Volume 1, Chapter 6: Yong Envoy, the Prince of Qi (1/2)

Volume 1, Chapter 6: Yong Envoy, the Prince of Qi

<blockquote cla.s.s=”Quote”>

During the sixteenth year of Xiande, the fourth year of the sixty-year cycle, Prince De, Zhao Jue, was given a secret edict to travel to Hengjiang and prepare to raid Moling. Before he could complete his mission, the secret was discovered by Great Yong. A Yong envoy suddenly arrived in Southern Chu with the offer of the Princess Changle for a marriage alliance. Confused, King Ling of Chu accepted and ordered a cessation of hostilities.

On his deathbed, Zhao Sheng called the Crown Prince to his bedside and gave an order: “Our eternal regret is failing to protect Our ancestor’s foundation and becoming a va.s.sal of Yong. If you have even a little bit of filial piety, you will do your utmost to restore our empire.” The Crown Prince swore to the heavens. King Ling pa.s.sed away.

In the fifth month of the nineteenth year of Xiande, the seventh year of the sixty-year cycle, the Prince of Qi arrived in Southern Chu to pay his respects and mourn the pa.s.sing of King Ling. Secretly meeting with the King, the Prince of Qi offered heavy inducements and expressed an interest in attacking the Kingdom of Shu, misleading the King. The Yong envoy later colluded with the Southern Chu court officials and proceeded to raise the matter of invading Shu. Southern Chu was later destroyed due to this mistake, although none understood the coming disaster; none understood the stakes involved. Later, eunuchs heard the King sobbing to the Queen, “If We are to restore our empire, We would name thee Empress and would be willing to acknowledge Great Yong as Our parent. Today, the Prince of Qi has promised me the t.i.tle of Emperor. I hope that you would inform your father that Southern Chu will never turn Our back upon Yong.” This matter was leaked.

—Southern Chu Dynastic Records, Biography of King Yang of Chu</blockquote>

In the fifth month of the nineteenth year of Xiande, Great Yong dispatched an envoy to pay its respects at the pa.s.sing of Southern Chu’s King. I heard that the primary envoy was the sixth son of the Yong Emperor, the Prince of Qi, Li Xian. He was spoiled from youth, becoming extremely naughty and mischievous. He spent his days on falconry and hunting, and detested learning. In the seventy years since the collapse of Eastern Jin, the Central Plains had been torn asunder. Li Yuan’s father, Li Shang took the opportunity to rise and declared himself the King of Yong. After dozens of years of war, he declared the foundation of the state of Yong. When Li Shang pa.s.sed away, Li Yuan succeeded the throne. He was fond of the sensual pleasures, uneager to make any progress. That he changed was because of his second son, Li Zhi.

From a young age, the Prince of Yong, Li Zhi, was known for his virtues. Twenty years ago, during the royal feast celebrating the beginning of spring, the nine-year old Li Zhi wore mourning robes, remonstrating forthrightly that Li Yuan was too conservative. Using vehement language, Li Zhi charged Li Yuan with failing to fulfill Li Shang’s final wishes, shaming Li Yuan. Not long afterward, Li Yuan declared himself Emperor and the era name was changed to Wuwei. The state focused all its efforts on training the army and encouraging agriculture. In the third year of Wuwei, Li Yuan began to fulfill his new ambitions. Right before the army departed, Li Yuan used dripping blood as a sacrifice to heaven and earth, vowing to never cease warring until the Central Plains were conquered.

At the time, Li Zhi was only twelve years old, but accompanied his father on the campaign. Although he was a member of the imperial family, Li Zhi endured the same conditions as the common soldier and learned from the ranking military officers how to lead an army into battle. Although he was young, he was brave and heroic, constantly leading from the front and charging in to destroy formations. It is said that on one occasion when the encampment was raided by the enemy, Li Zhi was leading his personal guards out of the encirclement and protecting the Yong Emperor. After they had escaped, some soldiers were heard to yell, “Don’t leave us behind, Your Majesty!” Dripping with sweat, Li Zhi spun his horse around and charged back into to the encampment alone. Moved to tears, the soldiers began to fight to the death, forcing the enemy to withdraw. When the Yong Emperor returned to camp, although Li Zhi had been badly wounded, he still personally came out to welcome his father. Shedding tears, the Yong Emperor praised, “This is my family’s thousand li colt.”

