After the Mid-Autumn Festival.
An urgent memorial, delivered over eight hundred miles, landed on Emperor Chongzhao’s desk.
The next day at court.
He passed the memorial down for the officials to see.
“At the border between Nanning and Great Zhou, two conflicts of considerable scale have erupted. An official from their side was killed, and they want compensation.”
The Minister of Revenue immediately caught the key word: “Compensation? Was that county magistrate killed by our soldiers?”
Emperor Chongzhao glanced at him, saying with amusement: “Of course not. If Great Zhou soldiers had killed a Nanning official, the conflict would have escalated to a national level. Their county magistrate was killed by villagers from a Great Zhou village.”
That county magistrate had stepped on vegetables growing in the commoners’ fields, trampling several plants. Afterward, not only did he not apologize, but he also behaved inappropriately. During the ensuing conflict, he was accidentally killed.
After taking turns reading the memorial, the officials didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
A military official said: “This only proves the bravery of our Great Zhou people.”
The Minister of Revenue said: “Compensation is impossible. If we compensate, wouldn’t it show that our Great Zhou has no backbone?”
The Minister of Rites carefully examined the memorial and said: “This is a letter of condemnation from the Nanning Emperor. Regardless, it was our Great Zhou side that killed their official. Not compensating would damage the dignity of our great nation.”
Emperor Chongzhao tapped his fingertips on the dragon throne’s armrest.
He looked down at the First, Second, and Third Princes.
“What do you three think? Should we compensate or not?”
The officials stopped their discussion and looked at the three princes standing in front.
Seeing that none of them volunteered to speak, Emperor Chongzhao began calling on them: “Eldest?”
The First Prince said with difficulty: “Your son feels that compensating would be somewhat humiliating.”
Emperor Chongzhao: “Second.”
Second Prince: “Great Zhou is a nation of propriety. If the other side shows enough sincerity in their attitude, it wouldn’t hurt for Great Zhou to provide some compensation.”
Emperor Chongzhao: “Third.”
Third Prince: “I agree with Eldest Brother. I think it’s better not to compensate.”
“Good.”
Emperor Chongzhao swept his gaze over them and said calmly: “I’ll give you two days to think carefully. Two days later, submit your memorials and debate in court. Make sure your arguments have substance; don’t disappoint me.”
This was the first time he had used friction between nations as a test question in court to examine the princes.
“Yes, Father Emperor!”
–
East Six Palaces.
After classes at the academy.
Master Fang kept Qu Dubian behind under the pretext of extra tutoring.
The two went to a side hall.
Master Fang: “Today in court, His Majesty asked the First, Second, and Third Princes how to handle the matter of a Nanning county magistrate being killed by Great Zhou commoners.”
“This is considered the first formal test question His Majesty has given them. The princes take it seriously, as do the court officials. Your Highness, do you think this compensation should be given or not?”
Qu Dubian sat cross-legged opposite him, one hand supporting his chin, the other tossing an empty cup back and forth. After thinking, he said:
“Actually, what we think doesn’t matter. Father Emperor will make the final decision.”
“Mm.”
“My Great Zhou borders both the Northern Frontier and Nanning, while between Nanning and the Northern Frontier, mountains serve as a natural barrier. This is more disadvantageous than advantageous for Great Zhou, as it could easily lead to being caught in a pincer attack.”
“Currently, the unrest in the Northern Frontier regions from a few years ago has been suppressed under the joint efforts of Princess Axiang and the old Marquis. Although there are still disturbances, it’s relatively stable. Plus, with General Xia Hong now stationed there, we don’t need to worry about the situation in the Northern Frontier, at least for the next few years.”
Master Fang spread out a piece of paper and circled three areas, representing Great Zhou, Nanning, and the Northern Frontier regions.
Qu Dubian moved closer to look, quite interested.
This was the first time Master Fang had taught him about national affairs. Although he couldn’t intervene, he definitely needed to understand. Living in an ancient dynasty without understanding the bigger picture, choosing to close one’s eyes and ears, one wouldn’t even know how they died.
“The Nanning Emperor is ambitious. Since his ascension, he has caused His Majesty several concerns. Friction at Zhennan Pass has occurred repeatedly, and the people on both sides have become like mortal enemies. This killing of the county magistrate is merely a sudden eruption of long-accumulated emotions.”
