Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 69 Part 2

After leaving the Cining Palace, Qin Ling changed into eunuch attire, stealthily moving along the palace walls and heading toward the Yangxin Hall.

As she reached the door, she looked around, and her shoulder was firmly tapped. A eunuch dressed in green said, “Do you have no manners? What are you doing, looking around here? Hurry up and get moving.”

Qin Ling cleared her throat and asked, “Where is Eunuch Sheng?”

“What do you want?” The young eunuch had a stern face, noticing that her attire was a rank lower than his, and he said, “Look up. Why do you look so flustered? Where do you work?”

Before he could finish speaking, he covered his head and winced. “Ah,” he exclaimed, “Gonggong, what did I do wrong?”

Eunuch Sheng thought to himself, You really have a death wish, daring to make the mistress look up. You’ve asked for it. He waved his hand and said, “These days, you’ll be on duty in the eastern section. No need to come here.”

“Wha…what?” The young eunuch stammered.

Eunuch Sheng shooed him away, “Off you go.”

After the young eunuch in green left, Qin Ling furrowed her brow and said, “Gonggong, I have urgent matters to discuss with the emperor…”

Eunuch Sheng lowered his voice, “The Elder Statesman is inside discussing matters with His Majesty.”

The moon hung in the sky, and the Elder Statesman’s voice grew louder and more intense. Sometimes, it was about the rising price of rice, sometimes about issues at the post stations. Qin Ling grew increasingly anxious as she listened. She whispered, “Can I go in and serve?”

Eunuch Sheng handed her a cup of tea and said, “The emperor said you can enter the Yangxin Hall whenever you want.”

***

Qin Ling walked to Xiao Yu’s side and poured him a cup of tea. Xiao Yu kept his eyes fixed on Minister Liu. He cleared his throat and said, “Elder Statesman, please have a seat and enjoy some tea.”

Sitting in the position of the Chief Minister, his expressions naturally had significance. Minister Liu knew he had been speaking for quite some time today, so he bowed and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He walked over to receive the tea, drank it in one go, and then said, “I lost myself in the moment and took up quite a bit of time. I’ll take my leave now, Your Majesty, please rest early.”

Xiao Yu said, “We will discuss the repairs to the city walls tomorrow. As for the horses at the post stations, we will follow the your suggestions.”

Minister Liu bowed and said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

After Minister Liu left, Xiao Yu asked Qin Ling, “Did you just come from the empress dowager’s place?”

“I have been here for over an hour. The empress dowager doesn’t have as much to say to me now.” Qin Ling looked serious and asked, “Has the marquis mentioned the matter regarding the Qin residence to you?”

Xiao Yu nodded, “I am aware.”

Qin Ling said, “I’m not sure if I’d said too much. I always felt like he was testing me while I was testing him. If he reacts strongly, we might blow our cover, so I didn’t dare to take any action lightly. When does Your Majesty plan to apprehend him? Before that, can we have the Marquis of Chunnan divert my brother away?”

In Yangxin Hall, only the two of them were present. Xiao Yu familiarly, took Qin Ling’s hand and squeezed her fingertips, saying, “Don’t worry. Recognizing him is already a great achievement, and well done.”

A moment later, they heard footsteps approaching the door of Yangxin Hall. It turned out to be Lu Ze, Su Huai’an, and Zhuang Sheng arriving simultaneously.

Lu Ze looked at Qin Ling, his heart couldn’t help but tremble. He had already guessed roughly but dared not and couldn’t acknowledge it.

At this point, Lu Ze suddenly thought of Zhuang Sheng. He raised his eyes and looked directly at Qin Ling, introducing Zhuang Sheng, “Reporting to Your Ladyship, this is the well-known figure in the capital…”

Qin Ling and Zhuang Sheng locked eyes before Lu Ze finished his sentence.

Xiao Yu knew about them long ago, and Qin Ling didn’t hide anything. She said directly, “Why is Master Zhuang here?”

