That night, Qu Tianji’s former subordinates led two thousand troops in a feint attack on the North Gate of Chang'an. As fires broke out at the gate, Yin Zhuli protected Shen Tingjiao, leading a group of confidants alongside Qu Tianji and dozens of his men to fight their way out of the West Gate, heading straight for Tianshui.
In the ninth month of the fourth year of the Qingping era of Great Xing, Great General Qu Tianji led his former troops to rise in rebellion in Tianshui Commandery, Longxi. He enthroned Prince Fulu, Shen Tingjiao, as the new sovereign and issued a joint petition from various generals. The proclamation accused the current King, Shen Tingyao, of regicide and fratricide to seize the throne. It claimed that during his four-year reign, he had shown little grace domestically and achieved nothing abroad. Citing the Heavenly Way’s principle of selecting the virtuous and capable, they demanded his abdication to a secondary palace.
When this proclamation was released, the world was in an uproar.
Shen Tingyao was even more incensed. Ignoring the dissuasion of his ministers, he conscripted two hundred thousand troops to suppress the rebellion. Throughout Great Xing, the people were plunged into a state of panic.
The smoke of war rose once again.
Qu Tianji’s attitude toward Yin Zhuli had undergone a shift; he even tacitly allowed Qu Huaishang to call her "sister." Yin Zhuli naturally knew what this gesture of goodwill was for.
"Under your command, General, you have gathered a total of one hundred and twenty thousand troops. Shen Tingyao has a force of two hundred thousand. Are you not worried?" Yin Zhuli followed behind Qu Tianji. The soldiers were currently pitching camp, and the army was a scene of bustling activity.
Qu Tianji ordered scouts to investigate the situation, his expression as calm as a steady tide. "Shen Tingyao is merely a man of mediocre talent who can only maintain what he inherited. His strategies are shallow and his aptitude is average. If it truly comes to battle, he is nothing to fear. However, regarding the subsequent provisions and funds, you must pay close attention."
He found it somewhat amusing in his heart. It was as if time were flowing backward; he was always discussing money and grain with the women of the Yin family. However, his view of Yin Zhuli was different now. Previously, she was just a merchant who ate delicacies every day, wore silks and satins, and sat upon a vast fortune. On the surface, she looked infinitely glorious, but in reality, she was just relying on the great tree planted by her predecessors.
Yet her marriage to Shen Tingjiao had exceeded his expectations. Logically, as a woman, Shen Tingyao had treated her quite well; even after marrying Ling Yu, he had never truly let go of her. If she had been more sensible, she could have entered the rear palace and become a consort.
Ling Yu was far inferior to her in both character and wit. Once Shen Tingyao had balanced the factions in court, she could have used a few schemes to become Empress. Even if Shen Tingyao dismantled the Yin family and their business fell into ruin, she could have lived a life of glory. If she had children in the future, becoming an Empress Dowager would have been as easy as turning over her hand.
But she had chosen to marry the idle Prince Fulu, a man with no background. If she sought the phoenix throne of the "Mother of the World," was it worth going through such a convoluted path?
Qu Tianji walked slowly, Yin Zhuli keeping pace beside him. Her gaze drifted toward the soldiers hurrying to and fro; she seemed quite interested in this camp life.
"Yin Zhuli," Qu Tianji’s voice was unusually gentle. "Go with Huaishang later to visit your mother."
Yin Zhuli turned to look at him, taking a moment to recover her senses. "Madam Qu? Where is she?"
Qu Huaishang pulled at her. "See? I told you Father would eventually acknowledge you. Come, your elder brother will take you to pay your respects to Mother."
Yin Zhuli allowed him to pull her along, but she offered a faint smile. "Are you certain Madam Qu will be happy to see me?"
Qu Tianji remained indifferent. After a long silence, as if finally making a decision, he said slowly, "But you are, after all, of the Qu family bloodline. You must eventually return to your roots."
Seeing the two walk away, Qu Lu showed a look of concern. "General, that Tang Yin and the Head of the Yin family were like father and daughter. This subordinate truly does not understand why you..."
"Why?" Qu Tianji turned to face the boundless sunlight, his voice carrying a sigh. "Naturally, it was to prune her supports. That Tang Yin hated me deeply; staying by her side would have eventually become a disaster. She is a clever person; she won't abandon the great cause of the world that is within her grasp for the sake of a dead man. If they lost their favorite thing, Ling Yu would cry incessantly, Liushang would cut ties decisively, and Huaishang would quickly find a new favorite. But she... how could a woman like Yin Mengyuan raise such a child? Alas, if Huaishang had even thirty percent of her intelligence, why would I have to labor so hard? I am already riding the tiger and cannot dismount. In the future... everyone shall regard her as the Fourth Young Miss."
The generals behind him complied. Only then did a trace of worry appear on his face.
At that time, Madam Wei was resting in her tent. After all these days, although she still could not bring up Qu Liushang, her grief had faded somewhat as time passed. Those serving her were old servants from the Qu Manor, and the furnishings in the tent were things she was accustomed to using. The haste of the military march had not affected her daily life, showing that Qu Tianji had always been very attentive toward her.
