novelAbuy Chapter 27: Princess Pingyang: What does it matter to me whether the Wei family lives or dies?
Chapter 27: Princess Pingyang: What does it matter to me whether the Wei family lives or dies?
That day and night, at the General's Mansion.
"Princess."
A middle-aged female official entered the inner room and stood respectfully in front of the couch.
"How does the General look today?"
Princess Pingyang leaned against the couch, wearing only a silk undergarment, her snow-white skin faintly visible.
Her face was as full and bright as a new moon, with soft features yet an air of authority. Her brows shone with a brilliance that had become even more dazzling after years of experience, and her sharp, beautiful eyes saw through the vicissitudes of life. No one could tell that she was already 54 years old.
"Reporting to Your Highness."
The female official's cool voice rang out: "The General had some medicinal soup today, and his appetite was great; he ate quite a bit of roasted mutton."
"The physician sent by the Imperial Household Department said that the General's health has been properly treated and his spirits have recovered very well."
"That's good."
Princess Pingyang's eyelids twitched slightly, and her tense heartstrings eased a little.
She married Wei Qing because she valued his promising future: Grand Marshal, General-in-Chief, Marquis of Changping, and the foremost figure in the Han army.
Unexpectedly, years of fighting had taken a toll on Wei Qing's health, to the point that Wei Qing, in the prime of his life, was ill at home and refused to see outsiders.
If Wei Qing were to pass away, Princess Pingyang would likely fall from grace and into despair. Therefore, she constantly sought out physicians from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Imperial Household Department, and even searched for renowned doctors from the common people to treat her.
"Princess."
The female official hesitated for a moment, then looked at Princess Pingyang on the couch.
"explain."
Princess Pingyang parted her red lips slightly and uttered a single word.
"promise."
The female official then spoke up: "The three young generals have entered the Crown Prince's Palace and will be appointed as Earls, with a salary of four hundred shi (a unit of grain).
*Whoosh!*
Princess Pingyang's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Wei Qing had three sons: Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, and Wei Deng. In the fifth year of Yuanshuo (124 BC), he was enfeoffed as a marquis with a fief of 1300 households.
These three children were not hers, but rather the children of Wei Qing and his wives and concubines, and their relationship with her had always been lukewarm.
For this reason, in the first year of Yuanding (116 BC), Wei Kang (eldest son) was stripped of his title for falsely conveying an imperial edict without causing serious consequences; Wei Buyi (second son) and Wei Deng (third son) lost their titles due to the loss of gold in the fifth year of Yuanding (112 BC), and she never pleaded with Emperor Wu of Han for them.
In any case, Wei Qing only had these three sons. If Wei Qing passed away, the title of Marquis of Changping would inevitably fall to the three of them.
Therefore, even though the three men lost their titles, they still thrived in Chang'an, and no one dared to offend them.
Why did these three choose to enter the Crown Prince's palace and become minor officials with a salary of four hundred bushels of grain? It was simply to side with the Crown Prince.
To outsiders, this action was seen as a collective decision of the Wei family, or rather, an instruction from Wei Qing, and she, as the matriarch of the Wei family, could not escape it either.
"Princess."
"The eldest princess personally sent 100,000 catties of gold, 30,000 bolts of silk, and one million coins to the Crown Prince's palace."
"Anything else?"
Princess Pingyang sat up from the couch and asked with an unfriendly expression.
"She also took the Marquis of Pingyang to the Crown Prince's Palace."
"News from the Crown Prince's palace indicates that the Marquis of Pingyang and Consort Shi's younger brother will be raised by the Crown Prince's Consort Shi together, serving as companions to the Imperial Grandson."
The female official answered with her head bowed.
"Bang!!!"
Princess Pingyang was furious and couldn't help but throw the teacup beside the couch, which smashed heavily on the ground and shattered into countless pieces.
"What is she going to do?"
"Wasn't killing Xiang'er enough for her? Does she also want to drag the Pingyang Marquis's mansion to its doom?"
Princess Pingyang's eyes were filled with hatred, and her face was as ferocious as a demon.
