Chapter 39
Lu Siling was testing her.
Lin Jiayue felt it keenly; Lu Siling was probing her.
The original owner of this body was a person of violent temperament who had been forced into forbearance because she lacked power. But no matter how much the original owner tried to endure, could she truly hide it in front of so many old foxes? Unless someone is a natural-born master of disguise, it was unlikely—and the original owner clearly was not.
In the three years since the original owner ascended the throne, regardless of how well she had hidden it, both Lu Siling and the other ministers could see the malice lurking within her. It was just that for many of them, no matter what the monarch was like, it wouldn’t stop them from encroaching on imperial power.
Lu Siling could see it, but every time she thought of the late Emperor’s final instructions, she would tell herself that the person the late Emperor chose could not be wrong—she could surely be taught.
A natural-born villain cannot be taught.
But what if this person truly changed for the better? Illustrious, wise, willing to listen to advice, no longer headstrong, and capable of empathizing with the weak… Lin Jiayue’s change was too drastic.
Animals are the most sensitive to such things. Bai Heng could sense whether a person liked him or not, and the dog was very close to the young Emperor, proving she truly liked him. Yet, when the young Emperor was a child, she had cursed the dog belonging to Emperor Ying’s favorite consort with a face full of loathing. Lu Siling found out later that the young Emperor actually disliked cats and dogs; she was never as kind as she appeared now.
Since Bai Heng could feel the Emperor’s kindness and was willing to stay in her arms, Lu Siling was left with a burning question: Could a person really change this much? Rebirth?
Because she herself had been given a second life, Lu Siling suspected the young Emperor might have also lived a past life and chosen to change. But thinking on it, it didn’t fit—stupidity and cruelty aren’t things that simply vanish just because one is reborn. One might avoid certain events, but it’s impossible for a person’s entire character to flip.
Lu Siling found herself caught between doubting if she was truly reborn or if she had simply had a vivid dream that differed from reality—perhaps born of the intense hatred she felt that night. On the other hand, she wondered if the young Emperor’s drastic change was a deeper layer of disguise. As the Emperor grew older, she had simply become better at faking it.
Sensing Lu Siling’s probing and suspicion, Lin Jiayue didn’t feel much pressure. She was a transmigrator, a concept for which there wasn’t even a word in the ancient world. Even in the modern world, it was only through popular TV dramas that the concept of “transmigration” became common knowledge.
Transmigration was her greatest secret; she couldn’t tell Lu Siling, and even if she did, the woman wouldn’t understand—she’d likely think she was a lunatic.
Lin Jiayue had considered whether dying here might allow her to go back, but what if all that was left of her back home was a pile of ashes? Besides, in her past life, she was exhausted by various part-time jobs just to make ends meet, and she had to be free labor for her advisor every day. Aside from her phone, the internet, and air conditioning, there wasn’t much worth going back for. She was poor back then; even the best food she could eat couldn’t compare to the Imperial chefs.
However, because of the drugging incident, no matter how hard she worked, Lu Siling would always hold a grudge—even hatred—toward her. Therefore, she had to find a balance; she had to let Lu Siling know she wasn’t the original “young Emperor” herself to dissolve the hatred between them and get the woman to lower her guard. But she couldn’t say she was from another world; that was too far-fetched.
Whether it was a lonely ghost possessing the body or a deity descending to earth would depend on Lu Siling’s interpretation. She never disguised herself in front of Lu Siling; essentially, she wanted Lu Siling to discover the truth on her own, as that would be far more credible than her just saying it.
Faced with Lu Siling’s tests, Lin Jiayue wasn’t surprised. Many of her “flaws” were intentionally revealed. When Lu Siling probed, she didn’t try to perform; she just acted as herself. Her personality was worlds apart from the original owner’s, making it easy to spot the differences. To the world, she was the high-and-mighty Emperor; as long as she didn’t take the initiative to get close and maintained her majesty, she wouldn’t be discovered.
Lin Jiayue was actually a bit impatient for Lu Siling to realize: I’m not the original person!
Sadly, she couldn’t just say it. So, she took every chance to hover around Lu Siling. Lu Siling only worked one day of duty, but the holiday was ending soon, and the officials were heading back to work.
Her own “vacation” as Emperor was also ending. Waking up in the predawn hours for lessons and studying all day long—she’d already spent over twenty years in school, and now that she was Emperor, she still had to attend class. Life felt hopeless! The end of the holiday meant seeing Lu Siling, but it also meant studying.
Forget it, I’d rather not see Lu Siling.
Time passed in Lin Jiayue’s wandering thoughts. Skipping class wasn’t an option.
On the morning of the sixth day of the New Year—the first morning assembly of the fourth year of Yuanfeng—the Emperor naturally had to attend. Furthermore, Lu Siling had stated that from this year onward, the Emperor would participate in both the morning assembly and the daily Secretariat meetings. Lessons would be moved to after the meetings.
Lin Jiayue’s daily schedule became: Morning Assembly — Secretariat Meeting — Hanlin Lessons. Calligraphy practice at noon, and in the afternoon, learning how to review memorials with the Secretariat Elders. She had two days off a month: the 1st and the 15th. However, on those days, there were “Grand Assemblies” which lasted much longer—often until noon. By the time it was over, half the day was gone, meaning she only got half a day of rest.
