The emperor is strange
"So I deliberately let slip a little bit of the secret. It's not difficult for a Jiang family girl to be skilled in horseback riding and archery, but she couldn't possibly have experience in killing people, especially killing people without any mercy and showing no fear afterward, which doesn't quite fit the image of a sheltered young lady."
Jiang Jin sent people to keep an eye on the Jiang residence and estate, but His Majesty did not investigate them until they returned to the capital.
“You were suspicious when you saw me kill someone. Given your understanding of His Majesty, do you think His Majesty wouldn’t be suspicious? But His Majesty didn’t investigate at all.”
Jiang Jin sat down and gripped the teacup. "Don't you find this strange?"
"You mean His Majesty knew your identity from the very beginning?" Wei Shu burned the letter and then looked at Jiang Jin with some disbelief, asking.
"It's just my guess, but today's events have made me more certain. You see, we didn't have a single servant in the Zichen Palace today; it's obvious they didn't want our conversation to be overheard." Jiang Jin poured Wei Shu a cup of tea.
"His Majesty deliberately prevented His Highness from speaking, which was actually a way of forcing me to see His Highness's miserable state so that I would make up my mind to enter the court. Although His Majesty said that there was nothing wrong with it, he did not let His Highness get up."
Jiang Jin sensed a different atmosphere as soon as she entered the Zichen Palace.
"But I always felt that His Majesty knew me very well. If I had really said something high-sounding back then, His Majesty might have actually granted me the title of Lady of the County. But His Majesty seemed to have anticipated that I would ask for an official position."
Jiang Jin always felt that Emperor Wende's gaze could see right through her heart.
“Actually, it’s a little different.” Wei Shu looked up at Jiang Jin. “The teacups His Majesty used today are not the ones he usually uses; they are just a set of ordinary white porcelain.”
Wei Shu's heart tightened. "Given His Majesty's personality, he would never leave someone with doubts in an important position. I was able to find out about your people in the South Alley that day, but His Majesty is not necessarily unable to find out as well."
Jiang Jin frowned as she looked at Wei Shu, whose entire body was filled with coldness, as if she had fallen into an ice cave and entered the coldest part of winter. "Your Highness said that she was the one who arranged our marriage, but now it seems that it may have been His Majesty's way of doing things."
"Wei Shu, isn't there a bit too much ice in this room? I feel so cold all over." Jiang Jin grasped Wei Shu's hand. "What else does His Majesty know?"
"It's alright. If our guess is true, then His Majesty's heart truly belongs to her." Wei Shu didn't dare mention Princess Zhaoyang's name, but he also couldn't understand why His Majesty would suddenly shift his attention to Princess Zhaoyang.
"If it's merely a whetstone for His Highness the Crown Prince, I fear that any victory will be nothing more than a mirage." Jiang Jin was always cautious about Lou Xuan's affairs.
"Although this is just my guess, I have been by His Majesty's side for many years and I can still understand his simple imperial intentions. If this marriage is really just a matter of going with the flow, then His Majesty must be biased towards her now."
"So, in reality, we're all just pawns on His Majesty's chessboard. If you and that other person were standing beside His Highness, that person could easily have most of the military officers under their control?" Jiang Jin's mind instantly cleared after Wei Shu's reminder.
"That's why His Majesty said those words." Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a sense of fear. "As expected of a ruler of a nation, he truly has a flawless strategy."
"Now you understand how turbulent the court is, right? Even His Majesty has to scheme like this, let alone insignificant people like us?" Wei Shu sighed, putting his arm around Jiang Jin's shoulder.
As the palace doors closed, the atmosphere inside the Zichen Palace plummeted to freezing point.
"Falsifying treason, scheming against the Fifth Prince—Lou Xuan, I had no idea you possessed such abilities!" Emperor Wende threw the memorial in front of Lou Xuan. "Do you have anything else to say in your defense?"
"Father, I have no way to defend myself." Lou Xuan knelt with his hands folded over his abdomen. "Wang Juesong will not bring peace to Bianzhou unless he is eliminated. Moreover, apart from treason, any other crime warrants the extermination of three generations of his family. I merely gave him a push from behind!"
Lou Xuan showed no remorse. "Didn't Father want to eliminate the Wang family? If the Wang family hadn't been so deeply entrenched, it wouldn't just be three generations exterminated, but five generations!"
"Lou Xuan, what about your fifth brother? How did he offend you?" Emperor Wende rubbed his temples. "Why did you bring his influence to my desk?"
"Father, Chang Yi and I worked so hard to eliminate treacherous officials in Bianzhou, and my fifth brother just wants to reap the benefits with a single, casual remark. If I had known, I would have sent him to Bianzhou to face those people!" Lou Xuan did not hide his ambition.
"Father, if you wish to punish someone, punish only me. Do not implicate others!" Lou Xuan could only guess at Emperor Wende's intentions, fearing that it would implicate Jiang Jin and Wei Shu.
“If I really wanted to punish you, I wouldn’t have wiped out all your trail.” Emperor Wende sighed. “Jiang Jin is your man.”
"Father, I don't know what you're talking about!" Lou Xuan felt his blood freeze for the first time. "Father and Lady Wei are not familiar with each other."
"If she wasn't your woman, why go to all this trouble to marry her off to Wei Shu?" Emperor Wende tapped the table with a paperweight. "Xuan'er, remember that even if Mount Tai collapses before you, you must remain calm."
