Chapter 727
Chapter 727
The Queen of Chu—no, she should be called the Queen Dowager of Chu now. She had regained her composed and noble demeanor. She happened to be dining with Shen Lang and Jin Mulan. What they were eating was, surprisingly, steak—a medium-rare one at that. Shen Lang was exceptionally fond of this dish, as was Mulan, but the Queen Dowager found it merely acceptable.
‘Why not eat it fully cooked? Only savages eat things with fur or blood.’
Still, it felt somewhat novel. Shen Lang swirled a long-stemmed glass before downing the wine in one go. It was a rather sweet wine. Dry red wine wasn't difficult to make; it was simply a matter of fermenting grape sugars.
Shen Lang had a peculiar personality. Having grown accustomed to dry red wine, he had come to think it was quite delicious. Yet, if suddenly asked whether he preferred dry red or sweet wine, he would choose the sweet.
“Your Majesty the Queen Dowager, this is our last meal together. We have spent more than two months in each other's company, and I hope those memories have not left too deep a scar.”
After speaking, Shen Lang raised his glass to the Queen Dowager of Chu. She, too, raised her glass and drained the wine within. She said nothing. In truth, her feelings toward Shen Lang were incredibly complex. At first, she had resented him so completely that she wished she could flay him and burn him to ashes. But later, she discovered that Shen Lang was the type of person who wouldn't harm someone unless they provoked him first.
As they spent more time together, she even began to feel a certain unique charm from him. It was the kind of charm that would make men of his age feel resentful or jealous, but women often found it quite appealing. If he wasn't tormenting you, you could become very good friends with him. For the Queen Dowager, becoming his friend was impossible, but so was considering him a mortal enemy. For the sake of Chu's interests, she could no longer treat Ning Zheng and Shen Lang as adversaries.
Ning Zheng's ascension was more advantageous for Chu. Besides, the Queen Dowager would henceforth be confined to the royal palace, completely withdrawn from the stage of power. Although she had survived, she had lost all her prestige. Unlike the new King of Chu, she had not risked her life to defend the dignity of the royal family; she had weakly surrendered and suffered the humiliation of being paraded before the crowds in the street.
“After today, I will no longer be the Queen Dowager. After I meet with the King, I will renounce my worldly life, become a nun, and spend my days praying for the late king. That way, His Majesty and the State of Chu will not lose face because of me.”
To the Queen Dowager’s words, Shen Lang replied.
“Renouncing the world is a fine choice.”
At the Dowager's age, there was nothing to lose by taking such a path.
“Then, I bid you farewell!”
“It would be best if we never met again.”
* * *
The next day.
Ning Zheng and Shen Lang departed from the capital of Chu with their seven-thousand-strong army, seen off by the King of Chu himself. The people of Chu watched Shen Lang go with a mixture of coldness, admiration, and hostility. The air was thick with a silent stillness. The King of Chu had ordered that no army within Chu’s borders was to obstruct the Yue army's departure. However, he stipulated that Ning Zheng and Shen Lang must pay triple the price for any grain and supplies they wished to purchase. Shen Lang readily agreed, and with that, the war between the states of Chu and Yue came to a complete end.
Shen Lang and Ning Zheng had achieved a great victory, creating a miracle on top of one they had already wrought. When news of their triumph spread to the State of Yue, it would completely overshadow the light shone by the Third Prince, Ning Qi. One could only hope that factions like the Zhu and Zhong clans wouldn't excessively praise Ning Qi for his so-called unparalleled achievements. To do so now would be a complete loss of face for them. The armistice Ning Qi had signed with the King of Chu had already been nullified, replaced by a new one signed with Ning Zheng—one that ceded not an inch of land and did not compromise the nation's dignity. That was a truly glorious victory.
* * *
In fact, the State of Yue was already heaping praise upon the Third Prince Ning Qi for his accomplishments. It was, frankly, laughable. On the battlefields of Tianxi Province, Ning Qi had indeed achieved a great victory, turning the tide at a crucial moment and repelling hundreds of thousands of Chu soldiers. Yet, when he won, the civil and military officials of the court dared not make a sound, much less praise his victory. This was because the matter of the assassination attempt on the King of Chu had not yet been resolved.
That was the moment when Ning Qi’s victory should have been lauded the most, yet the court remained eerily silent, as if no victory had been won in Tianxi Province at all. Only after an imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor declared Ning Qi completely uninvolved in the assassination did the Yue court erupt in a storm of praise. Memorials flooded the royal palace like a tidal wave, all extolling the great victory in Tianxi Province.
The division between the monarch and his ministers in the State of Yue was now plain to see. Previously, when Ning Zheng had achieved his miraculous victory by raiding the capital of Chu, King Ning Yuanxian had done everything in his power to highlight it—celebrating with the people, granting a general amnesty, and offering sacrifices to the ancestors. But the reaction from the civil and military officials was akin to the moan of a courtesan—a painfully perfunctory cry that reeked of falsehood, like someone shouting half-heartedly while distracted by other things.
The official announcements from the Department of State Affairs and the Bureau of Military Affairs were terribly formal, showing no enthusiasm. The common people, however, were ecstatic and thrilled. The victory from raiding the capital of Chu was truly astonishing. But within the court, only King Ning Yuanxian and a few loyal ministers were excited; the rest of the officials remained cold and detached. Now, with the celebration of the Third Prince Ning Qi's victory, the roles seemed to have reversed. The civil and military officials were wildly enthusiastic, shouting themselves hoarse. In contrast, King Ning Yuanxian remained aloof.
