Yu Lan and the others looked at each other, utterly confused.
“Does the doctor mean that the Qi Dynasty… is going to fall?”
Without an Emperor, isn’t that the same as being destroyed?
That was everyone’s thought. A nation cannot be without a ruler for a day; there must always be someone on the throne.
Although emotionally, they were reluctant to serve anyone but the Crown Prince, and with the Crown Prince’s passing, the fate of the servants who had attended him closely would be unpredictable. However, even the scholars say, “With a new emperor comes new subjects.” If even the outer court ministers could change so, what about them, the lowly servants? Despite their resentment and unwillingness, they couldn’t change the fact that they were on a sinking ship.
“If His Highness could truly…”
“No, the ministers of the Wenyuan Pavilion, who study the classics, how could they agree to leave the throne vacant?”
The servants didn’t think too deeply, and they didn’t even understand the meaning of these words.
The Crown Prince gazed steadily at the canopy above him, thinking about the late Chen Dynasty, where the emperor neglected his duties, and the state affairs were controlled by the Wenyuan Pavilion ministers, the Imperial Guard, and the Eastern Depot. Although this led to chaos and accelerated the fall of the Chen Dynasty, in a way, the country could still function without the emperor attending court for twenty years.
Such an emperor, is there a difference between having one and not? No, it’s not the same. The emperor neglects everything, but every matter is closely related to imperial power.
A negligent emperor indulges in pleasures and doesn’t attend to state affairs, leaving them to his ministers, yet he doesn’t trust them and is wary of the prime minister’s growing power, creating the Imperial Guard and the Eastern Depot. The emperor thinks he controls the struggle between the two, but in reality, he is often deceived and used by them, which is the main reason for the unrest in the government.
The Crown Prince smiled bitterly. Let alone his terminal illness, even if he could live another three to five years, relying on the civil ministers and the Imperial Guard to govern the country, he couldn’t ensure he wouldn’t become a negligent emperor.
To listen to one side is to be in the dark; to listen to all sides is to be enlightened.
If one cannot achieve this, it’s inevitable to be deceived and unknowingly become a negligent emperor.
Not to mention the doctor’s shocking suggestion to simply do away with the emperor altogether. The Crown Prince couldn’t imagine what the court would look like without an emperor, nor how it would continue to function.
“…The doctor might not know, scholars study the way of the monarch and his ministers, they learn civil and martial arts to serve the imperial family. They have their own desires, seeking personal gain, and some even think of usurping the throne. But for them to openly replace the emperor and directly govern the state, that’s impossible.”
The Crown Prince sighed deeply and said in a low voice, “An emperor can be a negligent ruler hidden in the harem for decades or an invalid confined to his bed, but he cannot be a dead man.”
Even if all the officials want the emperor to step aside and let them rule the country, there still needs to be someone on the throne. Setting aside the emperor or leaving the throne vacant, how absurd would that be, inviting scorn and ridicule from all and sundry?
“Who doesn’t care about their reputation, in life and after death?”
“…”
Mo Li felt the sand mouse in his embrace probably didn’t care much.
Meng Qi didn’t care how history would write about him but was concerned about the safety of the people.
Even if someone disparaged Meng Qi and the prosperous era he and his old friends had worked so hard to build, Meng Qi might not get angry. So, the Qi Dynasty’s scholars and courtiers who lectured the princes really hit a nerve with Meng Qi.
—What pain could be greater than seeing the remains of old friends and being unable to avenge them?
—What suffering could be worse than seeing a lifetime’s ambition washed away, the emperor you swore to serve breaking his promises and committing mass slaughter?
Especially when those people also called the imperial teacher of the Chu Dynasty a “coward,” believing Meng Qi’s disappearance was due to fear of death. The most painful insults are those that cut the deepest.
What of being a dragon vein, or possessing unparalleled martial prowess?
Even if one casts aside concern for their name, in life and after death, they still end up buried in the sands, never to return to their former glory.
Mo Li couldn’t help but stroke the sand mouse through his clothes.
The sand mouse nestled against Mo Li’s palm, gently nuzzling back.
Mo Li’s suspicion grew as Meng Qi remained unusually quiet.
He had been moving a bit earlier, but now he seemed to be asleep, not even poking his head out.
The thought flickered through Mo Li’s mind, but he didn’t dwell on it.
“The Crown Prince speaks the truth; I had not considered these obstacles.” Mo Li openly admitted his oversight, having initially thought the court ministers would be eager to push aside the Emperor and rightfully take control of the state affairs.
It seems now that the very notion of “rightfulness” obstructs this possibility.
The Crown Prince slowly said, “Power is a prized treasure, coveted by all. No matter how it is stolen, deceived, or seized… in the end, it must always be justified grandiosely. The Wenyuan Pavilion would not agree, simply because in the eyes of the world, a court without an Emperor is but a stage for treacherous officials and everyone becomes a traitor.”
Mo Li shook his head slightly at this and said, “It’s the scholars who see themselves as traitors, not the common people.”
The Crown Prince was taken aback.
