Chapter 25
The Emperor said this in a light, offhand tone, as if he had casually run into an acquaintance on the street and asked whether he had eaten yet.
Wang Yi, however, turned pale at these words, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
He was dressed in comfortable, soft robes, but under Qi Junmu's dark, penetrating gaze, he felt an icy cold seep through him—as if someone were rubbing ice over his skin. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
His thoughts were spinning, and panic flooded his heart. He kept asking himself over and over: How did the Emperor find out about this? Who sold me out?
He ran through many names in his head, only to dismiss each one. Everyone who knew of this matter was a trusted confidant, and each of them had some leverage in his hands. They were all in the same boat—none would dare to betray him.
Then Wang Yi suddenly came to his senses: What was the point of thinking about all this now? Who betrayed him and who didn't could be investigated later—but only if he survived this ordeal.
With that thought, Wang Yi looked up with a tearful expression and pleaded, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has been wronged! I received great favor from the late Emperor and have been honored by Your Majesty's regard—how could I ever do something so unfilial, disloyal, unrighteous, and unvirtuous? Someone must be trying to frame me. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."
Wang Yi had his own little scheme at play here. By bringing up Emperor Jing at this moment, he hoped first to appeal to the current Emperor's regard for his late father and spare an old minister's life, and second—to imply a veiled threat.
He was a minister from Emperor Jing's era. If Qi Junmu—who had only been on the throne for a few months—struck him down, it would inevitably chill the hearts of other veteran officials in the court. Once word spread, regardless of whether Wang Yi were guilty or not, fear and suspicion would lead many to believe that the Emperor was purging the veteran ministers.
The new Emperor sat on a throne where most of his courtiers hailed from Emperor Jing's time. If these men united against him, his imperial position would be in grave danger. If the Emperor wanted to avoid an empty court, he would have no choice but to back down.
Wang Yi figured that killing a mere singing girl right after Emperor Jing's death was no big deal—a trivial matter. Compared to destabilizing the very foundation of the state, the Emperor's choice should be obvious.
Such reasoning would naturally provoke the Emperor's wrath, but when weighed against his own life, offending the sovereign was a small price to pay.
If the Emperor yielded just this once, Wang Yi would have the upper hand—and could still find a way to survive.
Having lived two lifetimes, Qi Junmu naturally understood Wang Yi's calculations. In his previous life, he had been restrained by such considerations toward the court officials—which was precisely why he had deliberately indulged Wang Yi, allowing public outrage to fester.
When he finally issued the order to execute Wang Yi, the common people cheered and every official denounced his crimes. Not a single person spoke in his defense—everyone declared he deserved death. Wang Yi's name would stink for eternity. And at that time, Qi Junmu's reputation was sterling; in many eyes, he was a wise and enlightened ruler.
In this life, Qi Junmu could certainly follow the same path—or even accelerate the process through other means—and ultimately win himself a good name. But he was unwilling. Because that would mean letting Wang Yi linger before his eyes for several more months, and the very thought made his skin crawl.
More importantly, Qi Junmu had no idea how many years he had left in this life. If he were fated to be Emperor for only three years again, wasting several months on Wang Yi would be unbearable.
Just thinking about it made him feel stifled and deeply unsatisfied.
If that were the case, why force himself to endure it?
He might as well seize this chance to strip Wang Yi of everything. As for his reputation—let it be. It would also serve as a test to gauge the court's reactions.
With that, Qi Junmu smiled and said, "Wang Yi, do you think I dare not do anything to you?"
Wang Yi: "?"
Something about the Emperor's response felt wrong.
Before Wang Yi could say more, Qi Junmu slowly raised both hands and clapped twice.
"You—" Wang Yi suddenly realized it—the Emperor never planned to let him walk out of there alive. He shot to his feet, but the imperial guards, who had been waiting in the side rooms, rushed forward and pinned him to the ground the moment they saw the signal.
Qi Junmu's face turned cold. "Take him away and lock him up."
Wang Yi let out one cry of "You're framing a loyal subject!" before the guards covered his mouth and dragged him off.
