Volume Two: The Legacy of Honor and Splendor in Blood Chapter 110: A Brother's End, a Brother's Rise

The Emperor of the Great Chu had passed away. Although Yang Ning was surprised, he felt little in his heart. Seeing Mao Wenshou’s distressed expression, he could not help but say, "With the Emperor’s passing, the Crown Prince will naturally ascend to the throne. It seems the imperial court has made preparations, and once the new monarch takes his place, everything should settle down quickly."

Mao Wenshou nodded slightly and said, "I hope so."

Qi Feng, standing nearby, interjected, "The greatest concern now is that the Crown Prince has not returned in time. If things go wrong, it could trigger a crisis."

"The Crown Prince cannot return?" Yang Ning asked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that? Is the Crown Prince not in the capital?"

Qi Feng whispered, "The ruler of the Eastern Qi Kingdom held an investiture ceremony for his own crown prince, and our Crown Prince led a diplomatic mission to attend. There has been no word of his return."

"Eastern Qi Kingdom?" Yang Ning was baffled. "How did an Eastern Qi Kingdom emerge? I thought there was only the Northern Han."

Qi Feng and Mao Wenshou exchanged a look. Mao Wenshou maintained a calm facade, while Qi Feng looked embarrassed and offered a sheepish smile. "The Heir Apparent is not wrong; strictly speaking, Eastern Qi can hardly be considered a true kingdom. It is a narrow, sparsely populated land—it is merely... heh heh..." He did not finish his sentence. He knew that his young master had been in a fog until recently and had only just begun to recover his senses, so he was not surprised by his ignorance of these matters.

Seeing Yang Ning’s continued confusion, Mao Wenshou explained, "Heir Apparent, Eastern Qi is located on the Shandong Peninsula. It is small in size, occupying the region of Qingzhou, and governs only nine commanderies—not even as vast as our Jingnan. Neither the Great Chu nor the Northern Han has ever truly regarded Eastern Qi as a full-fledged kingdom. However, they possess the East Sea Navy and are skilled in naval warfare, so despite their weak national power, they have managed to hold onto their corner of the world."

"I see." Only then did Yang Ning realize that a small Eastern Qi Kingdom existed between the two great powers. He understood from Mao Wenshou that Eastern Qi occupied the Jiaodong Peninsula; since the peninsula was surrounded by the sea on three sides, it made perfect sense for them to possess a naval force.

For such a small state to survive between two giants was truly no easy feat.

Yet, if neither great power took Eastern Qi seriously, why would the Great Chu send its own Crown Prince to attend their investiture ceremony? After a moment’s thought, the reason became clear.

The Southern Chu and Northern Han were deadlocked, evenly matched. In such a situation, whoever could win over Eastern Qi would gain an advantage. Even if Eastern Qi were weak, they were not without value; their powerful navy was something both the Northern Han and Southern Chu coveted.

Indeed, Mao Wenshou confirmed, "The Crown Prince’s attendance at the ceremony was a great honor bestowed upon the Eastern Qi. If the Eastern Qi navy could be used by our Great Chu, the Northern Han would never dare to act rashly."

"In that case, the Crown Prince is still in Eastern Qi?" Yang Ning asked. "The Emperor has passed; once the Crown Prince hears the news, he will surely return immediately."

Mao Wenshou looked troubled and remained silent.

Yang Ning couldn't help but ask, "You say there are those in the capital who might take advantage of the chaos. Who would be bold enough to do that?"

Mao Wenshou replied, "With the Marquis of Loyalty holding the fort, there shouldn't be any trouble." He waved his hand and added, "The court has its own arrangements. The Emperor was a brilliant ruler, and before his passing, he surely made proper provisions. We are merely discussing this casually; such grand affairs of state are not for us to debate."

"I only fear..." Qi Feng started, but stopped, his expression growing grim.

Yang Ning, frustrated by their cryptic talk, snapped, "Can you two speak plainly? I have been listening for a while and still have no idea what you are getting at." He pointed at Qi Feng. "What exactly do you fear?"

Qi Feng hesitated before lowering his voice. "Heir Apparent, you do not know this, but there are some... some who do not believe the Crown Prince should inherit the throne."

"What?" Yang Ning was stunned. "If the Crown Prince is not to inherit the throne, then why was he named Crown Prince? Is he not the heir-apparent?"

Mao Wenshou nodded slightly. "The Heir Apparent is correct. The Crown Prince is the designated successor; it is natural for a son to inherit his father's work. By all accounts, his succession is beyond reproach. However... there was an incident long ago that has left some people feeling resentful. I fear that those people may use this opportunity to stir up trouble."

"Which people?" Yang Ning still did not understand.

"The Prince of Huainan!" Qi Feng finally blurted out. "We fear the Prince of Huainan will take this chance to cause trouble."

