The night street was filled with dim shadows, with only the sound of the wind remaining.
Yin Qing pondered her question silently for a moment, then slowly said: “Many second-class jinshi are assigned to remote prefectures and counties, but this humble official wishes to remain as an official in the capital. If staying in the capital is not possible, then preferably I would be assigned to a prefecture or county in the Northern Chao’an Circuit.”
Meng Tinghui listened impassively, becoming more convinced that he was indeed a clever man.
An ordinary person, if truly seeking personal gain through this, would have asked for a prestigious position. He had gone to such lengths to obtain these letters and had carefully chosen this moment to present them to her, yet he only asked to remain in the capital—something that was already eighty to ninety percent certain. This showed that his true intention wasn’t to use these letters to seek a prominent position. Yet he wasn’t simply trying to gain her favor either—if that were the case, wouldn’t it better demonstrate his sincerity to ask for nothing in return? He wanted nothing but was pretending to “curry favor” with her at this moment by acting as if he was seeking to secure a position in the capital.
Though these were her thoughts, her face showed that she believed him. She nodded and said: “Let me think about it more carefully.”
Yin Qing didn’t press further. He bowed and said: “Then this humble official thanks Official Meng in advance and will not disturb you further for now.”
Meng Tinghui gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
The dim light stretched their two shadows long across the green stone bricks beneath her feet. After walking several steps, she realized he was still standing motionless behind her.
Unable to resist, she turned back to look, only to see him turning to walk away at that exact moment.
Since entering the court, she has encountered countless people and situations, both major and minor, without ever feeling anxious. But now she felt uneasy because of this newly appointed jinshi.
Everyone lives with some purpose in mind. Even when she first entered the court, it was because she had her own goals.
But this man didn’t seem to be seeking an official position, nor wealth, nor her as a person.
So what exactly was he after?
As she walked, her mind kept turning over possibilities. Yin Qing was from the Northern Chao’an Circuit. With such talent and reputation, he couldn’t possibly be unknown. Perhaps she could write a letter to Qingzhou Prefecture, asking Shen Zhishu to inquire about this man’s background in Chao’an.
But she immediately rejected this idea.
Shen Zhishu was governing a major border prefecture and was likely to be promoted to Transport Commissioner of the Northern Chao’an Circuit. She, holding a high position in the court and controlling personnel matters in the Ministry of Personnel, could not afford to have excessively close private relationships with provincial officials.
What she needed to be most cautious about now was not giving others any handle against her. Therefore, she absolutely could not send a private letter to Qingzhou asking Shen Zhishu to investigate the background of this new jinshi.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh, her steps becoming heavier.
That fearless and carefree nature she had when first entering the court could probably never be recovered. The higher one climbs, the harder it is to stand firmly, and the more one has to consider and plan. To take just one step forward, even after looking ten steps ahead and behind, one still fears stumbling badly.
A servant from the Meng household saw her leaving Imperial Street and drove a carriage over to meet her. He lifted the curtain for her to enter and asked, “My lady, are we returning to the residence?”
Meng Tinghui frowned for a moment, then shook her head: “Not returning yet. Take me to the Chief Censor’s residence.”
The servant agreed and turned to drive the carriage, adding: “My lady hasn’t had dinner yet, please take care of your health…”
Sitting in the carriage, she didn’t respond, her mind filled with what Yin Qing had just said.
After much deliberation, she found Yin Qing’s words extremely reasonable. If she were to use these letters to privately negotiate with Xu Ting, regardless of the consequences should the Emperor eventually find out, even if Xu Ting agreed not to obstruct her personnel matters in the future, she had no guarantee that others in the Council of State wouldn’t continue to oppose her proposals. If Xu Ting merely stopped causing difficulties for her, people in court would praise Minister Xu’s magnanimity, while her reputation would not improve at all. It would be better to take this opportunity to present these letters directly to the Emperor, allowing him to dismiss Xu Ting from his position. This would make others in the Council of State wary of her, and she wouldn’t have to worry about the consequences of knowing about the letters but not reporting them. Moreover, after this incident, the “Meng faction” would become even more powerful in court. Those who understood the situation would surely know how to act in the future when they saw a Western faction elder statesman fall.
