Chapter 124
Xue Jin'an deliberately delayed sending the battle report to the capital, giving the Empress Dowager enough time to make her plans. Suddenly, the court was in turmoil and filled with anxiety. Even Cui Zui, who was outside the court and only frequented the palace, noticed something was amiss, let alone Zhou Yushu.
To avoid the risk of his identity being exposed, Zhou Yushu basically stopped going to the inner palace after recognizing Xue Jin'an. Even when he was kept in Qian Yuan Palace by the emperor for political affairs, he would leave the palace as soon as the matter was over, inscribing rules and etiquette into his behavior so that no one could see through his disguise.
Not only that, his contact with Xi Yun was gradually decreasing, to the point that he was still unaware that Xi Yun had been forced to take on the role of a double agent again and had even taken on a job for the Eldest Princess.
Fortunately, Xi Yun was clever enough to get in touch with Fu Lu, pledge her loyalty to Xue Jin'an, and reveal that the princess had "taken a liking" to her.
Xue Jin'an's first reaction was to have Fulu's people ask Xiyun what she thought.
"If you don't want to be a spy, then don't. I'll arrange for her to leave the palace, and I guarantee the Princess won't be able to find her," Xue Jin'an promised.
In truth, even if Xi Yun really left, the Princess wouldn't take her too seriously. Without Xi Yun, there would be other options like Zao Yun and Zhong Yun. There were plenty of people in the palace who wanted to curry favor with powerful figures, so she could easily find someone better.
The eldest princess had an extraordinary desire for power and profit, and she also had the magnanimity and vision to bear that desire. She would not really make things difficult for a servant girl over such a trivial matter, and she would not feel satisfied until she was reduced to ashes.
Moreover, Xue Jin'an was confident he could prevent the Princess from investigating further. He didn't even need to rely on the Empress Dowager's influence; he could simply let Lingzhi handle it. After all, Lingzhi came from the Cining Palace, and even if he didn't care about the princess, he would still have to consider her feelings. The Princess was so clever; she would know what to do.
Fu Lu personally met with Xi Yun and told her all of Xue Jin'an's thoughts.
Xi Yun was flattered and overwhelmed. The first feeling that welled up in her heart was not gratitude, but fear. She carefully observed Fu Lu's facial expression and carefully chose her words, saying, "This lowly servant's life is only right to be devoted to Your Highness. How could I possibly deserve Your Highness to do this for me..."
Seeing her racking her brains to find the right words, looking terrified that she might be killed if she said the wrong thing, Fu Lu couldn't help but laugh out loud. His stern face suddenly became lively, revealing the demeanor of a young man: "Sister Xi Yun, don't worry, what Master said wasn't a trap, it was sincere."
Fu Lu could understand Xi Yun's anxiety. Palace maids and eunuchs were all slaves, and they could be slapped or scolded for saying the wrong thing. Their master's tolerance and meticulous care were incredible, and to them it was like a pie falling from the sky.
Some people might take a bite of the pie and refuse to let go, but others might be wary of whether there's a trap hidden behind it. Only those who are vigilant can survive longer in the palace.
Xi Yun was such a person, and it was precisely because of these qualities that Zhou Yushu chose her to work under Chu Wenwan's nose, and her identity remained unknown until Chu Wenwan died.
—Don't be fooled by Chu Wenwan's quick death; she was quite skilled in palace intrigue. Even with such irrefutable evidence, she managed to sway the emperor's compassion with her words, preparing to save her. If Xue Jin'an hadn't acted swiftly and killed her on the spot, the situation in the palace would be very different now.
Putting aside other factors, the Fourth Prince's status will be vastly different. He might even replace the Third Prince and rival the First and Second Princes, becoming a new force vying for the throne. He certainly won't be a mere supporter of the First Prince like he is now.
“Sister Xiyun, the master has always remembered your contributions. If you don’t want to continue, we will arrange for you to leave the palace. If you want to continue, be more vigilant and pay attention to safety. If necessary, prioritize your own life.” Fulu pronounced the last sentence very clearly, ensuring that Xiyun could understand every word.
