In the Eastern City, within the Prime Minister’s Residence, a quiet flower house stood tucked away.
An elderly man with a lean figure, plain clothing, and a cold, sinister expression was carefully pruning a bonsai. His name was Ye Mo—the Prime Minister who held sway over the entire Great Chu Empire. He was also the man Jiang Mengxuan had vowed to bring down.
Suddenly, the steward Hu An approached him cautiously and said, “Master, there’s news from the palace. Her Majesty left the palace earlier today and only returned about half an hour ago.”
Ye Mo didn’t look up and continued trimming the bonsai. “Do we know where Her Majesty went?”
“This… your servant does not know.”
“You don’t know?”
Ye Mo finally stopped, raised his eyes to glance at Hu An, and snorted coldly. “You can’t even keep track of one person. What use are you?”
The servant bowed and apologized repeatedly, “Master, it’s my incompetence. Please calm your anger…”
Ye Mo waved a hand. “Enough. Anything else?”
Hu An replied, “One more thing. Liu Qinghuan of the Purple Cloud Sect has arrived in the capital.”
“Purple Cloud Sect?” Ye Mo paused and sat down in a rattan chair.
Hu An immediately poured him a cup of tea and continued, “Our informant reports that she appeared in the western market around noon, but we couldn’t track where she went afterward.”
Sliding the lid of the teacup, Ye Mo spoke slowly, “Looks like she’s also come for the Jinling secret realm. If I’m not mistaken, Her Majesty brought her in to interfere.”
Hu An was stunned. “Master, you mean…”
Ye Mo smiled faintly. “Her Majesty was once a disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect. When I suggested that Qingyi Tower be allowed to enter the secret realm first, Her Majesty must have been displeased. So she invited the Purple Cloud Sect to join in, to ensure the treasure doesn’t fall into Qingyi Tower’s hands.”
Hu An asked in a low voice, “Then, Master, should we notify Qingyi Tower?”
Ye Mo sipped his tea and shook his head. “No need. Go inform Ye Xiang and the others to bring Liu Qinghuan to the residence. I want to speak to her in person tonight.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll see to it right away.”
“Anything else?”
Hu An said, “Yesterday, the third son of the Sun family, Sun Shigui, was killed by the Imperial Guard at Falling Moon Pavilion. His father, Sun Lingyu, hopes you can help seek justice.”
Ye Mo snorted disdainfully. “That brat had it coming. Using the Prime Minister’s name to act recklessly—I warned him to rein in his son, but he didn’t listen. Now his son’s dead and he expects the Prime Minister’s Residence to step in? He’s not worthy!”
“But Master,” Hu An hesitated, “the Imperial Guard targeted the Sun family, but this is also a slap to your face. If we let this go unanswered, they’ll only grow more arrogant. And today, three more died at Wenxiang Tower—also the work of the Imperial Guard. Will you really ignore this?”
Ye Mo narrowed his eyes and picked up the shears, walking over to a rose bush.
“Those scum deserved to die. The Prime Minister’s Residence needs useful people, not thugs who rely on their power to bully others. Go tell their families this has nothing to do with us. If they’re unhappy, they can take it up with Her Majesty—but stop bothering me.” This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
“Yes, Master. I understand.”
Ye Mo nodded. “Also, the letters of recommendation from various noble families—send them directly to Her Majesty.”
Hu An was puzzled. “Master, what do you mean by that?”
Expressionless, Ye Mo said, “I’ve read those letters. A bunch of bookish scholars with fancy words but no substance. They think they can govern a nation? They’re good at posturing and talking big, better than I ever could. But if you give them real power, all they’ll do is line their pockets. Do they think the Ye family accepts just anyone? Let Her Majesty handle this headache.”
Hu An asked, “But the Liang family from Suzhou and the Xie family from Yangzhou both hoped you would help their kin…”
“I didn’t send the letters back. That’s already doing them a favor.” Ye Mo tossed the shears aside and glared. “Let Her Majesty decide whether to take in those useless trash. I won’t stake my reputation on them.”
Hu An bowed. “Yes, Master. I’ll take care of it now.”
As he turned to leave—
“Wait.”
“Master, is there anything else?”
Ye Mo thought for a moment, then asked, “Have you figured out who killed Sun Shigui?”
“I have. His name is Shen Lang, a Hundred-Man Commander in the Imperial Guard, transferred from the Bingzhou army in the early years of the Xuan Yuan Era.”
“Bingzhou army… Shen Lang…” Ye Mo muttered. “Ah, I remember. That boy who retired from the frontier army and was personally recommended by Prince Jing to join the Imperial Guard?”
“Master’s memory is incredible. That’s the one.”
“Good. Got it. You may go.”
“Yes, Master.”
Once Hu An left, Ye Mo returned to pruning the bonsai.
…
Back at the palace, Jiang Mengxuan wasted no time retrieving the personnel files for every Hundred-Man Commander of the Imperial Guard. One by one, she sifted through them.
When she reached Shen Lang’s file, she opened it and studied it closely.
“Joined the army at age five, entered the battlefield at ten, killed thirteen Northern Yan soldiers in his first battle.”
“Promoted to Squad Leader at eleven, killed a Northern Yan Hundred-Man Commander…”
“By thirteen, he was a Captain. At twelve, he led a hundred-man team and repelled a 20,000-strong Northern Yan invasion, killing over a thousand enemies with zero casualties—this led to his promotion.”
Reading Shen Lang’s record, Jiang Mengxuan’s heart couldn’t help but pound.
“His background is extraordinary. If I can make use of him, he’ll be a great asset…”
Over a hundred missions, and Shen Lang had flawlessly completed them all—leaving a lasting impression on Jiang Mengxuan.
Only one entry recorded a failure in battle, which made her frown deeply.
“In early April, Shen Lang led a hundred-man unit to Fengsui Fortress. By late May, the fortress fell. He was the sole survivor. All other ninety-nine men perished.”
That entry was vague, as if hiding something.
The military discipline of the Great Chu Empire was strict. Any soldier who fled the battlefield, regardless of reason, would face martial punishment.
But Shen Lang had seemingly suffered no consequences. This was also his final record in the Bingzhou army—shortly after, he was discharged and brought into the Imperial Guard.
“Could it be… there’s some secret behind this?”
She immediately opened the Bingzhou army’s records.
Suddenly, she noticed something startling—during the Fengsui Fortress battle, Jiang Shangxian had been stationed in Bingzhou for military inspection.
She instantly called out, “Shuyue, summon Imperial Uncle to the palace at once. I have urgent questions for him.”
Soon after, Jiang Shangxian came scurrying into her presence, eyes squinting, face full of smiles. “Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty need of me?”
Inwardly, he thought, My niece is reliable. She must’ve prepared the gold, just waiting for me to pick it up. I should hide it well—this is my future for pleasure and leisure!
Sure enough, upon seeing him, Jiang Mengxuan said, “Imperial Uncle, I summoned you for two things. First, the 1,000 taels of gold I promised you earlier today—I’ve prepared them.”
She pulled out a bundle of silver notes from beneath the desk—twelve in total, each worth 1,000 taels of silver.
Jiang Shangxian’s eyes lit up. “Many thanks, Your Majesty! I will handle the Jinling secret realm perfectly!”
As he received the notes with both hands, he shouted inwardly: I want massages! I want hot springs! I want beauties in both arms!
But what came next made his smile freeze.
“Imperial Uncle, you once went to Bingzhou on orders from the late emperor to oversee the army. Do you recall the Battle of Fengsui Fortress?”