Beauty, Power and Intrigue Chapter 92

After the convoy entered the State of Zhao, they passed through only one major city along the way, but every time Song Chuyi approached a large city, she would send people into it to inquire about the situation of Zhao’s internal chaos, though they could only learn rough details.

Zhao bordered Wei, and coupled with internal turmoil, the specific situation was difficult to ascertain for the time being, so Song Chuyi acted much more cautiously than she had in Qin. Taking advantage of having just settled in, Song Chuyi ordered Ji Huan and Ji Yu to go once again to investigate the specific situation in Zhao.

“Gongzi Fan has rebelled, and I hear he has gathered a hundred thousand troops to occupy Wu’an and is now in confrontation with Handan. Zhao’s internal war could break out at any moment, and everyone in the city is fearful for their safety.” Ji Yu had not lingered outside for too long; obtaining even this much information had not been easy.

“Gongzi Fan? A hundred thousand troops?” Song Chuyi was astonished. She remembered that in her previous life, although Gongzi Fan did rebel, there had not been nearly this many people, and he had collapsed after a single battle, posing no fundamental threat to the Zhao royal house. “Gongzi Fan’s mother was of low birth, and he himself has even less of a reputation – how could he gather a hundred thousand troops?”

For Zhao, an army of a hundred thousand was not considered large, but this was near the royal capital – the Marquis of Zhao was not blind, and it would have been impossible for him to allow Gongzi Fan to mobilize the large army stationed at the borders. Song Chuyi guessed that most likely a large portion of the garrison troops in Handan had defected.

But as a prince without the support of a maternal clan, with weak power, even if his methods were exceptional, having fifty or sixty thousand would already have been remarkable, just as in her previous life. On what grounds could he incite the garrison troops to rebel?

Song Chuyi felt somewhat unsettled. The development of reality was diverging again and again from the situations in her memory, and for a moment she found it somewhat hard to accept.

It was not that she feared the unknown – it was just that if this world was no longer the same as before, then was Min Chi still the same Min Chi? If not, where was her hatred to be placed?

“In that case, sir, why reveal your identity at this time?” Ji Yu also understood that if Zhao remained deadlocked like this day after day, they would have no opportunity to persuade the Marquis of Zhao to join the attack on Wei. Whose house would be on fire and still be busy snatching the neighbor’s belongings?

“To put it bluntly, Wey is of no consequence to Zhao. Even without internal chaos, if the Marquis of Zhao were in a bad mood, he could ignore it for a month or two. At this critical juncture with fire burning everywhere, would the Marquis of Zhao have the inclination to receive us?” Song Chuyi continued. “Moreover, what matter in Zhao right now is more important than quelling the rebellion? What else deserves more attention from the court and the people?”

Generally speaking, Wey was a small state, and with internal chaos at a critical juncture, the entire court and populace would certainly devote all their efforts to this internal strife. As for the surrounding states, they were no doubt all hoping it would erupt quickly so they could take advantage and plunder.

By comparison, news of the arrival of an insignificant small state’s envoy seemed utterly worthless, and would even be drowned out by the flames of war.

And even if fighting did break out, this place was quite safe – better than being caught in the crossfire outside – and they were eating others’ food and drinking others’ drink, which was quite comfortable. The only downside was that gathering information was inconvenient. But Song Chuyi was not worried; wherever people served as walls, there were bound to be gaps, especially when the situation happened to be chaotic.

“Let us observe for a few days. If it remains deadlocked without fighting, that would be the most troublesome.” Song Chuyi guessed the standoff would not last too long – Gongzi Fan, having rebelled with power sufficient to threaten the throne, how could he not press the advantage and storm the royal capital in one go?

What Song Chuyi could not figure out was by what means this Gongzi Fan had gained the support of a hundred thousand troops.

From what Song Chuyi understood, Zhao Fan’s mother was merely an inner favorite. During those years when conflicts repeatedly arose between Zhao and Wei, the King of Wei, in order to mend relations, sent envoys to Zhao, and besides countless gold and jewels, also sent many beauties – Zhao Fan’s mother being one of them.

This inner favorite was only granted the title of Lady Ru after giving birth to Zhao Fan, and was called Shao Wei Ji. Afterward she seemed to vanish into obscurity, serving silently as Ru Furen for five or six years before dying of illness, and was never seen to be particularly favored. Zhao Fan was likewise not a son particularly loved by Marquis Jing of Zhao.

