Rebirth of the Treacherous Official’s Madam

Perhaps, should say, for Xun Che, this was a very wonderful afternoon. When taking their leave from the Ming manor, he appeared to still be very composed, enduring all the way until they climbed onto the carriage before he started laughing, laughing about Ming Jincheng the entire way, only stopping when they returned home.

Of course, it wasn’t just solely revolving around those words Cheng Yanling said, but rather, mentioning one by one how Ming Jincheng repeatedly lost in front of Cheng Yanling ever since she returned to the capital, regardless whether it was in military tactics or martial arts, swordsmanship or horsemanship. Probably, the only time Ming Jincheng has won against Cheng Yanling was just when exchanging moves during the sixth month on the day of Xun Che and Yu Lingxin’s wedding.

That was the only time Ming Jincheng has won in a match against Cheng Yanling all these years, and moreover, it was even in a match for escorting the bride, where the difficulty was lowered quite a lot. The remaining matches, Ming Jincheng really did suffer defeat in every battle, continuing to fight despite the endless setbacks, but no matter how he refuses to yield in face of the setbacks, even now, his record is still a hundred battles, a hundred losses.

Yu Lingxin rolled her eyes at Xun Che, “How can you be a cousin like this, to be taking pleasure at his misfortune this much. Ming eldest young master, today, afraid……..afraid has suffered internal damage.” However, recalling Ming Jincheng’s look at the time, she also couldn’t help but secretly laugh.

Xun Che was unconcerned, “To have not made fun of him to his face, it’s already leaving him some face. In the past life, prior to Jincheng and the Wen family’s marriage arrangement being settled on, xianzhu had actually already returned to her maiden family, very clearly cutting ties with the Qii^[1] family. Just, she temporarily didn’t return to the capital, and this matter also didn’t get announced publicly. If Jincheng didn’t continuously have his own feelings buried and hidden, standing still and not advancing, then their matter might have still had a chance. Currently, I have given them a push, borrowing the excuse of accompanying Grand Elder Princess Zhaoning to facilitate xianzhu’s return to the capital. The right time, right place, and right conditions, I have all created for him. How it will be from now on, it will just depend on his own determination.”

“He probably has worked very hard, right?” Yu Lingxin thought for a moment, “Last time, I heard Jinrou say that ever since xianzhu returned to the capital, Ming eldest young master has just continuously stayed at the Yulin camp training soldiers and practicing martial arts, very much hardworking. It’s probably also for the sake of showing off in front of xianzhu, right?”

“Half and half.” Speaking to here, Xun Che put away his relaxed expression, “Actually, the capital and imperial palace’s defenses indeed need to be tighter. After all, once the princes have their wedding, the discussion for establishing the heir apparent will probably be brought up again. When time comes, those disturbances that had only arose in Tianxu year 16 of the past life afraid will occur ahead of time.”

Yu Lingxin’s heart couldn’t help but tighten, “You’re talking about…….”

Xun Che slightly nodded, getting up and taking Yu Lingxin’s hand, going to the winding corridors of Qingyu Pavilion to slowly go for a walk. At the same time gazing into the distance, those past events that circled around his heart thousands of times, once making him unable to sleep for several months, once again flickered across his mind one by one, his voice also becoming ice-cold, “Prior to Ying’er meeting with mishap, the palace although had some minor schemes and unforeseen changes from time to time, it still wasn’t to the degree of using swords for real. The imperial palace’s defenses being loose, everyone all had an understanding inside, but everyone was also respectively making use of it. The Imperial Defense Bureau and the Shangwu Bureau’s internal conflict was also intense, so the situation was just continuously in a deadlock. But, after Ying’er met with mishap…………”

Pausing for a moment, Xun Che still let out a long sigh.

Yu Lingxin’s hand that was around his arm also tightened, softly reminding Xun Che, “Shenzhi, those are all in the past. It won’t happen again.”

“Yes.” Xun Che nodded, also squeezing his wife’s hand, continuing to explain, “After that incident, the situation in the capital just rapidly tensed up. Submitting memorandums and accusing someone of misconduct were merely just one side of it. I indeed wanted to directly assassinate Wei Wang to take revenge for Ying’er, so at the time, Changchun Palace’s reaction can be said to be very clever. Jincheng and I, in addition to Cong’er, his Highness Qin Wang, little General Xie of the capital’s army at the time, and also Yulin camp’s Commander Zhan, as well as our people in the Imperial Defense Bureau, within three months, carried out assassinations and plots against others in rapid succession, like a powerful crossbow, one after another.”

Yu Lingxin practically held her breath. When those incidents occurred in Tianxu year 16, she wasn’t in the capital, her information channels also not very good. That’s why, when it happened, towards these sudden carnage, she didn’t hear too much of.

