Chapter 696: Discussions About Marriage

In the early morning, a simple-looking carriage left Wuben Fang and slowly headed west toward the market. Over a hundred cavalry guards surrounded it, indicating the noble status of its owner. Many passersby would stop to pay it their respects when they saw it.

Many people in Wuben Fang knew that this was the carriage of Princess Zhao. At that moment, its owner, Du Gu Mingyue, was sitting inside. Leaning against the window, she watched the outside world through the thin embroidered curtains. Everything outside was familiar to her, yet though her gaze seemed focused, it appeared somewhat distracted.

She was returning to the Du Gu family mansion. For days, she had been repeatedly pondering one matter: the marriage of her sister Mingzhu. Ever since Mingzhu had followed Li Qingan to the south, Mingyue knew she could no longer oppose her sister’s choice. With her sister’s willingness, her mother’s insistence, and even her husband’s formal proposal the previous night to marry Mingzhu, almost everyone supported it. Mingyue felt that continuing to resist would only hurt everyone. She had barely slept all night, thinking over the matter repeatedly. She felt it was necessary to talk further with her mother before making a decision.

After traveling for about fifteen minutes, the carriage entered Yanshou Fang and stopped in front of the Du Gu mansion. Family members had already gone ahead to report, and at the entrance, Lady Pei was waiting on the steps with a dozen maids.

The carriage slowly came to a stop at the steps. A few maids stepped forward to help Mingyue out. On the steps, Lady Pei watched every move of her daughter, paying attention to her clothing and every detail. She noticed that when her daughter grasped the door handle, she used only three fingers, with her ring finger and little finger slightly raised. Combined with her long, fair hands, it created a pleasingly beautiful sight.

Although her daughter was already a mother of two, her skin was still fair and elastic, showing no signs of relaxation or aging from having given birth twice. Her every gesture exuded grace and elegance. Her attire was gorgeous yet not vulgar, noble yet not imposing—exuding a subtle, understated nobility. Thinking of her daughter becoming an empress admired by all, Lady Pei’s eyes moistened. She felt pride and genuine joy.

Lady Pei had heard from her husband that many people inside and outside the court were suggesting that the young emperor abdicate. The emperor was only three years old and unable to shoulder the responsibility of restoring the Tang Dynasty. Implicitly, this was a preparation for Li Qingan to ascend the throne.

Everyone in Chang’an also agreed that it was only a matter of time before Li Qing’an ascended the throne, which filled Lady Pei with deep reflections. Eight years ago, when she first met Li Qing’an, she had been dissatisfied, thinking his rank was too low—just a minor general. Yet who could have imagined that he was actually from the imperial family and would one day become emperor? If anyone had told her that eight years ago, she would never have believed it. But now, she could only marvel at the wonders of fate.

It was fate’s favor toward the Du Gu family. Who could have thought that an impulsive decision by the old Master Du Gu to arrange a match for Li Qing’an would change the fate of their family? It was fate’s arrangement, giving them an advantage over the Pei family, who were slower to realize what was happening.

“Mother!”

Mingyue bowed slightly to her mother. Lady Pei quickly stepped forward to hold her hand and glanced back with a smile, “Why didn’t you bring my two grandchildren?”

“Tan’er caught a chill the day before yesterday and isn’t feeling well, so I didn’t let him go out.”

“Is it serious?”

Lady Pei asked anxiously, “Have we called the imperial physician? Mingyue, we must not be careless at all!”

She seemed nervous—her two children were the foundation of Mingyue’s life, and they couldn’t afford any carelessness. Mingyue smiled and said, “Mother, it’s fine. He just caught a slight chill from playing in the snow. He felt much better yesterday afternoon, and with another day of rest, he’ll be fine.”

Mingyue took her mother’s hand, and the two walked inside the mansion, chatting and laughing as they went. In the inner room, they sat down, and a maid brought them tea.

Lady Pei waved her hand to send all the maids away. After closing the door, she turned to her daughter and asked in a low voice, “When exactly are you planning to handle my eldest son’s matter?”

“What do you mean, Mother?” Mingyue didn’t understand.

“Ah! What else could I mean?”

Lady Pei glanced around and lowered her voice again, “Of course, I mean his ascension to the throne!”

“Oh! He talked to me about it last night.”

“What did he say?” Lady Pei grew nervous. There were various rumors now, and it was hard to tell which ones were true. Of course, Li Qing’an’s own words would be the most accurate. She waited eagerly for her daughter’s reply.

Mingyue hesitated to speak, but if she didn’t, her mother would be upset. After much hesitation, she said, “Then Mother, promise me that aside from Father, no one else must know about this. And Father must not go out and talk about it either.”

Mingyue wasn’t actually worried about her father; he was very shrewd and never spoke casually even in family meetings. He would never reveal such matters outside. She was only worried about her mother, fearing she wouldn’t understand the seriousness. She reiterated, “This is a matter of great importance, affecting many people’s interests. Mother must not spread word of it.”

