SBMT Chapter 22

 

When Shen Ziqin boarded the carriage, Dongning had been waiting for a while, a little nervous.

 

Today, Dongning had tried to show a bit of cleverness in front of Shen Ziqin, but didn’t know how Shen Ziqin would view him now.

 

If Shen Ziqin was truly worthy of trust, Dongning would try to reveal his own sharpness little by little; if not…

 

Inside the carriage, Shen Ziqin settled comfortably onto the soft cushion and habitually reached for the box by the table.

 

Sure enough, when he opened it, there were snacks inside, freshly packed before leaving.

 

Shen Ziqin picked two plates of cute pastries and pushed them toward Dongning: “Dongning.”

 

Dongning’s hands twisted nervously under the table: “Sister-in-law.”

 

“Sorry for scaring you today.”

 

Dongning knew his clever sister-in-law had probably seen through his act, but since he said this, Dongning didn’t dare respond, anxiously waiting for his fate.

 

But Shen Ziqin didn’t expose Dongning’s performance. Instead, he changed the subject: “Do you want to study seriously? I mean the Four Books and Five Classics, history, military strategy-all the books that will be useful in the future.”

 

Dongning’s eyes lit up, his voice trembling with hope and anxiety: “Can I?”

 

“Of course you can,” Shen Ziqin said. “As long as you want to learn, I’ll talk to your royal brother and have him pick you a good tutor. If you ever have questions and I’m at the residence, you can always come ask me.”

 

Dongning choked up, his eyes instantly red-this time, it was real, not an act.

 

The Empress Dowager had raised him in the palace, so he’d always had to be cautious. From the time he could remember, he’d lived walking on thin ice. When learning to read, he started with rules and regulations; if he ever saw a good essay, aside from the Empress Dowager, he didn’t dare ask anyone else about it, let alone show his intelligence to outsiders.

 

He’d lived so repressed that just a little freedom felt like a whole new world.

 

“I want to,” he whispered, almost crying for real. But when it came time to truly cry, Dongning tried hard to hold it in, only sniffling softly so the tears wouldn’t fall.

 

“Hey, don’t cry, don’t cry.”

 

Shen Ziqin quickly found a handkerchief in the carriage and wiped Dongning’s eyes.

 

If no one comforted him, Dongning might have held back the tears-but knowing someone cared, he couldn’t help it, and silent tears streamed down.

 

Shen Ziqin panicked, fumbling to help-he really didn’t know how to comfort a child!

 

The carriage hadn’t even started moving when the door was suddenly opened from outside. Chu Zhao poked his head in: “By the way, I-”

 

He froze at the scene inside, only for Shen Ziqin to grab his sleeve and pull him in.

 

Shen Ziqin shot him a desperate look: *Help, comfort the child!*

 

Chu Zhao was speechless.

 

Dongning looked up, his adorable face even more pitiful with tears.

 

Such a sweet, delicate child crying-Chu Zhao tried to look calm, but he was panicking inside.

 

He didn’t know how to comfort kids either!

 

When he’d brought Hei Ying home, the kid was always roughhousing with the guards-if he was upset, a piece of candy fixed it, or two if one wasn’t enough.

 

But he’d never had to comfort a gentle, obedient child like Dongning. Pulled into the carriage by Shen Ziqin, he grabbed a pastry wrapped in oiled paper and tried to sound gentle, though he was a bit stiff: “Uh, what happened? Tell your royal brother?”

 

Dongning looked at the clumsy, flustered Shen Ziqin and Chu Zhao, and felt warmth in his heart. He wasn’t done crying, but a sweet smile was already forming.

 

Dongning shook his head, hands cupping the pastry. Now he understood why the Empress Dowager had chosen Prince Qin’s residence.

 

It was wonderful.

 

Dongning broke into a smile through his tears. Shen Ziqin watched him nervously for a moment, then whispered to Chu Zhao, “Did we cheer him up?”

 

“I think so?” Chu Zhao whispered back, “What happened, is he still scared from Cui Qingshan?”

 

Of course not-Chu Zhao didn’t know Dongning had been acting earlier.

 

Shen Ziqin thought hard, then concluded, “He was moved to tears by the chance to study.”

 

“Studious? That’s great.” Chu Zhao said, “If she likes learning, we’ll pick her a good tutor. I know a teacher who’s an expert in arithmetic and cartography.”

 

 

Shen Ziqin said, “Let’s start with the basics-poetry, classics, and so on. Once he’s ready for more advanced study, we can see what he’s good at and interested in, and then specialize accordingly.”

