Half a Spoiler Chapter 43

Just after the New Year, Wen Yanran was already faced with several matters that required her to settle on general plans: one was the spring hunt, another was how to build her own mausoleum, and the third was how her birthday should be celebrated.

The easiest of these to handle was the spring hunt. After all, it was a common pastime for emperors, and over the years the Imperial Household Department had long since developed a well-established procedure for it: whatever was done before could simply be done again now. As for her birthday, there was still some time left, so there was no need to rush. As for constructing the mausoleum… the Ministry of Works had now submitted memorials about it. Of course, it wasn’t because they thought the Sovereign might die young, but because it was customary for an emperor, once they began ruling in person, to start arranging their affairs for after death. And besides, Wen Yanran was still unmarried, so palace expenses were limited – making it the perfect time to allocate funds for tomb construction.

Wen Yanran: “…”

She waved her hand, indicating that there was no need for large-scale construction for the time being, and kindly informed the Ministry of Works that, should the day ever come when her mountain tomb truly collapses, everything could be kept simple.

Keeping in mind that the Emperor might simply be being polite, the Minister of Works tried to persuade her a few more times, but met with the same refusal as before.

As a supporter of cremation, Wen Yanran laughed and said, “I’ve only just ascended the throne. If I really die young, I’m nothing more than a minor emperor. What about me would be worth such an elaborate burial?”

She certainly did want to come up with more excuses to spend money, so that she could deplete the treasury while conveniently cultivating enough greedy underlings for the future. But after looking through the Ministry of Revenue’s account books, she slightly changed her mind. The tottering state of Great Zhou was reflected in every aspect of its affairs. Even her own current financial situation was rather mediocre, and that was after she had just received a sizable end-of-year tribute. So if she was going to be extravagant, she had to be extravagant in ways she could actually use.

As a tyrant, Wen Yanran had every reason to believe that her fate would hardly end well. No matter how much money was poured into building a magnificent mausoleum, it would be useless in practice. Better to spend it on pleasures she could enjoy while alive.

…assuming this world even had any pleasures worth mentioning.

Normally, part of the expense for constructing an emperor’s mausoleum would be covered by the Imperial Household Department, so when the Minister of Works arrived, the Director of the Imperial Household, Hou Suo, stood to the side as well, waiting for the Sovereign’s instructions.

He suddenly realized that when he heard the Emperor refuse to build a lavish, extravagant tomb, he didn’t feel the slightest bit surprised.

The Sovereign was so austere even in her private chambers; how could she possibly indulge in wild extravagance when constructing the imperial mausoleum?

After taking some time to adjust his mindset, the Imperial Household’s earlier thoughts of flattering the monarch and bending to her wishes had already faded. Instead, he genuinely wanted to advise the Emperor: frugality was certainly a virtue, but as the supreme ruler of the realm, there was no need to make things so hard on herself.

The Minister of Works and the Imperial Household – whose eyes were full of things he wished to say but did not – left Western Yong Palace. Having settled the matter of her afterlife arrangements, Wen Yanran was now reviewing the memorials submitted by the Censorate.

Censors were allowed to report matters based on hearsay; even without concrete evidence, they could still submit concerns to the Emperor.

Recently, some information had come from Jianping: that group of officials selected earlier from Tianfu Palace had been engaging in improper behavior, often gathering in private, raising suspicions of forming factions for personal gain.

Influenced by the current social climate, officials at all levels found various ways to line their pockets. As long as they did not go so far as to provoke universal outrage, they generally would not be harshly criticized – especially after several generations of tyrannical rulers in Great Zhou had set such examples for everyone. But faction-forming was a delicate matter. And considering that the master of Tianfu Palace was Wen Jingmei, who had played a key role in the enthronement… it was hard not to feel uneasy.

Wen Yanran gave the memorial only a glance before setting it aside – after all, the reason she had repeatedly shown favor to Tianfu Palace was because she hoped to cultivate a new power bloc distinct from the old court factions. Judging from the content of today’s memorial, her plan had been quite successful.

