Chapter 42
Could it be… Li Zhan also knew the plot?
This absurd thought suddenly popped into Ji Qingzhou’s mind, and he immediately felt it was ridiculous.
But the more he thought about it, the more it didn’t seem entirely impossible. If he could know the storyline, then why couldn’t Li Zhan?
In a world that already had a bug, it would actually be logical for there to be two people with “bugs” in them.
Ji Qingzhou had considered before that perhaps Li Zhan had known who was behind Tu Dayou, which was why he could deduce that Tu Dayou intended to poison him. But if that were really the case, there were many things that wouldn’t add up. It wasn’t difficult for Li Zhan to guess that someone wanted to harm him—but to pinpoint exactly who was going to act, and how, wouldn’t be so easy.
After all, the mastermind behind it surely didn’t just have one pawn inside the palace. If Li Zhan didn’t have access to some other source of information, how could he be so sure that Tu Dayou was the one sent to do the job?
The mastermind wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t like he pasted up a list of names and tagged all his spies inside the palace.
Yet Li Zhan had spoken with absolute certainty—as if he had personally witnessed Tu Dayou trying to poison him. But in truth, Tu Dayou had never actually done anything. For someone to know about something that never happened… the most reasonable explanation was—Li Zhan knew the plot.
This thought kept growing in Ji Qingzhou’s mind, and before he knew it, he started connecting a whole string of things from the past that he couldn’t make sense of at the time…
The biggest thing that puzzled him when he first entered the palace was that Li Zhan’s personality didn’t match the one described in the original book. The Regent in the book was indeed capable and calculating, but acted far more openly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have executed so many palace staff during a royal banquet.
But the Li Zhan he knew was much more reserved. At his core, he was still a decisive man who wouldn’t hesitate to kill, but the side he presented to others was far more inscrutable. Even on the political stage, he handled matters with such poise and tact that just a few words from him could quietly shift the entire tide.
His understanding of the court officials, the way he maneuvered them—it was all too practiced. He didn’t seem like someone who had just started ruling. He acted more like someone who already knew the entire court like the back of his hand.
Then there was the matter of him moving into Yinghui Pavilion. Ji Qingzhou had always found that very confusing.
Moving into Yinghui Pavilion essentially meant taking up residence within the palace walls, and it was a highly controversial decision. The court ministers had raised an uproar over it, opposed it for a long time, yet still failed to change Li Zhan’s mind. But in the original book, Li Zhan never made such a move at all.
At the time, Ji Qingzhou had secretly wondered—he had only altered the banquet and the Fengxian Pavilion incident, so how could that result in such a major change to the plot? Now that he thought about it… maybe the change had nothing to do with him at all.
Then there were the people in Yinghui Pavilion. Li Zhan had selected them all seemingly overnight, and every one of them came from a clean background. After spending time with them, Ji Qingzhou discovered that they were all extremely loyal—not at all like people who’d been chosen at random.
Ji Qingzhou remembered that in those early days, Li Zhan was still cautious even inside the palace. He barely touched the palace food. That showed he didn’t have anyone he could trust back then. It was only after he formed Yinghui Pavilion that Li Zhan started to truly take control within the palace.
But if Li Zhan had no foundation in the palace at the time, how did he manage to select those people?
No one helped him, he had no time to vet them, and yet he still picked only trustworthy individuals…
It was as if… he already knew their personalities.
Then there was the incident with the caning of Tang Yi. In the original book, Tang Yi had been Ji Qingzhou’s lackey, doing all kinds of dirty work. Ji Qingzhou only became suspicious of him because he already knew the plot. But Li Zhan had actually discovered Tang Yi’s dirt even earlier than he did—and had the man caned to death right in front of the throne room.
At that memory, Ji Qingzhou broke out in a cold sweat.
No wonder, that day… Li Zhan had insisted he come and witness the punishment.
