Silver Armor and Purple Blade made a round through the Sanling Hall, secretly contacting some of the people responsible for sweeping and cleaning within the hall to gather a portion of what had happened on Sanling Mountain.
After the Emperor and Empress arrived at Sanling Mountain, the only thing that could truly be called an accident was the disappearance of a farm woman, followed by the Imperial Guards’ swift investigation and the Emperor falling ill from anger.
It was said that this woman ultimately remained unfound, and because of this, the Emperor caught a chill and eventually returned to Jianye.
These people had no idea that the Emperor had already been secretly swapped. Regardless of what they discussed, the focus always centered on that missing farm woman.
Silver Armor and Purple Blade exchanged a glance, then turned their attention to investigating the missing farm woman. After twisting and turning through various inquiries, they finally tracked the trail to Lu Family Village on the mid-level slopes.
Before coming, the two of them had made thorough preparations. Since those Imperial Guards had searched the mountains like headless flies for three days without finding anything, why would they be able to uncover clues so soon after arriving? That missing farm woman must possess some peculiar aspects, so they had to be extra careful.
Disguising themselves as traveling peddlers, the two began going door-to-door to sell various small goods while trading for local mountain produce.
The small village on the mid-level slopes of Sanling Mountain was in a remote geographical location, making a trip down the mountain quite difficult and leaving few visitors to hold markets. Consequently, the villagers suffered from a scarcity of food and clothing, especially salt, which served as hard currency. Peddlers were therefore warmly welcomed. As the two walked from door to door surrounded by a circle of villagers, they quickly picked up some fresh news within the village.
For instance, the old Lu family’s daughter had brought back a man.
For instance, the two of them had quickly married.
For instance, this man was extraordinarily wealthy, adorned with gold and silver.
Purple Blade used a packet of brown sugar to bribe a village child, questioning him closely. Following the child’s description, he drew a sketch on the ground with a small wooden twig, ultimately producing a portrait bearing an eighty-percent resemblance to Emperor Wenkang.
“That’s him,” the child nearby said while sucking on his finger.
Purple Blade broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly wiped the drawing off the ground.
That very day, under the pretext of purchasing local mountain goods, Silver Armor and Purple Blade temporarily rented a house in the village, initiating their first day of life in Lu Family Village while dispatching a homing pigeon with a secret message to distant Jianye.
The winged pigeon flew and flew, riding through the night and cutting across the bright moonlight until it landed right inside the Chengming Hall of the Jianye Imperial City.
The pine trees of Chengming Hall remained as green as ever. Wunang stood guard under the eaves, intercepted the returning white pigeon, and delivered the secret message beneath the tree to Ji Hengge, reporting, “Reporting to Your Highness, Silver Armor and Purple Blade have sent back a message.”
At that moment, Ji Hengge was leaning languidly in his wheelchair with a cold expression. Hearing this, he raised a hand to take the missive and unsealed it casually.
The words within the secret message fell into Ji Hengge’s eyes, causing him to raise an eyebrow slightly.
A missing farm woman and a man bearing an eighty-percent resemblance to Emperor Wenkang.
Both of these matters seemed inextricably linked to that Empress.
Ji Hengge suddenly developed a trace of curiosity toward Yan Lingyi. Previously, he merely loathed this person for harassing him, but now, he wished to trace this entire sequence of events back to its origins.
He desperately wanted to tear open Yan Lingyi’s dignified and gentle mask to see whether there was a heart rotting and oozing with pus inside her chest, paired with bones crawling with maggots.
“Where is the Emperor?” he asked.
Wunang bowed his head and replied, “Replying to Your Highness, His Majesty has just finished court and is currently reviewing memorial documents in the Imperial Study.”
Ji Hengge stated, “Let us go take a look.”
That rolled-up piece of paper was slowly kneaded into fine debris in the palm of his hand, drifting away with the wind along every palace corridor of the imperial city.
By the time the mechanical wheelchair rolled from Chengming Hall toward the Imperial Study, Ning Yue had just stepped down from morning court and was feeling utterly distressed over the stack of memorials piled high on the Imperial Study desk.
It was the scorching heat of midsummer.
Ice basins were piled in the corners of the Imperial Study, infusing the hall with waves of coolness. The windows were half-open, dimly revealing the swaying shadows of flowers outside. The palace maids standing quietly outside cast reflections of their earlobes through the tree branches, which danced alongside sunbeams onto the window lattice. As a breeze swept past, the trees shivered and swayed.
Quiet rooms in stillness, delicate ripples playing with sound, summer coolness resting amidst shattering ice.
In such sweltering weather, one should be lying on a daybed, enjoying the chill of the ice basins and sleeping under a thin silk quilt, yet Ning Yue could do no such thing.
She had dismissed everyone from the Imperial Study, leaving herself alone to fret over the memorials before her.
