She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 595 - 594: Your humble servant, originally invincible for Your Majesty
He ostensibly stood by the Idle King and Li Weixian, but he also sent a secret letter pledging allegiance.
He’s just a Vice Minister of Punishment, yet he’s in favor with all parties, even managing to get along well with the Idle King, that explosive-tempered fat pig, showing himself to be a wily old man.
The letter stated that he was willing to cooperate fully with Qin Zhen in the investigation of the Official Silver incident, to make amends for his actions in hopes that Qin Zhen would speak a few kind words on his behalf to the Emperor, sparing his life.
After reading it, Yan Li’an sneered, "This Mr. Peng is quite the strategist. Right now, it’s you against the Idle King, and he’s sending a secret pledge of loyalty while also standing with the Idle King. Regardless of which side has the last laugh, he will be safe and sound."
"What a pity," Qin Zhen pinched the secret letter and burned it cleanly in the candle flame, "His efforts are destined to be in vain."
If it were truly about making amends, she would impartially report in front of Qin Wu, but unfortunately he chose to stoop to petty thievery and mean tricks, I’m afraid Qin Zhen cannot comply with such conduct.
"The luggage is already packed, and I will leave tonight," Yan Li’an said she came to seek justice, yet she did not shirk responsibility when faced with events.
Qin Zhen raised her eyebrows in surprise, "So soon?"
"The mission to the embassies is urgent but not pressing. The quicker Zhao and Song surrender, the more deterrence it will have against the Chu Kingdom and Dawei," Yan Li’an’s eyes twinkled with shrewdness, "Only then can everyone sit at the same table to eat as equals."
"Also," Yan Li’an paused, looking at Qin Zhen, "This is the Qin State, and no matter how much Qin Wu values you, you still need to restrain yourself a bit. The human heart is unpredictable, so don’t share your true feelings recklessly."
The human heart is unpredictable, so don’t share your true feelings recklessly...
Eight words.
Qin Zhen remained seated where she was, long after Yan Li’an had left.
A good while later, she exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration from her chest and blew out the candle, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
...
"Has the letter been delivered?" the Vice Minister of Punishment asked, his expression unchanged.
Standing below was a person in black, who bowed in answer, "I confirmed Qin Zhen had finished reading before I left, but there was a man in her room at the time."
"A man?" The Vice Minister of Punishment put down the scroll in his hand, his eyes gleaming, "Did you get a clear look at his face?"
"That man is highly skilled in martial arts, I didn’t dare to get too close, and could only vaguely make out the man’s silhouette in the reflection of the candlelight."
The Vice Minister of Punishment mused to himself, "Today, Qin Zhen brought a man in red, perhaps her personal bodyguard." Their conversation seemed to be that of an employment relationship.
"The two of them seemed to be discussing something," the person in black reported everything he had seen, "Their actions exceeded normal intimacy between a man and a woman, I think that man has been instructing Qin Zhen all along."
The Vice Minister of Punishment frowned deeply after listening.
Could it be that the man behind Qin Zhen is actually that man in red?
No wonder in such a short period, Qin Zhen’s personality has changed dramatically; it turns out she has been under the guidance of a master all along.
Whether this person is from the Empress’s faction still needs to be investigated.
"Understood, you may go," the Vice Minister of Punishment waved his hand, and the person in black withdrew.
In the following days, the faction led by the Idle King found life to be rather uneasy.
Every time they saw Qin Zhen in court, the Idle King could only snort coldly and leave with a sweep of his robes, not daring to confront her directly.
On the other hand, Qin Zhen was always fluttering about in front of the Idle King’s faction, infuriating Li Weixian to no small degree, nearly causing him to have a stroke.
Qin Wu remained detached, observing from a distance. As long as the matter didn’t escalate to involve her directly, she pretended to be unaware of it.
Out of a need to appease the soldiers who had been killed, the Vice Minister of Punishment was running about in a frantic mess, reportedly having compensated with a substantial amount of money to quell the situation.
