Chapter 126: The Hero is Dead

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After Chu Jinxian and Duan Yinghua left, Chu Jinyao’s emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

 

She remembered forcing herself to read history books and getting frustrated when she read about the Southern Song Dynasty. Qin Yi would sit beside her, seemingly reading Huainanzi, and he would laugh at her immaturity whenever she got upset about history. At that time, as she read that part of history, how could Chu Jinyao have imagined that one day, she and Qin Yi would find themselves in a similar predicament? If they deliberately delayed bringing the emperor back to the capital, they would become the villains in history. But if they did bring him back… Would the emperor tolerate them? Yue Fei was utterly loyal and died with unwavering dedication to his country, but did Zhao Gou trust him?

 

Chu Jinyao wasn’t sure either. Was it better to be a villain in history or to be a hero who was praised but died early?

 

This year’s winter was especially cold. Even though they had successfully defended the capital, the people who died in the battle, the collapsed city walls, and the damaged houses were still a heavy burden for the barely recovering Yan Dynasty. Post-war medical care, timber, relief funds, and winter clothing were now critical needs, and none of these things could be resolved without money. At this time, relying on the national treasury was too optimistic, given that the emperor was notorious for his frivolousness and indulgence in luxury.

 

The slowly recovering court was in constant debate about finances, arguing day in and day out. Qin Yi could lead the army to victory, but he couldn’t conjure grain or money out of thin air. They could divert grain from the various storehouses in Tongzhou, but where would the silver come from to rebuild the capital?

 

Qin Yi turned his attention to the wealthy families in the capital. These people were all connected by marriage and kinship, so no one could fool anyone else. Qin Yi knew their wealth, so he applied both pressure and incentives to force them to cough up the money. Of course, as an example, Qin Yi first reduced his own household expenses, even including the portion from Chu Jinyao’s palace, which was contributed to the national treasury.

 

When the others saw Qin Yi’s household budget, none of them could say a word. Knowing that resisting wouldn’t benefit them, the officials argued and negotiated until they received some official benefits or advantages for their offspring. Only then did they reluctantly contribute to the nation’s finances.

 

However, after reviewing the treasury’s income and expenditures, and looking at the records of the imperial household, Qin Yi knew that squeezing the officials was not a sustainable solution. The royal household’s expenses were simply too massive.

 

In the inner palace, Qin Yi had only Chu Jinyao. She had suffered hardships in her early years and wasn’t someone who spent extravagantly. Therefore, the expenses of the Eastern Palace were modest, so even the Imperial Censorate couldn’t find fault with them. In contrast, the expenses of the emperor’s harem were shocking.

 

Qin Yi had a vague idea but knew that the inner court wasn’t under the administration of the court ministers. He needed to discuss this matter with Chu Jinyao. Without realizing it, Qin Yi spent the entire day in the Wenhua Hall. When he finally stepped out of the main hall, he noticed that the sky had grown dark, and snow had begun to fall.

 

The first snow of the 23rd year of Jianxing had arrived. In past years, the officials would submit memorials to celebrate the auspicious sign of a bountiful year brought by the snow. But this year, after the capital had just survived a great battle and lay in ruins, such heavy snow was far from a blessing.

 

Chu Jinyao heard the commotion outside and rose to greet him at the door of the palace. As Qin Yi removed his snow-covered cloak with the help of a eunuch, Chu Jinyao noticed the snow on his shoulders and asked, “Is it snowing outside?”

 

“Yes, it looks like it’ll snow all night.”

 

Chu Jinyao’s expression became serious, clearly thinking about the common people outside.

 

She had just taken two steps when Qin Yi stopped her. “Don’t move. There’s still cold air on me. You’re not wearing enough layers. You’ll catch a chill.”

 

If it were just her, Chu Jinyao would have ignored him. But now that she was carrying a child, she didn’t dare to act rashly. She waited until Qin Yi had warmed himself by the heater before approaching to take his hand.

 

“Why did you come back so late today? Are things outside difficult to handle?”

 

“It’s manageable,” Qin Yi replied. “The hardest part is over; what’s left is post-war reconstruction. Although the national treasury is short on funds, it’s not an unsolvable problem. Pressing the officials and collecting taxes from the provinces will take time, but eventually, the situation will improve.”

 

Chu Jinyao couldn’t help much with the affairs outside. It seemed her role now was to manage the Ciqing Palace and the harem well so that Qin Yi had no worries at home and could relax for a moment in the evenings. They sat together on the reclining couch, and Chu Jinyao, feeling both dejected and guilty, said, “You’ve been working tirelessly for days, without even time to rest. There’s so much waiting for you outside, yet I can’t do anything to help.”

