Chapter 33: Look Again, and You’ll Be Kneeling on an Abacus When We Get Home Part 1

Xunqi’s doubts had taken root and grown over many days. Today, she seized the opportunity to ask. “As a child, one should be filial to one’s parents. When a father passes, visiting his grave every year is an act of filial piety. Mother, what do you think?”

Yan Zhi’an’s head throbbed anew. One lie required countless more to cover it up, and she had long since lost count. Now Xunqi was growing more vigilant by the day; she had no idea if her lies would soon be exposed.

“The mountains are far and the roads are long. It’s not so easy to get there. That year, I merely passed through the area while surveying the mountains and met him. We were intimate, and that’s how I came to have you. Wait a few more years, until you’re older, and I’ll have someone bring you there.”

Yan Zhi’an was blatantly lying through her teeth, but inwardly she was panicking to the extreme. Fearing Xunqi would press further, she could only brush her off. “It’s getting late. I’m tired. You should go back and rest too. Come by later for dinner.”

Xunqi glanced at her mother. She was clearly trying to send her away on purpose. Something was off. But this wasn’t the time for a direct confrontation. Xunqi decided to wait, to keep observing, and to get to the bottom of this no matter what.

“Mother, rest well. I’ll be going now.” Xunqi bowed respectfully, a smile on her delicate, palm-sized face, and retreated as she always did.

Yan Zhi’an felt she’d escaped a disaster. She hastily summoned Wuqing. “Go to Lingnan and dig a grave. Buy some animal bones and put them inside, fill it in, and then burn the grave with fire.”

Wuqing was shocked, not understanding what the Head of the Family intended. “What are you doing this for?”

“Don’t ask. This must not be leaked, especially to the Young Mistress. Not a single word.” Yan Zhi’an stressed repeatedly. “If the Young Mistress finds out, you’ll answer with your head.”

The Head of the Family’s tone was grave. Wuqing realized the severity and quietly accepted the order, hurrying out of the courtyard.

As Wuqing left in a rush, Xunqi, who was outside the courtyard, followed her.

The Left Prime Minister’s Residence had its own guard force, permitted up to five hundred by law, with Wuqing and Wushuang at its head. Having received her orders, Wuqing headed to the rear courtyard of the residence, where many of the guards lived.

The rear courtyard was right next to the residence’s wall, but once outside the residence, the guards were free when off duty. Living close by was also a precaution in case the main family needed them.

Wuqing hurried to the rear courtyard, went inside, and gave precise instructions to two people before leaving.

She came and went quietly, unnoticed by anyone. After she left, Xunqi didn’t rush in. Instead, she crouched by the wall, waiting for the people inside to come out.

After about half an hour, two people emerged. Xunqi immediately stepped forward. “Stop.”

The two men came out, carrying bundles on their backs, clearly having received orders to go on a mission. Xunqi walked over with her hands behind her back. The two recognized her and quickly bowed. “Young Mistress.”

“Did you remember what Wuqing just instructed you?” Xunqi spoke deliberately, so as not to arouse suspicion. With one sentence, she’d confirmed that Wuqing had gone in to see these two.

The two nodded. “We remember.”

Xunqi nodded with an air of wisdom, pulled out a pouch of loose silver, and handed it to them. “The Head of the Family asked me to tell you to keep this quiet. It’s a long journey. Have you been there before?”

“No, Lingnan is too far. This is our first time.” One of them spoke, a smile on his face. That pouch of silver was more than enough to make their journey comfortable.

Xunqi’s small face was tense as she nodded gravely. “For this trip to Lingnan, who is in charge?” she asked, handing over the money pouch.

“I am.” The silent one spoke, reaching out to take the silver.

Xunqi handed him the pouch. The other man’s eyes dimmed. She instructed him, “Go find a proper bag. Carrying it like that is too conspicuous.”

“Yes, I’ll go at once.” The man took the money and immediately turned back.

Xunqi looked at the remaining man. “Have you planned your route for the journey?”

“We won’t make a big fuss, and we won’t alert the local authorities.” The remaining man forced a smile. That big pouch of money had gone to Li Er, and he’d gotten nothing.

Not alert the authorities? Xunqi continued. “How did you arrange it? Tell me.”

The guard, assuming the Young Mistress had brought money on the Head of the Family’s orders, didn’t think much of it. “We’ll take the main roads, stay at post stations, and head to Mount Wuyou after reaching Lingnan. We just need to find a good spot with good feng shui and dig a pit. Building a grave for someone isn’t a difficult task.”

“Well arranged. This is a reward for you.” Xunqi nodded with an air of authority, pulled out a small money pouch, and tossed it to him. “Don’t tell him. Keep it for yourself.”

The guard thanked her profusely, and Xunqi turned and left.

On her way back, Xunqi was puzzled. Why was Mother sending people to Lingnan to build an empty grave? To fool her? She had only just asked, and Mother was already building an empty grave, just in case she asked again in the future. Even if she did ask, Mother would have an answer ready.

This meant her father had no grave!

If there was no grave, why not just say so? Why go to such lengths to deceive her? What was the real reason?

Xunqi quietly returned to her own courtyard, unable to guess her mother’s intentions for the moment. Seeing her own courtyard ahead, she changed direction and headed for Chen Qingrong’s courtyard instead.

At today’s banquet, Yan Zhi’an never drank, using that as an excuse to avoid it, and Xunqi was too young to drink. So, Chen Qingrong had accompanied the Madam in drinking. She’d had too much and was now lying down, fast asleep.

Xunqi slipped in quietly, groped her way inside, lifted the bed curtain, and pushed the drunken woman. “Madam, Madam.”

