Side Story Chapter 34: Wang Jiuling’s Advice!

Time slowly passed. Suddenly, a storm swept over the capital, and after the storm passed, a case concerning Assistant Minister Chen Yuan of the Bureau of Personnel shook the Imperial Court.

Though it was a case concerning Chen Yuan, everyone within and without the court knew that it was really about the War of the Princes, particularly the struggle between First Prince Li Xuantu, Second Prince Li Chengyi, and the ascendant Third Prince.

As it had been for dynasty after dynasty, the War of the Princes remained the greatest worry and fear of the court officials.

In the previous government, no matter how grave the mistake, so long as one had not done anything treasonous, the most that would happen would be being sent to the border. But when it came to the War of the Princes and the struggle for the throne, everything changed.

Failure meant one’s entire clan being implicated and exterminated.

But everyone knew that there was no avoiding this.

The Tang Emperor was seriously ill, and the Third Prince was bound to use the full extent of his abilities to bring court officials to his side and bolster his own faction so that he could vie for the the Supreme Throne of the Nine and Five.

Chen Yuan was the victim of this struggle.

……

The true storm had yet to pass, and at this time, within the Eastern Palace…

Li Xuantu, wearing a black and gold imperial robe, stood with his hands held behind his back. Behind him were the many advisors of the Eastern Palace.

“How is it? Any signs of activity from Jade Dragon Palace?”

Li Xuantu raised his head, gazing at the rain falling outside the palace as he indifferently spoke.

A deep voice came from behind him. “Your Highness, Chen Yuan’s case is set in stone. It’s too late for the Third Prince to salvage it. Moreover, Your Highness is the Crown Prince appointed by His Majesty, and more than half the court has pledged its loyalty to you. Whether the Third Prince is willing or not, he will not be able to threaten Your Highness!”

This man had a stern expression and a graying beard. His every move radiated the thick aura of a superior. This was the Minister of the Bureau of Punishments, Zhou Yan.

Li Xuantu said nothing, but there was a flicker in his eyes.

Of the Six Bureaus of the Great Tang, the Bureau of Punishments, Bureau of Revenue, and Bureau of Rites were on his side, and there were many other officials who had joined his side besides that. In normal circumstances, victory should have been in his grasp. Yet Li Xuantu couldn’t shake off his deep unease.

“Zhao Wu, how are things on your end?” Li Xuantu suddenly said.

A young man behind Li Xuantu bowed and said, “In Your Highness’s name, I have already gotten in touch with those people. But whether it’s Zhang Shougui, Zhangchou Jianqiong, or Wang Haibin, all of them are devoted to the Third Prince and refuse to change sides.”

Very few people understood that the battlefield of the War of the Princes was not restricted to the Imperial Court. Besides those officials who had pledged loyalty to Li Taiyi, the Eastern Palace had also sent invitations to the generals who had assisted Li Taiyi in the war against the Turks.

“Is that so?”

Li Xuantu frowned, a cold and dark expression on his face.

He was the Crown Prince appointed by the Tang Emperor, the right and proper successor. All land under heaven was the sovereign’s land, and all people in those lands his subjects. Whether they resided in the Imperial Court or on the border, all people should have submitted to him.

“Third Brother, there are some things that are not yours, yet you insist on trying to take them. Do not blame me for what happens.”

Li Xuantu narrowed his eyes, a frightening chill erupting from them.

“Send the orders. Act according to the plan.”

……

At the same time, in Jade Dragon Palace, Li Taiyi had gathered together his subordinates and advisors. Zhang Shougui, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Jiuling, and the others were all present.

“Is the investigation done?” Li Taiyi called out.

“No. We’ve sent our men, and Eunuch Li is working with us, but all of us are helpless to deal with His Majesty’s illness. In addition, we’ve looked at the medicine, and though we didn’t find any problems, we’ve weighed the dregs of two sets of medicine that were taken very closely together. While the dregs had the same composition, they did not weigh the same.”

After some thought, Wang Jiuling sternly said, “If our guess is correct, something in that medicine was removed beforehand. Our opponent is even more cautious than we anticipated!”

The air in the hall turned heavy. Li Taiyi’s brow twitched as his heart sank.

Zhang Shougui suddenly spoke. “Your Highness, this must be the work of the First Prince and Second Prince! We can’t wait any longer. We have to pick up the pace. A decision must be made before the dust has settled!

“It will be too late to do anything once the First Prince is enthroned.”

Abusi, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Jiuling, Gao Lishi, and all the other officials who had joined the Third Prince turned to Li Taiyi, all of them sharing the same thoughts.

