Chapter 4
1937words
This situation is exactly what I wanted. Power, like the richest wine, once tasted, can never be renounced. The rewards and honors after the coup are merely the first step. I need to transform this fleeting victory into deeply rooted authority. I began placing my own eyes and ears throughout the imperial court. The Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of War, Imperial Secretariat... in every key department, I ensured my people occupied crucial positions. Lord Marcus, Chancellor Thomas, Minister Arthur, General Richard... among the seven Grand Chancellors who once stood in court, five were elevated by my hand. They were either my old subordinates or talented individuals who came to serve me at the height of my power. After court sessions each day, they would gather at my Princess Mansion, ostensibly for discussions, but in reality to report to me, the true center of power. I had no need to personally confront Prince Edward in court; my will would be expressed through their voices, transformed into irrefutable memorials placed on my brother's desk. My brother followed my advice obediently, almost to the point of complete compliance. He often said: "With my royal sister present, I can rest easy." Little did he know that what allowed him to rest easy was precisely the control I possessed that had hollowed out his authority.
And Lord Marcus became the most splendid and closest of all my political allies. This man was handsome, intelligent, and knew how to please a woman, especially one who wielded power. He was no longer merely my political ally; in those quiet moments of the night, he would shed his Grand Chancellor's robes and show me the tenderness and passion befitting a lover. Our relationship had long been an open secret in Chang'an City. I didn't even bother to conceal it, but rather took pleasure in making it public. I allowed him to enter my residence as its master, to sit beside me at banquets, and to receive toasts from the court officials. This was a gesture, a declaration. I, Princess Grace, wanted the whole world to know that I could not only control state affairs but also command everything I desired at will, including the body and loyalty of a sitting Grand Chancellor.
Whenever I see those officials, especially those self-proclaimed upright censors, displaying that complex expression of forced respect barely concealing disdain and jealousy when facing Lord Marcus, a morbid pleasure wells up in my heart. Their criticisms, to me, are merely faint buzzing around the aura of power, insignificant, even becoming ornaments to my authority. People admire me, criticize me, fear me—this is exactly what I want. Wasn't my mother the same way in her time? Except she ascended to the Dragon Throne, while I enjoy the pleasure of standing behind it, manipulating everything.
My Princess Mansion, as the Protector of the Realm, soon replaced the Imperial City, becoming the true center of power in Chang'an. The carriages and horses at the gate of my mansion flowed continuously from dawn to dusk, in an endless stream. Officials coming to pay their respects, from provincial governors and prefects to the six ministries and nine chief ministers of the Capital City, nearly wore down the threshold of my residence. They brought various rare treasures, their faces piled with humble and submissive smiles, all for the sake of gaining an audience with me, a promise from me. I would often sit on that tall couch covered with white tiger skin, looking coldly through a pearl curtain at those normally high and mighty officials who, for the sake of an official position or a piece of land, would bow and scrape before me, making solemn vows and promises.
I relish this feeling. With a single word, I can determine the rise and fall of a family's fortunes; with one glance, I can leave others pondering for three days and nights. I feel like a spider weaving its web, sitting at the center, sensing even the slightest vibration coming from all directions. Money, land, official titles, beautiful women... these things that people desperately pursue are, to me, merely bones to reward my faithful hounds. What I truly crave is power itself. It's that incomparable thrill of manipulating talented individuals at will, of treating the entire empire as spoils to be disposed of as I please. I almost believed I had become the uncrowned empress of this country, a more successful ruler behind the scenes than my mother ever was.
Until that afternoon, when a piece of news, like a cold needle, unexpectedly pierced through the beautiful dream I had woven with my authority.
That day, a lingering autumn rain fell over Chang'an city as I was playing chess with Lord Marcus in the warm pavilion. The sound of rain striking the banana leaves, accompanied by the gentle crackling of agarwood burning in the brazier, created an atmosphere of languid comfort. Lord Marcus's chess style was like the man himself - seemingly gentle, yet concealing deadly intent. Just as I was fully absorbed in the game before me, my trusted maidservant, Spring Peach, entered silently and whispered a few words in my ear.