At the time, Ji Qingzhou hadn’t understood why Li Zhan wanted him to go watch that scene at the throne room…
Now that he thought about it, the caning of Tang Yi hadn’t just been a warning to the court—it had also been a warning to Ji Qingzhou.
And then there was the matter of the Qiu family…
Why had Li Zhan been able to take action against the Qiu family so easily, obtaining leverage right away—whether it was their collusion with the Inner Attendant Department, or Qiu Lanhui squandering money at the Jiao Fang Department? It was because Li Zhan had already known the weaknesses and dirt on every single one of them!
Even Chi Zhou—why did Li Zhan trust him so much? Because he already knew Chi Zhou was loyal.
In an instant, everything seemed to fall into place.
When Ji Qingzhou looked at Li Zhan again, all he felt was a creeping sense of dread.
If Li Zhan did know the plot, then he also had to know… the one most deserving of death was him. Ji Qingzhou didn’t even want to imagine how many times Li Zhan might have tested him—or even considered killing him—without him ever noticing.
But Li Zhan hadn’t killed him. At least not yet.
Maybe it was because Ji Qingzhou hadn’t done anything to truly offend him. Or maybe… Li Zhan still had a use for him.
Just like with the Qiu family—Li Zhan hadn’t acted until the timing was perfect.
Then… would there come a time in the future when Li Zhan would act against him?
“What are you thinking about?” Li Zhan’s cool voice suddenly cut in, startling Ji Qingzhou. He quickly gathered himself.
Li Zhan lifted his eyes to look at him and frowned when he noticed the sheen of sweat on Ji Qingzhou’s forehead and the pale cast to his face. “Why do you look so terrible?”
“Wang Ye…” Ji Qingzhou’s voice was a little hoarse as he steadied himself and said, “I was just thinking about Brother Dayou… He intended to harm you, and of course that’s an unforgivable crime, but I…”
Li Zhan’s expression stayed calm. He simply looked at Ji Qingzhou and asked, “Is he very important to you?”
“Brother Dayou was the first person I met after entering the palace. If it weren’t for his help, I don’t know where I’d be now,” Ji Qingzhou said. “He ended up like this, I bear some responsibility too.”
Li Zhan let out a faint smile and replied, “I wouldn’t go so far as to blame you for his actions.”
“I didn’t say that to avoid blame… I really mean it,” Ji Qingzhou said earnestly.
Ji Qingzhou had never dared to take Li Zhan lightly before. But now that he knew Li Zhan’s secret, he felt even more at a loss. At this moment, he finally realized just how terrifying this man truly was…
To be honest, if Ji Qingzhou had transmigrated not as himself but as the Regent—someone who held such immense power—his first thought would’ve been to eliminate every potential threat. But Li Zhan had the patience to wait, to make each move methodically, each step perfectly calculated.
If Ji Qingzhou hadn’t known the plot and grown suspicious, perhaps no one would ever have realized who Li Zhan really was….
“I have a question for you,” Li Zhan said, his gaze fixed on Ji Qingzhou.
“What does Wang Ye want to ask?” Ji Qingzhou asked nervously.
A flicker of hesitation passed through Li Zhan’s eyes before he asked, “When did you realize… that Tu Dayou was working for someone else?”
Ji Qingzhou froze for a moment. He immediately sensed danger.
“I… I…” Ji Qingzhou stammered. He didn’t know how to answer.
If he said he only realized during this investigation, would Li Zhan believe him?
But if he said he had known all along, then it would mean he’d been covering for Tu Dayou the whole time—wouldn’t that make Li Zhan suspicious of him?
Li Zhan seemed to already expect this and didn’t press further. Instead, he casually picked up a document from the table and handed it to Ji Qingzhou. “This is a list of all the Inner Attendants involved in this matter. Tomorrow, take it and my command token to the Office of Judicial Review and arrest them.”
Ji Qingzhou was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Li Zhan to let the topic drop so easily, and was left a little dazed.
He unfolded the list Li Zhan gave him and glanced at it—there were dozens of names, and he even recognized a few of them.
