Control
Yin Banluo rushed out of the cell, accompanied by a personal maid, a guard, and the hunched county magistrate. Behind him came waves of pleading.
Three days ago, Yin Banluo met with two temple officials appointed by Empress Chen Yun. As they worked together to sort out and collect evidence, they quickly discovered that a simple bribery of the empress had escalated into a massive corruption case, tracing back from the county magistrate to the twenty-four departments under the six ministries of the imperial court.
As mentioned earlier, to maintain a balanced social order between the upper and lower classes, Empress Chen Yun, residing in the capital, allowed Yin Banluo's stalling tactics, but also sought to curb the extent of corruption among these officials through both sweets and whips. Therefore, she issued an imperial decree, citing the investigation of corruption in Le'an Town as an excuse to punish those responsible. At the same time, she reiterated the prohibition against bribery.
When Yin Banluo and the county magistrate walked out of the yamen gate, Yin Shoushi came up to them with hurried steps and a puzzled look.
"Luo'er, why don't you release the others as well? It shouldn't be difficult given your status."
"Dad, the temple officials are here now. They've saved everyone they can."
The county magistrate quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and said anxiously, "Empress Defei, if one thing moves, the whole body will be affected. If those people in the noble family and the marquisate are not doing well, we cannot be immune either!"
Yin Banluo put his hands on his hips, leaned slightly towards the county magistrate, and said, "How about... you all go out to embezzle money with a mission?"
The county magistrate was immediately anxious when he heard this. "How did you know?" At this moment, the county magistrate remembered that Yin Banluo had been accepting his courtesy and chatting with him without reservation for many days. It turned out that everything was under her control.
Master Yin also realized that something was amiss. Thinking of his daughter's maidservant frequently entering and leaving the county magistrate's residence, he approached with a hint of mystery, lowering his voice and asking, "Luo'er, do you have a spy here?"
"That's the Queen's Anbu." Then Yin Banluo took out a pile of papers from his waist and threw them into the air. These papers fell from the sky like snowflakes and slowly landed on the ground.
"The county magistrate is fully aware of what you did. Just like these evidences, I spared his life in the hope that others would learn from it."
The county magistrate quickly said, "Your Majesty, please think twice. There are some things that the harem cannot know. The officialdom is treacherous and people are treacherous."
Master Yin stepped forward and tightly grasped Yin Banluo's arms. "You can't be so foolish! Concubine Yan's father, Yan Buyang, was too kind. That's why his body has been frozen for nine feet, and some people have pinned the blame on him. I, your father, don't want to be framed!"
"What happened to Concubine Yan Xian?" To Yin Banluo, all four concubines were enemies. Even the best of relationships had to be guarded against. She was interested in learning more. "Dad, tell me more about this."
Zhen Yin also performed the same task.
Zhen Yin, posing as Consort Yang, infiltrated the Ministry of Warehouses, the Ministry of Warehouses, and the Ministry of Agriculture. She gave them silver in the name of friendship and learned a lot of important information and evidence about Le'an Town.
After collecting the good news, Zhen Yin asked the guards to secretly take it to the residences of the Minister of War, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the Vice Minister of Works early in the morning.
At noon, the Minister of War, the Vice Minister of Works, and the Vice Minister of Revenue came to the gate to greet the emperor. However, Zhen Yin had already placed a low chair behind the door, sitting alone on it and refusing to let the three in. She sat there in a gorgeous palace dress, with nothing around her except the sunlight filtering through the crack in the door, which made her look particularly dignified.
"Please return, the three of you. After all, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. It is also difficult for the concubines to deal with your problems."
The Minister of War said, "Shufei, I am willing to protect several ministers with my own life. Although they are greedy, they are capable and can get things done. Qiankun State needs such talents right now. I hope Shufei will reconsider."
Zhen Yin frowned slightly, pretending to be helpless as she fiddled with the sachet on her collar and said, "Alas, what virtue and ability do I have? I dare not overstep the authority of Your Majesty, the position of Empress."
The Minister of Revenue said, "Shufei, there is a descendant of the Yang family among them! He is your uncle. He saved you in the past, so at least he should be considerate of you. This will prevent you from being laughed at by the civil and military officials in the future."
