As dawn began to break, Yu Xiaozai—being a scholar at heart—could no longer stay awake. Shen Zechuan asked Chen Yang to take Yu Xiaozai to rest first, suggesting they discuss the remaining matters another day. Yu Xiaozai did not press the issue; he left behind the letter Cen Yu had written to Shen Zechuan and withdrew.
Xiao Chiyě went to bathe, and Shen Zechuan read Cen Yu’s letter by candlelight. Morning light filtered into the courtyard. Shen Zechuan read the section about the border counties, then waited a moment, but Xiao Chiyě did not return. He set the letter aside, lifted the bamboo curtain, and walked along the narrow corridor to the inner chamber. Peering around the screen, he saw Xiao Chiyě asleep in the bath.
Xiao Chiyě felt a bit weary; he had merely been lost in thought, but unexpectedly, his musings had lulled him to sleep. A sudden chill on his cheek roused him.
Shen Zechuan scooped up a handful of water, then felt Xiao Chiyě’s body and said, “The water’s gotten cold. Let’s go back to bed.”
Xiao Chiyě stood up, sending water splashing everywhere with a “splash.” He buried his face in Shen Zechuan’s chest, rubbing against him until Shen Zechuan was half-soaked, and mumbled, “Carry me.”
Shen Zechuan reached up and pinched the back of Xiao Chiyě’s neck. “Aren’t you just making things difficult for me?”
Xiao Chiyě said, “Then I’ll carry you.”
Shen Zechuan kicked off his slippers, wrapped his arms around Xiao Chiyě’s still-damp neck, and said lazily, “ “Come on.”
Xiao Chiyě looked up, pressing his forehead against Shen Zechuan’s, then embraced him and said, “I checked out the Beiyuan Hunting Grounds. It’s decent enough—with a little cleanup, it could serve as a campsite. But the watchtower would have to be rebuilt from scratch, and that’ll cost a fortune.”
There were no lamps lit here, and the light was dim and suggestive.
Shen Zechuan stood mere inches away from Xiao Chiyě and said, “If you head west from the Beiyuan Hunting Grounds, you’ll reach Dan City. If we ever need to meet with the Eight Great Camps in the future, we can’t skimp on this place.”
“No rush.” Xiao Chiyě exerted a little force, lifting Shen Zechuan into his arms and carrying him into the room.
Shen Zechuan knew Xiao Chiyě had no intention of using his own silver. The Imperial Guard’s expenses couldn’t always be borne by Zizhou, and with Xiao Chiyě about to return to Libei, a lack of funds meant a lack of leverage—a matter Shen Zechuan himself had likely been considering.
“Cen Yu specifically had Yu Xiao deliver another letter to you; I’m sure he has a favor to ask.” Xiao Chiyě climbed into bed, his robe still on, and leaned against the pillow, half-enveloping Shen Zechuan as he rested his chin on the top of Shen Zechuan’s head. “What is it?”
Shen Zechuan had already finished reading the letter. Resting his head on Xiao Chiyě, he folded the letter and said, “Cen Yu hopes you can serve as a bridge between Guandu and Libei, giving everyone another chance.”
Xiao Chiyě narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “They’re only willing to lower their status now because they need something from us. “If relations between the Cabinet and the Empress Dowager improve in the future, Li Bei will have to send another representative—either me or Xun’er.”
The Crown Prince’s grandson, Xiao Xun, was now six years old. Xiao Chiyě had never met him, but that did not prevent him from doting on his nephew; this matter was simply out of the question.
Shen Zechuan lowered his voice: “Cen Yu knows this plan is unlikely to succeed, so he hopes I will travel south to Qidong to persuade Qi Zhuyin to call off the Hua-Qi marriage alliance.”
“Cen Yu has been stationed in Kuidu for years and is unaware of the details in Qidong. When it comes to this marriage alliance, the Commander-in-Chief has no say in the matter.” ”Xiao Chiyě said, “It’s Qi Shiyu who wants to marry Hua Xiangyi, not her, Qi Zhuyin. Qi Shiyu is a sly old fox. Seeing the winds shifting against him, he doesn’t want Qidong to follow in Libei’s footsteps, so he’s trying to forge closer ties with Guidu. What can Cen Yu and his people offer Qi Shiyu? With Hai Liangyi’s death and the Empress’s ascension, all those past promises have become worthless scraps of paper. They have no leverage to sway Qi Shiyu…”
Xiao Chiyě’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
Shen Zechuan silently counted to himself a few times, then turned to look at him—and sure enough, he was fast asleep. Shen Zechuan opened the letter once more, his gaze lingering for a moment on the words “Border Prefecture,” before closing it again.
