Volume One: The Young Dragon Opens Its Eyes Chapter 131: The Princess Consort of Qingdu (Part III)

The Grand Empress Dowager motioned for her attendants to help the Princess of Qingdu to her feet, and said, "The one who tied the bell must untie it. For this matter, you can only turn to the Emperor; pleading with me is of no use."

The Grand Princess of Qingdu immediately changed her course and headed toward the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

However, upon arriving at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, she was intercepted by Wang Zhen, who claimed that the Emperor was busy with affairs of state and asked the Princess to wait.

The Grand Princess of Qingdu had no choice but to wait.

Yet, Wang Zhen was not lying.

Zhu Qizhen was indeed occupied with a matter of utmost importance—none other than the urban waterlogging of Beijing.

It was already dark. Whether due to the late hour or the incessant rain that had never once stopped, the downpour continued relentlessly.

Yu Qian held a candle aloft to illuminate a map of Beijing's defense, detailing the situation in every ward of the city, point by point.

Zhu Qizhen studied the map. Under his instructions, areas that had already been flooded were marked in blue, while places at risk of flooding were outlined with blue dashed lines.

As for the drainage channels already functioning, they were marked with solid red lines, whereas those under construction through the night were indicated with red dashed lines.

Looking at the map, Zhu Qizhen finally felt a modicum of reassurance. As one by one, the red dashed lines turned into solid lines on the map, every additional drainage channel slightly reduced the severity of the waterlogging within the city.

Just as Yu Qian had previously stated, this was merely a case of internal flooding.

Zhu Qizhen asked, "Are there any problems at present?"

Yu Qian replied, "Your Majesty's arrest of the Imperial Son-in-law Jiao Jing has shaken the entire city's nobility, and none dare disobey orders any longer. However, the temples within the city are now packed to capacity, and the common people have nowhere left to go."

Zhu Qizhen said, "I understand your intent. Immediately order the palace to clear out empty chambers so that the common people may move in."

First came the earthquake, and now the flood; countless dwellings had failed to withstand the dual disasters.

In such weather, the populace could not simply be left out in the open to endure the pouring rain.

Yu Qian bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Qizhen inquired further, "How is the water level of the Lugou River?"

Yu Qian reported, "It is rising sharply, and I have already dispatched men to patrol it. Within the next few days, there should be no immediate danger. I have already given instructions: if the embankments of the Lugou River truly fail to hold, we shall breach the southern embankment."

Zhu Qizhen naturally understood that preserving the capital was the imperial court's paramount priority. The Lugou River lay not far south of Beijing; if the northern embankment gave way, aside from the question of whether the river water would rush directly into Beijing, turning the southern outskirts into a vast expanse of water would likely prevent the accumulated water inside the city from draining away.

There might even be a risk of backflow.

Yet, for the residents living on the southern bank, this would be an absolute catastrophe.

Given Yu Qian's benevolent heart, one could only imagine the inner turmoil he was experiencing.

Zhu Qizhen said, "It has been hard on you, Mister Yu."

Yu Qian replied, "This is merely my duty."

Zhu Qizhen sighed, "Ever since Emperor Taizong relocated the capital to Beijing, the city has been the foundation of the empire. But what kind of foundation is this? Just outside the city walls lie barren lands, the local river systems are clogged, and the Lugou River floods nine years out of ten."

"Such a state of affairs can by no means be allowed to continue."

Yu Qian said, "This is my dereliction of duty."

Hearing this, Zhu Qizhen shook his head and replied, "What does this have to do with you? Trying to accomplish anything in the shadow of the imperial court is always doubly difficult; I am well aware of that."

Although Yu Qian had performed admirably while serving as the Prefect of Shuntian, a careful review would show that he had not accomplished any truly monumental tasks, simply because the circumstances prevented it.

Had he been serving as a regional governor, whenever Yu Qian felt something needed to be done, he would simply do it—submitting a proposal to the court while gathering grain and funds locally.

At the foot of the Son of Heaven, however, things were entirely different.

Yu Qian had previously raised the issue of the Lugou River, but the matter was tossed back and forth between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, passing through endless bureaucratic channels before finally gaining approval.

In the end, the river management plan was reduced to merely reinforcing the dikes.

Yet, the trouble with the Lugou River could never be resolved by such superficial measures alone.

The root of the Lugou River's problem was none other than its obstructed outlet to the sea. The river did not flow directly into the ocean; instead, its waters converged with several other streams into the Sanjiao Marsh.

The Sanjiao Marsh, situated west of Tianjin Wei, was a remarkably large lake.

Yet, no matter how vast a lake might be, how could it compare to the boundless ocean? Whenever heavy rains struck, there was always the danger of backflow, and breaches of the dykes were a routine occurrence.

"However, once this ordeal passes, I demand a comprehensive plan—a scheme to ensure the Lugou River empties directly into the sea," Zhu Qizhen declared through gritted teeth.

Yu Qian answered, "Your Majesty's will is my command."

Seeing that Yu Qian's eyes were bloodshot, Zhu Qizhen knew the man was utterly exhausted. Unwilling to detain him any longer, Zhu Qizhen said, "Mister Yu, return and get some rest first. This flood is unlikely to recede anytime soon."

