The Number One Treacherous Minister [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

“Second Young Master.” Pingyao frowned as pain spread through her chin.

Yuan Jing opened her eyes. Seeing Pingyao’s delicate, pitiful appearance, she released her—not because she felt sorry for her, but because she did not want to end the game so soon.

“Just call me Yuan Jing.”

“This servant would not dare address Second Young Master directly by name.”

“Enough with calling yourself ‘this servant.’ Even my maid refers to herself as ‘I.’ How about I call you Sister Yao?” Yuan Jing asked.

Hua Rui secretly glared at Yuan Jing, then pretended she had heard nothing. She simply could not understand how Yuan Jing could be so shameless as to flirt with a courtesan in front of so many people! If Yuan Jing were a man, Hua Rui could have silently cursed her for being shameless. But Yuan Jing was a woman. Could she still call Yuan Jing shameless for doing something like this?!

The proprietress said with a broad smile, “Pingyao, you are older than Second Young Master. By addressing you this way, Second Young Master is expressing a desire to befriend you!”

Pingyao smiled faintly but did not answer. Instead, she invited Yuan Jing into her room. The room was divided into three sections. The outer section contained a performance platform and a table. The middle section was a tearoom with a heated brick bed, while the innermost section was where Pingyao slept. In her previous life, Yuan Jing had spent several nights inside that room. Of course, nothing had ever happened between her and Pingyao.

“What would Second Young Master like to hear?” Pingyao sat on a stool atop the performance platform and picked up the pipa resting nearby, ready to begin.

“Don’t you have a maid here to pour tea and attend to you?” Yuan Jing asked as she looked at the completely empty teapot.

“This is not Wenxiang House. No one here waits on us.” Pingyao spoke with neither servility nor arrogance, but her words were somewhat disrespectful toward Yuan Jing.

Yuan Jing laughed, just as she had when she heard Pingyao say this in her previous life. Back then, she had laughed because she admired Pingyao’s forthrightness and felt sorry that Pingyao had to handle everything herself. Now, her laughter was entirely mocking.

“Then why don’t you come home with me? I’ll have people wait on you. What do you think?” Yuan Jing stopped laughing and spoke with apparent sincerity. Only she knew how cold she felt inside.

Pingyao pursed her lips, then smiled softly and asked, “What would Second Young Master like to hear?”

“‘Ambush from Ten Sides.’” Yuan Jing picked up the teapot and held it out to Hua Rui, who stood by the door. Seeing this, Hua Rui inwardly rolled her eyes again. Yuan Jing truly expected her to pour the tea!

Hua Rui had barely left with the teapot when a familiar melody began flowing from the pipa beneath Pingyao’s fingers. Yuan Jing had heard this piece no fewer than a hundred times. In her previous life, she had listened to it almost every day. How ironic that she had been surrounded by ambushes on all sides yet remained completely unaware. “The thick strings clattered like sudden rain, the fine strings murmured like whispered words. Clattering and murmuring, mingling as she played—large pearls and small pearls falling upon a jade plate.”

Hua Rui returned just in time to hear Yuan Jing murmuring these lines. “Second Young Master is so talented!”

Yuan Jing glanced at her. “Those lines are from Bai Juyi’s ‘Song of the Pipa.’ I merely quoted them offhand.” The implication was that Hua Rui should read more books when she had the time.

Hua Rui snorted inwardly again but said nothing. After pouring Yuan Jing a cup of tea, she withdrew to one side.

When the piece ended, Pingyao was breathing slightly from exhaustion. She took out a handkerchief and wiped away her perspiration. Yuan Jing removed a silver ingot from her robes and gently set it on the table. “Your pipa playing is truly excellent. Unfortunately, I still have matters to attend to and cannot stay to hear you play any longer. I can only return another day when I have time and ask to listen again. Farewell!” With that, she straightened the hem of her robe, turned, and left.

Pingyao watched her departure with astonishment, confusion, and displeasure—but above all, her mind was filled with schemes and calculations.

“Second Young Master, you really did come merely to listen to music!” Hua Rui exclaimed.

“What else would I have come for? If I didn’t want to listen to music, I could have simply gone to Wenxiang House.” Yuan Jing blinked. She had come here only to hook the fish’s curiosity while giving it a little hope. Now, she merely needed to cast a long line to catch a big fish.

