Wen Zhiyi’s hand froze the moment she took the letter.
Then she quickly broke the seal and, by the light of the candle, carefully read every line from beginning to end.
“This letter talks about joining forces with the Beirong tribes to ambush the military’s grain convoy. It concerns the war at the frontier. Why didn’t you report this to the court? Why bring it to me instead?”
Ning Wuyu shot her another exasperated look.
“If this secret letter had been presented to the Emperor, your father would’ve been thrown into the Imperial Prison last month.”
She folded her arms.
“This letter was intercepted before it reached its destination, so the grain shipment was never lost. Besides, my father doesn’t believe Chancellor Wen would ever do something like this.”
“Why not?” Wen Zhiyi asked in surprise. “As far as I remember, my father has never missed a chance to call General Ning nothing more than a brute who only knows how to swing a sword.”
Ning Wuyu answered seriously.
“It’s perfectly normal for civil officials and military generals to dislike each other. That’s hardly unusual.”
She paused before continuing.
“The real problem is those noble families. They’ve all grown accustomed to extravagant living. Every one of them has enormous private wealth, yet when it’s time to pay taxes, they delay again and again.”
“Great Qi has existed for less than a century. The imperial treasury is far from full. Chancellor Wen has always advocated frugality, and every year he’s the one forcing those aristocratic families to pay what they owe.”
“If it weren’t for him, the army probably wouldn’t even have enough supplies.”
She snorted.
“My father says that old fox of a Chancellor may be full of schemes, but when it comes to matters of the nation, he never compromises. Selling out his own country? He’d never stoop that low.”
Wen Zhiyi fell silent.
The last comment really hadn’t been necessary.
She lowered her head and carefully reread the letter, examining every word and every stroke.
Before long, she noticed something.
“This wasn’t written by my father.”
“I know that,” Ning Wuyu replied. “But the handwriting is identical to Chancellor Wen’s, and it even bears his personal seal. How are you going to argue against that?”
“The handwriting is an almost perfect imitation.”
Wen Zhiyi pointed to the date written at the bottom.
“But look here. It’s dated the second day of last month.”
“At that time, Father was suffering from severe pain in his right hand. He could barely hold his chopsticks, let alone write properly.”
She traced a finger over the bold brushstrokes.
“Yet every character in this letter is powerful and vigorous. There’s no way Father could have written it.”
She continued pointing out another detail.
“And the seal is wrong.”
“My father’s personal seal has been used for many years. Whenever he stamps documents, he habitually presses harder on the lower right corner.”
She indicated one particular character.
“The final stroke of the character ‘Zheng’ on his actual seal is much more worn than the rest. But the impression on this letter is perfectly clear.”
Ning Wuyu’s eyes lit up.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go see His Majesty right now and clear Chancellor Wen’s name!”
“Wait.”
Wen Zhiyi immediately stopped her.
“We can’t rush this.”
“Everything I’ve pointed out is still only my own observation. His Majesty may not believe me.”
She looked at Ning Wuyu.
“And how exactly are you planning to explain why a palace consort somehow has possession of a classified letter intercepted at the frontier?”
“But…”
Ning Wuyu frowned.
“If he doesn’t trust you or Chancellor Wen, is he really going to trust those aristocratic families who are constantly trying to manipulate him?”
“Oh, he’ll trust them.”
A cold smile appeared on Wen Zhiyi’s lips.
“Have you forgotten?”
“The Emperor’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Shen, came from one of those great noble families.”
“The Late Emperor had no choice but to marry a daughter of the Shen family as his Empress.”
She sighed softly.
“He spent his entire reign trying to hold the empire together, yet among all the princes born in the palace, only the son born to Empress Shen survived into adulthood.”
“In order to keep those noble families in check, the Late Emperor later placed both my sister and me into His Majesty’s harem, one as Empress, the other as Imperial Consort.”
Her voice trailed off.
“And you…”
She stopped speaking.
Ning Wuyu understood the unspoken meaning.
It wasn’t only the Wen sisters.
As the only daughter of General Ning, Defender of the Frontier, Ning Wuyu had entered the palace for exactly the same reason.
