Chapter 62 Ji Wanyuan's child must not be born! ...
Ji Wanyuan paused slightly as she savored the tea pastry, because the moment Wen Qiyan finished speaking, Lin Sinian turned his gaze to her.
Before she could look back, Wen Qiyan picked up the teapot next to him to add water for her, and at the same time, he completely blocked her from view.
She didn't meet Lin Sinian's gaze; looking up, she only saw the man's handsome and aloof profile.
Sensing that Wen Qiyan's protection of Ji Wanyuan was somewhat excessive and unlike usual, Lin Sinian felt that it wasn't acting.
What's more, when the two met, he actually brought Ji Wanyuan along and said such things in front of her. For a moment, Lin Sinian was unable to figure out his meaning.
His gaze returned to Wen Qiyan, and he smiled as he asked in return,
What does Qi Yan mean by that?
"You should understand what I mean."
Ji Wanyuan listened to the two of them exchanging cryptic remarks from the side.
She was a little confused. Wen Qiyan brought her to see Lin Sinian and mentioned Lin Nianxi, seemingly wanting Lin Sinian to discipline his sister.
Um……?
But she also wondered if Wen Qiyan was deliberately putting on a show for her. He and Lin Sinian were playing good cop and bad cop, respectively.
Before Ji Wanyuan could listen to a few more words for analysis, Lin Sinian said directly, "I have something I want to say to Brother Qi Yan alone. Would you mind if the young mistress excused herself for a moment?"
Having said all that, Ji Wanyuan couldn't say anything more.
She could only stand up and say, "Then...you two talk."
When Wen Qiyan looked at her, she said, "I'll wait for you in the carriage."
"Don't run around."
Hearing the man say that, Ji Wanyuan really wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained from doing so. After all, it was in front of others, so she pretended to say "oh" and took the unfinished tea pastry with her when she left.
After Ji Wanyuan and her maid left, Lin Sinian finally spoke, and his first question was quite sharp.
"Qi Yan, have you truly fallen for Miss Ji?"
Wen Qiyan didn't reply, his expression remaining unchanged and unmoved.
Lin Sinian instantly realized that Wen Qiyan had not only fallen in love with Ji Wanyuan, but he was also aware of his feelings for her and even acknowledged them, otherwise he would not have made plans for her.
After a moment of silence, Lin Sinian said, "You've been investigating the Ji family for so long without making any progress, so I know something's wrong."
In his quest for marriage with Ji Wanyuan, Wen Qiyan actually lost.
Even the current emperor probably didn't expect things to turn out this way.
The person in charge originally intended to use the red thread to tie the two families together in marriage. As long as Wen Qiyan and Ji Wanyuan were firmly "bound" together, the chances of defeating the Ji family would be greatly increased.
But who knew that in just half a year, the red thread that accompanied the imperial edict was tied around Wen Qiyan's neck, while the end of the thread ended up in Ji Wanyuan's hand.
The imperial court extracted and refined a "sharp blade" from the Wen family, which was then aimed at the Ji family, but the Ji family took it for their own use.
Wen Qiyan still didn't respond.
Lin Sinian sighed. "Qi Yan, have you thought about what you're going to do?"
Before he could finish speaking, Wen Qiyan replied irrelevantly, "Some time ago, my scouts reported that Lou Qingru's husband had passed away due to illness, and she will soon be returning to the capital."
Upon hearing this, Lin Sinian's expression faltered slightly. After a long pause, he finally said, "What does this have to do with me?"
"She is also considered a member of the Ji family."
When you talk to a smart person, even if they beat around the bush, you can easily understand what they are trying to say.
"Is Qi Yan trying to persuade me on behalf of the Ji family?"
Wen Qiyan said calmly, "That depends on what you think, Lord Shaoqing."
"I heard that you fought with Yun Qin a while ago and seriously injured him?"
Wen Qiyan looked up at him, her expression slightly cold.
Lin Sinian raised an eyebrow. "I never imagined that someone would risk everything for a woman. It's truly unbelievable."
Wen Qiyan subconsciously thought of Ji Wanyuan, who always liked to argue and glare at him, and his heart stirred slightly, but he didn't show it on his face.
"Qi Yan, the Ji family's path of treason is not easy. You should think carefully, especially since you have the entire Wen family behind you."
"Whether it succeeds or not, I have my own plans." Wen Qiyan didn't mention the matter to Lin Sinian again, and instead talked about Lin Nianxi.
Lin Sinian sighed, "Xi-mei's feelings for you are no less than those of the eldest daughter of the Ji family."
