Chapter 64: The Imperial Edict

Li Yu stood before the study of the Prince of Lu's estate, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the quail badge on his official surcoat. Despite the bitter cold, he had broken out in a sweat.

Well, he admitted he was a bit nervous.

But who wouldn't be nervous in his shoes?

It was much like toiling away as a lowly worker in a massive corporation with tens of thousands of employees. Suddenly, the big boss and the second-in-command start a power struggle. You suspect the second-in-command might win and promote you, yet you are merely an obscure, low-level manager at the very bottom.

After exhausting every single trick and effort you possess, the second-in-command finally agrees to grant you a private audience.

Would you not be nervous?

Yang Gao led the way with practiced ease. "Come this way, Zixuan."

Noticing Li Yu's nervous perspiration, he offered words of comfort: "Our Prince of Lu is actually very easy to get along with. Under normal circumstances, he rarely kills people."

Unlike him, who always felt the impulsive urge to draw his saber and execute anyone displeasing to the eye.

Who could blame him? His father had previously served under... that Duke of Zhao who loved burying prisoners of war alive. With such a family legacy, he himself hadn't wished to turn out this way.

Li Yu replied, "...I thank you so much."

If one didn't know how to comfort people, it was entirely acceptable to remain silent. Thank you very much.

The entire estate was permeated by a dense aroma of medicinal herbs. The servants all wore white gauze masks over their faces, genuinely looking as though they were warding off some contagious pestilence.

He had been smuggled in through a side door, led through corridor after corridor, past decorative rockeries, and finally brought to a halt in a room of indeterminate purpose.

The chamber was still empty of other occupants, and servants promptly brought out tea for the two men.

Yang Gao lifted his teacup lid, took a sniff, and immediately curled his lip in disdain.

"Such fine tribute tea—every imperial prince is allotted only half a catty a year. I never imagined the Prince would actually be willing to use it to entertain you."

In the past, he had longed to taste such exceptional tea, yet the Prince had only ever granted him that luxury perhaps twice.

For Zixuan's very first visit to receive such lavish treatment—

It seemed his judgment in making friends had been sound; perhaps this fellow could offer him assistance in the future.

Those few cups of wine they had shared outside the iron mine the other day were truly superb.

"That is only natural. Could it be that you wish to compare yourself to this Prince's junior mentor?"

Zhao Yi's laughing voice drifted from behind the screen. Li Yu looked up to see a towering man of over six feet, clad in a regular prince's robe adorned with woven-gold coiled dragons and a jade belt fastened at his waist, stepping out from behind the partition.

Meeting for the very first time, Li Yu hurriedly stepped forward and delivered a deep, formal bow. "Li Yu, Magistrate of Zhangqiu, pays his respects to Your Highness."

This Prince of Lu appeared quite approachable, showing no signs of ferocity.

Having witnessed the terrifying power of the matchlock firearm and knowing that Li Yu was Wang Mingfeng's prized disciple, Zhao Yi had already felt a strong predisposition toward the young man even before meeting him.

Now, observing his striking and dignified appearance, that favorable impression only deepened.

With a smile, Zhao Yi stepped forward to lift Li Yu to his feet. "Junior mentor, please dispense with such elaborate courtesies. Sit."

***

Junior mentor?

The Prince of Lu actually called him his junior mentor?

Li Yu hastily said, "Your humble subordinate is merely an insignificant petty official and is utterly unworthy of Your Highness bestowing such a title upon me."

The address left him utterly flustered, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the term "junior mentor" sounded rather bizarre.

The Prince of Lu was nearly twenty years his senior!

Zhao Yi pressed him back down into his chair before returning to his own seat.

"To leave someone as precious as jade like Zixuan buried in obscurity is truly the fault of the court."

"Since Zixuan is Prime Minister Wang's student, why were you not kept in the capital?"

Given Prime Minister Wang's precarious position in the court, Zhao Yi believed he ought to have retained his students to assist him. Yet the Prime Minister had gone to great lengths to dispatch this man to such a distant post.

Li Yu hurriedly forced himself to squeeze out a few tears, then stood up and bowed ninety degrees to Zhao Yi once more.

"I beg Your Highness to dismiss the attendants. Your humble subordinate has matters of utmost importance to disclose to Your Highness."

Since he had been searched before entering the estate, Zhao Yi figured that as Wang Mingfeng's disciple, the young man posed no danger, and thus readily waved away all the attendants.

Only Yang Gao remained to keep watch personally at the threshold, ensuring no one could approach.

When the late emperor passed away, he had indeed left behind a personal edict in his own handwriting; it had not been forged by Prime Minister Wang. Seeing that they were entirely alone, Li Yu pulled it out without a second word.

He had already read the contents several times over to the point of complete memorization.

His wife, Ning Zhaoan, had also read it, and had remarked that the late emperor was excessively biased.

Yet looking at the expression of anguish on Zhao Yi's face, Li Yu understood precisely how deeply his heart ached.

