Keeping the Ministers in Awe and Rewarding the Du Family

Yaohua Hall.

Di Qingyu had regained consciousness and was leaning against the bed when Chunzhi brought her a bowl of meat congee.

The emperor hurried over from Xuanzheng Hall when he heard the news.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Mm, you may all rise."

Di Yunqian walked into the bedchamber with steady steps and saw Di Qingyu drinking congee. He frowned at once. "Why are you eating so little?"

Di Qingyu looked up, a faint smile on her pale, poignantly beautiful face. "Father, I can't stomach anything else. I can only have congee," she said weakly.

"You're in no state to move. Give it to me."

Di Yunqian strode over and took the bowl from Chunzhi. Turning toward the bed, he picked up the spoon to feed her.

Di Qingyu was taken aback. "Father, let the palace maids handle such small matters. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today. You should be visiting Mother and the ministers."

"Hmph. Everyone else can't wait for me to visit them more often, yet you're the only girl who sends me away. What, can't I feed my own daughter a little congee?"

Displeasure appeared on Di Yunqian's face, which was still handsome and refined at forty. He scooped up a spoonful of congee and gently swayed it to cool it before holding it out to her.

Di Qingyu smiled helplessly, her face touched. "How would I dare? I simply don't want you to lower yourself to do such trivial chores, Father."

With that, she opened her mouth and ate the spoonful of congee.

Suddenly, she remembered something, and her face turned pale. "Oh, Father, where is Zhu Wuyang? How is he? Is he in any danger?"

"Don't worry. The imperial physicians treated him last night, and he's no longer in serious condition." Di Yunqian fed her another spoonful, his habitually cold, stern voice softening as he reassured her. "When he woke up this morning, he said it wasn't proper for him to stay in your side hall. Since he could move, I had someone take him to another hall."

Di Qingyu looked sorrowful at his words. "He took that blade for me. I should have been the one to suffer it." She looked up at Di Yunqian, her expression urgent.

"Father, I have plenty of good medicine here too. If Zhu Wuyang needs any, I can give it all to him."

"Rest assured. He saved you. Would I skimp on his medicine?" Di Yunqian reassured her. "I've already investigated the whole affair. Du Yutao is locked in prison now. Once the festival is over, I'll have him executed and give you an account."

He decided life and death so casually; the majesty of an emperor could not be looked upon directly.

Clearly, he had already sent people to verify Zhu Wuyang's account, rather than accept Du Yutao's so-called "misunderstanding." After all, other young masters had been present. Once questioned, none of them dared shield Du Yutao, no matter what. They hurried to wash their hands of the whole affair and pushed him forward.

The facts were indeed as they said: he was the one who had followed Di Qingyu, laid hands on her and insulted her, and finally drawn a blade. They had been onlookers at most.

"Execute him? He..."

Di Qingyu's pupils shifted slightly. She seemed to recall what had happened yesterday, and her face grew a few shades paler. Her fingers unconsciously clutched the quilt at her waist.

"But Father, I remember he called himself the minister of punishments' son. Wouldn't that make him one of Imperial Grandmother's maternal relatives? If you execute him, Imperial Grandmother will put you in a difficult position..."

Her expression showed her concern that the empress dowager would reproach Di Yunqian over this.

Clatter!

Her words added another trace of displeasure to Di Yunqian's heart, already troubled by the empress dowager's ambitions. He set down the spoon and spoke coldly.

"So what if he's related to the empress dowager? Can he be more exalted than a princess? Du Yutao still dared disrespect you after you told him who you were. If he didn't hold the imperial family in contempt, he wouldn't have dared do it no matter how much he drank. What's more, he intended to hurt you and lied to me. That is the crime of deceiving the emperor. He deserves death."

Realizing that his imposing, chilly manner seemed a little frightening, Di Yunqian pursed his lips and lowered his voice. "It's only that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and blood should not be shed. I'll let him live a few more days for now. You're my daughter. I won't let the wrong you suffered yesterday go unanswered."

With that, he scooped up more congee and continued feeding his daughter, the one who pleased him most among his many princes and princesses.

"All right, don't trouble yourself over these matters. I'll see justice done for you. The minister of punishments came to the palace overnight to beg forgiveness and sent quite a few nourishing medicines. I've already had them brought over. Take them and replenish the qi and blood you coughed up."

Di Qingyu, however, was not as happy as he had imagined. Instead, she frowned and looked at him, speaking gravely.

"Father, forgive my boldness, but I cannot accept those things. Not only that, you must not return them immediately. You should add gifts of your own and send them back to the Du Family on the day Du Yutao is executed."

"Oh? Why?"

Di Qingyu explained, "The Du Family are Imperial Grandmother's maternal relatives. They don't yet know your decision, and it would be unwise for them to rashly ask Imperial Grandmother to plead for mercy. They're probably waiting to see your attitude. If I accept their apology gifts, people could easily think I've already forgiven the Du Family. They would very likely let down their guard and think Du Yutao would live. Once he is beheaded, though your imperial favor is great, people's hearts are hard to fathom. I'm afraid the Du Family's resentment would only deepen."

"If I don't accept the gifts, that would mean I refuse to reconcile, and you would be very likely to punish the Du Family. Didn't the minister of punishments personally bring Du Yutao to the palace last night to accept punishment? If you wait until Du Yutao is beheaded, then add gifts and return them as a reward to the Du Family for the minister of punishments putting righteousness above family, the whole family will go from fearing that they too will be implicated to the delighted surprise of receiving an unexpected favor. Only then will they deeply appreciate your intention to protect and value them, and feel ever greater respect for you and awe of your imperial authority."

Doing the opposite to achieve a result favorable to oneself was also a common tactic of emperors, used to keep ministers in awe.

Di Qingyu's words were entirely for Di Yunqian's sake: first, to uphold the imperial family's dignity, and second, to awe his ministers and give them a warning.

But her words also indirectly showed that the Du Family, relying on the empress dowager, dared harbor displeasure and resentment toward the emperor.

Di Yunqian lowered his eyes in thought, his expression unfathomable. Di Qingyu, too, fell silent at the right moment and lowered her head to drink her congee.

"The Du Family raised a son like Du Yutao, and he disrespected you. Yet you can still think of having me reward them. What on earth goes on in that little head of yours?" Di Yunqian sat at the bedside, looking at her, his tone helpless.

But Di Qingyu understood that he was not merely expressing a sentiment; there was also a hint of probing in his words. After all, had she not been guessing at the emperor's intentions just now? She raised her eyes and met his gaze without flinching.

"Of course I wouldn't be foolish enough to forgive someone who hurt me. That's why I didn't stop you when you said you would behead Du Yutao. But I am your daughter and a princess of Xiling. I enjoy the imperial family's protection and the people's love, so naturally I must put your interests and those of the imperial family first."

"I want Du Yutao punished, but even more than that, I want to uphold your imperial authority. I cannot let the relationship between you and your ministers be damaged on my account. It would be best to kill two birds with one stone, which is why I dared speak this way before you."

She paused, seemingly afraid Di Yunqian would be angry. "If you think I've overstepped, Father, I won't try to be clever again. I'll simply be a princess who stays quietly in her chambers."

With that, she lowered her head, obedient and gentle, yet downcast like a pearl covered in dust.