Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 248 Leveraging
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the last snow of the year fell in the capital.

Broken ice, carrying withered leaves, flowed down the stream below Shuiyue Temple, resembling scattered pieces of chess pieces...

The lanterns on New Year's Eve dyed the window paper of the meditation room red.

Xue Sui rose and adjusted the wick of the lamp on the table, the soft light spreading into the distance...

Under the lamplight, the plump, white face of Lai Fu, the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Palace, was covered with wrinkles...

He hunched over and pulled a "marriage compatibility chart" from a pile of charred ashes.

It's burned out!
He held the charred, tattered pages in his hand, looked at the dark brown medicine that had long since cooled and lay idle to the side, and sighed inwardly.

How can a thin piece of paper, regarded as proof of a good match, trap a heartless person?
On the rosewood couch, Li Zhao lazily bent one long leg, leaned against the soft cushion, raised a jar of plum wine above his head, tilted his head back slightly, and the wine poured down his throat like silver threads...

The aroma of wine wafted over the vermilion palace walls, mingling with the falling snowflakes in the sky...

Inside the red walls, Li Zhao poured the medicine into a teapot and watched it slowly dissolve in the boiling water.

Outside the red walls, Xue Sui wrapped the old ginkgo tree at Shuiyue Temple with straw rope, hoping for its new leaves next spring.

That winter was exceptionally cold; the wind and snow froze the hustle and bustle of Zhuque Street, the joy of the Eastern Palace, and even the gears of fate...

In the battlefield of power, no one can escape the struggle!
Some people desire something but cannot obtain it, some obtain it but do not cherish it, and some see through everything yet are deeply trapped in it.

As the midnight bell rang, Xue Sui, along with Jinshu, Xiao Zhao, and a few others, hung a lantern for good fortune above the door of the meditation room, his eyes filled with smiles…

At this moment, in the distant imperial palace, the lights were bright. Emperor Chongzhao was hosting a banquet for his officials in the Linde Hall. They were drinking and laughing, burying the extravagant dreams of the past thirteen years of Chongzhao's reign into the wind and snow...

In an instant—

The fourteenth year of Chongzhao arrived quietly amidst swirling snowflakes.

The morning bell of Shuiyue Temple pierced through the thin mist, bringing the faint morning light.

Xue Sui knelt before the wooden table in the meditation room, a section of her snow-white wrist peeking out from beneath her gray monk's robe. Spread on the plain silk was her secret Yama's Picture Book, which she never showed to anyone...

Yu Zhimu...

Yao Wei...

Guo Zhaohuai...

Xie Weilan...

She ran her fingertips over the words on the paper, flipping through them one by one. She slowly crossed out Lu Xi's name in the album, then solemnly added Consort Xiao's name at the end of the album. Then, she drew a line on Ping Le's sallow face, and suddenly stopped.

"girl!"

Jinshu lifted the curtain and called softly, her voice tinged with joy.

"The eldest son has arrived..."

This is the first person Xue Sui wants to see on the first day of the new year.

"Big Brother!"

Tian Shu entered, shrouded in frost and snow. The snowflakes on his bamboo hat had not yet melted, and his plain white Taoist robe fluttered in the night wind, seemingly shimmering with a clear light. He exuded an indescribable air of Taoist immortality...

He moved very lightly, lowered his eyes and took off his bamboo hat, his gaze falling on Xue Sui's bald head, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Tian Shu's voice was deep and resonant, like the wind in the pines, clear and cold without warmth.

But when Xue Sui saw him, she couldn't help but want to smile.

"Why does Senior Brother have such a stern face as soon as he arrives? It's the New Year, let me see what gifts you brought..."

Tian Shu's eyelashes trembled, but he did not raise his eyes. He simply placed the leather bag he had brought on the table, his voice as soft as a feather falling on snow.

"Most of them are ointments. You have weak blood and qi, so you should avoid raw, cold, sweet and greasy foods, and don't overindulge."

He was always serious and never smiled, never uttering a word of idle chatter.

Xue Sui looked at him, then suddenly chuckled and winked at Jinshu.

Jinshu understood immediately, opened the food box, revealing candied plums, jujube paste cake, and walnut shortbread inside.

"Girl, these are all your favorite foods from back then..."

Xiao Zhao immediately rushed over, her eyes sparkling, "The eldest young master still loves our young lady the most! Wow, these snacks are a million times tastier than the vegetarian food at the nunnery..."

Seeing their joyful expressions, Xue Sui couldn't help but smile.

Upon seeing Tian Shu, she couldn't help but reminisce about the grand year of the old mausoleum—

The fire in the stove was blazing, the lanterns under the eaves were glowing red, and the cured meat in the pot smelled wonderful. And she, in front of her senior brothers and sisters, was always that little girl who would be delighted by a wooden hairpin or a piece of dessert.

"Xiao Zhao, close the door and lower the curtains."

Xiao Zhao and Jin Shu exchanged a smile, covered their mouths, and retreated.

Only the two of them remained in the room. Xue Sui sat down opposite Tian Shu and served him hot tea. "Senior Brother, please don't be angry. Please have some tea."

Tian Shu took a sip of his drink, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to scold her. He simply took out a jar of ointment from his bag and placed it on the wooden table.

"What is this? It smells so good." Xue Sui lifted the lid, took a gentle sniff, and smiled with raised eyebrows.

