Chapter 15
Shen Nian hadn't expected Qi Junmu to say that. His expression shifted from shock and uncertainty to sheer delight.
He bowed formally to the emperor and said gravely, "This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for standing up for me." Then he rose, turned his back to Qi Junmu, and gave Qi Fan and Wen Yao a slight, elegant smile—cultured, handsome, and impeccably polite. "Heir, Imperial Uncle, shall we?"
Wen Yao's face flushed red with rage. If the imperial guards hadn't been holding him down, he would have leapt up and slapped Shen Nian right across that detestable face.
Qi Fan was also struggling, though he looked slightly calmer than Wen Yao. Besides, although he was the heir to Prince Ying, everyone knew Prince Ying held only an empty title. Qi Fan was well aware that in the emperor's eyes, his status as heir didn't compare to Marquis Zhenbei's.
After the two were dragged out, Shen Nian followed eagerly, while Qi Junmu watched coldly. Soon, the sound of the staff striking flesh echoed from outside the hall, along with Wen Yao and Qi Fan's howls for mercy—calling out for their fathers and mothers.
Ruan Jiqing stole a glance at the emperor's calm expression and suddenly thought of his apprentice, who had died under that very same staff. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through every part of his body.
After the twenty-first blow, both Qi Fan and Wen Yao's pleas had weakened considerably from the pain. Shen Nian's voice drifted in faintly: "Your Majesty, that's enough."
Qi Junmu naturally wouldn't shout back. He instructed Ruan Jiqing, "Since Marquis Zhenbei thinks that's sufficient, tell them to stop."
Ruan Jiqing hurried out. After a while, Shen Nian and Ruan Jiqing entered the hall first, followed by the imperial guards supporting Qi Fan and Wen Yao.
Despite the bitter cold, both men were drenched in sweat on their foreheads, groaning about the pain.
The guards tried to force them to kneel, but Wen Yao was crying from the agony: "Your Majesty, please let me lie down—it hurts too much."
Qi Fan felt the same way.
Qi Junmu shot them a glare of exasperation and disdain, then tilted his chin toward the guards, signaling them to let the two men lie on the floor.
He then turned his gaze to Shen Nian. The marquis's eyes were filled with a mix of pity and lingering dissatisfaction.
Qi Junmu asked, "What, Marquis Zhenbei—still not satisfied?" His tone suggested that if Shen Nian were displeased, they could continue. Qi Fan and Wen Yao immediately thrashed and squirmed on the ground like fish hauled out of the sea.
They glared at Shen Nian—if he dared say "keep going," they'd fight with everything they had.
With an honest, earnest look, Shen Nian replied, "Your Majesty, in the military, if soldiers make mistakes, fifty strokes of the rod is the lightest punishment. the Heir and the Imperial Uncle have such soft, tender skin—they could barely take two blows. Even if I still feel it wasn't quite enough, out of respect for Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare continue."
Qi Junmu let out a cold laugh. "What, so I should thank you on their behalf?"
Shen Nian shook his head with a bashful smile. "This humble subject would never presume to ask for Your Majesty's thanks. If this matter helps the Heir and the Imperial Uncle grow a little, then the injury on my face won't have been for nothing."
Qi Junmu had seen shameless people before, but never anyone quite as shameless as Shen Nian. He stared at the shyness and self-righteous emotion on Shen Nian's face and suddenly felt rather exasperated—he regretted using this man as his blade.
If Shen Nian could make him this frustrated while dealing with others, Qi Junmu thought that if Shen Nian ever turned that behavior on him directly, he might just lose control and kill the man.
Shen Nian paid no heed to the faint threat lurking in the emperor's eyes. That shy smile still hung on his face, as though he had guided others onto the righteous path—and he cared nothing for fame or personal glory.
While the marquis and the emperor locked eyes in silence, Wen Yao finally broke—he burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath between heartbroken wails.
Shen Nian's expression shifted to one of shock. He looked down, his entire posture radiating disbelief—how dare you still have the nerve to cry?
