Taiheiki

Chapter 278 Bargaining (Part 2)

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Dou Wu was a stocky middle-aged man with a square face and a scholarly air. If he were dressed in different clothes, he would really look like any ordinary country bumpkin. In comparison, Yuan Wei beside him had a much more imposing presence and was clearly an important figure. Wei Cong thought to himself.

"I am Wei Cong!" Wei Cong clasped his arms together and stretched them forward, his right hand slightly bent and his left hand on top of it. He then lowered his arms from his forehead to his chest and bowed at a 45-degree angle to Dou Wu and Yuan Wei, who were standing on the steps to greet him, saying, "Greetings, General Dou and Minister Yuan!"

"Unworthy!" Regardless of what Dou Wu and Yuan Wei thought in their hearts, at least on the surface, their manners were impeccable. Dou Wu even stepped down two steps and said with a smile, "I have long admired the name of Marquis Wei. To meet you today, you are indeed a man of outstanding bearing, rarely seen in this world. Your presence in my humble abode is truly an honor. Please, please!"

"Thank you, General!" Wei Cong bowed deeply to Dou Wu again before following him into the hall. The accompanying guards followed, each clad in armor, wielding swords and shields, spears and halberds, or bows and crossbows, like an iron torrent sweeping in. The generals and officials in the hall all paled. One stepped forward and shouted, "This is the General's residence! How dare you trespass on this forbidden area!"

The guards pretended not to hear, but the officers and soldiers of the General's Mansion were enraged and drew their swords, ready to fight. Wei Cong turned around and shouted, "That's enough, you've gone far enough. Meng Gaogong, take a few men and come with me!"

"Yes, sir!" Meng Gaogong responded, turned around and gave a few instructions to the guards, then led four armored guards to follow Wei Cong up to the hall. The officers and soldiers of the General's Mansion wanted to stop them, but when they heard Dou Wu cough twice, they had no choice but to sheath their swords and make way for him.

Surrounded by guards and several attendants, Wei Cong entered the hall and asked with a smile, "Where is the Emperor?"

"It's behind the hall, please follow me!" Dou Wu pointed to the screen in the middle. Wei Cong was about to follow Dou Wu forward when he heard Yuan Wei's voice: "I have long heard of Lord Wei's bravery and courage. Why are you so timid today? You have to wear armor to see the emperor, and your guards are always by your side."

"Surely you, Minister Yuan, are aware of the principle of feigning timidity!" Wei Cong laughed. "My death is not a pity, but there are tens of thousands of elite troops outside the city. If something were to happen to me, they would rush into the city, and Luoyang would suffer the tragedy of being wiped out! Even a wise man like Minister Yuan would regret it then!"

"You—" Yuan Wei's face turned red with anger, and he stamped his foot and turned his head away. Dou Wu stepped forward and took Wei Cong's arm, and said in a low voice, "Lord Wei, please rest assured, everyone here is reasonable and will never do such a foolish thing as mutual destruction. Please come with me to the rear of the palace to pay homage to the Emperor."

Dou and Wei bypassed the screen and arrived at the back of the hall. A massive curtain blocked out the surroundings, and buckets of ice in the four corners made the area inside at least seven or eight degrees colder than the outside. Maids and servants bustled about, bringing water, medicine, towels, and ice. A doctor knelt beside a brocade couch, upon which lay a young man, his face gaunt and his lips cracked. An aura of death permeated the air within the curtained space.

"Let me confirm, the person lying on the bed is indeed the Emperor himself!" Wei Cong said in a low voice to Deng Zhong, who was following closely behind him. Deng Zhong nodded, took two steps back, and after a moment silently returned to Wei Cong's side, nodding: "Confirmed by Dong Zhong, it's correct!"

With a weight lifted from his chest, Wei Cong let out a long breath, bent his knees, and knelt before the emperor on the brocade couch, then crawled forward a few steps. From this distance, he could see very clearly that the emperor's face was frighteningly yellow, lacking luster and elasticity—a result of severe diarrhea and dehydration. Diarrhea leads to the loss of large amounts of nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and folic acid, essential for blood production, and also affects the function of the kidneys, liver, and gallbladder, all of which affect a patient's complexion. In modern society, this might be tolerable, but in ancient society, it would almost certainly be a death sentence.

"Imperial Physician Pang, come here for a moment!" Dou Wu beckoned the imperial physician over and pointed to Wei Cong: "This is Marquis Wei. Explain the Emperor's condition to him!"

"Here!"

