Chapter 217: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 217: Bestowed the Title of Princess
Lately, the Xu clan rebels had been spreading rumors in Jiangnan, exaggerating the defeat of Li Yi and Chang Kuo, insisting that Her Majesty’s fate was at its end, and boasting that they would soon march into the capital to force Her Majesty to return the throne to the Li’s Crown Prince.
The response grew by the day. Not only did many officials and Aristocrats who were already discontent with Her Majesty’s rule lend support, but numerous factions with selfish motives also fanned the flames from the shadows.
Moreover, the Xu rebels conscripted by force wherever they went. Though they had risen only a few short months ago, they already commanded over a hundred thousand troops—their power expanding with alarming speed.
The hearts of both court and people grew restless.
On this day at morning court, the Holy Emperor met with her ministers to deliberate on pacifying the rebellion. Some officials vehemently impeached Li Yi, claiming the unfavorable progress of the war was due to his incompetence and demanding He Be replaced as commander.
Others objected, arguing that changing generals mid-campaign would shatter the army’s morale.
Many also proposed rallying the feudal lords to join forces in suppressing the rebels.
Yet this too was opposed: who could guarantee those lords bore no hidden ambitions? To let them march troops might only hand them an excuse to grow their own power—raising a tiger to future peril.
Amidst the clamor, the Holy Emperor remained silent until Left Chancellor Changsun Yuan stepped forth. Standing tall before the hundred officials, he looked toward the dragon throne where the Empress sat and said solemnly:
“Your Majesties’ ministers speak only of temporary measures that address appearances but not the root—
This minister has a plan that can once and for all eradicate the hidden danger, pacify this war, and unite all hearts. I only do not know whether Your Majesty is willing to act.”
“As long as it can save the Great Sheng from peril,” the Empress replied calmly, “as sovereign, I must heed it.”
Changsun Yuan bowed slightly, his voice clear and forceful:
“Then this minister dares to entreat—may Your Majesty return the throne to Crown Prince Li Zhi!”
The golden hall fell into dead silence. A chilling sense of dread spread swiftly.
The Crown Prince’s face went pale; he stared at the Chancellor in disbelief.
“Know that the banner beneath which the Xu rebels rose was precisely the call to restore power to the Li heir. That they could rally more than a hundred thousand men proves where the hearts of the people lie!”
Changsun Yuan’s voice carried across the hall:
“If Your Majesty would yield, the rebels would lose their cause and collapse. The world would return its loyalty, and the Li dynasty would stand secure!”
“This minister has spoken. Might Your Majesty, for the sake of the Great Sheng’s rivers and mountains and its people, consider stepping down to the honored rank of Retired Emperor?”
Though his words sounded respectful, they were meant to force abdication. That he suggested “Retired Emperor” instead of “Empress Dowager” was, in his eyes, already giving her face.
The faction loyal to the throne turned ashen; some moved to speak but were restrained by Wei Shuyi.
On the dragon throne, the Empress showed neither shock nor anger.
“If such an act can rescue the Li dynasty from fire and water, I shall not hesitate. Today, here in this hall, I can immediately hold the abdication rite—”
She raised her hand, removed the imperial crown, and handed it to the eunuch beside her, bidding him deliver it to the Crown Prince.
The court erupted in alarm. Several ministers prostrated themselves, crying out in shock:
“Your Majesty!”
The Empress turned her head slightly toward the Crown Prince. Her voice carried neither joy nor sorrow:
“Yet, since this is for the stability of the dynasty, I must ask: does the Crown Prince believe himself already capable of governing the realm? If so, my heart may be at ease.”
The eunuch, trembling, brought the crown before the Crown Prince. The hanging pearls swayed with his shaking hands—but the prince trembled even more.
Changsun Yuan’s voice rang out:
“Your Highness is already thirteen. It is time you shoulder the fate of the dynasty!”
But the boy only sweated coldly, his lips quivering. Changsun Yuan fell to his knees:
“This minister Changsun Yuan beseeches the Crown Prince to inherit the throne—for the greater good!”
At once, many officials followed suit, kneeling and crying:
“We implore the Crown Prince to inherit the throne!”
The Empress, hair streaked with white, remained still upon the throne, quietly watching as they sought to raise the trembling boy.
The Crown Prince summoned his courage to glance up at the throne—but at the instant his eyes met the Empress’s, his courage collapsed. Terror drowned him.
He dropped to his knees, voice breaking:
“This son has not yet the ability to govern—may Your Majesty withdraw the decree!”
“Your Highness!” Changsun Yuan’s voice sank with frustration.
But the boy pressed his forehead to the floor, now bleeding, weeping:
“My lords… I am still young… I cannot bear the weight of the realm…!”
A thirteen-year-old child’s words were already edged with fear and sobs.
