Transmigration: Of Mysteries and Songs

Marry the Tenth Princess? Or accept the crime of deceiving the monarch?

Majority of the officials felt that the Emperor had put Situ in a terrible dilemma.

While the First Prince and Gan Qingjia were spurning the Emperor’s despicable means in their heart, they were worried that Situ’s reaction would be too brazen. Due to their constant trust in Situ, they naturally felt that Situ could solve this issue impeccably. It was only a question of what kind of stratagem he was going to deploy.

What they were unable to deny was that Situ’s meritorious achievements had indeed reached a stage where it would cause the Emperor to feel threatened. He had already made a name for himself when he was young and he had an illustrious family background with ten thousand troops paying homage to him. With these achievements, one could easily conceive ill notions and start to concoct egotistical thoughts in their heart. However, this hadn’t happened in Situ’s case. He yearned for freedom and liked to gallop on the battlefield. He longed for a carefree and unfettered lifestyle, but he was also aware of his responsibility to defend his country.

However, the Emperor didn’t think in this manner. Seeing this scene unfold, the First Prince was puzzled for a moment. If he were to attain that supreme position, would he become like his Imperial Father and be mistrustful of Situ?

This appalling thought only lasted for a moment before it was interrupted by Chamberlain Feng who stood forth.

When Chamberlain Feng was done presenting his long speech neither obsequiously nor superciliously, the main hall sunk into a brief moment of silence.

No one expected for Chamberlain Feng to actively get himself involved in this predicament. Chamberlain Feng had been always loyal to the Emperor. He’d never formed factions nor committed a crime but he was ultimately drawn into the tumultuous struggle for the position of the Heir. What would the Emperor think of this?

The Emperor was no longer the same gentle person. He glared fixedly at Chamberlain Feng for a long while before he abruptly burst into laughter, causing everyone’s heart to tremble in fear.

“Since this is the case…someone, come!”

Like the rest in the main hall, Situ cast a worried look at Chamberlain Feng.

The cruel and blood-thirsty smile at the Emperor’s face hadn’t faded as he commanded, “Someone come, go to the Feng Residence and the Duke of Anping’s Residence to check if the so-called marriage certificate and betrothal gifts are there.”

Someone immediately came forth to accept the decree and left the Imperial Palace.

Then, the hall fell into heavy silence again.

Chamberlain Feng didn’t waver at all as he stood there deferentially.

Feng Luodi’s temperament was very similar to Chamberlain Feng’s to a certain extent. Situ thought.

“The result will naturally be announced later.” The Emperor’s expression returned to one of indifference afterwards. Meanwhile, the officials present were still somewhat dazed, unable to adapt to the rapid change in the Emperor’s mood.

“Let’s proceed and review the matter of the First Prince supervising the nation now.” The Emperor’s next words shocked everyone once again.

“I just heard that someone was dissatisfied with the First Prince’s deportment. As for supervising the nation, the princes can take turns. Since the First Prince did it incorrectly, we can let the Eleventh Prince take over.”

The First Prince was dumbfounded for a split second, but he instantly recovered and returned to his composed self after hearing Situ cough from behind. He behaved as if he was ready to accept the Emperor’s punishment then and there. The Emperor clearly stated a moment ago that he would hand over everything for him to handle. Yet, only a short moment had passed and he had already gone back on his words. When had his Imperial Father who always placed importance on his prestige become like this?

As expected, his Imperial Father still doted on the Eleventh Prince the most.

Sorrow welled up in the First Prince’s heart at this thought.

The expression of the officials who were in support of the Eleventh Prince instantly brightened at the mention of this. One by one, they started recommending the Eleventh Prince for the role of supervising the nation. They even uttered words like ‘bringing good luck to the Xuan Kingdom.”

On the other hand, the matter of the First Prince causing numerous issues to occur when supervising the nation was raised. Those issues were clearly natural disasters and man-made calamities that couldn’t have been foreseen. Yet, all the blame was pushed on the First Prince.

Situ noticed the strange expression in the recesses of the Emperor’s eyes and he nodded his head at the Minister of the Right, who’d looked over with his head lowered.

The Minister of the Right immediately stepped forward before Gan Qingjia could do so. This made Gan Qingjia slightly at a loss. Didn’t his Father-in-law say that, unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t let His Majesty find out that he is in the First Prince’s faction?