Li Zhi was not only courageous on the battlefield, but also extremely resourceful. After only a few years, he had become a general. In the ninth year of Wuwei, he defeated the greatest power in the Central Plains, the King of Xia, Yang Laosheng. Li Zhi played a major role in helping Great Yong consolidate its position. As a result, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yong. When Li Zhi returned home to the Yong capital of Chang’an at the head of his army, commoners lined the streets and all of officialdom came to welcome him. At the time, Li Zhi had yet to reach adulthood. To receive such glory and honor was something seldom seen in the annals of history. Later, in the tenth year of Wuwei, the ninth year of Southern Chu’s Xiande, Southern Chu va.s.salized itself. Great Yong became the hegemon of the Central Plains.

When Li Xian saw Li Zhi’s glory, he felt a sense of loss, declaring to his attendants, “I will surpa.s.s him.” At the time, Li Xian was sixteen years old. Thereafter, he changed his bad habits, studying hard and diligently training his martial arts. Two years later, after his personal request, he joined the army garrisoning the northern frontier. In the subsequent ten years, Li Xian partic.i.p.ated in numerous b.l.o.o.d.y battles on the northern frontier with Northern Han. Although he could not compare to Li Zhi’s brilliance and martial prowess, Li Xian was still a dauntless and fierce general. In the last several years, Great Yong had tightly guarded its northern frontier, resulting in no conflicts in the north. Thus, Li Xian was able to return to Chang’an. He was close to the Crown Prince, Li An. While in Chang’an, he was the head of the aristocratic youths, constantly getting into trouble. If he wasn’t leading friends to visit brothels, he would be spending his days on falconry or hunting. His actions caused a great pandemonium in Chang’an. As he was a beloved son of the Yong Emperor and had numerous military accomplishments, no one dared to cause trouble for him.

I read over this information seriously. After I had successfully “lobbied” the queen, I began to accompany the king on a daily basis as a Reader-in-Waiting. Although I was said to accompany the king, in reality, my job was to offer advice for the king to consider. With the Prince of Qi coming to Southern Chu as an envoy, the royal court was a complete mess. Seeing the intelligence report on the Prince of Qi, I realized that the number of Southern Chu’s spies in Great Yong was also quite numerous. Although the Prince of Qi was here to mourn the pa.s.sing of the former king, we all knew that things weren’t so simple, as Great Yong had no need to send such an important personage. In my view, it was probably because the Prince of Qi had caused too big a ruckus in Chang’an and had been sent out by the Yong Emperor to lie low until the fuss had died down. I read in the intelligence report that just a month earlier, the Prince of Qi had forcibly taken a woman from an ordinary family as a concubine and had been impeached by the imperial censors. Although the Yong Emperor favored this son, he was still obligated to punish these kinds of actions. That the Prince of Qi was only fined a year’s salary clearly showed that he was being s.h.i.+elded from punishment. To be sent out under these circ.u.mstances could mean that he was being told to lay low until the controversy had died down. But all the other daren did not agree with this a.s.sessment, believing that for the Prince of Qi to be sent out as an envoy meant that there was something major needed to be discussed.

Currently, however, the circ.u.mstances seemed to support their views. After observing the proper mourning rites, the Prince of Qi requested a private audience with the king. The two were currently holed up in the Imperial Study. As I was on duty accompanying the king in the Imperial Study, I waited just outside. It wasn’t that I was deliberately eavesdropping, but rather, my hearing was too good and I was able to hear the majority of their conversation.

When he entered the study, Li Xian immediately got to the point and proclaimed, “Great Yong wishes to ally with Southern Chu to conquer the Kingdom of Shu together. What are the King’s views?”

Zhao Jia froze for some time before responding, “The Kingdom of Shu and Southern Chu have long shared amicable relations, why would We attack them without reason?”