“Yu, over the next few days, secretly investigate on what grounds Gongzi Fan is attacking the royal capital,” Song Chuyi said.

“Understood,” Ji Yu acknowledged and withdrew.

Light snow fell finely within the palace of Zhao.

In the vast hall, the assembled civil and military officials sat in silence, the atmosphere heavy.

The middle-aged man in splendid robes on the main seat raised his hand and slammed it violently onto the imperial desk before him, the bang echoing through the great hall.

“Aren’t you all usually quite capable of talking?” he said through gritted teeth.

After a stretch of silence, someone on the civil officials’ side finally stirred and cautiously ventured, “The garrison has only sixty thousand remaining, but the city walls are sturdy and tall – we can certainly hold out for several days. My lord could immediately mobilize the nearby stationed troops…”

“How can that be!” a military officer immediately objected. “Those are all border defense troops. If they withdraw, won’t Qi and Wei seize the opportunity to strike? The King of Wei is an ambitious man – if he takes advantage of the chaos and drives straight in, then Zhao will truly face a crisis.”

“Be that as it may, if the capital falls, the throne itself will change hands!” the civil official said.

“In warfare, deception is key – defeating many with few is not impossible. Though I lack Sun Bin’s abilities, I can still hold the capital secure,” the military officer said, every word ringing with conviction.

“Excellent!” The Marquis of Zhao clapped his hands. “The Grand General is truly the pillar of our state of Zhao.”

“Court dismissed. Grand General, proceed to deploy the defenses.” With that, the Marquis of Zhao turned to the leading civil official and said, “Chancellor, come with me to the study to discuss matters.”

The Chancellor, who had remained impassive throughout, straightened and cupped his hands. “Yes, my lord.”

“Yes, my lord,” the Grand General said with a salute.

Although the order had been issued, the Marquis of Zhao felt not the slightest sense of relief. With furrowed brows he strode into the study, and hardly had he seated himself when a eunuch announced, “My lord, an envoy from Wey has arrived.”

“Wey?” The Marquis of Zhao took the tea a maid handed him and sipped it. “The capital is in peril – where would I find the leisure to listen to their weeping? Let them wait.”

What the Marquis of Zhao called “weeping” referred to the earlier occasion when the Marquis of Wei, having heeded Song Chuyi’s counsel, sent someone to plead tearfully to the Marquis of Zhao. That envoy must have been well experienced in tearful pleading, for he had quite given the Marquis of Zhao a headache, and the man had been driven out. He assumed this was the Marquis of Wei sending someone again to weep and plead after receiving no reply. It would never have occurred to him that tiny Wei could accomplish anything of consequence.

“Understood.” After the eunuch withdrew, the Chancellor was invited in.

“Chancellor, please be seated at once.” The Marquis of Zhao straightened, appearing most respectful.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The Chancellor, however, was not remiss; after performing a reverent salute, he spread his wide sleeves and knelt on the mat.

The Marquis of Zhao said impatiently, “I wonder if you have a way to resolve this crisis?”

The Marquis of Zhao greatly trusted this rather ordinary-looking old man. In years past, his late father had favored a woman of Lu – a woman of noble birth, of stunning beauty, yet rare in that she was neither fawning nor vulgar. At the time he himself was already eighteen or nineteen, long since married with a wife and many inner favorites, but he had never imagined there could be a woman in the world so beautiful and noble.

This woman of Lu unsurprisingly won the favor of Marquis Jing of Zhao, and that favor soon reached unprecedented heights – Marquis Jing of Zhao even called her Zhao Zhangji.

Marquis Jing of Zhao’s original name was Zhao Zhang, so “Zhao Zhangji” meant “Zhao Zhang’s woman.” Later, Zhao Zhangji became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. By the time the boy reached four years old, it could be seen that his features had inherited all of Zhao Zhangji’s virtues, making him the most handsome of all Marquis Jing of Zhao’s sons.

Marquis Jing of Zhao was delighted and bestowed on him the name Ke. Privately, he repeatedly asked his key ministers about establishing Gongzi Ke as heir.

It was this very Chancellor who, under such circumstances, firmly upheld the legitimate eldest son’s succession, risking himself time and again to argue with Marquis Jing of Zhao until both were red in the face, and who had even prepared to use military force to install him.