Half a Spoiler Chapter 90

Wen Yanran’s attention was drawn to the system, so she naturally missed the widespread expressions of reverence that surfaced on the faces of the ministers.

Ren Feihong gazed at the Emperor seated above and suddenly had a rather inexplicable thought – if Emperor Li had not acted so tyrannically back then, perhaps someone from the Yun clan might have been chosen as a study companion for Her Majesty during her childhood.

At this moment, Wen Yanran actually had one more unit of stamina left. However, after reading the updated system content, she instantly lost most of her will to work and made up her mind to return to her bedchamber to rest earlier. She closed her eyes to conserve her energy for a while before slowly saying, “Minister Du, draft an edict for me.”

Upon hearing the emperor call his name, Du Daosi rose and stepped forward, bowing halfway in respect.

“Dispatch Commandant Chen Ming to the front camp to rendezvous with General Song and the others…”

After outlining the arrangements for the eastern front, Wen Yanran nodded. “Send the edict to the Secretariat for sealing.” Suddenly, she smiled slightly. “The six bureaus have long since separated from the Secretariat and evolved into the six ministries. Now, those remaining in the Secretariat are mostly palace attendants and secretaries. In that case, there is no need to retain the old name. Let it be renamed the Central Secretariat, and establish a separate Department of State Affairs to oversee the six ministries.”

At the founding of the Great Zhou, the official system followed the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers structure. Later, the rudiments of the three departments and six ministries gradually emerged. Many emperors throughout history had made adjustments to the official system, and Wen Yanran was now merely changing some titles, so naturally, the ministers had no objections.

It was now mid-afternoon. Wen Yanran signaled the ministers waiting in the hall to withdraw but specifically kept Ren Feihong behind.

After the others had left, Ren Feihong stood up and bowed slightly. “Your Majesty.”

Wen Yanran looked at her for a moment before speaking slowly. “Significant events will unfold in the east, and I must trouble you to make the journey.” She continued, “The situations in the east and west are different, with intricate and intertwined forces, and the circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. If you misstep and are captured, do not stubbornly cling to loyalty. When I reclaim the lost territory, there will still be a use for you.”

Ren Feihong raised her head and gazed at the Emperor for a moment before suddenly smiling and nodding. “I will remember that, Your Majesty.”

Western Yong Palace, Rear Hall.

Wen Yanran lay flat on the couch, occasionally shifting her position. Even before her transmigration, she had occasionally suffered from post-overtime symptoms such as “physical exhaustion but mental excitement preventing sleep,” and today, she was unfortunately reliving that old experience.

Work does not truly end with the conclusion of overtime; the task of reviewing memorials had temporarily seeped into her very soul.

After fifteen minutes, Wen Yanran, utterly unable to drift into slumber, finally resigned herself and opened her eyes. Serenely, she accessed the map interface of the system and, out of habit, rested one arm beneath her head, slowly contemplating potential hidden dangers.

Her luck had never been particularly good, so when making decisions, she needed to exercise utmost caution.

The World’s Will had once informed Wen Yanran that the root cause of her poor luck was the loss of a small fragment of her soul. However, at this moment, she was yet unaware that as the integrity of her soul gradually restored, her fortunes – both good and ill – had undergone a fundamental change compared to the past…

Wen Yanran’s gaze lingered on the translucent map visible only to her as she focused intently. Currently, the western and southern regions were in the midst of recovery. The prominent local clans were either confined near the Liubo Canal or had been dispersed and relocated. No matter how she assessed the situation, they seemed unlikely to have the capacity for rebellion. As for the northern region, although it remained unstable, recent probing indicated that Wen Hong was currently in a phase of silent growth. Many of the powerful northern clans had also been somewhat intimidated by Shi Zhuhe, likely buying a period of compliance.

As for the borderlands…

Wen Yanran understood clearly that the tribes along the Great Zhou’s borders were numerous. Among them were large tribes like the Wuliu and Qingyi, as well as countless minor tribes with no formal names and populations of just a few hundred. While most were hardly worth mentioning, if they gathered together to cause unrest, they could form a force not to be underestimated.

At this thought, Wen Yanran finally sat up.

The attendants on night duty within the bedchamber heard movement from behind the bed curtains and hurriedly presented tea for rinsing her mouth. After rinsing, Wen Yanran first drank half a small cup of warm water before instructing those around her, “Tomorrow, remind me to write a letter to General of Huairen.”

The attendants stood with bated breath, awaiting the Emperor’s next order. However, Her Majesty seemed to have spoken merely in passing and did not summon Chi Yi or others for further discussion. Soon, she lay back down to sleep once more.

