The sweet hours of night were too short; during daylight, it felt even more difficult to part. The chamber was filled with an atmosphere of intimacy, and after a while, there came the rustling sound of clothes being put on.
Jin Xingming caressed Ye Mei’s smooth back, his face still showing the satisfaction of their pleasure, and said, “Mei’er, why not stay with me a while longer? The sky hasn’t darkened yet. Why return so early?”
Ye Mei had her back to Jin Xingming, a flash of anger crossed her eyes, but when she turned around, her gaze was full of coquettish charm. She smiled and said, “If Elder Brother Jin misses me so much, why not quickly take me away from the Ye family? Ye Mocai keeps me under strict supervision, and these days he frequently urges me to enter the palace. If I enter the palace, I’m afraid Elder Brother Jin and I will be fated to never be together in this lifetime.”
When Jin Xingming heard that Ye Mei was to enter the palace, he immediately sat upright and said, “That cannot happen.” In the past, before Jin Xingming had known Ye Mei’s taste, but now, after their passionate encounters, he simply couldn’t bear to let her go. With her, he felt as if he were ascending to heaven, and he feared that after her, all other women would seem like wooden blocks to him.
All that men seek in life are wealth, power, and pleasure. Once one has tasted fine rice, coarse grain becomes hard to swallow. Jin Xingming was unwilling to hand Ye Mei over to anyone else, and naturally became anxious.
Ye Mei snuggled into his embrace and whispered, “Of course I don’t want to go either. In my heart, there is only Elder Brother Jin, but unfortunately, I’m not in control of my fate. That’s why I want to leave quickly. Once Elder Brother Jin and I reach Ming Qi, we can be like immortal lovers, enjoying freedom every day. How wonderful would that be?”
With such a devoted beauty, and having just enjoyed her sweetness, Jin Xingming felt proud and momentarily filled with passion. He said, “You’re right. When I return today, I’ll have people prepare everything. For safety, we’ll take the water route. It’s more concealed and, though dangerous, it’s faster than other routes.”
Ye Mei nodded, “To prevent Ye Mocai from becoming suspicious, let’s meet here again in five days. Before then, Elder Brother Jin, please arrange everything for our departure, and I’ll handle matters with the people at the Ye residence.”
Jin Xingming agreed, and the two clung to each other affectionately for a while longer. Ye Mei tidied her clothes and walked out the door as if nothing had happened. After leaving the Sun family’s gate, she boarded a carriage. The Ye family guards, seeing she was unharmed, thought nothing of it. Ye Mei lifted her sleeve once inside the carriage, revealing her jade-white arm, as tender as a lotus root, covered with red marks.
Jin Xingming had been impatient and rough, leaving Ye Mei utterly exhausted. She looked at the marks for a moment, then lowered her sleeve.
She had always been one to take advantage of situations, yet today she had submitted to someone like Jin Xingming. All of this was thanks to Ye Mocai. If Ye Mocai hadn’t tricked her onto a ship of brigands, how would she have come to this? Since she had to leave the Ye residence, the Ye family should provide her with some compensation; otherwise, all her days of submission would have been for nothing.
A hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes.
…
Five days later, Xie Jingxing returned.
In the battle of Ruyang City, the Lu family was thoroughly defeated.
For years, the Lu family had believed they were recruiting soldiers and amassing power in secret, unaware that their opponent was doing the same. Their opponent had been more diligent, planning how to bring down the Lu family from the very day Emperor Yongle ascended the throne. How could the Lu family compare to such long-term scheming over so many years?
The true strength revealed by Emperor Yongle shocked those restless court officials, as if they had been doused with cold water. They finally understood that the young emperor, who had once been suppressed by Emperor Xiaowu and had to rely on Empress Dowager Jingxian’s support, had somehow grown into a fierce beast.