“Sigh! Don’t worry. I’m not a three-year-old who can’t tell what’s serious. Just tell me! Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.”

Only then did Mingyue slowly explain, “The day before last night, Dalang secretly entered the palace and met with the Empress Dowager…”

“You mean he went into the palace secretly at night?”

Madam Pei couldn’t help but interrupt her daughter. She felt uneasy—going into the palace secretly at night to meet the Empress Dowager sounded a bit ambiguous. Empress Dowager Shen was still quite young, under thirty. Surely nothing serious could have happened! But then she thought it might be because of the gravity of the matter that he went at night. Seeing that her daughter seemed unconcerned, she smiled self-mockingly. Really, if her daughter wasn’t worried, why should she be? She quickly said, “Go on, I won’t interrupt you anymore.”

In fact, Mingyue also had some doubts, but she didn’t know what to say about it, nor did she dare question her husband. After the incident with Yang Guifei, her husband had been extremely displeased with her and ignored her for nearly a month until she agreed to let Yang Guifei enter the palace to become a nun, and only then did things settle down.

Learning from Yang Guifei’s example, she didn’t want to ask too many questions about Shen Zhenzhu. She believed her husband wouldn’t do anything foolish. Mingyue continued, “Dalang said he has reached a compromise with Empress Dowager Shen. She will announce that the young emperor abdicates due to poor health at an appropriate time next year. As for when next year will be, Dalang said it will be when the rebellion led by Shi Siming is completely quelled.”

“Did he say when the rebellion will be quelled?” Madam Pei pressed further. That was the key.

“I don’t know either, but I heard preparations for war are already underway. Maybe in spring!”

Mingyue sighed softly. Last night, her husband had said he might lead the expedition himself, which made her worried again. Just a few months back, and now another expedition?

The two fell silent for a while. Suddenly, Mingyue remembered she still hadn’t mentioned the reason she came today. She smiled. “Look at me, I forgot all about today’s important matter. It’s about Mingzhu.”

“Mingzhu?”

Madam Pei became nervous immediately. If there was anything more important to her than Li Qing’an becoming emperor, it was the marriage of her youngest daughter, Mingzhu. It had been a constant source of worry for her all these years. She wanted to arrange a good marriage for her daughter but hadn’t succeeded in years.

Madam Pei couldn’t help but cast a wary glance at Mingyue. It was her eldest daughter who had been most opposed to this matter—would she try to create obstacles again? Mingyue sensed the caution in her mother’s eyes and forced a wry smile. “Mother, the reason I opposed it at first was that I didn’t want the Du Gu family to become too powerful. As the saying goes, ‘A tree that stands out in the forest attracts the wind.’ But in reality, Father no longer deals with government affairs. Apart from my elder brother, the other Du Gu descendants lack outstanding talents and can at most hold positions in a single county. They’re far from producing as many talented people as the Pei and Cui families. So it’s difficult for the Du Gu family to become powerful. Given that, there’s no obstacle to Mingzhu marrying into the Li family. In fact, my eldest brother has already formally proposed to me—he’s decided to marry Mingzhu.” Madam Pei’s gaze flickered uncertainly. After hearing everything, she suddenly asked, “Did my eldest son use the word ‘marry’?” This was important—it affected her younger daughter’s future status in the palace. Understanding her mother’s thoughts, Mingyue smiled. “Whether it’s called ‘marry’ or ‘take as a wife,’ it doesn’t matter. My eldest brother agreed last night that Mingzhu will at least become one of the Nine Concubines.” “The Nine Concubines!” Disappointment appeared on Madam Pei’s face. Although being one of the Nine Concubines wasn’t lowly, Li Qing’an didn’t have many wives or concubines. She had thought her younger daughter would at least become one of the Four Noble Consorts—Noble, Virtuous, Moral, or Wise—and hold one of those positions. But to find out it would only be as a Nine Concubine left her sighing inwardly. Yet she also understood that since her eldest daughter was already the empress, if her younger daughter took another consort position, the Du Gu family would truly be intolerable to the rest of the world. One empress and one concubine was the best arrangement—though it was a bit unfair to her younger daughter. “Well! Then when will Mingzhu move in?” Mingzhu was already quite old, and she didn’t want to delay any longer. Mingyue lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, “This is exactly why I came to discuss it with you, Mother. My eldest brother has no objections, but I think it’s best to wait until everything is settled.” Madam Pei knew what Mingyue meant by “everything being settled”—it referred to Li Qing’an ascending the throne. Frowning, she asked, “Is it not a bit late?” “It’s not really a matter of time. It’s whether Mingzhu enters the palace or the family residence. I thought about it all night last night. Since Mingzhu is marrying into the Li family, she can’t be sent over quietly like Pei Wan’er. My sister deserves a formal coronation ceremony—something grand and solemn. Mother, this is to lay the foundation for her to rise to a higher position in the future.” Mingyue sighed. “As her elder sister, I don’t want her to get married casually. I want her to marry with honor and splendor. That’s been my long-cherished wish.”