Mo Li earnestly explained, “In fact, the common people don’t care who the Emperor is. Even without an Emperor, they wouldn’t think the sky is falling. All the common folk want is good weather for the crops, a bountiful harvest next year, their families free from illness and disaster, able to afford their taxes and the grain dues in lieu of labor service. As for the Emperor’s surname, whether or not there is an Emperor at all, they don’t care in the slightest.”
Having grown up in a powerful family and later moved into the palace as the heir apparent, the Crown Prince’s perspective was limited to the capital and the surrounding estates, thus he was unaware of the circumstances Mo Li described.
“If the Emperor cannot be dead, then don’t let others know the Emperor has died,” Mo Li said calmly. “As for the opinions of the world… the people don’t have that much leisure time; they care more about their livelihood than the life and death of the Emperor. If there comes a day when the common folk have grain in their homes and clothes on their backs, not worrying about how to feed their children, being concerned about the affairs of ministers and the Emperor, then indeed it would be an age of prosperity.”
The Crown Prince fell silent.
Even if the common people truly didn’t care, the court officials did!
And that barrier at the Wenyuan Pavilion was insurmountable no matter what.
The Crown Prince was anxious. Mo Li’s ideas, although peculiar, made one thing clear to him: his brothers were not the type to sit still and comply; each was eager to jump at any opportunity. If they were manipulated by the factions within the court, Qi Dynasty would disintegrate before the Tianshou King and the Three Kings of Chu Dynasty even made their move.
Mo Li was a physician, not a strategist.
Having said his piece, he was ready to leave.
Steward Chen could not accept this, and at the Crown Prince’s gesture, presented a plate filled with silk, scattered gold and silver, among other things.
These were meant as consultation fees.
Chen also ordered several chests filled with treasures to be brought to the corridor, selecting a few valuable items to add to the plate.
Primarily, it included items discovered to have “spiritual energy” that the Crown Prince could spare, generously adding them, including two pieces of warm jade, a jade Ruyi, and an agarwood bracelet.
One piece of warm jade was particularly translucent and finely carved, while the other was the size of a thumb, shaped like a smooth gourd.
The agarwood was rare, and each item was invaluable, capable of purchasing not just one, but ten large estates outside the Zhongnan Gate of Taijing, including the city’s most prosperous shops.
Yet, Mo Li declined.
It was too much; no consultation fee should be so expensive.
Moreover, he did not want to take on the trouble of looking after the Sixth Prince.
He already had the Second Prince to consider, and adding the Sixth Prince to the mix would mean staging a major power struggle in General Liu’s backyard.
He might as well let these princes fight it out among themselves first.
“When will the doctor return?”
“In five days.”
Mo Li estimated the Crown Prince’s condition and provided a precise timeframe.
Steward Chen, hoping Mo Li would treat the Crown Prince, saw the physician as a hermit with exceptional martial skills and became even more worried. He insisted Mo Li accept the consultation fee, fearing Mo Li might not return in five days.
“This silver ingot is sufficient…”
Before Mo Li could finish, he felt the sand mouse in his embrace start tapping its paw.
With all eyes on him, Mo Li couldn’t let the sand mouse transform into a human, nor could he take the sand mouse out to talk to it.
In history, there have been tales of cats and dogs that understand human speech and parrots that can mimic it, but a sand mouse with human sensibilities? That would surely lead to suspicions of witchcraft, inviting unwelcome scrutiny.
Especially now, as it seemed others had noticed the small bulge at Mo Li’s chest, mimicking Yu Lan’s subtle glances.
Left with no choice, Mo Li communicated with the sand mouse through a whispered message.
“Brother Meng, haven’t we found General Liu’s residence? Since we don’t need to buy a property, the money we have is enough for our trip to Feihe Mountain and back. Carrying this gold and silver would be cumbersome, not to mention the need to remove the imperial seal from them. They’re heavy too. Should I, like Brother Meng, find a place to hide them?”
Of course, the sand mouse couldn’t reply through whispered messages. It popped its head out from Mo Li’s collar, its shiny black eyes looking towards the palace exterior.
Mo Li got the hint, approached the chests outside, and indeed spotted an amber necklace that looked remarkably like sugar-glazed chestnuts.
“…”
Settling for less, if not pine nuts, then chestnuts?
Mo Li took the amber necklace, thanked everyone, and then departed.
He carried the medicinal bag on his back but stuffed the amber directly into his collar. Then, with a swift movement, he disappeared from view.
This display of extraordinary martial arts prowess astounded everyone.
Yu Lan stood rooted to the spot, pondering Mo Li’s actions.
—There was definitely something hidden in the doctor’s clothing.
“I just saw the doctor touching his chest, similar to how His Highness does. Could it be that the doctor also suffers from a heart condition?”
“No, that seemed like an object…”
“Meow!”
Suddenly, a sharp cry startled Yu Lan, who looked up in surprise.
It was the civet cat Ah Hu, perched on the eaves, seeking to avenge the “push” from Mo Li.
Fearing to leave the sand mouse behind, Mo Li used his palm to cover the chest area while employing his light-footed skills, leaving the cat far behind.
