The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 650 Prince Qing Returns to the Country
In the depths of winter, the Liao River is frozen solid for miles, its once formidable barrier now a smooth road, passable even by horse. Under the setting sun, the reeds and withered grass along the riverbanks rustle in the fierce northwest wind, creating a desolate and bleak scene.

Daishan and Huang Taiji, leading their warhorses and using the reeds for cover, peered across the river at Xiping Fort. They were accompanied by only six personal guards, a display of extreme audacity. They knew that if the Jin army on the other side discovered them at such a distance, it would be extremely dangerous. A single light cavalry charge across the ice could easily kill them.

However, Daishan and Huang Taiji remained quite calm at this moment, because recent intelligence indicated that Sun Chengzong had been recalled by the Jin emperor and replaced by a pedantic scholar named Gao Di. Furthermore, the most threatening Jia Huan had been dismissed for disobeying the imperial edict. It was truly a blessing from heaven for the Great Jin!

At this moment, Dai Shan put away his monocular telescope and nodded, saying, "These past few days, the number of Jin army scouts on guard duty has decreased significantly, and they no longer cross the Liao River to conduct reconnaissance. I guess they are worried about provoking a war. It seems that Gao Di is indeed sincere about negotiating peace, and we can talk about it."

Huang Taiji sneered, "Gao Di is a newly appointed official, how could he miss such an opportunity? Moreover, welcoming Prince Qing back to the capital will win Prince Qing's favor, which will greatly benefit his future career. How could he possibly miss this opportunity? At this moment, he is probably even more eager to negotiate peace than we are."

Daishan gave Huang Taiji a deep look and said, "Emperor Qiansheng was not an incompetent ruler, but he made a foolish move at this time, actually dismissing Jia Huan and recalling Sun Chengzong. It seems that our Great Jin is destined to be the one to rule."

A hint of smugness flashed in Huang Taiji's eyes. The reason Sun Chengzong was recalled was certainly because the Jin emperor lacked magnanimity, but Huang Taiji's own strategy in Yaozhou to defeat the rash Jin general Man Gui undoubtedly played a supporting role.

After observing for a while, the two prepared to mount their horses and leave, intending to send someone to contact Gao Di to negotiate peace the next day. Just then, several fast horses galloped in from the east. As Huang Taiji and Daishan were frowning, the fast horses had already reached them. Judging from their attire, they were the personal guards of their father, the Khan.

"The Khan commands that the two princes return to Shengjing immediately!" the rider on horseback shouted.

Daishan and Huang Taiji felt a chill run down their spines, both having a bad premonition. They hurriedly spurred their horses and galloped towards Shenyang.

As expected, when the contemporary emperor Shanhe and Huang Taiji rushed back to Shengjing (Shenyang) day and night, Nurhaci was already on his deathbed and passed away three days later. The brilliant and ambitious founder of the Later Jin dynasty, Nurhaci, ultimately succumbed to his injuries from a cannonball and did not survive the harsh winter. He died on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month of the tenth year of the Qiansheng reign, at the age of sixty-seven.

Daishan and Huang Taiji convened a meeting of the princes and ministers to discuss the matter. They decided to keep Nurhaci's death a secret for the time being, and to announce it only after finalizing peace negotiations with the Jin state, so as to prevent the Jin state from taking the opportunity to attack.

Within ten days, Gao Di, the newly appointed Liaodong military commissioner of the Great Jin Dynasty, finalized a peace agreement with the Jin envoy and immediately sent a letter to the capital. After being approved by Emperor Qiansheng, the two countries formally signed a peace agreement on New Year's Eve, agreeing to take the Liao River as the boundary, refusing to commit any offenses against each other, and exchanging prisoners.

On the first day of the first month of the eleventh year of the Qiansheng reign, heavy snow fell in Liaodong. Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, who had been under house arrest in Shenyang for more than two years, was finally escorted across the Liao River. Gao Di, the Liaodong military commissioner, Zhang Pu, the Liaodong military supervisor, and Wu Sangui, the Liaodong general, led a group of soldiers to welcome him to the banks of the Liao River. They welcomed Prince Qing into Guangning City like stars surrounding the moon, and the whole city was instantly filled with jubilation.

As the saying goes, good news makes people feel refreshed. Gao Di was naturally overjoyed to have successfully accomplished his first great achievement after taking office. Wu Sangui and Zhang Pu were also extremely happy. After entering the city, they finally felt relieved, as this important matter had finally been accomplished.