However, by Tianxu year 19, as Xun Che’s wife, she nevertheless witnessed the aftermath of these chain assassinations. Of course, Wu Wang getting sentenced, Wei Wang dying, Noble Consort Zhu falling from power, Yiyang Marquis Manor getting exterminated, and Qin Wang entering the eastern palace as its master probably can be considered the final outcome of that battle.

Just, the cost of this battle and the bitterness of the process, from Xun Che dying to poison, to Jin Duke Manor and the Wen’an Marquis Manor falling to ruins, Ming Jincheng becoming disfigured by the knife wound on his face, Xun Cong losing his legs and becoming impotent, little General Xie suffering heavy injuries and becoming crippled, Commander Zhan dying and leaving behind his widowed wife and child, and so on, one can more or less make out the whole picture.

Returning to the present, based on Xun Che’s explanation, those intense battles will play out once more ahead of time?

“Shenzhi.” Yu Lingxin couldn’t help but tightly hold his hand, “So, right now, you want to gain the upper hand by making a move first?” She suddenly had another thought, “Then, the chaos at the imperial selection banquet this time, could it be that it was just——–”

TN: All translations outside of are stolen and reposted without permission!

Xun Che slightly lowered his eyes, “Ever since the Zhu family’s noble title got reduced to Anshun Count, the big and small continuous accusations of misconduct have actually never stopped. The head minister position of the Ministry of Revenue that the Zhu family has monopolized for a long time should be yielded out very soon. At most, they will be able to preserve their family’s eldest one’s position in the Ministry of Appointments. That’s why, Li Consort lowering her head now, as well as surrendering to the empress on Wu Wang’s and Wei Wang’s marriage, it’s all for the sake of letting Zhaoyang Hall occupy all the upper hand on the surface. This isn’t just for the sake of winning his Majesty’s pity.”

Yu Lingxin understood, voluntarily continuing, “At the same time, it can also make the empress feel, as the balance tilts, his Highness Qin Wang will just have hope of entering the eastern palace. Then, the empress will just voluntarily scheme against and suppress his Highness. Meanwhile, Li Consort will be able to, while hibernating and being pitiful, sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight.”

“Precisely so.” Xun Che nodded, the smile on his lips increasingly chilling, “That’s why, I can’t let the empress be too complacent. The Wen family is precisely just this way. In terms of ability, they can’t be considered too lacking, but they get carried away too easily, and also easily able to think too highly of themselves, not knowing their own weight. The Wen family sisters are like this, Empress Wen is also like this. For a white cat to intrude during the banquet that day, it was indeed arranged by the empress, saying it was to test the young ladies’ temperament and such. Just, the changes in the situation afterwards, not only showed the young ladies’ nature, it further showed Zhaoyang Hall’s weight.”

Yu Lingxin recalled the chaos at the time, also shaking her head and sighing, “The empress’s ability to adapt to change really is……….sigh. However, just pity those young ladies that fell into the water. Originally, even if unable to become a main consort or side consort of a prince, they can still become a main wife of a noble family. Yet, at present, they are reduced to becoming the liangyuan of a junwang, even needing to give birth to a child in order to have hope of becoming a side consort.”

Xun Che momentarily fell silent and then said, “That matter may not necessarily not have any leeway to turn around. Wu Wang’s wedding date is in the tenth month, Wei Wang’s is after the new year. In the few months in between, it’s still possible for some things to happen.”

Speaking to here, he stopped in his steps, turning his body, going from walking next to Yu Lingxin to facing her directly, his expression also softening a little, his gaze also having a bit of guilt, “In the past life, I also once cherished my feathers, valuing reputation, so in the early half of assisting his Highness, I more or less was somewhat bounded by the hands and feet, seeking to be upright and honest in every step. All the way until Ying’er’s incident………Huijun, you once said, if possible, in this lifetime, you don’t want me to bear those cursed names and infamy again. It’s not that I didn’t have your words taken to heart, and also don’t hope for you to suffer in this lifetime because of me, but after carefully deliberating for several days, afraid……….”

“Silly.” Yu Lingxin hooked her lips into a smile, reaching out to lightly caress his face, “What I care about is you. As long as you don’t leave me behind again, I won’t hate you, understand?”

Xun Che deeply stared at her, his lips curling again and again, wanting to smile and say something, yet his heart was also full of indescribable sweetness and sourness. For a moment, it actually made his throat somewhat stuffy.

Thus, in the end, under the endlessly dazzling and wonderful early autumn sunset, all the people inside and outside of Qingyu Pavilion, either near or far, practically all lowered their head, feeling too embarrassed to watch how their own heir tightly embraced the young madam, going through that slow and long few breaths, and another few breaths, yet still not letting go.