"Father?" Lou Xuan looked up at Emperor Wende, somewhat bewildered. "Why are you telling me all this, Father?"
"Xuan'er, you should have seen how panicked you were just now. If those court officials had seen you flinch even slightly, they would have swarmed towards you like hunters spotting their prey." Emperor Wende slowly descended the steps and stood before Lou Xuan.
"Xuan'er, your father wants to hear the truth. Do you genuinely want to deal with the aristocratic families, or are you just trying to please your father?" Emperor Wende reached out and helped Lou Xuan up.
"Father, the people cannot live in peace without eliminating the powerful clans. Talented people will ultimately be crushed by their power. I may have selfish motives, but I will never sacrifice the people for power." It was rare for Lou Xuan to speak his mind on Emperor Wende's behalf.
"Good, if you are determined, your father will help you." Emperor Wende patted Lou Xuan on the shoulder. "Tomorrow you will stay behind the curtain and watch whether Jiang Jin can beat those old bastards to a pulp."
"Father, did you intend for Jiang Jin to enter the court from the very beginning?" Lou Xuan understood that if Emperor Wende hadn't tacitly approved, Jiang Jin wouldn't have let him give in so easily.
"Xuan'er, there is nothing in this world that your father doesn't know, including the schemes in your hearts." Emperor Wende returned to his dragon throne and looked down at Lou Xuan.
"Xuan'er, you should go back first today. Tomorrow we'll see how your judgment is." Emperor Wende waved his hand, and Lou Xuan bowed, took her leave, and went to the clothing workshop.
"Your Highness?" The shopkeeper was somewhat puzzled; unless it was an extremely urgent situation, Lou Xuan wouldn't suddenly visit.
"Send someone to the Wei residence to fetch A-Jin. Remember, she must enter through the back door and be discreet." Lou Xuan calmly arranged everything before sitting down on the third floor.
After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Jin hurriedly climbed to the third floor, lifting her skirt. "Your Highness, has His Majesty punished you?"
"It seems Father Emperor knows about our relationship. He wants me to listen to you attend court from behind the curtain tomorrow." Lou Xuan grasped Jiang Jin's fingers. "Ah Jin, it seems Father Emperor knows everything."
"Your Highness, don't panic. Wei Shu and I analyzed the situation and guessed that His Majesty seemed to have known about our relationship from the beginning. The marriage decree may seem to have been orchestrated by you behind the scenes, but in reality, His Majesty was just going with the flow." Jiang Jin's expression was grave.
"Your Highness is only afraid that you will become a whetstone for the Crown Prince." Lou Xuan shook his head upon hearing this.
“Father, the purpose of supporting my fifth brother is to make the Crown Prince and the Third Prince fight each other. If you want to use me as a whetstone, you should put me in the open, not keep me behind the curtain.”
"Does His Majesty acknowledge Your Highness?" A hint of excitement flashed through Jiang Jin's heart. "As long as we can ride His Majesty's coattails, we can rise to great heights. Your Highness, we must seize this opportunity!"
“Ah Jin, I originally wanted Zi Yuan to enter the court first, but do you know that once you step into the Xuanzheng Hall tomorrow, there will be no turning back?” Lou Xuan hugged Jiang Jin. “It was my selfishness that I didn’t want you to become the target of public criticism, but I respect Ah Jin’s choice.”
"Your Highness, do you remember what we said when we were young? This is our ideal, why should others become the victims?" Jiang Jin gently patted Lou Xuan's back.
"His Majesty still has a voice in the court. As long as His Majesty does not oppose the aristocratic families, he will not necessarily hold a grudge against an exception like me."
“Ah Jin…” Lou Xuan didn’t know what else to say, so he just smiled and nodded, “As long as you keep going, the road ahead will be wide open.”
"Your Highness, please have someone keep an eye on the Wang family. I'm afraid they might resort to some underhanded tactics." Jiang Jin had a feeling that the Wang family wouldn't let this go easily. They might not dare to assassinate someone in the capital, but they always had ways to make things difficult for others.
"Don't worry, from the day you entered Bianzhou, our people have been keeping an eye on the Wang family. The Wang family doesn't have any real military power, they just have secret guards and assassins."
Lou Xuan's face was cold. With Wang Juesong's death, the Wang family head sensed something was amiss, but he dared not voice our desire to protect him. If someone willing to sacrifice everything for the family were to take his place, things would get complicated.
“I believe His Majesty will appoint me to the Censorate tomorrow. Firstly, the Censorate is staffed by His Majesty's trusted advisors, and secondly, it would allow me to legitimately oversee all officials. His Majesty certainly knows about the events in Beizhou and Sangzhou; he's just waiting for the right opportunity.” Jiang Jin suddenly pulled Lou Xuan behind the window, and through the crack, they saw a group of people riding away.
“I saw the Wang family members; they were riding horses along the long street, seemingly heading out of the city.”
"My second sister is holding a summer banquet at the royal villa outside the city today. She's married into the Wang family, so naturally, they'll have to give her some face." Lou Xuan closed the window tightly, leaving no gaps.
"Ignore them. A bunch of scions hiding under the shadow of their families are nothing to fear." Lou Xuan didn't take the matter to heart at all.
"When Father Emperor gave my second sister two choices, one was a spoiled brat from the Wang family, and the other was a poor boy from a humble family whom Father Emperor had personally promoted. My second sister chose the Wang family herself. If something happens to the Wang family, it will definitely implicate her."
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