Prince Qi silently savored his wine without speaking.
King Tushan didn’t mind, glanced around, and asked again, "Why hasn’t King Jin arrived yet? Could he still be with the Imperial Grandmother, indulging her with filial piety?"
Prince Qi put down his wine cup and smiled, "Perhaps."
King Tushan remarked with a hint of jealousy, "He truly knows how to please everyone."
Glancing at Prince Qi’s expression, he added, "You said the Imperial Grandmother doesn’t care much for you or me, but why does she favor him more than the Crown Prince?"
Prince Qi smiled faintly and said, "You’ve indeed asked the right person! You’re not unaware of my predicament. I won’t hide it from you, except for Fu Yun, no one in the palace is particularly close to me, so what could I possibly know?"
King Tushan sighed.
He indeed lacked favor, but Prince Qi...
King Tushan whispered, "I do have some guesses, though I’m uncertain if they’re accurate."
Prince Qi replied intelligently, "Oh? Let’s hear them."
King Tushan lowered his voice further, "Perhaps it has to do with his mother. I shouldn’t say much more. The Crown Prince is weak and ill; I fear in the future, both Empress Lin and the Empress Dowager might rely on King Jin."
For someone as reserved as King Tushan to say such words, it was indeed a sign of trust.
Prince Qi whispered, "So that’s how it is. We should just await our father’s decree to leave the Capital City and stay in our own fiefs for our own lives."
King Tushan glanced at Prince Qi, an expression of veiled sympathy fleeting across his face.
Historically, deposed crown princes never met good ends, either confined or killed.
Deposed Crown Prince Liu Rong was falsely imprisoned and then took his own life. Didn’t Emperor Jing of Han know his son died unjustly?
But for the sake of his other son, Liu Che, he allowed others to frame and humiliate Liu Rong.
That was in the distant past. Closer to our times, the previous dynasty’s Crown Prince’s birth mother was noble beyond compare, from the Wang Family. Yet, the Emperor fell in love with a woman from a lowly merchant background, and for her, he destroyed his own maternal uncle who supported him to the throne, found an excuse to depose Queen Wang, and within a year deposed the Crown Prince.
The deposed Crown Prince was exiled to his fief. To survive, he often disguised himself as a woman and moved about stealthily, frequently relying on divination to determine fortune and misfortune. Despite being so concerned for his life, he lived less than two years.
The Wang Family, unable to bear such humiliation, led the aristocratic families to carve up the dynasty, and the former imperial family gradually declined and eventually perished.
In our current dynasty, the Grand Ancestor summarized the reasons for the rise and fall of the previous dynasty, lamenting how the previous emperor neglected the state for personal affairs, unsuited to rule, likely to be scorned by ancestors in the netherworld, and ordered future generations to take heed. Permitting the Imperial Censorate to report rumors, even if the claims were false, no punishment was administered.
Therefore, although the Emperor favors Empress Lin, he does not dare to go too far publicly.
The Crown Prince has yet to ascend to the throne, allowing both Prince Qi and Princess Fuyun to live well, enhancing Empress Lin’s reputation.
If one day...
It is feared that Empress Lin might not be willing to leave Prince Qi a way out.
As a daughter, Fu Yun’s circumstances were somewhat better.
Looking at the gentle and jade-like Prince Qi, King Tushan felt a sense of pity.
Such a transcendent character, why was he born into the tainted Royal Family?
Prince Qi, unaware of King Tushan’s fluctuating gaze and thoughts, consoled him, "After the Crown Prince’s wedding, who’s to say he won’t recover in good spirits following the joyous occasion?
We brothers staying in the Capital City isn’t ideal; it’s better to settle in our fiefs early on.
The fief might not be as prosperous as the Capital City, but it has its own scenery. Although visiting each other frequently might be inconvenient in the future, we can often exchange letters by carrier pigeon and share the cultural anecdotes of our fiefs."
King Tushan chuckled, "Well said, well said, we’ll be sure to send many gifts."
The two exchanged smiles.
