The Qingyi tribesmen, having mounted their horses, still wore expressions as if in a dream. As they prepared to depart, they turned back for a final glance at Xiao Xichi and could not help calling out, “My lord!”
Xiao Xichi nodded. Then, turning toward Wen Yanran’s position, she bowed slightly and said, “Your Majesty is truly discerning and must already know the full truth of this matter.” Suddenly, she knelt by lifting the hem of her robe and continued, “I have resided in the capital for many years, idly drawing my monthly stipend without contributing any real merit. Yet Your Majesty has always shown me great kindness. Now, as we are about to part ways, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to remain here for a while to fulfill my duty as a guard.”
Wen Yanran smiled. “Very well. With your company, I shall surely rest with peace of mind.”
The remaining Qingyi tribesmen understood their leader’s intentions and saluted from their saddles before taking their leave.
Wen Yanran glanced at Xiao Xichi, who smiled and said, “They are tigers of the mountain and forest. Unless they encounter a hunter as seasoned as Your Majesty, they will surely return unscathed.”
No wonder Xiao Xichi’s name kept coming up in the comments section. She truly was a talent both in civil and military affairs, able to grasp how much each side understood of the situation after just one brief encounter.
Wen Yanran appeared here today not because she had precise control over Xiao Xichi’s movements, but because she had discerned the intentions of the Marquis of Quanling.
Since her ascension to the throne, the roles of sovereign and subject had been firmly established across the land. Even if she did nothing, people’s hearts would gradually gravitate toward Jianping. From the perspective of the Marquis of Quanling, Wen Jinming – lacking the justification of legitimacy as a banner – must under no circumstances rally forces to attack Jianping. Even if she managed to eliminate Wen Yanran, she would face united opposition from all sides afterward.
Yet Wen Yanran could not be allowed to live.
Initially, the Marquis of Quanling’s chosen strategy was to conserve strength and wait for the young emperor to make mistakes, gradually losing popular support, or for powerful ministers within Jianping to clash and expose vulnerabilities. However, the longer she waited, the more she realized that Jianping’s internal affairs were gradually becoming as solid as iron, leaving little opportunity to strike.
Given the circumstances, to physically remove the obstacle standing in her way, Wen Jinming was left with only one final path to take.
She intended to create chaos within the Northern Park during the spring hunt and take the opportunity to assassinate the Emperor.
Among the three imperial guard divisions, the commander of the Outer Guard would certainly remain stationed in Jianping. As for the Central and Inner Guards, it was clear that the young emperor placed greater trust in Zhong Zhiwei, with personal security largely handled by the Inner Guard. If the Emperor truly faced danger, the commander of the Central Guard would have sufficient justification to temporarily detain Zhong Zhiwei and take command of the troops in Northern Park.
During the spring hunt, most of the key officials would be concentrated within Northern Park, effectively serving as high-value hostages. As long as Wen Jinming could successfully seize control of the two guard divisions and use them to confine those high-ranking ministers, she would indirectly gain control over all of Jianping. With the Emperor already dead, she could easily pretend to have arrived only afterward. Her reason for coming was readily available – Jianping had been repeatedly summoning her to the capital. Previously, Wen Jinming had used illness as an excuse to delay her departure. But now, she could claim that as the weather warmed, her condition improved, prompting her to rush over. Unfortunately, she arrived amidst a major rebellion and had no choice but to push through her illness to help restore order.
As long as the Marquis of Quanling refused to give up her ambition for the throne, she had no choice but to eliminate the most legitimate claimant to the imperial seat.
Putting herself in her opponent’s shoes, Wen Yanran considered numerous ways to eliminate herself. She concluded that if the other party could seize the opportunity during the personnel transfers within the imperial guards to plant a pawn, the difficulty of taking her out could be significantly reduced.
When she first transmigrated, the commanders of the three imperial guard divisions were not all in place. Among them, Ji Yue was teetering on the brink of rebellion. As for Yan Xiaolou of the Outer Guard, he was only serving as acting commander at the time, and whether he could be confirmed in the position remained uncertain – leaving plenty of openings for the Marquis of Quanling to exploit.
