The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 138
by Little PandaThe Daughter of Marquis Zhengyi, Qu Sheng.
Before the city gates closed, Qu Sheng, disguised along with several guards, hurried out and headed north.
Under the pretext of transporting commercial grain, the Zhu family was continuously sending supplies to Prince Zhangning’s fief in Leze. The Qu family army had also bypassed the towns, moving their cavalry at a forced march.
Prince Zhangning’s fief was not heavily garrisoned, but with the Capital City’s troops currently transferred to the Northern Frontier, the capital’s defenses were weak. Furthermore, Prince Zhangning’s territory was the closest to the capital. That was why Qu Sheng had chosen him.
Three days later, Qu Sheng rode without stopping to rendezvous with Shoulin’s General Cai Daozheng.
“Young Miss, you’ve finally arrived.” When Cai Daozheng saw Qu Sheng, his face was full of smiles and admiration.
When Qu Sheng had first led military drills and sparred with him, he had looked down on her, thinking a little girl who still smelled of her mother’s milk1 was not up to the task. He had even boasted that he would beat her so badly she would never dare set foot in a military camp again. Instead, he had been utterly crushed by Qu Sheng’s strategy and troop deployment, left with no way to fight back.
She had captured him using only a few thousand cavalry. Before such a gifted individual, he willingly conceded defeat. And he had sworn an oath: for the rest of their lives, the Cai family would serve only the Qu family.
Qu Sheng nodded and entered the Central Command Tent, taking the head seat directly. The other officers followed her in and all knelt on one knee.
“Generals, rise. We have a window of time. The capital does not yet know of our reinforcements here. We must have our army at the city gates before they find out!”
The Emperor had fabricated a list of Prince Zhangning’s crimes on baseless charges, revoking his princely title and sending men to his fief in Leze to escort his entire family to the capital.
Qu Sheng and her people heard the news from the mountain forests in Prince Zhangning’s territory and led their men directly to his residence.
Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent had never met Qu Sheng. She followed behind General Cai Daozheng, letting him do all the talking.
Inside the reception hall of Prince Zhangning’s Residence, Cai Daozheng drank the tea offered by the heir and laughed, his voice rough. “Things have already come to this. The imperial edict will arrive to be read in half a day. Is Your Highness truly going to let your family be escorted to the capital like common criminals?”
Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent knew why they had come; it had been mentioned in his prior correspondence with Zhu Baibing.
Cai Daozheng was not a famous name in the Qu family army, and few outside of it knew of him. But in the year he had spent by Qu Sheng’s side, he had benefited greatly, and he was a valiant man besides. That was why Qu Sheng had chosen him to lead the cavalry here.
Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent knew Cai Daozheng was from the military camps. He also knew that if they marched on the capital, Zhu Baibing would persuade the main Qu family army not to give chase.
In the end, it was all the Sheng family’s bloodline. It made no difference which of them sat on the throne.
But if Prince Zhangning’s line wanted to survive, they had to fight for their lives. Everyone knew the current emperor was a suspicious man by nature; he would rather kill an innocent person than let a potential threat go.
Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent was silent for a long time. His eyes flickered as he tried to probe Cai Daozheng’s background. “May I ask where General Wan’s ancestral home is?” Cai Daozheng had concealed his real name, and the cavalry they brought were all unattributed, claiming only to be a united force of mountain bandits.
But anyone who thought about it for a moment would know they were a regular army. The horses they rode were all warhorses, strong and well-fed, capable of traveling hundreds of kilometres a day. How could they possibly belong to common bandits?
“Hmph. Your Highness should stop beating around the bush. To do it or not—it’s just one word from you. If you won’t do it, we’ll take our troops and leave immediately. Then you can go to the capital as prisoners, and we’ll go on our merry way.” Cai Daozheng bluntly dismissed the heir’s question. He was also telling him: if you don’t rebel, you’re waiting to die.
They had already agreed on this. His sudden change of heart now must mean he doubted their strength. In truth, it was death either way. He had likely guessed that these men were from the Qu family army. Once he confirmed it, he would want to seek an even greater backer.
