Volume Five: Those Years When I Was the Prime Minister
How to Love
Sheng Tingwan and Shen Zhijin had a fight.
The two of them fought quite fiercely, and the commotion was so great that the entire imperial palace, and even the officials in the imperial court, knew that Noble Consort Shen and Her Majesty the Empress Regnant had quarreled, and that their relationship had encountered a huge crisis.
The Shen family was frantic, requesting to enter the palace for an audience with Shen Zhijin, but they were refused by Her Majesty the Empress Regnant. Furthermore, she issued a strict order forbidding Noble Consort Shen from taking even half a step out of the palace gates, on pain of being beaten to death with clubs.
Once this edict was issued, everyone was gripped with panic.
When people panic and get flustered, they tend to overthink. They suddenly recalled a major event that had occurred in the past few days: Prime Minister Ling, Ling Wen Nuan, had returned.
Back then, it was Prime Minister Ling who had personally acted as the matchmaker, sending the Shen family’s legitimate son to the current Empress Regnant. She had also demanded that Her Majesty the Empress Regnant enfeoff Shen Zhijin as the Phoenix Consort. However, Her Majesty was unwilling to enfeoff a Phoenix Consort, and in the end, only bestowed upon Shen Zhijin the title of a Noble Consort.
This action led everyone at the time to believe that the Shen family had latched onto Prime Minister Ling, and that Her Majesty the Empress Regnant did not dare to defy Prime Minister Ling’s words. This led to a situation where when one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven1, allowing the Shen family’s legitimate son to become the sole male consort in Her Majesty’s rear palace, and the only Noble Consort at that, causing no one to dare provoke the Shen family.
Now that the two were fighting, everyone suspected that the relationship between the Shen family and Prime Minister Ling had fractured, which was why Her Majesty the Empress Regnant would completely break with Shen Zhijin.
Moreover, for the past few days, Sheng Tingwan had worn a cold expression during court sessions. A heavy sense of majesty swept through the entire imperial court, making the attending ministers not dare to even breathe loudly, for fear of being harmed like the fish in the moat by a fire at the city gate2.
Wen Nuan’s body had more or less recovered these past few days. Even Fang Minghe was astonished by her recovery ability. A condition that clearly should have required three months of recuperation had passed in only half a month, and Wen Nuan could already walk with vigorous strides, her condition so good it was as if she had never been injured.
“The Prime Minister’s constitution has always been robust. After just half a month of recuperation, the Prime Minister has almost returned to her original state.” Fang Minghe looked at Sheng Tingwan, who was seated in the place of honor. For the past few days, he had frequently come to the Imperial Study to report on Wen Nuan’s recovery status to Sheng Tingwan.
Especially regarding the situation these past few days, the closer the Prime Minister came to a full recovery, the increasingly grim Her Majesty the Empress Regnant’s expression grew. As a result, after he finished his report today, Her Majesty’s expression became even uglier.
Logically speaking, the Prime Minister’s improving recovery should have been a good thing, and Her Majesty the Empress Regnant should have been happy. However, Fang Minghe knew clearly in his heart that what Her Majesty the Empress Regnant was worried about was that if the Prime Minister’s body recovered, she would definitely leave the capital city to roam the four seas.
Her Majesty the Empress Regnant did not want Prime Minister Ling to leave the Imperial Palace; Fang Minghe could sense this profoundly.
“Tell me, once her body has recovered, will she leave?” Sheng Tingwan said faintly.
Fang Minghe’s heart jumped, not knowing the meaning behind Her Majesty’s question. He could only decide what he should reply based on the actual situation.
“….This subject believes so.”
Prime Minister Ling had also said that she wanted to continue to roam the four seas. Now that her body had recovered, she would surely leave the capital city to once again wander the jianghu, touring mountains and playing in waters.
“Is that so?” Sheng Tingwan’s voice remained level.
The Imperial Study abruptly fell into a dead silence, so heavy it felt as if it could crush a person’s spine.
Fang Minghe swallowed hard as cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He pressed his lips together, not daring to speak, awaiting Sheng Tingwan’s next words.