Does Ji Wanyuan still have feelings for him? Even if she does, they are probably filled with hatred.
"If you don't take care, I won't hesitate to use force when I strike."
Lin Sinian asked him, "Is it to put Miss Ji's mind at ease?"
"More than that." That was all he said.
"Aren't you making things difficult for me?" Lin Sinian clicked his tongue. "Your eldest daughter from the Ji family is pampered at home, but isn't my sister just as spoiled?"
"You want me to persuade her to marry you? Aren't you asking me to go against my family?"
"Si Nian, that's all I have to say." Wen Qiyan didn't waste any more words with him.
After drinking a cup of tea, Wen Qiyan got up and left.
Lin Sinian watched his back, wanting to ask some questions, but he had no right to. His hands, resting on his knees, gradually clenched, but he didn't say a word.
After the Ji family's carriage left, he called to his attendant and asked, "Why hasn't any news come from Yanling?"
The subordinate who was being questioned realized that the information had been exposed and dared not say anything more.
Lin Sinian stood up, his gentle expression gone, and said coldly, "Go and ask for your punishment. You don't need to stay by my side anymore."
"Your subordinate knows his mistake..."
Ji Wanyuan hadn't even finished her tea pastry when Wen Qiyan came out. She glanced back and saw that Lin Sinian wasn't following.
"Have you finished speaking?"
"Hmm." I noticed some tea dregs on the edge of her lips.
After he sat down, he glanced at her twice, but she still didn't notice, so he simply reached out and brushed it away for her.
Ji Wanyuan was still thinking about what the two of them had said, and was not on guard against the man's actions. By the time she subconsciously reached out to defend herself, Wen Qiyan had already pulled his hand back.
She belatedly realized what was happening and glared at him, "What are you doing?"
Wen Qiyan remained silent, showing her the star-shaped pastries that had touched his fingertips.
Seeing this, Ji Wanyuan felt a little embarrassed. She snorted and wiped the cream off the man's fingertip. "Who gave you permission to touch me?"
"You can't even touch her?" He looked at her.
Ji Wanyuan's temper hadn't subsided; she was still preoccupied with what she had learned at the Ji family and hadn't yet confronted Wen Qiyan about it!
But now is clearly not a good time to settle scores, because turning against him would make it harder for her to ask him the questions she wanted to ask next.
Before she could even speak, the man blurted out, "Nothing you want to ask?"
Ji Wanyuan was slightly taken aback, even pausing as she reached for the handkerchief from the side. In her astonishment, she couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she immediately covered her lips with her hand and pursed them tightly; her eyes widened in surprise.
Seeing this, the aloof man couldn't help but chuckle, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"What are you laughing at?" She had just accidentally let it slip.
"Miss Ji is really domineering. You have to care whether others laugh or not?"
"Whether you laugh or not is none of my business, but if you're making fun of me, then I'm going to care."
She had a fierce expression, wore a fluffy veiled hat, had a snow-white face, and beautiful, lively, and charming features.
Wen Qiyan glanced at her for a moment, then looked away, a barely perceptible smile in his eyes, but it was hidden by his lowered eyelashes.
He pulled out a letter from the side and looked through the message his subordinates had brought from Youzhou.
Ji Wanyuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. This time she saw Lin Sinian coming out of the teahouse. She turned around and told Wen Qiyan.
The man gave a faint "hmm" in response to her words.
This served as an introduction. Ji Wanyuan leaned against the carriage frame, tilted her head, and asked him, "What did you all say after I left?"
She knew perfectly well why she was probing, so she softened her tone and stopped being as sharp as before.
"Miss Ji is intelligent, why don't you take a guess?"
"They wouldn't be saying bad things about me, would they?" She puffed out her cheeks and squinted her eyes.
"Yeah, I was talking badly about you."
"What did she say about me?" Ji Wanyuan pouted.
Wen Qiyan asked Lin Sinian to discipline Lin Nianxi, and as Lin Nianxi's brother, Lin Sinian would naturally protect her.
"They say you are so beautiful that fish would sink and geese would fall from the sky, and the moon would hide and flowers would blush."
The man's casual remark caused Ji Wanyuan to gasp in surprise, her brows furrowing slightly and her mouth agape.
Seeing her put on a bad face, Wen Qiyan raised an eyebrow and asked her, "Don't you believe me?"
Although what he said was true, Ji Wanyuan still felt something was off.
"Don't you always say I'm foolish, ignorant, frivolous, and reckless?"
"Where did you hear that from?" he asked aloud.
