That evening, when Zhang shi returned to the residence, Shaoyao, still dragging her not-yet-recovered body, went to see her.
“Taitai, Qing Mei and the others are busy embroidering er guniang’s wedding dress. Shouldn’t we prepare the gold thread early?”
Zhang shi glanced at her. “Did someone from Zhilan Yuan send you?”
Shaoyao did not hide it and explained everything.
“Nubi was thinking, although er guniang’s wedding date hasn’t been set, it would be best to prepare in advance. If a decree suddenly comes from the palace, setting the marriage within this year, everyone would be thrown into chaos, and it might be too late.”
Zhang shi nodded. “It should indeed be prepared early. How much gold thread was used for san guniang’s wedding dress?”
Shaoyao bowed. “To report to taitai, nearly four taels of gold thread were prepared for san guniang’s wedding dress.”
Zhang shi said, “Pass word to the sewing room to prepare another eight taels of gold thread and deliver it to Zhilan Yuan.”
Shaoyao’s face lit up with delight. “Taitai is truly thoughtful.”
Following the order, the sewing room, after a few days, first spun five taels of gold into thread and delivered it to Zhilan Yuan. The remaining three taels would be ready and delivered later.
Once Qing Mei and the others received the gold thread, they immediately busied themselves with embroidering the wedding dress.
This news soon reached Gu Yue’s ears.
Gu Yue exploded.
“Outrageous! My wedding dress had less than four taels of gold thread in total. Gu Jiu’s wedding dress, however, is getting eight taels. We are both di daughters. Why is she given double the gold thread? Da bomu clearly looks down on me. This matter cannot be ignored!”
So furious that she burst into tears, Gu Yue demanded to storm off and seek justice from Xie shi.
Her maid Putao hurriedly stopped her.
“Guniang, you mustn’t be impulsive. Taitai is exhausted, leaving early and returning late every day to mourn in the palace. She is already worn out. If you go to her now over this matter, she won’t have the energy to speak up for you.”
Gu Yue glared. “Then what do you suggest? Am I supposed to swallow this humiliation and watch Gu Jiu bask in glory?”
Putao quickly shook her head. “What nubi means is, the Empress’ funeral will be over in just a few days. Once the mourning ends, you can find the right opportunity to speak to taitai. I’ve long heard that taitai plans to jointly manage household affairs with da taitai. This gold thread matter is the perfect excuse, and it may well help taitai strengthen her position.
“At that time, if taitai is pleased, she might even prepare several thousand more taels of silver for your dowry.”
Gu Yue bit her lip, her eyes darting back and forth. “You’re right. Right now, Mother is too exhausted to act for me. I’ll wait until the mourning ends and she has rested, then let her step forward. Putao, keep watch on Zhilan Yuan for me. They are truly bullying us far too much.”
Putao accepted the order.
In the blink of an eye, the Empress’ body lay in state for twenty-one days, and finally, the funeral was held.
All cried in grief.
The Crown Prince wept with particular sorrow.
Others, though they cried as well, were filled with relief.
The torment of twenty-one days was finally over.
Everywhere you looked, people were utterly exhausted, faces haggard, looking as if they had aged four or five years.
Bodies pushed to the limit, once the funeral procession left the city, everyone collapsed inside their carriages, too weak to move.
For the next two days, all the officials of fourth rank and above, as well as the imperial clansmen, without exception, were silent as chickens, staying home to sleep and recover.
The Emperor, sympathetic to everyone’s hardship, granted three days of rest. In three days, they could recover and return to court reinvigorated.
But when court resumed, the Crown Prince was absent.
Only then did many officials belatedly realise that the Crown Prince was observing three years of mourning for the late Empress.
The civil officials frowned at first. If the Crown Prince did not attend court for three years, would he still hold his place there?
But upon reflection, they realised, with the Empress gone, the Crown Prince’s situation was precarious. For him to withdraw from court for three years might actually be the safest choice.
Thus, the civil officials secretly nodded; the late Empress had been wise.
The noble and military lords, however, frowned deeply.
With the Crown Prince absent for three years, how could they seize hold of his weaknesses?
And yet…
All eyes turned toward the Emperor.
The Emperor had long despised the Crown Prince. Even if the Crown Prince stayed away for three years, there would still be chances to bring him down.
Even if the Crown Prince behaved with perfect caution, the East Palace officials would not remain silent.
They had spent eight years of effort to ensure that no one at the Emperor’s side would speak up for the Crown Prince.
Could they allow all those years of work to go to waste?
Moreover, with the Empress gone, this was the perfect moment to press the advantage, to leave the Crown Prince utterly ruined.
The courtiers exchanged glances, and their target was set firmly on the Eastern Palace.
In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince sat at the head, listening as his officials passionately argued, while he himself remained silent.
Clad in mourning robes, his complexion was haggard and sallow, his eyes bloodshot. His once plump body had visibly withered, his frame reduced.
As for mourning, the imperial family had a custom of substituting days for months, twenty-seven days in place of twenty-seven months.