Then they heard several sounds of whips outside, followed by the sharp voice of the Chief Eunuch.
"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress Dowager has arrived, the Empress has arrived..."
It meant the Emperor had already conducted the temple ceremony in the inner hall and had changed into a red robe and military crown.
Everyone hurriedly rose to greet the procession.
King Tushan was surprised to find that King Jin was not at the Empress Dowager’s side: "Where has he gone?"
Prince Qi also feigned ignorance, "Indeed, even the Crown Prince has managed to make it here, yet he who usually pays the most attention to such things, why is he dawdling today?"
The Emperor, seated high above, glanced around and also asked, "Where is King Jin?"
No one could answer.
The Emperor appeared somewhat displeased.
Empress Lin smiled, "That child is most considerate and sensible, perhaps hiding some fine gift, which he’ll reveal to us later."
Upon hearing this, both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager smiled.
The Emperor asked again, "How are the preparations for the grand review?"
The Minister of Rites stepped out, "Officials from Honglu Temple arrived at Huying Platform at the hour of the Dragon. The venue and ushering officials are all arranged, with multiple rehearsals ensuring no errors. We await the Emperor’s presence."
The Minister of War added, "The four divisions are well-prepared, and the Minister of Military Affairs has waited for some time."
The Inner Official Supervisor, Ritual Department, and others were all not behind.
Only the Five Cities Military Department, in charge of guarding the route streets, could not have its Commander-in-Chief present, so a City Patrol Imperial Censor was presenting in his place.
The Emperor nodded, "Thank you, dear ministers. It’s getting late, and it’s time to proceed to Huying Platform."
Thus, everyone arranged themselves according to rank, followed the imperial procession.
Along the way, King Tushan was anticipating King Jin’s unexpected gift.
But it never came.
Upon reaching Huying Platform, with still no sign of him, King Tushan silently puzzled.
King Jin, adept at discerning his elders’ thoughts, might just plan to impress the Empress Dowager with an extraordinary gift during the archery review?
Again he mused, had he thought of this sooner, wouldn’t the opportunity to shine before the Emperor be his?
King Tushan, secretly regretting, harbored hidden jealousy as he awaited King Jin’s appearance.
The Ministry of War had long arranged a governor to officiate the flag ceremony, and the Minister of Military Affairs, Marquis Wuding, led all stationed officers, roaming generals, and assistant generals to form ranks.
Officials of the six departments and military officers above governors uniformly changed into plain red uniforms, organized by Honglu Temple officials, lined up to greet the Emperor ascending the commanding platform.
Three cannon blasts echoed.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from the Capital Camp knelt and saluted.
Then the Minister of War submitted a request for the grand review to commence.
Officers returned to their respective divisions to arrange for phalanxes of cavalry, infantry, and artillery.
After another three cannon blasts, the entire army began maneuvering attack and defense formations, with infantry, cavalry, and the Divine Machine Camp’s firearms taking turns demonstrating, flags fluttering, and battle cries resounding throughout the field.
Qin Yuan, seated beside Old Madam Gu in the adjacent viewing stand, carefully searched for Marquis Gu’s figure.
Old Madam Gu laughed softly, "The third son won’t appear until the archery review."
Qin Yuan blushed slightly, replied stubbornly, "It’s just curiosity since I haven’t seen it before."
Old Madam Gu patted her hand affectionately, "Right, right, you young ones have seen little, need to look more. An old woman like me hasn’t seen such a spectacle many times either."
Qin Yuan nodded obediently.
This dynasty’s grand reviews have no formalized ritual, mostly held in autumn, showcasing some cavalry, artillery, and infantry phalanxes, not as grand as this occasion.
However, the archery review happens annually, requiring examinations from lords to soldiers alike.
After the Emperor’s grand review, rewards and penalties for the soldiers will be distributed based on the archery results, hits and ranks.
The Dingbei Marquis returned triumphantly but hadn’t received much reward, leading many to speculate that perhaps the Emperor would take this opportunity to decree and display imperial favor.