Chapter 47

“Princess, please take care of yourself.”

When Song Pianxian slowly regained consciousness, Xu Jing was partly relieved and partly worried, “Seeing everything going well now, Princess, you’re exceptionally talented. It’s not for me to say more, but I only hope for your well-being.”

Song Pianxian leaned against the pillow on the bed, her face paler than usual, devoid of color.

She listened as she drank the bitter medicine, then handed the ebony-glazed bowl to Xue Qing, saying:

“I’m fine.”

“Also…” Xu Jing spoke cautiously, “The palace gate has been locked today, and the Princess Consort has not returned. Should we send someone to check tomorrow?”

“You’re bedridden, and the Princess Consort should be by your side. How could she return to the General’s Mansion at this time?” Xu Jing’s tone carried a hint of reproach.

After all, although Xu Jing followed Feng Yuexian’s orders out of loyalty to Song Yu’s wishes, his heart leaned towards the Imperial Family. With Feng Yuexian absent and the Princess unwell, he only dared to quietly compare.

“No need,” Song Pianxian said, “Let her go. These days are relaxed, there’s no harm.”

The political network has been almost fully controlled, only the final details remain. Feng Yuexian’s departure from the palace won’t affect the situation. Instead, it can keep King Chu’s faction in the dark, unable to predict the situation.

Song Pianxian leaned on the pillow, blinked lightly, remnants of the dream still lingering in her mind. After Xu Jing left, she had time to consider it.

The dream was a mess indeed. Knowing she was dreaming in the dream, but upon waking up, she couldn’t remember anything. She only recalled Lin Qinglu and Feng Yuexian both being in front of her, with Lin Qinglu accusingly swatting her tail, and Feng Yuexian, seemingly calmly, expressing her grievances.

Clouds drifted into Song Pianxian’s nose, fluffy and itchy. She sneezed and woke up.

09 spoke in her mind, interrupting Song Pianxian’s thoughts:

“The current task progress is fifty-six percent. From a task perspective, maintaining a good relationship with Feng Yuexian is an important part of completing the task.”

Song Pianxian paused, nodding:

“Mm.”

09 whispered, “Today’s events… cough, may affect the relationship you’re building with her.”

In the quick-transmission room where Song Pianxian couldn’t see, 09 looked at the stack of screens pulled up, worried.

“My best friend suddenly confessed to me. I rejected her. Can we still be friends?”

“My capable subordinate seems to have feelings for me. No wonder she voluntarily works overtime diligently every day.”

“To accomplish the task, should I pretend to be affectionate and offer myself to someone I don’t love?”

No matter how you look at it, it’s not very optimistic. 09 hugged her big pencil, wearing a troubled expression.

Song Pianxian rubbed her forehead.

She handled other matters with ease, but when it came to this kind of relationship, she found it very tricky.

The most difficult part was to maintain a good and orderly cooperative relationship while refusing. Otherwise, the current favorable situation would be lost.

She pondered:

“Give her some time to cool down. Feng Yuexian is not incompetent; she should be able to come to her senses.”

Song Pianxian then turned to Xue Qing and said, “Externally, don’t mention that I’m ill, especially don’t let Xu Jing tell the Princess Consort.”

“The Princess Consort rarely leaves the palace, let her stay a few more days.”

Let Feng Yuexian come back on her own if she wants to.

Apart from this, there was no other way.

If Feng Yuexian was rushed back, the problem wouldn’t be resolved, and it would only lead to a stalemate between them.

09 cleared her throat lightly, “Have you considered another solution, Host?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s like this, you can see experience posts from other personnel on the Quick Transmigration Bureau forum.”

09 felt a bit embarrassed, but more eager to recommend and gossip:

“There’s a post where another host encountered a situation where a key figure liked them—”

“And there’s experience to draw from.” Song Pianxian was surprised at first, then approached it with a learning mindset. “Let me see.”

“Sure thing!” 09 quickly pulled up the post and sent it to Song Pianxian, eagerly awaiting her reaction.

Song Pianxian received it and started reading.

“How is it?” 09 asked expectantly.

“…”

In this experience post, a bureau employee transmigrated to a Western fantasy world with the task of becoming a great mage. When she was still an apprentice, she discovered that a mage liked her.

After contemplating for five minutes, the employee decided to use the mage to transform from an apprentice to a respected mage’s wife.

With the help of various potions and rare materials, she rapidly gained experience points, successfully completing the task, and left the mage behind with joy.

“This employee’s task completion efficiency is extremely high and has been commended by the Quick Transmigration Bureau. The post even received special recognition.”

