Wen Yu’s memorial requesting self-deposition as queen consort naturally stirred up considerable waves in the court hall the next day.

Those old ministers who at the slightest disagreement would ram pillars and remonstrate unto death stopped just short of cursing the Chen Prince bloody. But no matter how absurd the Chen Prince was, as his subjects, they ultimately still had to help cover for him. Thus, the greatest punishment for this disaster fell upon Noble Consort Li of Xinyu Palace.

Court officials impeached her for using fox-like charms to bewitch and delude the ruler. Noble Consort Li was confined for half a year.

When the news reached Zhaohua Palace, along with it came several large boxes of rare treasures sent from the Internal Affairs Bureau. As expected, the managing eunuchs at the Internal Affairs Bureau had all been replaced with new faces.

Meeting Wen Yu, they only said the previous managing eunuchs had been incompetent in their duties—lazy and negligent while helping Wen Yu prepare the Mid-Autumn palace banquet, which had angered the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager knew she had been wronged, so she replaced all the Internal Affairs Bureau people. Today they brought things as the Chen Prince’s way of apologizing to Wen Yu.

As soon as the Internal Affairs Bureau people left, Tongque couldn’t help but say: “That Empress Dowager Jiang truly has a Buddha’s mouth and snake’s heart—all the pleasant words are spoken by her! Replacing the Internal Affairs Bureau people—wasn’t it because she herself feared those managing eunuchs, seeing you had protected Imperial Physician Fang, would completely develop thoughts of defecting to you, so she struck preemptively? Using you as a raft—what kind of behavior is that?”

Wen Yu sat before the small table by the latticed window. A chessboard was placed before her. Holding a volume of chess manuals from a previous dynasty that had been lost in Liang lands, her wide sleeves trailing, she studied the chess manual while placing pieces on the board, saying: “No matter. Zhaobai, watch those managing eunuchs closely. Don’t let them ‘carelessly’ lose their lives.”

Zhaobai nodded: “The Azure Cloud Guards have been secretly watching. The several people have now been stripped of their positions and transferred to Wu Palace. Their lives are not in danger for now.”

Wu Palace had long been abandoned and was now used as the royal palace’s laundry bureau. Palace servants exiled there would find it very difficult to have any future prospects.

After Zhaobai finished speaking, she asked: “Should we send people to secretly contact them?”

Wen Yu placed a piece on the chessboard, saying: “Just make a show of it.”

Zhaobai’s face showed surprise, but after glancing at Wen Yu, she said no more.

Tongque couldn’t hide her confusion and immediately asked: “Why? Princess, isn’t now the perfect opportunity to win them over?”

Wen Yu said calmly: “Opportunists holding important positions can be temporarily won over. Disgraced eunuchs exiled to Wu Palace—what use is winning them over?”

Tongque was taken aback and couldn’t help continuing: “They used to work under the Empress Dowager and know many of the Empress Dowager’s and Jiang family’s secrets…”

Wen Yu asked: “What if the Empress Dowager, before stripping them of their positions, promised them they were only temporarily going to Wu Palace to avoid the storm?”

Tongque was stumped and fell silent.

Wen Yu rubbed the warm jade-like white chess piece between her fingers, saying: “They were able to struggle and climb to positions in the Internal Affairs Bureau—naturally they best understand how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Although the Empress Dowager’s move with Imperial Physician Fang didn’t completely succeed, she still achieved her goal. From the moment those Internal Affairs Bureau eunuchs helped delay time and transfer account books, it was already impossible for them to stake everything on defecting to me. They received the Empress Dowager’s promise. If they’re won over by me now, they’ll just cleverly flatter both sides to curry favor and leave themselves room to retreat.”

Regardless of whether Imperial Physician Fang was rescued, the fact that those managing eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Bureau were scared into helping transfer account books already constituted “disloyalty” to Wen Yu.

They themselves knew clearly that compared to already having “disloyalty” on their record with Wen Yu, naturally continuing to work for Empress Dowager Jiang had brighter prospects.

After all, those words they spoke in Zhaohua Hall pledging loyalty to Wen Yu out of fear—the Empress Dowager wouldn’t know about them. But helping the Empress Dowager’s people transfer account books was an undeniable fact.