These words were indeed spoken by Xue Jin'an. His expression was calm, and his tone was casual, showing no intention of deliberately showing off his emotions.
But Fu Lu used a little trick; he wanted Xi Yun to be completely loyal to her master and do things for him.
So, seeing Xi Yun's somewhat bewildered expression, Fu Lu softened his voice, smiled broadly, and adopted the demeanor of a young man to lower Xi Yun's guard, then affectionately "complained" to him about his master's kindness.
When Zhou Yushu couldn't run to the palace, Xi Yun would secretly come to Zhaoyang Palace to offer incense and sacrifice to the memorial tablet of the original owner's mother. At that time, she was working under Chu Wenwan, and it could be said that she was walking on thin ice and risking her life.
Perhaps Xi Yun herself didn't take it seriously, but Xue Jin'an always remembered it.
Xi Yun didn't take these things to heart, or rather, in her view, these were things she should do. She was Zhou Yushu's servant, and the life of a servant belonged to his master. She even felt that she was very lucky to have met a good master who never forced her to do anything. She didn't want to continue being a spy, so her master arranged a leisurely position for her, waiting for her to be released from the palace when she turned twenty-five.
The master also said that her indenture would be returned to her, her status as a slave would be lifted, and she would be granted freedom.
Being chosen by the Eldest Princess made Xi Yun feel a bit unlucky, but there was nothing she could do. She was just an ant and couldn't afford to offend the Eldest Princess. Moreover, her master had now changed to the Seventh Prince, and she also knew that serving the Eldest Princess was the most valuable thing to do. So she finally convinced herself and told Xue Jin'an about it, which was actually to show her attitude.
Xi Yun never expected that the Seventh Prince would give her a choice and pave a way out for her.
Xi Yun suddenly understood why everyone who entered Zhaoyang Palace was so protective of the Seventh Prince.
Even if those words are false, it's still worth it.
"I am willing." Xi Yun lifted her robe, knelt on the ground, lowered her head, and swore her loyalty, "This servant will not fail Your Highness's trust."
Xi Yun thus officially became a double agent. However, the eldest princess had been accompanying Princess Irina of the Russian Empire to tour the capital for some time and had not entered the palace for a long time, so naturally no one had approached Xi Yun yet.
However, even if she had the time, the Eldest Princess would not use Xi Yun for the time being. She was a relatively cautious person, and she would observe whether Xi Yun was suitable before using her. Fortunately, Zhou Yushu was also cautious enough. Apart from Chu Wenwan's resume, Xi Yun's background was very clean, and basically nothing could be found out about her.
It's only a matter of time before the eldest princess uses her; we just have to wait.
Zhou Yushu proactively severed contact with Xi Yun. After keenly sensing the impending storm in the court, he invited his colleagues to play cards at Jiu Tian Yi to relax, and then secretly sent the news to Zhaoyang Palace.
Nine Plus One is now running smoothly, and Cui Zui is focusing more on building the real-person PUBG game. However, Fu Lu has already built a basic intelligence network in Nine Plus One. It is very easy for Zhou Yushu to pass on messages. He doesn't even need to write notes and hand them out. He just needs to chat with his colleagues while playing cards, and someone will naturally write it down.
This way, the risk of Zhou Yushu's identity being exposed can be minimized.
Zhou Yushu was quite satisfied with this, and then wrote several poems to praise Jiutianyi. Even in his memorial to the emperor, he wrote that Jiutianyi had become a landmark building in the capital, boosting the capital's economic development and making outstanding contributions to the tax revenue of the Great Qi Dynasty.
The Minister of Revenue whose job was stolen: ?
Anyway, thanks to his free publicity, Jiu Tian Yi, which already had a lot of customers, attracted even more. Many officials were also willing to come here to relax after their shifts. As more people came, they inevitably revealed some things during their conversations.
