A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 31

Does the Grand Chancellor enter the palace in the morning?

Does the Grand Chancellor enter the palace at noon?

Does the Grand Chancellor enter the palace in the afternoon?

This was the third time in a single day that the young Emperor had sent someone to the Grand Chancellor’s manor to inquire, wanting only to know when the Grand Chancellor would enter the palace.

During the holiday period, everyone was off except for the officials on duty. Lin Jiayue had quite a bit of leisure time each day, but in ancient times, she couldn’t play mahjong, couldn’t play video games, and couldn’t binge-watch shows.

After finishing her assignments, she would either go to the Hall of Literary Brilliance to read books and congratulatory memorials, or look through important scrolls from the past few years, then practice her martial arts and horse archery. Her schedule wasn’t as packed as before, which led to boredom.

She was especially annoyed by reports from the Star-Spy division: a certain official went to a brothel to watch a courtesan dance, or another official held a banquet at home and invited numerous entertainers. Most irritating was that fellow Gao Linghan, who actually slept at a brothel for several nights in a row until her mother, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sent people to drag her back and gave her a sound thrashing.

Served her right!

Speaking of Star-Spy, Lin Jiayue was truly satisfied—the kind of satisfaction that deserved a five-star review. Anything she wanted to know, as long as it wasn’t a secret known only to “Heaven, Earth, you, and me,” could be uncovered by Star-Spy if even a third person knew of it.

That night, Lin Jiayue had first met the Commander of the Moon-Blade division. The man’s appearance was very ordinary, the kind that wouldn’t stand out in a crowd at all. Without seeing him several times, it would be hard to remember his face—truly good material for an assassin.

In contrast to Moon-Blade’s ordinariness, the Commander of Star-Spy could be described as stunning. She was a very beautiful woman whose “day job” happened to be running a brothel. TV dramas didn’t lie to her; intelligence gatherers basically always ran brothels. It made sense—the people gathered there came from all walks of life, making it the perfect place to fish for news.

Day-Guard, Moon-Blade, Star-Spy.

With the Hidden Pavilion, she was finally no longer working alone. Although it wasn’t an army, it was a force hidden in the shadows. No one knew it was under her control. The enemy was in the light while she was in the dark; this was her trump card.

As for whether the Pavilion members were loyal, Zhang Huairou said they were all orphans of soldiers, raised by the Pavilion itself. Previous Emperors had trained these children as shadow guards, but the late Emperor was different. When she discovered a child had other talents, she was willing to give them a choice: they didn’t have to enter the Pavilion and could instead choose the civil or military exams, or join the regular army.

In fact, there were many Pavilion members within the Forbidden Army and the Palace Guard. They could be generals or ministers, yet they held a secret identity—be it Day-Guard, Moon-Blade, or Star-Spy. Loyalty is verified by time; even if a traitor or two appeared, she wouldn’t condemn everyone. Besides, for now, Zhang Huairou was loyal. As long as those guarding her were faithful, the rest could be vetted slowly.

The only thing that had Lin Jiayue lost in thought was the matter of the Capital Patrol. The Cui family actually wanted to move on the Patrol; it was pure delusion. The Capital Patrol had ten guards, five thousand men per guard, totaling fifty thousand men patrolling the capital. It was independent of the Forbidden Army system. The Great Zhou Forbidden Army had sixteen guards totaling one hundred thousand men; those guarding the Imperial City were the Jinwu, Yulin, Huben, and Yanshan guards.

With a hundred thousand troops stationed in the capital, no one was allowed to leave their barracks without an imperial decree, except for those on duty in the palace. Outside the capital sat the Five Army Camps, ten thousand men per camp, existing to guard the metropolis. This was the full military strength of the capital.

Without the Emperor’s decree, the Five Army Camps weren’t allowed to leave their barracks for anything other than daily supplies. Meaning: the Forbidden Army and the Capital Camps couldn’t move without the Emperor’s word. Since the young Emperor hadn’t taken power, anyone who dared to move those troops would be a traitorous official. Thus, since the two hundred thousand troops couldn’t move, the only force that could move freely was the Capital Patrol—one can imagine its importance.

Zhang Huairou was currently relaying info about the Patrol while she drew a diagram on paper. The Cuis, the nobles, and… Lu Siling. She didn’t believe Lu Siling didn’t want to control the Patrol; perhaps she just lacked the opportunity.

Wait, there were other factions. The Cuis didn’t represent all civil officials, and not all nobles were aligned with the Duke of Xinguo. Nobility was divided into those who founded the country, those from Taizong’s era, and new nobles rewarded by various Emperors. Now, after so many successions, few old-guard nobles held heavy court positions—Marquis Jingning of the Capital Patrol was one of the few.

Lin Jiayue wrote and drew for a long while before finally setting down her pen. “Will Marquis Jingning attend the New Year’s Eve banquet?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s Palace (Ci’an) means that since Your Majesty hasn’t taken power, it is not suitable to hold a grand banquet. For these past few years, only the Imperial Clan has been invited.”

Marquis Jingning wasn’t Imperial Clan, so she wouldn’t be there. Not suitable? They were just worried she’d win over the ministers.

Lin Jiayue thought for a moment. “When gifting dishes on New Year’s Eve, add two more for Marquis Jingning: ‘One-Heart Lotus’ and ‘Twin-Ring Crisps’.”

“Go personally. Tell the Marquis: ‘The year ends with the state at peace; I wish to share this with the Minister’.” She wasn’t a poet, so she kept it brief and to the point.

Zhang Huairou’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant.” Then she asked worriedly, “What if Marquis Jingning plays dumb and doesn’t choose Your Majesty?” The Patrol was too important; with the Forbidden Army confined, they were the overlords of the capital.