In the end, all the way until even Chen Qiao felt that his neck was sore from lowering his head did they finally see Xun Che and Yu Lingxin return to holding hands and walking side by side. Just, when they reached the door and were about to step through it, Xun Che suddenly bent over, and amidst Yu Lingxin soft gasp of surprise and laughter, had her carried in.

Chen Qiao, who’d immediately lowered his head again, at this time, increasingly understood. No wonder the heir no longer liked reading books last year, dragging along the guards all day to practice horseback shooting. His waist sure enough strengthened quite a bit!

In reality, right as the Wen’an Marquis Manor and Jin Duke Manor were respectively either sighing in admiration or sighing in depression over the problem of waist strength, the Zongjing Bureau and Shangwu Bureau, as well as the family clan of those young ladies that will soon become Wu Wang Manor and Wei Wang Manor’s liangyuan, they were also seriously discussing this problem.

Although the saying about how the two princes will soon respectively marry, one main and six secondary, a total of seven beauties, has already rapidly spread throughout the capital, but aside from the main consorts, Qi Pei and Wen Ruoqiong, receiving a formal marriage decree, the rest of the young ladies were temporarily still waiting on a decree.

At this time, just like as Xun Che said, some families were already starting to do everything they can for their own daughter’s future. And this method of working hard, each just had their own approach.

Actually, the great majority of the people just used a relatively traditional method. After confirming that their daughter was either entering Wu Wang Manor or Wei Wang Manor, they just directly sent presents to curry favor with Wu Wangfei or Wei Wangfei. After all, in the back manor, in an unfamiliar environment, also having many competition, currying favor with the main consort was never wrong.

Just, there were also those that adopted an original approach. For instance, presenting a memorial to the emperor expressing their concerns for the prince’s body and health, especially given the fact that Wu Wang and Wei Wang were both relatively young, one just seventeen and one fifteen. Like Qin Wang, just having a main consort and two side consorts, was very good, having a bit more was also fine, but if too many, afraid it will be harmful to the body. That’s why, their own family’s daughter can, for the sake of looking after the prince’s body and health, withdraw from the ranks.

This excuse seemingly sounded very fitting. However, it still got turned down by Xuan Emperor. Mainly, it was because conferring six liangyuans each was the only way when there were no other ways. For everyone to have fallen into the water, at the end of it all, it was still because the imperial family’s banquet’s reception wasn’t thoughtful enough, unable to adapt to changes in time. They were truly unable to criticize the young ladies. Thus, the difficult problem just rest with the fact that they were both unable to criticize and unable applaud. In other words, it was just not being able to divide into high or low ranks.

If to really discuss the status and position, no family was willing for their own daughter be a liangyuan. If there’s one family that starts considering the prince’s body, then perhaps the others will also start considering as well. They can’t just all of sudden go from one main consort and six liangyuans to just having one main consort. More importantly, during this process, don’t know what kind of disputes there will be. That’s why, this move of attempting to preserve the prince’s waist, the few families, after trying until the middle of the eight month, just failed.

Of course, there were also those that used a more ruthless approach.

For instance, the daughter of Inspector General Duan who’d traveled thousands of miles to the capital from the Quan province. Fair-skinned and graceful, her appearance very outstanding, in the Quan province, she was also a renowned talented young lady locally. Originally, she was probably going for the wangfei position, probably not even willing to be the side consort.

After seeing some families fail in voluntarily withdrawing, this Miss Duan directly broke her leg, expressing that in the future, she might not be able to walk properly, so probably unable to match with a prince of the imperial family.

Setting aside whether this was an accident or on purpose, this resolution really was breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats level of ruthless. Thus, Xuan Emperor helplessly nodded his head. Miss Duan finally became the first candidate to break free.

This matter also led to an enormous controversy in the capital. For a time, those young ladies’ families were just even more conflicted. Could it be that for the sake of not marrying a prince, they will just have to cripple their own family’s young lady?

Even if Miss Duan just fractured her lower leg, and should be able to recover in the future, this level of ruthlessness still made many people feel that they were unable to do it………….

At the same time, Xuan Emperor’s mood was also very bad. Clearly, it was selecting beauties for his beloved sons, yet it got to the point where the beauty had to break her leg for survival, in order to tactfully express their rejection towards a prince?

This really was the most absurd joke in the world!

Thus, not at all surprisingly, Zhaoyang Hall just got reprimanded again.

And precisely when the capital was still enthusiastically discussing endlessly about the imperial selection and the princes’ marriage, the autumn exam of Tianxu year 14 soundlessly carried out like normal.

Several hundred scholars’ articles and essays, after the examiners’ seven days of review, finally produced results. Qi Ke brilliantly passed as the first place candidate.

[1] Actually their family name (祁) also romanize to Qi, but in order to differentiate from the other Qi family (齐), I’ve decided to write it as Qii.

T/N: Eastern palace is just the name for the Crown Prince’s palace.