Chapter 37: Meal

Jiang Changbai obediently sat down, but the delicacies before her were tasteless, and her mind was still disorderly. Recalling the time since they'd met again, she felt that Song Juguang's behaviours were strange. She had made this world, arduous and painstaking, and was willing to submit and give it away, even industriously defending her regime. It was as if someone had given her a command for some sort of duty, calling her to overthrow another's regime, and assist her to take the position.

Thinking to this point, she shook her head, and pushed these absurd guesses out of her mind. Just like she didn't believe others would be indifferent towards this imperial position, Jiang Changbai equally disbelieved that there were others who could, from a high place overlooking it all, arrange the imperial throne without care. More than that, if there truly was this sort of ability beneath the heavens, having arranged a less fraught position for Song Juguang wouldn't have been any sort of hardship; why would they have had her mix amongst refugees, and have her choose her as her own study companion?

But if even this could be arranged, Jiang Changbai could guess even less at what, exactly, it was that Song Juguang wanted to do.

"What is your highness doing staring at this minister so? Could it be that the food's grown to this minister's face?" Song Juguang spoke suddenly, pulling Jiang Changbai out of her pondering.

Jiang Changbai put on an affectation, swallowing a mouthful of food, and only then said, "Ah, no, I was just thinking of something."

"Oh? Does it have anything to do with this minister?"

Yet Jiang Changbai didn't lie in slightest, speaking calmly. "You're right in front of me; if you have questions, wouldn't it be better to just ask me directly? Just now I was merely thinking of Qianbing; she went alone to investigate in Boyang, and I don't know whether or not she can manage to suppress the scoundrels there."

Song Juguang, looking at her, smiled. "Bixia doesn't fear that Xie-daren, on reaching Boyang, would be drawn in by them?"

Yet Jiang Changbai was confident. "If Qianbing could be so easily led away by others, she'd have left my side long ago." In the previous emperor's time, Prince Ling's residence hadn't had much sense of presence, and so, the residence hadn't had the ample comforts of other prince's mansions. The compensation each person received, compared to other prince's residences, was much smaller, such that, sometimes, the money Xie Qianbing received in a month was even less than the second-class maids in other prince's residences received. If she truly were someone who coveted those sorts of petty gains, well, then, now it would be someone else who was sent to Boyang.

As for the great drought in Boyang, the shining white silver didn't have any sound of movement when hitting the bottom with how many common people had died of thirst and drought. Even if Lan Dexiang's memorial had been written even better, Jiang Changbai would still have been able to find some clues.

Song Juguang nodded, not speaking, yet in the eyes covered by her lashes, praise flashed. Perhaps after many years, Jiang Changbai would realise that, in this moment, what was absurd was what was closest to the truth, but at this moment, she didn't know. Seeing Song Juguang wasn't speaking, she restrained her own voice as well, merely eating quietly.

Jiang Changbai realised that, with few words, she could conceal a lot, but Song Juguang had long since guessed seventy to eighty percent of her mind. She'd truly never slept on that low couch; in the days approaching the collection of taxes, the amount of duties Jiang Changbai had to handle had increased a not insignificant amount from before. Jiang Changbai's standards for herself were exceedingly high; each day, she was only willing to eat and rest after completing all of the government affairs. Sometimes, she'd read over memorials for so long, she wouldn't even eat, sleeping in her clothes, and the next morning, she'd go directly to morning court. Song Juguang saw Jiang Changbai growing gradually thinner and thinner by the day, and without reason, a worry rose in her heart, and so just then, she'd not continued pretending to sleep, and had found a sudden reason to push her to eat.

But there were some things which could never be said. Song Juguang had always known Jiang Changbai was deeply suspicious by nature, yet she hadn't anticipated that she still wouldn't trust her after so long. Song Juguang could only smile bitterly, but this matter couldn't be changed in a day and night; regardless of anything, it could only be changed gradually some day in the future. So, the moon rose to its zenith, and the two minded themselves, not speaking.

