Chapter 45

“An assistant minister in the Ministry of Works, by the name of Liao Zhihan.” Tu Shanjin set down the memorial.

Liao Zhihan?

Yun Yaoyao searched her memories for any mention of him in the novel. After thinking for a long while, she finally dredged up a fragment from some forgotten corner.

He had come from a poor background and served as an incorruptible official. His only wife, who supported his principles as a government official, had willingly given up the medicine that kept her alive and died of her illness. In the end, because he refused to curry favor with those who schemed and fawned for their own gain, he perished in the raging currents of the imperial court.

A few short sentences—that was his entire life.

Yun Yaoyao understood why Liao Zhihan had praised and expressed concern for her so extravagantly in his memorial.

The purge of corrupt elements within the Ministry of Revenue and the vigorous crackdown on corruption throughout the court had shown Liao Zhihan the emperor’s determination to reform the government. Raising official salaries and investing in education had shown him the emperor’s sincerity in considering the welfare of his ministers.

After taking those two powerful measures together, how could upright and incorruptible officials like Liao Zhihan not offer their wholehearted loyalty?

She had been worrying about a lack of capable people, and now there were more ministers ready to work themselves to the bone for her. Ha!

Yun Yaoyao memorized the names of Liao Zhihan and the others, secretly planning to have someone investigate their strengths thoroughly later. That way, whenever there was a need, she could put the right person in the right place!

All you loyal ministers—every one of you, come into my bowl!

While Yun Yaoyao was thinking about how to win over the officials, Tu Shanjin had already picked up another memorial and begun reading it carefully.

In ten days, the first batch of selected maidens would enter the palace to meet the emperor.

As the selection concerned the emperor’s harem, it had always been entangled with struggles among various factions.

Ministers who wished to gain power and promotions sent their legitimate daughters into the palace. Those who had been plotting to support a future crown prince long in advance trained women who were fertile and easy to control, then sent them into the palace. There were even would-be assassins and spies from neighboring countries among them…

The emperor, meanwhile, used his favor and demotion of the women in the harem to maintain a balance among the forces at court.

But he was already busy enough handling state affairs. Besides, his current identity was that of a favored consort. He had no desire to waste his time on palace intrigues.

Yet the emperor’s harem was empty, and the failure to produce heirs would become a major handle for others to use against him.

Tu Shanjin flipped through the dossiers on the selected maidens, his brows drawing together slightly.

In the past, the few women sent into the palace had all wanted to kill him. Now, there were actually ministers who wanted to send their legitimate daughters into the palace. There were even noble ladies and common girls who genuinely admired and loved him, all vying to enter the palace.

He turned his head and glanced at Yun Yaoyao, who was reclining on the chaise longue. Then he rubbed his temples.

Everything had gotten completely out of hand…

Tu Shanjin simply handed the dossiers to Yun Yaoyao, leaving her to deal with the romantic debts she had caused.

“Yun Yaoyao, what do you think we should do?”

Yun Yaoyao accepted the dossiers. The moment she looked through them, her eyes lit up.

(´◊ω◊｀)

“Oh, right! How could I have forgotten about this?”

“With so many beauties entering the palace, the dormant beast beneath me should also…”

The moment he heard the words “dormant beast,” the corner of Tu Shanjin’s mouth twitched, and his expression darkened.

How could she come up with such a… vulgar phrase?

“I absolutely refuse to sell my body for glory or flatter women!”

Yun Yaoyao shot him a glance and advised him in the solemn tone of an old hand, “Tu Shanjin, you’re still too young. You don’t understand the joys of women.”

Tu Shanjin fell silent. “You’re a Book of Life and Death. What do you know about the joys of women?”

Yun Yaoyao was momentarily speechless. Then she suddenly thought of something and revealed a sly smile.

“Tu Shanjin, don’t tell me… you’ve never experienced the joys of women?”

“And what if I haven’t?”

Tu Shanjin met her gaze, slowly moved closer, and bent down, his breath brushing against her neck.

His posture was ambiguous, but his tone was laced with wicked, playful menace.

“What? Do you want to give Me the experience? Since My body is a woman’s, if you dare use this body to sleep with women, then I could use it to experience the joys of women myself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You!”

Just imagining the scene made Yun Yaoyao’s eyes burn.

She shoved Tu Shanjin away and pointed at him as she cursed, “You dare? You sick pervert!”

Unaware of the difference in strength between them, Tu Shanjin only felt a powerful force strike him.

The next moment, he landed hard on his backside, staring at Yun Yaoyao with a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief.

It was as if his expression were saying: How dare you throw Me down? No one has ever dared to throw Me down before! This is the first time I’ve been thrown. My head is ringing, and My butt hurts too…

Seeing this, Yun Yaoyao burst out laughing, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.

