SEHE Chapter 155.1

Political Marriage (1)

The atmosphere at the banquet instantly became charged with tension.

“I actually think both boiled tea and steeped tea each have their own charm,” Gu Xinghuai chuckled. “It’s rare to visit Anjing City — one ought to try everything and keep up with the capital’s fashions, don’t you all agree?”

The other vassal princes exchanged glances and followed with laughter, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

They were simply here to watch Anjing City’s drama unfold.

“This official wonders how long the various princes intend to stay in Anjing City. If Your Highnesses remain until autumn before returning, this official would be happy to show you the sights of the capital.”

Pei Yanci glanced over — it was one of the Xue family’s subordinate vassals.

“That depends entirely on His Majesty’s wishes. This time we came to celebrate His Majesty’s enthronement, and happened to arrive just in time for the Empress Dowager’s birthday — a doubly joyous occasion indeed.” One vassal prince laughed heartily.

Gu Yisui said, “It has been a rare journey for all the uncles. The road was long and arduous — there is no rush. Please stay a few more days in Anjing City before heading back.”

“Many thanks to His Majesty.” The vassal princes rose one after another to express their gratitude.

Gu Jiuqing finally spoke. “Today we are here to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday. Let the presentation of birthday gifts begin.”

These words carried more weight than Gu Yisui’s, and the assembled officials reined in their desire to watch the spectacle. They rose one by one and began presenting the birthday gifts they had prepared for the Empress Dowager.

Pei Yanci had prepared a Hundred Longevity painting — neither remarkable nor offensive. The Duke of Quliang, who came after him, had put considerably more thought into his gift: a blessing sutra from the Empress Dowager’s hometown, filled with scripture handcopied by dozens of people praying for her longevity. This moved the Empress Dowager deeply; she nearly shed tears.

Gu Yisui gently comforted her in hushed tones — a fine tableau of a devoted mother and filial son, of harmonious ruler and subject.

Princess Gu Yueqian smiled sweetly. “Your Majesty, the Duke of Quliang is clearly someone who put extraordinary care into this gift. A loyal subject so devoted to his lord — it would hardly do not to offer some reward, wouldn’t you say?”

Gu Yisui agreed cheerfully. “Indeed, a reward is in order.”

But the Cui family was already blazing with prosperity — they had money, they had power. What more could be bestowed?

He found himself at a loss for a moment.

“This subject has already received more grace than he deserves and seeks no further reward. This subject only hopes to help relieve His Majesty’s burdens and contribute whatever humble strength he can to Great Yu during these turbulent times.”

“The Cui family’s ancestors were all military generals,” Jian Ji’an spoke up. “We are currently engaged in a fierce battle with Great Xi — it is precisely a time when men of ability are needed.”

Princess Gu Yueqian cast a flirtatious glance. “Look at that — a true pillar of the nation, ever mindful of the country and its people.”

Gu Yisui hesitated. “But going to the front lines is so dangerous — the Duke of Quliang…”

The Duke of Quliang had already clasped his hands in salute. “The Cui family is willing to serve Your Majesty to the last breath, to shed every last drop of blood on the battlefield. This subject hopes Your Majesty will give the Cui family this opportunity.”

“Ah, is that so.” Gu Yisui was quite baffled — how could there be anyone whose idea of a reward was rushing off to court death?

“How is it that such inauspicious words are being spoken at a birthday banquet?” A clear, melodious voice broke through without warning.

Every person on the platform — even the Emperor — sat upright and proper. Only Tangxi Zhui lounged apart from the rest: one hand propped on the armrest, half-reclining, the other hand lazily fanning himself with a folding fan, his manner unhurried and at ease. “First you speak of turbulent times, then of blood — alarmist talk, and on top of that, you’re cursing the Empress Dowager.”

“What nonsense are you speaking?! When did I ever curse the Empress Dowager?!” The Duke of Quliang suddenly remembered that there was still this person here — someone who had once been all too practiced at twisting black into white, the Elu Bureau’s Chief Overseer.

“You insolent wretch, spouting such drivel!” Cui Ya leapt to his feet in fury.

“Cui Ya,” Tangxi Zhui said, placing deliberate emphasis on his name, “so you’ve grown bold enough now to raise your voice in front of this lord.”

Cui Ya heard his name so pointedly spoken and felt a shiver run through him; his bluster instantly deflated. “I — this official is only speaking to the matter at hand. Chief Overseer Tangxi, do not fling accusations so carelessly.” And with that, he reluctantly and resentfully sat back down, full of grievance.

“Your Majesty, although the Duke of Quliang’s birthday gift was heartfelt, he did speak discourteously toward the Empress Dowager. Since merit and fault cancel each other out, shall we simply not punish him?” Tangxi Zhui put on the air of someone interceding on his behalf.

