Chapter 14
"What?" Upon hearing this, Qi Junmu could not help but let a hint of surprise slip across his face.
Prince Ying—Qi Junmu's uncle, Qi Liang—was Emperor Jing's only surviving brother. Emperor Jing, whose personal name was Ying, had issued an edict conferring the title "Prince Ying" upon his younger brother. At the time, some had vehemently opposed it, arguing that the character Ying (英) clashed with Emperor Jing's personal name.
Others said that Emperor Jing was actually displeased with Prince Ying, and that sooner or later, He would use this very title as an excuse to have the prince killed as well.
Prince Ying had been terrified at the time, dreading that the Emperor held a grudge against him and that he would meet the same fate as his other brothers—left with neither corpse nor bones, his household reduced to desolation. With a face full of fear, he had knelt before Qianhua Hall, weeping and begging the Emperor to revoke the decree.
Emperor Jing had merely laughed indifferently: "It is just a title. Why all the panic? I say you can bear it, so you can bear it."
Prince Ying dared not contradict the Emperor and silently accepted the title. He had no great ambitions, lacked the cunning of his other brothers, and had none of Emperor Jing's ruthlessness. He simply wanted to live out his days in peace—to eat well and sleep well.
Over the years, Prince Ying had lived in constant trepidation, terrified that the Emperor might find some fault with him. Not only did he refrain from forming ties with court officials in his daily life, but he also avoided going out as much as possible.
His inner courtyard, however, was filled with a dazzling array of beautiful concubines, yet he had only one heir—a son named Fan.
Prince Ying had long ago petitioned for Qi Fan to be named heir apparent, and so the heir to Prince Ying was Qi Fan.
Qi Fan was deeply cherished in the princely mansion and behaved nothing like his timid father—he was arrogant and domineering.
The Imperial Uncle—the Empress Wen Wan's beloved younger brother, Wen Yao, courtesy name Zhaolin—shared a deep bond with his sister.
[A courtesy name (字): a formal name given at adulthood in ancient China, used by peers and others to show respect instead of using one's given name.]
He had always enjoyed dog-fighting and bird-raising, and after becoming the Imperial Uncle, he grew even more insolent. With his sister as Empress, and the only woman in the Emperor's rear palace, she enjoyed a singular share of imperial favor. In the capital, practically everyone yielded to Wen Yao out of courtesy.
At this point, Qi Fan and Wen Yao were merely acquaintances who occasionally gathered for dog-fighting. But a year later, their reputations would grow even more notorious. Drinking in pleasure houses, causing havoc in the streets, and spending fortunes to buy a beauty a smile—that was their daily routine.
They were widely known as the two wastrels of the Da Qi capital.
Later, the two fell out over a beauty. They came to blows publicly, arguing drunkenly, accusing each other of bullying others with their power, and making a huge scene that stirred up the entire city.
There were even storytellers who used them as prototypes to write a tale of two men vying for one woman, which spread far and wide in taverns and on theater stages.
When Qi Junmu learned of it, he summoned both men and gave them a harsh scolding, saying they had utterly disgraced themselves. He then confined them to their residences to reflect on their wrongdoings.
After this incident, when Qi Fan reappeared before the public, he had turned over a new leaf. Wen Yao, too, had become much more composed and had gone straight to the western frontier. Later, when Qi Junzhuo vanished in the western frontier, it was rumored to be related to Wen Yao.
Meanwhile, Qi Fan had grown quite close to Qi Junmu's second brother, Qi Junyou. In his previous life, Qi Junmu had been investigating these very matters right before his death. He had just unearthed a few clues when his life was cut short.
Now, suddenly hearing of the Heir of Prince Ying and the Imperial Uncle, Qi Junmu saw the future of those two wastrels before his eyes.
In his previous life, the two had also thrown their weight around in front of Shen Nian and mocked him as well.
At that time, although Qi Junmu had been wary of Shen Nian and had wanted to diminish the Shen family's standing in the hearts of the North Frontier Army, he had still treated Shen Nian himself with considerable respect. Thus, he had also rebuked Qi Fan and Wen Yao. Shen Nian had acted with great magnanimity on that occasion and shown no intention of fighting back.
Qi Junmu's surprise was only half genuine; the shock on his face, however, was entirely real. The Empress Dowager had originally held quite favorable feelings toward Shen Nian. She had also heard of today's events at court—if that situation had gone poorly, it would have been extremely disadvantageous to the Emperor.
Shen Nian had stepped forward, which meant he had done the Emperor a great service. The Empress Dowager naturally held him in higher regard for that—and this was one of the reasons she could not help but ask more questions upon hearing the words "Marquis Zhenbei."
But now, upon learning that Shen Nian had actually struck two imperial relatives, and right at the palace gates at that, the Empress Dowager felt displeased. Her favorable impression dropped considerably, and she found this Marquis Zhenbei rather too arrogant and overbearing.
Qi Junmu composed his expression. He rose and said to the Empress Dowager, "Imperial Mother, your son will go see exactly what happened."
The Empress Dowager nodded. She no longer had the heart to continue speaking with him about Wen Wan. With a hint of warmth in her tone, she offered this counsel: "You are the Emperor, and Marquis Zhenbei is a favored official. You must investigate this matter thoroughly. If it truly is Qi Fan and Zhaolin's fault, you must not protect them too much."
Her underlying meaning was for Qi Junmu to lean slightly in Shen Nian's favor.
Though the Empress Dowager was somewhat displeased with Shen Nian in her heart, she understood that these were critical times. The North Frontier Army was also called the Shen Family Army by many, and Shen Yi's weight in the soldiers' hearts outweighed even the Emperor's.
Now that Shen Yi had just died, if Shen Nian were to be wronged, the North Frontier Army's morale would falter, and their discontent toward the Emperor would become a serious concern.
The Empress Dowager—and indeed, everyone—believed that this was the only reason the Emperor was so unusually tolerant of Shen Nian. Otherwise, they could find no other explanation for why the Emperor would defend him so staunchly.
Qi Junmu understood the implication behind the Empress Dowager's words. He said, "Imperial Mother, rest assured. If it truly is not Marquis Zhenbei's fault, I will certainly not play favorites. But if the Marquis is in the wrong, I will not tolerate it either."
Imperial relatives and Marquis Zhenbei—all were his subjects. He would treat them equally. If it was the imperial relatives' fault, they would be punished; if it was Shen Nian's transgression, he would not flinch from it, nor would he hold back out of fear of the North Frontier Army.
With that, Qi Junmu took his leave. Ruan Jiqing kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, then rose and followed behind him.
After they had gone, the Empress Dowager sighed. She knew that Qi Junmu had not truly taken her words to heart, and her expression grew listless.
Fuhua and Yue shi exchanged a glance, each understanding the other's thoughts. Their stated reason for visiting the imperial garden had been nothing but an excuse—they had not wanted to get caught up in matters between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Now that the Emperor had left and the Empress Dowager was in low spirits, they hadn't been able to leave earlier, and now it was even more difficult to excuse themselves.
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