Qi Junmu's ears stung from the sound of Wen Yao's crying. He shot Shen Nian a glare and said in a low voice, "Marquis Zhenbei, that's enough." Then he ordered the guards to escort Wen Yao and Qi Fan home.
Along with them went an imperial edict to both families, commanding Prince Ying and Wen Zhuo to properly discipline their sons—any future offenses would not be tolerated lightly.
After Wen Yao and Qi Fan were carried off by the guards, Qi Junmu looked at Shen Nian. "If Marquis Zhenbei has nothing else, then focus on investigating the case. It's not just me—the entire court is waiting to see what you can do."
Shen Nian smiled with satisfaction. "This humble subject thanks Your Majesty for protecting me." News of what had just happened would spread through the court and beyond in no time. Regardless of whether the emperor had punished Qi Fan and Wen Yao because of Shen Nian's military power, the fact was that Shen Nian now appeared to be the emperor's most favored subject. If possible, everyone would likely steer clear of him for now—which would make his work much easier.
Just looking at Shen Nian gave Qi Junmu a headache. He waved his hand wearily. "Leave the palace."
A faint smile flickered in Shen Nian's eyes. This was the first time he had ever seen the emperor show such helplessness. He wasn't wearing that cold mask that kept everyone at a distance—he seemed alive now, like a man with real emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.
News traveled swiftly within the palace—especially when no one tried to hide it.
As Shen Nian walked out of the palace gates, his personal guard, Cheng Jin, approached him. Cheng Jin had a square, upright face, usually stern and expressionless. But now, that serious face carried a trace of panic.
Shen Nian looked at him. "What's wrong?"
Cheng Jin glanced around and lowered his voice. "Marquis, when the imperial guards carried out the Heir to Prince Ying and Imperial Uncle just now, they were shouting and crying about how they were beaten for offending you. Quite a few people heard. By now, the news has probably spread all over the capital."
Shen Nian looked pleased. He nodded with a hint of pride. "Mm, they were beaten because of me. His Majesty had me oversee the punishment—I watched every single blow and only called stop after the twenty-first."
Cheng Jin's worry deepened, but his stern face was ill-suited for such an expression, making him look somewhat odd.
They reached the dismounting stones—the ones set up by the founding emperor, where civil officials had to get out of their sedan chairs and military officers had to dismount their horses. Since both Shen Nian and Cheng Jin were military men who weren't used to sedan chairs, they had come on horseback.
Cheng Jin led the horses over, and Shen Nian chuckled at his expression. "What is it?"
Cheng Jin looked up silently, pondered for a long time, then blurted out: "Marquis, a pig that gets too fat is the first to be slaughtered."
Shen Nian's face contorted in a complicated expression. "So you're saying I'm the fat pig, and His Majesty is the butcher?"
Cheng Jin said, "It doesn't sound great, but it's fairly accurate." In Cheng Jin's view, the emperor was fattening Shen Nian up—except a pig ate slop, while the emperor fed him power and favor.
Shen Nian swung onto his horse, his robes fluttering. In a low voice, he said, "Even if that's true, what can you do about it? Can you resist?" As he turned his horse away, he glanced back at the towering palace. "Even if I kept my mouth shut and let people insult me, they'd still treat me like a dead man. Since that's the case, why make myself miserable?"
Cheng Jin wasn't comforted at all—his worry only deepened.
Shen Nian looked away. "Let's go. We're the emperor's favored ministers now. We need to do good work for him and live up to this favor."
Cheng Jin had no choice but to follow.
While Shen Nian investigated Guan Han's death, Qi Junmu was in the palace reading a memorial from Zhang Wenyuan, the prefect of Qingzhou. The memorial reported that Qingzhou had been struck by an unseasonable cold spell and heavy snowfall. Zhang Wenyuan expressed concern about potential snow and flood disasters and requested that the court make preparations early.