Meanwhile, Gao Di and the others braved the wind and snow to welcome Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, into the temporary palace in the city. They knelt down respectfully and said, "Please, Your Highness, enter the sedan chair!"

The eunuch Geng Bingzhong lifted the sedan curtain and carefully helped Prince Qing out. Everyone quickly bowed again and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qing!"

Prince Qing was handsome, skilled in riding and archery, and had a well-proportioned and upright figure. He was truly dignified and imposing. Gao Di and Zhang Pu were both delighted to see him. This alone made him far superior to the obese Prince Min, Xu Wenhou. Thus, the position of Crown Prince was undoubtedly Prince Qing's! At this moment, Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, was in high spirits, as if the snowstorm itself was cheering and applauding for him. He hurriedly stepped forward to help Gao Di up, saying, "Lord Gao, please rise. Gentlemen and soldiers, no need for formalities!"

At this moment, Gao Di, Zhang Pu, and others noticed that Prince Qing was walking with a limp, clearly indicating a problem with his legs, and their hearts sank.

Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, clearly noticed the strange expressions on everyone's faces and was immediately displeased. His expression darkened, as his limp was a source of great pain for him. However, one of the generals, oblivious to the situation, blurted out in surprise, "Your Highness Prince Qing has injured your leg?"

Geng Bingzhong, the eunuch serving Prince Qing, rolled his eyes and deliberately cried out loudly, "My lords and soldiers, you may not know this, but back then, His Highness Prince Qing defended Jinzhou to the death. In the end, the city fell because of his exhaustion. Prince Qing fought desperately with the enemy, but he accidentally fell from his horse and broke his left leg, which left him with a lifelong disability!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Di squeezed out a few tears and cried out, "Your Highness has suffered so much! I wish I could take your place!"

Prince Qing feigned nonchalance and said, "In the Battle of Jinzhou back then, countless soldiers died for their country. I only lost a leg. What does that matter? As long as the country is safe and the people are safe, what do I have to fear about dying? If it weren't for my concern for my father and mother and my failure to fulfill my filial duties, I would have done my duty for the country back then. I would never have chosen to live in disgrace."

Gao Di quickly clapped and cheered, and the officials and soldiers also showered him with compliments.

"His Highness Prince Qing has risked his life on the battlefield, fighting bravely and loyally for his country. He is truly a role model for us all. It's snowing heavily and the wind is cold outside. Please come inside to keep warm, Your Highness. Tomorrow morning, I will personally escort Your Highness back to the capital!" Gao Di said with a gesture of his heart, "Please move inside, Your Highness!"

Xu Wenye nodded and walked into the house, trying to walk as naturally as possible. Unfortunately, his crooked shinbone still caused him to lose his balance, and he walked with a limp.

Zhang Pu followed behind, secretly lamenting. Prince Qing was handsome, but unfortunately, he was lame, which was quite unsightly. When he ascended the throne, would he still be lame in court? Alas, this would probably greatly diminish his standing in the Emperor's eyes.

In ancient times, the appearance of ministers was highly valued. Generally speaking, people with spiky eyebrows and eyes could not become high-ranking officials, even if they were the top scholars in the imperial examinations, because it would be too unsightly. If they had a disability, it would be even more unacceptable. Of course, Prince Qing was a prince after all, and he was not an ordinary person. His lameness did not affect his status as the first in line to inherit the throne.

Thinking of this, Zhang Pu couldn't help but comfort himself, saying that although Prince Qing had some difficulty walking, he was still very handsome, and considering the hardships he had suffered in the past two years, the Emperor should make him the Crown Prince as compensation.

However, little did anyone know that Prince Qing had concealed something else: during his two years in Shenyang, he had married the daughter of a Jin minister, and the day before he left Shenyang to return to China, this wife had given birth to a baby boy for him.

Having been captured and forced to live for two years, he had already lost his integrity. To marry and have children in an enemy country was not just a loss of integrity, but a disgrace to his ancestors. Therefore, Prince Qing dared not mention this matter and strictly forbade his eunuch Geng Bingzhong from revealing a single word. Huang Taiji also wanted to keep this as leverage, to use it to bargain when Prince Qing became the emperor of Jin. So he kept it strictly confidential, and the border situation of Jin was completely unknown.

Getting back to the main point, the next day, as soon as the snow stopped, Gao Di personally escorted Prince Qing to the interior of the pass, his only thought being to return to the capital to claim credit with Emperor Qiansheng, and also to get closer to Prince Qing on the way. The front-line defense was left to Zu Tianshou, Wu Sangui, Zhang Pu and others.

(End of this chapter)