Chapter 64: A Little Panicked Inside
Chen Shouye shut himself away alone and drank a great deal of wine.
Chen Bai knew that sometimes the truth hurt deeply, but the truth was still the truth. One could not deceive oneself and pretend it did not exist.
The faith Chen Shouye had held for half his life had been destroyed. To rebuild it would indeed take time.
Just as Chen Bai had told him, at such a critical moment, he either sat and waited for the King’s mercy, hoping the Court Commandant’s Manor could continue in power and glory, or he found a way out himself.
But with a King like this, who could coldly stand by and watch even someone who wholeheartedly supported him suffer humiliation, how could they entrust the lives and futures of their whole family entirely to him?
The atmosphere in the Court Commandant’s Manor was somewhat oppressive. Even Chen Xiaobu, holding Dalmation’s leash, did not dare go disturb anyone. He carried a bowl of cured meat and sat on the threshold of the courtyard, eating bite by bite with Dalmation.
The next day, morning court continued as usual.
But the atmosphere today was clearly different.
The military faction’s attitude was extremely forceful, and they were also rather agitated. They demanded to meet the King.
Even the Three Dukes were somewhat unable to suppress them.
After all, the military faction was truly the King’s direct line. Their honor and disgrace could be said to rest entirely in the King’s hands alone. Now that the court was controlled by civil officials—whether Gan Xun, who oversaw culture and education, Shang Wangshu, who governed the law, or Lu Qingqi, who handled finance—strictly speaking, all of them were civil officials. This was also the King’s method of balancing court power. But once the King fell ill, the military faction appeared somewhat “weak and isolated” in court, with no voice to speak of.
So it was the military officials who first stirred up conflict. Some even bluntly suspected whether the Three Dukes had done something to the King. Otherwise, the King had always been strong and healthy—why had he stopped attending court over one small injury?
Chen Bai stood beside the dragon throne, eyes lowered and expression still. In his heart, he thought, See? Chaos would come sooner or later. This was only the beginning. Who knew what it would develop into?
The Three Dukes stopped the military officials from seeing the King, but they also had suffering they could not speak of. This was His Majesty’s order. What could they do?
But under these circumstances, would those military men believe them?
Not to mention those military men—even if the Three Dukes had not all gone together to request an audience with the King, they themselves might have suspected whether someone was causing trouble or holding the King hostage.
To tell the truth, compared with these agitated generals, they were even more curious why the King refused to attend court.
Guessing in their hearts was still only guessing. Someone had to confirm it.
The Three Dukes suddenly exchanged a glance.
The Three Dukes, who had originally paid little attention to the military officials’ provocation, suddenly opened their half-lowered eyes and spoke.
“Stop making trouble. Court administration has always been handled by us civil officials…”
“The King’s command was for the three of us to temporarily oversee court affairs…”
Chen Bai’s eyes narrowed. The Three Dukes’ attitude… between the lines, they were provoking the military officials, and at a time when those military officials were stirred up beyond measure.
The Three Dukes were borrowing another’s blade.
Perhaps because Chen Bai had always been in the position of an onlooker, he could see it very clearly. The Three Dukes’ attitude had changed. Previously, they had done their utmost to carry out the King’s order and prevent these military officials from seeing him. But now, on the surface, they were still preventing them, while in truth, there was more provocation and encouragement in their words.
Sure enough, when the military officials heard the Three Dukes’ words, they became displeased. All along, they had been the King’s trusted confidants.
The entire court became as noisy as a marketplace. They even began pushing and shoving each other.
A group of civil officials could never outdo these military men.
Of course, the military men did not dare truly charge into the King’s sleeping palace by themselves. No matter what, they had to drag these civil officials along with them in order to avoid suspicion.
So, strangely, amid all the pushing and shoving, the court slowly began moving in the direction of the King’s sleeping palace.
Chen Bai watched as the Three Dukes “blew their beards and glared” while trying to stop those military officials, and the corner of his mouth twitched. They were clearly the ones secretly fanning the flames, yet they acted as if they were being forced.
They were all old foxes.
“How dare you trespass into the King’s sleeping palace? When the King blames you, let’s see who among you can bear the responsibility,” the Three Dukes said, looking rather “anxious.”
Those military officials also kept saying, “We are merely going to confirm the King’s condition. If there is any offense, punish us according to the law. Besides, all the civil and military officials of Great Qian are here. Who would dare harbor any improper intentions?”
Chen Bai watched this group of people “pretend to push and pretend to persuade,” and his mouth opened slightly. “…”
So it could be done like this?