The three of them stood at the very top of the imperial harem.
The elder Wen sister ruled the Inner Palace as Empress.
Wen Zhiyi ranked first among the Four Consorts.
Ning Wuyu ranked first among the Nine Consorts.
If the noble families wished to send more daughters into the palace, none of them could outrank these three women.
It had all been part of the Late Emperor’s strategy to restrain the influence of the aristocracy.
Yet it was the three of them who had to face every hidden dagger and open attack.
Unfortunately, Li Jinghuai was a man deeply devoted to only one woman.
From beginning to end, the only person in his heart had been his childhood sweetheart, Rou’er, Lu Ningrou.
The fact that she had failed to become Empress was probably the greatest regret of his life.
Now that he finally had an opportunity to bring the all-powerful Chancellor Wen down, how could Li Jinghuai willingly let such a perfect chance to depose the Empress slip away?
Once Chancellor Wen, the one official who dared openly remonstrate with the throne, was gone, Empress Dowager Shen would only need to whisper a few words into the Emperor’s ear.
Replacing the Empress would become only a matter of time.
Ning Wuyu gradually calmed down.
“You’re right.”
“We need undeniable evidence before presenting anything to His Majesty.”
Wen Zhiyi nodded solemnly.
“I owe you a great debt.”
“It couldn’t have been easy for this secret letter to reach us without being intercepted.”
“I know you still have ways to communicate with people outside the palace. General Ning must have left some of his intelligence network at your disposal.”
She smiled faintly.
“The last time Lurao and I secretly left the palace, it was thanks to your cover.”
Her expression turned serious.
“But His Majesty is naturally suspicious, and there are plenty of wolves watching our every move.”
She looked directly at Ning Wuyu.
“Be careful.”
“Don’t let anyone catch you making a mistake.”
“As if you needed to remind me.”
Ning Wuyu turned her face away.
“The Wen family is in trouble, and Empress Ayun certainly won’t escape the consequences.”
“So everything I’m doing is for Sister Ayun, not for you, Wen Zhiyi.”
She huffed.
“If Sister Ayun weren’t still bedridden, I’d have delivered this letter directly to her.”
“You wouldn’t have had anything to do with it.”
Wen Zhiyi nodded with exaggerated seriousness.
“Lady Ning is absolutely right.”
She smiled mischievously.
“To receive the Empress’s favor and Lady Ning’s protection is truly the blessing of three lifetimes.”
“You’re impossible.”
Ning Wuyu glared at her before flicking her sleeve and turning to leave.
She had taken fewer than five steps before suddenly remembering something.
Turning back, she called out,
“Oh, right.”
“Ciyou will be returning to the capital soon to report for duty.”
Wen Zhiyi chuckled.
“Your younger brother who cried even more than I did?”
“Ning Ciyou?”
The irritation in Ning Wuyu’s eyes immediately deepened.
Realizing she’d stepped on a landmine, Wen Zhiyi hurriedly changed the subject.
“Every year it’s General Ning who returns to the capital for the annual report. Why is your brother coming this time?”
Ning Wuyu answered reluctantly.
“Since spring began, the Beirong have become increasingly restless.”
“My father has to remain at the frontier to command the army and keep the tribes in check.”
“So he couldn’t leave.”
“He had no choice but to send Ciyou instead.”
“He’s already on his way.”
Wen Zhiyi sighed softly.
“When I think about it…”
“It’s been eight years since I last saw Ning Ciyou.”
“He doesn’t particularly want to see you either.”
Ning Wuyu lifted her chin proudly.
“But I did hear one thing.”
“Ciyou prepared a little gift for you this time.”
Wen Zhiyi blinked curiously.
“What gift?”
“You’ll find out when he arrives.”
A teasing smile spread across Ning Wuyu’s face, her eyes sparkling like the stars above.
“It’s something you’ll have an urgent use for.”
With that, she strode away beneath the moonlight, her footsteps light and carefree.
Wen Zhiyi remained standing alone beside the lakeshore, the cool night breeze gently stirring her robes.