brothels, to succeed him as Minister of the Imperial Household.
Qu Yang was furious. He picked up the whip, but before he could pull down Qu Qingchuan's pants, he saw Qu Yan standing in front of his son, tears streaming down his face, and kneeling on the ground.
He looked up to the sky and sighed, then put down his whip. He went to the Xuan Room and agreed to let Qu Qingchuan go to the harsh northern land of Shuofang, away from sensual pleasures, indulgence, and flattery, to temper his will.
Then, Ling Feng was recommended for promotion to Minister of the Imperial Household Department. Ling Feng was incorruptible, honest, and an outstanding figure among the Imperial Guards.
Upon arriving in Shuofang County, Qu Qingchuan, as the Commandant of the County and bearing the heavy responsibility of border defense, was not allowed to return to the capital without being summoned.
When Qu Yan was suddenly imprisoned, Qu Qingchuan submitted numerous memorials.
However, Qu Yang feared that if he returned to Chang'an, he would cause trouble, so he ordered him to take care of himself and not worry about anything in Chang'an.
Fortunately, Ling Feng, a former subordinate, was driven by loyalty and gratitude for the promotion he had received years ago. He went to the Chang'an prison to visit his mother.
Qu Yan was imprisoned in the Sili Xiaowei prison, where he was deprived of sunlight and appeared to be insane. When he heard that Qu Qingru had been confined to the cold palace of Zhaotai Palace in Shanglin Garden, he took all the blame upon himself, only begging His Majesty not to "punish the Empress, the Grand Marshal, or his son."
Upon hearing the news, Qu Qingchuan was anxious and restless, unable to sleep at night, wishing he could single-handedly return to Chang'an and rescue his mother.
Ling Feng advised him to calm down. Aside from the fact that he was the son of the Grand Marshal, a pampered and privileged man holding a military post but never actually fighting, he would likely be half-dead before even reaching Chang'an alone. More importantly, "Grand Marshal Qu will undoubtedly try every means to rescue the lady. You must know, the Grand Marshal holds immense power, supporting the young emperor for over fifteen years; the world calls him a reincarnation of Yi Yin."
The phrase "Yi Yin is alive" slightly calmed Qu Qingchuan's mind.
The emperor has the power to decide the life and death of others.
But Yi Yin could decide who would be the emperor.
Xiao Xun was just a fledgling bird. Even if the fledgling bird grows up, its wings harden, and it can flap its wings and peck at people, it has never experienced real wind and rain.
With just a stomp of his foot, Qu Yang could unleash an unprecedented thunderstorm upon this fledgling bird.
He sheltered the young emperor with his own wings and protected the court for fifteen years.
Now that his real family is being battered by the storm, shouldn't he protect them?
In particular, that person was his first wife.
When Qu Yan gave birth to Qu Qingchuan, she was in pain for five days and five nights, bleeding profusely and nearly losing her life.
When the news arrived, Qu Yang was on the battlefield with the Xiongnu, distracted, and was pierced in the chest by an arrow from a sneaky soldier.
Despite being severely wounded, he insisted on commanding the army to finish the battle, nearly losing half his life before finally returning to Chang'an.
Qu Yan was heartbroken and kept blaming himself.
He held his wife's hand, his smile bitter, and said he was happy. Because, upon receiving the news, he had prayed to Heaven to let him suffer in his wife's place, to shed her blood, just so she could be well. Heaven must have heard his prayer.
In the end, both mother and child were safe.
Only then did he remember that he had a son.
Qu Yang was serious and rarely smiled, and Qu Qingchuan couldn't tell how deeply he loved his mother.
These stories about his parents were told to him by his younger sister, Qu Qingru.
She had told the story many times, and the details were so vivid that Qu Qingchuan couldn't tell whether she was talking about her own father or the future husband she imagined.
In particular, she said that Qu Yan burst into tears upon hearing this, and Qu Yang wiped away her tears and whispered in her ear, "I'm fine, how could I be fine? I still want to grow old with you."
