Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C091

After the court session ended, the assembled ministers filed out of Zichen Hall.

Unlike usual, today the crowd was unusually silent.

Prime Minister Wu strode up to Zhao Qinheng, gritting his teeth as he whispered, "Duke Zhao, what benefit does this bring you?"

Zhao Qinheng, who at this moment had restrained his sharp edges and appeared utterly decrepit, raised his eyes to glance at him, and said, "This brings no benefit to this old man."

"Then why—"

Zhao Qinheng flicked his sleeves. "Lord Wu is too attached. Perhaps Lord Wu became too attached when you sent your daughter into the palace, and ceased to be the Wu Weizhong of yesteryear."

"You—"

Prime Minister Wu glared, his beard and hair bristling with rage.

If it were anyone else being stared at by the Prime Minister, they would likely be scared half to death, but Zhao Qinheng was no ordinary man. He spanned two reigns, standing firm in the court for many years. When Prime Minister Wu had not yet entered the court, he was already in charge of military and political affairs. How could he fear a mere Wu Weizhong?

"Does Lord Wu not feel that the court has been plagued by chaos in recent years? Everyone knows the reason why. For the sake of our many years serving in the same court, this old man will offer Lord Wu a word of advice. If Lord Wu assisted His Majesty in the past, it could still be said that you were only acting for the court, without any personal desires. But when you sent your daughter into the palace, and Consort Wu gave birth to Prince Zhao, you were left with only personal desires. Have you not considered how you assisted His Majesty in ascending the throne back then? Now, using the same methods on Prince Zhao, how could His Majesty tolerate you?!"

Having said these words, Zhao Qinheng leisurely departed.

Before he had even left the palace gates, a Chamberlain invited him to the inner court, leaving Prime Minister Wu alone, stunned in place, unable to regain his senses for a long time.

The officials who had left the court, seeing that the situation was not right, all avoided Prime Minister Wu as they walked.

After a moment, Prime Minister Wu flung his sleeves and walked towards the palace gates.

His steps were like flying, walking extremely fast.

Was he wrong? He was not wrong!

Back then, their faction were His Majesty's most loyal subjects. After His Majesty ascended the throne, they naturally rose along with him. Back then, it was His Majesty, and now Prince Zhao was his maternal grandson. What was wrong with him assisting the other party?

It was just that he had not expected that, even though he had always acted discreetly and had Prince Zhao remain low-profile and yield to Prince Jin and Prince Qin, Zhao Qinheng, that old fool, could still see through it.

Whether these words were what Zhao Qinheng wanted to say to him, or whether His Majesty was using the other party's mouth to warn him, Prime Minister Wu no longer wanted to think deeply about it.

He only felt that he had been too hasty today. Those two old things, Fang Xu and Li Zhan, had not jumped out, but he had jumped out instead. It was also because he was the leader of this matter, and he had been planning for a long time, and for a moment, victory was in sight, and he had become carried away.

Seeing Prime Minister Wu hurrying away as if flying, Minister of Works Fang Xu and Minister of Personnel Li Zhan, who were walking behind him at a distance of ten chi, exchanged a glance.

With just that one glance, the two resumed walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Only they themselves knew the meaning behind that glance. It seemed that after so many years, His Majesty's thoughts had not changed; he was still wary of Prince Qin/Prince Han.

However, Li Zhan was not anxious, because he knew that Fang Xu and Prime Minister Wu were even more anxious than he was.

***

Zhao Qincheng was led to Zichen Hall, where Emperor Taihe had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Today, I am most grateful for Duke Zhao's strong support."

Zhao Qincheng waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty need not say such things. This old minister is advanced in years and should have retired long ago. Your Majesty has kept this old minister for these past few years, and this old minister knows that it must be for a purpose. This old minister is not acting for himself, nor for Your Majesty, but only for the court and for Great Liang. In recent years, chaos has frequently arisen in the court. This old minister once told Your Majesty in private that a country cannot be without an heir apparent. If an heir apparent is not established, the country will not have peace for even a day. Now that Your Majesty has made a decision, this old minister is naturally willing to be an ox or a horse, to exhaust the last bit of strength for Your Majesty."

