Chapter 23: Toppling the Imperial Consort (Part One)

The battle against the allied forces of the small Eastern barbarian kingdoms lasted two full years. Though the war nearly emptied the treasury with its endless drain on resources, in the end, victory was theirs. From the reports sent from the front, it appeared that the defeated Eastern nations would soon come to the capital, Yanjing, to beg for peace and request the opening of trade ports.

The great weight that had long pressed upon him seemed, for a moment, to crash down and shatter. Yet after the first flush of excitement, Ji Ye felt no relief; instead, a new wave of worry rose up within him.

He hesitated briefly, his ink-black brows drawing sharply together, and then spoke bluntly: “From the very start of this war, we have been on the defensive, suffering blows. If not for the extraordinary military prowess of the Grand General of Cavalry, who in the shortest possible time forged a navy for us, the Great Yan might already have been overrun by these foreign invaders, and I myself would not know whether I lived or died at this very moment. Minister You, the Grand General of Cavalry has rendered great service, and I have not forgotten it. But what I wish to address now is this: why has our proud and mighty nation found itself reduced to such a state, forced into passivity and humiliation, to the point where a handful of minor overseas nations have repeatedly come to our very gates to burn, kill, and plunder?”

At these words, You Hai, Yu Junshi, and the other ministers present immediately grew solemn.

“It is because of that sea ban!” Ji Ye’s cold gaze swept over the assembled ministers, his words sharp as steel: “For over a hundred years, our Great Yan has closed its borders to the world, prohibiting merchants from sailing abroad and forbidding the private construction of ships. This has caused our shipbuilding to stagnate; the warships we use are far inferior in strength and durability to those of the Eastern nations, and this is one reason why our forces have suffered repeated defeats. Second, we have no well-trained navy; when the time came, we were forced to use our army as sailors, yet most of these men are unfamiliar with the sea. On the battlefield, how many were killed by the enemy, and how many drowned? The Grand General’s reports make this clear: the number of our men who drowned far exceeds those slain by the enemy. How could we not be defeated under such circumstances? Third, the weapons used by the Easterners are also superior to ours; had it not been for our overwhelming advantage in numbers, the outcome of this war would have been far less certain.”

Among those present, aside from You Hai, the rest were loyal old ministers led by Yu Junshi. Thus, hearing Ji Ye speak so plainly in criticism of their own nation, none offered sycophantic objections to curry favor with their sovereign.

Instead, all fell silent, and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

“We boast of being the center of civilization, yet are time and again routed by lesser foreign powers. I find it humiliating. And what of you, my ministers? Now that the immediate crisis has passed, speak freely and without restraint.”

After Ji Ye’s words, You Hai, guessing his intent, replied, “Your Majesty speaks nothing but the truth. I too am deeply shamed—indeed, it feels as though we have been struck across the face.”

Yu Junshi nodded, his voice grave: “We have indeed been arrogant and self-satisfied. If Your Majesty has any intentions, speak them plainly. Though I am often cautious by nature, some matters simply cannot wait.”

Ji Ye nodded with satisfaction. “I intend to lift the sea ban and establish maritime trade offices along the coast, opening exchanges with foreign countries. As for the specifics, you may all consider the matter carefully and submit proposals, which we will discuss at tomorrow’s court session.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At that moment, a young eunuch lingered nervously outside the hall, peering anxiously within. Li Fuquan’s sharp eyes caught sight of him and he slipped quietly out to inquire.

The eunuch, upon seeing Li Fuquan, clung to him like a desperate soul grasping at salvation, hurriedly whispering in his ear.

Li Fuquan’s expression changed instantly, and he rushed back into the hall just as You Hai and the other ministers were preparing to depart.

Glancing awkwardly at You Hai, Li Fuquan bent low and reported in a hushed voice, “Your Majesty, something terrible has happened—the Empress has bitten the Imperial Consort.”

Ji Ye, who had just taken a sip of tea to moisten his throat after so much speaking, sputtered it all over the table, his fair face turning red from coughing.

“Repeat that,” Ji Ye said, his demeanor turning stern as he rose abruptly.

“Well…” Li Fuquan glanced again at the frozen You Hai, steeling himself. “The Empress has bitten the Imperial Consort, and—she has arranged several pythons in the Hall of Qianyuan. The chief lady-in-waiting and other attendants there were so terrified that no one dared intervene, so they came to inform Your Majesty.”

Ji Ye shot a glance at the stupefied You Hai, and most of his anger evaporated, replaced by a tone of sympathy. “Minister You, it must not have been easy raising Daidai to this age.”

You Hai, worried for his niece, seized the opportunity, dropped to his knees before Ji Ye, and sighed, “Your Majesty is truly perceptive. It has taken no small effort to raise such a troublesome child in our family.”

His meaning was clear: they loved their daughter still, and the Emperor could do as he saw fit.

With so many incidents caused by his niece, each backed by irrefutable evidence, You Hai had resigned himself to fate. As long as Daidai was not banished to the Cold Palace to suffer, he was willing to accept her minor losses. He was, in truth, playing the rascal before his sovereign—so long as she had not committed murder or arson, he doubted the Emperor would dare depose her.

Ji Ye, seeing through his act, found it both amusing and, in some ways, enviable—envying Daidai’s good fortune. Sighing, he personally helped You Hai to his feet. “Daidai truly does not know how good she has it. Come, let us go and see for ourselves. Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. Though she can be willful, she is after all a young lady of good breeding, always attended by her maids and officials. How could she have acted on her own? Even if she wished to discipline the Imperial Consort, the Consort would never confront her directly—the Consort is always most mindful of decorum.”

You Hai quickly agreed, “Perhaps there has indeed been some mistake.”

But in truth, these two, old and young, were about to be disappointed—for the “surprise” Daidai had in store went far beyond their imaginings.

No one should underestimate the ferocity of a mother, whether human or beast, during pregnancy—especially when she is preparing her environment for the laying of eggs.

If she is mild and gentle by nature, she might simply avoid disturbances and seek a safer place. But if she is like Daidai, who had been a great demon for over a thousand years and once ruled her domain among cultivators, her temperament would not change with environment, and anyone who crossed her path could only consider themselves unfortunate.

If, moreover, the would-be obstacle actually sought her out to provoke her, misfortune would exceed all expectation.

The Imperial Consort, Lady Lü, could count herself lucky that Daidai was in human form at that moment. If she had been in her true serpent shape, a single swipe of her tail would have sent everything flying for leagues.

So, when Daidai knocked Lady Lü to the ground and, with lightning speed, bit her jaw so hard it drew blood, she spat out a few drops, sighed as if unsatisfied, and said, “These new teeth are not very efficient, but I am magnanimous—I’ll let you off this once. There’s no need to thank me, nor to exhaust yourself gathering rare treasures to appease me. I must go now—I have to rid my space of these unpleasant smells. I am truly very busy. Behave yourself and don’t make trouble for me, or next time, I really won’t be so lenient. You’ll die a most miserable death.”