“Zhi’an, stop it. Let me sleep a bit more.” Chen Qingrong, drunk, assumed her daughter had come in and patted her hand. “Let me sleep a little longer.”

“Madam, let me ask you, where did the Left Prime Minister go when she was fifteen?” Xunqi leaned close to Chen Qingrong’s ear and asked.

Chen Qingrong was sleeping soundly and irritably covered her ears. Xunqi pulled her hand away and patiently asked again. “Where was the Left Prime Minister when she was fifteen?”

“In the capital, the capital. She came to the capital when she was seven or eight…” Chen Qingrong opened her eyes, her gaze hazy. Xunqi pressed on. “And when she was fifteen…”

“Stop being so annoying! She entered the court at fourteen. Where else would she be at fifteen?” Chen Qingrong glared, managed to stay awake for two breaths, then, too sleepy to keep her eyes open, closed them again and turned over, ignoring Xunqi.

Xunqi knelt on the footboard, propping her chin on her hands as she looked at the drunken Madam. She pondered her words. Fourteen and fifteen, both in the capital. She couldn’t have gone to Lingnan at all. So why build an empty grave there? Using distance as an excuse?

Xunqi thought for a moment, then turned and left, returning to her room to rest.

How strange.

After the spring banquet incident, news of Third Young Master Sima’s impotence spread. The Sima family lost face. Duke Dingguo continued to come and go as usual. The Female Emperor treated her nephew generously, sending a steady stream of tonics to the Sima Residence. Even the Left Prime Minister went to visit, but was turned away at the door; the residence refused to open it.

Yan Zhi’an wasn’t angry. She left calmly. The next day, court officials began to impeach the Sima clan for seizing farmland.

Soon after, the Right Prime Minister’s faction also chimed in, digging up the past misdeeds of the Sima clan. Memorials fell like snowflakes into the grand hall.

The Female Emperor was overwhelmed. Looking at the piles of memorials, she suddenly realized her Left and Right Prime Ministers had joined forces. In a fit of rage, she smashed the memorials.

The next day, Yan Zhi’an impeached the Ministry of Revenue for unclear accounts. In an instant, the Sima family was pushed to the forefront of the storm.

To quell the matter, the Female Emperor summoned her elder brother and spoke to him earnestly. “Let the matter between you and the Yan family rest here.”

“Your Majesty, your Right Prime Minister and Left Prime Minister have joined forces.” Sima Xun stated firmly.

The Female Emperor had already panicked, but now she had thought it through. The Left Prime Minister was Xunqi’s foster mother, and the Right Prime Minister was Xunqi’s teacher. It was only natural for them to vent their anger on Xunqi’s behalf.

“Brother, you’re mistaken. You’ve offended both the Left and Right Prime Ministers. You should think about how you’ve offended the Right Prime Minister.” The Female Emperor covered for them. “Here, the memorials impeaching you for condoning your clan’s misdeeds are piled up like a mountain. I only now realize how unrestrained the Sima family has been. I’m even more curious as to why Prince Ji hasn’t reported you.”

If Prince Ji saw her as an enemy, how could he treat the Sima family well? From this, it was clear that her good elder brother had long since boarded Prince Ji’s ship.

She stared coldly at her brother, who answered methodically, “Your Majesty, I am the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle. It is only right that I protect my nephew.”

“Sima Xun, you are insolent!” The Female Emperor flew into a rage. “Do you have any respect for me?”

“Your Majesty, you now have only this one son. If I do not support the Crown Prince, who should I support? The Crown Prince is ten years old. In another eight years, what will the situation be? I must think for the Sima family.” Sima Xun spoke with confidence, not seeing anything wrong with his actions. “Your Majesty, you have been searching for the Princess all these years. Have you found her? Even if you do find her, what will she be like? Can she bear such a heavy responsibility? Your Majesty, have you thought about this?”

Sima Xun was making his stance clear today. As the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle, he naturally stood by the Crown Prince’s side. The Female Emperor, Sima Shenrong, remained silent for a long time.

Sima Xun’s expression was relaxed. He waited a long while before she finally spoke. “Do you want to push the Sima family into an abyss of ruin?”

“Your Majesty, Emperor Ming has been dead for many years. Princess Zhaohui has vanished. Why do you torment yourself with this? What is the point?” Sima Xun didn’t understand his sister’s thoughts. The Crown Prince before them had grown up in the palace, virtuous and intelligent. Why wasn’t he fit to inherit the throne? Why did she insist on searching for a Princess Zhaohui whose appearance was unknown?

The Female Emperor laughed coldly, slowly rising to her feet, and looked down at her brother with disdain. “You may be the head of the Sima family, but I rule the world. I have more brothers than just you. The Sima family has more men than just you. I can replace the Duke Dingguo.”

“Your Majesty, are you joking?” Sima Xun raised his eyelids slightly, a faint smile on his face with no change in expression. “You can replace him if you want, but it’s not that easy.”

The Female Emperor faced her brother directly. “Brother, go back. You are not to leave the residence without my orders.”

Sima Xun looked up, a shadow of gloom passing over his calm face. He bowed calmly, then turned and left the grand hall.

Moments later, the Imperial Guard surrounded the Duke Dingguo’s Residence, forbidding anyone from entering.

The news spread within half a day. At that moment, Xunqi was at the drill ground practicing mounted archery. Wuming arrived to report the news. Wuming was a guard assigned to Xunqi by Yan Zhi’an, of the ‘Wu’ generation, free to come and go within the residence.

Xunqi held her bow, aiming at the target. Upon hearing the news, she was puzzled. “Why has Her Majesty moved against her own brother?” It was clear that day that the Emperor valued the Sima family greatly. To send heavy troops to surround them within a few days, what did that mean?