He could understand Weichi Yan’s agony because he shared it. Perhaps the anguish of having entrusted one’s hopes to the wrong person and inability to fulfill one’s ambitions were similar to not receiving fatherly love?
“When We went out yesterday, We saw people eating their own children.” Weichi Yan’s voice shook. “I saw with my own eyes an old woman, dressed in patched rags, gnaw on a half-roasted child’s arm… I really wanted to kill myself at that!
“I refused to admit my shortcomings because I didn’t want to be the sovereign of a failed nation. I hung on with grit teeth for the laughable sake of idiotic self-pride. Countless numbers of my people have suffered for it. Grand Preceptor Qin, I was wrong. I was wrong from the beginning.’
Weichi Yan turned around, tears glistening on his cheeks, but heretofore unseen resolution in his eyes.
“I shouldn’t have selfishly plunged my people into the depths of hell to begin with. As emperor, not only do I not usher happiness to them, but I treat them as tools with which to construct the foundations of my status. What difference is there then, between me and my father? We’re equally selfish and equally useless.”
“You’ve done very well already, Your Majesty,” Qin Huaiyuan comforted. “Great Yan would’ve never fallen had you taken the throne a decade earlier. Some things were irredeemable when you took the reins. It’s not your fault.”
There were exaggerated elements in this response as Weichi Yan’s abilities really were limited. But it was a timely nod of affirmation for when the emperor was at the lowest point of self-doubt. As long as there was one person who understood him, then for the sake of saving the rest of the people, it didn’t seem such a blow to accept being emperor of a failed nation.
“Thank you, Grand Preceptor Qin.” Weichi Yan smiled even as tears streamed down his face. He spoke thickly, “I can’t be selfish anymore. I can’t have everyone buried alongside my throne. I’ve decided to surrender to Great Zhou.”
“Your Majesty…” A lump was stuck in Qin Huaiyuan’s throat as well.
Though he knew this would be the result, once it was made, it was the death knell for the country that Qin Huaiyuan had spent most of his life safeguarding. It marked the end of his efforts and youth, and the many grand dreams that a once daring and energetic young man had made.
He was incredibly miserable and also quite resigned.
But he also wasn’t the sort to make decisions based on emotions. If the general drift of affairs had left them behind and there was nothing they could do to wrench things around, then they had to make other plans.
“Your Majesty.” Qin Huaiyuan wiped away his tears and brought out the envelope with shaking hands. “I found this by my pillow when I woke this morning. The contents… Your Majesty, I don’t dare sprout nonsense. Please have a look.”
Weichi Yan blinked and hesitantly accepted the envelope. When he unfolded it to take a close look, his already wan face drained of all color.
Though he’d decided to surrender, it was one thing for it to be a consciously made decision, and another thing entirely to do so after being betrayed.
“These people —are really, really! Hah! Our good subjects and Our good father-in-law!” The emperor howled at the heavens and burst into loud sobs. “The generals have rebelled and half of the civil officials. Even my own father-in-law has betrayed me! My lands are no more, so what do we fight for?! What else can I do other than be docilely taken?!”
Grief struck Qin Huaiyuan and he closed his eyes, tears streaking down his cheeks. Liege and subject wept together.
Neither of them discovered Empress Li Yanyan silently backing away from the imperial study doors. She cast a meaningful glance at Lu-gonggong and took off.
The eunuch looked down as if the empress hadn’t come around at all.
* * *
Chapter 274: Secret Envoy
Chapter 274: Secret Envoy
When Li Yanyan left the imperial study, she immediately summoned her most trusted palace servant. The maid had entered the palace as part of her dowry. She hissed, “Take a quick horse and go to my father. Tell him that the emperor already knows about him gathering a hundred officials for a letter of surrender to Great Zhou! Grand Preceptor Qin saw the emperor in the imperial study just now and handed the list over! The emperor is absolutely furious after seeing it. Have my father make preparations. Go!”
Pale with fright, the maid nodded rapidly and sprinted out.
