Even though he hadn't heard a single 'Father Emperor,' and even though the date given to him was also given to a eunuch.
Emperor Chongzhao held this date, his heart feeling strangely as if scratched by something soft yet prickly—a bit sharp, a bit stifling.
So, from the start, he hadn't intentionally thrown away the bamboo strip; he was worried the date would go to waste. He found it somewhat hard to imagine what kind of life his youngest son had lived before, to treasure a winter date so dearly.
Emperor Chongzhao was lost in thought for a while when, not long after, he heard the sounds of a child fussing at night from the direction of the bed. He walked over. "Let me."
The little child in his arms stopped fussing as soon as he picked him up.
Emperor Chongzhao said softly, "I'm 'Father Emperor' when holding you, and just 'His Majesty' when not. How could you know I watched over you all last night? So small, yet quite the temper."
He reached out to feel; the child was still very warm, likely uncomfortable. Most young children would cry and fuss incessantly, but his youngest son was just a bit clingier, which could be considered sensible.
It was just this faintly revealed stubborn streak...
He waved his hand.
Eunuch Yu, understanding the cue, led Ye Xiaoyuan to withdraw to the outer chamber.
Ye Xiaoyuan was still uneasy, glancing back. Eunuch Yu whispered, "His Majesty knows the stakes. The imperial physicians are all waiting outside. I will go in to keep watch later, so do not worry. His Majesty and your young master have hardly spent time together in nearly three years. This is also a chance to strengthen their father-son bond."
Ye Xiaoyuan nodded.
He knew that within the palace, the only one the young master could rely on now was His Majesty.
Eunuch Yu glanced at the winter date Ye Xiaoyuan was clutching preciously and said meaningfully, "You just focus on guarding the young master well. Good days lie ahead."
Stepping out of the hall, Ye Xiaoyuan said quietly, "If the young master is well, I am well."
-
Inside the hall.
Qu Dubian continued to trouble Emperor Chongzhao until midnight. Estimating it was about enough, he amused himself with the simulator for a while longer before deciding to sleep.
Once he settled down, Emperor Chongzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seizing the opportunity, the chief of the hidden guards appeared in the hall, like a wisp of shadow, utterly silent.
"Your Majesty, your subordinate has a matter to report."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Speak softly. What is it?"
"Yi Shier appeared before people without authorization. The new assessment results are in; his secrecy value has exceeded the danger threshold. According to Shadow Law, he is to be executed, or have his martial arts abolished and be imprisoned. Your subordinate has come to ask how he should be punished."
In truth, he could have handled it directly himself, but since Yi Shier had revealed himself out of necessity to rescue the young master, it was not inappropriate for him to seek instruction.
Perhaps he could save Yi Shier's life.
Emperor Chongzhao felt no particular attachment to these names. Throughout the reigns of successive emperors, countless hidden guards named Yi Shier had died in places unknown.
He frowned. "According to the rules, give him two days to choose his fate, then carry out the disposal. Why report this?"
The child in his arms had just fallen asleep; it wouldn't do to wake him.
The chief of the hidden guards lowered his head. "Understood." Then he vanished from the hall.
Emperor Chongzhao also lay down to sleep. There was sure to be a major storm at the morning court session tomorrow. He needed to conserve his energy to deal with those troublesome ministers.
Yi Shier? The name abruptly reached Qu Dubian's ears.
He was deeply impressed by this name. So far, the long-term 'meal tickets' from whom brushing favorability could yield a year's worth of lifespan were only Wen Xiaochun, Deputy Director Zhang Chansi of the Astrological Bureau, and Yi Shier, who had been secretly observing him.
He valued these three individuals greatly.
Qu Dubian opened the simulator to check. Currently, Wen Xiaochun's favorability had risen to 45. The pattern seemed to be that it increased slower later on—a slow and steady stream, no hurry.
That deputy director... her favorability hadn't changed.
It was 7 from the very beginning and remained 7 now.
She was from the Astrological Bureau. Last time, she had sought him out on her own, saying the cryptic line, 'This matter prospers by fire and must end by fire.' Not long after, a fire broke out at the Astrological Bureau... it was hard to say she had nothing to do with it.
Unable to gauge her motives, Qu Dubian temporarily had no plans to contact her.
As for Yi Shier, his current favorability towards him was still 0.
Qu Dubian remembered it was he who had found him and brought him back, letting him experience the feeling of 'lightness skill water surface skimming' along the way. Was Yi Shier's hesitation back then, taking so long to appear, because of the reason just mentioned?
