Chapter 32

Si Yunqin had visited the Heavenly Peace Temple several times since childhood, so she was no stranger to it. She dragged Xi Fengyu around for the entire afternoon, and after dinner, they rested for a while. Lady Yun had been staying at the temple from the start, and now that Shen Yanxin had arrived, it was even harder to leave directly.

Thus, Si Xiaoyu and Yun Yi also took up residence at the Heavenly Peace Temple. However, after all, there was a distinction between ruler and subject. Si Yunqin, bearing the title of Empress, could at most invite Si Xiaoyu to share some tea. But drinking tea late at night—Si Yunqin thought it over and decided against it; she still wanted to sleep tonight.

Xi Fengyu went off to paint on her own, ignoring Si Yunqin after dinner. Si Yunqin admitted to herself that her own painting only reached the level of decent sketching; compared to Xi Fengyu, she was far inferior, so she didn’t bother joining in. Bored, Si Yunqin practiced her sword in the courtyard. When she grew tired, she washed up and lay down on a lounge chair, falling asleep.

The weather in the temple was quite pleasant. Mugwort had been lit to keep mosquitoes away.

She slept all the way until it grew dark. When she woke up, she found a jar of wine and a very small bamboo tube placed on the windowsill beside her.

Si Yunqin lifted the lid of the wine jar and sniffed it. The aroma was excellent—fine wine indeed.

She opened the bamboo tube as well. Inside was a note, which read: “Meet me at the back mountain bamboo grove at midnight. It concerns the safety of the Si family and your brother.”

Si Yunqin clicked her tongue. Whoever had sent for her certainly had ill intentions. If it involved the safety of the Si family and her brother, why come to her? Wouldn’t it be better to go directly to her father?

Moreover, the fact that she had followed Shen Yanxin to the Heavenly Peace Temple had not been publicly announced. Even those in the palace might not know. How did the person who delivered the note find out?

Si Yunqin stretched lazily, took out a silver needle, and tested whether the wine was poisoned. The result showed it was not. The sender knew she enjoyed fine wine and also knew her identity—clearly, they were well-informed about her.

She didn’t throw away the note but put it back exactly as it had been, leaving it in its original spot.

Then she changed her clothes. Glancing at the time, midnight was approaching. Without lighting a lamp, she simply climbed out the window.

Outside, at the edge of the bamboo grove, Si Yunqin spotted a bamboo staff on the ground. She rubbed her chin, picked it up, then used her Lightness Skill to leap onto the treetops of the bamboo grove. Quickly scanning the area, she saw that the person who had summoned her hadn’t arrived yet.

She decided to quietly hide in the shadows and wait for them to show up.

She waited until she started to feel drowsy, and finally, the person arrived. It was a man clad entirely in black; judging by his build and eyes, he was male.

His face was covered with a cloth mask. Si Yunqin didn’t move, curious to see if he would remove it. But after waiting for a while, he showed no sign of doing so. Si Yunqin wondered—these black masks were awfully stuffy; how could he wear one for so long without feeling breathless?

As for why she knew this, it was because in her youthful ignorance, combined with a lifelong dream of becoming a martial arts hero from her previous life, she had tried one at age twelve. She almost suffocated.

Si Yunqin thought that if she waited any longer, he might lose patience and leave.

Gripping the bamboo staff in her hand, she struck without warning, aiming directly at his face, hoping to knock off his mask.

But her ambush failed. The two immediately began to exchange blows. After a dozen moves, realizing she had no intention of stopping, the man spoke up: “Your Majesty, the Empress. I mean no harm. I am merely here to deliver a message.”

“Speak,” Si Yunqin said, withdrawing her hand but still holding the bamboo staff. She appeared languid, but the black-clad man clearly sensed her impatience.

“The Third Young Master has encountered danger in the military. Half a month ago, Southern Yue launched a surprise attack on our Great Zhao border. The Third Young Master was ordered to repel the enemy but unfortunately fell into a trap and advanced deep into enemy territory. He has been missing ever since.”

