Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 425 Determining the Fate

The final good news arrived two days later at noon.

Li Zhaozheng was working on military reports at his desk.

The booklets, still damp with ink, were piled up to half a foot high, and the strong tea on the table had long since gone cold, but he didn't bother to take a sip.

Xue Sui sat to one side, quietly making a knot with the silk thread she had brought back from town that day.

She hadn't done such delicate work in a long time, and her technique was slightly rusty. The silk thread twirled between her fingers, and it took her a while to find her footing and outline the shape of a plum blossom...

Black Eighteen lay at her feet, gnawing on a bone with no meat on it, its tail occasionally sweeping the ground, looking lazy and content.

The two people and the dog lived peacefully together.

Sunlight streamed in through the window cracks, and the stillness made one forget they were on a battlefield.

"Your Highness, an urgent report from Yunling!"

Footsteps sounded outside the tent, and the messenger's voice carried an barely suppressed excitement.

Li Zhao's pen didn't stop; he said in a deep voice, "Go in."

The messenger strode in, knelt on one knee, and held the military report high with both hands.

"Your Highness, General Qi has wiped out the remaining enemy forces on the western front. Deputy General Xie Dayu of Xiao Yan led his elite troops in a desperate resistance, but was outmatched and fell to his death after being severely wounded. His followers, including Liu and Sun, have all been executed. The routed troops on the eastern front have been intercepted and incorporated by General Yu, who has seized countless weapons, armor, and provisions. The rest have either died or surrendered. The Xiao clan's traitorous faction has been completely wiped out—the western frontier is now secure!"

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

All that could be heard was the faint sound of Black Eighteen gnawing on a bone.

Li Zhao slowly put down his pen, his face showing little joy, only a calm acceptance of the situation.

"Although Xiao Yan has been executed, it will take some time to purge his followers. The matter of Yunling must be resolved as soon as possible, the various villages must be appeased, and the border stabilized. All soldiers who participated in suppressing the rebellion, regardless of rank, will be rewarded according to their merits. Once everything is settled, we will choose a day to return to the capital."

"Yes!" the messenger replied loudly, his face beaming with joy.

He got up briskly and left.

The tent had been quiet for a moment when footsteps sounded again.

"Your Highness—"

This time, it was Yuan Cang who came.

He hurried inside and whispered, "Chief Dorje is gone. According to the village's ancestral rules and the elders' recommendation, the young chieftain Hachi has inherited the chieftainship. He sent someone to ask if Your Highness's promise from that day still stands?"

"Of course it counts."

Li Zhao answered without the slightest hesitation.

After saying that, his gaze subconsciously turned to Xue Sui beside him.

Xue Sui happened to look up at that moment.

Their eyes met, and he nodded slightly.

"When I speak, my word is as good as gold."

Xue Sui looked down at the bewildered Black Eighteen wagging its tail at his feet, a faint smile playing on his lips.

After the flames of war, a sliver of human tenderness was finally stolen away.
-
The good news was delivered to the capital at the fastest speed possible.

Half a month later, the imperial edict from the capital was sent back to the western frontier.

The bright yellow scroll was unfurled, the handwriting neat and dignified, and it was covered with a bright red imperial seal, but it was not a handwritten note by Emperor Chongzhao after his illness.

In the imperial edict, the emperor first praised Crown Prince Zhao for his meritorious service in quelling the rebellion of Xiao Yan and stabilizing the western frontier, saying that his achievements were outstanding and recorded in history, and that he was a blessing to the country.

Next, Qi Mingyang and other generals were commended and rewarded with fertile land, houses, and silk according to their military merits. The list of rewards was long, which shows the emperor's great benevolence.

Finally, the writing style suddenly changed.

"Now that the Western Frontier has been pacified and the banditry has been quelled, the powerful local strongmen still remain. The thirty-six strongholds of Yunling have been guarding their strategic positions for generations, and have never shown any intention of submitting. They will surely become a threat in the long run. I hereby instruct Crown Prince Zhao to take advantage of this momentum and wipe out all the strongholds within a month, seize their weapons and armor, relocate their people, and eliminate the hidden dangers before they arise. We must ensure that the Western Frontier is forever under the rule of the King, and that there is lasting peace and stability, so that the court will never again be disturbed by the border regions."

The candles inside the tent burned until midnight.

Li Zhao remained silent for a long time before the imperial edict…

Early the next morning, Xue Sui slowly entered with Hei Shiba. He noticed the sudden change in Xue Sui's expression to one of melancholy, and after glancing at the bright yellow imperial edict on the table, he understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

"Is Your Highness facing a dilemma?"

“It’s not difficult,” Li Zhao said, rubbing his temples. “It’s just disheartening.”

Xue Sui poured him another cup of hot tea and gently placed it beside him, her voice calm. "Your Majesty has already set your sights on the Thirty-Six Villages. Is it because you fear the chieftains will become too powerful, or because you fear Your Highness's prestige will surpass that of the Emperor and Father?"

