Chapter 21: Passing Part 2

Unfortunately, heaven’s will was not man’s. Imperial power and wealth could not buy lifespan!

Gu Liang Xin’s expression remained calm, his gaze indifferent and somewhat cloudy. He said, “Your grandmother ascended the throne with great assistance from the Gu Liang Clan. Times have changed, and the current state is benevolent enough to honor her. But Xun Yi—you must never move against him. Your mother’s throne came from the concession of her elder twin sister; otherwise, the throne would belong to Xun Yi today. He has no designs on what is not his. I understand how your son thinks.”

Son… The Emperor was slightly startled. “Yiran may have some ruthless tendencies, but it’s merely precautions against future threats.”

Gu Liang Xin knew how highly he valued his legitimate son, but with father and son meeting today, what needed saying must be said. “I don’t know Xun Yiran’s true intentions, but I do know that an emperor too ruthless becomes a tyrant—like the First Emperor of old. The Pingnan Prince’s Mansion holds merits that overshadow the sovereign, true, but without him, how could you father and son securely sit in the Imperial Capital? He is of the direct senior line and has already forsaken the throne—he won’t turn back to contend for it.”

The Emperor, as the junior generation, did not know of the twin sisters from back then, both uninterested in the throne. The younger, Xun Qian, was adept in strategy and profoundly scheming; the elder, Xun Qihuan, was forthright and free-spirited, loving the rivers and lakes more than the court. She had reluctantly taken the throne.

But in Xun Yiran’s generation, they only saw Xun Yi’s military achievements as excessive, with foreign lands knowing Great Qi’s Pingnan Prince but not the Emperor. Their doubts ran deep, unaware that the throne had come from the Eldest Princess Xun Qihuan’s concession.

The ancients planted trees; later generations enjoyed the shade—did they ever feel gratitude toward those planters?

Xun Yiran, the one enjoying the shade, certainly would not!

The Emperor fell silent for a long time, a faint melancholy emerging in his eyes. “I understand what you say. Benevolent rulers are rare, but Great Qi’s emperors must wield iron-blooded methods.”

The words “benevolent ruler” echoed in Gu Liang Xin’s mind. Benevolence as sovereign fit the Previous Emperor perfectly—she had been wise in strategy, prioritizing benevolence. Such a wonderful person had fallen so soon. Of refined quality and orchid-like heart, yet bearing the duties of an emperor—truly rare.

The room’s light was dimmer than the bright expanse of Containment Origin Hall, shadows hazy. He said, “Iron-blooded methods taken too far make a tyrant. As for Rear Palace affairs, how much can you truly see? With external relatives holding power, how much strategy does your son have to counter them?”

Methods too iron-blooded, devoid of benevolence—what difference from Taizong Martial Emperor Xun Shiyan? Upon ascending, he had slain all his brothers, craving rule from horseback, but died young, nearly losing the kingdom he gained to others. His lack of benevolence doomed his wife and children. Had his wife, Gu Liang You Zhi, not decisively seized the throne as a woman and protected their two daughters, he would have died, dragging his family down with him.

Now, with Xun Ziqian as Emperor, the Shao Family’s power could rival the Pingnan Prince’s Mansion. Once he passed, the Shao Family would back the new Emperor as old nobility, while the already suspect Pingnan Prince’s Mansion would struggle to survive such adversity.

Xun Yi’s temperament was hasty, unskilled in polite deceptions. If conflicts between the two sides deepened, with civil officials and generals at odds, it would only harm Great Qi.

Gu Liang Xin had spoken much that day, his face weary. He no longer spoke, pressed his palms together again, and dismissed his guest.

The Emperor exited the meditation room, his sorrowful gaze pierced by threads of spring’s warm sun. For the first time, uncertainty crept into his choice of heir. Xun Yiran’s talents surpassed those of the Third Prince Xun Yishu, but his mind was darker, his methods more ruthless.

He understood even better the pressures Xun Yiran had placed on the Gu Liang Clan in recent years—merely to strip Xun Yishu of his backing.

Choosing an heir was a headache for every Emperor. A slight chill wind blew as he stood beneath the parasol tree by the door. Through gaps in the branches, his gaze distant and ethereal, he looked at the sun in the sky. Amid the melting daylight, it seemed a graceful woman appeared there, in plain everyday robes, clear as rippling waves. Without a phoenix crown, she still possessed an irresistible poise.

Though lacking the Ningyuan Emperor’s commanding majesty, she was charmingly radiant, her figure elegantly noble. In his heart, the Previous Emperor shone like this sun upon him.

Her teachings, her gentleness, lingered unerasably in his mind. The Previous Emperor had been a sovereign, yes, but one who prioritized benevolence—her methods carried more softness than even his grandmother, the Ningyuan Emperor.

Xun Yishu was kind-hearted but lacked a sovereign’s talent.

Xun Yiran was meticulous and possessed imperial caliber, but his ruthless methods forced a kingdom’s general into retirement for survival.

Between the two, he found it hard to decide.

…………………………………………

In the fifth month, the peach blossoms had all fallen.

A carrier pigeon circled above Purple Ying Pavilion for a long time before Xun Changqing knocked it down with a single stone. She strode over, picked up the pigeon, removed the note from its leg, scanned it with one glance, then turned to Wei Lingci behind her and said in a low voice, “Master, an old acquaintance has passed in the Capital Mountain Temple.”

Author’s Note: A plot progression chapter.

Good evening.