---

Early the next morning, having just finished with morning court, Shen Yanyi knelt before the doors of the Shengru Palace. Though Jiang Changbai had anticipated she'd return, she hadn't thought she'd come this quickly, nor this bombastically. There wasn't anyone she could use, and so, even if Shen Yanyi had committed a mistake, she didn't have the intention to punish her too heavily. After all, the two could be counted as being acquainted for many years, and they had some mutual friendship.So, she candidly ordered her to stand, and eat breakfast together.

Yet Shen Yanyi didn't eat much, so even though Jiang Changbai told her to sit, she was still determined to kneel before Jiang Changbai. She was close to shedding tears as she explained that she'd been possessed and lost her ability to reason, and had envied Xie Qianbing being of great importance. Having taken Chen Xun's payment, she'd recommended her person, and had wanted to make a memorable presence before Jiang Changbai, and so hadn't told the whole story properly. She vowed once more that she hadn't known Chen Xun for long, and that the shameful deed she'd done was only this one. She said these past few days, she'd been terrified, and hadn't slept or eaten easily. Only after struggling for a great while had she come clean.

Jiang Changbai, hearing this, wanted to laugh, but her expression didn't show it. "We know this."

Shen Yanyi, hearing this, stilled, her eyes growing round, as if this sentence had given rise to stormy and raging waves in her heart. But when she raised her head, she could only see Jiang Changbai's bearing, which couldn't be any more natural. She didn't understand, and couldn't help but draw up her courage and ask, "Bixia, did you truly know from the start?"

Jiang Changbai shot her a glance, not replying, but rather, with a smile, asked in response, "What is it? Could it be that We are deceiving you?"

Shen Yanyi became aware of the impropriety in her words, and hurriedly explained. "Bixia, this minister didn't mean that."

Jiang Changbai didn't have the intent to keep teasing her, merely wanting to quickly finish eating; there was still a pile of memorials on her desk waiting for her. So, she said sternly, "We know what you meant; as long as you know you were wrong, that's good; in the future, you must not commit another offence."

Shen Yanyi was still somewhat astonished, and she hesitantly asked, "Bixia, are you not going to punish this minister?"

So, Jiang Changbai did laugh in the end. "It's common to see asking for a reward, but seeing one asking for a punishment is rarely seen. We remember that you were never this sort of person; what is it, have you changed your entire personality on receiving a payment?"

Shen Yanyi lowered her head, only speaking after remaining silent for a long time. She laid out everything from when she'd spoken with Xie Qianbing the night before, and finally added another sentence. "This minister believes, Xie-daren is loyal and devoted, and a natural disaster truly can't be countered with human ability; she truly ought not have been met with this punishment. As for rewards, this minister would have a guilty conscience accepting them."

Yet before Shen Yanyi had finished speaking, she was cut off by Jiang Changbai. Jiang Changbai's expression chilled, and she scolded, "Is it that the only intelligent person in this world is you?"

Shen Yanyi assumed Jiang Changbai was growing angry, and hearing this, hurriedly fell silent. Jiang Changbai looked at her, a greater chilliness appearing in her gaze. "When We act, We naturally have Our logic, and no matter what, it doesn't need your direction. Just now, you doubted at Our not punishing you; so We will punish you to assist He Leyong in the matter of completing the reform of the keju, and when the dianshi comes, We want to see no less than eighty percent of the women. If you do it well, there will be no reward, but if you do it badly, there will be a punishment; are you willing?"

Shen Yanyi was still kneeling, and hearing this, she hurriedly kowtowed. "This minister accepts the imperial decree."

Only at this did Jiang Changbai wave a hand. "Since you're not willing to eat, We won't force you. Having finished speaking, leave, and do what you're meant to well."

"Understood."

Only now did Shen Yanyi depart, so quickly she was almost flying, without the slightest indication of having been ill. Only at this did Jiang Changbai's mind grow at ease to eat, but in this time, the food on the table had all grown cold. She sighed, and waved a hand to summon Xun Zhu. "You'd better take them away; We've eaten our fill."