 

First, foundational literacy and general education, then branch out by subject-very scientific and reasonable.

 

After the two quietly settled the child’s study plan, Shen Ziqin asked, “Did you come back to the carriage because you had something to say?”

 

Chu Zhao thought for a moment. “Forget it, I’ll leave it for tomorrow.”

 

With a wave, he really left this time. Shen Ziqin sat back down and wiped Dongning’s face again. Dongning held the pastry Chu Zhao had given him and nibbled at it.

 

The carriage was spacious. Earlier, when Shen Ziqin and Chu Zhao were speaking in low voices a bit farther away, they’d covered their ears and whispered so quietly that Dongning only caught a vague murmur.

 

But what neither Shen Ziqin nor Chu Zhao realized was that, in the confines of the carriage, they were sitting very close-looking extremely intimate.

 

Dongning, eating his pastry, thought: *Royal brother and sister-in-law really do have a good relationship.*

 

After returning to Prince Qin’s residence, Shen Ziqin rewarded himself with a good rest.

 

After all, he’d achieved a stage goal and finished his work ahead of time. His body still wasn’t fully recovered, so a little break was fine.

 

He had Xiao Dong bring a lounge chair into the courtyard, where he relaxed in the warm sunlight and thought about his next steps.

 

Of the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretary controlled Personnel, Works, and Revenue-especially Revenue, which was his home turf. The Deputy Secretary oversaw Rites, Justice, and War, and also had close ties to the Court of Judicial Review.

 

Both men were Hanlin Academy alumni. Their connections to the Censorate and local officials were tangled and complex-rooted in mutual interests, sometimes united, sometimes divided, with plenty of fence-sitters in between.

 

Chu Zhao said he could take down the Marquis of Yin Nan in half a month, which meant there would be a shake-up in court. Unfortunately, the original novel didn’t mention this part, so Shen Ziqin had no idea what specific changes to expect.

 

If only Chu Zhao would use him as a strategist and share information with him-even with the novel as a foundation, the more real intel, the better. After all, books aren’t reality, and important but “unexciting” details might have been glossed over in the original.

 

You can skim over things when reading, but once you’re in the game, you can’t afford to gloss over anything.

 

As he analyzed the situation, Shen Ziqin eventually returned indoors to write and think. Near dusk, Xiao Dong came to report: the Ministry of Works’ Waterways Director, Lord Cui, had come to apologize on behalf of Cui Qingshan.

 

Oh, Cui Qingshan’s father.

 

Shen Ziqin glanced at the setting sun and thought, *Interesting timing.*

 

“Invite him to the front hall.”

 

By now, Shen Ziqin had changed out of the coarse clothes, so he didn’t need to make any special preparations before meeting Lord Cui.

 

Lord Cui, waiting in the front hall, bowed deeply when he saw Shen Ziqin.

 

“My son has behaved disgracefully. I’ve come to apologize to the consort and Princess Dongning!”

 

Lord Cui had a fine beard and a round belly, and his manner was earnest and humble-he looked every bit the pitiful father coming to beg forgiveness for his foolish son.

 

But Shen Ziqin saw through it and replied politely, “Please rise, Lord Cui. Xiao Dong, go invite Dongning over.”

 

Cui Qingshan had been arrested around noon. If Lord Cui were truly sincere, he would have come to Prince Qin’s residence right away, not waited until now.

 

The delay could only mean he’d been busy elsewhere.

 

For example: seeking help, seeing what he could accomplish, and only then deciding how to handle things at Prince Qin’s residence.

 

Shen Ziqin’s guess was spot on.

 

After getting the news, Lord Cui had rushed to the Ministry of Justice to find out what happened to his son.

 

Cui Qingshan had ranted that he’d been set up by Prince Qin’s household, but that was just bluster. He knew how bad things looked for him-too many witnesses-so he explained everything honestly to his father.

 

“Father, you have to save me!”

 

Whether it was a setup or not was secondary-first, he had to be rescued.

 

Gripping the bars of the cell, Cui Qingshan pleaded, “I truly didn’t know he was Prince Qin’s consort. I had no intention of insulting the royal family. You must make sure His Majesty understands that!”

 

Cui Qingshan knew he couldn’t escape punishment, but as long as he could get a lighter sentence, he’d survive this ordeal.

 

Lord Cui gritted his teeth. “Good child, wait for news from your father.”

 

To save his son, Lord Cui hurried from the Ministry of Justice to see the Vice Minister and Minister of Works.

 

Though his official rank wasn’t high, his post was a lucrative one-he lived better than many senior officials, and regularly paid tribute to his superiors.

