Wish You All the Best - Chapter 108

Chapter 108

In the spring of the sixth year of Zhaoping, in a bid to reclaim the Hetao region, the northern Hu tribes—after thirty years of dormancy—assembled a force of three hundred thousand cavalry and once again surged southwards with menacing intent.

Pei You'an, the Jiedushi of Longyou, was appointed Great General of the Northern Pacification. Tasked with the administration of over a dozen prefectures, including Yan, Yun, and Gan, he was given command of the imperial forces to march north and confront the enemy.

Just as the smoke of war rose again along the northern border, the Prince of Changle, a member of the royal clan, claimed in the fourth month to have located the young Emperor Xiao Yu. Using Xiao Lie’s refusal to abdicate to the rightful heir as a pretext, the Prince raised an army in his fiefdom of Dongchang Prefecture. He secretly dispatched men to launch a surprise attack on Geng Prefecture. After breaking through the defenses and liberating the deposed Crown Prince Xiao Yintang, who had been imprisoned for several years, he rallied under the banner of restoring the legitimate royal path. Claiming to have amassed a force of one hundred thousand, he swept through Dongchang and occupied Jinan. Initially, his momentum was overwhelming, leaving all of Shandong in a state of terror. However, half a year later, in the autumn of that year, as he led his troops out of Shandong, he encountered fierce resistance from Liu Jiushao.

The Prince of Changle suffered a crushing defeat and fled in disarray back to Tangyi in Dongchang Prefecture, where the city was subsequently besieged.

As the Prince of Changle fought a desperate, cornered battle, Xiao Yintang took advantage of the chaos to assassinate him. Xiao Yintang also executed the Prince’s sons and brothers, along with the impostor who had been touted as the young Emperor. He mounted over a dozen heads high upon the walls of Tangyi, declaring that he had never intended to rebel and had merely been coerced into the plot after being abducted from the ancestral lands by the Prince of Changle. He claimed he had been forced against his will and had now seized the opportunity to execute the ringleaders and the fake Emperor. He appealed to the Emperor to investigate the matter clearly and grant him amnesty.

While continuing the siege, Liu Jiushao dispatched men to deliver Xiao Yintang’s petition to the capital with all possible speed.

When that petition reached the Imperial Study, the Emperor had only recently returned from the morning court session and was in the middle of a game of chess with Ci'er.

During the morning court, the ministers had discussed two major pieces of news.

The first concerned the progress of the war beyond the northern passes. After a stalemate with the Hu tribes for over half a year, Pei You'an had led his troops to draw up battle lines outside of Jianmen Pass ten days prior. He had dealt a crushing blow to the Hu cavalry, forcing them to flee towards the northwest. Determined not to give the enemy an opportunity to reorganize, Pei You'an had pursued them relentlessly, aiming to destroy their Royal Court and eliminate the threat once and for all. The conflict had entered its most critical stage.

The second piece of news was that Liu Jiushao had successfully surrounded the Prince of Changle, the deposed Crown Prince, and the fake young Emperor, effectively trapping them like rats in a jar.

Both were pieces of good news. Not only were the officials beaming with joy, but the Emperor’s own mood was uncharacteristically light. Upon returning to the Imperial Study and dealing with a few memorials, he summoned Li Yuangui to bring Ci'er.

Ci'er was brought in by Cui Yinshui, and the grandfather and grandson resumed their chess game.

Over the past half year, the Emperor had not taken Ci'er to pay respects at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, yet he had not permitted Jiafu or Ci'er to leave the palace either. The ministers had originally assumed the Emperor intended to name the child as the Imperial Grandson, but after waiting for half a year with no further action, they had been uncertain. At first, due to internal and external crises, no one dared to press the issue. Recently, however, as the situation gradually cleared, the officials felt at ease and turned their attention back to the matter. Some began to submit memorials, subtly sounding out the Emperor on the issue of the succession. But regardless of how they prodded, the Emperor remained tight-lipped, neither denying nor confirming anything. Always fearful of the Emperor’s long-standing authority, the officials dared not overstep, and the matter remained in limbo.

The West Garden was now where Ci'er lived. It featured the Taiye Pool, as well as rooms housing swans and tigers, where many rare and exotic beasts were kept. Every morning, Ci'er followed Jiafu to complete the literary and martial studies assigned by his father—never missing a day. In his remaining time, he would stay with his mother, play, or be summoned to the Emperor’s side. The Emperor often called for Ci'er to play chess to relieve his fatigue. In the blink of an eye, the boy was nearly four years old.

While playing chess, the Emperor remarked that his father should be able to return by the end of the year. Ci'er’s eyes lit up with immense joy. The Emperor initially stroked his beard and smiled, but gradually, as if deep in thought, his gaze darkened as he looked at his jubilant grandson. At that moment, Li Yuangui entered with a report of victory sent by Liu Jiushao from Dongchang Prefecture.