Once the Emperor began her personal rule, the curriculum would decrease. The Secretariat lectures would go from daily to thrice monthly, and daily study time would be shortened. In the event of heavy snow or rain, the Emperor could call off the lessons.
In truth, during the late Emperor’s time, the Secretariat Elders took turns giving lessons, and the Q&A sessions were handled in class. It usually lasted an hour at most, or as soon as the Emperor’s questions were answered. Some Emperors, like Emperor Ying, simply cancelled the daily lessons altogether.
It wasn’t that Lin Jiayue was unwilling to learn, but she felt the schedule could be reduced. There was no need to plan her day so rigidly; was she an Emperor or a machine?
On the way to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, she asked Wei Jinming, “The disaster relief team has arrived, right?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Commander Zhuang has arrived. News has returned that as soon as she arrived, she ordered the soldiers to build many shelters for the refugees.” Wei Jinming was also impressed; after traveling all night for so long, they didn’t even rest before getting to work. She wasn’t afraid of the soldiers grumbling—Zhuang Rumeng truly managed her troops strictly.
With Star-Spy in place, Lin Jiayue knew more about the situation in Huai’an than Wei Jinming. Zhuang Rumeng had divided the soldiers into 25 teams: for porridge distribution, shelter building, searching for people, snow clearing, deep rescue, and maintaining order. Each role had three teams, allowing for a three-shift rotation. Zhuang Rumeng was strict, but not inhuman; she treated her soldiers well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to get twenty-five thousand men from five different camps to obey her every word in just a few days. She was truly a talent.
Originally, the Cui and Li families wanted to secure this post for Li Sheng, but “the Way is a foot high, while the Devil is ten feet”… wait, how could Lu Siling be a devil? It should be the difference between a demon soldier and a demon lord; Lu Siling was definitely the demon lord.
No one could hear Lin Jiayue’s inner thoughts, which was just as well for her.
Perhaps due to her martial arts training, although she woke up early, she didn’t feel drowsy; she was fully awake in no time. Last time she wanted to learn to “walk on walls,” she went back and asked Master Zheng if she knew how. Her teacher said yes and even demonstrated. Lin Jiayue had widened her eyes and demanded to learn, but Master Zheng said Qinggong required the support of internal energy.
Was this a wuxia world like Jin Yong or Gu Long’s? After Master Zheng’s explanation, she realized it wasn’t that exaggerated—there was no “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms” or “Lingbo Microsteps.” Internal energy was more like a “Qi” that allowed people to jump very high and, by constantly leveraging off surfaces, walk on walls. Thus, it was called Qinggong.
The Imperial Library housed many manuals. The original owner had practiced them, but had achieved nothing; it was unclear if it was a lack of talent. Lin Jiayue had flipped through one manual and realized the acupoints were wrong; putting pressure on some of them could lead to death or injury. The Lin Emperors were bold, making their descendants practice such martial arts—were they trying to kill off their own lineage?
Lin Jiayue didn’t practice it. When she had time, she’d look through the Imperial Library herself; maybe there was something she could actually use. Although Master Zheng said she might be past the age for training internal energy, who knows? She felt her strength was constantly growing. She ate without gaining weight and could easily lift a 150-pound spear as if it were a toy. Based on strength alone, she could hold her own for dozens of moves even against Master Zheng using internal energy. If she actually had internal energy, she felt she’d be invincible.
Lin Jiayue laughed out loud at the thought. Beside her, Wei Jinming suddenly spoke, “Your Majesty, it’s the Grand Chancellor.”
Lin Jiayue immediately looked over. “Where?”
She saw Lu Siling’s figure ahead. Standing tall in her crimson official robes, she was a sight one couldn’t bear to look away from.
“Stop.” Lin Jiayue called out. Before the palanquin was even steady, she jumped down. “You don’t need to follow.”
She ran a few steps, then shifted into a fast walk as she approached. “Teacher Lu, why are you waiting for me here?”
Lu Siling watched her stride over, spirited and full of expectation. Her gaze softened slightly. “Your Majesty.”
“Is there something important?” Otherwise, why wait here instead of having a cup of hot tea before the assembly? She watched Lu Siling’s serious expression, sensing something major was happening.
Lu Siling cupped her hands. “I only came to tell Your Majesty: no matter what happens in court today, Your Majesty must not speak up for me.”
What does that mean? Is someone going to impeach Lu Siling?
“Why?” Lin Jiayue was puzzled. She was the Emperor; even if she hadn’t taken full power, if she spoke up for Lu Siling, it would be much easier for the woman to weather the storm.
Lu Siling’s calm gaze fell on her face. “If Your Majesty wishes to rule personally sooner, then do not speak.”
With that, Lu Siling turned and left without further explanation. Lin Jiayue frowned. What happened? Was it because Lu Siling moved the Capital Camps and prevented the Cui and Li families from getting what they wanted, thus earning their hatred? Was the court going to target Lu Siling today?
“Zhang Huairou.”
Zhang Huairou hurried over. “Your Majesty.”
“Before the assembly begins, I want to know if anyone is targeting Teacher Lu today.”
“This servant obeys.”
Lin Jiayue watched Lu Siling’s retreating figure, thinking back on recent events. Which matter would the court use for impeachment? And why did Lu Siling say that if she didn’t speak, she could rule personally sooner?
But personal rule shouldn’t be built on the bones of others. If someone had to die, it would definitely not be Lu Siling.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!