Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C092

It was Prince Wei's first time on duty, and he encountered the court assembly held every five days.

In the great hall, the officials were arranged in four columns, entering in order of their rank.

Standing at the very front were four figures: the Prime Minister, the Commissioner of the Three Divisions, the Grand Commandant, and the Censor-in-chief. These individuals were in charge of the Great Liang's governance, military, finances, and channels of speech, and were the heads of all officials.

In the past, familiar backs always stood at the forefront, but today there was a newcomer. Moreover, this newcomer was exceptionally young, clad in scarlet robes, tall and upright. Among the old ministers, most of whom were forty or older, he was truly eye-catching.

The matters reported at general court assemblies were nothing more than local affairs, official promotions and transfers, impeachments by censors, and important border matters. Today was no different. After briefly mentioning a few trivial matters, they moved on to the main topic.

First, a censor stepped forward to enumerate the drawbacks of imperial princes entering the court as officials. After a passionate and lengthy speech, everyone looked at Prince Wei, wondering if the Censorate was truly fierce, going after Prince Wei on his very first day?

Who knew that the censor would change his tone, speaking of the benefits of imperial princes entering the court to observe the government, and then mentioning the matter of the court not having established a Crown Prince for a long time.

The general idea was that Great Liang currently had no Crown Prince, and His Majesty was unable to make a decision. In fact, the court officials could understand. Since a decision could not be made, it would be better to have the imperial princes enter the court to observe the government. In this way, wouldn't it be obvious which prince was more outstanding?

Emperor Taihe very much wanted to say: No, it's not that this Majesty cannot decide, but that you won't let this Majesty decide. Unfortunately, he could not say it.

In short, as soon as this matter was brought up, the great hall immediately erupted in chaos.

Some seconded the proposal, while others opposed it. Both those who opposed and those who seconded it delivered lengthy speeches, each expressing their own views, but they remained deadlocked, each arguing their own point.

Seeing the chaos, someone stood up and said, "Since everyone's opinions differ, arguing in court might harm harmony. Prince Wei, as the newly appointed Grand Commandant and an imperial prince, why doesn't Your Highness speak on whether or not imperial princes should enter the court to observe the government?"

This was clearly a trap. If Prince Wei said they shouldn't, then he, as an imperial prince, shouldn't be in court either. If Prince Wei said they could, it would be the same as benefiting Prince Jin, Prince Qin, and the others.

This tactic was clearly learned from Zhao Qincheng, but now it was being used against Prince Wei.

For a time, the arguing subsided, and everyone's gaze turned to Prince Wei.

Prince Wei held his court tablet with both hands, and had been standing there with his eyes lowered. Upon hearing this, he turned around and said calmly, "This Prince believes that what the various ministers have said is reasonable. However, this Prince's entry into the court was a natural promotion and transfer, and cannot be confused with others. Lord Zheng's example is inappropriate, and should not be repeated in the future."

The implication was, if you have merit, you can also be promoted and transferred; if you don't, then shut up and don't involve this Prince.

Seeing that they failed to drag Prince Wei into the water and were instead rebuffed, they had no choice but to continue arguing. Those who proposed that the imperial princes enter the court to observe the government were also aware that they had the numbers and would eventually win the argument; it was just a matter of when they would win.

A perfectly good court assembly was thus thrown into chaos.

Seeing that no conclusion could be reached today, Emperor Taihe had someone announce, "Dismiss court."

After the court session ended, the other ministers left in twos and threes, occasionally stopping to talk. Only Prince Wei walked with steady steps, his eyes fixed straight ahead, seemingly heading towards the Privy Council.

Today was also Prince Wei's first appearance at the Privy Council, so he naturally couldn't be late.

As expected, every subsequent court session ultimately concluded with the question of 'whether the princes should be allowed to observe and participate in court affairs.'

Those who proposed it put in their utmost effort, while those who opposed it were even more vehemently against it.

Just look, it's already this chaotic before he's even entered the court. Who knows what it will be like once he does? Not all court officials are only concerned with their own selfish interests. Some are for the sake of the country and its people, for the sake of Great Liang. Making an exception for Prince Wei was truly a last resort, a special case. How could they possibly set another precedent for others?

In short, no conclusion was reached until the seal was closed on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month. It seems that the arguing will have to continue next year when court affairs resume.

During these days, the only one in the court who was single-minded was probably Prince Wei.

He completely ignored the outside commotion, focusing solely on the matters within his own small sphere of the Privy Council. In truth, everyone knew what the final outcome would be. Taking advantage of the current chaos, the sooner he brought the Privy Council under his control, the better.

The only two entities that could remain aloof were the Three Bureaus.

