At this moment, Shen Ziqin was sitting in a carriage headed to the second prince’s residence.
He wore a new jade crown and a white jade hairpin.
The hairpin was shaped like bamboo, with several delicate leaves carved at the end-exquisitely lifelike.
This outfit was a gift from Chu Zhao. He’d given Shen Ziqin many things, but this jade crown was delivered just the day before Shen Ziqin was to visit the second prince.
Chu Zhao had said, “Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum suit a gentleman. You’ll look great in this.”
It was a standard compliment when giving a gift, nothing unusual-except he’d added, “You and Lord Bai are both true gentlemen.”
Shen Ziqin: !
Lord Bai, always fashionably late!
Even Xiao Zhen blinked and, after Chu Zhao left, asked in confusion, “Why did His Highness suddenly mention Lord Bai?”
Shen Ziqin raised the hairpin, almost talking to himself: “You think it’s odd too, right? Is this for me, or for Lord Bai to see?”
Xiao Zhen: ?
Xiao Zhen: !
A true palace intrigue expert, his sense of caution and crisis instantly spiked: Both masters, when exchanging gifts, mention the same person in different tones-something’s off, very off.
He narrowed his eyes and began a deep analysis.
The prince’s tone was so natural, even teasing; the heir, meanwhile, was genuinely puzzled, seriously pondering, without a hint of jealousy or unhappiness.
So, the possibility of the heir being jealous after Lord Bai was mentioned could be ruled out.
So what was going on?
There wasn’t enough information yet, so Xiao Zhen could only probe: “Young master, Lord Bai-”
“Forget it, it doesn’t matter,” Shen Ziqin set down the hairpin with a decisive nod. “I’m about to see him anyway.”
Shen Ziqin seemed to snap back to himself. “Hmm? What did you just say? I didn’t catch it.”
Xiao Zhen: “…Nothing.”
Xiao Zhen lowered his head, eyes wide with shock!
Even though it was the prince who brought up Lord Bai first, why did it seem like the heir also cared a lot about him?
Could it be… both masters are interested in Lord Bai!?
Xiao Zhen’s mind exploded.
No, no, no-so many wives and concubines in the back courtyard, all I want is to see a one-true-pairing, why can’t I have my happy ending!
And if it happens, will Lord Bai be the prince’s concubine or the heir’s?
What a mess!
No, wait, Xiao Zhen took a deep breath and told himself, nothing’s certain yet-maybe he’s just overthinking.
He pulled himself together. There’s still time to find out the truth, don’t panic; Lord Bai might not even end up in the residence, don’t scare yourself.
At this moment, on the carriage to the second prince’s residence, Xiao Zhen was serving at Shen Ziqin’s side.
Soon, the heir would meet Lord Bai, and this time, Xiao Zhen was determined to observe closely!
But his hopes were dashed.
Because once they entered Prince Rui’s residence, Shen Ziqin and Bai Junxing were invited to a pavilion, while the servants were left waiting at a distance.
You could only watch from afar; the rest couldn’t be heard, and it was impossible to observe any details.
Xiao Zhen could only sigh helplessly.
Shen Ziqin and Bai Junxing entered the pavilion, greeted the second prince, and then took their seats.
There had been a light rain the night before, so the air was a bit chilly. Shen Ziqin wore an extra layer, and Second Prince Chu Zhaoyu had a thin blanket over his legs-on damp days, his legs always ached.
Three people in the pavilion, two of them sickly; only Bai Junxing was in good health.
No servants were waiting nearby. Each had a small pot and a cup in front of them, so they could pour their own drinks.
Chu Zhaoyu picked up his teacup, his voice as gentle and warm as the steam rising from the tea: “I invited you both here today just to chat poetry with the scholars of the Hanlin Academy. Everything else is just idle talk.”
There really was a recent poem by a certain scholar on the table; Shen Ziqin and Bai Junxing each took a turn reading it before putting it back.
