“Qin Wan! Are you and Third Brother both in the palace?”

Qin Wan rose and curtsied, “Greetings, Prince Gong—”

Yan Li burst out laughing, “Rise, rise! You’re being so formal, you’re making me feel unworthy!”

Qin Wan straightened up with a smile, “I came alone. I haven’t seen Your Highness since you were granted the title of Prince. These court robes have completely transformed your appearance.”

Yan Li laughed heartily, “Am I catching up to Seventh Brother now?”

Qin Wan played along, “You might even have surpassed him!”

Yan Li was delighted. He stepped forward and scooped up Yan Sui, “Little Nine? Why so quiet?”

Yan Sui didn’t resist Yan Li. When Yan Li picked him up, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Yan Li’s neck. Seeing him silent, Yan Li turned to Qin Wan with such plaintive eyes that it made her nervous. “You don’t know! I originally thought the Ministry of Personnel just managed people. Without saying more, anyone in the court, from the capital down to the local levels, their promotions and demotions all go through the Personnel Ministry. I thought when I went to the ministry, I’d just casually observe who got promoted and who fell from grace. But alas, the Minister of Personnel is completely inflexible. I don’t know what His Majesty told him, but now at year-end, he’s made me oversee all the minor officials’ work. The stack of documents is mountainous, enough to crush me! Some documents I can’t even understand, and that old scholar beside me keeps reciting classics perfectly. I can’t just abandon my post, right? I can’t just hit people, right? He just keeps reciting next to me, driving away all my wandering thoughts until I want to become a monk on the spot…”

Yan Li grew increasingly mournful, nearly squeezing out tears. “How many days has it been… ten? Half a month? I feel like I’ve read and written a lifetime’s worth of documents in these few days. Qin Wan, do you think His Majesty and those old scholars are jealous of my carefree life…”

Qin Wan couldn’t help but laugh, and even Yan Sui’s lips twitched. She nodded with mock seriousness, “Possibly. No one in the capital was more carefree than Your Highness before. Now that you’ve entered the ministry, just get through this period and it’ll be better. Your Highness should be more restrained in the future to avoid such suffering.”

Hearing this, Yan Li’s lips trembled, “Ah, I feel the court and ministries are no place for long stays. These people are no fun at all. Ah, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have accepted this prince title!”

Qin Wan kept laughing. Yan Li wasn’t pretending – though he hadn’t suffered any obvious hardship, the work was exactly what he disliked most, making it truly torturous. “If others heard Your Highness say this, they’d be so envious. Others want the title but can’t get it!”

Yan Li pouted, “How true that one can’t know the joy of fish without being a fish! They’re not me, so they don’t know my joy!”

Lu Yun, standing behind, smiled so widely that his eyes nearly disappeared. “Your Highness finally has some free time today. Shall we go to Feng Qi Tower later?”

At the mention of Feng Qi Tower, Yan Li’s expression grew even more dejected. “No, no, I don’t have the energy for that anymore. I’ll just see Great-grandmother and hurry back to rest. From now on, you won’t see this young master’s elegant figure at Feng Qi Tower or Yi Hong House anymore…”

Qin Wan shook her head with a smile. Yan Sui blinked at Yan Li, “What is Feng Qi Tower?”

Yan Li’s expression changed, glaring at Lu Yun before turning to Yan Sui with a smile, “It’s just a place for tea and meals. Were you playing chess with the Princess? Weren’t you supposed to be studying with the tutor? I heard several Yi Zhou Bai family elders come. Have you met them?”

Yan Sui looked confused, clearly not understanding what he meant. Yan Li sighed, “How many characters have you learned?”

Yan Sui finally raised his chin proudly, “Many more!”

Yan Li broke into a smile, “Very good, very good! I’ll bring you some small rewards when I come to the palace tomorrow!”

Yan Sui’s eyes brightened with anticipation. Qin Wan smiled, “Carry him inside. The Empress Dowager is playing chess with the Yi Prince’s heir.”

Yan Li’s smile deepened as he hurriedly carried Yan Sui inside. Yan Sui held onto Yan Li’s neck, his gaze falling on Qin Wan following behind. When they entered the room, the Empress Dowager saw Yan Li and smiled, “We heard everything you said outside. Look at you! Complaining of exhaustion after just a few days in the ministry!”

Yan Li put Yan Sui down and paid his respects first, then asked about the Empress Dowager and Yan Ze’s health. Hearing that Yan Ze’s eye condition was improving and the Empress Dowager only needed regular care, Yan Li felt considerably relieved.

The Empress Dowager looked Yan Li up and down, “You seem to have lost some weight, but you’re not allowed to quit halfway. A few years of experience will be good for you.”

Yan Li rubbed his nose, “Don’t worry, you can’t escape the temple even if the monk runs away. I’m not a child anymore.”