Through the Ji Yue rebellion, Wen Yanran confirmed Zhong Zhiwei’s allegiance. And from the Tian Dongyang incident, she gained deeper insight into Yan Xiaolou – if he truly were a subordinate of the Marquis of Quanling, he would likely have maintained a cautious, play-it-safe attitude before the spring hunt, avoiding risks and prioritizing stability. Even if he sought to win Wen Yanran’s trust, he probably wouldn’t have dared to lead imperial guards into the Marquis of Dong’s residence, actively creating such a significant vulnerability that could lead to his dismissal.
As for Luo Yue, she hadn’t been certain which side he was on, but his reputation triggered an instinctive suspicion in Wen Yanran.
Judging by his attitude toward the inner officials, he appeared quite stern and unyielding, yet he was lenient – even to the point of indulgence – toward his subordinates in the imperial guards.
Although both served within the palace, the authority of the inner officials had always subtly surpassed that of the imperial guards. In previous reigns, it was even customary for inner officials to act as commanders of the imperial guards. If Luo Yue had applied the same strict standards both internally and externally, it could have been dismissed as his inherent temperament. But now, with his external severity and internal leniency, it inevitably drew the attention of those who were observant.
Following the Ji Yue rebellion, certain chronic issues within the imperial guards also came to light. As a new official, Luo Yue was expected to make decisive moves, yet he ignored the matters most likely to be scrutinized by the emperor in performance evaluations, while showing no mercy toward the various minor issues involving inner officials. This was truly out of the ordinary.
Wen Yanran thought that the other party’s lack of dedication to reforming the imperial guards might be because he had no intention of staying in his position for long, opting instead to placate people and win their favor while doing the bare minimum. As for his strict treatment of the inner officials, it was likely a way to show he was still getting work done and to build up his personal authority in the process.
To get a better sense of the other party’s true intentions, Wen Yanran summoned Luo Yue for an audience, making sure to keep Zhong Zhiwei by her side for protection – she was well aware of her own defensive attributes and health bar thickness in this transmigrated body. And aside from keeping records, the system, which was about as useful as background scenery, hadn’t bestowed her with any combat-related cheats…
Out of all the outstanding game systems that came as standard for transmigrators, how did she end up with the most useless one?!
Wen Yanran recalled Luo Yue’s performance during the audience that day. At first glance, it seemed fine – just the typical inarticulateness of a military officer. But upon closer reflection, she realized most of what he said was evasive.
She deliberately left hints in her words to test his military capabilities, but Luo Yue acted as though he hadn’t picked up on them at all, merely stating that the Emperor should judge him by his efforts in reforming the imperial guards. His words, through and through, conveyed a reluctance to have his position reassigned by leadership.
Before transmigrating, Wen Yanran had been a seasoned workplace veteran with deep experience in overtime work. She quickly grasped the attitude in Luo Yue’s words and placed him on her list for close observation.
“How did you discover this person’s collusion with the Marquis of Quanling?”
Xiao Xichi replied with slight embarrassment, “Although I have been idly residing within Jianping, I have actually maintained some private contact with my clan.”
Wen Yanran nodded slightly. This, she could indeed guess – simply from Xiao Xichi’s ability to retain her influence over her tribe, it was likely she had not truly severed ties with her family.
Moreover, Xiao Xichi possessed exceptional martial prowess. With her abilities, acting alone would have granted her even greater freedom of movement.
“Having been in Jianping for many years, I have also gained some understanding of the temperament of the Marquis of Quanling.”
Xiao Xichi was well aware that Wen Jinming would never abandon her ambition for the throne. She also surmised that the Marquis of Quanling intended to plant a pawn within the imperial guards. Thus, she secretly left the city, intercepted Luo Yue en route, and confirmed his true identity.
“The real Captain Luo had already been silenced. However, this impostor sported a thick beard and had dark skin, which made it easier to conceal his identity.”
Wen Yanran nodded slightly.
In truth, the Marquis of Quanling had no private dealings with Wang Qishi. However, she had accurately grasped the sentiments of certain old ministers in Jianping, guessing that these officials would likely transfer generals from border camps. Moreover, those from border regions lived far from Jianzhou and had few relatives or acquaintances in the central court, making them easier targets for manipulation.
Once Xiao Xichi uncovered this scheme, the Marquis of Quanling’s faction left a handle in her grasp, establishing a foundation for cooperation between the two sides.
For Wen Jinming herself, she also wanted to use the escape of the Qingyi tribesmen to stir up chaos, muddy the waters, and take advantage of the situation to shift the blame – the two sides hit it off perfectly in this regard.