“Fang Minghe?”
He immediately responded, “This subject is here.”
“Your skills in concocting medicine are superb. Zhen believe you can create the medicine Zhen desires, can you not?”
Fang Minghe’s head snapped up to meet Sheng Tingwan’s deep, dark eyes. The tip of his heart trembled violently as he said with difficulty, “…This subject… can.”
The corners of Sheng Tingwan’s mouth hooked up. “Excellent.”
【The male lead and female lead have had a fight. What do you plan to do?】 the system asked curiously, seeing Wen Nuan’s calm and leisurely appearance.
Sheng Tingwan and Shen Zhijin’s fight Wen Nuan naturally knew about, but she was holding her troops and not moving3, because she wanted to see what these two were really up to.
Wen Nuan poured a cup of tea and took a sip. “As long as the female lead doesn’t kill the male lead in a fit of anger, we can just take the rest slowly.”
In any case, she wasn’t in a hurry.
What Wen Nuan really wanted to see was what kind of trap Sheng Tingwan and Shen Zhijin had set for her to walk into.
【Although the male and female leads are the Children of the Heavenly Dao, in this mission world, the female lead is superior to the male lead in every aspect. The male lead’s life and death rest on a single thought from the female lead. I’m a little worried the female lead will actually make a move against the male lead.】
“Don’t be afraid,” Wen Nuan said with calm composure, flicking the tea leaves in her cup. “It’s just a small squabble, not worth taking a life over.”
【Are you that certain?】
“Of course. As if I don’t know her temperament?” Wen Nuan smiled. “She just needs to do what she wants to do. If she’s wrong, the blame is on me.”
She watched Sheng Tingwan walk in from outside the palace gates, the corners of her eyes curling up slightly as she murmured, “I’m quite curious to see what else she’ll do to get me.”
Wen Nuan always felt that the current Sheng Tingwan hadn’t quite let go yet. Suppressing her inner desires too much was not a good thing.
Since “she” dared to ‘blacken’, that meant “she” was an ambitious person.
Sheng Tingwan walked into Huining Hall4 and saw Wen Nuan sitting alone in the hall drinking tea. Her brow furrowed slightly. “Where are Mu Shu5 and Qu Hui6?”
These two palace maids had been specially arranged by Sheng Tingwan to stay in Huining Hall to take care of Wen Nuan.
Originally, she had planned to have Wen Nuan stay in Qianyang Hall permanently. With her there to take care of her, she would be more at ease. However, Wen Nuan didn’t want to live in Qianyang Hall, saying that it was, after all, the Empress Regnant’s bedchamber, and not a place she could live.
Though that was the case, Sheng Tingwan was very displeased to hear it. But Wen Nuan was insistent, so she couldn’t force the issue, lest she arouse Wen Nuan’s dissatisfaction. She could only settle her in Huining Hall, which was separated from Qianyang Hall by only a single palace path.
Wen Nuan poured Sheng Tingwan a cup of tea. “I sent them out of the palace to buy osmanthus cakes from Sugui Bakery.” Seeing that Sheng Tingwan hadn’t even gone to Qianyang Hall to change out of her court robes, she asked, “Just finished with court?”
Sheng Tingwan sat down next to Wen Nuan and took a sip of tea. “Mm, just finished.”
“At this hour?” Wen Nuan saw a hint of worry between her brows. “Did something happen?”
Wen Nuan thought about the upcoming plotline. Although the world’s plotline was already a mess, there were still some things that could be used as a reference.
For example, in the original plot, the war in the Western Prefecture had left the Tianyang Kingdom with its vitality greatly wounded, suffering the tragic loss of a 200,000-strong army. Later, Her Majesty the Empress Regnant personally led 100,000 soldiers on an expedition to reclaim the lost territory, beating back the Minqiu Kingdom and the Pingzhou Kingdom into their own borders.
Although the results of the war were not as good as Wen Nuan’s, they were still considered stunningly brilliant.
With the war settled, the three kingdoms were all doing their utmost to recover their vitality, reaching a kind of tenuous relationship of mutual harmony and mutual competition and probing.
