Chapter 630
The Story of 41 Years Ago
The capital city was bleak and desolate, as if even the eaves of the buildings were wielded with knives.
The glazed tile roofs of the Ning Dynasty were golden, while the roof tiles of the Jing Dynasty were all black. When the heavy snow covered the capital, the capital completely lost its color, leaving only black and white.
Princess Liyang's carriage, adorned with red silk ribbons, slowly traversed the world of black and white, seemingly the only remaining vibrant color in the world.
Inside the carriage, Princess Liyang held a bronze hand warmer and looked earnestly at Old Man Yao: "Old man, what I said just now was not a lie. You can still take them away now."
Old Yao smiled and said, "You have a kind heart. You can't even take care of yourself, yet you still care about others. You've been back in the capital for so many days, and your emperor father still refuses to see you. He's clearly still angry with you. Aren't you his precious daughter? What did you do to end up like this?"
Princess Liyang remained silent, not wanting to bring up the past.
Old Yao glanced at her and said, "If I weren't a man from Wumiao Mountain, how would you have gotten past this test?"
Princess Liyang thought for a moment: "Yuan Xiang has already realized Lu Jin's wolfish ambitions, and may speak up for me, but that's still not safe..."
Old Yao smiled and said, "So that's why you want to climb the gate of the Martial Temple?"
She sighed deeply, turned her head to look at the wind and snow outside the window, as if she could see the gate of the Martial Temple on Changbai Mountain, which is hidden in the clouds all year round: "That is the Martial Temple... Lu Jin went up the mountain, but he only exchanged the information about the sword seed path for four masters to go down the mountain and a confidant to go up the mountain to cultivate. The headmaster never gave him a second glance from beginning to end."
The Temple of Martial Arts holds a superior position, not only because of the plaque bearing the title of "Grand Master of the World".
In the sixteenth year of the Yonghe reign of Emperor Jingzong, Emperor Wuzong was extremely licentious. He forcibly ordered various regions to select women from the common people to enter the palace, a process known as "selecting beauties." The officials in charge of selecting beauties roamed the prefectures and counties, arresting and taking away any women they saw who were attractive. Countless parents wept on the road to send them off, and many drowned or hanged themselves.
The palace was extravagantly wasteful. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices spent a staggering five thousand taels of silver every day to purchase vegetables, fruits, meat, and poultry. The Imperial Kitchen kept three hundred sheep, two hundred pigs, and one hundred cattle year-round, all for Emperor Wuzong's consumption, with most of the livestock ending up in the swill bucket.
Emperor Wuzong, dissatisfied with the insufficient funds of the national treasury, introduced a marriage tax: 30% of a daughter's dowry was taxed on her marriage, and 20% of the betrothal gifts were taxed on her marriage. Later, taxes were also introduced on bridges, ferries, flour milling, and grain drying. Tax officials were like tigers in the countryside, and people who were even slightly slow to comply were put in shackles.
The people of the world are living in misery.
Nine out of ten houses were empty, and corpses of the starving were everywhere.
The seventeenth year of the Yonghe reign.
Lu Ji, the abbot of Wu Temple Mountain, entered the capital alone with his sword. He stood in front of the Danfeng Gate of Daming Palace and summoned Emperor Wuzong to leave the palace so that he could go to Changbai Mountain with him to secretly cultivate.
Emperor Wuzong kept the palace gates tightly shut and refused to go out.
Lu Ji sat in Chang Le Fang in front of the Daming Palace, found a small noodle shop, and ate nine bowls of bland, plain noodles. Only after the Imperial Guards surrounded the noodle shop did he leisurely get up, toss a silver ingot to himself, and then enter the palace with his sword.
The sword's brilliance shone like the blazing sun, and the Left and Right Valiant Guards and the Left and Right Golden Guards could not withstand it.
Lu Ji, the mountain chief, broke through the palace gates, fought his way from Hanyuan Hall to Hanguang Hall, and from Hanguang Hall to Zichen Hall, finally finding Emperor Wuzong hiding in the bushes in the West Garden.
Lu Ji, the abbot, sat under a willow tree and gave Emperor Wuzong the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to write the abdication edict. Afterward, he took Emperor Wuzong to Changbai Mountain to cultivate in seclusion.
Before leaving.
The headmaster chopped off the plaque in front of Hanyuan Hall that read "Han Hong Guang Da, Yuan Heng Li Zhen" (meaning "Greatness and Brilliance, Prosperity and Success"), which was taken from the Book of Changes, with a single sword stroke, and left with the words, "Those who follow in his footsteps should take good care of themselves."
This is a story that storytellers and common people enjoy recounting. Some say that the headmaster was a supreme master, and even the imperial guards could not defeat him. Others say that Emperor Wuzong had lost the hearts of the people, and the imperial guards did not actually take action, but simply cleared the way for the headmaster to enter the palace.
As for the historical facts, no one cares anymore.
In the Daming Palace, the daily records for September of the seventeenth year of Yonghe were completely blank. No one knew how the headmaster had stormed into the palace, nor did anyone know whether the headmaster had given Emperor Wuzong even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Princess Liyang then recounted past events: "Legend has it that when the late emperor passed away forty-one years ago, my father, as the crown prince, was still overseeing the construction of ships in Yingkou. The second prince ordered the Left Valiant Guard to blockade the capital, attempting to alter the imperial edict and usurp the throne. Later, he sent his Right Valiant Guard to Yingkou to assassinate my father."
