Chapter 35
Qi Junmu was a man of decisive action. Shen Nian's plan was sound, but there were still many details to fill in—especially regarding who would be sent to the West Frontier. He would have to weigh his options carefully.
First, the candidate needed to be of sufficiently high rank to outshine Chang Sheng—ideally, a prince. Second, he needed to make Chang Sheng feel as though the Emperor had no one else but him for the job. And since the best performances are nine parts truth and one part acting, the people accompanying the prince would be just as crucial.
He already had a prince in mind. But as for that one especially critical attendant—Qi Junmu ran through several names in his head, only to reject each one in turn.
These men had all served competently during his reign, but they were still young and inexperienced—if he sent them to the West Frontier now, they would likely bungle the whole act.
After serious deliberation, he concluded that the ideal candidate should come from Shen Nian's own circle.
But who exactly?
Qi Junmu tapped his fingers on the desk, his hands were elegant—long, fair, and well-jointed.
That day, Yue shi had brought Lin En to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. They were currently accompanying the Empress Dowager in the imperial garden, enjoying the full bloom of spring flowers. The Empress, Wen Wan, gentle and poised, was also present alongside Princess Fuhua and others. Meanwhile, Shen Nian—charged with inspecting the palace guard rotations—suddenly let out several sneezes in quick succession, drawing the attention of the imperial guards Wang Jun and Hu Ze behind him.
Shen Nian tried to suppress it, but his nose was too itchy, and he let out another sneeze—loud and unfiltered.
After he took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, Wang Jun stepped forward with a concerned look. "My lord, are you feeling unwell? Would you like to rest for a while?"
Fearing any mishap near the Empress Dowager, they had been inspecting non-stop. As imperial guards within the palace, they couldn't ride in sedan chairs—their legs were already aching from all the walking.
Shen Nian waved his hand casually. "It's nothing serious. Sneezes come out of nowhere—maybe someone's thinking of me."
Wang Jun laughed and said, "My lord speaks true. When I was a child, my family used to say that sneezing for no reason meant someone was missing you."
Hu Ze, watching Wang Jun's earnest expression, thought to himself: That's not the version I heard. Isn't the saying supposed to be that someone's plotting against you?
But Hu Ze was an honest man, and since that version carried an ill omen, he kept his mouth shut to avoid displeasing his superior.
Shen Nian, however, was amused by Wang Jun's words. In this capital, who would be thinking of me? The Shen family? Don't make me laugh. Could it be the emperor? But whenever the emperor thinks of me, nothing good follows.
Better if the Emperor didn't think of him at all.
Then Shen Nian caught himself. What am I even thinking? He shook his head with a wry smile. He had only made that remark casually—why did Wang Jun's comment send his mind wandering toward the Emperor?
He pulled himself back to the matter at hand and continued his inspection of the guard patrols.
They had just passed through a narrow alley near the imperial garden when Shen Nian—well aware that the Empress Dowager and the Left Chancellor's wife, Yue shi, were there—felt his nerves tighten.
But as the saying goes: whatever you fear most, comes most surely. No sooner had Shen Nian wished for the imperial garden to remain peaceful than a scream rang out not far away.
Frowning, Shen Nian sprinted toward the source of the sound, his men close behind.
Arriving at the scene, he saw that in a pavilion by the rockery of the imperial garden, a young woman had fallen into the water. A man in blue robes had jumped in after her, clearly intending to rescue her—but he was not a strong swimmer and moved slowly. The woman was thrashing about wildly.
The Empress Dowager's face was ashen as she barked orders for the attendants to save them. Beside her stood a beautiful woman—Yue shi—who cried out in panic, "Hurry! Lin En can't swim!"
At that, the Empress Dowager's expression darkened even further.
Shen Nian, however, could swim. Regardless of the circumstances, with the Empress Dowager watching, saving them took priority. Fortunately, eunuchs and palace maids were already rushing over.
One by one, the eunuchs splashed into the water.
Shen Nian swam as fast as he could to Lin En's side, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the shore.
