As Chen Daniu kowtowed and sobbed his accusations, the others beside him chimed in one after another, putting on the appearance of pitiful, destitute victims.
Wen Zhiyi remained silent, watching them carefully.
Before Li Jinghuai could speak again, she stepped forward at just the right moment.
“According to what you’ve said, your village has been surviving by begging for over two months?”
Chen Daniu wiped away his tears and replied in a choked voice,
“Yes, Your Highness. The people of our village have been begging for more than two months now.”
More than two months?
Wen Zhiyi sneered inwardly.
It was only early March. If that were true, the people of Chen Village would have been driven from their homes before they had even finished celebrating the New Year.
“How many households and how much farmland were taken from your village?”
“There were a hundred households and ten thousand mu of farmland,” Chen Daniu answered. “Everything was seized.”
“And among the elderly and children in your village,” Wen Zhiyi continued, “did anyone die from hunger or cold?”
The crying stopped abruptly.
Chen Daniu seemed to realize something was wrong. He exchanged uneasy glances with his companions before replying stiffly,
“Thanks to Your Highness’s blessings… no one died.”
Chancellor Wen let out a cold snort.
“So, according to your story, I seized your village during the middle of winter, around the New Year.”
“There were hundreds of villagers forced from their homes, yet not a single one froze to death or starved?”
“It seems the people of your village are all remarkably resilient.”
“That’s because… because we’ve been begging all this time…” Chen Daniu stammered. “We happened to meet many kind-hearted people…”
“Begging?”
Wen Zhiyi interrupted with a faint smile.
“You certainly look the part. Your clothes are tattered, and your faces and hands are smeared with dirt.”
“But…”
She lowered her gaze to his hands.
“The spaces beneath your fingernails are surprisingly clean.”
“Not a trace of dirt.”
“That doesn’t look like the hands of someone who’s been begging on the streets for months.”
Startled, Chen Daniu and his companions instinctively glanced at their own fingernails before hurriedly tucking their hands beneath themselves.
“What?” Wen Zhiyi chuckled. “Are you thinking of scraping some dirt from the ground and stuffing it under your nails now?”
Chancellor Wen’s calm voice followed immediately.
“It’s too late.”
“Not only are your fingernails spotless, but your teeth are clean as well.”
“There are countless beggars in the capital.”
“Most of them don’t know where their next meal will come from. They treasure every crumb caught between their teeth.”
“People as clean and well-kept as you…”
“…this old man has never seen before.”
Father and daughter worked together seamlessly.
Within moments, the men found themselves completely speechless.
Everyone present could already tell the entire accusation was fabricated.
Still, since it had nothing to do with them personally, none of the officials dared speak out.
They merely watched from the sidelines.
…
In the end, the Emperor ordered that until the investigation into the alleged land seizure was complete, the displaced villagers of Chen Village would be escorted back to their homes by the local authorities.
Each household would also receive relief funds from the government.
The Spring Plowing Ceremony came to a hurried close.
Back in the palace, preparations for the Spring Banquet were already underway.
As Wen Zhiyi returned, she spotted Yunjian, the chief maid from Weiyang Palace, discussing the seating arrangements with the Master of Ceremonies.
Her face immediately brightened.
“Yunjian?”
“Instead of serving my sister, you’re here helping with the banquet?”
“Has my sister recovered?”
Yunjian curtsied respectfully before smiling.
“Your Highness, after several days of rest, Her Majesty’s complexion has improved considerably.”
“She knows that Your Highness accompanied His Majesty to preside over today’s Spring Plowing Ceremony, so she sent this servant to assist with the preparations and lighten your workload.”
The concern in Wen Zhiyi’s eyes remained unchanged, though a trace of disappointment appeared in her smile.
“Will my sister attend today’s Spring Banquet?”
Yunjian gently shook her head.
“Since Her Majesty has already claimed illness and entrusted the ceremony to Your Highness, it would be inappropriate for her to suddenly appear at the banquet.”
“Those with ulterior motives might seize upon it.”
“And it would also undermine Your Highness’s authority.”
“My sister has thought of everything.”
Wen Zhiyi’s heart warmed.
