Denghuangtai

"We've found the person who instructed the military advisor to betray military intelligence."

Pei Qingyan sat bolt upright in her sickbed, but the sudden movement made her dizzy. She braced herself against the edge of the bed and asked, "Who is it?!"

Yuan Man carefully supported her from the side and uttered a few words, "In the palace, Empress Dowager Yun."

The candlelight flickered, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

Pei Qingyan seemed lost in thought, and after a long while, he whispered, "It really is her?"

When the clues pointed to Chang'an, she suspected Empress Dowager Yun, but then she thought that even if Empress Dowager Yun was blinded by hatred, she would not abandon the greater good of the country and hand over the Great Zhao Kingdom to foreign enemies.

Even if Empress Dowager Yun had truly lost her mind, the late emperor was still alive at the time. How could he possibly give Empress Dowager Yun an opportunity to secretly infiltrate the Xiongnu into Dazhao and have them ambush at Yixiantian?

unless……

Pei Qingyan had a sudden inspiration, "Immediately find a way to investigate the late emperor's health condition before his death, and whether Empress Dowager Yun had already begun to take over government affairs in the past year. Investigate carefully."

"Does Your Excellency perceive a problem with this?"

Pei Qingyan nodded, "Although the late emperor advocated Confucianism, his methods of governing the country, such as increasing laws, heavily relying on cruel officials, and dividing the powers of the prime minister, all demonstrate Legalist methods."

"I understand what you mean, Your Excellency." Yuan Man understood immediately. "You think that the late emperor had an extremely strong desire to control power. If the late emperor were in good health, Empress Dowager Yun would not have had the opportunity to access military secrets."

Pei Qingyan clapped his hands. "Yes."

"However, my lord," Yuan Man changed the subject, clutching his chest as if wounded, and said weakly, "my lord, people work so hard to find this information, and instead of rewarding me, you question me. This is too hurtful."

As he spoke, he actually raised his hand and pretended to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his manner affected and pretentious. Pei Qingyan was taken aback at first, then choked on his own saliva and coughed while leaning on the edge of the bed.

"God."

Yuan Man gasped softly, turned around and went to the tea table in the main room to pour a cup of tea. She then helped Pei Qingyan and watched her drink it little by little.

"My lord, you mustn't get too agitated. I was just trying to amuse you because you're sick and bored. If this causes you to lose your energy and health, those people in the north will tear me apart when we get back."

Pei Qingyan continued, saying that she had drunk tea, which suppressed her cough, but this time, she started to feel dizzy again. She leaned on Yuan Man for a while before she could barely recover.

"It's not that I don't trust you." Pei Qingyan sat up straight and pulled Yuan Man to his side. "But, these kinds of things should be investigated thoroughly. We can't just see things are suspicious and still insist on going our own way. What if we let the real person who betrayed the military intelligence slip through our fingers? Wouldn't that leave behind a future disaster?"

"Alright, I'll go check it out right away." Yuan Man was completely convinced by the persuasion. "Take good care of yourself and I'll come find you when I have news."

After saying that, he walked outside, but after a few steps, he turned back.

"Actually, there is another possibility. Although Empress Dowager Yun cannot access military secrets, Yun Zheng may. Three months ago, although he did not become Grand Minister of Works, he had already been appointed as the Imperial Physician and a close advisor to the late emperor. If he revealed it to Empress Dowager Yun, or even if he was the mastermind behind the betrayal of military intelligence..."

Yuan Man paused, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at Pei Qingyan. "I only learned this morning that you and that Grand Minister of Works were old acquaintances." He only revealed half of what he was saying. In fact, he had found out that many years ago, Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng often went out together since childhood. There was an unspoken agreement in the palace that they would create a beautiful story once they came of age.

However, Yun Zheng's father, Yun Heng, was later executed by the Grand General, and the feud between the Pei and Yun clans was resolved. The past between the two was also secretly ordered by Empress Dowager Yun to be deliberately erased.

It wasn't until yesterday, when Yuan Man witnessed the subtle tension between Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng, that she became suspicious. She went back and consulted several palace servants who had served her for many years in Weiyang Palace, and only then did she uncover this long-ago incident.

This resolved Yuan Man's long-standing confusion.

"My lord, if my guess is true, do you have a solution?" Yuan Man asked cautiously. Over the years, he had followed Pei Qingyan and often saw Pei Qingyan gazing absently in the southwest direction, his eyes filled with melancholy and sadness.

He often saw that look in his mother's eyes when he was young. His mother longed for her husband who rarely returned home.

Later, as he wandered the world, he saw similar looks in the eyes of different women. These women all had one thing in common—they had all suffered heartbreak.

Therefore, when he saw Pei Qingyan like that, he knew that Pei Qingyan had always kept someone in his heart.

Now the mystery has been solved; that person is none other than the infamous Grand Minister of Works, Yun Zheng.

If Yun Zheng is the mastermind behind everything, can Pei Qingyan be so ruthless?

"National and personal vendettas cannot be tolerated by personal favoritism." Pei Qingyan's tone was resolute, answering Yuan Man's question decisively. "Now that you have a direction, go and investigate. As long as the evidence is conclusive..."

Pei Qingyan suddenly changed his tone, a chilling killing intent emanating from him, "Whoever it is, kill them without mercy!"

Yuan Man felt reassured by her words, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Pei Qingyan, and then turned and left.

Inside the room, only Pei Qingyan remained.

She leaned against the headboard, watching her foot step on the candlestick that Yuan Man had forgotten to put back in its place. The flickering candlelight stirred up her chaotic thoughts.

"Yun Zheng," Pei Qingyan thought to himself, "could you be the mastermind behind this?"

"My lord."

Inside the study, Yun Zheng leaned against the desk, flipping through a chess manual.

Outside the door, someone gently knocked.

Yun Zheng turned a page. "Go in."

The door was pushed open, and the chief secretary stepped in.

"A report came from Hanxu Academy that the two men from yesterday came looking for General Pei again."

After the chief clerk finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited meekly to the side, awaiting Yun Zheng's instructions.

Inside the room, all was quiet until Yun Zheng's voice finally came after a long while.

"Let them go. Also, tell the guards to be smarter and know what to say and what not to say. If the matter of Xuandu Temple gets out..." Yun Zheng raised his eyes and suddenly laughed.

The chief clerk felt a chill run down his spine, only to hear Yun Zheng continue, "You will bear the consequences."

The four words, seemingly light and airy, weighed down like a thin layer of snow at dusk, instantly freezing the temperature inside the room, making it hard to breathe.

The chief clerk took his leave with trepidation, relaying Yun Zheng's message verbatim.

Originally, due to the unexpected events that occurred for two consecutive days, the captain in charge of guarding Pei Qingyan had planned to go to the palace early the next morning to report the matter to Empress Dowager Yun, but after being warned by Yun Zheng, he immediately gave up the idea.

Whether the words "bear the consequences" are threatening depends on who utters them. If it were an ordinary official, as a captain of the Imperial Guard, he would never take it seriously. But coming from Yun Zheng, it's a different story…

Everyone knows that Yun Zheng is known as the "Living Yama" in Chang'an City, and the people of the capital and even the officials in the court are very afraid of him. However, the people are afraid of him mostly because they have heard that he is extremely ruthless and are frightened by his various deeds.

Of course, this was one reason why officials in the court feared him, but more so because Yun Zheng was a madman.