The memorials addressed all sorts of matters. One from the prefect of the northern commandery reported that the puppet masters of the Northern Zhao Kingdom had stirred up trouble multiple times along the Great Jin borders, appearing to desire a resurgence of war, and requested troop reinforcements and a draft expansion. A memorial from the prefect of the southern commandery stated that the tribute provided by the Southern Snow Kingdom this year was even scarcer, though they were willing to send a princess over for a political marriage. A memorial from the prefect of the western commandery reported that the Western barbarians engaged in yearly pillaging, striking once and fleeing immediately without leaving any traces to catch. A memorial from the prefect of the eastern commandery stated that floods had broken out again along the eastern waters, requesting tax exemptions and relief.
The remaining Six Ministries were equally troublesome. The moment Ning Yue held court today, those people began to quarrel, with the loudest uproar stemming from the corruption case involving Lin Songshuang, the Minister of Revenue, which had just exploded today.
Grand Justice Xia Songsheng had stepped forward to impeach him with conclusive evidence. After the evidence was submitted to the desk, numerous others stepped forward to submit petitions and join in the impeachment. Seeing that momentum at the time, Ning Yue had almost sentenced Minister Lin right on the spot.
Fortunately, she still remembered what her sister-in-law had told her beforehand. Clenching her teeth, she refrained from passing sentence on the spot and instead arranged matters according to her imperial sister-in-law’s instructions.
But what came next? What was she supposed to do next?
Ning Yue stared blankly at the desk full of memorials.
The little princess had spent most of her life studying the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The most rebellious thing she had ever done was secretly glance at manuals of passion, scour portraits of noble young masters, and guess who her future husband might be. As for state affairs and court governance, she truly understood nothing.
Just as she was feeling utterly clueless, a eunuch’s announcement came from outside the door: “Reporting to His Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress requests an audience.”
Ning Yue stretched her neck long toward the entrance, saying, “Grant entry.”
Three breaths later, Yan Lingyi took a food box from a palace maid and stepped through the threshold, lifting the hem of her skirt.
Today, the Empress wore a set of red outer robes paired with an embroidered xiapei shawl, her hair styled into a diadem adorned with dragon and phoenix ornaments, and her garments embroidered with dragon and phoenix motifs. Upon her head rested a pearl crown of dragons and phoenixes, and with every step she took, the golden patterns on her attire shone with brilliant radiance.
Yan Lingyi actually disliked such cumbersome, complex, and solemn attire; she preferred a lightweight martial uniform, but residing within the imperial city, she had no choice.
“This concubine greets Your Majesty.” Entering the room, Yan Lingyi bowed to Ning Yue.
“You may all withdraw.” Ning Yue first dismissed everyone else, then added, “Rise, Empress.”
The young eunuch who had led Yan Lingyi inside muttered a “how strange” under his breath. Previously, every time the Empress came to the Imperial Study, His Majesty would directly order someone to block her away. This was the very first time she had been welcomed inside.
Could it be that a trip to Sanling Mountain had thawed the relationship between the imperial couple and warmed it back up?
Amidst these tumbling thoughts, the young eunuch had already stepped outside, while Yan Lingyi walked inside carrying the food box and said, “His Majesty has been busy, so this concubine had the imperial kitchen prepare some food to help Your Majesty nourish your body.”
She spoke in a clearly audible volume, just loud enough for the departing young eunuch to overhear. Ning Yue also straightened her posture to cooperate. Once the eunuch was out of earshot, Ning Yue collapsed onto the desk like a deflated balloon, speaking in a tone that screamed living is too difficult: “Imperial Sister-in-Law, I cannot understand these memorials at all.”
Yan Lingyi walked up close and said with composed poise, “Let me handle it.”
Spread out before Yan Lingyi was something she had dreamed of touching. Every single matter in the imperial court would be carefully recalled by her in the days to come, pondering how she would have handled each situation if it had fallen into her hands back then. Now, she possessed the opportunity to correct the past.
She picked up the memorials one by one, reviewing and modifying each of them while explaining to Ning Yue why she made those specific changes.
“Set aside the warfare of the Northern Zhao Kingdom for now and ignore it; Jianye has no surplus funds to support them. Last year alone, the Great Jin treasury was emptied by military campaigns.”
“Bestow the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon the princess sent for political marriage from the Southern Snow Kingdom. Treat her well, as she is a symbol of friendship between the two nations.”
“The Western barbarians are the same as the Northern Zhao Kingdom; ignore them.”
“Tax exemptions cannot be granted here in the Eastern Waters, but coastal commerce can be opened up. That way, the Eastern Waters will have wealth, and smuggling can be suppressed to a certain degree. Once the tax revenues of the Eastern Waters recover, they can eventually feed back into the Great Jin, and only then can we talk about war.”
As Yan Lingyi carried out these tasks, Ning Yue watched her with stars in her eyes, thinking, Why is Imperial Sister-in-Law so amazingly brilliant?
As they worked their way through the memorials and finally reached the line involving Minister Lin, Yan Lingyi’s brows sank as she instructed, “Hand this matter over to the Commander of the Brocade Guards to investigate, and have the Brocade Guards focus specifically on auditing past account books.”
