Female-dominated society: Striving for the position of powerful minister, doting on Xiao Yunqing

Prime Minister's Mansion

西苑

Mu Yunyan sat on the couch, gazing at the empty room, and couldn't help but feel lost in thought.

Just like back then, they left without saying goodbye. But now, thinking back, I feel mostly sorrow and loneliness.

“Sir,” the servant respectfully handed over the handkerchief, “Young Master Lin asked me to give this to you before he left.”

Mu Yunyan unfolded the handkerchief, revealing a lotus hairpin inside. The pattern embroidered on the handkerchief was the lotus flowers in front of her house, and the clumsy embroidery was clearly done stitch by stitch by Lin Zhixu.

She lowered her gaze, and a tear silently fell onto the lotus pattern, merging with the lotus pond of yesteryear. Ripples spread across the water, reflecting the girl's red figure.

That year, Mu Yunyan came in first place in the imperial examination, and people from all around congratulated her.

She sat on horseback, her red official robes making her stand out in the crowd, radiating glory.

Overjoyed, she rushed off to find Lin Zhixu after the parade ended.

She thought Lin Zhixu would be happy for her.

She was mostly overjoyed but couldn't suppress her sorrow. She opened the door and went in, only to be greeted by an extremely indifferent face.

The boy sat on the ground, silently wiping the long sword in his hand, without ever looking up at her.

Suppressing her joy, Mu Yunyan asked, "Zhixu, what's wrong? Did Aunt Liu hit you again?"

Lin Zhixu remained silent, but paused his movements for a moment.

Mu Yunyan approached and squatted down, trying to hold his hand, but he dodged her.

Lin Zhixu finally raised his head, his eyes icy: "Why are you working so hard to pass the imperial examinations? Didn't you say you disliked officialdom?"

Mu Yunyan was stunned, not expecting such a response. She replied, "The officialdom is treacherous, and I truly dislike it, but I also have my own ambitions. Why can't I pass the imperial examinations?"

Lin Zhixu snorted coldly: "Saying one thing and meaning another, is this your ambition?"

The girl was displeased, but she still smiled at him and said, "Zhixu, I didn't come here to talk about these things." She took out the document personally bestowed by the Empress from her bosom and said with a smile, "Look, I can go to the capital to become an official! Father, Mother and you can all go with me."

The young woman said dreamily, "After we get married, we'll buy a house in Kyoto, plant a yard full of lotus flowers, and build an armory. Isn't that what you've always wanted? You'll only need to water the flowers and keep Father and Mother company every day, and I'll take care of everything else."

“Let’s buy another persimmon tree. Where should we plant it? Let’s plant it in the yard! It’ll be easy to pick the fruit, and it’ll look nice too. Besides, Mother’s dried persimmons are the best!” She turned to look at Lin Zhixu and continued, “And Tang’s pastries, I heard they’re everywhere in Kyoto, so we won’t have to wait a year for them anymore. Zhou’s roast duck is also delicious, we…”

Mu Yunyan couldn't finish her sentence. The young man's face was terribly grim, and his dark eyes were filled with barely concealed anger.

He asked coldly, "Have you finally put away your ostentatious attitude and turned to pity?"

The girl's face froze: "Pity?"

"Mu Yunyan, you overestimate yourself," the young man shouted. "No matter how bad my family is or how dangerous my situation is, it's none of your business to pity me! If I encounter any trouble in the future, I won't need you to settle things for me. You have your ambitions, and so do I. I will never be confined to that house for your sake!"

Young people are always impetuous. In a fit of anger, Lin Zhixu rode his horse out of Jiangnan. He was never seen again after that day.

After serving as an official in Jiangnan for several years, Mu Yunyan passed away one after another and was ordered to go to the capital.

The scene when she first arrived in Kyoto was magnificent, but it couldn't compare to the joy she showed when she wore a red robe and smiled heartily back then.

The boy in her memory, along with the lotus pond in front of her door, has been gone from her for a long, long time.

_

That night

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky as Zhang Xunyu strolled leisurely along the road, her servants carefully holding up lanterns for her.

A long sword suddenly pressed against her throat, and Zhang Xunyu subconsciously looked up. The person in front of her was wearing a bamboo hat and her face was covered by a black veil; judging from her figure, she was a woman.

"My master wants to see you," the woman said in a low voice.

"Who...is your master?"

"You'll see when you meet her," the woman said, then led Zhang Xunyu away.

_

Zhang Mansion

Under the moonlight, Shen Chenxi led a group of men in black into the courtyard.

The lanterns in the corridor glowed dimly, their light tinged with a faint red light; the night wind howled, the candlelight inside flickered, and a few were barely extinguished.