“How should we move?”

Li Taiyi shook his head.

“After all, First Imperial Brother is the Crown Prince appointed by Imperial Father, and the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor preside over court. If I make my move now, it will be taken for treason.”

Everyone fell silent at these words.

It was right and proper for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne. This was a disadvantage that they could not change.

But everyone in Jade Dragon Palace knew that the Tang Emperor’s mind was not set. They had wanted to have the Third Prince made Crown Prince, but when they tried, Virtuous Empress Dou had immediately sent back a rejection.

In truth, the fact that the Third Prince had been allowed to participate in court debates was proof enough that the Tang Emperor was beginning to reconsider making the First Prince the Crown Prince. At the very least, in the Emperor’s mind, the Third Prince had the qualities to inherit the throne.

For generations, the throne of the sovereign had only been occupied by the worthy, not by the one born first.

Most importantly, the Emperor’s worsening illness was inextricably linked to the Eastern Palace. Even if the Eastern Palace wasn’t behind it, it had to know.

A Prince not stopping such a thing was a treasonous action. If the evidence came out proving this, the First Prince would have no right to inherit the throne.

Whoosh!

As they were talking, the flapping of wings came from outside, and then a messenger bird descended, flying through the window and into Li Taiyi’s hand.

“It’s a letter from the Eastern Palace!”

Wang Jiuling and the others glanced over and instantly shivered.

The reports from the spies in the Eastern Palace all had a special sign that only the core members of Jade Dragon Palace knew.

Li Taiyi removed the letter from the leg of the bird, and upon glancing at it, his face turned grave.

“Inform everyone that the Eastern Palace is about to make its move!”

……

This storm’s onset was much faster and fiercer than expected.

Three days later, Zhang Shougui, who was assisting with the strategizing in Jade Dragon Palace, suddenly received transfer orders. The Turks in the northwest were causing trouble again, and Zhang Shougui had been transferred to the border.

In the previous war against the Turks, Zhang Shougui had been granted the title of Left Commandant and had been assigned to the northwestern border. This was actually an empty title, but the Eastern Palace had used it to get him out of the capital.

One day later, more news came from the palace. Someone had attempted to assassinate the First Prince in the Eastern Palace, incurring his wrath. He used this opportunity to reorganize the Imperial Army, and because the assassin had ultimately fled into the region supervised by Wang Haibin, Wang Haibin had been demoted from his position as Marshal.

The Eastern Palace had also taken over the division of the Imperial Army under his command and handed it to another Marshal.

As for Wang Haibin, he was dispatched to Lingnan to train new soldiers for the Imperial Court, redeeming himself through service.

In the span of ten days, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Abusi, and the officials in the court loyal to the Third Prince were all moved out of the capital, demoted, or banished to the frontier for various reasons.

It was like everything had been planned out, the assault swift and vicious. The most fatal strike came several days later, with the Wu Menglong case.

Li Taiyi’s advisor, Wang Jiuling, had been implicated in a bribery case, and he had been imprisoned in a jail cell for questioning.

More importantly, the Second Prince was the one who had framed Wang Jiuling for bribery and had him jailed.

It was the winter solstice, and though the sun was shining brightly, the bitingly cold wind seemed to be hinting at something that made one shiver.

Outside the Court of Judicial Review, there were few pedestrians. A tall and slender figure quietly waited at the end of the road.

Clang!

With the sound of clattering metal, an imposing figure walked out.

“Jiuling!”

Li Taiyi was delighted to see Wang Jiuling, and hastened to welcome him.

But the man himself was rather calm, having apparently expected him.

“Your Highness!” Wang Jiuling calmly said.

“I’ve already taken care of things in the Imperial Court. The Wu Menglong case is over. Come on; I’ll take you back!”

Li Taiyi quickly stepped forward, supporting Wang Jiuling’s wound-covered body and helping him toward the bronze carriage.

It had only been a few days, but Wang Jiuling was much thinner, his hair in disarray, and his prison clothes stained in dried blood. He had clearly experienced harsh physical torture in the prison. If one looked closely, one could see that his clothes were still stickily clinging to his exposed skin, half-wet and half-dry. It was obvious that another round of torture had been performed before the blood could dry.

Li Taiyi was pained by Wang Jiuling’s appearance, but he restrained himself from speaking.

The carriage set off and entered the Imperial Palace. Upon their arrival at Jade Dragon Palace, the two of them disembarked, and Li Taiyi finally broke the silence.

“It’s the winter solstice, so I brought some dumplings.”

Li Taiyi knew that Wang Jiuling had his pride. This was why he had kept quiet from the prison all the way to Jade Dragon Palace.

