Turning these thoughts over in her mind, the Empress Dowager's gaze slowly fell upon Wen Wan, still kneeling on the ground. "I did not berate you today out of cruelty. But you are the chief overseer of the rear palace, holding the position of Empress. That such a thing happened under your watch is mismanagement. If it tarnishes the Emperor's reputation, that is your dereliction as Empress. The Emperor handles affairs of state from dawn till dusk—if the rear palace cannot even give him peace, how can you expect me not to be angry?"
"Imperial Mother's instruction is etched in this concubine's heart." The harsher the Empress Dowager's tone, the more deferential Wen Wan became, her words careful and reverent. Though the Empress Dowager had countless grievances against Wen Wan, she appreciated this quality—the girl admitted her faults promptly and truly held the Empress Dowager in her heart.
Hadn't she come to plead for the Emperor's sake the very moment she'd heard he'd spoken rudely in the Empress Dowager's presence?
The Empress Dowager looked down on Wen Wan somewhat, but she didn't mind being placed on a pedestal by her.
With that in mind, her expression eased slightly. She told Wen Wan to rise and continue, "I have heard of what's transpired between you and the Emperor. He is usually quite forbearing with you—you must think of him more. He is, after all, the master of Da Qi. Young and spirited, yes, but he has his own temperament. As his wife, your first duty is to bring him happiness."
Wen Wan was deeply moved by the Empress Dowager's sincere words. Her eyes reddened as she looked up. "Imperial Mother's words are etched in this concubine's heart. I have been overly favored and let my pride get the better of me. It is fortunate that Imperial Mother has reminded me in time. Though I am Empress and ought to manage the rear palace, I am naturally dull in such matters. I beg Imperial Mother to guide and instruct me often."
Whether these words came from the heart or not, the flattery pleased the Empress Dowager.
She gazed at Wen Wan and replied, "That, I will certainly do."
Wen Wan was, of course, overflowing with gratitude.
---
As the Empress Dowager and Wen Wan played out their warm scene of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Qi Junmu had already made his way back to Qianhua Hall.
Wang Yi, Right Commander of the Imperial Guard, had come back from North Mountain to report on his duties.
"Right Commander" was what the capital guard called him; the North Mountain guards preferred to address him as General Wang.
Wang Yi had been appointed by Emperor Jing. Though he was just over thirty and could be considered a promising young talent, he paled in comparison to Shen Nian, who had risen to fame at an even younger age.
Wang Yi was an arrogant man who looked down on the palace guard, dismissing them as mere ornamentation around the Emperor—not fit to hold a candle to the North Mountain Imperial Guard.
He was equally dismissive of Qi Junmu, a newly crowned Emperor. In his view, the North Mountain Imperial Guard protected the safety of the capital and the imperial city. Even Emperor Jing had shown them due respect, so this new Emperor was hardly worth his notice.
Wang Yi and Yang Jinglei had never seen eye to eye. Wang Yi had been Right Commander for a long time, while Yang Jinglei was Qi Junmu's appointee. With different masters, their loyalties naturally diverged.
Every time Yang Jinglei went to North Mountain, Wang Yi would make a fool of him.
Yang Jinglei was honest and followed the rules strictly, but he never knew how to report a grievance without making himself look foolish. As a result, many things never reached Qi Junmu's ears.
When word reached North Mountain that Yang Jinglei had left the capital, Wang Yi was so pleased he downed an entire jar of fine wine.
Without the bothersome Left Commander in his way, Wang Yi was certain he could intimidate whoever came to North Mountain next.
He hadn't expected it to be Shen Nian. Having spent so long at the border, Shen Nian carried a certain roguishness in his bones. His style was completely different from Yang Jinglei, a born-and-bred man of the capital. Wang Yi's little tricks were about as effective as a child swinging a giant hammer in front of an adult.
More importantly, Shen Nian was no pushover. If Wang Yi tried anything, Shen Nian not only dodged but struck back.
Wang Yi might think himself invincible, but he'd never seen real combat.
So when Wang Yi sent his men to cause trouble for him once more, Shen Nian simply knocked Wang Yi unconscious and strung him upside down from a tree for the duration of one shichen (2 hours).