The Three Bureaus were in charge of Great Liang's finances, and as such, the Commissioner of the Three Bureaus was also known as the 'Accounting Minister.' Every year-end was the busiest time for the Three Bureaus. The Commissioner of the Three Bureaus, Liu Maoquan, also known as Minister Liu, simply used the excuse of the Three Bureaus being busy to excuse the officials within the Three Bureaus who were able to attend court from doing so, only focusing on their own work behind closed doors, and not interfering in anything else.

While Prince Wei was busy, Mei Wushuang was not idle either.

As the year drew to a close, Su Cheng also came to Prince Wei's mansion to report the accounts to her.

This time, the accounts were done exceptionally well, and Su Cheng's attitude was also extremely respectful.

The common people also knew about matters in the court. With Prince Wei's appointment as Grand Commandant, many commoners now knew that Great Liang's God of War, His Highness Prince Wei, was no longer fighting wars. Now that the border was stable, Prince Wei had returned to the capital and was serving as Grand Commandant in the Privy Council.

If you asked them what a Grand Commandant was, eight out of ten probably couldn't answer, but they all knew it was the same level as the Prime Minister, specializing in Great Liang's military secrets, border defenses, and local garrisons.

The common people always had a particularly good impression of the soldiers who defended their homes and country.

When mentioning civil officials, they would add that they were all corrupt officials, saying, "The righteous are often butchers, the ungrateful are always scholars." When mentioning meritorious nobles and relatives of the imperial family, they would say they galloped their horses recklessly in the streets, oppressed the people, and forcibly seized women.

But what fault could there be with the soldiers who guarded Great Liang's borders in the bitter cold, driving out the Tartars? They endured hardships that others could not, and did things that ordinary people dared not do. The common people naturally had boundless goodwill and respect for them.

So, although Wushuang only knew that Prince Wei had a bad reputation, being both a butcher and a wife-killer, and that the common people were spreading such rumors, many people simply listened to it as a strange tale, like stories of the mountains and wilds, listening and then forgetting. Everyone knew it wasn't true.

If someone really said that Prince Wei was cruel, tyrannical, and a wife-killer, many people would surely jump out to refute you, saying that someone was deliberately damaging Prince Wei's reputation, perhaps thinking you were a spy sent by an enemy country, and wanting to drag you to see an official.

Though the common people were unremarkable and ignorant of current affairs, they were not fools.

A cruel and tyrannical butcher? Could it be that no one dies in war? On the battlefield, it was either you die or I perish. If Prince Wei did not kill the enemy, who knows, the enemy's iron hooves might trample into the capital tomorrow. As for killing his wife, that was even more absurd; he wasn't ill, after all.

The common people only knew that Prince Wei quelled the Northwest Rebellion back then, and that the Southern Barbarians and Tibetans always plundered and harassed the borders, and it was also Prince Wei who led the troops to quell them. When the news of victory reached the capital that year, it could be said that all eyes were on him.

If one were to discuss which of Emperor Taihe's sons was most famous among the people, it would still be Prince Wei.

Everyone knew of the God of War, Prince Wei, but when mentioning the others, the common people would only refer to them collectively as "those princes," unable to distinguish who was who.

The princes stood too high, too far removed from the common people.

Of course, the princes did not truly care about the public's opinion. It was useless for the common people to praise you; those who could truly control the overall situation were the imperial court, the princes and ministers, the aristocratic families, the officials below, and even the local gentry. The common people were merely ranked at the very, very bottom.

Although millions upon millions of common people were needed to form the entirety of Great Liang, they were, in truth, also a group of people least valued by others.

To digress, Su Cheng, being a merchant, inevitably paid attention to the news of the marketplace.

Especially after learning that Third Miss had become Prince Wei's Princess Consort, he paid even closer attention to news related to the Prince Wei's mansion. The more he understood, the more honest he became, and the more sincerely he wanted to repent and properly manage Hongsheng Cloth Shop.

Therefore, his visit to Mei Wushuang this time to report the accounts could be described as a joyful occasion for both master and servant. Wushuang even specially rewarded him with fifty taels of silver.

In truth, Wushuang intended to observe him for a while longer. If he sincerely repented and diligently managed the cloth shop, she planned to give him 5% of the dry shares.

Although she did not understand business matters, she also knew that it was impossible to make a horse run without letting it graze. It was still necessary to promise him profit to ensure his loyalty and give him more motivation.

***

After Emperor Taihe sealed the imperial seal and brush, it meant that all the administrative divisions, ministries, and government offices could begin their holiday.

Prince Wei, having been busy for many days, could finally relax at home for a few days.

