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Outside Qianfang Hall, the sky was dim.
The officials summoned by the emperor earlier were now slowly leaving. Some were drenched in sweat, their legs so weak they could barely walk; others were so distracted they didn’t even hear the eunuch’s reminder to “mind your step,” nearly falling off the white marble steps.
The empress was on the left, the Grand Tutor on the right. The crowd behind watched these two, none daring to overstep.
Yu Qiushi had just received a scolding from Song Lan but remained calm, his expression as steady as usual.
Inside the hall, the people from the Silver Platform following him were so frightened they almost lost their souls, yet they saw the Grand Tutor remain very composed. With just a few words, he calmed the agitated young emperor and then presented a set of arguments that seemed prepared long ago.
If not for this, today’s affair would not have been resolved so simply.
Yu Qiushi walked leisurely ahead, noticing Luo Wei lagging a few steps behind. He suddenly stopped, turned back to look at her, and firmly said, “He is truly loyal to Your Majesty.”
Luo Wei was surprised, “This servant does not understand the Grand Tutor’s meaning.”
Yu Qiushi raised an eyebrow, “Does Your Majesty not fear I will inform His Majesty?”
Luo Wei ignored him, only examining her fingertips. The dye color Su Yanluo applied last time had mostly faded. Thinking of Yanluo, she presumed Yan Lang must have already settled her in the military camp.
Though it wasn’t suitable for a woman to recuperate there, traveling with Yan Lang under the guise of a soldier was undoubtedly the safest option. When Yan Lang returns to Youzhou, taking her along would be the perfect plan.
Realizing she hadn’t answered Yu Qiushi yet, she quickly responded, “Inform His Majesty? Grand Tutor jests.”
They were far from the other officials, and no one dared to eavesdrop. They stood facing each other in the evening breeze, their confrontation subtle yet palpable.
Luo Wei revealed a faint smile, “These past few years, how many close ministers around His Majesty has the Grand Tutor removed? The reasons given were either past transgressions or potential allegiance to me—Grand Tutor, I truly do not understand. We both worry for His Majesty and resolve issues for the world, why can’t you tolerate me and oppose everything I do?”
Yu Qiushi coldly replied, “Interference by the inner palace brings unrest to the realm. If Your Majesty has such doubts, you should have withdrawn from power last year, kept yourself pure, ceased wielding authority, and focused on managing the inner palace affairs. That way, you would surely gain eternal fame. Why involve yourself in court matters?”
Luo Wei quickly retorted, “If I didn’t intervene, wouldn’t the vacancy of the position of Chief Advisor allow the Grand Tutor to gather cliques, suppress censors, and cause the disaster of a monopolizing prime minister?”
Yu Qiushi suspected her because he feared she knew the truth about the Citang Case, but how could this be openly discussed? Her counterattack merely expressed concern about the prime minister’s growing power—a worry shared by all in the court. Otherwise, the public wouldn’t support the empress’s interference, leaving Yu Qiushi unable to refute.
Luo Wei took two steps closer, whispering, “Grand Tutor, you are overly suspicious. In the past, anyone who received my favor, you petitioned to demote. Now there is indeed someone truly serving me, but you’ve used this tactic too much. Without evidence, His Majesty won’t believe you anymore—I gave those people favors precisely for this day, to find such a person.”
“Is Your Majesty so pleased?” After hearing her words, Yu Qiushi remained unmoved, his gaze sharpening slightly, “There is no true loyalty in this world. Does Your Majesty not fear such a venomous snake might bite you back someday? Moreover, there are no truly traceless actions. If Your Majesty seeks evidence, it will come eventually.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Tingyan emerged from Qianfang Hall, approached them, and bowed before the two, “Why haven’t Your Majesty and the Grand Tutor departed yet?”
Yu Qiushi glanced at him, shaking his head with a sigh, looking regretful, “I thought Lord Ye was a pragmatic man.”
Ye Tingyan feigned a sudden realization, pulling out a brocade box from his sleeve, “Does the Grand Tutor mean this item?”
Seeing him take out the jade pen with excellent water quality from the brocade box, Luo Wei deliberately said, “When the Grand Tutor gifted this jade pen to me, I immediately thought of those accumulated petitions I saw at the Silver Platform some time ago. I sent someone to inquire, and sure enough, uncovered such a deficit in the Ministry of Revenue! Thanks to the Grand Tutor, surely you don’t misunderstand my coveting this item? My apologies, today I return it intact, hoping for the Grand Tutor’s understanding.”
He bent down to hand over the pen, mentioning “returning it intact.” Luo Wei found it amusing and laughed softly, covering her mouth with a silk handkerchief.
Yu Qiushi took the jade pen he once gave away but abruptly let go, dropping it to the ground.