After renovations to the courier roads near Jianzhou, the speed of messengers traveling back and forth naturally increased significantly. Subsequently, the Emperor also issued orders to all commanderies and counties, requiring local officials to regularly maintain the condition of the main roads within their jurisdictions and incorporating this into the standards of their administrative evaluations.

At dawn, just as the curfew was lifted, two groups of people set out simultaneously from Taiqi Palace – one heading south, the other north. The northern-bound group was personally led by Chen Ming, a commandant of the Imperial Guards. She needed to proceed to the forward camp to rendezvous with Song Nanlou and others and deliver an appointment document to Shi Zhuhe.

Accompanying Chen Ming was also the palace attendant Xiu Zhui, a junior attendant under Zhang Luo. Now that both Chi Yi and Zhang Luo were being cultivated by the Emperor as key ministers, their original palace duties naturally required others to take over, and Xiu Zhui was one of them.

Chen Ming herself hailed from the Chen clan of Qing Province. Previously, close ministers like Du Daosi had found it somewhat puzzling why Wen Yanran would select another officer from the Chen clan to guard her safety when there was already one in the imperial guard. Only now did they understand that the Emperor had plans for Chen Ming. Since she would soon be assigned to a regional post, it was necessary to select another member from the Chen clan to take her place.

Chen Ming, accompanied by over fifty light cavalry of the Imperial Guards, journeyed day and night and reached the front camp. She handed the transfer order appointing Shi Zhuhe as the commander of the Right Camp to him, then signaled with her eyes, drawing Shi Zhuhe aside to convey a few words. “Her Majesty has instructed that General Shi need not depart immediately upon receiving the appointment.”

Wen Yanran had obtained misleading information from the comment section and still believed Shi Zhuhe to be a scion of a noble family with no military prowess. In this arrangement, she merely used him as a decoy on the surface to confuse the eastern forces, while most of the actual responsibilities were entrusted to Chen Ming and Ren Feihong.

Shi Zhuhe’s gaze shifted slightly, and he turned toward the direction of Jianping, saying, “I respectfully obey Her Majesty’s command.”

Chen Ming added, “Her Majesty has a letter for you.”

Shi Zhuhe promptly opened and read the letter. After finishing the private correspondence, he also received a brocade pouch from Chen Ming.

In truth, placing the contents of the pouch inside the envelope would not have impacted the delivery of the message in any way. However, as a “tyrannical ruler” with severely insufficient daily entertainment, Wen Yanran needed to create some amusement for herself in other ways.

Shi Zhuhe noticed that the Emperor had made some textual adjustments while laying out the tactics this time – besides the customary four large characters, “Go with the Flow,” a line of smaller text was written alongside as a hint: “Those who can make the enemy come of their own accord do so by offering them advantage①.”

This phrase meant that certain benefits could be used to lure the enemy to the area where one wanted them to go.

Wen Yanran had not originally intended to write that note. However, out of concern that “a promising candidate lazing about in an official post might meet an untimely demise due to incompetence,” she added the extra reminder.

A look of admiration flashed in Shi Zhuhe’s eyes, and after a moment, he murmured softly, “I understand.” Adjusting his robes, he smiled and said, “I shall write a letter now to be taken back by the envoy from Jianping.” He also asked Song Nanlou to step forward to host Chen Ming, Xiu Zhui, and the others who had come from Jianping.

Transfers of officials required approval from the former Secretariat, now the Central Secretariat, and were then announced publicly, making concealment nearly impossible. Therefore, news of the Emperor appointing Shi Zhuhe as the commander of the Right Camp quickly became known. However, the newly appointed General Shi did not immediately set out to assume his post. Instead, he wrote a reply, stating that his previous task of suppressing bandits had not been fully concluded and requesting the Emperor’s lenience for a little more time.

This reply sent a clear message to the outside world: Shi Zhuhe was currently unwilling to take up a position in the east. As a scion of an aristocratic family, he indeed had the standing to negotiate with the court according to the customs of the time. Even an emperor as negligent and tyrannical as Emperor Li did not adopt such a forceful stance toward noble families at the beginning of his reign as he did later.

As for the reason Shi Zhuhe refused to take up his post, everyone could understand it -the eastern region had too many powerful clans and numerous fortified manors. Officials dispatched there were often constrained and found it difficult to achieve anything significant. He had only recently accomplished some successes in the north and was naturally unwilling to let go easily.