"I had someone inquire about it beforehand."
Wen Qiyan understood; it was probably something people in the capital were saying.
"You actually believe all that nonsense?"
"Of course I don't believe it, after all, it's all slander against me." She snorted. She never let rumors disturb her mind, nor did she take these people's sour words to heart.
When she loved Wen Qiyan before, she would occasionally care and hold grudges, but now she can no longer hurt her.
As the woman moved, the camellia hairpin by her temple swayed slightly, and he seemed to agree with her, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Besides that, did the two of you say anything else?" Ji Wanyuan said, she didn't believe it.
"Come here." He told her not to lean against the edge of the car frame, as it was very dangerous.
"With maids and guards accompanying us, what's the danger?"
"If you want to listen, don't lie there." Wen Qiyan's words shut her down again.
Ji Wanyuan reluctantly straightened up, lowered the carriage curtain, and obediently waited for his next words.
"I'd like to ask you what you know about the power struggle within the imperial court?"
"A balance of power?" Ji Wanyuan tapped her chin with her finger as she thought for a moment. "Wouldn't our Ji family be the dominant force?"
After saying that, she immediately added, "But the Lin family and your family are also good, almost the same as ours..."
The capital city is full of grand gates, but only a few manage to get to the front; they're all pretty much the same.
Previously, she didn't quite understand what it meant to be on equal footing; she only knew about the difference in official rank. But later, she heard her father say that powerful families were often outwardly friendly but secretly suppressed each other. His Majesty tolerated the situation and was happy to see the powerful families fighting each other, so that he could take advantage of the chaos to reduce their power and influence, and achieve a relatively equal situation.
Simply put, it's a game of mutual suppression, where one side tries to suppress the other, but neither can truly dominate the other.
The only one who could suppress her father was the emperor, because her father was very old and experienced.
"Father-in-law actually said these things to wife?" The man suddenly blurted out.
Ji Wanyuan looked at him, waved her hand casually, and said in a sweet voice, "That's not important."
"Wen Qiyan, what exactly do you want to tell me?"
"Do you know why His Majesty is targeting the Ji family?" he asked again.
Ji Wanyuan blinked, glanced around, lowered her voice, and leaned slightly closer to him, "Is it safe to talk about these things outside?"
"What do you think?" He always liked to ask that question in return.
Now that he's brought it up, he must be safe, right?
Ji Wanyuan widened the distance between them and cleared her throat. "Because my father is the Prime Minister, who is second only to the Emperor, and the Ji family has discovered a private mine?"
Her father had also told her that the emperor had long since stopped tolerating the Ji family.
"Well, that's a good point, but the story goes on."
"What other inside story is there?" She always tilted her head when she was puzzled.
He looked at her and didn't make his words too complicated. He simply said, "Did your father-in-law tell you that the national treasury has been severely depleted in recent years, and that His Majesty wants to target the Ji family to fill the gaps in the national treasury with their wealth and influence?"
"No."
The last time she confronted her father, perhaps out of fear of worrying her, he didn't tell her many things in detail.
"Why is the national treasury in deficit?" she asked, puzzled.
When she first entered the palace with her mother, all the concubines there were adorned with jewels and lived extravagantly. It was impossible to tell that the national treasury was in deficit.
Speaking of deficits, the emperor's health certainly seems to be in a deficit...
She had been muttering to herself, but Wen Qiyan had actually heard her.
He clearly heard everything, yet he still asked her what she said?
Ji Wanyuan said irritably, "His Majesty has taken in quite a few people into the harem over the years. I think he's really at a disadvantage."
"Aren't you afraid that if such words reach the ears of the Emperor, you will be punished?"
"I'm just telling you," she pouted. "Are you going to go around telling everyone?"
Wen Qiyan, "..."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore." She was scared too, but she only muttered it to herself.
Speaking of extravagance and debauchery, Ji Wanyuan felt that she herself was like that, and she was ashamed to talk about those concubines.
Perhaps, if the emperor has his eye on their family, she is one of the culprits.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
“Since I took office as Vice Censor-in-Chief, I have found that there are many instances of officials protecting each other. Your father holds a high position, and there are many people who are trying to undermine him. His Majesty is so eager to deal with the Ji family that many high-ranking officials in the capital have submitted memorials to impeach him.”
In short, it's about sowing discord between the emperor and the emperor.
"Is it because of me?" She remembered that her father had caused a lot of trouble in order to pursue Wen Qiyan, and he had been impeached.
If it were before, seeing her dejected expression, he would definitely have made a few sarcastic remarks.