"Princess, news from the palace... Lady Margaret, the court secretary, was personally executed by the Crown Prince in the palace on the night of the coup."
My fingers, holding a black jade chess piece, instantly froze in midair. The cold touch of the chess piece seemed to spread throughout my entire body in an instant. The cozy warmth of the pavilion vanished in that moment, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.
Lady Margaret.
This name, like a rusty key, unlocked a long-sealed door in my memory. I recalled many years ago when she was still that talented and cautious lady-in-waiting by my mother's side. We had shared a period that couldn't be called intimate, but definitely one of mutual understanding. Besides me, she was the woman who understood my mother best. Later, when the Wei clan seized power, for self-preservation and for the sake of the Li Tang royal family, she maneuvered between Empress Victoria and Princess Catherine, using her wisdom and skill to relay countless critical pieces of intelligence to us. It could be said that without her, our coup would not have proceeded so smoothly. I had always thought that after the coup, she would become my most capable assistant. Such a shrewd and perceptive woman would be most suited to handle matters on my behalf in the new court—things that would be inconvenient for me to address directly.
But she died. Died by Prince Edward's blade.
"Why did he kill her?" My voice was soft, yet carried a barely perceptible tremor.
Lord Marcus had clearly also heard this news. He raised his head and looked at me with concern, a flash of shock passing through his eyes. He knew about the relationship between Lady Margaret and me.
"My Princess," Spring Peach's voice dropped even lower, "According to the Palace Guards who were present at the time, the crime stated by the Crown Prince was... that Lady Margaret had drafted edicts for the Wei family, intending to follow Empress Wu's example, and was a die-hard supporter of the Wei clan."
What a dignified yet ridiculous reason. Lady Margaret drafting edicts for the Wei family was merely going through the motions, a fact that I knew clearly, and Prince Edward absolutely knew as well. He killed her for only one reason—because Lady Margaret was my person. By executing Lady Margaret, he aimed to eliminate my eyes and ears in the palace, and more importantly, to intimidate me, to demonstrate his coldness and ruthlessness.
I slowly placed the black jade chess piece back into the box. On the board, Lord Marcus's large dragon formation, which had seemed trapped by me, instantly found a way to survive due to my moment of hesitation, and even turned the tables against me. Looking at the crisscrossing game position, I suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.
"Let's stop here." I stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The damp, cold rain mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers rushed in, yet failed to dispel the chill in my heart.
What I had lost was not merely a potential ally. What I had lost was the only person in this deep palace who could intellectually converse with me, who could understand my ambitions and struggles as a woman. She was like my mirror on this chessboard of power; her existence allowed me to see myself clearly at all times. And now, this mirror had been shattered mercilessly by my dear nephew.
He truly... hasn't disappointed me in the slightest. That young face bowing respectfully to me at the celebration banquet now becomes incredibly clear in my mind. The flames burning in those deep eyes of his, which I once thought were ambition, I now understand were not merely ambition, but a desire that devours everything, and the ruthlessness to do anything to satisfy that desire. Using Lady Margaret's blood, he taught me a lesson—the most real and cruel lesson about power struggles. In this game, there is no tenderness, no righteousness, only life and death.
I gazed out at the vast and desolate Princess Mansion shrouded in autumn rain, at the endless stream of carriages, at the officials bowing obsequiously, at all the symbols of my supreme authority—in this moment, everything seemed covered by a gray shadow. I had always believed I was the player in this chess game, but only today did I realize that across the board sits an opponent equally as clear-minded and perhaps even more ruthless than myself.
Lord Marcus walked up behind me and gently draped a cloak over my shoulders. "Princess, it's late, and the wind is strong," he said, his voice filled with concern.
I didn't turn around, my gaze still fixed on the endless curtain of rain. After a long while, I finally spoke, my voice as calm as a frozen lake, betraying no ripples of emotion.
"Lord Marcus, convey my words to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War. All officials recommended by the Crown Prince's faction shall be set aside and not appointed. Also, tell the Metropolitan Governor to assign more people to keep a close 'watch' on the activities at the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince is young and impetuous, and as his elders, we should always be concerned for him."
The war, as it turned out, had only just begun.