Once she finished speaking, she was about to head to the imperial study, thinking of the memorials on her desk, still waiting for her to read them. But she'd barely walked a few steps when she saw Song Juguang come in, holding an oilpaper bag in her hand. Song Juguang had yet to walk in, when her voice drifted in. She called out brightly, "Bixia, Wei Xiren brought some local specialities when returning from the Western border. She said she'd been to hurried on the trip, and these pastries lost their outer appearance, and so she didn't dare to bring them to you, but this minister thinks these cakes, whose names I can't say, are truly delicious, and so I naturally had to advocate for them, and wrapped a few up, coming into the Palace. I hope that Bixia won't disdain them."

Now, the sunlight was just right; when Song Juguang spoke, she stood by chance at the threshold, and the dazzlingly bright light burst in from behind her, making one's eyes hazy. Jiang Changbai lifted her gaze to look, and saw that it seemed as if Song Juguang's entire person was plated with a layer of light. It was as if there was a layer of something in her heart that soundlessly scattered, which not even she knew what it was.

Another half month passed.

Xie Qianbing lived up to expectations; she'd only been in Boyang a week when she found evidence of Lan Dexiang's corruption and acceptance of bribes, and transmitted it back to the capital as if by flight. Only once she'd received an imperial edict did return to the capital, dragging Lan Dexiang and his masters along, with Jiang Changbai presiding over the trial personally. Testimony and evidence were all available, and adding on the fact that Lan Dexiang wasn't an intelligent person at all, after a few helpless sentences of defence, he could only admit to guilt.

The prefectural magistrate of Boyang, who, half a month before, had been well-regarded, had, in the space of a single day, been reduced to being imprisoned, and been sentenced to beheading, his his home searched and assets seized. According to the laws of the previous regime, the men in his family ought to have been enlisted, and the women sold into brothels. But Jiang Changbai had long since issued an edict instructing all the brothels in the Great Li to be closed. As a result, the officials giving the judgements were in a hard position, and hurriedly gathered around Jiang Changbai, asking for guidance.

"Banish them all to the Western border to military posts," Jiang Changbai said, departing quickly after she finished speaking, not caring in the slightest bit about the dazed officials left on the spot. If not for knowing that the matter of the keju reform wasn't suitable to be hurried even further, Jiang Changbai would have urged He Leyong and Shen Yanyi daily to hurry the rate of progress. She was growing more and more aware not only of Emperor Tai's idiocy, and each of the ministers he'd selected were all useless wine sacks and food bags.

Having done a meritorious deed necessarily needed a reward; Xie Qianbing was restored to her former post, once more acting as her Vice Minister of Appointments. However, after this matter, those who liked to gossip behind her back and say she had no achievements to her name, and only had a high position because her relationship with Jiang Changbai was good, no longer made a sound. Not only that, but seeing her, they were even somewhat fearful; after all, none of them were so clean, and they feared Xie Qianbing finding information to be used against them, and bring it before Jiang Changbai.

In the end, the capital was the the most flourishing region in the Great Li, and the dealings with merchants were plentiful. So, the matter of Lan Dexiang's beheading spread widely in the Great Li with barely a month's time, and for a moment, all the prefectural magistrates' people naturally were in danger, and they all feared they themselves would walk Lan Dexiang's path.

The days passed in bustling business; the date of tax collection drew closer and closer. However, Luyuan not only hadn't sent a memorial about its taxes for this season, they hadn't even paid the taxes they owed for the previous season. The people Wu Dongmu had sent to Luyuan hadn't returned, and Lin Yingqing had had no alternative but to send more people to urge them.

Yet the people sent to Luyuan had hurriedly gone and come back, and when they came back, what they reported caused one's spine to chill. Having heard it, Lin Yingqing didn't dare delay in the slightest, and having received the news, hurriedly dragged the messenger into the Palace, and had her repeat everything she'd seen and heard to Jiang Changbai.

Jiang Changbai, hearing this, was equally alarmed, and her hands unconsciously clenched, the shaft of her brush snapping. She rose grimly, and asked one word at a time, "You're saying, Luyang's Prefectural Magistrate wants to revolt?"

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