Qu Dubian keenly asked: “Are you suggesting that Great Zhou is about to go to war with Nanning?”
Master Fang smiled: “This old man was appointed as Imperial Tutor during the previous emperor’s reign and taught your father. I watched him grow up step by step and understand his temperament quite well. If it were ten or eight years later, when His Majesty’s age advances, he would seek stability.”
“But now, His Majesty is still in his prime.”
No ambitious emperor wouldn’t want to add another achievement to his name in the history books.
Qu Dubian: “Your guess has no formal basis.”
Master Fang winked: “Want to bet with this old man?”
“No, you’ve tricked me twice already. This time I agree with you.”
Qu Dubian smiled and poured him a cup of tea: “Please drink.”
Master Fang laughed heartily: “Little fox.”
–
The First Prince’s mansion.
The First Prince was deep in thought.
A piece of paper before him was still completely blank.
Advisor Dou Shun said: “Your Highness, why don’t I write it first, and then if you think it’s acceptable, you can rewrite it in your own words. How about that?”
The First Prince glared: “Wouldn’t that be cheating?”
Dou Shun: “…”
He smiled.
Weren’t you cheating quite frequently in the academy when you were young?
The First Prince seemed to understand what he wanted to say, coughed awkwardly, and said: “That was when I was young. Now I’m married, I’m a man, I must take responsibility. Besides, I’m thinking right now, aren’t I? Stop interrupting and disturbing my train of thought.”
Dou Shun: “Your Highness, His Majesty will ask tomorrow at court. If you still don’t have any ideas, it will be too late.”
First Prince: “Let me think a bit more. If I can’t come up with anything by tonight, then you can stay up and write it for me.”
Dou Shun: “…”
–
Meanwhile.
The Third Prince came to the Second Prince’s mansion.
He was visiting.
The Second Prince was currently bent over his desk, with many seemingly discarded papers around him.
Third Prince looked around: “Second Brother, you’re working so hard.”
Hearing his voice, the Second Prince seemed to suddenly awaken from his thoughts and hurriedly tidied up the area.
“Third Brother, just find a place to sit. My place is really too messy.”
He shook his head and sighed: “It’s not hard work, I just really have no clue. Look, I’ve wasted so much good paper, and I still haven’t figured out what to say tomorrow.”
Third Prince: “I actually don’t have any ideas either, so I came here to clear my mind.”
In truth, he had already written his response, but he felt something was missing, which was why he came to visit.
Second Prince: “You know, I chose to compensate in court, but I haven’t decided whether to compensate with silver or something else. It’s really giving me a headache.”
He pressed his temples and casually tossed a stack of written papers, “What my study companion wrote is also useless. I’ve analyzed it and found no reference value.”
“Indeed,” the Third Prince nodded, but as his gaze swept over the papers the Second Prince had thrown, it suddenly fixed on a certain spot.
He pulled out the middle sheet, looked at it for a moment, and his eyes subtly lit up. Suppressing the excitement in his voice, he asked: “Second Brother, can I take this paper with me?”
“Which one?”
“This one.”
“What use is that? It doesn’t even have a conclusion written on it,” the Second Prince frowned and said, “Do as you wish. If there’s anything else that might inspire you, take it too.”
He was usually like this, neither competitive nor outstanding.
The First Prince and Third Prince didn’t get along with each other, but both could get along with the Second Prince.
The Third Prince didn’t stand on ceremony with him: “Thank you, Second Brother.”
After speaking, he hurriedly left, even forgetting to close the study room door.
The Second Prince sat amidst the scattered papers, raised his head, watched his retreating figure, and slightly tugged at his lips.
–
The next day at court.
The three princes expounded on whether or not to compensate Nanning.
The First Prince said not to compensate. Even the commoners of Great Zhou would not tolerate Nanning’s trampling. If they compensated, wouldn’t it damage Great Zhou’s national prestige and disappoint the people?
Regardless of whether he wrote it himself, the tone was resounding and passionate, winning the approval of some military officials.
The Second Prince said to compensate. Great Zhou was a nation of propriety and should not quibble over minor details. Since their side was at fault, an apology with compensation was appropriate. As for Nanning’s other unreasonable demands, they could be ignored.
