Chapter Twenty-Eight: All Wars Come to an End

The Seventh Prince, Li Yankang, understood what the Ninth Prince, Li Yonghe, meant, so the two of them sipped their tea and enjoyed the opera in leisure. The young palace maids nearby, upon seeing the two princes, blushed shyly. Though the princes were young, they would soon be entering the six ministries. If any of the maids could become close to them at this time, their futures would be beyond measure. With their noble status, these princes were destined for lives of wealth and ease. Yet the maids were also keenly aware of their own humble origins—how could they ever hope to catch the eye of such exalted princes?

A beautiful maid entered from outside and approached the Seventh Prince, Li Yankang, whispering something softly in his ear. Li Yankang’s expression changed abruptly. He coldly tossed his fan onto the table. Li Yonghe, the Ninth Prince, seeing his elder brother’s reaction, couldn’t help but frown.

“What’s the matter, brother? Why are you so angry?” asked Li Yonghe. Li Yankang responded with a cold laugh, “She’s dead.”

Li Yonghe’s face shifted at once. He looked at his brother in disbelief, “How did it happen so fast? We only gave a slight nudge, and that woman is dead already.” Neither of them named the person, but both knew in their hearts—it was that concubine Hu. Only now did they learn of her death.

The palace maids who had been serving them quietly withdrew. Evidently, their plan had not succeeded, but the Crown Prince should not suspect them. Perhaps it was wiser to divert the disaster, to let the Crown Prince and the Third Prince contend, so they might benefit as bystanders. If the Crown Prince were to discover their involvement, their lives would surely be cut short. After all, the Crown Prince’s temper was not kind; all his patience was reserved for the Emperor.

They were still powerless princes yet to enter the six ministries. To offend the Crown Prince now would not be wise.

When Lin Miaomiao arrived at Yigu County, her whole body ached as if her bones were about to come apart. She truly felt as if she might die from exhaustion, finally understanding firsthand the hardships of traveling in ancient times. If it were the modern world, she’d have simply taken a bullet train or a plane, or at the very least a sleeper car on a regular train. They found an inn, and Lin Miaomiao enjoyed a good bath before collapsing into bed and sleeping soundly until noon the next day.

When she emerged from the inn, she found Li Yonghe and Anqi already awake. Even the wolf child looked at her and said, “Sister, you’re lazy, you’re lazy.” Seeing that everyone else was fine after the journey while she was the only one utterly spent, Lin Miaomiao felt a bit helpless.

Without any pretensions, Lin Miaomiao devoured her meal ravenously, then counted the silver in her purse and silently wept—money always disappeared so quickly! Determined to start making money, she left Anqi to look after the wolf children while she and Li Yonghe wandered around Changyan County, looking for shops to buy.

Lin Miaomiao had ninety taels of silver left, while Li Yonghe had only five copper coins. Li Yonghe suddenly felt that living off someone else was not pleasant, but he had no other choice.

She had assumed that a shop would cost at least several hundred taels, but upon visiting the local broker, she realized she was quite mistaken. Due to the frequent wars, many merchants were selling their shops at low prices and moving to safer places. Lin Miaomiao saw that the local economy was in dire straits. The people hurried about with anxious faces, and for the first time, she truly felt how warfare devastated the common folk.

Li Yonghe watched the townspeople on the street, moving hurriedly, and some even looked at them with strange expressions, as if he were a fool—why return to a place that could be invaded by barbarians at any moment when there was a chance to leave?

Only Li Yonghe, carrying Lin Miaomiao, moved against the current of the fleeing crowd; everyone else was running away, not wishing to stay a moment longer.

“Damn these barbarians,” Li Yonghe muttered darkly, his voice cold and tinged with the shadow of death. “If not for them, why would the people suffer so? If not for them, millions of soldiers at the border would not have died. These barbarians deserve to be wiped out.”

Lin Miaomiao could feel his unhappiness. She patted him gently and said, “Brother Li, you shouldn’t think this way. The people you call barbarians have a name for their tribe as well. The two sides are simply enemies—you're from the Central Plains, they're from outside—and because of the culture you've absorbed, you look down on them.”

“They are backward, nomadic peoples. They may not know what propriety or shame means. But in their environment, you must understand—only once people are fed and clothed can they begin to understand propriety and shame.”

“Their common folk are innocent too. They simply obey their leaders and can only plunder and burn as ordered. It’s like your relationship with your neighbors: if you despise them and act aloof, they will respond in kind. This kind of cultural clash between peoples is normal.”

“As the more advanced civilization, why can’t we pass on our learning to them? Why can’t we teach and coexist with them in harmony?”

Lin Miaomiao spoke softly and childishly. Li Yonghe lowered his eyes and replied, “Barbarians cannot be civilized. They are crude, they only know how to burn and loot, and don’t understand the rules.”

Lin Miaomiao nodded. “Yes, they understand little, but every people goes through this stage.”

“Brother Li, if one day you defeat them, have you thought about what happens next?”

Li Yonghe shook his head. “I’ve never considered it.”

“Wars always end, and what comes next is a new life,” Lin Miaomiao said gently. “As someone in power, you might even help govern their people directly. If you wipe them out, you will only deepen the hatred between the two peoples. On the other hand, if you’re too lenient, they may see you as weak and easy to bully.”

“When dealing with such matters, you need to think deeply. You must balance magnanimity with the dignity of a great nation.”

She continued, “This place is so desolate, and the people are leaving. Isn’t it also because the local officials are failing in their duties? Why are the people fleeing instead of resisting? Maybe the officials here have already given up hope of resistance, so when invaders come, they can only choose to compromise or be plundered.”

“In truth, defending the country is not only the soldiers’ duty. Everyone is responsible for protecting their homeland’s peace.”

Lin Miaomiao spoke earnestly, and Li Yonghe fell silent, then smiled and patted her on the head. Her words enlightened him. He had always focused only on strengthening his army, but even if the army grew stronger, it was hard to defeat the invaders with such scattered tactics. The enemy would loot and kidnap, then retreat, and no one ever resisted. The common people simply let things happen.

Because the people never considered resisting, nor did they have the means to do so, Lin Miaomiao’s words shook Li Yonghe deeply.

Her words also reached the ears of a man standing in the shadows behind them. Silently, he listened. Indeed, every word the young girl said was right—even those who oversaw the entire empire had never considered such things, but this girl had.

The man in the shadows turned and walked away. Days later, a secret memorial appeared among the Emperor’s documents. Emperor Yongchang opened it and found a record of the conversation between the two. This time, the Emperor himself was stunned. He pondered every sentence in the memorial in depth.

“Lin Miaomiao,” Emperor Yongchang pronounced the name slowly. He had long since known of this young girl, but no one had expected her to say such astonishing things. Even the Emperor had never considered what would happen after the war ended.

As a ruler, Emperor Yongchang had always looked down on that tribe and had planned to exterminate them. He had reigned for many years with decisive and ruthless methods, yet no one had ever thought to approach these backward peoples with the attitude of a great nation.

He weighed every word Lin Miaomiao had spoken, and before he realized it, he found himself at the residence of the Virtuous and Gentle Imperial Noble Consort Yuan Chuxia. There, she was quietly tending her flowers, and Emperor Yongchang’s heart grew calm.

“Chuxia, I…” Without thinking, he called her by her maiden name. Hearing someone call her from behind, Consort Yuan Chuxia looked up. The old nurse Zhao hurried forward to support her, and the palace attendants behind her all dropped to their knees, paying respects. Emperor Yongchang waved them away impatiently, and Consort Yuan Chuxia smiled at him.