The Three Dukes also wanted to clear suspicion from themselves, and even more than that, they themselves wanted to know the King’s exact condition. Otherwise, how could this group have so easily made trouble all the way to the King’s sleeping palace?
Chen Bai frowned slightly, because once the King’s illness was revealed, Great Qian’s court would likely become even more chaotic.
But the will of the Three Dukes and the military officials was actually the same. No matter what, he could not stop them.
Besides, even if he stopped them for a moment, what use would it be? The King was gravely ill, and the court was unstable. This was an outcome they were bound to face.
As he was still thinking, they had actually arrived before the King’s sleeping palace.
The palace maids and eunuchs before the sleeping palace were stunned. What was going on?
Only then did the Three Dukes loudly scold the military officials in a proper manner, as if afraid others would not know how hard they had tried. Clearly, on the way here, they had been weak and listless.
But they had already reached the threshold. How could those military officials possibly give up?
After several loud shouts, they comforted themselves inwardly. If the King truly had been restrained by someone, then this would be an unparalleled achievement. If not, they were merely worried about the King. It could not be considered a great crime.
So after receiving no response from the King, amid the pushing and shoving, one military official suddenly “accidentally” slammed headfirst into the door of the sleeping palace.
This military official did indeed have some brute strength. He actually knocked the door down.
Silence fell.
The Three Dukes stopped scolding too and stretched their necks to peer into the hall.
And then… a scent of medicinal herbs rushed out.
As for the King, he was lying peacefully on the bed.
The reason the King had not woken despite all the noise was also partly Chen Bai’s doing.
Not long ago, had he not used Mountain Lord’s identity to provide the King with some pills to help him sleep?
The effect of these pills was indeed good. Add to that the fact that the King had not rested properly for far too long, and once he fell asleep, he slept deeply.
This was what it meant to be unmoved even by thunder.
Upon seeing the King on the bed, everyone sensed that something was wrong. The King’s body had grown much thinner, and his complexion had an indescribable sickly look. Along with the medicinal smell they had caught…
“M-My King…”
The military official’s voice trembled.
Had they not heard the rumors in the streets? Of course they had. It was only that the King’s body had always been strong, and with the imperial physicians’ diagnosis as well, they had not dared think wildly.
Even the Three Dukes’ expressions changed greatly. Although they might not have never thought in that direction, actually seeing it was another matter.
They could no longer care about anything else. They pushed through the crowd and walked into the hall.
“My King… My King…”
“What is going on? Why is the King like this?”
“He cannot even be roused.”
A group of palace maids and eunuchs knelt all over the floor. Usually, they could show off their authority before others, but facing these court officials, they did not dare.
Inside the hall, Sun Huairen, the chief imperial physician, was also dumbfounded. The Three Dukes had actually brought people in? No, it seemed the Three Dukes had just been trying to stop them.
Of course, now was not the time to think about that, because seeing that the King would not wake, the Three Dukes were already looking at Sun Huairen with gloomy faces.
“Imperial Physician Sun, what exactly is going on? Speak truthfully. The King… why is the King in such a state?”
Sun Huairen also had unspeakable suffering. Did they think his days of living in constant fear had been easy?
His speech even became somewhat stuttering. “My lords, the King has not rested for many days. It was only after receiving Mountain Lord’s sleep-aiding pills that he barely managed to fall asleep. If you have anything to say, please go outside first.”
In truth, no matter how powerful sleep-aiding pills were, they only helped one sleep. In such a noisy environment, it was not that the King had no reaction whatsoever. It was only that he was truly too exhausted, so his responses were a little slow.
The moment the King opened his eyes, he still had not reacted. He even asked in a hoarse voice, “Why are you all here?”
After speaking, he also jolted. The sickly fatigue from before was swept away, and his face filled with anger.
“Impudent! Who allowed you to enter? Are you rebelling?”
He was already seriously ill. With this anger, and after shouting so loudly, he nearly could not catch his breath and began coughing nonstop.
Sun Huairen hurried forward to treat him, and the officials were also driven out of the hall.
When the door of the sleeping palace was set upright again, the officials were still shaken. They exchanged glances.
They had not expected that the rumors in the streets were actually true. The reason the King had not attended court was because an old illness had relapsed.
And judging from the situation, it seemed extremely bad.
Their eyes were full of fear. Great Qian was probably truly about to fall into turmoil.
The Three Dukes’ eyes also kept shifting. Finally, one said, “Are you satisfied now? What are you still gathering here for? Go wait in the main hall.”
The news had come too suddenly. The officials did not even know how they returned to the hall of deliberation.
Only the Three Dukes remained waiting outside the sleeping palace.
