Chapter 686 - 464: Caught Red-Handed

Chapter 686: Chapter 464: Caught Red-Handed

"No wonder Qin Wan Yi is so composed," Song Yunzhao sneered.

Feng Yi looked at Zhang Maoquan. "Go and help Consort Shu get to the bottom of this."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhang Maoquan replied. "However, arresting him will likely alert Qin Wan Yi. It would be best to find an excuse to obscure the matter."

Song Yunzhao chimed in, "That’s simple enough. Just say Lady Shufei is conducting an audit of palace affairs and happened upon the Imperial Kitchen’s storerooms. Tell him to go reconcile the accounts with the Imperial Kitchen staff. You can surely get the truth out of him in a day, can’t you?"

Zhang Maoquan nodded at once. "I certainly can."

After Zhang Maoquan took his leave, Song Yunzhao looked at Feng Yi. "I can’t believe there were still some who slipped through the cracks."

’The book said the palace is as porous as a sieve. It seems this garden estate is no better.’

Feng Yi’s expression was grim. He was the Emperor, yet anyone could meddle in the affairs of his own household. It would be a miracle if he were in a good mood.

"Don’t be angry," Song Yunzhao soothed. "Once we clean house this time and dismiss all the older servants, we’ll get rid of seventy to eighty percent of the spies, no matter who they work for."

Feng Yi heaved a long sigh. "I must seem like a joke of an emperor."

Song Yunzhao said at once, "How could you say that? You’ve only been on the throne for a few years, yet you’ve already begun to consolidate your power. In a few more years, you’ll only need to give the word, and all the officials will rally behind you, ready to witness your true might."

Feng Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

"This business in Jiangnan is very tricky. For the new policies to be implemented smoothly, I have to win over the most powerful man in the region. He holds both military and political authority in Jiangnan. He’s a formidable man, but also a slippery old fox. He certainly won’t get his hands dirty so easily. But if I can get him on my side, my efforts will be twice as effective."

Song Yunzhao thought for a moment, then suddenly recalled someone mentioned in the original novel. "You mean the Governor of Jiangnan, Chen Zongjing?"

"Oh? You know of him?" Feng Yi asked, quite surprised.

Song Yunzhao’s expression didn’t change as she said, "Ever since you began implementing the new policies, Your Majesty, I’ve been studying the maps of Jiangnan, and naturally, I’ve also been paying attention to its political scene. I may not understand it all, but I didn’t want to be completely clueless if you ever brought it up with me."

Feng Yi’s grip on Yun Zhao’s hand tightened. ’She always takes my affairs so seriously. People say I spoil her, but how could I not be so fond of her?’

’Among all the concubines in this harem, who else would do something so tedious for my sake?’

’Only Zhaozhao would.’

Seeing Feng Yi’s deeply moved expression, Song Yunzhao suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She quickly changed the subject. "I’m sure you know more about Governor Chen’s accomplishments than I do, Your Majesty. But when it comes to his family’s gossip, I’d wager I’m better informed than you are."

Feng Yi chuckled. "Gossip? Do tell."

"This Governor Chen is quite the romantic, you know. I bet the court only knows of his reputation as a fearsome general, not that this man of iron has a soft side."

Feng Yi genuinely didn’t know. He was surprised that Yun Zhao had even managed to dig this up, and his interest was piqued.

"Chen Zongjing had a childhood sweetheart, Miss Yuan. The Chen and Yuan families were once of equal standing, but Father Yuan made a mistake while in office, was dismissed, and sent home. Their family’s fortunes declined. Chen Zongjing wanted to marry Qing Mei, but his elders refused and forced him to marry a woman from a family of equal status. That Miss Yuan was also forced by her family to marry a widower. Her father hoped to use the man’s influence to make a political comeback."

Feng Yi was listening with great interest, as if to a storyteller. "And then?"