After all, she was right. Part of the reason the emperor had his eye on the Ji family was because Ji Wanyuan was so extravagant.
But the man said, "...No."
"This is none of your business."
"How can it be none of my business? I am my father's daughter. I have been unrestrained in my behavior. My father was impeached by the Censorate because of me, who said that he had not disciplined his daughter properly and had failed to raise her properly."
“Those pedantic scholars in the Censorate have been steeped in outdated laws and regulations for too long, and they have become rigid and corrupt. They think that women should be obedient to the three obediences and four virtues. Of course they don’t like it when you indulge in your desires.”
"So, you're saying it's their fault, not mine?" Ji Wanyuan leaned closer. "But I heard... my father-in-law also joined in impeaching my father..."
Indeed, he did say it; not only did his father say it, but he also tacitly agreed.
But how can we admit it now?
If she were to agree, wouldn't Ji Wanyuan, given her personality, argue with him?
Putting that aside, he wasn't lying. Ji Wanyuan was indeed unrestrained and different from others. It was his fault back then because he was prejudiced against her because of her obsessive pursuit of him.
He used the book to separate the two of them, pushed her head back, and said seriously, "You're mistaken."
"Yeah?"
"That's not important." The man frowned.
Indeed, it's not important; it's all in the past. Ji Wanyuan then asked about the national treasury deficit.
Wen Qiyan clicked his tongue and told her that the country was corrupt and that the amount of tax levied had been increased two years ago, which aroused dissatisfaction among the people. This should not be done now.
There are generally a few ways to fill the deficit in the national treasury. One is to ensure the prosperity of the people's livelihood and business, so that the national treasury receives a large amount of money. Another is to attack neighboring small countries and seize their power. The third is to plunder internally.
"Internal... robbery?" Ji Wanyuan was stunned. "How do you rob someone?"
"A robbery with a legitimate cause."
Wen Qiyan said that the two roads ahead were impassable, firstly because the capital had declined in recent years and many shops had ceased to operate.
When the man mentioned this, Ji Wanyuan had some recollection of it. It was a famous jewelry shop in the capital that used to be open, but later closed down.
According to her mother, these shops were taken over by the palace to make hairpins and jewelry for the imperial concubines, but it seems that the money was not recovered. The shops bought all kinds of jewelry materials needed to make hairpins and jewelry from outside, so they owed a lot of debts.
But the imperial concubines took the hairpins without paying—they were the emperor's women! Even if they bought them on credit, who would dare to chase them down? They might lose their heads.
The man continued, "Secondly, the national treasury is already depleted, so how can we dare to go to war?"
"So you can only rob internally?" She roughly understood. "What you just said about His Majesty raising taxes on the people, could it be a pretext for robbery?"
"Well, you're not too stupid."
Ji Wanyuan choked on his words and couldn't help but put her hands on her hips, "Where am I stupid? You're the stupid one!"
Wen Qiyan didn't retort; he had a half-smile on his face.
Ji Wanyuan was annoyed, but she still wanted to listen, so she had to hold back and told him to stop being mysterious and stop teasing her.
"When it comes to looting, there are two kinds: besides robbing the common people, the only other option is to rob the court officials."
Ji Wanyuan felt distressed upon hearing this. "If my father hands over the discovered illegal mines to His Majesty, will he let our Ji family off the hook?"
She didn't like war because people would die.
The word "no" lingered on Wen Qiyan's lips, but seeing that her expression wasn't good, he didn't say it for a moment.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, so..."
Ji Wanyuan gave a soft "oh" to indicate that she understood and asked him to continue.
Seeing that her expression had softened and she wasn't getting stuck on the issue, Wen Qiyan continued, "In order to establish the emperor's authority, we also need to eliminate the powerful Ji family and confiscate the money from the Ji family and Madam Ji's maternal clan to fill the national treasury."
"This way, we can kill three birds with one stone."
"So that's how it is." Upon hearing this, Ji Wanyuan's expression, which she had barely managed to suppress, turned serious again. It turned out that even her maternal grandfather's family had been targeted.
She was preoccupied with her thoughts and it took her a while to gather them.
After regaining her senses, she exclaimed, "Wait a minute, what does this have to do with your meeting with Lin Sinian? Did you say these things to him?"
Wouldn't that mean one more person would know he'd sought refuge with their family? And they're from the Lin family; no matter how good the relationship, can you just casually talk about something like that?
"Have you ever heard a saying?" he asked her in return.
Ji Wanyuan asked in confusion, "What?"
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.
"you mean?"