As long as Empress Dowager Jiang was willing to protect them strongly, the matter of false accounts that Wen Yu could previously use to control them—there would be plenty of people who could be pushed out to take the blame. It would no longer be something to fear.

After listening, Tongque couldn’t help but become even more confused: “If the Empress Dowager is already certain those eunuchs won’t defect to us, why still kill them?”

Wen Yu’s attention had been on the endgame on the chessboard the whole time. She held a piece between her fingers but hadn’t placed it, only saying: “Do you think the Empress Dowager doesn’t know those people’s nature?”

Tongque froze, suddenly understanding this was another contest between Wen Yu and Empress Dowager Jiang.

For those eunuchs, they were just picking high branches to perch on, so they would pledge loyalty to the Empress Dowager, but secretly they also wouldn’t refuse Wen Yu’s attempts to win them over.

But for Wen Yu and Empress Dowager Jiang, Wen Yu’s failure to completely win over those eunuchs wouldn’t result in any loss for her. But Empress Dowager Jiang would face the risk that her own and the Jiang family’s secrets would fall into others’ hands.

So those eunuchs—Empress Dowager Jiang absolutely could not let them live!

After understanding all this, Tongque was shocked enough for her hair to stand on end.

Wen Yu had never truly intended to win over those eunuchs from the beginning!

She was only forcing the Empress Dowager to personally eliminate them. After those eunuchs saw clearly the Empress Dowager’s killing intent and no longer dared be fence-sitters, they would seek a way to survive by implicating the Empress Dowager and Jiang family!

And after one or two eunuchs died, once the case caused a commotion in the court, even if the Jiang family’s power was great, they could no longer insist it was just a few eunuchs independently forging false accounts to embezzle palace funds!

They had originally planned to obtain the Empress Dowager’s and Jiang family’s secret account books before delivering this heavy blow. But from the Empress Dowager attacking Imperial Physician Fang and transferring account books to Wen Yu causing havoc in Zhanghua Hall—in just a few quarters of an hour, Wen Yu had once again trapped the Empress Dowager and Jiang family in a dead end!

Tongque had never before experienced such a hair-raising feeling. At this moment, she truly felt there was probably nothing in the world that could exceed Wen Yu’s calculations.

Perhaps her loss of composure was too obvious. After Zhaobai unobtrusively bumped her elbow, she said to Wen Yu: “The Empress Dowager used your name when dealing with those eunuchs. Presumably, it’s also so that after eliminating them, people will mistakenly believe you were the one who acted.”

Wind blew in from outside the window, carrying a yellow leaf that floated down onto the chessboard.

The white piece in Wen Yu’s hand landed where black and white pieces were locked in combat, cutting off the breath of a large group of black pieces in the game. She said slowly: “The court situation has been tested and clarified. Let’s play the cicada for a time and wait for the mantis to appear.”

That memorial of hers requesting self-deposition as queen consort naturally wasn’t entirely to show anger and force the Chen Kingdom royal family to bow their heads, but was a testing stone.

Zhaobai thought of Wen Yu’s earlier words about “making a show of it” and cupped her fists: “This slave understands.”

Only Tongque didn’t quite understand their riddles, but could vaguely sense that regarding the matter of using the Internal Affairs Bureau’s false accounts to attack the Empress Dowager and Jiang family, Wen Yu had already found suitable helpers in the court.

Watching Wen Yu’s profile as she played chess, she suddenly felt that chessboard was no longer just a chessboard, but the mountains and rivers of the entire Chen Kingdom, and even Great Liang.

—

In the blink of an eye, it was the Mid-Autumn palace banquet. Wen Yu’s matter of requesting self-deposition had forced the Chen Prince and all the Chen court officials to bow their heads. The Empress Dowager’s side had also sent someone early to relay words. Naturally, she could no longer refuse to go.

The banquet location was in Taiji Palace. Because they also had to receive officials and follow protocol, the Chen Prince’s consorts could not attend. Only Wen Yu, this nominal queen consort, could share with the Chen Prince the hundred officials’ ritual worship.

