"Foul play?" Ye An cocked her head slightly to one side. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
Xiao Yan smiled triumphantly. "Hah. Finally something you don't know. If you're thinking whether it means that the invasion ten years ago was an inside job, then the answer is yes. At least according to my source."
"This is why I need you, Xiao Yan." Ye An returned with a gracious smile. "So what about it?"
"You know how the security at the northern border is notorious for being impenetrable? The Great Emperor Lee Gang made sure that the walls were twenty feet thick and ten stories high." Xiao Yan paused to sip on her tea before continuing while Ye An shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the late emperor who happened to be her grandfather.
"Just take the invasion this time as an example. The Northerners weren't able to cross over to this side before being plunged by arrows from the top of the wall. Sure, there were extra guards this time, we'll come back to that later. But even so, the wall is virtually impenetrable even with the usual number of guards. However, the invasion was successful ten years ago. Makes you wonder how that was possible, isn't it? No matter how you think about it, everything points towards an inside job. Someone from the inside opening those doors to the enemy."
Ye An wrinkled the space in between her eyebrows. "Does your source have any information on who it might have been?"
Xiao Yan shook her head regretfully. "Unfortunately no. They're not even sure if that person was involved in the war afterward. He.. or she might have just fled after the Northerners entered our side."
Both Ye An and Xi Chen ruminated on that possibility before Xiao Yan continued. "Another thing that my source couldn't confirm was whether the person who opened the door was indeed the mastermind behind the entire incident or there was another person. But other than that, my source had a pretty clear idea of what had happened."
"Please. Fill me in." Ye An said, eager for some new information.
"According to what my source had informed me, the Northerners most likely entered the military barracks under the cover of the night, stole some military uniforms, and left to the nearest town. They were smart. They didn't harm any military officers while they were in the barracks. So the alarm wasn't raised as quickly. Apparently, when the military realized that some uniforms were missing, they just drew that up as a prank until there were reports of men dressed in military uniforms threatening and murdering people at a couple of small towns near the border. By then it was too late, many were dead and the Northerners were steadily moving southwards, in the direction of the capital. That was when General Shao was dispatched to the northern border to quell this matter."
Come to think of it, Ye An suddenly recalled that there was a period of time when General Shao's shadow was nowhere to be found on the royal compounds.
"He and the late Lieutenant General Peng managed to contain the issue through war. My source also mentioned the recruitment of orphaned children to fight the war. Untrained children who contributed to the many lives lost. But thankfully the people from the northern region are a resilient bunch, they managed to fully return to normal life only after a year. But that was still a huge price to pay for a three-month war that was largely unknown to the rest of the country."
The silence that fell in the room was an oppressive one that weighed heavily on both Ye An and Xi Chen's chests for different reasons.
Xiao Yan took another sip of tea. "So now. On to the recent invasion. It seems to be premeditated."
Ye An furrowed her eyebrows once more. "Premeditated? What do you mean? Aren't all invasions premeditated?"
"Premeditated on our side, I mean. My source reported that some people knew of the invasion way before it happened. There were hushed talks of the invasion behind closed doors on the weeks leading up to the invasion. On the day of the incident, more men were dispatched to the wall. It certainly looked like they were already expecting an attack before there were any signs of the Northerners beyond the wall."
Ye An turned to look questioningly at Xi Chen who also had his eyebrows knitted. He shook his head slightly indicating that he had no idea of these so-called "hushed talks".
"Do you know who started the rumor then? Or at least those involved in spreading it?" Ye An asked Xiao Yan.
"Apparently it was some low-ranking soldier. My source managed to trace things back to the low-ranking soldiers but couldn't pinpoint the person who started it."
Ye An contemplated the information that she had gathered so far. So there was a possibility that someone let the Northerners in ten years ago? It wasn't that farfetched considering what she herself knew of the wall. Countless lives were lost building that monstrous wall. If it was that easily penetrable, those people would have died in vain.
As for the recent invasion, why was nothing reported to her if someone knew about the invasion prior to it happening? Did the Empress Mother know of this but it slipped her mind to pass the information along? Did they have spies over at the North to gather information? But based on the young lieutenant's facial expression and the response he gave her earlier, it didn't seem like it, at least he didn't know anything about it. He probably also didn't know that more soldiers were scheduled to patrol the walls on the day of the invasion since he would have left the border by then.
Someone who opened the doors and welcomed the Northerners into the country ten years ago and another one who knew about the Northerners' move before it happened. For all she know, those two might even be the same person. But who?
*******
"Xiao Yan looked like she was pretty possessive over you, Your Imperial Majesty." Xi Chen commented in awkward nonchalance once they were back on the busy streets.