Another memorial came from Chang Sheng, the general guarding the western border, reporting unusual movements from the Eastern Di tribe of the Western Yi Kingdom, and requesting additional troops and military pay for the western front.
Both memorials came at critical moments. Qingzhou was the home turf of Qi Junyou's maternal clan, who had been entrenched there for generations, with deep roots. In the previous life, when that memorial first arrived, Qi Junmu and Lin Xiao had discussed it at length before finally deciding to send someone to assess the situation. After confirming that Qingzhou was indeed facing a snow disaster, the court had expended enormous resources to bring the crisis under control. Even so, the common people of Qingzhou still believed the emperor had deliberately refused to help them because he suspected Prince Ping.
As for the western memorial, Qi Junmu and Lin Xiao hadn't taken it very seriously. The Western Yi Kingdom had changed rulers, and the new king had soon sent a letter declaring his willingness to live in peace with Da Qi and never invade.
No one wanted war—Da Qi included. The northern border had just been pacified, and the people of Da Qi needed time to recover. After receiving that letter, Qi Junmu set aside the matter of the Western Yi Kingdom.
Still, to be safe, although he didn't send troops to the west, he did send funds to reinforce the city walls.
But two years later, the Western Yi Kingdom attacked. The western border defenses crumbled at the first strike. Chang Sheng was captured, tens of thousands of border soldiers were killed, and the western front collapsed. Fortunately, the old general Yan Yuntai was holding Hanmen Pass, and in the end, the last line of defense was barely secured.
Qi Junzhuo had gone to the front in the name of a prince to rally the troops. The campaign lasted several months. Qi Junzhuo and Yan Yuntai drove back the Western Yi forces and recaptured the lost territory—but soon after, Qi Junzhuo disappeared without a trace from the western frontier.
Thinking of this, Qi Junmu tapped his fingers on the memorial.
Qingzhou was on the western border.
That was precisely why he had been willing to send Qi Junzhuo there in the first place—he didn't trust Qi Junyou.
Of course, now that events were repeating themselves, he couldn't handle it the same way.
When Qingzhou got into trouble back then, Qi Junyou had taken the chance to build up a good reputation. This time, he should be the one contributing both manpower and money.
As for reinforcing the western border defenses, that would require careful consideration.
While everyone was preoccupied with their own concerns, both the Wen residence and Prince Ying's mansion were filled with wailing.
Wen Zhuo and Prince Ying each had one precious legitimate son. Seeing them beaten like this, they were beside themselves with heartache.
Prince Ying's consort had cried so much her makeup was ruined. Qi Fan had been crying too, but when he saw his mother's state, he focused on comforting her and forgot all about his own aching backside. Prince Ying stood by nervously, wringing his hands but not daring to vent his anger at his wife.
Qi Junmu had made it very clear why Qi Fan had been punished—it was because Qi Fan ran his mouth.
Knowing full well that Shen Nian was currently in favor, he had still gone along with Wen Yao's gossip. If the emperor hadn't punished Qi Fan, even Prince Ying would have thought the emperor was displeased with them and that their heads might soon be rolling.
Prince Ying's consort also knew that their household looked grand on the outside but was fragile within. She sobbed, "Even if Fan'er was wrong, His Majesty didn't have to be so harsh!"
Prince Ying doted on both his wife and his son, so he could only go back and forth, comforting one and soothing the other, telling them not to ruin their eyes or their health from crying.
Compared to Prince Ying's mansion, the mood at the Wen residence was far more volatile.
Especially Madam Wen—she had apparently not listened to a single word the emperor's messenger had said. After the palace attendants left, she stared at Wen Yao and said through gritted teeth, "This cannot end here. Tomorrow, I will enter the palace and see the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Even if he's Marquis Zhenbei, he can't just ignore all reason!"
Wen Zhuo was also upset with Qi Junmu. Wen Yao was his only precious son, and striking his son was like a slap to his own face.
The bitterness in Wen Zhuo's heart was hard to swallow.
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