Chapter 064: The Empress’s Letter

Chapter 064: The Empress's Letter

Yao Su gave Lin Yingxue one last deep look before leaving.

Lin Yingxue felt a bit nervous from the gaze. Last time at Princess Mingrui’s flower appreciation banquet, she had almost been lost in thought. Could it be that she had offended Miss Yao somehow?

When Lady Wu was alone with Lin Yingxue, she held her hand and said, "Miss Yao came for you. She looked at you in the end because she wants you to pay more attention to her sister’s case."

Lin Yingxue replied, "As far as I know, the Jinyiwei have been working hard to find Miss Yao’s younger sister. Commander Qin went to Tianjin and Jinling for this matter too."

Lady Wu added, "Last time when the young master of Yongning Marquis’s residence went missing, the entire capital city was in an uproar. Even the Jinyiwei who were on leave went to Baifeng Temple unless they were bedridden. Miss Yao probably wants you to make the Jinyiwei take it more seriously."

Lin Yingxue thought, how could it be the same? Yan Ji might be the Emperor’s child, and Fu Bin personally ordered the search. The Jinyiwei focused solely on this task, which is why it seemed so grand.

For Miss Yao’s case, the Jinyiwei are not entirely indifferent; they just treat it as a regular matter while focusing on other imperial orders.

Lady Wu, whose husband was the Minister of Revenue, knew the intricacies of court politics. She sighed and said, "The Jinyiwei’s actions are beyond your control. At most, if you know which units are searching for Miss Yao’s sister, you can ask them to be more diligent."

The wife of the Vice Minister of Revenue, Lady Ouyang, said, "Lady Lin, don’t worry too much about this. If you don’t want to do it, it’s fine. Anyway, Miss Yao’s marriage to the Third Prince is likely off."

This comment made everyone look at Lady Ouyang.

Lin Yingxue couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t the imperial decree already issued? How can Miss Yao become the Third Prince’s consort?"

"Grand Tutor Yao never liked his eldest daughter much. Before the stepmother entered the household, Miss Yao kept all the shops her mother left to her sisters. Although she managed them well, Grand Tutor Yao was displeased, thinking she was too ambitious for a woman."

"Grand Tutor Yao’s late wife bore him three daughters. Miss Yao’s youngest sister, who is frail, has the closest relationship with her. Miss Yao always cared for her younger sister, while the second sister sided with the stepmother. After the youngest sister went missing, it was rumored that the Jinyiwei found a clue suggesting she might have been sold to a brothel. To avoid disgracing the family, Grand Tutor Yao considered removing her from the family register."

"Miss Yao refused, saying if her sister was removed, she would be removed too. The stepmother then suggested that if Miss Yao wanted to be removed, the second sister could marry the Third Prince instead. The second sister tried to persuade her elder sister to accept the situation."

These three sisters were born to the same mother. How could the second sister agree to let her sister be removed from the family?

"Now it seems Miss Yao chose her sister over marrying the Third Prince. Grand Tutor Yao might petition to change the engagement to the second sister."

All the women present sympathized with Miss Yao’s youngest sister, feeling sorry for her plight.

The snow appreciation banquet ended with discussions about the three Miss Yaos, and everyone boarded their carriages.

Lin Yingxue didn’t expect the carriage to stop just outside the city gates.

She wondered if the carriage had broken down when she saw Fu Jiaze riding a tall horse.

He wore a fiery red fox fur coat and a furry hat, holding a whip, smiling at her.

Lin Yingxue smiled back, her eyes bending.

Dismounting, he handed the reins to the coachman and climbed into the carriage.

Due to the warm charcoal fire, Fu Jiaze’s face turned red almost instantly.

Lin Yingxue quickly removed his hat.

His hair was slightly disheveled from the hat, and she gently combed it with her fingers. Fu Jiaze had already taken off his fur coat.

Feiyuan took it and held it close.

"Why did you come?" Lin Yingxue asked, looking up at him.

"I was worried you wouldn’t be comfortable at the snow appreciation banquet," Fu Jiaze said. "I couldn’t focus on my studies at the Imperial Academy, so I came to pick you up."

Her heart warmed, and she pushed him lightly, "What’s there to be uncomfortable about? It was actually quite nice. As you said, it was more like an introduction to me by Lady Wu, and I just needed to be gracious."

"I believe my wife is always graceful."

Compared to Princess Mingrui’s flower appreciation banquet, where the girls talked mostly about trivial matters and makeup, today’s snow appreciation banquet was more comfortable, discussing political affairs rather than petty rivalries.

Fu Jiaze glanced at Feiyuan in the carriage and pinched her cheek playfully.

Lin Yingxue gently slapped his hand away.

Feiyuan wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. She tried to make herself less noticeable, breathing softly.

Fu Jiaze asked Lin Yingxue to tell him more about the banquet.

Back home, the couple met Qin Yuanting.

/

Fu Wanan was clinging to Qin Yuanting’s arm, laughing happily. For some reason, the couple sensed a hint of exasperation in Qin Yuanting’s expression.

Fu Bin frowned at the sight of Qin Yuanting and his niece.

Seeing his godfather’s expression, Qin Yuanting resolutely pulled his arm away.

