A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 5

A sovereign’s suspicion spells a subject’s death; a subject’s suspicion ensures a rebellion.

Because the young Emperor harbored suspicions toward Lu Siling, she had attempted to seize control of her in a manner that could only be described as abuse.

Lu Siling was being forced into rebellion. She had originally intended to serve the country and its people. Heaven had once treated her kindly by granting her an encounter with a wise ruler, but it had treated her cruelly by forcing her to encounter Lin Jiayue.

She couldn’t help but wonder: had she used up all her luck simply by meeting the late Emperor?

Lin Jiayue looked at her palm, which began to bleed the moment the handkerchief was removed. Fortunately, she had braced against the hilt of the dagger, so the wound wasn’t excessively deep.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, your wound is not deep. Whether or not to use sutures is for Your Majesty to decide.”

He really doesn’t want to take an ounce of responsibility, Lin Jiayue thought.

Imperial surgeries usually involved mulberry bark thread, but Zhang Henyi’s medical chest also contained silver wire, and his suturing tools were quite complete. They couldn’t compare to modern equipment, of course, but they were sufficient. Her only concern was inadequate sterilization. After a moment of thought, Lin Jiayue shook her head. “No need.”

The wound wasn’t so deep that it required stitches.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As Zhang Henyi prepared to apply medicine, Lin Jiayue placed the bottle of powder she had used earlier in front of him.

Zhang Henyi froze. His hand silently moved away from his own ointment, reaching instead for that bottle of powder.

Before coming here, he had received instructions: seize this opportunity to let the young Emperor’s hand fester—ideally, turning her into a cripple. But the young Emperor seemed to understand medicine and knew that the powder was superior. And earlier, he had given the Grand Chancellor the ointment…

Actually, the ointment wasn’t bad, but using it before a wound had begun to close would work, just very slowly.

Zhang Henyi finished applying the medicine with trembling hands. Beside them, the blood on Wei Jinming’s face had been wiped clean; what remained wasn’t enough to scare anyone. The moment the medicine was applied, Wei Jinming stepped in, gently wrapping Lin Jiayue’s hand.

“Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Grand Chancellor—the Commander of the Imperial City Guard, Cui Bai, and the Commander of the Forbidden Army, Chen Huan, have arrived.”

“Send them in,” Empress Dowager Cui commanded directly.

A moment later, the two men entered and bowed. Cui Bai spoke first. “Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, as I was arriving, my subordinates informed me that the assassin entered the palace only a few months ago, having used Eunuch Wei’s connections.”

Wei Jinming’s eyes widened. Not again. Why was everyone picking on her? She was the Emperor’s person, which meant these people felt the Emperor herself was an easy target.

Lin Jiayue’s brow furrowed. What was wrong with these people? Even a passing dog would probably spit at her. Was an Emperor without power truly this pathetic?

Dirty water was being splashed on her at every turn. No wonder the original owner’s reputation was so foul; beyond her own antics, it was largely due to these people slandering her or fanning the flames.

“Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this servant has gifts sent by Eunuch Wang. The items were bestowed by the Empress Dowager, and there are records in the palace.”

This was where Wei Jinming was clever—she didn’t accept items of unknown origin. Logically, as the head eunuch of Daming Palace, Wei Jinming should have been the most powerful person besides the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. However, because the imperial power had fallen into other hands, Wei Jinming could only act with authority within Daming Palace.

In the Great Zhou, the Directorate of Ceremonies (the eunuch administration) held massive power, acting as the Emperor’s secretariat. If an Emperor was negligent, the eunuchs could directly decide whether an edict took effect or even reject requests from the Grand Secretariat. The existence of the Directorate, to some extent, prevented direct conflict between the Emperor and civil officials, turning the Emperor into a mediator.

The prerequisite, however, was that the Emperor actually held power.

Lu Siling’s body was already weak, and because of the assassination attempt, she was forced to remain in the palace. The pressure radiating from her grew colder and heavier. She wasn’t interested in Lin Jiayue’s life or death, but that assassin had clearly been aiming for her.

She didn’t believe Lin Jiayue had jumped in front of her purely to shield her from the blade. Was it to gain her trust? Surely she wasn’t trying to make amends.