Jade carved into a pen, how fragile it was, shattering into pieces instantly, its brilliance scattering everywhere. Ye Tingyan stepped back, instinctively extending his sleeve to shield Luo Wei from possible splinters, yet said, “Alas, what a pity. How careless of the Grand Tutor?”
Yu Qiushi gazed deeply at the two, mockingly curling his lips, “Wearing emotions on your sleeves, boasting over one matter—you are both still too young.”
He flicked his sleeve and left, his wide official robe billowing in the evening wind. Ye Tingyan quickly suppressed his expression, adopting a cold and mocking demeanor.
Luo Wei took a step forward, lightly asking beside him, though it was unclear whom she addressed, “You’ve said this before. Do you think this counts as winning?”
He turned to look, seeing her watching Yu Qiushi’s back, revealing a genuine smile from the bottom of her eyes.
“We’ll see.”
She had said this to Yu Qiushi years ago at the Censorate.
Without this sentence, perhaps she wouldn’t have had the courage to burn her boats and enter the court alone, challenging both imperial and prime ministerial powers.
Coming back to her senses, she asked, “What did His Majesty say to Lord Ye?”
Ye Tingyan paused, solemnly replying, “Besides the Southwest tax issue, His Majesty also entrusted me with another task, granting me permission to stay in the palace tonight, lodging at Zhuque or the Ministry of Rites’ external monitoring office. I humbly thank His Majesty’s grace.”
He deliberately emphasized “stay in the palace” and “lodging.” Luo Wei naturally understood his meaning, nodding slightly, nonchalantly saying, “I shall take my leave first, Lord Ye, farewell.”
Ye Tingyan bowed, “Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty.”
•
That night, the moonlight was soft, the courtyard like accumulated clear water. Zhang Sunwu guarded the front of the hall. Not long after the midnight watch sounded, he saw a figure wrapped in a plain white cloak circling from the back garden.
Seeing it was him, the person was somewhat surprised. Zhang Sunwu guessed who it was and saluted, “Lord Ye, Lady Li is off duty today. Her Majesty awaits you.”
He didn’t know why Ye Tingyan was wearing a white cloak tonight, which only made him more conspicuous, but he restrained himself from asking.
Ye Tingyan pulled the white cloak, stealthily entering the hall without even having time to glance at him twice.
His footsteps were light, fortunately Luo Wei heard the subtle sound of the door opening and closing, guessing his arrival without needing to look up.
The hall remained unlit—lighting a lamp at midnight would only arouse suspicion.
Luo Wei sat facing away on one side, a copper flowerpot before her containing two pure white night-blooming cereus flowers blooming silently and passionately. If she slept tonight, she might not witness such beauty again.
The air was filled with an almost eerie fragrance of night-blooming cereus. Luo Wei yawned, coming back to her senses just as Ye Tingyan removed his white cloak.
The hood of the cloak was large, completely covering him earlier. Now, with the garment on the floor, he became fully visible.
Today, he still wore his hair tied up but had a red ribbon adorned with small pearls wrapped around it, seemingly deliberately enhancing his eyebrows and eyes. His dark blue robe was clear and pristine, paired with a red-gold belt and auspicious floral patterns—clearly the attire of an inner palace officer!
Luo Wei was startled, tearing off a petal from the cereus nearby. Realizing what she had done, she hurriedly apologized to the flower but burst out laughing, “Sorry, sorry, Ye San, you...”
It was unclear whether she was apologizing to the flower or the person.
Worried about laughing too loudly, she covered her mouth with her hand but couldn’t help herself, approaching to examine him closely, “Lord Ye resembles a beautiful woman. After painting your eyebrows and lips, you’re even more beautiful than the ladies in my palace. Tsk, dressed so plainly at night, why do I feel you’re more conspicuous than usual?”
Ye Tingyan’s face darkened from her laughter, but seeing her genuine smile after so long, he endured it, coolly saying, “Everyone in the forbidden palace has their duties. Who has the leisure to admire beauty like Your Majesty? I dressed as an officer, carrying the cloak, claiming to deliver clothes to a noble, thus smoothly departing the Ministry of Rites.”
Luo Wei tugged at the small pearls in his hair, about to say something when he suddenly embraced her waist, half-smiling, half-not, asking, “So, does Your Majesty like me dressed like this?”
Luo Wei hugged his neck boldly, teasing, “I like it very much. In my opinion, Lord Ye need not castrate himself to become an eunuch to serve me. Dressing like this is sufficient.”
As she spoke, she picked up a box of lip rouge from the nearby table, dabbing some on her fingers with great interest, “Come, come, let me apply some for you.”
Her cool fingers brushed against his lips. Ye Tingyan looked up at her, letting her carefully apply it.
Luo Wei held his chin, observing for a long while, quite satisfied. She turned excitedly to fetch a bronze mirror when Ye Tingyan seized the opportunity to cup the back of her head, kissing her neck.