Seeing the man waver, Cai Daozheng stood up directly. The other officers rose with him. As they were about to leave, Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent grew anxious. He hurried forward a step, bowing with his hands clasped. “General Wan, please stay. It was this Sheng Hongmiao who was overthinking things. This little prince is willing to live or die with you, General, and carve out a path to survival.”
Cai Daozheng shot him a sideways glance, cursing in his heart that there was so much damn trouble, but he put on a magnanimous expression and smiled. “Since Your Highness is willing, we will certainly lend you our strength.”
Half a day later, at wushi, the Eunuch Official sent by the Emperor to read the imperial edict entered Prince Zhangning’s Residence, followed by a large contingent of the Imperial Forest Army.
“This little prince has been waiting. Your Lordship has had a long journey. Please, have some tea and rest for a moment…”
“There’s no need,” the eunuch official said, looking at Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent with a blank expression. “And have everyone in your residence summoned. This one is going to read the imperial edict.”
Hearing this, the heir smiled. “Your Lordship, please rest a moment. This little prince will go and call my family out now.”
The eunuch official rolled his eyes impatiently. “Hurry up. This one has other business to attend to later.”
“Yes, of course. This little prince will go and fetch them at once. Your Lordship, please sit and have some tea first,” Sheng Hongmiao said, bowing and scraping.
The eunuch official suppressed his irritation, sat down, and took a sip from the teacup beside him.
Sheng Hongmiao walked to the doorway and called out in a cold voice to the men outside, “Men! Bring all of my family members here.”
The moment his words fell, a commotion erupted both inside and outside the residence. The Imperial Forest Army surrounding the residence were all approached by unknown figures and stabbed to death with soft blades drawn from their waists.
The rest struggled to escape but were chased down by mounted soldiers and cut down on the road.
The common people on the roads had been ordered to stay away earlier. They watched from a distance, and though they knew what was happening, how could they, the common folk, have any say in the affairs of officials? The timid were scared into running for their lives, while the bold stole another glance or two.
After the killing was done, the soldiers charged directly into the residence. The servants and guards of the residence had all gone into hiding. When Sheng Hongmiao heard the report, he glanced at the eunuch official still drinking tea inside the room, a sneer touching his lips. He left the room and walked away.
The eunuch official drank his tea, but when no one appeared after some time, he stood up anxiously. As he walked outside, he saw men dressed as commoners, every one of them looking ferocious, their blades still stained with blood. He immediately called for the Imperial Forest Army guards on either side of him.
But the guards had only just drawn their swords when throwing knives sank into their necks. They died on the spot.
Sheng Hongmiao watched from a distance. After all the Imperial Forest Army soldiers had been slaughtered, he strode over with a sword in hand, grabbed the collar of the eunuch official who was sitting on the ground in terror, and snarled, “You dog of a thing, is my Prince Zhangning’s Residence a place where you can run wild?!”
The eunuch official was so frightened by the man before him that he babbled incoherently, trembling and soiling his trousers.
The instant Sheng Hongmiao finished speaking, his sword rose and fell, and he lopped off the head of the eunuch official who had come to read the edict.
The head rolled across the ground. Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent picked up the imperial edict from the body, opened it, and after reading it, he furiously stabbed the corpse on the ground several more times with his sword.
“Men! We rise.”
In the first month of winter, Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent raised an army in rebellion. Under the banner of saving his father, he led his troops toward the Capital City.
Two days later, news reached the capital. Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent had rebelled and, leading a force of one hundred thousand, had reached the city’s outskirts.
The entire court was shaken. The Emperor swiftly issued decrees ordering the nearest vassal princes to send reinforcements, but none of the messengers he sent out survived.
Qu Sheng, wearing a gold-patterned mask, led the Qu family cavalry from Shoulin to block all the major roads, intercepting and burning all the imperial decrees.
Clad in a suit of armor, Qu Sheng led her cavalry and surrounded the Capital City so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through.
Nearly all the ministers in the palace had been summoned. The Emperor could not sit still on his dragon throne, pacing back and forth in the great hall.
