"Is the imperial court trying to stage a repeat of what happened all those years ago?"
Many years ago, when the late emperor still presided over the court, an imperial decree was issued summoning the sons of Qin, the Governor of Youzhou, to the capital to serve as reading companions. Later, Father Qin employed stalling tactics. As it happened, the Northern Kingdom invaded, and Father Qin led his two sons into battle.
In that battle, where they were attacked from both front and rear, Qin Shaozong tragically lost his elder brother—a loss he had brooded over for more than a decade. Now, after all these years, the same trick was being played again, and this time, the spearhead was pointed directly at his wife and child.
Anyone could see that this was a trap, and even more so, a naked provocation.
Sitting behind the long desk, Qin Shaozong's face was exceptionally grim, his entire being exuding a heavy, oppressive aura. "Reckless fools seeking death."
Nalan Zhi frowned. "My Lord, although the imperial edict only mentions the keel waterwheel, I personally suspect that the matter of the Madam creating compost bags last winter has also become known to the court."
Composting had to be done out in the fields; there was no way to hide it. Moreover, the process spanned the entire winter. As long as someone was paying attention, it really wouldn't be hard to discover.
In the vast Yuyang Commandery, it was impossible to say there wasn't a single spy from another province.
"Going to Chang'an to receive a title sounds nice, but I fear this is a Hongmen Banquet—a trap with no return. How about we stall a bit longer?"
"With what excuse? The edict has a set time limit, and that team of envoys is still here, watching with their own eyes. We can't exactly... kill them all, can we?"
As this softly spoken sentence fell, it was like piercing through an outer layer of disguise. The atmosphere in the study noticeably shifted.
Qin Shaozong spun the jade archer's ring on his thumb.
"We cannot do that. It's not just one or two people; this is a full envoy team of twenty. How can we just kill them on a whim? Besides, that might only be their overt number. How many are in the shadows, or whether there is another group of escorts waiting for a reply in another county—all of this is still unknown," Cui Shengping shook his head.
"This time, entering the capital to receive a title is presented as an imperial grace. If we rashly kill the envoys, in the eyes of the world, we would appear far too arrogant and unappreciative of favors..."
Sheng Ran sighed. "Even if you are at the height of your power in the North, My Lord, at the end of the day, you are still a subject of Great Yan. We cannot let others find a pretext to crusade against the disloyal. We cannot be the bird that sticks its head out to be shot."
No matter how young or incompetent the child emperor was, as long as he wore the dragon robes and sat upon the imperial throne, he was the legitimate ruler.
All the royalists in the world, true or false, would support him. Not to mention the blood oath the founding emperor made with his officials in the past, establishing the covenant: "If anyone other than the Han clan takes the throne, the whole world shall unite to strike them down."
Dai Li was also in the study. After the imperial edict had come down, Qin Shaozong hadn't avoided her, and he allowed her to sit in on the subsequent discussions.
Now, listening to the advisors and generals exchanging words, Dai Li was deep in thought.
She had to admit, everything they said was correct.
It was a fact that the dynasty had reached its twilight years, and it was a fact that the world was about to descend into chaos. But it was even more of a fact that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Looking throughout the long river of history, those who jumped the highest at the very beginning generally didn't meet a good end.
However, Qin Shaozong was by no means a docile master; he was rebellious to his very core. Dai Li felt that he wouldn't obediently follow orders.
They stayed in the study for an entire afternoon. It wasn't until the sun sank in the west and a layer of dim light veiled the sky that everyone left the study, though they didn't immediately head to their respective homes.
It was mealtime, and the Marquis's estate had prepared food for them. After eating, everyone returned to their homes before the curfew.
After being well-fed, Dai Li and Qin Shaozong returned to the main courtyard together.
In the afternoon, there had been quite a few people in the study. She had only listened, without asking questions or offering opinions. Now that there was no one else around, Dai Li asked him, "Qin Changgeng, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Qin Shaozong looked up at the sky. Dusk had passed, and scattered stars were faintly visible against the pitch-black firmament. "About ten years ago, Nalan Wugong told me that the Emperor Star was hidden and unclear, and that Great Yan's destiny only had a little bit left. He said that in another ten years, there might be a massive upheaval."
He suddenly let out a light chuckle. "At the time, I just thought he was speaking casually. Looking at it now, perhaps this is the time."
He didn't say it explicitly, but these words were fraught with murderous intent. Dai Li guessed, "So you plan to head south? But regional governors and border generals are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict."
Qin Shaozong: "There will be an edict. Several explosions will occur in Chang'an, suspected to be the work of rebels causing chaos in the shadows. Consequently, His Majesty will urgently dispatch another edict to the North. I will enter the capital by imperial decree, but while passing through Yanzhou, I will encounter a band of bandits, and during the bandit extermination, I will accidentally lose the other edict."
