A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 21

Empress Dowager Cui acted as if she had rehearsed it eight hundred times, rushing forward and skillfully embracing Lin Jiayue.

Lin Jiayue: “?” Please, we aren’t that close.

“Emperor Ying has passed, the late Emperor died young, leaving behind only a lonely widow and a fatherless daughter. Is this how you ministers bully us?”

“Gods of the Nine Heavens, ancestors of the Lin family, look upon this! The civil and military officials of Great Zhou are all unfaithful and heartless people!”

What a stretch. What is she even talking about?

The Empress Dowager rushing up to wail like this was truly embarrassing. Lin Jiayue silently pushed her away—a move that made the Empress Dowager stiffen. It could only be said that she was not yet used to Lin Jiayue daring to publicly defy her.

Empress Dowager Cui assumed the young Emperor was only acting out because someone had slandered her today, and that a little soothing would suffice. She had no idea that Lin Jiayue was now entirely unmoved by such tactics.

“Empress Dowager, the officials have not bullied me.”

Such a blunt sentence made Zhou Shouzheng burst into laughter. For the first time, she found the young Emperor quite amusing. Lu Siling remained much more composed, though she hadn’t forgotten the “I love you” the Emperor had blurted out the other day. A loose-tongued bastard… but in this moment, bluntness has its advantages.

Lin Jiayue’s performance today was excellent—intelligent and decisive. Had that incident not happened, Lu Siling would have been satisfied. But seeing the Emperor become so clever now only made Lu Siling think she possessed a deep, hidden nature, sparking a sense of wariness.

Regardless, with the Empress Dowager causing such a scene, the assembly could not continue. Lin Jiayue coughed lightly and instructed Zhang Huairou, “Adjourn the court.”

She turned and left first. Since the Emperor was gone, the assembly naturally fell apart. Empress Dowager Cui had rushed over to put on a show, but she never expected the young Emperor to be so disrespectful as to simply walk away.

Is the young Emperor declaring war on her?

Before she could speak, most of the officials stepped forward. “This servant takes her leave.”

This made Empress Dowager Cui even more embarrassed. She had just arrived and hadn’t finished her performance, yet the audience had left. Was there any point in continuing the act?

“Lin Jiayue!” The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth. “Tell my brother that I agree to his plan. Today’s humiliation… I shall have my revenge!”

Since becoming Empress, she had never suffered such a slight. Even if Emperor Ying hadn’t particularly liked her, she was the Empress, and the necessary dignity had always been maintained.

Lin Jiayue didn’t care what the Empress Dowager thought. She hummed a song as she sat in her palanquin. Once the Empress Dowager personally descended to the arena like that, she had already lost half the battle. One more time, and she would be forced to retreat back to the inner palace. It probably wouldn’t happen immediately—likely after the New Year.

With the holidays approaching, the officials would at most write some memorials to put pressure on the Grand Secretariat, making Lu Siling work more overtime. In short, today’s morning assembly was a success. The Court of Judicial Review cleared her name, proving she hadn’t demanded extravagance from the Bureau of Equipment. Most importantly, it struck at the Empress Dowager’s authority and bolstered her own.

She had proven to the officials that even if she hadn’t taken full power, she was not someone to be bullied. Now, it was time to reap the fruits of this small victory.

“Huairou.” Lin Jiayue poked her head out to look at Zhang Huairou. “Several positions in the palace will be opening up soon. Try to fill them all with your people.”

Zhang Huairou was one of her closest eunuchs. Saying “your people” effectively meant they were the Emperor’s people.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Meanwhile, in another corner of the palace, Sun Xiuyuan was stopped and questioned.

“Sun Xiuyuan, who gave you permission to support the young Emperor’s personal rule?” The voice was haughty, clearly showing no regard for Sun Xiuyuan.

“Duke, you are mistaken.” Sun Xiuyuan was not angry; his voice was gentle and polite. “The Empress Dowager rules from behind the curtain, and the Cui family currently holds every vital post. There is also Prince Cheng. Who do we have?”

“As long as the Empress Dowager rules, the Cui family will never fall. They are at the height of their power. The Emperor is eighteen, yet the court hasn’t even mentioned a grand wedding to establish an Empress. Meanwhile, Prince Cheng is married and has several children.”

“If the Emperor does not take power soon, do you think the Cui family won’t commit regicide? If the Emperor dies, who is most likely to take the throne? Prince Cheng, of course.”

Hearing the Duke of Xinguo give the answer, Sun Xiuyuan fell silent and simply stared at him.

“Are you saying… letting the young Emperor rule will force the Empress Dowager back to the inner palace? Regardless of whose side the Emperor is on, at least the Cui family will suffer a heavy blow?”

Sun Xiuyuan nodded. “Not only that. The Cui family is massive. Prince Cheng appears to ignore court affairs, but in reality, every move he makes is to accumulate reputation and strength.”

With the Empress Dowager and Cui Yuan present, Prince Cheng could comfortably maintain a noble facade, winning the favor of the scholars and inexperienced students.

