Chapter 58 Bao Si (VI) Meeting
Three days later, in the early morning, before the mist had dissipated, Lin Jiaojiao took A'mo to Jingxin Garden on the west side of the palace.
She wore a light grey cloth skirt today, with only a simple wooden hairpin in her hair, deliberately reducing her eye-catching presence. The success of the meeting at Jingxin Garden was very important, and she didn't want to make Queen Shen more wary by appearing too conspicuous.
But even so, when the patrolling guards saw her passing by the palace, they subconsciously slowed down their pace and their eyes unconsciously fell on her.
The morning light shone on her through the mist, her light grey cloth skirt had a soft sheen, her black hair was blown by the wind, a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks, giving her a cool and gentle beauty.
The guards were stunned, and only came to their senses after Lin Jiaojiao walked away, and continued patrolling with red faces. Although they didn't know where Madam Si was going, they always felt that such a beautiful person would definitely not do anything bad.
"Zero, is the environmental scan of Jingxin Garden ready? Are there any abnormalities?" Lin Jiaojiao asked softly in her heart, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the paper in her sleeve - that was the key points of the "plan" she wrote late at night, which detailed how to ensure Ji Yijiu's safety, how to restrain the power of Shen Hou, and the preliminary conception of how to stabilize the government in the future.
"Scan complete. Three of Queen Shen's trusted guards are hiding in the bamboo forest outside Jingxin Garden. They're not carrying heavy weapons and pose no threat at this time." Ling's voice was reassuring. "Qingdai is also inside the garden. She's calm and not hostile. She probably genuinely wants to facilitate this meeting. Xiaotao is waiting under the willow trees outside the garden as planned. If anything unexpected happens, she'll send a signal immediately."
Lin Jiaojiao nodded, feeling a little relieved.
When they arrived at the gate of Jingxin Garden, Qingdai was already waiting. Seeing Lin Jiaojiao coming, she hurried forward, her tone respectful but with a bit of caution: "Madam Si, the queen is waiting for you in the pavilion in the garden, please follow me." As she spoke, her eyes fell on Lin Jiaojiao, and she couldn't help but be stunned. The calmness between the eyebrows of this Madam Si made Qingdai feel a bit of inexplicable trust in her heart.
In the pavilion of Jingxin Garden, Queen Shen was sitting on a stone bench, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in her hand. Two palace maids stood beside her with alert expressions.
Seeing Lin Jiaojiao come in, Queen Shen put down the bamboo slips and looked at her with a scrutinizing look in her eyes. However, she paused subconsciously the moment she saw her appearance. She had already known that Bao Si was extremely beautiful, but she had never expected that she could be so eye-catching even in plain clothes. No wonder King You of Zhou looked at her differently.
"Madam Si is indeed punctual." Queen Shen said in a cold tone, not rising to greet her. "Please sit down. If you have anything to say, please speak directly. Don't waste each other's time."
Lin Jiaojiao sat down on the stone bench opposite Queen Shen, and A'mo stood behind her, nervously clutching the corners of his clothes with both hands.
Lin Jiaojiao didn't rush to speak, but poured a cup of tea for Queen Shen first, her movements graceful and natural. "Queen, I invited you here today because I want to talk to you about the future of Master Ji Yijiu and the safety of the Western Zhou Dynasty."
When Ji Yijiu was mentioned, Queen Shen's eyes instantly became sharp. "What do you want to say? Yijiu is the crown prince. His future is naturally decided by the king and me. It is not the place for outsiders to interfere."
"Queen, you know full well that the king is now obsessed with pleasure and has long lost interest in state affairs." Lin Jiaojiao's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable strength. "Even more problematic is Lord Shen—though he's your father, he's incredibly ambitious, constantly seeking to control government under the guise of 'assisting his grandson.' I heard yesterday that he privately contacted several princes, saying he wanted to 'clear obstacles for the crown prince.' But whether this 'obstacle' is a favorite of the king or an attempt to undermine the crown prince, I'm afraid only he knows."
Queen Shen's face suddenly turned pale, and the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. What Lin Jiaojiao said was exactly what she was most worried about.
Since she married King You of Zhou, her father, Lord Shen, has been continuously expanding his power, under the pretext of "seeking welfare for the Jiang family." In fact, he had already exposed his ambition to control the government.