At that moment, Ji Qingzhou realized something—Li Zhan might have known the plot, but his situation was not exactly the same.
Ji Qingzhou had transmigrated into the book, but he couldn’t remember every detail—especially not the minor characters, since they were never elaborated on in the story. Yet Li Zhan seemed to know every Inner Attendant in the palace like the back of his hand. This meant… He might actually be someone who had been reborn?
That thought made Ji Qingzhou feel even more anxious.
If Li Zhanhad really been reborn, that would mean he had already experienced everything that happened in the book. In other words, everything Ji Qingzhou had done in the original story—the scheming, the malicious plots, the way he sowed discord between Li Zhan and the young emperor, nearly turning uncle and nephew against each other—all of that, Li Zhan must remember vividly.
Ji Qingzhou lit a candle for himself in his heart. He felt like he was doomed.
Li Zhan wasn’t a saint. The way he treated Ji Qingzhou now might simply be because he hadn’t yet decided how to deal with him…
After all, a final boss needed a proper stage to exit.
Even if he were to die, he’d die with some dignity…
“There’s no need for that gloomy face. Since I promised to spare Tu Dayou’s life, I won’t go back on my word,” Li Zhan said calmly.
Ji Qingzhou was a little surprised to hear that and quickly thanked him, suddenly feeling maybe he was being too pessimistic.
Who knew? Maybe Li Zhan had recognized his potential and admired his courage to “change his ways,” and might even spare him after all…
That night, Ji Qingzhou was plagued by nightmares.
One moment he was dreaming of the book’s plot, where Li Zhan, after a huge fight with the young emperor, had Ji Qingzhou dragged out and publicly recited all his crimes before the court, sentencing him to death on the spot…
The next, he dreamed that Li Zhan discovered his pregnancy and demanded to know whose child it was. In the dream, Ji Qingzhou didn’t dare confess and begged Li Zhan for his life through tears. He cried and cried until the baby was suddenly born. Somehow, the child’s face bore a striking resemblance to Li Zhan’s—it looked like it had been carved from the same mold. Li Zhan stared at the child with a strange expression, unreadable whether it was joy or anger…
After a night of nightmares, Ji Qingzhou woke up in the morning more exhausted than if he hadn’t slept at all.
When he got up, he discovered that morning court had already ended. He panicked and grabbed his clothes, rushing to run out.
But Xiao Shan stopped him and said, “Wang Ye gave orders early this morning not to wake you. He said when you get up, go find Young Master Qin to get his command token. He’s already assigned you a task. As long as you complete it today, that’s enough.”
Only then did Ji Qingzhou come back to his senses and remember that he was supposed to take the Office of Judicial Review to arrest people today.
He had often seen scenes in palace dramas where palace staff were caught for crimes—screaming, wailing, begging for their lives. He thought today would be no different. But in reality, when he led people to carry out the arrests, he found that most of those being taken were surprisingly calm.
That eerie calm and quiet despair were more suffocating than sobs.
He had seen that same look on Tu Dayou’s face, and on Xiao Shan’s too.
It was probably the same expression he’d had last night when Li Zhan questioned him—helpless, powerless to resist, just waiting to be judged.
More than dozens of people were arrested in less than two hours.
Not one resisted. A few with weak nerves collapsed and were dragged away by the officers from the Office of Judicial Review.
“All the people have been taken. What now?” Ji Qingzhou asked Qin Zheng.
Qin Zheng stood beside Ji Qingzhou at the entrance of a narrow alley near the Office of Judicial Review, looking up at the sky. “Have you ever seen them conduct an interrogation?”
“No,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
“Then would you like your big brother to broaden your horizons?” Qin Zheng said with a grin.
Just as he spoke, Ji Qingzhou heard a blood-curdling scream. Even though it came muffled through several walls, the sound still sent a chill down his spine.
“Was that… Wang Ye’s order?” Ji Qingzhou asked in a trembling voice.