To uphold their vow of growing old together, Qu Yang felt that childbirth was too dangerous for a woman. Giving birth to Qu Qingchuan left Qu Yan with a chronic illness. Four years passed before they had their second child, Qu Qingru.
During childbirth, Qu Yan still suffered a lot because of her previous illness, and her chronic disease became more serious. Therefore, he refused to let Qu Yan have any more children.
As for the root cause of the illness or the chronic condition, Qu Qingru was young and inexperienced, so she did not know.
But the mother Qu Qingchuan saw, as the matriarch of a military family and the wife of the Grand Marshal, was fierce, strong, and had a loud voice. When she smashed cups, plates, and bowls, she was powerful and strong, almost able to overturn the entire pear wood table. This made the once arrogant Grand Marshal back down and lose his temper.
If there's any underlying cause, it's probably that his personality has become eccentric.
Qu Yan in Qu Qingru's story is a well-educated, gentle, and tender person.
Qu Yang was extremely gentle with Qu Qingru, probably because he saw a shadow of his mother in her past.
When Qu Yang saw Qu Qingchuan, all he could think about was how his birth had caused his mother so much suffering.
When he was a child, Qu Yang always complained that his head was too big, and later he complained that his head was empty.
When he was born, his mother's screams must have been deafening. Because the baby's head was large and the delivery was difficult, she screamed for five days straight. She accidentally made it a habit, and from then on, her voice never became quiet.
When Qu Qingru was born, she cried out so loudly that the midwife said that Qu Yan had used up all her strength and when the baby was about to come out, she couldn't exert any more force and suffered a lot as a result. In the end, wasn't it because of this illness?
So when Qu Qingchuan listened to Qu Qingru recount her parents' love story with such emotion, he laughed until his stomach hurt.
He pounded the table and said, "Whether he has a child or not, is it up to him to decide? I think it's his own fault for not being able to have one..."
Seeing Qu Qingru's wide eyes and bewildered expression, he wiped away the tears that welled up from his laughter and said, "Hey, Qu Yang is such a rigid person, would he say something like 'growing old together'? Hahaha, doesn't he know that this poem is about things on the battlefield? How funny, it's really hilarious!"
However, upon closer reflection, calling it a battlefield might not be wrong.
The mansion was filled with the smoke of battle, and they indeed grew old together.
The only difference is that the swords and spears have been replaced with clubs.
The cowhide drumhead of the war drum was replaced with human skin.
Qu Yan, who had once been Qu Yang's comrade-in-arms, gradually came to stand opposite him.
Since Qu Qingchuan could remember, whenever Qu Yang scolded or beat him, only his mother's voice could drown out his.
Qu Yang had old wounds from the battlefield, which probably affected his internal organs, so he often couldn't win arguments with his mother or fight her.
He always arrived at the morning court very early, not only to set an example for his ministers and demonstrate diligence, but also because it was dark then and they couldn't see his face and neck clearly—every now and then, there would be unexplained bruising, swelling, and scratches on his neck.
The Grand Marshal arrived early, so the Emperor had to get up in the dark, and the other officials had no choice but to rush to arrive even earlier.
When Qu Qingchuan became a vice minister and was dozing off on the steps of the palace with the cats in the front hall, he understood the matter.
But such attempts to cover it up are largely useless.
Qu Yang's reputation for being henpecked had already spread in private.
Perhaps it was love that turned into fear, and fear that meant rejection.
"In life and death, in separation and reunion, we made a vow." It was truly just empty talk.
Qu Qingchuan waited and waited, only to receive news that the emperor had issued an edict ordering Qu Yanqiu to be executed later.
Qu Qingchuan sent a letter home by carrier pigeon, but received only his father's angry rebuke.
In his letter, Qu Yang said that the Qu family had been loyal and virtuous for generations. Qu Yan's murder of the imperial heir was a heinous crime and he deserved his punishment. He told Qu Qingchuan to stop his clamoring, otherwise he would be implicating the Qu family in disloyalty and injustice.