“I think you’re just like a child, not even as good as Little Nine. Little Nine knows how to read characters now.”

Yan Li glanced at Yan Sui and pulled him into his arms, pinching and squeezing him playfully, “Are you secretly happy that Great-grandmother says I’m not as good as you?”

Yan Sui laughed heartily as Yan Li tickled him, finally showing some childlike spirit. The Empress Dowager pointed at Yan Li helplessly, “Look at you, such a rascal. Saying you’re not as good as Little Nine isn’t wrong!”

Yan Sui laughed until his little face turned red, clinging to Yan Li’s shoulder. Everyone in the room, including Yue Ning and Chen Mama, burst into laughter. After all the commotion, the chess game couldn’t continue. Yan Li glanced at the board and said to Yue Ning, “I didn’t realize you were so skilled. Great-grandmother was an excellent chess player in her youth.”

Yue Ning pointed at Yan Ze, “The skilled one is here. I’m just placing pieces where Third Brother tells me!”

Yan Li’s eyes widened, and the Empress Dowager said, “I received two books of Zhen Long chess problems from His Majesty, brought by Yan Ze’s father. Would you like to see them?”

Yan Li quickly waved his hands, “Please spare me, Great-grandmother. Looking at those would be like reading hieroglyphics to me.”

Yan Ze then said, “Great-grandmother, why don’t we pause this game here and continue tomorrow?”

With Yan Li’s arrival and the Empress Dowager currently being pressured by Yan Ze with no breakthrough in sight, she looked at the board full of black and white pieces. “Will you remember it tomorrow?”

Yan Ze curved his lips, “More or less—”

The Empress Dowager immediately sighed, “Among their generation, none are as clever as you. If you could enter official service, you could at least leave your name in history.”

Yan Ze only smiled without speaking. The gazes of Yan Li and others changed as if saying in unison—what a pity!

Yan Ze suddenly asked Yan Li, “Are you going to the ministry tomorrow?”

Yan Li heaved a long sigh, “Yes, how could I not… Those old-schol…— old ministers in the Personnel Ministry are watching closely. The Crown Prince also oversees the ministry, and these past two days… these past two days he’s been particularly strict… Moreover, the reports about the Shuo Xi military grain case have returned!”

As soon as Yan Li said this, the atmosphere in the room instantly changed. The previous laughter and joking disappeared, and as the conversation turned to court matters, everyone’s expression grew serious.

Qin Wan frowned deeply, her thoughts turning to the military grain case.

The military grain case had been ongoing for several months. Because of this, the Emperor sent imperial commissioners to Liang Zhou, first investigating several transport commissioners along the Northwest Route, and including investigations in Ding Zhou, Yun Zhou, and Cang Zhou. Yan Lin had met with misfortune on his journey precisely because of the military grain case. After Yan Lin’s incident, the case had stalled – between handling the funeral affairs and stabilizing the Shuo Xi military camp that had lost its commander, the grain case had been temporarily set aside. Only now had the reports finally returned, after quite a long delay, and no one knew what messages Lin Xu Gui and Yu Wen Xian would send back.

The Empress Dowager’s smile also faded. “What did the returned reports say?”

Yan Li looked at the Empress Dowager, then at Qin Wan, and said, “It involves a deputy transport commissioner named Huang Xing He from the Northwest Route and a deputy general in charge of military supplies in the Shuo Xi army, surnamed Xue. These two have been arrested and have confessed. The Shuo Xi army’s involvement isn’t extensive – the highest-ranking person implicated is a third-rank Xuan Wu General surnamed Chu. On Huang Xing He’s side, it involves others from the Ding Zhou route…”

He paused, then continued, “It seems to be related to Zhang Qi De.”

At these words, the Empress Dowager’s hand resting on the chessboard trembled slightly. “Who did you say?! Zhang Qi De?!”

Yan Li nodded and sighed, “Yes, I don’t think I heard wrong. When I was leaving the ministry, I overheard Minister of Revenue Yang Han and Yuan Qing talking. It seems they’re going to imprison Zhang Qi De. This matter is serious, and given Zhang Qi De’s special position, they need to investigate further.”

The Empress Dowager’s expression suddenly turned cold. Zhang Qi De was the Military Commissioner of the Western Circuit. In the entire Northwest, while Yan Lin had been first in military authority, Zhang Qi De was supreme in civil administration. The Western Circuit encompassed several prefectures along the Ding Zhou and Liang Zhou lines, including dozens of large and small counties. Though military provisions weren’t directly under Zhang Qi De’s management, he could always get involved with anything passing through Ding Zhou and Liang Zhou’s borders. Moreover, Zhang Qi De had come from the military himself and knew all too well about the intricacies of military provisions. But the Empress Dowager and everyone else understood that Zhang Qi De had come from the Northern Garrison—

When the military grain case first erupted, it had already shocked the court and people. Now it implicated both a major general in the deputy commander position of the Shuo Xi army and the highest-ranking official of the Western Circuit. What’s more, this important official had close ties to the Crown Prince’s faction. Could this matter be related to the Crown Prince and the Northern Garrison?!

