Chapter 63 Dreamscape

Chapter 63: The Dream

The Imperial Guards, who only obey the emperor, naturally felt no pity for anyone else.

Chang Ying was thus dragged from the nearby grove and dumped on the ground before the sacrificial rite.

Beneath the gaze of the assembled crowd, she no longer dared to lift her head, cowering beside Chang Wenji.

She gently tugged at the hem of Chang Wenji's robe and pleaded softly, "Papa, it... it wasn't me."

However, at this moment, Chang Wenji was no longer so quick to believe her.

"Why are you here?"

Chang Wenji's face appeared calm, but inwardly, his heart was already churning like a stormy sea.

His obedient daughter should have been in the tent packing her things, not hiding in such a disheveled state in the nearby grove just before departure.

Chang Ying blurted out in her defense, "I... I was... someone called me here! I didn't come on my own!"

"Who called you here?"

Chang Wenji pressed again, but Chang Ying dared not answer.

She didn't know who had called her; after all, the note bore no signature. She only had that note to prove she hadn't come without reason.

Yet, the content of that note also confirmed she had done something wrong.

She couldn't hand over that note.

"Papa, I..."

Chang Ying's gaze shifted evasively; she could no longer utter a word.

At that moment, Qi Xia, who had been kneeling at the front, suddenly approached and threw herself before Chang Ying.

"Young lady, heaven sees all. Those who do wrong will be punished." Her voice choked with sobs as she pointed at the two extinguished candles on the altar, redirecting everyone's gaze, seemingly reminding them once more, "The gods are watching."

At the sight of the utterly dead candles, Chang Ying's face immediately changed color.

As an unmarried young woman who had grown up in comfort, she had rarely even seen the daily necessities that ordinary people faced, let alone affairs of spirits and deities.

Moreover, this was during the Spring Inspection, making it even more significant.

She was afraid, truly afraid.

She feared that her actions had truly disrupted everything, that the gods and spirits would indeed punish her and bring calamity upon the Great Jing Dynasty.

If that happened, she would become a sinner of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Chang Ying trembled all over, too frightened to speak a complete sentence, only managing to stammer out a few disjointed words.

"Jiang Wang... hate him... in the mountains... the gods..."

Although Chang Ying's words were incomplete and not even coherent, combined with what Qi Xia had just said and Chang Ying's current panicked expression and actions, everyone present understood her meaning.

She was indeed the mastermind behind Jiang Wang's disappearance case; it was she who had instructed that girl to lead Jiang Wang into the mountains and leave him to fend for himself.

The "instigator" had been found, and the truth was finally revealed.

At this moment, everyone's gaze shifted back to Jiang Wang, as he was the sole victim.

"Minister Jiang, do you have anything to say?"

Xiao Yan also looked over, and the meaning behind his words was clear: how he wished her to be dealt with.

Jiang Wang, however, simply cupped his hands in a salute, bowed, and replied, "Your subject is of lowly status and humble opinion; I defer entirely to Your Majesty's judgment."

Jiang Wang appeared magnanimous and broad-minded, the very picture of a gentleman who would not stoop to bickering with Chang Ying.

Yet, as he bowed, hidden by the gesture of his cupped hands, he gave Xiao Yan a surreptitious look.

Xiao Yan understood.

He cleared his throat twice to conceal the smile on his face, then deliberately adopted a serious tone and said, "In that case, I shall decide."

"Chang Ying has acted improperly, betraying the royal favor bestowed upon her. She is hereby stripped of her title of Commandery Princess and confined to reflect on her mistakes for half a year. Her father, Chancellor Chang, has failed in his duty to educate his daughter and has failed the sacred trust. He is fined one year's salary as a light punishment."

As soon as these words were spoken, a hushed silence fell over everyone.

No one dared to speak, but their eyes darted back and forth between Xiao Yan and Jiang Wang.

First, they were shocked at whether the emperor's punishment was too severe this time. Second, they pondered whether the emperor's harshness was because of Jiang Wang.

After all, Jiang Wang's reputation as the "Favorite Minister" had long been circulating. Even though Jiang Wang vehemently denied it, it now seemed to be quietly solidifying.

However, Jiang Wang once again acted in a way that defied everyone's expectations.

He neither denied Xiao Yan's words nor agreed with the punishment. Instead, he knelt down and pleaded for leniency for Chang Ying.

"Your Majesty, I believe this punishment is too severe and could be appropriately reduced." Jiang Wang's tone was sincere. "I presume Miss Chang has already realized her mistake. As for the punishment of Chancellor Chang, I hope Your Majesty may reconsider and revoke the decree."

"Are you certain, Minister Jiang?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, I am certain."

"Very well, then let it be done as Minister Jiang suggests."

Jiang Wang's action was entirely motivated by his own agenda.

He also wanted to punish the Chang family severely, but now was not yet the time.

The Chang family's roots ran deep. Even if Chang Ying's intentions were impure, it was Chang Ying's mistake, and its connection to Chang Wenji was actually quite limited. Punishing Chang Wenji along with her would only scratch the surface without touching the root.

Since that was the case, it was better not to punish him at all. Pushing Chang Wenji too hard might force him into a corner, putting them in a more passive position.

From the moment he secretly signaled Xiao Yan with his glance, the two of them were already performing their roles.

Xiao Yan's severe punishment was deliberate.

And Jiang Wang could seize this opportunity to plead for mercy, thereby demonstrating his "loyalty" to Chang Wenji.

