The Little Princess slept soundly resting against her father’s chest.
When Emperor Xingwu was about to place her on the bed, she woke up, blinking her eyes, unwilling to fall asleep again.
On the way, Emperor Xingwu had already heard Jie Yu explain the reason behind his daughter waking up so early and quietly made a mental note about Second Brother.
Since his daughter had slept well the night before, Emperor Xingwu didn’t insist and instructed He Yuanjing to arrange breakfast.
Jie Yu then helped the Little Princess wash her face once more, using the face cream from Emperor Xingwu’s side.
Qingyang sniffed and said, “Why doesn’t it smell nice at all?”
Emperor Xingwu, sitting beside her, smiled and replied, “Your father doesn’t like fragrances. What if bees come and sting me?”
Qingyang: “… Bees only like nectar. They wouldn’t sting us.”
The Little Princess gave a slightly disdainful look that made Emperor Xingwu laugh even more.
He picked up the little one and sat down beside her at the dining table, father and daughter close together.
After a few bites, Qingyang suddenly recalled something from the court meeting and asked, “Father, is the Marquis of Pingliang Yuan Xiuli’s father?”
Emperor Xingwu’s smile faded slightly; he scoffed and cast a glance at He Yuanjing.
Immediately, He Yuanjing led Jie Yu and a few young eunuchs to leave the room.
Qingyang stared intently at her father and asked, “Is Father angry with him?”
Emperor Xingwu became curious, “What makes you think that?”
Qingyang: “Father hasn’t been smiling much.”
Emperor Xingwu was silent for a moment, then muttered, “I sent him to Liangzhou to suppress corrupt officials and bandits internally and guard the northwest border externally. But after barely three years away from my side, he actually started leading the corruption with land.”
“The land in Liangzhou is limited. When officials embezzle, the poor commoners get less, and their lives worsen. Besides cursing corrupt officials, they also curse me as a bad emperor.”
Qingyang pouted, “Father is a good emperor.”
Emperor Xingwu said, “You’re all my children, so your words don’t count. If most of the officials and commoners in the realm praise me, then I am truly a good emperor.”
Qingyang asked, “Lord Nie mentioned so many corrupt officials. Why doesn’t Father investigate the Marquis of Pingliang? Why investigate the others?”
Emperor Xingwu replied, “You recognize Lord Nie now?”
Qingyang said, “Hey, I even know the officials standing at the front.”
The Emperor was unaware of the little stories between his daughter and the ministers.
Qingyang’s first visit to the Censorate had even earned a bow from Nie Man.
The second time, Nie Man scolded her, warning that if she continued wandering around after age ten, he would report her. Naturally, Qingyang knew him well.
Emperor Xingwu answered her question: “The other officials are like small ants; I can crush them with a few men. But the Marquis of Pingliang is a tiger—he commands one hundred thousand border troops, which is like a hundred thousand little tigers.”
“I can’t afford to lose face with him. If I confront him directly, he might turn the whole Liangzhou into his territory and never listen to me again.”
Qingyang understood, put down her chopsticks, and said angrily, “Then Father should take the army to punish him, like how Xuan Yuan Huangdi fought Chiyou, until all the lords obeyed Father.”
Emperor Xingwu said, “… Is this something Jie Yu told you?”
Jie Yu had indeed reported that his daughter was interested in the State of Qin, so he had found the Records of the Grand Historian and read a little to her every night.
But Emperor Xingwu never expected his three-year-old daughter to actually absorb it and use the stories to criticize him.
Qingyang nodded.
Suppressing his surprise, Emperor Xingwu explained, “He is after all a meritorious minister who helped me unify the realm. I have affection for him and want to give him a chance to reform.”
Qingyang said, “But that Liu Darén also helped Father, and Father still punished him.”
After this exchange, Emperor Xingwu was no longer surprised by his daughter’s sharp memory. He smiled bitterly, “Liu Wenzhi’s crime was clear and undeniable, and more importantly, he had no troops. It was easy for me to catch him. But there is no solid evidence yet against the Marquis of Pingliang’s land corruption, and he’s far away.”
“Rather than send troops to fight him, it’s better to just scare him a little. If he listens and obediently returns the land, wouldn’t that save me a lot of trouble?”
Emperor Xingwu was well aware of his founding ministers.
The Marquis of Pingliang, Yuan Zhaoxiong, was quite skilled in warfare and border defense but liked to embezzle small amounts.
From time to time, he needed a few lashes to keep him in check.
These past two years, he had definitely been too far from the Capital and was likely influenced by scheming courtiers nearby, which made him bolder than ever.
Qingyang asked, “Is he really that far away? How far is the edge of the realm from us?”
Emperor Xingwu laughed, “Eat first. After breakfast, Father will take you to see.”
