Chapter 39
Qi Junzhuo and his party had no idea what the emperor was planning. Their itinerary had long been submitted, and their arrival in the capital was all scheduled.
On the journey, Yang Jinglei and Qi Junzhuo were fine—but Qi Junyou was like a lit keg of gunpowder, constantly hurling sarcastic barbs at the two of them.
Qi Junzhuo, for his part, showed no reaction at all. He remained so composed it was as if the person being mocked wasn't him, or as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him.
In his view, Prince Ping's bitter remarks were hardly without reason. After all, ever since leaving the capital, Prince Ping's life had been anything but easy.
In Qingzhou, on the pretext of the snow disaster relief, they had used Prince Ping's name to effectively place him under house arrest.
Yang Jinglei had prepared for all sorts of scenarios—including the worst—if Prince Ping refused to cooperate. To his surprise, Prince Ping had been fairly compliant and hadn't stirred up trouble.
With Prince Ping's name attached, the Zhou family had thrown themselves into donations and supplies with great enthusiasm. And with the Zhou family taking the lead, the wealthy merchants of Qingzhou had contributed either silver or goods, bringing the disaster under control smoothly.
Yang Jinglei was well aware of the Zhou family's desire to see Prince Ping, and he found a moment to mention it to Qi Junzhuo.
They both knew it was unreasonable to make the horse work without letting it graze—that would only invite backlash.
Qi Junzhuo was a prince by birth and carried himself like one. The only giveaway was his exotic, foreign-looking eyes—though as long as he didn't look up at people, the flaw wasn't easily noticed.
The Zhou family members held deep reverence for Prince Ping. Qi Junzhuo lounged in a chair, book in hand, not sparing them a single glance—behaving with deliberate arrogance—so when they paid their respects, they thought nothing of it.
After all, Yang Jinglei treated Qi Junzhuo with the utmost respect, addressing him as "Your Highness."
Besides, Qi Junzhuo carried himself exactly as a prince should, and his lazy, impatient demeanor was directed not only at them but at Yang Jinglei and the others as well.
In both word and deed, he also made his displeasure with the emperor clear.
To put the Zhou family's minds at ease, Qi Junzhuo deliberately dismissed Yang Jinglei for half a ke, giving them an opportunity to speak privately.
[1 ke: approx. 15 minutes]
At that moment, Qi Junzhuo appeared hurried. He cut to the chase, hinting to the Zhou family that the emperor had dispatched him to Qingzhou on a whim, with ill intentions—waiting to see him fail.
So no matter what, the Zhou family had to make sure the relief effort succeeded and not give the emperor any leverage against them.
The Zhou family did harbor some doubts, but on reflection, it made sense. If the Qingzhou relief went poorly, the blame would fall on Prince Ping and Consort Dowager Xian.
Someone also asked about Prince Jin.
Qi Junzhuo let out a cold laugh and placed his book over his face. "Prince Jin," he said, "is nothing but a dog at the emperor's side. Right now, he's scurrying around gathering evidence to hand the emperor a case against us."
The Zhou family had more questions, but Yang Jinglei returned at that moment.
More importantly, not long after that, word arrived from the main branch of the Zhou family in the capital: Consort Dowager Xian had learned in the palace that the emperor planned to use this opportunity to eliminate Prince Ping. They must do everything to help Prince Ping survive this crisis.
Once word came from the main branch, the last of the Zhou family's doubts were put to rest.
They threw themselves into the effort with even greater vigor.
And so, with everyone working together, the snow disaster in Qingzhou was quickly brought under control. Grain prices were stabilized so that people could afford food—unlike when Qi Junzhuo's party first arrived, when common people had been so desperate that they were selling themselves just for a bite to eat.
The common people suffered no great losses—both their lives and property were preserved.
Of course, not everyone had such scruples. Even with the Zhou family's help, there were still those with black hearts. When Yang Jinglei uncovered them, Qi Junzhuo didn't hesitate—he had them executed on the spot.
