Chapter Fifty-Five: The Imperial Court

The next day, during the imperial audience, Zhu Yu received Princess Taka and her consort.

He sat upon the Dragon Throne, with the ministers arrayed on either side below. Only Eunuch Wu and Cao Zhengchun stood at his side; Liu Xi and Yu Huatian were stationed on the steps leading up to the throne. Princess Taka and her husband, standing out conspicuously, were positioned in the very center of the great hall.

When the two below had taken their places, Zhu Yu spoke in a cool, measured tone: “The Kunlun tribe has always enjoyed friendly relations with our dynasty. I wonder, Princess, for what reason have you traveled such a great distance to request an audience with me?”

Princess Taka responded candidly, “My journey is compelled by circumstances beyond my control. Since last autumn, our tribe has suffered relentless drought. Not a drop of rain has fallen. Our arable land was scarce to begin with; now the fields are cracked and barren, not even grass will grow, and most of our livestock and steeds have perished.

“If we are to fulfill the tribute quota agreed upon in the past, it is truly beyond our means. Therefore, I beseech Your Majesty to show compassion and exempt us from this year’s tribute. I trust that Your Majesty will understand.”

Zhu Yu was momentarily taken aback. He thought to himself, Was this not just a request for reduction? How has it become an exemption altogether?

A faint, cold smile played about his lips. “It is true that disasters, whether natural or man-made, are beyond human control. But I must ask: what has become of all the gifts and aid our dynasty has sent your tribe each year?

“Since your first tribute, the return gifts from Jingguo have been ample enough for your entire tribe to cease all labor and live in comfort for five years. And now you come to tell me that, because of a drought, you wish to halt your tribute?

“Have you considered what would happen if our own lands were struck by drought this year?”

Princess Taka was left speechless by this sharp retort. Still, she gathered her courage and replied, “Your Majesty, as the ruler of Jingguo, the Celestial Empire, can you truly bear to see the people of a vassal tribe die of thirst and hunger?

“Moreover, we are not seeking to end the tribute permanently, only to request exemption for a single year.”

“And what if the drought continues next year?” Zhu Yu posed a new question.

Princess Taka answered with difficulty, “If Heaven shows us no mercy, then our people will have no choice but to await their fate.”

“Oh?” Zhu Yu deliberately drew out his tone, then suddenly asked, “If I remember correctly, your tribe never used to farm the land. What was your traditional means of subsistence?”

Everyone in the hall knew the answer, and the ministers exchanged knowing glances, their expressions tinged with mockery as they looked at the foreign princess and her consort standing at the center.

Under the weight of countless stares, Princess Taka’s face flushed. “In the past, our tribe survived by raiding. But thanks to the protection of the Celestial Empire, we have abandoned our old ways and become self-sufficient.”

Hearing the answer he wanted, Zhu Yu nodded emphatically. “I have a plan that could save your people.

“If you succeed, not only will your tribe be exempt from tribute this year, but forever more. In fact, if you agree, I can provide grain, horses, money, and all the supplies you need, free of charge, to help you through this crisis.”

His words had barely fallen when the entire court, including Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian, were startled. None could fathom what Zhu Yu was plotting.

Given his earlier demeanor, Princess Taka could not believe his sudden generosity. Yet, as a foreign guest, she had no choice. The emperor of Jingguo had spoken; she must respond.

“And what is Your Majesty’s plan?”

“You see, though the Western Regions are vast, there are hundreds—perhaps thousands—of tribes scattered across that land. Isn’t that perhaps too many? Why not unify them under your own banner?

“If all the Western Regions are stricken by drought, I have solutions. To your west lies Khitan, to your east, Mongolia. Why not return to your old ways and take from them?

“And if that still doesn’t suffice, Jingguo could even open a path for you to attack Western Xia. Their numbers are few.”

As soon as Zhu Yu finished, the previously tense court erupted in laughter.

Princess Taka’s face reddened with humiliation and anger. “Your Majesty, as ruler of Jingguo, how can you utter such outrageous words? The tribes of the Western Regions are already subordinate to others—how could we possibly unify them? As for attacking Khitan and Mongolia, do you wish our people to march to their deaths?”

“Subordinate, yes. The hundreds of tribes in the Western Regions are all vassals of the great powers. But was it truly your choice?

“No. As you yourself said, you were once raiders. Why did you submit to the great nations? Because you were beaten into submission, slaughtered until only women and children remained. Only then did you yield.

“A hundred years ago, it was your Kunlun tribe that invaded Jingguo. Tribute? To put it kindly, these payments are called annual tribute. But to put it plainly, they are Jingguo’s spoils of war—rightfully ours, not something you offer willingly.

“And now you come to me, saying you do not wish to pay what belongs to Jingguo. Is it because your tribe feels powerful enough to defy us, or because you believe that Jingguo’s leniency over the past decades has made us weak?

“You shouldn’t be asking me about tribute—you should go to the barracks and ask the soldiers of Jingguo if they are willing to forgo the spoils they won with their blood and tears!”

“Do you truly take Jingguo for a nation to be trifled with? Do you think our soldiers have grown old? Do you believe our armies no longer dare to ride forth and trample your lands?”

Zhu Yu’s voice rose with each question, filling the hall with his righteous fury. Even after he finished, his words seemed to echo in the air above the throne room.

The military officers below were flushed with excitement, eager for the chance to request orders for war.

Princess Taka, battered by Zhu Yu’s relentless words, turned pale and staggered where she stood, as if she might faint at any moment.

Her consort, who until now had been invisible in the proceedings, stepped forward to support her, just as someone else spoke up first.

“Your Majesty, I believe the princess is unwell. Perhaps we should postpone this matter until tomorrow and send her to the Imperial Medical Bureau for treatment. If anything were to happen to the Princess of Kunlun in the throne room, it would not reflect well on Jingguo.”

It was Iron Courage Marquis Zhu Wushi who spoke.

“Yes, the Marquis is right.”

“The Marquis speaks wisely.”

The civil officials began murmuring their assent.

Zhu Yu, having meticulously paved the way for this confrontation and anticipating whether the consort would intercede, was cut off by Zhu Wushi’s intervention. Seeing the officials so openly agreeing among themselves, his mood soured.

He rose, uttered a curt “Court is dismissed,” and strode away with a darkened expression.