Ling Feng, as his best brother, was heartbroken and deeply saddened.
In his letter, he lamented: "Does Grand Marshal Qu not know the principle that we all prosper together and suffer together? The Grand Marshal's wife has committed treason. Can the Grand Marshal simply hand her over and absolve himself of any responsibility? Is the Crown Prince's mother acting in this way not for the long-term benefit of the Qu family?"
He kept calling his good brother's mother "Amu," treating her as his own. "As the saying goes, 'The tree desires stillness, but the wind never ceases; the child desires to care for his parents, but they are no longer there.'"
Now that the matter is out there, even though Qu Qingchuan had lived off his parents' food his whole life without ever thinking about supporting them, he was now heartbroken and extremely resentful for not being able to fulfill his filial duty, and uttered the same indignant words as in the letter: "Tell me, which son can stand by and watch his mother be sent to the guillotine?"
The letter concludes with a resounding statement: "For the sake of his so-called reputation for loyalty and virtue, the Grand Marshal disregards his wife and children; does he not even care about his only son?"
"Loyal and virtuous? Hmph, what a joke! He's a powerful minister who can control everything, yet he calls himself loyal and virtuous? Doesn't he even consider the current emperor to be loyal and virtuous?! Will future historians consider him loyal and virtuous?!" Qu Qingchuan slammed his fist on the table, his mind set on rebellion and forcing the emperor to abdicate.
Rather than forcing Weiyang Palace, it would be more accurate to say that he was forcing his father to do what Yi Yin did.
With his only son rebelling, how could Qu Yang possibly remain "loyal" to the emperor who wanted to kill his beloved wife, neglect his daughter, demote his son, and also kill his only son?
...
"The first step to a decisive victory is to make the enemy feel that victory is assured."
Lin Yuan and the princess were also having a lively conversation.
The fireplace in Yuhua Hall was so hot that the two of them were almost sweating.
When she was sweating profusely, the princess asked her to practice her zither skills another day, and asked her three times in a row.
She praised the princess for her beauty, voice, clothes, hairpins, and shoes, going on and on until she was almost at a loss for words.
Having run out of things to talk about, Lin Yuan brought up the game of pitch-pot that morning. Of course, she didn't mention that Xiao Xun and Lin Yu were the ones who played the game.
The princess was not interested in pitch-pot, but as she listened, she suddenly felt that it was quite similar to the method she had used to gradually win over the Prince of Huaiyang.
The Prince of Huaiyang was a handsome and dashing prince, while she was merely a lowly singer.
By chance, she received private instruction in playing the zither from the Prince of Huaiyang.
The pale fingers stroked the wheat-colored paulownia wood, first hearing the first two notes of the strings, like a clear spring bursting forth from a mountain stream, gurgling endlessly, making one impatient to get a feel for it and explore it.
Then, the four hands played together, and the large and small beads fell into the jade plate, colliding in pairs. Immediately, the rapid strings turned into a torrential rain, making people dizzy, unable to distinguish between heaven and earth, and unaware of the outside world.
He instructed her all night, tuned the strings three times, and wiped the zither three times, but the Prince of Huaiyang still felt that her talent was still shallow.
However, she was teachable, so they took her to the Prince's Palace for further training.
When the Prince of Huaiyang looked at her at that time, it couldn't really be said that he had victory in his grasp.
Victory is assured, but there's still a slight chance of failure.
Such a possibility did not exist in the eyes of the Prince of Huaiyang.
He was the one wielding the arrow; to him, the singing girl was nothing more than a plaything, a living copper pot.
Some bronze kettles are gilded, some are silver-plated, and some are carved from jade. Sometimes, a simple, rustic pottery kettle will suddenly appear, catching your eye and adding a unique charm.
Despite the differences in materials, curves, and colors, they are essentially similar.
The only useful thing is the Hukou Waterfall, which invites people to explore its hidden beauty.
After exploring too much, there's not much new to discover.
