Chapter 6 – Shocking News

Yongxiu Palace

Li Yunqiu wished for Li Chonghua to live with her, which was improper by the rules of etiquette, but Zhan Changfeng took pity on her mother having no one by her side, and helped submit a petition on her behalf, treating it as a act of filial devotion.

Li Chonghua returned to Yongxiu Palace looking utterly listless, completely unlike his usual lively and cheerful self.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yunqiu asked softly.

Li Chonghua felt a natural sense of closeness toward his aunt, and said with a touch of grievance, “I feel like I’m very stupid.”

He had always been doted upon in the Li family, and at such a young age he could compose poems and read political essays with considerable skill, making him undoubtedly the pride of his peers.

But the palace was a different matter entirely — whatever happened to all the good food and fun he’d been promised?

There was none of that. What he faced instead was the Crown Prince, a person who stood above ten thousand and below only one.

This Crown Prince had no need for him to share meals or amusements. The Crown Prince’s schedule was precise down to the last scale, with no room for idle leisure.

The Crown Prince studied strategies for governing the realm and learned the arts of military tactics and battle formations — subjects so profound that even venerable masters of seventy or eighty years dared not claim full mastery. How could a child with only a rudimentary education possibly understand any of it?

It was fortunate that he was merely a study companion and only needed to stand at the side.

But that made it all the more wounding to his pride.

Li Yunqiu picked up the porcelain-white teapot and poured a cup of tea. In her heart, she felt helpless as well. That daughter of hers was so exceptional that even the civil and military officials lamented having wasted decades of their lives, let alone a child.

“You…” Looking at Li Chonghua’s deflated little expression, she said, “You are quite clever. If you apply yourself, you will surely come to understand it.”

“Really?” Li Chonghua’s eyes brightened a little, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as he said in a coquettish tone, “Aunt, do you really think I can?”

“Diligence can make up for lack of talent. You are not stupid.”

Li Chonghua’s moods came and went quickly. Before long he was all smiles again — truly just a child. Even Li Yunqiu was softened by his innocent heart.

Meanwhile, Zhan Changfeng rested for a short while before immersing herself once more in her heavy coursework.

The palace servants came in several times to trim the lamp wicks, and the chief steward, seeing the moon already at its zenith, couldn’t help but feel tired on her behalf. “Your Highness, please retire early.”

“In a moment.”

During the day, Zhan Changfeng reviewed newly submitted memorials under the old Emperor’s guidance. At night, she would take older memorials and practice on her own.

From time to time she would dip her brush in vermillion ink and write her thoughts and proposed resolutions in the blank spaces of the memorials. Whenever she encountered a matter that was difficult to put into writing, a vertical crease would form between her brows.

The octagonal palace lanterns burned steadily, and within their light she wore an expression of grave seriousness.

The chief steward rubbed his bleary eyes. He seemed to see a magnificently handsome young man sitting behind the desk, reading over the affairs of the realm — looking exactly as she would many years from now.

Suddenly his nose stung with emotion. Ah…

When the third night watch came, Zhan Changfeng lay down to sleep. At the fifth watch she rose again to prepare for morning court.

“Long live His Majesty, long live, long long live!”

“A thousand years to the Crown Prince, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!”

Clad in her Black Ceremonial Robes with a dragon-claw golden crown fastened in her hair, she stood beside the dragon throne, already exuding an air of authority without the need for anger, and with increasing composure she accepted the reverence of the assembled officials.

The old Emperor coughed twice. “We are feeling unwell today. Whatever matters you have, report them to the Crown Prince.”

With those words, not only were the officials surprised — Zhan Changfeng herself was caught off guard and found herself momentarily at a loss.

The old Emperor sat comfortably in the dragon throne with the bearing of someone merely listening in on proceedings, having handed all authority over to her.

Uprisings here, floods there, silver shortages elsewhere — when it was truly her turn to make the decisions, it was nowhere near as natural as it had seemed when she was merely observing, because she had to face the officials passing the blame back and forth, consider the tangled web of competing interests, and determine who among them was trustworthy.

Zhan Changfeng’s expression remained neutral, but inside she had already moved smoothly from anxiety to outright fury. A bunch of useless trash! She truly wanted to drag these do-nothing parasites out and have them beheaded.

Court was dismissed near the hour of Si. At this time, the Emperor would go to the Hall of Statecraft to handle governmental affairs, and Zhan Changfeng would attend lessons in the side hall of the Hall of Statecraft, so the grandmother and granddaughter went there together.

The old Emperor offered words of comfort. “Grandchild, you have done quite well.”

Though he said merely “quite well,” the old Emperor was in truth deeply satisfied with her abilities, and felt a certain liberating sense that he could die without regrets.

“Your heir does not think so.” Zhan Changfeng was very dissatisfied with how the morning court had gone.