After an unknown amount of time, the King’s somewhat weak voice finally came from inside the sleeping palace.
“Go pacify the officials.”
Without even thinking, one could know how chaotic the officials must be right now.
The Three Dukes exchanged a glance. It seemed they would have to find that Sun Huairen and confirm the specific situation. It was not as if they had never tried to look for Sun Huairen before, but Sun Huairen had remained in the inner palace and never come out.
Even without confirming it, they already knew that things were bad.
They opened their mouths, originally wanting to urge the King to establish the heir early, but saying such words at this moment seemed somewhat inappropriate.
With no other choice, they could only find another opportunity to advise him later.
When the Three Dukes returned to the main hall of deliberation, it was indeed no different from a marketplace.
The situation had already been difficult to control, and now it was as if oil had been poured onto a fire.
Everyone was anxious and restless, making a complete mess.
Chen Bai thought to himself, sure enough, this moment had still come.
The Three Dukes did their utmost to maintain order, but when faced with the officials’ questioning, they themselves knew nothing.
Who was to blame? Was it not because the King had hidden things too deeply? No one knew the situation. Now that it had suddenly erupted like this, everyone was caught off guard.
The court… had fallen into chaos.
Especially those ministers who supported different princes—their minds began turning rapidly.
No one said it aloud, but everyone understood clearly in their hearts. Now was probably the crucial moment to consider the transition between the old emperor and the new emperor. If they chose the right side, they would become ministers who had aided the dragon’s rise.
Especially in this era, there was not even an imperial examination system. To put it plainly, becoming an official depended on two things: recommendation, and the emperor’s appreciation.
Officials who entered through recommendation might not necessarily climb very high, but if one gained the emperor’s favor, then one’s future would truly be limitless.
Besides, the transition between old and new emperors had always been the moment when the structure of the court underwent unprecedented change. Even figures like the Three Dukes could not possibly remain completely unconcerned, let alone everyone else.
Almost in an instant, the various factions already seemed poised against one another.
Did they not know that acting this way at such a time was harmful to Great Qian?
They knew. But when their own interests were involved, people naturally became selfish. This was human nature and could not really be blamed.
It only deepened Great Qian’s crisis.
Chen Bai opened his mouth slightly. “…”
The loss of control over the situation was something even he had not fully imagined. Who could have known that one moment ago, it was merely an argument, and now it had become thick with the smell of gunpowder?
While worrying about the King’s health, they also attacked one another.
The endless arguing, the mutual accusations—the order of the hall of deliberation was completely shattered. It was foreseeable that after today, Great Qian’s true chaos would begin.
Just then, the sound of wheels creaking over the floor suddenly rang out.
It was clearly not particularly loud, yet for some reason, it sounded especially distinct.
The voices of the officials, who had been arguing until their faces were red, gradually weakened.
Chen Bai was stunned. He looked up and saw an elderly woman with a cold and stern face sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed directly to the side of the dragon throne.
When the old woman sat upright beside the dragon throne, the entire court suddenly fell silent.
“Begin court,” the old woman said coldly, not even glancing at the chaotic scene below.
For a moment, one could hear a pin drop.
The Empress Dowager Zhaosheng, who had once blocked foreign enemies for Great Qian, frightened the various states into not daring to invade, and protected Great Qian from the flames of war for twenty years, had actually returned to court at this very moment.
Back then, Great Qian had been swaying in the storm. It was this woman who had held up the entire nation, rebuilt Great Qian’s backbone, and allowed Great Qian to stand firm while surrounded by the states.
Back then, the whole of Great Qian had almost been left with only the name Zhaosheng. It could be said that even if she had taken power over Great Qian herself at that time, no one would have been able to stop her. Yet precisely when the name Zhaosheng stood unrivaled, she resolutely chose to return power to the royal family and remain behind the scenes. This was what was most admirable about her. It was as if things like power and authority meant nothing to her at all. In her heart, there was only Great Qian.
Chen Bai’s eyes moved. If there was anyone in Great Qian who could restore order at such a time, it could only be Empress Dowager Zhaosheng.
Because Empress Dowager Zhaosheng did not covet power. If she had wanted that position, she could have had it many years ago. She had not cared for it then, let alone now.
Only Empress Dowager Zhaosheng, who devoted herself wholly to Great Qian, had the qualification to convince everyone during such a special period.
Moreover, most of those military officials had grown up listening to the name Zhaosheng. Some of the generals present had once been her subordinates. In all of Great Qian, besides the King, the only person capable of mobilizing Great Qian’s military power was Empress Dowager Zhaosheng.