To Wang Yi, this was a humiliation beyond bearing—which was why he'd rushed to the capital to see the Emperor. As Wang Yi poured out his grievances, tears and snot running down his face, Qi Junmu's expression stayed completely unmoved.
In Wang Yi's telling, Shen Nian was an arrogant bully who showed complete disregard for the Emperor's authority. Wang Yi was a North Mountain guard; his duty was to protect the Emperor. Insulting Wang Yi was insulting the Emperor—the gravest of offenses.
At the same time, Wang Yi insinuated that Shen Nian, not content with commanding the Northern Frontier Army, now had his eye on the North Mountain Imperial Guard as well.
Regardless of whether such accusations were true, they were the kind that could easily plant a thorn in any Emperor's heart.
The man on the dragon throne was fated to be lonely and suspicious.
Often, the sovereign might well know that someone was being framed—but he dared not gamble, and so would let the accusations stand and have the man put to death.
That was exactly Wang Yi's scheme—a thoroughly malicious plot.
Qi Junmu was a patient man. He waited for Wang Yi to finish before speaking. "Commander Wang, are you accusing Shen Nian of defying imperial decrees and coveting control of North Mountain?"
Wang Yi hadn't expected that, after all he'd said, the Emperor's first words would be this.
Recalling the shame of being strung up for all to see, his face flushed red—not from embarrassment, but from fury.
He clasped his hands and reaffirmed: "Yes, Your Majesty. This humble subject was appointed by the late Emperor and trusted by Your Majesty to safeguard the capital. But Shen Nian, acting as Left Commander, is only entitled to inspection and oversight at North Mountain. Without any decree, he has treated me thus, as if North Mountain were his own backyard—outrageous conduct. He clearly holds Your Majesty in no regard."
"He certainly doesn't hold me in regard," Qi Junmu said flatly.
Hearing this, Wang Yi's heart leaped—surely the thorn of suspicion had taken root.
But in the next breath, the Emperor's thunderous wrath crashed down upon him. Qi Junmu gave a cold snort: "Shen Nian has also accused you of drinking in front of your tent, indulging in women, and cursing me."
Wang Yi was stunned, then his face contorted with rage. With forced restraint, he said, "Your Majesty, Shen Nian is slandering this humble subject. As General of North Mountain, I protect the imperial city. I hold the late Emperor's decree in my heart: no drinking in the North Mountain encampment, no women within camp to corrupt discipline. This subject is utterly loyal to Your Majesty—how could I have cursed you? I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
Qi Junmu looked at Wang Yi with a curious glint in his eye.
In the previous life, he'd had Wang Yi beheaded—only next year.
Wang Yi was arrogant, proud, and lustful. He often had women from the brothels brought to his tent.
Even during the official mourning period for Emperor Jing's death, he'd done the same. When he grew afraid of being found out and losing his head, he killed the woman and buried her in Wanggu Valley on North Mountain.
The brothel madam, who was in the same boat, offered to help him gather money to save her own neck. Wang Yi let her live, and she put out the story that the woman had died of venereal disease.
Most women in such places had no families to speak of, and their patrons never truly cared for them. Once dead, they were simply dead—even if someone had suspicions, no one would step forward to demand justice for her.
Qi Junmu had never intended to spare Wang Yi, given his control of the military. In the previous life, he'd indulged Wang Yi from the start, letting him think the new Emperor was just a green boy unworthy of concern. He let him indulge in his lust, and later his greed, until Wang Yi became disloyal and provoked public outrage.
Then Qi Junmu, working with Lin Xiao, swept in and arrested him. While in custody, Wang Yi was tortured mercilessly by the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. Their methods were more than any man could bear—within a day, Wang Yi confessed everything, including the matter of the brothel woman.
Qi Junmu later came to understand that Wang Yi had been a whetstone left by Emperor Jing for the next sovereign—a tool to shake the court.
Of course, true to Emperor Jing's nature, the whetstone was meant for whoever took the throne next, whether it was Qi Junmu, Qi Junyan, or Qi Junyou—it didn't matter. Wang Yi's purpose was that limited.
In his past life, Qi Junmu indulged Wang Yi and let him live another year.
In this life, Qi Junmu's eyes could not abide a single grain of sand. He had no desire to keep this eyesore around any longer, so he smiled and said, "Commander Wang, I trust that the beauty buried in Wanggu Valley hasn't turned to bones just yet."
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