Rebirth of the Treacherous Official’s Madam Chapter 170

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Recommence Court Discussions

T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!

Once these words came out, never mind Xun Che immediately waking up, even Yu Lingxin practically shot up all of a sudden, unexpectedly startling Xun Che, “You rest first, don’t move this quickly.”

“I’m fine. So, xianzhu has returned?” This matter was truly too important. Yu Lingxin didn’t have the mind to think about anything else, still insisting on getting up together with Xun Che.

Xun Che took out a long gown on his own, quickly putting it on, his expression also a bit excited, “Xianzhu sure enough will commit to her words. Huijun, listen to me, don’t busy yourself right now. I need to take Chai Guangyi and Chen Qiao to the Jin Duke Manor. You won’t be able to follow along, so it’s still more important to rest first. Don’t let me be worried, be good.”

Compared to Xun Che’s usual habit, his words at this time all sounded a bit quicker than normal, so one can naturally imagine just how excited and eager he was inside.

Yu Lingxin although was concerned, she still knew that what he was saying was reasonable. Moreover, since Duanyi Xianzhu has returned, all the rumors and gossips, the seemingly tipping scales, really can no longer be considered anything.

Yu Lingxin nodded her head, taking out a thick cloak and personally wrapping it around Xun Che, “Currently, the weather is cold. When going in and out, you also need to be a bit more mindful. Go early and come back early.”

Xun Che nodded and then kissed her on her forehead before hastily going out.

At this time, the servant girls on night watch naturally also got up one after another following the news. Yu Lingxin although was worried, but considering for the little guy in her stomach, in the end, she didn’t continue thinking too much either, instead letting Bai Guo warm a cup of medicinal porridge. And after drinking it, she just fell back asleep.

Getting up the next day, it was the Shangyuan holiday^[1], probably the most important major holiday in the first lunar month aside from new year’s eve every year. However, following the news of Duanyi Xianzhu’s return to the capital reported late in the night, the entire capital all fell into a new wave of disturbance.

It wasn’t just the Wen’an Marquis Manor that didn’t have any mood for a family banquet, all the important ministers of the Inner Cabinet and Central Secretariat all got summoned into the palace. Although the oral decree that was issued last minute stated that Xuan Emperor wanted to have a banquet with the important ministers, the ruler and subjects celebrating Shangyuan together, but in reality, just looking at how only the important ministers of the Inner Cabinet and Central Secretariat, as well as Xun Che and the other close subject of the emperor, entered the palace, yet there were no imperial clansmen or princes, this so-called excuse was also merely just an excuse.

The inside of the capital didn’t openly strengthen the security either. Just, as the Capital City Guards and the Capital Magistrate Office were doing their patrols, they seemingly secretly added some more people. And the festive celebrations such as the fireworks and street festivals that were originally set off every year on this day also got soundlessly canceled.

Towards this, aside from those small children that still don’t know of the difficulties of the world, also not knowing the coming storm, no one raised any questions.

After all, Duanyi Xianzhu’s return to the capital, what it affected was the Chen province’s new state of affairs, the exchange of military power, the Cheng family and Ming family’s relationship, the Ming family and Xun family’s relationship, as well as Qin Wangfei’s standing, and so on, linking together segment after segment. It will also inevitably point towards the candidate for the crown prince position that will soon be brought up again after the new year, in other words, pushing forward the succession of Great Sheng’s mountains and rivers.

At this kind of juncture, for every family and household, when gathering and feasting in the evening, their thoughts will also be extremely complicated, especially those families that once were extremely worked up towards Cheng Yanling leading the troops and her various love scandals, certain that the Cheng family will be sentenced after the new year. At this time, they were just somewhat uneasy.

Although, according to everything they’d heard previously, the situation was increasingly unfavorable towards the Cheng family, especially Cheng Yanling, feeling that even though the Cheng family can escape from the crime of colluding with the enemy in the end, they still can’t escape from the crime of neglecting their duties, and Cheng Yanling, as a woman, after being rumored to have possibly gotten involved in a dubious relationship with the soldiers, further won’t be able to have any leeway of washing clean.

But, regardless of what, Cheng Yanling returning to the capital at this time, even causing Xuan Emperor to suddenly summon ministers into the palace for a ‘banquet’, it still made the court officials and nobles all become concerned.

Upon the Xun family’s family banquet, Xun second master and Xun Ze also asked a few questions. However, glancing at the seat that was empty because Xun old madam’s body was still unwell, Yu Lingxin just smiled, “Shenzhi has already entered the palace. Since he still hasn’t returned at this time, he most likely won’t be able to return until very late. Second uncle don’t need to worry.”

TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!

Xun second master’s gaze flickered, also glancing at Ming Huayue. He indeed didn’t dare to say more.

In reality, the matter went way beyond what Yu Lingxin had said. In fact, Xun Che simply didn’t return home that night. Together with the other cabinet ministers and high ministers of the Central Secretariat, the so-called ‘banquet’ and discussion in Ganxi Hall directly carried out late into the night.

And the entire magnificent and dazzling Great Sheng Imperial Palace was also different from past years’ Shangyuan. All of Zhaoyang Hall’s and Changchun Palace’s smiling salutations for the new year long got blocked back by the sudden increase in security. The four princes also respectively received a decree, stating that today, there was no need to visit Xuan Emperor. They can just celebrate with their respective birth mothers or the women in their back manor on their own.

The imperial palace and various wang manors that were loose on the outside but tight on the inside spent the Shangyuan holiday of Tianxu year 15 under various contemplation and anxiety.

