Wen shi gripped her maid's hand tightly, her expression fraught with alarm, and stammered, "So… so you're an eunuch from the palace. How… how did you come to be here…"
"The Marquis has been working hard at court these past days. His Majesty personally ordered this servant to escort him home so he could rest properly. The Emperor is truly protective of the Marquis from the bottom of his heart." Ruan Jiqing continued in an even tone. "This servant sees you are on your way to see the Marquis? He has already retired to sleep. If your business isn't urgent, might you wait a while?"
"No… no, nothing important," Wen shi said dryly. "If he's tired, let him rest."
Ruan Jiqing smiled. "That's good to hear—His Majesty would be pleased. This servant also heard from the Marquis that Old Madam Shen is unwell. His Majesty is aware of this as well. I ought to pay my respects to her, but His Majesty is waiting for my report, so I won't be visiting today. I'll trouble you, Madam, to pass on my regards."
Wen shi hurriedly said, "You have your duties, eunuch—I won't keep you. My second son has been attending to Old Madam day and night, with the utmost care."
Ruan Jiqing gave her a long look, unable to tell whether this woman was genuinely foolish or simply pretending.
He had all but spelled it out, invoking the Emperor's name at every turn, and yet she kept steering the conversation back to sing Shen Qing's praises. She didn't spare even a fingernail's worth of space for Shen Nian in her heart—let alone any real thought.
With that thought, Ruan Jiqing had no desire to continue the conversation. He took his leave with his attendants and strode off.
Wen shi stood there, watching his retreating figure, feeling deeply unsettled. Then she gritted her teeth and turned to find Shen Qing.
If the Emperor thinks so highly of Shen Nian, won't Shen Qing be even more trampled underfoot in the days to come?
Upon returning to the palace, Ruan Jiqing recounted everything that had happened at the Shen residence to the Emperor, in full detail. He didn't slant his report one way or the other—he simply described what he had seen.
Inwardly, however, he couldn't help but wonder whether Wen shi had something wrong with her head.
She disliked Shen Nian and favored Shen Qing—that much was clear. But Shen Nian was Marquis Zhenbei now; he was the true master of the household. Shen Qing, on the other hand, was nothing but a wastrel—no scholarly honors, no reputation to speak of.
What did Shen Qing have to compete with Shen Nian? His mother's title as the Marquis's mother?
If Wen shi truly wanted what was best for Shen Qing, she should be finding ways to ease Shen Nian's resentment, fostering harmony between the two brothers so that Shen Nian might one day lend a hand to Shen Qing.
Qi Junmu's thoughts aligned perfectly with Ruan Jiqing's—and this was exactly how things had played out in his previous life.
Ever since Shen Nian returned to the capital, Wen shi had done everything she could to tarnish his reputation, to fight for the Shen family estate on Shen Qing's behalf, and to push Shen Nian out.
Her favoritism toward Shen Qing was plain for all the world to see. The people of the capital might not say it aloud, but everyone privately thought Wen shi had gone too far. After all, Shen Nian was the eldest son, her own flesh and blood. To treat him so cruelly was a stain on the Shen family's name.
Shen Qing, for his part, had no sense at all. He simply basked in his mother's favor, smug and self-satisfied.
The story ended with Shen Nian resigned his post and his title, packed his belongings, and left the capital to wander the four seas, making his home wherever the wind took him—leaving Wen shi and Shen Qing to stare at each other in the capital.
While others were calling Wen shi foolish, Qi Junmu had once discussed it privately with Lin Xiao, saying that Shen Nian couldn't possibly be her biological son—otherwise, how could she do such a thing?
Lin Xiao had immediately scolded him, saying that as Emperor, he shouldn't gossip like some clueless woman cooped up in the inner courtyard. But then Lin Xiao couldn't resist adding his own bit of gossip: Shen Nian was indeed her son—his features carried traces of both Shen Yi and Wen shi.
It was just that mother and son had little bond between them. Shen Nian treated her as his mother; she treated him as a debt-collector, someone to resent at every turn.
At the time, Qi Junmu had thought Lin Xiao's words quite sensible. Even now, he felt they were as honest and truthful as ever.
These thoughts only circled briefly in Qi Junmu's mind—he had no intention of interfering in the Shen family's affairs. Just as Shen Nian had said, he could handle his own family matters well enough.
Of course, Shen Nian had been quite helpful since returning to the capital, even if reluctantly so. Qi Junmu was willing to let Shen Nian use the emperor's authority to get things done within the Shen family.
After all, Shen Nian's reputation as a favored official had to carry some real weight.
With that settled, Qi Junmu said, "Let's not dwell on Shen Nian's matters anymore. I trust he can handle it."
Ruan Jiqing acknowledged the command and indicated his understanding.
---
With Shen Nian absent, the emperor summoned Yang Jinglei instead.
It wasn't solely because Shen Nian was away that the emperor called him in—that had been his plan all along.
But to those who liked to read into things, this was a signal—one that suggested Shen Nian had been paving the way for someone else's gain.
Shen Nian had been quite diligent in the palace these past days. Having fought in wars, his training methods for the imperial guards were far from conventional—he often launched surprise attacks that caught the guards off guard and put them on high alert.
During patrols, he frequently pointed out weak spots in their defense. Though harsh when reprimanding the guards, he effectively addressed their shortcomings and helped them improve significantly.
Now that Yang Jinglei was back, the emperor could hardly ask him to step aside for Shen Nian's sake as Left Commander. Shen Nian himself should have the good sense to recognize that.
All things considered, it made more sense for Shen Nian to make way for Yang Jinglei.
In any case, no matter how one looked at it, Shen Nian's days in the palace seemed numbered.
Most civil and military officials were pleased to anticipate this development.
This time, there were no rumors of Shen Nian falling out of favor—but plenty of people were saying that if he had any sense of shame, he would leave on his own.
Qi Junmu didn't care what others thought. He himself had never considered asking Shen Nian to leave.
As for Yang Jinglei, he had long since arranged a position for him—the North Mountain Imperial Guard was in need of a commander. In his previous life, after Wang Yi was disposed of, Yang Jinglei had been sent to North Mountain.
Though this was over a year earlier than before, Qi Junmu was confident Yang Jinglei could still handle the role.
When Yang Jinglei entered the palace, Qi Junmu offered him a seat.
Yang Jinglei thanked him and sat down. Qi Junmu, of course, didn't state his intentions directly. Instead, he asked, "How was your trip to Qingzhou? Did everything go smoothly?"
Yang Jinglei cupped his hands and replied, "Aside from the assassination attempt on Prince Jin, everything else went smoothly. Prince Ping was fairly cooperative throughout the journey."
Hearing this, Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "Tell me the details of the journey. You know Prince Jin's nature—he always reports the good and omits the bad. What's written in the memorials can never compare to hearing it firsthand."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yang Jinglei spoke respectfully, beginning from their departure from the capital and recounting all the way to their return.
Throughout this, the emperor's expression remained largely unchanged. Yang Jinglei gave a thorough account, and the emperor listened with full attention.
When he finished, the emperor gave a faint smile and said, "You've worked hard on this journey. Go home and get some rest."
Yang Jinglei was taken aback. Having risen to the position of Imperial Guard Commander, he was no fool.
When he had entered the hall, he had clearly sensed the emperor's good spirits. He had expected that after reporting on Qingzhou, the emperor would tell him when to return and resume command of the imperial guards.
But now, though the emperor's expression remained unchanged, Yang Jinglei could sense something was wrong. Not only was the emperor somewhat distant with him, but telling him to rest without setting a time—what did that mean?
Could it be that the emperor no longer intended to have him serve in the palace?
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