"The Prince of Huainan?" Yang Ning immediately thought of the day of the funeral for the Marquis of Brocade. Before the palace messengers arrived with the imperial decree, the Prince of Huainan had been the first to arrive to mourn the Marquis at the city gates, a gesture that had moved many.

He remembered the Prince was in his early forties, possessing an air of noble arrogance. Yet, when the palace eunuchs arrived, the Prince had been cold, leaving with his men before the decree was even read, which had seemed quite disrespectful. Yang Ning remembered him well. Now hearing Qi Feng mention him, he was shocked. "You fear the Prince of Huainan will stir up trouble?" He frowned. "What could he possibly do? He is but a prince—can he stop the Crown Prince from ascending the throne?"

"Other princes might not have such power, but the Prince of Huainan is different," Mao Wenshou whispered. "Heir Apparent, as far as I know... the Prince of Huainan actually has a claim to the throne."

Yang Ning was stunned. "The Prince of Huainan has a claim? Master Mao, what do you mean?"

Mao Wenshou explained, "The Great Chu’s founding Emperor, Emperor Wude, was a man of immense military achievement who conquered the world and established the Great Chu. However... he passed away at a young age, before forty. When he died, the Prince of Huainan was still in swaddling clothes. The world was in turmoil, rebels were everywhere in the south, the Ba-Shu region was not yet pacified, and the Northern Han were watching like tigers..."

"The Prince of Huainan is the son of the founding Emperor?" Yang Ning asked.

Mao Wenshou nodded. "Not only his son, but his only son. The founding Emperor was in the midst of war and had one other son, but he died in infancy. The Prince of Huainan was his second son, but since the first died, he is effectively the founding Emperor’s only surviving heir."

Yang Ning wondered, "If the Prince of Huainan is the founding Emperor’s only heir, why... why is he only a prince now?"

"It relates to the situation of that time," Mao Wenshou said. "When the founding Emperor died, the situation was critical—both internal and external threats loomed. The only person capable of stabilizing the situation was the Emperor Taizong. He was the founding Emperor’s own brother and had accompanied him through all his conquests, holding countless military achievements. He was the founding Emperor’s right arm..."

Yang Ning understood immediately. "So, it was a succession from brother to brother."

He knew that imperial succession generally took one of two paths: from father to son, or from brother to brother. Succession based on merit was extremely rare. Even brother-to-brother succession was uncommon in history unless forced by circumstance; generally, a son inheriting his father's empire was the natural order.

After hearing Mao Wenshou’s explanation, Yang Ning grasped the situation.

Undoubtedly, the founding Emperor was a hero who had carved out half the empire, but he had died young, leaving the Prince of Huainan as an infant.

For the Prince of Huainan to inherit the throne would have been logical, but in such times of internal and external crisis, the newly established Chu needed a strong, authoritative figure to unite the country—not an infant.

Emperor Taizong, having fought alongside the founder with great distinction, had the prestige to command loyalty. In those circumstances, his succession was the best choice.

"As you say, Taizong took the throne through brotherly succession. The founding Emperor, putting the empire first, passed the throne to him..." Mao Wenshou hesitated, then lowered his voice. "There were rumors that before he died, the founding Emperor tried to pass the throne to Taizong, who initially refused. Only after the founding Emperor insisted that he put the empire above all else did Taizong accept the Imperial Jade Seal, promising that once the Prince of Huainan came of age, he would pass the throne to him."

Yang Ning thought to himself that regardless of whether this was true, such promises could not be taken seriously once power was held in one's hands.

"The Prince of Huainan remains a prince; it seems Emperor Taizong did not pass the throne to him," Yang Ning said.

Mao Wenshou continued, "After Taizong took the throne, he took on the unfinished business of the founder, continuing to campaign against rebels. Aside from Ba-Shu, he brought everything south of the Huai River under our control. After years of war, Taizong fell ill. In fact, from the moment he took the throne, many had urged him to name a successor, but he ignored them until he fell ill, at which point he named the current Emperor as his heir and granted the Prince of Huainan his title."

"So that is it. No wonder you say some are unhappy." Yang Ning now understood the history. He could sympathize with the Prince of Huainan’s resentment, but he also understood Taizong’s position. The founder had established the nation, but the borders of the Great Chu were truly solidified under Taizong. On his deathbed, Taizong naturally wanted to entrust the empire he had secured to his own descendants.

To the Prince of Huainan, the Great Chu was his father’s creation, and he felt it was his birthright to inherit it. In his eyes, Taizong’s line were usurpers who had stolen his throne.

"The current Emperor is brilliant in both civil and military affairs, employs wise officials, and brought Ba-Shu into our territory," Mao Wenshou added. "He has always treated the Prince of Huainan with great respect. In this age, no one has received as many honors as the Prince, but unfortunately..." He shook his head and stopped.

Qi Feng, who had been silent, finally couldn't help himself. "Heir Apparent, no matter what, we cannot let the Prince of Huainan succeed. If he becomes Emperor, our Qi family will..." He clenched his fists, his expression turning icy.