Chapter 42: Court Politics Deduction

Yu Qianlou rebuked: “Nonsense! Your father cares deeply about you. He just told me you’d returned and ordered me not to go to the office but to come see you first. After you moved out of the house, he even wrote letters to friends arranging your admission to the National Academy—”

“That’s just him trying to get rid of me! If Father had the slightest concern for me, he wouldn’t have ignored my desperate pleas and refused to speak a single word in support of the County Academy! Even without me, he and my teacher have been friends for decades—yet he won’t lift a finger! Even disregarding personal ties, the County Academy concerns the scholarly lineage of our province; not only our local gentry but even outsiders like Xie Si Niangzi have thrown their full support behind it!”

“But what has Father done? His actions are truly heartless!”

Seeing his brother’s face twisted in pain, Yu Qianlou shook his head and waved to his attendants: “Step back.”

Once the attendants had withdrawn, Yu Qianlou said: “Last time I told you to read the ‘Biographies of the Partisan Purges’ from the Book of the Later Han—did you read it?”

“I did.”

“What did you think?”

Yu Yuling’s face hardened with moral conviction: “A scholar must cultivate his reputation and take it upon himself to purify the realm!”

“Wrong!” Yu Qianlou cut in sharply. “I’m telling you: since ancient times, factions have never vanished—and those entangled in factional strife are most vulnerable to disaster. You must learn to view the situation through the lens of factions, or else you’ll be seeing through a fog, always one layer removed.”

“Factions? What factions in our court?!” Yu Yuling exclaimed in shock.

“It’s not only those openly called factions that count. Open factions are easy to spot; hidden ones are hard to detect.” Yu Qianlou sighed softly.

“Hidden factions? Who is my brother referring to?”

“I’m not saying any one person is a hidden faction—” Yu Qianlou paused, then said: “What I’m about to tell you now leaves my mouth and enters your ear—do not repeat it to a third soul, not even your teacher. Can you promise me that?”

Yu Yuling considered, then said: “As long as it’s not something harmful to my teacher, I won’t speak of it.”

“Liu Mr. has indeed taken on a fine disciple,” Yu Qianlou murmured, then looked at his brother: “Ajie, you’re about to enter the National Academy. It’s time I told you about court affairs.”

Yu Yuling thought: If the County Academy is lost, I won’t set foot in the National Academy!

His brother continued: “The current Emperor has twenty-one sons. Excluding the sixth, twelfth, and fifteenth princes who died young, eighteen remain alive. Though numerous, most are still children; only six have come of age.”

“The eldest, also the Crown Prince, Xiao Changmao, is thirty-two;”

“The second prince, Prince Jingling, Xiao Ziliang, is thirty;”

“The third prince, Prince Luling, Xiao Ziqing, is twenty-two;”

“The fourth prince, Prince Badong, Xiao Zixiang, is twenty-one;”

“The fifth prince, Prince Anlu, Xiao Zijing, is eighteen;”

“The seventh prince, Prince Jin’an, Xiao Zimao, is eighteen.”

“From age alone, you can see the Crown Prince and Second Prince are far older than the rest—strong, vigorous, at the height of their power. Neither their influence nor their prestige can be matched by the other princes.”

“Since Prince Jingling was granted his princedom, his star has risen sharply. He holds the post of Grand Tutor, opened the Western Mansion, lavishly entertained guests, and gathered talents from across the land—earning the reputation of a virtuous prince. His mansion scholars rival even the doctors of the National Academy! He honors eminent monks, debates Buddhist doctrine, compiles works from a hundred schools, and collects the finest literary compositions—never before in Jiangzuo has scholarly culture reached such heights!”

“Last year, the Emperor even appointed Prince Jingling as Acting Director of the National Academy! Though he declined, the Emperor rewarded him with a three-horse ceremonial carriage—his favor, prestige, and power have now begun to rival the Crown Prince’s...”