These trivial details, which don't touch on the core issues, would be mere scraps for many, but for Fu Lu, whom Xue Jin'an had personally trained, they were more than enough. While his ability to unravel complex cases wasn't quite on par with Xue Jin'an's, he was still practically a detective at best.
After Xue Jin'an filled in the gaps and made up for any omissions, he basically grasped the general direction of the state machinery of Daqi.
In fact, Zhou Yushu's decision to tell Xue Jin'an this news was partly a test, as he was worried that the Empress Dowager might be trying to push Xue Jin'an to the throne.
Zhou Yushu naturally supports Xue Jin'an, but at this moment, if Xue Jin'an were to show his face, he would definitely not have a good ending.
Moreover, Zhou Yushu didn't really think highly of the Empress Dowager. It wasn't that he didn't recognize her abilities, but rather that, based on the facts, the Empress Dowager had been retired for too long and was too old. To put it bluntly, who knew how many more years she had left to live?
In ten years, the eldest prince will be only in his early twenties, while the emperor will still be in his prime, at the peak of his power, and will only be more difficult to deal with than he is now.
Unless a brilliant ruler is sent down from heaven to seize power in the world while still a young man, this ancestor is destined not to live to see the next generation grow up.
In the eyes of many ministers, including Zhou Yushu, the Empress Dowager's current power struggle was a desperate attempt to survive after being forced too far by the Emperor. Zhou Yushu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at this thought.
Yes, most court officials believed that the Empress Dowager, who had retired for so many years, suddenly jumped out to fight for power because the emperor had forced her too hard.
Therefore, while court officials oppose the Empress Dowager, they also submit numerous memorials urging the Emperor to humble himself, admit his mistakes, and appease his grandmother.
Even Grand Tutor Li, who had been unable to attend court for a long time due to mobility issues, attended court. Every wrinkle on his face showed his disapproval as he said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. The Empress Dowager is the pillar of our Great Qi Dynasty, an auspicious omen. The most important thing is to live happily."
At first glance, these words seem to be on the side of the Empress Dowager, but upon closer analysis, it becomes clear that Grand Tutor Li is saying: "Your Majesty, it is wrong to be unfilial. Your ancestor doesn't have many years left to live. If you can humble yourself, then humble yourself and let her live happily. That way, we can also be happy."
emperor:"……"
The emperor was speechless and felt extremely aggrieved. Normally, he would have just backed down, but now that the Empress Dowager's power struggle had crossed his bottom line, he would absolutely not back down, nor would he leave any room for retreat, not even verbally.
"My grandmother, who lives in seclusion in the Cining Palace, is my true grandmother." The emperor said this with a chilling tone.
Li Hechun, who was serving by his side, hunched his back even more and lowered his head even further, keeping his eyes down and not daring to say a word.
Li Hechun knew that the emperor's words were deliberately meant for him. He was Lu Bingzhu's apprentice, and Lu Bingzhu was the Empress Dowager's man. Their past kinship had allowed him to gain more trust, but now that trust was beginning to backfire on him.
The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, his master… Li Hechun blamed no one. He smiled bitterly to himself, wishing he were deaf and blind, but he wasn't. He could only brace himself and do his job, making sure not to leave any openings for others to use against him.
Under Li Hechun's warning, the emperor could not lose his temper. Therefore, every day when he opened his eyes and asked Teacher Xiao X to draw lots, he would also draw an extra lot for the Empress Dowager, hoping to use the power of metaphysics to bring the Empress Dowager back to "normal".
In short, Zhou Yushu felt that following the Empress Dowager was a dead end, and he hoped his nephew would think twice and not fall into a trap.
Xue Jin'an analyzed Zhou Yushu's intentions, but didn't take them seriously at all. After all, he had personally instigated the Empress Dowager. He needed someone like this to attract the emperor's attention, and at the same time, he wanted to take as much power as he could. All he wanted was a bridge.
The bridge built by the Empress Dowager is a bit old, but it's wide enough to allow her to access court affairs as quickly as possible, and that's sufficient.
