The Number One Treacherous Minister [Rebirth] - Chapter 3

In her previous life, the old emperor had wanted to achieve immortality, so he specifically ordered the construction of a tower where he could pray for Heaven to extend his life. It was called Fengtian Pavilion. Although the idea was completely unreliable, the old emperor did not want to die, so he was willing to try any method, no matter how absurd it might be. Many ministers who opposed the project were demoted or executed because of it. Naturally, responsibility for constructing Fengtian Pavilion fell upon the Ministry of Works, which oversaw such matters among the Six Ministries.

It was a thankless task. Although carrying it out would please the old emperor, he only had a few years left to live, so currying favor with the next emperor would be far more worthwhile. The Minister of Works therefore pushed the responsibility onto Yuan Ye, the Left Vice Minister of Works. The Right Vice Minister, who belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction, secretly laughed at his predicament, while the minister himself watched safely from the sidelines.

Yuan Ye had no choice but to steel himself and accept the imperial edict. Prince Qi later devised a plan. When Fengtian Pavilion was nearly complete, he took advantage of an opportunity during the Crown Prince’s inspection to secretly place inside the building talismans intended to curse the old emperor, along with straw effigies pierced with needles, and then framed the Crown Prince. The old emperor flew into a rage and immediately handed the case over to the Imperial Clan Court and the Court of Judicial Review for a joint investigation.

If the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, and War were all firmly controlled by the Crown Prince, while the Ministries of Justice, Works, and Rites remained neutral, then the Court of Judicial Review unquestionably stood on Prince Qi’s side. The daughter of its chief justice had long since secretly pledged herself to Prince Qi. For the sake of his future prospects and his family’s reputation, the chief justice had thrown his support behind Prince Qi. Now that an opportunity to bring down the Crown Prince had presented itself, the chief justice was naturally delighted to see it happen and secretly gave matters a push.

The head of the Imperial Clan Court was the emperor’s younger brother, a man who rarely had opinions of his own. When the Court of Judicial Review placed the evidence before him, he believed it without question. Just like that, the Crown Prince was deposed and later expelled from the capital.

Yuan Jing sneered. The chief justice had assumed he would become Prince Qi’s father-in-law, never imagining that Prince Qi would burn the bridge after crossing it. Even at the moment of his death, the man still had no idea why he was being killed!

“How did you learn that His Majesty intends to build Fengtian Pavilion? His Majesty hasn’t even proposed the matter yet!” The old emperor had merely conceived the idea after hearing several rumors about achieving immortality. He had mentioned it only to the eunuchs at his side and had not disclosed it publicly.

However, no wall in the world was completely impenetrable. After receiving certain benefits, some eunuchs had spoken of it to others, and before long, several court officials learned about the matter. Yet knowing about the plan was one thing. The pavilion had not even been named yet, so how had Yuan Jing learned its name?

“Father, I merely heard a few rumors!” Yuan Jing explained with a smile.

Yuan Ye’s gaze flickered. “It remains uncertain whether the project will proceed. Even if it does, it will be a thankless task. No matter what happens, responsibility will fall upon the Ministry of Works. Given that old fox’s way of thinking, though, I fear he will make me handle it. When that happens…”

Yuan Jing knew who the “old fox” was, and she also understood the reason for Yuan Ye’s hesitation. She knew perfectly well that the emperor would raise taxes to fund the project, provoking widespread public outrage and resentment. The commoners could not curse the emperor, but surely they could curse the official responsible for the construction! Consequently, the project would add yet another reason for the commoners to despise Yuan Ye throughout his official career.

“Father, since you know you won’t be able to avoid it, why not take the initiative?” Yuan Jing asked.

“Take the initiative?” Yuan Ye sat in the chair behind his desk and pondered for a moment. “How do you propose doing that?”

“Proactively suggest constructing Fengtian Pavilion.”

Yuan Ye froze, seemingly unable to believe that those words had come from Yuan Jing’s mouth. “Jing’er, if you want His Majesty to punish your father, you may as well say so directly!”