“Over a hundred men were sent out, yet not a single one delivered the decree. Can it be that they are all dead?” the Emperor asked in disbelief.
“Your Majesty, that Sheng Hongmiao has somehow gathered fifty thousand cavalry. Every one of them is a valiant warrior. Our garrison on the outskirts was small to begin with, and they are all new recruits. They were no match at all…” a military official who had retreated into the city said, his heart still pounding with fear.
“Fifty thousand cavalry? How did This Emperor not know that Prince Zhangning was hoarding fifty thousand cavalry?” the Emperor asked, suppressing his rage.
“Your Majesty, it is said that these fifty thousand cavalry are a force gathered from mountain bandits. The man leading them is named Wan Zhetian.”
“Outrageous!” The Emperor flicked his sleeve and sat down, grinding his teeth in hatred. It wasn’t just because the capital was besieged, but also because of that man’s name. Zhetian—to blot out the sky. Who had such audacity, to be able to blot out the sky of the Tiansheng dynasty!
“This Emperor doesn’t care what methods you use! Get the message out immediately and have them dispatch troops to reinforce us!”
The Emperor had spoken, but not a single civil or military official in the hall below dared to respond.
The longer the Emperor stared at the silent ministers, the more furious he became. His gaze fell upon Qu Jinian. “Beloved Minister Qu, what brilliant strategy do you have?”
His name having been called, Qu Jinian stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, the only plan now is to seek outside help, but all our men have been ambushed. However, if we can hold the city for several days, perhaps when the northern expeditionary army returns victorious, our siege may be lifted.”
The Emperor made a sound of disgust. “The Northern Frontier is in the midst of battle, and we cannot get our messages out. How long must we wait for their return? This Emperor doesn’t care what method you use, you must mobilize the armies from outside!”
The Emperor had made it clear he wanted Qu Jinian to find a solution, but Qu Jinian simply lowered his head and said nothing more. There were so many officials in the court, yet the Emperor was singling out Qu Jinian, likely wanting him to take a stand.
Although Qu Jinian was in the capital, his second brother was still in Shoulin. Even if Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent successfully conquered the imperial city and became emperor, as long as Qu Jinian had the will, he would surely lead a punitive expedition. Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent should understand this.
“Your Majesty, this humble subject believes that Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent merely wants his father and family to live. Why don’t you issue a decree sending Prince Zhangning out of the city, along with another edict promising never to hold him accountable? That is the only way to stop this situation from worsening,” Qu Jinian advised.
The Emperor was in no mood for that. He wished he could flay Prince Zhangning alive right now and hang his head on the city gate as a warning to his son.
“This plan is unacceptable. If This Emperor were to suddenly retract an imperial edict, would This Emperor not become a capricious and unenlightened ruler? The crimes Prince Zhangning has committed are unforgivable!” The Emperor was obsessed with his own face; he would not bow his head.
Hearing this, Qu Jinian’s expression remained placid. He stepped back into his place and said no more.
Seeing this, the Emperor grew anxious, but he was unwilling to back down. He could only frown, looking at Qu Jinian with a mixture of urgency and helplessness.
Qu Jinian kept his head down, and the officials below followed suit. King Wenze, Lin Jianhai, also seemed uneasy, but thankfully his daughter had already left the city with the Qu family, so he had no worries on that front.
Qu Jinian’s suggestion was the best one, but the Emperor would not agree. He would have to find an opportunity to persuade him again when they were alone.
The hall was filled with officials standing inside and out. The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating the Emperor. He rose without a word but did not dismiss the ministers.
The Emperor headed for the Imperial Study. Lin Jianhai left the hall and hurried after him.
“Your Majesty.” Lin Jianhai caught up in a few steps, moving in front of the Emperor and bowing.
“Beloved Minister Lin, do you have a good plan?” The Emperor looked down at Lin Jianhai, still mulling over whether to adopt Qu Jinian’s suggestion.
