Royal Nirvana Episode 10 Recap
> Royal Nirvana Recap
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
The Crown Prince and the Emperor understood that the affair of Tea-Horse trade was of paramount importance, intrinsically linked to the nation's strength and destiny. Royal Minister Lu Ying reported to the Emperor that he was responsible for preparing the warhorses for the Changzhou war. Since Changzhou was close to Sichuan, the horses were directly sent from Sichuan to the front lines.
However, An Pingbo Zhao Yong's envoy Fuchun, operating under the pretext of collecting official tea, had extensively plundered the local populace's teas, causing widespread grievances, leading to locals selling their children. Fuchun then leveraged the royal family's name to sell these forcibly collected civilian teas at exorbitant prices in the capital, fetching 400,000 to 500,000 "kuai" per "kuai", with all proceeds going into his private coffers.
The teas he dispatched to Sichuan, however, were stale, damaged, and short on weight, which angered the border residents and severely hindered the horse trade policy. Royal Minister Lu pleaded guilty for the situation, and moved to impeach An Pingbo. The Emperor's countenance grew solemn, realizing he had been kept entirely unaware of such a grave situation. He demanded to know why this information had not reached him.
Royal Minister Lu explained that since the beginning of the year, he had repeatedly submitted memorials to the Central Secretariat, but they had all gone unanswered, effectively disappearing. He added that upon returning to the capital three days prior, fearing further obstruction, he had not visited old friends or returned to his private residence, but instead organized copies of all his memorials at a guesthouse for the Emperor's reference.
Suspecting Li Baizhou's involvement in suppressing these documents, the Emperor's anger flared. Royal Minister Lu cautiously stated that due to the lack of response to his repeated petitions, he had resorted to requesting the Crown Prince to relay the most recent message on his behalf. The Crown Prince admitted to privately meeting Royal Minister Lu and delivering his memorial, pleading guilty for the crimes of privately meeting a minister, incompetence, and delaying military affairs.
The Emperor dismissed the Crown Prince, ordering him to leave, and then inquired about the current shortage of warhorses on the frontier, to which Royal Minister Lu confirmed a ten percent deficit for the number requested by Marquis Wude. Following this, the Emperor commanded Li Baizhou and Minister Huang Ci from the Ministry of Revenue to present themselves with the suppressed memorials.
At the palace gate, Royal Minister Lu encountered Li Baizhou and explicitly informed him that he would not allow his daughter Wenxi to marry Xiao Dingtang. Royal Minister Lu firmly stated that his children were neither chips nor pawns in state or court affairs, and certainly should not become such for his sake, rejecting Li Baizhou's previous suggestion. Li Baizhou expressed his displeasure but soon realized the true gravity of the situation upon seeing the furious Emperor.
When confronted by the Emperor about the unaddressed memorials and dereliction of duty, Li Baizhou defended himself by citing an overwhelming workload, including the two recent spring examinations, an ongoing investigation into a paper leak, and Minister Lu Shiyu's memorial to resign. He claimed these distractions led to the backlog, including Royal Minister Lu's official documents. The Emperor, exasperated, instructed Zhang Luzheng to promptly resolve the spring examination case.
Just then, Zhao Yong arrived at the palace gate, pleading guilty with his upper body bared and bound. Li Baizhou swiftly interceded for Zhao Yong, stating that the veracity of Royal Minister Lu's allegations was still unknown, and while he felt equally grieved if they were true, he urged the Emperor not to believe one-sided accounts for now.
He then suggested that determining guilt could wait, and the immediate priority was to allocate funds to purchase tea and horses, emphasizing the critical state of the war as military horses were not fully assembled. Minister Huang Ci, kneeling beside them, panicked. He explained that due to extensive flooding in the south and severe drought in the north the previous year, tax revenues were significantly lower than usual, less than 70% of previous years.
Combined with essential court expenses and the army's salaries, as well as the Crown Prince's two costly capping ceremonies last month, the treasury was in a severe deficit, unable to afford the colossal sum required for horses. The Emperor, interrupting him, told him not to make excuses and demanded to know how much the treasury could produce. Minister Huang stated that despite his utmost effort, he could not produce a single extra coin.
The Emperor, understanding Minister Huang's helplessness, did not explode in anger but resolved to personally secure the necessary funds to rectify the situation, declaring that he would clean up his own mess. The Emperor, aware of Zhao Yong's immense wealth, then deliberately proceeded to Zhao Guifei's palace. There, Zhao Guifei, dressed in plain attire, nervously pleaded guilty on her father's behalf and offered to donate all of Zhao Yong's family assets for the nation's use.