After finishing reading, Song Pianxian opened her eyes. Her chestnut-colored pupils were clear and transparent. Her voice was light but firm:

“I will not adopt this method.”

“Eh? Uh, indeed, some people oppose this approach, saying it’s unethical.”

“It’s not for ethical reasons.” Song Pianxian shook her head. “The feelings between two people are not for outsiders to intervene.”

“Moreover, emotions are unpredictable. No one can guarantee that this employee deliberately slowing down the task’s progress and staying with the mage will result in the mage not abandoning her in the end.”

Song Pianxian spoke rationally and objectively:

“I speak only for myself. I will not use this method to complete tasks.”

She didn’t want to use others’ feelings to achieve her own goals.

If the task was to capture someone’s heart, she had no choice but to do so.

But her task was specific objectives, pushing forward a situation, and there was more than one way to achieve it.

Song Pianxian breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a faint fatigue in her heart.

In the first world, she was initially indifferent, but fortunately, she managed to make up for it in the end.

In the second world, Feng Yuexian had never shown any affection towards her, just ordinary interaction and normal cooperation. Why would she act like this?

Song Pianxian was somewhat puzzled.

Had she done too little, or too much?

Unfortunately, no one could answer that.

09 seemed to understand but not understand. It seemed that her host was a practical type who didn’t like to take shortcuts.

She put away the post:

“Let’s focus on the task!”

Song Pianxian came back to her senses and smiled:

“Okay.”

There was no use in overthinking. There were still things to be done from the previous dynasty. Let’s take them one step at a time.

Setting aside the issues with Feng Yuexian, Song Pianxian cleared her mind of chaotic thoughts and focused on resting, replenishing her energy.

The original body’s physical condition was very poor. After every fainting episode, she needed to rest for three to five days to fully recover.

But the next day was the court meeting. Song Pianxian had to attend for state affairs.

After the Second Prince was exiled to guard the mausoleum, the court was now calm and clean, with all the troublemakers gone.

Originally, those courtiers who favored the Second Prince’s rise to the throne were all trembling with fear, afraid that the Crown Prince would find an excuse to deal with them.

Whether it was punishment or demotion, eliminating dissenters was a common tactic of emperors.

But unexpectedly, apart from a few troublemakers and the Xi family whose titles were reduced by imperial decree, the Crown Prince didn’t touch anyone else. It seemed that the matter had passed like this.

The superiors were lenient and didn’t pursue the matter, and the subordinates naturally changed their stance, everywhere aligning themselves with the Crown Prince’s faction. In order to impress the new master, they were even more active, and the atmosphere in the court was rejuvenated.

The Crown Prince’s faction visibly grew stronger, and the atmosphere during court discussions became much more relaxed.

After witnessing the self-display of various courtiers, Song Pianxian looked at Li Zi, who had recently been silent and tried to reduce his presence:

“Have there been any results with the matter handed over to the Right Minister?”

Song Pianxian lightly tapped the table with her slender fingers, the frequency not fast, and her voice equally calm and methodical, revealing the displeasure of a superior:

“Half a month has passed. Why hasn’t the report been submitted?”

However, Li Zi felt like he had heard thunder in his ears, knowing that he couldn’t escape. He deeply bowed:

“I am incompetent and have not been able to recover all the debts.”

Following behind Li Zi, Li Peng, who was tasked with assisting in recovering debts, knelt down and said earnestly:

“Returning to the Crown Prince, it’s not that we haven’t tried our best, but there are too many debtors and the amounts owed are enormous. Besides the nearly hundred debts that have been paid off, there are still dozens of IOUs that no one has come to claim.”

As the sound of tapping on the table stopped, Li Peng’s heart also stopped beating. He lowered his head, afraid to look up, his forehead sweaty.

“The two of you have been incompetent in handling matters.”

The Crown Prince’s voice was neither fast nor slow, but it carried the weight of an unsheathed sword, directly striking the officials below.

“We are indeed incompetent,” Li Zi said, hanging his head, his demeanor much more respectful than usual.

“You are indeed incompetent,” Song Pianxian said coldly.

As soon as these words were spoken, the court fell silent.

Then, there was an uproar, with intermittent outbursts from civil officials, their spit flying.

“The Right Minister has, single-handedly, recovered more than half of the debts within half a month, which is extremely commendable.”

“If you expect to recover every single debt, it’s overly harsh.”

“The Crown Prince is eager to govern the country, but he must not speak in vain. The Right Minister has managed to clear more than half of the IOUs, which is already a blessing to Great Li.”