Lin Jianhai looked up. “Your Majesty, the capital is now under siege. Sheng Hongmiao only wants his father. If we release his father to persuade him to withdraw his troops and lift the siege for now, it will not be too late to mobilize our forces and kill Prince Zhangning later.”
The Emperor’s eyes flickered. “This Emperor has also considered what you say, Beloved Minister. But if This Emperor releases Prince Zhangning and Sheng Hongmiao still refuses to withdraw, would we not be hitting a dog with a meat bun—gone and never to return?”2
“Your Majesty, in this subject’s opinion, we can have Marquis Zhengyi step forward. The Marquis is a model for all other marquises, and his army in Shoulin is vast. If Qu Jinian speaks kindly, perhaps Sheng Hongmiao will grant him some face. If not, on the day the city falls, Qu Jinian’s death will earn the hatred of the Shoulin army regardless. Even if Prince Zhangning takes the throne, he will not sit on it securely. Your Majesty would only need to escape the palace in the chaos and issue a call to arms to crush him at a later date.”
The Emperor listened to Lin Jianhai’s words and stood pondering for a long time. “Accompany This Emperor to the Heavenly Prison.”
The Emperor took Lin Jianhai to the Heavenly Prison. Seeing Prince Zhangning’s ash-hearted despair, he said deliberately, “Eldest Brother, you should have been enjoying your later years in peace. What a pity you gave birth to a treasonous heart, disturbing the peace of my court.”
Prince Zhangning had been facing the wall in dejection, awaiting death. Hearing the Emperor’s voice, he whipped his head around. Seeing the Emperor standing outside his cell, he quickly fell to his knees. “Your Majesty, this subject has never had a disloyal thought. I pray Your Majesty will see the truth.”
The Emperor looked at Prince Zhangning’s pathetic state. He knew the man had no intention of rebelling, but the same could not be said for his son.
Now he had brought a hundred thousand soldiers to surround the Capital City. The Emperor had only known his fief to have fifty thousand soldiers; he never expected another fifty thousand cavalry to appear out of thin air. He figured these troops must have been raised in secret in the mountain forests.
“Your son has brought troops to rescue you, and you still say you have no intention of rebelling!” the Emperor deliberately raised his voice, making Prince Zhangning tremble.
But Prince Zhangning quickly understood the meaning behind the Emperor’s words. He looked up, confused. “Did Your Majesty just say that Hongmiao has come with troops?”
The Emperor’s stare told him everything. Prince Zhangning’s mind raced in panic for a few moments, and he quickly said, “Your Majesty, Hongmiao must have been misled by someone! He, too, has absolutely no disloyal intentions.” Prince Zhangning’s heart was in turmoil. He was still in prison, yet his son had come with an army. Wasn’t this forcing the Emperor to kill him?
Prince Zhangning scrambled to his feet, gripping the iron bars of his cell. He begged through the gap, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Allow this subject to go and persuade this unfilial son! This subject will definitely persuade him to turn back.”
“You had better!” This was exactly what the Emperor had been waiting for him to say.
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Lin Jianhai had someone open the cell door.
“Take him to be cleaned up,” the Emperor ordered. He was afraid that if Sheng Hongmiao saw his father in this state, his rebellious spirit would only grow stronger.
Lin Jianhai bowed his head and had men lead Prince Zhangning out of the prison.
Qu Sheng, leading her cavalry, stood beneath the city walls. After confirming that no one else would be able to climb out from the several sections of wall they were watching, she gave the order to attack.
The cavalry trained by the Qu family was the ace of the army. They were skilled with blades, spears, and bows, and scaling walls was a simple matter for them.
Qu Sheng was worried that Prince Zhangning’s soldiers might accidentally injure her own with their arrows, so she had them form a defensive perimeter. Several assistant commanders and some cavalry from the Qu family army were to lead the troops and guard the various city gates.
They would launch a fierce assault on the East Gate.
Qu Sheng ordered the banners to be waved. This had to be a swift battle.
They had already wasted two shichen here. If they delayed any longer, the surrounding garrisons might receive news and arrive, trapping them. She needed to enter the city, establish a foothold, and use the Son of Heaven’s own writing to force an abdication, achieving the goal of this campaign.
