Qin Buwen knew perfectly well that a single letter could never truly convict Li Yunmu.
The letter’s purpose had only been to give Ji Junjiao a clear direction for his investigation, sparing him countless unnecessary detours while looking into enemy spies.
With Ji Junjiao’s abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to uncover Li Yunmu’s true identity.
As for Qin Buwen, her next step was to follow Ji Junjiao’s line of investigation and ensure that Li Yunmu’s crimes were proven beyond dispute.
Because Li Yunmu was far from innocent.
Back then, he had commanded only two hundred thousand troops, yet somehow managed to wipe out all three hundred thousand soldiers of her Chengping Army. Without someone helping him from within, even another two hundred thousand men wouldn’t have been enough to shake the Chengping Army in the slightest.
At the time, Qin Buwen had been consumed by grief over the annihilation of her army and had neither the heart nor the presence of mind to examine the details.
But now that she had been reborn, all it took was a little careful thought for the suspicious points to become glaringly obvious.
The seed of disaster she had planted through one moment of misplaced mercy…
Now that she’d been given another chance at life, she intended to cut it out by the roots.
Her most urgent task, however, was to earn Ji Junjiao’s trust and remain at his side. Only then would she have a chance to see the Emperor.
Having made up her mind, she slowly placed her final black stone.
Black won.
She swept the board clean and began gathering the pieces back into their bowls.
Winning Ji Junjiao’s trust would be no easy feat. Unless she had a reason so flawless that it admitted no suspicion, forcing herself to stay by his side would only make him grow wary sooner or later.
As for…
What sort of reason would never make him suspicious?
Qin Buwen narrowed her eyes.
An idea seemed to come to her.
…
Wenyuan Pavilion, Main Hall
Ji Junjiao’s expression remained calm.
“Minister Situ seems to have been unusually busy lately.”
Seated in the guest’s seat, Yan Tang smiled faintly. Though he sat in a Wuhou wheelchair, his bearing remained elegant and distinguished.
“You jest, Grand Secretary. I have come today to ask a favor.”
Ji Junjiao said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
Yan Tang smiled.
“I heard that some days ago, Your Excellency took in a refugee girl. They say she came to the capital searching for relatives. Might I ask to meet her?”
Ji Junjiao’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Minister Situ, do I need to remind you that placing spies around me is a capital offense?”
Yan Tang merely pressed his lips into an easy smile, his eyes warm.
“There’s no need to be angry, Grand Secretary. As Minister of Works, keeping track of the movements throughout the capital is simply part of helping His Majesty shoulder the affairs of the realm.”
After a pause, his eyes curved pleasantly.
“Besides, Your Excellency’s integrity is beyond reproach. Your reputation has endured for generations. Even if I did plant spies around you, they wouldn’t be able to uncover the slightest fault.”
Ji Junjiao’s voice turned colder.
“Yan Tang. That is outside the scope of your duties.”
Yan Tang chuckled softly.
“Grand Secretary, you know as well as I do that His Majesty sees everything under heaven. Without his tacit approval, my intelligence network could never have survived until today.”
“And besides…” He smiled with quiet refinement. “I am merely a scholar. Against someone of your standing, I would never be foolish enough to throw an egg against a stone.”
Ji Junjiao remained silent, his expression cool and unreadable.
Yan Tang continued gently,
“Please don’t worry. I only heard that Your Excellency had taken in a refugee girl, and wished to confirm whether she might be a distant relative of mine.”
His smile was warm and courteous, carrying both a scholar’s grace and a nobleman’s dignity.
“I would be grateful.”
…
Qin Buwen had grown rather fond of the courtyard she was staying in.
A tall hibiscus tree stood just beyond the yard, and she loved sitting beneath it, daydreaming.
Sometimes she’d prop her chin on one hand and drift off for an entire afternoon.
At that moment, Qin Buwen was dozing lightly, her head resting against her palm. Half asleep, half awake, she vaguely felt a breeze pass by.
Lazily opening her eyes a crack, she saw someone in a Wuhou wheelchair slowly approaching from the distance.
She thought she must be dreaming.
Otherwise…
How could she possibly see Yan Tang here?
In her haze, she remembered long ago, when she used to nap in the pavilion of her courtyard.
Yan Tang would always frown and scold her.
But he had always been soft-hearted. Every time, Qin Buwen would answer him with a careless promise, and he would let the matter drop.
Later, although she never changed her ways, Yan Tang stopped nagging her altogether.
Instead, whenever she fell asleep, he would quietly drape a blanket over her shoulders.
She had slept in that pavilion for four or five years.
Not once had she caught a cold.
Looks like…
This was a pleasant dream.
The corners of Qin Buwen’s lips lifted.
A drop of water slid from a hibiscus petal and landed at the corner of her eye.
Her eyelids fluttered. The coolness cleared her mind.
It wasn’t a dream.
As she watched the man being pushed slowly toward her, Qin Buwen tilted her head slightly. Confusion and innocent bewilderment flickered across her eyes.
The droplet traced a line down her cheek.
She stared at the man before her.
Her mind buzzed.
She couldn’t think of anything at all.
He sat upon the Emperor’s gold-plated Wuhou wheelchair, smiling at her with impeccable courtesy.
With distance.
That…
Was the way Yan Tang looked at strangers.
But Qin Buwen couldn’t process that now.
Her entire attention, every thought she possessed, was fixed on the blanket covering his legs.
What happened?
Why wasn’t he standing?
For some reason, she suddenly remembered a long-forgotten day.
She had once been furious with Yan Tang. No matter how he coaxed her, she refused to forgive him.
That night, he had run all over Chang’an to buy the truffle cakes she’d been craving for ages before she finally relented.
Back then, Yan Tang had smiled helplessly and said,
“Your Highness is rather difficult to appease.”
Chewing on her truffle cake, Qin Buwen raised an eyebrow, thoroughly pleased with herself.
“Your health is weak to begin with. Running around is good exercise for your legs.”
Yan Tang had known perfectly well she was being unreasonable.
Yet he had only smiled and nodded.
“Very well. From now on, whenever Your Highness wants pastries, I’ll go buy them myself.”
Qin Buwen felt that she had to be dreaming.
A nightmare, perhaps.
She tilted her head, her eyes unfocused, the rims slowly reddening.
Why wasn’t she waking up?
Yan Tang looked at her, his smile as gentle as ever.
“My name is Yan Tang. Greetings, Miss.”
The familiar face.
The familiar voice.
Even the familiar smile.
Qin Buwen’s nose stung.
This…
Had to be fake.
It had to be.
Hadn’t Yan Tang promised that from now on, he would always buy pastries for her?
“Miss?”
A nearly imperceptible crease formed between Yan Tang’s brows.
Qin Buwen’s gaze slowly rose to meet his face.
She took several steps backward before finally finding her voice.
“What happened to your legs?”
Had Qin Buwen been thinking rationally, she would have known how abrupt and inappropriate the question was.
But at that moment, amidst the chaos in her mind, nothing else mattered.
Her voice came out low and hoarse.
Her eyes moved uncertainly as she stared at him.
“Why aren’t you standing?”
“Impudent!”
Behind Yan Tang, Ming’an drew his sword in one swift motion, the blade stopping directly at Qin Buwen’s throat.
“How dare you insult Minister Situ!”
His expression was fierce, murderous intent blazing in his eyes. Anyone else would already have collapsed to the ground, trembling as they begged for mercy.
But Qin Buwen simply kept looking at Yan Tang.
She was waiting for his answer.
Or…
Waiting for him to stand.