Every year, the Imperial Palace was at its busiest during the New Year. There was the New Year's Eve banquet, the Grand Court Assembly on the first day of the New Year, and although there was no Empress in the palace, there was still the Empress Dowager. Therefore, the titled ladies also had to enter the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. Many foreign envoys also chose this time to come and offer tribute, so there were many banquets in the palace.

At such times, Prince Wei, as an imperial prince, could not be absent, and Wushuang, as Prince Wei's Princess Consort, also had to attend.

This was somewhat contrary to Prince Wei's wish that Wushuang could stay in the mansion until she was ready to give birth.

But they could not refuse to go, so they could only take more precautions and make more arrangements elsewhere.

Thus, Wushuang discovered that she had two more maids by her side. Their appearance was secondary; they actually knew Linglong. Wushuang could not help but look askance at Linglong's expression when she saw them.

After asking, she learned that they were Linglong's companions.

Prince Wei also kept trained assassins, and these assassins were not only men, but also women.

Whether as scouts or spies, they were placed in various locations, usually gathering information for the Prince Wei's mansion, and serving other purposes when necessary. These people were generally vagrants, disaster victims, or orphans. After selecting suitable candidates and providing extensive training, they could be used. The dark guards like An Yi and the others were the highest level of assassins. Women, due to their limited martial prowess, were generally placed in various locations as spies.

Linglong spoke vaguely to Mei Wushuang, but even if Mei Wushuang did not understand, she could guess.

Seeing Linglong's joy that her two companions could come to serve by her side, she understood that this was already the best place they could hope to be; other places must be worse. She didn't need to think to know what dangers women faced when going out as spies, but she would not condemn Prince Wei for raising assassins and spies.

Everyone raises them; if you don't, you'll suffer.

Mei Wushuang didn't understand grand principles, she only knew that if Prince Wei were to fall one day, the fate of everyone who depended on the Prince Wei's mansion for survival, including herself, would certainly not be good.

Originally, Prince Wei had already prepared himself. If she asked him, how would he explain these matters to her?

In his view, she was a young girl, always harboring compassion for others. Just as he had once assessed Mei Wushuang—this little girl was timid, not very clever, and even a bit too kind-hearted. Perhaps after learning about these things, she would find him cruel.

Who knew that Wushuang didn't mention this matter to him at all, nor did she ask him anything. Two more maids were just two more, then. Hearing Linglong say that people like them didn't even have names, and that even her name was given by Granny Gong, Mei Wushuang gave the two of them names, and said nothing else.

This made Prince Wei, who had already prepared himself, couldn't help but feel somewhat astonished.

***

On the afternoon of the Lunar New Year's Eve, Prince Wei brought Wushuang into the Palace.

The New Year's Eve banquet that evening was exceptionally lively, gathering in the hall were all of Emperor Taihe's closest relatives.

Regardless of what transpired in private, at least on the surface, the scene was one of harmony and joy. After the banquet concluded, they returned to the Prince's mansion. Because Prince Wei had to attend the Grand Court Assembly the next day, it meant he had to rise at Yin hour (3-5 AM). Wushuang could rise a little later than him, but at the latest, she had to rise by Mao hour (5-7 AM). Therefore, the two naturally could not keep watch over the year and went to sleep early.

The next day, the outside was still pitch black, but Xiangluan courtyard was already lit.

Prince Wei, adorned in his complete ceremonial attire, was imposing and noble, entirely different from his usual self.

In his gaze towards Wushuang, there was a hint of worry. He instructed Linglong and the others, "After this Prince departs, wait a while before attending to the Princess Consort. There's no need to rush. Just be waiting outside the palace gates by Mao hour three quarters (6:45 AM). This Prince has already spoken with the Empress Dowager. After the Princess Consort completes the court congratulatory ceremony with the other noble ladies, someone from the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace will escort you to change clothes. Everything is to prioritize the Princess Consort's well-being. If necessary, you may disregard etiquette and rules."

Wushuang felt somewhat helpless. She could see that he was very worried about her, but it was merely wearing the full ceremonial attire, waiting and standing for a while at the palace gates, and performing a few bows. It really wasn't much.

Very well, the full ceremonial attire was heavy, and she had to walk a long way. And she was now with child, but she truly didn't think she was that delicate.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely take good care of myself."

Prince Wei took a deep breath, wanting to say something but held back. He closed his eyes, and in a brief moment, he became a different person.

Ji Yang was much more decisive than Prince Wei.

"Alright, forget about any court congratulations. You will enter the Palace with this Prince. This Prince will escort you to Cining Palace to wait." He then directed Linglong and the others, "There's no need to wear ceremonial attire; just wear regular clothes."