When Wen Yu went over, although the banquet hadn’t yet started, all officials had already taken their seats. The Chen Prince also sat in the throne above. Only her and the Empress Dowager’s seats were still empty.

After the young eunuch outside the great hall announced Wen Yu’s arrival, the hall that had been filled with toasting suddenly quieted down. All the ministers’ gazes looked toward the hall entrance, either inquiring or examining.

Wen Yu wore a golden-orange palace gown with an outer layer of gold-red gauze. Her skirts and draped silk trailed nearly half a zhang behind her. A red lotus flower ornament was painted at her brow center. Her makeup was gorgeous, yet it only made her expression appear even more coldly aloof. Behind her followed twelve Azure Cloud female guards led by Zhaobai and Tongque, disguised as palace maids. At this moment, she truly seemed like a divine consort descended from heaven. Quite a few ministers in the hall almost forgot to breathe watching her.

After Wen Yu’s group passed, successive gasps rose from both sides of the great hall.

Near the entrance, officials with low rank far from the great hall couldn’t help but whisper to each other: “The Queen Consort has such heavenly beauty—how could His Majesty still be bewitched by a brothel woman…”

Jiang Yu was a close minister of the royal palace. Also bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the Chen Prince, his seat was extremely close to the Chen Prince. Aside from one veteran general of the royal court, he could already claim the title of first among all military officials in the Chen Kingdom court.

When Wen Yu entered, he only glanced once before withdrawing his gaze.

The Chen Prince had been unobtrusively paying attention to Jiang Yu. Seeing him like this, a cold snort escaped from his nose.

Before long, Wen Yu had walked to before the throne. The Chen Prince looked at his queen consort like a goddess descending to the mortal realm. His expression was even more gloomy than before. With a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he said: “Take your seat, my queen consort?”

Although Wen Yu’s seat was together with the Chen Prince’s at the very top, a low table separated them in the middle. The low table was piled full of wine, fruit, snacks, and bottled flowers—it could be said they were separated by a full two person-widths of space.

Wen Yu took her seat with a cold, indifferent expression, directly treating the Chen Prince as if he didn’t exist.

Zhaobai and Tongque stood to her left and right rear. The other Azure Cloud Guards stood at positions further back, waiting quietly.

The tea and snacks before the low table had long cooled. After Wen Yu took her seat, palace maids immediately came forward wanting to take away the tea and snacks to replace them with a new batch. But before approaching the seat, they were stopped by Zhaobai. After they explained their purpose, Zhaobai and Tongque personally took the tea and snacks from before Wen Yu and returned them to the tray in her hands. Throughout the entire process, they didn’t let anyone approach within three steps of Wen Yu.

For the newly served tea, snacks, and dishes, although the food-testing eunuch had already tested the food before Wen Yu and the Chen Prince, when Zhaobai and Tongque placed the dishes before Wen Yu, they still used silver needles to test for poison once more.

Watching their actions, the Chen Prince turned his head to look at Wen Yu. Looking at that nearly perfect profile, greed and secret, gloomy resentment uncontrollably grew in his eyes. He laughed mockingly: “It seems the Queen Consort is very uneasy about this royal palace?”

Wen Yu looked at the officials below with a peaceful gaze, her voice ice-cold: “When one day this royal family takes the surname Wen, this palace will naturally feel at ease.”

The hatred in the Chen Prince’s eyes deepened. Knowing Wen Yu wasn’t willing to do even the slightest pretense with him anymore and had directly revealed the ambition and purpose of the two kingdoms’ marriage alliance into the open, in embarrassed anger, he directly grabbed a wine-pouring palace maid’s hand, pulled her into his embrace, gripped her chin, and asked with a gloomy smile: “Beauty, what is your name?”

Because Wen Yu had taken her seat, quite a few ministers were already paying attention to this side. The Chen Prince’s sudden absurd behavior was naturally seen clearly.

The officials couldn’t help but sigh, secretly observing Wen Yu’s expression, but saw Wen Yu’s eyes looking straight ahead, as if she had never seen someone like the Chen Prince from beginning to end.

Several pillar old ministers coughed several times at their seats, but the Chen Prince still only concerned himself with flirting with that palace maid, unmoved.