Lu Zhengchun was a madman. When Ruyang City fell and he knew all was lost, in his desperation, he charged into his house and slaughtered his wife and daughters, including his beloved Lu Wan’er. Gao Yang and Ji Yushu were present and watched as Lu Wan’er, eyes wide open, slowly collapsed, seemingly unable to believe she would die at her own father’s hands.
Xie Jingxing finished off Lu Zhengchun.
As Lu Zhengchun died, he laughed wildly and shouted, “This old man has been invincible all his life, galloping across the land. To die at the hands of a young upstart is intolerable!”
Xie Jingxing cut off his head and coldly said, “Ignorant.”
With that, the Lu family, which had been a powerful clan in Da Liang for a hundred years across two dynasties, vanished. The remnants of the Lu family’s forces scattered and fled, all to be hunted down and killed by the Mo Yu Army.
When Shen Miao heard about these events, she felt deeply moved. The rise and fall of a noble family seemed simple on the surface, but the signs had been there long before. The Lu family had been arrogant and harbored rebellious thoughts, so the imperial family had spared no effort in destroying them.
Xie Jingxing said, “But on my way back, I heard about a ‘Letter to All Compatriots’ circulating in the city…” He glanced at Shen Miao, his lips curving slightly. “All scholars in the land wish to meet the author. I wonder which talented hero wrote it?”
Shen Miao suppressed a smile. “I don’t know.”
“I should have the Mo Yu Army look for them,” Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “If they find him, and if it’s a man, we’ll become sworn brothers. If it’s a woman, then…”
“Then what?” Shen Miao stared at him coolly, as if ready to sharpen her knife if his answer displeased her.
Xie Jingxing said solemnly, “Then we’ll drag her out and behead her. Who would dare be so bold as to have more talent than my wife?”
Shen Miao couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing her laugh like a blooming magnolia, both elegant and charming, Xie Jingxing felt moved. He suddenly stood up, lifted her in his arms, and placed her on the bed. Shen Miao struggled, “You haven’t bathed yet.”
“Don’t move, let me hold you for a while.” He turned over, and Shen Miao found herself lying on top of him. Xie Jingxing embraced her, his face buried in the crook of her neck. Shen Miao felt tickled by his breath, but then heard him say, “Ming Qi might attack soon.”
Shen Miao froze and asked doubtfully, “What?”
“Lu Zhengchun revealed my royal brother’s secret before he died,” Xie Jingxing’s voice revealed no emotion. “It seems Fu Xiuyi knows about it too. Fu Xiuyi won’t miss this opportunity.”
Before Lu Zhengchun died, he had said something to Xie Jingxing: “Guess when the Ming Qi Emperor will send troops, knowing that your short-lived elder brother won’t live past this year?”
Shen Miao was surprised, “How did Lu Zhengchun know?”
“Day and night we guard against thieves, but it’s hard to guard against those in our own house. The palace is complex, so the information might have leaked from there,” Xie Jingxing said. “The Lu family probably wanted to use this information to threaten my royal brother, but somehow changed their minds and decided to inform Fu Xiuyi instead.”
“Colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?” Shen Miao frowned.
“Not exactly,” Xie Jingxing said. “Given Lu Zhengchun’s character, he probably wanted mutual destruction.”
Hearing this, Shen Miao agreed. Earlier, Lu Zhengchun had posted notices claiming Emperor Yongle had killed the previous emperor to seize the throne, all to ruin the imperial family’s reputation. He hadn’t disclosed the secret that Emperor Yongle wouldn’t live long, perhaps saving it as his trump card, his final deadly blow.
But Lu Zhengchun wasn’t one to remain patient, and somehow Xie Jingxing had provoked him. Perhaps Lu Zhengchun felt that even the Xie family couldn’t save the situation, so before his death, he revealed this information to Xie Jingxing.