Yuan Jing could not help feeling discouraged. She was now devoting herself wholeheartedly to preventing the Yuan family from repeating the same disastrous mistakes, so being suspected by her own father truly hurt. Yet she also understood that she had opposed him for so many years. Regaining his trust was not something she could accomplish overnight. But if she had not died once before, she would never have understood the greatness of a father’s love.

“Father, I have no reason to put the Yuan family in danger,” Yuan Jing said. “After Zhang Jinhou shot me and I was unable to obtain justice, I understood that kind people are bullied just as gentle horses are ridden. The weak possess neither the power nor the ability to turn the situation around. Only the strong can devise strategies and control everything from behind the scenes. And if you want to become strong, you must harden your heart!”

Yuan Ye greatly agreed with her words, but he did not say so. Instead, he continued challenging her. “Didn’t you say that people who commit evil deeds will suffer retribution?”

“Father, I believe in cause and effect and karmic retribution. But sometimes, retribution does not fall upon the person directing everything. It falls only upon the pawns. I refuse to be a pawn. I want to become the person who holds the pawns in her hand!” Yuan Jing nearly sank into memories of her previous life again. She forced herself to remain alert. “Father, since you chose to make me live as a man, you should no longer permit me the softheartedness of a woman.”

His Jing’er seemed to have grown up overnight!

Only after a long silence did Yuan Ye ask, “Why should we proactively propose the construction of Fengtian Pavilion?”

“Naturally, it is so we can seize the initiative. Only by making the first move can we avoid being forced into such a passive position.”

Yuan Ye fell into deep thought.

This matter could only be planned carefully over the long term. A single moment of carelessness would give others grounds to attack them. Because of this, Yuan Jing and Yuan Ye spent several nights in succession discussing the plan. Each time, she did not leave until the sky was beginning to brighten. Upon returning to her room, she would collapse onto her bed, pull the covers over her head, and sleep.

At present, Yuan Jing held only the rank of licentiate, so she did not have to rush around handling official affairs. It would still be another two years before she placed first in the imperial examination.

When she thought about that first-place distinction, she could not feel the slightest happiness. She had only claimed the top position because the examiners, eager to curry favor with Yuan Ye, had gone against their consciences and awarded it to her. But now, she realized that not only did she need to become the top scholar, she also needed to use it as a stepping stone to climb higher and higher, until she reached a height no one else could attain. To accomplish that, she was willing to use any means necessary. Even if she ultimately suffered the same fate as Zhao Gao, she would still harden her heart and proceed.

“Second Young Master, the master has summoned you! Second Young Master, stop sleeping…” Hua Rui’s voice sounded beside her ear, scattering Yuan Jing’s dreams and forcing her to crawl out of bed. She glanced at the scenery beyond the window and discovered that the sun was already setting behind the western hills.

“Second Young Master, the master asked you to go and see him…”

Yuan Jing straightened the robe she had not removed before falling asleep, pulled on her boots, and headed to Yuan Ye’s study. Yuan Ye appeared to have been waiting for a long time. The fingers tapping against the desk betrayed his impatience. When he saw Yuan Jing, she closed the door behind herself, and only then did he speak. “That idea of yours has stirred up enormous waves throughout the imperial court!”

“Oh?” Yuan Jing studied Yuan Ye’s expression while silently contemplating the situation.

“On the grounds that the prefectures throughout the northwest have suffered perennial drought because Heaven is punishing the commoners for their lack of reverence, a memorial was submitted requesting that His Majesty take pity upon the people’s suffering and construct Fengtian Pavilion to enshrine the various gods and immortals of Heaven. In truth, the pavilion would be used to pray for His Majesty’s immortality, with a separate area built for His Majesty to seek the path to eternal life…” Yuan Ye explained everything in detail. “The moment that memorial was submitted, every minister in court rose to attack its author.”

The “author” in question was a trusted subordinate whom Yuan Ye had cultivated during his many years at court, a seventh-rank registrar in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Although he was merely a minor official of the subordinate seventh rank, he could play a pivotal role in matters concerning astronomy and the calendar.