Xiao Chiyě thus slept soundly.
* * *
Xue Xiuzhuo, however, could not sleep.
He had been staying in his study for several days straight. While the matter of the Imperial Princess might convince his students, it could not sway the cunning and calculating court officials. Kong Qiu believed that Xue Xiuzhuo’s use of the prevailing political winds to attack the Cabinet was unbecoming of a gentleman. He had already submitted several memorials protesting the Empress Dowager’s tacit approval, but they had all fallen on deaf ears, receiving no response whatsoever.
Deeply scheming, with no small ambitions.
Kong Qiu believed he had misjudged Xue Xiuzhuo. He hurled these eight words at Xue Xiuzhuo and refused to speak another word to him.
Regardless of whether the princess ascends the throne, the court officials led by Kong Qiu have gained nothing from this power struggle. In their conflict with Chancellor Han, they lost their pillar of support. Just as Chancellor Han appeared to be yielding, Xue Xiuzhuo suddenly intervened—not with a prince, but with a princess. It was nothing but a futile effort.
Cen Yu refused to concede defeat, and the censors’ criticism was far more intense than Xue Xiuzhuo had imagined. He argued that if the Great Zhou had reached the point of allowing a princess to ascend the throne, wasn’t that an indication that the nation was on the brink of collapse and the realm had reached its end? Wasn’t that why such a reversal of right and wrong, where black and white were indistinguishable, had come to pass?
Back then, Qi Zhuyin had faced repeated criticism merely for being enfeoffed as a Grand Marshal. Now, the Ministry of Rites was nitpicking over every detail of the princess’s enthronement ceremony, leaving many aspects with no precedents to reference. The outcry in the imperial court never ceased, and dozens of memorials were submitted to impeach Xue Xiuzhuo.
“Is every soul in sight a woman now? 1” Pan Lin, having finally risen through the ranks in the Ministry of Revenue, was the most vocal among the old guard of aristocratic families like Pan Xiangjie. “In the entire hundred-year history of the Great Zhou, there has never been a female heir apparent! Heaven’s will is the way of heaven. Though the collateral line of the Prince of Yan has passed away, there are still descendants. Even if the imperial bloodline is hard to trace, the Empress Dowager can temporarily exercise the authority of the Son of Heaven while we search further!”
Xue Xiuzhuo stood alone between the two sharply divided factions of court officials and spoke calmly: “The collateral line of the Prince of Yan will henceforth bear his surname—are we to change the Li dynasty’s throne to his surname as well? It is indeed natural and proper for the Empress Dowager to exercise the sovereign’s authority on an interim basis. If the harem can govern, then why should a female heir apparent be unacceptable?”
“You’re turning black into white!” Cen Yu turned to face Xue Xiuzhuo and said, “The Empress Dowager’s rule is an exercise of the Emperor’s authority, not a replacement of it. As long as the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the harem will naturally return its authority! But if a princess ascends the throne, and if there are future imperial heirs, will she be able to return that authority?!”
Han Cheng’s face turned ashen; he knew deep down that Xue Xiuzhuo had just outmaneuvered him. The old guard of the aristocratic clans was dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager because Xue Xiuzhuo was not showing a submissive attitude. By keeping the Princess firmly in his grasp, he ensured that once she ascended the throne, he would possess the influence to sway court affairs—a betrayal in the eyes of the old guard.
Seeing the Empress Dowager sitting behind the beaded curtain without speaking, Han Cheng said, “Moreover, the Princess has long resided in seclusion; how can she shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing the nation? In my opinion, after the coronation ceremony, the Empress Dowager should continue to rule.”
Upon hearing this, Kong Qiu felt like throwing in the towel. The situation was a sticky mess; at this moment, no one was satisfied. They were unhappy with the Princess’s accession, and they were also unhappy with the Empress Dowager retaining power—but what other options were there? The student council members from the Eight Cities were dissatisfied!
Kong Qiu found himself praying to Heaven to send down another prince at once! A dozen years ago, they’d been blinded by greed and hadn’t allowed Emperor Guangcheng to have more children. If there were still heirs to the throne, how could things have come to this?
Xue Xiuzhuo raised his arm, pointing to the ancient stone tablet outside the hall, and said, “Our ancestors clearly stated six words: ‘The harem shall not interfere in state affairs,’ not ‘The Princess shall not rule!’ Since you all reproach me so today, I dare to ask: in your view, what should be done now? Should we depose the Princess and install a ruler of another clan, or leave the throne vacant while the Empress Dowager rules?”