Since Liao Congkuan had been promoted to fill the vacant position of Chief Censor, she hadn’t had the opportunity or time to pay him a formal visit. But she thought, given Liao Congkuan’s diplomatic nature, how could he not understand the reason for his promotion? And if she wanted to openly impeach Right Chancellor Xu Ting, the support of the Censorate would be essential. This was an opportunity to visit Liao’s residence and establish a mutually beneficial relationship. He probably wouldn’t refuse her request, since if the position of Right Vice Director became vacant, the balance of power between elder and new officials, Eastern and Western factions, and her faction would be disrupted anew—something that would also benefit Liao Congkuan.
With these thoughts, she became increasingly determined to use these private letters to make the elder statesmen of the Council of State understand that even without the Emperor’s favor, she, Meng Tinghui, could still make them yield.
Even if this would cause a tremendous storm in the court, even if it would further damage her reputation, she was willing to take this gamble.
Her thoughts drifted momentarily, and she suddenly recalled that visit to the night market years ago, feeling a warmth in her heart.
Back then, she had said, “Your subject aspires to contribute to Your Highness’s historical legacy.”
Her heart sank again. After calculating so much, she had forgotten to consider the one sitting on the golden throne with nine dragons—what would be his reaction if she presented these letters to him? Logically, the Western faction officials were all longtime ministers from the previous Emperor’s reign. Would he dismiss the Right Chancellor based on her accusation alone? And if he investigated the source of these letters, should she tell the truth?
Although she knew her place in his heart, she didn’t know her place as a minister in his imperial calculations. Would he watch her influence grow increasingly powerful at court without restraining her? Would he truly allow her to rise repeatedly, ascending to the heavens?
The words he had spoken that day on the training grounds still echoed in her ears.
Yet she dared not believe that as an emperor, he would truly wish for her to ascend to the highest heights, soar to the heavens, and never fall… She loved him so deeply, yet because of partisan conflicts and political struggles, she had begun to calculate his intentions. How could his heart toward her be completely open and without strategy?
The carriage wheels disappeared into the shadows at the edge of the street. The sounds of the night market faded behind them, gradually dissipating.
She lowered her eyebrows, having already decided what to say when she met Liao Congkuan and feeling completely confident about his response.
However, this matter should be handled sooner rather than later. If she truly intended to impeach Xu Ting, it would be best to draft the impeachment memorial tomorrow or the day after, present it to the Emperor, and then have Liao Congkuan lead the Censorate officials in supporting the accusation.
Sitting in the carriage, she had already begun composing the wording of the impeachment in her mind. Her gaze penetrated the thin gauze curtain of the carriage window, staring into the distance.
As the carriage entered the area where noble and prestigious residences stood, it slowed down even further. Just as they were about to turn into the lane where Liao’s residence was located, Meng Tinghui spotted a familiar carriage coming from the south. Looking carefully, she saw it was the Shen family’s carriage, presumably with Shen Zhili. Thinking that she must have also noticed her carriage and that it would be impossible to avoid an encounter, she instructed her servant to stop, intending to disembark and greet Shen Zhili.
But as soon as she lifted the curtain, she suddenly realized that the Shen family carriage was coming from the direction of Gu Qin’s residence. She immediately felt awkward, feeling that she shouldn’t have seen Shen Zhili coming from this place at such a time. She hesitated, unsure whether to get out of the carriage or not.
While she was hesitating, the Shen family carriage had already approached and indeed stopped at the entrance of the lane. The thick curtain at the front of the carriage was lifted firmly, and Shen Zhili poked her head out, smiling as she said to Meng Tinghui’s servant: “Well, has your lady become so powerful now that she even avoids seeing me?”