Chapter 2187: Peninsula Chronicles: Oddities

In the past few years, the court of Annam had maintained a pattern of "one court, one mansion"—the court being the King's court, and the mansion being the Princess's mansion.

It was a contradictory yet balanced situation. On one hand, Liu Jidan could not truly be sidelined—after all, he was a legitimate King of Annam of over twenty years' standing. At the same time, neither the King's faction nor the political alliance centered on Liu Ying would allow another Liu E to emerge; allowing Liu Ying to participate in governance was already an enormous compromise...

On the other hand, Liu Jidan both doted on and relied upon his sister Liu Ying, and even harbored a trace of fear toward her. Though he felt an instinctive resistance and aversion to having his royal authority interfered with, translating that aversion into concrete action was very difficult for him.

And so there emerged this political structure that could be called the most bizarre among all the vassal states—contradictory and oppositional, yet stable and reliable. Of course, only Annam's peculiar historical background, along with the equally bizarre relationship between Liu Jidan and Liu Ying, could sustain it for so long.

Over the years, the two of them—and by extension the two factions—gradually felt out a balanced way of relating to each other. Naturally, this was accompanied by an endless stream of political struggles, and the Annam court was exceptionally complicated.

When news of Shizong's death reached Jiaozhi, after the initial shock, Liu Ying decided to go north in person, only to be dissuaded by her trusted ministers. They believed the risk was too great—though the danger lay not in the Empire, but in Jiaozhi itself. After all, during Empress Dowager Liu E's twenty years of regency over Annam, she had never relaxed her grip on the Annam court and had never strayed far from Jiaozhi, precisely to prevent disaster from within.

Of course, Liu Ying had her own considerations in deciding to go to the capital to mourn. She intended to court fame and profit, using the northern journey to amass political capital. If she could also secure support from the imperial court, her position in Annam would be even more secure.

As a vassal state directly bordering the Empire, and the only kingdom enfeoffed from a circuit administration, the Annam court was in fact more heavily influenced by the Empire than other vassal states, and its ties ran deeper...

Though she was stubborn, the persuasion of her confidants did have an effect. After deliberation, before heading north, Liu Ying specifically sought out her elder brother the King, Liu Jidan, and had a heart-to-heart talk with him—which could also be seen as a warning.

The conversation between Liu Ying and Liu Jidan was accurately recorded and later cited by Annam historians as a "tale of the bizarre." Liu Ying mainly conveyed three points to Liu Jidan:

First, her journey north was as a special envoy of Annam, to offer sacrifices and attend the funeral of the late Emperor. It concerned the suzerain-vassal relationship, was grave in nature, and of great consequence—there could be no misstep;

Second, she was going to work for the interests of the Annam royal house and the Jiaozhi court, with pure public intent. She hoped her elder brother would understand and support her, and not be turned against her by others;

Third, she knew that after she left, there would surely be treacherous villains with ulterior motives who, unable to abide the quiet, would sow discord. Her elder brother's ears were soft and his resolve unsteady—if he were ultimately beguiled into making a decision that grieved his kin and gladdened his foes, he need only send word, and she would willingly wander the rivers and lakes on her own, never again appearing to trouble him.

Liu Ying displayed her full forceful and fiery nature, and truly cowed Liu Jidan. Faced with his sister's sincere—even impassioned—heartfelt confession, a deeply moved Liu Jidan gave his full assurances, telling his sister to go north with peace of mind.

The reason this exchange between Liu Jidan and Liu Ying was cited as a "tale of the bizarre" was that these siblings made their promises from the bottom of their hearts, deeply moved—and yet neither of them kept a single one...

Three months after Liu Ying went north, the "King's faction" at the Annam court could no longer sit still. A political counterstrike erupted, beyond Liu Jidan's control, and this time they had found a pivotal leader: Crown Prince Liu Weijing, then seventeen years old.

Taking advantage of Princess Anping's absence, and acting in Crown Prince Liu Weijing's name, the King's faction launched a crackdown on the Princess's faction from the court level. One after another, ministers of the Princess's faction were demoted, imprisoned, or even killed. Even "Second Imperial Son-in-law" Zhao Congzhi was sent to Anping County and placed under house arrest...

Throughout this process, King Liu Jidan of Annam played the role of a clay bodhisattva. He was truly in a difficult position—after all, it was his own Crown Prince and his supporting ministers who had launched the move, and he could hardly go against the will of the many. At the same time, he also felt that for his sister Liu Ying, remaining in the capital region might not be a bad outcome after all.

And so, while strictly ordering that no harm come to the Princess's family, Liu Jidan also sent envoys north, carrying a letter written in his own hand to be delivered to Liu Ying. In the letter, Liu Jidan, in a helpless even aggrieved tone, explained what had happened in Jiaozhi, and shamefully stated that he could send the Princess's household members, servants, and wealth all back to the Great Han, asking Liu Ying for her opinion.

