"My lord, I've followed your command. Eldest Prince has received the shipment." A man dressed in black with a sword in hand, bent at the waist to his superior, who stood before him.
Lord Shang nodded. "Hmm. What about Left Chancellor Jun? Has he followed through on his promise?"
The servant straightened and stepped forward, his face stiff and expressionless. "Yes my lord, we're expected to recieve another three thousand in the next two months. After that, he's assured us that there will be another another thousand. However," his head tilted a bit. "He has requested that you handle a problem."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
The man in black hesitated. "It seems that the second prince is aware of our plans, and is gathering evidence. Left Chancellor Jun asks for your interference in the matter."
"The second prince?" Lord Shang turned away from his servant and moved to sit at his desk. "He has been causing us trouble lately. Tian Hui, tell Old Jun that I'll find a way to remove his obstacle, he need not worry anymore."
Tian Hui saluted to his master before leaving the room, off to complete his mission. Lord Shang considered the princes for a moment. Emperor Wei had five sons, the eldest, second, fourth, sixth, seventh, and ninth princes. He still had not chosen a crown prince, despite his age, but it was a clear battle between the three older princes.
The eldest prince, Wei Nanying, was the son of the late consort Fan, and excelled in court politics as well as had connections to half of the court officials. He was his father's choice and most likely to succeed as the next emperor.
Then there was Wei Heping, the fourth prince. Though the son of a concubine, his tenacity, skill, and strong desire to be the next ruler made him a formidable opponent to the other princes. The fourth prince was known for being particularly violent, but highly efficient. His father had elected him head of the Ministry of Justice and allowed him to act on his own, regarding crime in the capital. Wei Heping had eventually gained the nickname King Yama's Hand, or simply, Death's Judge. Rumors among the people claimed that once arrested by him, innocent or not, you'd never leave his dungeons alive.
The three younger princes were young and idle, not caring about the fight for the throne. They were Wei Shiping, Wei Su, and Wei Zhe, all sons of lowly concubines.
Finally, there was the second prince, Wei Rongxie. He was the empress' only child, and an equally stong force. Though he was not the emperor's favorite son, nor the most supported by the officials, he'd received favor from his grandfather, the previous emperor, making him highly respected. His mother's family, the Shi's, were also influential and had sway over the court.
Now, it seemed he was digging into Shang and Jun's affairs, which might cause trouble for them. General Shang, wasn't going to have it though. It was time for him to snuff out the second prince, followed by the fourth. That would leave only the eldest prince as candidate for the throne. His, Shang Bulou's, candidate.
...
"So that's the whole royal family, basically." Yan Shi finished explaining.
The two cousins sat in Lu Meiwan's courtyard, sipping tea and snacking on nuts and seeds, while talking about the royal family, and the political sides each was on as well as who supported who. It was like a social lesson for Meiwan, to learn about the powerful rulers of the their country An.
"What about the princesses?"
Yan Shi looked up, considering. "After the third princess declared herself independant and moved into her own mansion outside of the imperial palace, the fifth and eigth princesses have been falling over each other in attempts to be the most favored princess."
"I just don't understand." Meiwan shook her head. "Why their family has to be so complicated. Wouldn't it be better if they all just lived happily together?" Of course she knew there were complications, and loyalties to consider, but why they seemed so hell-bent on competing with each other was beyond her.
Her younger cousin scoffed, her eyebrows high. "A happy family? Where have you been the last few dynasties? There has never been a happy royal family recorded in history! Its always been cut-throat and dirty competition for power." She then whispered. "None of them are good, much less their supporters."
Meiwan was shocked at such treasonous words, and could barely keep her jaw from dropping. Yan Shi continued, now using her regular voice.
"It's understandable that you aren't aware of the political situation here in the capital, after all, you're from a distant city. I'll tell you the simple version." She took a handful of seeds in her hand and began tossing them into her mouth. While chewing, she spoke. "The most powerful families in the capital are the Shang family of generals, the Jun family that head the officials, and the Shi family that is involved with both. These three are almost like a checkmate on each other. See, the Shangs and Juns fight alongside to keep the Shi's from getting more power and control over the royal family. The Shi's married their daughter to the current emperor, so Jun's married their own daughter to him as a concubine."
"The emperor is married into both familes? Doesn't that ever cause a conflict of interest?" Meiwan asked, but her cousin shook her head.
"When everyone has the same relationships and connections as the others, then it basically puts them all at the same starting line. While the Shis and Juns are related to the Wei family, the Shangs aren't. However, they still found a way to put themselves on even footing with the other two families. Other than allying with the Juns, they also gained control over the military, so the emperor has to treat them well."
Meiwan's mind was bursting with all the infomation. The capital was a well woven, intricate web of connections and conspiracies. How did everyone keep track of it all? It was much more complicated than what she had expected. Living in a far-away city as well as being kept at home, made her completely oblivious to the world's affairs. But now she wanted to know everything, she might need the knowledge to protect herself and her brother one day.
Yan Shi smiled. "There's also talk of a marriage alliance between the Shangs and the royal family. It's been expected for a long time now, most have been suprised it hadn't happened yet."
"Why is that?"
"The other two families have already married their daughters to the Weis, it was only a matter of time for them to follow suit. But they plan on marrying their son off instead of their daughter."
Meiwan coughed on the tea she sipped. "Shang Qinglou? He's engaged to a princess? But he's a playboy, I'm sure the emperor wouldn't do that to his daughter. "
Her cousin nodded. "Politics don't care about character. What's important is who can help who."
The Lu family had planned to marry their daughter off, it had always been that way. Meiwan knew though, that her parents would find a suitable match for her. She could trust them, they would choose a man of decent reputation and able to care for her. She'd never believed she would end up marrying for social status or money. But now the thought crossed her mind. Would uncle Yan end up marrying her to a political marriage?
"Which princess is he engaged to?" She was curious.
Yan Shi thought a moment, "Hmm, no one is really sure. After all, its not official. Most think it will be the fifth princess, Wei Tan'er." She shrugged.
Poor girl, Meiwan thought.
"Anyway. So the three families have gained loyalties of different officials, splitting up the court. the Shi's support Prince Rongxie, while the Shangs and Juns support Prince Nanying. The two sides have been fighting for years, ever since the princes were born."
"So long? And what happens to the losing side?"
"Probably death, A'wan." Yan Shi's expression became grave. "These families aren't playing. They fight hard, because often according to history, the wrong choice doesn't have a good ending."
How could anyone want to be involved in such a dangerous game? Was the power won worth it? To pay with blood and selling of family members? The capital was sinister place, and Meiwan knew she didn't want to stay there for long.
The cousins continued their conversation. Yan Shi told Meiwan the rest of how everything worked, and where people stood, and who supported who.
"Where does the Yan family stand?" Meiwan asked.
"Father tries his best to stay uninvolved. But there's only so much that can be done to stay a fence sitter, eventually we'll have to pick a side."
"Who do you think he'll support in the end?"
Yan Shi thought a moment. "I hope he'll support the second prince."
Meiwan poured herself more tea, it was somewhat cold now. "Why him?"
Her cousin shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. I just figure he's the best choice when considering who's on the other side. I don't want our Yan family to be involved with the Shangs or the Juns."
She wouldn't want to either, Meiwan nodded.