Setting aside the mystical terms that Wei Cong couldn't understand, it should be said that the imperial physician's assessment of the emperor's condition was quite accurate—the illness was severe and beyond human intervention. Wei Cong remained silent, only looking at Dou Wu, who coughed somewhat awkwardly: "Lord Wei, as you've seen, I'm truly powerless to help the emperor in his current state!"

"General Dou means that we should now consider the Emperor's funeral arrangements, is that right?" Wei Cong's voice turned cold and hard, like ice cubes in a four-cornered wooden bucket. Dou Wu nodded awkwardly: "That's all we can do!"

"Does the General think that what you're doing will satisfy the public's opinion?" Wei Cong asked.

"Lord Wei!" Yuan Wei sneered, "When have you ever considered the opinions of the people in your actions? Why do you use this to criticize us?"

“Indeed, I, Wei, have acted rashly and have been ridiculed by many gentlemen!” Wei Cong nodded. “However, the General is different from me. Every word and deed of the General is a model for the world. I, Wei, stand in this world by meritorious service, while the General stands by virtue. How can we compare them?”

Faced with Wei Cong's rebuttal, Yuan Wei was speechless. Just as Wei Cong said, although he and Dou Wu had both reached positions second only to the emperor, their paths were completely different. Wei Cong relied on victory after victory, while Dou Wu relied on virtue, prestige, family background, and marriage ties to the imperial family. Therefore, no matter how bad Wei Cong's reputation was, no one could deny his victories, and his soldiers and officers would remain loyal to him, because for a soldier, bringing victory was the greatest virtue. As long as he could win, and keep winning, those battle-hardened warriors would follow him forever. Like the veterans of Caesar and Napoleon, they didn't care whether their commander was loyal to the republic; winning was enough.

Therefore, once Dou Wu's reputation and public image collapse, his entire being collapses. But no matter how bad Wei Cong's reputation is, as long as he can win, he can still stand firm. In fact, his followers may even develop a sense of loyalty due to external pressure, meaning that even if someone is infamous, they can still be popular.

"Lord Wei!" Dou Wu said, "You are right. With the Emperor in such a state, there is no way I, Dou Wu, can remain in this position. Regardless of who inherits the throne, I must apologize and return to my hometown. But the court needs someone to support it, which is why I invited you into the city!"

"Oh?" Wei Cong raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Does the General intend for me to succeed you as General?"

"The emperor's fate hangs in the balance! A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. Since Marquis Wei has rendered great service in supporting the new emperor, after I retire, the position of Grand General will most likely be yours!"

Even though he had been mentally prepared before entering the city, Wei Cong was still speechless with astonishment. Dou Wu's meaning was simple: as the de facto regent of the Han Dynasty, he was willing to risk his political life to bear full responsibility for the emperor's sudden death and the civil war, while Wei Cong, as someone who participated in the enthronement of the new emperor, was naturally the most powerful contender to seize control of the court in the future.

"What about Lord Yuan? And what about General Feng and Minister Zhang?"

“Minister Yuan lacks the ability, and as for General Feng and Minister of Agriculture, they are too far from Luoyang to participate in the enthronement of a new emperor, so—” Wei Cong nodded, and Dou Wu’s pragmatism was somewhat frightening at this moment: “What about the Empress Dowager? To enthrone a new emperor, she is indispensable. And is she willing to let you relinquish the position of Grand General and let me, a mere mortal, take over?”

"I will naturally convince her!" Dou Wu said in a deep voice, "However, I also have two conditions!"

"Speaking!"

"First, the Empress Dowager must continue to reside in the Southern Palace, and the new emperor must honor the Empress Dowager as his mother, and all her support must remain the same as before!"

"Of course! Even if the General hadn't said so, I would have done it anyway!" Wei Cong readily agreed. During the Han Dynasty, under the political ethics of governing the country with filial piety, the Empress Dowager held a naturally high position. For example, Emperor Jing of Han treated Empress Dowager Bo with great respect, and Emperor Wu of Han treated Empress Dowager Dou with great reverence. Huo Guang deposed Liu He, the King of Changyi, and Sima Zhao deposed Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui, after killing him, both through edicts issued by the Empress Dowagers at the time. Therefore, no matter who was appointed as the new emperor, it would be difficult to shake Empress Dowager Dou's high position. At most, she could be marginalized, but deposing her would be politically no different from undermining one's own foundation.

"Secondly, I have a niece who is sixteen years old, beautiful and gentle. I have heard that Marquis Wei is not yet married. If they could be married, it would be a wonderful thing!"