His decisive, ruthless handling cowed those in Qingzhou who had been harboring ill intentions, and from then on, matters proceeded much more smoothly.
By the time the emperor's decree arrived, ordering Prince Jin and Prince Ping back to the capital, the Zhou family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
All these days, they had been acting in Prince Ping's name, and the people of Qingzhou were deeply grateful to him. Prince Ping's reputation had even surpassed the emperor's.
That gratitude reached its peak on the day of their departure.
The weather was clear, and the streets were lined with common people seeing them off. The Zhou family stood at their gates.
When Qi Junzhuo appeared in his exquisite princely robes, the crowd knelt and shouted, "Long live Prince Ping!"—and the commoners lining the streets joined in. The sound and the sight were spectacular.
At that very moment, Qi Junzhuo suddenly let out an odd smile.
His laughter was strange. The Zhou family looked up, puzzled, and met Qi Junzhuo's eyes, which were shimmering with a pale gold.
Then Qi Junzhuo stepped forward personally, helped the Zhou clan elder to his feet, and smiled. "Elder, you've mistaken me. This prince is Prince Jin."
The Zhou family was stunned. They could not fathom how he could possibly be Prince Jin—had he not called Prince Jin a dog at the emperor's side? And yet here he was, claiming to be Prince Jin.
Under the crowd's astonished gaze, Qi Junzhuo bowed from a distance toward the capital and said, "This prince was sent by His Majesty to Qingzhou on disaster relief, and I have not failed my mission. My second brother, Prince Ping, is also here—but he has been unwell since leaving the capital and has spent these days resting. Whether Prince Ping or Prince Jin, we both serve His Majesty's command. Now that Qingzhou is at peace, it is the emperor's blessing. Long live the emperor!"
People are often easily moved. Qi Junzhuo's stirring words swept through the crowd, fired up their emotions, and in that moment, they all came to believe that the Emperor, far away in the capital, was a wise ruler unparalleled in history.
Qi Junzhuo hailed "Long live the emperor," and they followed suit.
The Zhou family's faces cracked. They couldn't fathom how anyone could be so vicious as to curse even themselves.
Qi Junzhuo paid their thoughts no mind and gave them a proper, courteous smile.
The Zhou clan elder nearly fainted at that smile. Only then did it strike them: Qi Junzhuo had painted them a grand picture and spoken very sincerely—but from beginning to end, he had not contributed a single coin of his own silver.
The entire Qingzhou relief effort had been carried on the Zhou family's backs, with their fundraising and porridge distribution.
And what had they gotten for it? They had thought they were serving Prince Ping, but in the end, all they had done was burnish the emperor's name.
Amid the crowd's fervor, Qi Junzhuo further announced that the Zhou family had been the very first to donate. The emperor would summon and reward them in person. Other donors, though unable to meet the Emperor, would also receive imperial commendations in due course.
In other words, when they left Qingzhou, they would be taking some members of the Zhou family with them.
The common people of Qingzhou felt the emperor's boundless grace. The Zhou family felt only a cold blade at their throats. They were helpless—who knew if they would ever return?
After saying all this, Qi Junzhuo had Yang Jinglei invite Qi Junyou out to join the return journey. Qi Junyou was no longer the elegant, celebrated nobleman who had once graced Da Qi; these stifled days had left him sullen and dark.
Catching sight of the Zhou family's mournful faces, he curled his lip in a cold sneer and climbed into the carriage for the capital.
And so the Qingzhou affair came to a close. Qi Junyou gained no glory whatsoever. All the flattering words and reverent gazes had been bestowed upon the young emperor.
This affair was likely to sow resentment and discord between the Qingzhou Zhou family and the main branch in the capital. No wonder Qi Junyou was in such a foul mood on his way back.
Yang Jinglei thought to himself—if he were in Prince Ping's shoes, he wouldn't be in a good mood either.
Yet Yang Jinglei also knew: however understandable Prince Ping's feelings might be, when a situation like this arose again, he would do the exact same thing.
Prince Ping was still Prince Ping, but the emperor was the master of all Da Qi.
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