The Qingyi tribesmen who set off earlier caught a distant glimpse of the Marquis of Quanling’s entourage in the mountain pass.
The “Luo Yue” guarding the entrance to the pass wasn’t just there to let Xiao Xichi slip away; more importantly, he wanted to ensure Wen Jinming could enter the Northern Park without hindrance.
Inside the carriage at the center, a handsome young man seated beside his dark-robed lord urged, “Your Highness, your person is of utmost importance. It truly isn’t necessary to venture into such perilous territory yourself…”
Wen Jinming reassured him, “Do not worry, Minister Cui. With our most elite forces gathered here, I am actually safer in this place.”
To facilitate control over the situation in Northern Park, she had brought over six hundred elite armored soldiers. In truth, Wen Jinming would have preferred to bring more, but the narrow, difficult paths of the mountain pass made it hard to deploy large formations. Moreover, with the central court holding significant power, the number of reliable troops that could be diverted for such rebellious activities was limited. She also had to guard against large troop movements being detected by observant eyes. Thus, she ultimately decided to deploy only the most elite armored soldiers to Northern Park.
Though not large in number, they were all seasoned experts cultivated over many years and could be relied upon for critical tasks.
Just then, an armored soldier approached and reported, “My Lord, we’ve encountered the Qingyi people ahead.”
Hearing this, the young man actually felt a bit more at ease – the Qingyi people’s smooth passage was proof that there were no issues on “Luo Yue’s” side.
The young man whispered, “My Lord…”
At this moment, upon seeing the Qingyi people, they had lost their value as a safety signal. By saying this, the young man was asking Wen Jinming whether to seize the opportunity to silence them.
If not for their wariness of the Qingyi tribe, the late emperor wouldn’t have needed to place Xiao Xichi under house arrest in Jianping back then. Their cooperation with the tribe was born of necessity, not a genuine desire to release the tiger back into the mountains.
The Marquis of Quanling neither confirmed nor denied her advisor’s inquiry. Sitting upright in the carriage, she called out loudly, “Is that General Xiao there?”
A Qingyi tribesman on horseback saluted from a distance. “Our chieftain is not here at the moment. As for her exact whereabouts, with Your Lordship’s insight, it should be clear without needing to ask.”
Wen Jinming smiled and said to the advisor beside her, “Xiao Xichi is being cautious of us.” She added, “She is likely watching from nearby. If we refuse to let her clansmen leave, she will certainly return to Northern Park and fight to the death with us. Acting alone, even the Central Guard would struggle to stop her.” Then, nodding slightly to the officer outside the carriage, she continued, “In that case, ask them if their provisions are sufficient, if they’ve brought clothing, if they need fresh horses. Whatever they require, take it from our supplies and give it to them, then let them go.”
The Qingyi tribe politely declined, stating there was no need for the Marquis of Quanling to trouble herself – they only wished to return to their clan as quickly as possible.
Wen Jinming took no offense and ordered the troops to tighten their formation slightly, allowing the travelers to pass before continuing toward the pass entrance.
As they rounded a bend, the faint glow of firelight could be seen ahead at the exit.
The young man reminded her, “Now that we’ve reached this point, we should send scouts ahead to investigate.”
Wen Jinming was about to nod when her gaze suddenly sharpened, and her tone grew urgent. “No, turn the rear guard into the vanguard and retreat immediately!”
A thought struck her – something had been off about the Qingyi people just now.
Normally, given their superficial cooperative relationship, they should have taken some gifts out of courtesy and offered verbal wishes for success before departing. Yet their attitude during their departure had been tense and hurried, carrying a sense of wanting to draw a clear boundary and distance themselves…
Wen Jinming pressed a hand to her forehead and adjusted her orders once more. “Turn the rear guard into the vanguard. Leave one hundred men behind, each holding three torches, and continue forward. The rest will follow me and withdraw under cover of darkness.”
Wen Yanran returned to the original hillside with Xiao Xichi, using the vantage point to observe the enemy’s movements. Watching the distant torches still moving forward, she smiled and remarked, “The Marquis of Quanling is inherently suspicious. Having come this close without sending scouts ahead clearly indicates she has sensed something and now knows exactly who is waiting for her here.”
Xiao Xichi offered no comment on the Emperor’s remark about someone else being inherently suspicious. Instead, she saluted and requested, “I am willing to lead troops in pursuit.”
