Yin Qing’s gaze remained calm, his smile as faint as ever, as if he had anticipated her surprise but was in no hurry to explain. He seemed to be waiting for her next move.

Meng Tinghui held the thin stack of letters in the box as if she were holding something weighing a thousand pounds, her wrist trembling slightly.

How could she not be shocked?

These were dozens of private letters exchanged between Xu Ting and his old friend Hao Kuang over the past three years!

Hao Kuang had passed the imperial examination and became an official in the sixth year of Xianping during the previous dynasty. He had served under two emperors and through the change of dynasties, once reached the position of Commissioner of the Three Fiscal Agencies. Later, due to poor health and chronic illness, he retired to his hometown. He died from illness at his residence in Liuzhou, Yongxing Circuit, in the eleventh month of the twenty-fifth year of Qiande. Upon learning of his death, the Emperor had specially conferred posthumous honors on him—this imperial generosity toward a former dynasty’s elder statesman had moved many court officials at the time.

Hao Kuang and Xu Ting had passed the imperial examination in the same year. The two had served as officials in the court for many years and shared a deep friendship. During Hao Kuang’s years of retirement due to illness, Xu Ting often sent gifts, and even after being appointed as the Right Chancellor, he had not distanced himself from Hao Kuang who was living in a remote region. The close friendship between these two elder statesmen was well-known throughout the court. Since the initial relocation of the capital and unification of the courts, the elder officials who had served for decades were either aging or ailing, with retirees every year. Even among the current powerful ministers, which one still possessed the grand ambitions and spirited vigor of their youth? Therefore, when elder statesmen cherished each other’s friendship, others saw nothing inappropriate in it. After all, it was difficult to sever the bonds formed among colleagues over many years, and it wasn’t strange for them to stay in touch even after retirement.

But the words in these private letters were deeply disturbing, making her unable to believe they were written by Xu Ting himself.

The letter she held in her hand was dated three years ago. At that time, the current Emperor was still the Crown Prince, but Xu Ting was already quite dissatisfied with the Crown Prince’s governance direction. In this letter to Hao Kuang, he expressed much opposition, with resentment permeating every line. Although she hadn’t carefully read what was written in the other letters in the box, she could imagine that they must all be Xu Ting’s expressions of dissatisfaction with the Emperor. Otherwise, Yin Qing wouldn’t have brought them to her, calling them a “token of sincerity” as a greeting gift…

She certainly understood the weight of these items, but she couldn’t comprehend how Yin Qing had obtained these private letters between Xu Ting and Hao Kuang. After Hao Kuang’s death, his family remained in Liuzhou, Yongxing Circuit, with his two sons serving as officials in the Eastern and Western Circuits of Heyang, thousands of miles away. And Yin Qing was from the Northern Chao’an Circuit—there was no way he could have connections to Hao Kuang’s family. How could he have obtained not just these extremely private letters, but even ordinary items from the Hao household?

Though the weather was warm, the night breeze blowing through the street made her shiver involuntarily.

The smile on this man’s face before her was too mysterious, truly making her afraid to easily guess his intentions. After careful consideration, she finally asked: “How did you obtain these letters?”

Yin Qing didn’t answer, only saying: “This item merely expresses this humble official’s willingness to align with Official Meng. If Official Meng finds it useful, please take it and use it as you see fit. There’s no need to investigate the origin of these letters.”

Meng Tinghui feared falling into his trap and said with a cold smile: “You’re just a new jinshi who has barely entered the court. How could you possess such capability? Aren’t you afraid that I might take these items directly to Minister Xu, causing your sudden downfall and ensuring you would never rise again in court?”

How could she trust a man she had only met twice?

Hearing this, Yin Qing smiled slightly and said: “This humble official would naturally fear Official Meng turning against me, but I’m willing to take that gamble. Official Meng is currently troubled by the matter of transferring officials from the Chao’an Commander’s Office. If you miss such an excellent opportunity due to suspicion, wouldn’t that be a pity? Why doesn’t Official Meng join me in this gamble, and then see afterward whether you can trust this humble official?”

Meng Tinghui was stunned by his words, having never imagined that he would be so knowledgeable about court affairs, even knowing exactly what was troubling her at present. She calmed herself, clutching the box of letters but saying nothing.

If she were to use these dozens of private letters to negotiate with Xu Ting, he would surely agree not to oppose future personnel recommendations from the Ministry of Personnel, and her desire to transfer sixteen officials from the Chao’an region would proceed without obstruction.

As if guessing her thoughts, Yin Qing carefully examined her expression and suddenly said: “Why doesn’t Official Meng present these letters directly to the Emperor? With His Majesty’s iron will, removing Xu Ting from his position as Chancellor would be a matter of days.”

Meng Tinghui was greatly shocked once again.

When she first saw these letters, at most she had thought of privately “threatening” Xu Ting, but had never considered presenting them directly to the Emperor to bring down Xu Ting from his position in one move!

For a powerful court official to privately criticize the Emperor—this crime could be considered either very serious or minor, depending on how the Court Council would evaluate it and how the Emperor would decide. Xu Ting had served as Chancellor for many years without committing major errors, and his reputation among scholars and Western faction officials was excellent. To bring him down from his position based solely on these dozens of private letters was not something that could be accomplished just by saying it.

Moreover, if she, Meng Tinghui were to present this matter to the Emperor, who knew what accusations those noble elder statesmen in court would level against her!

She understood the Emperor’s temperament well—he was someone who deeply concealed his thoughts in public while coolly calculating in private. When Yin Qing spoke of the Emperor’s iron will, she found it quite accurate. Whenever there were deficiencies in court administration, when had the Emperor ever shown a gentle face? Over these years, when had he ever slackened in governmental or military affairs? Even when she was alone with the Emperor, their conversations often included matters of state governance. There was never a time when she saw the Emperor completely abandon his imperial responsibilities. How could such a person tolerate his imperial authority being violated and his Chancellor harboring other intentions?

If she were to impeach Xu Ting for disloyalty with these dozens of letters, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that Xu Ting would lose his position.

But the outcome was not something she could currently predict. She had just been promoted to a high-ranking official, and now she would be using such a “poisonous” method against the current Right Chancellor, impeaching him with private letters from a deceased elder statesman! Even she felt that this approach was rather dishonorable. The elder statesmen in court would surely criticize her mercilessly—how could an upright person secretly collect others’ private letters?

Even if Xu Ting were eventually dismissed by the Emperor, Meng Tinghui’s reputation in court would be completely ruined.

Those self-proclaimed noble officials in court never cared whether you were right or wrong. Even if your words were substantive and your arguments sound, if your actions were considered “despicable” or “underhanded,” you could never escape their “righteous” criticism.

She had never cared about such infamy. Her only consideration now was whether it was worth sacrificing her reputation so heavily just to bring down Xu Ting.

Seeing her lost in thought and silent, Yin Qing’s eyes showed understanding. He said: “If Official Meng no longer wishes to be constrained by the elder statesmen and truly wants to stand on equal footing with them in policy discussions, then you shouldn’t have so many hesitations and concerns. Once Xu Ting falls, those opportunists in the Western faction will surely turn to Official Meng’s side to protect their careers, and the senior officials of the Eastern faction will also be wary of Official Meng, certainly no longer obstructing you at every turn as they do now. In the future, apart from the Emperor, who else could Official Meng fear?”

Meng Tinghui suddenly raised her eyes to stare at him, her voice as light as floating catkins: “If this succeeds, what benefit do you want in return?”