In ten days would be Sheng Tingwan’s birthday. In the original plot, the Minqiu Kingdom, Xinzhao Kingdom, and Pingzhou Kingdom would dispatch envoys to offer congratulations for Sheng Tingwan’s birthday. Because of Sheng Tingwan’s ruthless and vicious methods on the battlefield, the three kingdoms were terrified and wary, so they conspired to offer their own princes to Sheng Tingwan. On the surface, it was to show loyalty; in reality, it was to plant spies.
If the original plot were to continue, the tribute offerings from the Pingzhou and Xinzhao Kingdoms would make the male lead, Shen Zhijin, jealous. But for the sake of superficial peace between the kingdoms and to privately use these three princes to secretly cross to Chencang7, Sheng Tingwan accepted the three princes.
This caused the first rift to form between the female and male leads. It wasn’t until later, when the female lead relied on these three princes to steal crucial secrets from the other three kingdoms and launched a campaign to conquer them in one fell swoop, that the male lead realized she had only ever loved him from beginning to end, and that she was merely using the three princes.
But now, the main world plotline had already collapsed. The Minqiu Kingdom had been annihilated, the Pingzhou Kingdom had lost city after city and immediately submitted a letter of surrender, and the Xinzhao Kingdom, terrified by the Tianyang Kingdom’s war in the Western Prefecture, was too scared to continue harassing Tianyang’s Dongling region.
In the current world situation, the Tianyang Kingdom occupied the advantageous position, dominating the world.
So, the things that could currently cause Sheng Tingwan to worry were few and far between. Right now, only her fight with Shen Zhijin could cause her some anxiety.
And sure enough—
Sheng Tingwan sighed. “What, would you say, is love?”
“…..” This opening was not what Wen Nuan had expected. She hadn’t thought Sheng Tingwan’s style would be so elevated as to directly start discussing love.
Wen Nuan mused, “The heart’s true yearning, supporting each other through hardship, to hold your hand, and grow old with you.”8
“Do you think a love as wonderful as you describe truly exists in this world?” Sheng Tingwan said, her gaze lowered.
“Aren’t Your Majesty and Noble Consort Shen just like that?”
Since you won’t bring it up first, Wen Nuan will.
Sheng Tingwan’s eyelids trembled slightly, her voice low. “Recently, Shen Zhijin and I had a fight.”
Mm, I know.
I heard you two fought so fiercely that all the court officials know about it.
But Wen Nuan had to pretend she knew nothing, revealing a look of astonishment. “You had a fight?”
“You… didn’t know?” Sheng Tingwan looked at her, surprised by her reaction.
She and Shen Zhijin had clearly fought so intensely that all the court officials knew about it. How could Wen Nuan seem completely unaware?
“I’ve been recuperating these past few days, paying no mind to the world outside. I had no idea you and Shen Zhijin had a fight.” Wen Nuan’s brow furrowed. “Why did you fight?”
“Shen Zhijin said he doesn’t love me at all.” Sheng Tingwan’s voice was filled with bewilderment, like that of a clueless child.
“He told you that directly?” Wen Nuan was very puzzled. “But back then, he clearly said he liked you very much.”
“He likes me?” Sheng Tingwan’s heart skipped a beat, unable to help her surprise.
Could it be that Shen Zhijin really likes her?
After all, Shen Zhijin wouldn’t dare lie in front of Ling Wen Nuan. Could that damn thing have really planted the roots of love deep for her?!
Wen Nuan held back a laugh, pretending to be serious. “Mm, if it weren’t for him saying he liked you, and you also saying you liked him, how could I have ever brought you two together?”
“I like him?” Sheng Tingwan said, shocked. “When did I ever say I liked him?”
“You’ve forgotten?” Wen Nuan’s gaze held a trace of regret and haziness. “At your eighteenth birthday banquet that year, I asked you what you thought of Shen Zhijin. You said you liked Shen Zhijin’s free and easy disposition, that it was very comfortable to be around him, and that you had been taken care of by him when you were little, so naturally, you had some affection for him.”
