Qi Shen had not yet finished the court discussion when Jing Xin received permission to enter Mingzheng Hall after waiting outside the palace doors.
Just moments earlier, she had overheard Qi Shen issuing orders within the hall. The taxes of the people of Mi Kingdom and Xia Kingdom, who had rebelled alongside them, were to be increased by another twenty percent. Merchants from both nations would be forbidden from trading with foreign states. For five years, no large-scale celebrations, weddings, or funerals would be permitted throughout the countries. The citizens would be stripped of the freedom to assemble, petition, and speak freely. North of the Liao River, the territory would be split into two new commanderies under newly appointed feudal lords and governors selected directly by the Son of Heaven, and new laws would be enacted specifically for these two criminal nations.
This was a tyrant.
Not only was he ruthless toward his enemies, he dragged countless innocent people into suffering as well.
The Liang Dynasty conducted court in a kneeling seated position. At this moment, every official in the hall sat kneeling behind their own small square tables. It was obvious that they all opposed these policies that oppressed the common people, yet after a long silence, not a single voice rose in objection.
Jing Xin first bowed and stated that she had come to plead guilty. Qi Shen had already learned of Zhou Pu’s death, and upon the dragon throne, the man’s gaze was dark enough to terrify anyone.
“Your Highness, the traitor Zhou committed treason and received the punishment he deserved. Perhaps his passing at this moment is simply the will of Heaven…”
“You are saying that I defied Heaven’s will?”
A low chuckle drifted down from above, cold and sinister.
No one in the hall dared speak again. The expressions of the officials were utterly lifeless, their eyes stagnant like dead water, as though they already knew that no amount of persuasion would change anything and no one wished to waste another breath. A few officials with stronger senses of justice merely suppressed the hatred in their eyes and sat motionless in silence.
Argue about what? Offer remonstrance for what?
In the past, they could still criticize Jing Xin, that vicious favored consort, but after realizing that Qi Shen completely ignored them, they understood there was no point saying more.
“Did Your Highness hear the thunder this morning? On my way to the heavenly prison, I was startled by it. In that dazed moment, a flash of lightning entered my mind and told me I should become virtuous and be a good consort. Coincidentally, that rebel official could not endure the punishment and passed away. Perhaps this truly was Heaven’s will.”
Shock swept through the entire hall.
The vicious favored consort who once caused endless trouble had actually spoken such pleasant words and even intended to become a virtuous consort?
This was wonderful news!
One young official with a calm and steady bearing was just about to rise and offer counsel when Qi Shen interrupted him.
“The lightning spared your life?”
Jing Xin: …
“If Your Highness wishes for this consort to die, then I have nothing to say.”
The official from moments earlier finally spoke. “Your Highness, what Consort Jing says is reasonable. Zhou Pu had already suffered severe punishment and everything that needed to be interrogated had been extracted. If this was truly Heaven’s will, then how can Consort Jing be guilty?”
Another elderly official beside him hurriedly rose to agree.
The hall once again fell into tense silence as everyone waited for Qi Shen to erupt in fury.
Jing Xin suddenly felt a little relieved. At least there were still ministers whose conscience and courage had not been completely extinguished.
To her surprise, she heard Qi Shen laugh.
“Mm, Consort Jing’s words are not without reason. But I do not believe in Heaven’s will. I am Heaven.”
His gaze was deep as he casually played with the soft round ornament hanging from his waist. Then he glanced at Jing Xin, signaling for her to withdraw.
The first phase of the whitewashing mission had officially begun. Standing beneath the palace eaves, Jing Xin found even the sky looked much bluer than before.
She did not immediately return to Tangcui Palace. Instead, she wandered nearby for a while, taking in the royal palace surroundings. After the declaration marking the end of court sounded, she stepped into a long corridor.
Not long afterward, Shou Quan followed her instructions and brought over the two officials who had spoken up for her in Mingzheng Hall.
If she wanted to whitewash this tyrant, she could hardly jump into the water alone. She needed someone to drag down with her. More seriously speaking, she needed allies.
The original owner of this body had come from Mi Kingdom and naturally lacked support from any maternal clan. On top of that, she had spent her time acting viciously and recklessly, driving everyone’s favorability toward her into negative numbers. After entering the palace for more than a year, she had never thought to win over any powerful court officials, only accepting gold and jewels from minor sycophantic officials eager to flatter her.
Jing Xin felt this situation was truly difficult.
The older official walking in front was around fifty years old. He was Guan Zong, the Grand Historian who had spoken in support moments earlier.
The younger official behind him was Wen Boyuan, the Grand Remonstrator who had first helped resolve the situation for Jing Xin.
Though only twenty four years old, generations of his family had been loyal and upright ministers within the court. He himself had once possessed burning loyalty and integrity, repeatedly risking his life to offer counsel in hopes of steering Qi Shen onto the proper path, yet every attempt had always been lightly dismissed by Qi Shen.
Many loyal ministers in court had openly cursed Qi Shen as a foolish tyrant. Those officials had either been sentenced to death or stripped of office, yet Qi Shen had never punished Wen Boyuan.
The Wen family was one of the Liang Dynasty’s most prestigious noble clans, and Wen Boyuan himself had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. He had written numerous famous works such as Essay on the Encouragement of Learning and The Conduct of Filial Virtue, texts every child in the nation was required to study. He was a scholar respected throughout the realm. Rather than killing such a person outright, Qi Shen seemed intent on deliberately crushing his spirit, as though telling the entire court: “Even someone like him can be silenced by me. What right do the rest of you have to speak?”
A faint gloom always lingered between Wen Boyuan’s refined brows, and Jing Xin suspected years of repeated failure and disappointment had left him deeply depressed.