With so many eunuchs in the water, the rest was manageable.
Soon, both Lin En and the young woman were pulled ashore.
The woman was drenched. Since the weather had grown warm, her clothes were thin—soaked through as they were, any more than a glance would be improper.
Shen Nian had not gone to the woman's aid earlier, partly because he could tell she was not in grave danger, but mostly because her attire suggested she was of no ordinary rank. Had he touched her under such circumstances, matters would become impossible to explain.
Dripping wet, Shen Nian mulled over what had just happened, while the Empress Dowager's sharp voice rang out: "Send Princess Yueqing back to her palace at once! Summon a physician to examine her!"
From the Empress Dowager's tone, it was clear she was deeply displeased with the princess's predicament.
After giving those orders, the Empress Dowager had Lin En taken to her own palace and summoned Bai Feng to take his pulse. Before leaving, she glanced at Shen Nian, who was kneeling on the ground with his back ramrod straight, and asked, "What is your name, and where do you serve?"
"This humble subject is Shen Nian," he replied, head bowed.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback. She knew Qi Junmu had brought Shen Nian into the palace, and she had heard his name quite a bit recently. His methods—to put it generously, were either bold and unconventional; to put it bluntly, arrogant and reckless.
But despite his reputation, the Empress Dowager had never met Shen Nian in person. Though he had taken over Yang Jinglei's post as commander of the imperial guards, he was still a man from outside the rear palace—not one of the inner court—so she had no proper reason to call him in casually.
Given what she had heard, her impression of him had been mediocre at best. Now that he'd saved Lin En, however, she genuinely felt that this Marquis Zhenbei was rather decent.
At her side, Princess Fuhua raised an eyebrow. "So you're Marquis Zhenbei."
Shen Nian kept his head down and pretended not to hear.
Seeing that he observed proper decorum, the Empress Dowager departed with Fuhua and the others. Lin En's condition was still uncertain—they needed to check on him first.
Once they were gone, Shen Nian stood up. Glancing down at his drenched clothes, he felt a wave of frustration. There was no way he could continue the inspection like this—he needed to head back to the guard quarters and change into dry clothes.
Qi Junmu heard about the incident in the imperial garden soon after. Naturally, he had to visit Renshou Palace to check on things. With such an event, the Empress Dowager would certainly be shaken—he ought to pay his respects at the very least.
But before going, he summoned Shen Nian to get a full account.
What actually happened was best known by those on the scene; any version passed through others would inevitably be distorted.
Shen Nian understood the Emperor's intent, so after changing in haste, he hurried toward Qianhua Hall—crossing paths with the very eunuch sent to fetch him.
Before the Emperor, Shen Nian quickly recounted the entire sequence of events.
When he finished, he put on a pitiful look. "Your Majesty, saving a life is a great merit, is it not? The Empress Dowager won't hold it against me, will she?"
After all, a princess's reputation was at stake—he had no way of knowing what the Empress Dowager truly thought. A reassuring word from the Emperor would set his mind at ease.
Qi Junmu shot him a look. "In full view of everyone, you saved my cousin. The Empress Dowager would sooner reward you than blame you. Lord Lin himself will owe you a heavy gift of thanks."
Sensing a slight sharpness in the Emperor's voice, Shen Nian chose not to overthink it and quickly answered, "That's a relief. With Your Majesty's reassurance, this humble subject can finally set his mind at ease."
Qi Junmu could not be bothered with his glib talk. He rose and said, "I'm going to Renshou Palace. You'll come as well."
Shen Nian looked reluctant. "Your Majesty, I still have official duties to attend to—would it be all right if I didn't go?"
Seeing his resistance, Qi Junmu considered for a moment and nodded. "Very well."
Shen Nian let out a quiet sigh of relief inside and respectfully saw the Emperor off.
By the time Qi Junmu arrived at Renshou Palace, Bai Feng was already there.
The Empress Dowager's expression was grim; Yue shi was frantic with worry. The calmest ones, oddly enough, were Fuhua and Wen Wan.