These words left Dai Li completely stunned.
Explosions in Chang'an? Where would explosions come from? Wait, could he be talking about dust explosions?! This man wanted to imitate the Green Lotus Cult and trigger a few dust explosions in Chang'an?!
Thinking this, she asked him directly.
"Why not?" Qin Shaozong didn't deny it. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. When the time comes, we'll avoid the commoners and have our hidden agents blow up a few houses. Then, we'll leave behind some 'divine oracles' on the ground about the birth of a new king. I'm not worried about Chang'an not falling into chaos."
He wasn't just going to blow up houses; he was going to frame someone else while he was at it. And the scapegoat would naturally be chosen from among the governors of the Si, Yu, and Xu provinces, who still ostensibly maintained a high degree of obedience to the imperial court.
By linking someone from there with the Commandant of the Capital Guards, who was responsible for the capital's security, he didn't believe Empress Dowager Wang and Chancellor Dong Zhou would still be able to sit still.
The muddier the waters in Chang'an, the better!
With the capital in great chaos, it would be perfectly reasonable for him, a regional border general, to be ordered to enter the capital to protect the emperor, wouldn't it?
Dai Li sighed in admiration, "So, after listening to them discuss for an entire afternoon, you already had a plan in mind all along."
Qin Shaozong spoke truthfully, "I didn't exactly have a plan all along; the method came to me while listening to their discussions this afternoon. Actually, now is not a good time to march, because spring is the most important farming season. I originally wanted to wait until autumn to make a move. With the help of the fertilizer developed by my Madam, this golden autumn would surely yield an abundant harvest, and the army wouldn't have to worry about provisions. What a pity..."
What a pity that they couldn't wait until autumn.
Dai Li walked forward alongside him. "Regarding the dust explosions, you must execute it flawlessly. Otherwise, you'll be actively handing leverage to the imperial court."
Qin Shaozong smiled. "If it weren't for Madam's guidance back then, I wouldn't have known the inner workings of dust explosions either. That bunch of parasites in Chang'an are short-sighted; they definitely won't know. However, as for the specific execution, I still need to discuss it carefully with the gentlemen to ensure that this matter is absolutely foolproof."
Dai Li expressed her concern, "The Green Lotus Cult is widely distributed, and there are bound to be their followers in Chang'an as well. After the houses collapse, it won't be long before they figure out the true cause."
Qin Shaozong was silent for a moment. "Knowing is one thing, but having evidence is another. Words without proof mean nothing. I certainly won't accept this basin of dirty water being poured on me, and by that time, I will probably have already entered the capital."
The two chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they had returned to the main courtyard.
Night fell. Candles were embedded in the white jade lamps situated on both sides of the main house's front yard, casting a soft halo of light into the surroundings. At a certain moment, two silhouettes stepped into the halo together—one tall, one short—moving forward in unison, gradually settling into a synchronized rhythm that no outsider could intrude upon.
Having finished her after-dinner stroll to digest her food, Dai Li, who hadn't taken a nap today, let out a yawn, planning to wash up and go to sleep.
Right, the bed!
Dai Li quickly walked into the inner chamber. Sure enough, the large bed that had previously been reduced to splintered wood by Qin Shaozong's tossing and turning had its broken carved edge replaced without anyone noticing.
It was as good as new, as if everything that had happened before was just a bizarre dream.
Dai Li smiled with satisfaction.
Fine, there was no "as if" about it—that incident was simply an absurd, bizarre dream! Anyway, apart from Bipo, who had been supervising, no one else would ever know.
"Madam, today when the carpenter came to repair the couch, Commandant Mo came in..." Bipo's voice was very quiet.
Daili looked as though she had been struck by lightning. She stood frozen like a wooden chicken, and it took her a long while before she slowly turned her head like an old, rusty machine. "What... what did you just say?"
Qin Shaozong was also stunned.
Bipo braced herself and repeated it, also explaining the entire sequence of events she had later learned from Hu Bao.
Thinking back to Mo Yanyun's strange behavior that morning, Daili closed her eyes in despair. Keeping her eyes shut, she walked toward the bed, collapsed onto it with a soft thud, and pulled the nearby quilt over herself, wrapping her entire body and head up like a silkworm cocoon.
After his initial surprise, Qin Shaozong actually laughed.
He stepped forward and grabbed a corner of the brocade quilt, tugging at it gently. "Madam, since the matter is already set in stone, why not treat it as a passing breeze? Let it go, and do not take it to heart."
The person wrapped up like a cocoon did not speak, but there was a distinct pulling force trying to yank the quilt back from his grasp.
