Xuan Ying had harnessed the carriage, ready to take their mistress to the Ministry of War.
The carriage Xu Chen was riding in today was entirely different from before; bearing the insignia of the Princess’s residence, it was luxurious and imposing. The pair of sweat-blooded warhorses pulling it moved in perfect unison, fully displaying the majesty of the imperial family.
Thanks to Emperor Yongji and Princess Xu Zhao, Xu Chen’s reputation in the capital had long been utterly ruined; it would be no exaggeration to say it was enough to silence a child’s night-time wailing.
Yet at the mere sight of the Princess’s Mansion carriage, the common folk along the route kept their distance, falling silent as if frozen, leaving only the creaking sound of the wheels on the road.
Only after Xu Chen’s carriage had departed did the entire street seem to come back to life, as if the play button had been pressed once more.
“The common folk are narrow-minded and ignorant, merely parroting what others say. Your Highness, do not stoop to their level.”
Fearing Xu Chen might take offence, Xuan Ying hastened to offer comfort.
It was Xuan Ying, of course; had Xuan Yu been driving today, she would never have uttered such words to soothe her master’s emotions. She might well have puffed herself up like a pufferfish right there on the spot.
After speaking, Xuan Ying waited nervously. The original master’s violent and unpredictable temper was truly terrifying; it made those around her feel as if they were walking a tightrope, constantly on edge, ever-fearing the original master’s outburst.
Unexpectedly, only four brief words came from within the carriage.
“Concentrate on driving—”
Although Xu Chen’s voice sounded devoid of any anger, Xuan Ying felt a shudder run through her heart. For a moment, she dared not think of anything else; she swiftly cracked the whip against the horse’s flank and buried her head in the reins.
Inside the carriage, Xu Chen’s expression remained unchanged.
Of course she wasn’t angry; she knew full well who was truly to blame for the current situation.
Besides, it was the former host the common folk feared—what did that have to do with her, Xu Chen?
The people’s hearts could be won over; she would naturally win them back in time. As long as the root of the conflict was resolved, all the problems stemming from it would cease to exist.
One must take things one step at a time, just as one eats one mouthful at a time.
What she needed to resolve now was the issue of the Chongzhou Army’s pay.
The Six Ministries were not far from the Eastern Palace; it took only half an hour to travel along Changmen Street.
As the Crown Princess in charge of the Ministry of War, Xu Chen had her own private office there, though she had not been there for several days.
All the officials of the Ministry of War were swamped with work, yet there was one person who had taken over Xu Chen’s seat, holed up in her private office, sipping tea and nibbling on pastries, looking utterly at ease and quite carefree.
The Ministry of War officials had not expected Xu Chen to arrive; upon seeing her, they all froze for a second before realising who it was and hastily bowing to her.
“We pay our respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy good health!”
“You may rise.”
Xu Chen paid them no heed and walked straight towards her private chamber.
Ji Yichang held only the minor post of Chief Clerk, responsible for handling routine paperwork and the like, yet she was also the person in the Ministry of War whom no one dared to cross, for she was the original owner’s confidante.
The former host placed immense trust in her; every document submitted to the Ministry of War had to pass through her hands first.
But Xu Chen knew that Ji Yichang had long since been bought off by the Sixth Princess. Acting on Xu Zhao’s orders, she had incited the former host to commit a series of reckless acts, such as the haphazard appointment of military officers and the withholding of the Chongzhou garrison’s pay for half a year.
Naturally, the original host’s actions failed to win the approval of the truly capable and principled officials within the Ministry of War; opponents were everywhere, with the Minister of War taking the most vehement stance of all.
Yet this was precisely the outcome Emperor Yongji wished to see; not only did the Emperor fail to correct the situation, but actively indulged it. Had it not been for the Minister of War’s integrity and steadfast adherence to principle, who knows what further trouble might have ensued.
Over time, the original owner’s resentment within the Ministry of War grew ever deeper, and no one was convinced by her.
The officials heeded only the Minister of War’s orders, paying her lip service whilst acting contrary to her wishes behind her back. This left the original owner unable to make any headway within the Ministry of War, further preventing her from achieving any commendable administrative achievements, and causing Xu Zhao to drag her through the mud.
At such times, Emperor Yongji would criticise and punish her before the entire court, driving the original host to greater agitation and despair.
Consequently, she came to place even greater trust in Ji Yichang, that venomous snake lurking at her side.
After all, the original host had no one else to rely on; Ji Yichang spoke sweetly and was adept at indulging in every pleasure imaginable, so it was only natural that she became the original host’s most trusted and favoured minister.
Ji Yichang hadn’t expected Xu Chen to visit the Ministry of War today, so she had presumptuously taken Xu Chen’s seat, indulging in the thrill of feeling like a high-and-mighty princess.
Caught red-handed by Xu Chen, she felt a pang of panic and asked with a sheepish smile, “Your Highness, why have you come here?”
She was trying to change the subject.
In her eyes, Xu Chen favoured her so greatly that she wouldn’t quibble over such trifles.
She instinctively looked at Xu Chen, only to find herself instantly immersed in a pair of eyes as cold as a winter pond.
“Ji Yichang, you have great nerve. You dare to sit in this throne of mine.”
Ji Yichang felt a chill run through her body; fear gripped her entirely. Her knees buckled, and with a thud, she fell to her knees before Xu Chen.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was momentarily bewitched; I beg you to spare me this once!”
She could not fathom why Xu Chen had suddenly turned on her, but no matter how much she had privately despised Xu Chen, the Crown Princess, when faced with the imperial authority she represented, all that remained was fear.
Xu Chen: “Twenty strokes of the cane. Let this serve as a lesson.”