When Yuan Jing returned to the Yuan residence, she unexpectedly encountered Yuan Li. The reek of alcohol and rouge clinging to him made it obvious where he had been. The gatekeepers watched the two of them nervously, terrified that they might lose their tempers and begin quarreling or fighting. Yet the situation did not become as serious as they expected, even though Yuan Li still shouted arrogantly, “Move aside! I’m going in first!”

The entrance was so wide that not only two people, but six or seven could have entered side by side without difficulty. Yuan Li was clearly trying to provoke her. Yet instead of fighting with him as she had in the past, Yuan Jing stepped aside. “After you, Elder Brother!”

Yuan Li thought nothing of it and strutted inside with his head held high. Unfortunately, the consequence of holding his head too high was that he tripped over the threshold. Without even looking at him, Yuan Jing stepped directly on him as she walked past, then swept away with the slightly stunned Hua Rui following behind her. The gatekeepers stared dumbfounded. They had thought Second Young Master had truly changed her temperament. They never imagined she had actually become even worse.

“Yuan Jing!” Yuan Li’s furious roar came from the entrance.

Hua Rui glanced behind them, afraid Yuan Li’s manservants might charge forward and attack Yuan Jing. She prepared herself to protect her, but seeing Yuan Jing’s perfectly unruffled expression, she could not help saying, “Second Young Master, after what you just did, Eldest Young Master must be furious!”

“Hmm? What did I just do?” Yuan Jing stubbornly refused to admit that she had stepped on Yuan Li.

“Second Young Master…” How could anyone be so shameless?

“Ha.” I intend to be shameless.

After returning to her room, Yuan Jing washed and changed, removing the dust and perfume clinging to her. Soon afterward, one of the servants who attended Yuan Ye came looking for her.

“What sort of mood is Father in?” Yuan Jing asked.

“Very good,” the servant replied after carefully considering his words. “However, Eldest Young Master was in the master’s study a moment ago.”

Yuan Jing immediately understood. After dismissing the servant, she waited a short while before heading to Yuan Ye’s study.

“Father.”

Yuan Ye glanced at her and seemingly offhandedly recounted how she had stepped on Yuan Li on her way into the residence. He then reprimanded her. “He is your elder brother, after all. No matter how arrogant he may be or how irreconcilable the two of you are, you cannot do something so excessive. When brothers unite, their strength can cut through metal. Do you understand that principle?”

“This child knows she was wrong.” Yuan Jing hurriedly admitted her mistake. Seeing that her attitude was sincere, Yuan Ye stopped rebuking her and turned to more serious matters.

Because Yuan Ye had secretly instructed the registrar of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to propose the construction of Fengtian Pavilion, a fierce debate had erupted in the imperial court, placing Prince Qi in a somewhat passive position. Prince Qi had privately sent someone to berate Yuan Ye and demand that he clean up the mess. Yuan Ye had offered an explanation, but Prince Qi still appeared hesitant.

“Father, now that Prince Qi is already displeased with you, do you still intend to follow him?” Yuan Jing asked quietly. She had initially encouraged Yuan Ye to proceed without informing Prince Qi for two reasons. First, she wanted Prince Qi to abandon Yuan Ye as an ally of his own accord. At the same time, the incident would allow Yuan Ye to see Prince Qi’s true character and determine whether the man truly deserved his loyalty.

Yuan Ye sighed. He had chosen to follow Prince Qi for the Yuan family’s sake. If he had not sided with Prince Qi, he would never have attained his current position and might still be merely a minor fifth- or sixth-rank official. Yet he also had his own ambitions. He did not want Prince Qi to keep using him as a weapon. He wished to climb higher, which was why he had kept Prince Qi in the dark and secretly arranged this matter.

Prince Qi had summoned him to demand an explanation, which Yuan Ye had provided. However, Prince Qi seemingly had little confidence that the plan would succeed. After all, the overwhelming majority of court officials opposed it, and he had no reason to offend so many people merely for Yuan Ye’s sake.

“How are matters progressing?” Yuan Jing asked again.

Yuan Ye finally broke his silence. “I submitted a memorial today, which can be considered an open declaration of my position. As expected, however, within a single day, the memorials impeaching me outnumbered those impeaching the registrar of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.”

“After all, Father’s position as Left Vice Minister is far more tempting than that of a mere registrar in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.” After speaking, Yuan Jing noticed the faint smile appearing on Yuan Ye’s face. “It seems this is good news.”