The Little Princess immediately focused on her breakfast.
After the meal, Emperor Xingwu carried the Little Princess to the Imperial Library.
They stood before a large Yutu hanging on a screen on the north side, a map the Little Princess had never noticed before.
He stretched out his hand, drawing a large circle along the border of the realm and explained, “Look, this is the land Father has won through southern campaigns and northern expeditions. It is the territory of the Great Qi Dynasty. The commoners living here all obey Father’s edicts, and Father is responsible for their safety and welfare.”
The Little Princess looked it over up and down, left and right, then asked doubtfully, “Why is it so small? It’s not even as big as Father’s study.”
Emperor Xingwu laughed heartily.
After laughing, he patiently explained the difference between the distances on the map and reality: “See, here is the Royal Palace, and here is the Yellow River. The distance from the palace to the river is about fifty li. Riding a horse takes over half a shi chen. This is Liangzhou Prefecture City Wuwei, about two thousand five hundred li from the Capital.”
“Even riding horses day and night without rest would take two days. If only riding during the day, it would take four days, constantly switching horses along the way. Now you understand how far these places around us really are, right?”
Qingyang seemed to understand.
Emperor Xingwu then told her that if he led an army to punish Liangzhou, it would take more than forty days of marching on foot, consuming a huge amount of grain and supplies:
“The hardship and logistics of marching are the simplest problems. The real issue is that I have only been emperor for three or four years. Most of the people and officials are not yet fully loyal. If I attack Liangzhou, what if generals rebel in other places? Or neighboring states attack us? We would be surrounded on all sides.”
“It’s too dangerous. Unless I am certain, I will not take the risk. I’d rather endure some of the Marquis of Pingliang’s bad habits unless he repeatedly disobeys and deliberately opposes me every time.”
These words were meant for his daughter but were also a reminder to himself to quell his anger toward the Marquis of Pingliang.
Qingyang understood some of it but not everything.
Emperor Xingwu didn’t want to explain further, so he carried his daughter away and reminded her, “The old rule: not a single word of this can be told to outsiders, understand?”
Qingyang nodded.
Emperor Xingwu asked, “If the Marquis of Pingliang angers Father, how will you behave when you meet Yuan Xiuli at the Shenwen Pavilion later?”
The Little Princess widened her eyes and tried to look fierce and intimidating.
Emperor Xingwu laughed, “Wrong. You must pretend that Father does not believe the Marquis of Pingliang is corrupt and that Father knows nothing about these court matters. You still have to be friendly with Yuan Xiuli so he won’t secretly write letters complaining to the Marquis.”
“Otherwise, if you bully Yuan Xiuli and the Marquis finds out, he will listen to Father even less and give Father more headaches.”
Qingyang took the advice to heart.
Emperor Xingwu ruffled her hair and said, “Let’s go to Qiwen Pavilion. Father also needs to listen to the scholars’ lectures.”
Qingyang glanced again at the map and clung on, reluctant to leave.
“Father, I want to go to the Yellow River and see exactly how far it is.”
Emperor Xingwu said, “… I’ll take you there when I have time.”
Qingyang happily said, “I also want to go to the army camp. Commander Fan Zhong said the Imperial Guards Office has too few guards and lacks presence. Only the troops in the Four Great Camps have real momentum.”
Father said the Marquis of Pingliang’s hundred thousand troops were like little tigers.
She wanted to see if the Capital’s two hundred thousand troops were really little tigers.
Emperor Xingwu: “… I’ll take you when I have time.”
Qingyang: “… When will Father have time?”
Emperor Xingwu couldn’t answer.
Though he was free on rest days, the generals and soldiers also needed rest.
Could he make them train more just because his daughter wanted to play?
Qingyang watched her father’s lips and thought of a plan.
“Father is busy. Next time after court ends, let Prince Yong take me to Beiying… no, I don’t like Prince Yong. Let the Duke of Wei take me to Nanying.”
Prince Yong would lose patience coaxing her soon and probably wouldn’t allow her to wander freely in the camp.
The Duke of Wei seemed more willing to listen to her.
Emperor Xingwu asked, “… How do you know which camps they are in?”
Qingyang: “Commander Fan Zhong told me.”
Emperor Xingwu: “Very well, then let it be sixteen. When the time comes, have Fan Zhong escort you. Bring your eldest brother, second brother, and Third Brother Zhang Su along. You all should broaden your horizons.”
At Chongwen Pavilion, Qin Bing was so happy after hearing from his sister that he jumped high and grabbed her, playfully wrestling, but Qin Hong quickly stopped him with Qin Liang to prevent him from accidentally hurting her.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, still a bit dizzy, Qingyang was immediately scooped into Qin Ren’s arms.
Qingyang glanced at her Second Brother being scolded by their eldest and wisely didn’t say she wanted to snatch him away again.