“A blessing to Great Li?”

Song Pianxian repeated, her eyes sharp as she looked at the courtier who spoke these words.

“When will it be Li Zi’s turn to be blessed by the heavens?”

Her voice was heavy, “In your eyes, do you still see this palace, see His Majesty?”

The person she stared at felt weak in the knees, knocking onto the golden bricks, trembling as he said:

“I, I dare not, please forgive me, Your Highness.”

This statement wasn’t a matter of right or wrong; it all depended on how people interpreted it, but it still angered the Crown Prince.

Now, the entire court, civil and military officials alike, sensed trouble. The Crown Prince was determined to deal with Li Zi.

No one dared to speak up for Li Zi or Zhao Peng anymore.

Feng Chenyi stood by, pondering whether he should say something to pave the way for the Crown Prince, when someone else stepped forward.

He looked and saw it was Zhao Tiancheng, the former Minister of Personnel from Song Qu’s faction:

“I have something to report.”

“Speak.” Song Pianxian’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement, her tone indifferent.

“From what I know, the Prime Minister only targeted ordinary officials to recover debts. He didn’t put pressure on the Princess’s Mansion, the Marquis’s Mansion, and other families related to the Royal Family.”

Zhao Tiancheng spoke freely, “I’ve also checked the records with the Secretary. It turns out that these people owe the largest debts—”

“The debts amount to eighty-six thousand taels, and the Prime Minister only recovers twelve thousand taels. How can this be considered a blessing from the heavens? Even if they have worked hard, it’s far from deserving such praise.”

Li Zi couldn’t bear it anymore and angrily rebuked, “You, just a mere Minister, why are you meddling in this matter!”

“As a subject, I share the worries of the ruler.” Zhao Tiancheng raised his head proudly.

Ignoring Zhao Tiancheng, Li Zi then turned to express his loyalty to Song Pianxian:

“Your Highness, see clearly, the royal relatives and nobles are the masters of Dali. I am a subject, how dare I, how dare I pressure them?”

“If Your Highness considers this a crime of governing officials, I, I plead guilty.”

Li Zi knelt on the ground and remained motionless for a while.

Song Pianxian looked at Li Zi on the ground, her expression unchanged.

If Li Zi had truly offended everyone, as the Prime Minister, he would be finished. Without Song Pianxian’s intervention, his subordinates would kick him out or pull him down.

So he cleverly avoided the royal relatives and nobles, only targeting officials. Feng Yuexian took care of the Feng Family’s side.

The ones he truly made efforts to recover from were undoubtedly those in the court with no strong background and poor origins.

For this, he encountered quite a few obstacles, putting him in a disadvantageous position in the court for some time.

Song Pianxian didn’t get angry but instead smiled softly, her voice gentle:

“Minister Li, your eloquence is truly impressive.”

However, the court fell silent, with no one daring to speak.

Li Zi felt as if even his hair was frozen in mid-air, as if pinned down by a boulder, unable to move.

The Left Minister tremblingly stepped forward: “I have a report.”

“Zhong Jian, the third son of the Princess Mansion, borrowed silver from the national treasury, forcibly seized good farmland and estates in the outskirts of the capital, allowed his slaves to commit violence, and abducted young women. His arrogance knows no bounds, and he commits many evils.”

“The Marquis of Xinyang and the Earl of Chenyang borrowed tens of thousands of silver under the guise of repairing their mansions, but used it to lend money at interest. Their agents are present in the thirteen counties from the capital to the south, profiting from the national treasury’s silver, deceiving the Ministry of Revenue. To this day, they have not returned it, displaying their greedy and selfish nature.”

“When King Chu went to his fief in southern Yunnan, he took away one hundred thousand taels of snowflake silver. It has been five years since King Chu was ennobled, and taxes from southern Yunnan have never entered the national treasury. King Chu has yet to return a single tael of silver.”

The Left Minister looked down at Li Zi kneeling at his feet, his voice old and severe:

“With these numerous evil deeds, may I ask Minister Li, have you ever mentioned a word? Under the guise of respect, you have shielded them. Can you justify this to the Crown Prince and the state’s welfare?”

Li Zi remained prostrated on the ground, trembling.

The Zhong Family, the Marquis of Xinyang, and the Earl of Chenyang, named by the Left Minister, knelt in the center of the hall, flustered and unable to give a reasonable explanation, only shouting about injustice.

“Crown Prince, I have been wronged!”