The palace maid held in his embrace initially answered haltingly, terrified of angering Wen Yu beside them. Her gaze constantly glanced to the side. Later, discovering Wen Yu didn’t say a word at all—not knowing if she truly didn’t take the Chen Prince seriously or was forcibly maintaining face—the palace maid gradually became bolder facing the Chen Prince’s intimacy. However, her gaze still occasionally glanced toward Wen Yu, as if both fearful and wanting to show off from some inexplicable vanity that had arisen.

Unfortunately, whether Wen Yu or her maids, all treated her and the Chen Prince as if they didn’t exist.

This scene looked somewhat absurd, but not a single minister present felt Wen Yu had lost face. Instead, they felt deeply ashamed because of their own ruler’s behavior.

Just as several old ministers could barely suppress their anger and were about to publicly remonstrate the Chen Prince at the banquet with iron-blue faces, palace servants outside the hall announced Empress Dowager Jiang’s arrival. Only then did the Chen Prince release that palace maid.

With Empress Dowager Jiang’s keen eyesight, after entering the hall, she swept a glance over the ministers with varying expressions and the several old ministers with iron-blue faces, then looked at the Chen Prince’s disheveled collar and the maid beside him with flushed cheeks—what didn’t she understand?

Empress Dowager Jiang felt suppressed anger in her heart, but considering the occasion, she didn’t show it on her face. After taking her seat, she said: “Begin the banquet.”

Only then did palace maids carrying main dishes enter in single file. When they reached Wen Yu, Zhaobai and Tongque were still as before, having the royal palace maids stop three steps away while they personally arranged dishes for Wen Yu.

Seeing this scene, Empress Dowager Jiang only glanced once and said nothing.

After all the palace maids withdrew, the officials then toasted Wen Yu, Empress Dowager Jiang, and the Chen Prince, saying words about ruler and subjects enjoying harmony. The atmosphere at the banquet also became lively, mostly familiar ministers drinking and conversing freely.

Aside from drinking a cup of wine when officials made toasts, Wen Yu throughout didn’t use her chopsticks much.

With the Empress Dowager presiding, the Chen Prince also restrained himself considerably at the subsequent banquet. Aside from his expression remaining gloomy throughout, he didn’t do anything excessive again.

When people from the Music Bureau and Dance Bureau entered the hall to perform music and present dances, the entire palace banquet reached its liveliest moment, filled with sounds of pushing cups and changing dishes.

An Azure Cloud guard silently came forward and whispered something to Zhaobai. Zhaobai nodded slightly. After that Azure Cloud guard withdrew, Zhaobai, taking advantage of refilling Wen Yu’s tea, whispered to Wen Yu: “There’s movement at Wu Palace.”

Wen Yu’s expression remained normal as she received the teacup, giving instructions in a voice only the two could hear: “Go.”

Tonight with officials entering the palace, the Imperial Guards’ patrol focus was all on Taiji Hall. Other palaces were loosely defended. If Empress Dowager Jiang wanted to silence those eunuchs, this was the best opportunity.

Zhaobai quietly left. An Azure Cloud guard dressed identically to her replaced her standing at Wen Yu’s side. In the great hall full of drum music and talking and laughing sounds, no one noticed.

After one wave of dancing girls withdrew, another wave of dancing girls entered. The urgent pipa sounds were quite ear-catching, drawing even Wen Yu to cast a glance at the newly entering dancing girls.

Only then did she discover this group of dancing girls presenting dances were all dressed as Western Region women, their conduct also unusually bold.

The lead dancing girl had a snake-like waist. Every time she plucked the pipa strings, those soul-stealing eyes outside her face veil looked at the Chen Prince with wild yet hesitant desire.

The Chen Prince indeed seemed about to have his soul stolen by that dancing girl. His face had long been flushed red by wine fumes. Muttering “beauty,” he watched mesmerized until he didn’t even notice his wine cup falling to the ground.

The dancing girl was obviously quite pleased by this. Holding her pipa, with one turn she stepped up the stairs. By this point in the banquet, whomever the Chen Prince favored, it was no longer the ministers’ place to comment.

The ministers had long been accustomed to this. Only those still shocked by Wen Yu’s beauty were still secretly observing Wen Yu’s expression.