Li Yanyan dropped bonelessly into a round chair, devoid of all strength. What would the emperor do to the Lis? What would he do to her?
The thought had just arisen when she took in a deep breath and confidently pushed it back down.
The nation was destructing and the emperor couldn’t even get a full meal. What strength could he possibly bring to bear against them? Personnel were especially needed in the face of a national crisis. If the emperor punished the Lis, he’d be completely alone and without support then!
Her heart settled back down when her thoughts travelled here.
What the empress didn’t know was that Lu-gonggong described her visit in detail after Qin Huaiyuan left the imperial study.
Weichi Yan snorted coldly. “They really think I’m an easy target to be bullied however they like! I allow them to remain only because there’s still some use to them!”
“Everything is within Your Majesty’s consideration,” responded Lu-gonggong. “This servant would never be able to consider it all.”
Weichi Yan thought for a moment and had the eunuch come closer. He whispered a few words that sent the eunuch off to do business after a bow.
……
At the same time, Li Yanyan’s maid arrived at top speed with a message about the latest developments.
The duke froze, poleaxed, when he heard the news. Thoughts scrambled frantically to and fro, and he couldn’t say anything for a long while. His advisors were likewise frowning ferociously, tragedy written all over their faces.
“Your Grace, what should we do? The emperor’s likely to fly into an imperial rage when he finds out that we all put our names on it!”
“That’s right, Your Grace! Your noble reputation of a lifetime can’t be ruined here. We need to think about a strategy for this!”
But on the contrary, the duke slowly calmed down in the face of his advisors’ incessant chatter. He burst out laughing. “What are you all afraid of?”
When he rose, there was no sign of the panic-stricken expression that’d been on his face just moments ago. He sneered coldly. “What’s there to be afraid of given how things are now? It’s not only my name on that declaration of fealty. Punishments can’t be meted out when a majority have committed the action. Even if the emperor wants to find fault with someone, what, is he going to kill me and all of the generals in the country? Who can he find to lead the armies apart from me? How will he fight without his generals?”
The others felt slightly better after hearing the duke’s words. Upon closer analysis, what right did the emperor have to punish them when he couldn’t even feed his subordinates? There was a whole court of them dying of hunger!
“Your Grace speaks truly.” All relaxed.
The Duke of An stroked his white beard, a pair of extremely sharp eyes narrowed in his square face. “So Qin somehow got his hands on my declaration, huh! And he was one step ahead of me — levying an accusation in front of the emperor! It looks like that old fox hasn’t lived his years out in vain. I supposed I’ve rather underestimated him before.”
One of his confidants smirked. “They say that Qin Huaiyuan is loyal, I say it’s all a bunch of hot air. He’s just a shameless snake who likes to build a good name for himself. He rushed to make that accusation first so he could have his bread buttered on both sides. He can fish for imperial favor in exposing Your Grace, and can also get in Great Zhou’s good graces.
“But did that declaration sprout wings and fly to him? I wonder just how he managed to get in touch with Great Zhou. We can
see from this that though he’s zealous in not giving up, he long since had the desire to surrender.”
The duke nodded in great agreement. He felt that his talents weren’t any less than Qin Huaiyuan, but only Qin’s name was known throughout the lands. Everyone in the world knows of Qin Huaiyuan, but how many know of the Duke of An, Li Mian?
Their principles were also different. Take the matter of city defense: the duke had advocated hoping for victory with slow and steady movements, but privately indicating intent to surrender, while the marquis had staunchly held onto unyielding resistance.
This meant that Qin Huaiyuan’s convictions ran counter to the Duke of An’s interests.
And more importantly was the relations between their two daughters. One was the true, legal empress but received no imperial affections, while the other was the emperor’s true love and yet remained on his mind even after she’d been forced to become a nun.
All these combined meant that the duke and Qin Huaiyuan could never coexist in harmony.