At the Emperor's arrival, everyone set aside their expressions and came forward to offer their greetings.
Qi Junmu helped Yue shi to her feet. "Aunt, there's no need for such formality. How is my cousin?" His tone was warm, his address affectionate—a clear sign of his regard for Lin Xiao and the Lin family.
Yue shi did her best to suppress her anxiety. After thanking the Emperor, she said, "Physician Bai has already taken his pulse. He said Lin En was frightened and has a slight fever, but otherwise there's nothing serious."
Qi Junmu said, "Bai Feng's skills are excellent. Aunt, do not worry too much."
Yue shi managed a strained smile and said no more.
The Emperor turned to the Empress Dowager. "Imperial Mother, I heard that when Yueqing fell in, not a single attendant was at your side. Were they shirking their duties?"
This was precisely why Shen Nian had been unwilling to get involved. The Empress Dowager, Yue shi, and the others had been speaking without a single servant nearby—so much so that the imperial guards were the first to arrive at the scene. Whether there was something untoward behind it, no one could say. And Shen Nian had no desire to entangle himself in royal affairs.
The Empress Dowager did not read too deeply into it. "Your aunt rarely brings Lin En into the palace. We wanted to speak freely as family, without servants hovering about. Who would have thought it would lead to this? Thank goodness Yueqing is all right."
At that, Wen Wan and Fuhua also offered their apologies.
As it turned out, the whole thing was just an unfortunate chain of mishaps. They had been enjoying the gardens when Yue shi accidentally stepped on Wen Wan's hem. Wen Wan, caught off guard, bumped into Fuhua. They were standing by the water at the time, and Fuhua was about to fall in when Yueqing grabbed her—only to lose her own balance and tumble into the pond. She could not swim, and the more she struggled, the farther she drifted. With no servants around, everyone could only watch in panic—until Lin En jumped in to rescue her, completely forgetting that he couldn't swim either.
Both Yueqing and Lin En had suffered misfortunes entirely not of their making.
Yue shi's face was full of shame. "In the end, this is all this subject's fault. I disturbed the Empress and both princesses."
The Empress Dowager waved a hand. "It was not intentional. What matters is that everyone is safe."
Just as she finished speaking, Lin En emerged from the side hall, coughing dryly into his sleeve.
His coughing made the Empress Dowager all the more distressed, and she urged him repeatedly to take good care of himself.
Lin En thanked the Empress Dowager, bowed to Qi Junmu, and then excused himself on account of his health, withdrawing from the palace. Yue shi followed. After this incident, she would certainly have to prepare fine gifts for Wen Wan, Fuhua, and Yueqing by way of apology.
The Empress Dowager was worried about Lin En, but since this was the palace, she couldn't very well keep him there. So she sent Bai Feng to go with him—she didn't trust ordinary doctors.
Throughout the whole affair, Qi Junmu said very little.
After Yue shi and Lin En had left, the Empress Dowager let out a long sigh.
Qi Junmu said, "Imperial Mother, my cousin is out of danger. You need not worry so much."
She gave him a look. "That's not what I'm worried about. With Bai Feng there, Lin En will be fine."
Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. The Empress Dowager glanced at Fuhua and Wen Wan, then said, "Go and see how Yueqing is doing. A young girl, suffering such an ordeal—don't let her be too frightened."
Fuhua pouted. "Imperial Mother is just sending us away because you have something to discuss with Imperial Brother in private."
The Empress Dowager laughed and scolded her lightly. Fuhua giggled and left with Wen Wan.
As they departed from Renshou Palace, Wen Wan cast a brief, sideways glance at the Emperor. Qi Junmu was speaking with the Empress Dowager and did not notice her gaze.
She lowered her eyes, smiled placidly at Fuhua, and the two walked away.
Back in the hall, after dismissing the attendants, the Empress Dowager looked at Qi Junmu with a troubled expression. "It's not other things that concern me—it's the gossip that might spread through the palace after today's incident."
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