And by the early morning of the next day, when the court sessions resumed on the sixteenth, and the nobles and court officials attended court, seeing Xuan Emperor’s face carry a rare indifference, the bottom of his eyes even having faint dark circles, then looking at the similarly obvious weary and grave look of the cabinet ministers, their respective hearts jolted, either floating or sinking. Regarding the Chen province’s matters, regardless of what the inside story was like, Xuan Emperor should already have a decision.

However, right when quite a few court officials were inwardly calculating that Xuan Emperor suddenly summoning the ministers for a discussion yesterday was probably wanting to have the Cheng family’s matter minimized and then pressed down, thereby obscurely maintaining a stable state of affairs, a report announcement from the outside once again made the court officials all focus their attention——–Duanyi Xianzhu will present a memorial to the emperor upon the court.

Xuan Emperor nodded his head without the slightest hesitation. The cabinet ministers also didn’t have the slightest ripple. Clearly, between the ruler and ministers, there was already a mutual understanding.

Thus, under the attentive watch of the court officials who had varying thoughts, Duanyi Xianzhu Cheng Yanling, who was actually only in her early twenties, appeared upon the court in a martial attire at this time.

All the way until many years later, and even after several dynasties, this court session of the Tianxu era still got endlessly discussed by the historians and scholars. Regardless whether it was Cheng Yanling’s report, the subsequent controversy triggered by it, or the following responses by the Prime Minister, Ying Duke, and Chief Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Xun Che, it all left behind a deep mark for Great Sheng’s later generations. At the same time, it also made Xuan Emperor, this honest and benevolent ruler, who also because of being weak and negligent, particularly having a chaotic imperial harem, powerless in controlling, leave behind his only extraordinary mark in Great Sheng’s history books.

This wasn’t about how the Chen province’s mutiny influenced and propelled the power struggle for the throne afterwards, but rather, starting from Cheng Yanling personally purging the spies in the Chen province army, from the root, she challenged, or rather, reformed in Great Sheng’s military system, the corrupt practices regarding the succession of generals, the position of female generals and female soldiers, as well as the soldiers of mixed blood from Jingyang and Jinglin, and such series of complicated and intertwined problems in the army.

Of course, regarding those influences that extended to the later generations, even the Ying Duke, Xun Che, and the others weren’t completely able to imagine at this time. What everyone further cared about more was naturally still exactly who was the person that colluded with the enemy?

Towards this, Cheng Yanling directly gave a complete yet also unimaginable answer——It was precisely her deceased husband, Qii Feng.

Actually, from a certain perspective, those rumors spread by Madam Qii after coming to the capital about how Cheng Yanling didn’t get along with Qii Feng after marrying, instead being closer with the soldiers picked from Jingyang and Jinglin and so on weren’t completely baseless.

Back then, after Cheng Yanling married, they indeed didn’t get along too harmoniously. Just, the disharmony wasn’t because Cheng Yanling had some other romantic partner, but rather because in terms of martial arts and military tactics, Cheng Yanling was all much stronger than Qii Feng.

More importantly, Qii Feng, as the Qii family’s main branch’s eldest son and eldest grandson, when entering the army upon adulthood, obtained the general position through succession. Additionally, Great Sheng, these years, have been strong and powerful, North Rong, West Di and such, these countries that were once powerful for a period of time, all didn’t pose too big of a threat.

As such, it wasn’t just the civil officials and nobles in the capital that easily neglected the training of troops and defenses when there was no war, the descendants of military lineages like Qii Feng actually would also feel that there was no need to sweat and suffer every day, training and being on guard day and night. Instead, after marrying, his entire mind was on how to seek another inheritable noble title for the Qii family through the Zhenbei General Manor and Grand Elder Princess Zhaoning.

Cheng Yanling and Qii Feng’s marriage was arranged in their childhood by their grandparents. Speaking of which, they can also be considered childhood friends, so it’s not like they completely didn’t have any romantic feelings before. But, Qii Feng’s views, Cheng Yanling ultimately wasn’t able to accept, and even because of it, very much looked down on Qii Feng.

Just, prior to marrying, Qii Feng still covered up quite well on the surface, so these thoughts didn’t expose completely. Especially when reporting his work to the Ministry of War, as well as when passing information to the capital, he naturally further displayed the attitude he should have as a descendant of a military lineage that has sacrificed for the country generations after generation.

But, Cheng Yanling looking down on him, Qii Feng wasn’t completely unaware inside. That’s why, before their wedding date was determined, Qii Feng actually was already raising a mistress outside.

Cheng Yanling long knew that he had an outside mistress, but back then, Old General Qii and her grandfather were extremely close friends, even having once saved her father Cheng Guangling’s life before on the battlefield. That’s why, towards this matter, Cheng Yanling at first didn’t pursue too much, even somewhat letting it be.

All the way until a year after their marriage, Cheng Yanling finally discovered, those elite soldiers of mixed blood from Jingyang and Jinglin, that frequently got scorned and strictly investigated by Qii Feng and such descendants of military families normally, didn’t secretly communicate with North Rong. Instead, it was that seductive looking outside mistress of Qii Feng’s whose origins were very interesting.

And precisely at this time, that is Tianxu year 10, North Rong, after being silent for nearly twenty peaceful years, suddenly waged war, invading the Chen province. Cheng Yanling’s suspicions towards Qii Feng at the time still just stopped at having been seduced by a North Rong spy, not knowing whether or not he’d leaked some important information.

But, that outside mistress clearly was extremely cunning. At the slightest abnormal change, she just escaped without a trace, even leaving behind a blood letter for Qii Feng, expressing that she was getting hunted down by the main wife, Cheng Yanling, but now that she was already pregnant, for the sake of the peace in general’s home, and also for the sake of preserving the child in my stomach, this concubine can only flee for one’s life, and so on.

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[1] Shangyuan = first full moon of the year = 15th of first lunar month = Lantern Festival

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