Si Yunqin furrowed her brow slightly: “And why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t this be reported to the Imperial Court to dispatch reinforcements? At the very least, you should inform my father, not lure me out with such methods. What exactly are you after?”

Her eyes gradually turned cold. After listening to her, the man quickly added, “This matter has long been reported, but for half a month, no news has returned to the capital. Does Her Majesty the Empress know why?”

“Oh? Why?” Si Yunqin asked indifferently, her tone betraying neither joy nor anger, nor even whether she cared about her second brother’s fate.

Before coming, he had only heard that the Empress was naturally intelligent and exceptionally talented. He had thought it exaggerated, but now he realized that someone so young, yet so composed and steady, was indeed no ordinary lady from a noble household.

“Your Majesty is young. The Empress Dowager holds court and controls the government. The Sikong is the greatest supporter of the Empress Dowager in the court. I believe Her Majesty the Empress is well aware of this.”

Si Yunqin grew impatient with his cryptic, drawn-out speech: “Get to the point. If you don’t, I’ll call for help.”

“Your Majesty, please wait. The Empress Dowager needs the Sikongs support, but she also does not wish the Si family to become too powerful. The Sikong already holds military power. If the Si family produces two more generals, their prestige will be too high. The Empress Dowager will certainly feel she cannot control the Si family. Therefore, although the news of the Third Young Master’s disappearance has reached the capital, no one has yet been sent to rescue him.”

“Moreover, the Second Young Master in the capital holds only an empty title, with no real power.”

“The Empress Dowager persecuted the late Emperor and controls the child Emperor. This is truly a misfortune for our Great Zhao. I beg the Empress to advise the Sikong to repent and support the child Emperor, for only that is the legitimate way.”

Si Yunqin understood. This was the Imperial Loyalist Faction sowing discord. Regardless of whether the matter about her third brother was true, this person was definitely trying to drive a wedge between them.

Of course, calling them the Imperial Loyalist Faction was giving them too much credit. Their loyalty might not even be to the child Emperor; their primary concern was their own interests.

“I understand. I will consider this matter. Thank you for the information. May I ask who sent you?” Si Yunqin asked curiously.

“I cannot reveal that for now, lest the Empress Dowager learn of it and implicate you and the Sikong. The message has been delivered. I take my leave.”

He turned to leave, but at that moment, an arrow broke through the air. He tried to dodge it, but after avoiding one arrow, countless more followed.

The black-clad man looked at Si Yunqin in disbelief: “Your Majesty, did you inform the Empress Dowager?”

Si Yunqin used her bamboo staff to deflect an arrow: “Can’t you see they’re shooting at me too? You probably got discovered yourself and dragged me into it. Bad luck.”

Hearing her annoyed tone, the man gradually calmed down. He let out a whistle, and several more black-clad figures emerged from the woods.

Then he suddenly turned to Si Yunqin: “Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness.”

Without warning, he attacked her. If Yan Ke hadn’t shot an arrow that just blocked his sword, Si Yunqin felt she might have been wounded. At the thought, she felt inexplicably furious and began counterattacking with her bamboo staff.

A chaotic melee ensued. In the end, only a few minor thugs were captured, while the black-clad leader managed to escape.

Si Yunqin walked over to Yan Ke, wiping the sweat off herself. Yan Ke knelt directly: “Your subordinate arrived late to protect you. I beg the Empress to punish me.”

“Get up, it’s fine. I know it wasn’t your fault. Where is the Empress Dowager?” Si Yunqin had left the bamboo tube because she had instructed Yan Ke that afternoon: if she didn’t light a lamp by nightfall, she should wake her up—otherwise, sleeping on the lounge chair all night wouldn’t be comfortable.

Yan Ke would surely tell Shen Yanxin. Si Yunqin didn’t know what Shen Yanxin would do, but she was certain she wouldn’t sit idly by.

“The Empress Dowager is waiting for you,” Yan Ke said respectfully.

“Couldn’t you catch them, or were you just toying with them?” Si Yunqin asked curiously.

She didn’t believe Yan Ke couldn’t have captured those black-clad men.