Wei Zhuo reached out and lifted the bamboo curtain, saying, "Young Master, I will go and scout ahead first."

"No need, just go in." Shen Chenxi raised his sword and slashed off a lamp, from which a key suddenly fell.

He bent down to pick up the key and said to Wei Zhuo, "The traps are only in the prison; they haven't been set up in the rest of the area. Take your men to the backyard, and be quiet so as not to disturb the people in the mansion."

Wei Zhuo agreed and left with the others.

Shen Chenxi walked into the house and gently tapped the table a few times. The wood carvings on the table were intricate and intertwined, and after a moment, a tunnel appeared behind him.

He casually picked up a candlestick and bowed as he walked down.

Shen Chenxi walked slowly along the tunnel, the candlelight flickering. The tunnel was filled with a putrid, damp smell, and the further she went in, the wider the passage became.

On both sides were prisons, filled with all sorts of people. When they saw someone approaching, those people frantically pounded on the bars, emitting strange roars.

"what--"

A woman laughed loudly, "Hehehe, someone's here! Someone's come to keep us company!"

"He's here to keep us company!"

"catch him!"

"We can't let him escape!"

Everyone echoed this sentiment, stretching out their hands as if to drag Shen Chenxi into the jail.

Countless hands reached out to him, and the people cried and screamed, desperately grabbing his sleeves, afraid that he would escape.

Their eyes were like those of hungry beasts eyeing their prey—cold-blooded and cruel, devoid of any genuine emotion.

Just like those people on Mount Qingcheng back then.

It's so cruel it's terrifying.

Shen Chenxi gripped the sword tightly, but couldn't swing it. He staggered back a step, and with a "bang," the candlestick crashed heavily to the ground.

The wax, like the blood of that year, flowed everywhere.

He stared blankly, and in a daze, he saw the mountain of corpses, blood, broken swords, and villains again.

It's all fake, fake...

Shen Chenxi raised his sword, brushed aside the hand at his side, and shouted, "Get lost if you don't want to die!"

The crowd winced and pulled their hands away slightly, still shouting, "Grab him! Don't let him get away!"

Shen Chenxi remained unmoved and walked forward.

Deep inside the cell sat a disheveled man who slowly raised his head upon hearing the noise.

"You've finally arrived," the man said hoarsely.

Shen Chenxi removed his veil, revealing a cold and stern face. "How could I not come when it concerns you?"

“I underestimated you,” he said coldly, “that you managed to get here alive.”

Shen Chenxi scoffed, "They're just a bunch of unreasonable troublemakers. Do you think they can hold me back?"

"You can't escape." The man chuckled sinisterly.

"Escape? When did you realize I wanted to escape?" Shen Chenxi sneered and said in a low voice, "Sun Xiaowu, I'm here to take your dog's life."

Sun Xiaowu glanced at him contemptuously and said slowly, "You won't kill me, you wouldn't dare. If you kill me, the master won't let you off, and you can forget about getting promoted and making a fortune for the rest of your life."

"Do you think Zhang Xunyu can still protect you?" Shen Chenxi clicked her tongue and said, "I'm afraid she can't even protect herself now."

Sun Xiaowu roared, "What did you do to her?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Shen Chenxi smiled meaningfully, then disappeared into the darkness.

_

Zhang Xunyu was awakened from his dream.

Seeing that she was awake, Hongxiu quickly took a handkerchief to wipe her face and asked softly, "Did you have a nightmare, my lady?"

Zhang Xunyu was stunned. He looked around and shouted angrily, "How did I get here! And you, how did you get in!"

“Sir, are you perhaps still half asleep?” Hongxiu said earnestly, “You’ve been here the whole time, and I’ve been by your side the whole time.”

"No...impossible!" Zhang Xunyu hurriedly got out of bed and started searching the room barefoot.

Hongxiu cried out anxiously, "My lord, my lord, what's wrong with you...?"

"Quickly help me find... find... find a collection of poems!" Zhang Xunyu stammered.

"Yes," Hongxiu replied, and began searching as well.

Zhang Xunyu turned the room upside down, but found nothing, and collapsed to the ground. He muttered, "It's over...it's all over."

"My lord! I've found it!" Hongxiu exclaimed with delight, "Look, is this the one?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xunyu was overjoyed and quickly snatched the poetry collection from her hands, letting out a long sigh of relief: "Yes! This is the one."

"My lord," Hongxiu asked, "what's in this collection of poems?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask," Zhang Xunyu said coldly. "Get out!"

"Yes... I'll get out right now." Hongxiu replied, sounding aggrieved, and closed the door to leave.