When Yin Zhuli entered, she was drinking medicine. Qu Huaishang, fearing he might trigger her anger, hurriedly and obediently knelt down. "Mother, Father ordered me to bring my sister to pay her respects to you."
Having said that, he tugged at the corner of Yin Zhuli’s clothes, signaling for her to kneel as well. Yin Zhuli remained standing, offering a slight, smiling bow. She had expected Madam Wei to fly into a rage, but unexpectedly, the woman merely set down her medicine bowl. Her expression was somewhat condescending, and after a long silence, she said coldly, "You are, after all, the Master’s flesh and blood. I do not wish to say much more. Since you have acknowledged your ancestors, you shall take the surname Qu from now on."
Yin Zhuli’s smile was like spring water, neither humble nor arrogant. "Madam, the Yin family has the merit of raising and nurturing me. I do not intend to change this surname. I thank you for your concern."
Madam Wei’s face changed. "Yin Zhuli, you are a woman after all. Look at what kind of manners you have learned!"
Seeing that the two were about to clash again, Qu Huaishang stepped forward to pleasingly massage his mother’s shoulders. "Zhuli!"
Madam Wei snorted coldly. She had always been the Mistress of the Qu Manor and was used to being haughty. Yin Zhuli remained smiling, but her words were sharp enough to choke someone. "Madam Qu, so the rules of the Qu Manor dictate that one remains seated when meeting a Princess Consort? Your rules are truly... unique."
Madam Wei had intended to suppress her spirit first, but she had actually forgotten that Yin Zhuli still held the title of Princess Consort Fulu. She stood up, her heart filled with another surge of irritation. "What Princess Consort airs are you putting on now! Even your Prince has to rely on my husband’s protection! If not for my husband, could their Shen clan have the glorious mountains and rivers they have today? If we are truly speaking of it, it is your Prince who should be grateful for the grace of our Qu family!"
Yin Zhuli’s smile was playful. "Well said! Especially that last sentence." She leaned closer to Madam Wei, her smile radiant. "But back then, if not for Yin Biwu, even if the General had the courage to withstand ten thousand men, could he have swept across the world? Madam Wei—" Madam Wei froze, but Yin Zhuli’s smile did not fade. "How exactly did you repay the grace of the Yin family?"
"You!" Madam Wei was somewhat exasperated. She hated Yin Zhuli’s invisibly superior posture, yet she was powerless against her. If Qu Tianji hadn't repeatedly warned her of the stakes last night, she would have already ordered someone to throw this woman out.
Yin Zhuli was sensible enough to stop. "Madam is still ill; I won't disturb you further. We have a long time ahead of us. Please recover well."
She turned and left the tent. Qu Huaishang chased after her. "Zhuli, Mother’s temper has always been like this. Don't take it to heart."
Yin Zhuli looked at him, her expression much kinder. "When the conversation is disagreeable, even half a sentence is too much. She and I don't see eye to eye; it's better not to speak."
Qu Huaishang was somewhat hesitant. "Do you... still hate Father for what happened back then?"
Yin Zhuli looked up at him. After a long moment, she patted his shoulder and laughed heartily. "Brother, you really are quite adorable. Haha."
Shen Tingjiao was now the nominal master of the three armies and resided in the main tent. When Yin Zhuli returned, he had already finished washing. He had been sickly since childhood and tended to wake a bit later. Yin Zhuli, however, was used to sleeping only six hours a night; she couldn't sleep more even if she wanted to. Thus, she usually returned after her morning training just in time to accompany him for a meal.
"General Qu must be pressing you about the money and grain, right?" Shen Tingjiao wore a long, apricot-green robe. The fabric wasn't as exquisite as what he usually wore, yet as the saying goes, even coarse clothes and disheveled hair could not diminish his peerless beauty. The clothes seemed to take on a pressing nobility upon his person; it was hard to say who complemented whom.
He had just finished bathing, and water was still dripping from his hair. Yin Zhuli dismissed the attendants and took a towel to dry him. "Your Highness, I have always wanted to ask you something."
Shen Tingjiao was naturally cooperative. "What is it?"
"I remember hearing a secret palace scandal. Over ten years ago, there was a consort in the palace who was deeply favored by the Emperor." Yin Zhuli sat down on a low stool, letting him lean against her lap as her hand gently rubbed his black hair with the towel. "Later, due to the jealousy of others, she was slandered for having an affair with a Great General of the court. It was even pointed out that her imperial offspring was not sired by the Emperor."
Shen Tingjiao stiffened. Yin Zhuli’s voice did not stop. "The late Emperor was furious. Although he searched extensively and found no proof, he still discarded this consort and the prince into the depths of the palace, never to inquire about them again."
Shen Tingjiao tried his best to soften his voice. "What do you want to know?"
Yin Zhuli leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I’ve always been a bit puzzled. If this consort was wronged, why didn't she prove her innocence instead of suffering this injustice?"
Shen Tingjiao bit his lip. After a long silence, he said, "Perhaps it wasn't that she was unwilling, but that she was unable."