Yan Ke kept her head down: “Your subordinate was merely following orders.”

Si Yunqin nodded slightly, understanding. It was all according to Shen Yanxin’s wishes.

She went back to clean up simply and change clothes. She didn’t dare go see Shen Yanxin like that—last time she had been scolded for being improper.

After tidying up, though she didn’t look like an empress, she was at least not rude.

The jar of wine was still on the windowsill. Si Yunqin thought for a moment and carried it with her.

When she arrived, she saw Shen Yanxin dressed in simple robes, her hair loose, merely tied with a ribbon in the middle.

Clad in pale white garments, carefree and lazy, sitting there quietly reading a book, she had a certain enchanting quality.

Si Yunqin quickly suppressed her wildly beating heart for the beauty. Only when she stepped inside and performed the greeting did she snap out of it. No matter how beautiful the beauty was, she was still Shen Yanxin, the heartless feudal overlord.

Shen Yanxin glanced at Si Yunqin: “Sit.”

Si Yunqin placed the wine jar on the table in front of her. Shen Yanxin smiled: “What, did the Empress not drink enough last night? Does she want me to accompany her again tonight?”

Originally, Si Yunqin hadn’t planned on drinking, but Shen Yanxin’s words emboldened her: “Why not drink for free? It was given by someone else. Smells quite fragrant anyway.”

Shen Yanxin let out a light laugh, then called for Lan Xi and gestured for her to take away the wine Si Yunqin had brought. She didn’t scold her, only said flatly: “Replace it.”

Lan Xi understood. She wasn’t forbidding Si Yunqin from drinking, just not the wine she had brought.

Si Yunqin was a little surprised. She had only said it casually, not really meaning to drink.

“Tell me about it,” Shen Yanxin said, putting down her book, indicating for her to explain tonight’s events.

Si Yunqin concealed nothing and told her everything.

After listening, Shen Yanxin nodded slightly: “I see.”

Just then, Lan Xi returned with new wine and small dishes, even considerately pouring for Si Yunqin and Shen Yanxin.

Si Yunqin watched Shen Yanxin lift her cup, then raised her own cup respectfully: “Thank you, Empress Dowager, for the wine.”

After drinking that cup, Shen Yanxin’s lips curled up slightly with a hint of mockery: “Alright, what do you want to ask?”

Hearing this, Si Yunqin composed herself, becoming much more serious: “About my third brother—did you know?”

Shen Yanxin nodded: “Yes, I knew. He did fall into the enemy’s trap. But the person who told you this didn’t inform you that your father also knows. The land of Southern Yue is treacherous, and rescue is no easy task. Moreover, your father intends to use this opportunity to crush the arrogance of Southern Yue. Therefore, the rescue cannot be widely publicized. Though your brother fell into the enemy’s trap, scouts searched the valley and found no trace—not even any soldiers’ corpses. This is suspicious, but your brother likely hasn’t died.”

Si Yunqin downed another cup of wine, her small face instantly turning red, but her eyes were earnest and determined as she looked at Shen Yanxin: “Empress Dowager, since you say so, Your Subject believes you. In this life, I seek nothing but the safety of my family. Going to war was my brother’s own choice. Swords and arrows have no eyes, and the battlefield is unpredictable. If something happens, my mother and father and I will have no complaints. But to die in battle is one thing; to die from one’s own people’s scheming—that must never happen.”

“The Shen family has been military officers for generations. I understand what the Empress is thinking. I would not scheme against your brother,” Shen Yanxin said calmly.

She poured herself a cup of wine, her tone even, but the smile on her lips faded.

Si Yunqin nodded seriously: “Your Subject never doubted you.”

Then, curiosity got the better of her, and she began wondering who was behind tonight’s events.

Shen Yanxin didn’t answer her. Instead, she asked teasingly: “Didn’t the Empress say she wasn’t interested in court affairs?”

Si Yunqin: …

Alright, she had dug her own grave again. Shen Yanxin was black-hearted through and through—not a single speck of white from head to toe, inside and out.