Yuan Jing studied Yuan Ye’s expression. Although his words sounded reproachful, he did not appear angry. After a long while, she smiled. “But His Majesty was tempted, wasn’t he?!”

“There is still a difficult battle ahead of us!” Yuan Ye stroked the small tuft of beard on his chin and spoke solemnly.

Sure enough, by that evening, the emperor’s desk was piled high with memorials impeaching the registrar of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. They accused him of spouting nonsense, arguing that the northwestern prefectures had always received little rain, so how could their drought possibly be caused by Heaven’s wrath? Others pointed out that a lowly registrar from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau would never have dared to disregard the law and suggest constructing something like Fengtian Pavilion unless someone powerful was supporting him from behind the scenes. Some directly accused Yuan Ye and Prince Qi, who stood behind Yuan Ye.

Prince Qi’s trusted supporters hurriedly stepped forward to defend him, and for a time, the conflict between the court factions seemed to throw the entire imperial court into turmoil.

Regardless of the chaos at court, Yuan Jing’s days remained relatively peaceful. She sat at her desk reading and practicing calligraphy in preparation for the upcoming provincial examination when she suddenly heard the noisy din of gongs and drums outside. Her courtyard stood close to the rear compound, beyond which lay a narrow street. The street was usually extremely quiet, so something must have happened for it to be this lively.

She summoned Hua Rui and instructed her, “Go and see why it’s so noisy outside.”

Hua Rui did not even need to leave before answering, “They’re calling back someone’s soul.”

“Calling back a soul? Whose soul?”

“I heard that the young lady of the Luo residence fell into the water. Although her life was saved, six of her seven spirits are missing. They need to perform a soul-calling ritual to summon those six spirits back.”

Yuan Jing thought carefully but could not remember which Luo residence this might be. However, she did recall that the residence of the elderly former Hanlin academician Luo stood two streets away from the Yuan residence. Still, none of this had anything to do with what she needed to accomplish, so there was no need for her to concern herself with it.

Suddenly, she slapped her thigh in deep regret. How could she think that way? Every step she took now required another pawn. Although the elderly Hanlin academician had retired from office and was living idly at home, he still possessed considerable prestige and had many former students serving at court. How could she have forgotten him?

With that thought, she set down her brush, changed into a plain outfit, and slipped out through the rear gate.

By the time she caught up with the procession, the young lady of the Luo residence who had fallen into the water had already been carried back inside, while a sizable crowd had gathered outside to watch the commotion. As Yuan Jing wondered what excuse she could use to enter, she suddenly felt a burning gaze fixed upon her. She had become much more sensitive to such looks and immediately turned her head. A sedan chair was parked not far away, with one corner of its curtain lifted. Judging by the slender, fair hand visible inside, its occupant was a woman.

“Second Young Master! Second Young Master!” Hua Rui called Yuan Jing several times before she returned to her senses. Yuan Jing looked at Hua Rui, who had followed her without her noticing. “Why did you come after me?”

“If I hadn’t followed you and the master asked where Second Young Master had gone, how was I supposed to answer?”

“So it turns out my father sent you to keep watch over me?”

Hua Rui hurriedly covered her mouth and shook her head. “No, no! I—I’m merely fulfilling my duty. Yes, fulfilling my duty!”

Knowing Hua Rui’s true identity, Yuan Jing could clearly see that her explanation was riddled with flaws, but she could not be bothered to expose her. When she looked toward the sedan chair again, however, she discovered that its bearers had already carried it far away.

“Do you know whose sedan chair that was?” Yuan Jing asked Hua Rui.

Hua Rui gazed into the distance for a moment. “I don’t know. Why does Second Young Master ask?”

Yuan Jing shook her head, then glanced once more at the noisy Luo residence. She decided it would be better to bring gifts and pay a formal visit another day. She had remained inside the estate recuperating for so long that she had nearly forgotten how fresh the air outside could be. Since she had already come out, she might as well take the opportunity to look around!