 

Qin Yi laughed when he heard this. “You don’t need to do anything. Just having you here is more than enough.”

 

“You’re just trying to sweet-talk me.”

 

Qin Yi smiled but said nothing. In fact, he meant what he said. What do men strive for in the outside world? It’s nothing more than wealth, beauty, and power. With power comes more grand houses and more beautiful women. Now, Chu Jinyao was here in the palace where he had grown up, a palace that had witnessed his rise and fall. Whenever he was furious in the Wenhua Hall and felt like throwing a memorial at someone’s face, just thinking that Chu Jinyao was waiting for him a short distance away helped him control his temper.

 

During the most dangerous days of the war, Qin Yi had changed his mind several times, wanting to send Chu Jinyao away. But in the end, he held back. Just like Chu Jinyao had said: their family, whether in life or death, would stay together. Qin Yi’s decision had given the people below a shot of confidence. If the Crown Princess stayed in the capital, surely the city could be defended. The nobles and officials, seeing this, also couldn’t send their families away. If they tried, Qin Yi would be the first to punish them.

 

If Chu Jinyao hadn’t stayed, many of the officials’ families would have mysteriously disappeared. They might have still defended the city, but not with the same determination as they did now, fighting as if there was no retreat.

 

Chu Jinyao felt guilty about not being able to help, but the truth was that the psychological stability she provided was more valuable than any weapon or army.

 

“The current situation isn’t particularly difficult,” Qin Yi said gravely. “But while it’s easy to solve immediate problems, long-term issues are much harder. Any dynasty that lasts a long time inevitably accumulates chronic illnesses and inefficiencies. And right now, the court’s expenditures are the biggest drain on the national treasury.”

 

Chu Jinyao understood what Qin Yi was implying and asked seriously, “Your Highness, how can I help you?”

 

Qin Yi felt a bit guilty as he took Chu Jinyao’s hand. “You’re pregnant. I shouldn’t burden you with these things.”

 

“Your Highness, we are husband and wife. How can you say that?” Chu Jinyao scolded him playfully, then looked at him earnestly. “Are you planning to reduce the palace’s expenses?”

 

“No matter how much we cut, it won’t compare to increasing revenue. The same logic applies here. Even if we reduce palace expenses, all it will do is make you unpopular. It won’t have a significant effect.”

 

Chu Jinyao seemed to grasp his meaning, and Qin Yi was pleased. He nodded to confirm her guess. “You’re right. I plan to downsize the palace staff. Every year, palace maids are selected, but none are released. This is unfair to these women and also places a huge burden on the treasury. The issue with the eunuchs is more complicated, but palace maids are easier to deal with. You’ll have to work hard for a while to draft a list of those who should be released.”

 

Chu Jinyao, deep in thought, nodded. “It’s indeed a complicated task… But it’s manageable. There are enough people in the Ciqing Palace to help me, so I won’t be overwhelmed. Besides, it’s a charitable act. I’m sure even our child would want to help with such a good cause.”

 

Hearing her mention the child, Qin Yi looked at her slightly swollen belly. “Has the baby been bothering you these past few days?”

 

“No, the baby has been very well-behaved,” Chu Jinyao smiled, trying to strengthen the bond between Qin Yi and the baby. At the same time, she continued thinking about the matter of releasing the palace maids. Letting go of older maids might harm them more than help them, while releasing younger maids could leave the palace shorthanded. This was something that needed careful planning to avoid mistakes.

 

After a while, Chu Jinyao returned from her thoughts and noticed Qin Yi sitting opposite her, watching her quietly and intently. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she also felt a pang of concern when she saw how much weight Qin Yi had lost. She gently massaged his temples. “Your Highness, are things outside really that difficult? You’ve lost so much weight. You must take care of yourself.”

 

In recent days, just watching Qin Yi leave in the morning and return at night had made her heart ache for his burdens. Now, he had to oversee everything, and this exhaustion often went unrewarded.

 

“If it were just Wara, it wouldn’t be so bad. The real concern is internal decay,” Qin Yi sighed, capturing her restless hand. “Wara sent a peace proposal, offering to return the emperor to the capital, but with conditions.”

 

“What do they want?”

 

Qin Yi told her the general amount, and Chu Jinyao gasped, “That’s outrageous! They’re really pushing their luck.”