Meanwhile, rumors about Qin Zhen began to spread quietly throughout Jinyang.
"It’s simply outrageous, I had no idea that Qin Zhen was involved in these affairs!" Qin Wu slammed the memorial report onto the table, her anger bursting forth.
"To humiliate a woman’s chastity like this is worse than a beast!"
Qin Wu’s eyes reddened with anger.
As a woman herself, she understood the severity of the situation.
Once tangled with filthy affairs, a woman must endure the injustice silently for the rest of her life, bearing the slanders of gossip.
For a woman, this is exceptionally cruel and unjust.
"Why should Your Majesty be angry about these matters?" Qin Zhen reclined on a cushion, like a boneless cat, her posture casual yet suggestive, even staring at Qin Zhen’s handsome face could reveal a demeanor full of charm.
Seeing this made Qin Wu’s face flush red.
No wonder she could capture Xiao Pingfeng, true beauty lies in the bones, not the skin, there’s really some truth to that.
"I am anxious on your behalf."
Qin Zhen stuffed a grape into her mouth, "Anxiety is of no use, nor will it come."
"Besides, the other party is simply relying on the fact that I can’t silence the mouths of the masses, that’s why they deliberately released the news. Why should I waste my efforts and energy? As long as their tongues are in their mouths, let them talk."
Qin Wu clasped her wrist and sighed, "It concerns your reputation, ultimately you will be the one at a disadvantage."
"The common folk live mundane lives seeking only a reputation, but reputation is something you can’t bring with you at birth nor take with you in death. Having experienced so much, I have seen through it all; as long as my conscience is clear, I don’t care what they say."
As long as I am myself, then others’ words cannot harm me.
"Right now, the most important thing is to find out where this batch of official silver has ended up. Qin State has already taken in a great number of refugees, our granaries are under stress in many places, and unscrupulous merchants are driving up prices. The matter of the official silver can only be investigated in secret, otherwise, it could cause public panic. The envoy from the Chu Kingdom arriving at this crucial juncture is quite sensitive."
Qin Zhen pondered and offered a solution, "However, Your Majesty need not worry, I have had Money Leopard start distributing porridge for free in various places and setting up refugee camps, which should help us hold out for some time."
Upon hearing this, Qin Wu’s brows slightly relaxed.
She let out a long sigh, "Initially, out of consideration that the Idle King is my only blood relative in this world, I turned a blind eye on multiple occasions, only to find that he dared to secretly take the life-saving money of the people. The official silver was supposed to be placed directly into the state treasury, and yet it was allowed to be siphoned off. In all of Qin State, I find myself without a single person I dare trust."
After speaking, she looked at Qin Zhen with a saddened expression, "If it weren’t for you, Prime Minister, I really wouldn’t know what to do."
"Your Majesty is taking this too seriously. It’s merely my duty," replied Qin Zhen.
Qin Wu shook her head, "This matter has completely exposed the corruption of the Qin State Imperial Family. Those old officials don’t take me seriously as the Emperor, nor do they hold the lives of the dawn’s people at heart. They have become utterly blinded by greed, lost in the vortex of money and power, unable to extricate themselves."
Qin Zhen seemed to have made a decision.
"At this critical moment of crisis and survival for the Qin State, I will not allow these parasites to endanger our government any longer." Her eyes turned cold, the ruthless harshness characteristic of an emperor on full display, "If they protect each other as officials and do not spit out this batch of official silver, then I authorize you, Prime Minister, to uproot them all!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhen’s gaze also turned much more somber.
She understood what Qin Wu meant.
This was about to be a complete overhaul of the Qin State’s government officials.
"I absolutely won’t let the foundation my ancestors left behind be destroyed by these parasites!"
"Qin Zhen, are you willing to be the blade in my hand?" Qin Wu looked at Qin Zhen.
No, to be more precise, she was looking at Yan Wanqing beneath Qin Zhen’s surface, looking at the Yan Family.
"I... am willing to be unstoppable for Your Majesty."