The warmth and laughter from moments ago had completely vanished. Even Yue Ning felt the harsh air of political turmoil.

Last year’s salt transport corruption case had already caused widespread anxiety, and now this year brought corruption in military provisions!

Salt transport was the Great Zhou Dynasty’s financial pillar, and the Shuo Xi army was the Northwest’s defensive shield. With problems in both areas, the Empress Dowager’s brows were deeply furrowed. What were all the Zhou Dynasty’s inspectors and investigators doing? Had the eyes of those self-important old officials in the Censorate also grown dim with age…

“It’s alright—” After a long silence, the Empress Dowager finally spoke slowly. “His Majesty knows what he’s doing. It would be good if we could investigate clearly. These tumors need to be discovered, otherwise, they’ll rot completely from the root, and by then it will be too late!”

The Empress Dowager rubbed her temples. “No need to wait until tomorrow. Yan Li, help me finish this game. I need to rest.”

Chen Mama hurried forward to support the Empress Dowager, with Yan Li also helping. When the Empress Dowager’s feet touched the ground, her knees were weak, and most of her weight rested on the two of them. As she slowly walked toward the inner chamber, her heart was pounding. Last year’s corruption investigation had stopped when it reached the capital, but this year’s military provision corruption directly implicated Zhang Qi De – not just anyone, but Zhang Qi De! The second-rank Military Commissioner of the Western Circuit! Moreover, he was the one the Crown Prince had recently recommended for commander of the Shuo Xi army!

The Empress Dowager’s legs were weak, her hands trembling, and her heart somewhat anxious. She suddenly paused, asking with a somewhat hazy memory, “How long has the Empress been confined?”

Yan Li and Chen Mama exchanged glances, and Chen Mama quickly replied, “It should be… almost ten days now.”

The Empress Dowager’s heart pounded again. She had watched Yan Huai sit on the throne for twenty years, and it was only a few years ago that he completely stopped asking about court matters. Before ascending to the throne, Yan Huai had been steady in temperament, sometimes even appearing too gentle. But perhaps due to the deep impact of Prince Gong’s rebellion, Yan Huai’s personality changed considerably after becoming Emperor. His thoughts became more difficult to fathom, his methods more ruthless and decisive, and even his formerly straightforward and frank emotions were concealed. For a time, the Empress Dowager even felt Yan Huai had become a stranger, and she only feared his temperament would become tyrannical and erratic, turning him into an incompetent ruler!

Yet facts proved these changes were good for Yan Huai as Emperor. Though his personality had changed and become unfathomable to the Empress Dowager, after ascending the throne he devoted himself to governance with swift and decisive action, quickly establishing the new Emperor’s authority in court. The Empress Dowager had been quietly gratified. She had watched Yan Huai for twenty years and understood his governing methods too well. The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, “Tonight… have the Crown Prince and Crown Princess come over tonight.”

After giving this instruction, the Empress Dowager continued walking to the inner chamber. Even after lying on the bed, her fingers were still trembling slightly. Chen Mama helped the Empress Dowager take two pills, and only then did she slowly close her eyes. Yan Li stayed for a while, and when he returned to the outer chamber, he saw Yan Ze and Yue Ning still waiting, but Qin Wan and Yan Sui were gone. Yan Li exhaled and sat where the Empress Dowager had been sitting, “Since Great-grandmother asked us to finish the game, let’s finish it. Third Brother, please go easy on me.”

Yan Ze smiled, “You’ve never liked chess since childhood. I wonder who you take after. Great-grandmother put you in a difficult position today.”

Yan Li sighed, “Third Brother understands me best. Ah, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything. I just mentioned what I’d heard, but it ended up disturbing Great-grandmother’s peace of mind.”

Yue Ning sighed. She didn’t think as deeply as the Empress Dowager, but she understood that once Zhang Qi De was imprisoned, the Crown Prince’s faction would inevitably be implicated. This was already an extremely serious matter. With the year-end approaching, it was certain this new year wouldn’t be celebrated peacefully. “If you hadn’t said it, the Empress Dowager would have known sooner or later. The Empress was confined a few days ago, the case at Prince Jin’s manor hasn’t been cleared up, and now Zhang Qi De is in trouble. The Crown Prince this year is…”

Yue Ning didn’t know whether to say Yan Che had bad luck or what, but under these circumstances, with such events occurring, the Eastern Palace would likely face considerable hardship. Moreover, she vaguely felt that this upheaval might bring an even greater storm!