Yin Zhuli nodded. "If she truly wanted to prove it, methods like the blood-recognition test should have been tried. But she didn't. That can only mean—perhaps this prince truly wasn't sired by the late Emperor. And among the high officials around the late Emperor, there weren't many who had the chance to get close to his family. It was either General Qu or State Uncle Fu."
This time, Shen Tingjiao even hid his look of surprise, lying lazily on her lap like a cat. "And so?"
Yin Zhuli took a wooden comb and gently smoothed his long hair. "Actually, it's not hard to guess. After this consort fell from grace, the biggest beneficiary was Empress Dowager Fu. If I were Empress Dowager Fu and I wanted to frame a rival, I certainly couldn't strike at my own brother. Therefore, I could only pin it on General Qu. But General Qu has always been loyal to his wife, and the late Emperor surely had doubts about that, so he only exiled the consort to the Cold Palace. It’s a truly interesting story. But my dear Highness, you don't really intend to wait for General Qu to conquer this Great Xing empire for you, do you?"
Shen Tingjiao enjoyed her gentle pressure very much and gave a comfortable hum. "This Prince listens to the Princess Consort."
Yin Zhuli nodded. "Right now, although the outcome is undecided, this uprising is, after all, a theft of the state. In the future, no matter how wise and divine you are, the historians will inevitably record us as treacherous rebels for eternity."
Shen Tingjiao nudged her. "This Prince knows that too, but given the current situation, this is the only way."
Yin Zhuli shook her head. "My good Highness, think about it. Right now, the King in the imperial city of Chang'an must view General Qu as his greatest threat and will concentrate all his forces to annihilate him. Thus, the defenses of the imperial city will inevitably be hollow."
Shen Tingjiao was startled and sat up abruptly to look at her. Her expression remained unchanged, her smile radiant. "If, by some chance, hundreds or thousands of soldiers suddenly spring out from nowhere, and the King accidentally dies amidst the chaotic army, you would be the only remaining imperial bloodline—the only choice to inherit the throne."
"You..." Shen Tingjiao suppressed his emotions several times before he could calm the turmoil in his heart. "The Princess Consort doesn't want General Qu to face the enemy; you just want to draw all of Imperial Brother’s attention, and then... kill him?"
Yin Zhuli kissed his forehead. "My dear Highness, Consort Dowager He is staying put in the palace. Although Shen Tingyao has captured her, he has delayed killing her. There must be someone mediating in the middle, right? In a few days, I will encourage Great General Qu to continue recruiting men and horses. The one in the palace doesn't have much of a brain; he will surely send more troops to Tianshui soon. With Chang'an's defenses insufficient, he will have to deploy the Imperial Guards to make up the numbers, and the palace guards will become a mere formality. The person who can get close to Consort Dowager He must hold a high status... I won't say more, but to draw out a few hundred loyal and brave soldiers to capture and kill one person... it shouldn't be hard, right?"
Shen Tingjiao kept his face impassive, but he was calculating in his heart. "Princess Consort, that person... his relationship with Imperial Brother is also extraordinary. I fear he won't be willing to do such a thing."
Yin Zhuli, however, had clearly planned this long ago. "To kill, he certainly won't be willing. But how would the common people know if someone in the palace is truly dead?" She leaned close to Shen Tingjiao, her voice extremely low. "Your Highness only needs to order him to secretly capture the one in the palace, present a fake corpse to the public, and promise to grant him a way out afterward. That person will surely consider it. If he still refuses, Your Highness can use Consort Dowager He’s safety to negotiate with him. Now that Shen Tingyao hates you so deeply, he certainly won't keep Consort Dowager He alive. That person can block him for a moment, but not for a lifetime. After several attempts, Shen Tingyao will surely become suspicious of him. If it comes to that..."
Shen Tingjiao’s long hair was beginning to dry. He narrowed his eyes and allowed her to kiss his forehead, but his heart was trembling with shock—when she had persuaded him to leave Chang'an, had she already thought of using Consort Dowager He as bait to turn Fu Chaoying once again?
When a person is too clever, it is truly difficult to feel at ease.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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大荥 | Great Xing | The name of the dynasty.
清平 | Qingping | The era name of the current Emperor's reign.
陇西 | Longxi | A geographical region (west of Mount Long).
天水郡 | Tianshui Commandery | A specific administrative region/city.
福禄王 | Prince Fulu | Shen Tingjiao's title.
沈庭遥 | Shen Tingyao | The current Emperor of Great Xing.
曲天棘 | Qu Tianji | The Great General and Yin Zhuli's biological father.
曲怀觞 | Qu Huaishang | Qu Tianji's son.
魏氏 | Madam Wei | Qu Tianji's legal wife.
殷碧梧 | Yin Biwu | Yin Zhuli's mother.
傅太后 | Empress Dowager Fu | The mother of the current Emperor.
傅国舅 | State Uncle Fu | Refers to Fu Chaoying's father or the head of the Fu family.
何太妃 | Consort Dowager He | Shen Tingjiao's mother.
傅朝英 | Fu Chaoying | A high-ranking official/general, brother to the Empress (Ling Yu).
御林军 | Imperial Guards | The elite troops guarding the Emperor and the capital.
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