This was to get their stories straight: if anyone asked after they left, both Shen Ziqin and Bai Junxing were only there to drink tea and discuss poetry. They were all smart people-they understood.
Chu Zhaoyu nodded. “You’ve read the poem.”
Time for “idle talk.”
“In six days, the Court of Judicial Review will present the full list of crimes committed by the two Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Justice officials involved in the South Suburb land encroachment case. I thought that would be the end of it, but Shen Shizi brought me an unexpected discovery.”
Chu Zhaoyu pushed a few more pages forward. “Lord Bai, you read first.”
Bai Junxing picked up the pages. After just a few lines, his expression turned to shock, and as he read further, he grew more and more grave.
By the time he finished, Bai Junxing was furious: “How dare they! This is utterly depraved!”
Shen Ziqin had already seen these in Prince Qin’s residence and knew they were evidence of the two officials’ crimes.
“In Great Qi, officials are supposed to serve the people, yet these men colluded with the Ministry of Works’ vice minister, exploiting and killing the innocent. They deserve death,” Chu Zhaoyu said. “It’s not just their hats that should fall, but their heads.”
His tone was calm, but the words were deadly.
Chu Zhaoyu and Chu Zhao were truly different types.
Chu Zhao was a blade honed on the battlefield-his sharpness hidden in its sheath, patient and restrained, but when he struck, it was with thunder and frost, awe-inspiring; Chu Zhaoyu, on the other hand, showed not a trace of sharpness-he was like a bottomless deep pool.
Bai Junxing was so angered by these parasites he could hardly breathe. “Exactly. Their crimes are endless; death is too light a punishment.”
Chu Zhaoyu had made up his mind-he would push for their execution: “Lord Bai, you are a clear stream in His Majesty’s eyes. If anything happens in court, act as you see fit.”
Bai Junxing accepted: “Yes.”
“With that, the vice minister of works position will also be vacant,” Chu Zhaoyu said, turning to Shen Ziqin. “Shen Shizi, I didn’t realize before how resourceful you are. I was blind. My sixth brother will need your guidance.”
Shen Ziqin immediately replied, “Your Highness flatters me. I will do my utmost for Prince Qin.”
At this, Bai Junxing finally understood why Shen Ziqin was here. He’d already seen Shen Ziqin’s cleverness in the Cui Qingshan incident, but now he realized his true talent-clearly, Prince Qin’s household would rely on him for strategy from now on.
The second prince was probably just being polite as an elder brother, Bai Junxing thought. With Shen Shizi and Prince Qin so close, of course he would be loyal.
Chu Zhaoyu smiled and nodded. “With you on board, I’m at ease.”
“So, what do you both think of the vice minister of works position?”
He’d already chosen replacements for the officials to be impeached, but the vice minister of works was an unexpected vacancy, and Chu Zhaoyu hadn’t yet found a suitable candidate.
Bai Junxing pondered: “If the vice minister of works is to be imprisoned, the Grand Secretary won’t ignore it.”
Minor officials in the Ministry of Personnel and Justice wouldn’t matter to the Grand Secretary or Deputy Secretary-there were plenty of people under them, and not all were useful. If they made mistakes, they’d just be replaced, no big deal.
But the vice minister was different-enough to make the Grand Secretary wary. If they recommended one of their own, it would be too obvious.
On the surface, the second prince was just a crippled royal with no hope for the throne, the emperor’s most trusted puppet.
In the emperor’s and most officials’ eyes, he would only ever follow orders, with no personal ambition. So he couldn’t risk exposing that he was quietly building his own power.
Chu Zhaoyu said, “So I’m at a loss for what to do with the Ministry of Works.”
Shen Ziqin, holding his teacup, finally spoke: “In my humble opinion, why not recommend one of their own?”
Both Chu Zhaoyu and Bai Junxing immediately turned to him.
Shen Ziqin set down his porcelain cup, the base making a soft sound on the table, as he said, “For example, Lord Cui.”
The two of them only had to think for a moment before it all became clear.