The kiss lingered tenderly. By the time he released, the vivid red color freshly applied to his lips had almost disappeared. Luo Wei picked up the bronze mirror, only to see a bright red lipstick mark on her neck.
Ye Tingyan softly said, “I like it very much too.”
Luo Wei glared at him, reaching for a handkerchief to wipe it off. Ye Tingyan grabbed a corner of the handkerchief, preventing her from wiping, and mentioned official business, “Do you know what His Majesty told me today?”
Sure enough, upon mentioning this, Luo Wei immediately forgot about fighting over the handkerchief, “He has something for you to do?”
Ye Tingyan nodded, smirking at her, “The last time he came here at night, he somehow grew suspicious and instructed the fourth-ranked Star Guard of the Seven Guards of Zhuque to investigate if any guards were absent that night.”
Luo Wei was startled, “What did he find?”
“Naturally, nothing was found. I borrowed the attire of the Zhuque Guard. He thoroughly checked the Imperial Guard but didn’t check within the offices—what use was that?” Ye Tingyan sneered, “However, His Majesty, upon hearing this, still wasn’t reassured. Today, he detained me to continue the investigation—otherwise, why the need to stay overnight in the palace?”
“So, to avoid suspicion today, you wore the attire of an inner palace officer,” Luo Wei suddenly understood, finding it somewhat amusing, “Entrusting a thief to search for valuables, when will they ever find anything...”
Ye Tingyan, holding her, stood up and suddenly lifted her horizontally. Startled, Luo Wei had no choice but to wrap her arms around him, “What are you doing?”
Without a word, he carried her back to the bed, lowering the dim bed curtains one by one, then said, “I always feel it’s safer this way.”
Luo Wei cleared her throat and began, “Today’s matter…”
Today, Song Lan was furious, summoning everyone to Qianfang Hall to question the “Southwest Tax” issue. This matter actually stemmed from a civilian case.
In early May, the capital prefecture suddenly received a bizarre lawsuit. The plaintiff wasn’t from Biandu but from a remote southwestern mountain area. The content of the complaint was astonishing. The prefect of the capital didn’t dare to directly forward it to the Ministry of Justice, so he invited Minister of Justice Hu Minhui for a drink.
Hu Minhui, being friends with Yu Qiushi, naturally informed him of the lawsuit. Yu Qiushi pressed down the complaint.
By mid-May, Ye Tingyan befriended the capital prefect over a famous calligraphy piece, often drinking together. During one gathering, after several rounds of drinks, the capital prefect confided in him about this matter.
Upon learning that Yu Qiushi had suppressed the complaint, Ye Tingyan immediately sent someone to find the complainant, only to discover he had died mysteriously, his body unclaimed.
Feeling pity, Ye Tingyan paid for a coffin. When the deceased was buried, they discovered the complainant had hidden the complaint inside several sections of pig intestines, swallowing it.
The complaint, however, was vague. After obtaining it, Ye Tingyan didn’t fully understand its meaning until Yu Qiushi hosted a banquet and gifted him a jade pen carved from water.
At that moment, he suddenly understood the meanings of “Lan Tian,” “Kun Shan,” and “Lanxi Water” written in the complaint.
In the following days, he went to the Silver Platform to meticulously review, uncovering petitions ignored since the end of last year.
After gathering evidence, Ye Tingyan placed everything before Song Lan, giving Yu Qiushi no chance to react.
The matter itself wasn’t complicated. Last year, in a certain forested wetland in the southwest, someone discovered fine jade, attracting surrounding poor villagers eager to risk their lives diving for it. Upon learning this, the local government immediately sealed the wetland, enslaving experienced jade divers to extract the jade.
This jade vein was extremely dangerous, with nine deaths for every dive, but the jade’s quality was exquisite, producing many masterpieces.
Though the wetland was sealed by the government, news inevitably spread. Many attempted to dive for jade between the three mountains, hoping for luck.
At that time, a distant relative of Yu Qiushi was the official in charge of the southwest. He wrote for help, and Yu Qiushi advised him to impose an additional “Jade Tax” locally.
The southwest was already impoverished with minimal taxes. Under this pretext, it became an extra income source. The distant relative of Yu happily accepted, imposing heavy taxes, achieving remarkable political achievements by year-end and promoted back to the capital.
The “Jade Tax” continued, with half of the proceeds respectfully sent to the distant capital prime minister.
This involved taxation, corruption, and protection. The prime minister could present better jade than the palace, implicating power. Hearing Ye Tingyan recount the details meticulously, Luo Wei couldn’t help but praise, “Lord Ye is well-calculated.”
Ye Tingyan propped his head next to her, gently saying, “To remove him, you can’t rely on just one matter…”
Holding her hand, he gestured between them, his voice soft, “Naturally, we must push him in little by little—one piece, one point at a time—Your Majesty, now can you tell me how you plan to accuse him of ‘treason’.
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