Ruan Jiqing hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the princess has never given this servant any favor, nor is she that kind of person." He paused for a moment, then continued, "This servant was merely thinking of the time when Your Majesty was still a prince. Back then, Prince Jin was still in the imperial prison, and Your Majesty worked day and night to clear His Highness's name. One time, you caught a chill and came down with a fever that very night. This servant was being punished by the Empress Dowager, but the princess took pity on me and pleaded for mercy on my behalf before Her Majesty, and even gave me medicine. If it hadn't been for the princess, how would this servant have lived to serve Your Majesty again?"
At the time, Fuhua had said this to the Empress Dowager: Ruan Jiqing was a eunuch whom Qi Junmu was accustomed to using—if the Empress Dowager truly did something to him, Qi Junmu would surely hold a grudge against her once he awoke. And with Qi Junmu's health being paramount at that moment, there was no need for the Empress Dowager to lose her temper over a mere servant.
It was because of Fuhua's words that the Empress Dowager spared Ruan Jiqing.
At that time, the Empress Dowager was not yet Empress Dowager. Qi Junzhuo had just taken the blame for Qi Junmu, and she was terrified—afraid of the heartless Emperor Jing, and afraid that Qi Junmu might not survive.
That night, the Empress Dowager had been so worried about Qi Junmu that she could not sleep a wink.
The Emperor also remembered the matter Ruan Jiqing had spoken of.
When he woke from his grave illness, he had been grateful to Fuhua.
He had the Empress Dowager and his elder sister by his side, but the one who attended to him most meticulously was Ruan Jiqing.
At this thought, Qi Junmu let out a soft laugh. He shot Ruan Jiqing a glance and said, "I never took you for such a sentimental person."
Ruan Jiqing hastily replied, "Your Majesty, as the master is, so is the servant—this servant is merely basking in his master's glory." You see, there are people in this world who treat speech itself as an art form.
With one sentence, he flattered the Emperor and praised himself—truly killing two birds with one stone.
Qi Junmu said, "I recall that my elder sister enjoys incense. Go to the Imperial Household Department, select some fine incense, and deliver it to her personally. My elder sister also loves rich, colorful silks—pick out some of those for her as well."
The Empress Dowager might be the mistress of the rear palace, but the Emperor was the lord of Da Qi. If Fuhua lost the Empress Dowager's favor but gained the Emperor's protection, who would dare slight her in the slightest?
A broad smile broke across Ruan Jiqing's face—nothing like his usual fawning expression—and he said, "This servant obeys." But after taking two steps, he turned back, hesitating with concern: "Your Majesty, if we do this, will the Empress Dowager not become even more angry?"
The Empress Dowager clearly meant to leave Fuhua out in the cold. If the Emperor interfered like this, the mother-son relationship would surely worsen. Yet deep down, Ruan Jiqing still stood on Fuhua's side.
Qi Junmu replied with a hint of impatience, "If I'm not worried, why should you be?"
Knowing that the Emperor had not taken offense at his little presumption, Ruan Jiqing grinned and took his leave.
Only after Ruan Jiqing had disappeared from sight did Qi Junmu sit in silence.
He was thinking about Fuhua and the Empress Dowager—and even about Lin En and Yue shi.
Qi Junmu tapped his fingers on the table, listening to the dull thuds, and narrowed his eyes.
Just as he was seriously pondering certain matters, a eunuch announced from outside that Marquis Zhenbei had come to seek an audience. When he heard it was Shen Nian, a surge of joy rose in Qi Junmu's heart. The image of Shen Nian's refined and handsome face appeared in his mind, and his spirits lifted. He said, "Let him in."
In contrast to Qi Junmu's delight, Shen Nian's expression was rather grave. After paying his respects, he produced a letter and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is an urgent secret memorial sent by express courier from the West Frontier by Vice Minister of Works, Xing Yi."
Qi Junmu collected himself and said, "Bring it here."
Shen Nian handed over the letter, stealing a glance at the Emperor's expression as he did so. Strictly speaking, a secret memorial should have gone straight to the palace—it should never have passed through his hands. He had been bracing himself for the Emperor to ask how it had come to him, so he could give his explanation. He did not care whether anyone else believed him—he only hoped the Emperor would.
But to his surprise, the Emperor did not ask at all.
Qi Junmu opened the secret letter, his brow furrowing as he read. Then he handed it to Shen Nian and said, "Take a look."
Shen Nian paused in surprise, then bowed and accepted the letter. He read it quickly. In it, Xing Yi first reported on the repairs to the West Frontier defenses, noting that everything was proceeding smoothly.
The West Frontier Army had been somewhat unsettled because Chang Sheng had gone missing in the North Frontier, but fortunately Qi Junyan and Cheng Jin had temporarily calmed things down. The main reason was that Qi Junyan was also a ruthless man—before Chang Sheng had even left for the North Frontier, he had begun spreading rumors among the West Frontier Army that Chang Sheng was going to take command of the North Frontier Army.
At the time, this had been kept from Cheng Jin. After Chang Sheng went missing in the North Frontier, Qi Junyan stopped hiding it. When Cheng Jin found out, he flew into a rage—and in his fury, he gave a thorough beating to several West Frontier commanders who had been trying to stir up trouble.
Then, stepping on the faces of those men, Cheng Jin told every soldier of the West Frontier Army: the matter of Chang Sheng's disappearance in the North Frontier would be investigated by the proper authorities; if the North Frontier Army had done nothing wrong, no one would be allowed to smear them with false accusations.
In the military, what matters is authority and morale.
Chang Sheng had lost his authority among the West Frontier commanders from the very start of his entry into the North Frontier. Cheng Jin's imposing presence was unstoppable, which immediately elevated his standing in the West Frontier Army.
Added to that was the fact that he had been sent by the Emperor, with imperial guards at his side. When the West Frontier Army considered his current circumstances, they felt some sympathy and held him in higher regard—and moreover, they found his words quite reasonable.
But this was not what Xing Yi's secret letter was really about. He wrote with fairness: wherever Qi Junyan and Cheng Jin did well, he recorded it; wherever they fell short, he also noted it.
For example, after Cheng Jin learned that Chang Sheng had gone to the North Frontier for that purpose, his face turned black as soot. Not only did he look at Xing Yi and Qi Junyan as if they were his enemies every day, but he also took every opportunity to mock them.
Still, Cheng Jin had been trained by Shen Nian after all, and his character was quite upright. He knew well the hardships of soldiers guarding the borders, so when trouble arose in the West Frontier Army, he was the first to step forward.
At the time, Cheng Jin had even said this: he was stepping forward not for high office or rank, but simply because he did not wish for these West Frontier soldiers, in their momentary anger, to take the wrong path.
Qi Junyan was very pleased with Cheng Jin's attitude. After the West Frontier Army's morale stabilized, he praised him lavishly.
All that was well and good—but in the very last line, Xing Yi added a note: he had inadvertently discovered that Prince Rui, Qi Junyan, had secretly met with an envoy from the Western Di at the border at night.
Shen Nian frowned as he read the final line.
Qi Junmu asked, "What do you think of this?"
Shen Nian looked up, puzzled. Qi Junmu smiled faintly: "What did Cheng Jin have to say about Prince Rui?"
Shen Nian's expression shifted slightly.
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