However, given how openly she had shown trust in Wen Jingmei, Wen Yanran also felt that the recent rumors were worth digging into.

As she pondered, she also tried to recall some of the spoiler analyses she’d read in the comment section. She hadn’t gone through them very thoroughly at the time, so she must have missed a lot; but from what she remembered, none of the officials selected from Tianfu Palace were among the names prominently mentioned in the comments. For now, she saw no reason for extra concern. And to show that she still valued Tianfu Palace, Wen Yanran casually used the pretext of the new era name to pick out a few individuals with relatively strong presence and promote their positions just a little.

Wen Yanran called for Chi Yi and asked, “Is Wang Tongshi on duty today?”

Chi Yi gave a slight bow and replied, “Wang Tongshi is off-duty today, Your Majesty. Would you like to summon her to the palace?”

Wen Yanran smiled. “There’s nothing urgent. Why summon someone on their day off? Let her rest properly.”

Wang Tongshi was Wang Youyin. She, too, was someone mentioned in the comment section. She came from a gentry family, but her household circumstances were modest, and her close relatives were not many. In the comment section, she was known as “Mediocre Wang Youyin.”

Whenever Wen Yanran thought of her, she always found it difficult to grasp what exactly Wang Youyin’s personality was supposed to be from that single phrase. After all, being gifted or ungifted were both obvious traits; the more middling someone was, the fewer noteworthy qualities there were to summarize. She became curious about what, exactly, made others call her “mediocre,” so she observed her for a while. Yet she couldn’t see anything unusual – Wang Youyin made no mistakes in her work and was quite diligent on ordinary days.

Perhaps it was precisely this lack of distinctive traits that earned her the label “mediocre”?

Since Wen Yanran had just promoted several officials from Tianfu Palace, she decided to maintain balance by casually promoting this girl – who had been recommended by Yuan Yanshi’s group – by half a rank as well, making her an Attendant-in-Residence.

Wen Yanran thought for a moment and asked with a smile, “Attendant Wang is living at the Grand Tutor’s residence now, isn’t she? Send the documents over, and also deliver two jars of tea to the Grand Tutor as thanks for his efforts on my behalf.”

The palace attendants bowed in acknowledgment. They first placed Wen Yanran’s written instructions into a box and sealed it properly, then sent it on to the Secretariat for processing and stamping.

The cost of living in Jianping was exactly what one would expect of an imperial capital; not all officials could afford to rent their own residences. The court provided official housing at various ranks, but given current customs, it was also common for people to live with their patrons, relatives, or elders. Wang Youyin, for example, stayed at Yuan Yanshi’s estate when she was off duty.

After all, Yuan Yanshi was one of the chief ministers assisting in governance, and news circulated through his household with exceptional speed.

Once the edict promoting officials from the Tianfu Palace lineage was issued, news reached Yuan Yanshi almost immediately. He glanced at the outstanding junior attending him. Wang Youyin, having understood his meaning, gave a slight bow and analyzed, “In my humble opinion, judging from their performance evaluations, these officials could be promoted or not – either would be fine. For Her Majesty to act this way, perhaps the intention is to remind the court and the public that the status of the Tianfu Palace must not be shaken.” She paused, then added, “If my guess is right, an attendant from the inner palace may arrive shortly.”

A staffer said, “Could it be that Her Majesty suspects Your Excellency?”

Wang Youyin replied, “Her Majesty may not necessarily distrust my lord. But if anyone is dissatisfied with the Tianfu Palace, who else in court could they rally behind?”

Another staffer said, “Those people are newcomers to the court, after all. Perhaps the Censorate merely wants to demonstrate its impartiality – that it will not be excessively lenient toward the Emperor’s favorites – and so decided to submit a concentrated round of impeachments.”

While the discussions were in full swing, news came from outside that palace officials had arrived, bringing two items: one was a promotion document for Wang Youyin, the other was a gift of tea for the Grand Tutor.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Youyin sighed in admiration and said, “By doing this, the Emperor shows that she does not doubt you, nor does she want others to doubt you.”

