Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Did the Iron Tree Bloom?
“A money-making business?” Emperor Jianping’s eyes lit up. He snatched the memorial from Gu Yan Qing’s hand like a starving man grabbing a steamed bun.
But the moment he read it, the light in his eyes curdled into fury.
“They… how dare they!” Emperor Jianping’s voice shook with suppressed rage. “That’s the lives of an entire prefecture’s commoners!”
“The commoners of Xi Liang Prefecture are the commoners of the Qing Yun Kingdom,” Gu Yan Qing said, his tone cold enough to frost porcelain. “They are Your Majesty’s commoners. But to those nobles… they are not ‘their’ commoners. In their eyes, a commoner’s life is an ant’s life.”
Emperor Jianping sucked in a breath, eyes fixed on Gu Yan Qing. “So… Chancellor Gu. This ‘business’ of yours is…?”
“Your Majesty’s treasury is empty,” Gu Yan Qing said. “And I happen to know where there’s silver. Piles of it. And it’s official silver.”
He understood those noble families too well. Even with evidence in hand, shaking their foundations would be hard. They protected each other, tangled together in a web of favors and bloodlines. Pull one thread, and the whole thing moved. If anything went wrong, someone would be shoved out to die in public while the real culprits stayed warm behind their screens.
So instead—
“That silver was always meant to be in Your Majesty’s treasury,” Gu Yan Qing continued smoothly. “Taking it back is only right. Returning it to its rightful owner—what else would you call it?”
Emperor Jianping stared at him for half a beat—then grinned. “Still you.” He tossed the memorial back with an easy flick of his wrist. “If this succeeds, I’ll mark a great merit for you. When the time comes, ask for whatever you want.”
The promise came out like second nature—big and shiny and completely lacking in weight. Gu Yan Qing very nearly rolled his eyes.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “I actually do have one matter that needs your help.”
“Oh?” Emperor Jianping leaned in, curiosity brightening his face. “What is it?”
“I want Your Majesty to assign a female shadow guard,” Gu Yan Qing said flatly. “She’s to protect someone at close range.”
“A female shadow guard?” Emperor Jianping yelped, instantly bursting into gossip. “Protect who? Whose miss? Gu Yan Qing—don’t tell me you’re—your iron tree finally bloomed? You went and flirted with a little miss behind my back—”
Gu Yan Qing: …
“Your Majesty,” he said, voice sharpening, “stop shouting. What kind of behavior is that? Yes, she’s to protect a miss, but not in the way you’re imagining. Don’t guess wildly. Watch your words.”
Being stuck with an emperor like this was exhausting.
Unfortunately, this was the emperor he’d chosen.
Emperor Jianping waved a hand, still grinning. “Fine, fine. I’ll arrange it. But honestly—you’re not young anymore. You should start a family.” He sighed with theatrical sorrow. “When we met, neither of us was married. Look at me now—three thousand beauties in the Inner Palace, and I’ve got eight children. And you? You’re alone. You don’t even have a bed-warming maid.”
He paused, then narrowed his eyes like he’d just solved a great mystery.
Could it be…?
Was Gu Yan Qing… fond of men?
Should he prepare two bed-warming boy attendants instead?
The look on Emperor Jianping’s face grew stranger by the second.
Gu Yan Qing stood. “Your Majesty. The hour is nearly here. It’s time to go to court.”
Emperor Jianping clicked his tongue, disappointed his gossip feast had been cut short. But he rose all the same, tugging his robe straight.
Today’s grand court session… should be lively.
The Cloudcoming Inn.
Jiang Chao Sheng returned to the inn looking like someone had kicked his puppy.
Jiang Jiang took one look and understood. He hadn’t seen his idol.
It wasn’t surprising. A chancellor wasn’t some street vendor you could spot if you circled the block enough times.
Everyone in the capital knew Gu Yan Qing’s name, but how many had actually seen his face? This era had no newspapers, no television, no cameras. Even low-ranked officials didn’t know what he looked like.
As for Jiang Jiang, she’d only read descriptions in the novel. She knew he was a rare kind of handsome. The specifics? Pure imagination.
“Brother, don’t be upset,” she said, yawning. “The results come out tomorrow. If you make the list, you can enter the palace for the Qiong Lin Banquet. Then forget Chancellor Gu—maybe you’ll even see the emperor.”
Speaking of the little emperor in this story, Jiang Jiang didn’t know much. In the original ending, he chose to trust Liu Cheng An and Chu Yun Yue, and he and Gu Yan Qing ended up turning against each other as ruler and minister.
Jiang Jiang never quite understood it. In the beginning, the little emperor and Gu Yan Qing had been close, working toward the same goal. Even Liu Cheng An, despite his noble birth, had hated seeing nobles trample commoners.
The three of them should have stood together.
But this was a romance novel. Love came first, and everything else got shoved off a cliff.
Liu Cheng An stopped going to war because he only wanted to flirt with Chu Yun Yue.
Gu Yan Qing stopped caring about commoners because he only wanted Chu Yun Yue dead and his own sister on top.
And the little emperor? He turned on Gu Yan Qing because Gu Yan Qing kept striking at Chu Yun Yue.
So the sages were right.
The wise do not fall in love.
Screw that love-addled brain.
Jiang Jiang was oddly relieved. At least she was a bystander. She didn’t have to be dragged into that mind-melting romance game.
“I’m hungry,” she announced, rubbing her stomach. “Brother, let’s eat.”
Jiang Chao Sheng nodded, still half lost in his disappointment.
After breakfast in the inn’s main hall, Jiang Jiang noticed the capital was unusually lively.
“Today is Shang Si Festival,” Jiang Chao Sheng said. “Later, I’ll take you out to walk around.”
“Shang Si Festival?” Jiang Jiang blinked. The third day of the third lunar month—right, that festival.
This was a novel world. Even the language and writing matched her old life. Of course the festivals could match too.
So tonight, the capital was destined to be crowded and bright.
And that meant… this was exactly why Chen Jin Ting chose tonight to kill.
Jiang Jiang’s thoughts were still spinning when her brother poked her. “Don’t pretend. You dragged me to the capital because you wanted Shang Si Festival, didn’t you? Relax. I’ll take you out tonight.”
He wore the smug face of a man who thought he’d cracked the case.
“Oh, right,” Jiang Jiang said, forcing a smile. “You’re so smart, Brother.”
Inside, she was thinking something else entirely.
How was she supposed to separate from him tonight?
Drug him with knockout powder?
Sure, and then watch him wake up suspicious and never let her out of his sight again.
Shang Si Festival. A romantic night, lights everywhere, people everywhere…
Maybe she should give her brother some “entertainment.”
Jiang Jiang’s eyes turned, and she immediately thought of someone.