"Ah? She has such connections in the court? But it won't affect my plans."
Thinking of this, Zhen Yin deliberately lost her temper and said, "Speaking of this, it's even more infuriating! I am the daughter of Emperor Yang Shang of the previous dynasty. Now you are bringing up the past again. What are you trying to do? You have been constantly soliciting money by using the canal built by the previous dynasty, and now you are threatening the previous dynasty with the excuse? The world is peaceful now, are you trying to provoke another war?"
The shadows outside quickly knelt. The Minister of War explained, "Please calm your anger, Concubine Shu! We have no intention of rebelling! We are wholeheartedly loyal to Your Majesty!"
"Loyalty or murder? Tell me! Shortly after your majesty was registered, he resolved numerous civil unrests, quelled the flames of war, and comforted the families of those killed on the battlefield. Yet you are greedy! Could it be that someone below you is setting you up?"
The Minister of Works quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I have already investigated the officials below. We will present the evidence of corruption today! Please speak well of us to Your Majesty, and please understand that we have no intention of putting you in any wrongdoing. We are simply trying to fulfill our duties and achieve our goals."
Zhen Yin smiled slightly, her plan had been successfully completed. But even though the matter came to an end, an uninvited guest came to the door.
"How is it unjust to frame my beloved concubine?"
It was Li Lin's voice. Zhen Yin hurriedly put on her veil, but the emperor dismissed them and walked in directly through the door.
"What is the matter, Your Majesty?"
"I was just outside and was deeply touched by my beloved concubine. I didn't expect you to be so considerate of me."
Zhen Yin tilted her head to one side and said disdainfully, "There's no one here, please keep yourself clean."
Li Lin walked over slowly and held Zhen Yin's hands with both hands.
"But you just thought a lot about me. You acted as..." Li Lin slowly pulled down Zhen Yin's veil, "my good concubine."
Zhen Yin was furious and grabbed Li Lin by the neck, saying, "Let's die together! You are not allowed to humiliate me!"
"You cooperated because you wanted to escape my control as quickly as possible. I understand. But if I want to go back on my word, what will become of your innocence? What about my brother's daughter?"
Zhen Yin, tears welling in her eyes, gritted her teeth and said, "If we're forced into a desperate situation, why not burn ourselves together?"
"Zhen Yin, my brother is forcing me, and you are also an accomplice!"
Zhen Yin shouted at the top of her lungs, "I'm not!"
Zhen Yin's personal maid outside wanted to go in, but Chen Yun was already there. She pointed at the maid to stop her from entering. Although the maid was worried, she had to step back and give up.
Li Lin, who was inside, was even more furious. He pulled down Zhen Yin's collar and said, "Although you weren't there when I was poisoned, you were also involved. Your family prayed to the gods, but you were secretly doing something that was against the will of heaven and earth. That's your retribution!"
"That's because you have the desire to be emperor! The Emperor saw through your ambitions from the very beginning!"
Li Lin leaned in close to Zhen Yin, who immediately pulled out her hairpin, but he pressed it down with his hand, while simultaneously pushing his foot up the hem of her skirt. The ambiguous intimacy was self-evident.
"My beloved, your father, Duke Ni, doesn't think so. He personally met with me, praised me, and pledged his loyalty to the Qiankun Kingdom. He is willing to donate half of his wealth and you to ensure the safety of you and your descendants."
Zhen Yin's eyes suddenly became dazed, and she realized that her father was not abandoning her, but protecting her.
Seeing Zhen Yin soften, Li Lin smiled evilly and moved aside.
"Forget it, it's not fun. But Zhenyin, the Queen did a great job in what she arranged, thank you. But one thing is for sure, you have a special status, I can't let you leave the palace. But I will definitely not force you to do anything. I will find a reason to make Concubine Yang disappear for a while. Then I will go back to the Changlemen Villa to recuperate and live my life as Zhenyin again."
Zhen Yin stood up again and straightened her clothes.
"Huh? So this was all the Queen's plan? So... the Queen will eventually destroy your throne. And you're still pretending to be nice?"