He and Guan Zong bowed together before her.
“Many thanks to both of you for helping me earlier.”
Wen Boyuan replied, “This minister was not specifically helping Your Highness out of trouble. It was merely my duty.”
“Grand Remonstrator, what I said in court was true. The lightning truly entered my mind and instructed me to become a virtuous consort, but more importantly, it told me to advise His Highness to abandon cruelty and return to righteousness, to become a benevolent ruler who loves his people as his own children. But how could I possibly dare say such words directly to His Highness?”
Wen Boyuan and Guan Zong were both stunned, not with alarm but with delight.
“To be honest with you both, within that flash of lightning I also saw scenes of the people living in misery. Even after His Highness passes on, the next emperor will continue ruling through tyranny, and every royal descendant will imitate their father. The people of Liang will suffer terribly.”
Jing Xin deliberately pushed her acting to full effect. Her eyes reddened as she raised her sleeve to wipe away tears.
“I know I acted wrongly in the past. Now I wish to follow Heaven’s will and assist the ruler, but my strength alone is too insignificant. I do not know whether, within my lifetime, I can truly help His Highness become a good ruler once more…”
By the end, her voice had become choked with emotion. From the corner of her eye, she could see Wen Boyuan and Guan Zong looking both shocked and overjoyed.
In this feudal age steeped in superstition, the common people believed deeply in divine signs. These loyal ministers who longed for reform but had no means to achieve it would undoubtedly believe in this so-called Heaven’s will. Every official who genuinely cared for the people wished to change Qi Shen, this tyrant, but they had always lacked someone close to him who could assist them. Jing Xin just happened to become the long awaited helper.
Even Wen Boyuan, overflowing with talent and learning, believed her words.
“Your Highness need not worry. If this matter is true, then this official will be the first to support Your Highness. Whatever decisions arise in the future, this official is willing to assist.”
Guan Zong had served as a loyal minister through two reigns and had waited far too long for this day. Every page in his royal records consisted of entries such as “Today the Son of Heaven flew into rage several times, killed several people, and issued several new torture laws.” He desperately wished to record something worthy of being passed down gloriously to future generations.
“Your Highness, this official is also willing to help!”
Wen Boyuan smiled bitterly. “I have served as Grand Remonstrator for three years, yet not once have I succeeded in offering counsel that was accepted. Your Highness, this minister has waited far too long for this day.”
Jing Xin was extremely satisfied with the outcome. After arranging a secret signal with them, red silk hung from the corridor pillars whenever they needed to meet, she happily returned to her palace to eat breakfast.
She did not remain idle afterward. Once she had eaten, she began recalling the novel’s plot and studying how to conquer Qi Shen, this tyrant.
First, the tyrant loved sweet desserts.
Second, the tyrant enjoyed hunting.
Third, the tyrant hated serious reasoning. Whenever problems arose, he preferred to suppress them with violence, killing first and speaking later. If he still felt dissatisfied after killing someone, he would slaughter their family and friends too. Sometimes even the roads they had once walked irritated him enough to have them dug up and remade into something that no longer offended his mood.
Fourth, once the tyrant trusted someone, he treated them extraordinarily well and would not easily lose that trust over trivial matters.
Fifth, the tyrant’s personality stemmed from the influence of his upbringing. Deep down, he was actually someone devoted and deeply affectionate.
Right, then why were all the ornaments hanging from Qi Shen’s waist made of soft silk fabric? Today she had seen Qin Wuheng wearing black jade at his waist, while Wen Boyuan and Guan Zong both wore white and green jade pendants as well. Did Qi Shen simply dislike carrying heavy objects? Was the inside really stuffed with cotton?
She could only slowly uncover these details that had never been mentioned in the novel.
The reason Shen Qingyue had gained Qi Shen’s affection was because Qin Wuheng had thoroughly studied Qi Shen beforehand, shaping Shen Qingyue into the ideal woman for him. That was why Qi Shen had thought, “There truly exists a woman in this world who understands me so completely and worries for my heart.”
Jing Xin popped a sugar pickled sour plum into her mouth and smiled.
With little tricks like this, she simply had to strike first.
Although she had never dated in her previous life, at least her intelligence was reliable.
In the novel, Qi Shen had remained furious because he never managed to capture Zhou Pu’s son. That secret had originally been one of Qin Wuheng’s key pieces of information, but Jing Xin had exposed it ahead of time. She had likely already become Qin Wuheng’s number one target for elimination.
Jing Xin had already thought of a countermeasure and intended to strike first.
Still, there was no need to rush today. She called Chang Huan over.
“Do you know what cream is?”
“Your Highness, what is cream?”
“Then what about cheese?”
Chang Huan shook her head.
“What about milk? Surely you know about milk.”
“This servant knows that!”
The dream had already told her that accepting the whitewashing mission would grant her access to these things.
Jing Xin instructed Shou Quan to search outside the palace for the necessary ingredients, then had Chang Huan summon various desserts from the imperial kitchen.
She sampled each one. In this underdeveloped ancient era, the pastries were simple and monotonous, nearly all consisting of sweetness mixed with floral or fruity fragrances. Only one item, a steamed milk custard made with goat milk, tasted rich without becoming cloying.
Jing Xin swallowed the coarse texture of the date paste cake with difficulty. Honestly, Qi Shen had it rough too. Eating these desserts every single day and still enjoying them more and more. They were painfully sweet. Would he end up with diabetes in his later years?
She also wondered just how heavenly Shen Qingyue’s desserts must have tasted.
Well then, Qi Shen was fortunate. She would let him experience modern desserts first.
Back in modern times, her desserts had actually won amateur baking championships.
There was no dessert she could not make delicious.