Chapter 28

After Shen Yanxin finished speaking, she just chuckled and patted Si Yunqin on the shoulder. “Get some rest early.”

After she left, Si Yunqin turned to Lin Feng. “Why is the Empress Dowager here at this hour?”

Lin Feng bowed her head slightly. “The Empress Dowager must have just visited His Majesty and was heading back to her palace. She happened to take this path.”

Si Yunqin thought about it and figured that must be it. Shen Yanxin did seem quite concerned about the Young Emperor.

“His Majesty has caught a slight cold these past two days. Will you go see him tomorrow, Your Highness?” Lin Feng asked.

Si Yunqin nodded after hearing this. “Alright. Send word to the Bright Palace tomorrow that I won’t be going out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Back in her bedchamber, after soaking in the bath, Si Yunqin was drowsy. She fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

The next day, she woke up and went to see the Young Emperor. He had caught a cold even in the middle of summer. When she asked, she found out it was because he had gotten his clothes wet while playing in the water.

“Your Majesty, you must get more exercise in the future,” she said while feeding him his medicine, not missing the chance to tease him.

The Young Emperor’s face flushed red. “I-I will in the future.”

Shen Yanxin was somewhat surprised to hear that Si Yunqin hadn’t gone out today. “She’s not going out?”

“She must have heard that His Majesty wasn’t feeling well and went to see him early this morning,” Lan Xi replied.

“She and Luo’er have such a good relationship,” Shen Yanxin sighed. She worried both when Si Yunqin was too close with Yuwen Luo and when they weren’t. Yuwen Luo was still young and easily influenced.

Si Yunqin, however, didn’t think much about it. After teasing the child, she played with him for a while longer before going to find Xi Fengyu. Xi Fengyu was slacking off again today, painting. Si Yunqin glanced at what she was drawing and noticed that what she had seen yesterday at the Fragrant Pavilion seemed to have given her quite a bit of inspiration.

Si Yunqin didn’t disturb her. She found a book and lounged nearby, reading.

For the next half month, the two of them continued to go outside the palace as usual. With Yun Yi’s help, they got to know many literati and scholars.

Accompanied by Yun Yi and Si Xiaoyu, they often went to the most famous teahouse in the city for tea. Before long, they became familiar faces among the literati of Heavenly Light City.

Si Yunqin considered herself not very talented at composing poetry; whatever she wrote was mediocre. But recently, she had been learning the zither and painting from Grand Consort Xi, and she had made some progress in those areas.

Xi Fengyu, on the other hand, had a bigger reputation because her poetry was much better than Si Yunqin’s.

One day, they went to the teahouse as usual to drink tea and listen to opera. At the next table, a group of people were talking loudly and passionately, discussing the current situation of the realm and praising the Empress Dowager for her wisdom in handling the Jiangnan flood.

But some argued that it was the merit of the court officials and the aristocratic clans, not the Empress Dowager’s. What did she have to do with it? After all, she was just a woman. How much insight could she have?

Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu listened to their debates without saying a word. A bunch of clueless men insisting that women had no insight was quite laughable.

“That’s prejudice. Since the Empress Dowager took the regency, she has implemented many policies that benefit the nation and the people. The officials appointed to manage this flood were also chosen by her. How can you speak like that?”

A gentle voice laced with some dissatisfaction broke through the noise, like a breath of fresh air among the rhetoric.

Xi Fengyu and Si Yunqin exchanged a glance and decided to keep listening. The two groups then argued about whether women could manage state affairs—but naturally, neither side could convince the other.

After everyone left, Si Yunqin looked down from the window and spotted the person who had spoken earlier. Among a group of scholars, this person appeared shorter and more slender. “That face is so delicate, just like a woman’s.”

“It is a woman,” Xi Fengyu said confidently after watching for a while. She often painted and had an eye for such things.

“Oh?” Si Yunqin grew more interested. “A woman disguised as a man seeking fame and merit? Quite bold. The Zhao Kingdom has clear laws forbidding women from posing as men to take the exams.”

“Perhaps she was raised as a son at home,” Xi Fengyu speculated casually.

Si Yunqin nodded. That was possible. In today’s world, a family with no male heir was easily bullied by others. They themselves could be open about their identities, but those raised entirely under the moral codes of this world couldn’t be so frank.

She didn’t dwell on it too much. They went to the Yun Residence, where they spent the day organizing the materials they had collected over the past half month. Yun Yi and Si Xiaoyu also helped by offering their opinions.

A few days later, Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu went to the teahouse again. The opera that day was the story of Chang’e Flying to the Moon. Some things in this world overlapped with the world they remembered, while others did not.

Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu weren’t sure if this counted as a parallel universe. Even if it was, there wasn’t much they could do about it, so they didn’t dwell on it.

This version of the Chang’e legend was different from the one they knew. It told of Chang’e swallowing the Elixir of Immortality to save the people, gaining immortal power to help Hou Yi fight against ten suns.

After reading the synopsis, the two of them decided to watch.

But they didn’t expect to see the group from last time again.

They were seated at the next table once more. This time, their discussion went from Chang’e to Da Yu Controlling the Floods, and then somehow they ended up talking about trade with the Western Regions.