"I am ashamed…"

Emperor Taihe spoke a series of words about the friendship between ruler and subject, and Zhao Qincheng also returned a set of polite platitudes.

As the conversation drew to a close, just as Zhao Qincheng was about to take his leave, he suddenly asked, "Has Your Majesty already decided?"

Emperor Taihe knew what Zhao Qincheng was asking. He had thought about this matter many years ago, but unfortunately, he had always been constrained by others. Now that it was brought up again, it was only because the time had come, and it should not be delayed any longer.

"Prince Jin's heart is treacherous and cunning, and Prince Qin is tyrannical and lacks virtue. Each of them has their own factions. Only my third son, because his mother's clan is insignificant, was forced to go to the border regions in his early years. Facts have proven that I have not misjudged him over these many years. Throughout history, military men only submit to the strong, only submit to military merit. As for civil officials… now, what he lacks is only experience in political affairs and in the imperial court."

Therefore, mentioning the establishment of an heir apparent this time was false; the true intention was to allow Prince Wei to enter the court legitimately.

Emperor Taihe's words could be described as heartfelt. Only when he mentioned civil officials did he use cautious wording, probably because Zhao Qincheng was from a civil official background.

Precisely because he was from a civil official background, Zhao Qincheng knew that scholars often looked down on each other. Those who were good at studying were bound to have many schemes, and the infighting among those with many schemes was naturally something that the group of military generals could not compare to. The chaos in the court that he spoke of, was it not caused by this group of civil officials?

"Well, this old minister is advanced in years, and these matters are no longer something that this old minister has the strength to worry about. I hope that Your Majesty will take care of your imperial body. After this departure of this old minister, there will probably be no time to meet again. This old minister will pray to Heaven at home every day to bless Your Majesty and bless my Great Liang."

Emperor Taihe's eyes were filled with tears.

The ruler and his subject held hands and looked at each other with tearful eyes.

Even Feng Xi could not help but wipe the corners of his eyes with his sleeve at this display of affection between ruler and subject.

In the end, Emperor Taihe personally escorted Zhao Qincheng out of Zichen Hall, watching as the back of this old minister, who had devoted himself to Great Liang for many years, slowly disappeared behind the palace gate.

***

The events that transpired in the Imperial Court today spread throughout the capital and beyond with astonishing speed.

Some stamped their feet in regret, others smashed their cups in furious denunciation; truly, it was a spectacle of myriad reactions.

However, the matter was settled. Now was clearly not the time to investigate whether Prince Wei should have been promoted to Grand Commandant of the Privy Council, but rather how to mitigate and recover one's own losses.

Today's performance made it abundantly clear that Emperor Taihe had not abandoned his thoughts from many years ago; he still contemplated establishing Prince Wei as the Crown Prince. The reason for staging such a scene was that the desire to establish a Crown Prince was false, while the true intention was to bring Prince Wei into the Imperial Court.

Imperial sons were forbidden from entering the court, thus, to win over courtiers, one inevitably needed a 'proxy.' In this way, although one could indirectly establish connections with the courtiers, it was not without its drawbacks. One could only prove, through indirect means, that one possessed the qualifications to warrant their allegiance.

These qualifications were somewhat complex, such as being favored by the Emperor, the status of one's maternal clan, the caliber of one's wife's family, and whether one's lineage possessed figures worthy of emulation.

The ministers were not fools. With so many imperial sons, if one was neither the legitimate heir nor the eldest, and held no advantages, why should they pledge allegiance based on mere words? Everyone desired the merit of supporting the future dragon, but only if one possessed the countenance of a latent dragon. Otherwise, pledging allegiance today, only for another to ascend the throne tomorrow, would be a most unprofitable transaction.

