The Supreme Polarity Hall, where the Supreme Emperor's coffin lay in state, along with the Hall of Two Principles and the Sweet Dew Hall to its north, were collectively known as the "Three Great Halls of the Inner Palace." They were aligned along the central axis of the palace complex, the imperial city, and even the outer walls of Chang'an, symbolizing the celestial North Pole. These three halls were grand, lofty, spacious, and magnificent—yet extremely unsuitable for living.
Thus, the Supreme Polarity Hall was reserved for grand court assemblies, the Hall of Two Principles for regular court sessions, while the Sweet Dew Hall, theoretically meant to be the Son of Heaven's daily residence, was often damp and drafty—though it did frequently gather morning dew—making it suitable only as a temporary retreat. The Son of Heaven and the Empress resided together in the Hall of Established Governance east of the Hall of Two Principles. For summoning a few trusted ministers to discuss confidential matters, they mostly used the Hall of Eternal Spring between the Hall of Two Principles and the Hall of Established Governance, saving both ruler and subjects some legwork.
As Li Yuan-gui straightened his mourning robes outside the Hall of Eternal Spring and strode up the steps to enter, he felt as though he were stepping onto a battlefield—albeit one without weapons.
The enemies he faced could be divided into three armies: the Dali Temple and the Censorate, the Court of Diplomatic Relations, and... the Palace Attendant Wei Zheng.
The Dali Temple and the Censorate sought to settle old accounts of his legal transgressions. The Court of Diplomatic Relations opposed the decision to "send a prince to the frontier for a marriage alliance." As for Palace Attendant Wei... Wei Zheng probably simply disliked him, believing that sending him as an envoy to fetch the bride would only invite disaster.
All three armies of adversaries were waiting inside the hall, uniformly clad in hemp mourning garments, their expressions equally somber and grim. This was hardly surprising. Led by Chancellor Wei Zheng, these Zhenguan-era ministers were all accustomed to the atmosphere of court debates where they brandished their tablets to remonstrate. They wouldn't bother with flattery even before the Son of Heaven, let alone today when facing only two young men across the hall—Imperial Younger Brother Prince Wu Yuan-gui and Crown Prince Chengqian, who presided over the court session.
Beneath the empty Imperial Bed stood a solitary small dais for the Crown Prince. After Li Yuan-gui and the other ministers exchanged bows and courtesies, they were seated below the vermilion steps according to protocol. Directly across from Li Yuan-gui sat Wei Zheng. The clear, thin face of the Son of Heaven's most trusted minister, framed by a goatee, bore piercing eyes that glared at him. Remembering his tangled past with the man's daughter, Li Yuan-gui felt both sorrow and guilt, involuntarily averting his gaze to avoid meeting those eyes.
Since his arrest, he had been completely cut off from outside news. He had asked Cheng Yaojin several times about the fates of Yang Xinzhi, Wei Shufen, the Chai siblings, and others, and even tried to pry information from servants, but to no avail. He could only console himself that, given Chai Yingluo's capabilities and the kindness of the imperial couple, his friends—whose crimes were lesser than his—were likely faring better than he was...
The Chief Minister of the Dali Temple, Sun Fu-jia, and the Chief Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Relations, Gao Biao-ren, sat below Wei Zheng according to their ranks, along with several deputy ministers and junior officials from the Censorate, Ministry of Justice, and other offices, forming what resembled a triple tribunal. The pressure was immense, yet Li Yuan-gui couldn't focus entirely on his adversaries. His thoughts kept drifting to the western chamber of the Supreme Polarity Hall—where Empress Zhangsun, along with the inner palace ladies, princesses, and consorts, was mourning and keeping vigil. His seventeenth younger sister was among them.
When bargaining with Li Chengqian earlier, he had impulsively proposed that Yang Xinzhi marry the Seventeenth Princess. It seemed a natural choice, as there were few noble youths in his circle suitable in lineage, age, appearance, and character. Though Yang Xinzhi and his sister were nominally uncle and nephew—Yang being the adopted son of his fifth aunt—they had never actually addressed each other as such. But Li Chengqian's single remark dashed this idea:"Yang Xinzhi is also implicated in the Great Peace Palace conspiracy case. As the former Supreme Emperor's personally appointed warehouse administrator of Prince Wu's residence, it stands to reason he should accompany you to the Western Regions to atone for his crimes through meritorious service. With this journey's return date uncertain, Fourteenth Uncle, are you truly determined to have Seventeenth Aunt wait for him with an engagement?"
This... the future is unpredictable, the years may drag on, and too many variables exist—better to forget it. Anxious to secure a proper future for his sister, his thoughts turned to Chai Zhewei. But Chai Zhewei was their own nephew, having grown up playing together, and his younger brother Chai Ling-wu was already betrothed to marry Princess Baling. For brothers to marry an aunt and niece, a nephew to wed his aunt—just thinking about it made the proposition difficult to voice.