 

Indeed, the capital was struggling with rebuilding, injured soldiers, starving citizens in the bitter cold, and a government riddled with issues. Yet Wara had the audacity to demand such a staggering sum, relying on the fact that they had the emperor in their hands.

 

The ancestral rules passed down by their forefathers forbidding appeasement and tribute now seemed like a joke.

 

What made it worse was that this peace proposal had been written by a Yan Scholar.

 

“Your Highness,” Chu Jinyao pondered for a long time, unable to think of a solution. She finally asked cautiously, “So, what do we do next?”

 

The best solution would be for the emperor to end his own life, thus preserving the dignity of the Yan Dynasty and the royal family. Afterward, once the nation had regained its strength, they could launch a campaign to avenge this humiliation. But would the emperor ever commit suicide?

 

There was no need to even consider that. He wouldn’t.

 

Qin Yi’s thoughts mirrored hers, and after weighing all the possibilities, he sighed. “I’ve been trying to find a solution that satisfies both sides, but where in the world does such a perfect option exist? Wara won’t dare kill him, but if we don’t act, most of the citizens in the capital won’t survive the winter.”

 

Chu Jinyao wasn’t surprised to hear this, only feeling a sense of bitter inevitability. She had known it all along. A prince who could shoot a servant dead for laughing inappropriately in front of his soldiers, who dared venture deep into enemy territory during a border conflict, and who would defend the city gates to the death during a national crisis—such a person wouldn’t sacrifice his people for his own gain.

 

Her eyes welled up, and her voice trembled as she asked, “Your Highness, did you refuse their proposal?”

 

Qin Yi fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “Yes.”

 

Both of them knew that ahead lay a deep abyss, a massive trap. Qin Yi could have easily agreed, and no one would have blamed him, especially since the money would have been used for the most legitimate of reasons. But by refusing, he had undoubtedly angered the emperor. The bond between royal fathers and sons was notoriously fragile, and the consequences of testing it could be disastrous.

 

This decision wasn’t hard. After all, the consequences wouldn’t fall on Qin Yi. He might even gain a reputation for filial piety. But he couldn’t betray his conscience. This wasn’t how a ruler should govern.

 

It was a futile struggle from the start, and they both knew that all their efforts were leading toward ruin.

 

Wara was utterly confused by the rejection of their seemingly unbeatable proposal. They had known they were asking for a lot, but who could refuse when the emperor himself was in their hands? Timur, the leader of Wara, was enraged when he learned that his offer had been declined. If even he was upset, it was no surprise that the heavily burdened Wara tribes were furious. As tempers flared on the snowy plains, with the biting winter wind howling, the negotiations between Wara and Yan reached their bitter end.

 

By the time the peace talks finally concluded, the new year had come and gone, and the people of the capital were already taking down their red lanterns. The treaty was painfully agreed upon, and the emperor finally began his long-awaited return to the capital. Accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Rites and a small army, the emperor had barely left Wara territory when he saw a familiar figure standing in the snow, staring resolutely northward despite the fierce wind.

 

“Qin Ji?” The emperor was astonished. “Weren’t you in Qingyang? How did you get here?”

 

Prince Su, upon seeing the emperor, was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled his eyes as he knelt in the snow without hesitation. “Father, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please punish me!”

 

The emperor looked at him, then at the vast, empty snowfield behind him. He sighed deeply. “Forget it. Get up.”

 

Prince Su stood and rushed to the emperor’s side, a mixture of joy, relief, and sorrow on his face. “Father, you’ve…suffered. Since I heard the news, I haven’t slept a single night. I wished I could take your place. As soon as I heard that my brother had begun negotiating peace with Wara, I’ve been waiting here. At last, I can escort you home.”

 

Hearing the mention of another name from his son’s mouth, the emperor felt a surge of complex emotions. He sighed, saying, “It’s rare for you to have such loyalty.”

 

At that moment, the emperor noticed Prince Su’s hands. Though his sons were men, they had been raised in luxury, and their hands were often as delicate as women’s. But now, Prince Su’s hands were rough and covered in frostbite.

 

Prince Su seemed not to notice his father’s gaze, his expression still a mix of excitement and grief. “Father, my troops are just inside the border. I will personally escort you back to the capital.”

Translator’s Note: Hello dear ones, as you all requested I will complete this novel in this week. So If you want ot read the ending in one go you can check all the chapters on 28th March or 29 March (due to time difference) Thank you for all your love and motivation love you lots.❤️🌟

oh and I will be uploading 3 chapters a day till we finish it on 28th. I will be uploading 6 chapters now due to not uploading on 24th as well as 25th.