Chapter 41
The last remark Shen Nian had made—that casual, offhand comment about overstepping—left Yang Jinglei feeling somewhat dazed. In a moment of distraction, he thought back to the very first question the Emperor had asked him in the palace.
The Emperor had said: "Was your journey to Qingzhou smooth?"
And how had he answered at the time? He had said: Aside from the assassination attempt on Prince Jin, everything else went smoothly. Prince Ping was fairly cooperative along the way.
The Emperor had fallen silent for a moment at that, then moved on to ask other matters concerning Qingzhou. His tone had been casual, as if he only wanted to know what Prince Jin had been doing there and whether he had suffered any grievance.
Just as Shen Nian had said—the Emperor showed no favoritism toward Prince Jin. He spoke of his good and bad points impartially. But when it came to Prince Ping... his words carried a few extra notes of praise.
And Yang Jinglei hadn't even registered that praise in his heart—or perhaps he simply hadn't paid it any mind.
During the entire time in Qingzhou, Prince Ping had never once set foot outside the place where he was confined. He would often sit in the back courtyard with a jug of wine, drinking. Whenever he saw the imperial guards, he never said a word—only offered a face full of mocking sneers.
The more Prince Ping behaved that way, the more Yang Jinglei, when putting himself in Prince Ping's position, found himself thinking the man wasn't so bad—that at least on major matters of principle, he would never do anything to harm Da Qi.
Shen Nian looked at Yang Jinglei's expression of self-doubt and sighed. This was a classic example of how straightforward, honest people were so easily exploited.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "I hadn't realized Prince Ping had such charm. A single trip to Qingzhou, and he's already shaken the heart of the Imperial Guard Commander. If the two of you had ever fought side by side on the battlefield and faced life-and-death together, you'd probably be calling him a kindred spirit by now."
"He is a prince. If that's how you feel, how can His Majesty feel at ease entrusting the safety of the palace to you? What if one day Prince Ping and His Majesty come into conflict—would you be able to arrest him with your own hands?"
Yang Jinglei had never considered this. He thought seriously for a moment, then replied: "If His Majesty ordered me to arrest Prince Ping today, I would feel regret in my heart, but I would carry out the order without hesitation. As for the scenario you mentioned—it hasn't happened, so I can't give any answer now."
Shen Nian said: "You've gotten the answers you were looking for. Go home and think them over."
Yang Jinglei stood up and said: "Thank you, Marquis, for clearing things up for me. I apologize for the intrusion today."
Shen Nian gave a casual nod and watched him turn to leave.
He could tell that Yang Jinglei still had some doubts lingering in his mind—or perhaps he simply kept them silent and didn't ask. Was the Emperor really so suspicious that he would stop trusting a man over something like this?
Even if Shen Nian were asked, he would say the Emperor was indeed overly suspicious.
But wasn't the Emperor supposed to be suspicious? Too many people had their eyes on that seat. The dragon throne was the heaviest chair in the world—broad and with nothing to hold onto on any side. The one sitting on it could never feel truly secure.
Because the Emperor never knew when someone might stab him in the back. The Emperor was human too, and he didn't want to die.
So to the Emperor, absolute loyalty was the most important thing.
The people loyal to him could be not particularly clever, not particularly clear-headed—but they must never have any ties to any of those princes or the like.
That might sound harsh, but that was what the Emperor demanded.
Even Shen Nian himself was the same. If he had gone on a trip outside the capital with Prince Ping and found himself involuntarily drawn to him, the Emperor would cast him aside without a second thought.
Emperors are heartless—that was simply how it was.
Of course, if someone harbored other intentions and could hide them from the Emperor without being discovered, they might one day have a retreat route. But that was only if the man on the throne kept walking toward his own ruin and handed opportunities to others on a silver platter.
In Shen Nian's view, there was no need to think about that for now. He saw no such signs, and the Emperor was not the type to willingly hand over the throne. So one must always stay vigilant—otherwise, it was too easy to make mistakes.
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When Yang Jinglei left the Marquis Zhenbei's residence and carefully mulled over Shen Nian's words, he broke out in a cold sweat all over his back.
If his current state of mind had gone unnoticed, and he had slowly grown closer to Prince Ping without even realizing it—wouldn't that have been walking straight to his own death?