“Haha! Naturally, it is good news! The Ministry of Works oversees the regulations governing civil construction and the provisions for imperial mausoleums. No one is more suitable to propose the construction of Fengtian Pavilion. Once I raised the proposal and officials friendly with me submitted supporting memorials, there was no need to obtain the approval of most of the court. His Majesty would have the justification he needed to proceed.” Yuan Ye laughed softly. “I heard His Majesty ordered the memorials impeaching me to be burned. They burned for the entire morning, and more continued arriving that afternoon!”

Exchanging the goodwill of most court officials for the emperor’s trust appeared to be a loss, but it was actually an extraordinarily profitable bargain. No wonder Yuan Ye looked so delighted.

Suddenly, Yuan Ye said, “However, I must thank two people.”

“Who?”

“His Majesty’s seventh younger sister, Princess Chengya, and her husband, Prince Consort Nan Xiong. The eunuch who serves as His Majesty’s scribe told me that Princess Chengya and Prince Consort Nan entered the palace together and urged His Majesty to construct Fengtian Pavilion for the sake of all the people in the realm.”

Yuan Jing was slightly startled. No matter how carefully she searched her memories, she could not recall Princess Chengya and her husband having any dealings with the Yuan family in her previous life. She asked, “Father, are you acquainted with Princess Chengya and Prince Consort Nan?”

“Prince Consort Nan holds no official position at court. Although Princess Chengya is His Majesty’s full younger sister, she has never interfered in government affairs. We have met at state banquets, but we are not familiar with each other.”

Neither Yuan Ye nor Yuan Jing could understand why they had offered their help, although it was certainly beneficial to Yuan Ye. But Yuan Jing had already died once. She was no longer willing to believe that anyone would offer assistance without an ulterior motive. Since she could not understand their intentions for the time being, she could only make a mental note of it.

As the disputes at court reached a fever pitch, the subject of the arguments shifted from the construction of Fengtian Pavilion to the factional struggles among the various princes. Both sides attacked each other until the emperor became so furious that he refused to attend court for two days.

The sons of official families also followed the example of their fathers and chose sides. As a result, whenever they encountered members of the opposing faction, they immediately clashed.

Standing outside Wenxiang House, Yuan Jing saw the sons of officials belonging to the Crown Prince’s faction and those belonging to Prince Qi’s faction nearly come to blows over who would enter first.

Hua Rui, who had changed her appearance and clothing, looked at Yuan Jing with contempt. “Second Young Master, when you said you were going out to handle some business, this is where you meant?”

“That’s right. I’m handling important business! That’s why I told you I didn’t need you to look after me. There are plenty of people here to serve me.” Yuan Jing looked at her in amusement.

Thinking back to before they left the residence, Hua Rui had followed Yuan Jing’s every step. Yuan Jing tried several times but could not shake her off, so she finally said, “I’m going out. I don’t want to bring a maid with me!”

“But the master ordered me to take care of Second Young Master.” Hua Rui behaved timidly, but the mere fact that she dared to say this proved that she was not truly weak.

“I’m going out to handle some business. I don’t need you to take care of me, and you won’t be able to help!”

“Second Young Master will become thirsty while handling business, won’t you? You’ll become hungry, won’t you? You’ll get tired, overheated, and…”

Yuan Jing hurriedly interrupted her exhaustive list. “If I become thirsty, hungry, tired, or hot, I’ll find somewhere I can eat, drink, enjoy the breeze, and rest properly. I don’t need you!”

“That’s precisely why I need to pour your tea, serve your food, place dishes in your bowl, fan you, wipe away your sweat, massage your shoulders, and pound your back!”

“I’ve never seen you serve me so attentively at home. Why would I need it outside?”

“There are so many people at home!” Hua Rui even blushed at precisely the right moment.

“There are even more people outside!”

“But the people outside don’t know me…”

At this point, the hatred filling Yuan Jing’s heart and all her grand plans for revenge had temporarily been cast into some forgotten corner. For the first time since her rebirth, she felt so stifled and powerless. She possessed some martial arts ability herself, so perhaps she could simply beat Hua Rui up? Unfortunately, it seemed she could not defeat her…

After thinking it over, Yuan Jing decided that Hua Rui might indeed prove useful if they encountered danger. She therefore gave Hua Rui one of her own outfits to change into. Hua Rui also seemed relieved. After changing clothes, she followed closely behind Yuan Jing.

Just then, a mocking voice came from an upstairs window. “Oh, isn’t that Yuan Jing? Yuan Jing, you went to Goulan Pavilion last time, and now you’ve finally lost control and come to Wenxiang House!”

Yuan Jing did not need to look up to know whose voice it was. He was precisely the person she had come here to find!