Lin Jiayue smiled. “Then I’ll just find someone to replace her.”

“Your Majesty is right.” Zhang Huairou looked at her with admiration. The Emperor really has grown up. She had the aura of a sovereign now. By right, if the Marquis didn’t choose her, she should be executed along with her entire family.

Whether the Marquis chose the Cuis, the nobles, or even Lu Siling, she could understand. But if she didn’t even choose her own sovereign, what did the Marquis want? To crown herself King? Since Her Majesty was the monarch, for a titled general not to stand with the Emperor was high treason. Every subject under heaven should be loyal to the Emperor; what use was someone who wasn’t?

But on the flip side, Her Majesty’s mercy was a good thing for subordinates like them. “This servant will see it done perfectly.”

Marquis Jingning? Lin Jiayue didn’t know much about her, only that she was smooth and understood self-preservation very well. Self-preservation is a good thing, but there’s a saying: Perform the duties of the office you hold. To occupy such a vital position and not want to do the work—there was no such easy life under heaven.

Of course, she hoped Marquis Jingning was a good person. She’d heard the late Emperor had defied all opposition to give the title to Chu Lin. Based on her understanding of the late Emperor, she was a wise ruler who died too young; given another ten years, the Great Zhou would have experienced a golden age. She trusted her Sister’s judgment and was willing to show the patience of “visiting the thatched cottage thrice”—provided Chu Lin didn’t reject her by playing dumb. She didn’t like people who feigned ignorance.

If Chu Lin used that to refuse her, she was merely being perfunctory. Such an attitude didn’t deserve “three visits.”

Lin Jiayue tossed the paper into the charcoal fire, watching the flames flare up. She wondered: What would Lu Siling do in my position? Lu Siling would surely do better—a natural-born politician, the youngest Grand Chancellor in history, with the sharp will of a reformer. Such a person was rare, appearing once in centuries.

“Tomorrow at the sacrifice to Heaven, Earth, and the Ancestral Temple, prepare a bowl of hot tea for every participant. Distribute them once the sacrifice ends.”

“Yes.” Zhang Huairou was happy. Those who could accompany the Emperor in the sacrifice, aside from the Imperial Clan, were only the high ministers and confidants.

Lin Jiayue calculated that after the sacrifice would be the court ceremonies—civil and military officials in formal robes offering congratulations, followed by reviewing the guard of honor, and finally the New Year’s Eve banquet. Just thinking of tomorrow’s schedule gave her a headache: heavy formal robes, meticulous etiquette, and a whole day of hustle.

Still, her mood improved at the thought of seeing Lu Siling tomorrow. There were many things she couldn’t say to others, but with Lu Siling, she had no reservations.

The next day at the Hour of the Tiger (3 AM), Lin Jiayue dragged her tired body toward the Ancestral Temple. Sitting in her warm palanquin, she could barely keep her eyes open. Who in their right mind holds a sacrifice at 3 in the morning?

Upon reaching the temple, she felt much better seeing so many exhausted members of the Imperial Clan. None of them were as close to the temple as she was; they likely hadn’t slept at all. Lin Jiayue’s gaze was instinctively drawn to the upright figure at the very front—crimson robes, as elegant as jade, a cold and slender body that stood unyielding.

“The Emperor arrives!” Wei Jinming announced loudly.

The crowd bowed. “Long live Your Majesty, peace be upon you.”

Lin Jiayue raised her hand and strode past everyone. As she passed Lu Siling, her steps paused, and she naturally placed her hand-warmer into Lu Siling’s hands. “Grand Chancellor, hold this for me.”

Lu Siling felt the warmth in her hands and froze for a moment. With no one else nearby, she could only cradle the warmer to her chest. Finally, her frozen body felt a hint of warmth. She watched Lin Jiayue’s retreating back, staring for a long while without looking away.

“I, Lin Jiayue, Emperor of Great Zhou, on this eve of the New Year, lead my clan and officials to respectfully honor our ancestors of Heaven and Earth…”

This text was written by the Hanlin Academy; Lin Jiayue had memorized it after a few reads. At this moment, she spoke fluently, her pace perfect—neither too fast nor too slow. As a lawyer, these were things she had practiced; in court, making the judge and jury understand and want to listen to you required mastery of articulation and speed.

The sacrifice was essentially reporting the year’s deeds to the ancestors; the Hanlin writers had done the heavy lifting, so she didn’t have to think much. The entire ritual took nearly four hours—one hour each for Heaven, Earth, and the Ancestors. By the end, even Lin Jiayue’s voice was weak. The frailer clan members and officials were practically swaying on their feet. In the biting cold, many hadn’t slept and had only grabbed a quick bite before coming.

Toward noon, the process finally ended. Lin Jiayue let out a sigh of relief. For the afternoon ceremony, she’d be sitting, so things looked much better.

But such rituals weren’t meaningless; at the very least, they were a display of imperial authority. As Lin Jiayue prepared to leave the temple, Wei Jinming silently brought over a hand-warmer. “Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor gave this to this servant.”

The warmer was now cold, but as long as its heat had transferred to Lu Siling, it was enough. “Summon the Grand Chancellor to ride with me. Also, tell the Elders and the elderly clan members they may all take palanquins.”

At a time like this, Lu Siling surely wouldn’t refuse her. After all, for an official, riding with the monarch or taking the Emperor’s palanquin was a supreme honor. Receiving the decree, Lu Siling walked toward the palanquin under the envious and jealous gazes of many.

However, she only bowed slightly. “Your Majesty, this move does not conform to etiquette.” She was becoming the target of public criticism once again.

“It is my carriage; I decide.” Lin Jiayue gave her a reassuring look: Don’t be afraid, Teacher Lu. I’ll protect you.

Lu Siling: “…” Dog Emperor.