“Huh?” Qin Zheng was briefly stunned, then noticed Ji Qingzhou’s pale face.
He snapped back to his senses, covered Ji Qingzhou’s ears with one hand, and pushed him away from the alley. Once they were far enough that the sound couldn’t be heard, Qin Zheng gave an awkward smile and said, “I forgot you’re fainthearted… Sorry about that…”
Ji Qingzhou took a deep breath and glanced back toward the Office of Judicial Review.
Qin Zheng threw an arm around his shoulders and steered him forward, saying as they walked, “I was just messing with you earlier. Don’t go tattling to Wang Ye… If you end up puking from the fright, I’ll be the one getting yelled at.”
Ji Qingzhou was still a bit dazed and didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind Qin Zheng’s words. He simply frowned and asked, “Are they going to interrogate Tu Dayou like that?”
“Tu Dayou already confessed. What’s left to interrogate?” Qin Zheng replied.
Ji Qingzhou nodded at that, feeling a little more at ease.
“Were you a bit shaken?” Qin Zheng asked. “Didn’t expect Wang Ye to be that ruthless, huh?”
Ji Qingzhou glanced at him and said, “It’s not appropriate to speak of Wang Ye behind his back.”
“Aren’t we all one of his own now?” Qin Zheng laughed. “Actually, I sometimes can’t quite figure him out either. Like this time… Clearly, he’s targeting the Qiu family, but he still insisted on taking action against the Inner Attendant Department first.”
Ji Qingzhou understood what Qin Zheng meant. As the saying went, “If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.” The Inner Attendant Department did need to be rectified, but there had to be a limit. Yet now, Li Zhan was taking people down with a sweeping hand—not so much investigating responsibility, but more like purging the entire department.
Anyone involved was treated without mercy. Even those who were only slightly tainted by association with the Qiu family were also cleaned out along with the rest.
After this purge, the entire Inner Attendant Department would be gripped with fear of Li Zhan. For a time, no one would dare harbor disloyalty.
Qin Zheng couldn’t understand Li Zhan’s methods, but Ji Qingzhou did.
On the surface, Li Zhan’s approach looked excessive, but in truth, it was like using a sharp knife to quickly cut through a tangled mess. Just like when he had Tang Yi beaten to death—others might have thought Tang Yi didn’t deserve death, but Ji Qingzhou knew… once Tang Yi had developed evil intentions, keeping him around would only spell endless trouble.
“Do you know who was behind Tu Dayou?” Qin Zheng suddenly asked.
“That day, when he confessed to Wang Ye, you and I were both outside the hall. If you don’t know, how would I?” Ji Qingzhou replied.
Qin Zheng lowered his voice and asked, “You and Tu Dayou were so close. He didn’t tell you in secret?”
“If you’re curious, why not go ask him yourself?” Ji Qingzhou replied.
Qin Zheng sighed. “I’m just curious… Why do you think Wang Ye is hiding it from us?”
“Probably because he wants to hide it from one of us, but is afraid the other won’t be able to keep their mouth shut,” Ji Qingzhou said.
“Are you mocking me?” Qin Zheng narrowed his eyes.
“No…” Ji Qingzhou denied.
In truth, Ji Qingzhou was just as curious as Qin Zheng.
But he knew all too well: there were things you were better off not knowing. Sometimes, the more you knew, the more trouble you invited.
He guessed that Tu Dayou hadn’t told him probably because he had his own reasons.
The Office of Judicial Review worked with incredible efficiency.
In just under two days, they had interrogated everyone.
Ji Qingzhou heard from Qin Zheng that they used torture on the first few people. After that, most confessed everything like pouring beans from a bamboo tube—what should be said and what shouldn’t, all came spilling out.
Seemed those initial screams had broken everyone else’s nerves.
By the third morning’s court session, the confessions were in.
