After Ruan Jiqing was gone, Yutao rose to her feet, her face ashen. She walked to Wen Wan's side and called out, "Niangniang."
She felt nothing but disgust for the palace attendants who had been left behind. She worried that spies might be among them — and even more, she worried that the Emperor now harbored resentment against the Empress.
A flicker of frustration passed through Wen Wan's eyes. Ruan Jiqing's interruption had made it impossible for the moment to shake off the accusation she had hoped to dispel.
In the past, she could have knelt in front of the Emperor's Qianhua Palace to beg forgiveness.
But now, she could no longer understand what Qi Junmu wanted. She did not dare act so rashly.
Wen Wan was far more calculating than Yutao, possessing some depth of cunning. She lifted her gaze, coughed dryly a few times, her expression dim, and said in a gentle tone: "These people are a gift from His Majesty. Take them back to the palace and settle them properly."
Yutao understood the meaning behind these words. She lowered her eyes in acknowledgment and helped Wen Wan walk slowly back to Weiyang Palace.
---
Qi Junmu was fairly satisfied with Ruan Jiqing's report. The people he had bestowed upon Wen Wan were selected at random by the Imperial Household Department. But given Wen Wan's sensitive and suspicious nature, she would surely think he had planted his own people among them. From now on, she would act even more cautiously — performing her role every moment of the day.
At that thought, Qi Junmu was pleased.
His mood was unusually good, and so his sleep improved somewhat.
That night, snow fell thick and fast. Qi Junmu did not dream at all. He slept straight through until it was time for the morning court session.
It was bitterly cold. He had not wanted to hold court at all, but the end of the year was approaching. Before the court recessed for the New Year, there were loose ends to tie up in preparation for the following year's opening the seals.
[Opening the seals (开印, kāi yìn): the official ceremony resuming government business after the Lunar New Year holiday (ended the sealing period, 封印).]
The coming year would be a new year — one entirely belonging to him, Qi Junmu.
In these final days of the current year, anything that needed handling had to be dealt with quickly.
Ruan Jiqing and the palace attendants helped Qi Junmu get ready, and then he went to hold morning court. He sat on the cold dragon throne as his officials paid their respects. Just as he told everyone to rise, Imperial Censor Shi from the Censorate stepped forward and said he had something to report.
The Censorate had never been favored by emperors. Emperor Jing in particular had disliked them, sometimes even berating them in court for meddling — resulting in an incident during the Yonghe era when a censor had dashed his head against a dragon pillar in the court hall, nearly dying.
Qi Junmu, having become emperor, was relatively broad-minded. Though the censors' words were not always pleasant to hear, even when displeased, he would endure listening to them.
His attitude delighted the officials in the Censorate. They believed they could finally serve as the emperor's mirror and be remembered in history.
Imperial Censor Shi was the oldest censor in the Censorate, and also the most opportunistic and adept at reading the wind.
During Emperor Jing's reign, he had gone days without speaking a single word at court, never drawing attention to himself. But when Qi Junmu ascended the throne, and Imperial Censor Shi saw that the new emperor wanted a good reputation, he began volunteering memorials at every court session — speaking on matters both real and imaginary. As a result, the common folk had given him the nickname "Blue Sky Imperial Censor Shi."
[青天 (qīng tiān): lit. "blue sky"; fig. a symbol of justice, righteousness, and incorruptibility — often used to describe an honest and fair official.]
Seeing Imperial Censor Shi step forward, Qi Junmu felt a mix of emotions. This old man knew how to read the moment and advance or retreat as needed. In his previous life, Imperial Censor Shi hadn't lasted long either — he had fallen ill, and Qi Junmu had taken the opportunity to put him on leave.
That would be only two or three months from now.
Noticing that the Emperor seemed to be in a rather poor mood today, Imperial Censor Shi steadied himself, knelt down, and spoke, his beard trembling: "Your Majesty, this humble subject accuses the Marquis Zhenbei's household of the crime of usurping imperial privilege."
Usurpation of privilege was a tricky charge — it all depended on the Emperor's mood.
Qi Junmu's interest was piqued. "Speak," he said. He knew Imperial Censor Shi had a particular quirk: when there was no substance to a matter, he would speak without conviction; when there was evidence, he would speak with force and certainty.
Given his current confident demeanor, the Shen family must have fallen into some trap.
Imperial Censor Shi straightened his back and said, "Your Majesty, the Shen family committed acts of usurpation when building the tomb for the late Marquis Zhenbei, Shen Yi. Both the height and width of the tomb exceed what is proper — comparable to that of imperial relatives. Yesterday, this humble subject—unworthy as I am—questioned the young Marquis Shen about this matter. The young Marquis responded arrogantly, claiming it was Your Majesty's will, and said that if this humble subject was dissatisfied, I should ask Your Majesty."
As he finished, Imperial Censor Shi sounded both indignant and disdainful. With such an obvious case of usurpation, did he really need to ask the Emperor? As a censor responsible for monitoring all officials, it was only proper for him to lodge his complaint directly in court.
Hearing that this was the matter, Qi Junmu's interest evaporated completely. He said lazily, "I know about it. Marquis Zhenbei defended the northern frontier. He was only posthumously granted the title of marquis after his death. He never enjoyed the honor in his lifetime. It is understandable that he should have some glory after death."
The entire court, Imperial Censor Shi included, was stunned.
The Emperor was clearly protecting Shen Nian. But Qi Junmu had always placed great importance on military power and had consistently taken a tough stance against the Shen family — especially Shen Nian. No one knew why his attitude had suddenly changed so drastically.
Imperial Censor Shi had intended to say more, but upon hearing Qi Junmu's words, he immediately changed his tune: "Since Your Majesty has permitted it, this humble subject has nothing further to say."
Just because Imperial Censor Shi had nothing further to say did not mean others didn't.
Seeing Imperial Censor Shi trying to slip away, a younger imperial censor stepped forward, knelt, and declared loudly: "Your Majesty's consideration for the Shen family is indeed an imperial kindness. But this precedent cannot be set. If everyone in the future acts as the Shen family has, where will Your Majesty's authority stand? Would people not say that Your Majesty dares not challenge the Shen family because they hold military power? I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."
The moment the imperial censor finished speaking, the entire court fell completely silent.
In that silence, Qi Junmu suddenly laughed. His laughter was soft but ice-cold. Every official in the hall heard him say coldly: "I recall that you entered the court in the ninth year of Yonghe. Did you ever speak a single word of this impassioned speech to the late Emperor?"
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