He only needs to appear on the pitch-pot field, without even giving a glance or revealing an arrow, to know that the bronze pot will chase after him and guess whether the arrow he carries is thin or thick, hard or soft, long or short.
No matter what shape it is, the spout can be transformed into the most suitable shape, and when the arrow enters the pot and trembles slightly, it makes a cheerful and melodious sound.
The princess couldn't help but smile as she thought of this.
Lin Yuan felt as if she were bathed in a spring breeze, and became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke:
"Those who play the game of pitch-pot believe that the pot, the arrow, and even the wind will obey their will. Once the arrow is released, the pot will surely know their intention, obediently catch the arrow, and then bounce it back into their hand."
She spoke vividly, and even without mentioning names, she depicted Xiao Xun's initial smugness with remarkable realism and insight.
Applause erupted from the other side.
He Jiqing couldn't help but slam his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Ah, my father is the Grand Marshal of the court! If what Qu Qingchuan thinks is true, and the Grand Marshal responds in Chang'an as soon as he sends troops out of Shuofang County, then the chances of victory are not low!"
Xiao Jin also clapped his hands in agreement: "Isn't that right? At a glance, Qu Qingchuan sees that the Commandant of the Southern Army in the palace is a protégé of Qu Yang, and the Commander of the Northern Army is a former subordinate of Qu Yang. The Imperial Guards and the Tiger Warriors are all Qu Qingchuan's own old troops, and the later Minister of the Imperial Household is Qu Qingchuan's 'good brother.' In addition, the Changshui Xuanqu Hu cavalry can also be considered the Grand Marshal's old troops. Back then, the Grand Marshal led these Hu cavalry to a decisive victory and gained the late emperor's favor."
He smiled, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Ling Feng.
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng coughed lightly twice.
Qu Qingchuan practiced nepotism, with layers upon layers of cronyism, more numerous than the folds of Liuxian's skirt.
He himself couldn't figure out which of his cronies had put Ling Feng in there. If he did know, then that cronie would also be transformed into a good teacher and a true friend.
Along with them came a group of cronies from Tonggan in Shuofang County: one was the youngest son of the Commander of the Imperial Guard, another was the grand-nephew of the Prefect of the Capital, and the third was the brother-in-law of the eldest son of the Minister of the Imperial Guard. They put down their cups, slammed their fists on the table, and stood up in a rage.
The wine splashed three feet high, but their heroic spirit soared three feet high. They all patted their chests and swore that they would always stand behind him and would go to great lengths for him.
That's true. After the incident, they all hid behind him, a thousand miles away from Sanshe.
In the end, all those knives were stuck in his ribs.
But that's a story for another time.
Only Ling Feng, with his profound foresight, sent his earnest advice from a thousand miles away, urging him to reconsider.
Qu Yang did not take concubines, and loved his wife madly, earning him a good reputation.
But when his wife was in trouble, he remained cold-hearted and indifferent, offering no help. Would he really rise up in rebellion for his son?
The night wind from the north, carrying coarse sand, lashed against Qu Qingchuan's body.
His eyes turned bloodshot when he thought of Qu Yang.
Qu Yang has never felt that he has done anything right.
But Qu Yang, is he always right and never wrong?
He vividly remembered how Qu Yang's whip struck him, nearly killing him.
He wailed and cried, but his mother cried even louder. She screamed, her voice piercing the clouds, pleading, "Are you going to beat your son to death? This is the descendant of the Qu family, the continuation of the Qu lineage!"
Sometimes he felt that the root of his mother's illness was clearly Qu Yang.
His broad shoulders and large head, which caused his mother's difficult childbirth, were the features of Qu Yang.
If Qu Yang hadn't constantly beaten and scolded him, his mother's illness wouldn't have persisted for so many years without any improvement.
"A weak, incompetent, stupid, cowardly wretch!"
Qu Yang's blows became even harder, and his words, amplified by the sound of the whip cracking in the wind, drowned out his mother's, echoing throughout the heavens and earth, reaching the entire city of Chang'an: "What makes you resemble a descendant of the Qu family? What face do you have to meet the ancestors of the Qu family?!"