At the same time, the Court of Judicial Review also concluded its investigations…
Qiu Lanhui had spent a massive amount of money in the Jiao Fang Department. Even without counting the unpaid debts, the amount he had already paid was substantial. Though the Qiu family was wealthy, according to the laws of the Dayu Dynasty, whether one’s income came from business or official salary, there had to be a legitimate source.
Just like in modern society, where citizens must pay income taxes—if someone evaded taxes maliciously and got caught, they would be legally punished. While the Dayu Dynasty wasn’t as meticulous, there were still laws in place. Normally no one would investigate too closely, but once someone did, it usually turned out to be something serious.
Though the Qiu family had documented some legal income, what they spent far exceeded what they brought in.
So, where did all the extra silver come from? There had to be an explanation…
The confessions from the Inner Attendant Department perfectly explained the origin of the unaccounted silver.
“They bribed people outside the palace, and once the Inner Attendants inside were handled, they sold items worth ten taels of silver for fifteen. Then they’d order five of something, break it up in the records, and distribute it. The missing half simply vanished—no way to trace it,” Li Zhan said coolly.
A minister commented, “No wonder the censors have frequently reported that palace expenses have been outrageously extravagant these past two years. Turns out it was because of this!” His words not only mocked the censors but also exposed the Qiu family’s actions. “Poor Empress Dowager, repeatedly ordering cuts to palace spending, not knowing the silver she and His Majesty saved was going straight into Imperial Uncle’s pockets!”
As soon as he spoke, the murmurs among the court ministers grew louder. Imperial Uncle’s face turned ashen, too crushed to even argue.
When Li Zhan had announced he would investigate the Jiao Fang Department days ago, Qiu had already sensed trouble was coming. But Li Zhan had acted too fast—there was no time for Qiu to cover anything up. By the time he realized, all involved outside the palace were already under control, and as for inside… even the Jiao Fang Department had been used as a pawn. Clearly, Li Zhan had been preparing this move for a long time.
So today, Qiu Lantin* had no choice but to accept his fate.
If not for his wife and children at home, Qiu Lanting probably wouldn’t have even attended court today.
But now that things had come to this, if he cooperated, maybe—just maybe—Li Zhan, for the sake of the Empress Dowager, would leave a sliver of hope for the Qiu family.
“All evidence and testimonies are in place. The Ministry of Justice will handle sentencing according to the law. Detain the Qiu family in Court Prison, and once a verdict is decided, we’ll proceed accordingly,” Li Zhan said evenly.
As soon as he finished speaking, palace guards stepped forward to drag away the unconscious Qiu Lanting.
In truth, even if Li Zhan had handed down judgment on the spot, no one would have objected. But because the Empress Dowager was involved, Li Zhan had conveniently passed the unpleasant task to the Ministry of Justice—washing his hands of it. Yet every court official knew the outcome was already set in stone. The only difference was whether punishment would be doled out sooner or later.
“There’s one more matter…” Li Zhan paused, then his eyes fell on Ji Qingzhou. “The head of the Inner Attendant Department, Yao Chang’an, has been unwell lately. Considering his many years of loyal service to both the late emperor and His Majesty, I’ve granted him permission to retire and recuperate outside the palace.”
No one voiced opposition—this had long been expected.
Given what had just happened, even if Yao Chang’an had done nothing wrong, there was no way he could stay in that position. That Li Zhan chose not to investigate him further was already considered lenient.
“Upon Yao Chang’an’s recommendation, and after much thought, I appoint Ji Qingzhou s acting chief steward of the Inner Attendant Department,” Li Zhan declared.
His words stirred instant chaos—courtiers erupted in a low roar of hushed discussions.
Ji Qingzhou was dumbfounded. He had not seen this coming at all.
It wasn’t until a young eunuch brought over the python robe and official waist token, symbols of the chief steward, that Ji Qingzhou finally snapped out of his daze and accepted them in confusion. By accepting the robe, he had been promoted from a sixth-rank chief eunuch to a fourth-rank chief steward—a leap of two ranks.
