A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 10

Lin Jiayue subconsciously pulled her fox-fur cloak tighter; she felt a bit of a chill.

Beside her, Wei Jinming’s hand, which was reaching out to take the cloak, froze. What’s going on? The charcoal fires in Zichen Hall were burning bright—could Her Majesty still be cold?

Lin Jiayue stepped forward and sat in the primary seat, picking up the prepared hot tea and taking a small sip.

Ugh… too strong. Don’t like it.

At that moment, she noticed Lu Siling’s eyes growing increasingly cold, and an inexplicable sense of guilt washed over her. What? I haven’t said anything or done anything yet!

Just then, the eunuch who had served the tea came forward. Seeing the teacup in Lin Jiayue’s hand, the servant’s face went white and her hands began to shake. But the eunuch forced herself to stay silent—to speak up now would be a death sentence. She finished serving the other tea and beat a hasty retreat.

Lin Jiayue finally realized what was wrong. If the tea was meant for her, another cup wouldn’t have been brought out. That meant… the tea belonged to someone else.

Before she arrived, the only person entitled to sit in the primary seat was the Grand Chancellor… Lu Siling.

So, she had just drunk Lu Siling’s tea. No wonder it tasted so harsh. Wait, the point is… did I just commit an indirect kiss?

No way. Lu Siling wouldn’t think I did it on purpose, right? She stole a glance at Lu Siling’s face. Yikes, so cold.

She braved it out and set the cup aside, pretending to be oblivious as she deftly switched to the new cup of tea and took a small sip. Fresh, light, and elegant—much better. She guessed Lu Siling was so exhausted she had to use extra-strong tea just to stay awake. Truly a hardworking Grand Chancellor; she probably didn’t even get six hours of sleep a day.

The five Grand Secretaries were seated. The first item on the agenda: the assassination attempt. An attack on the Emperor that resulted in injury—this was a monumental case. No merit could outweigh saving the sovereign, and no crime was greater than treason and regicide.

“I heard that when the King’s carriage was attacked, the Grand Chancellor was right beside it.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Siling spoke up: “Indeed. The assailant was a palanquin-bearer named Wang Ergou, a kinsman of Eunuch Wang Duoshi, who serves the Empress Dowager. He carried a dagger which, upon inspection by the Court of Judicial Review, was traced to an ironmonger in the western district of the capital.”

Grand Secretary Sun Hanzhang frowned. “Weaponry from ironmongers is restricted; every blade and sword must be recorded. Has this been verified?”

Lu Siling’s cool voice rang out again: “The Court of Judicial Review has confirmed it. Wang Ergou purchased the dagger himself. The permit he held was issued by the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Equipment. Under interrogation, it was revealed that Wang Ergou provided twenty taels of silver as a bribe, claiming he had offended someone and needed protection from trouble.”

The Great Zhou had strict weapon controls. Every ironmonger had to be registered with the government, and their annual production was capped and priced higher than the official Bureau of Equipment. Anyone wishing to buy a weapon had to first obtain a permit from the Bureau, stating their purpose and proving a clean background.

In other words, Wang Ergou’s background was clean; otherwise, even with Wang Duoshi’s help, he wouldn’t have been allowed into the palace. To use a “clean” family for an assassination meant the entire nine generations of that clan were finished.

The problem remained: Wang Duoshi was the Empress Dowager’s person. Did this assassination involve the Empress Dowager? Someone thought of it but dared not say it aloud. These Grand Secretaries were all old foxes; even with Lu Siling laying it out so clearly, they hesitated to point the finger.

Zhang Wuwei, the Minister of Rites, was the first to speak. “In that case, we need only interrogate Wang Duoshi.”

Everyone knew Zhang Wuwei stood with Empress Dowager Cui. His suggestion was clearly aimed at ending the matter with Wang Duoshi alone.

Can it be ended so easily? Lu Siling sneered in her heart. From the moment Wang Duoshi was implicated, Empress Dowager Cui was destined to be dragged down.

Seeing no one else speaking, Zhang Wuwei continued: “Wang Duoshi is but a eunuch. Would he have the audacity to have his own kinsman assassinate the Emperor? If caught, his entire family goes to the chopping block. Unless… there is someone else behind Wang Ergou, and they simply used Wang Duoshi’s connections to enter the palace.”

“A coincidence? Does Grand Secretary Zhang have evidence for such a claim?”

Grand Secretary Sun Hanzhang was the Minister of Works. Although she was a scholar, the Ministry of Works was the most marginalized of the Six Ministries; without Lu Siling, she never would have entered the Grand Secretariat. Thus, everyone knew Sun Hanzhang was Lu Siling’s ally.

All eyes turned to Lu Siling, waiting for her stance. However, Lu Siling simply sipped her fresh tea in silence.

Lin Jiayue began to piece it together. The Grand Secretariat was split into four factions: Lu Siling and Sun Hanzhang; Sun Xiuyuan, who represented the nobility (and the Empress, who was of noble birth); Zhang Wuwei, who was the Empress Dowager’s man; and Zhou Shouzheng, the man who just wanted to stay out of the fight. Each had their own agenda, and Zhang Wuwei certainly wouldn’t let the guilt settle on the Empress Dowager.

“Grand Secretary Sun, as for evidence… isn’t the Inner Prison currently conducting interrogations?” Zhang Wuwei’s remark caused Lu Siling’s lips to curl slightly.

“How timely. I have summoned the Sizheng of the Inner Prison and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. You may all hear what they have to say.”