Qin Shaozong turned his head to Bipo, who was standing to the side, and said, "There is no need for you to serve here. You may leave."
Once the maid had left, Qin Shaozong directly peeled Daili out of the quilt and made her sit on his lap. "It was that fellow Mo Yanyun who disregarded the rules first. The fault is entirely his. Why should you punish yourself for someone else's mistake?"
Daili looked at Qin Shaozong in astonishment. Seeing that this chief culprit felt not a shred of guilt and had pinned all the blame on Mo Yanyun in just a few words, she could not help but ask, "Qin Changgeng, are you missing a piece of your memory?"
Qin Shaozong knew perfectly well what she was talking about, but he did not take the bait. "Trespassing into a superior's residence—where are his manners and respect for the law? Tomorrow, I will definitely punish that fellow Mo Yanyun severely."
Daili was speechless.
Daili sighed in sheer amazement. "Truly a brilliant talent who could come up with a countermeasure in just one short afternoon. If you ever fail as the Lord of the North in the future, you could go become a traveling persuader. With your silver-tongued talent for sophistry, you would surely become renowned throughout the world."
He suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Why wait for the future? I shall be a traveling persuader tonight."
With those words, he pounced like a starving tiger and pinned her down.
Daili's eyes widened for a moment, then she reached back and grabbed his belt. "A traveling persuader, are you? Then I am the assassin who specializes in slaying such persuaders."
The imperial envoy's procession naturally took up residence in the Marquis's manor. The day after the edict was issued, they received their reply.
The Marchioness and her son would answer the summons and enter the capital. However, as the journey would be long and arduous, they needed some time to pack their belongings.
The leader of the envoy procession was named Shen Tianming, a General of Agile Cavalry personally appointed by the young Emperor. The second-in-command of the group was Guo Nai, a man who held the high rank of Palace Attendant.
An envoy procession comprising both civil and military officials, featuring a great general whose status rivaled the Three Ducal Ministers, as well as a close attendant to the young Emperor—the arrangement could only be described as grand.
They were absolutely determined to invite them to Chang'an.
Upon learning that Qin Shaozong had agreed to let his newlywed wife and his son enter the capital, both Shen Tianming and Guo Nai breathed a sigh of relief.
"As long as he is willing to accept the decree, that is good. I was afraid he might try to pull some tricks." Guo Nai swallowed the rest of his words.
Shen Tianming sneered coldly. "Having his wife enter the capital to receive a title is a gracious reward. How could he dare refuse? Besides, as long as Qin Shaozong remains a subject of the Great Yan, he must obey orders. But saying they need time to pack... tsk, I just hope no unexpected complications arise."
Guo Nai replied, "Let us wait and see. In any case, the deadline stipulated in the edict has not yet arrived."
Qin Shaozong spent two days plotting the dust explosion incident in Chang'an with his group of advisors. At the end of the hour of Shen on the second day, a squad of fast horses carrying secret orders galloped swiftly out of the south gate of Yuyang.
They headed all the way south, making straight for Chang'an.
...
Qin Yanzhou answered the summons and went to the study.
When he arrived, the study door was half open. Peering inside through the gap, he saw no one else, so he stepped in.
There was indeed no one else in the study. A burly man sat behind the desk, toying with a tiger-shaped brush rest. Hearing his footsteps, the man looked up.
It was already dusk, and no lamps had been lit in the room. There was only a single beam of light shining in through the lattice window, making the room appear rather dim.
Qin Yanzhou cupped his hands and bowed. "Father."
"The imperial court has issued an edict summoning Madam and you to the capital to receive titles. I have already agreed to this. Once Madam has roughly finished dealing with the fertilizer matter, we will head south to Chang'an," Qin Shaozong said.
Over the past two days, Qin Shaozong had been holding private meetings with his advisors, which Qin Yanzhou had not participated in. Therefore, he only knew that they would be going to Chang'an in a few days; he was completely ignorant of any other details.
Now, hearing Qin Shaozong bring it up on his own initiative, Qin Yanzhou knew that what the other man was about to say would concern both their journey south and himself.
"Local officials are not allowed to enter the capital without an edict. However, when the time comes, certain things will happen in the capital, and I will enter the capital under the pretext of answering a summons to protect His Majesty." Qin Shaozong twirled the brush rest in his hand. "Bandits have been appearing at the border of Yan and Ji provinces. My edict to enter the capital will be 'lost' there. When the time comes, whether it is to recover the edict or to eliminate a menace for the people, there will be a bandit-suppression operation."
Qin Shaozong's gaze burned like a torch. "Qin the Second, do you wish to establish your merits and build a career?"