Wen Zhiyi spoke as if she were discussing the weather.
Lu Ningrou, however, felt her pupils contract sharply.
Her hand froze halfway to the Go stone box.
The shock lasted only a heartbeat.
Almost immediately, she regained her composure, calmly picking up a white stone.
“Opening with Tengen is rather domineering, don’t you think?”
“So what if it is?”
Wen Zhiyi smiled with unmistakable arrogance.
“Even if I were truly overbearing, what of it?”
“You dared scheme against me.”
“Didn’t you ever consider that I’d retaliate?”
Hearing that Wen Zhiyi had no intention of letting the matter drop, Lu Ningrou’s expression finally darkened.
“Your Highness must be joking.”
“What greater blessing could there be than bearing His Majesty’s child?”
“I pray every single day for Heaven to protect the baby in my womb.”
“Why would I ever wish to lose this child?”
“That’s good to hear.”
Wen Zhiyi’s smile widened.
“After all, His Majesty doesn’t yet have a single prince.”
“If Lady Zhaorong gives birth to a son this time…”
“…I’m certain His Majesty will place great expectations upon him.”
Lu Ningrou changed the subject.
“I heard that after leaving Yuexian Palace the other day, Your Highness took my maid Chunyan back with you.”
“I pleaded with His Majesty to spare her life.”
“It seems that ungrateful girl not only failed to appreciate my kindness, but also forgot the years of loyalty between mistress and servant.”
“You misunderstand.”
“It was precisely because of Chunyan’s warning that I was able to prepare thoroughly.”
“Only because of that…”
Wen Zhiyi looked directly into Lu Ningrou’s eyes, smiling more brilliantly with every word.
“…was I able to save you today…”
“…and ensure the imperial heir…”
“…remained safe.”
Their gazes collided.
One deliberately provoking.
The other restrained only by necessity.
Hidden blades flashed behind smiling faces, neither woman willing to yield an inch.
…
Just then, Qiurui returned with Hongyi, carrying the borrowed cloak.
“The wind by the lake is quite strong, and the stone benches are cold.”
“My Lady, please put on your cloak.”
“No need.”
Lu Ningrou shook her head.
“I’m tired.”
“I’ll return to Yuexian Palace.”
She gestured for Qiurui to return the cloak to Hongyi before offering Wen Zhiyi a courteous farewell.
Just as she was about to leave, however, she stopped.
Looking out over the sparkling lake, she remarked casually,
“This lakeshore has probably become a place of heartbreak for Her Majesty the Empress.”
“I suppose only Your Highness still dares visit it so often.”
Wen Zhiyi’s face immediately turned cold.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I’m merely worried about Her Majesty.”
Lu Ningrou sighed softly.
“Ever since First Prince Chengyu accidentally drowned in this lake, Her Majesty has been consumed by grief.”
“She has wasted away from sorrow and remained bedridden ever since.”
“I’m afraid she won’t even be able to attend the Spring Plowing Ceremony.”
Although her expression seemed sympathetic…
Her eyes remained fixed on Wen Zhiyi.
“I have the people of Yuexian Palace to care for me.”
“So there’s no need for Your Highness to worry.”
“If Your Highness truly has spare time…”
“…perhaps you should spend more of it looking after your own elder sister.”
…
That shameless woman!
Watching Lu Ningrou and her maid disappear into the distance, Wen Zhiyi’s eyes filled with icy hatred.
She remembered everything.
Being falsely accused of causing Lu Ningrou’s miscarriage.
The brutal torture she had endured in the dungeon.
Every whip.
Every wound.
Every drop of blood.
The hatred churning inside her threatened to boil over.
But…
Now wasn’t the time for revenge.
Because Lu Ningrou had unintentionally reminded her of something important.
The Spring Plowing Ceremony would take place in three days.
…
According to the rites of Great Qi, every spring the Emperor and Empress personally traveled to the countryside to conduct the ceremonial first plowing.
The Emperor would take hold of the plow while the Empress assisted him.
Civil and military officials accompanied them in celebration.
The ceremony symbolized the throne’s respect for agriculture and encouraged the people to cultivate their land diligently.
After returning to the palace, the Emperor would host a grand banquet for princes, ministers, village elders, and distinguished subjects, demonstrating imperial benevolence and showing that ruler and people shared both hardship and prosperity.
Ever since First Prince Chengyu had drowned unexpectedly…
Empress Wen, his birth mother, had been devastated.
She had fallen gravely ill and remained bedridden.