The Minister of the Right didn’t bother about the doubts in Gan Qingjia’s heart at this moment. He spoke loud and clear, “Your Majesty is wise and brilliant. It is the fortune of the officials and the commoners that Your Majesty is thinking on our behalf. Ever since spring, the Xuan Kingdom has been fraught with unceasing disasters and caused the commoners to worry. Lamentably, Your Majesty became ill in bed due to this, yet Your Majesty still attends the court assembly to enforce laws and discipline in the imperial court. I find this very admirable. Furthermore, everyone is aware that ever since the First Prince has supervised the nation, his governance for all the various regions is methodical. Even though the disasters didn’t cease, there were also not many insurrections that made Your Majesty worry. I think that the First Prince’s errors aren’t serious to the point that his power to supervise the nation should be revoked. I hope Your Majesty could think twice before making an adjudication.”

This was considered as declaring his standing in a disguised manner. Many officials who were secretly waiting to watch a good show thought: An astute person like the Minister of the Right also had his moments of muddledness. Stating his opinion clearly like this when His Majesty had a change in mind…he was simply reckless and courting death.

The Emperor pondered in silence for a moment before he unhurriedly said, “It looks like the Minister of the Right is on the First Prince’s side and you’re doubting my decision.”

His fluttering and unhurried tone kept everyone on tenterhooks.

The Minister of the Right remained calm and collected amidst the heavy atmosphere.

“Your Majesty has absolute authority in this matter. I am naturally on Your Majesty’s side. What does Your Majesty think?”

The Emperor chucked and then shifted his gaze towards the Minister of the Left.

“Minister of the Left, what are your thoughts?”

The Minister of the Left also imitated the Minister of the Right and showed that he was leaving all the decision-making to the Emperor.

Without waiting for the Emperor’s gaze to sweep over, the Imperial Censor immediately waved his sleeves and said with a peaceful and dignified smile, “It’s totally up to Your Majesty to make the decision.”

Seeing this scene unfold, Gan Qingjia suddenly realised that there were many things in court that he couldn’t comprehend thoroughly yet. The officials' equivocal attitude made it seem like they were standing on the Emperor’s side but then again not.

The energetic officials, who were ardently supporting the Eleventh Prince a moment ago, said no more after this. After all, no matter what they proposed, in the end, it was the Emperor who had the final say.

“This matter will be discussed again next time.”

The Emperor’s words made some people worried and some people delighted.

The First Prince suppressed the strange feeling that surged to his heart. His fingers hidden in his sleeves had already turned white from using too much strength.

The person who had gone to check the Feng Residence and Duke of Anping’s Residence had also returned, reporting that what Chamberlain Feng had stated was indeed the case. As such, the officials, who were waiting to watch a good show, were greatly disappointed.

The Emperor was seemingly exhausted, so he relented and let this matter go. Afterwards, he waved his hand for the court assembly to be dismissed.

Gan Qingjia quickly caught up with the Minister of the Right and asked with puzzlement, “Why did Father-in-law step out in court just now? Wouldn’t that expose yourself?”

The Minister of the Right’s indifferent yet gentle expression swept across Gan Qingjia. Although he was usually blunt and stern, his eyes carried a trace of helplessness at this moment. He explained, “His Majesty has been in his seat for more than thirty years. Do we still need to expose ourselves?”

At this instant, Gan Qingjia blanked out for a moment. He recovered after a while and probed, “You are saying that His Majesty, he…”

The Minister of the Right chuckled and said no more as he headed outside. Gan Qingjia hastened his pace and quickly followed behind him.

“It seems like the one who understands His Majesty the best is the Duke of Anping. You should accompany him more and learn from him.”

Gan Qingjia was immediately taken aback by his words. He then added, “I don’t quite get it, so I hope that Father-in-law may guide me some more.”

The Minister of the Right sighed nonchalantly and said, “If no one had stepped forward to speak for the First Prince, based on His Majesty’s distrustful nature, he would certainly think that the First Prince is an astute person who keeps his schemes well-hidden and he would also assume that the First Prince understands his thought well. In that case, His Majesty would start to feel threatened by him. Rather than saying that I’d stepped forward to speak for the First Prince, you could say that I was speaking for His Majesty instead. The Minister of the Left and the Imperial Censor had also discerned this fact.”