But the Crown Prince had already decided to honour the late Empress’s final words: he would observe three full years of mourning. Three years away from court.
“…Your Highness, please reconsider! After three years, the court will have changed beyond recognition. By then, how can Your Highness manoeuvre? How can you win His Majesty’s favour?”
“Not only that, during these three years, Zhao wang, Yan wang, Ning wang and others will surely recruit courtiers and build their power. After three years, when Your Highness returns, you may have no foothold left. Every move will be hindered, and even the smallest task may fail. His Majesty will only grow more dissatisfied with you.”
“We ministers know well that the late Empress’ words were for Your Highness’ sake. But the Empress did not consider everything. The court changes swiftly, and we cannot attend sessions in your stead. If Your Highness stays away for three years, who will defend you? If His Majesty punishes you, who will plead for mercy? Your Highness, please retract your decision. You must not stay away from court for three years!”
“We beg Your Highness to take back your command!”
In the great hall, a sea of officials knelt in unison, their voices rising as one.
The Crown Prince’s gaze was icy as he looked around at everyone. “Do everal aiqing intend to force bengong to my death?”
“Weichen would not dare! We beg Your Highness to think twice.”
The Crown Prince let out a cold snort. “Muhou has only just passed, her bones not yet cold, and already you come pressing bengong. Do you still have the loyalty befitting subjects? You know full well that in the court, countless men are sharpening their knives, waiting to strike at bengong. And at this very moment, you would push bengong out before them? Do you truly feel no fear of driving bengong to death? Let bengong tell you, if I die, none of you will escape either.”
“Please, Your Highness, mind your words.”
“Your Highness, we are not unaware of how perilous the court is. Yet precisely at such a time, Your Highness must not shrink back. If you fight, there is still a chance. If you do not fight, there will be no chance at all, only to be butchered at others’ mercy.”
“Yes, if Your Highness dares to fight, there is still hope. We beg Your Highness to decide soon.”
“Enough!” the Crown Prince thundered at them. “Muhou was right, you are all too selfish. Always scheming to drive gu to the front, while you cower behind, squabbling for scraps, using the name of the Eastern Palace for your own profit. Get out of bengong’s sight!”
“Your Highness wrongs us! We have only ever acted with Your Highness’s good in mind. Yet in return, we are met with suspicion. We cannot accept this injustice.”
“We refuse to accept it!”
The Crown Prince gave a chilling laugh. “If you refuse, then keep kneeling.”
With that, he flung his sleeve and strode off.
The officials of the Eastern Palace exchanged uneasy glances. What was to be done?
Had His Highness lost his wits? In the past, he had always respected their advice. Why, as soon as the Empress passed away, did he seem like an entirely different man?
What they did not know was that with the Empress’s death, the Crown Prince felt his burdens multiply. And not a single person shared that burden with him. Only by shutting himself in the Eastern Palace could he feel any relief.
The more he thought on it, the more convinced he became that his mother’s dying words, that he should keep three years’ mourning, were truly spoken for his sake.
Yet none of his officials showed any sympathy for his plight. They only pressed him again and again to attend court.
The Crown Prince was nearly suffocated by the crushing weight of expectation.
At such a time, anyone who urged him toward court felt like an enemy plotting against him, filling him with loathing.
And so, when every last official of the Eastern Palace urged him the same way, and not one person considered his difficulty, his heart turned to ice. Looking at their faces, he found them all detestable.
He shut himself inside his private chambers, refusing to see any of his officials. Whoever came was turned away with the order to “get out.”
The mere thought of court, of facing the Emperor’s eyes, with his mother gone, filled the Crown Prince with unspeakable dread and cowardice.
Deep in his heart, he truly feared his imperial father.
One glare from the Emperor’s eyes was enough to make him tremble like a leaf.
Yet, when he was younger, it had not been so.
Back then, father and son could speak freely. The Emperor had praised him often.
But at some unknown moment, the Emperor’s gaze upon him had grown more and more impatient, more and more hostile, as though he were an enemy.
Whenever his memorials displeased the Emperor, it would provoke not only scoldings, but even blows and kicks.
Time after time, his dread of facing the Emperor alone deepened. Every audience filled him with unbearable nerves.
And nervousness led to poor performance; poor performance led to disappointment and disgust.
Thus, the vicious cycle spun on until it reached today’s impasse.
When his mother urged him to observe three years of mourning, at first he had not understood. Now he was deeply grateful. It was wisdom itself.
During mourning, he need not face the Emperor. He could take the time to compose himself.
Perhaps, after three years, he could overcome his inner terror and, as in his youth, attend court with composure, speaking confidently before Emperor and ministers alike.
The Crown Prince thought only of his fear of the Emperor. What he never reflected on was why the Emperor had grown ever more disgusted with him.
It was simply that father and son held irreconcilable visions.
The Emperor, thinking of entrusting a vast empire into the hands of a son so weak of will, fumed until he could scarcely bear it, wishing he could gouge out his own eyes.