Madam Pei nodded. She had been worried it might just be excessive worry due to the long nights, but since Mingyue had agreed, there was no problem. Of course, a formal marriage ceremony was better than a secret one, so as not to wrong her younger daughter.
“Very well, let’s settle this matter this way.”
……
The news of An Lushan’s death had reached Chang’an, boosting the morale of the army. An Lushan’s death could be considered a turning point, signaling the decline of the rebels and the approaching end of the war.
Yet the Tang army continued to prepare actively. Two million loads of forage brought from the Fengxiang warehouses piled up in the warehouses of the Ministry of Agriculture on the western outskirts of Chang’an, and they began to be sent to Taiyuan. Grains from the official granaries in various regions of Hedong were also being concentrated and dispatched to Taiyuan.
There were also warhorses—100,000 warhorses from Dayuan were sent to Taiyuan from Hexi. The Ministry of Revenue allocated one million guan for military expenses. In addition, tens of thousands of craftsmen under the Military Arms Bureau worked day and night to forge weapons, especially arrows. With an army of 100,000, two arrows per soldier meant 6 million arrows were needed.
In this northern expedition, arrows would be the Tang army’s most crucial weapon. This was a battle against the northern nomadic tribes, and it would also be the largest-scale campaign since the Tang army had destroyed Tubo.
Two hundred thousand elite soldiers would gather in Taiyuan Prefecture, using it as a base to march northward against the Uyghurs.
Li Qing’an arrived at the Bashi Camp early in the morning. There were 80,000 troops stationed there, under the command of General Li Sheng. All the troops from Shu had withdrawn, and Li Guangbi had led his troops back to Henan. Currently, there were 50,000 troops in Shu: Xi Yuanqing led 20,000 troops as the governor of East Sichuan, Zhao Chongjin led 30,000 troops as the governor of West Sichuan, and Cui Guangyuan led 20,000 troops as the governor of Annam. The remaining hundreds of thousands of Southern Tang soldiers had all returned to farming.
Training had already begun at the Bashi Camp that day. As Li Qing’an walked around, he listened to Li Sheng’s report.
“This three-month intensive training focuses mainly on horsemanship and archery. The soldiers from the Anxi Army don’t have much of a problem, but it’s mainly the Central Plains soldiers whose horsemanship is clearly weak. We must use the harshest training to turn them into competent cavalry within three months.”
“How harsh?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“Through long-distance raids. Twenty thousand soldiers have already been divided into twenty groups and sent to Guannei Road. They will return after a month. During this month, they cannot leave their saddles and must sleep on horseback. Only in this way can they become one with their horses and compete with the Uyghurs who have lived on horseback since childhood.”

Li Qing’an nodded. He never interfered in the specific training methods. At that moment, he walked to a training ground and saw 300 soldiers arranged in three rows, practicing three-round crossbow shooting—ten arrows per round. The soldiers shot in succession, like waves rolling forward, with the constant sound of crossbows snapping. A dense stream of arrows flew like locusts toward straw men 100 steps away.

“Those two soldiers are quite good!”
Li Qing’an pointed at the two soldiers at the edge and smiled. “They’re fast. At this pace, within 100 steps, they can shoot five arrows, averaging one arrow every 20 steps. Not bad—this is a very fast speed. All the soldiers should aim to match them.”

By then, Li Sheng had called the two soldiers over. They knelt on one knee and bowed. Li Qing’an asked them with a smile, “What are your names? Where are you from?”
The two immediately replied loudly. One was named Li Jianfeng, from Nanzheng, and the other was Song Lun, from Fengxiang. Both had been in the army for three years.
Li Qing’an then asked how long they had been practicing crossbow shooting. Their answer was surprising—they had only practiced for three months and had previously been archers.
Even Li Sheng couldn’t help but praise them. Truly talented! Li Qing’an encouraged them, and then they left. He then smiled at Li Sheng and said, “Many people have advised me to stay in Chang’an and not go on the northern expedition. What’s your opinion?”
“I also believe the general should stay in Chang’an. Right now, Chang’an is more important than the Huihe. We can fight against the Huihe people. The general should focus on the whole country.”
“Hmm!” Li Qing’an sighed. “I’ll think about it further. If I don’t go, I plan to appoint Siye as the commander of the western army with you as his deputy; Li Guangbi as the commander of the eastern army with Tian Qianzhen as his deputy. Each of you will lead 100,000 troops to march toward the northern deserts from Hedong and Hebei simultaneously.”
“But isn’t Li Guangbi supposed to attack Shi Siming?”
“You’re thinking too simply!” Li Qing’an shook his head and smiled. “Now, Shi Siming isn’t much different from the Huihe people.”