This was the highest rank an inner palace eunuch could possibly attain…
Ji Qingzhou couldn’t fathom why Li Zhan would promote him so highly!
He turned to look at Li Zhan, face openly showing shock and confusion. But Li Zhan, facing him across the crowd, revealed no emotion—as if this decision was completely routine. And yet, in the split second their gazes met, Ji Qingzhou saw a faint smile flash briefly in Li Zhan’s eyes, too fleeting to catch.
Even Ji Qingzhou didn’t fully register it.
“Chief Steward Ji, thank His Majesty and Wang Ye,” the young eunuch whispered.
Ji Qingzhou hurriedly knelt, robe in hand, and kowtowed to Li Zhan and the young emperor, giving thanks.
The young emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, smiled at Ji Qingzhou in secret, clearly delighted.
“Wang Ye… this might…” one court official began, but a colleague tugged his sleeve in warning.
He hesitated for a moment, then bit his tongue and said nothing.
Everyone already knew Li Zhan’s decisive nature. No one wanted to cross him on such a matter.
If Wang Ye wanted someone as chief steward of the Inner Attendant Department, then so be it. It wasn’t their business.
Besides, today Wang Ye had just crushed the Qiu family. Who knew what kind of mood he was in? Arguing now would only backfire.
The Inner Attendant Department had already been thoroughly purged—who took over didn’t really matter anymore.
“Why do you think Wang Ye trusts Young Master Ji so much?”
The officials whispered among themselves after court.
“The heart of a ruler is hard to fathom. Wang Ye’s heart? Even more so.”
“Ji Qingzhou has some talent, yes, but he’s too young.”
“Exactly. Such heavy responsibility at his age might not be a blessing.”
“Just wait and see… the higher the climb, the harder the fall…”
Everyone nodded and muttered as they walked away, not a single one thinking of challenging Li Zhan’s decision—only waiting to see Ji Qingzhou fall….
After court, Li Zhan stayed behind with a few officials. Ji Qingzhou escorted the young emperor to his palace school. The young emperor insisted on seeing Ji Qingzhou wear the new robe. Unable to refuse, Ji Qingzhou changed into it.
The robe wasn’t as clean-cut as the usual inner attendant uniform. Its embroidery and tailoring were elaborate, heavy on the body, and Ji Qingzhou found it hard to get used to. But the young emperor was thrilled. He didn’t even let Ji Qingzhou carry him this time, afraid of wrinkling the new outfit.
After escorting the young emperor, Ji Qingzhou planned to return to Yinghui Pavilion.
But just outside the throne room, he unexpectedly ran into someone.
“Greeing Fourt Prince.” Ji Qingzhou bowed.
Prince Heng wore a faint smile, his eyes openly scanning Ji Qingzhou from head to toe—his gaze unrestrained, making Ji Qingzhou very uncomfortable.
“That robe suits you surprisingly well. No wonder Third Brother insisted on making you the chief steward,” Prince Heng said with a chuckle.
Ji Qingzhou frowned slightly, unsure how to respond.
He remembered clearly how the drunken Prince Heng had once spoken all sorts of nonsense in front of him.
Thankfully, the man now seemed sober. Hopefully, he wouldn’t cross the line.
“Join me for some tea. I have a few things I’d like to discuss with you,” Prince Heng said.
“If Wang Ye has something to say, I’m all ears. I must return to Yinghui Pavilion to report back,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
Prince Heng’s smile faded slightly. “Using Third Brother to suppress me?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Ji Qingzhou said. “If Wang Ye has something to say, I’ll listen.”
“You sure you want to talk here?” Prince Heng glanced around, then stepped closer—so close they were only half a step apart. He leaned in and whispered, “You really are something. Both Third Brother and Tu Dayou revolve around you so eagerly…”
Ji Qingzhou froze and abruptly looked up at him.
He said… Tu Dayou?
Was Prince Heng the one behind Tu Dayou?
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