But Wang Jiuling had said nothing this entire time, his head lowered and his messy hair obscuring his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

Suddenly, without any warning, Wang Jiuling turned around and solemnly kneeled to Li Taiyi.

“Your Highness, before the heavens grant a man high office, they will test his mind with suffering and hone his sinews and bones. Your subject can bear this meager pain.

“At present, all of Your Highness’s subordinates have been gotten rid of, and only a few remain in the capital. These people have all gone through life and death with Your Highness, and your subject believes that Your Highness is wracked with more pain than anyone else.

“Your Highness should understand why the First Prince would so boldly deal with us. Moreover, if this goes on, Your Highness will soon find it hard to protect yourself.

“This subject long ago tied his life to Your Highness, swearing to protect Your Highness to the death! This subject hopes that Your Highness makes up your mind soon!”

Li Taiyi was startled by this sight.

The saying went that a man rarely kneeled, yet not long after emerging from the jail, when his body was still weak, Wang Jiuling had bowed down and spoken bluntly.

He was still loyal to him, and Li Taiyi couldn’t help but be moved.

There were some things that one had to do no matter what.

“Haaa, Jiuling, I understand what you mean, but he is the Crown Prince!

“It’s not that I am unwilling, but if I do not legitimately sit upon that throne, even if I succeed, the realm will not acknowledge me.”

Coming to his senses, Li Taiyi let out a long sigh.

“Jiuling, rise.”

Li Taiyi reached out with his hands to help Wang Jiuling up.

But Wang Jiuling was unmoved, like he had fused with the earth.

“Your Highness, you once told me in the jail of the Bureau of Punishments, ‘In a few centuries, the civilization of the Central Plains will cease to exist. The Han will be enslaved by another people, living a life worse than death, ants eking out an existence on the earth, the lands of the Central Plains turned to pasture.’

“Your subject remembered Your Highness telling me that you would be willing to pay any price to alter the fate of the Central Plains and build up a prosperous and wealthy Great Tang, bringing blessings to the people, even if you were scorned by all and destroyed in both body and soul. Has Your Highness forgotten all this?”

Wang Jiuling spoke in a forceful tone, his voice ringing like an alarm bell in Li Taiyi’s mind.

Li Taiyi’s eyes flashed as he recalled that dark era from his last life—the tragedies, the misery, the starvation that wracked the land.

“Because we believed in Your Highness, because we felt Your Highness’s sincerity and conviction, whether it was me, Wang Haibin, Zhang Shougui, or any of the others, we chose to follow Your Highness and entrust our lives to you.

“It is true. Just as Your Highness says, the First Prince is the Crown Prince as titled by His Majesty, and he has not committed any grave crimes. But the War of the Princes is cruel, and either you die or he dies.

“Moreover, seeing the First Prince’s conduct, does Your Highness really believe that he will be a wise sovereign once he takes the throne? The actions of a sovereign are connected to the welfare of the country, his every move influencing the land and its people. Even if the First Prince takes the throne and becomes Emperor, with his obstinate personality, he will bring disaster on the Great Tang.”

Wang Jiuling’s words came from the heart.

Li Taiyi instantly understood, countless thoughts running through his mind.

In his last life, First Prince Li Xuantu should have been able to become a wise sovereign, but his greatest flaw had been his arrogance.

Not long after he took the throne, the Turks attacked. He had defeated the Turks before, so he had not taken it seriously. But it was not just the Turks attacking. Ü-Tsang, Mengshe Zhao, and Goguryeo had joined in, surrounding the Great Tang.

Underestimating his opponent once immediately plunged the country into calamity.

Besides that, with the Great Tang mired in disaster, Li Xuantu recognized his faults and decided to charge into the enemy camp with his elites and take the head of the commander. But this momentary impulse left the Great Tang without a sovereign, and a long-term civil strife took place. The Great Tang’s territory rapidly shrank until the dark era that Li Taiyi had spoken of arrived.

“Your Highness, the First Prince no longer cares about brotherly affection. There is still time to change tactics, but once the dust has settled, it will be too late. Moreover, even if Your Highness does not care about yourself, do you not care about Virtuous Empress Dou? Once the First Prince succeeds, he will not show compassion.”

Buzz!

Li Taiyi was shaken by these words.

“One who seeks to achieve great things does not worry about the small details. Have you forgotten about what Taizong did? It is just me now, but it will soon be Your Highness. If Your Highness refuses to counterattack, then you will truly be waiting around to die.”

Finally, Li Taiyi’s eyes hardened with resolve.

“Jiuling, I understand!”

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