"Huh?" Ye An was deep in thought, trying to process and piece the full story together but to no avail.
"I said, Xiao Yan seemed to think of you as more than just a friend."
"Really? I don't think so. We're just friends." Ye An replied absentmindedly.
"I have a feeling that she doesn't think about it the same way as you do, Your Imperial Majesty." Xi Chen said a little pointedly.
"Is it?" Ye An replied, still distracted.
Xi Chen noted that the emperor wasn't paying him any attention and decided to give up. The entire time they were in Xiao Yan's room, the way Xiao Yan inserted herself in between them and her possessiveness over the emperor bothered him for some reason.
"Lieutenant Yun, does the military send spies over the northern border?" Ye An suddenly turned to look at the lieutenant and caught Xi Chen skulking before he managed to quickly school his face to a more neutral facial expression. Huh. That was weird.
"Your Imperial Majesty, we do have spies sent to the North from time to time. But not recently, no. At least not that I know of."
"And I assume that you would know if any spies are, or would be, dispatched? Since you have the second-highest rank in the entire military?"
Though he was pronounced as lieutenant by everyone, the young lieutenant's actual rank was lieutenant general, the second in command of the entire military troop after General Shao. He was promoted to the position only recently after the long-serving late Lieutenant General Peng passed away after a long fight with persistent heart complications.
"That is correct, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Hm." So she was right. The lieutenant didn't know anything about it.
"However, I would not know about it if the general doesn't want me to know about it." Xi Chen added quietly after a minute's hesitation.
Ye An returned to her thoughts again at that, clear of the lieutenant's implications, as they walked back to the palace in silence.
Back at the Imperial Palace, as per their previous outings, Ye An ordered the lieutenant to head back to his own residence. After which, Ye An returned to her own chambers as well.
She had just finished dressing back into her own clothes when a servant announced, "Her Majesty the Empress Mother has arrived."
The door opened to the Empress Mother. She was wearing one of the exquisitely embroidered dresses that she wore like an armor, complete with a glimmering headdress.
"Your Imperial Majesty." The Empress Mother bowed at Ye An.
"Your Majesty, what a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of a personal visit by the Empress Mother herself? And at such a late hour too."
"Your Imperial Majesty, I am but a grandmother who has sleepless nights because she misses her grandchild. You haven't visited me for weeks."
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I have been busy." Ye An used the half-truth to appease the Empress Mother.
"Yes, I heard that we will be going to war. As I have predicted."
Ye An somehow felt as though the Empress Mother added the last part in spite which utterly displeased her. "I wonder where you heard that from."
"I have my own ways. Once you're in this as long as me, you'll have your own way too."
"Hm." Ye An replied noncommittally.
"And when you're in this long enough, you'll know what steps each of the ministers would take."
"Hm." At this point, Ye An was completely apathetic towards the Empress Mother. She had a long day and all she wanted to do was to go to bed, not have a late-night debate with her grandmother.
"So has the date of the war been decided yet?" The Empress Mother went on.
"Tentatively a month later." Ye An replied curtly.
"A month? Why do you need so long?" The Empress Mother gave Ye An a sharp look.
"Because we need to train the conscripted soldiers." Ye An was keeping her replies as concise as she possibly could to ensure that this conversation would not drag on any longer than it needed to be. In hindsight, she should have just pretended to be asleep when the Empress Mother's arrival was announced. Oh, well. Too late for that now.
"Hah. No need! They will learn soon enough on the battlefield!"
The obnoxiousness of that statement instantly infuriated Ye An. She only replied in a voice that was as still as a perfectly reflecting lake. "I beg to differ. Since I doubt that any of the ministers or noble families would volunteer their own sons who have had some sort of weapons training and are well-equipped by eons in terms of their skills for war, the conscripted soldiers would most likely be composed of the sons of farmers and fishermen who have never held a weapon during the course of their lives, much less know how to use them properly. And you suggest that I should just treat them like what? Sacrificial offering? And throw them into the lion's den unprepared?"
For the first time in her life, the Empress Mother was at the receiving end of Ye An's unfiltered rant that she was rendered speechless. In just mere weeks, Ye An seemed to be slowly filling into her role as the emperor and behaving differently towards her which was disconcerting for someone like the Empress Mother who had an intense aversion of losing control.
"Your Imperial Majesty, you take too long." The Empress Mother seethed quietly.
"A month is actually really short for those never versed on swordsmanship and weaponry. It might even take up to two months. How long did you think it took me to master swordsmanship? Archery? Martial arts?"
"That's because you're a girl!"
Ye An gave out a dry laugh. "This again? I'm done talking to you. I know you're just here to gloat about how the war is proceeding as you've wanted it to. I got it, thank you. Now please leave, Your Majesty."