A buzz of murmurs rose throughout the court, but no one stepped forward to offer a definitive answer. It had been the same when Li Jianheng was originally enthroned; at every turn, they felt as though they’d been pushed to the edge of a cliff, with no choice but to proceed.
Had Xue Xiuzhuo stepped forward a few days earlier to declare that he still had the Princess, then both the Empress Dowager and the Cabinet would have had countermeasures ready and would have been willing to treat him with kindness. But he had pressed his finger on the Achilles’ heel of every faction, determined to keep the initiative firmly in his own hands. Now that he held the Princess and had the support of public opinion, who dared to challenge him at this critical juncture?
Kong Qiu backed down. He knew that this stalemate was not in the best interest of the Great Zhou or of them. He said, “I believe the Commander-in-Chief is correct in one respect: since the Princess has long resided in seclusion, even if she ascends the throne, she will need to be taught the imperial classics and instructed in governance. During this period, the Empress Dowager will continue to govern, with the Cabinet assisting her.”
Their final line of defense was to position themselves as the deciding factor in whether the Empress could govern independently. Kong Qiu’s meaning was clear: only when the Cabinet deemed the Empress ready would she be permitted to rule; otherwise, she would forever remain nothing more than a student sitting on the imperial throne. This also posed a threat to the Empress Dowager: if she dared to support the Han family—as she had supported the Hua and Pan clans during the Yongyi era—they would immediately have the Empress assume power and force the Empress Dowager back into the inner palace.
The Empress Dowager sat silently behind the beaded curtain. After a long pause, she finally spoke: “I have exercised the sovereign’s authority with constant trepidation. Now that a successor has been chosen, it would indeed be inappropriate for me to continue exercising this power. After the coronation ceremony, I shall retire to the Buddhist hall and withdraw from worldly affairs.”
She intended to retreat in order to advance, and those present could only kneel in unison, chanting, “The Empress Dowager is the matriarch of the realm; you must not belittle yourself in the slightest.”
Xue Xiuzhuo knelt among them, his back soaked through. Yet as he bowed his head, he did not dare to contradict Kong Qiu.
* * *
Xiao Chiyě awoke from his nap full of vigor, only to be met with the news that the border counties had rebelled. He had just finished his breakfast and was sitting cross-legged under the eaves feeding Meng when he heard the news. He and Meng turned to look at Shen Zechuan.
Yu Xiaozai, kneeling beside him, saw this and hurriedly said, “I was startled when I heard it too. General Lu’s family is full of military talent—how could they possibly have rebelled? Minister Kong immediately requested the Ministry of War to investigate military affairs in the border counties and the Imperial Guard to interrogate the supervising eunuchs. It took nearly a month to discover that the military rations originally allocated to the border counties were moldy.”
Xiao Chiyě was still stunned. He sprang to his feet, blocking the light in the room, and said, “Moldy? At the time, they only said the Qidong Army’s rations would be halved—they never told them to substitute inferior grain.”
At the time, the situation on the northern front was urgent, but the border garrisons were also engaged in warfare against the Bensha. No matter how desperate Xiao Chiyě was, he would never have allowed anyone to supply Lu Guangbai with moldy rations. He had dispatched Chen Yang and Gu Jin to oversee operations on two fronts precisely because he feared someone might tamper with the military provisions—yet he never imagined anyone would target the border garrisons.
“No wonder the Commander-in-Chief has delayed attacking me,” Xiao Chiyě said, placing an arm around Meng’s shoulder with a grave expression. “Now that she’s lost Lu Guangbai, even the capital wouldn’t dare let her march north to confront us again. They must have her plug that gap in the Border Prefecture, but Lu Guangbai…”
That’s Lu Guangbai!
Xiao Chiyě’s heart sank. “The Border Commandery’s twenty thousand troops are all infantry. Lu Guangbai has nowhere else to go; he’ll have to lead his men deep into the desert. But the desert is the domain of the Border Sand Cavalry. He’ll lose the advantage he had in the Border Commandery for ambushes and will have to change his usual style of warfare. Why doesn’t he go to Suotian Pass?”
Lock Heaven Pass and Tianfei Pavilion would both work. Lock Heaven Pass is held by the Feng family’s forces, and both locations are considered former territories of Zuo Qianqiu. Zuo Qianqiu is now a general in Libei, and Lu Guangbai’s sister, Lu Yizhi, is married to Xiao Jiming. If he went to either of those places, no one would treat him poorly.
But why did he resolutely head east?
The Great Desert is home to only the Twelve Border Sand Tribes.