In Great Yan, the duke was always in Qin Huaiyuan’s shadow. The Great Zhou secret envoy had once privately conveyed that his emperor promised that, if Great Yan were to surrender, all defecting officials would be treated generously. No talent would be overlooked. In other words, they would still be officials in Great Zhou.
But with how things were proceeding, the marquis would still loom over the duke in Great Zhou!
And based on what?? Why should he still be suppressed in Great Zhou when it was already like this in Great Yan?!
The duke’s gaze turned cold when his thoughts travelled to this point. “We can’t let the Qins make it to Great Zhou alive! Didn’t the envoy tell us to secretly get rid of Pang? Why don’t we make use of this to take out both Pang and Qin!”
His advisors all snapped to attention and the group began brainstorming appropriate strategies.
……
Heavy rain in the early morning brought a few hints of coolness to a mountain that an Indian summer had been tyrannizing. Those in Ning Park were busily storing water in containers. Their expressions were eased in anticipation of wild vegetables and fruits growing a bit faster after this bout of nourishment.
Qin Yining and née Sun were chatting lowly over their day’s tasks when a messenger came in.
“Benefactor, an old gentleman’s appeared outside the door. He says he serves your father and has come see you because your father has urgent business to discuss with you.”
Qin Yining blinked. Her father hadn’t made it up the mountain in all this time; they hadn’t talked in a month. She was quite worried about her father’s situation and instantly reacted when she heard he’d sent someone. “Many thanks, I’ll be right there.”
She put down the ceramic tub in hand and smiled. “Mother, I’ll go take a look. Maybe father wants to tell me something.”
Née Sun nodded with a forced smile. “Go on. I won’t go since your father doesn’t have any words for me. It’s probably Qitai, so ask him about your father for me.”
Naturally, the girl knew of her mother’s sadness. Cao Yuqing had been at Qin Huaiyuan’s side on guard duty ever since he’d gone off to defend the city. How would her mother not be jealous?
It wasn’t her position to talk about her father’s private life, so Qin Yining smiled again. “I know, I’ll be right back.”
“Go on. I know you two have plenty of secrets.” Née Sun basked in shared glory as it wasn’t everyday that a daughter was treated like a son. She was proud not just because Qin Yining was an only child, but more so because her daughter was intelligent and always kept the greater picture in mind.
* * *
Chapter 275
Qin Yining headed for the gates of Ning Park with Jiyun holding an old wax-paper umbrella by her side. They saw Qitai wearing straight robes of fine, vivid blue cotton, also holding a wax-paper umbrella.
The man quickly put the umbrella away and bowed when he saw the girl. “Fourth Miss.”
“Please do rise. Uncle An’s served my father for many years, so there’s no need for this. It’s not right that you bow like this to me.”
Qitai was surnamed An, and the man refused to listen. He finished his bow properly before rising with a smile. “Milord sent me here with a message that he has important business to discuss with you. He’s been summoned to the palace at the moment and probably won’t be free until nightfall. He asks for you to wait at the foot of the mountain at the hour of the dog. He’ll be there then.”
Qin Yining nodded. “I understand. Did father say what it was about and why he hasn’t been able to visit? The old dowager and other family members miss him dearly.”
“He’s really been too busy. To be honest, even I’ve been so busy at his side that the days blur into each other.” Qitai looked around and lowered his voice when he saw that no one else was present. “The emperor looks like he wants to surrender. There’s a lot of things involved when it comes to something as big as this. Milord’s been discussing this with the emperor all day. He doesn’t have any free time at all.”
The fourth miss nodded understandingly and sighed. “Father really is in a difficult spot. Please take good care of him, Uncle An, and remind him that he needs to rest.”
“Yes, this servant will naturally keep an eye on that.”
“Is my father well? Is Auntie Cao well?”
“Milord goes hungry every other meal in the army, but it’s better than being outside.” Qitai smiled. “Concubine Cao has remained in disguise as a man while protecting milord. The two actually seem more like friends. They don’t talk much, but they understand each other well.”