After hearing Zhen Yin's plan to sow discord, Li Lin knew that Chen Yin was indeed capable of doing it, but he didn't really care.
"The Queen taught me to be good at listening to advice. If I really can't do it, I will definitely not give her any advice." Then she touched her chin with a doting and silly smile: "But if Yun'er can become the emperor, it might be a wonderful thing. She is quite cute when she is serious."
The people outside the door couldn't help but laugh when they heard it, and the person involved, Chen Ying, looked away awkwardly.
Li Lin in the room reacted, looked at Zhen Yin, and then left awkwardly.
Zhen Yin clenched her fists, lowered her head, and muttered to herself, "Chen Yun, you are so enviable. Why do you have such a status? Why are you so loved by your husband? Why was your status perfectly reversed in the palace? Why were you able to obtain the knowledge of the Yuantian Sect? Oh, even Jiancheng had feelings for you back then."
After saying this, her fists tightened even more. Zhen Yin stared at the last yellow leaf on the dead branch outside the window, her fingertips twisting the silk handkerchief into fine folds. Suddenly, she heard the laughter of men and women in the distance. Her fingertips had already sunk into the clothes. And the yellow leaf actually fell in the cold wind.
At this time, the palace maid walked into the bedroom, hugged Zhen Yin and said, "My lady, you are the one I have taken care of since I came from the Eastern Palace. I know you are jealous. The position of Queen should have been yours. Since you want it, why don't you fight for it?"
Zhen Yin immediately pushed the palace maid away, her eyes full of fear.
"Don't say any more! If you continue, I'm afraid I will really become a sinner for all eternity."
Then Zhen Yin put her hands together and began to recite scriptures.
Li Lin and Chen Yun walked out of the door and walked on the road to the palace.
Although winter has arrived, the green leaves and trees in the palace are still lush.
A slight chill breeze blew through the heavy clothing. Li Lin held Chen Yun's hand.
"Does the Queen feel the coldness?"
"The winter solstice has passed, and snow is about to fall. But it won't be as warm as the love someone has for their sister-in-law."
Li Lin gently nudged Chen Yun with his body: "My heart is with you. Others can't borrow it."
"Tsk, listen to you. What's going on in Tufan Country?"
"Well, thankfully things are settled. You actually gave me a big surprise. Concubine Yang Shu also received my threat, just as you requested. I wonder what all this was all about?"
Chen Yun raised the corners of his mouth slightly, then raised his head, looked at the blue sky and sighed.
"Ah. I just did something I didn't like. I took advantage of Concubine Yin De and Concubine Yang. You know, I disdain it but I don't want to cause trouble."
"So how can you uncover a major corruption case while you're trying to eliminate the people who bribed you?"
Chen Yun raised a thumb and said to Li Lin, "First of all, Your Majesty did me a great favor in the first place. If I hadn't used my status as Consort Yang Shu to curry favor with the Yin family, making them mistakenly believe they were being protected, it wouldn't have been possible."
"Why did you let me come here this time to listen to Concubine Yang scold the officials?"
"I want to use Concubine Yin De to uncover clues of corruption. Think about it, any one of these crimes would be enough to punish the corrupt officials. How could they not learn their lesson? And since Concubine Yang Shu was able to stay in the Eastern Palace without being criticized, she proves she has her own strengths. That's why I want you to witness this fake concubine toying with the corrupt officials."
Li Lin sneered and said, "In my opinion, the most fundamental reason is that Concubine Yang Shu had to prove her innocence to Duke Ni, so she was used by you. If she can't prove it, she will be incorrigible for the rest of her life. She must complete your mission. Therefore, indirectly forced the Xingyang Zhen family to declare their loyalty to me."
"I dare not. Although the Zhen family is no match for Your Majesty, they would be a lot of trouble if they caused trouble. But Your Majesty, if you were not interested in that person and acted like that, how could I have been so successful? How could the Duke of Ni have surrendered to you so easily?"
Nanny Ming and Eunuch Lin beside them looked at each other awkwardly after hearing the implied meaning of what the two said.