But Wen Yu’s expression was coldly indifferent, no different from when she first entered the banquet. In this hall of ten thousand brilliant lamps, she was simply like a jade statue bathed in cold, clear moonlight, appearing incompatible with everything here.

More ministers had their gazes attracted by that dancing girl’s boldness. Jiang Yu sat below but didn’t dare be careless. His left hand continuously and unobtrusively pressed on his sword hilt, ready to draw his sword if that dancing girl had ulterior motives.

Fortunately, that dancing girl indeed only went to tease the Chen Prince. Spinning close to the Chen Prince, clearly looking as if she would fall into his embrace, she spun away again, only using the light gauze wrapped around her hand to brush past the Chen Prince’s face.

The Chen Prince was quite pleased and directly stood up to grab that dancing girl. The seat was narrow. As the dancing girl dodged, she carelessly slipped and fell, her entire person falling toward Wen Yu. Tongque blocked her in time, but the dancing girl’s light gauze still caught a pot of wine on the low table as it dragged.

Wen Yu sat right beside the low table and was unexpectedly splattered by that pot of grape wine, soiling her skirts.

Tongque’s face immediately turned cold as she shouted: “Audacious!”

That dancing girl also realized she had caused trouble and hastily knelt before Wen Yu: “Queen Consort, spare my life! This slave didn’t do it intentionally…”

The Chen Prince’s fun with the beauty interrupted, his interest so thoroughly spoiled, his face also didn’t look good: “It’s just one set of clothes. Tomorrow have the Internal Affairs Bureau send ten sets to the Queen Consort!”

Empress Dowager Jiang spoke at the appropriate time: “Your Majesty, being so discourteous before the officials—what kind of behavior is this?”

She looked at Wen Yu again: “Today is the joyous Mid-Autumn banquet. Originally a happy occasion, it’s inappropriate to see bloodshed. What does the Queen Consort think?”

Wen Yu used a silk handkerchief to wipe the wine stains on her skirt hem, saying calmly: “What Mother Empress says is extremely correct.”

That dancing girl had soiled her skirts while frolicking with the Chen Prince. If she punished that dancing girl, in others’ eyes, it would seem she was jealous. From beginning to end, Wen Yu had never put the Chen Prince in her eyes. Naturally, she didn’t want to bear such a reputation for him.

The old nanny beside Empress Dowager Jiang then said to that dancing girl: “The Queen Consort is benevolent and won’t pursue the matter. Why don’t you thank her for her grace and go down to receive punishment?”

Only then did the dancing girl kowtow with a thousand thanks and withdraw.

After this commotion, this song and dance performance also ended. The Chen Prince sat back on the throne, clearly having lost interest.

Wen Yu then said to the Empress Dowager: “This son-minister will go change clothes.”

Empress Dowager Jiang nodded in permission and also called a palace servant to guide her.

The women’s changing area was set up in Jianning Palace beside Taiji Palace. After the palace servant led Wen Yu’s group to a side hall, she bowed respectfully: “All the skirts for women to change into are here. If Your Highness doesn’t like them, this slave can also go to Zhaohua Hall to fetch one for Your Highness.”

Some incense was burning in the hall—light with hints of sweetness. Wen Yu said to that palace maid: “No need. You may withdraw.”

The young palace maid curtsied and said: “Then this slave will wait outside the hall. Whatever Your Highness commands, just call this slave.”

After the palace maid withdrew, Wen Yu had someone extinguish the incense in the censer. After the Azure Cloud Guards closed doors and windows, they vigilantly inspected the entire side hall, not even sparing the roof beams. After confirming no ears were hidden, they separately stationed people at each door and window to watch movements outside. The rest followed Wen Yu into the inner hall.

Tongque knew her own people were guarding outside. While helping Wen Yu select clothing, she couldn’t help but say indignantly: “That Chen Prince is simply a starving ghost in lust—a foolish ruler! Absolutely a foolish ruler!”

That incense had been burning for who knows how long before they entered the hall. At this moment, even though someone had extinguished the censer, Wen Yu still felt that fragrance could be smelled in the air. Moreover, for some reason, she felt slightly dizzy. After saying “beware of walls having ears,” she raised her finger to press her temple.

