The city of Shuzhou was not as chaotic as she had imagined.

Compared to the several prefectures and counties they had passed through while traveling south from the northern border, Shuzhou could be considered orderly with a relatively stable civilian life.

Lu Duo was originally from the Palace Guard. Having seen her before in the capital, he now accompanied the Emperor on this northern campaign. Though he didn’t understand the various matters between her and the Emperor, nor did he know what she intended to do in Shuzhou city, he still dutifully protected her throughout the journey without idle chatter.

Yue Linxi also surprisingly didn’t speak much with her.

Meng Tinghui thought silently to herself that he must resent her, as he had nearly a thousand of his troops killed by Ying Gua because of her, and was then forced to undertake this mission. But if not for his confession, how would her identity as a Zhongwan imperial descendant have been exposed? She harbored resentment toward him as well.

With this in mind, she had no desire to initiate conversation with him, only waiting for him to lead her to their agreed destination.

When rebel forces had captured Shuzhou, the prefect had already been killed, so the prefect’s office had become the meeting place for these Zhongwan loyalists.

The three dismounted, and Yue Linxi went ahead to announce their arrival.

She surveyed the office courtyard, noticing several armed soldiers standing guard, which caused her to frown.

Behind her, Lu Duo suddenly nudged her with something. She turned to look and saw it was a short dagger. Seeing Lu Duo’s meaningful glance, she quickly took it and tucked it into her waistband.

When they entered, those soldiers indeed searched Lu Duo’s body. Finding nothing, they allowed him to accompany her inside.

Given her noble status, no one dared search her. They proceeded to the innermost room, where Lu Duo was stopped again, told that only she could enter.

Lu Duo objected but couldn’t prevail against the guard, immediately gritting his teeth in anger.

Meng Tinghui reassured him: “Wait for me here. Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” Then she smiled at the guard outside: “Thank you for your trouble.”

The man hurriedly responded, “I wouldn’t dare,” and bowed as he pushed open the door, inviting her and Yue Linxi to enter.

The two entered one after another. Inside, several people were already seated. Upon seeing her, they all rose and bowed with lowered heads.

Yue Linxi led her before a somewhat elderly man and said: “This is Fan Yu, formerly the Vice Minister of Personnel in the Zhongwan court. After Zhongwan’s fall, he declined imperial appointments several times and has remained in the Jiankang Route for over twenty years.”

Meng Tinghui looked carefully at Fan Yu but merely smiled without saying much.

The senior ministers of Zhongwan from those days had all passed away. This former Vice Minister of Personnel must have been the highest-ranking official among these people. Although Fan Yu was no longer young, she could still imagine what kind of proud and unyielding man he had been more than twenty years ago.

Seeing that she wouldn’t speak to Fan Yu, Yue Linxi didn’t feel comfortable introducing others in the room to her, and instead said to Fan Yu: “Master Fan, you may ask your questions now.”

The others perceived her attitude as arrogant and didn’t dare initiate conversation with her. At that moment, the atmosphere in the room became exceptionally tense and cold.

Fan Yu nodded slightly to Yue Linxi, giving him a meaningful look. Seeing Yue Linxi turn and exit, he then looked at Meng Tinghui and said: “The Crown Prince, Duke of Zheng, originally had a young son who was killed by enemy troops when the country fell. After the two princes were ordered to move to the capital in the third year of Qiande, the Crown Prince was able to marry again, but unfortunately, he only had a daughter.”

Meng Tinghui was slightly startled.

She hadn’t expected Fan Yu to begin so directly with these past events, immediately addressing her background, leaving her completely unprepared and momentarily caught off guard.

Fan Yu sat down calmly, his gaze sweeping over the others in the room. Unhurried, he began speaking as if telling a story: “In autumn of the sixth year of Qiande, King Ping executed the Four Lords of the Meng family and their relatives on fabricated charges. No one in the Four Lords’ households was spared—whether they were household guests, disciples, maids, or servants. That night, the Crown Prince’s only daughter’s wet nurse took her out to explore the market, leaving her daughter, still in swaddling clothes, in the manor. The Imperial City Guards mistook the nurse’s daughter for the Crown Prince’s only daughter and killed her. The wet nurse, hearing of the disturbance at the Meng manor while in the street, hid with the infant girl at a street corner for a night. The next day, upon learning that her husband, who served as a retainer in the Meng household, had also perished, she fled with the Crown Prince’s only daughter to her maternal family in the Northern Route of Chao’an.