In the Great Han, Liu Ying never received that letter, because having learned of the upheaval in Jiaozhi early on, she almost without a second thought turned south and raced back to her country. Thanks to years of careful management, Liu Ying had no trouble at all returning to Jiaozhi—the interception arrangements Crown Prince Liu Weijing had set up at the borders and ports proved utterly useless.

And the moment the Princess returned, those pitiful members of the Princess's faction immediately found their pillar of support, quickly gathered around her, and wept and complained without end. More importantly, they placed their hopes on the Princess leading them to reclaim the power and prestige that had been stripped from them—which was also exactly what Liu Ying wanted to do.

This led to a violent power struggle erupting at the Jiaozhi court, one that could even be seen as a palace coup. Violent, because it was the first time since Empress Dowager Liu E that troops had been mobilized; a palace coup, because Crown Prince Liu Weijing was in the end deposed and confined.

When Liu Ying returned to Jiaozhi, Crown Prince Liu Weijing, who likewise bore a psychological shadow toward this aunt of his, immediately grew restless—and without even requesting permission, gathered his attendants and launched an attack. This thoroughly enraged Liu Ying, and she played the trump card she had always kept hidden: Zheng Quan, Deputy Chief Commander of the Jiaozhi Infantry and Cavalry...

In the end, Crown Prince Liu Weijing of Annam was defeated and captured by Zheng Quan's troops on charges of "gathering a mob to defy authority and plotting rebellion." And when Liu Ying led the rope-bound Liu Weijing into the palace to face Liu Jidan, the first thing she saw was her elder brother's expression—a mix of shock and utter bewilderment.

Faced with the weeping Princess Anping on the spot, Liu Jidan was both embarrassed and ashamed, and so he burst out cursing Liu Weijing as an "unfilial son," then immediately declared him stripped of his status as Crown Prince and ordered him confined to his residence.

Of course, the Crown Prince of Annam had been formally invested by the court with a golden edict, so a supplementary memorial requesting approval would still need to be submitted afterward—but this matter was as good as settled.

With the Crown Prince himself deposed, the direction of this coup that had occurred in the first year of Zhengtong in Annam was quite clear. A campaign of "restoring order" followed immediately, and Crown Prince Liu Weijing's principal partisans were all demoted or executed, while quite a few ministers of the King's faction were also held to account.

However, not everyone in the Princess's faction was restored to their former posts. At the same time, General Zheng Quan, who had rendered such meritorious service to Liu Ying, was not allowed to remain in his original position either—he was sent out to command troops at Huan Prefecture, to hold the southwest and guard against the marquises of Wen and Wan Prefectures.

There was nothing to be done about it—once a trump card is revealed, it is no longer a trump card.

It could be said that this fierce struggle, in essence between the King's faction and the Princess's faction, left both sides badly wounded. Seizing the opening, the powerful figures outside both factions took the opportunity to reap considerable benefits, gradually gaining more say and influence.

And even after such a struggle, Liu Jidan and Liu Ying quickly restored their relationship, returning to that "harmonious" mode of interaction from before in a manner that left people dumbfounded.

It was as if they were declaring that no matter how bitterly the two factions fought to the death, the relationship between the siblings would never change...

To add some gossip: Liu Ying's trip to the capital region was highly fruitful. Not only did she obtain numerous benefits from the new Emperor Liu Weizhen—such as artisans, books, monks, and educational talent—but she also displayed the elegance of Annam's female chancellor and royal princess, causing many literary talents of the capital to fall at her feet. Many sought an audience with her out of admiration, hoping merely for a glimpse, and Liu Ying did indeed take several male consorts.

Moreover, before returning south, she persuaded a great lyricist to come along: Liu Yong. Liu Sanbian in the Great Han Empire still found official advancement difficult, but his poetic and lyrical brilliance remained dazzling. Though he had accomplished little of practical use for the state, he had composed a great many beloved ci and songs for the court and the streets alike, and had been granted the title "Academician of Ci" by Emperor Shizong.

Yet this renowned great lyricist of the age, despite his fame, was actually persuaded by Liu Ying to voluntarily resign his post and follow her to Annam for a visit. And once the coup in Jiaozhi subsided and everything returned to normal, Liu Yong was appointed Vice Minister of Rites of Annam.

But more than his official position, what people loved to gossip about was the unusually close relationship between Liu Yong and Princess Anping, Liu Ying. After all, Liu Yong was some twenty years older than Liu Ying, and it was said that with two stanzas of "Rain Bells" he won the Princess's favor...