As she spoke, Consort Zheng's eyes revealed a kind of charm, alluring and passionate, much like the apricot blossoms swaying in the wind atop the Forbidden City walls.
"Zheng Hong is the Imperial Concubine's own brother. Is Your Highness willing to just let it go like this?" Song Yue asked.
“What’s the use of asking for an explanation now that he’s dead? Actually, he was a useless person in life, unambitious, spending his days taking drugs and frequenting brothels. A great man should cultivate himself, manage his family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world, but he was of no use to his family, the country, the society, or the people. As his sister, I am ashamed for him.” She paused, then smiled gently. “But I never expected that after his death, he would have some value, allowing you to come to my side.”
Song Yue glanced at her indifferently, remaining silent. She showed him no useless affection for her newly deceased younger brother; instead, her first thought was to use it as leverage. This woman was far more cunning and cold-blooded than he had imagined.
As the clouds parted and the moon appeared, its soft light spilled into the alley, casting long shadows.
"Didn't you already have Xu Yan as your backer?" He looked up at her. "Why did you come looking for me?"
“Power, like money, is something no one can ever have too much of. Besides, Xu Yan is too old; he might suddenly pass away one day. His son, though somewhat clever and quick-witted, is still too young. Looking across the court, among those who can cooperate with me, you are naturally the best.” She smiled.
What makes you think I would cooperate with you?
"Because I understand you." She smiled, her eyes sparkling.
"You are a man of extraordinary talent and ambition. You want to clean up the bureaucracy, reform the government, and change this chaotic world. You want to burn away the rotten and establish the new, restoring the Ming Dynasty to a peaceful and prosperous era. You want to create a new political system, revitalize the court, and save the people from suffering. With your abilities, this chaotic world is the perfect time for you to display your talents and achieve great things."
"Unfortunately, Xu Yan holds the position of Grand Secretary, and you do not have the power of a prime minister, so you cannot do these things. Now, you are doing your best, working day and night, but you can only postpone the time when this country will perish. You cannot turn the tide, and you can only watch helplessly as the people struggle."
In the darkness of the night, her voice was clear and bright, with a slightly lowered, magnetic quality.
Song Yue's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"Do you know that although I was born a woman, I am also a member of the royal family, and I cannot bear to see the world become like this, nor can I bear to see the Ming Dynasty become like this. I really like what Shen Qingchen said."
She raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze falling on his handsome yet indifferent face, and stared at him as she said, "Song Yue, I promise you, as long as you help my son ascend the throne, the position of Grand Secretary will be yours."
"At that time, you will be the most powerful person in the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty, with its two capitals and thirteen provinces, second only to the emperor. You will be in charge of the court. I believe that with your abilities, you will become a prime minister for all time and be remembered in history."
As soon as he finished speaking, the alley fell silent. A gust of wind blew in from the alley entrance, ruffling Song Yue's cloak.
The ram's horn lamp swayed gently, casting shimmering light and shadow on Consort Zheng's exquisite and radiant face.
Song Yue looked at her and asked calmly, "You want me to join you so that after your son ascends the throne, you can use me to get rid of Xu Yan and make me the Grand Secretary?"
“I know this makes me seem heartless, but I’m not such a heartless person. But as you know, Xu Yan is no longer suitable to be the Grand Secretary. If he continues to hold the power of the prime minister, the Ming Dynasty will not prosper.” She shook her head and sighed softly. “I don’t want to see that happen. I will not let him destroy the empire my son has built.”
"The rabbit is killed once the hunt is over. To you, what difference is there between me in the future and Xu Yan today?" He slightly raised his chin and looked down at her.
Consort Zheng smiled slightly, "You're so smart, how could you not know that in my heart you and he are naturally different?"
After she finished laughing, she said seriously, "Song Yue, I know you are a proud man. In your life, you have probably never been threatened or tempted by anyone, nor have you ever negotiated with a woman. But you should understand that in this court, there is no distinction between justice and evil, only between those with power and those without. So I won't speak any high-sounding words. I'll just make a simple truth clear to you: as long as we join forces, we can create a new order for the Ming Dynasty and give the people a peaceful, prosperous, and well-fed country. This is your wish. Don't you want to realize it as soon as possible?"
“I’m not afraid you’ll tell Xu Yan what I’m saying today, because he won’t believe you. Back then, I had no one to rely on but him. I had to ask him to help me get the Emperor’s favor. So in his eyes, I was just a concubine who was temporarily favored, only good at seducing the monarch, just his tool. But he doesn’t know that he was also my tool.”
“In the court, there are no permanent allies or permanent enemies; you know this better than I do.”
After saying that, she reached out and gently pressed his shoulder. "Promise me you'll think it over carefully, okay?"
Song Yue turned slightly to the side, letting her hand fall down.