The Emperor scanned the report detailing how Xiao Yintang had killed the Prince of Changle and the impostor. He said coldly, "Does he think I don't know? The Zhang family and the rebel prince had long been in secret collusion. He killed his own father first, acting like a madman, and now he has conspired with the rebel prince to commit treason. He is at the end of his rope."

"Your Majesty, General Liu sent another memorial, stating it is the petition of repentance from the deposed Crown Prince..."

Li Yuangui presented another secret letter sealed with red wax, watching the Emperor with cautious eyes.

The Emperor glanced at the letter, his expression turning ghastly. After a long silence, he finally took it, broke the seal, pulled out the letter, and scanned it. His expression changed drastically. He stared fixedly at the letter, then suddenly closed his eyes, and with a heavy thud, collapsed from the couch.

Li Yuangui was terrified and shouted for the imperial physicians. He and the nearby attendants lifted the Emperor onto the couch and frantically massaged his philtrum, but the Emperor remained motionless with his eyes tightly shut. Ci'er, who had been holding a chess piece while waiting for his grandfather to continue the game, was frightened and lunged forward, crying, "Imperial Grandfather!" Li Yuangui hurriedly signaled for Cui Yinshui to take Ci'er away. He noticed the letter still clutched tightly in the Emperor’s hand, snatched it, glanced at it, and turned pale with shock. He immediately hid the letter in his robes.

After Ci'er was taken away by the Emperor’s attendants, Jiafu was doing needlework in her room. Before long, she saw Cui Yinshui return with the boy. Ci'er was tearful and threw himself into her arms, sobbing, "Mother, just now I was playing chess with Imperial Grandfather, and after he read a letter, he suddenly wasn't well and fell over..."

Jiafu was startled and questioned Cui Yinshui. Only then did she learn that the Emperor had received the latest news regarding the Dongchang rebellion and had collapsed into a faint. As for what exactly the news was, even Cui Yinshui did not know.

Jiafu brought her son inside and comforted him. Being unable to move about freely and having no news, she was burning with anxiety. By late night, after Ci'er had fallen asleep, Cui Yinshui came to find her and said that Li Yuangui had requested her presence.

Jiafu told Cui Yinshui to watch over Ci'er and immediately went to the Chenguang Hall, where the Imperial Study was located. Upon entering, she saw the Emperor lying there, his face like pale gold, still unconscious. Imperial Physician Hu and the others wore grave expressions as they administered treatment. Li Yuangui stood to the side, his eyes filled with profound worry. Seeing Jiafu, he wiped the corner of his eyes and gestured for her to follow him. The two moved to a side hall, and after Li Yuangui dismissed the attendants, Jiafu asked anxiously, "What is wrong with His Majesty? What has happened?"

Li Yuangui silently took a sheet of paper from his robe and handed it to her.

Jiafu took it.

The letter was written by Xiao Yintang, the co-conspirator in the Prince of Changle’s rebellion. He stated that he had already executed the Prince of Changle and the fake young Emperor—those who had held him hostage—and now had two demands for the Emperor.

First, he demanded the restoration of his position as Crown Prince, after which the Emperor would abdicate under the title of Retired Emperor, allowing him to ascend the throne.

Second, he demanded that on the day this letter was received, Jiafu must be sent immediately to Tangyi in Dongchang Prefecture. If he did not see her within ten days, he would announce the secret of Pei You'an’s birth to the world, letting everyone know that Pei You'an was the son born of an illicit affair between the current Emperor and the late Empress Tianxi.

Xiao Yintang claimed his knowledge of this secret was beyond doubt. He stated that Pei Xiuzhi of the Duke of Wei’s estate was currently in his hands. Pei Xiuzhi had also testified that Pei You'an was not the biological son of the Duke of Wei, but an adopted son brought from outside thirty years ago.

Finally, Xiao Yintang declared that if the Emperor agreed to these two conditions, he would treat Pei You'an well after ascending the throne and spare his life.

However, if even one condition remained unmet, he would rather destroy everything than spend his life in captivity.

Jiafu was stunned after reading the letter.

Pei Xiuzhi had disappeared mysteriously two months ago after attending a banquet, and had never returned to the estate. Madam Xin had been distraught at the time, and Pei Quan had reported the matter to the imperial court a few days later. As he was a Duke’s son, the Five Armies Governor’s Office had mobilized the entire city to search for him, but he was never found, and the case was eventually set aside.

She never imagined that Pei Xiuzhi had actually fallen into the hands of Xiao Yintang.