Zhu Qizhen bid farewell to Yu Qian.

Only then did Wang Zhen come forward to report, saying, "The Grand Princess of Qingdu has been waiting for a very long time."

Zhu Qizhen had no desire to see the Grand Princess of Qingdu. The disposition regarding Jiao Jing had already been finalized: under the pretext of obstructing flood control, he was charged with multiple crimes to be punished concurrently, applying extraordinary penal measures. Out of consideration for his imperial kinship, he would be granted an intact corpse and bestowed with imperial wine.

However, since Jiao Jing was, after all, an imperial son-in-law, Zhu Qizhen had first transmitted this matter to the Cabinet.

Yet, he expected the Cabinet would not raise objections, and the edict had already been drafted.

It was just that following the formal procedures inevitably took a little time.

Things having reached this stage, the decision could not be altered, nor should it be.

Although the Grand Princess of Qingdu was Emperor Xuanzong's sister, Zhu Qizhen was not particularly close to her; even Emperor Xuanzong had not been exceptionally close to her.

Firstly, they were not full siblings; secondly, Emperor Xuanzong had been raised at the knee of Emperor Taizong since childhood, leaving him somewhat emotionally distant from his sisters.

Since ascending the throne, Zhu Qizhen had rarely crossed paths with this Grand Princess.

It was difficult to speak of any deep affection between them.

Yet, she was, after all, his paternal aunt.

Still, he did not wish to see her.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Qizhen said, "Have her brought in."

Guided by Wang Zhen, the Princess of Qingdu entered swiftly. The moment she crossed the threshold, she collapsed onto the floor in tears, crying out, "Your Majesty, no matter what the Prince Consort has done, this humble subject begs Your Majesty only to spare his life!"

The move caught Zhu Qizhen completely off guard.

The eternal feminine tactics—weeping, making a scene, and threatening self-destruction—remained unchanged from ancient times to the present, leaving Zhu Qizhen equally helpless.

Zhu Qizhen hurriedly said, "Attendant Wang, quickly help the Grand Princess up."

Wang Zhen hastened forward with a few junior eunuchs to assist the Princess of Qingdu to her feet—no, to be more precise, to hoist her up. The Princess of Qingdu refused to exert an ounce of strength of her own, and was bodily carried into a chair.

Immediately, she burst into loud, wailing sobs.

For a moment, Zhu Qizhen had no idea what course of action to take. Asking him to let Jiao Jing off was something Zhu Qizhen refused to do.

After all, this matter was no longer confined to the inner palace; the Cabinet had already countersigned the decision. Even if Zhu Qizhen wished to retract it, it would require a considerable amount of effort.

The Grand Empress Dowager had guessed correctly: when Zhu Qizhen made an example of Jiao Jing, he certainly harbored the intent of establishing his authority. At this juncture, it was difficult to sheathe a bloodstained blade, and he would by no means rescind an imperial decree simply because of the tears of a woman or two.

Yet, this theatrical display made it exceedingly difficult for Zhu Qizhen to cope.

Whatever happened to Jiao Jing was fine; compared to the imperial family, he was an outsider after all. But no matter what Zhu Qizhen did, he could not mistreat the Grand Princess of Qingdu.

After all, whether her name was Zhu Yuantong or not, she still bore the surname Zhu.

The Grand Princess of Qingdu was no mere shrew. In the presence of the Grand Empress Dowager, she would never have dared to act so presumptuously. However, she had thought the matter through thoroughly: reasoning was no longer of any use. She knew her Prince Consort all too well; he was far from being a law-abiding individual.

If one were to investigate him closely, there was no telling how many times he had violated the imperial penal code.

Therefore, she was forced to resort to a desperate method when no other options remained.

Sure enough, Zhu Qizhen was temporarily thrown into disarray.

"What is the meaning of this, Sister?" a voice inquired.

Zhu Qizhen turned his head to look, and who should it be but Lady Sun?

Lady Sun gave a subtle gesture, and immediately two female officials stepped forward to support the Princess of Qingdu.

Lady Sun said in a leisurely tone, "The hour is late, and it is highly inconvenient for you to linger in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It happens to be a good time for you to catch up with your sister-in-law over old times. What do you say?"

Though Lady Sun phrased it as a question, her tone brooked not the slightest hesitation, and she practically dragged the Grand Princess away by force.

Seeing this, Zhu Qizhen hastily called out, "Mother?"

Lady Sun smiled faintly and said, "Matters outside the palace are beyond my ability to help you with, but domestic affairs among women are mine to handle."

Zhu Qizhen said, "She is, after all, my aunt."

Lady Sun replied, "Rest assured, do I not know the gravity of the situation? Should any similar situation arise in the future, just have Wang Zhen come to me."

Only then did Zhu Qizhen understand why Lady Sun had arrived with such impeccable timing.

As it turned out, while Lady Sun's political acumen could not compare to that of the Grand Empress Dowager Lady Zhang, when it came to dealing with other women, she was exceptionally formidable indeed.