Gan Qingjia half-understood and carried on with his interpretation.

“In that case, wouldn’t it mean that the Eleventh Prince had suffered a setback? The officials who support him have all stepped forth and he has shown all the cards in his hand.”

“Smart.”

The Minister of the Right praised and left the Imperial Palace.

As the saying goes, ‘the older, the wiser’, every experience counts. Gan Qingjia inwardly murmured.

On the other side, Situ similarly appraised Chamberlain Feng in this way.

“Chamberlain Feng, please hold on.”

After exiting the main hall, Situ called out to Chamberlain Feng. The both of them then proceeded to a desolated corner.

“Chamberlain Feng, you really needn’t have done that earlier.”

It was rare for Situ to be using honorifics.

There was only a slight change in Chamberlain Feng’s expression as he unhurriedly said, “Your Grace needn’t worry. I’ve already made thorough preparations before this.”

With Chamberlain’s cautious nature, Situ naturally knew that he only said that because he had done his preparations. What he wanted to say was that he had decided on this matter without consulting Feng Luodi. He could already foresee her throwing a big tantrum after this.

Could it be that Feng Luodi’s attitude wasn’t clear to Chamberlain Feng and that was how Chamberlain Feng misunderstood?

For a moment there, Situ thought that he’d guessed correctly.

Chamberlain Feng continued, “I know that Your Grace has appropriate countermeasures in your heart but no matter how good a countermeasure is, it will still leave behind a pretext for gossip. Rather than allowing this matter to become something His Majesty can use against Your Grace in the future, it would be better if His Majesty uses it against me so that I can remain stably in my current position as an official. Does Your Grace understand what I’m saying?”

Situ nodded. A rare trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. Chamberlain Feng’s words had faintly disclosed that he was aware of his movements in the dark. This was something that not even the First Prince and the others were aware of. It wasn’t that he didn’t want them to know but because it was too dangerous. The lesser they know, the better it was for them.

Chamberlain Feng smiled. His expression loosened and his stern look was replaced with a faint look of concern.

“Unfortunately, my Father-in-law is also a commandery prince and he’s paying significant attention to the movements of the commandery princes in the various regions. Anyway, I hope that Your Grace won’t choose that path. The First Prince’s situation has improved a lot, so you should take it one step at a time. As such, those last resort measures wouldn’t be necessary.”

Situ was stunned, but he’d concealed his astonishment well this time, his gaze trailing after Chamberlain Feng as his figure disappeared into the distance.

After seeing the Minister of the Right off, Gan Qingjia saw Situ standing outside the Imperial Palace gates. Whirlwind was snorting at one side as if he was urging Situ.

“Situ, you really concealed it so well. You even kept it from us that you have already paid a visit to send the betrothal gifts. This is not sincere…”

Gan Qingjia only knew about the affection between Situ and Feng Luodi but he wasn’t aware of the agreement between them. Thus, he naturally didn’t know that the Northern Army General-in-Chief, Situ Muye, who was successful in every endeavour, was on tenterhooks at this moment.

Situ immediately cut Gan Qingjia off and coldly said, “The Eldritch Physician has already come up with a cure. He should be at your residence now.”

“For real?!” Delight instantly appeared on Gan Qingjia’s face. He immediately mounted his horse and galloped away.

The epidemic in Chang’an continued to spread, leaving Feng Luodi extremely broken-hearted about the weak Jiang Moyin who didn’t have much time left. She paid him a visit multiple times and exhorted him not to go out and move about. She hoped that history would not repeat itself like how Qi Jianqiu had contracted the illness after she went to the charitable hall.

When she returned home from the Jiang Residence, she spotted many horse carriages outside the Feng Residence’s entrance and saw people wearing the Duke of Anping Residence’s family guard uniforms going in and out while moving chests tied with red silk. Her gaze then landed on Fu Bo who was beaming as he guided the guards inside.

“Fu Bo, what’s this all about?” Feng Luodi was puzzled.

Without waiting for Fu Bo to explain, Chamberlain Feng directly called Feng Luodi over to the study and he recounted everything that had happened earlier in an extremely flat tone.