"General Liu says that Tangyi is completely surrounded, the grain inside is exhausted, and the rebel army can hold out for at most ten days. His Majesty has been unconscious since the day and still has not woken. I fear that if the officials learn of this, the court will fall into chaos, so I have kept the news secret..."

Li Yuangui looked at Jiafu, his voice low and his expression heavy.

Jiafu knew clearly that Xiao Yintang wanted her there within ten days not only to use her as a hostage to stop Liu Jiushao’s siege, but also, in the long term, to use her as insurance against Pei You'an.

However, this secret of Pei You'an’s birth—other than the late Grandmother, the Duke of Wei, the Emperor, Pei You'an, and herself—should not be known to anyone else in the world.

How on earth had Xiao Yintang discovered it? Could it be that Empress Zhou had guessed it before and mentioned it to him?

Jiafu’s mind was in chaos, and her limbs felt ice-cold.

As a man who had enjoyed the status of Crown Prince and then been cast from the clouds into the mud in a single night, only to endure years of imprisonment in Geng Prefecture, Xiao Yintang had finally seized a chance to escape. After less than a year of rebellion, he was facing another defeat. If he were truly pushed to the edge, it was highly likely he would destroy everything in a final act of desperation.

Jiafu dared not imagine how everything would end if the secret of Pei You'an’s birth were revealed to the world.

"Madam, this matter is of the utmost importance and allows for no error. Since His Majesty is unconscious, I had to take the liberty of inviting you here to discuss it. Please write a letter to inform Lord Pei; I will have someone send it out tonight!"

Jiafu suppressed her turbulent emotions, went to the table, and used the prepared paper and ink to write a letter in haste. Li Yuangui sealed it with red wax, summoned a trusted aide, and gave him instructions. The aide tucked the letter into his robe and departed immediately.

"Master Li, how long will it take for the letter to arrive?"

Li Yuangui’s brows were knitted tight: "By 800-li urgent dispatch, it can arrive in five days. But if Lord Pei has pursued the enemy deep into the Hu lands..."

Even if the message could reach Pei You'an on time, he was beyond the passes and mired in war; it would be physically impossible for him to return within ten days.

Jiafu closed her eyes for a moment before opening them: "Master Li, it is impossible for him to reach Tangyi within ten days. Since the deposed Crown Prince wants me there, I will go..."

"Madam, how can you put yourself in such danger? You absolutely must not!"

"I must go to stabilize him until my husband returns! Master Li, you know as well as I do that the stakes are gargantuan, involving not only my husband and the Emperor, but also the late Empress. Even if the deposed Crown Prince is only bluffing, we cannot take the slightest risk!"

Jiafu’s face was slightly pale; though her voice was soft, her tone was heavy and resolute.

"You need not say more. My mind is made up. Prepare my departure; I shall leave tonight!"

Li Yuangui looked at her steadily, slowly knelt before her, and kowtowed: "This servant obeys your command!"

...

When Jiafu returned to the West Garden, the sound of the third-watch drum echoed from the direction of the Clock and Drum Tower at the northeast corner of the palace.

Ci'er was still fast asleep. Jiafu sat by the bedside, gazing long and hard at her son’s sleeping face, before finally leaning down to kiss his forehead gently. Then, she turned and headed out.

Cui Yinshui did not know the details of the situation, only that something momentous had occurred and she had to leave the palace, with no certainty of when she would return. Entrusting the young imperial grandson to her care, she wiped away tears and said: "Madam, rest assured, this servant will take good care of the young master."

Jiafu nodded, turned her head to look one last time at her sleeping son, etching his face deeply into her mind, and turned to leave.

...

At the end of the tenth month of the sixth year of Zhaoping, on the very last day specified in the letter, a carriage carrying a mysterious woman passed through the ranks of the vast army and finally stopped before the west gate of Tangyi in Dongchang Prefecture, which was being besieged so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Xiao Yintang stood on the city wall and loudly ordered Liu Jiushao’s troops to retreat the distance of an arrow’s flight. He then quickly descended the wall and ordered the city gates opened.

Draped in a cloak that covered her from head to foot, revealing only half her face, Jiafu bent down as she exited the carriage. She stood there, her beautiful eyes fixed on the path ahead.

As the gates opened, a figure walked briskly out from within, heading straight for her.

Xiao Yintang, whom she hadn't seen for many years—the man from the nightmares of her previous life—appeared before her once again.

Xiao Yintang stood by the carriage, tilting his head slightly. The autumn sunlight shone on his face, revealing an air of hysterical gloom. He stared at her intently, his eyes unblinking and flickering, and gradually, a smile appeared on his lips.

He reached out a hand to assist her down from the carriage.

Jiafu avoided him, stepped down from the carriage by herself using the rail, and walked toward the city gate.