After all, supporting the dragon was not without its dangers. A single misstep could make one the mortal enemy of the future new Emperor, ruining one's career for life.

Therefore, this process was long and arduous, because while you were trying to win them over, others were also trying to win them over; everyone was vying for the same prize.

Why did Prince Qin strive to win first place at the winter hunt every year? Was it not to display his prowess before the assembled ministers?!

But if one could personally enter the court, the effect would be entirely different. Everything one did could be counted as one's merit. One's interactions with courtiers would not be considered currying favor. As officials serving in the same court, friendships would naturally develop, and a group of people would naturally gather around one.

The reason Prince Wei had been able to remain safely and securely in the borderlands all these years was, firstly, because through his years of cultivation, the Northwest Army had long been forged into an impenetrable iron barrel, especially since his prestige within the army was so high that it was difficult for ordinary people to surpass. Most importantly, it was because he was not in the capital.

In the eyes of those lords who resided in the capital year-round, being away from the center of power meant one was not to be feared. How could a military general govern a country? Governance was the domain of scholars.

It was precisely by exploiting this mentality that Prince Wei had fought a roundabout battle, telling them that his achievements were earth-shattering, and that these achievements not only covered the military sphere, but also allowed him to enter the central government and compete with them.

And Prince Wei's appointment as Grand Commandant of the Privy Council also represented a signal.

Everyone received this signal. On the matter of establishing an heir and the future succession to the throne, the ministers could not ignore Emperor Taihe's intentions.

Now that Emperor Taihe's intentions were clear, with Prince Wei becoming the Grand Commandant of the Privy Council, making the other imperial sons appear utterly inadequate, how could the assembled ministers not consider this carefully?

Of course, they had to consider it!

Therefore, there were clearly fewer people who came to the Fang family's 'meeting' today.

Prince Qin, who had arrived at the Fang residence in plain clothes, was extremely annoyed. He had barely waited for Fang Xu to finish discussing matters with several courtiers of the Prince Qin faction, and as soon as he saw Fang Xu walk in, he first asked about the results of the discussion, and then condemned why they had not prevented Prince Wei from entering the court.

Fang Xu, already at his age, had his face swept by his son-in-law in such a manner, and a hint of anger appeared on his face.

"Your Highness was not in court at the time, so naturally you are unaware of the situation. That old scoundrel Zhao, before retiring, made such a scene. Back then, who dared to argue? He could have killed the chicken to warn the monkey, stripping anyone of their official robes who dared to risk it. There were only two paths then: either establish Prince Wei as the Crown Prince, or agree to his appointment as Grand Commandant of the Privy Council. If it were Your Highness, what would you have chosen?"

He wanted to choose neither!

It seemed that Prince Wei had not succeeded in becoming the Crown Prince today, and had only retreated to the second best option of becoming the Grand Commandant of the Privy Council, but everyone knew that this was just the beginning. He was aiming for the position of Crown Prince from the start.

Now that he had gained such momentum, how could others catch up, even by leaps and bounds?

Prince Qin also saw that Fang Xu was annoyed, and gritting his teeth, lowered his stance, saying, "Then I wonder what arrangements Father-in-law has discussed with the other court officials? Have you come up with any countermeasures?"

Fang Xu said, "There are no countermeasures as of yet. Now, we can only unite with others and jointly request that the princes be allowed to attend court and observe the government."

Prince Qin was stunned, then pleasantly surprised: "Is it feasible to do so?"

"Whether it is feasible or not, this is the only way to turn the tables. If you sit idly by and ignore Prince Wei's entry into the court, then all the princes' momentum will be lost."

Fang Xu, as expected of a veteran minister of many years, was truly cunning and far-sighted. He did not say 'prince,' but used 'all the princes,' naturally binding Prince Qin, Prince Jin, Prince Zhao, Prince Han, and others together.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Anyway, these people had often joined forces to deal with Prince Wei over the years, so there was no obstacle to joining forces today. The only problem was that Prince Qin and Prince Jin had previously had a falling out. Because of the crossbow incident, they had even torn off the superficial layer of politeness. Now, to seek cooperation again, wouldn't it be embarrassing?