It was not out of grief for his father, nor was he moved; rather, it was the pain inflicted by his imperial father's extreme partiality on his deathbed. Li Yu could not help but feel that the Prince of Lu was rather pitiable.

"For over twenty-eight years, We have inherited the glorious mandate of Heaven, trembling day and night, constantly fearing that Our virtue is too shallow to sustain the burden, and never daring to forget the hardships of the Founding Emperor who braved the wind and rain. Now, stricken by an incurable illness, the gates of the underworld are closing upon Us, and We entrust these heartfelt words to the golden casket:

First, upholding the Heavenly Mandate.
Imperial Grandson Zhao Bo is the legitimate heir of the Crown Prince and shall immediately ascend the throne. All of you imperial sons shall emulate the Duke of Zhou assisting King Cheng, cooperating with one another to support and protect our ancestral shrines.

Second, purging the court of evil ministers.
The Directorate of Astronomy has observed dim and murky omens in the Ziwei constellation, and the land bears fissures of collapse. After Our passing, should there be treacherous ministers in the court who harm the state, disrupt governance, and imperil the descendants of Our Zhao family, the Second Imperial Son, Zhao Yi, shall lead the imperial princes and the governors of the nine border garrisons to march against the traitors, securing the realm of our Great Yong and ensuring the Crown Prince's lineage reigns eternally.

Third, pacifying the realm.
The armies and generals shall each return to their respective garrisons, and the governors of the nine borders shall all carry secret edicts. If there is peace in the court yet anyone dares to use this edict to instigate rebellion, the entire realm shall execute them. If treacherous ministers initiate rebellion, this edict may be used to summon the military forces of the empire.

Respect this.
The third day of the third month of the twenty-eighth year of Qian'an, at the third quarter of the Yin hour."

Ensuring the Crown Prince's lineage reigns eternally?

What did His Imperial Father mean by this?

He was expected to slaughter the treacherous ministers, and then allow his nephew to continue serving as emperor?

Did His Imperial Father imagine such a thing was even possible?

Once his good nephew truly became a good emperor, the very first lineage he would eliminate would be that of the Prince of Lu, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive, with no one left to plead for mercy on their behalf.

The Prince of Lu reached out to wipe away a tear and asked, "The edict mentions 'all imperial sons.' Do the other younger brothers possess men like the junior mentor by their side as well?"

He now understood why Li Yu had come to Zhangqiu.

Aside from the late emperor's edict, there was also a letter from Wang Zhiqui detailing the current crisis in the court, explicitly stating that if the infighting continued, Great Yong would cease to exist.

With an empty imperial treasury and starving garrisons on the borders, wasn't the dynasty practically on the brink of collapse?

"Prime Minister Wang said..." Li Yu hesitated briefly before continuing, "Among all the imperial sons, only Your Highness the Prince of Lu possesses the talent to firmly secure the realm."

In truth, Prime Minister Wang had merely stated that only the Prince of Lu possessed the capability; after all, both in terms of legitimacy and competence, he was the strongest, and marching back to the capital to deal with Fan Chengyuan relied entirely upon him.

However, Li Yu had slightly altered the wording. After all, he had no intention of serving a ruler devoid of ambition.

If he was to pledge his loyalty to the Prince of Lu, there was only one condition: the Prince of Lu must not be paralyzed by benevolence, letting sentimentality stay his hand and sparing his nephew.

If the Prince pursued such noble righteousness, those who followed him would be wiped out down to the last man.

Li Yu intended to start a completely new page in the family genealogy and leave his name in history as a renowned statesman of his generation.

To follow a compassionate and merciful ruler would be no different than immediately running off to a Buddhist convent to chant scriptures alongside the abbesses.

The Prince of Lu tightly gripped the yellow silk in his hand. "My Imperial Father decreed that the Emperor shall reign eternally. If he reigns eternally, how is this Prince supposed to firmly secure the realm?"

Two tigers cannot share a single mountain; how could there possibly be two emperors under heaven?

Li Yu slowly stated, "If Your Highness fights for it, there remains a glimmer of survival. If you refuse to fight..."

You have already secretly operated an iron mine; what is the point of keeping up pretences?

Even without spelling it out, the Prince of Lu understood the implications. Were not those younger brothers of his who held military power already being summoned back to the capital?

He sighed, closed his eyes, and murmured, "At present, the court governance has not suffered major turmoil, and brandishing this edict publicly is of no use. This Prince has the heart, but lacks the means."

Far from serving as an asset to raise an army, the document would instead become his death warrant.

Upon hearing this, Li Yu immediately declared, "Your humble subordinate believes the imperial court is bound to plunge into chaos very shortly. We must still prepare these new firearms beforehand and remain ready at all times against any eventuality."

Even if the political situation presented no natural openings, Prime Minister Wang would manufacture them for Your Highness.

Was that not so?