Isn't it just that as a wife, I don't like you looking for a sister-in-law. As a husband, I don't like you being so scheming.
"What about Concubine Yin De? How can you make her work hard for you?"
Chen Yun and Li Lin came to a pavilion and sat down. Chen Yun glanced at Li Lin with a knowing smile, then lifted his hair and looked into the distance.
"Think about it, a criminal has been pardoned and accepted into an official position. Who wouldn't want to stay like this for a long time? So, she must behave well. I spoke to her in vague terms, letting her create her own story. She had no choice but to comply with the arrangement."
"What if she doesn't?"
"No one would take a riddle from an important person lightly. I am the mother of a country. I can't just order a thorough investigation of bribery of the Queen. So she must investigate it carefully. Moreover, I sent an Anbu to accompany her. Wouldn't she still take it seriously and be suspicious?"
"And she has to curry favor with you. Because you are the heir of the Yuantian Sect, right? Haha! The Queen is truly a talent!"
Chen Yun pointed into the distance and said, "Your Majesty, isn't the scenery in the harem beautiful?" Then he leaned over and asked meaningfully, "Which one is more beautiful, the one in the harem or the one in Zhen Yin's?"
Li Lin tapped Chen Yun's shoulder gently. "Stop being noisy. Has your breathing been rough again recently? Did the imperial physician prescribe any medicine for you?"
Chen Yun looked at Li Lin, feeling touched and happy. He thought to himself, "He must want me to sleep with him. My health is too poor. If I were to vent all my emotions, my body would collapse sooner or later. But I can't bring myself to hurt him."
"Your Majesty, I've had a respiratory ailment since I met you. There's no panacea for it yet. Your Majesty, I'm not in charge of the affairs of the former court, but I have to attend to the affairs of the harem. My body is weak, and I can't offer you much comfort. I hope you'll accept the harem's advice and care for the concubines as much as you care for me."
"But you're no match for them! How can I be happy? You're my most beloved wife, and Brother Feng is both my brother and my friend. He's shouldered so many responsibilities for me, and he's always defended me. The family traditions taught by my father-in-law are no worse than those of some aristocratic families. But I've been blessed for three lifetimes."
Chen Ying couldn't stop smiling.
"Well, you're quite good at talking. Well, let me ask you first. How will Your Majesty deal with Zhen Yin and Yang Li?"
"I will not take them as concubines unless they take the initiative. The rest of the time, they must be placed in the palace's other courtyards and not allowed to leave for the rest of their lives, even if they were promised to Yang Li."
It seemed Li Lin hadn't considered any other options. The two sat in silence in the pavilion, feeling awkward. Chen Yun used water to separate them.
"Where water flies, where water brings life. Water irrigates everything, bringing life to everything. By the way, Emperor Yang Shang's palace along the canal is dilapidated, and the canal itself has problems. I suggest adjusting and utilizing it. Don't let it go to waste. Because that canal can stimulate the economies of both north and south."
"Detail your suggestions."
Chen Yun stood up, picked a leaf from the surrounding area, and then came to the position to form a trapezoid.
"I suggest using this shape to build a dam across the river that can be opened and closed. We can also create something called a gear to move a very heavy door. This will help regulate floods and droughts in the south."
Li Lin asked curiously, "What are gears? Why can they move heavy objects?"
"A gear is a circular metal object with bumps and grooves connected in a circle. Because the large gear has a larger radius, even if the force applied by the small gear is very small, it can still generate significant torque, making it easy to lift heavy objects. In other words, through a specific mechanical structure, the small gear, the input force is amplified to obtain a larger indirect output force, which is the large gear."
Li Lin hesitated for a moment before slowly responding, "Torque? Hmm... I don't quite understand, but if it can achieve twice the result with half the effort, of course I strongly support it."
"One more thing, have you found any clues about General Yan?"
Li Lin leaned back slightly and said in a long and stern voice, "This! The Queen will have to step in! Concubine Yan Xian's former lover turned out to be the fifth sister! Concubine Wei even brought Xuanyuan Haonan into the harem to confront her! I hope Concubine Yin De can dig out someone related to General Yan."
"Ah?" Chen Ying stood up in surprise.
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