"How about 'Zhaoye'?" Xie Lin suggested a name.
Jiang Yunshu shook her head. "The name 'Zhaoye' should belong to a white horse."
Under the moonlight, the white horse's coat shimmered with a silvery glow, its mane flowing as it galloped forward, illuminating the dark night.
She glanced at Xie Lin. "Isn't your 'Benxiao' also a white horse?"
"Benxiao, Zhaoye..." Jiang Yunshu suddenly realized these two names had a strong "couple" vibe.
Put together, they formed the "Midnight Snack" duo.
Jiang Yunshu caught on so quickly that Xie Lin clenched his fists nervously behind his back.
Jiang Yunshu said, "Since 'Zhaoye' pairs so well with 'Benxiao'..."
Xie Lin listened, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
Jiang Yunshu continued, "...then Your Excellency can save that name for your own horse!"
"My little horse will be called 'Zaoren'."
She lifted the carriage curtain slightly and called out to the small horse trotting alongside, "Zaoren, Zaoren!"
Xie Lin: "…………"
After being led back to Weiyang Palace, Zaoren was given a private stall in the stables.
Xie Lin favored tall, spirited stallions, most of which were too aggressive to be kept with Zaoren.
Jiang Yunshu personally followed to the stables and inspected Zaoren's private stall, along with the two stable eunuchs assigned to care for the horse.
The stables in Weiyang Palace were far cleaner than those in the horse pastures, with no unpleasant odor even in the heat.
Curious, Jiang Yunshu repeated the questions Xie Lin had earlier asked Duan Jinxing to the two stable eunuchs.
"Can you tell Zaoren's lineage? Or estimate its age?"
The two eunuchs bowed to her before carefully examining the horse—checking its teeth and hooves.
"Reporting to the young lady, Zaoren appears to have half-Persian ancestry..."
"And seems to be around three years old."
Both eunuchs answered correctly.
Jiang Yunshu nodded in approval, praising them. The servants in Weiyang Palace were indeed highly skilled, while Duan Jinxing's expertise was practically nonexistent.
Of course, Duan Jinxing likely never intended to excel in his duties at the horse pastures, nor did he expect to earn a promotion through merit.
He probably considered his position beneath him, waiting instead for the Marquis of Xiping's Mansion to arrange a transfer for him.
Thinking of Jiang Zhaohua, whom she had seen earlier, Jiang Yunshu remarked, "Jiang Zhaohua actually went to the horse pastures to deliver food in person..."
Jiang Zhaohua, who was notorious for categorizing people into rigid hierarchies and despised "lowly" places and "lowly" individuals, had broken her own principles for Duan Jinxing.
Jiang Yunshu was stunned. "She must really love him!"
Could love be contagious, like foot-washing water? Duan's mother's overflowing love for her son seemed to have infected Jiang Zhaohua.
Xie Lin missed the sarcasm in Jiang Yunshu's words. Instead, hearing her remark, his lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.
As a trained martial artist, Xie Lin had sharper senses than Jiang Yunshu and had noticed Jiang Zhaohua hiding behind a tree earlier. Deeming her no threat, he had waited to see what she would do.
When Jiang Yunshu later spotted Jiang Zhaohua, Xie Lin grew even more curious about how she would react.
Every move Jiang Zhaohua and Duan Jinxing made, every subtle expression, had been under Xie Lin's scrutiny.
"Love? Hah..." Xie Lin thought of the two of them—whether it was Jiang Zhaohua toward Duan Jinxing or vice versa, their interactions were riddled with schemes, devoid of any genuine affection.
Jiang Yunshu said, "The Marquis of Xiping's Mansion is already petitioning for an official post for Duan Jinxing..."
As time passed without Xie Lin taking further action against the Marquis of Xiping's Mansion, many assumed his feud with the Anping Marquis Mansion had ended.
Gradually, some were willing to do the Marquis of Xiping's Mansion this small favor.
Jiang Yunshu asked, "Will Your Excellency do anything about it?"
She was curious—did Xie Lin intend to keep Duan Jinxing trapped as a lowly stablemaster forever, or was this punishment enough?
Xie Lin smirked. "Keeping him as a stablemaster for life would be too dull..."
It would be far more entertaining to let him struggle his way up, only to crush him mercilessly once he reached higher ground.
"What excellent bait..." Xie Lin murmured.
Duan Jinxing would serve as perfect bait to lure out those who wished to oppose him.
Though Xie Lin didn't elaborate, Jiang Yunshu grasped his plan immediately.
Her eyes sparkled—it was a brilliant idea.
Jiang Yunshu recalled the incident with the snakes at Wushan. She had never asked about it since their return.
"Did Your Excellency ever uncover the truth behind it?"