“Brother!” Yu Yuling gasped—he never imagined his usually cautious brother would speak so recklessly!

“It doesn’t matter. Only you and I are here—we can say anything.”

“But... but everyone says Prince Jingling and the Crown Prince are close brothers—could that all be false?”

“I don’t know what’s true or false. I’m only stating the objective situation. The Crown Prince established the Six Illnesses Shelter to aid the destitute; Prince Jingling opened his private granaries to relieve the poor of Danyang.”

“Prince Jingling petitioned to ease punishments, reduce corvée, and lighten taxes; the Crown Prince personally visited the Xuanpu Garden, reviewed prisoners from the Three Departments, and granted widespread pardons.”

“When the Crown Prince visited the National Academy to examine students, the Ministry of Personnel recommended Prince Jingling as its Director.”

“When Prince Jingling invited eminent monks to preach and teach, the Crown Prince convened a grand assembly of monks to debate the sutras.”

“You may say this is mutual encouragement, each striving forward together. But brothers are many; there is only one heir. ‘Striving together,’ ‘moving forward in tandem’—in the imperial family, these phrases themselves imply tension.”

Yu Qianlou’s words lifted the fog, revealing to Yu Yuling a sight he had never seen before: “Brother, are you saying there are two factions in court—the Crown Prince’s faction and Prince Jingling’s faction?”

“Call them that for now.”

“In their struggle, both factions seek to win over other forces to strengthen themselves—like the remaining four adult princes.”

“Of the four, two are in the capital: the third prince, Prince Luling, serves as Commander of the Central Army; the fifth prince, Prince Anlu, serves as Commander of the Imperial Guard.”

“The other two are stationed at the frontiers: the fourth prince, Prince Badong, governs Jingzhou; the seventh prince, Prince Jin’an, governs Xiangzhou.”

“These are all pivotal figures.”

“Whichever faction they join will greatly strengthen that side.”

Seeing his brother’s thoughtful expression, Yu Qianlou emphasized again:

“Let me repeat: everything I’ve said so far is my own deduction based on limited information—it may not reflect reality.”

“Since it’s deduction, there may be other possibilities regarding the four princes—for example...”

Yu Qianlou deliberately fell silent, casting a probing glance at his brother.

Yu Yuling ventured: “For example, what if all four princes formed one faction—or each formed their own?”

Yu Qianlou smiled: “You’re catching on. Let’s take Prince Badong as an example—if he were to build his own power, weave his own network—”

“But doesn’t the Prince lack such cunning? He doesn’t even meet with Jingzhou’s civil and military officials—how could he build a network?”

Prince Badong was known for his erratic, unrestrained nature—folk said he was “unhinged.” Yu Yuling had heard many rumors about him and found it hard to believe such a reckless prince could gather influence or secretly form a faction.

“Cunning isn’t something you can spot at a glance—if you can see it, it’s not cunning. The court watches frontier governors with extreme suspicion. Jingzhou’s top officials are either appointed by the Ministry of Personnel or controlled by local gentry, some even acting as the court’s eyes. If the Prince openly courted them, one misstep could send word back to the capital.”

“But if he only receives those within his own mansion, acts as if guided purely by whim, yet never crosses the line—then even if scholars call him frivolous and reckless, their complaints are all trivial, harmless missteps. That’s why the Emperor has tolerated him so long.”

“Besides, the Prince sends his personal guards into the military ranks—do you think he’s merely favoring kin, or is there another motive? He also constantly displays his rough, martial side. I’ve heard his reputation among mid- and lower-ranking officers is quite strong.”

Yu Yuling pondered, still finding it exaggerated: “Brother, what you’re describing doesn’t sound like Prince Badong at all.”

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Note: Don’t worry if you’re confused about these princes and dukes—they’ll be gradually clarified. Also, Yu Qianlou holds a modest rank, a mid-level local official; his guesses about upper-court politics may not be accurate.