Chongzhen watched coldly as Lin Yuan, her face pale beside him, did not change his mind despite the inner turmoil he sensed from her.
He intended to push her to her limits.
This little palace maid was filled with all sorts of strange and unusual ideas, like an inexhaustible treasure trove. He was eager to see how many hidden talents she could reveal if driven to desperation.
“Lin Dianzheng, receive the decree.”
Wang Chengen, ever perceptive, stepped forward and presented the sandalwood box to Lin Yuan.
At that moment, Lin Yuan felt that what lay before her was not a box of letters but a hot potato—a ticking time bomb.
Yet, under Chongzhen’s piercing gaze, she had no choice but to reach out and take it.
But the moment she accepted the wooden box, something went terribly wrong!
The red countdown, visible only to her, hovering above Chongzhen’s head, suddenly began to flash wildly.
[Chongzhen’s Life Countdown: 16 years, 1 month, 21 days]
[15 years, 11 months…]
[15 years, 10 months…]
The numbers plummeted as if on a freefall ride.
Lin Yuan’s pupils dilated in shock.
Chongzhen’s breath hitched as he stared intently at the rapidly dwindling countdown above Lin Yuan’s head.
In just an instant, the countdown froze at [15 years, 9 months, 3 days]. Nearly half a year’s worth of life had vanished.
[What the hell is going on?? Did they coat these letters with poison? Touch it and lose half a year of life?]
Lin Yuan’s heart raced wildly, her mind spinning just as fast.
[No… it can’t be poison.]
[What I see is Chongzhen’s Life Countdown. Chongzhen dies because Da Ming falls… So… it must be the contents of these letters! There must be something here related to the fate of Da Ming, and it’s critically important. Otherwise, it wouldn’t cause such a severe consequence.]
Just then, she noticed another line of red text appearing above Chongzhen’s head.
[Chongzhen’s countdown is also your countdown. Host, please strive to save Da Ming.]
Lin Yuan: !!
Before this, she had thought that whether Da Ming fell or not had nothing to do with her. Even if she could see the countdown, so what? At worst, she could pack up and flee. As a mere nobody, she had no power to change the course of a dynasty.
But now, this damned countdown had bound her to Da Ming!
Once Chongzhen’s countdown reached zero, she would meet her end as well!
Lin Yuan closed her eyes in despair.
What could she do? Her only advantage was being a modern person who knew the course of history—if that could even be called an advantage…
Forget it! Since death seemed inevitable either way, she might as well give it her all!
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yuan reopened her eyes, pulled a letter from the box, and braced herself to unfold it.
[Screw it, I’ll give it my best shot! If the content isn’t enough, I’ll rely on acting. Three parts guesswork, seven parts bluffing!]
In reality, the sea of tadpole-like script before her made her head spin.
“Your Majesty…” Her voice still trembled slightly.
“This humble servant is of limited learning and can only barely recognize a few words. Here… it seems to mean ‘promise’ and ‘cede territory.’”
Chongzhen’s eyes instantly turned icy.
Lin Yuan swallowed hard and continued reading.
At the end of the next line, she noticed a peculiar symbol. It didn’t look like text but more like a seal or mark of some kind.
[Huh, this symbol looks oddly familiar… I think I’ve seen it before at a Ming Dynasty special exhibition in a museum…]
In a flash of insight, Lin Yuan remembered.
【I remember now! This is the ‘Jiuqiansui’s’ personal seal! Wei Zhongxian’s exclusive anti-counterfeiting mark!】
【But that can’t be right. Didn’t Wei Zhongxian already die? He should be long gone by now, so how could this letter still appear here? Unless… the old traitor faked his death??】
【Holy shit. If that’s really the case, is he planning to make a comeback, colluding with Houjin to kill his way back? This transmigration plot is way too wild!】
Lin Yuan was startled by her own train of thought.
But she didn’t know that her inner voice had also given Chongzhen a huge fright.
Wei Zhongxian?!
Chongzhen snatched the letter from Lin Yuan’s hand, staring intently at the inconspicuous seal.
In that instant, the shadows of the past once again clouded his heart.
That man who once held immense power at court, called himself “Jiuqiansui,” and made him restless day and night—could he really still be alive?
And even more insane than before?
Colluding with Houjin, ceding territory, all just to gain foreign support for his usurpation and claim to the throne?!
“Good, good, good! What a fine ‘Jiuqiansui’!”
Chongzhen laughed in extreme fury.
“We have truly underestimated him!”
He had always believed that Wei Zhongxian was dead, and his remaining followers were nothing more than toothless tigers, not worth fearing.
But he never expected that this centipede, though dead, refused to stay down, and had secretly set such a grand scheme in motion.
Liu Jiancheng? Hah, just a little grasshopper in his hand.
The air in the main hall of the Liu residence seemed to freeze.
Lin Yuan knelt on the ground, trembling.
【This is bad, this is really bad. This isn’t about investigating corruption anymore—it’s about investigating treason! If Wei Zhongxian is still alive, just how deep do the waters of Da Ming run?】
【The boss’s face is darker than the bottom of a pot right now. Will I be silenced? This is a royal secret, after all.】
Chongzhen slowly set down the letter, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming rage within him.
He turned around, looking at the room full of kneeling people, his gaze settling on Lin Yuan.
If not for this girl’s inner voice alerting him, he might have truly overlooked this inconspicuous personal seal, or even been misled into suspecting other loyal ministers.
She truly was sent by heaven to warn him, but… a warning still had to be given.
“Lin Dianzheng.” Chongzhen’s voice was icy.
“What happened today stays buried in your heart. If even half a word leaks out… We will make you wish you were dead, yet unable to die.”
Lin Yuan’s scalp went numb. She kowtowed repeatedly, her head thumping loudly against the floor, even forgetting to wonder how Chongzhen already knew it was Wei Zhongxian’s personal seal before she had a chance to say it.
“This servant obeys the decree! This servant is blind and deaf today—I saw nothing, heard nothing!”
“Wang Chengen!”
Having secured her promise, Chongzhen turned his gaze to Wang Chengen.
“Your old servant is here.”
“Deliver Our secret decree: the Jinyiwei Northern Garrison Command is to seal the entire city immediately, allowing entry but no exit. Tear the ground apart if you must, and root out every last one of Wei Zhongxian’s ‘filial sons and worthy grandsons’!”
Since you didn’t die thoroughly, We will kill you once more!
This time, We will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes, eradicating you for good.
“Lin Yuan, return to the palace with Us.”
Chongzhen strode out, grabbing Lin Yuan’s arm as he passed her, his grip firm and forceful.
“From now on, you will stay by Our side at all times. We wish to hear… We require you to be on standby at all times.”
Lin Yuan felt a sharp pain from the grip and stumbled a few steps as he was dragged up, yet he dared not make a sound. Inside, he was on the verge of tears.
[Following this boss all the time… it’s a job where you risk your life every day. Can’t the overtime pay be raised a bit more? I don’t ask for great wealth or fortune anymore—I just want to survive. If I get injured, can it at least count as a work-related injury?]