Smiling, Li Xian replied, “Relations between states are dependent upon benefits. Although Sichuan has long been friendly with Southern Chu and sees frequent trade between the two states, Southern Chu is reliant upon Sichuan for its weapons and horses. I have heard that the Kingdom of Shu has charged your esteemed state a hefty price. A few years ago, when your esteemed state purchased some horses from Northern Han, you tried to transport them through Sichuan, but were blocked. If the former King had not dispatched persons to bribe Shu officials, more likely than not, those horses would not have been acquired. In addition, your esteemed state has been forced to agree to cease directly importing horses from Northern Han, and is instead required to use Shu as an intermediary. Have these things not occurred?”

There was no sound within, but I could imagine that the king’s face was purple. I had heard of this incident and was curious why the Kingdom of Shu was so shortsighted as to incur the hatred of Southern Chu.

I heard Li Xian continue, “My Great Yong and Southern Chu are not only lord and va.s.sal, but also in-laws. My sister, Princess Changle, is the beloved daughter of my Imperial Father, and is also now the Queen of Southern Chu. Our two states share the same interests. The Kingdom of Shu is only reliant upon its advantageous geography that is easily defended and difficult to attack, refusing to be a va.s.sal of Great Yong and treating the friendly Southern Chu so arrogantly. Looking at the trade between our nations, over the last few years, the tariffs levied on trade between Great Yong and Southern Chu has far surpa.s.sed that of trade with Shu. In the eyes of this Prince, the Kingdom of Shu is in decline and is struggling at death’s door.If our two states were to join together and attack Shu, my Imperial Father would be willing to equally split Shu territories and divide the world along the Yangtze, forever ceasing conflict.”

Zhao Jia’s breathing became increasingly agitated and it took some time before he was able to respond. “To send troops into war, one must not be incautious, especially since the Kingdom of Shu is easily defended and difficult to attack. If we were to attack for a long time without success, it would be a waste of manpower and resources.”

Li Xian seemed to hesitate for a moment before divulging, “Before this Prince departed, my Imperial Father secretly told me that conquering the Kingdom of Shu would stabilize Great Yong’s frontiers and allow me to rest. If Your Majesty is willing to a.s.sist Great Yong, after everything is settled, my Imperial Father is willing to tacitly accept Your Majesty's restoration of the t.i.tle of Emperor.”

Listening to this point, my heart howled with anguish. In the last several years, the court had long talked about restoring the t.i.tle of emperor. I had even heard from Xiaoshunzi that the previous king, on his deathbed, had exhorted the current king to restore the empire. This kind of incentive was too enticing.

Sure enough, the king hesitatingly stated, “This matter is difficult for Us to decide at this time. How about this: We will solicit the opinion of Our subjects.”

Satisfied, Li Xian affirmed, “Then many thanks to Your Majesty for this audience. This Prince will now bid my farewell.”

Zhao Jia hurriedly suggested, “The Queen and the Prince of Qi are siblings who have not met in years. She urgently desires a meeting. When will the Prince of Qi be free?”

Smiling brightly, Li Xian replied, “This Prince has long wished to meet our younger sister, but had been constrained by my responsibilities, and had to first deal with my duties before handling private matters. We will immediately go meet the Queen.”

Happily, Zhao Jia voiced, “Why say request a meeting? We invite the Prince of Qi to go see the Queen together.” As he was speaking, I could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching. These two in-laws walked towards the entrance. I had long become discouraged. It looked like the king was going to attack the Kingdom of Shu.

I decided to carefully observe this bossy and domineering Prince of Qi, to see what kind of person had forced Southern Chu to join Great Yong. Li Xian followed the king out. The twenty-six-year-old Li Xian possessed a handsome and heroic appearance. As he had spent extended periods in the military, his posture was erect like a mountain or a tree. He emitted the murderous aura of someone who had experienced the highs and lows of life. As this was a formal audience, he was wearing the formal wear of a prince of Great Yong—golden-colored silk robes embroidered with a coiled dragon. In these clothes, he seemed especially impressive and commanding. I s.h.i.+vered. This Prince of Qi must surely be vicious and merciless.