But soon, when he was beaten unconscious, he saw the ancestors of the Qu family.
Therefore, Qu Yang was wrong.
He wanted to prove to Qu Yang that he had misjudged his son.
His son was neither weak nor incompetent, nor was he afraid of death.
"...Unfortunately, on the day of the game of pitch-pot, the ordinary bronze pot in front of us clearly had its own ideas, the arrows seemed to have their own ideas as well, and even the wind was not as we wished, blowing so hard that we could not see east, west, south, or north."
Lin Yuan glanced at the crowd and, confirming that Xiao Xun had not yet arrived, felt relieved and continued to chat happily with the princess.
As she spoke, she took a sip of tea to moisten her mouth: "Or rather, the person who held the arrow realized that what he had taken for granted was all wrong."
The image of Xiao Xun's sullen expression flashed before her eyes, and she couldn't help but laugh. "For him, this is an unbelievable and unimaginable thing. But once he encounters it, he will panic and feel uneasy. Therefore, the second step of the decisive move is to make the enemy doubt himself."
As the princess nodded, her gaze drifted to the waterside pavilion leading from the side gate of Yuhua Hall, where she saw the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion from fifteen years ago.
The Prince of Huaiyang trained her in playing the zither.
The sound of the zither resounded through the plum grove, echoed through the secluded valley, and reverberated in the pavilions and waterside terraces everywhere.
Right there in the waterside pavilion, the princess turned around and pressed down on the Prince of Huaiyang's finger.
The strings were pressed down by his fingertips, producing a mournful tone, which was then brought to a climax by the princess's delicate hands.
The Prince of Huaiyang was at a disadvantage for the first time, and was controlled by others, which he was unwilling to accept.
His heart was irresistibly drawn to the music played by the princess, and his hands were led by her, moving upwards, downwards, leftwards, and rightwards.
When the song ended, the princess was drenched in sweat, and the Prince of Huaiyang trembled uncontrollably.
"One more song...one more," he gasped.
The princess wiped the zither and chuckled, "I'm tired."
"You're already tired after just one song?" Prince Huaiyang seemed unsatisfied.
"It's rather dull," the princess said languidly. "The last piece I played didn't satisfy me. When playing the zither, it's best if both of us enjoy it."
She left with her zither, leaving Prince Huaiyang trembling in place.
"How could this be?" he asked himself, trembling.
"How could that be?" he quickly asked himself again, his voice rising a little.
At that time, he condescended to go to the servants' quarters to find a lowly singing girl.
The gatekeeper said that the singing girl who came to the Prince's mansion to learn the zither had already left the mansion after receiving a personal remark from the Prince of Huaiyang: "Your zither skills are now 'blue, extracted from indigo but bluer than indigo.'"
The Prince of Huaiyang walked out of the servants' quarters, his steps uneven.
After passing the plum grove, the sound of a zither came to mind.
After passing through the secluded valley, the sound of a zither came to mind.
Even after passing the pavilions and waterside terraces, the sound of the zither still lingers in my mind.
The omnipresent sound of the piano stirred his heart with a restless longing.
"Not enough! Still not enough! More! More!"
The princess glanced sideways and saw the Prince of Huaiyang in the waterside pavilion shouting hoarsely at the singing girl playing the zither, demonstrating along with the song, "Ah—oh—oh—"
Her lips curled up even higher.
"Holding the arrow in hand, waiting for the moment it falls, and having already spoken, there's no reason to take it back. But the copper pot is not as expected; it's disobeying." Seeing the princess's joyful smile, Lin Yuan spoke even more enthusiastically, "The more anxious one is, the more likely one is to go astray. Hey, this 'sword' is the arrow of an arrow. Sure enough—"
"This Qu Qingchuan, as expected of someone from a military family, actually came up with the idea of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'!" Xiao Jin clapped his hands and sighed, causing Lin Yuan, who had only spoken half a sentence, to turn her head in surprise.