Then, afraid that she might have damaged her own body, she hurried over to help Tu Shanjin up and carefully checked him over to see whether he had hit or bruised himself anywhere.

“Fortunately, your clothes are thick. You didn’t scrape your skin.”

“Oh dear, this spot is turning blue. Let me rub it for you. Pain, pain, go away.”

The reprimand he had been about to deliver caught in his throat. Seeing the concern and worry on her face, Tu Shanjin awkwardly turned his head away.

Since this was the first time she had thrown Him down, He supposed He could forgive the clumsy Book of Life and Death.

After soothing Consort Tu, Yun Yaoyao abandoned the idea of opening the harem. She read through the selection dossiers once more.

Then, she suddenly thought of an excellent solution.

The more she considered it, the more brilliant she felt the idea was.

“Tu Shanjin, this matter is actually very simple. Not only can I handle it properly, I can also turn it into something wonderful.”

Yun Yaoyao curved her lips into a mysterious smile. “However, the evaluation criteria for the maidens who are to enter the palace and meet the emperor this time will have to be changed…”

*

When Yun Liang returned to Yun Manor after court, he saw the emperor’s personal guards following behind him, and his heart became a tangled mess.

No. He absolutely could not let the emperor obtain anything detrimental to him from that vile woman’s mouth!

Yun Liang had the steward bring over some food, then said amiably, “That foolish woman has been locked in the side room and hasn’t had a drop of water or a bite of food for three days. I’ll send her some food first, then hand her over to you.”

The guards nodded. “Please do as you see fit, Minister Yun.”

Yun Liang carried the food to Madam Yun’s room alone. After entering, he dismissed the servants guarding the door.

Madam Yun no longer looked even remotely as prosperous as she once had. Her hair was disheveled, her breathing weak, and her swollen eyes were webbed with red veins.

When she saw who had come, Madam Yun choked out, “Husband…”

“I truly know I was wrong. For the sake of Yan’er, please forgive me!”

Yun Liang’s face was grim as he brought the food before her, saying nothing.

Madam Yun could not spare a thought for anything else. Three days of hunger had tormented her until she looked scarcely human. She picked up the food and began shoveling it into her mouth.

She did not stop until her stomach was painfully full. Then tears began to drip into the bowl.

How had her secret been exposed?

She had been with Yun Liang for more than twenty years and had even borne him a daughter. Even though he now knew the truth, she believed he could not truly be so heartless as to take her life.

Madam Yun raised her head to plead for mercy again, but the cold ruthlessness in Yun Liang’s eyes left her unable to speak.

“The people sent by His Majesty are waiting in the main hall. I’ll hand you over to them shortly. You won’t be able to withstand their methods of interrogation.”

“If you say anything that harms the Yun family, it won’t only be me who suffers. Yan’er will be dragged into it as well.”

Yun Liang crouched down, gently caressed Madam Yun’s face, then slowly ran his fingers through her hair. He pulled out a hairpin and held it out before her.

Yun Liang’s voice was as gentle as ever, but the meaning behind his words sent chills through her.

“Madam, didn’t you say you loved me? Once you hand over the heir-extinguishing powder and everything else, go ahead and take your own life.”

“Only when you’re dead will you truly be doing what’s best for your husband and Yan’er.”

The voice of the person beside her in bed sounded like the whisper of a soul-reaping demon. Madam Yun’s pupils constricted, and she stared at him in disbelief. She could never have imagined that Yun Liang, the man who had always doted on her, would say such things.

But then she remembered how Yun Liang had stood by and allowed his first wife, Lin Qingjun—the woman who had supported him from nothing—to be poisoned to death.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‍affection he usually showed her had been nothing more than an act, so long as it did not interfere with his own interests!

True love? What a joke!

Yun Liang was a heartless, ungrateful bastard. The person he loved most was himself. He only loved himself!

And yet, what Yun Liang had said was true. She had already lost. If she continued living, she would only drag Yan’er down with her and make it impossible for her daughter to hold her head high.

Madam Yun wept and laughed at once, looking utterly deranged. She glared at Yun Liang with hatred.

“It’s in the room Yan’er used before she married, beneath the bed. Inside, there’s…”

After speaking, Madam Yun took one last lingering look around the room.

“Yan’er, Mother is leaving…”

The next moment, she snatched the hairpin from Yun Liang’s hand and plunged it viciously into her own chest.

“Madam!”

Yun Liang caught Madam Yun’s body and let out a desperate roar, shedding crocodile tears as he shouted, “Someone, come quickly! Madam has taken her own life!”

Before long, the noisy room fell silent once more.

A figure crawled out from beneath the bed.

Still shaken, the figure patted her chest. “Yun Liang, you really are one heartless bastard.”