 

This time, seeking their help, he naturally brought gifts.

 

The Vice Minister refused his offerings, thinking the matter too risky to get involved. The Minister accepted the gifts but said he’d see what the Grand Secretary thought.

 

Lord Cui could only wait anxiously. After most of the day, the Minister returned, shaking his head and sighing that the matter couldn’t be resolved.

 

He wouldn’t return the gifts, though.

 

Lord Cui was furious, but had no time to vent. He grabbed his apology gifts and rushed to Prince Qin’s residence.

 

Most of the journey was by carriage, but today he’d covered more ground than usual-he felt like he’d lost a few pounds just from walking.

 

When Dongning arrived in the front hall, he sat beside Shen Ziqin. Lord Cui apologized to Dongning as well.

 

Dongning just nodded, saying nothing, like a child leaving everything to Shen Ziqin.

 

“Lord Cui, it’s not easy being a father. Your love for your son is touching.”

 

Lord Cui sighed. “He’s been spoiled at home, never learned restraint, always speaks bluntly-sometimes even I can’t stand it.”

 

Shen Ziqin sipped his tea, listening politely without responding.

 

Because words like Lord Cui’s are usually followed by a “but.”

 

Sure enough, Lord Cui continued earnestly: “But he’s not a bad person at heart.”

 

Shen Ziqin thought, *Here it comes.*

 

“This time, he offended the consort and princess. Even if it was unintentional, even if it was a misunderstanding, he should be punished-he should! I only ask that the consort and princess be magnanimous and forgive him.”

 

 

On the surface, it sounded like he was harshly scolding his son and insisting on punishment, but in reality, it was a retreat to advance-hoping to soften them up. Shen Ziqin smiled slightly. “When he said he wanted me to be his companion and made Dongning cry, I was really angry. But seeing how sincerely Lord Cui apologizes, my anger has mostly faded.”

 

Lord Cui’s heart leapt-there was hope! If Prince Qin and his consort told the emperor they wouldn’t pursue the matter, a light sentence was very likely.

 

But since Shen Ziqin had said this much, there was surely more to come. Lord Cui waited for him to continue, but Shen Ziqin simply took a sip of tea, unhurried.

 

Lord Cui had no choice but to wait patiently for the consort to finish his tea and speak again.

 

Shen Ziqin finished his tea.

 

He set down the cup.

 

And… didn’t say another word.

 

Lord Cui: ???

 

He looked at Shen Ziqin in surprise, and Shen Ziqin looked back, seeming even more surprised than Lord Cui.

 

After a moment’s pause, as if thinking seriously, Shen Ziqin tentatively asked, “Er, does Lord Cui have something else to say?”

 

Lord Cui panicked: Wait, what? That’s it? This conversation is clearly unfinished! Does this consort not understand the rules of negotiation??

 

As the one coming to apologize, he was supposed to only beg forgiveness, never directly ask for leniency-the host was supposed to take the hint and say they wouldn’t pursue it.

 

But seeing that the consort didn’t seem to understand social cues, Lord Cui had to make it painfully obvious: “My son has already reflected in the Ministry of Justice’s jail. When he’s released, I’ll personally bring him to apologize again.”

 

Shen Ziqin seemed not to get it at all: “Oh, no need to bring gifts next time-today’s were generous enough to cover two more minor mistakes.”

 

Lord Cui: …

 

Is this even human language?

 

He took a deep breath, feeling like he’d suffer internal injuries from the consort’s innocent face, and finally dropped all pretense, abandoning any subtlety: “Since the consort’s anger has passed, might I beg Your Highness and the prince to forgive him this once, and speak to the emperor on his behalf?”

 

He even promised, “I’ll be sure to punish him severely when he’s home!”

 

Shen Ziqin smiled.

 

“My anger faded because Lord Cui apologized so sincerely. But your son made a mistake; whatever the Ministry of Justice decides is none of my business, and I wouldn’t dare trouble the emperor.”

 

“And as for it being a misunderstanding-everyone saw and heard what happened. There was no misunderstanding.”

 

If Cui Qingshan had known he was the consort, he never would’ve dared-but the Cui family could only insist it was a misunderstanding.

 

“He truly didn’t mean it, Your Highness!” Lord Cui wailed, pouring out his heart. “He’s still just a child!”

 

Shen Ziqin: “…”

 

The room fell silent-a deafening silence.

 

Do you even hear yourself?

 

Wait, so the “he’s just a child” excuse really does transcend time and culture?

 

—

 

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(advanced chapters available on kofi)