Beauty, Power and Intrigue Chapter 93

Seven years later, the Zhao court had split into two factions: one supported the crown prince, while the other backed the eleven-year-old Gongzi Ke.

Seeing that Marquis Jing of Zhao’s health was declining day by day, a cold eventually left him bedridden.

Marquis Jing of Zhao lingered on his sickbed for half a month. After much deliberation, Zhao Zhangji carried a cup of poisoned wine to see him. With a face streaked with tears, she said, “I have no brothers; my family has only me, a legitimate daughter. Your lordship has shown me deep affection, and I naturally wish you a long life of a hundred years. But now your illness is grave, and I am timid by nature. I dare not wait for the outcome, and wish to go ahead to wait for you on the road to the Yellow Springs. My only worry is my parents. I beg you to order Gongzi Ke sent to Lu, so that in the future he may see my parents to their final rest.”

Had anyone else said such words, Marquis Jing of Zhao would have flown into a rage -was this not cursing him to die? But his beloved concubine seemed so sincere, and he knew his days were numbered. What request could he not grant her?

Yet he also feared Zhao Zhangji might be feigning affection, so he tested her. “I had intended to send you and Gongzi Ke back to Lu together. Raise him well to adulthood, and you are forbidden to be buried with me in death.”

Zhao Zhangji truly felt no love whatsoever for this old man more than twenty years her senior, but she knew that once Marquis Jing of Zhao passed away, she and her orphaned son – even if certain powerful ministers elevated them to Zhao’s most honored position – would be nothing but puppets. Her son would remain a Zhao prince wherever he went. If he grew up safely in Lu, then even if he later wished to seize the Zhao throne, it was not impossible.

So she resolutely decided to gamble her life once, to win her son a chance to choose.

Thus she said to Marquis Jing of Zhao, “So long as Gongzi Ke can reach Lu, I will agree to whatever your lordship says.”

Marquis Jing of Zhao was filled with disappointment.

How could Zhao Zhangji not understand Marquis Jing of Zhao’s temperament? After she finished speaking, she rose, took the poisoned wine from the maid’s hands, and drank it in one go.

She knew how to smile most bewitchingly and how to weep most movingly, and now she combined the two. Gazing at Marquis Jing of Zhao, she slowly leaned over him and said with a touch of coy reproach. “Your lordship said I am forbidden to be buried with you, but I am dying for love – that does not count as defying your command, does it…”

She smiled through her tears, the blood trickled down the corners of her lips, as if all the radiance of her life were gathered into this one moment and bursting forth, leaving Marquis Jing of Zhao staring fixedly, almost forgetting his illness.

Marquis Jing of Zhao watched as she leaned over him and closed her eyes, and old tears streamed down his face. He was convinced that Zhao Zhangji truly loved him and had no ulterior motives. Struggling to rise, he held Zhao Zhangji’s body, and at once ordered Gongzi Ke sent to Lu.

Yet Marquis Jing of Zhao, grief-stricken over his beloved concubine dying for him, could not withstand the blow and died three days later.

The powerful minister Gongsun Pi and others immediately enthroned the crown prince, and then, to eliminate future trouble, ordered Gongzi Ke hunted down and killed…

“In my humble opinion, this is not a disaster at all,” said Chancellor Gongsun Pi, his aged voice drawing the Marquis of Zhao back from his memories.

The Marquis felt his spirits lift at these words and said, “What do you mean?”

“No matter what, Your Lordship is the legitimate eldest son and the crown prince. When the late ruler left no edict, you were the rightful heir – no one can question that. Even if they find Gongzi Ke, it is still rebellion,” Gongsun Pi paused, then continued, “Those wolf-hearted, ambitious men have been stirring for a long time. Has Your Lordship not been looking for a chance to eliminate them? This time we have a legitimate reason to wipe them all out in one sweep – that is a good thing for Zhao.”

The Marquis of Zhao nodded, knowing Gongsun Pi had not finished speaking, so he did not reply.

“In this rebellion, the Wu and Hua clans are the most powerful. These two families have always been on good terms, but in my observation, they can plot together but cannot share wealth together. If the usurpation succeeds, they will inevitably turn against each other over an unfair division of spoils. At this moment, we need only guide them slightly to fix their eyes on dividing the profits now – speaking of profit before victory, and they will surely collapse,” Gongsun Pi said, his eyes bright.