Then came the news that Ning Qi had entered the King of Chu's barracks alone, entrusting himself to the enemy's judgment to prove his innocence. Ning Yuanxian sent an edict ordering Ning Qi to return to the capital. It was the last chance Ning Yuanxian was giving him. But Ning Qi forsook that chance, choosing to remain aligned with His Majesty the Emperor, disregarding the goodwill of his own father.
Ning Yuanxian’s heart grew cold toward him once more. A father had been ignored by his son, a son who couldn't care less about his father's concern. Ning Qi was desperate to curry favor with the Emperor; where was there room for King Ning Yuanxian of Yue? Finally, Ning Yuanxian realized he could not win this son back.
Yet, when his ministers praised Ning Qi's victory, he neither opposed nor endorsed it. It was, undeniably, a victory. The ministers, however, deliberately concealed one fact: the agreement Ning Qi had signed with the King of Chu included a clause to restore the border between the two nations to where it was twenty-five years ago. This meant ceding two hundred *li* of territory to Chu, a landmass equivalent to one or two commanderies. But the people of Yue were not complete fools. A few old scholars studied the details and raised questions.
‘Why restore the border to what it was twenty-five years ago? That means ceding two hundred *li*, which is the equivalent of one or two commanderies, is it not?’
But their voices were immediately drowned out.
‘Why act so enlightened? As long as we can all celebrate together, that's all that matters!’
King Ning Yuanxian did not point this out. In his heart, he actually considered Ning Qi's victory a great one. Ceding two hundred *li* of land was shameful, but the State of Yue had just faced the threat of annihilation. Preserving most of its territory was, in his view, a blessing from the heavens.
The final step of this armistice required King Ning Yuanxian's signature and seal. But he held off, refusing to sign for the time being. It wasn't because he was dissatisfied with the terms, but because he was waiting for Ning Zheng's army to return safely. During this time, however, his ministers grew ever more fervent in their performance. At every court session, they did nothing but endlessly praise Ning Qi's unparalleled achievements. Not only that, they submitted memorials to the king, arguing that since Yue had won a great victory in this war that threatened the nation's very existence, repelling enemies on three fronts and defending its territory, the king should honor his promise and hold a Grand Rite of Heavenly Worship, allowing the Third Prince Ning Qi to recite the Prayer to Heaven.
At the last Grand Rite, Ning Zheng had read the prayer, marking the start of his entry into the succession struggle. That rite had shaken Crown Prince Ning Yi's position, pressuring him to go to the battlefields of the State of Nangu to earn merits and solidify his status. In the end, however, he met with a fatal disaster and brought about his own ruin. Now, with the ministers petitioning for Ning Qi to read the prayer, their next move would be to request he be enfeoffed as the Duke of Yue. Currently, Ning Yi had not yet been deposed as Crown Prince. If Ning Qi became the Duke of Yue, officials like Zhu Hongzhu would then petition the king to depose Ning Yi, after which Ning Qi could legitimately inherit the position of Crown Prince.
With the civil and military officials so loudly rattling their abacuses, how could Ning Yuanxian possibly grant their wish? As Ning Yuanxian continued to postpone the rite, the ministers unleashed a torrent of arguments. The last Grand Rite had begun with dark clouds and rolling thunder before the sky suddenly cleared. This, they claimed, was a sign that in this war for the nation's fate, Yue would first suffer defeat before achieving victory—a blessing from Heaven. Now, more than a year had passed, and the State of Yue had indeed won a great victory. Therefore, was it not imperative to hold another rite to thank Heaven for its protection?
The argument was quite compelling. Even Ning Yuanxian felt that the victory in this war for the nation's fate was the will of Heaven. How similar the weather during the last rite was to the plight the State of Yue had faced! From the brink of destruction, they had ultimately achieved a glorious victory.
Coincidentally, an urgent report arrived from Tiannan Province at that moment. An earthquake had struck, causing thousands of homes to collapse and resulting in hundreds of casualties. Upon hearing the news, the civil and military officials of Yue raised their voices once more, imploring the king to hold the Grand Rite of Heavenly Worship immediately.
‘This war for the nation's fate was won thanks to Heaven's blessing, which is why the State of Yue was able to preserve the kingdom passed down through centuries. To not hold a rite to thank Heaven for its grace would be an act of ingratitude, would it not? Would it not incur Heaven's wrath? This earthquake is a warning.’
This belief spread like wildfire, not just in the court but among the common people. Even the king seemed to believe it to some extent. In such a situation, it wasn't just the ministers; the people also yearned for the king to hold the Grand Rite. The displaced victims of the earthquake in Tiannan Province were especially desperate for the king to appease Heaven's anger and restore peace to their province. How could the common people of the realm know of the sinister machinations of the court officials? Holding the rite at this time? Ning Zheng would surely not be able to return in time, and the Prayer to Heaven had to be read by a prince. Since the other princes were not qualified, the only one left who could read it was Ning Qi.
Reciting the Prayer to Heaven was a power typically held by the young sovereign of a nation. If Ning Yuanxian held the rite and allowed Ning Qi to recite the prayer, the ministers would naturally take the next step and demand Ning Qi be enfeoffed as the Duke of Yue. But holding the rite to thank Heaven for its grace was, in this instance, a matter of course, and it was what the people wanted. Ning Yuanxian could not refuse. Finally, Ning Yuanxian issued a royal decree.
Upon the decree's issuance, both the ministers and the people cheered.
“His Majesty is wise!”
Soon after, Ning Qi left Tianxi Province, rushing toward the capital like an arrow. At that time, Ning Zheng was still within the borders of Chu.