Chapter 0143: Exploiting the Situation

Chapter 0143: Exploiting the Situation

The news of the rebellion in New Peace and the return of the Northern Pacification Army, led by the barbarians, to Yiyang reached the imperial court together.

The military report was delivered directly into the palace, bypassing any intermediaries, and landed in the hands of Sun Shannu.

This vigorous and beautiful Empress Dowager sat in the seat that Sun Renluan usually occupied. In the past two days, she had a curtain hung in this not-so-large study, signaling her intention to rule from behind the scenes. However, so far, she had not yet stepped into the council meetings.

Because Yang Zangyi refused to comply, when he heard about Sun Renluan's incident, Sun Shannu had already acted preemptively out of excitement, using the Sun family's token to force those originally loyal to Sun Renluan to obey her. Some did not trust Sun Shannu, but others felt that since the Imperial Uncle was in trouble, their best hope now could only be the Empress Dowager.

What broke this hesitation was the appearance of Sun Shannu with the young emperor after dusk.

The young emperor clung tightly to Sun Shannu, eyeing them warily. The faces of these trusted members of the Sun family changed repeatedly, and in the end, they had no choice but to bow their heads to Sun Shannu as she wished.

By the time Yang Zangyi found out, Sun Renluan was already under tight protection in his bedroom. Sun Shannu, disregarding the rules of propriety between men and women, moved in herself, while the young emperor remained in his original quarters, guarded by twice as many people.

It was somewhat strange because Sun Renluan preferred simplicity, which is why he lived in such a small palace room. This place was only about one-fourth the size of the Empress Dowager's quarters. Even though she could have set up her office in her own quarters, Sun Shannu insisted on moving in, using Sun Renluan's study and sitting in his seat.

Yang Zangyi could not stand by and watch Sun Shannu take over Sun Renluan's position. He brought people to pressure her to step down and hand over the supposedly unconscious Sun Renluan. But he never expected that Sun Shannu, whom he thought had no intelligence, actually had an ambitious side. She made the Sun family confront these people and threatened them, saying that if they dared to step inside, they would all be traitors.

What puzzled Yang Zangyi the most was Sun Shannu's intense hatred for him. Among everyone, she despised Yang Zangyi the most. After gaining the upper hand, she made Yang Zangyi kneel before her and sent her personal attendants to strip off his heavy outer robe, leaving him in a single layer of clothing.

Yang Zangyi: "…"

He was naturally humiliated, but more perplexed by why Sun Shannu seemed intent on revenge against him.

The next day, he understood when he saw someone new by Sun Shannu's side, the spy he had carefully trained, Tan'er.

Yang Zangyi: "…………"

Tan'er had been captured by Sun Renluan before, and no one knew where he was detained. At that time, Yang Zangyi was too preoccupied to save him. Honestly, after so long, Yang Zangyi thought he must be dead. But he didn't know that Sun Shannu had pleaded with Sun Renluan not to kill Tan'er, and Sun Renluan, knowing his sister's temper, hid him away instead.

He never imagined he would fall ill and lose consciousness. This time, Sun Shannu was clever enough not to immediately seek out Tan'er. Instead, she first seized power and stabilized the situation before rescuing the person she cherished.

Tan'er was not like Xi Zhu, who had been trained from childhood. He was bought by Yang Zangyi in his teens and trained for only two years. After being imprisoned and tormented for nearly half a year, he no longer had much loyalty left for Yang Zangyi. Now, he was almost deranged, determined to repay the humiliations he had endured.

Together, one love-struck and the other deranged, Sun Shannu pampered Tan'er, showering him with everything good. Tan'er tested Sun Shannu's limits and found that she truly allowed him free rein, making him even more arrogant.……

When Sun Renluan was around, few appreciated him. Now that he was suddenly gone, everyone realized how indispensable he was to the court. Sun Shannu raided the treasury to dress her lover like a prince on an outing. Yang Zangyi discovered that he had been betrayed by Tan'er, which infuriated him even more. After two conflicts, he began plotting to force Sun Shannu to step down.

But this was not the right time for internal strife. The granary had a major problem, yet no one bothered to address it. While everyone in the palace was busy fighting for power, a shrill scream echoed through Jinling.

"The granary is empty! The granary is empty!"

"The court has no grain either, hahaha, we're all going to die!"……

No one knew who shouted this, but the cry spread like wildfire. From top to bottom, everyone in Jinling was stunned.

