Chapter 75: Was the Treatise on Statecraft Truly Written by the Chancellor? Part 1

In the pavilion of the small garden, bamboo shadows swayed as the wind carried a subtle fragrance.

Yun Niang sat down composedly and began her story in a soft, steady voice. “Three years ago, my father came home drunk. He said, ‘Emperor Rui is wasting manpower and wealth on grand construction projects for Empress Gu, while the Chancellor deceives his superiors and hides the truth from his subordinates…'”

The two-hundred-year foundation of Great Chen was destined to be buried at the hands of the Gu siblings.

Nie Jin remembered those words vividly. Every official in Great Chen knew them. Minister Chen had famously offended Gu Huaiyu with that “slip of the tongue” and died because of it.

Yun Niang’s gaze fell upon him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “My father did indeed die because of those words, but it wasn’t because of the Chancellor.”

Nie Jin froze, a realization suddenly striking him like a bolt of lightning. “The Late Emperor?”

Yun Niang nodded with a bitter smile. “My father headed the Ministry of Revenue; he knew better than anyone where the money was going. He was a muddled man, and he mistakenly blamed Empress Gu for Emperor Rui’s personal extravagance…”

“That night, Emperor Rui wanted my entire family’s lives. It was Chancellor Gu…”

She choked back a sob, lowering her head to rub her eyes. “It was the Chancellor who told my father to ‘hang himself’ in exchange for our lives.”

The handkerchief in Nie Jin’s hand was crumpled tight. For a long while, he couldn’t find his voice.

Yun Niang looked up and smiled again, though her eyes were wet. “My father understood his mistake. He told my mother to take us to the Chancellor to plead for mercy…”

“Later, the Chancellor settled my mother outside the capital and arranged for my brother and me to be educated. My mother told me to remember for the rest of my life: it was Chancellor Gu who saved our family.”

Nie Jin was a rigid man, but he was far from a fool.

If there was a hidden truth behind Minister Chen’s death, then what of those other reputations Gu Huaiyu carried? The “selling of offices,” the “embezzlement of funds,” the “manipulation of power”…

As an official of the Court of Judicial Review, he had spent his life overturning countless wrongful convictions. He never imagined that one day, he would have to seek justice for the one person who seemingly needed it least.

His back suddenly straightened. “Yun Niang,” he said firmly, “tell me everything about that year again. From the very beginning.”

Yun Niang startled, then nodded. “Understood.”

***

The next day, the spring sun was brilliant, and the sky was as clear as washed silk.

The news of the Grand Empress Dowager’s return to the palace came abruptly. Officials from the Ministry of Rites worked through the night at the East Flower Gate to organize the procession, leaving everyone in a state of chaotic exhaustion.

The civil and military officials were uneasy. Why did this Grand Empress Dowager—who had spent years sequestered away praying to Buddha—choose this exact moment to return, just as Chancellor Gu had resigned?

The elder statesmen of three reigns were even more solemn. These old bones remembered well how many members of the imperial clan had hovered like vultures, looking to bully the widow and her fatherless son after the Grand Empress Dowager’s eldest son died unexpectedly.

In the end, this woman had handpicked the most unremarkable prince, Emperor Rui, from the crowd and systematically scrubbed the court clean of every ill-intentioned royal relative.

Outside the East Flower Gate, Yuan Zhuo sat behind the curtains of the imperial carriage, while the officials stood solemnly on either side.

He pressed his hands against his knees, his expression gloomy, yet he felt a strange sense of relief—relief that Gu Huaiyu had killed Prince Xian. Now, he and Yuan Jin were the only ones left of the legitimate bloodline.

As long as he fought to protect Gu Huaiyu, even the Grand Empress Dowager, with all her far-reaching influence, could not move against him.

Qin Zijin stood beside Grand Preceptor Dong. His head was bowed in a humble posture, yet the corners of his eyes betrayed a flicker of triumph. He was clearly in high spirits.

Grand Preceptor Dong was also rejuvenated, the gloom of recent days swept away as he looked down the main road with anticipation.

In contrast, the officials of the Gu Faction looked grim. They all had a vague inkling of the deeper meaning behind the Matriarch’s sudden return.

Xie Shaoling hid his hands in his sleeves, his knuckles white from clenching. He whispered through gritted teeth to Shen Jun, “Lord Shen, did you send word to the Chancellor?”

Shen Jun’s expression was equally heavy. Standing with his hands behind his back, he replied, “The message was sent. The Chancellor only replied with four words: ‘Wait and see.'”

The meaning was clear. He wanted them to stay out of it and simply watch the play unfold.

Wei Qingya sighed softly. “Let’s hope the old lady has gone a bit muddled after all these years of chanting…”

Before he could finish, horns blared outside the gate. The officials knelt in unison to welcome her.

The phoenix carriage and the honor guard were grand and imposing. Banners fluttered, drums thundered, and even the commoners on the street peeked through their doors to witness the spectacle.

Yuan Zhuo suppressed his nerves, stepped off his carriage, and walked to the Matriarch’s carriage. Following protocol, he reached out his hand. “Grandson respectfully invites Imperial Grandmother…”

The carriage curtain moved slightly. A hand wearing agarwood prayer beads emerged, but it pointedly avoided Yuan Zhuo’s assistance.

Grand Empress Dowager Chen stepped down on her own, dressed in simple, unadorned robes. Her silver-streaked hair was tied in a simple bun held by a single wooden hairpin. Her face still held traces of her youthful elegance.

Her steps were incredibly steady. The moment she touched the ground, her eyes swept over the ranks of officials as if searching for someone.

Qin Zijin immediately stepped forward, bowing low. “Your servant, Qin Zijin, greets the Grand Empress Dowager.”

The Matriarch’s gaze brushed over him as if he were invisible. She continued to scan the crowd. “Where is Snowball?”

The affectionate nickname left the officials looking at each other in confusion. Aside from the Emperor, the Matriarch only had Yuan Jin as a grandson. Who was this “Snowball”?

Many couldn’t help but wonder if the Matriarch had grown senile with age.

In the crowd, Wei Qingya breathed a secret sigh of relief. “She really has gone senile. This will be easy to manage.”

Shen Jun, however, did not relax. A shadow of worry lingered in his eyes. He remembered Gu Huaiyu’s instructions, but he felt the situation was far more complex than it appeared.