Chapter 470: Focus on the Big Picture, Let Go of the Small

"Right now, who exactly do the Three Garrisons take their orders from? Eunuch Qiu, if this question isn't settled, Jingcheng will truly fall into chaos!"

Chen Chen Guanfu kept his eyes locked on military authority and refused to let go.

What governance, what imperial princes, who would act as regent, who would inherit the throne — he cared about none of it. He only had eyes for military authority, for every move the soldiers made.

His move served as a reminder to several other meritorious nobles.

Indeed, talk of a regent or inheriting the throne was hardly practical at the moment. After all, the old Emperor wasn't dead yet. Even if he died, the civil officials would surely have their own demands, and there'd be plenty of time to wrangle over it later.

What mattered most right now?

Military authority!

The meritorious nobles took the hint and one after another joined the ranks of those pressing the question.

Qiu Qiu Defu broke out in sweat on his forehead, his heart going weak with dread.

"If Eunuch Qiu can't give a clear answer, then we have reason to suspect that the matter of moving troops into the capital is, I'm afraid, questionable. Minister Li, Minister Yu — what is your view on this?"

Li Li Liangcheng was silent for a moment, then nodded. "The matter of moving troops does need to be clarified. The Three Garrisons running wild in Jingcheng, fighting each other — it's simply absurd. When His Majesty was awake it was one thing, but now that His Majesty lies unconscious, who should command the Three Garrisons has become an urgent matter that must be resolved."

Just at that moment, a young eunuch arrived on orders, carrying the military tally and the imperial edict.

The ministers examined them and found them genuine — unmistakably the old Emperor's hand. The old Emperor had long made contingency plans: should anything abnormal occur in Jingcheng, the Three Garrisons were to immediately move troops into the capital and seal it off. As for what to do afterward, the edict said nothing.

Why had the Three Garrisons come to blows? That was the trick of it — every minister fixed a hard stare on Qiu Qiu Defu.

Qiu Qiu Defu's cold sweat poured down. "I am not clear on this matter. Why don't you all summon the Three Garrisons' commanders into the palace and ask them?"

"Eunuch Qiu doesn't even know — could it be that His Majesty arranged someone else to command the Three Garrisons?" Chen Chen Guanfu said with a half-smile, as though he had some old grudge against Qiu Qiu Defu. "Outside they're all saying the Three Garrisons fought because an imperial prince was involved."

"You can't go throwing accusations like that around!" Li Xiang was the first to speak up.

"This old servant doesn't know what the Marquis of Chen is talking about." Qiu Qiu Defu suddenly straightened up, looking unusually confident.

"Not even Minister Li, Minister Yu, or Duke Zhang — the Three Garrisons won't give any of you face, won't obey the court's order to leave Jingcheng. Is it really too much for me, this marquis, to harbor a few suspicions?" Chen Chen Guanfu chuckled softly. "Ministers, do you truly believe the Three Garrisons are acting on their own? Not only are they fighting each other, they've blockaded the imperial palace. Everyone inside is trapped — they can come in but can't get out. That's hardly a good sign."

Did these officials want to leave the palace?

Desperately.

There was still a mountain of affairs to handle, arrangements to make. Yet here they were, stuck inside the palace for days on end, unable to leave.

The Three Garrisons had staked out territory around the imperial palace, and in the meantime had clashed several times.

As for the Three Garrisons' provisions, the old Emperor had long made arrangements — supplies were already in place. Even if the siege lasted a month, there was no need to worry about a mutiny over shortages.

"If the Three Garrisons aren't dealt with, then all our deliberations here are useless — we could talk till we're blue in the face and it wouldn't matter. Gentlemen, am I not right?"

"The Marquis of Chen speaks reason. The most critical thing right now is to deal with the Three Garrisons — we must make them obey orders, withdraw from Jingcheng, and return to their camps. What sort of behavior is it, camping outside the imperial palace?" At last an official openly declared his support for Chen Chen Guanfu's view.

Every eye turned to Qiu Qiu Defu.