Fang Xu naturally knew what his son-in-law was thinking, and said, "You don't need to come forward for this matter. It's useless even if you do. I, this old man, will handle Prince Jin. His two Secondary Consorts, one is a daughter of the Jia family, and the other is a daughter of the Bai family. Although these two families are not prominent on the surface, they have deep foundations, and there are many descendants in their families who are officials in the court, which is also a force to be reckoned with. As for Wu Weizhong and Li Zhan, presumably they are more anxious than you."

"In that case, I thank Father-in-law."

Fang Xu waved his hand slightly. The father-in-law and son-in-law exchanged a few more words, and Prince Qin left in a hurry.

After all, he was a prince. Even if everyone knew on the surface that Fang Xu, the Minister of Works, was his father-in-law, the two could not openly display their private interactions, otherwise the censors in the court would not be lenient with their pens.

After Prince Qin left, Fang Xu also busied himself.

After a busy day, when he returned to his room to rest at night, Madam Fang knew that her husband had been running around for his son-in-law, and couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder if it was right to let Ru'er marry into the royal family back then."

Her daughter had a proud temperament, and had not been favored by Prince Qin for many years after marrying into the family. How could the Fang family not know? However, how could a marriage alliance value the private feelings of children? What they valued was 'the greater good.'

The fact that Prince Qin's heir was born to Prince Qin's Consort was enough. Fang Xu was busy for Prince Qin, not only for Prince Qin, but more for his grandson. As long as this relationship existed, as long as Prince Qin's heir was still the heir, it didn't really matter whether Prince Qin's Consort was favored or not. The Fang family would still be firmly tied to Prince Qin's ship.

In fact, Fang Xu didn't know if he had made a mistake in doing so at the time, but since things had come to this, he could only go all the way down this path.

***

The turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface were unknown to Mei Wushuang, who was resting at the Prince Wei's mansion in anticipation of childbirth; she only knew that Prince Wei was to enter the court.

Even she, a woman ignorant of court affairs, knew that princes were not permitted to enter the court as officials. Since Prince Wei was able to enter the court, did it mean he had his own arrangements?

After Zhao Qincheng requested to retire due to old age, he rushed to return to his hometown before the New Year, leaving Prince Wei to take office as Grand Commandant with haste.

Therefore, when she saw Fusheng holding Prince Wei's first-rank scarlet official robe, and heard that Prince Wei would henceforth go to the Privy Council every day to sign in and preside, and would occasionally attend court, Wushuang was quite surprised.

However, surprise aside, Prince Wei's new official career had thus begun.

Early in the morning, Wushuang was still half-asleep when she felt the person beside her rise.

In her heart, she wondered why he was getting up so early, but after a moment, she remembered that Prince Wei had been promoted to Grand Commandant and naturally had to rise early to sign in and attend court. After pondering for a long while, her eyes sluggishly opened.

Lifting the bed curtains, she discovered Fusheng and the others were quietly helping him change his clothes.

"Why are you awake? Continue sleeping."

Wushuang sluggishly lay back down, turning her face to watch him dress.

The official robe was scarlet, with a white patterned silk undergarment inside, matched with a leather belt and brocade ribbon.

Prince Wei was born with fair skin. In any case, Wushuang did not know how he could still be so fair even though he used to lead troops in battle every day. Perhaps he was simply born unable to tan? With his fair skin and scarlet robes, especially with his slender figure, he was indeed very handsome.

Wushuang watched in a daze, for she was not truly awake. After Prince Wei finished dressing, he dismissed the servants and came to the bedside.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him kiss her.

"You continue sleeping; this Prince is going to court."

She nodded and continued to sleep. Only after he left did she realize it was Prince Wei. But then she thought again, Ji Yang also disliked attending court, so it had to be Prince Wei.