His words were a roundabout way of saying that Qin Huaiyuan and Cao Yuqing still hadn’t consummated their marriage.
Qitai spent his entire day by her father’s side, so naturally he wouldn’t overlook anything.
Qin Yining heaved an inward sigh of relief for her mother. “I understand. Many thanks, I’ll wait for my father at the foot of the mountain at the hour of the dog.”
“Alright, then this servant takes my leave. I need to return to milord for further duties.” Qitai bowed.
Qin Yining nodded and sent Qitai off with her eyes. When the man was far off in the distance, she turned to Jiyun. “It looks like the emperor really has decided to surrender.”
“Although I shouldn’t say this, I feel hugely relieved after hearing that.”
The Qin fourth miss understood her maid’s sentiment. “I know. Once the war ends, so does the siege on the city. We’ll have another way out for us then. As for weighty matters of right or wrong for the country, it’s not something up to you or me.”
“That’s right. And when the fighting stops, the prince will definitely come looking for you, miss. You’ve suffered so much during this period, His Highness will definitely be heartbroken.” Jiyun’s imagined scenes of reunion were touching affairs, given how much Pang Xiao cared for Qin Yining.
The Qin fourth miss rubbed her burning ears. Though her expression didn’t change, she was lighthearted.
Despite it being inappropriate to rejoice when the country was about to be no more, Qin Yining felt that thanks to the former emperor embezzling all of the nation’s funds, the fate of Great Yan had long since been written in stone. Such was the truth even if people would rather not admit to it.
Now that Weichi Yan wished to surrender, it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off her back.
Guard and mistress walked back in to see an expectant née Sun waiting eagerly for them. Qin Yining spent some time conveying why Qitai had come, then went into detail regarding the situation of Qin Huaiyuan and Cao Yuqing during their assignment to city defense.
Née Sun’s brow smoothed out when she heard the summary and her uneasy heart settled back in its proper place. The frustration and irritation brought on by constant hunger over the most recent period also dissipated. She beamed merrily. “My darling daughter, you can’t lie to me now.”
“Ho
w would I ever? It’s all from Qitai. He’s by father’s side all day and knows more than us. Unless he told me white lies, I can promise that there’s absolutely nothing going on between father and Auntie Cao.”
Née Sun blushed, then felt embarrassed that her daughter had witnessed her display of envy. She coughed. “Listen to you, silly. Is your mother the jealous sort?”
“Of course not, your daughter was just worrying over nothing.” Qin Yining stuck her tongue out, teasing her mother into laughter.
Everyone in the park was hungry, but the long anticipated rains had finally come. When combined with née Sun and Qin Yining’s carefree laughter — the general mood was greatly uplifted.
And so persistent impatience and fright subsided on this rainy day.
Qin Yining went about her day as usual and left with Jiyun, Bingtang at the hour of the dog. As soon as she set foot outside the door, she saw Mu Jinghu, skinny as a stalk of hemp in pale-blue robes, standing with his hands behind his back.
“Are you headed out?” His delicate features had become more angular thanks to hunger, but his eyes remained as clear as ever.
Qin Yining nodded with a smile. “My father’s sent for me.”
“Then I’ll watch over you from the shadows.”
Some guilt struck the girl. “Why don’t you stay and rest if you’re tired, Sir Mu? No one can get a full meal these days, and as highly skilled you are, you still have a mortal’s body. You also feel hungry without food. Where will you get strength from without a full meal? I really feel very guilty. I’m just going down the mountain for a word from my father, so you don’t need to come.”
Mu Jinghu frowned in monetary thought. “That’s not a very good plan. I promised the fox I would protect you. Don’t worry, I know my limits. Plus, my diet is actually a bit better than yours. You’re a fragile little girl but you’re still fine. I’m a cultivator who hones my body inside and out, so how am I any weaker than you? Or are you worried I’m going to eavesdrop? Then I’ll just hide in the shadows and won’t come out if you don’t want me to. Does that work?”
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