Ning Chen’s whole face was serious. “Every word your subject said was meant. Heaven and earth are his witnesses, and the sun and moon can vouch for him.”
Looking at how serious Ning Chen was, the Xuan Emperor half wanted to laugh.
“Ning Chen, if this emperor truly had not woken, what did you mean to do?”
Ning Chen said, “Then your subject would have found a way to wake Your Majesty if it killed him.”
“The truth is that your subject has already sent men to Liangzhou. The Master Director said his elder brother in the school is a fine physician and is in Liangzhou… It seems the old man was lying to me.”
Lin Wen had been treating His Majesty. He must have known the Xuan Emperor was shamming the faint.
The Xuan Emperor looked at him with satisfaction in his whole face.
“Ning Chen, to business… The case of the Empress and Prince Fu is not altogether finished.”
Ning Chen knew it was the Grand Tutor the Xuan Emperor was worried about, but he asked anyway. “Your subject is dull. Your Majesty had better tell him.”
In front of His Majesty you must not seem too clever. Swear your loyalty when loyalty is called for, and play the fool when a fool is called for.
The Xuan Emperor said heavily, “What this emperor is worried about is the Grand Tutor.”
The Empress had the Grand Tutor behind her, and the crown prince’s strength was thin.
His plan had been to wait until the Grand Tutor brought his army home and then strip him of his command… so that the strength of the Empress and the crown prince would be held in balance.
He had never thought Ning Chen’s pursuit of the case would drive the Empress and the rest into rising before they were ready.
Prince Fu and the Empress were taken now, but the Grand Tutor held two hundred thousand men on the frontier.
“Ning Chen, you cut down the Empress’s brother. This emperor granted the Empress her death.”
“If the Grand Tutor learns of it, there is no saying what mad thing he may do.”
The Xuan Emperor’s brows drew tight, and he looked very worried indeed.
He went on, “This emperor has already sent an edict to the frontier stripping the Grand Tutor of his command… but those two hundred thousand men have been under the Grand Tutor’s own hand all along, and most of the officers in that army are his.”
Ning Chen’s heart sank too.
If the Grand Tutor learned that both his children were dead, he might well raise his troops and rebel.
And the chances of it were very good.
The Xuan Emperor said heavily, “This emperor lost his head with rage last night. He should have put the Empress into the cold palace first and dealt with her once the Grand Tutor had brought his army home.”
“But it is too late to say any of that now… This emperor only hopes the edict reaches him before word does.”
“Ning Chen, if the edict gets there first, and the Grand Tutor hands over the tiger tally and comes back to court with the men this emperor sent, then everything is manageable.”
“If the Grand Tutor gets word of the Empress’s death first, then you had better prepare early.”
Ning Chen was taken aback. “Me?”
The Xuan Emperor said sourly, “You caused it, so naturally you will settle it.”
Holy shit!!!
Ning Chen’s forehead filled with black lines.
How is any of this my doing? You were the one who granted her death. Ning Chen said it inwardly.
The Xuan Emperor asked, “Ning Chen, if the Grand Tutor rebels… this emperor orders you to put it down. How many men would you need?”
Ning Chen thought about it. “If the cannon can be made in time, with the musket battalion besides… fifty thousand men would be enough for your subject.”
“This emperor hears from Ji Mingchen that you had him burn every drawing of the muskets and the cannon.”
Ning Chen nodded. “Because your subject did not know then that Your Majesty was shamming the faint, and had Lord Ji burn them against the worst… But it makes no difference. Your subject will draw them again and send them to Lord Ji.”
The Xuan Emperor nodded. “The cannon are urgent.”
Ning Chen nodded.
The Xuan Emperor said heavily, “Ning Chen, there is one more man this emperor must be rid of.”
“Who does Your Majesty mean?”
“The Left Chancellor.”
Understanding came over Ning Chen’s face.
The Xuan Emperor frowned. “The Left Chancellor may know of the shameful business between Prince Fu and the Empress, and he knows far too much about how the Great Xuan’s forces are laid out… The man has to be put out of the way. While he lives he is a thorn in this emperor’s heart.”
“Has Your Majesty had word of the Left Chancellor?”
The Xuan Emperor said, “This emperor sent men to Mangzhou in secret some time ago. There should be word within a day or two.”
Ning Chen bowed. “The moment it is certain the Left Chancellor is in Mangzhou, your subject is willing to go himself and be rid of him for Your Majesty.”
The Xuan Emperor nodded, smiling.
Just then a young eunuch came in on tiptoe and knelt on the floor. “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince begs an audience. He says he has come to pay his respects.”
The smile went off the Xuan Emperor’s face on the instant.
“This emperor is busy. Send him back.”
“Yes.”
The young eunuch withdrew.