Tongque didn’t mention the Chen Prince again. While she and several Azure Cloud Guards continued selecting clothing, she couldn’t help but mutter: “These garments all smell so fragrant…”

Wen Yu leaned against the soft couch drowsily pressing her temple when she suddenly realized something and shouted: “Open the windows!”

The Azure Cloud Guards also sensed something was wrong, but before they could rush to the windows, they collapsed one after another. Some who forced themselves to try crawling to open windows saw small tubes extend through the window gauze again before they had moved far, exhaling large amounts of knockout smoke.

Now all the Azure Cloud Guards who had barely maintained consciousness completely fell into unconsciousness.

After a while, the hall door opened with a “creak.” The one who entered was actually the instructress nanny beside Empress Dowager Jiang.

She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, glanced at the Azure Cloud Guards who had fallen by doors and windows after inhaling the original knockout incense in the hall, and made a gesture to the palace servants behind her. Those palace servants then carried out the Azure Cloud Guards who had collapsed everywhere.

The instructress nanny walked into the inner hall. Seeing Wen Yu collapsed on the couch with half her dark hair pressed beneath her, she instructed the young palace maid following behind: “Go back and tell Empress Dowager this side succeeded.”

—

At the Taiji Palace banquet, the new round of song, dance, and string music still played languidly. That young palace maid entered and said something to the nanny beside Empress Dowager Jiang before withdrawing.

Before long, that old nanny walked to Jiang Yu’s seat with a pot of wine and refilled his mostly empty cup: “Young General, Her Highness says you should by all means still go toast His Majesty.”

Jiang Yu raised his head to look at Empress Dowager Jiang and saw reproach hidden in her gaze toward him.

Jiang Yu said “I understand” and stood with his wine cup, saying to the Chen Prince above, who seemed drunk but still had a gloomy expression: “This general respectfully wishes our King will soon lead our Great Chen officials to return to the Central Plains!”

After saying this, he drained the wine in his cup.

All officials called out approval. The Chen Prince, both cheeks flushed from drink, hearing this only looked askance at Jiang Yu with hints of scrutiny and provocation, smiling with unclear meaning as he raised his cup and drained it.

Jiang Yu knew of the Chen Prince’s hostility toward him. He only pretended not to know and sat down. But outside, another Imperial Guard hurriedly entered, whispering to him: “Commander, an assassin seems to have infiltrated the palace!”

Jiang Yu’s expression changed slightly. Making an excuse about going out to clear his head from the wine, he left the banquet together with that Imperial Guard.

Reaching outside the hall, blown by the night wind—though he hadn’t drunk much at the banquet, at this moment the things before his eyes appeared as double images. He realized something, only managing to say “Aunt” before his eyes went black and he completely lost consciousness.

—

At the palace banquet, Empress Dowager Jiang stood with the support of her close attendant nanny’s hand: “When one reaches advanced years, one truly cannot compare to before. This dowager is somewhat weary. Your Majesty and beloved ministers please continue enjoying yourselves here.”

The Chen Prince’s lips curved slightly. His smile was as meaningful as could be, yet he still rose together with the officials. Amid the chorus of “Respectfully sending off the Empress Dowager,” he said: “Respectfully sending off Mother Empress.”

Before leaving, Empress Dowager Jiang glanced at the several beauties kneeling beside the Chen Prince’s knees. She seemed to want to say something but ultimately didn’t speak. She only supported herself on the small arm of the palace servant beside her and slowly left the great hall.

The Chen Prince raised his head to look at Empress Dowager Jiang’s departing back. His face still wore a dissolute and frivolous smile, but those gloomy eyes clearly wrote full of resentment and unwillingness.

Not long after he sat down, a young eunuch ran in and whispered something to him.

The Chen Prince smiled eerily and stood, saying to the officials: “Beloved ministers, please continue the banquet. This Prince is going to relieve himself.”

Such vulgar language caused all the old ministers below to change expressions in unison, feeling utterly disheartened toward this new king who had reigned for two years.

Only the Jiang faction ministers still wore smiles on their faces, though hidden with mocking intent.