Upon returning to Chao’an, she discovered she was pregnant again. She wanted to seek refuge with her family while caring for the Meng daughter, but her family would not accommodate her and forced her to marry an outsider instead. To preserve the Meng bloodline, she entrusted the infant girl to a nunnery outside Chongzhou city, while she married into a farming family in Chengfu Route. She had intended to wait a few years until life became more stable before seeking the girl at the nunnery, but she hadn’t anticipated the imperial edict in the fourteenth year of Qiande that reorganized the temples and nunneries in Chao’an, which caused her to lose all trace of the girl. After more than a decade of searching, when we finally discovered some clues, we found that the infant had become the current Emperor’s most favored female official.”

Meng Tinghui’s expression hadn’t changed at all as she listened to his account. She merely said softly: “You seem to know the details well.”

Fan Yu replied: “Your wet nurse was Yin Qing’s mother, and Yin Qing was the posthumous child of the retainer who died tragically in the Meng manor.”

She was momentarily stunned, then lowered her eyes without comment.

Fan Yu suddenly stood up, his expression becoming extremely serious, and said to her: “How painful was Zhongwan’s downfall those years ago, and how unjust was Lord Meng’s death! Your wet nurse suffered greatly to preserve your life, and we have endured humiliation and hardship for so many years for this day! Yet you have become that man’s Empress and agreed to the enfeoffment—how can you face all these people and events?”

Meng Tinghui raised her eyes, scanning everyone in the room before fixing her gaze on Fan Yu. “But what you don’t know is that if not for him, I would have frozen to death in that dilapidated temple years ago. The nobleman who rescued me from that cold, rainy night and sent me to the Chongzhou women’s school was none other than him.”

Everyone was shocked.

Fan Yu was stunned for a moment before frowning slightly and saying coldly: “But the person who issued that edict was his Empress Mother! Your Meng family and the Da Ping royal family have an irreconcilable blood feud. How can you be entangled with him?”

She sat down calmly and said: “You summoned me into the city today, surely not just to tell this story. Let’s speak directly about your intentions.”

Fan Yu glanced at the others, then slowly said: “Yue Linxi has told us that although you have become his Empress and agreed to his plan, you were forced into it, and we will not blame you for this. Now that he is willing to make you his Empress, it shows he still has feelings for you from the past—this is a rare opportunity.” He paused, observing her expression, and seeing her remain calm, continued: “If you could find an opportunity to kill him, the Da Ping imperial army would be leaderless, and our forces would surely achieve victory and restore our lost nation!”

She raised her eyes coldly. “If he were killed, the Da Ping generals would surely lead their troops back to avenge him. Once the northern border weakens, the wolf-hearted ambitions of North Jian could not be stopped. By then, these provinces would again be engulfed in the flames of war, and who could predict the victor? How could I commit such a fruitless act and plunge the common people of these provinces back into the horrors of war?”

Fan Yu’s expression froze. “As the sole bloodline of the Meng family, how can you not contribute to the cause of national restoration?”

She looked at him with contempt: “If restoration is not welcomed by the common people and instead causes them to lose their homes and security, then the nation is better off not restored!”

Fan Yu was so angry that even his beard trembled. “You truly refuse to reconsider, truly refuse to kill him?”

She sat quietly, not uttering a word.

Fan Yu laughed coldly several times. “Fine, fine! Since you refuse to kill him, we will use you to kill him and avenge Lord Meng’s blood feud for you!”

Her eyes flashed with alarm as she stood up quickly and exclaimed: “What are you planning to do?”

Fan Yu’s face showed even greater anger. “Last night, we already set up an ambush at the mountain pass thirty miles west of the city. When the time comes, we’ll send someone to tell him you’ve fled west. Do you think he will pursue you?”

She was greatly alarmed, her face turning somewhat pale as she bit her lip and said: “Then your calculations may be in vain. He probably hates me even more than you do and certainly won’t personally pursue westward.”

Fan Yu stared at her and said harshly: “Now that you’ve entered Shuzhou city, we will never let you leave again. Why don’t you just wait in this city and see what news comes from the west!”