Zhuang Sheng was a bit embarrassed. After all, they had “deceived” the emperor together. “I am here by the emperor’s order,” he explained.

Qin Ling nodded.

Lu Ze frowned slightly. How did Zhaoyi Qin know Master Zhuang?

Qin Ling had Si Yue on her mind. The name “Si Yue” danced on her tongue, and she finally asked, “Is Miss Si Yue doing well lately?”

Zhuang Sheng hesitated momentarily and replied, “Thank you for your concern, Your Ladyship. She’s doing fine.” Besides not being around him, she seemed to be everywhere; even the Minister of Justice often went to see her for no reason.

Lu Ze suddenly nodded. “Do you mean Fourth Miss Zhuang?”

“No,” Zhuang Sheng replied. “The ‘Miss Si Yue’ mentioned by Her Ladyship is not acquainted with you.”

Lu Ze paused, looked up at the ceiling, waved the embroidered spring knife in his hand, and took a deep breath while reminding himself.

He was the commanding officer of the Imperial Bodyguards.

He was the intelligence hub of Great Zhou…

Time was of the essence. Zhuang Sheng took a scroll from behind, over a meter and a half long. The instant it was unrolled, Qin Ling finally understood what it meant to have “walls with ears.”

The scroll didn’t contain drawings but rather the recent movements of Qin Wang. Zhuang Sheng’s ability to have such up-to-date information certainly didn’t rely on the cryptic pigeons of Qingfeng Pavilion.

The divine presence at the vegetable market, the beggars on the street, the minor errand runners at the Ministry of Justice, and the girls in the brothel—all could be the ears behind the walls of Qingfeng Pavilion.

Zhuang Sheng said, “After Qin Wang entered the capital, he didn’t make many acquaintances, but recently, two individuals are still in contact with him. One is Zuo Zhengyu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the other is Zeng Hening, the assistant minister of the Imperial Household Department. Their conversations are cautious, seldom touching on state affairs.”

Dantai Yi wasn’t foolish.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for overseeing rituals.

The Imperial Household Department was responsible for managing feasts and banquets. While these two positions had a decent rank, they didn’t hold much real power in the court.

Lu Ze asked, “What is he planning… next month is the grand ritual on the 5th of the fifth month. Could it be… Dantai Yi has assassination in mind?”

Zhuang Sheng said, “Assassination? The ritual is a grand event. Not to mention that the Imperial Bodyguards and the Five Army Commanders’ Offices will deploy troops, the entire Wu Gate and the streets leading to the city’s Taiping Gate at the north will be sealed off. Moreover, the ceremonial entourage consists of over a hundred people, each skilled in martial arts. Even if Dantai Yi has helpers in the capital, how many people can he gather?”

“Even if he has over a hundred people, he will unlikely succeed.”

Qin Ling, who was familiar with the Imperial Household Department’s role in palace procurement, said, “What about the people from the Imperial Household Department? When you add them all up, there are over a thousand.”

Lu Ze shook his head and said, “The Imperial Household Department is responsible for the royal procurement. If it turns into a den of thieves, there will be no peace in the palace.”

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yu tapped the table with his fingertips and asked Su Huai’an, “Have we received any news from Qian’an?”

Hearing the words “Qian’an” and “Imperial Household Department” together, something suddenly seemed to click in Su Huai’an’s mind.

“Your Majesty, the Qin family recently took on a business dealing with fireworks, shipping them from the south to the north.”

Fireworks. 

Fireworks referred to a source of fire.

Xiao Yu’s expression changed, “No wonder he approached the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites…”

Qin Ling furrowed her brows, “What does this mean?”

Xiao Yu emphasized the word “Imperial Household Department” and asked, “Ah Ling, what does the Imperial Household Department have the most of?”

Qin Ling pondered momentarily before replying, “The Imperial Household Department’s Winemaking Office produces Yuchen wine, which has a long-standing reputation. I remember there are over ten thousand barrels of wine there.”

Combining fireworks and alcohol… what kind of scenario would that be?