Xie Lin's lips thinned. "No."
Initially, he had dismissed it as coincidence, but since Jiang Yunshu had preserved evidence, he had pursued the matter.
The soil mixed with snake-repelling powder that Jiang Yunshu brought back had been examined by imperial physicians, but they couldn't identify its exact composition.
The guard who had scattered the powder, whom Jiang Yunshu had tied up, had been sent by Xie Lin to the interrogation chamber. Despite not being subjected to severe torture, the guard had inexplicably died inside!
Xie Lin's initial suspicion, once a mere two out of ten, had skyrocketed to eight.
For someone under interrogation to die mysteriously in the chamber was something Xie Lin hadn't encountered in years.
The interrogator had been detained immediately and questioned in turn.
He insisted he had followed protocol strictly—under normal circumstances, the guard should not have died.
Yet the guard had died anyway.
Coroners and physicians examined the body but couldn't agree on a cause of death.
Had the guard killed himself to protect a secret? Or had the interrogator silenced him on someone else's orders?
The interrogation chamber had both an executioner and a supervisor—the former responsible for administering punishment, the latter ensuring the former didn't go too far.
In theory, prisoners had no means to commit suicide there. Both executioner and supervisor were highly experienced—prisoners were meant to suffer enough to talk, not die before revealing anything.
With the guard dead, the executioner and supervisor were interrogated thoroughly, but nothing incriminating surfaced.
Both claimed they had followed procedure, and their accounts aligned perfectly.
The case became an unsolved mystery. When Xie Lin recounted it to Jiang Yunshu, his expression darkened—he hadn't been challenged like this in a long time.
Jiang Yunshu, too, found the situation shrouded in mystery.
The guard might have used some unknown method to kill himself, or the executioner might have employed a hidden technique to silence him. But since neither possibility yielded clues, Jiang Yunshu considered a third option.
"Could the guard have had an underlying condition? Something dormant, perhaps even unknown to himself, that was triggered during the interrogation and killed him?"
Standard interrogation techniques, harmless to healthy individuals, might prove fatal to someone with an undiagnosed illness.
This third possibility—that the guard had suffered a sudden, fatal medical episode—hadn't occurred to Xie Lin until Jiang Yunshu mentioned it.
He consulted the imperial physicians again, and they confirmed it was plausible.
Xie Lin found the situation increasingly perplexing. Initially, when the guard died, he was almost certain the venomous snake had been planted deliberately.
Yet Jiang Yunshu's suggestion turned everything on its head. If the guard truly had an underlying illness, then the snake encounter could indeed have been a coincidence.
Xie Lin asked Jiang Yunshu, "Are you afraid?"
Jiang Yunshu answered truthfully, "Not really."
Xie Lin raised an eyebrow. "Someone might be trying to kill you, and you're not afraid?"
Jiang Yunshu replied, "It's not as terrifying as being forced to follow the Late Emperor in death."
If even the Late Emperor hadn't succeeded in taking her life, who else could?
She calmly analyzed, "I've always been safe in the palace. It was only when I went to Wushan that I was bitten by a snake. If someone truly wants to harm me, they have no opportunity within the palace—only when I leave."
At worst, she could just stay holed up in the palace, avoiding danger until the very end!
Xie Lin pressed his lips together. Of course, Weiyang Palace was secure. If even Weiyang Palace wasn't safe, he would have died countless times by now.
But the thought of someone exploiting a vulnerability outside the palace was unacceptable to him.
Jiang Yunshu, however, had a far more relaxed mindset. Since entering the palace, the snakebite was the only danger she had encountered. Compared to the poisonings, drownings, horse accidents, and rabid dog attacks in palace intrigue dramas, her life had been remarkably peaceful.
Xie Lin asked, "Do you have any suspects in mind?"
Jiang Yunshu shook her head.
She couldn't think of anyone who would want her dead.
Jiang Zhaohua might count as one. She had unhesitatingly sent her to her death once—she could do it again.
But Jiang Zhaohua lacked the means.
She couldn't have arranged for a venomous snake in Wushan.
Beyond her, Jiang Yunshu couldn't think of a second person.
Xie Lin nodded. It seemed the snake had been targeting him after all. The list of people who wanted him dead was endless—he could rattle off a hundred names without pausing for breath.
At this point, all leads had gone cold.
Xie Lin could only test whether Duan Jinxing, as bait, could lure out those who wished to strike at him.
---
In Fengyi Palace, the young emperor had fallen ill again.
The wet nurses had long since learned from experience—when the child suddenly cried uncontrollably and refused to be soothed, he would likely fall ill the next day.
But once, when they had reported this early sign to Empress Dowager Wu, she had flown into a rage, accusing them of cursing the emperor.