"My father secretly left Yingkou and entered the capital, evading pursuit all the way. When he passed through Panshan County, he happened to meet the headmaster Lu Yang drinking in the peach blossom forest. My father asked the headmaster to escort him to the capital to help the country, but the headmaster refused. My father mustered his courage, snatched a wine jar from the headmaster's table, drank half of it, and challenged the headmaster to a game of guessing. They agreed that if he won, the headmaster would escort him. My father won."
Princess Liyang looked at Old Man Yao and said with a smile, "The headmaster made my father make a solemn promise that taxes would not be increased for sixty years, and my father agreed. The headmaster indeed kept his promise and escorted my father to the capital. When they arrived at Mingde Gate, the headmaster broke open the city gate with a single sword, and with only his sword, he forced back the central imperial guards and sent my father into the Daming Palace... These are all things that my father said when he was drunk. I don't know if the story is true or not."
Old Yao said calmly, "It's true."
Princess Liyang was stunned: "Huh? What did you say, sir?"
At this moment, the carriage came to a stop in front of the Daming Palace.
An official lifted the carriage curtain for her: "Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived at the Zichen Palace." The grand court assembly for New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, and other important ceremonies was held at the Hanyuan Palace.
Daily political discussions were held in the Xuanzheng Hall.
The trusted confidants and important ministers held meetings in the Zichen Hall.
Matters discussed in Hanyuan Hall and Xuanzheng Hall can be deferred, but matters discussed in Zichen Hall, once decided, have no room for negotiation, and can determine life and death.
Princess Liyang scrutinized Old Man Yao several times. Seeing that he was calm and composed, she finally took a deep breath, lifted her robes, and got out of the carriage.
Jiang Pan wanted to drape a mink cloak over her shoulders, but she stopped him, finding it in the way, and entered the palace with her head held high, dressed as a man.
She strode through the snow towards the Daming Palace, braving the snow to cross the long, wide palace road, while Old Man Yao followed slowly behind, unhurried and unhurried.
Princess Liyang stopped abruptly as she passed by Hanyuan Hall. She looked up and saw that the plaque of Hanyuan Hall had a crack in the middle, as if it had been cut by a sword and then pieced back together with molten gold, leaving a golden line that ran through the sky on the plaque.
Only after being urged by the palace officials did Princess Liyang continue walking deeper into the palace.
Before even entering the Zichen Hall, they heard Yuan Heng Li Zhen's voice from inside: "Your Majesty, I have been cultivating in the Martial Temple for eighteen years and have never heard of any Mr. Yao."
Then came the voice of Yuan Zhu, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery: "Your Majesty, Princess Liyang has found someone to impersonate the Hermit of the Martial Temple in an attempt to cover up her murder of the Privy Councilor Yuan Cheng. Her intentions are treacherous, and she deserves to be executed!"
There was a great deal of discussion in the Zichen Palace until the eunuch announced in a loud voice: "Princess Liyang is here to pay her respects."
The hall was quiet for a short while.
The eunuch instructed Old Man Yao to wait outside the palace. Princess Liyang, braving the wind and snow outside, stepped over the high threshold and into the palace.
Without looking to the side, she walked to the throne, knelt down, and said loudly, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty, and humbly wishes Your Majesty a long and prosperous life, a stable and secure empire, and peace throughout the land."
She has always referred to herself as "your subject," a practice that Emperor Jing had already granted her special permission to do so.
At this moment, Yuan Xiang sat on a golden nanmu chair in the hall, looking old and drowsy. He only glanced at Princess Li Yang before closing his eyes again.
Among the civil officials who were behind him, 80% remained silent and 20% condemned him.
On the other side of the main hall, Yuan Hengli and Zhen, along with other military officers, were loudly berating Princess Liyang. Lu Jin, however, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and remained silent, as if the events in the hall had nothing to do with him.
Princess Liyang ignored her and looked up at Emperor Jing on the throne.
At one point, she suddenly realized that her father had truly aged, so much so that even lifting his eyes was difficult. The dragon robe draped over his body hung loosely, like a borrowed garment.
Emperor Jing slowly spoke: "Li Yang, are what you ministers have said true?"
The hall fell silent as everyone waited for her answer.
After a long silence, Li Yang said loudly, "It is true. Mr. Yao is not a hermit of Wumiao Mountain. I was mistaken."
A chorus of curses erupted in the hall. A man stepped forward from behind Lu Jin and stood in the center of the hall: "Your Majesty, I request that you once again strip Princess Liyang of her title and exile her to Ningguta!"
The Vice Minister of the Chancellery stepped forward and declared loudly, “Your Majesty, Princess Liyang has acted recklessly for many years, associating with foreign officials, privately keeping assassins, and colluding with border generals. Every single one of these acts is well-documented. Today, she has once again deceived the Emperor, using the name of the Martial Temple to swindle and cheat. We must not allow her to escape justice any longer!”
"The death of Privy Councilor Yuan Cheng is shrouded in mystery and requires a thorough investigation. Princess Li Yang claims that Yuan Cheng died at the hands of pirates, so why is she unharmed while Yuan Cheng is the one who died?"
"Our envoy Jiang Xiansheng died outside Chongli Pass, and Princess Liyang is also to blame!"
"When Princess Liyang was sent as an envoy to the Ning Dynasty, she used her beauty to curry favor with men and colluded with Chen Ji, the Martial Lord of Ning Dynasty. How can our princess submit to a traitor from the Southern Dynasty and humiliate our national prestige?"
Some of the ministers echoed loudly, some lowered their heads and remained silent, and some secretly raised their eyes to observe Emperor Jing's expression on the throne.
However, at that moment, an anxious and shrill voice came from outside the hall: "Hey, you can't go in, wait outside..."
Everyone turned their heads at the same time.
In the light outside the palace gates, a hunched figure slowly stepped into the hall. (End of Chapter)