"It's so cold today, you should go back now." She smiled nonchalantly and took off the jade bracelet from her wrist. "Here, take this. If you want to see me, just give this to someone in my palace, and I will contact you."
I'll wait for your reply. Don't think about it for too long.
After Consort Zheng left, Song Yue returned to his carriage.
He was about to get into the car when he lowered his hand, which was about to lift the curtain, and let it hang down at his side.
Seeing this, the coachman simply asked, "Is there anything else, sir?"
Song Yue shook his head. "It's okay. I want to walk back, so I won't take a car."
"My lord rushed back to the capital last night, and must not have rested at all. It's cold now, and walking back might harm his health..."
"Get a little cooler, sober up," he said. "You should drive back first."
"Sir, I'll follow behind you. If you change your mind and want to ride in the carriage, you can get on anytime."
Song Yue shook his head. "No need. There's only one path. Once the course is decided, it won't be changed, and it can't be changed anyway. You should go back now."
After the carriage left, Song Yue walked alone in the cold night.
The sky was dark, the moonlight was very faint, and candlelight occasionally shone from the houses on both sides of the street, barely illuminating his path. A cold wind swept past the shop signs and the hem of his robe, and made the tender leaves that had just sprouted new buds on the trees tremble.
Zhu Rui and Consort Zheng's words kept echoing in his ears.
One said, "If you can't get it done, there will be no place for you in the cabinet."
One said, "If you are willing to help me, I will make you the prime minister."
No scholar didn't want to be the Grand Secretary, just as no soldier didn't want to be a general; he was no exception.
The significance of this position is extraordinary. The difference between a chief minister and a deputy chief minister is like heaven and earth. Consort Zheng understood this very clearly, and her words just now were quite insightful.
But there are still many things she doesn't know.
More than 20 years ago, Xu Yan was a fourth-rank official in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office. He privately sold salt permits and embezzled salt taxes, reaping huge profits from it. At the same time, Song Yue's biological father and his classmate were also working in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office. One was a seventh-rank official, and the other was an eighth-rank official. They were both young and low-ranking officials.
By chance, Xu Yan's corruption was discovered by Song Yue's father's classmate, who then told Song Yue's father.
Song Yue's father was a man of integrity, and naturally could not turn a blind eye to such behavior. At that time, he discussed with his classmates, and the two secretly collected evidence of Xu Yan's embezzlement and corruption. After more than a year, they actually uncovered quite a few problems.
With the evidence in hand, the next step is to root out the bad apples and impeach Xu Yan.
Although both officials in the Salt Transport Office were young men in their twenties, they knew that this was a matter that could cost them their heads.
Because Xu Yan had already colluded with cabinet officials and wielded considerable power with the backing of powerful figures, his position was a crucial link in a top-down secret chain of interests, involving everyone from the Grand Secretaries to local governors and prefects. If something happened to Xu Yan, this link would implicate many others.
The two of them were insignificant, their voices carrying little weight. Before those who held great power, they were nothing more than two specks of dust, who could make them vanish without a trace with a mere breath.
Since there was a possibility of losing their heads, they had no choice but to choose one person to impeach Xu Yan. The two quickly reached an agreement: whoever submitted the memorial would have to take care of the other's family if something went wrong.
The only remaining question, and the most difficult one, is who should submit the memorial to the emperor.
No one is unafraid of death, but faced with the fate of the nation, the people, and their unwavering friendship, these two young officials were eager to die for their country.
At that time, their hearts were filled with righteous indignation, and they felt no fear in the face of power. In the flickering candlelight, in the gazes they exchanged, they saw each other's resolve, yet neither was willing to let the other take the risk, so they argued all night. It wasn't until dawn that they determined a winner and finally decided who would submit the memorial.
That person was Song Yue's father.
"From the perspective of a wise person, life and death are but a matter of course. Why be happy about life and sad about death? Life lasts for 36,000 days, how difficult it is, while death lasts only one day, how easy it is. Since you are my classmate and friend, please allow me to be a little selfish and choose the easier path."
In this debate where losing is winning and winning is losing, he "won" and gained the right to die through this very statement.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, an egg cannot break a rock.
Before Song Yue's father could submit his impeachment memorial to the late emperor, it was discovered and intercepted by Xu Yan's spies. This poignant declaration, a self-inflicted plea for death, failed to achieve its intended purpose of shaking Xu Yan's position; instead, it alarmed him. The late emperor deeply abhorred officials who embezzled public funds, causing Xu Yan to feel fear and panic. He then began to closely monitor the young man who dared to submit the impeachment memorial.
Soon after, under pressure from above, Xu Yan quickly took action. He had been the one embezzling salt taxes, but he cleverly framed Song Yue's father, making him a scapegoat and a criminal, who was imprisoned and tortured.
The dark hand of profit is everywhere; prison doors can only prevent people from leaving, but they can't stop others from wanting to enter. After three days of torture, Song Yue's father finally died tragically in prison.