Yet Lin Jiayue had handed over the antidote—she seemingly didn’t know the antidote was useless. Lu Siling knew better than Lin Jiayue what kind of “monsters and demons” the imperial physicians were; it was highly likely Lin Jiayue had been deceived.

But Lin Jiayue had administered the poison. Once an action is taken, it cannot be forgiven, even if she “reined in the horse at the edge of the cliff.” It was even possible Lin Jiayue knew the medicine was useless and her mid-way regret was just a performance for her benefit.

Lu Siling watched coldly from the sidelines. Lin Jiayue had always been weak, her face usually a clear mask of suppressed frustration, yet today she was expressionless. Had she grown accustomed to it, or had she grown up?

“Wei Jinming, Eunuch Wang is the Empress Dowager’s person. Even if he made a mistake, it is not your place to comment,” Lin Jiayue suddenly said, drawing Lu Siling’s gaze.

These words essentially implied the Empress Dowager would show favoritism. It also placed Lin Jiayue in a vulnerable position—for a grand Emperor to call a eunuch “Eunuch” (with a respectful suffix) showed just how much she was being bullied.

Empress Dowager Cui’s face stiffened. What a low-born brat, she thought, framing her as unjust. Everything that happened today, every word spoken, would find its way to the outside world.

The court was split into countless factions—the “Pure Stream” scholars, the nobility—and among them, there were certainly those who valued ritual and loyalty to the sovereign. If they knew the Emperor was this humble within her own palace, heaven knows how much spit would be directed at the Empress Dowager.

Lu Siling lowered her eyes. The Empress Dowager often used ritual and law to attempt to act as regent. If she wasn’t strong enough, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t just be sitting behind a curtain—she would be truly participating in government.

Lu Siling pondered. Perhaps she should use this opportunity to force the Empress Dowager to retire completely.

Just as Empress Dowager Cui was about to speak, Lu Siling looked up. “Your Majesty, I have a petition.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but in its cold clarity, no one dared ignore it.

“The Imperial City Guard shall handle this matter,” Empress Dowager Cui interjected loudly, attempting to intimidate.

The Imperial City Guard was Great Zhou’s surveillance agency, monitoring everything in the capital—commoners and scholars alike could be their ears and eyes. However, they were only responsible for investigating; they had no power to make arrests. Whether or not someone was seized required the Emperor’s word.

Currently, the Commander of the Imperial City Guard, Cui Bai, was the Empress Dowager’s kinsman. It was obvious what she was planning.

Lu Siling’s gaze didn’t even land on the Empress Dowager. she looked directly into Lin Jiayue’s eyes. “Your Majesty, I submit my petition.”

Facing the Empress Dowager’s dominance, Lu Siling didn’t yield an inch. Usually, Lu Siling’s intensity at court was solely for the sake of the reforms; she was generally respectful toward the Empress Dowager and Empress Xining, never acting like an overbearing official. This was the first time she had directly ignored the Empress Dowager to petition.

A flash of admiration appeared in Wei Jinming’s eyes. When will my master take power so I can be this impressive?

For a moment, all eyes were on Lin Jiayue. Based on the young Emperor’s past reactions, she would surely stutter and muddle through, trying not to offend anyone.

That was the problem. To hold power, it was impossible not to offend anyone. Everyone who divided the imperial power stood in opposition to her—unless the Empress Dowager surrendered power voluntarily, which currently seemed impossible.

Lu Siling’s petition was a blatant demand for the young Emperor’s stance.

Grant it, or deny it.

Just as everyone expected her to muddle through again—even Wei Jinming couldn’t help but feel disappointed. If this continued, the Emperor might not even hold power by twenty.

Lin Jiayue, however, was thinking further ahead. This was an opportunity to take a stand, to show Lu Siling that she was willing to support the reforms and her as Grand Chancellor. Between the Empress Dowager and Lu Siling, there was no question—she would definitely choose Lu Siling.

“Petition granted!” Lin Jiayue’s voice was like a stream in the early morning, unpolluted by dust—clear, with a hint of warm coolness. It sounded like the crisp ring of wind chimes in a breeze, clean and decisive.

Everyone’s spirits lifted in that instant. The Emperor had made her choice.

The corners of Lu Siling’s lips curled slightly. The young Emperor had suddenly found some backbone.

But once the reforms were stable, she would still have to die.