“Do you think Lu Siling doesn’t want to live in harmony? Do you think she doesn’t want to work peacefully? Her aggression is forced by the Cuis. If she isn’t aggressive, she will be cannibalized bit by bit. Despite her strength, look how few of her people are in court. If she falls, the Cuis won’t just be throwing stones at us—their blades will be at our throats. Lu Siling is the wall standing between us and an all-out war with the Cui family.”

Lu Siling didn’t take a side, and no one dared to reach out to her. As long as she remained, the factions represented by the Empress Dowager and Empress Xining wouldn’t—and didn’t dare to—cross the red line. But as the Empress Dowager’s regency continued, the Cui family’s power grew too fast.

Sun Xiuyuan took a deep breath. “Duke, do you think if we let the Empress Dowager continue her regency, we can withstand the Cui family’s offensive?”

Plotting with a fool was no different from suicide. He had to explain something so simple in the plainest terms for the Duke of Xinguo to understand.

“Then can you guarantee the young Emperor will stand with us once she has power?”

Sun Xiuyuan frowned; he was truly losing patience with the stupidity. “The Cuis have Prince Cheng. Only by supporting the Emperor can we turn our weakness into strength. Besides… do you think an Emperor takes real power the moment she begins her personal rule? Will the Cuis let go? Will Lu Siling? If we choose to offer our loyalty now, the Emperor will surely accept.”

“Even if you are only pretending to support her, I hope you can make it look real. Do not slight the Emperor. Duke, do not forget what happened in court today.”

The Duke of Xinguo snorted. “But once the Emperor has power, will she still be willing to share it with us? A sovereign in power is much harder to deal with than a regent Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager held power by proxy, but the Emperor herself represented supreme authority. Once she held that power, would they still be able to live as comfortably as they did now?

Sun Xiuyuan looked away in exasperation, only to spot Lin Jiayue’s palanquin. Why is the young Emperor here?

“Duke, if the Emperor does not rule, we will be pushed out by the Cuis immediately. Think of our people exiled to the Lingnan region. A tree dies if moved, but a person lives if they move. If we stay in this stalemate until Prince Cheng takes the throne, you and I will both be liquidated.”

Sun Xiuyuan sighed. The Duke once had a daughter who was Empress; the late Emperor had no other consorts. If the Empress had given birth to an heir, the Duke’s status would have soared. But the late Emperor’s sudden death ruined everything.

“Long live Your Majesty, peace be upon you.”

Lin Jiayue glanced at Sun Xiuyuan, then at Li Ping, the Duke of Xinguo. She had seen them arguing from afar, with lookouts nearby. These two truly weren’t hiding.

It was common knowledge that the nobility was led by the Duke of Xinguo. He commanded the Capital Patrol, responsible for the city’s security. He was a rare figure among the nobility who still held military command.

The Duke had intended to walk over slowly, but remembering Sun Xiuyuan’s words, he broke into a trot. His mind moved faster than his body could react, and he nearly tripped over his own feet.

“This old servant, Li Ping, pays his respects to Your Majesty.” With that, Li Ping actually knelt.

Sun Xiuyuan could barely look. He thought Li Ping would be awkward for a while before submitting to the Emperor, but he never expected him to kneel so quickly.

Lin Jiayue raised an eyebrow. “Why does the Duke perform such a grand salute?”

“Your Majesty… this old servant is incompetent! ~~~”

Li Ping’s wail made Sun Xiuyuan frown. Lin Jiayue spoke with interest, “Oh? What does the Duke mean by that?”

“Your Majesty is eighteen and should have personal rule. This old servant has no ability; besides shouting a few times in court, I can do nothing.”

Lin Jiayue smiled. She hadn’t actually seen Li Ping stand up to support her rule. “The Duke overstates the matter.”

It was clear she didn’t want to say much more. “I have other business, so I won’t disturb you two.” Without waiting for a reply, she gave a look to Zhang Huairou, and the palanquin moved on.

Sun Xiuyuan watched the departing palanquin. “The Duke is truly one who can bend and stretch.”

“No matter how young, the Emperor is still the Emperor. My knees can certainly kneel for my sovereign.”

“Seeing the Duke understand so clearly, I am relieved.”

The two stood two meters apart, eyes fixed on the palanquin. But they didn’t see Lin Jiayue looking back at them.

Lin Jiayue turned around, a smile on her face. Did they really think she just happened to pass by? Just as she was about to return to Daming Palace, Lu Siling had sent word of an assignment and asked her to come to the Secretariat personally to pick it up. Encountering those two… she found it hard not to suspect Lu Siling had arranged it on purpose.

To have her accept the Duke’s loyalty?

Lin Jiayue guessed Lu Siling’s thoughts. Her lukewarm attitude just now was to force Li Ping to offer something in exchange, rather than just empty words. A free lunch? No such thing.

Still, she wanted to ask Lu Siling why she had arranged this. And if Lu Siling was proactively guiding her, did that mean she wanted to cooperate?

Lin Jiayue leaned back in her palanquin, her eyes bright with expectation. Her mind was filled with that image of the crimson official robes—the person wearing them, cool and upright, jade belt at the waist, white inner collar peeking out, noble yet restrained.