Just as the two were deep in discussion, an announcement suddenly sounded from outside, signaling the arrival of the Prince of Qi.
Hearing of the Prince of Qi’s arrival, both of them experienced varying degrees of surprise.
Ning Yue panicked slightly. Wearing her brother’s skin, she dreaded seeing anyone other than her imperial sister-in-law.
Yan Lingyi, however, felt puzzled. The Prince of Qi was bedridden with chronic illness and teetering on the verge of death; why would he suddenly show up here?
Strangely enough, ever since they returned with the talisman, the Prince of Qi’s physique truly looked much sturdier than before.
“Sister-in-Law, His Imperial Uncle is here.” Ning Yue looked toward her imperial sister-in-law with unease.
“Leave it to me.” Yan Lingyi lowered her voice to reply to Ning Yue, then raised her volume and called out, “Invite His Imperial Uncle inside.”
In a flash, Ji Hengge was pushed inside in his wheelchair.
Seeing the Prince of Qi arrive, Ning Yue tried to stand up, only to be pressed back down by Yan Lingyi. Ning Yue still viewed herself as a princess who needed to show deference to elders, forgetting entirely that she was currently the Emperor.
Yan Lingyi and the Prince of Qi exchanged formal greetings, and the Prince of Qi paid respects to Emperor Wenkang. Afterward, Yan Lingyi inquired, “It is the scorching heat of midsummer. If Your Imperial Highness has any instructions, a simple word would suffice. Why trouble yourself to come in person?”
While speaking, Yan Lingyi instructed someone to pour a cup of tea.
Ji Hengge’s gaze swept across Emperor Wenkang with nonchalant calm as he stated, “Does His Majesty not remember? Before heading to Sanling Mountain, Your Majesty previously sought guidance from this Prince regarding the frontline against the Northern Zhao Kingdom. Today, this Prince has specifically come to discuss it with Your Majesty.”
Yan Lingyi paused for a fraction of a second. Did such a thing happen? In her past life, her relationship with Emperor Wenkang was poor; he never visited her palace, nor did she know his specific itinerary.
Ning Yue froze, instinctively replying, “朕 has been busy these past few days and quite forgot. Do not blame 朕, Imperial Uncle.”
Sitting in his wheelchair, Ji Hengge smiled faintly. At first glance, his brows and eyes appeared warm and gentle, no different from usual. But upon closer inspection, a trace of smug triumph could be discerned within his sparkling peach-blossom eyes.
Did such a thing happen? Of course not. Emperor Wenkang had never wasted a shred of thought on state affairs.
He was merely fabricating a reason to test them, adhering to the principle that all is fair in war.
If the real deal had been sitting here, the other party would simply have contradicted him, but since it was a fake, they would naturally follow along with his words.
Glancing back at Emperor Wenkang sitting in place, who was wearing an expression of realization, Ji Hengge slowly lowered his eyelids.
That little girl Ning Yue calculated every possible angle, yet she failed to calculate this.
An idiotic opponent had easily fallen into his trap, leaving Ji Hengge with a rare sense of amusement.
It had been far too long since he last matched wits with anyone, and he had almost forgotten the feeling of fighting a war. Now, encountering such a peculiar situation abruptly sparked a measure of interest within him.
Although he cared nothing for the petty squabbles of the Great Jin’s inner quarters, nor did he care who sat upon the dragon throne, watching the Empress and Princess join forces to throw the Emperor away was a spectacle a stray dog would pause to watch twice.
Thinking along these lines, Yan Lingyi’s frantic rush earlier to barge in and strip his pants off suddenly made sense.
For a moment, Ji Hengge felt as though he were sitting atop a mountain to watch tigers fight. If the Empress Dowager had the spare energy to assassinate him, she might as well turn around to check on her own daughter and daughter-in-law. The Empress Dowager probably never dreamed that her son wouldn’t die at Ji Hengge’s hands, only to end up nearly murdered by her own daughter and daughter-in-law.
The Great Jin imperial lineage possessed an abundance of capable individuals and brilliant stars in this generation. While the Empress Dowager merely resorted to poisoning a royal family member, these two were stealing the country and concealing the Emperor. Compared to the two of them, the Empress Dowager almost seemed to possess a shred of human decency.
“I happen to have some leisure today,” Ji Hengge said. “This Prince will have a chat with His Majesty.”
He genuinely wanted to see what medicine those two were selling in their gourds.
Yan Lingyi nodded from the side, adding, “Very well, I shall serve tea for Your Imperial Highness.”
She genuinely wanted to administer another dose of poison; the Prince of Qi had delivered himself right to her doorstep, an opportunity too rare to miss.
The two of them exchanged a smile, their bellies both full of wicked schemes colliding together, each harboring their own malice.
Beside them, Ning Yue also squeezed out a smile, thinking, Excellent, this one is a complete blockhead; let us not mention him further.
In short, two bellies full of wicked schemes and one belly full of sawdust sat down together.