Ning Chen was surprised. His Majesty seemed to have no liking for the Fifth Prince.
The truth was not that the Xuan Emperor disliked the Fifth Prince. It was that the crown prince had only just come to grief and here these people were running in to make themselves agreeable, with every small calculation of theirs out in plain sight, and it disgusted him beyond measure.
The Xuan Emperor looked at Ning Chen. “Go and see Huai’an.”
Ning Chen was slightly taken aback.
The Xuan Emperor sighed. “The deposed crown prince is guilty of rank treason, but he was always good to Huai’an… She has taken it hard since she learned what happened to him, and her eyes are swollen with crying. Go and see her.”
Ning Chen bowed. “Your subject receives the command.”
The Xuan Emperor waved a hand, to show that Ning Chen might go.
“Your subject takes his leave.”
Ning Chen backed out of the imperial study, and at the door he saw a young man, white and plump, in fine embroidered clothes, who did not look very clever.
This would be the Fifth Prince.
Ning Chen remembered the business of taking Lu Yan, the deposed crown prince’s guard, for the Fifth Prince and giving him a thorough beating.
The Fifth Prince looked Ning Chen over curiously.
Ning Chen was about to step forward and make his bow, when the Fifth Prince gave him a smile of the most engaging simplicity and went off quickly.
That left Ning Chen standing where he was for a moment.
Nie Liang came over, saw Ning Chen staring at nothing, and said, smiling, “What is it? Don’t you know the Fifth Prince?”
“First time I’ve seen him… What is it about this Fifth Prince that feels so odd?”
Nie Liang glanced left and right and dropped his voice. “The Fifth Prince had a serious illness as a child, and afterward his mind was not quite right. He is a little simple.”
Ning Chen made a sound, and then asked, curious, “How is it I have never heard of a Fourth Prince?”
“The Fourth Prince is bold and a fine fighter, and leads an army in the field… The year’s end is nearly on us and the Fourth Prince will certainly come back. You will see him then.”
Nie Liang dropped his voice. “Ning Chen, keep your distance from all the princes for a while.”
“Meaning what?”
“The crown prince has only just come to grief and the heir apparent’s place stands empty. There will be no shortage of open fighting and secret fighting in the palace, and if you get too close to one prince the others will take it for choosing a side, which will not do you any good.”
Ning Chen bowed over his hands. “I am instructed. Music at the courtesans’ quarter one of these days… on me.”
Nie Liang gave him a sidelong look. “Nie here never goes to places of that kind.”
Ning Chen made a face. “The Heavenly Blessing Tower one of these days, then. That will do?”
Nie Liang nodded and agreed to it.
After parting from Nie Liang, Ning Chen came to the Fallen Phoenix Court and saw the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess was in a red skirt still, but with no powder or paint on her, and her look was dull and her eyes were red, like a small rabbit that had just been crying.
“What are you doing here?”
“Er… I saw the plum blossom in the palace was out, and it came to me all at once, and I wrote a poem. The Ninth Princess has a gift beyond anybody’s, and I would like the princess to look it over for me.”
Ning Chen could see the Ninth Princess was very low. The Ninth Princess loved poetry, and he was thinking a poem might cheer her a little.
The Ninth Princess made a sound without much spirit in it. “Say it, then.”
牆角數枝梅， 凌寒獨自開…
A few sprays of plum at the corner of the wall, opening alone against the cold…
Ning Chen stopped there on purpose and looked at the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess looked at him strangely.
“You wrote this poem?”
I didn’t write it. I got it for free, Ning Chen said inwardly, and nodded anyway with a thick enough face.
To his surprise the Ninth Princess swung a small pink fist and hit Ning Chen on the arm.
Ning Chen rubbed his arm. This little savage. There’s real strength in her, and it hurts when she hits.
The Ninth Princess said angrily, “So this is you, Ning Chen. You dare use Second Brother’s poem to fool me… If the Father Emperor knew, he would certainly reward you with a beating.”
Ning Chen was stopped where he stood, his whole face astonished. “Who is Second Brother?”
This is a five-character quatrain by Wang Anshi. Is there a Wang Anshi in this world? And he has changed his name to Second Brother?
“Stupid. Second Brother is my second brother, of course. The Second Prince.”
The whole of Ning Chen was struck dumb.
The Ninth Princess said, “Second Brother wrote this poem when he was ten…
牆角數枝梅， 凌寒獨自開， 遙知不是雪， 為有暗香來。
A few sprays of plum at the corner of the wall, opening alone against the cold. From far off I know it is not snow, because a hidden fragrance comes.
“And you dared use Second Brother’s poem to trick me.”
Ning Chen’s whole mind was fogged.
Holy shit!!!
Could this Second Prince have crossed over the same as me?
(End of Chapter 234)