With the decline of the royal authority and the easy-going nature of the old Emperor, they became bolder in their actions. Although they had been warned these past few days, who would willingly return the silver they had already pocketed?

As for the other marquisates and ducal houses, not one of them went to the Ministry of Revenue to clear their debts. If they went themselves, they would be seen as timid.

It might be better to wait a little longer; perhaps it was just a lot of thunder and little rain?

Who would have thought that at the court meeting, not only would Li Zi be reprimanded and bear the Crown Prince’s anger, but several of them would also be called out for their misdeeds.

It might be wiser to be a bit more timid and return the silver; there might still be a chance!

Song Pianxian wouldn’t care about the regrets in their hearts.

At this moment, there was a chorus of pleas for mercy in the hall, but no one dared to speak up for them anymore.

The Fang Family, debt-free and unburdened, and the Crown Prince’s faction stood by, watching the spectacle.

Those who hadn’t repaid their debts were all on edge, not daring to move their clothes, holding their breath, fearing being singled out by the Crown Prince.

Song Pianxian’s gaze swept across the entire hall and raised her voice:

“Li Zi acted hastily, perfunctory, and neglected his duties, failing to collect all the debts within half a month. Li Zi was appointed by me, and I also bear responsibility.”

“This time, the pursuit of debts will not be left to the Shuntian Mansion.”

Feng Chenyi clicked his tongue lightly, realizing there wouldn’t be any arrests?

They heard that they wouldn’t be taken to the Shuntian Mansion, and those who hadn’t yet cleared their debts breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the Crown Prince still had some sense, as if all the officials were thrown in jail, who would be left to handle affairs in the court?

Before they could fully relax, they heard the Crown Prince say:

“Since Li Zi is incompetent, I will personally supervise.”

The faces of everyone froze.

Song Pianxian smiled lightly, but there was hardly any genuine amusement:

“The Emperor’s health is unstable, and I also have the responsibility of supervising the state affairs. It’s difficult to divide my attention and visit each household to collect debts.”

The people below shrank their necks, feeling a chill down their spines, inwardly cursing—

Who would dare to let the Crown Prince come to collect debts?

“Within seven days, if the debts are not cleared, officials will be demoted by one rank. Regardless of whether they hold hereditary titles or not, they will be demoted by one rank. After seven days, they will be demoted by one rank until the debts are cleared.”

“This—”

Someone was extremely shocked and couldn’t help but cry out.

Song Pianxian lowered her eyes and made the final decision:

“If the debts continue to be outstanding, they will be handed over to the Shuntian Mansion. Descendants of the families, for three generations, are forbidden from holding office.”

“As for the individuals mentioned by the Left Minister earlier, they will be handed over to the Shuntian Mansion for appropriate punishment.”

There was a long silence below.

After today’s court meeting, no one dared to challenge the authority of the Crown Prince.

The fate of the Princess Mansion and the Marquisates was clear; even the Shuntian Mansion had come knocking on their doors. Who would dare to test the Crown Prince’s limits again?

Failure to repay debts would result in demotion and loss of title, leading to imprisonment, implicating the entire clan.

With a few words, Song Pianxian completely dispelled the thoughts of withholding debts from the entire court, including the royal relatives.

After the court session, Song Pianxian went to the Yangxin Hall, where several decrees were issued, and she began reviewing the memorials.

The Left Minister sat on a stool, sighing:

“The Crown Prince is both wise and cunning, even this strategy of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was prepared quite beautifully.”

“This will surely shake up the situation and serve as a warning for governance.”

Song Pianxian had him point out the wrongdoings of those three individuals in court, intimidating the royal relatives.

The Princess Mansion’s arrogance was extreme, and their crimes were not difficult to investigate. The matter of lending money with interest was full of hidden secrets, extremely fragmented, and involved numerous counties and districts, yet it was still thoroughly investigated.

One must not underestimate women, thought the Left Minister, stroking his beautiful beard, feeling deeply satisfied.

However, Song Pianxian’s hand paused, almost causing a blot of ink to spill on the paper.

These were all provided by Feng Yuexian.

Her secret guards were limited in number, and King Chu had been poisoning the previous Emperor for many years. How could they not be capable of assassination and poisoning?

The palace’s secret guards were unavailable, and she was new to the scene. Where could she find reliable help? It was Feng Yuexian who took the initiative to offer assistance.

With each piece of evidence solid, even the witnesses were waiting at the country manors, ensuring a conviction.

Feng Yuexian…

I wonder when Feng Yuexian will be willing to come back.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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