Compared to Zhou Yushu's news, Xue Jin'an was more concerned about the monthly ledger of Jiu Tian Yi brought by Cui Zui, in which He Liancheng's name was prominently listed among the new members.
Xue Jin'an pointed at it with his finger: "How often does he go?"
If asked about other guests, Cui Zui might not be able to answer them immediately, but he really knew Helian Cheng.
Although Helian Cheng was also born into a prominent family, he joined the army when he was a teenager and guarded the border in his twenties. He was very different from the scions of prominent families in the capital and was truly out of place in this entertainment venue called Jiu Tian Yi.
Cui Zui couldn't help but wonder if Helian Cheng had some ulterior motive for suddenly coming to Jiu Tian Yi, so when he first met him, he had someone keep a close watch on him.
“Since becoming a member, I’ve come almost every day. I’m usually alone, and I often play in the lobby. I rarely book a private room,” Cui Zui said in detail.
Because the number of customers at Jiu Tian Yi was too large and the number of private rooms was limited, there were often waiting times, which caused a lot of complaints from the customers. Cui Zui simply renovated the main hall and set up several long tables in the hall. He then put the new cards or games that had not yet been released into the hall into them, and also tried out some new ways to play. Moreover, the games at the long tables in the main hall are all multiplayer games, with a minimum of six players and a maximum of sixteen players. In an instant, he turned the rotten into the magical and made it a new feature.
Many guests come specifically to play at the long table.
Xue Jin'an then asked Helian Cheng about the date he applied for membership, and roughly guessed what was going on.
Ever since Helian Cheng discovered the connection between Xue Jin'an and Long Aotian at the banquet that day, he has been in a state of unease and inner turmoil.
Just as Xue Jin'an guessed, Helian Cheng was a sentimental person. He wouldn't rashly expose Xue Jin'an's identity without absolute evidence, let alone the fact that Long Aotian of the Northwest Army and the Seventh Prince of the Imperial Palace in the capital were the same person. This was such an unbelievable and bizarre thing that even if you told people, they might not believe it.
Moreover, he is a sentimental person. When the evidence of Helian Yong's affair was presented to him, he had no choice but to believe it. His feelings for Long Aotian would only deepen. At the same time, he also knew that there would be no one more suitable to accept the Northwest Army than Long Aotian.
After much deliberation, Helian Cheng decided to suppress the matter and did not report it to the emperor. Instead, he wrote back to Doctor Chang, warning him to be careful of Long Aotian.
He never expected that such a short time difference in the arrival of the letter would be seized upon by the Seventh Prince to catch him off guard. When he received Doctor Chang's reply and learned that Long Aotian had already led the Northwest Army to fight against the Rongdi Army, Helian Cheng was both shocked and furious.
The Seventh Prince was shocked by his swift action and angered by the Rong and Di tribes' excessive bullying!
Helian Cheng knew that the emperor did not want to go to war with the Rongdi. This time, Long Aotian had mobilized troops without authorization. If this news were to be relayed back to the capital, the entire Northwest Army would be in trouble. But that was not the worst thing. What Helian Cheng was most worried about was that the emperor would be furious and make a bad move, which would affect the situation of the Northwest Army.
Qizhou could not be lost, and the Northwest Army could not be harmed. These two beliefs led Helian Cheng to choose to conceal the truth once again, but he was still worried and asked the emperor to let him return the Northwest Army, but the emperor refused him repeatedly.
In the end, the emperor looked at him with a half-smile and said casually, "It seems that my Northwest Army really can't do without you, my dear minister."
At that time, the Empress Dowager bypassed the Emperor and directly arrested the Rongdi envoys under the pretext of assassination. The Emperor was in a state of rage, feeling betrayed, and Helian Cheng unfortunately ran into the line of fire.
Helian Cheng was somewhat taken aback. His political sensitivity had decreased considerably due to his long absence from the capital. In addition, he and the emperor had always been in a harmonious and loving relationship. This was the first time the emperor had made such a subtle and overt jab at him, which immediately sent a chill down his spine.
