Chapter 546 – Worldly Turmoil (Sixteen)
“An Yina continued, ‘This woman was just an ordinary village wife. The local officials, eager to please the Official Master, caused her husband’s death and sent her, pregnant, into the palace. She caught the Official Master’s favor for a time thanks to her face resembling that of the beloved concubine, but unfortunately… she overstepped and tried to compare herself to the late Wang Guifei. Haha, later, she mysteriously died. Mother and daughter vanished without a trace after she gave birth to a baby girl. But I’ve found more than just that. Does the Empress Dowager wish to hear this?’
Hui Jun, suppressing her inner turmoil, worked to maintain a calm expression.
‘This story is indeed interesting. An Yina, royal consort, please tell me. I’ve been quite bored recently, listening to this will help pass the time.’
Her reaction was exceptionally composed, without a hint of a flaw, which caused An Yina to grow even more suspicious.
‘I’ve put in quite an effort to find the palace maid who served that woman back in the day and learned some news,’ An Yina said with a sardonic tone. ‘The woman overstepped by trying to compare her favor with that of the Wang Guifei and was thus abandoned by the Official Master. He deemed her greedy and unworthy to even compare with the pure and lofty Guifei, discarding her to the slums, reducing her to prostitution.’
‘That woman became a courtesan, receiving clients day in and day out—what a pitiful sight! Her daughter followed in her footsteps, a tragic duo.’
Hui Jun trembled in her heart; she had already guessed what An Yina was getting at.
However, she understood that if she admitted to it, the consequences would be dire.
So, Hui Jun maintained a natural demeanor, dabbing her handkerchief at the tea stains on her lips, elegantly saying, ‘Indeed, it’s a story that brings tears to the eyes of listeners and sorrow to the hearts of observers. Is the royal consort here to warn me not to overestimate myself by vying for favor like the late Wang Guifei? Or to let me know my standing is solely due to this face that has garnered the Official Master’s favor? Haha, if that’s the case, I’ve understood your point.’
Although An Yina did not name names, it was evident that this story could very well be true.
Hui Jun maintained a dazzling smile, masking the devastation in her heart, deflecting An Yina’s probing inquiries with ease.
Helpless, An Yina asked pointedly, ‘Does the Empress Dowager know where that woman’s daughter ended up?’
Hui Jun replied, ‘Since she was a lowly courtesan, she must have been ground down to dust by now.’
She was guarded to a fault, and while An Yina was filled with resentment, there was no solid evidence to manipulate Hui Jun.
An Yina valued Hui Jun’s influence over the Emperor; if she could control her, the plan to overturn the entire Dongqing would be simple.
Several princes were already in fierce conflict, and outside, Changshou Wang was watching like a hawk.
If the Emperor were to suddenly die, Dongqing would plunge into utter chaos!
Once they had fought each other to a standstill, the Northern Border tribes could easily sweep southward and take Dongqing without breaking a sweat.
After An Yina left, Hui Jun sat in place for a while and consumed two secretly hidden abortion pills.
She was pregnant, but very early in her term.
As a courtesan, she had been forced to undergo several abortions, long since rendered incapable of bearing children.
However, ever since Liu Xiangjun used his ‘celestial abilities’ on her, her health had improved day by day, making her interactions with men seem more like a supplement to her femininity, repairing her already damaged reproductive organs. A few days ago, she discovered she was pregnant.
Hui Jun’s heart was hardened; she never intended to give birth to a child for the Emperor.
Now, having heard An Yina’s story, it was even less likely.
Thus, Hui Jun had a miscarriage, caused by consuming the pastries gifted by Princess An Yina, which were laced with potent abortion agents.
The Emperor learned of this news and was furious.
‘Perhaps… the royal consort fears that I may bear a qilin child, obstructing her husband’s path to success…’
She lamented, and the Emperor, used to her domineering demeanor, was unprepared for this fragile and pitiable side of her.
His heart ached even more, fueling his hatred for An Yina and the Second Prince to the core.
Hui Jun wickedly struck at the Emperor’s most sensitive nerves—he was aging, several children coveted the throne, and now he could not even tolerate the bloodline within the beloved Empress Dowager!
If that were the case, An Yina wouldn’t simply ‘die mysteriously.’
Hui Jun then added fuel to the fire, exposing the sordid affair between her and the Fourth Prince, saying, ‘The Second Prince’s consort sees me as a thorn in her side, frightened I’ll spill the beans on her illicit activities with the Fourth Prince…’
The Emperor was the quintessential case of ‘only allowing officials to set fires, but forbidding the common people to light lamps.’ He could fool around, but others could not.
That same night, An Yina mysteriously died.
The Emperor had considered the Northern Border’s reaction, but compared to maintaining his imperial dignity, that was of little consequence.
The Dongqing royal family sought to bury the news, but couldn’t withstand Changshou Wang’s manipulation from behind the scenes.
The news of An Yina’s demise quickly spread from Chenzhou.
Simultaneously, a hastily written letter sped from Changshou Wang’s military camp northward.
By the time the news reached Jiang Pengji, it was summer, the hottest season of the year.
She slightly lowered her recruitment standards and leisurely continued to enlist troops.
The female camp expanded to 5,000 strong, while the male troops numbered 15,000.
With a total of over 20,000 troops combined from both camps, they were not weak among the northern forces.
Meanwhile, she and several strategists slightly improved the previously discussed land farming method.
The land farming strategy was originally intended to deal with an excess of captives, but now there were few captives, yet the grain shortage was urgent.
After discussions, they decided to trial the first batch of land farming in Cheng’an County.
The reason was simple: Cheng’an County had vast stretches of barren land, flat and expansive terrain, and well-constructed irrigation channels. Using it as the trial site for land farming would likely yield good results. For this purpose, Jiang Pengji also brought the skilled farmer Li Yun over from Maolin County.
Thanks to the reservoirs, irrigation channels, and newly dug wells, Cheng’an County wasn’t short on water.
Li Yun rolled up his pants and took big gulps of water from a ceramic bowl, icy water helping to dissipate the heat caused by the blazing sun.
‘Today, I checked the fields, and a part of them has cracked open… Luckily, my lord has clear foresight; otherwise, I don’t know if we’d even have water to drink.’
Having spent the entire day under the scorching sun, Li Yun’s skin, which had just regained its paleness, had tanned several shades darker.
Yang Si sighed deeply, ‘Fengyi County is okay, but the other places’ common people… They’re probably having a hard time… In this world, whether the common people live well or not depends entirely on what kind of local officials they encounter…’
Jiang Pengji’s character was quite terrible, but Yang Si had to admit, with her around, the common people indeed lived a much better life.
Li Yun nodded in agreement, wearing an expression of ‘my lord is the best.’
Speaking of their lord, a slight frown crossed his face. ‘Jingrong, do you think our lord can handle those rabble rousers in Xiangyang? If this matter can’t be resolved, I fear the female camp…’