This time, Qi Junmu had summoned guards from the Northern Guard Bureau, whose commander was a man named Xu Guang—the same one under whom Hu Ze had served. As it happened, Xu Guang was on duty that day, and the Emperor had his reasons for choosing him.
Qi Junmu knew Xu Guang well: clever enough, not prone to asking too many questions, obedient to orders, and fiercely loyal to whoever sat on the throne—whether Emperor Jing or Qi Junmu himself, it made no difference. So summoning these guards didn't draw much attention.
After Wang Yi was taken away, Qi Junmu kept Xu Guang behind and offered him a few words of encouragement. In his previous life, after Wang Yi's death, Qi Junmu had transferred Yang Jinglei to the North Mountain and promoted Xu Guang to Left Commander of the Imperial Guard.
By that time, Xu Guang had become steady and composed—not like now, still with a hint of rawness. He needed a couple more years of tempering before he could shoulder real responsibility.
Xu Guang could feel the Emperor's regard for him. Though somewhat puzzled, the rewards and trust left him deeply moved, his heart pounding with the excitement of being on the verge of great promotion.
Once Xu Guang withdrew, Qi Junmu leaned back on the couch and ordered tea to be served. Ruan Jiqing had gone to North Mountain with the imperial edict, so the eunuch on duty that day was Xia Guo of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. A handful of eunuchs attended the Emperor, with Ruan Jiqing usually the one by his side.
Ruan Jiqing was only one person, after all, and needed someone to take over his duties from time to time. All the eunuchs who served the Emperor came from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. Last time, Ruan Jiqing—wanting to keep a good opportunity within his own circle—had given the prized assignment to his adopted son, a newly arrived young eunuch.
That adopted son had ended up dead. Though Qi Junmu hadn't spoken of it openly, Ruan Jiqing could sense from his attitude that the matter wasn't simple—that his adopted son had nearly cost him his own life.
So this time, after Ruan Jiqing left the palace, the Directorate's eunuchs took turns serving the Emperor, each hoping to catch His Majesty's eye and seize a chance to surpass Ruan Jiqing.
Qi Junmu paid little heed to such petty maneuvering. His main goal was to ensnare Wang Yi—and he had never intended to let that scourge live.
Thus, Wang Yi's entry into the palace this day was an entry into the gates of hell. Yet Qi Junmu had revealed not the slightest hint of his intentions beforehand—not even to Ruan Jiqing, who was always by his side. So even Wang Yi himself had thought this was just a routine report to the Emperor.
Of course, if Qi Junmu hadn't already lived through this once before, he wouldn't have known about this crime either. The singing girl from the brothel had no family and no real friends.
Once she was dead, there was no one to demand justice for her.
And apart from this, Wang Yi had left very few obvious weaknesses for anyone to use against him.
Now that Qi Junmu had caught him off guard like this, the rest would be much easier.
Once Shen Nian unearthed the corpse from Wanggu, this whole affair would be settled.
Thinking of Shen Nian, who was at North Mountain, Qi Junmu smiled. This achievement would also be credited to Shen Nian—after all, the Emperor couldn't have uncovered this while staying cooped up in the palace all day.
Qi Junmu had already fabricated a convenient story for Shen Nian, so that when word spread, it would become another tale of praise.
Xia Guo finished pouring tea and, seeing the smile on the Emperor's face, hurriedly flattered, "This servant congratulates Your Majesty on removing a great treacherous minister today."
Qi Junmu took two sips of tea, then glanced at Xia Guo. He suddenly understood why Ruan Jiqing had left Xia Guo in attendance before departing the capital. Among people, there was no comparison without contrast.
Setting down the delicate teacup, Qi Junmu said, "Xia Guo, in your spare time, learn more from how Ruan Jiqing handles things. A man who talks too much may lose his tongue and still live—but if he loses his life, what then?"
Xia Guo's fawning smile froze on his face, leaving him with a ridiculous expression that was equal parts terror and flattery.
Qi Junmu said no more and looked away. He was contemplating the fallout from this incident. With Wang Yi suddenly arrested, many would soon come to probe for information—each with their own arguments, each convinced of their own rightness. It would be maddening.
Then, quite suddenly, the Emperor found himself thinking of Shen Nian. With Shen Nian there to handle things, so many matters became far less troublesome.
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