Shen Miao said, “Indeed, Fu Xiuyi certainly won’t miss this opportunity.” Given Fu Xiuyi’s character, he excelled at “seizing” opportunities—seizing useful people, events, and chances. Perhaps in his view, once an emperor with little time to live passed away, Da Liang would certainly fall into chaos. That would be the best time to attack. She pondered for a moment, “But Ming Qi isn’t currently strong enough to confront Da Liang. Fu Xiuyi must have been preparing something in secret and will only act when he has enough confidence.”
Xie Jingxing said, “Before that happens, let’s deal with the Ye family first.”
“The Ye family?” Shen Miao asked, “Do you plan to capture the entire Ye family in one sweep?”
Xie Jingxing snapped his fingers, “Otherwise, should we keep them for the New Year? I’ll capture Ye Mei and her brother and give them to you. You can handle them however you wish.”
Shen Miao took his hand, noticing the red string she had tied around his wrist. She said, “Be careful.”
Shen Miao and Xie Jingxing’s conjectures about Fu Xiuyi were confirmed the very next day. No one had expected Fu Xiuyi to be so impatient, even reckless.
A letter arrived from Shen Qiu.
Unlike previous family letters, which mostly described Shen Xin and the others’ daily lives to assure Shen Miao they were well, this letter was hastily written. Judging by the date, it had been delayed considerably before reaching Shen Miao.
Upon opening it, Shen Miao and Xie Jingxing read through it quickly, then both fell silent.
Fu Xiuyi had made his move.
He hadn’t attacked Da Liang directly but had targeted the Shen family.
Emperor Wenhui was gravely ill and had entrusted Fu Xiuyi with full authority over court affairs. Fu Xiuyi had fabricated crimes against the Shen family and launched a direct crackdown. The Shen family’s army had been transformed when the Ming Qi imperial family reclaimed military authority, with many spies infiltrating its ranks. The Shen family’s army had been rendered ineffective.
Fu Xiuyi had deceived the Ming Qi people and acted so crudely against the Shen family. However, Shen Xin had been prepared this time. He had previously begun secretly allying with other court officials who were dissatisfied with the Ming Qi imperial family. Although these officials were of low rank, they were still stronger than fighting alone. Additionally, Luo Lianying and Luo Liantai from Xiaochun City had come to the capital with the Luo family’s army. The Luo family’s army was more loyal to the Luo family than to the emperor, and having been trained under Shen Xin for several years, he could use them effectively. Besides these forces, there were also the troops Xie Jingxing had left in the capital.
At this point, the Shen family finally learned of Xie Jingxing’s identity.
Although shocked, due to the current situation, they didn’t feel resentful. Moreover, Xie Jingxing had previously been honest with Shen Xin, so they had no time for blame. Xie Jingxing’s forces, though few, were elite, especially excelling in gathering intelligence.
Fu Xiuyi had probably thought he could quickly subdue the increasingly weakened Shen family, but hadn’t expected that the Shen family had long been preparing for this day. Not only had he failed to capture the Shen family within the expected time, but he seemed to have reached a stalemate, draining his military strength.
In his letter, Shen Qiu wrote that the Shen family was now in direct conflict with the imperial family and had left the capital. Although Fu Xiuyi’s forces relentlessly pursued them, the Shen family had given them no advantage. Shen Xin was currently discussing with various officials whether to overthrow the corrupt imperial rule.
Regarding the outcome of this matter, Shen Qiu did not elaborate. Shen Miao knew that the Shen family had been loyal for generations, especially Old General Shen with his unwavering loyalty. Now they were in open conflict with the imperial power, which was already an act of treason. If they succeeded in overthrowing the imperial power, who would take the throne? To enthrone a new emperor among the Ming Qi princes, all of whom were far from virtuous, or to claim the throne themselves? Shen Xin would never have such thoughts.
At the end of the letter, Shen Qiu mentioned one more thing.
The Shen family was no longer in the capital because it was filled with Fu Xiuyi’s people, putting them at a disadvantage. They had retreated to the Han Guan Valley area, but in the villages around Han Guan Valley, they had discovered many people from the Qin Kingdom.