The court soon responded. The Emperor, considering General Shi’s lack of seniority, was willing to allow him to bring elite troops from the front camp or even the Imperial Guards. However, Shi Zhuhe’s second reply showed no change at all. He still earnestly expressed that as a subject, one should always finish what one starts. He had been promoted due to his achievements in suppressing bandits, and if he could not completely eradicate the bandits, he would have no face to accept the appointment to the Right Camp.

Taiqi Palace.

Since there was no court session today, Wen Yanran, feeling a sudden whim, went out for a leisurely stroll. She vaguely remembered reading somewhere that occasionally watching swimming fish could be good for one’s eyesight. Accordingly, the Imperial Household Department had excavated a small pond about ten feet square near the heated wall and stocked it with fish. Because some warmth escaped from the heated wall, the pond water did not freeze in winter, making it a suitable spot for the Emperor to visit at leisure.

Most of the time, the fish in the pond hid among the rocks and aquatic plants. After a few days of acclimation, they finally grew bold enough to surface.

Standing by the pond, the Emperor gazed at the water. Sharp-witted attendants immediately offered fish feed. Wen Yanran waved her hand, instructing them to give the feed directly to the Eleventh Princess and Thirteenth Prince, who were also present.

Wen Yuansheng asked curiously, “Your Majesty, if I simply toss the bait into the pond, will the fish come out?”

Wen Yanran smiled. “I have never kept fish before, so I am not sure either.” She then glanced at the young attendant nearby.

The attendant wore a troubled expression. “I… I do not know either.”

Once the weather turned cold, the fish grew lazy. Although the pond water had not yet frozen, he truly dared not guarantee that the fish would be lured out by food. It would be quite troublesome if he gave an incorrect answer and disappointed the imperial family.

Just as Wen Yuansheng was unsure what to do, the Emperor smiled and said, “Since we do not know what the outcome will be, let’s just try scattering some first and see.”

Wen Yuansheng tentatively sprinkled a little bait and waited patiently for a while before they saw the fish emerge. The two children found the fish lively and delightful, and they even asked the attendants for specially crafted small bamboo fishing rods to try angling by the pond.

The fish in the palace were not as cunning as those outside, and soon one took the bait. Wen Yuansheng tried to reel it in but did not expect the fish to be so strong; instead, she was pulled a couple of steps toward the pond. Fortunately, a nearby attendant noticed the situation and promptly wrapped their arms around her waist to stop her.

The attendants serving there turned pale instantly at the sight, all kneeling to beg for forgiveness.

Wen Yanran first glanced at the children to ensure they were fine, then casually checked their clothing before instructing, “In the future, add more patterns to the soles of their silk shoes.” She then generously rewarded the young attendant who had stepped in to rescue them and said to the children, “That fish was so mischievous. Have someone catch it later – it’ll be added to your meal tomorrow.”

Wen Yuansheng, however, shook her head. “It’s not the fish’s fault. Just as I wanted to fish, the fish naturally wanted to pull me into the water.”

Wen Yanran’s gaze lingered on the Eleventh Princess for a moment. She reached out and gently patted the child’s arm, then smiled and said, “Speaking of which, the New Year is approaching again. It’s time for both of you to begin your studies.”

Normally, young children in the palace were taught to recognize characters by their parents or palace attendants. Formal education would only begin when they were older.

Wen Yanran was an emperor with strong execution power. That very day, she summoned Censor-in-Chief Song and asked him to select a suitable and talented individual from his clan to enter the palace after the New Year to teach the two young royals reading and writing. She also invited Tao Jia into the palace, requesting that he visit every four days to instruct them in martial skills such as archery and horse riding.

Wen Yanran had solid reasoning for this. As a transmigrator with the ultimate goal of becoming a “tyrannical ruler,” she needed to maintain a tolerant attitude toward future potential contenders for the throne. This way, if someone raised an army in rebellion, the two could serve as figureheads.

As for Censor-in-Chief Song and Tao Jia, they both believed it was a good thing that the Emperor cared for her siblings. Now that Her Majesty no longer needed to feign benevolence to win people’s hearts, she must genuinely be broad-minded. Moreover, having more members of the main Wen lineage would also contribute to the stability of the rule.

At a quarter past the hour of Xu (7-9PM), a water vat containing the swimming fish was delivered to the Western Yong Palace. Perhaps feeling that the pondside was too dangerous, the Emperor, whose cautious approach bordered on the overly careful, had adjusted her way of appreciating the fish after returning from the pond.

Under the lamplight, the Emperor, dressed in casual attire of raven black, stood by the ceramic vat, gazing at the lively swimming fish. After a while, she smiled faintly. “They are rather spirited indeed. In truth, if these fish were wiser, they should understand that as long as they hide properly and do not emerge, someone will willingly cast bait for them.”