Even the authority to oversee the affairs of the imperial harem had been handed over to Imperial Noble Consort Wen Zhiyi.
Naturally, the Empress would be unable to attend the ceremony three days from now.
…
In her previous life…
While Li Jinghuai was presiding over the Spring Plowing Ceremony outside the capital…
Several commoners had suddenly rushed into the ceremonial grounds at the risk of their lives.
They publicly accused Chancellor Wen Zheng of corruption.
According to them, he had forcibly seized countless acres of fertile farmland and the homes of villagers living near the capital.
When Wen Zhiyi first heard the news back then, she had found it utterly absurd.
Her father had already risen to the highest rank of Chancellor.
The Wen family’s wealth was immense.
The Chancellor’s residence welcomed an endless stream of visitors every single day.
Why would a man like him stoop to stealing a few peasants’ houses and fields?
Yet…
Every accusation that later destroyed the Wen family stemmed from that very incident.
Now that she had been reborn…
She couldn’t help examining every detail carefully.
Her father had never cared about such petty profits.
There was no reason for him to destroy the reputation he had built over an entire lifetime for something so insignificant.
And more importantly…
Whenever the Emperor left the palace, he was surrounded by ministers, imperial guards, and countless soldiers.
How could a handful of unarmed peasants possibly break through all those layers of security and appear directly before Li Jinghuai?
Now that she’d been given another chance…
She had to prepare in advance.
…
After careful consideration, Wen Zhiyi summoned Lurao and quietly whispered several instructions into her ear.
Both Lurao and Hongyi had grown up alongside Wen Zhiyi.
Aside from her elder sister, they were the only two people in the palace whom she trusted completely.
Unlike the clever, sociable Hongyi, Lurao was quiet and reserved.
But she was also far more meticulous.
She rarely accompanied Wen Zhiyi outside Luanming Palace.
Most people merely knew that one of Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s personal maids was named Lurao.
Very few had actually seen her.
Although surprised by the unusual orders, Lurao didn’t ask a single question.
She immediately left to carry them out.
…
That evening, the chief maid from Weiyang Palace arrived at Luanming Palace bearing the Empress’s decree.
Because Her Majesty’s illness had worsened…
All responsibilities for the upcoming Spring Plowing Ceremony, which should have been performed by the Empress, would instead be carried out by Imperial Noble Consort Wen.
…
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the horizon, ceremonial music filled the air.
Leading his civil and military officials, Li Jinghuai faced east and performed three kneelings and nine kowtows to Heaven and Earth in solemn reverence.
After the ritual, an agricultural official presented him with a ceremonial plow.
Standing beside him, Wen Zhiyi assisted as he took hold of it.
Around the fields stood ministers, nobles, and respected village elders, each holding farming tools as they respectfully observed the Emperor perform the symbolic first plowing.
To ensure the ceremony proceeded flawlessly, the field beneath their feet had been sifted and prepared no fewer than three times.
Even the soil felt remarkably soft beneath each step.
Li Jinghuai had barely plowed two or three furrows…
When loud shouting suddenly erupted from the outer perimeter.
The ceremony came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone turned toward the commotion.
Several ragged young men had somehow forced their way past the soldiers and rushed into the ceremonial grounds.
Throwing themselves to the ground before the Emperor, they cried out in desperation.
“Your Majesty!”
“We beg you to uphold justice!”
“We wish to accuse Chancellor Wen Zheng of seizing the land belonging to the people of our village!”
“Our homes have been taken from us!”
“We’ve been driven into the streets and left to starve!”
Li Jinghuai frowned and turned toward Chancellor Wen Zheng.
“Chancellor Wen.”
“Is there any truth to these accusations?”
Chancellor Wen gave a cold snort.
“Utter nonsense.”
“We’re telling the truth!”
The man leading the group was of average height with dark, weather-beaten skin.
His face was soaked with tears and mucus.
“This commoner is named Chen Daniu.”
“We’re all villagers from Chen Village outside the capital.”
“Several months ago, men from the Chancellor’s residence arrived and claimed that our land had originally belonged to the Wen family.”
“They drove us from our homes.”
“They forbade us from farming our own fields.”
“They even threatened that if we were ever seen near the capital again, we’d be beaten every time.”
“Our entire village has wandered from place to place, begging just to survive.”
“We truly have nowhere else to turn.”
“So we’ve dared to seek justice directly from Your Majesty.”
“We beg Your Majesty…”
“…please show us mercy!”