The Marquis of Zhao’s brow finally relaxed, and he smiled, teasing, “Chancellor, you are truly crafty and calculating.”

Gongsun Pi also smiled as he looked at the ruler before him. When the Marquis of Zhao was still crown prince, he had displayed a virtuous appearance, as if somewhat dull-witted, but since ascending the throne, at every critical moment, he had always been able to find the right person to ask for help.

Gongsun Pi carefully considered the situation: the various clans of Zhao held excessive power, and the ruler’s authority had been weakened. The crown prince had maintained a foolish appearance because it made it easier to gain more support. Now he must also appear foolish, so that these great clans would rush to the forefront to protect their own interests. Even Gongsun Pi had only gradually come to see this.

It seems the ruler cannot be underestimated, Gongsun Pi sighed inwardly.

Gongsun Pi emerged from the study, glanced at the fine, dense snow falling outside, and with his hands tucked into his sleeves, slowly made his way along the corridor toward the council hall.

Only when he reached the door of the council hall did he slightly raise his hand and summon a guard. “Go summon General Gongsun Gu.”

“Yes,” the guard acknowledged and quickly departed.

The snow grew denser and denser, and even the Zhu and Qin rivers began to freeze over. The entire city of Handan was submerged in the great snow.

Song Chuyi crouched in the room, staring at the ice that had formed in the cup, her teeth chattering as she said, “Colder than Longxi – is this even fit for human survival?”

Longxi often had blizzards, so the walls there were much thicker than those in Handan, and there were rarely such drafty carved windows. As long as a charcoal fire was lit in the room, it would quickly warm up – but in this room, even ten braziers probably wouldn’t be enough.

“Since you’re cold, why not get up and move around a bit?” Ji Yu said.

Song Chuyi grinned bitterly. “In this kind of weather, there’s no need for that. Actually, holding White Blade doesn’t feel that cold.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to learn some martial arts for self-defense?” Ji Yu’s gaze was naked suspicion of her resolve.

Song Chuyi buried her head for a long while before saying, “Fine.”

She had just been about to stand up when she heard Ji Huan’s voice from outside the door. “Sir.”

“Come in,” Song Chuyi sat back down as a matter of course.

Ji Huan pushed the door open and cupped his hands in salute. “I’ve found out. It was back then that Marquis Jing of Zhao had wanted to make Gongzi Ke crown prince, but after Marquis Jing of Zhao passed away, Gongzi Ke disappeared. It’s said that Gongzi Fan found Gongzi Ke, and only then did he win over the two great clans, the Wu and the Hua.”

After the Gongsun clan supported the crown prince’s ascension, the power of these two great families was being gradually whittled away. Without an opportunity, they would very likely have simply declined into obscurity – so rebellion was entirely reasonable.

Song Chuyi reached out and took the kettle off the stove. “Keep watching the situation. It doesn’t matter much to us who becomes the ruler of Zhao – best if a single battle decides the outcome.”

“Yes,” Ji Huan said.

Song Chuyi was in no hurry to meet the Marquis of Zhao now. With civil war imminent, if she went to discuss external warfare, wouldn’t that be asking for a beating? She mulled it over in her mind: if they delayed too long in fighting, she would have to think of some way to make them start sooner.

Ji Yu rose. “I’ll go try to gather information too.”

“Don’t go,” Song Chuyi said after taking a sip of water. “Ji Huan – that straightforward, simple-minded fellow – is the right one. If you go asking around, it’ll be obvious at a glance that you have ulterior motives.”

“I look fairly upright,” Ji Yu had always believed this.

Song Chuyi shook her head. Upright and simple-minded were not the same thing. Ji Yu clearly did not look like the kind of person without guile, whereas Ji Huan was.

If Ji Huan took money to bribe the guards and ask about the situation, those men would probably just think the Wei envoy was getting anxious. But if Ji Yu did so, it would certainly put others on guard.

From Song Chuyi’s experience, people tended to lower their guard around those with simple, honest faces.