Wen Qiyan clicked his tongue again and flicked her forehead with his finger. "You're stupid."
Ji Wanyuan covered the spot where she had been flicked, glaring angrily at him.
"..."
Meanwhile, Lin Sinian returned to the Lin family home.
They ran into Lord Lin, who had just returned from the palace, and the father and son met.
Lord Lin said he had something to discuss with him, so they went to the study together.
Upon entering the study, Lord Lin stated directly that the Emperor had issued an edict instructing him to keep a close watch on Wen Qiyan's every move and to report any words or actions to the palace...
Upon hearing this, Lin Sinian frowned and asked, "Why did Father get involved in the affairs of the Wen and Ji families?"
Lord Lin, who was browsing books on the antique shelf, turned to look at him upon hearing this, "What did you say?"
"My son said, 'Wouldn't it be better for the Lin family to just stay quiet and behave themselves? Why do they have to get involved in all this trouble?'"
"And my younger sister, now that Qi Yan is married, she is of marriageable age. You and Mother should choose a husband for her as soon as possible, so that she can visit the Wen family less often and avoid being gossiped about and laughed at by others."
"What do you mean by this?" Lord Lin's brows furrowed even more.
"The matter between the Wen and Ji families is not so simple. Father, if you want to follow the path of the snipe and the clam fighting and the fisherman profits, that is absolutely impossible. I advise you not to do that, otherwise the Lin family will be the second Ji family to be eliminated."
"You—" Lord Lin didn't know where his anger came from, and he spoke very directly.
"Where did you come from just now, and who did you meet?" Lord Lin found him very strange.
Lin Sinian remained silent, giving an irrelevant answer: "If you and Mother do not choose a husband for my sister, but instead continue to allow her to associate with the Wen family, then I will go to the palace and ask His Majesty to choose a husband for my sister and grant her a marriage."
Lord Lin's expression changed drastically, "You!"
"There is one more thing. Whether you have this idea or not, I advise you not to act rashly. That is the pregnancy of the eldest daughter of the Ji family."
Lin Sinian was only testing the waters, but as soon as he finished speaking, he saw his father's expression flicker slightly, and he immediately understood.
After thinking for a moment, he still said, "Father, the Lin family cannot afford to offend the Ji family."
Lord Lin was furious after being shut down so many times. "The Ji family is already at its last gasp and will be eliminated by His Majesty sooner or later. Why are you trying to elevate the Ji family's status?"
Lin Sinian couldn't directly reveal that Wen Qiyan valued Ji Wanyuan, because he knew that if he did, it would be tantamount to telling his father—the emperor's—spies that Wen Qiyan had fallen in love with Ji Wanyuan.
What should we do?
"This is also of the Wen family bloodline. If you still want to maintain the relationship between the Wen and Lin families, you'd better not do anything."
Lin Sinian wasn't stupid. The emperor had asked the Lin family to get involved in this matter, and the Lin family's contribution was definitely to sow discord between the Wen and Ji families. With his sister involved, the quickest way right now was to start with Ji Wanyuan.
On the way back, he kept thinking about why Wen Qiyan would bring Ji Wanyuan along, and why he would ask her to discipline his sister in front of Ji Wanyuan?
But when he asked to speak with her alone, Ji Wanyuan was not allowed to stay. In addition, she brought him news that Lou Qingru had returned to the capital.
When they were almost home, Lin Sinian realized that it was Ji Wanyuan who was pregnant.
Ji Wanyuan has been taking good care of herself during her pregnancy and looks quite well. After marrying Wen Qiyan, she mainly stays within the two families and rarely causes the arrogant and domineering incidents she used to have.
If she loses her pregnancy... the Wen and Ji families naturally hope she gives birth safely, but those who hope she loses her pregnancy...
His Majesty the present.
But the emperor wouldn't take direct action, so it was the Lin family who would do it.
Sure enough, the moment he sorted out his thoughts, Lin's father sneered, "Too late, His Majesty has already issued the imperial edict."
"Ji Wanyuan's child must not be born. If necessary, she must die."
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Author's Note: I'm here! I suddenly saw that the nutrient solution count has surpassed 11,000 today! I'm so happy I could cry! I really want to express my feelings. My last book, Jade Dew, which had the best stats, didn't even reach 10,000 nutrient solution count when the main story ended. This one has actually reached 11,000! I'm so incredibly happy. I'm exhausted from work, but I'm super motivated to keep writing! Yay!
Hehe, this chapter will still randomly drop 50 lucky red envelopes!
Goodnight, little ones.
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