"This—!" Wei Cong instinctively turned around and glanced at Lu Ping. Dou Wu's suggestion was quite reasonable. Since he had relinquished supreme power, even if it was only to ensure the safety of the Dou clan, a political marriage with Wei Cong, who had accepted power, was only right. To put it bluntly, even if Wei Cong only wanted to prove that he had no intention of eliminating the Dou clan in the future, he should agree to the marriage. Moreover, this marriage was also very beneficial to Wei Cong himself. Dou Wu's niece was the current Empress Dowager's cousin, and if Wei Cong married her, he would become the Empress Dowager's cousin-in-law. With this connection, many things would be much easier and smoother.

"Congratulations, Marquis Wei!" Deng Zhong was the first to step forward: "This is truly a win-win situation! You have married a woman from a prestigious family, and the Dou family has also gained a fine husband. In this way, we are all one family. The Dou family is fortunate, Luoyang is fortunate, and the Han Dynasty is fortunate!"

"Yes, yes!" Fifth Deng hurriedly replied, "My lord, now that you've become the son-in-law of the Dou family, everything in the world is settled. Congratulations!"

The people who followed Wei Cong into the hall all offered their congratulations. Nie Sheng licked his lips and was about to step forward to offer his congratulations when he suddenly saw Lu Ping, who had been standing behind Wei Cong, turn her head away and reveal a trace of sadness on her cheek. He suddenly pulled back the leg he had stepped out of, thinking to himself that everyone in the hall was congratulating their godfather, but had anyone considered her feelings?

"What does Marquis Wei think?" Dou Wu asked.

"I am deeply grateful for the General's kindness!" Wei Cong replied awkwardly, "However, I am already twenty-eight years old this year, while the General's niece is only sixteen, a full twelve years older—"

"What's the harm in that!" Deng Zhong laughed. "The General's niece is to marry a hero of the world. If we're talking about heroes of the world today, who can compare to you? Throughout history, how many people have achieved what you have at the age of twenty-eight? In my opinion, being only twelve years younger is already quite good, isn't it, General?"

“Brother Deng is right!” Dou Wu laughed. “My niece loves reading classics and history, and she doesn’t want to marry a pale-faced young man, but a dignified gentleman. Besides, even in terms of appearance, Marquis Wei, you are handsome enough to be a match for her!”

"Although I, Wei, have never been married, I have several women around me and I already have children!"

"What's the harm in that!" Dou Wu laughed. "You're already this age, how can you not have women serving you? Even if it's just for the sake of continuing the family line and being filial to your parents, it's the right thing to do. How could my niece not understand this principle? Don't worry, it's all fine. My niece will treat them as her own children!"

Dou Wu's understanding left Wei Cong with no way out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, as long as your niece doesn't mind me, I will shamelessly agree!"

"Good, good, good!" Dou Wu was all smiles. "Don't worry, what could my niece possibly be unhappy about marrying such a fine man as Marquis Wei? Brother Deng!"

"What are your orders, General?" Deng Zhong asked with a smile.

"Since there is no head of household here, I will trouble you with the matter of marriage!" Dou Wu said with a smile.

"Of course!" Deng Zhong laughed. "Such a good thing, even if someone else tried to snatch it from me, I wouldn't let it go!"

Upon hearing Deng Zhong's words, everyone burst into laughter. The chilling murderous aura from before had been completely dispelled by the laughter.

The imperial physician beside him was drawn to the sudden change and laughed foolishly. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong. Looking down, he discovered that the emperor lying on the couch had stopped breathing at some point, and he was horrified.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has passed away!"

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According to the rites and laws of the Han Dynasty, an extremely grand funeral ceremony was held when the emperor passed away. The first step was the funeral rites, after which the body was laid to rest in the "Beigong Deyang Hall," where ministers would come to pay their respects. Moreover, as the sovereign and father of the entire empire, all subjects of the empire were required to participate in the mourning ceremony for the emperor, and each subject would bear corresponding responsibilities according to their rank, official position, and the closeness of their relationship with the emperor.

The problem was that the emperor hadn't died in the palace, but rather at the General's residence. Therefore, the first priority was to transport him back to the Southern Palace's Deyang Hall overnight for a temporary burial. Secondly, once news of the emperor's death spread, all officials and commoners throughout the land would be required to observe mourning, during which time any marriage was forbidden. Therefore, the marriage alliance between Wei Cong and the Dou family had to be finalized before news of the emperor's death spread, ensuring both sides could unite and maximize their interests in the ensuing political struggle.

(End of this chapter)