She had just been about to ask more about the Empress’s condition when a mocking laugh sounded nearby.
“The Empress truly is generous.”
“You really are fortunate to have such an elder sister, Your Highness.”
Turning toward the voice, Wen Zhiyi saw a woman dressed in pale yellow palace robes.
She was tall and graceful.
Her phoenix-shaped eyes and crimson lips were strikingly beautiful.
A faint smile curved her lips, yet her naturally sharp features carried an unmistakable air of cold pride, like a camellia blooming defiantly on a snow-covered branch.
As she approached, the surrounding palace servants all bowed.
“Greetings, Lady Ning.”
Wen Zhiyi couldn’t help laughing.
“So it’s Ning Wuyu.”
…
Ning Wuyu was the daughter of Great General Ning Ze.
She and her younger twin brother, Ning Ciyou, had been born only moments apart.
She had spent the first twelve years of her life on the northern frontier before returning to the capital, while Ning Ciyou was sent to the border to reunite with their parents.
Having grown up riding horses across endless battlefields, Ning Wuyu possessed a naturally proud and spirited temperament.
Yet when she first arrived in the capital, the endless etiquette and formalities nearly drove her mad.
The noble families mocked her for being crude and uncultured.
She mocked them right back, ridiculing them for hiding behind their noble status while pretending to be refined.
Ning Wuyu had an exceptionally sharp tongue.
No matter how many children in the academy joined forces against her, none could outargue her.
Eventually, everyone learned their lesson.
After that, no one dared ridicule her upbringing on the frontier again.
…
The Wen family led the civil officials.
The Ning family stood at the head of the military.
Wen Zhiyi and Ning Wuyu were also close in age.
As two of the capital’s most celebrated young beauties, they were constantly compared with one another.
Whenever people praised Ning Wuyu’s breathtaking sword dance…
Others would admire Wen Zhiyi’s captivating beauty and elegant grace.
When the Second Miss of the Wen family won first place at a poetry gathering…
The Eldest Miss of the Ning family would inevitably take first prize during the royal hunt.
Ning Wuyu had always been proud.
She had never believed herself inferior to Wen Zhiyi.
…
Later, imperial decrees arrived at both the General’s Manor and the Chancellor’s Residence on the very same day.
Wen Zhiyi entered the palace as an Imperial Noble Consort.
Ning Wuyu, however, was granted only the rank of Zhaoyi.
Naturally, she found that difficult to accept.
Ever since entering the palace, she had never once greeted Wen Zhiyi with a pleasant expression.
Li Jinghuai undoubtedly enjoyed watching the leaders of the civil and military factions oppose one another.
The more fiercely the Wen and Ning families fought, whether in the harem or at court, the greater the benefit to him…
…and to his beloved Lu Ningrou.
…
There was only one exception.
Empress Wen Zhiyun.
Whether before entering the palace or afterward, Ning Wuyu had always respected and admired her wholeheartedly.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Ning Wuyu and her brother were the same age as Wen Zhiyi.
But Wen Zhiyun was three years older than all of them.
When Ning Ciyou had still been living in the capital, Wen Zhiyun had often looked after him.
Later, when Ning Wuyu first returned from the frontier and became the target of endless criticism, only Wen Zhiyi had openly praised her heroic bearing, saying she was every bit the equal of any man.
Wen Zhiyun herself enjoyed an impeccable reputation throughout the capital.
Whether noble ladies or common women, every family with daughters taught them to emulate the eldest daughter of the Wen family.
It was because Wen Zhiyun had spoken up for Ning Wuyu that she hadn’t been completely ostracized by the noblewomen of the capital.
Ning Wuyu had never forgotten that kindness.
And precisely because she admired Wen Zhiyun so deeply…
She despised Wen Zhiyi for entering the palace and serving the same husband as her own elder sister.
…
Yet, if she were being honest…
Wen Zhiyi had never disliked Ning Wuyu.
In fact…
She thought that anyone capable of respecting and admiring her sister so wholeheartedly must possess exceptionally good judgment.
If not for that despicable Emperor Li Jinghuai standing between them…
The two of them should have become friends.