Some thought trading with the Western Regions was a bad idea—it consumed enormous manpower and resources, and sent over our technology and goods while we got nothing in return.

But the woman from the other day disagreed. She argued that exchange was necessary to broaden one’s horizons. Working in isolation would never lead to lasting success.

Moreover, there were many things from the Western Regions we could import. Building friendly relations with them was also a strategy to deal with the Mobei barbarians.

“Trade should happen, but right now the Zhao Kingdom doesn’t have a complete set of trade rules and regulations.”

Si Yunqin sipped her tea. Xi Fengyu whispered, “If this person could be used by the Empress Dowager, her vision might become reality.”

“I didn’t expect this batch of candidates to have such talent. But it seems she’s from an ordinary family, not one of the aristocratic youths.”

Si Yunqin remembered seeing her before. Her clothes, while not shabby, were far from the standards of the aristocratic families.

“Can ordinary people afford to drink tea at this teahouse?”

“Look at the man beside her. His clothes are luxurious, and they seem close. She was probably dragged here by him,” Si Yunqin said. She hadn’t learned much at the Fragrant Pavilion, but she had picked up some skill in reading people from Yiyi.

The opera on stage was nearing its end, and the people at the next table were about to leave.

Si Yunqin called a servant over to add a few dishes and asked him to invite that group over.

After a while, the woman and another young nobleman came in together.

Both were refined and scholarly in appearance. They paused when they saw Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu wearing masks.

Si Yunqin rose and bowed. “Please don’t be offended. My sister and I wear masks because we suffered facial injuries during a family tragedy. It is not meant to be discourteous.”

The two returned the bow. “We take no offense.”

“May I ask why the two young ladies have invited us over?” the woman in disguise asked.

Si Yunqin invited them to sit. “I was very impressed by what you were saying earlier. I’d like to make your acquaintance. We are the cousins of the Sikong’ mansion. This is my sister, Si Qi, and I am Si Yao.”

“So you are the cousins of the Sikong. My apologies. I am Zhao Shiran, son of the Prefect of Xingyang Commandery,” the richly dressed young man introduced himself.

“I am Yan Yusheng, a jinshi of Youzhou Prefecture.”

“Please, sit.” After the formalities, Si Yunqin smiled and invited them to take their seats.

As they talked, Si Yunqin felt more and more that this Yan Yusheng was a talent worth using. Her background was humble, but that was also her advantage—someone like her would be willing to go to the bitter cold lands of the northwest.

Shen Yanxin needed people like this. The question was whether she would know how to use them.

The conversation was pleasant between the four of them. Si Yunqin didn’t ask too many questions, but she felt that their temperaments matched well. Becoming friends wouldn’t be a bad thing.

After leaving the teahouse, Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu went to the Yun residence to ask Yun Yi if he could help recommend Yan Yusheng.

Yun Yi thought about it and decided it was possible. But after Si Yunqin finished speaking, he cautiously asked if she had taken a liking to Yan Yusheng. He knew the man—delicate features, with the proud spirit of a scholar.

Si Yunqin shook her head. “Brother-in-law, you can’t just say things like that. This person is fine, but definitely not my type.”

Yun Yi grew curious. “Then what kind of person does Yunqin like?”

Si Yunqin shot him a glare. “It doesn’t matter what I like. It’s not like I can like anyone anyway.”

“Just asking. It seems no man under heaven can catch your eye,” Yun Yi said. He and Si Yunqin had grown up together—the Yun and Si families had close ties. He had later married Si Xiaoyu out of mutual love, and he treated Si Yunqin like a younger sister.

Si Yunqin cracked open some melon seeds and smiled at Xi Fengyu. “Sister Fengyu knows what I like.”

Xi Fengyu, who had been dragged into the conversation out of nowhere, pointed at herself innocently. “Me? I have no idea. But Brother-in-law is right—no man under heaven can catch her eye.”

Si Xiaoyu came over with some snacks. “Alright, stop discussing useless things. You only have ten days left to hand in your work. Don’t run around these next few days. You still need to find the Grand Tutor to take a look.”

Si Yunqin shook her head. “No. That old fart can be stubborn too. He’ll definitely want me to change a lot. I’d rather just give it directly to the Empress Dowager.”

Si Xiaoyu suddenly felt that in her younger sister’s eyes, the Empress Dowager didn’t seem as cold as she appeared to the court officials and the common people. She actually seemed quite easygoing.

It wasn’t surprising she felt that way. From Si Yunqin, she couldn’t find much reverence for the Empress Dowager—maybe a little, but just a little.

Little did Si Xiaoyu know that ever since she found out Shen Yanxin also read Xi Fengyu’s erotic novels, her filter had shattered completely.

Added to that was the incident a few days ago when Si Yunqin, drunk, had run into Shen Yanxin, who asked some strange and inexplicable questions. Although she had no idea what the Empress Dowager was really trying to ask, it made her lose even more of that awe.

In any case, Shen Yanxin didn’t treat her like a junior. She just saw her as a good prospect for work and wanted to recruit her.