For the rest of the time, no matter what Fu Wanan did, Qin Yuanting remained distant. He had previously been distant from Fu Jiaze and Lin Yingxue, but now he mentioned that he no longer needed to search for Miss Yao’s sister, as his mission was officially over.

"Are there still other Jinyiwei searching for Miss Yao’s sister?"

Qin Yuanting shook his head, "No further investigation."

Lin Yingxue couldn’t help but think of Miss Yao’s appearance at the banquet. She had little appetite during dinner, preoccupied with thoughts of Miss Yao.

Back in their room, Fu Jiaze asked why, and Lin Yingxue explained Miss Yao’s visit.

Sighing, she said, "Now I understand why she came to the banquet. She knew the Jinyiwei wouldn’t continue searching for her sister, so she wanted to try everything possible to find her."

Speaking of which, Emperor Chengde was often criticized for his indulgence in women. As a prince, he frequented brothels before his marriage. After marrying, the current empress, then the prince’s consort, disapproved of such behavior.

At that time, Emperor Chengde indeed visited less frequently, but he wrote some poems praising the virtue of courtesans.

From this incident, one could see the emperor's attitude towards courtesans. As the saying goes, "the fish rots from the head down." After Emperor Chengde ascended the throne, brothels proliferated rapidly. Where did these women in the brothels come from? Just the daughters of disgraced officials and poor families selling their daughters would not be enough. Naturally, there were many more kidnappers who sold girls into these filthy places.

According to what Fu Jiaze found in the Imperial Academy, during Emperor Chengde's reign of over a decade, the number of brothels in the capital city had increased tenfold compared to the past. Behind this, one can imagine the countless tragedies committed by kidnappers.

Seeing Fu Jiaze lost in thought, Lin Yingxue nudged him gently, "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about the 'fish rots from the head down' phenomenon." Fu Jiaze briefly recounted Emperor Chengde's youthful indiscretions and their significant impact, "To speak of it, the Empress is strongly against human trafficking and even had the Minister of Justice revise the law code."

"But isn't it said that the imperial harem should not interfere in politics?" Lin Yingxue was puzzled, "How did the Empress manage to do it?"

A faint smile appeared in Fu Jiaze's eyes, "Just like today's snow appreciation banquet, as a woman of the inner quarters, she can participate indirectly without directly involving herself in state affairs. Besides, even if there are such rules, they are made by people. The Empress has a capable younger brother, and since she has no children, she can still exert some influence on punishing kidnappers."

When Fu Jiaze met the Empress before, they were not yet married, so Lin Yingxue did not ask much. Now, she inquired, "What kind of person is Her Majesty the Empress?"

Fu Jiaze fell into a reverie. For some reason, the scene of meeting the Empress remained vivid in his mind. Before he started reading, he could always hear her soft voice saying, "Study hard in the future."

Thinking of Jian Yunyao, Fu Jiaze's expression softened with a gentle smile as he spoke to his new wife about the Empress: "She was looking at a painting when I arrived. It was her uncle who reminded her of my presence. I quickly glanced up and then bowed my head. She asked me to look up again."

When Fu Jiaze raised his head to meet the Empress Jian Yunyao's gaze, he felt an indescribable warmth. His first impression was that this Empress, who lived deep within the palace, was approachable.

And Fu Jiaze believed his intuition was correct; the Empress was indeed approachable and gave him a chance to prove himself.

"The Empress must have other facets," Fu Jiaze said with a smile, "But what I experienced was her kindness. Perhaps because she read a lot, she especially sympathizes with scholars."

/

In the Imperial Palace, the Empress was reclining on a couch, while a palace maid named Pearl was massaging her head.

Today, Emperor Chengde issued an edict, "I will elevate Lady to Concubine Chen. My decision is final, and my ministers need not persuade me otherwise."

The court was in chaos, and soon the harem followed suit. This was Concubine Chen, after all—a married woman winning the Emperor's heart. They couldn't understand and didn't know the true identity of Yan Ji, so they came to the Empress for information.

Luanfeng Palace had never been so lively, with the noise giving Jian Yunyao a headache.

She could handle a few visitors, but dealing with dozens or more was overwhelming. Knowing Emperor Chengde's lustful nature and the crowded harem, the Empress simply said, "Tomorrow, Concubine Chen will also come to pay respects. You can meet her then."

Since the concubines didn't arrive all at once, the Empress had to repeat these words repeatedly until everyone left, leaving her ears ringing.

Pearl knew the Empress was exhausted and applied great strength to massage her, helping to ease her discomfort.

The doors of Luanfeng Palace were suddenly pushed open, and Jian Yunyao received a letter. The border was relatively peaceful this year, and Jian Liqiu had already sent a report to the Emperor, stating he would return for the winter festival and was now approaching the capital city.

Passing through the old family residence, the elderly patriarch and matriarch, who missed their eldest daughter, planned to enter the capital directly.

Jian Yunyao, who had been lying casually, suddenly sat up, startling Pearl, who saw strands of hair in her hand.

Jian Yunyao smiled and waved her hand, "It's fine; I don't feel any pain."

Without bothering to comb her hair, she decided to read the letter carefully, followed by another letter from her parents.