Seeing that she had left, Zhang Xunyu hurriedly opened the poetry collection.

“The handwriting and content match…” she laughed, “Hahaha, Heaven hasn’t forsaken me! Heaven hasn’t forsaken me!” Just as she was feeling happy, she raised her hand and found her palm stained with ink.

Undeterred, she rubbed it again, leaving large patches of ink on her hands.

Zhang Xunyu stared in horror as the poetry collection seemed to be under a spell, the ink constantly seeping out. In her panic, she threw the collection aside and scrambled towards the dungeon.

Zhang Xunyu rushed to the dungeon, only to find it deathly silent.

The place where Sun Xiaowu was originally imprisoned was deserted, with only some traces of a fight remaining on the ground.

Her heart sank, and an ominous premonition welled up inside her.

A weak voice came from the darkness: "Master, you've arrived..." Sun Xiaowu raised his head with difficulty.

Zhang Xunyu tidied his messy hair and smiled, "Yes, I've come to see you. How are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm just glad to see my master."

"Oh!" Zhang Xunyu feigned surprise, "Your injury is quite serious, does it hurt?"

Sun Xiaowu forced himself to lift his head and gave a bitter smile: "These are just minor injuries. As long as Master can calm down, I'm willing to do anything."

"Willing to do anything?"

"Yes!" Sun Xiaowu, dragging his battered body, knelt on one knee, his right fist clenched and placed on his left chest, his tone unwavering: "My life belongs to my master!"

Zhang Xunyu asked coldly, "Now that you've lost all your martial arts skills, what can you do for me?"

“As long as my master gives me a chance,” Sun Xiaowu struggled to his feet, staggered to her, and knelt down before her, “I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life!”

“But I’ve already given you chances! You didn’t seize them, and instead disappointed me time and time again.” She said, “How can I trust you now that you’re like this?”

Sun Xiaowu lowered his head, his eyes dim: "It is my incompetence that has disappointed you, Master... but my loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon!"

"Loyalty?" Zhang Xunyu sneered. "I don't need that kind of thing."

"Master!" Sun Xiaowu knelt and took two steps forward, his eyes red-rimmed. "This subordinate is incompetent and can't give you anything... but my loyalty to you has never changed!"

Zhang Xunyu leaned down to look at Sun Xiaowu and said with feigned concern, "Of course I know you are loyal, after all, you are someone I personally trained."

A hint of emotion flashed in Sun Xiaowu's eyes, and he hurriedly said, "Thank you for your trust, Master. I will do my utmost to repay your kindness!"

“What a coincidence,” Zhang Xunyu said, his expression shifting. “I need you to do something for me right now.”

Sun Xiaowu's spirits lifted, and his voice carried a hint of excitement: "No matter what it is, as long as Master gives the order, I will do my utmost!"

“Now that such a big thing has happened, and the Dali Temple refuses to back down, someone has to step forward.” Zhang Xunyu looked down at him: “Xiao Wu, do you understand my intention?”

Sun Xiaowu's body stiffened abruptly, and he looked at Zhang Xunyu in disbelief: "Master, do you want me to take the blame?"

"If I won't let you go, will I go instead?" Zhang Xunyu threatened. "Or do you want to see your wife and children buried with you?"

“I…” Sun Xiaowu clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, and bit his lip until it bled. He tasted the faint blood before saying, “I will go. I am willing to take the blame. I only ask that my master spare my wife and children.”

Zhang Xunyu said, "As long as you obediently confess your crimes, they will naturally be safe and sound, but if you dare to run away, you will die a horrible death!"

A resolute look appeared on Sun Xiaowu's pale face: "This subordinate will never run away, I only ask that my master keep his promise."

"I will naturally keep my promise."

“Master…” Sun Xiaowu lowered his head, his body trembling uncontrollably. After a moment, he looked up at Zhang Xunyu, his eyes filled with sorrow: “I have one more request.”

"Go ahead."

Sun Xiaowu's lips parted slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Master, I want to see my wife and children one last time..."

“Xiao Wu,” Zhang Xunyu said, “going to see them now will only harm them.”

Sun Xiaowu's eyes were red and choked with sobs, unable to speak. After a moment, he managed to say with difficulty, "It is my incompetence that I could not protect them. I hope that you, my master, can take good care of them."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them for you." Zhang Xunyu patted his shoulder and said softly, "Go, Xiao Wu, before dawn."

Sun Xiaowu accepted the order and left.

The servant asked, "Master, what has been done with his wife and children?"

“Kill him,” Zhang Xunyu said coldly. “Only the dead will not cause trouble.”

"Yes."