Changsun Yuan’s heart burned with grief and fury.
This was the finest moment to force abdication. He, Changsun Yuan, with so many ministers pressing with their very lives—yet even so, they could not prop up this weakling prince!
This was the heir Her Majesty herself had raised!
The ministers tried again to persuade, but the Crown Prince knocked his head bloody, crying in terror:
“I beg Your Majesty, rescind this order!”
The Empress sighed lightly. The eunuch, understanding, carried the crown back up the steps and gently placed it upon the desk before the throne.
Her gaze returned to the kneeling ministers:
“The Crown Prince refuses again and again—how can I entrust him with such a heavy charge?
Then I must ask you, Lord Changsun: in such turmoil, to demand I abdicate for a child—is this not to seize power through a puppet, plunging the dynasty into chaos?”
The Empress rose, her tone stern and cold.
Changsun Yuan raised his head.
“This minister is loyal to the Li dynasty, without treachery! It is Your Majesty who, though once claiming to act only as regent, has long delayed in returning power. This very usurpation brought about today’s disaster! For speaking truth, we are guilty of nothing—before Heaven, before the late emperor, before the people of this land—what fault have we?”
“A fine ‘what fault have we!’” the Empress’s voice thundered.
“At this perilous hour, even changing generals is dangerous—let alone changing sovereigns! Not only do we face rebellion, but also foreign foes eye our borders. At such a time you demand abdication to enthrone a child—where does that leave the safety of the Great Sheng? Are you truly without fault? Truly without shame?”
“And as for the Xu rebellion—is it my fault, or the result of collusion from within the court? Lord Changsun, you know better than I!”
Changsun Yuan blanched. Before he could answer, another official stepped forth:
“…The Xu rebels claim they can soon enter the capital—surely there must be traitors in the court! We beg Your Majesty to investigate!”
Others echoed one by one:
“Indeed! The loss of the grain convoy was suspicious—surely someone leaked the transport routes!”
“All know that Xu Zhengye’s subordinate, Xue Ren, is kin by marriage to Lord Changsun’s household. If he rebelled, would he not attempt to win over the Chancellor? How can we believe Lord Changsun knew nothing?”
“And that traitor Luo Guanlin, when he served as Censor, was close to Lord Changsun as well!”
“We ministers beg that the Changsun clan be investigated for collusion with the rebels, to purge the court!”
The Holy Emperor immediately ordered the Palace Bureau and Imperial Guards to search the Changsun estate. Soon they returned with letters of correspondence as evidence.
Many officials declared: “Lord Changsun harbored treason long ago!”
“Any crime may be fabricated at will!” Changsun Yuan laughed coldly. “The Ming clan has long used such false charges—have you not wearied of it?”
He was accusing Her Majesty of framing him, just as the Ming family had once framed the Chang family’s son.
This was a trap long prepared, waiting only for today.
The scheme had been set from the moment Her Majesty resolved to deal with Ming Jin.
Feigning remorse, she first pretended to uphold righteousness against her own kin—yet it was already decided to uproot the Changsun clan entirely!
Changsun Yuan rose trembling, his eyes blazing with grief:
“…For more than a hundred years my Changsun clan has stood loyal to the Li dynasty—sharing its rise and fall! And now we must watch this realm perish at the hands of a foreign woman!”
The Empress closed her eyes briefly, her expression heavy with sorrow:
“Guards! Seize the traitor Changsun Yuan and imprison him for trial.”
Some ministers cried out “No!” and rushed to block the guards.
But the Empress’s gaze was ice-cold:
“Any who obstruct shall be deemed rebels allied with the Xu traitors—and executed alike!”
Her resolve to excise the Changsun clan was as the resolve to sever an arm.
Still some refused to yield. The guards, swords drawn, entered the hall and dragged them away.
Shouts of fury and curses echoed until they faded completely. Only then did the Empress lower her eyes and slowly sit once more upon the dragon throne.
When she looked across the ranks of ministers, many seats now lay conspicuously empty.
These men—whether high officials or heads of great clans—were tightly bound by mutual interests. To kill them was to cut away a cancer—but also to maim her own body.
This was why she had long hesitated to act.
The vacant high positions needed to be filled by capable men, otherwise the order of the realm would collapse. The discontent, public anger, and resistance brought about by such a move all had to be pacified one by one...
All of these were grave difficulties, and no matter how they were handled, they would leave behind endless troubles.
But as things stood, between Chang Shi and her, it had already become a life-or-death struggle. She needed to kill Chang Shi to temporarily quell the turmoil of the court, and she needed to kill Chang Shi to intimidate Xu’s rebellious army.
She had no choice but to strike first.
Overnight, the entire Changsun clan was thrown into prison, and all those implicated were dismissed from office and incarcerated.
The Empress acted like a raging storm; in an instant, both the imperial court and the entire capital were shrouded in a bloody tempest.
