Chapter 285: The Famous Scene of a Reborn Minister's Secret Exposed (Part 2)
[Rebirth].
The magical yet familiar words surfaced in Qi Chengming's blank mind at lightning speed.
...Were those people, those ministers who supported him, all reborn?!
Qi Chengming suddenly understood; he had never considered such a possibility.
Since he transmigrated into the book with the system, his only worry has been whether there are other transmigrators in the book, and whether the original male protagonist will still use his abilities and luck to drive him to his death...
But now, thanks to Xie Zhongyun's vague descriptions, the suspicious scenes that Qi Chengming couldn't understand before all have answers and speculations.
No wonder those people... were always so suspicious. No wonder even the most loyal and supportive officials seemed to harbor some secret. That unspoken secret was kept from him alone. He had secretly been on guard, but his defenses had crumbled, leaving him utterly perplexed...
So, just how many people are suspected of being reborn?!
Mr. Qin's initiative to join them, the unexpected arrival of Doctor Bian, the transfer of Prefect Mu, the appearance of Prefect Lu, Li Banhui's overtures, and... Wen Er.
No, not only that.
Qi Chengming felt a wave of confusion wash over him, utterly absurd. He swayed slightly and looked at Xiao Chengzi and Cui Anshi.
Actually, since he transmigrated, the people who understand him best are not Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, who were with him from the very beginning, but... Song Gu, Wen Er, and He Dajia.
One of them understood his values, one understood his loneliness, and one understood his technological philosophy.
Could these three also be reincarnated individuals?
"……His Majesty?"
Cui Anshi and Xiao Chengzi watched with concern as His Majesty's expression shifted and became increasingly serious. They stared intently at his complex gaze, not daring to utter a single word, remaining helplessly still.
"—You all step back first, let me have some peace and quiet." Qi Chengming raised his hand to stop them, then continued to sit on the bed, clutching the few pieces of paper, trying to sort out his thoughts.
Qi Chengming was left alone in the main hall.
The clean floor tiles reflected the faint sunlight filtering through the eaves of the houses outside. Birds chirped and twittered among the trees, seemingly carefree. The morning air was fresh. If one were to step out along the main road of the palace, one could see a vibrant and bustling ancient city of Luoyang…
It all felt so real, including these absurd letters in my hand.
Qi Chengming took a deep breath.
Xie Zhongyun had at least said that there were quite a few reborn people, so he didn't need to worry about the specific candidates right now. What he needed to figure out first was…
What were the circumstances of those reborn officials in their previous lives?
First, Qi Chengming hurriedly recalled for a long time.
In the original story, most of the important civil and military officials and supporting characters, whether from the early or later stages, are now around him and familiar with him in this life, while the remaining few are still in their respective positions. However, ministers who are involved in villainous scenes, such as the Third Prince's family and the First Prince's family, have completely disappeared.
In other words, these reborn individuals are not from the original storyline, otherwise, their most likely task would be to eliminate themselves as a variable for the original male protagonist, the seventh prince, who was about to ascend the throne. Or perhaps they are ministers of their own faction, using their rebirth as an opportunity to eliminate dissidents, which is why other factions have no reborn individuals and are unable to rise to prominence?
Qi Chengming broke out in a cold sweat at the thought.
...Unconsciously, how many dangers did he brush past?
If even one reborn individual who is not loyal to him appears, his life and future are completely ruined!
The current Qi Chengming is no longer the carefree 'transmigrator' he was when he first transmigrated.
"Calm down, Qi Chengming." The young king stood up, rubbing his throbbing temples, and pressed the now-cold towel against his face for a while, murmuring to himself to calm himself. Upon suddenly receiving such shocking news, Qi Chengming couldn't help but lose his composure, momentarily startled by his own words.
"Think about it carefully...think about it carefully."
Qi Chengming put down the soft towel and began to pace barefoot back and forth on the floor tiles of the main hall.
Actually, I was just overthinking it.
Since he transmigrated into the book, he had been paying close attention to the changes and reshuffles in the court. There had never been any large-scale or frequent changes, no unexplained losses, or obvious factional struggles. Therefore, his suspicion that "reborn ministers from different prince factions were scheming against each other and fighting each other in secret" did not exist.
There's no other reason to explain why all the named and supporting characters in the entire book ended up under his command, reborn and joining him, except for one reason—
Qi Chengming had a bold idea.
He summoned his infrastructure system and quietly gazed at the semi-transparent, blue-black, technologically advanced frame.
"System, will you reward me for anything I want?" Qi Chengming asked calmly, his tone tense and suppressed. "I want to return to the modern world where I originally lived after I have governed Dingguo well."
The system remained silent as always. Qi Chengming made another wish: "I still want to... make up for my regrets. If I can't make the world a better place on my own, can you do more? Can you help me?"
The system remains unchanged.
Qi Chengming had no regrets and put the system away with peace of mind.
He now suspects that the reborn ministers all came from his previous life when he became emperor!
...
Song Gu had just gotten up when a trusted eunuch came to report that Eunuch Cheng had invited him over to discuss something.
"...A secret letter from the Jiangnan Salt Administration?" Song Gu's mind was filled with countless thoughts. As he hurried on his way there, he imagined many dangerous situations, which he then repeatedly rejected.
Even if the salt tax in Jiangnan suffers a major setback, His Majesty wouldn't be so unusual as to dismiss his attendants and ponder it alone, would he?
In his previous life, Lord Xie was a remarkable figure. He worked with the new emperor to suppress the various regions of Jiangnan. In this life, he has already made connections with them early on. What could have happened to him?
Because of this understanding, Song Gu was more worried about the new emperor's unusual attitude than about Jiangnan.