The horn to attack the city sounded. The palace was also in a state of panic. The ministers all looked outside, praying that reinforcements would descend from the heavens.
Prince Zhangning had just been taken to wash up when he heard the horn. Its sound echoed inside and outside the capital, shaking people to their core.
The assault was carried out in two ways. One was to build bridges across the moat to ram the city gate. The other was to run directly to the base of the city wall and use grappling hooks to climb up.
The grappling hook ropes were forged from iron for a long stretch, making them difficult for ordinary weapons to destroy. The remaining forces provided cover with a volley of arrows. Soon, men were scaling the walls and clashing with the defending soldiers.
Because Qu Sheng had previously led her cavalry in circles around the city walls, the city’s defenders could not redeploy quickly enough to match her speed. Now, with the wall’s reinforcements yet to arrive, a section of the city gate was smashed open. The Qu family army dismounted, charged in, and opened the gate from the inside.
Qu Sheng had given an order earlier: apart from the defending soldiers, not a single tile on a commoner’s roof was to be touched. The Qu family army was strictly disciplined, and they soon reached the palace gates.
The palace walls were slightly taller than the city walls. Qu Sheng had her men ascend a beacon tower and use large kites to fly over the inner walls.
A large number of Qu family soldiers landed inside. It was unclear which unit of guards was stationed there, but the palace gates were opened.
The Qu family cavalry entered the Imperial Palace and rode straight for the Golden Throne Hall, surrounding the officials who were still waiting for the Emperor’s return.
The search for the Emperor was still ongoing throughout the palace, but Qu Sheng led her men directly to the Imperial Noble Consort’s bedchamber.
The door to the consort’s room was kicked open. The Imperial Noble Consort, who had been frantically packing her things and holding the Little Prince, ready to flee, was scared out of her wits.
“This palace is the Imperial Noble Consort! If you dare touch a single hair on my head, His Majesty will exterminate your nine relations!”3
Wearing her gold-patterned mask, Qu Sheng walked step by step toward the Imperial Noble Consort. Her waist was slender, but the armor she wore gave her an icy aura. Combined with the grim hostility radiating from her, it made the long string of threats the consort had prepared die in her throat.
“You… you stay away!” The Imperial Noble Consort clutched the Little Prince, holding a sword and backing away continuously.
Qu Sheng’s cold gaze remained fixed on her. After a moment, she said in a frigid voice, “Take the Little Prince to Prince Zhangning’s Heir Apparent.”
When Qu Sheng spoke, the Imperial Noble Consort was stunned for a moment. She had never heard Qu Sheng’s voice, but seeing a woman leading the troops, she assumed she must be soft-hearted.
She quickly fell to her knees and begged, “I am just a weak woman, surviving by a thread in this palace, without power or influence, bullied by all. Now that I have a chance to leave this deep palace, I beg you, miss, to let me and my child live. In the next life, I will be your ox and horse to repay your kindness. I beg you, do not take my child.”
Qu Sheng’s expression remained as cold as ice. She looked down at the kneeling consort. She had seen her once when she was very young and had almost forgotten what she looked like.
This woman was vicious and merciless. Lin Xizhao’s birth mother, her own Second Brother, and her Fourth Brother had all met their fates at her hands. For such a snake and scorpion of a woman to feign weakness, she truly spared no effort, as if using every trick in her arsenal. If not for the sea of blood and deep-seated hatred between them, she might have been fooled into letting her go.
“Fine. You go first. And remember to tell your brother’s family to be dogs in their next life!” The moment Qu Sheng’s words came out, the tears in the Imperial Noble Consort’s eyes stopped, and her gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.
She raised her head to look at the woman in the gold-patterned mask, a chill rising from the soles of her feet. She asked stiffly, “Who… who are you?”
A cold smile touched Qu Sheng’s lips. She raised a hand, and her men took the Little Prince away.
“Give me back my child! My child!” The Imperial Noble Consort struggled to snatch her son back but was shoved away.