At dawn, Chang Suining stood under the eaves, watching a frost-covered dead leaf drift down in the morning light.
The men of the Chang family who were escorting grain supplies had already left the capital days ago. She had not gone with them — not because she didn’t wish to, but because she could not.
Though the matter was permitted by the Ministry of Revenue, the Empress could not possibly be unaware. If she herself had joined the escort party, this journey would never have been approved.
Even if the Empress was preoccupied with affairs of state, she would not stand idly by and watch her leave the capital together with her elder brother and the others to search for their father. The suspicion was too great, and the act far too conspicuous.
Instead of inviting the Empress’s suspicion and thereby ensuring that none of them would escape, the best way was to first let the Chang family’s men travel far ahead with the grain. Afterwards, she and her elder brother could leave separately “in search of a physician.”
This escort mission was handled by the old veteran soldiers who had once served under Chang Kuo. Most of those who needed to go had already departed, leaving behind mostly bondservants granted by imperial decree.
With both men and grain already gone, when she and her brother departed next, it would be far simpler.
“Ning Ning, look!”
In the courtyard, Chang Sui'an, supported by Jiantong, suddenly called out to her, smiling: “Today I can already walk half a circle!”
Chang Suining smiled as well and nodded to him.
The imperial physician sent to treat Chang Sui'an’s injuries, along with several eunuchs who came daily to “visit,” also smiled broadly.
“…The young master of the Chang family is recovering so quickly; in less than a hundred days, he will surely regain full strength and move as before!”
Chang Suining replied with a gentle smile: “Let us hope so.”
Then she suggested to Chang Sui'an:
“Since elder brother can now walk, then tomorrow let us go to Dayun Temple to fulfill our vow. You cannot endure long travels, so we shall stay in the temple for a few days.”
Chang Sui'an understood and nodded: “Good!”
The physician then gave instructions on matters requiring care.
When the eunuchs returned to the palace, they reported this to the Holy Emperor Shengce.
The Holy Emperor then instructed:
“Go to Dayun Temple with My oral decree. The young master of the Chang family is injured; let the monks there tend to him with greater care.”
Although the abbot of the temple was Wu Jue, many monks were her eyes and ears. While attending to the siblings, they could also observe every move they made in the temple.
Yet precisely because of this, the Holy Emperor never truly thought Chang Suining would use this vow-paying trip to attempt anything.
Earlier, when she had heard the Chang family wished to escort grain and funds to aid the army, she had for a moment suspected that the girl might take the chance to leave the capital. But as it turned out, she had not.
Therefore, the Holy Emperor permitted the Ministry of Revenue to approve the matter, and at the same time, she set aside some of her wariness.
Besides, the government was in chaos and urgency lately. Her mind and vision were fully occupied — apart from purging and suppressing the Changsun faction, there was also a recent secret report from the Western Regions. It stated that Tubo’s expansion had grown fiercer: border states were either annexed or forced into submission.
And Tubo’s appetite was clearly not limited to that; of late, they had shown intentions of harassing Tuyuhun, Da Sheng’s neighboring ally.
Late at night, the Holy Emperor concealed her weariness and summoned Ming Luo.
Ming Luo soon arrived.
Since the affair at the Confucian Temple, she had not been allowed to attend to the Holy Emperor in the Ganlu Hall.
She knew the reason well: first, because she was of the Ming family, and Ming Jin had committed a grave error. At such a time, her constant presence before the throne would invite unnecessary censure.
And now that the Changsun clan had been imprisoned… was her aunt going to restore her to favor?
But Ming Luo was perfectly clear in her heart: the long absence from the imperial presence was not merely because she was of the Ming family. On that day in the Confucian Temple, when the Chang clan had spoken of Chang Suining being a “calamity star,” her aunt had glanced at her in that way…
Her aunt — what sort of person was she? How could she not have suspicions?
So, rather than believing she would be restored to favor, Ming Luo was more inclined to think: now that the Empress had momentarily quelled the chaos in court, she finally had leisure to punish her.
Should she deny to her death, or find some excuse to beg for leniency?
Ming Luo envisioned many possible punishments awaiting her — but she had never imagined that what awaited her would be an imperial decree of enfeoffment.
When she bowed and knelt, she heard the eunuch loudly proclaim:
“…Ming Luo, daughter of the Duke of Yingguo, who since childhood has resided in the palace and attended upon Us for many years, receiving Our instruction. Noble in disposition, prudent and virtuous, gentle yet firm, wise and talented, able to share in Our burdens — therefore We now enfeoff you as Princess Gu’an, bestowing upon you a golden register, to be honored with everlasting favor. Thus decreed!”
Ming Luo froze in astonishment.
Her aunt had not punished her, but instead conferred upon her the title of princess… Why?!
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