At that thought, he took a deep breath and hurried back to the Yang family as fast as he could.
When he returned, Old Madam Yang and his wife were sitting in the front hall, their faces etched with anxiety.
Seeing him come back safe and sound, Old Madam Yang rose and said: "Did you go looking for trouble with the Marquis of Zhenbei?"
Yang Jinglei frowned and said: "Mother, where did you hear that? I only went to ask the Marquis for some advice. The Marquis is a noble lord—without the Emperor's decree, no one would dare to cause him trouble."
"Then I suppose you're not as reckless as I feared." Old Madam Yang let out a deep sigh of relief, then furrowed her brows again. "It's all Yang Lei's fault—he can't even deliver a message properly."
Yang Lei quickly stepped forward and apologized. He had only spoken out of urgency, blurting out what was on his mind—he hadn't meant it on purpose.
Yang Jinglei didn't blame Yang Lei. After all, this matter had been his own oversight.
Old Madam Yang had barely relaxed when she heard Yang Jinglei say he would be resting at home for a few days and not entering the palace. That sigh of relief caught in her throat, and she instantly felt unwell again.
What happened in the Yang family couldn't be kept from others anyway. By the time the story made the rounds, it had turned into: Shen Nian had kept Yang Jinglei confined at home in order to seize control of the Imperial Guard.
In this struggle for power, Shen Nian had emerged victorious in the end.
The Emperor had originally not heard this news in the palace, but Lin Xiao brought it up during his audience.
"There is such a thing?" Qi Junmu looked somewhat surprised, then frowned deeply. "Are the people in the capital so idle that they have nothing better to do than indulge in wild fantasies and spread rumors?"
Lin Xiao carefully studied the Emperor's expression, then smiled and said: "If Your Majesty truly does not favor Marquis Zhenbei as the rumors claim, then Commander Yang should return to the palace."
Qi Junmu let out a long sigh. "Shen Nian has been quite handy for me to use these days—but that has nothing to do with Yang Jinglei entering the palace. The reason I don't wish to see him for now has to do with Prince Ping."
"Prince Ping?" Lin Xiao had only made that remark in jest, but he hadn't expected to receive such an answer.
His brow furrowed deeply. "What has Prince Ping done?" He had no fondness for Prince Ping, Prince Rui, or even Prince Jin—in his eyes, they were all people coveting the throne.
If Qi Junmu didn't care about his reputation, Lin Xiao would have even suggested he follow Emperor Jing's example in dealing with his brothers—root them all out completely. Only then would Qi Junmu's throne be truly secure.
But this was merely Lin Xiao's private thought. He knew full well that Qi Junmu was not Emperor Jing and would never do such a thing.
Still, occasionally—just occasionally—he couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
Qi Junmu said: "My Second Imperial Brother was always well-liked in his day—he had the best reputation both inside and outside the court. But that his Qingzhou trip could influence Yang Jinglei is somewhat beyond my expectations."
Lin Xiao said: "Does Your Majesty mean that Yang Jinglei is no longer usable?"
Qi Junmu shook his head. "Not to that extent. That's why I'm having him reflect on things at home."
Lin Xiao said: "I see. But there's one more thing I find rather strange—after leaving the palace, why did Yang Jinglei go straight to the Marquis Zhenbei's residence? He and the Marquis have never had dealings before. When did their relationship become so close? Should Your Majesty pay more attention to this?"
"I find it strange too." Qi Junmu looked at Lin Xiao with an amused smile. "From what you just said, Uncle, Yang Jinglei went straight to the Marquis Zhenbei's residence as soon as he left the palace. What do you think he went to see Shen Nian about?"
Lin Xiao pondered for a moment, then honestly shook his head. "I do not know."
Qi Junmu interlaced his fingers and pressed his hands downward, resting his chin on them. His tone was languid. "I'll look into it. Uncle need not worry."
Lin Xiao offered some words of praise to the Emperor, then added: "Your Majesty, was it Prince Jin who told you that Yang Jinglei and Prince Ping had close private relations?"
"That's not quite it." Qi Junmu lowered his gaze. "I just think it's better to be cautious about such things."
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