The Third Prince said not to compensate, first agreeing with what the First Prince said, then adding: “But not compensating might provoke Nanning’s anger, leading them to start a war. At that time, the justification for war would be on their side, not Great Zhou’s. Whether we compensate or not, Great Zhou must hold the moral high ground.”
This seemingly balanced answer greatly pleased Emperor Chongzhao, who praised the Third Prince in Qianji Hall for his comprehensive thinking.
The First Prince looked very displeased at the beaming Third Prince, who raised the corner of his mouth and returned a smile.
“Actually, I just thought of this after being inspired by Eldest Brother’s answer.”
First Prince smiled insincerely: “Then you’re really great.”
In the First Prince’s view, the Third Prince choosing ‘no compensation’ like him was competing with him. Now that the Third Prince had received praise, he had lost by a step.
The Second Prince stood in his position, silent as usual, never participating in the rivalry between his eldest brother and third brother.
–
Great Zhou did not immediately compensate Nanning, delaying again and again.
The Nanning Emperor became increasingly dissatisfied, sending multiple diplomatic letters expressing condemnation.
Meanwhile, conflicts at the border between Nanning and Great Zhou grew more serious, with tensions between the two countries accumulating.
Qu Dubian kept waiting for news of war.
A month later, the Nanning Emperor, extremely indignant, wrote in a diplomatic letter:
“Nanning only seeks compensation, yet your country’s monarch ignores it to this extent, which is utterly shameless!”
He then suppressed the anti-war faction that opposed going to war, preparing to wage war against Great Zhou under the pretext of ‘appeasing public anger.’ His actions were very swift, clearly indicating prior preparation.
However, at this moment, Emperor Chongzhao suddenly agreed to compensate, offering a thousand taels of gold to Nanning.
The accompanying envoy was even a highly respected royal relative, making Great Zhou’s apology seem very sincere.
The Nanning Emperor was momentarily speechless. With the reason for war gone, the anti-war faction in his country immediately counterattacked.
He had to temporarily suppress his ambitions.
Unexpectedly, when Great Zhou’s envoys carrying the gold reached the Nanning border, that highly respected royal relative was suddenly killed by Nanning commoners in an extremely cruel manner.
Emperor Chongzhao was furious and wrote in a diplomatic letter:
“Great Zhou was willing to reconcile and, to show sincerity, prepared for months to deliver compensation over thousands of miles. Yet your monarch killed Great Zhou’s envoy, which is extremely unjust!”
The officials of Great Zhou all felt humiliated and were indignant. They subsequently declared war on Nanning under the righteous name of ‘punishing injustice.’
Nanning Emperor: “…”
You dog, what a performance.
How could their Nanning commoners bypass multiple layers of security to kill a Great Zhou royal relative? Who would believe such a blatant lie?
Great Zhou’s emperor was truly shameless!
–
“This is the necessity of having a ‘righteous cause’ for war, which is very important. If one punishes injustice, Great Zhou becomes a righteous army. If one is being punished, then morally, one is at a disadvantage.”
After listening to Master Fang’s narration.
Qu Dubian: “So that unfortunate royal relative…?”
Master Fang: “Oh, His Majesty had disliked him for a long time. This assignment he was given, he thought it was a good opportunity, a lucrative position, and he wanted to take advantage of it.”
“His death was meant to fulfill Great Zhou’s ‘punishing injustice.’ As for how he died… there are thousands of ways to live and die. As long as the ultimate goal is achieved, no one will care about this.”
Qu Dubian: “How long will this war last?”
Master Fang pondered: “As short as a month, as long as half a year, I suppose.”
Qu Dubian looked at the hibiscus flowers outside the window.
A low branch extended obliquely into the window.
“We should win, right?”
…
Autumn of the 16th year of Chongzhao’s reign.
Great Zhou went to war with Nanning. The battle was fierce, continuing for three months without pause. Xia Hong was secretly ordered to Zhennan Pass, commanding the three divisions there.
That year, snow fell.
The capital city was covered with a thin layer of snow.
An urgent messenger galloped in on horseback, and as soon as he entered the city gate, he shouted:
“Great victory-! A great victory at Zhennan Pass!!”
Qu Dubian pushed open the window and leaned on the windowsill to watch the falling snow.
Winter of the 16th year of Chongzhao’s reign.
After the great victory at Zhennan Pass, Nanning was defeated, offering hostages to Great Zhou, and sending envoys to negotiate.
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
