Chapter 57
After Qi Junmu left, Wen Wan raised her head and watched his retreating figure, her expression complex. She thought: Is the Emperor preparing to strike at the Wen family? Is he planning to push me step by step off the cliff?
Qi Junmu could guess what was going through Wen Wan's mind—he did not care.
Ever since the Wen family produced an Empress, they had grown increasingly ostentatious, leaving behind plenty of small vulnerabilities.
Wen Yao was a reckless man, though at least no blood was on his hands.
Qi Junmu wanted to identify the person Wen Wan had allied with in the previous life. He did not mind using the Wen family to force things forward.
A disfavored Empress, a Wen family marked by the Emperor's attention—such circumstances would surely draw certain hidden figures out into the open. Perhaps he was acting somewhat hastily, but his situation in this life was far better than in the last.
In his previous life, Shen Nian had left the capital, and Qi Junmu had been wholly consumed with reclaiming military control over the North Frontier. That process had taken a very long time. Not so in this life. The North Mountain Imperial Guard had been firmly in his grasp from the very start. Shen Nian had stood by him through it all. As for the West Frontier—Chang Sheng was now useless, and the next General of the Western Frontier would undoubtedly be his man.
Even now, half of the West Frontier was already in his hands. Of course, until the West Frontier was fully secured, he could not afford to let his guard down—lest everything slip through his fingers at the final moment.
Still, that made what he wanted to accomplish far easier. Certain accounts could now be settled—slowly, deliberately.
As for the Lin family, who were connected to the Wen family by marriage—it all depended on which choice they would make.
With these thoughts on his mind, Qi Junmu returned to Quanhua Hall in excellent spirits.
He had been back only a short while when Lin Xiao appeared.
Qi Junmu knew exactly why he had come. Yue shi bringing Lin En into the palace meant the Lin family already knew about Fuhua's stance. This news had certainly come from the Empress Dowager—and they must also know about his argument with her. Lin Xiao had timed his visit well.
Upon meeting the Emperor, Lin Xiao did not immediately bring up Lin En and Fuhua. Instead, he spoke of Shen Nian. "Your Majesty," he said, "Marquis Zhenbei is confined within the palace. Is it truly appropriate to have him command the imperial guards here?"
"His position is indeed somewhat unsuitable." The Emperor lowered his gaze with a faint smile. "Does my uncle have a suitable candidate?"
The Emperor's question came without hesitation, his tone filled with trust and sincerity—so much so that it gave one a rather wonderful feeling, as if Lin Xiao needed only to speak a name and the Emperor would immediately agree to replace Shen Nian.
Just as when Lin Xiao had recommended Yue Yunzhou, the Emperor had not overthought whether Lin Xiao was deliberately pushing his own people, even though the Lin and Yue families were connected by marriage.
Lin Xiao was naturally moved by the Emperor's trust. His face full of gratitude yet grave with caution, he said, "Your Majesty, the imperial guards concern the safety of Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager. For Marquis Zhenbei to exercise command in his current position—I fear it would invite criticism from the court ministers. Your Majesty's trust moves me beyond words, but I cannot think of a particularly suitable candidate at this moment. This matter must be decided by Your Majesty yourself."
"I understand." Qi Junmu said softly, with a hint of difficulty. "I have been thinking these past few days about how to handle Shen Nian. The affairs of the North Frontier remain unresolved; confining him in the palace was never the best strategy. I also understood the words Shen Nian left unspoken in court that day—he was accusing me of discarding the loyal once their use is spent, of putting away the bow once the birds are gone."
"Of all things, I fear most chilling the hearts of the tens of thousands of soldiers on the North Frontier. Uncle, tell me—why is it so hard to be an enlightened emperor who must worry over every single matter?" By the end of this passage, Qi Junmu's voice had turned deep and somber, his tone laced with undisguised exhaustion and oppression.
Lin Xiao looked at the Emperor, a flicker of sympathy and helplessness crossing his face. The Emperor was the sovereign above all—yet he was still a very, very young man.
