novelSusiti Chapter 3: A Mother's Love, 3rd Guard
Chapter 3: A Mother's Love, 3rd Guard
The next day at noon, just as the bells of the Bell and Drum Towers had finished their last chime, Tian Heng, dressed in the black Qin King's ceremonial robes and a nine-ringed jade belt, slowly stepped into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The hall was filled with a complex aroma—the calming scent of ambergris, the bitterness of the medicinal soup, and a faint, musty smell.
The bright yellow curtains hung low, filtering the afternoon sunlight into dim, yellowish spots that moved slowly across the golden dragon pillars.
The old emperor leaned against a pile of brocade pillows, covered with a bright yellow satin quilt. His face was sallow and ashen, with deep sunken cheeks. Only his eyes, when occasionally opened, still held the sharpness of an emperor.
Upon seeing him enter, the old emperor made a hoarse sound in his throat, struggled to lift his eyelids, and stretched out his withered hand from under the covers, beckoning: "Heng'er... come closer."
Tian Heng stepped forward as instructed and knelt solemnly three steps before the dragon bed, his forehead touching the ground: "Your subject Tian Heng pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy good health and longevity."
"Peace and health?" The old emperor gave a self-deprecating smile, the smile appearing particularly desolate on his withered face. "No need for formalities, get up."
The eunuch quickly stepped forward to help Tian Heng to his feet.
The old emperor gestured for him to come closer, and only after Tian Heng sat down on the embroidered stool in front of the couch did he slowly speak, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows:
"The land of this Great Xia... is being hollowed out by termites. I have appointed you, the Prince of Qin, to govern Youzhou. Do you know... the difficulties I face?"
Tian Heng lowered his eyes and placed his hands neatly on his knees: "Your subject is foolish and dull, only knowing that Your Majesty wishes your subject to guard the northern border and share the burden of the country."
"Share the burden?" The old emperor suddenly coughed, his withered hands gripping the edge of the bed tightly, his knuckles turning blue and protruding. The eunuch hurriedly brought over a bowl of warm ginseng soup and carefully fed him a sip.
The old emperor caught his breath, but a deep twilight settled in his eyes as his clouded gaze swept over the indistinct, swaying figures outside the palace.
"Now, what is the true threat to Great Xia? The Northern Barbarians!" He paused to catch his breath after every few words, his speech slow yet each word piercing the heart.
"It's in the imperial court...it's those deeply entrenched aristocratic families!"
The hall was eerily quiet, save for the old emperor's labored breathing and the soft dripping of the water clock. He paused for a moment, then continued:
"The Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng... and even your mother's family, the Su clan, which one of them doesn't have students and former officials all over the prefectures and counties, with fields and shops stretching as far as the eye can see? When I wanted to reform the canal transport, they said it was a waste of manpower and resources. When I wanted to investigate hidden land, they jointly submitted a memorial accusing me of violating ancestral rules... Even the palace's expenses and the withdrawal of funds from the imperial treasury depend on their whims!"
The old emperor suddenly sat up, the brocade quilt slipping down to reveal his thin, bony shoulders. He stared intently at Tian Heng, his eyes burning with resentment:
"Do you know that during last year's snow disaster in the northern frontier, of the 300,000 taels of silver allocated by the imperial court for disaster relief, less than 50,000 taels actually reached the victims! The rest of the silver was skimmed off at each level, and who ended up in its own pocket?"
Cold sweat broke out on Tian Heng's back. Although he was careful with his words and actions in the palace, he had heard about these things to some extent. Now that his father had asked him about it to his face, he could only kowtow and say, "Your subject... has heard a little about it."
"I've heard so much about it!" The old emperor slumped back onto his pillow, his chest heaving violently, as if those words had exhausted all his strength.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was deep weariness. "Your two elder brothers only have eyes for that chair in the Eastern Palace."
Fen'er, relying on the Cui family's influence, and Ling'er, depended on the Lu family's support. They weren't vying for the crown prince position; they were fighting for the lifeline of the Great Xia Dynasty for the sake of the aristocratic families! If I were to forcibly depose and install an heir, I fear that tomorrow... tomorrow the capital would be a river of blood.
Tian Heng held his breath. Over the years, he had witnessed firsthand how his two elder brothers fought openly and covertly, and how they tried to win over court officials, but he had never imagined that his father, the emperor, saw things so clearly, and was so powerless to do anything about it.
The old emperor slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Tian Heng's face like a dry well, his voice as soft as a sigh:
"Your going to Youzhou is to avoid disaster and also to give up hope. If you stay in the capital, you will sooner or later become a puppet of the aristocratic families, or a stepping stone for others. Although Youzhou is bitterly cold, the emperor is far away and those hands... cannot reach that far for the time being."
Tian Heng was deeply shaken. He bowed again, his forehead touching the cold gold brick.
"Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable, and I am deeply grateful. However, the local forces in Youzhou are deeply entrenched, and I am young and lack virtue, so I fear I will not be able to win their hearts."
"I...have my own arrangements." The old emperor gestured to Zhao De'an, the chief eunuch.
Zhao De'an bent down and took out a black iron tiger tally from a hidden compartment. The tally was engraved with a ferocious tiger's head and gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.
The old emperor's withered fingers traced the patterns on the tiger tally, his voice gaining strength:
"The Imperial Guards are all veterans who retired from the northern frontier. These men have followed me for many years and have gone through countless battles. I personally selected them. The Tiger Tally is here. I personally selected three thousand men. From this day forward, they will only recognize you."
Tian Heng accepted the tiger tally with both hands. The iron tally was cold and heavy to the touch, still retaining the warmth of his father's palm.
The old emperor added, panting, each word spoken with difficulty but clarity:
"Now that you have established your own government, you may recruit your own staff. Remember, it is better to employ honest and upright men from humble backgrounds than to hire frivolous and extravagant men from aristocratic families. Those people... cannot be relied upon."
"Your subject...accepts the decree and expresses gratitude!" Tian Heng gripped the tiger tally tightly in his palm; its icy touch made him acutely aware of...
From this moment on, he was no longer the cautious and timid third prince in the palace, but the King of Qin who ruled over a region.
The old emperor remained silent for a long time, so long that Tian Heng thought he had fallen asleep from exhaustion, before he slowly spoke again, his voice softening slightly:
"There is one more thing. I have already issued an edict to betroth the eldest daughter of the Mingjing family, named Jingnan, to you as the Princess Consort of Qin."
Tian Heng suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with undisguised astonishment, which then turned into deep warmth.
Named Jingnan.
The woman who always wore elegant dresses and quietly read in the Imperial Garden. They had known each other since childhood, listening to the Grand Tutor's lectures together in the palace, admiring the snow under the plum trees, and playing chess together under the moonlight.
She was one of the few warm memories he had within these cold palace walls.
"You and that child have known each other since childhood, and you get along well." The old emperor saw through his thoughts, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
"Although the Mingjing family is of noble birth, they have never been involved in factional struggles. They have no real power in the court and no local connections. This marriage will not cause you any trouble, but will only give you a home."
He paused, a rare genuine warmth appearing in his eyes: "That child is kind-hearted. With her by your side, your mother and I... can find some comfort."
Tian Heng's throat tightened slightly, many words welling up on his lips, but in the end, they all turned into a solemn promise: "Your subject... will certainly not fail Anan."
"Good..." The old emperor seemed relieved, his expression relaxing somewhat. He gestured to Zhao De'an again, this time presenting a sandalwood brocade box.
The box lid is secured with a royal-style nine-dragon hidden lock, the keyhole of which has a unique design and cannot be opened without a specific key.
The old emperor pressed his withered fingers heavily on the box, his gaze suddenly sharpening like a knife as he stared intently at Tian Heng: "This contains a secret edict, which must never be opened unless the dynasty collapses and the imperial line is severed."
His voice was extremely low, yet every word struck Tian Heng's heart like a heavy hammer:
"Remember, I'm giving you this not so you can vie for the throne, but so you can... preserve the foundation of the nation. If that day truly comes, Youzhou will be the last flame of the Great Xia. You will be the last guardian of the Tian family's empire!"
Tian Heng knelt upright and raised his hands high to receive the brocade box. The box itself wasn't heavy, but he felt it weighed a ton.
He looked directly into his father's cloudy yet still sharp eyes, and said each word clearly and firmly, "Your subject, Tian Heng, swears to protect the foundation of the nation with his life and to live up to your trust, Father!"
The old emperor closed his eyes as if he had exhausted all his strength, waved his hand, and his voice was almost inaudible:
"Go...go to your mother's place, and also to Mingjing's residence. Tell that old bastard Mingjing Ning...I have entrusted my most precious Mingyu to his daughter."
Tian Heng kowtowed three times solemnly, then slowly withdrew from the hall. As he turned around, he took one last look at the lifeless body on the dragon bed and sighed deeply.
My father spent his entire life vying with powerful clans, trying to wrest back the throne from those deeply entrenched forces, but ultimately he was powerless to do so.
Now that his life is nearing its end, all he can do is leave behind his orphaned son, far away on the frontier, as a glimmer of hope for the Tian family's dynasty.
The sunlight outside the palace was blinding. Tian Heng squinted as he looked at the lone wild goose circling the palace wall in the distance, a mix of emotions welling up inside him.
There is the weight of being entrusted with a great responsibility, the relief of being away from conflict, and even more so, the confusion and anxiety about the future.
The weather in this great summer is probably really about to change.