Blind, he must have been blind to have named him Crown Prince back then. And what had he received in return? A son as useless as mud that cannot be shaped into a wall.
Never once had anyone truly explained these causes to the Crown Prince.
They only repeated endlessly that the Emperor was cruel and tyrannical, that he must hold fast to his own heart, and rule the realm with benevolence.
Day after day of such words, and the Crown Prince believed it. He fixed in his heart that the Emperor was cruel and tyrannical, and vowed to change it.
Thus, the conflict between father and son inevitably flared into the open.
The Crown Princess came before the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger.”
The Crown Prince sighed as he looked at his wife, Sun shi.
Sun shi was born of a noble line, granddaughter of a great Confucian scholar in court. She was dignified, steady; only her health was frail.
“You’ve come! Why aren’t you resting in your chambers? These past days must have exhausted you.”
The Crown Princess lowered her voice. “After resting a few days, chenqie is much better. But Your Highness… these past days you’ve hardly slept. You look far more haggard.”
The Crown Prince let out another heavy sigh. “You must have heard, officials are pressing me to attend court and take up state affairs. Preposterous!”
Sun shi replied gently, “There are some things muhou once said that chenqie thinks are very true.”
“What things?” the Crown Prince asked, suddenly curious.
After some hesitation, she said, “Toward one’s ministers, leniency and severity must be balanced. Those who must be punished should be punished; those who must be killed should be killed. One cannot afford endless softness.”
The Crown Prince’s expression shifted. “You… you think so too? You believe I should execute a few men to establish authority?”
The Crown Princess lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes. “Some men are not as clean as they appear. Behind the scenes, who knows how much corruption and injustice they’ve committed. Surely, Your Highness is aware of this.”
The Crown Prince stood speechless, unable to find words.
The Crown Princess sighed softly. “Because of the mourning, our children’s marriages must all be delayed three years. Who knows if, by then, they’ll still have the chance to wed and carry on the line?”
“What do you mean by that?” The Crown Prince frowned in displeasure. “Do you side with those officials as well? Do you also wish to force me back to court?”
The Crown Princess slowly shook her head. “Your Highness misunderstands. Chenqie agree with muhou. Three years of mourning brings more benefit than harm. Chenqie’s only concern is for the children’s marriages. Though His Majesty has granted matches by decree, who can say what will be in three years’ time?”
The Crown Prince suddenly pulled her into his arms. “Rest assured, the children will marry and have children of their own. Do not torment yourself. Even if one day the worst comes to pass, I will not drag you all down with me. I will take my own life first.”
“Your Highness!”
The Crown Princess blanched, stricken with fear. “How can you say such words?”
The Crown Prince gave a faint smile, his eyes clouded with sorrow.
Taking her hand, he said gravely, “When muhou passed, I had already prepared myself. Should that day truly arrive, before any edict is issued, I will end my life of my own accord. That way, Father will take pity on the Eastern Palace, and you and the children may preserve yourselves, step away intact, living as idle members of the clan. Life may be leaner, but you will have safety, and some measure of rank and wealth will remain.”
The Crown Princess burst into tears, though she dared not weep aloud for fear the palace servants might hear. She could only sob in silence.
“How can it come to this? How can it come to this?” she cried twice, her heart breaking.
But the Crown Prince actually laughed. “I’ve been Crown Prince for over twenty years, enough. In the histories, there will be mention of me. I only hope the chroniclers will be kind, and not write of me too poorly.”
The Crown Princess shook her head again and again. “Do not speak such things. Matters have not gone so far, perhaps they never will. If Your Highness can endure these three years, outlast His Majesty, the throne is still yours.”
The Crown Prince shook his head slightly. “Even if I outlast these three years, I cannot outlast fuhuang. He is vigorous, blessed with the look of long life. Do not speak of this again.”
“But fuhuang is already of great age. Perhaps…”
“Enough. Even if fuhuang truly falls ill, at the final moment, he will surely depose me and set another heir in my place. In any case, banish such thoughts. Do not act rashly. I beg this of you.”
Weeping, the Crown Princess nodded heavily. “I will obey Your Highness. Only, the officials will not give up so easily. They will conspire with generals in private, and when the moment comes, they may stir chaos, dragging the Eastern Palace down with them.”
The Crown Prince furrowed his brow. “I have been too lenient with them. I must think carefully of a way to restrain them.”
But the Crown Princess only shook her head. Useless.
For the past twenty years, those officials had been fed too well, their appetites grown too vast. Unless every last one were killed, mere restraint would never suffice.
Yet she could not bear to strike the Crown Prince’s spirit, so she left the thought unspoken. It was already good that he was willing to reflect, willing to attempt restraint.
One step taken could lead to another. If he began to act, then she could quietly push him toward the second and third steps. Perhaps matters might yet turn.
The Crown Princess looked toward Xingqing Palace.
The Crown Prince had worn the title for more than twenty years, and muhou was already gone; why would the Son of Heaven not die?
If the Emperor were suddenly to collapse, would the Crown Prince not then ascend the throne without hindrance?
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