Sheng Tingwan: “…..”
She… she had only ever thought of Shen Zhijin as a friend, a close friend. Her affection for him was only that between friends. How could Wen Nuan have mistaken it for the affection between lovers?
“Then… Shen Zhijin told you he liked me?” Sheng Tingwan asked.
Wen Nuan nodded. “Mhm, Shen Zhijin said you were very cute and well-behaved when you were little, that it was very comfortable to be with you, and that being with you was his honor and satisfaction. Isn’t that because he likes you?”
Sheng Tingwan: “….”
“By that count,” Wen Nuan said with a smile, “you two were mutually in love from the start.”
Sheng Tingwan: “….”
Wen Nuan deliberately patted Sheng Tingwan’s shoulder, offering heartfelt advice, “For a young couple, you fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot9. Men, you know, they need a way to step down gracefully. We women should be magnanimous and more generous, eh.”
Sheng Tingwan: “….”
It was truly a case of a mute eating bitter melon—suffering in silence10.
As night fell, the imperial palace was so quiet there wasn’t even the sound of footsteps.
The window of Jinlan Hall was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind.
Shen Zhijin looked at the person before him in terror, sucked in a sharp breath, and said, “Your Majesty, why didn’t you use the door?”
“We’re still fighting, I can’t use the door,” Sheng Tingwan said, closing the window tightly. “We have to be careful.”
Shen Zhijin: “…”
This feels just like having an illicit affair. If anyone saw this, he would truly have no way to defend himself.
At that point, forget leaving the palace gates, he might just be beaten to death with clubs.
“This feels like we’re having an affair,” Shen Zhijin said awkwardly.
A vein throbbed on Sheng Tingwan’s forehead. “….Shut up!”
Shen Zhijin obediently shut his mouth.
Sheng Tingwan walked up to Shen Zhijin. “I didn’t expect you to be so vigilant.”
Shen Zhijin yawned. “No matter where I am, this consort is always vigilant.”
In the imperial palace, in the Shen manor, or in the jianghu he yearned for.
Sheng Tingwan didn’t care how vigilant Shen Zhijin was. The main reason she had come this time was to clarify one thing. “Did you tell Ling Wen Nuan that you liked me?”
Shen Zhijin shook his head. “…No.”
Sheng Tingwan’s brow furrowed tightly. “Then why did Ling Wen Nuan say you liked me?”
“She told you that?”
Sheng Tingwan repeated Wen Nuan’s words to Shen Zhijin verbatim.
Shen Zhijin was silent for a long time. “Your Majesty, we both know that Prime Minister Ling is wise and resourceful, surpassing all others, isn’t that right?”
Sheng Tingwan raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say?”
“Prime Minister Ling may have hands and eyes that reach heaven11, she may be knowledgeable about the past and present12, but right now, this consort seems to have discovered one of the Prime Minister’s weaknesses.”
“What weakness?”
Shen Zhijin looked up and said in a low voice, “Prime Minister Ling, perhaps, does not know what love is.”
Perhaps.
Ling Wen Nuan doesn’t understand love.
“If we’re talking about the person who treats you best, I can’t think of anyone other than Prime Minister Ling. Although this consort grew up with you, if you asked me to do what the Prime Minister has done, this consort would feel ashamed of my inadequacy.”
“The Prime Minister is wise and resourceful, unparalleled in the world. Of all the matters under heaven, there is nothing she does not know or understand. But this consort believes that when it comes to matters of love and affection, she is likely completely ignorant.”
“Perhaps, Your Majesty, you could teach the Prime Minister how to love someone?”
The author has something to say:
Wen Nuan (picking her nose): I admit I didn’t understand love at first. I was still young, you have to allow me to make mistakes.
System (scolding angrily): So f#ckin’ scummy!
(The pain in my stomach can’t stop my desire to write an extra chapter for you all, ai… it really hurts… it’s a pain like menstrual cramps…)
【This is all I have in my drafts, if I feel better tomorrow I’ll write some more…………..】
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