He was the old Emperor's trusted confidant — the old Emperor must have given him some instructions.

Qiu Qiu Defu's face went mournful. "Gentlemen, please don't single me out to make things difficult. As for the Three Garrisons, my advice is for you to have a proper talk with them — you'll surely find a way to resolve it. Counting on me — that won't work."

"Did His Majesty leave no instructions beforehand?"

"None. No one expected the altar to explode, or that His Majesty would fall into a coma."

"Why has His Majesty fallen into a coma, and when will he wake? What exactly did the imperial physicians say?"

"The physicians say His Majesty has a clot of blood in his brain — he likely won't wake anytime soon."

"I say it's clearly the medicine presented by the Academy of the Sacred Land that's the problem," someone muttered.

Yu Yu Zhaoan snapped his head toward the official who had spoken — he himself hailed from the Academy of the Sacred Land. He gave a cold snort. "Whether the Academy's offered medicine is at fault or not, our word doesn't count. And stop making baseless accusations."

"Minister Yu is from the Academy of the Sacred Land, so naturally he speaks in its defense."

"Not so! If you have evidence proving the Academy's medicine caused His Majesty's coma, I'll accept it. Without evidence, hold your tongue."

"Enough, stop the bickering. We agreed earlier — focus on the big picture, don't waste time on trifles. Let's get back to the Three Garrisons. And if His Majesty never wakes, we must have a plan." Li Xiang stepped in to keep order, and his word still carried weight.

He was the Left Chancellor, the Grand Secretary of the court, the head of all officials.

If they wouldn't even give face to the head of all officials — were they trying to rebel?

"Minister Li, you mean which imperial prince should inherit the throne, is that right?"

"Who else could it be? The only one who can inherit the throne is His Highness the Loyal Prince."

"If the Loyal Prince has been deposed, that means he's lost his qualification to inherit the throne."

"I don't accept it! Deposing the Crown Prince is sheer nonsense. Clearly His Majesty lost his mind and started playing a tune no one asked for — this official firmly refuses to accept it. In short, among all the imperial princes, only the Loyal Prince is qualified to inherit the throne. This is the orthodox line of succession. Gentlemen, ask yourselves honestly — does the Loyal Prince truly lack the qualification? If he doesn't, then among the imperial princes outside the hall, who does?"

"This whole affair is a muddled mess — we won't sort it out in a short while. Besides, His Majesty may yet wake. Our deliberations here are purely superfluous. The most urgent matter remains the Three Garrisons. We must stop them from running amok, we must find a way to make them get out of Jingcheng, and we absolutely cannot allow them to wreak havoc on the capital. These soldierly ruffians caused trouble last year, tasted the sweetness of it, and now they're back again. Outrageous!"

"Here's what we'll do — first send someone to try communicating with the Three Garrisons, to test their attitude. The Zhengshitang will also issue a formal document, and we'll see how things stand."

"Who would be suitable to send?"

For a moment, every eye in the room fell on Chen Chen Guanfu.

Chen Chen Guanfu raised a brow and smiled, stepping forward without hesitation. "I'm honored the gentlemen think so highly of me — I'll try making contact. Hopefully it will have some effect. However, this matter will likely still need Eunuch Qiu's help. I hope Eunuch Qiu will not stint in offering his guidance."

Qiu Qiu Defu cursed inwardly — how had this thing landed back on his head again? He couldn't very well refuse at this point, so he could only brace himself and agree. In his heart he cursed Chen Chen Guanfu a hundred times over.

There was no time to lose. The two took the document and set out at once, riding in a carriage toward the outside of the palace.

The moment Chen Chen Guanfu got into the carriage, he turned to Qiu Qiu Defu with a grin. "How are you, Eunuch Qiu?"

"How could anything be good! You little brat, scheming against me — what were you thinking? I've already told you, this matter has nothing to do with me. His Majesty left no instructions."

"Doesn't Eunuch Qiu find the palace terribly stuffy? So many people, so many eyes — there's not even a place to have a private word. Isn't this much better? At last I can have a quiet chat with Eunuch Qiu."