Exceeding that so-called secrecy value meant death.
Qu Dubian looked at the favorability number: 0. In this person's heart, he should be no different from a stranger. Why would he choose to use his own life to save an unrelated child? Just because he was a prince?
No, no. This person cannot die.
No matter from which perspective, he must not die.
-
The next day.
The court assembly.
Many court officials sensed an unusual atmosphere.
At today's morning court, Prince Ming was conspicuously present. Everyone present knew this prince's temperament; although he oversaw imperial clan affairs, he generally paid little heed to court matters.
But his appearance signified that a major event was imminent.
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites knew the inside story, having been detained by the emperor for discussion all afternoon yesterday, but now he feigned ignorance.
When his superior pulled him aside to ask, he also shook his head. "Ah, who knows? We'll just follow the crowd when the time comes."
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites stroked his beard and nodded. "Indeed, as long as it's not related to rites and protocols, it has nothing to do with our Ministry of Rites."
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites: "...Yes."
The eunuch announced the rituals, Emperor Chongzhao appeared, and the morning court officially began.
Everything was perfectly calm. Just as the session was about to conclude and everyone was feeling puzzled, Eunuch Yu publicly read out an imperial edict:
"Be it known that Concubine Yun, Lady Xu, virtuous and auspicious, manifesting gentleness and grace, cultivated and mild by nature, bore a royal heir, soothing Our heart with her magnanimity. Suddenly departed, Our heart is deeply pained. It is fitting to posthumously confer upon her the title of Empress, to express praise and honor. We specially command the Ministry of Rites to draft a posthumous title, consult past precedents, and coordinate with the various ministries in deliberation and implementation."
A boulder was thrown into the pond!
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites jumped out like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, kneeling and exclaiming loudly, "Your Majesty, you must not—!"
He knelt so forcefully he even slid forward a bit.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"Your Majesty, reconsider!"
A wave of officials knelt.
Prince Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, unsurprised by this scene.
After all, His Majesty was not without heirs; he already had three princes who had survived to adulthood. The maternal clans of the consorts were intertwined with the court, all having some connections. Undoubtedly, some officials had already begun placing their bets in secret. Regardless of their considerations, they did not wish to see any changes.
Emperor Chongzhao watched their agitated expressions calmly.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites said, "Your Majesty, the previous dynasty's last generation perished due to the chaos of succession struggles. Emperor Yingyong posthumously conferred the title of Empress upon Prince Li's mother, establishing Prince Li as the eldest son. After his birth mother was posthumously honored as Empress, his supporters used the legitimacy of the direct eldest son to suppress Prince Fan, the son of the reigning Empress. The two princes contended, colluded with foreign tribes, and the Great Liang dynasty was destroyed because of this.
At the founding of our dynasty, Emperor Taizu established the rule: if a consort has borne a prince, the posthumous honors after her death must not exceed those of a posthumously conferred Empress. To break this precedent may invite the calamity that befell the previous dynasty. We implore Your Majesty to retract this decree!"
The prince of a consort posthumously conferred as Empress naturally holds a half-step higher status in terms of legitimacy over other princes; the advantages are self-evident.
There were also those officials who considered themselves clever, taking a step back first and saying, "Concubine Yun may be posthumously elevated to Noble Consort or even Imperial Noble Consort, but she absolutely must not be posthumously elevated to Empress."
The officials unanimously agreed.
They did not oppose the Emperor posthumously elevating a concubine. The person was gone; he could elevate her however he wished, bestow whatever posthumous title he liked. Concubine Yun was the daughter of the Marquis Who Holds the Sword, so they had even less reason to obstruct and risk offending an old marquis with a long record of merit.
However, elevating directly from Concubine to Empress not only involved ancestral regulations but also could potentially shake the very foundation of the state.
This they absolutely could not agree to!
Emperor Chongzhao said calmly, "Today, I am merely informing my ministers, not discussing it."
These words thrown out caused the court, which had just settled, to erupt even more fiercely.
The imperial clansmen could no longer remain seated. Just as they were about to step forward to speak, Prince Ming coughed and reminded with a smile, "You all had better think carefully. This is His Majesty's family matter. If you step out today, another day, this prince will bring the ladies you are fond of from the Spring Breeze Pavilion to pay a visit to your homes, and let your wives and sisters-in-law see what they look like."
The imperial clansmen: "..."
