Dong Biquan had failed as a person, and with the Your Majesty's loyal faction supporting him, there would certainly be no lack of voices speaking in his defense. Your Majesty was well aware of the magnitude of the deficit in the Ministry of Revenue—it was impossible to investigate thoroughly. Once an audit was conducted, the disappearance of vast sums of money and grain could be pinned on Dong Biquan.
However, an empty national treasury would incite panic among both the court and the common people, a crime that shook the very foundations of the state. If foreign tribes and barbarians were to learn of this, it could even spark war. Wouldn't Your Majesty faint from anger under such overwhelming circumstances?
Using this as a pretext to evade the ministers' petitions, what followed was—
"Brother, you've been too reckless this time." In Prince Xin's Residence, Xiao Changying looked disapprovingly at Xiao Changqing, who was dressed in plain white.
After the autumn grain was hijacked, Your Majesty had sent him to investigate covertly. He never expected that the trail would lead to his own elder brother. It turned out that the embezzlement of military funds and the hijacking of the autumn grain were all orchestrated by Xiao Changqing.
"You can report to Your Majesty that this was my doing." Xiao Changqing watered the plants in the courtyard, his demeanor as calm and detached as if it were a matter of no consequence.
Xiao Changying's expression darkened. He truly despised this version of his brother—the once spirited and heroic brother was gone. He had become indifferent, silent, and lifeless, especially now as he tended to the flowers, resembling his late fifth sister-in-law.
Equally aloof, equally dismissive of everything and everyone.
Causing a catastrophe of monumental proportions yet remaining utterly unconcerned, fearless even in the face of death—it was infuriating and exasperating!
"Brother, don't you realize that if the Ministry of Revenue is audited, the consequences would be unimaginable!" Xiao Changying strode up to Xiao Changqing, his eyes filled with reproach, blame, and deep concern.
"I merely want the world to see the hypocrisy of our Your Majesty." Xiao Changqing didn't even look up, his gaze tenderly fixed on a pot of orchids before him. "What consequences could there be?"
"Brother, are you unaware of how grave an empty national treasury would be? The common people, the soldiers, and the foreign barbarians—this isn't just about Your Majesty's reputation!" For the first time, Xiao Changying felt his brother had gone mad. "One misstep could plunge the nation into turmoil, ignite wars everywhere, and leave the people in destitution!"
Xiao Changqing chuckled softly. "Little brother, why is the national treasury empty?"
Xiao Changying remained silent.
"It's for funding a private army. In these years of peace and prosperity, with favorable weather, Your Majesty has never increased taxes. Shouldn't the national treasury be overflowing?" Xiao Changqing paused and lifted his eyes to look calmly at his brother. "If the accounts weren't too disgraceful, Your Majesty wouldn't be feigning illness to avoid scrutiny.
Therefore, the private army wasn't formed recently—it has likely taken shape long ago, a sword waiting to be unsheathed.
If Your Majesty is willing to admit it, he has every reason to deploy his private troops to strengthen the court's military forces. How would the foreign tribes dare act recklessly? I resent Your Majesty, but I haven't lost my humanity. How could I allow foreigners to oppress our people and plunder the territory of our Great Xing?"
Yes, this scheme was solely targeted at Your Majesty. As long as he admitted it and brought his private army into the open, everything could be resolved.
Only, by exposing the private army, no matter what excuse he used, it would be difficult for him to save face.Moreover, the private army's overt transformation raises questions: how will it be regulated? Who will command it? This is not something Your Majesty alone can decide. Even rewards and military provisions cannot withstand scrutiny. If the soldiers from all fronts learn that these private troops, who have done nothing, receive better treatment than those who guard the city day and night, enduring harsh weather and risking their lives on the battlefield, Your Majesty will completely lose the army's support.
If the soldiers are discontent, they will inevitably challenge the private army. Winning would be one thing, but if they lose, Your Majesty will have no choice but to disband this private force. To quell public anger, You might even have to issue an Edict of Self-reproach for draining the national treasury over the years to sustain them!
The private army is Your Majesty's ultimate trump card. No one knows who commands it, nor its true scale. Shattering this shield would cost Your Majesty half your life.
Xiao Changying felt deeply unsettled: "Brother, must it come to this?"
Xiao Changqing's eyes were calm yet resolute: "It must."
"Brother... he is our Father," Xiao Changying whispered.
Xiao Changqing let out a soft, bitter laugh. "He is my Father. However he treats me is one thing, but he cannot break his promises to me. He cannot deceive me about the life and death of the one I love. Had he been willing to show mercy to the Gu family back then—even if he had exiled Minister Gu's family three thousand li and reduced them to convict slaves—I could have accepted it.
But he did not. He broke his word."
Because of his broken promise, Xiao Changqing lost his beloved and his own flesh and blood.
He could have been a father himself, but his own Father destroyed his faith and the last remnants of tenderness in his heart.
He was never naive enough to believe he could single-handedly reconcile the irreconcilable conflict between the noble families and the imperial authority. Sooner or later, one side would prevail. Your Majesty should never have given him hope. If from the beginning, Your Majesty had not promised to spare the Gu family, he would not have held any expectations.
He would not have hated Your Majesty, only resented fate's cruelty—for being born into the royal family while she was born into a noble house.
He would not have committed so many atrocities for Your Majesty, nor would he have become obsessively deranged, unable to bear Qingqing's coldness, driven to extreme pressures that led to actions which gradually estranged them as husband and wife, leaving him with endless regrets.
If Your Majesty had told him from the start that the Gu family's downfall would mean their complete annihilation,
He would have accepted his fate. He would have done his best to mediate, and even if he ultimately failed, at least he would have had more time to spend with her. She would not have cruelly abandoned him in such a manner.
Now, looking back on the past, his heart is filled with regret. He worked tirelessly in the shadows for Your Majesty, staying out of the open and covert struggles between Your Majesty and Minister Gu, hoping only that once the outcome was clear, Your Majesty would keep your word.
Had he known Your Majesty never intended to show mercy, he would not have left early and returned late after their marriage, sometimes not seeing her for half a month or even a month. He would have stayed in the prince's residence, talking with her, planting flowers, drinking tea.
Even if she ignored him, it would not have mattered—he could have spoken to her.
Now, in retrospect, at least he would have had beautiful memories to sustain him through life...
But now, he has nothing. Nothing at all...
Xiao Changying was so unnerved by the growing chill in his brother's eyes that he involuntarily took a step back.
"This matter is already beyond my control," Xiao Changqing averted his gaze. "The autumn grain was seized from my hands. Although I intended to frame Dong Biquan and use the Ministry of Revenue to implicate His Majesty, he was not the one.""Who is he?" Xiao Changying knew someone had intervened, and Xiao Changqing had not pursued further but instead withdrew at the right moment, waiting for the situation to unfold.
Xiao Changqing's gaze deepened, and after a moment of thought, he gently shook his head: "I'm not certain either."
"What will he do then?" Xiao Changying weighed whether to report this to Your Majesty.
"Don't worry. Though I'm unsure of his identity, he is more restrained than I am."
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