“Beloved subject Tangxi, do not be so quick to judgment. The Duke of Quliang spoke without ill intent. His wish to fight on the battlefield for Great Yu shows true masculine spirit.”

“Is that so?”

Pei Yanci suddenly spoke — a single light, offhand question — yet when it landed in Gu Yisui’s chest, it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

It seemed he had said something he shouldn’t have.

“Since the Cui family wishes to give their lives for Great Yu, this subject cannot afford to fall behind,” one vassal prince said. “Your Majesty, Yuhai Circuit lies far from the border, but the troops of the regional military commands there have been maintained precisely for a day when they could serve the nation. Your Majesty may deploy them northward as you see fit.”

“Your Majesty, Huaiyou Circuit is the same. The troops across several prefectures’ military commands are champing at the bit, just waiting for the chance to win glory for Great Yu. This subject is far away here in Anjing City and regrets not being able to personally lead troops into battle and send those northerners fleeing with their tails between their legs.”

Gu Yisui felt a surge of eagerness inside. It was fortunate that Li Ren’an had come up with this idea — inviting the vassal princes to Anjing City and keeping them here for an extended stay amounted to a form of house arrest in all but name. That way, the troops remaining in the military commands across the various circuits could be mobilized.

Great Yu needed the vassal princes to guard the four frontiers, yet it was also constrained by the fact that the princes privately raised troops and concentrated military power, leaving the court in Anjing City with little ability to exert distant control. The troops of the various regional military commands had never been mobilized too heavily. This time, Jiang Yi had already drawn away over one million six hundred thousand troops from across the nation — the full might of the country marching northward, intent on leveling Great Xi. Yet even so, the remaining scattered troops of the military commands still numbered four to five hundred thousand in total.

If they were all gathered into the capital, what room would there be for Pei Yanci or Tangxi Zhui to run rampant?

He was just about to speak when Gu Jiuqing opened his mouth first. “Let the various uncles not be so hasty. The situation at the front is still unknown. If more men are truly needed, troops will naturally be called up from the various circuits’ military commands at that time.”

It was said with perfect propriety, as though these were the vassal princes’ own soldiers — when in truth, the troops of these military commands had been trained with the court’s own silver. The vassal princes contributed only a small portion of the funding. Accordingly, they were also only entitled to mobilize a small portion of the troops; these forces existed primarily to keep the vassal princes in check and maintain stability in the regions.

It was a brilliant stratagem conceived by the Founding Emperor, one that had kept the dynasty stable for over two hundred years.

Gu Yisui had not expected that the first to oppose him would be Gu Jiuqing. He was momentarily struck dumb, his eyes drooping at the corners, feeling somewhat deflated. He vaguely waved his hand. “Are there any more gifts to be presented? Come forward, all of you.”

He was already the most powerful person in all under heaven — so why did he still have to endure and yield at every turn, manipulated by others at will?

How dreary.

The rest of the banquet was even more dreary. With no fine wine or song and dance to speak of, the atmosphere never warmed up at all. The birthday celebration ended in a perfunctory manner.

The hour was still early. The Empress Dowager invited the ladies and noblewomen of Anjing City to appreciate the flowers in the Imperial Garden, while the other officials drifted about in twos and threes.

Princess Gu Yueqian adjusted the phoenix hairpin on her head; her brows and eyes showed signs of fatigue, and she said she wished to go rest in a side hall adjoining the Imperial Garden.

Gu Jiuqing thought for a moment, dismissed those around him, and followed toward the side hall. After walking only a short distance, he noticed an incongruous figure standing before the gates of an abandoned palace.

There was no one else about. The surroundings were cold and still; the palace walls were mottled and worn; the palace gates hung ajar, wide enough for one person to pass through. In the pallid moonlight, one could faintly make out the half-man-high wild grass within.

Had he not deliberately taken a different route from Gu Yueqian to avoid the eyes of others, Gu Jiuqing would never have come this way. The rotting, fetid stench emanating from within was suffocating — nearly enough to make him retch.

In contrast to all of this, the lean figure standing at the gate was dressed in a thin violet robe without a speck of dust upon it. He was gazing upward at the top of the wall, both hands raised and open, looking as though he was about to make a leap.

“Come down quickly.”

The bright, clear voice was warm with laughter, carrying a teasing lilt — the only spring of sweetness amid the dead silence and desolation.

Only then did Gu Jiuqing notice: amid the crumbling tiles and withered weeds of the broken corner of the wall, a small palm-sized black cat was tottering along the top of the wall, mewing faintly, utterly at a loss for how to jump down.