“When we were studying together in Chengming Hall, he was even less ambitious and more stubborn than me. Later, he was punished by the Grand Tutor—who is now Prime Minister Su—and refused to come back. I missed him for a while.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu curled her lips into a smile.
Xiao Jin rubbed his nose and burst into laughter: "Isn't that right? You know, once he leaves, there's no one to back me up. Won't Prime Minister Su's slap land on my hand?"
Prime Minister Cui sighed and said, "The Qu family was a military family during the reign of the late emperor. They produced many outstanding figures, achieved countless military exploits, and drove the Xiongnu far away, leaving no royal court south of the Gobi Desert. Yet, such a descendant has emerged who has committed treason and instigated the Xiongnu to invade our borders. If those heroes were alive, they would probably be too busy to even apologize."
He abruptly changed the subject, raising his cup to Gongsun Zhao with a fawning smile: "I've heard that it's all thanks to the Grand Master of the Palace! I've heard that the Grand Master of the Palace saw through Qu Qingchuan's plot to treason at a glance." His conscience stirred, and he declared with righteous indignation, "Otherwise, how many innocent people would have died in the chaos of war, in the face of undeserved calamities, when barbarians invaded our borders?"
Gongsun Zhao humbly replied, "Not at all. The strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao and feinting to the east while attacking the west are common tactics found in military books. They are not worth mentioning."
Gongsun Zhao, who was then in charge of the Imperial Horses, was ordered by His Majesty to frequently travel to the northern part of Shuofang County, which borders the Western Regions Protectorate and the northern desert, to select imperial horses for the Shanglin Garden because His Majesty was fond of fine horses.
In late spring and early summer, the grass is lush and the horses are fat. In order not to miss out on good horses, he practically camped out in the north.
The Grand Master of the Palace had countless servants and officials in charge of household horses.
Gongsun Zhao had no family background and was inconspicuous. He only gained the emperor's favor because he tamed a wild horse at the Ganquan Palace.
He was from Shuofang County, had a basic understanding of foreign languages, and had served as a military officer in border areas such as Shuofang, Wuyuan, and Yunzhong. He was extremely familiar with the terrain, landscape, and local customs.
He suddenly noticed that, starting from a certain day, the horse traders' comings and goings became more frequent.
He recognized the horses they carried as Xiongnu horses. There were many of them, and although they were not particularly attractive, they were not usually favored by officials, merchants, or wealthy families. However, they were sturdy and robust, making them ideal for military campaigns. This gave rise to his suspicions.
He set up his tent in the field every day, slept on the ground, and pressed his ear to the ground, where he could hear the sounds of the cavalry being trained at night.
Border defense was in the hands of Qu Qingchuan.
The Xiongnu warhorses were very valuable. Qu Qingchuan had been in Shuofang County for less than a year, and even if he had accepted bribes, it would have been impossible for him to have reached that amount.
Moreover, Shuofang County borders Shang County, and five hundred households there belong to the fiefdom of the former Prime Minister Su Dan, who has retired, and the Grand Princess of Yangyi.
After the passing of Princess Yangyi, His Majesty, in gratitude for her care during his childhood, transferred the fiefdom to Marquis Yangxin.
Marquis Yangxin was upright and honest, and had no money in his pocket. Although his fiefdom had reached 2,500 households, the land was not very fertile. If his income was taken advantage of and even a penny was lost, someone in the entire household would have to starve.
Therefore, if Qu Qingchuan were to be corrupt, he would be the first to notice.
Su Dan and the Qu family had always been at odds.
In the same year that Xiao Xun came of age and assumed personal rule, Qu Qingchuan acted tyrannically and forcibly took a married woman as his own.
The woman, fearing the name of the Qu family and the gossip, dared not cry out her grievances and could only weep. Fortunately, Su Dan learned of the matter by chance and stood up for her, reporting the scandal to the imperial court.
The news spread like wildfire among the censors and remonstrators, becoming common knowledge throughout the streets and alleys.