"Father Yuan’s luck was truly terrible. A year after Miss Yuan married, her husband suddenly fell ill and died. Her in-laws cursed her for jinxing their son, and her own family resented her for being useless. Miss Yuan was thrown out by her in-laws, and her own family refused to take her in. With nowhere to turn, she decided to end her life, only to run into Chen Zongjing, who was out suppressing bandits."

Feng Yi said, "So the star-crossed lovers were reunited?"

"You’re brilliant, Your Majesty, you guessed it. Miss Yuan truly had a pitiful fate. Her own family treated her like a pawn, not caring if she lived or died, and her in-laws threw her out because they were afraid she’d claim a share of the inheritance. After Chen Zongjing rescued her, she had nowhere else to go, so she followed him back to the Chen Family estate."

"Bringing her back wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I imagine Madam Chen wouldn’t be able to tolerate her presence."

"You’ve guessed right again, Your Majesty," Song Yunzhao said with a smile.

’No feelings for the official wife, but deep love for Qing Mei. Chen Zongjing is only human, after all. His heart was bound to be biased, leading to turmoil in his household.’

’People are selfish, after all.’

"So, you want your cousin to use this as an opening?"

"Whether it’s Madam Chen or Concubine Yuan, to live in harmony, they need their conflicts resolved. Their biggest point of contention is, of course, their sons. Madam Chen is afraid Concubine Yuan’s son will snatch away her own son’s future prospects, while Concubine Yuan certainly doesn’t want her son to live a life of mediocrity."

"Do you have a solution?"

"Not really. It all depends on my cousin’s abilities, doesn’t it?"

Feng Yi smiled. "That’s quite a challenge."

Song Yunzhao smiled as well. "When people desire something, they reveal a weakness. We’ll just have to see what they want and how they go about asking for it."

"When your cousin returns, you can discuss it with him," Feng Yi said.

The two of them talked late into the night before finally falling into a deep sleep.

「Meanwhile.」

Qin Xiyue could not rest easy. The news that the steward from the kitchen had been called back to the palace to reconcile accounts made her uneasy. However, her own agent had personally heard the steward’s report, and it didn’t sound like anything was amiss, which calmed her nerves slightly.

But as the hours dragged on, her sense of unease deepened. It was only supposed to take a day. She gritted her teeth and told herself to wait it out.

The next morning, Xu Mingying’s final letter was delivered with the help of Marchioness Wu Xin. Consort Shu, having been alerted, intercepted the letter first. After reading it, she resealed it and had it sent on its original route to Pingyun Pavilion.

Then, Consort Shu immediately summoned An Shutong and whispered a few words to her. An Shutong hesitated.

Consort Shu said to her, "An Xiaoyi, you’ve seen how things are in this palace. Earning a promotion isn’t easy. Do you think you can rely on favor alone to get a share of the attention from Ming Fei?"

She knew she couldn’t, not right now. An Shutong fell silent.

"Since you can’t rely on favor to advance, your only path is through merit. But opportunities to distinguish yourself are few and far between. If you don’t want to do this, An Xiaoyi, I’m sure plenty of others in this palace would leap at the chance." Consort Shu was only offering her this opportunity because she had been involved from the start.

An Shutong was silent.

"I am willing to relieve Your Ladyship of this worry."

’I have no other choice.’

"Then I shall be counting on you, An Xiaoyi," Consort Shu said with a smile, raising her teacup.

After leaving Consort Shu, An Shutong first returned to Changsheng Courtyard to change her clothes, then hurried to Pingyun Pavilion.

Yun Zhao had just finished her breakfast and was wondering if she should pay a visit to Consort Shu when Xiangxue burst in. "Your Ladyship, it worked!"

Song Yunzhao shot to her feet. "So soon?"

"Yes! An Xiaoyi is truly something else. She burst into Pingyun Pavilion and caught Qin Wan Yi red-handed, reading the letter. She even managed to snatch it away. They got into a fight, and Qin Wan Yi pushed her. An Xiaoyi hit her head and now her face is covered in blood. The whole place is in an uproar!" Xiangxue reported, barely able to contain her excitement.