But on this young man's shoulders rested the fate of an entire kingdom—the full weight of Da Qi.
The greater the power, the heavier the responsibility. It would be all too easy to be a pleasure-seeking, dissolute ruler—but such an emperor would be nothing less than a foreseeable disaster for Da Qi.
With that in mind, Lin Xiao said, "Your Majesty is the Emperor. Whatever you do, there will always be those who criticize."
"Indeed." Qi Junmu rubbed his brow and smiled. "Never mind. Let Shen Nian's matter rest for now—I do not wish to speak of him. Everything must wait until Prince Jin and the others have finished investigating Chang Sheng's disappearance. Uncle, if you ever come across a suitable candidate in the future, you must tell me directly. This vast Da Qi—I am far too weary to bear it alone. If even you, Uncle, were to grow distant from me, then I would truly be a ruler with no one by his side."
Moved beyond measure by these utterly sincere words, Lin Xiao immediately performed a full formal bow, then looked up at the Emperor with red-rimmed eyes and spoke in a low voice: "Your Majesty."
Seeing him like this, Qi Junmu quickly said, "Uncle, if you have something to say, just say it—why go to such lengths? Please rise at once."
Lin Xiao shook his head. "Your Majesty does not treat me as an outsider, so today I shall take the liberty of speaking from my heart. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Qi Junmu nodded. Steeling himself, Lin Xiao said, "Your Majesty, you are not bearing the weight of Da Qi alone. In the rear palace there is the Empress Dowager; beyond the palace walls there are the civil and military officials. So long as ruler and ministers are of one mind, what is there that cannot be accomplished?"
At the words "Empress Dowager," Qi Junmu's expression turned cool and utterly indifferent.
Lin Xiao saw this clearly. He had come today intending to confess his faults, and even though the Emperor's expression was unfavorable, he pressed on earnestly: "I have also heard of the quarrel between Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager."
Qi Junmu's face showed a hint of awkwardness. "Uncle, do not misunderstand. I bear no ill will toward you or toward Cousin Lin En—it is only that..."
"Your Majesty is troubled by the Empress Dowager's attitude," Lin Xiao interjected.
Qi Junmu fell silent, which was as good as conceding the point.
With a bitter smile and a rueful tone, Lin Xiao said, "Your Majesty, if I may speak treasonously—before the Empress Dowager entered the palace, she and I, as her elder brother, were closest of all. When she was chosen for the palace, I argued fiercely with my father and the rest. The palace is a place that devours people, and I feared her temperament would not endure. I watched with my own eyes as she went from a laughing, talkative girl to a woman who neither laughed nor spoke. Thank goodness she had Your Majesty and Princess Fuhua by her side—otherwise, I fear she would not have survived those years in the palace."
"The Empress Dowager placed great hopes upon Your Majesty, and in her conduct and demands, she would not allow you the slightest misstep. She was so severe with you that she forgot you too were a child. As time passed, she could no longer set aside that sternness even in your presence."
"But a mother's heart is bound to her child; Your Majesty's place in the Empress Dowager's heart has always been beyond compare." Lin Xiao looked straight at the Emperor and said, "The favor Lin En receives from the Empress Dowager is nothing more than her guilt toward me, her brother, compounded by her not knowing how to mend the rift between you and her—so she simply transferred her feelings."
The Emperor's expression twitched, as if Lin Xiao's words had struck home.
Lin Xiao continued: "Your Majesty, discord between you and the Empress Dowager is a great taboo for a ruler. In years to come, historians will not hesitate to record you as unfilial. I cannot bear to see Your Majesty bear such a reputation. If Your Majesty does not wish Lin En to enter the palace, I shall confine him to his quarters. As for the marriage between Lin En and Princess Fuhua—let it be said that their birth charts are incompatible, that he lacks the fortune. Surely the Empress Dowager will understand. Your Majesty must not grow estranged from her over this matter."
Having said this, he made a solemn bow toward the Emperor.
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