Among them, perhaps the most shocked was Yang Zangyi, who had no idea about the granary issue.

How absurd… As Chancellor, he should have known about such a significant problem. This realization made him understand why Sun Renluan suddenly fell ill. It must have been the shock of receiving this news that caused him to remain unconscious.

After the initial shock came overwhelming anger.

If he didn't know, then what about Sun Shannu? What about the Sun family supporters? Did they know and do nothing?!

Yang Zangyi was thoroughly enraged. He stormed into the palace to confront Sun Shannu, and her evasive answers confirmed her knowledge of the matter.

In fact, it wasn't just that she knew; she was also one of the culprits behind the scenes.……

She didn't plan the theft of the grain, but she did participate. A few years ago, when Jinling was still safe, someone approached her with a large amount of gold and jewels. Even though she came from the Sun family, she was amazed by the wealth of this person. They promised to continue offering treasures if she issued an edict to facilitate certain transactions.

Even if she didn't understand at first, she eventually realized what these people were doing. In recent days, she had been quiet not because Sun Renluan confined her, but because of the impending war. She was nervous, afraid, and worried about Sun Renluan's wrath. Despite her involvement in selling the grain, she only feared Sun Renluan's anger, showing how privileged her life had been as Empress Dowager.

Thus, even if not for Tan'er, she needed to seize power while Sun Renluan was ill.

In the past few days, she hadn't been idle. She sent people to find the families involved in the grain sales, but once sold, the grain was gone. Even if some kept part of it, they wouldn't use it to fill the gap. Moreover, the Empress Dowager was complicit with them, so she couldn't threaten them effectively.

Sun Shannu: "……"

Now she understood Sun Renluan's frustration. Even though he got angry, the families would still make some effort to resolve the issue. But when Sun Shannu got angry, no one cared.

Jinling was now in chaos. Sun Shannu led the Sun family, Yang Zangyi led some officials, the families either banded together or feigned ignorance, and the military grew restless due to the lack of grain.

He Fu, deep within the palace, should have known nothing. But his eunuchs and maids received the news and became visibly anxious. As a puppet emperor, He Fu felt even more insignificant now that Sun Renluan was ill.

He overheard the maids talking about the grain shortage, which made him panic even more. Being just a child, he needed protection to survive. If those supposed protectors abandoned him, he would be left with no way out.

Instinctively, he wanted to find Sun Shannu, but she no longer lived there. As an emperor, he tried to leave the courtyard but was forced back by guards with spears. Sun Shannu said keeping him here was for his protection, just like protecting the unconscious uncle. He Fu, though skeptical, believed his mother's words.

But at this moment, seeing the guards' menacing looks, he suddenly wished the one confining him was his uncle rather than his mother.

At least when his uncle was around, he wouldn't feel like a prisoner.

But his mother told him that his uncle was severely ill and might never wake up again.

He Fu wanted to cry but didn't dare to do so in front of the guards. He knew that if he shed a tear, it would be reported to the Empress Dowager, who would come angrily and demand that he behave better, reminding him of her efforts to control the court and protect them both.

Both Sun Shannu and Sun Renluan used He Fu similarly, but Sun Shannu, relying on her status as his mother, neglected the surface formalities. She didn't realize that her son was quite perceptive and always wanted to test others' sincerity personally.

Unable to leave, he told the guards he wanted to see the Empress Dowager. He repeated this several times, but Sun Shannu didn't appear. Knowing his mother's temperament, he waited until he thought she would finally come, then rushed back to his bed, pretending to be asleep.

Sun Shannu entered impatiently and learned that the young emperor was already asleep. She was about to get angry, but Tan'er, who accompanied her, looked at the still-bright sky and worried, "Is the Emperor sick?"

Hearing this, Sun Shannu's expression changed. He Fu was her greatest support, and he couldn't afford to be ill.

Having practiced feigning sleep for years, He Fu could deceive even Sun Renluan, let alone Sun Shannu. She touched his head and frowned, "He doesn't seem to have a fever."

Tan’er: "That’s good. At this critical moment, His Majesty can’t fall ill again."

Sun Shannu: "Today, Yang Zangyi was being aggressive again. If the crown prince falls ill, he’ll have even more reason to cause trouble for me!"

Tan’er: "That old man is best at making a fuss over nothing. In my opinion, you should just bite the bullet and announce the Grand Marshal’s death, so he can no longer use him to threaten you."

Sun Shannu was taken aback and then began to hesitate.

Author's note: