Since the outbreak of the eastern conflict, a curfew has been imposed across Jianping, with residents allowed to move only within their designated neighborhoods. At this hour, anyone able to travel by carriage is undoubtedly a high-ranking court official, no need for second-guessing. Aware of this, some rebels from the east attempted to exploit the situation by posing as officials, only to be exposed by the foresight of Zhang Luo and his associates. As a result, vehicle inspections have become at least twice as stringent. Had it not been for some aristocratic families being purged during the Western Tribes incident, the current arrogance of the inner court officials would likely have become the talk of the town.
A two-horse carriage was making its way along the road, flanked by riders on both sides. Spotting the procession, a clean-shaven eunuch, dressed in the attire of an inner court official, swaggered over with a few imperial guards in tow to conduct an inspection. Noticing his approach, the convoy deliberately slowed its pace, waiting for him to arrive.
Upon reaching the carriage, the eunuch chuckled darkly and, without preamble, openly demanded a bribe.
The mounted guards flanking the carriage all fell silent. They seemed somewhat surprised, but showed neither fear nor disgust, which only left the man dressed as a palace eunuch utterly perplexed.
At that moment, a clear, ringing voice issued from within the carriage. “Seize them and send them to the Capital Guard.”
The Capital Guard was the subordinate officials under Yan Xiaolou and was responsible for maintaining order within the city.
Hearing this, the eunuch blanched in terror and shrieked, “I serve Attendant Zhang! How dare you treat us with such insolence today – aren’t you afraid you’ll end up dead without even a whole corpse?”
Seated at the driver’s position of the carriage was a round-faced young man. He cast a glance at the eunuch who had collapsed in fright, sighed softly, and though he looked honest and guileless, there was something chilling in his eyes.
The eunuch still had words on the tip of his tongue, but the moment his gaze met the “driver’s,” he fell silent instead, not daring to say another word. All he could think was how wretchedly unlucky he was, to have run into such a troublesome figure.
Zhang Luo let out another sigh. Those so-called “eunuchs” and “imperial guards” were truly fortunate – so fortunate that they had collected protection money straight from the Emperor herself. And precisely because the matter had reached the Sovereign’s eyes, he found it hard to employ his usual methods and give these people the kind of “hospitality” they deserved.
Inside the carriage, Wen Yanran could not help but smile faintly, then cast a glance at Chi Yi.
Chi Yi was also rather surprised. “So there are people in the city who have begun impersonating palace eunuchs,” she said, stepping forward to bow. “This matter is due to our inadequate supervision. I ask that Your Majesty punish us.”
Of course, she did not believe that all palace eunuchs were men of upright character. In truth, a large portion of them were greedy, faithless, and cowed by power. It was hardly unusual for eunuchs to extort bribes. But if this man truly belonged to Zhang Luo’s faction, then at the very least he should have recognized the official who was now acting as the carriage driver; or, failing that, he ought to have discerned from the bearing and demeanor of those guarding the carriage that they were imperial guards who had changed into plain clothes.
The fact that they would dare to play such a role, however, only proved that stopping carriages in the street to extort bribes was nothing out of the ordinary for palace eunuchs.
Wen Yanran leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes to rest. “Since that is the case, then dock the two of you one month’s salary for now.”
Chi Yi inclined herself. “I will pass down the order and remind the imperial guards to be on strict alert against such impostors.”
After all, she was precisely the sort of nascent power broker the comment section loved to designate. In her mind, a whole chain of follow-up measures immediately took shape – once a few more thieves impersonating eunuchs to extort bribes were caught, the eunuchs could conveniently pin every prior stain on their reputation onto these people, completing the Sovereign’s assignment while incidentally laundering their own name.
Wen Yanran opened her eyes and smiled. “It won’t do to guard against only this.”
Chi Yi understood at once. Those criminals had first pretended to be court officials; after being exposed, they switched to posing as eunuchs. Once the eunuch disguise also failed, they would inevitably start over again – once more impersonating court functionaries, and when discovered, launching attacks on imperial guards who were simply carrying out their duties, under the pretext of having uncovered traitors within their ranks.
Wen Yanran’s assessment of such behavior was that it amounted to infinite nesting dolls. She said to Chi Yi, “Aside from those colluding with the eastern factions, the city’s wandering bravos and local ruffians may also join in once they realize there’s profit to be made. When you carry out your duties, be wary of people muddying the waters.”
Chi Yi acknowledged the order.
The Sovereign did not linger long at Chu Xi’s place that day. The party managed to return to the palace smoothly before the gates were locked for the night.
Naturally, the imperial guards escorted the Emperor back to the Western Yong Palace. Just before taking their leave, Chen Fu heard the Sovereign issue a brief instruction.
“Captain Chen, stay behind.”
Chen Fu was a woman general. As the Sovereign currently had no inner consorts, there was no need for particular avoidance in her movements. She therefore followed the emperor into the rear hall and waited respectfully for some time.
After Wen Yanran had changed into her everyday palace attire, she summoned Chen Fu inside. “After the affair at the Northern Park, the descendants of the Marquis of Quanling were all exiled to Chongchang Commandery.”
Chen Fu lowered her head and said nothing. A vague sense of foreboding grew ever stronger in her heart, yet she did not know how she ought to respond.
The Chen clan had also been old subordinates of Wen Jinming. Though they were not as close as the Cui or Chu clans, they were still unwilling to see harm come to their former lord’s descendants. Yet with the eastern factions rising under the banner of the Marquis of Quanling, they would naturally seek to exploit everything that could be exploited.
This had nothing to do with the subjective wishes of the people involved. Once one was caught in the game, it was impossible not to be swept up by the tides.
As expected, Wen Yanran said, “Since that so-called True Master Pingtai reveres the Marquis of Quanling as the Sovereign, how could he not set his sights on the marquis’s descendants? He will certainly send people to Chongchang, and then find a way to bring them over to Cheng Province.”
Chongchang’s troops were now under Xiao Xichi’s command. With the Marquis of Quanling’s descendants within her jurisdiction, their safety could, for the time being, be assured. However, without an explicit imperial directive from Jianping, Xiao Xichi could not easily make special arrangements for members of the Great Zhou imperial clan. Moreover, as a frontier commander, any excessive intervention on her part would readily invite criticism.
The True Master Pingtai could indeed fabricate old subordinates and heirs just as she had fabricated a “Wen Jinming,” but an authentic article was ultimately different from a counterfeit.
Wen Yanran looked at the imperial guard captain before her and said slowly, “Captain Chen, I want you to make the trip in person.”
Chen Fu dropped to her knees. “Your Majesty, I…”
Her mind was in utter chaos, and she truly did not know how she should respond.
For the sake of the greater situation, unstable factors ought naturally to be eliminated at the earliest opportunity. Yet Chen Fu simply could not bear it – at the very least, she could not bear to carry out such a task herself.
A vague plan surfaced in her mind: she could pretend to obey the imperial command, then, once she reached Chongchang, abandon her post altogether and flee to the ends of the earth with her former lord. But if she did so, the entire Chen clan would be implicated by her actions.
Moreover, the present Sovereign was diligent and wise, and Chen Fu truly could not bear to abandon her either.
Wen Yanran suddenly smiled. “Killing is easy; keeping people alive is hard. Captain Chen, once you set out, no matter what happens, you must ensure the safety of the Marquis of Quanling’s descendants.” Her tone then took on a colder edge. “That True Master Pingtai harbors great ambitions and has no path of retreat. He will certainly use both coercion and inducement. If he cannot tempt them with profit, he will try to silence them by killing them. If others were sent instead, there would inevitably be concern about becoming entangled in trouble – and they might simply go with the current and end it all in one stroke. You are an old hand from the southern regions; I can entrust this matter only to you.”
Hearing this, Chen Fu jerked her head up. Only after a moment did she awaken to the impropriety of her reaction and bow again to the floor. “I will faithfully obey the sacred command.”
In years past, she had gone to study with the Cui clan. At the time, her teacher had assessed her as above average – words spoken in private and never spread abroad. Chen Fu had not been fully convinced then, but looking back now, she felt the judgment had been essentially fair.
She could roughly grasp the relative weight and urgency of a situation, but compared with truly brilliant minds like Cui Xinbai or Du Daosi, she always seemed a step slower – let alone compared with the Emperor herself, whom everyone admired without reservation.
Yet those very people whose talents and virtue Chen Fu so admired often made decisions that were not, strictly speaking, the cleverest.
A living, genuine descendant of the Marquis of Quanling was of immense value to the eastern factions; by contrast, such a person was far less crucial to Jianping. The court could very well have sent someone to eliminate them outright and then shift the blame onto the east. And since the Chen clan had once served the Marquis of Quanling, sending her to carry out the deed, then declaring that assassins from True Master Pingtai’s side were responsible – while expressing deep regret that rescue had come too late – would at least have been superficially convincing. Moreover, this would have ensured that the Chen clan could never again defect back to their former lord’s camp.
Chen Fu had no doubt that if it were Emperor Li or any of the previous emperors on the throne, the moment such an idea occurred to the person involved, it would certainly have been carried out.
Others might fear becoming entangled in trouble – but why would Her Majesty not fear the same? Why not simply go with the flow, cut the weeds at the root, and resolve all hidden dangers once and for all?
Wen Yanran nodded. “It’s getting late. You may return home today and make what preparations you need.”
Chen Fu withdrew as instructed. She knew her own abilities were unexceptional, and could not help but feel a trace of curiosity: if one of the others who had studied alongside her back then were here instead, how would they have handled the matter?
Though Chen Fu herself had no intention of probing further, if she were able to post her doubts in the game’s comment section, the players would likely be able to piece together the various branch-line plots and offer a precise answer.
If this were at a time when Cui Xinjing did not yet fully understand Wen Yanran, then upon hearing only the opening remarks, she would certainly have assumed that the Emperor was testing the Cui clan. On the spot, she would have burst into tears, declared that she could not bear to act in such a way, and vowed to die in protest should the Emperor truly intend to lay hands on her former lord’s descendants. Then, once the Sovereign relented and rescinded the order, she would immediately perform an emotional display of gratitude through tears, all while unleashing her literary talents to lavish praise on the ruler’s magnanimity and breadth of heart.
If Cui Xinbai were present instead, she would not have taken any action at all. Though keen of mind, she was able to restrain herself from imposing her own doubts upon others. If the Emperor truly made her stance clear and intended to act against the former lord’s descendants, Cui Xinbai would have spoken out directly to dissuade her. She was able to act in accordance with both moral principle and her own conscience, and though still young, was regarded as possessing a certain air of returning to simplicity.
After Chen Fu had left, Chi Yi – who had been standing in attendance within the hall all this while – finally spoke. “Even with Your Majesty’s special consideration, the Marquis of Quanling’s descendants may not necessarily submit wholeheartedly.”
Chi Yi was not concerned that the Emperor might think she was instigating action against Wen Jinming’s descendants. Having remained at the Emperor’s side ever since the accession, she had absolute confidence in the Son of Heaven. As a minister, all she needed to do was to lay out her abilities clearly, so that the ruler could make an informed decision.
Wen Yanran smiled. “Whether they submit or not is of no consequence.” She added unhurriedly, “And besides, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
As a future tyrant, she was the last glimmer of the Great Zhou – an evening sun destined to sink below the horizon.
Lanterns had been lit in the hall, and Wen Yanran, unusually spirited, picked up a bronze spoon and smiled as she gradually extinguished the flames.
Though the old flames had died out, new ones would inevitably rise. Years from now, if these people were to rise again, then let them rise – the scattered points of light would eventually blaze into a roaring fire, driving away the boundless nightmares.
With the Sovereign’s decision already made, Chi Yi said no more, only offering a gentle reminder: “Your Majesty has been busy all day.”
Wen Yanran needed no further explanation to understand the implication and nodded. “I shall rest early today.”
She suddenly recalled that in many branch-line scenarios, Chi Yi frequently advised the Emperor against overworking.
Without reference to the original plot, Wen Yanran did not immediately grasp the difference between the two situations. In the game, Chi Yi with negative loyalty would naturally urge the emperor to neglect affairs of state for the sake of consolidating power. But at this moment, in the mind of the loyal Attendant Chi, concern for the Sovereign’s health clearly took the highest priority.
Wen Yanran said, “Then you, Ah-Yi, should also rest early.”
Chi Yi inclined slightly, performing the proper salute. “I hope Your Majesty will set an example with your own conduct.”
Wen Yanran smiled. “Very well. I will set the example, and you all shall follow suit.” Just before retiring, she added, “Tomorrow at first light, summon Minister Du and Commander Yan.”
Chi Yi knew the Emperor’s diligence all too well and could only obey and withdraw.
The next morning, Du Daosi arrived at the palace early. By the time she got there, she found the Sovereign already risen, busily writing at her desk.
Wen Yanran granted her a seat and said, “I have a private letter for General Tao. Later, Minister Du, you will draft an official decree for me.”
In her youth, Du Daosi had been recognized as a prodigious talent from the southern regions, on par with Cui Xinbai of the Cui clan, and her literary skill was naturally exceptional. Yet no matter how much care she put into her words, she could not change the central intent of this decree.
Wen Yanran’s order instructed Tao Jia, once the siege operations were complete, to dismantle all fortress manors in the eastern regions.
The hearts of the eastern populace were already not aligned with the central government. Once this decree was issued, many of the local strongmen who had been waiting on the sidelines would, for the sake of their own interests, have no choice but to side with True Master Pingtai.