Her first husband was Cao Shou, the Marquis of Pingyang, which is why outsiders called her Princess Pingyang. In fact, her title was Yangxin.
Marquis Pingyang, Cao Xiang, was her son with Cao Shou and Princess Pingyang's only offspring. He died of illness at the young age of twenty-six.
In Princess Pingyang's heart, she always believed that Princess Wei had killed her only child. Cao Zong was the son of Cao Xiang and Princess Wei, and the sole heir of the Pingyang Marquis's mansion. Whether she liked it or not, this was the truth.
If the Pingyang Marquis's mansion were to disappear, Princess Pingyang would be nothing but a joke in the eyes of the world.
Princess Wei Chang's actions undoubtedly enraged Princess Pingyang to the extreme, as they touched upon the very point that Princess Pingyang cared about most.
"Princess."
"His Majesty has issued an edict stripping the Crown Prince of forty counties of his fiefdom."
The news added by the female official made Princess Pingyang unable to hold back any longer.
"Foolish woman, she wants to ruin the legacy left by my Xiang'er!"
Princess Pingyang's heart-wrenching roar echoed in the inner room.
With the Crown Prince having lost the Emperor's favor to this extent, the fact that Marquis Pingyang, Cao Zong, was raised by the Crown Prince's concubine is clearly a death sentence for the Pingyang Marquis's family.
"It seems the Wei family is putting all their hopes on the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince's Palace is now filled with the descendants of the eighteen marquises who made great contributions to the founding of the dynasty."
"Today, His Majesty also issued an edict demoting General Zhao Ponu of the Xiongnu River to the position of Prefect of Dunhuang. Zhao Ponu's eldest son, Zhao Anguo, is the Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince."
The female official added again.
"My nephew has lost his mind."
"Without forty counties under his control, how could he cultivate his power?"
"Does he really think that the Empress and the three princesses' fiefdoms can support him in opposing His Majesty?"
Princess Pingyang had no opinion of Crown Prince Liu Ju.
In her view, Liu Ju, the crown prince, came from Emperor Wu of Han and had lost the emperor's trust; sooner or later he would be deposed.
She had experienced the bloodshed of the previous dynasty. Before Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, became the crown prince, her mother, Empress Dowager Wang, was just a favored concubine of Emperor Jing. Apart from Empress Bo, the most powerful person in the harem was none other than Consort Li, the mother of the then crown prince Liu Rong.
In the end, however, Empress Dowager Wang proved to be more astute and secured the position of Crown Prince for Liu Che, enabling him to become emperor.
Now that the Wei family has lost power and Empress Wei has long lost Emperor Wu of Han's favor, what makes Liu Ju, the crown prince, able to hold onto his position?
"Princess."
"What about the Marquis of Pingyang's residence?"
The female official cautiously mentioned Marquis Pingyang, Cao Zong.
"Ignorant and foolish woman."
Princess Pingyang's beautiful eyes flashed with a fierce light as she coldly said, "Whether she wants to die is none of my business."
"The Pingyang Marquis's mansion must not be buried with the Wei family."
"How is Li Shi?"
"Princess."
The lady-in-waiting immediately replied, "Li is intelligent and skilled in singing and dancing. She learns palace etiquette very quickly and will be able to complete her training soon."
"Um."
Princess Pingyang's eyes flashed with a strange light as she instructed, "Tell Li Yannian."
"Let him think about how the Wei family rose to power; it's not enough for Li to rise to prominence on a branch."
"promise."
The female official responded and left.
"The Wei family! Your Majesty!"
Princess Pingyang kept calculating in her heart. If she could support Empress Wei, she might be able to support Empress Li as well. It all depended on Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. At least she believed that her younger brother had lost all patience with the Wei family and urgently needed a new family to replace them.
For her, Wei Qing was her husband, but she had more than one husband. Power and status were what Princess Pingyang cared about most.
As long as she can place her own people in the palace, she can protect Marquis Pingyang, Cao Zong, and preserve her own wealth and status in the future.