The Emperor reacted with sarcasm, noting that he had to beg them for mere scraps after they had already plundered the national funds. Zhao Guifei made a dramatic and emotional appeal, emphasizing her long service to the Emperor for twenty-three years and her family's loyalty, begging him not to publicly punish her father to protect Xiao Dingtang's reputation, as he still had to live among people outside.
She then brandished a dagger, declaring her willingness to sacrifice her own life to take Zhao Yong's responsibility. As she did, her maids and Xiao Dingtang rushed to restrain her, with Xiao Dingtang also offering to take the punishment. The Emperor, disgusted by their theatrical display, sternly ordered them to stop. To preserve the royal family's dignity, the Emperor decreed that Zhao Yong should await punishment at home.
He also punished Xiao Dingtang for misbehavior in front of him, deducting half a year's salary and forbidding him from the imperial harem without permission. Zhao Guifei and Xiao Dingtang gratefully bowed in thanks. Later, Xiao Dingtang conveyed the Emperor's decree to Zhao Yong, clarifying that Zhao Guifei had pledged "all" assets but implying it might not be the full amount.
Zhao Yong, upon learning that his daughter had unilaterally pledged all his family's assets, was utterly heartbroken, lamenting that losing his wealth was like losing his life.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Yong, some palace eunuchs observed that the Emperor had been anticipating Royal Minister Lu's return since the spring examinations, having orchestrated the events to compel Zhao Yong to surrender his vast wealth to address the national deficit, as Zhao Yong's personal corruption alone wouldn't cover the required funds for warhorses, whereas Zhao Yong's half-life's worth of assets would be enough for more than a "ting" of military horses.
Meanwhile, Xiao Dingquan, eager to please Wenxi, was meticulously concocting a fragrance of plum blossom with ingredients like Hejiaochen, clove, tulip, Lachamo, musk, Dingfen, and whitish honey, with the help of Gu Fengen. Gu Fengen, however, voiced his concerns. He pointed out that Royal Minister Lu, despite his integrity, had a propensity for offending people, which could lead to unforeseen troubles.
He worried that Lu Ying's actions might inadvertently implicate Xiao Dingquan and Wenxi, drawing him into the crime of private communication and private meetings, and accused Xiao Dingquan of being naive like Royal Minister Lu. Gu Fengen playfully teased Xiao Dingquan about his affections for Wenxi, noting that the fragrance was clearly intended for her, while assisting with the delicate preparation. Xiao Dingquan acknowledged the difficulties faced by both his uncle and the Emperor.
Gu Fengen advised Xiao Dingquan to learn from Xiao Dingtang how to "coax" the Emperor. He reiterated that Li Baizhou was a "ruffian" who had been offended by Royal Minister Lu, foreseeing more trouble ahead that could implicate Xiao Dingquan's intended Crown Princess, Wenxi. Separately, after Xiao Dingtang conveyed the Emperor's decree, Zhao Yong returned home, crying about his lost wealth. Li Baizhou sternly reprimanded him, asserting that losing money was better than losing his life.
Li Baizhou also prepared to win over Zhang Luzheng, his former schoolmate but rival of Lu Ying, by preparing a generous gift. Royal Minister Lu, determined to shield his daughter from the imperial disputes, decided to send Wenxi out of the capital.
Lu Wenpu, while helping with the preparations, questioned his father, asking why, if he didn't intend for Wenxi to marry Prince Qi, he wouldn't allow her to be with the Crown Prince, indicating his awareness of their mutual affection. Wenxi spent a sleepless night, her heart heavy with memories of Xiao Dingquan, feeling profound sorrow and powerlessness.
The next morning, as Lu Wenpu prepared to escort her out of the capital, he assured her of his support, promising to take care of her and find a way forward. To Lu Ying's utter dismay, Li Baizhou arrived, delivering an imperial decree stating that the Emperor had granted a marriage, commanding Wenxi, the daughter of the Royal Minister, to become Xiao Dingtang's secondary consort (concubine).
Li Baizhou stated that this was the Emperor's decision, and though Royal Minister Lu previously believed his children were not pawns, his daughter was now highly distinguished, "worth "zhaowan"" (an immense fortune). Li Baizhou smugly declared that from now on, they should get along, as it was what the Emperor desired. Lu Ying was left dumbfounded and in a terrible dilemma.
Unaware, Wenxi was already en route out of the capital with Lu Wenpu when they were intercepted by imperial guards. The guards announced the Emperor's imperial oral decree, stating that Royal Minister Lu's eldest daughter, Miss Lu, was to be Prince Qi's secondary consort, and that the decree had already been sent to the Ministry of Rites. They ordered her to return home to await the official document. Lu Wenpu was aghast at the news of his sister being forced into marriage with Xiao Dingtang, and promised Wenxi he would find a solution immediately.