Because of the Cui Qingshan affair, Lord Cui already had a falling out with the minister of works, meaning he’d hit a wall with the Grand Secretary as well. Putting him in the vice minister position meant he wouldn’t necessarily be loyal to the minister.
But he was still, undeniably, one of their own from the Ministry of Works, with no ties to any prince.
“If someone speaks up for him, he might even feel grateful,” Bai Junxing’s eyes lit up. “I’ve heard Lord Cui’s been depressed lately, all because Cui Qingshan has been moping at home. Just the other day, a colleague saw him arguing with the left vice minister.”
Whether Shen Ziqin’s encounter with Cui Qingshan was coincidence, Lord Cui didn’t know, but it was clear that the vice minister and minister of works hadn’t helped him, and if Lord Cui bore a grudge, it was understandable.
Chu Zhaoyu’s lips curved in a faint smile: “I almost forgot about him. That’s a great suggestion, Shizi. Thank you.”
From making Cui Qingshan take the fall to now recommending Lord Cui, it really was all thanks to Shen Ziqin.
Shen Ziqin smiled modestly, hiding his achievements: “Just a coincidence. If I hadn’t run into Lord Bai and Cui Qingshan that day, it might never have happened. It goes to show that evil deeds never go unpunished-only the timing is uncertain.”
Before this, the brains of the royal camp had always been Chu Zhaoyu and Bai Junxing; all their plans and moves depended on them. Even in the original story, it stayed that way until much later.
But now it was different.
The chess game had a new player: Shen Ziqin.
The three raised their teacups in place of wine glasses, silently forming an alliance, an unspoken understanding.
With the difficult matter settled, Bai Junxing sighed, still troubled by the shocking black-and-white evidence he’d just seen: “I wonder how many more of these parasites and degenerates our Great Qi still harbors, destroying the foundation of our nation.”
“But there are also officials like Lord Bai who truly care for the people,” Shen Ziqin said. “Peace and prosperity will eventually come.”
Bai Junxing’s expression softened slightly: “Yes, there will always be those who work for the welfare of the people.”
Chu Zhaoyu nodded as well: “As we gradually clean up the court, upright officials like Lord Bai will surely become more common.”
With Shen Ziqin and Chu Zhaoyu each offering a compliment, Bai Junxing became embarrassed and laughed: “Please, Your Highnesses, don’t tease me.”
The atmosphere had lightened, and the Prince Qin’s consort seized the opportunity to accomplish his other goal, smoothly continuing: “Lord Bai has great talent and great virtue. Whoever ends up with you in the future would truly be blessed from their past lives.”
Bai Junxing immediately replied: “The consort flatters me.”
Chu Zhaoyu, always good to his subordinates, said: “Since Junxing’s elders aren’t in the capital, if you have your eye on someone’s daughter or son, just tell me, and I’ll arrange people to help with the wedding.”
Bai Junxing’s ears turned red, finding it hard to deflect, especially when Shen Ziqin and Chu Zhaoyu joined forces to press further: “Yes, yes, does Lord Bai already have someone in mind?”
Bai Junxing naturally thought of his long-separated beloved, unable to hide it in his expression. Even Chu Zhaoyu was somewhat surprised and chuckled: “It seems there is someone. Junxing, how come you never mentioned this?”
Bai Junxing’s cheeks flushed slightly as he lowered his head, embarrassed: “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Indeed, I… have feelings for someone.”
From a distance, Xiao Zhen had been watching the pavilion. He saw Shen Ziqin say something to Lord Bai, and after just a few exchanges, Lord Bai was visibly embarrassed.
Lord Bai’s expression… oh my, it was clearly one of romantic affection!
He couldn’t see the second prince’s face, but surely the heir wouldn’t say anything inappropriate to Lord Bai in front of the prince’s brother?
Oh dear, what exactly was happening? Xiao Zhen was desperate to know!
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(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Xiao Zhen is too funny. He writes the best dog blood dramas in his head.