Time was pressing that day, and no final decision was reached. Li Chengqian only agreed that if Li Yuangui could persuade the ministers to approve the marriage alliance, he would arrange for the siblings to meet and discuss matters face-to-face. The prerequisite, of course, was that Li Yuangui must first triumph in his debate with the court officials.
Fortunately, he already had a rough idea of his opponents' positions and time to strategize. As Sun Tzu said: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." His only confidence stemmed from this.
As the court debate began, various ministries presented their views. Li Yuangui listened half-heartedly, noting that the arguments indeed aligned closely with what Li Chengqian had previously described. Good—this meant he could proceed with his planned strategy, first targeting the weakest point: the Court of State Ceremonial's argument that "a prince becoming a son-in-law would disgrace the Celestial Empire."
This was also putting the Son of Heaven's teachings into practice, Li Yuangui reflected silently. Years ago, during a hunting expedition with his brothers where they roasted meat around a bonfire, his illustrious second brother, pleased by the flattery, imparted this wisdom: "From my youth, I have campaigned extensively and understand the essentials of warfare. On the battlefield, first observe the enemy's formation to discern its strengths and weaknesses. Often, I deploy my weaker units against their strong ones and my strong units against their weak. My weaker infantry holds the line; when the enemy exploits this weakness, their pursuit rarely extends beyond a hundred paces. Meanwhile, my stronger cavalry exploits their weak points, breaking through their formation from behind before counterattacking. The enemy invariably collapses—this is how I secure victory..."
Now, the weakest point in the opposition was Gao Biao-ren, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, while their strongest was the Imperial Secretary Wei... Well, best not to dwell on that yet. One step at a time.
"The envoy from Gaochang, far removed from the Central Plains, struggles with our language, and the Court of State Ceremonial's interpreters may not convey his words accurately," Li Yuangui calmly interjected after listening to Minister Gao's impassioned speech about "national dignity."
"Though untalented, I recently visited the Gaochang envoy in person and learned through direct conversation that the King of Gaochang harbors no contempt for the Celestial Empire, nor would he dare. The envoy stated that his king earnestly desires a marital alliance with the Great Tang. While the Crown Princess could not be wed to the Turks, his only daughter wishes solely to marry a prince of the Great Tang. However, the king dotes on this daughter and thus makes an unconventional request: he humbly asks that I journey to his humble kingdom to personally receive the bride and stay for a few months. This would comfort her parents' parting sorrow and allow his people to witness the grace of the Celestial Empire. He would never dare demand that a prince of the Great Tang become a son-in-law..."
Though the Gaochang envoy was ethnically Han, he was unfamiliar with Central Plains customs and had previously spoken offensively. After being reprimanded and intimidated by officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial, his arrogance had diminished considerably. Further coached by Li Yuangui and others, even if summoned before the court now to discuss the marriage, he was unlikely to cause much trouble."Staying for several months?" Gao Biao-ren frowned. "So you're saying Prince Wu will return to his homeland after taking a consort, rather than remaining long-term in Gaochang as a hostage? And Princess Gaochang would truly lower her pride to become a wife, following her husband back to court? Have their envoys changed their tune to say this now? Can Prince Wu guarantee this?"
The Court of State Ceremonial cared not a whit about what sort of woman Li Yuangui married—their only concern was how this marital arrangement would be interpreted by foreign tribes. If the only daughter of the King of Gaochang entered Tang as a prince's consort, it would count as the Tang side gaining advantage, giving the Court no reason to oppose. As for whether Gaochang would truly allow the princess to follow her husband back... well, with the current crisis at hand, they'd deal with immediate concerns first.
"Yuangui has already reached full agreement with Gaochang's envoys," Prince Wu declared boldly, thumping his chest. "How can state marriage negotiations be casually reneged upon? Moreover, where there's a will there's a way—does Minister Gao truly think Yuangui is the sort of henpecked coward who'd endure humiliation living under another's roof? That the royal couple of Gaochang can't bear parting with their only daughter is ordinary human sentiment—even common parents marrying off a daughter within their own village might cling to her for years before letting her join her husband's household, let alone when two states are separated by three or four thousand li? In any case, rest assured, Minister Gao—after marriage, Yuangui has his own methods. I certainly won't remain long in Gaochang as a hostage, but will surely return with my bride at the earliest opportunity."
Even as he spoke, a bitter taste kept rising in his mouth. To outside ears, it must sound as though he were eager to marry that Gaochang princess. The one he truly wished to marry was...
OpenNovel