Helian Cheng immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Even though the emperor eventually brushed the matter aside lightly, it served as a wake-up call for Helian Cheng. He learned his lesson and never mentioned it again.
The emperor said, "Helian has not returned to the capital for a long time, and I'm afraid he doesn't even know what the capital looks like anymore. Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Why don't you enjoy yourself, General? It won't be so lively when we return to Qizhou."
"Yes, Your Majesty, it has indeed been a long time since I have seen such a lively scene. I wonder if there are any interesting and fun places to visit in the capital?" Helian Cheng replied.
The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, “There is indeed such a place. The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works are currently working together to build some kind of real-life PUBG simulator, which is said to be used for military training. I don’t know if it’s true or not. It’s a pity that the place is still under construction and will not be completed until summer. You’ve come too early.”
The emperor had never played PUBG, but Helian Cheng had! He had long discovered that PUBG was very helpful in training soldiers' individual combat capabilities, and combat drills were derived from PUBG. He never expected that the capital would actually create a real-life PUBG game. He was very interested in it, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.
"If only Qizhou had one," Helian Cheng couldn't help but say enviously.
The emperor had no concept of the effects of playing PUBG in real life. Although the Minister of War, Xu Pingchuan, said in his memorial that it could be used to train soldiers, he still regarded it as just a game, at most a game that could help train soldiers.
Seeing Helian Cheng's eager look, he found it somewhat amusing and said, "If you want it, I will have the Ministry of Works arrange for someone to make one in Qizhou. The Northwest Army guards the border and has done a great service to the Great Qi. I am not stingy with this little thing. It is your responsibility to make it."
The emperor's words were very eloquent, and Helian Cheng was deeply moved. In addition to being moved, he felt even more guilty for hiding the truth about Long Aotian and the Northwest Army.
The emperor added, "Although the real-person PUBG game is still under construction, the Nine Plus One Chess and Card Hall is quite interesting; even Minister Chu has praised it."
Helian Cheng knew about Jiu Tianyi, and he also knew that the Ten Perfections Prince and Jiu Tianyi had an inseparable relationship. However, knowing this did not make him particularly concerned. But thinking about the Emperor's previous probing, he still went.
Then he looked at the guests coming and going, including not only sons of officials and ladies of noble families, but also officials in office. It could be said that he had gathered all the powerful and wealthy families.
Helian Cheng lacked political acumen, but he was very skilled in warfare and not bad at strategy. Almost as soon as he saw the lively scene, he was sweating profusely, with only one thought in his mind: the person behind this is planning something big!
Helian Cheng immediately began investigating the owner of Jiu Tian Yi and found a strange name: Xue Qi Gongzi.
Perhaps seeing this name normally wouldn't be a big deal, after all, Xue is an imperial surname but also a common surname. However, Helian Cheng is mentally sensitive now, and as soon as he sees it, he thinks of Xue Jin'an. This prince's surname is Xue, and he is also the seventh in his family. Looking at the details, this seventh young master Xue's maternal family surname is Zhou, which is good. Consort Zhen... no, now we should say that Empress Xiaozhaoren's surname is also Zhou.
After comparing the entire description of Xue Qi's appearance with the anti-counterfeiting documents, Helian Cheng immediately concluded that Xue Qi was indeed His Highness the Seventh Prince.
The Northwest Army represents military power, and the "Nine Plus One" (a metaphor for economic strength) provides the necessary resources. With money and military strength secured, the only remaining weakness is likely the lack of a strong political foundation and capable personnel. The imperial court… the provincial examination?
Helian Chenghan immediately broke into a sweat. He pressed his hand to stop his wildly beating heart, feeling dizzy, and muttered to himself, "What is Your Highness doing?"
Helian Cheng dared not think about it, but he also dared not not think about it. He could only run to the Ninth Prince every day. This running led to even more trouble. He was shocked to find that the Seventh Prince's power was not as simple as he had imagined!
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