Some time ago, Marquis Shen even said to her privately, "When Yijiu succeeds to the throne, I will help you stabilize the government and prevent outsiders from bullying you and your son." However, the desire for control in his tone made Queen Shen shudder.
"You...how do you know all this?" Queen Shen's voice tightened and her eyes were full of panic. She had always kept this worry deep in her heart and never told anyone about it. She didn't expect Bao Si to know it so clearly.
Lin Jiaojiao ignored Queen Shen's panic and pulled the paper filled with plans from her sleeve, handing it to her. "Queen, this is the 'plan' I've drawn up. We can find a way to persuade the King to abdicate and allow Prince Ji Yijiu to ascend the throne early. You can assist in the administration of the government as Queen Dowager. But the key is that we must unite with the Grand Historian and other senior officials in the court. Under the pretext of 'stabilizing the royal family,' we can limit Marquis Shen's military power and prevent him from undermining the Crown Prince and firmly seizing power."
"Let the king abdicate?" Queen Shen's hand, having taken the paper, suddenly paused. Her pupils suddenly contracted, her face filled with shock, and even her voice changed. "Madam Si, do you know what you are talking about? The king is the Son of Heaven of Zhou. How can he abdicate so easily? No king of Zhou has ever voluntarily abdicated. Your plan is simply a fantasy!"
She had lived for so many years and had never thought of "letting King You of Zhou abdicate" - no matter how addicted to pleasure, he was still the emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty and held the royal orthodoxy.
His father, Lord Shen, was watching Yijiu covetously. If he rashly pushed for a change of king, it might give his father an opportunity to raise an army in a pretext. By then, Yijiu would not only lose his seat on the throne, but his life might even be in danger.
Lin Jiaojiao looked at Queen Shen's shocked and troubled expression, her tone remaining steady. "I know this is difficult, and could even lead to my own death, but Queen, we have no way out. If we continue to allow the King to become incompetent, Marquis Shen will surely seize power under the pretext of 'saving the Zhou Dynasty.' If we wait for Marquis Shen to take action first, Yijiu will only become his puppet. Only by allowing Yijiu to ascend the throne early, and you taking power as Queen Dowager, and then uniting with the veteran ministers to check and balance Marquis Shen, can we protect Yijiu and preserve the last bit of dignity of the Jiang family."
Her voice was not loud, but it was like a stone, hitting Queen Shen's heart hard.
Queen Shen raised her head and looked at Lin Jiaojiao.
The morning light shone through the eaves of the pavilion onto her face. Her light grey skirt made her skin look even whiter. Her eyes were clear but firm, without any sign of retreat.
At that moment, Queen Shen felt an inexplicable strange throbbing in her heart. The woman in front of her, although born with a delicate beauty, was more sober and courageous than men. She dared to point out the difficulties she dared not face and dared to propose solutions she dared not even think about.
This throbbing sensation came suddenly and was so strange that Queen Shen quickly looked away, picked up the teacup and took a sip to conceal it, but found that the tea had already gone cold.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her panic. Her eyes became more complicated. "Why are you helping Yijiu? You are clearly the king's favored wife. If the king abdicates, not only will you lose your current status, you may even provoke the king's revenge. What good will that do you?"
"I haven't thought about asking for any benefits," Lin Jiaojiao said softly, her eyes still clear as she looked at Queen Shen. "I just don't want to see Haojing affected by the flames of war, and I don't want to see the people displaced. Queen, you are the prince's mother. You know better than anyone that only you can protect him. But you need an ally, an ally who can help you check and balance Marquis Shen and stabilize the court. And I am that ally."
Her tone was soft yet firm, and her light grey skirt looked especially sincere in the morning light.
Queen Shen looked into her eyes, and the throbbing in her heart quietly emerged again - she suddenly felt that if she could really cooperate with the man in front of her, perhaps she could really break the deadlock of "the king is incompetent and her father is trying to seize power", and really pave a stable path for Yijiu.
Just then, a steady stream of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the courtyard. Qingdai's expression changed, and she hurried outside the pavilion to investigate. Xiaotao hurried in, making a panicked gesture to Lin Jiaojiao, signaling, "Marquis Shen's men are here!" "Madam, Queen, Marquis Shen has sent a group of soldiers over. They've heard there's been some unrest in the courtyard, and they've come to protect the Queen and the Crown Prince." They're already outside the courtyard!
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