Chapter 132: Gratitude and Grudges
When Fu Tingyun prayed before the Buddha, Yu Wei would attend to the incense and candles by her side.
No matter how strong she was, she was still just a seventeen-year-old girl.
As time passed, she couldn’t help but ask Fu Tingyun, "Miss, do you think Ninth Master will succeed?"
If he did, Wu Laoye would surely no longer oppose the Ninth Young Miss’s marriage!
Fu Tingyun’s heart was filled with uncertainty.
What good would it do even if they marched into the capital? As Zhao Ling himself had said, this wasn’t about overthrowing the dynasty—what mattered most was securing the throne. The west and south remained silent, but there were still Liaodong and Jiangnan—Liaodong garrisoned a hundred thousand elite troops, and two-thirds of the imperial taxes came from Jiangnan.
Moreover, Prince Mu had raised the banner of "Executing Hong and Shi, Purge the Emperor's Entourage." If the Emperor truly handed over the heads of Hong and Shi to Prince Mu, would the prince really withdraw his troops?
And if Prince Mu refused to retreat, what justification would he have?
How could the realm rally behind him then?
Fu Tingyun tossed and turned, unable to see a bright future ahead.
But then Shopkeeper Ye San arrived in high spirits.
"It’s done, it’s done!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Prince Mu’s plan has succeeded!"
Fu Tingyun was puzzled.
Shopkeeper Ye San beamed as he explained, "I heard that the Grand Princess of Ruyang went to the imperial nunnery at Yuquan Mountain to bring the Empress Dowager back to the palace. The whole city is abuzz with the news."
The Empress Dowager?
The Emperor’s grandmother? The late Emperor’s mother?
The late Emperor had reigned for forty-one years...
Fu Tingyun gasped in astonishment, "Then... how old must Her Majesty be?"
Shopkeeper Ye San burst into laughter. "The Empress Dowager wasn’t the late Emperor’s birth mother. It’s said she was only slightly older than him." Then, with a knowing smile, he added, "However, the Empress Dowager is Prince Mu’s paternal grandmother!"
Fu Tingyun’s spirits lifted at once.
What Prince Mu lacked now was legitimacy.
Since the Empress Dowager was his own grandmother, how could she side with outsiders instead of her own grandson?
Her face brightened, and she eagerly urged Shopkeeper Ye San, "Please, tell me more! What exactly happened?"
Perhaps buoyed by good news, Shopkeeper Ye San shed some of his usual restraint, becoming more animated and casual in his speech.
"Emperor Wuzong had three empresses in succession. The late Emperor was the eldest legitimate son born to Emperor Wuzong’s first empress. From the moment of his birth, great expectations were placed upon him—he was named Crown Prince at five and began learning statecraft at Emperor Wuzong’s side at ten. Perhaps because of this, the late Emperor grew up rather domineering.
"It’s said that once, Prince Qing—the ninth son born to Consort Liu—angered the late Emperor by breaching court etiquette. The late Emperor actually handed him over to the Tengji Guard for punishment. If not for Consort Liu pleading with Emperor Wuzong in time, Prince Qing might have lost his life.
"Because of this incident, the imperial consorts and princes all grew fearful of the late Emperor.
"Not only that, the late Emperor had strong opinions from a young age. Whether it was military campaigns in the northwest or taxation in Jiangnan, his views often clashed with Emperor Wuzong’s. Gradually, a rift formed between father and son.
"Moreover, after Emperor Wuzong’s second empress passed away, he married the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wuding, Lady Wang, as his new empress. Empress Wang bore him a son, who became Emperor Wuzong’s favorite. The emperor even bestowed upon this prince his former princely title, 'Ning.' This further strained the relationship between the late Emperor and Emperor Wuzong.""Even during a cabinet meeting, Emperor Wuzong accused the late emperor of being 'cold-hearted by nature, unfit to be a benevolent ruler.' For a time, rumors spread in the capital that Emperor Wuzong intended to bypass the eldest son and appoint a younger one as heir..."
Such imperial secrets were things Fu Tingyun could never have hoped to hear before.
