Chapter 69
Yueqing paid no mind to Yue shi's coldness. She knew she meant nothing in the Empress Dowager's eyes—not even worth a fraction of Fuhua—but now that she had a chance to change her fate, she would hold fast to it.
When Yueqing paid her respects to the Empress Dowager, the latter's manner was indifferent.
After barely exchanging a few words, she dismissed Yueqing. Yueqing had enough skill at reading faces to withdraw promptly.
After Yueqing left, the Empress Dowager gave two cold snorts, then asked, "What has Fuhua been doing lately?"
An attendant stepped forward and said, "The princess spends each day copying Buddhist sutras in her palace, praying for the Empress Dowager's peace and safety."
Every day, Yueqing came to pay respects and was received joyfully, while when Fuhua came, the Empress Dowager was either asleep or had a headache and did not wish to see anyone. In contrast, Fuhua's situation was truly pitiable.
Sometimes Fuhua felt it was all an illusion—the Empress Dowager had doted on her for over a decade, yet could withdraw that love in an instant. She truly could not understand it, nor fathom why.
But the disparity was right before her eyes, and even if she could not understand, there was nothing she could do.
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression grew complicated. She murmured, "Since she is so filial, why can she not listen to just one word from me?"
The attendant dared not answer—she was not Ruyan, who had such favour before the Empress Dowager. Ruyan was currently at Prince Ping's residence, instructing the household servants on proper decorum.
The Empress Dowager did not expect anyone to answer her either. She half-closed her eyes, lost in thought.
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What happened in the Empress Dowager's palace soon reached the Emperor's ears. After hearing Ruan Jiqing's report, the Emperor gave a cold, mocking laugh and waved him away.
Ruan Jiqing could see the Emperor was deeply displeased and dared not court his wrath, so he quickly withdrew.
There were some matters that no one could counsel the Empress Dowager on, and no one dared counsel the emperor on either—it was a dead knot, and whether it could be untied depended on what the Emperor and the Empress Dowager truly held in their hearts.
But Ruan Jiqing was quick-witted. He thought: I cannot undo the Emperor's knot, but when His Majesty is in low spirits, there is someone who can soothe him. With that in mind, his eyes darted a few times, and he found an eunuch to summon Shen Nian if he saw him.
Ruan Jiqing's reasoning was simple—the Emperor was displeased with everyone else, so surely his mood would improve at the sight of Shen Nian.
However, when Shen Nian arrived at the great hall, he did not have time to soothe the emperor, because Qi Junyan had sent a memorial from the West Frontier. Both the Emperor and Shen Nian were entirely absorbed by it.
Qi Junmu opened the memorial, and inside, Qi Junyan wrote in a smug tone that they had uncovered evidence of Chang Sheng embezzling military pay and colluding with the Western Di.
After finishing Qi Junyan's memorial, Qi Junmu let out a cold snort.
He placed the memorial on the table, tapped it lightly with his slender, fair fingers, then looked at Shen Nian with a sincere smile and said, "Tell me—does this situation not seem like someone is deliberately slapping my face?"
Shen Nian stepped forward and picked up the memorial. His fingers accidentally brushed against the Emperor's.
The Emperor's skin was slightly cool. Shen Nian suppressed the various thoughts swirling in his mind, kept his expression unchanged, and carefully read through the memorial.
When he reached the end, a flicker of understanding dawned on him.
So this was why the Emperor loathed Chang Sheng so deeply, and why he insisted on Chang Sheng's death. Every suspicion he'd harbored was laid out in this very memorial. Chang Sheng had embezzled military pay and colluded with foreign enemies—crimes that, to the Emperor and to Da Qi, were utterly unforgivable.
Therefore, the Emperor could never let such a man live. For someone like him to keep breathing was an insult in itself.
Shen Nian could hardly comprehend people like Chang Sheng. In the North Frontier, he had never admitted defeat—even when faced with blades, swords, or spears, the only thing on his mind was victory.
The Northern Rong had sent beauties and silver to the Shen family before, but they had never once taken it to heart.
To put it grandly, what they did was for Da Qi and for the common people. To put it plainly, it was for the soldiers who lived and died together, and for their own survival.
But whether for greater justice or private conviction, they had never once considered colluding with foreign enemies.
Shen Nian held such men in utter contempt. He felt that Chang Sheng was unworthy of the title "General of the Western Frontier." Chang Sheng was nothing but a petty man—one who would be remembered in infamy for ten thousand years.
The disdain on Shen Nian's face was unmistakable. Qi Junmu let out a low chuckle.
His voice was somewhat deep and husky, stirring the heart.
Shen Nian tightened his expression and said, "Chang Sheng was the one who did wrong. What has that to do with Your Majesty? Your Majesty was merely deceived by a villain." These words were his response to the Emperor's earlier question.
Shen Nian did not ask how the Emperor knew about Chang Sheng's misdeeds, or whether he had sent spies to watch him.
If that was the case, had the Emperor also sent spies to watch the North Frontier?
Shen Nian remained untroubled. Even if the Emperor had sent spies to the North Frontier, he and his father, Shen Yi, had nothing to hide. They were not the same sort as Chang Sheng, so there was nothing to fear from an investigation.
Moreover, for reasons he could not explain, Shen Nian felt that Qi Junmu had not sent spies to the North Frontier.
He had no basis for this feeling—it was simply what his heart told him.
Qi Junmu stopped laughing and said with a sigh, "I've always said that you know how to speak to my heart. Others cannot compare to even a single strand of your hair."
Shen Nian was not amused by the Emperor's flattery. Instead, his expression grew even more serious. He said, "That is because I understand Your Majesty. I know that you refuse to be threatened."
Qi Junmu gave a soft "Mm" in acknowledgment of that assessment.
Indeed, he did not like being threatened—because he was the Emperor.
Shen Nian knew that the Emperor would summon the court officials to discuss this matter. So before the Emperor could give the order, he spoke up: "Your Majesty, whatever decision you make, I will stand by you."
Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think I can't withstand the pressure—that I'll continue to grant a dead man like Chang Sheng a measure of honor?"
Shen Nian did not quite know how to articulate his feelings. In the end, he simply shook his head. Of course he would support whatever the Emperor wished to do, but at the same time, he did not want the Emperor to bear too heavy a burden.
It was a contradictory feeling, but it was truly how he felt.
Qi Junmu said, "Rest assured."
Then, abruptly, he changed the subject: "Shen Nian, why don't you call me by my name?"
Shen Nian's mind had been entirely on official matters. Caught off guard by this sudden question, he froze on the spot.
Qi Junmu watched his conflicted expression—caught between dazed and composed—and felt a fresh surge of affection rise in his heart.
Shen Nian glanced at the Emperor, then tried his best to keep a straight face and said, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. You should summon the Left Chancellor and the others to discuss the memorial sent by Prince Rui. This humble subject will take his leave."
It was not that he did not want to say the name—it was simply that his heart was racing and the words would not come out. Besides, the timing was not right. The Emperor still needed to discuss the Western Frontier affair with his ministers.
They could continue such private matters later, when they were alone.
Qi Junmu did not press him. He simply nodded and watched him leave.
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