The old Emperor had walked this same road himself, and naturally understood what she was brooding over.

Experiencing the gap between plans and reality for the first time as a decision-maker was inevitable.

The old Emperor offered guidance. “Take the Qu County uprising as an example. You intended to first deploy the county militia to suppress it, then call upon the Youzhou garrison troops nearby for support. That process itself was flawless — however, you overlooked the defensive strength of the county militia, and did not anticipate that the Youzhou garrison would use a shortage of provisions as an excuse to refuse.”

“What began as a matter of suppressing an uprising then entangled itself with the issue of the county militia’s quality and the garrison troops’ pay — these too must be resolved.”

The old Emperor gave further praise. “Your reaction was swift. You turned the situation to your advantage by using these two problems to press the Ministry of War, putting them on the back foot. Then when you called for the military pay to be issued, the voices of opposition were much fewer, and the Youzhou garrison had no more excuses.”

“Imperial Grandfather flatters me.”

Outside the Grand Purity Hall, Li Chonghua stood beside the chief steward, the Crown Prince’s guards and attendants arrayed behind him. Seeing the two most noble persons in the Yin Dynasty walking over side by side, he couldn’t help but shrink a little toward the chief steward and lower his head.

The chief steward gave him an unobtrusive pat, then led the guards and attendants in prostrating before the two, after which he merged with the Emperor’s attendants and followed behind their masters.

Li Chonghua noticed that the Crown Prince paid him no attention and couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

You must understand how painful it is for a child to wake up early — Li Chonghua had lingered in bed for a while, and even after rushing frantically he had still missed the time when the Crown Prince departed for morning court, and that had frightened him into a cold sweat.

He felt aggrieved in his heart. He wasn’t even permitted inside the Grand Purity Hall — so why did he still have to follow the Crown Prince’s schedule and wake up early to accompany him?

Once the old Emperor had entered the Hall of Statecraft, Zhan Changfeng slowed her pace, turned, and looked toward Li Chonghua. “From now on, you need not come in the mornings. Come after the midday meal.”

Li Chonghua met her indifferent gaze and suddenly felt a surge of panic in his heart. Had he done something wrong and fallen out of favor?

“Your High—”

Zhan Changfeng had merely been delivering a notification. Li Chonghua had barely gotten out one syllable before her figure was already gone.

Li Chonghua was left standing outside the Hall of Statecraft. He suddenly recalled that the Crown Prince was the future Emperor.

And what was an Emperor? Someone who could kill without batting an eye.

Li Chonghua’s mind was crammed full of ominous phrases like “if the ruler commands a subject to die, the subject must comply,” “serving at the ruler’s side is like living beside a tiger,” and “corpses numbering in the millions.”

Tears streaming down his face and sobbing, he made his way into Yongxiu Palace — and walked right in on Duke of An Li Mao, who had returned from court to chat with his sister.

Li Mao was interrupted by the sound of weeping and looked up in alarm.

“Chong’er, what happened to you?” Li Mao hurried over and scooped Li Chonghua up into his arms, his face full of worry. “Did someone bully you?”

Seeing his father, Li Chonghua burst into full-blown tears. “The Crown Prince doesn’t want me as a study companion anymore.”

When asked further, he said nothing more.

Li Mao comforted him for a moment and had the palace servants take him away to wash his face. Li Yunqiu stood watching from nearby, neither speaking nor stopping anyone, though her expression darkened slightly.

“Little sister, what exactly are you thinking?”

Li Yunqiu silenced the rest of his words with a single glance. Only after dismissing the palace servants did she say, “I have my own considerations. Do not interfere.”

Li Mao, however, seemed unable to take the hint and became fixated on the matter, raising his voice. “Chonghua is your son too. I originally thought you wanted him to return to his true lineage, yet instead you have him serving as a study companion, reading others’ expressions — he is, after all, His Majesty’s grandson!”

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Li Chonghua — who had felt he might be making a fuss over nothing and had turned back halfway to explain himself to his father and aunt — froze on the spot.

“Father, Aunt, what are you talking about?” Li Chonghua opened his mouth, completely at a loss.

The two palace servants accompanying him trembled in terror. This — good heavens — had they heard something they should not have heard?!

Li Mao held the dumbstruck Li Chonghua close and looked at Li Yunqiu disapprovingly. “How long are you going to keep this hidden? If you don’t want him to have his identity restored, then why did you bring him into the palace in the first place!”

Li Chonghua’s eyes shifted. He was disoriented and filled with a confused, creeping fear. “Father, what are you saying? I’m your son. I’m Li Chonghua.”

He clutched Li Mao’s sleeve tightly, his mind a complete blank. The faces of everyone in the Li family flashed before his eyes, and in a daze there appeared a vision of a great and imposing hall, and those two people — different in age yet alike in their noble bearing.

(End of Chapter)