Although the previous incident with the calming incense couldn't be pinned on Jiang Wang, it ultimately wasn't handled perfectly. He didn't know if Chang Wenji harbored any resentment toward him.

By pleading for mercy this time, he aimed to elevate his standing in Chang Wenji's eyes, gain greater trust, and continue his undercover work later.

Sure enough, Chang Wenji's regard for Jiang Wang shifted.

From the previous indifference, it now held a hint of appreciation.

Jiang Wang, as if having reached some kind of understanding, gave a silent nod to Chang Wenji.

Just like when Jiang Wang first toasted Chang Wenji at the banquet, and Chang Wenji said, "A talented young man with a promising future," now, by pleading for Chang Wenji, it felt like a reciprocal gesture echoing across time.

In such a grim situation, Jiang Wang's plea felt like a clear spring soothing his restless heart.

Once the farce was over, Chang Wenji took the lead in leaving with Chang Ying, and the sacrificial ceremony proceeded.

This time, the candles on the altar were successfully lit and remained burning until the ceremony ended.

The remaining ministers breathed a sigh of relief, reassured that the gods of heaven and earth would not punish them.

*

On the carriage ride back to the capital, Jiang Wang and Xiao Yan were once again sharing a carriage, but this time, Xiao Hei joined them.

The little dog was incredibly clingy to Jiang Wang, whining endlessly if he couldn't see him for even a moment.

Jiang Wang had no choice but to keep the dog with him for now, to see if he could find a way later to cure the puppy's separation anxiety.

However, Xiao Yan wasn't exactly thrilled.

As the emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty, he now had to share his carriage with a dog?

"Minister Jiang?"

"Yes?" Jiang Wang looked up, but his hand continued stroking the dog's chin. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

"Minister Jiang, are you perhaps paying too much attention to this dog?"

Xiao Yan's gaze dropped downward. It was unclear whether he was looking at the dog in Jiang Wang's arms or at Jiang Wang's hand, which kept petting it.

"But Your Majesty, you know I was separated from my mother young..."

Picking up on the note of complaint in Xiao Yan's tone, Jiang Wang lifted the dog, hiding his face behind it and playing cute.

"Your Majesty, I'm so pitiful..."

Jiang Wang said in a pitiful voice, as if he were the little dog himself.

Sure enough, Xiao Yan smiled.

Though his expression remained serious, the corners of his mouth twitched upward despite himself.

"Fine, let it stay."

"Excellent! Then your subject thanks Your Majesty on Xiao Hei's behalf!"

Due to the earlier "commotion," they had set out two hours later than planned.

It was now afternoon, and a heavy drowsiness set in. Jiang Wang kept nodding off, struggling to stay awake.

Finally, he could no longer resist the fatigue and slid down slowly against the back of the carriage, resting his head on Xiao Yan's lap.

He felt both warmth and weight. Xiao Yan looked at Jiang Wang's serene sleeping face, quietly removed the little dog also sleeping in his arms, and gently covered Jiang Wang with a thin blanket.

Xiao Yan whispered softly, "Sleep."

The carriage swayed, and Jiang Wang drifted in and out of sleep.

His rest was uneasy.

Perhaps the past few days of the spring inspection tour had been too exhausting, or maybe his solo venture into the mountains, though he was eventually found, had left him somewhat shaken. Now, in a moment of calm, he fell swiftly into dreams.

In the dream, there were many people.

His loving mother, his disapproving father, his willful younger brother, and the unreliable friends he had made before.

Suddenly, the world turned upside down, and the surroundings changed, everything turning sci-fi.

Walls so high they seemed endless were covered with countless monitors, each playing a different scene.

Gradually, some monitors went dark but quickly lit up again, though the protagonist on the screen had changed.

Others went dark and never restarted.

Jiang Wang searched here, trying to spot himself.

He looked at one after another but found nothing.

If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the Transmigration Administration that the system often mentioned?

Each small screen represented the environment of a transmigrator. Screens that went dark and lit up again might indicate that the transmigrator had moved from one world to another?

And those screens that permanently went dark—did that mean...

The transmigrator was permanently trapped in that world? Or had the transmigrator died? Had their mission failed?

At that moment, Jiang Wang's scalp went numb.

The thought of mission failure had never crossed his mind; he only wanted to complete his task and find out who had hit him.

Was the system hiding something from him?

He called out to 001, but perhaps because he was in a dream, 001 did not respond.

Anxious, Jiang Wang desperately wanted to find the monitor that represented him.

But the more he hurried, the harder it was to find.

He quickened his pace, climbing the central spiral staircase faster and higher.

Just as he neared the top, another turn would reveal countless monitors hidden in the mist.

Panting heavily, Jiang Wang dragged his weary steps upward, even as his strength waned.

Suddenly, the surrounding walls shattered, and countless monitors drifted away like cosmic debris.

The staircase beneath his feet began to crumble.

With nothing to stand on, Jiang Wang plummeted downward.

He struggled, cried out, trying to grab onto something.

Finally, amid gentle calls, he opened his eyes, his heart still pounding with fear.

The carriage had already stopped at the palace gate at some point.

And he was still tightly gripping Xiao Yan's hand.

Xiao Yan looked intently into Jiang Wang's eyes.

"Minister Jiang, what is this 'Management Bureau'?"

Jiang Wang's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no!

He was talking in his sleep!

Author's note:

Oh no, is Jiang Wang about to blow his cover?