The letter ended there.
Shen Miao remained silent for a long time before saying, “Fu Xiuyi has begun to act, and with Qin people appearing in Han Guan Valley, it’s very likely that Qin and Qi have joined forces. Even if they haven’t, Fu Xiuyi must be planning this.”
Xie Jingxing nodded, then looked at Shen Miao. “Aren’t you worried about your father?”
“Worrying is useless,” Shen Miao said. “I’m thousands of miles away, and even if I could strategize, I couldn’t control many variables. Besides, when it comes to defeating enemies, I believe my parents and elder brother are not ordinary people. As long as they aren’t blindly loyal to the imperial family as before, they have a chance of winning.”
Xie Jingxing smiled, “Actually, it’s all the same.”
Shen Miao looked at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”
Xie Jingxing pinched her face and said, “If Qin and Qi join forces, it can only mean one thing: they will attack Da Liang as soon as possible, starting from the border. My father-in-law and I are actually on the same side.”
“My father-in-law doesn’t want to enthroned a new emperor, nor does he want to establish his imperial power. So, we’ll swallow Ming Qi, destroy Great Qin, and unify the three kingdoms. Then there will be no choice left.”
Shen Miao felt a stirring in her heart. She had long anticipated this scenario. In her previous life, Da Liang had eventually destroyed the Qin Kingdom, then advanced to the capital and took Ming Qi. It seemed that in the future, the territories of the three kingdoms would be unified under Da Liang, and there would be only one emperor in the world.
“But can you do it?” Shen Miao asked. “The emperor’s secret is already known to Fu Xiuyi, and without even thinking about it, I know he will spread this news. When Longye is in chaos, you’ll have to bear many responsibilities. I believe Qin and Qi combined won’t be a match for Da Liang in the end, but the process will certainly be very difficult.”
Xie Jingxing glanced at her, “Little girl, has anyone ever told you not to doubt whether a man can perform?”
Shen Miao paused. Even at such a time, Xie Jingxing still had the spirit to jest. She truly found herself speechless.
“You’ll see,” he said.
…
The collapse of the Lu family shocked the entire Longye, but because of the “Letter to All Compatriots,” the common people applauded, feeling that since the Lu family had committed such treasonous acts, they shouldn’t blame the imperial family for being merciless. However, court officials faced a new political landscape. Those who had followed the Lu family, those who had opportunistically wavered between the Lu family and the imperial family, and those who had firmly opposed the Lu family—all had new schemes. Those who had chosen the right side were naturally elated, while those who had chosen wrong were filled with uncertainty.
Emperor Yongle was not a kind and merciful emperor who only loved his consorts. When his heart hardened, he was harder than anyone, truly the son of Emperor Xiaowu, showing no mercy when decisive action was needed. Noble Consort Jing had once been the most favored consort in the harem, yet Emperor Yongle had shown no consideration for past affection when dealing with the Lu family, let alone for the child in Noble Consort Jing’s womb. Those with discerning eyes could see that Emperor Yongle had likely been patiently planning to deal with the Lu family for many years.
An emperor with such skill and temperament was truly fearsome. Court officials became more fearful of him and behaved more properly.
The Ye family, which had been equal in status to the Lu family, was now like ants on a hot pan, anxious and uneasy.
No one had expected Emperor Yongle to act so suddenly, nor had anyone expected the Lu family to fall so quickly. Even Ye Mocai, who considered himself shrewd, suddenly sensed something was wrong. He now regretted not surrendering earlier when the imperial family had shown interest in recruiting the Ye family. Now, that opportunity was lost.
Indeed, the opportunity was lost because Ye Mocai discovered that Emperor Yongle had already begun to target the Ye family’s power.
The Ye family was different from the Lu family; the Lu family had been military officials with their own troops, while the Ye family were civil officials who mostly played a supporting role. Their network of relationships and connections were coveted by many, but now these had collapsed with the fall of the Lu family.
