Chapter 702: Leaked Information
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The Great Empress Dowager’s pupils contracted slightly as she calmly said, “Since she’s ill, let her recuperate in peace. Sang Shen, can you take care of the household affairs in the palace?”
“I can,” Sang Shen hesitated, “But is this appropriate?”
The Great Empress Dowager casually said, “There’s nothing inappropriate about it. We can’t force a cow to drink water. From now on, you will be in charge of Changxin Palace’s affairs. When Linan Wang enters the palace, let him come to see me.” It was time for Mei Yusi to pay the price. Whoever betrayed her should pay the price.
The imperial family observed mourning for a year. On New Year’s Day, the new emperor Yuwen Guang officially changed the reign title to Jianxing. After much debate among courtiers, Yuwen Bai’s posthumous title was decided to be Shang. Immediately after, Yuwen Chu mobilized troops across the country, setting up a second defense line from Eling to the south, engaging in a tug-of-war with Zhongshan Wang, while also dispatching two large armies to suppress rebellions in the south and west.
Yuwen Guang and Fu Zifei married in March of that year. By then, Mingzhu and the others had been on the road for over three months. Mingzhu’s pregnancy was already obvious, and although her movements were not hindered, they were not as easy as before. However, she was healthy, able to eat and sleep well, with a rosy complexion, so there was no need to worry.
The journey started smoothly but became increasingly difficult later on. Civil unrest, famine, and bandits plagued the land, and they narrowly avoided encountering rebel forces several times, relying on Yuwen Chu’s powerful intelligence network and Jing Song’s wit to narrowly escape. However, after entering the important town of Qi County in the territory of Huan Wang, Yuwen Qiang, everything became difficult.
Previously, the Yuwen clan had practiced a policy of allowing princes to govern their own fiefs. In the early days, with the emperor’s authority, the princes dared not disobey orders, and there were no major problems. Later, as the flaws gradually emerged, with the princes becoming powerful and the capital weak, by the time an order reached the local area from the capital, it had already changed, even instigating rebellions. Emperor Suzong had no choice but to change his strategy, forbidding the next generation of imperial princes from governing their own fiefs, instead letting them stay in the capital to enjoy comfort. As for other princes, a strategy of suppression and co-optation was adopted, gradually reducing the number of princes from over twenty to eight.
However, the remaining eight were extremely tough nuts to crack. They formed a united front and openly opposed Emperor Suzong. Since Emperor Suzong couldn’t deal with them, he had to compromise, each side making concessions to maintain peace. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, the princes became even more unruly. As the only full-blooded brother of Emperor Wen, Zhongshan Wang led troops to guard the northern territories, resisting the Wusun and Xiongnu externally, and suppressing the three northern princes internally.
Having managed the northern territories for many years, Zhongshan Wang had outstanding achievements. Of the three northern princes, he had extinguished one, and the remaining two were submissive to him. Emperor Wen had considered recalling him to the capital, but if he left, the border would be in chaos, and the remaining two princes wouldn’t listen to orders, their men unable to suppress them. Therefore, he had to let him return, leading to Zhongshan Wang’s unique status.
When he turned against the Emperor, four of the remaining seven princes responded to him. Two were the two already in the north, one was the Qiu Li Wang in the west, and the other was Huan Wang Yuwen Qiang, whom Mingzhu and the others were about to face.
Mingzhu had seen Huan Wang Yuwen Qiang before. He was young, probably in his twenties, handsome, but naturally strong and hot-tempered. At the Great Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, he almost fought with Fu Wang over a trivial matter, with Yuwen Chu intervening to mediate.
Originally, she thought that someone with such a hot-tempered and impulsive personality wouldn’t be a formidable character, but Yuwen Chu told her that everything was just a façade. Yuwen Qiang was indeed hot-tempered, but he was also very cunning. Otherwise, why would he only pick on Fu Wang, who had the softest and most convenient personality to bully? That was because he was sure that Fu Wang wouldn’t dare to fight him, ensuring that he would have the upper hand.
So the question was, why was he causing trouble now? Of course, it was to show his aggressiveness and unreasonableness to the Emperor, the two Empress Dowagers, the imperial family, and the ministers in the capital. Generally, when a normal person encounters someone who is both aggressive and unreasonable, for fear of trouble, they will yield three points, not quibble over minor matters, and retreat in major matters, allowing the aggressive and unreasonable person to take advantage.
What’s heard is false, what’s seen is real. After seeing the orderly, heavily guarded, and prosperous Qi County, Mingzhu was full of admiration for Yuwen Chu, but also felt a strong sense of crisis.
Jing Song returned from gathering information and reported, “Due to the war, the checkpoint south of Qi County only opens on the first and fifteenth of each month. Today is the tenth, so we will need to stay here for five days. It’s a good opportunity for everyone to rest since we’ve all been exhausted recently.”
Mingzhu frowned and asked, “When did this rule come into effect?”
Jing Song replied, “It was implemented just last month.” His expression became slightly tense as he added, “Sister, are you suspecting that our plans have been leaked?”
“It’s highly possible,” Mingzhu couldn’t conceal her concern. Last month, she had received news that a convoy, pretending to be hers, and used as a smoke screen had been ambushed. Although the guards and local authorities responded promptly, there were no casualties, and the convoy was still on the road. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t that simple. It seemed like the information had leaked.
Jing Song silently took out the route map. Knowing that few people knew about Mingzhu’s whereabouts, not even the Great Empress Dowager, he couldn’t resist the prying of others. While it was manageable in the short term, it wouldn’t be easy to conceal for long. The convoy, pretending to be the Regent Wangfei, had been ambushed but emerged unscathed, continuing on its journey. It could be a test.
There was no way to remedy the leak of information, and they didn’t know if the other party had found them. Well, thinking about these useless things wouldn’t help. It was better to focus on practical matters and solidly plan the route ahead.
In the inn, three batches of officials came to check within a short period. Although they passed the inspections smoothly each time, everyone’s mood remained uneasy, resulting in most of the dinner being left uneaten. After witnessing the suffering of refugees, Mingzhu had developed a habit. Whenever she saw leftovers, she felt uncomfortable. She personally served out the remaining food with a spoon, making sure everyone finished it.
She already ate a lot, but because she wanted to set a good example, she had to distribute half a bowl of food again. After reluctantly finishing it, she felt uncomfortable from being too full. Jiang Zhouzi teased her, “Are you stuffing yourself because you think your belly is too small and you want to make it look bigger?”
After spending time together, their relationship had eased compared to before, and they could occasionally make jokes. Mingzhu rolled her eyes at him, holding her belly. Because she didn’t dare to attract attention outside, she only dared to walk around the room to aid digestion.
By the time her feet were sore and she stopped, it was already dark outside. The innkeeper brought in hot water, candles, and a letter.
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