Prince Ming was clearly here to help the Emperor control the scene, and he truly held leverage over many among the clansmen.
That side immediately fell silent.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, in his agitation, nearly stumbled.
The Left Vice Minister quickly steadied him. "Your Excellency, be careful."
Minister of Rites: "Thank you."
The Left Vice Minister said with firm resolve, "You rest for a moment. Your subordinate will handle this!"
The Minister of Rites, moved to tears: "Good, you are truly a man of my Ministry of Rites."
The Left Vice Minister moved his superior aside, then straightened his official robes and declared righteously, "Your subject supports Your Majesty's act of posthumously elevating Concubine Yun!"
Minister of Rites: "..."
He looked at his subordinate in disbelief, then suddenly realized—this dog with thick eyebrows and big eyes was actually the Emperor's man?!
The Left Vice Minister of Rites had been summoned to the palace the previous day and consulted for an entire afternoon. He naturally knew when he should make his entrance.
He offered a lead to Emperor Chongzhao: "Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, and would certainly not allow the tragedies of the previous dynasty to repeat. In posthumously elevating Concubine Yun to Empress, Your Majesty must have already devised a perfect strategy."
Emperor Chongzhao said with a gratified tone: "Correct. You understand me, Minister."
The Minister of Rites couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Could you two act any more fake, I ask you?
Emperor Chongzhao: "I have decided to abolish the ancestral regulation that concubines who bore sons cannot be posthumously elevated to Empress. Simultaneously, I abolish the inherited regulation from the previous dynasty that the son of a posthumously elevated Empress gains substantive priority in the line of succession."
Abolish ancestral regulations. Abolish inherited regulations from the previous dynasty.
Eradicate the root cause of the Two Princes' Rebellion that occurred at the end of the previous dynasty.
Some officials still stammered, "But... after all, they are ancestral regulations..."
Emperor Chongzhao: "The Great Ancestor established this rule, rather than completely abolishing the previous dynasty's system, in order to pacify and win over the ministers of the former court, swiftly stabilize the court, and pacify the realm. Now the Great Zhou is stable, its subjects loyal. Why should I not be able to abolish this ancestral regulation?"
The officials deliberated, discussing amongst themselves.
The Emperor's voice from the dragon throne suddenly turned heavy.
"Or is it that your hearts still lean towards the previous dynasty, and you feel not even one of its old precedents can be abolished?"
This accusation was far too severe.
The ministers were startled and bowed their heads, saying, "Your subjects dare not!"
Emperor Chongzhao stood up, flicked his sleeve, and looked down at the ministers below. "Since it poses no harm to the state's foundation, and is even beneficial, why can old regulations and precedents not be changed? Not be abolished? Are you loyal to the ancestral tablets, to the Great Zhou, or to me?"
"What are ancestral regulations? The changes and abolishments I make today will, a hundred years from now, also be ancestral regulations!"
The Minister of Rites, having seen through this performance, felt a pang for his own earlier swift capitulation, and was the first to cup his hands. "Your Majesty is sagely and brilliant."
Emperor Chongzhao smiled slightly and also began to concede ground. "The Seventh Prince is, after all, young. I will select a new consort to raise him; he will not be raised under the Empress's care. All princes will be treated equally. Do any of my ministers still have objections?"
He did not mention the matters related to the young son spoken of by the Astrological Bureau. Although this back-and-forth with the court ministers was troublesome, it was far better than the reason 'The Emperor abolished ancestral regulations and posthumously elevated Concubine Yun to Empress in order to suppress the Seventh Prince's baleful influence' getting out and pushing the young child into the spotlight.
After a series of firm maneuvers, the Emperor had also yielded a step to save face. For them to persist further would be pointless.
Since it posed no harm to the state's foundation, these old officials were unwilling to contend with the Emperor over such matters.
The Minister of Rites received the decree. The matter of posthumously elevating Concubine Yun to Empress was thus settled. What remained was to select an auspicious day, offer incense, engrave the posthumous title, and have the Ministry of Rites record it.
As the court session ended, Prince Ming nodded to the imperial clansmen who had been forcibly brought along. "Thank you for your hard work! Thank you!"
Although the imperial clansmen were mostly figureheads, in matters of changing ancestral regulations, their presence was necessary. Otherwise, the Emperor would later have to gather them for a separate meeting, wasting time.
"In the future, for such matters, a simple notification will suffice. We need not come to serve as mascots again."
Thus concluded another morning court session of harmonious accord between ruler and ministers.