“If you don’t come down, I’m coming up,” Pei Yanci said. The words had barely left his mouth when his sharp senses caught a breath of sound from behind him.

He turned his head; the smile at the corners of his brows and eyes faded. He gave a casual nod and turned to leave.

“Yanci.”

Gu Jiuqing swiftly stepped forward and caught hold of his arm.

Pei Yanci gave an impatient sigh. His clear bright eyes took on a faint gleam of mockery. “And what does the Regent Prince intend to do? Come to think of it, this would be quite a fitting place to dispose of a body.”

“Must you always speak to me with such sarcasm and ridicule?”

He paused to consider — ever since last year’s Dragon Boat Festival, every time they met again, things always ended unpleasantly between them.

“When the Regent Prince mocks me, I never react with such a strong response,” Pei Yanci said evenly.

Gu Jiuqing started. “When have I ever—”

He had instinctively started to protest when something came back to him, and he fell silent.

Pei Yanci shook off his hand and once again made to leave.

Another voice sounded from behind him.

“Yanci, I never intended to make you a male concubine — I wanted to make you a secondary consort.”

Gu Jiuqing closed the distance between them step by step. “At the time, when I heard what Zheng Qinglai said, I retreated. But you know — at that point I still could not free myself from him. I could only do as he said.”

“And you think I coveted your secondary consort position?” Pei Yanci said derisively. Yet he watched as Gu Jiuqing pressed another step closer toward him.

“With your current outlook and standing, you certainly wouldn’t look at it favorably now.” Gu Jiuqing said. “I want to take you as my male consort — for life, until death. Tonight, here, I, Gu Jiuqing, swear an oath: only you, and I will never betray you.”

Pei Yanci was almost amused into laughter. “Have you forgotten? The position of Regent Prince — I was the one who gave it to you.”

“But at the time, short of doing so, what could you have done about me? You didn’t want to let me take the throne, yet you had no means to move against me either.” Gu Jiuqing said quietly.

They were both old hands long steeped in the ways of officialdom. Could either of them not see through it all in an instant? Everything in the end was simply the result of a split-second weighing of costs and benefits.

The position of Regent Prince had not been something Pei Yanci fought for on his behalf, nor was it something Pei Yanci had bestowed upon him out of generosity — so let us speak no more of deep feeling, and do not address him from the posture of someone in a position of power.

“Yanci, in the end this is the Gu family’s realm, Great Yu belongs to the Gu family.” Gu Jiuqing pressed closer once more. “So long as you dare covet that throne, everything you possess today will be reduced to ash and smoke — it is simply not worth it. If you are not careful, it may even cost you and your dearest friends their lives. Even if you care nothing for yourself, can you not think of them?”

Pei Yanci retreated a step, opening some distance between them, and only then could he see clearly in the night the dark and unreadable expression on Gu Jiuqing’s face.

“You are threatening me?”

“Gu Jiuqing,” — it was the first time he had ever addressed him by full name to his face — “the deep affection you display truly makes me feel sick.”

Gu Jiuqing’s expression froze; his mind went blank for a brief moment.

“You cannot outmaneuver me in the court, so you attempt to bind me with sentiment? To confine me to the back quarters of the Regent’s mansion, to strip away my claws and teeth, to make me bow my head in submission, to offer you congratulations on your successful ascension to the throne — and in the end would you also have me feel grateful and indebted for whatever meager favor you might deign to bestow upon me, to be summoned and dismissed at your pleasure?”

The words had barely landed when Pei Yanci found Gu Jiuqing advancing on him, pressing him back until half his body sank into the shadows of a recessed corner.

He made to step around the man and leave from the side — but was blocked again.

“Whatever you want, I can give you — truly.” Gu Jiuqing’s voice carried a thread of urgency, even an imperceptible undertone of supplication — a hope that the other might take pity on him. “Everything except the throne. That, I will give you.”

Pei Yanci studied him quietly, then spoke with teasing lightness. “And what of the position of Empress? A male Empress who may involve himself in governance.”

Gu Jiuqing’s expression faltered for just a moment.

“Think it through clearly: can you tolerate having a male Empress among your three thousand beauties? Can you tolerate the people of the realm and those who come after pointing at your spine and laughing, mocking you for having taken a male Empress? Can you tolerate someone in your rear palace directing affairs before your very eyes? And this person might even seize your throne at any time.”

“Yes.” Gu Jiuqing answered without hesitation. “I want no three thousand beauties. The rear palace shall have only you — for this life, that is enough.”

Pei Yanci laughed — freely, delightedly, with just a trace of playful mockery.

In the moonlight, dark amber eyes darkened with private intent; his cold, austere features flashed with a flicker of something dangerous. His voice dropped low and cool. “Yanci — you still have me in your eyes, don’t you?”