On the same day, the woman, filled with shame and indignation, hanged herself.
Qu Qingchuan was speechless with grievances. Forcibly occupying innocent people was already a serious crime according to the law, and causing someone's death made the crime even more serious.
The matter had blown up and could no longer be covered up. Even though Qu Yang was extremely powerful, in order to quell public anger and protect the reputation of the Qu family, he personally beat him until he was covered in blood and barely alive. He lay on his bed for a full six months, unable to get up, before the matter was finally put to rest.
Gongsun Zhao felt uneasy upon thinking about this.
Qu Qingchuan's acquisition of the Xiongnu's fine horses must have involved some kind of deal.
During the forty years of his reign, the late emperor nearly annihilated the Xiongnu, forcing their remnants to retreat to the Han Sea. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the borders have remained peaceful and free from war.
However, prolonged stability also means that people gradually forget the past events of the massacre.
In addition, the Xiongnu were plagued by internal troubles and regime changes. In twenty years, there were twenty-eight different Chanyus, and now there are two Chanyus, one in the left territory and one in the right territory, standing side by side.
Two years ago, the Left Chanyu defeated the Right Chanyu, forcing him to flee westward. He then led his troops back to the northern desert, where they were now strong and ready to make a move.
Once provoked or tempted, they can't restrain themselves.
If the Xiongnu were to suddenly invade the border more than twenty years later, the court would surely be greatly alarmed.
The border guards had not fought for a long time, and their leader, a "weak and incompetent coward," was naturally "unable to resist," resulting in "heavy casualties," "retreating without a fight," and "the country's gates being wide open."
In order to quell the rebellion, both Qu Yang and His Majesty would order the mobilization of troops stationed in the Three Auxiliary Regions and Chang'an.
Once the troops from Chang'an are mobilized, the city will be empty. Regardless of whether Qu Yang considers family ties and provides support in Chang'an, if Qu Qingchuan launches a surprise attack at this time, it is hard to guarantee that he will not be able to win with fewer troops.
Lin Yu sighed, "This is a risky move."
Cui Heng nodded: "Isn't that right? Not only that, Qu Qingchuan has an even more formidable plan! He used the name of the deposed crown prince's orphan to start a rebellion, not only to have a pretext for doing what Yi Yin did, but also to borrow troops from various vassal states."
He Ji's eyes widened, and he asked in confusion, "The deposed crown prince's residence was ordered to be razed to the ground by the late emperor, so there were still orphans living there?"
Cui Heng shook his head and spoke cautiously: "Besides the current emperor, the descendants of the late emperor are the Prince of Huaiyang and the Prince of Yan. Qu Qingchuan wanted to force Qu Yang to do what Yi Yin did, but he also needed a legitimate reason. He couldn't possibly rebel under the banner of these two. He must have weighed the options carefully before fabricating the story of a deposed crown prince's orphan."
He Ji nodded thoughtfully: "The case of the deposed crown prince's rebellion back then implicated tens of thousands of people. More than half of them died, but many still survived. Even now, people still cry out for justice for him. If there really were a crown prince's orphan alive, perhaps he could really accomplish great things with a wave of his hand."
He got more and more excited as he spoke, "Hey, actually, it's not entirely nonsense. Back then, a huge fire burned down the Crown Prince's residence. Who knows if anyone died or escaped?"
At this point, he suddenly realized and turned to Cui Heng: "Qu Qingchuan is using this as a pretext to borrow troops from various countries. He must also be trying to take advantage of the brotherhood between the princes and the deposed crown prince. I heard that in the case of the deposed crown prince's rebellion, the Prince of Huaiyang and the deceased Prince of Yan were close to the deposed crown prince and were both implicated and could not escape punishment. It was only because the deposed crown prince committed suicide in time that he was spared..."
A few drops of sweat suddenly appeared on Cui Heng's forehead.
Xiao Jin's smile had long since vanished. He felt uneasy and looked at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu casually patted He Ji's shoulder, interrupting, "Fourth brother, I heard from A Yuan that you burned your tongue during the day?"