If the Lu family, with so many established forces and troops, had fallen to Emperor Yongle, what chance did the Ye family have? As Ye Mocai observed the situation and understood Emperor Yongle’s style from the Lu family incident, he grew increasingly desperate, knowing that Emperor Yongle would show no mercy to the Ye family and would eliminate them. Ye Mocai was partly furious at the Lu family for their earlier arrogant promises and partly filled with regret.
Ye Mocai began preparing to escape, or at the very least, to send Ye Hongguang away. He didn’t have much concern for Ye Mei and Ye Ke, but Ye Hongguang was his only child and had to survive to continue the Ye family line.
While Ye Mocai was busy, Ye Mei wasn’t idle either.
Today she had returned from Miss Sun’s residence after intimately entangling with Jin Xingming, who had promised to take her away in three days. Recently, Ye Mocai had loosened his control over Ye Mei, seeming uninterested in where she went or whom she met. Rather than being happy about this, Ye Mei grew increasingly nervous. Ye Mocai was overwhelmed and had no time to care about her fate. The Ye family must be facing an extremely critical moment.
Considering what had happened to the Lu family, although Ye Mei didn’t fully understand the situation, she sensed that Ye Mocai was afraid—afraid of suffering the same fate as the Lu family.
On this day, she returned rather late. Upon entering her room, she found Ye Ke looking around, seemingly waiting for her.
Ye Mei hadn’t seen Ye Ke for several days. During this time, while planning her escape to Ming Qi with Jin Xingming, Ye Mei hadn’t considered what would happen to Ye Ke. Perhaps from the beginning, Ye Ke had never been part of her escape plan.
Ye Mei had immediately discarded someone she considered useless, a hindrance, and even harboring personal designs on her.
Seeing her return, Ye Ke asked, “Sister, where have you been? Why are you back so late?”
“Miss Sun asked me for a handkerchief last time. I only finished embroidering it yesterday, so I delivered it to her today.”
Ye Ke complained, “You’re now a young lady of the Chancellor’s residence. Why should you take orders from the Sun family’s daughter?”
Ye Mei ignored his words and sat down. Seeing the anxiety in Ye Ke’s expression, she asked, “How have you been these past few days? Didn’t Father take you to meet his colleagues?”
“Don’t mention it,” Ye Ke immediately became dejected. “That was only at the beginning. These past few days, I don’t know what he’s been busy with. Whenever I ask him, he claims he has matters to attend to. I’ve been bored in the residence.” He looked at Ye Mei again, “Sister, when will you discuss entering the palace with Father? I think Father is making excuses to delay. If you enter the palace and win the Emperor’s favor, Father will surely treat me well, and the Emperor will value me too. If my official career flourishes, it will benefit you as well, won’t it?”
Ye Mei inwardly sneered but showed no sign of it, smiling instead, “We are brother and sister, of course I’ll help you.” She pondered for a moment, then said, “Speaking of which, your relationship with Father seems closer than mine with him. These days, have you noticed anything unusual about Father?”
“Unusual?” Ye Ke was confused. “There’s nothing unusual.”
Seeing that he didn’t understand, Ye Mei changed her approach and asked with a smile, “I don’t mean that. For instance, does Father have any valuable possessions, or secrets, that you might have discovered?”
Ye Ke stared at Ye Mei, bewildered for a moment, then said, “Sister, what are you trying to do?”
Ye Ke was a person with abundant ambition but insufficient wisdom. He had some cleverness but was easily distracted by superficial things and was too greedy, unable to make decisive choices. Ye Mei had admonished him many times since childhood, but it was precisely because of Ye Ke’s arrogance and greed that Ye Mei could so easily deceive him.
She sighed and said, “You know that neither of us is truly of Ye family blood. I’ve heard that Father has been secretly searching for true Ye family members these past few days. If he doesn’t find any, that’s fine, but if he does, how will we position ourselves?”
She lied effortlessly, and Ye Ke, hearing this, froze and immediately believed her, stammering, “Really… is Father looking everywhere for true Ye family members?”
Ye Mei nodded.
Ye Ke’s expression became somewhat distorted, mixed with anger and jealousy. He said, “How could Father do this? Use us and then discard us? By what right?”
“That’s why I’m not resigned to this,” Ye Mei said. “I can accept my fate, but you’re different. If the true Ye family bloodline doesn’t return, a cripple can’t compete with you, and the Ye family will be yours in the future. How can I watch your possessions be handed over to someone else?”
Ye Ke was already nine-tenths angry, and after Ye Mei’s words, his anger reached twelve-tenths. He said, “That’s right. This cannot happen!”
“So I’ve thought of a plan. We must find Ye Mocai’s weakness. As Chancellor, he must have some secrets. If we know these secrets, they can become leverage to threaten him.”
Hearing this, Ye Ke strongly agreed. After thinking for a moment, he said dejectedly, “Father hasn’t trusted me enough. Now that I think about it, there don’t seem to be any secrets. However…” His eyes brightened as if suddenly remembering something, and he spoke urgently, “Once, in his study, I saw a portrait of a beauty hanging on the wall. I thought it was nice and touched it, but he strictly forbade me. I guessed then that there was something different about the painting.”
Ye Mei eagerly asked, “And then?”
“Father told me there were some things in that painting, but they wouldn’t be useful to me since I hadn’t yet become an official. He said once I became an official, these things would come in handy, and he would give them to me.” Ye Ke shrugged, “As for valuable possessions you mentioned, this is all I can think of. He seemed sincere, so I didn’t inquire further. Does this count?”
A flash of joy crossed Ye Mei’s eyes as she said, “It counts.”
“Then I’ll find a way to steal it!” Ye Ke immediately stood up.
“No!” Ye Mei quickly stopped him. Seeing Ye Ke’s suspicious look, she explained, “Since I thought of this, in the end, I should be the one to threaten him, even though it’s for your benefit. If you threaten him, he’ll resent you and might comply outwardly but resist inwardly. It’s better if I steal it and use it to threaten him. This way, in Ye Mocai’s mind, you’re innocent and still loyal to him.”
Hearing this, Ye Ke felt Ye Mei’s plan was excellent. He clapped his hands and said, “Sister always thinks things through!” He looked at her gratefully, “Sister, you’re so good to me. When your brother achieves success in the future, I’ll certainly not forget your help and will repay you.”
Ye Mei smiled slightly, her gaze resting casually on Ye Ke before speaking very affectionately, “I’ll be waiting for your repayment.”
After Ye Ke left, Ye Mei closed the door and slowly darkened her expression.
She had been wondering, during her time in the Ye family, she hadn’t obtained what she wanted. On the contrary, she had been constantly manipulated and used by Ye Mocai. Even to escape the Ye family, she had to sacrifice her body, submitting to someone like Jin Xingming. No matter how one looked at it, this was not a good deal.
And Ye Mei never made unprofitable deals.
Now the Ye family was headed for disaster. Before that happened, she had to leave, jumping off the Ye family ship, or she would be bound to sink with them.
But before sinking, she needed to take something from the Ye family to compensate for what she had lost.
Since Jin Xingming’s destination was Ming Qi, one day she would be able to attach herself to Ming Qi’s nobility, reaching the peak of power in Ming Qi, where she could move clouds and rain with a wave of her hand. That was the life she wanted.
As Da Liang’s Chancellor, the Chancellor’s residence must hide many secrets related to Da Liang.
No country would refuse secrets about another country.
These secrets were Ye Mocai’s accumulated efforts and would be her ticket to the mansions of Ming Qi’s nobility.
This would compensate for everything she had lost in the Ye family. Thinking about it now, what had she lost in the Ye family?
Freedom of power, forced submission, and a foolish brother.