"So you're quite clever, aren't you!"
Lu Qingwan playfully righted the person and led the horse along, "You just said Feng Qingheng wants to take in many concubines? The funeral rites for the late emperor have just passed; if he does this, isn't he afraid of being drowned by the remonstrance officials' spit?"
Chi Yao Yao grumbled, "There's no explicit law stating that a new emperor cannot hold a selection of imperial consorts in his accession year. The remonstrance officials are also divided into two factions. One faction is like my father and grandfather; as long as he doesn't harm Da Qian, they don't care about his private affairs. The other faction is eager for the new emperor to select consorts so they can immediately shove their daughters into the harem to curry favor with the new emperor. As for the group that talks about filial piety and brotherhood, they have little influence and their words are meaningless."
Despite her perceived naivety, having been raised by two Grand Academicians, Chi Yao Yao understood what she needed to.
"The law doesn't explicitly prohibit it, but my impression is that emperors throughout history have only begun selecting consorts in the third year after the previous emperor's death! It's called showing respect for the former emperor and the new emperor's filial piety. Isn't this an unwritten rule? Is Feng Qingheng so stubborn that he dares to go against the will of the people?"
"He's not being stubborn; he's too eager to cultivate his own influence in the imperial court." Chi Yao Yao said with an air of seniority, "I've heard from my grandfather and father that the late emperor never intended for the new emperor to stay on the throne for too long. Before his death, he had already severed all of the new emperor's connections. The court's normal operation now relies on Prime Minister Wen, my father, the King of Nan, and other old officials to keep the officials in check. The new emperor knows this, which is why he's in a hurry to win over those officials who disagree with Prime Minister Wen, my father, and the Regent. To achieve this, he's not afraid of promoting people beyond their ranks or controlling local affairs remotely. He's almost gone mad."
Lu Qingwan was surprised to find that although Chi Yao Yao was pampered, neither of the Chi family's Grand Academicians treated her like a delicate flower. This seemingly innocent, doll-faced little loli understood far more than she had imagined.
Thinking this, Lu Qingwan couldn't help but ask, "Since you know all this, do you know that my trip to Saibei is not a joke? Along the way, who knows what unexpected events I might encounter. Aren't you afraid?"
"I am. Just like before, when the horse startled me, I was afraid. But I'm even more afraid of becoming a bargaining chip for the new emperor to constrain my grandfather and father." Chi Yao Yao's eyes were clear, showing no trace of the innocence and guilelessness she had displayed earlier. "My grandfather and father have dedicated their lives to being loyal ministers, accountable to heaven and earth, and having no regrets. But Feng Qingheng uses me as a chip to force them to change their stance. I don't want to be a burden to them."
This serious expression stunned Lu Qingwan. "Do the two adults have some unspeakable difficulties, and Feng Qingheng is threatening them?"
Chi Yao Yao said sadly, "I also suspected as much, but they always treat me like a child who knows nothing of the world and tell me nothing. My grandfather has always been a man who values rules above all else, saying men and women at seven cannot sit together. No matter how much he dotes on me, he wouldn't let me hug him, nor would he enter my room. Yet last night, after returning from the palace, he sat by my bed and watched me for nearly an hour. This morning, I heard him tell my father that if all else fails, he would break his own palm and report back to the new emperor."
"Break his own palm?" Lu Qingwan's heart leaped, and she suddenly thought of something. "I remember when Prince and I got married, Grand Academician Chi sent a painting called 'A Hundred Children and a Thousand Grandchildren.' The Prince said it was painted and inscribed by Grand Academician Chi himself. He can imitate various handwriting styles, and his skill is enough to pass off as genuine. Is that true?"
Chi Yao Yao was dumbfounded. "Are you saying the new emperor wants to use me to threaten my grandfather, to imitate someone's handwriting and write something?" After she finished speaking, their eyes met, and they both saw the shock in each other's eyes. Feng Qingheng was already the most honorable person in the world. Whose handwriting would he go to such great lengths to imitate?
"The late emperor?" They both spoke the words in unison, completely stunned.
After Chi Yao Yao spoke, she dazedly said, "But the most important thing the late emperor could leave him is the imperial edict of succession, right? He's already the emperor; why would he need my grandfather to imitate the late emperor's handwriting?"
"Then there are too many possibilities." Lu Qingwan sneered. "You're not unaware that these old officials in the court, whether they are like Prime Minister Wen and Grand Academician Chi in their upright intentions, or like Duke Pei of Lu with ulterior motives, they all sincerely respected the late emperor. If there were truly someone who could write an imperial edict in the late emperor's style according to his wishes, how much trouble would he save himself?"
Chi Yao Yao stared blankly at Lu Qingwan, as if she had been frightened. "If that's the case, would my running away from home be of any use?" She ran away from home precisely because she didn't want her family to be controlled by others. But if Feng Qingheng were threatening her grandfather to do such a thing, even if she left, would Feng Qingheng really give up?
"It is of use. At least with you gone, the two adults can negotiate with the new emperor without any reservations. Furthermore, your departure, in a way, represents the two adults' stance to Feng Qingheng. If Feng Qingheng still insists on having Grand Academician Chi imitate the late emperor's handwriting to forge an edict, his methods will certainly not be gentle. As soon as he shows his hand, I can ask the Prince to join Prime Minister Wen, the King of Nan, and other old officials to help the two adults escape Feng Qingheng's threat."
Chi Yao Yao was shocked. "He wouldn't, would he, resort to desperate measures and attack my family?" In Chi Yao Yao's mind, there were only a few ways to coerce someone into compromise, and she absolutely did not want her own relatives to experience any of them.
"Don't worry, I'll immediately send word to Li Su, asking him to send people to protect everyone in the Chi manor. We will absolutely not let the two adults come to harm."
With teary eyes, Chi Yao Yao kept thanking her profusely. "Thank you so much, Ah Wan. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do!"
Lu Qingwan patiently comforted her, sent a message to Li Su via the golden eagle, and then hurried off with Chi Yao Yao under the cover of night. Only when they were sure Feng Qingheng's men couldn't catch up did they dare to rest. Even so, a journey that should have taken twelve days was completed by them in a mere eight.
However, Lu Qingwan didn't expect that waiting for her in Saibei was a trap that had been meticulously woven, a trap that would not harm others, but only Lu Qingwan herself.
Upon first arriving in Saibei, Lu Qingwan was startled by the bleakness of the landscape. It was the beginning of spring, a season when all things revive. Yet, Lu Qingwan saw only desolation, with refugees everywhere and scattered soldiers along the route. Buildings were collapsed, burned, and as far as the eye could see, it was a scene of devastation. Their clothes, which they hadn't changed for three to five days, stood out so glaringly in such a place.
Chi Yao Yao, being indeed innocent, took out the dry rations from her bag and offered them to a child by the roadside, "You must be hungry, here..."