From then on, the wet nurses no longer reported suspicions in advance. They waited until the child developed a fever before informing the Empress Dowager. After all, they would be scolded and punished either way.
This time, however, Empress Dowager Wu merely reprimanded them without further punishment.
The wet nurses whispered among themselves, "Has Her Majesty... actually changed?"
"Perhaps she's grown accustomed to it? All children fall ill. We’ve cared for him with the utmost diligence—it’s hardly our fault."
"This is truly strange..."
Empress Dowager Wu’s lack of fury stemmed from two reasons. First, she had indeed grown used to the young emperor’s recurring illnesses—this one was minor, not life-threatening.
Second, she had a sudden inspiration: she could use the emperor’s illness as an excuse to summon the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord!
Before Xie Lin had left for Wushan, Empress Dowager Wu had already found a palace maid whose features bore a seventy percent resemblance to Jiang Yunshu.
She had renamed her Yunque and spent time refining her mannerisms until even her smiles and glances mirrored Jiang Yunshu’s.
Yet since Xie Lin’s return from Wushan, Empress Dowager Wu had found no opportunity to present Yunque to him.
Xie Lin spent his days with Jiang Yunshu—selecting horses, riding together, even personally teaching her horsemanship...
Now, at last, the Empress Dowager had a reason to invite Xie Lin over.
She dressed Yunque meticulously, adorning her in clothing and jewelry reminiscent of Jiang Yunshu’s style.
Yunque was nervous. Empress Dowager Wu patted her cheek and said, "What are you afraid of? If this succeeds, endless riches and luxury await you."
A flicker of ambition flashed in Yunque’s eyes.
The Empress Dowager tapped her again. "Hide that look."
"Softer, gentler... Imagine you’re not a person, but a flower, a tree..."
"Yes, that’s the expression. Now you have that air about you."
Empress Dowager Wu studied the seventy-percent resemblance and mused that it was no wonder even the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Lord had fallen for Jiang Yunshu. Men adored women who pretended to be pure and guileless.
Yet for all her scheming, Empress Dowager Wu never expected Xie Lin to arrive with Jiang Yunshu at his side.
The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder before the imperial physicians, listening to the diagnosis of the young emperor’s condition.
Jiang Yunshu mentally summarized the physicians’ jargon-riddled report—not seriously ill, cause unknown, treat as before.
Her gaze lingered on the wailing child, his face scrunched up in an ugly cry.
She knew children fell ill often, but remembering that this was the empire’s sole ruler—the Late Emperor’s only surviving heir—the pressure felt immense.
Empress Dowager Wu’s eyes were red and swollen, as though she could barely stand, leaning heavily on a supporting maid.
Jiang Yunshu’s eyes skimmed over the maid’s face. Hmm, this one’s quite pretty... and oddly familiar.
Who did she resemble? Jiang Yunshu couldn’t place it—perhaps a modern-day celebrity?
Empress Dowager Wu relentlessly pressed the physicians for the cause of the illness.
The physicians, sweating profusely, had no answers.
Jiang Yunshu sighed inwardly. The Empress Dowager was too distraught to think clearly. With a child this young, pinpointing the exact cause was impossible.
Remembering their shared moments of kicking shuttlecocks and watching operas, Jiang Yunshu scanned the room, searching for potential triggers.
Moments later, her gaze sharpened—she had found something amiss.
"Your Majesty, are there not too many maids in this hall?"
Not only were there too many, but each was dressed flamboyantly, their perfumes and powders overwhelming. What was fragrant to adults might irritate a child’s delicate respiratory system.
Moreover, the sheer number of people increased exposure to germs, raising the risk of illness.
"The young emperor is still too small. Shouldn’t his surroundings be quieter, with fewer people coming and going?" She glanced at the physicians for support.
They nodded emphatically, agreeing with her reasoning.
Xie Lin waved a hand. "Why are you all still here? Leave at once."
The maids didn’t dare breathe too loudly, filing out with bowed heads.
Empress Dowager Wu’s nails dug into her palms. Normally, the young emperor’s chambers weren’t so crowded—today’s gathering was solely to position Yunque near Xie Lin.
A lone, conspicuously placed maid would have been too obvious.
Thus, she had allowed all the maids to dress freely, ensuring Yunque blended in.
Throughout, she had kept Yunque close, the girl standing nearest to Xie Lin.
Yet Xie Lin had acted as though such a beauty didn’t exist.
After Xie Lin and Jiang Yunshu departed side by side, Empress Dowager Wu gritted her teeth and reached a decision.
As long as Jiang Yunshu remained, Xie Lin would never notice another woman.
Therefore, Jiang Yunshu had to be eliminated.