Listening intently, she asked, "This Prince Ning—was he Prince Mu's father?"
"Exactly!" Shopkeeper Ye San nodded. "The Empress Dowager was the former Empress Wang."
Fu Tingyun frowned. "In that case, Prince Ning must have had a very difficult time after the late emperor ascended the throne."
"Difficult is an understatement!" Shopkeeper Ye San sighed. "When Emperor Wuzong passed away, Prince Ning was only eight. To protect his life, the Empress Dowager voluntarily retired to a royal nunnery, never setting foot in the Cining Palace again. The late emperor had just taken the throne then, and Marquis Wuding intervened on Prince Ning's behalf. That was how Prince Ning was allowed to change his title to Prince Mu and take up residence in Jingzhou, Huguang. Even so, he died before reaching thirty." He added with emotion, "And Marquis Wuding didn't fare well either. In the twelfth year of Xiping, censors accused him of privately raising warhorses. The late emperor stripped him of his title, reduced him to commoner status, exiled him three thousand li, and he died on the journey."
Fu Tingyun felt deeply unsettled by this.
Shopkeeper Ye San smiled. "Think about it—the Empress Dowager has lived in the nunnery for decades. Why would Princess Ruyang choose this particular moment to bring her back to the palace? Clearly, the imperial clan has already made their decision. They're just waiting for the right opportunity to have the Empress Dowager intervene on Prince Mu's behalf."
Fu Tingyun agreed.
"Until the very end, no one can predict the outcome," she said. No deposed emperor had ever lived peacefully afterward. At such a life-and-death juncture, the current emperor might not go down without a fight. She still felt uneasy. "We should remain cautious."
Then she thought of Marquis Yingchuan and the Duke of Fuguo's household.
Neither seemed to have made any moves.
"Logically speaking, no matter how flawed the late emperor was, that was his own affair. Even if Emperor Wuzong wanted Prince Ning to become emperor, that was in the past," she said hesitantly. "Why does it seem the imperial clan holds even the current emperor in such low regard?"
"Emperor Wuzong had twenty-two sons. Do you know what became of those imperial nobles?" Shopkeeper Ye San asked.
Fu Tingyun truly didn’t.
"Some were forced to take their own lives, others died of fright, and the rest were stripped of their titles by the late emperor," Shopkeeper Ye San said. "Even the late emperor's own younger brother, Prince of Shu, wasn’t spared. The only ones still alive are Prince Rong, who resides in Xinyang, and Prince Xuan, who lives in Daning. And these two—the former stutters and can barely string a coherent sentence together, earning him the nickname 'the Foolish Prince.' The latter broke his back in a riding accident years ago and has been bedridden ever since, barely clinging to life... It seems the late emperor truly lived up to Emperor Wuzong's description of him as 'cold-hearted by nature!'"
But Fu Tingyun's mind caught on something.
Xinyang was in Henan.
Daning was in Liaodong.
It was said the Liaodong Regional Military Commission had cavalry capable of covering two hundred li in a single night. Prince Mu had besieged the capital for half a month already, yet Liaodong's troops still hadn't arrived.
Perhaps the situation wasn’t as dire as she had imagined.
The thought flashed through her mind.Shopkeeper Ye San was recounting the current emperor's affairs: "Let's not mention whether he had any involvement in Prince Qin's death, nor discuss his collusion with Hong Du. Just considering how he treated Marquis Yingchuan in earlier years is enough to send chills down everyone's spine."
"Marquis Yingchuan?" Fu Tingyun was startled.
"Yes!" Shopkeeper Ye San continued. "The Duke of Fuguo had six sons, with Marquis Yingchuan being the third. From childhood, he was of average talent and showed no outstanding qualities. He was betrothed to the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yichun, the Shao family. When the Shao girl was thirteen, she accompanied her mother to the residence of the Grand Princess Yongjia to offer birthday congratulations. There, she encountered the current emperor. Struck by her unparalleled beauty, the emperor persuaded his birth mother, Consort Hong, to obtain an imperial decree from the late emperor for their marriage. The Marquis of Yichun, eager to curry favor, denied any prior engagement with Marquis Yingchuan, and the betrothal between the two families was dissolved. Because of this, the Duke of Fuguo sent Marquis Yingchuan to serve under General Han Tao, who was garrisoning Huguang. Marquis Yingchuan thus earned Han Tao's admiration—not only was he betrothed to Han Tao's niece, the Mei family, but he also accompanied Han Tao on three campaigns against the Miao rebels, achieving illustrious military feats and becoming a renowned young general in the northern regions."