“There are always people in the court stirring up trouble, framing others and sowing discord,” Li Zhaodao said.

"That would only happen if His Majesty was willing to listen," Xue Sui said incisively, leaving no room for any tenderness between the father and son.

"Don't you understand His Majesty's thoughts?"

Li Zhao pinched the bridge of his nose, rolled up the imperial edict, and placed it on the table.

"Although the people of the Thirty-Six Villages are fierce, they are not entirely unreasonable. With Dorje recently deceased and Hachi's position unstable, the people are in turmoil. If the court were to launch a military campaign, at best it would result in rivers of blood, and at worst it would incite the villages to rebel, turning this western frontier into a major threat. Moreover, how could I go back on my word after making such a promise?"

He picked up his pen to write a memorial to the throne and spread out the memorial.

"I cannot obey the imperial edict."

Xue Sui stood quietly to one side.

Looking at his tense profile as he wrote, his brows furrowed slightly.

This man's desire to have absolute authority may not be so easy to fulfill.
-
On the day the imperial edict arrived, Crown Prince Li Zhao personally drafted a memorial, detailing the advantages and disadvantages.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request your wise consideration: The Thirty-Six Villages are located on the southern slopes of the Yunling Mountains, a region of towering peaks and rampant pestilence. However, the people of these villages are simple and honest, mostly making their living through hunting and land reclamation. Although they are fierce and warlike, and occasionally engage in plundering, it is truly out of necessity for survival… In my humble opinion, given the current situation, resorting to force might provoke a rebellious intent. It would be better to temporarily cease hostilities, extend benevolence and trust, open trade routes to benefit their people, and send capable officials to educate and guide their customs, gradually leading them towards Your Majesty's rule. This is the best strategy for long-term stability and peace…"

The memorial was sent, but it disappeared without a trace.

It was as if the capital had not received this earnest report.

Immediately following, a second and a third imperial edict, with even harsher wording, arrived in succession.

He rebuked Li Zhao for holding his troops and observing the situation, and for disobeying the imperial order, ordering him to send troops out immediately.

The wind and snow lashed against the canvas, howling and whistling...

The weather is getting colder and colder...

Li Zhao stood before the tent, gazing in the direction of the capital, and smiled calmly.

"They'll be celebrating the New Year soon."

The cold wind whipped up a corner of his cloak, carrying snowflakes that stung his face.

He stood alone for a long time, then suddenly began to cough, one cough after another, as if he were coughing up his lungs...

That very night, news spread from the Western Frontier camp that the Crown Prince had suffered a relapse of his old injuries due to overwork and worry.

The crown prince is so ill that he can't even manage affairs of state, so how can he lead troops into battle?
After a few days of stalemate, a letter in the Crown Prince's own handwriting was once again presented to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am suffering from a relapse of my illness and cannot sleep at night. I am filled with guilt and unease as I think of the kind faces of my Father and Mother, and how I have not been able to enjoy their company for so long. In order to prevent my illness from interfering with important military and national affairs, I humbly request that the war be stopped, so as to preserve the livelihood of the people in Yunling and accumulate the boundless virtue of my Father. I may also return to the capital to recuperate and serve my parents, so as to fulfill my loyalty and filial piety."
-
Thousands of miles away, the palaces stand deep and silent.

Inside the Zichen Palace, Emperor Chongzhao seemed not to have fully awakened from the nightmare of his prolonged illness. His face was ashen and pale, as if he had never seen the light of day. He held the Crown Prince's report in his hand, which trembled slightly, and his breathing became rapid.

"Your Majesty, it's time to administer the medicine." Wang Chengxi held the medicine cup and bowed carefully.

"Cough cough... Why drink any more medicine? Just pouring it down bowl after bowl will only keep you hanging on by a thread." Emperor Chongzhao pushed away the medicine cup, his voice filled with an indescribable weariness.

"Where is Doctor Shu? Why hasn't he been summoned to the palace to take our pulse for so long?"

"Your Majesty, Physician Shu... has requested leave due to illness. Currently, Imperial Physician Li is in charge of the medical records; he has been waiting outside the palace since early this morning..."

Emperor Chongzhao closed his eyes and gasped for breath.

"They're all getting sick one after another..."

"These quack doctors in the palace, a whole group of them can't compare to Doctor Shu alone. I get annoyed just looking at them..."

The hall was filled with the smell of medicine, making people feel dizzy and lightheaded.

Wang Chengxi stood silently, listening to the emperor's complaints, not daring to say a word.

After a moment, Emperor Chongzhao slowly opened his eyes, coughed with a cold laugh, and gently tossed the report onto the side of his bed, his voice hoarse.

"The Crown Prince has also fallen ill... What a timely turn of events."

He breathed heavily, deeply weary, his muffled voice echoing in the empty hall.

"Issue the imperial decree... Approving the Crown Prince's request... Immediately withdraw the troops and return to the capital."

　Li Zhao: I'm sick. What do you readers say?
　　Xue Sui: Bury it.

　　(End of this chapter)