Ji Yichang tried to plead for mercy, but was dragged out by Xuan Ying as though she were a little chick.
The palace guards were highly experienced in such matters. Two of them pinned her down on a bench, and one raised a long cane, bringing it down with a sharp crack.
Ji Yichang let out a piercing scream instantly, tears streaming down her face. With her delicate, fair skin, she had never endured such suffering before. Forgetting all else, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Your Highness, spare my life!”
“Your Highness, spare my life!” The sound of the cane striking her flesh echoed through the room.
Xuan ying stood by supervising; seeing this, her eyes filled with contempt, and she could not help but say coldly, “Chief Ji, it is only twenty strokes; it will not kill you.”
“If your cries annoy Her Highness, she may well bestow another twenty strokes upon you.”
Ji Yichang immediately stifled any further pleas for mercy, but the agonised wails of pain were impossible to suppress; they echoed above the Ministry of War offices like the screams of a pig being slaughtered.
This prompted other officials from the Ministry of War to peer out and take a peek; unable to resist gloating, they felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Their instinctive loathing for Xu Chen even diminished somewhat.
The Imperial Guards showed no mercy; the twenty strokes were soon administered, and Ji Yichang’s backside was left raw and bleeding.
Xuan Ying dragged her before Xu Chen, where she knelt face-down on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Ji Yichang.”
Hearing Xu Chen’s voice from above, she jolted, stifling her tears and snot, and looked up at him timidly.
Xu Chen stood up, walked over to Ji Yichang, and placed her hand on her shoulder.
Ji Yichang’s muscles trembled instantly, like leaves on a branch in the autumn wind; it took every ounce of her strength not to collapse to the ground.
“I am deeply disappointed. I had thought you were the person I trusted most, yet it turns out you are no different from the others—you do not truly respect me.”
“You all think I am a fool; you all look down on me, do you not?”
Ji Yichang had indeed regarded the original host as a fool in private, reaping the benefits of her favour whilst looking down on her.
But what one thinks in secret is quite another matter from having it laid bare in public.
Deep down, Ji Yichang knew full well that no matter how foolish or incompetent Xu Chen might be, she was still the Crown Princess.
A Crown Princess who could decree her life or death with a single thought.
Almost instantly, cold sweat broke out all over Ji Yichang’s body; utterly terrified, she believed she would be slaughtered by Xu Chen the very next moment.
Unable to contain herself, she banged her head against the floor with a thud, weeping as she begged for mercy: “Your Highness, I know I have erred!”
“My loyalty to you is as clear as day and night. I was momentarily bewitched just now; I shall never dare to do so again. I beg Your Highness to spare me this once!”
Xu Chen had no intention of killing Ji Yichang at that moment, so she feigned appeasement, withdrew her hand, turned and sat back down in her chair, saying lazily: “Rise. Do not kneel there and obstruct my view.”
“This shall not be repeated.”
Ji Yichang felt her whole body go limp, a mixture of relief at having survived and lingering fear. She lay prostrate on the floor for a full two seconds before staggering to her feet, her bottom burning with pain as if it were not her own.
But she dared not show it, nor did she dare to walk; she could only grit her teeth against the excruciating pain and hobble over to Xu Chen’s side to await her orders.
After taking merely a few steps, her face had already turned as white as silver paper, yet she still had to force a sycophantic smile.
Xu Chen: “Where are the documents sent from Chongzhou in recent days?”
“Bring them all to me.”
Ji Yichang froze instantly, unsure why Xu Chen had suddenly brought up the memorials from Chongzhou.
After all, seeing documents from Chongzhou had previously been the very thing she detested most.
She glanced at Xu Chen hesitantly, only to be pierced by her cold gaze. Instantly, she cast all other concerns aside; compared to the deal she had struck with the Sixth Princess, Xu Zhao, in the distance, the twenty lashes Xu Chen had just administered to her backside were far more terrifying.
So, enduring the excruciating pain in her bottom, she walked over to the document rack and pulled out the memorials sent from Chongzhou over the past six months.
All the memorials were placed before Xu Chen—five in total. Xu Chen reached out and leafed through them; they were all requests for the disbursement of military pay and provisions.
Logically speaking, a single memorial requesting military pay from the border garrisons every quarter should suffice; however, the memorials from Chongzhou had long been ignored. With the soldiers’ pay unable to be distributed, the memorials from Chongzhou had naturally become increasingly frequent.
Watching Xu Chen open those memorials, Ji Ruchang’s heart beat faster and faster, nearly leaping out of her throat.
Xu Chen’s unusual behaviour today had left her deeply unsettled. A thought began to take root in her mind: could it be that Xu Chen had changed her mind and now intended to approve the allocation of military rations to the Chongzhou garrison?
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became, for withholding the rations from the Chongzhou garrison had not been Xu Chen’s own idea to begin with. It was she who, having accepted favours from Xu Zhao, had covertly and overtly instigated Xu Chen to act in this manner.
If Xu Chen now realised she’d been duped and went back on her word, she would undoubtedly be the first to face the consequences.
In that moment, Ji Yichang felt as though she were being tortured on a chopping block; even the excruciating pain in her backside paled in comparison to the terror in her heart.
Fortunately, after reading those memorials, Xu Chen did not seem to have realised that it had been her scheming behind the scenes all along.
She merely said to her, “Deal with these documents immediately. Submit a memorial to the Ministry of Revenue requesting the allocation of military pay for Chongzhou for the past six months.”
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Ji Yichang dared not cause any further trouble. Her work on behalf of the Sixth Princess had to be based on the premise that her own life was safe. She also dared not ask Xu Chen why she had suddenly changed her mind and agreed to allocate military rations to Chongzhou; instead, she focused all her attention on dealing with these memorials as quickly as possible.