But soon, the young emperor met him and, together with Eunuch Cheng and Eunuch De, went to the Zichen Palace. He also summoned Mr. Qin and his study companion Chu Hong, and, as usual, held a small meeting to discuss the matter.
"Imperial Censor Xie from Jiangnan has sent a secret letter. Those powerful families have become restless again. Losing the profits from salt and tea is like cutting off most of their lifeline. In their final desperate counterattack, they forced Imperial Censor Xie to ask for help." Emperor Taiyuan sat by the window, with the others sitting around in soft chairs. He dropped this news as soon as he opened his mouth.
Song Gu recalled the aftermath of his previous life and felt somewhat at ease.
With the new emperor's arrangements and control in place, this was probably the last counterattack by those powerful families in Jiangnan regarding the salt trade. It seemed to have been resolved satisfactorily, but vigilance was still necessary until the issue was fully resolved. After gathering his thoughts, he glanced at Qin Liusong before carefully speaking:
"Lord Xie is in such a dangerous situation that they must have been driven to the brink of despair. Lord Xie probably desperately needs help to search for evidence."
No matter how diligent Qin Liusong was in his previous life, he had never participated in politics in the palace and was unclear about many things. Now that Chief Eunuch Song had given him a clear answer, he understood and calmly suggested, "I recommend Commander Qi. He has become much more composed recently."
This refers to Qi Jiyun, who was a tutor.
After he led the team to deal with the imperial clan in Chang'an last time, he traveled back and forth between several places and was visibly more capable of handling things—he is a general from the imperial clan who is approachable and trustworthy.
"Then it's him. Chu Hong, you go and see Gu Yilu too." Qi Chengming said the last part of his sentence to the lecturer next to him who was taking notes.
"...Yes!" Chu Hong put down his brush, surprised and delighted, eager to try.
As fellow students of the new emperor, Chu Hong envied Qi Jiyun's meteoric rise in official rank, but Qi had chosen the path of a military general, while he, a civil official, could only obediently serve as a trusted confidant in the Hanlin Academy, accumulating seniority. He never expected His Majesty to suddenly entrust him with such an important task!
"I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's high expectations," Chu Hong solemnly bowed and promised again.
Qi Chengming nodded without changing his expression, and had the several Grand Secretaries summoned to the palace brought in, so they could continue with the next matter of discussion...
"..." Song Gu looked up with a keen sense of unease, glanced at the new emperor, and then suppressed the thoughts in his heart.
For some reason, he felt that the new emperor's mood was off today...
Let's find out more later.
...
After a full day of meetings, it was time for dinner. Qi Chengming didn't ask anyone to stay. He quietly ordered a simple "cold silver strips" and "braised noodles" and sat in the Zichen Palace in a daze.
He has made up his mind.
Not only Mr. Qin, but also Grand Secretary Mu, Grand Tutor Wu, and even the chief steward of the princely mansion who was initially assigned to him—Song Gu—were reborn.
In that letter, Xie Zhongyun only briefly mentioned the progress of the salt-related tasks, stating that he could overcome the current predicament. However, if troops were sent to assist him, the situation would be much easier to manage.
Qi Chengming used this as an excuse to test everyone. He observed everyone quietly and meticulously, as if he were in another dimension.
Then I noticed some details that I hadn't seen before.
Qi Chengming suddenly remembered some past events, and he began to recall everyone he had encountered after his transmigration.
My cousin...
Is he my cousin? Is he my maternal grandparents? Is he my male cousin?
Qi Chengming was mostly uncertain, but he also began to have doubts about his cousin Wang Shuo.
Qi Chengming remembered that the opportunity he had gained by finding his cousin Yang Shou was because his younger cousin Wang Shuo casually mentioned in a letter that he wanted to eat local plums. If it weren't for his interest in those dried fruits, Qi Chengming would never have had the chance to get to know his cousin's family, who were suffering from amnesia and oppression!
Is that Liu the wet nurse?
She traveled all the way from the capital to Liuzhou to seek refuge with him, and knew so many secrets; it all seemed suspicious… But Qi Chengming categorized Liu's wet nurse among those he couldn't be sure about. If the wet nurse had known earlier, how could she have avoided so many deadly situations? Or rather, she could have told Qi Chengming about the past she remembered much earlier.
This raises another question: when were the reborn officials reborn?
Qi Chengming was frighteningly calm at this moment.
Alone in the main hall, he ground ink and laid out paper, listing all the people around him he suspected. After their names, he added the time when each person met Qi Chengming, and then the time when they were suspected of being reborn...
With a flourish of the brush, the more I write, the more I produce.
Qi Chengming slammed down his pen, barely able to contain himself: "...Just how many people around me aren't reincarnated?!"
There are too many suspicious people! Qi Chengming has no evidence, but now he sees everyone as a reincarnation!
Instead of guessing, it's better to ask directly.
Qi Chengming crumpled the paper into a ball and burned it openly over the candle flame. Soon after, guards hurriedly came out to clean up the mess.
Qi Chengming glanced at the official duties he needed to handle recently—not too many, just enough.
Let's set it for five days from now.
We must confront them, we absolutely must confront them!
Qi Chengming, driven by a wicked sense of humor, didn't want to confront them directly. Instead, he wanted to observe their actions from the shadows, giving himself five days. However, as the Emperor of Dingguo, it was best for him and his ministers to expose this uncontrollable force; it would be better for both himself and his subjects.
Qi Chengming is now very curious about what happened in his past life and what the future holds.
He was no exception.
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Author's Note: Being bedridden during my period is painful, but I feel much healthier than usual. Continuing with this story...
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