"Hair-darkening ointment." Tian Shu's voice was as faint as falling snowflakes. "These past few days I've searched through medical classics and tried hundreds of prescriptions, but I don't know how effective it will be..."

"It doesn't matter if I can't turn back." Xue Sui tilted her head nonchalantly and gave him a playful smile. "Washing my hair saves water, combing it saves time, it doesn't use up hair oil or get tangled, and in the summer I don't even need a fan. Isn't that great..."

Tian Shu remained silent.

Fearing that he would worry, Xue Sui quietly stuck out her tongue and put the hair-darkening ointment into her bosom.

"More than hair, I want to know if Senior Sister Yuheng has returned? And what are the three masters' next plans for the future of the Old Mausoleum?"

Tian Shu lowered his eyes, fiddling with the teacup.

"Yuheng is back. I'll come to see you when I have some free time after the New Year."

Xue Sui's lips curled up slightly, as if he wanted to laugh, but he quickly suppressed it.

"I'll wait for her to come."

Seeing the bitterness that flashed in her eyes, Tian Shu continued, "Thirty percent of the Nine Ministers have already fallen in corruption cases. Revenge is not urgent. You should focus on recovering your health first..."

Xue Sui chuckled and tapped the edge of the table, asking jokingly, "Please take a closer look, Senior Brother. Do I look sick at all?"

Tian Shu composed himself, squinting as he scrutinized her. "The Prince of Duan and the Crown Prince have been making frequent moves lately, especially at the Eastern Palace, where they seem to be deliberately investigating old cases in the Ministry of Justice. At this time, it is better to remain still and observe from the sidelines..."

Xue Sui paused slightly as he stroked the teacup, recalling the Crown Prince's entourage he had seen on Zhuque Street that day.

"Didn't the Crown Prince take the opportunity of the marriage alliance with the Duke of Zheng to win over the gentry of Longyou and counter the Xiao family?"

Tian Shu shook his head, his expression cool and indifferent.

"The power struggles among the aristocratic families in the capital are intensifying, with the Three Departments and Six Ministries all controlled by powerful clans, making the political situation in the court unclear. The Great Liang and Ashina have been locked in a fierce battle around Chishui Pass for half a year, and Lu You'an's western expeditionary army is in dire need of supplies. The military governor of Hexi has been holding back his troops and has repeatedly requested reinforcements from the court..."

He paused for a moment, then pulled a scroll of the "Zhaohui Tie" from his sleeve.

"Xue Qingzhi, the Minister of Justice...that is, your father, spent the last year scrambling to secure his position. Xie Yanzhan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, appears upright but is actually two-faced, plotting to select his beloved daughter for the Eastern Palace. Duke Guo Pi of Zheng is quite shrewd; his two sons are in charge of the capital's guards, one in charge of the granaries, and the other is the Minister of Agriculture in charge of the granaries. His other sons, nephews, and grandsons also hold important positions, making his family quite prominent. As for that old fox Xiao Song, he has schemed and plotted relentlessly. Just a hundred days after the mourning period for Consort Xiao was over, he sent his grandniece into the palace..."

Xue Sui's eyes were icy as he slowly turned the pages of the picture album and pointed it out to Tian Shu.

"But is it this Xiao Qing'er?"

Tian Shu glanced at the woman in the portrait.

"Exactly."

Xue Sui's eyes twitched slightly at the corners, and his eyelashes trembled rapidly.

Xiao Qing'er and Ping Le were close, and the two addressed each other as cousins. In terms of patriarchal seniority, Xiao Qing'er was a whole generation younger than Emperor Chongzhao!
"Has the emperor taken her as a concubine?"

"First she will be granted the title of Jieyu, then promoted to Xiuyi, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will be granted the title of Fei in a few days."

The Xiao family is a large clan with marriage alliances with the Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng and Wang families. Members of the clan hold official positions all over the country and control half of the country. On the surface, the emperor is favoring the new concubine, but in reality, he is giving the Xiao family face.

"The one on the throne is a master of balancing acts. Having eliminated many of the Xiao family's supporters and demoted Ping Le, why would he sit idly by and wait for the Crown Prince's power to grow?"

Xue Sui suddenly let out a short laugh, which did not reach his eyes.

"Shouldn't Li Zhao follow his father's example and accept Xie Weilan as a wife?"

"The Dali Temple Minister's background is not as strong as that of the Duke of Zheng's family. If she is selected to enter the Eastern Palace, she will at most become a concubine. When the two families try to consolidate their power, they will inevitably fight each other. Li Zhao may not accept this girl..."

Tian Shu observed her expression.

She showed no emotion, and suddenly dipped her brush in cold tea and began to sketch on the table.

"To move these people, we need to add another fuel to the fire... to their most painful spot."

The wind blew, and the snow on the window frame rustled softly...

Xue Sui reached out to refill Tian Shu's teacup, and as he watched the water flow into the cup, he suddenly smiled.

"What do you think of the Lantern Festival, Senior Brother?"

Tian Shu brushed his fingers across her snow-white fingertips without making a sound.

Xue Sui said, "Yesterday, Xiao Zhao insisted on going to Zhuque Street to see the lanterns, and she also said she wanted to see how tall the grass on You Zhimu's grave had grown..."

She looked at You Zhimu, who had already been crossed out in the sketchbook, and pursed her lips slightly.

"It's been exactly one year, so it's time to go and pay my respects."

Li Zhao: I think it would be more appropriate to come to the Eastern Palace to pay our respects. What do you all think?

Reader: Not so... unless you cry first?