Given Wen Yanran’s current prestige in Jianping, she certainly could have swiftly suppressed any dissent. However, by choosing to entrust this task to Yuan Yanshi, she not only demonstrated a gentler approach but also helped to clear any suspicion surrounding the senior official.

Yuan Yanshi nodded and said, “Her Majesty trusts me so deeply. Although I am old, I should still share Her Majesty’s burdens.”

Wang Youyin understood implicitly and lowered her gaze – if the Emperor doubted neither the Tianfu Palace nor Yuan Yanshi, then the target of suspicion was quite clear.

After all, Yuan Yanshi was a key minister assisting in governance, and his attitude carried significant weight among the scholars of Jianping. Since he had now expressed his stance – submitting to the Emperor’s arrangements and maintaining harmonious relations with the Tianfu Palace – even if certain individuals who favored the Marquis of Quanling intended to stir up trouble, they would find it difficult to create any significant disturbance.

Moreover, this decision was not particularly difficult for Yuan Yanshi. Although he felt that the Tianfu Palace’s influence was growing stronger by the day, he never suspected that they were manipulating the Emperor as a puppet…

Wang Youyin observed from the sidelines with deep emotion. Having grown up in the Grand Tutor’s residence, she had encountered countless influential ministers since childhood. From a young age, she had prided herself on her intelligence, but only after entering court service did she gradually realize the limitations of her own insight.

Among them, the Emperor was undoubtedly one of the most exceptional figures in the world. Wang Youyin had originally possessed only a vague understanding of balancing kindness with authority. But by serving at the Emperor’s side and witnessing how she not only controlled court officials through punishments but also guided their behavior through rewards, Wang Youyin gradually gained a deeper comprehension.

From a very young age, she had heard tales of the conduct of Emperor Li, feeling a subtle sense of indignation deep inside – why should such an incompetent and tyrannical person be allowed to become the sovereign of the realm?

To be fair, the previous emperor was indeed the kind who made people think, “If someone like him can rule, why can’t I?” Wang Youyin, trained since childhood as a court official, thus developed ambitions to become a powerful minister. However, her time serving by Wen Yanran’s side dealt repeated blows to her confidence. She realized she could not compare to the Emperor, who was only thirteen and had studied for less than a year, nor could she match even the likes of Chi Yi and Zhang Luo, who were not widely read but occasionally left her feeling self-conscious. All those youthful ambitions were gradually buried deep within her memory…

While the Chu faction was eagerly awaiting Yuan Yanshi to launch an attack against Wen Jingmei, the atmosphere in Jianping remained remarkably calm. With the leaders of the two factions either isolating themselves at home or yielding to the Emperor’s authority, there was no internal strife to expend energy on. As a result, the court officials naturally turned their attention to the spring plowing season.

In an agrarian society, supervising spring plowing had always been a crucial task for the government. In some regions, local officials even led by example, personally tilling the fields. Currently, the court had established the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture, held by an elderly member of the Shen family named Shen Xia, who was nearing sixty. His energy was inevitably waning, and by the time of Wen Yanran’s reign, the Nine Ministers had already become largely ceremonial, their authority diminished compared to the past. Under the pretext of showing consideration for senior officials, the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Revenue to assist in managing spring plowing affairs, also giving Lu Yuanguang an opportunity to demonstrate her capabilities.

Warm sunlight bathed the Taiqi Palace, and the east wind carried the fragrance of blooming grass. The surrounding snow had long since melted, and willow branches by the lake sprouted new buds. Having delegated the practical work to her subordinates after setting the objectives, Wen Yanran, lacking entertainment, was suddenly inspired to request some grain seeds, which she scattered in the flower beds of the Western Yong Palace.

At first, she was somewhat concerned that growing crops might align too closely with the expectations of the era for a typical emperor. But upon reflection, since this was being done within the palace, the only ones who would be aware of it were treacherous ministers-in-waiting like Chi Yi and Zhang Luo, as well as the senior courtiers from the previous emperor’s reign, skilled in catering to the ruler’s whims. Surveying her surroundings, Wen Yanran felt there was no cause for concern – everything remained well within control.