"You cannot dismiss your grandmother this way!"
"As a matter of fact, I can. I am the emperor."
"A fake one. You're the wrong gender."
By now, Ye An had an impression that the Empress Mother was just here to pick a fight with her. Any fight. She sighed before continuing. "Nonetheless, I am still the emperor. And might I remind you that I am an emperor that you've placed on the throne yourself." Before the Empress Mother could get a word in, Ye An continued. "And I'm not speaking about the coronation, I'm talking about how you made the decision to announce the birth of a nonexistent prince. Even going so far as to use the Mandate of Heaven to justify how our family should continue ruling this nation. What nonsense. If anything, my birth signified the end of our dynasty."
"I did it to ensure the peace of this nation." The Empress Mother hissed through gritted teeth.
"You did it for your own self-interest. So will you have me abolished because I refuse to serve you anymore?" Ye An remarked bluntly.
"You-" The Empress Mother was rendered speechless for the second time tonight.
"Please leave, Empress Mother." Ye An said tiredly. She didn't want to bicker like small children with someone who was two generations her senior.
The Empress Mother fumed before flapping her sleeves angrily and left.
*******
A few days later, hundreds of scholars from far and wide were starting to gather at the Heavenly Gates in the afternoon. Those who had arrived found any spot they could to kneel in front of the palace gates. These elegant young scholars with clear brows and straight backs who were dressed in white scholar hanfus and scholar caps were bowing with their foreheads touching the ground in the direction of the Imperial Palace, effectively facing the emperor's Dragon Throne. The residents of the capital had gathered at the sides to look at the scene with some even joining the scholars at the back.
"Your Imperial Majesty! Please reconsider your decision to go to war!" The scholar at the forefront bellowed before touching his forehead to the ground again.
"Please reconsider!" The hundreds of men behind him repeated his words and action.
The scholars remained kneeling in front of the Heavenly Gates, bowing and pleading for at least half an hour before a messenger arrived at the Mental Cultivation Hall where Ye An was currently looking through the documents of the day.
"Your Imperial Majesty, the scholars from the Hundred Schools of Thought (诸子百家) from all over the country are protesting at the Heavenly Gates. They are suggesting that Your Imperial Majesty reconsider the decision to go the war with the Northerners. Some commoners even joined in on the protest."
Ye An sighed. The Hundred Schools of Thought was a collection of the most prestigious academies in the country. Throughout the years, it was famous for churning out the finest scholars who ended up as court officials or influential educators for future generations. These academies were abolished when Ye An's grandfather, the Great Emperor Lee Gang, first united the continent to prevent any unrest or unwanted rebellion. The academies were only reopened when Ye An's philomath father, the late Emperor Lee Hwi, came to the throne.
Ye An unfurled an empty scroll from one side of her table. The grand eunuch who was by her side hastily prepared some fresh ink on the inkstone. She picked up a fresh brush and dipped its tip on the freshly prepared ink before writing an imperial command. Once she was done, she stamped the imperial seal using red ink at the bottom of the scroll.
"Tell them I will reconsider. Ask them to return home. Our nation needs its scholars to better its future. It would do no one any good if they get sick from overexposure." Ye An ordered solemnly thinking about the scorching sun outside.
"Then I will pass the message to them, Your Imperial Majesty." The messenger replied as he bowed out from the room and rushed back to the gates.
At the top of the Heavenly Gates, the messenger unfurled the scroll containing the emperor's command and declared, "Scholars of The Hundred Schools of Thought, please receive the emperor's command!"
The scholars quickly came to attention and bowed, preparing to receive the imperial command.
"Dear scholars, I, your emperor, acknowledge your concerns on the recent decision to go to war. With that, I promise to reconsider the decision. However, please look after your health and return home. Any updates on the war would be promptly announced through the announcement boards."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Imperial Majesty." The hundreds of scholars replied, bowing once more before standing up.
Back at the Mental Cultivation Hall, Ye An considered the scholars' protest. All along, Ye An's wish aligned with the scholars. It was nice knowing that even the finest scholars in the country agreed with her.
All Ye An wanted was what's best for the country and that was the only reason she had discussed the issue with the court officials instead of coming to her own decision in the first place. There were some valid points, albeit slightly overblown for effect, which the court officials made. But it was slowly clear to Ye An that the general public did not share the same sentiments.
Ye An suddenly remembered one of her earlier lessons that she had when she was younger. She was taught that the emperor's only job was to consider all of the perspectives and make the best decision for the country and its people based on those different views. It was ingrained in her that it was the only task she needed to hone in on as the emperor besides also having the people's best interest at heart. Others were just superfluous.
"Guess one of the agendas for tomorrow's court meeting is set." Ye An muttered to herself.
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