“I beg you, I beg you to spare us…”
The Imperial Noble Consort fell to the ground. She knew no martial arts; the sword was just for show. Now, on the floor, she didn’t even bother to grab it, instead scrambling toward Qu Sheng’s feet. Just as she was about to plead again, Qu Sheng lifted a boot stained with blood and placed it on her shoulder, pinning her in place.
“The Imperial Noble Consort is truly a great person who is forgetful. Have you already forgotten how Prince Fucheng’s family died?” Qu Sheng guided the consort back into the nightmare that had been plaguing her recently.
She had likely already guessed that the Qu family was responsible for Prince Fucheng’s death. But with no proof, she could only whisper in the Emperor’s ear, suggesting the Qu family had an inside agent in the palace and trying to make him suspect the Empress. Unfortunately for her, before the Emperor could investigate, Prince Zhangning’s army had arrived at the city gates.
The Imperial Noble Consort looked up in terror. She stared at the person behind the gold-patterned mask and asked frantically, “Who in the world are you?”
Qu Sheng bent her slender waist, a cold smile playing on her lips. She leaned in close to the consort’s ear and replied, word by word, “The daughter of Marquis Zhengyi… Qu—Sheng.”
The moment she heard the name “Qu Sheng,” the Imperial Noble Consort went completely limp and collapsed on the floor.
With the Qu family involved, the imperial city was bound to change hands. She also knew that the Qu family was after the Emperor. Ever since Prince Fucheng’s disappearance, the Emperor had been unable to sleep at night. His greatest fear was that Prince Fucheng would expose the fact that he had ordered Yan Fengwu to murder Qu Ce all those years ago.
Now that Qu Sheng had fought her way into the palace, she must already know. Yan Fengwu was just a pawn, Prince Fucheng was the middleman, but the one who gave the order was the Emperor himself.
Back then, Qu Ce had been invincible in battle, and his fame had soared. He was also proud and arrogant. The Emperor, fearing that he would gain too much prestige and harbor disloyal intentions after taking over Shoulin, had ordered this imagined crisis to be nipped in the bud.
Afterward, he had ordered Qu Jinian to bring his family to the capital. Shoulin was left leaderless and took a long time to stabilize.
Yan Fengwu’s previous arrogance was just Prince Fucheng’s attempt to sacrifice a chariot to save the king. But who would have known that the Qu family would still discover he was the one who had administered the poison? When all these incidents were linked together, it was not just the blood feud for Lin Xizhao’s mother, but also the irreconcilable hatred of their Qu family—a feud so great they could not live under the same sky.45
Actually, Qu Sheng had wanted Lin Xizhao to finish this venomous woman herself. But thinking of Lin Xizhao’s gentle nature, she felt it was better for her to do it instead.
Since she and Lin Xizhao were together, Liang shi was her mother, too. Avenging their mother—it was the same no matter which of them did it.
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “I’ll do the dirty work for my jiejie. I can’t let my jiejie’s hands get sullied.”
Wishing all you little darlings a happy National Day in advance!
Footnotes
- Original: rǔxiùwèigān (乳臭未干). An idiom used to describe someone as young, naive, and inexperienced; literally, ‘the smell of mother’s milk has not yet faded.’
- Original: ròubāozi dǎ gǒu (肉包子打狗). A Chinese idiom literally meaning ‘to hit a dog with a meat bun.’ It describes a fruitless endeavor where one not only fails to achieve their goal but also loses the very thing they used in the attempt.
- To ‘exterminate the nine relations’ (zhū jiǔzú) was the most severe form of collective punishment in imperial China, where all relatives of a convicted person across nine degrees of kinship—from great-great-grandparents to great-great-grandchildren—were executed.
- Original: bùgòngdàitiān zhī chóu (不共戴天之仇). An idiom for a feud so intense that one cannot bear to live under the same sky as their enemy.
- Original: diū jū bǎo shuài (丢车保帅). A Xiangqi (Chinese chess) idiom meaning to sacrifice a major piece (the chariot/rook) to save the general/king.
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