He Ji didn't seem to mind: "It's alright, it's alright."
Lin Yu curled her lips: "Really? We can't be careless then. It's better to keep a close eye on things."
He Ji then realized he had talked too much, stuck out his tongue, and said to Xiao Jin with an embarrassed smile, "Yes, yes. Medically speaking, a person's mouth and nose are connected to their head. Sigh, my tongue is burned, and my head is a little dizzy."
He rubbed his forehead and peered around through his fingers.
Fortunately, Ling Feng and Gongsun Zhao were preoccupied with their surroundings and their conversation turned to other things. Their voices were muffled by the singing and dancing, which meant they probably hadn't heard what he had just said.
In the entire hall, only Lin Yuan and the princess were still chatting enthusiastically: "The third step is to disrupt the enemy's mind."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, her own mind was disturbed.
In the waterside pavilion, a singing girl playing the zither snapped a string because she played too hard.
The Prince of Huaiyang's rambling "Ah—Oh—" abruptly stopped.
The last note had clearly not reached its highest point, making Xiao Cheng feel extremely uncomfortable.
The singer knelt down to beg for mercy. When she raised her face, her eyes were like autumn water, and a smile was hidden at the corner of her lips. She showed no fear whatsoever.
...
"What a coincidence."
The princess saw herself from fifteen years ago, holding the zither in her arms, and scolded with her head down, "This zither is really something. Today it came up with its own ideas. Even when the Prince of Huaiyang came, it didn't give him any face and broke a string."
Xiao Cheng finally found her and eagerly awaited hearing the music from that day: "If the zither is not good, then change it. I am the Prince of Huaiyang, what kind of zither do I not have? Even gold, silver, or jade, I have them all."
Princess Consort pursed her lips and asked, "If the Prince of Huaiyang thinks this zither is not good enough, not pleasing to the eye, and not as good as the ones in the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion, then why did he travel so far to find it?"
When the King of Huaiyang found his queen, she had already left the Huaiyang Kingdom and was living in a county residence.
Xiao Cheng wanted to say that he was looking for someone to exchange skills with, not a zither. But when he saw those slender hands resting on the strings that shimmered with a cool luster, he realized that the person and the zither were one.
She strummed her fingers and plucked a note: "The value of a zither doesn't depend on its price, but on whether it's comfortable to use and suitable. If the paulownia wood is a fraction too thick or too thin, or the strings are a fraction too loose or too tight, it won't be able to play the same tune as before."
This sound tugged at Xiao Cheng's heartstrings.
Before my eyes, I saw slender, delicate fingers dancing across the paulownia wood, their movements as graceful as a swimming dragon.
His thoughts followed suit: "Yes, whether you're a step faster or a step slower, a moment earlier or a moment later, you won't be able to play that kind of music."
He approached the princess, bent down deeply, took her fair hand in his, and looked up at her: "You are the owner of this zither, and the owner of that piece of music. Tell me, what should be done?"
"And what else?" The princess snapped out of her reverie from fifteen years ago and asked with a smile, "What is the fourth step? It must be even more mysterious."
Lin Yuan had to admit that she was probably gifted at making even a few words captivating.
Although she felt that omitting Xiao Xun's name diminished the story's appeal.
"Ah, the fourth step?"
Her smile faded, and recalling what happened afterward, she felt a pang of regret, and slowly said, "It was a surprise attack..."
Before she could finish speaking, Cui Guoxiang shouted loudly:
"Oh! Young Master Xiao has arrived!"
Everyone looked towards the doorway.
Xiao Xun lifted his robe and stepped into the Jade Flower Hall.
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Author's Note: ① Breast doctor: A doctor who treats illnesses related to childbirth and lactation. This term comes from the "Biography of Huo Guang and Jin Ridan" in the Book of Han: "Xian loved his youngest daughter, Chengjun, and wanted to make her noble. He secretly sent the breast doctor Chunyu Yan to poison Empress Xu."
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