Fu Tingyun listened in stunned silence.
She had no idea Marquis Yingchuan and the current emperor had such a tangled history.
At that time, Marquis Yingchuan was stationed in Huguang—could that be when he first met Prince Mu?
Lost in thought, she pressed Shopkeeper Ye San urgently, "What happened next? How did Marquis Yingchuan and the current emperor become brothers-in-law?"
"Later, the Crown Prince passed away," Shopkeeper Ye San said. "The current emperor and Prince Qin vied for the throne. The Duke of Fuguo was a founding hero of the dynasty, esteemed and revered. Marquis Yingchuan was a skilled warrior, a key figure in the military... The current emperor took the initiative to extend an olive branch to Marquis Yingchuan.
"By then, many years had passed. Marquis Yingchuan was no longer the unremarkable youth he once was. Moreover, had the Marquis of Yichun resisted the imperial decree back then, the current emperor might never have married the Shao girl. Marquis Yingchuan did not embarrass the emperor either, sending greetings during festivals.
"Yet, the emperor remained uneasy. He proposed sending a younger half-sister of Consort Shao to Marquis Yingchuan as a concubine.
"Marquis Yingchuan and his wife, Lady Mei, shared a deep bond. Even if he were to take a concubine, it would never be a woman from the Shao family. He politely declined.
"The very next day, Consort Shao invited Lady Mei to the palace for a chat. Assuming it was about the concubine matter, Lady Mei prepared her excuses and went. But upon returning home, she was seized by excruciating abdominal pain. The physician summoned could only say she had eaten something unclean. Before the medicine could be brewed, Lady Mei passed away."
"What?!" Fu Tingyun's face turned deathly pale, her heart pounding like a drum.
She had thought her own forced poisoning was the height of absurdity, but she never imagined someone like Lady Mei could suffer such a fate.
"And then?"
"After that," Shopkeeper Ye San said with a sigh, "the current emperor proposed marrying Consort Shao's younger sister to Marquis Yingchuan as his second wife. The Duke of Fuguo refused, but Marquis Yingchuan agreed. Soon after, Marquis Yingchuan was sent to Zhangye..."
Was the seed of hatred planted then?
Fu Tingyun couldn't help but worry about Marquis Yingchuan's two children. "When did this happen?"
"Seven years ago."
Marquis Yingchuan's youngest son would be seven this year.
Meaning both children were born to Lady Mei.
For some reason, Fu Tingyun let out a long sigh of relief.Shopkeeper Ye San said, "Such a secretive matter is now known by everyone in the capital, especially the rumors about Emperor Wuzong once intending to establish Prince Ning as the heir apparent. They're spreading with such vivid details that it's clear someone is fanning the flames. Prince Mu should be able to enter the capital soon." He smiled quite optimistically.
Fu Tingyun recalled how Zheng San had overheard the stewards of the Duke of Supporting the State's residence gossiping while seeing off guests when he went to deliver gifts. She couldn't help but speculate inwardly: Perhaps these rumors were spread by the Duke of Supporting the State's household or Marquis Yingchuan himself!
Zheng San rushed in frantically: "Miss, miss! Commander Li Hui of the Five Cities Patrol Brigade has opened the Zhengyang Gate!"
"What did you say?" Fu Tingyun and Shopkeeper Ye San stood up simultaneously, staring at Zheng San with disbelief.
Zheng San swallowed hard and hurriedly continued, "Li Hui opened the Zhengyang Gate and welcomed Prince Mu's troops into the city. The city is now in complete chaos..."
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Marquis Yingchuan's melodrama...
PS: On the last day of June, shamelessly asking for pink votes... running away...
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(End of Chapter)
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