Lin Jiayue thought back to how Lu Siling handled this in the novel. In the original plot, because the original owner was causing trouble, Lu Siling had excluded her from the meeting to avoid being affected by her pheromones, and had decisively settled the matter with an iron fist. Coupled with the incident involving Guang Wei, the case became highly controversial, sparking a wave of impeachments.

This time was different. Guang Wei hadn’t been caught with the arrow, and the assassin was proven to be linked to the Empress Dowager’s confidant. Lu Siling could afford to be assertive. Besides, some people would find a reason to impeach you even if you were perfect.

This was why Lu Siling’s first step in reform was the “Management of Officials.” If you can’t manage the officials who execute the laws, even the best reform will be a bolt from the blue for the common people.

Though Lu Siling grew up in the Eastern Palace, she had seen the coldness of the world and the diverse struggles of life during her travels. She knew that every system created by the Grand Secretariat had to be implemented layer by layer, ultimately carried out by minor clerks. If one person in the middle caused trouble, the entire system would be perverted. Lu Siling didn’t care if officials had selfish motives; she only cared if they were obedient.

Without clean administration, reforms were blocked. Thus, she still held the concurrent post of Minister of Personnel.

On this point, Lin Jiayue actually had an idea. Policy failure was always related to information flow. The court had official gazettes, but few people were literate, so news was distorted by word of mouth. Moreover, as policies passed through middle-management, they were often modified or exaggerated. If a policy to convert ten acres of rice fields to mulberry was passed down as ten thousand acres, the people would revolt.

At that point, does the court compromise or suppress the people?

Her idea was to establish an information channel so that news reached the people directly without alteration. This would prevent officials and clerks from deceiving the populace. Lu Siling likely knew this as well, which was why she focused on administrative reform first rather than broad systemic overhauls.

As for the “pilot programs” and “performance reviews”… if she hadn’t read the novel, she would have sworn Lu Siling was a fellow transmigrator.

A moment later, Ouyang Shushi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Gao Lingyi walked in. Neither showed much emotion; Ouyang Shushi looked more approachable, while Gao Lingyi’s stern face reminded Lin Jiayue of a high school dean.

Lin Jiayue turned her cup and took a sip of tea. The two saluted together: “Long live Your Majesty, peace be upon you.”

“Mhm.” Lin Jiayue stuck to her “fewer words, fewer mistakes” policy. Originally, she wouldn’t even have the right to audit this meeting; it was only permitted by Lu Siling. Therefore, she couldn’t just throw out random suggestions, but she could ask questions.

“Teacher Lu, I have something I do not understand.”

When the Emperor asks a question, regardless of what they are thinking, everyone must stand up and wait respectfully for the query.

“Why did the assassin want to kill me?” Lin Jiayue asked. “Since my coronation, I have studied daily and never slacked. I wished to take power only to serve the people of the world. Have I… done something wrong?”

As soon as she spoke, the officials immediately rose and bowed.

“Your Majesty must not be grieved,” Sun Xiuyuan said, his head bowed to the floor. “Your Majesty’s love of learning is a blessing for Great Zhou. It is likely that as the New Laws are being implemented, some harbor ill intentions. It is not Your Majesty’s fault.”

This man immediately diverted the issue toward the New Laws. Lu Siling frowned. Sun Xiuyuan was capable, but he was a staunch opponent of the reforms. He would seize any chance to disparage them, planting a seed in the young Emperor’s mind that her assassination attempt was caused by the reforms. If that were the case, would the young Emperor still be willing to support them once she had power?

However, if it were the past, she would have argued back. Now, it didn’t matter. The Emperor? I’ll just find a new one.

Lin Jiayue stood up and went to support Lu Siling. “I have always believed that the reforms are for the country and the people. If they attract the malice of petty villains, I remain unafraid. Should anyone attempt to obstruct the New Policies, even though I have not yet taken full power, I still hold a three-foot blade in my hand.”

This declaration caused Lu Siling to look up in surprise. She thought she understood the young Emperor; in her past life, the Emperor hadn’t openly opposed the reforms but had never supported them either, eventually conspiring with other ministers to abolish them. Never once had she stood up like this and firmly declared her support.

Lin Jiayue’s brave and fearless look brought back the image of her grabbing the dagger with her bare hands. Her gaze fell on Lin Jiayue’s injured palm, and her emotions became unexpectedly complicated.

It felt as though the events of her past life were just a nightmare, and the present reality wasn’t actually that bad.

But immediately, Lu Siling remembered being drugged. The moment of hesitation vanished. Regardless of what changes the young Emperor made, it could not stop her murderous intent. Hatred occupied the high ground in her heart; besides, she couldn’t be sure if the Emperor was sincere.

A person should be judged by their actions, and while she usually didn’t speculate on inner motives, she would certainly be more critical of the young Emperor.

Lu Siling took a step back, dodging Lin Jiayue’s supportive hand. “This official will certainly investigate this case to the very end.”

Lin Jiayue withdrew her empty hand. Tsk, she really isn’t giving me an inch.

“Vice Minister Ouyang, Sizheng Gao—speak. What have you discovered?” Lu Siling’s voice rang out, calling the two standing aside to step forward.

The Emperor’s earlier declaration had acted as a stabilizing force for them. Now, no matter what they said, these Grand Secretaries would find it difficult to speak out of self-interest. With the Emperor speaking thus, if these officials didn’t handle things impartially, the public’s scorn would drown them. There were plenty of people in the Ministries of War and Justice waiting for a chance to enter the Grand Secretariat.

Lu Siling suddenly realized something: Lin Jiayue was using the excuse of asking a question to participate in the deliberation and successfully influence the Grand Secretaries.

She knew it—Lin Jiayue wasn’t as fearless as she appeared. This person is just a bastard who only knows how to plot in the shadows.