But this still couldn't put Xu Yan at ease. And so, the story didn't end prematurely in a way that would be acceptable.
Xu Yan has not yet found the evidence mentioned in Song Yue's father's memorial, which poses a huge hidden danger.
On the night Song Yue's family placed his father's body in the coffin, they slept soundly due to the endless grief and exhaustion of the day, so much so that no one knew when Xu Yan sent someone to sneak into their house.
Several assassins, paid to kill, carried out a brutal massacre in Song Yue's home. To be stabbed in the throat in one's sleep was the luckiest way to die that night. Those who resisted upon waking often struggled desperately, their flesh mangled, but ultimately could not escape death.
That night, limbs were scattered all over the house, and blood covered the ground. This horrific scene became the root cause of Song Yue's hemophobia.
Later, what ended this all-night tragedy was an "accidental" fire. It was intended to destroy evidence of Xu Yan's embezzlement and to cover up the murder. It completely burned down Song Yue's house and charred the bodies of his loved ones.
That night, only Song Yue's mother managed to escape with him; the remaining dozen or so people all perished.
That year, Song Yue was six years old.
Later, Song Yue's father's classmate, who had lost the argument, and who is now Prefect Song, kept his promise and raised Song Yue as his own son.
Against this backdrop, Song Yue achieved second place in the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and entered the cabinet before the age of thirty. He was talented, but he also put in unimaginable effort.
For personal reasons, Xu Yan was his enemy; for public reasons, Xu Yan was a sinner against the Ming Dynasty. Back then, in his small body, the seeds of revenge for his family and the seeds of hope for a peaceful and prosperous world grew simultaneously, and finally, today, they have grown into a towering tree.
Countless people resented Xu Yan's absolute power and begged him to intervene. Little did they know that no one wanted Xu Yan to fall from grace and personally avenge their enemy more than he did. They also didn't know that when he worked with Xu Yan in the cabinet, he had to obey his orders and read his expressions, playing the role of an indifferent person focused solely on official duties, someone who knew when to advance and retreat. But in reality, his mind was filled with the face of his deceased father, and a fire burned in his heart that could never be extinguished.
Some see him as the spiritual leader to bring down Xu Yan, while others question his excessive caution and cowardice, which have delayed his actions. They fail to realize that while passion and courage are important, what's even more crucial is knowing how to control one's passion with reason and maintain courage amidst the relentless erosion of time.
Before he was certain of victory, he could only endure, silently accumulate strength to weaken the competition, and patiently wait for an opportunity. He proceeded steadily and cautiously, each step before entering the cabinet a testament to hard work and wise choices. This was his personality, and also the choice he had to make.
Qingchen once asked him why he practiced calligraphy with both hands, but he didn't answer her directly at the time.
Actually, he did it for no other reason than to ensure that, as long as he had a breath left, he would personally write up the memorial impeaching Xu Yan that his father had failed to complete and present it to the emperor.
Impeaching Xu Yan and bringing him to justice has been a long-cherished wish of two generations.
Hearing Consort Zheng's words today was probably the closest he had ever come to achieving his long-cherished wish.
...
The streets were deserted at night, yet not deserted at all, shrouded in mist, just like the imperial court today.
Song Yue kept walking forward, his black boots clicking on the stone path, his tall, upright figure facing the cold wind. His sleeves billowed in the wind, and his cloak fluttered behind him.
Turning a corner, he saw a person on the roadside. The person was ragged, thin, and huddled against the wall, hiding under the eaves of a wealthy family's house.
He walked over, took off his cloak, knelt down, and draped it over the man's shoulders. "Come to my house..."
Have a bowl of hot soup.
But he stopped halfway through his sentence. Because the man's eyes were closed, and he didn't react at all after a soft, warm cloak was placed over his body.
Song Yue found his hand in his dirty arms, and touched his thin, bamboo-like wrist with her fingertips. There was no pulse.
This man is dead. He was just one of the millions of people in the Ming Dynasty who starved and froze to death, never seeing the spring of the following year.
Song Yue faced him in silence for a moment, then stood up and continued walking forward.
He didn't retrieve his cloak, leaving it on the man. Even though the man no longer needed it.
The road ahead remains dark.
At the same time, Xu Silin was draping his cloak over Qingchen's shoulders.
Qingchen was about to say no need and take off the cloak behind her when Xu Silin pressed down on her shoulder, "Don't do this, it's just a cloak."
This time, it wasn't that Xu Shuchang wanted to see Lord Shen, but rather that Lord Shen found Xu Shuchang after his duty was over. Just as Xu Silin was about to get into the carriage to return to his residence, Qingchen called out to him from behind.
Xu Yan's letter inviting her to meet made her feel confused and nervous, so she had some questions she wanted to ask him.
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