In the silent hall, only the Empress Dowager’s cool voice rang out.
“Yan merchants attempted to assassinate the King of Great Qian inside our hall of deliberation. Tell me, how should Great Qian respond to Yan’s actions?”
“This… The Yan merchants carried out the assassination. Yan may not necessarily admit it. If they find excuses to evade responsibility…”
“Great Qian has only just organized the planting of edible lettuce in various regions. There is much to rebuild.”
Actually, the most important point was that the King’s condition was currently unclear, and it was not advisable to act rashly.
Chen Bai was somewhat surprised. For a moment, the officials actually began discussing state affairs in an orderly manner. Whether their arguments were suitable or not, at least they were no longer each acting on their own and attacking one another.
When the voices below paused, the Empress Dowager spoke.
“Grand Secretary of the Brush, draft my decree.”
A decree from the Empress Dowager, not an imperial edict.
But the authority of Empress Dowager Zhaosheng’s decree might not necessarily be weaker than the King’s imperial edict.
“Order the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers to immediately send a letter of condemnation to Yan. For attempting to assassinate the King of Great Qian, their crime is unforgivable. Order the royal family of Yan to cede three cities as compensation…”
Chen Bai’s hand trembled. The opinions those ministers had voiced just now had not been placed in this old lady’s eyes at all.
What a decisive, forceful old woman.
“Order the three armies to press upon Yan’s border…”
Each time the old woman spoke, Chen Bai’s heart trembled.
Excuses like Great Qian’s livelihood having only just begun to improve did not enter the old woman’s eyes at all.
The old woman’s voice suddenly became stern.
“Great Qian’s backbone must be fought for by the people of Great Qian ourselves, not waited for others to hand to us.”
“If we do not give these petty villains a lesson they will remember for the rest of their lives, would that not make others think that everyone in Great Qian can be bullied?”
“Great Qian is currently the only state that has not been dragged into the disputes among the various states. Why? It is not because we are afraid, but because they do not dare. It is Great Qian that gave them peace, bestowed peace upon them. Since they do not want it, then let them know the price of angering Great Qian.”
Her words struck the ground with force, deafening and powerful.
Everyone’s hearts shook. It was as if they once again saw the Great Qian female general who had once dominated the battlefield.
She was Great Qian’s proud, invincible iron cavalry. Wherever her sword pointed, she swept through all before her, terrifying enemies and making foreign foes dare not step into Great Qian for twenty years.
“Dismissed,” the old woman said, her voice still so cold.
After the old woman left, everyone finally realized that with Empress Dowager Zhaosheng here, even if the sky were to collapse, Great Qian would not fall into chaos.
That was right. Back then, facing the invasion of multiple states, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng had still been able to lead a fragile Great Qian through the storm to the present. Not to mention that the current Great Qian was no longer the Great Qian that anyone could bully.
Afterward, Chen Bai also came to his senses. The old woman’s strong stance was probably not without reason.
She wanted to use this to shift the impact of the King’s serious illness on Great Qian and on the court.
And Yan was now the best target for transferring the conflict. In other words, this was currently Great Qian’s best method of resolving internal worries.
Chen Bai muttered, “Turning internal troubles into an external threat? Sure enough, a woman who could reach such heights in this era is definitely not some brute who only knows how to fight wars.”
However, since Empress Dowager Zhaosheng had already stepped forward, the matter of the King establishing an heir was probably close at hand.
Chen Bai’s guess was not wrong at all. After Empress Dowager Zhaosheng left court, she headed toward the King’s sleeping palace.
Chen Bai thought about it. No, he had to make a trip to Qi Zheng’s residence.
Strictly speaking, given his current identity, it was not good for him to get too close to any prince. But if he went as Mountain Lord…
For some reason, Chen Bai’s whole body shivered. He was afraid that a certain person, furious from embarrassment, would chop him up and use him as flower fertilizer.
With no other choice, Chen Bai went through quite a bit of trouble before arriving at Qi Zheng’s residence.
The steward led Chen Bai to the rear courtyard.
In the rear courtyard, Qi Zheng looked somewhat strange. In broad daylight, he was actually drinking wine, and he even had the air of a scholar lamenting spring and autumn.
Chen Bai was stunned. He secretly asked the steward beside him, “What happened to your prince? Did he get dumped?”
The steward’s face darkened. “Do not speak nonsense. When I was pouring wine for His Highness, I accidentally heard him saying something about friendship being fed to dogs, and that his Zhong Ziqi was strangled to death before he could even grow up…”
Chen Bai: “…”
Why did he feel a little panicked inside?