Two days later, on the sixteenth day of the winter month, the four siblings, having already taken leave from their teachers, along with Zhang Su and two other companions, arrived early at the southernmost part of the Capital, near the Vermilion Bird Gate.
The civil officials who had finished court remained inside the government offices, while most of the military officers had to go out on duty.
Walking at the forefront of the military officers were one prince and three dukes.
Seeing the younger children, Prince Yong strode over excitedly and said, “Why go to Nanying? Come, follow me to Beiying. After touring the camp, we can also go see the Yellow River.”
The prospect of visiting two places in one day tempted the three princes.
But before they could answer, the Little Princess sharply said, “No. Today we’re going with the Duke of Wei to Nanying. Next time when Father has time, he will take us to see the Yellow River. If we go to the river today, Father won’t take us next time.”
Qin Bing immediately supported their sister, “Right! Today we go to Nanying!”
What a joke.
If they could go out of the palace twice, who would choose only once?
The sixty-year-old Duke of Chengguo Lü Guangzu, his beard streaked with gray and white, laughed as he watched the lively scene.
Duke of Dingguo Deng Chong teased Prince Yong, “Poor Prince Yong, with such enthusiasm, yet none of the young ones believe you.”
Prince Yong deliberately teased his niece and nephews, enticing them, “Whoever goes with me to Beiying, I’ll give them a treasured sword or a gem this big.”
The proud prince curled his thumb and forefinger, deliberately making a circle the size of a lychee, aiming it at the Little Princess.
The three princes all looked toward their little sister.
Qingyang, afraid her brothers would be coaxed by Prince Yong, loudly said, “Father’s order is to go to Nanying. If Prince Yong insists on Beiying, is he defying orders?”
Her clear, questioning childish voice startled Prince Yong and the three dukes.
Lü Guangzu said, “Enough. Prince Yong, don’t tease the young ones any longer. It’s late; we should hurry to our posts.”
Prince Yong shook his head helplessly, pointing at his niece, “Stinky Lin’er, if you dislike me so much, I won’t give you anything good from now on.”
Qingyang retorted, “I’ll ask Father for it!”
Prince Yong was completely defeated and rode off first amid Fan Zhong’s amused laughter.
Outside the palace gates, four carriages awaited.
Qingyang didn’t want to ride alone, so Fan Zhong helped her into the carriage with Third Brother Zhang Su.
Fan Zhong stood guard beside the princess’s carriage while Zhang Jiu rode alongside the Crown Prince’s carriage.
It was still early, and the Capital was quiet with little to see.
Outside the city, the official road was lined with fields of dry yellow soil.
The winter wind blew, kicking up a layer of dusty haze.
The Little Princess, leaning against the window, almost got dust blown in her face.
She quickly moved to the center of the carriage and closed her eyes, letting Third Brother wipe her face.
Jie Yu rode outside following them.
Qin Ren pulled out a handkerchief, carefully tending to his sister.
Feeling more comfortable, Qingyang took out a chessboard from the cabinet and asked Third Brother to play with her.
Qin Ren modestly said, “Third Brother isn’t good at it. It’s better to have Zhang Su play with you.”
Qingyang placed the board between herself and Zhang Su.
As they played, they arrived at Nanying.
Zhang Jiu personally led the young nobles on a tour around the camp.
As the soldiers drilled, Qingyang and her party sat on the Guanwutai watching.
During drills inside the palace, the Imperial Guards were not allowed to make noise to avoid disturbing officials and nobles.
But in the camp, the soldiers shouted commands with full vigor.
Because the Crown Prince was present, their shouts were even louder, like thunder shaking the sky.
Qin Bing excitedly said, “When I grow up, I want to be a great general too!”
Qin Hong quickly shot a sharp glance at his second brother.
Qin Ren looked at the swirling dust carried by the wind and said thankfully, “Good thing we’re sitting on the north side. Otherwise, the soldiers’ stomping would blow the dust over here.”
Qin Hong said nothing.
Qingyang observed the soldiers below.
Some looked fierce, others ordinary.
After watching for a while, she asked her three elder brothers, “Do they look like little tigers?”
Qin Hong was silent.
Qin Ren was puzzled.
Full of enthusiasm, Qin Bing laughed, “Little tigers? They’re all grown fierce tigers! The most elite soldiers of Great Qi!”
Little tigers just didn’t sound imposing enough!
Qingyang found Second Brother’s words unreliable but was then stumped by another question.
She looked up and asked Fan Zhong standing beside her, “Commander Fan, have you seen a real tiger?”
Fan Zhong grinned, baring his teeth and said, “About as much as me. Just one look is enough to scare anyone silly—that’s what tiger-like looks mean!”
The four young nobles were speechless.