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The Xuande Emperor was in a state of frustration, his head pounding from the disturbance caused by the barbarian outside. Suddenly, he lunged at Qi Xiaomian, grabbing his collar and demanding, "Is it you? Did you call him here to provoke me?"
Before entering the palace, I had no idea why His Majesty sought me. There were many rumors outside; he must be worried about me and guessed for himself.
"Don't think that with him protecting you, you can escape this. He has more sons than I do. If you’re gone, he won’t be left without heirs. Your words mean little to him; it’s just about saving face."
"When you're truly gone, your name will be the only thing left in the family tree, and it won't matter about face anymore. Oh, I forgot—you’re not even in the family tree yet."
Qi Xiaomian pulled his collar free from the Xuande Emperor's grip. At least he was protecting me now; His Majesty dared not press me further because of him. "I still have to go home for dinner," he said. "Your Majesty, may I leave the palace now?"
"You ungrateful wretch!"
"Those who achieve great things have many supporters; those who do not have few. Your Majesty, do not lose sight of your true intentions."
Without waiting for a response from the Xuande Emperor, Qi Xiaomian stood up and walked out.
"That scoundrel! Do you need to lecture me?" The emperor ordered, "Send word to strip Yongxin Marquis of his title. Let Gentle oversee the Office of Censors and demote him to a commoner—no, a lowly commoner! Directly demote him to a lowly commoner!"
Qi Xiaomian ignored the emperor's shouting and felt lighter as he laughed while exiting the palace.
Huo Qi rushed over. "Father's eldest son! Did I arrive in time? Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine," Qi Xiaomian whispered to Huo Qi. "As soon as you threatened him, he backed down. He made some harsh remarks, and then I came out."
"I wasn't making threats; I genuinely wanted to kill him!" Huo Qi insisted as he checked Qi Xiaomian from head to toe before feeling reassured. "If you're alright, let's go home and talk more."
On their way back, they encountered Ju Yi and other court officials.
"Yongxin Marquis..." Mingze hadn't even finished greeting them when Qi Xiaomian chuckled and said, "There is no Yongxin Marquis anymore. I'm just a commoner now; please excuse me."
As they continued on their way back, they noticed the people lining the streets watching them with concern. Qi Xiaomian didn't want to involve them further and chose to ignore them.
Inside the palace, an enraged Xuande Emperor expelled Cai Zhuo and Gentle from the main hall. The two stood side by side outside.
Gentle draped a coat over Cai Zhuo's shoulders. "In this chilly spring weather, why must you suffer like this? Just use Dragon Guard's eyes to control the situation."
Cai Zhuo looked weary but did not respond.
Gentle continued speaking to himself, "Aren't you the most loyal to your Xuande Emperor? Yet you've invited Qi Family Head here. You know his temperament well; you should have anticipated that outburst at the palace gates. Why act so recklessly?"
"Could it be that you've changed your heart?"
Cai Zhuo sighed helplessly. "The abilities of Yongxin Marquis are not limited to what we see now. If allowed to grow further, he will surely become a figure akin to Sea Goddess in Great Jing."
As the winds began to rise, it was crucial not to let the Yongxin Marquis and the Court drift apart. You are quite clear-headed, unlike your muddled master. Cai Zhuo asked him, "Then who is your master?"
"One person, who instructed me to look after you."
Cai Zhuo had been exhausted these days and lacked the energy to investigate the person behind Gentle. At least he knew that the other party meant no harm to Great Jing. The Court was guarded by many loyal ministers, and Xuande Emperor had stated that he was just a eunuch; thus, he should act like one.
However, a reminder was still necessary regarding The Office of Censors. "Don't worry, I understand. Great Jing is not a one-man show under Xuande Emperor. The Yongxin Marquis will return to The Office of Censors in a few days unless he chooses not to. I am merely going through the motions; once this matter is resolved, I will return to keep you company."
Gentle observed the aggressive court officials and thought perhaps there was no need to go at all. That day, the officials again stirred up trouble for Xuande Emperor. Just as he was about to change his mind, he received the second state letter from Great Yu Emperor, which contained praises for Qi Xiaomian that were somewhat flattering.
Soon after, he saw the third and fourth letters. This was becoming excessive; anyone with eyes could see the problem. Yet it seemed that Great Yu Emperor had figured out Xuande Emperor's narrow-mindedness. Each letter only strengthened Xuande Emperor's resolve to punish Qi Xiaomian.
When someone spoke in defense of Qi Xiaomian in the court, Xuande Emperor had him beaten within the palace—quite severely too. After thirty strikes, the man was nearly incapacitated, and even then, it wasn't over; a fifth-rank official was demoted to the lowest rank.
This act served as a warning to others in the court, and finally brought some peace. Xuande Emperor reveled in his own satisfaction but overlooked how the ministers regarded him.
In The Office of Censors, members of Wolf Howl Camp had already withdrawn, leaving only some older staff. They did not bully Gentle, the newly appointed leader; instead, they grew wary and handled matters quite well. Each of them was astute; it was best to stay clear of the upper management's games.
During Gentle's tenure, he continued Qi Xiaomian's work methods and occasionally sought advice from him. Qi Xiaomian generously detailed everything, and their relationship seemed to draw closer.
Privately, Xuande Emperor had issued orders for Gentle to find leverage against Qi Xiaomian through The Office of Censors—and more leverage was better. In Gentle's eyes, Xuande Emperor was soon to be a thing of the past; there was no need to offend Yongxin Marquis on his behalf. Thus, he wore a strained expression daily while managing to evade direct confrontation.
However, out of curiosity, Gentle meticulously examined cases handled by Yongxin Marquis. After reviewing them, he couldn't help but sigh; what a cautious person he was—the case files were impeccable with no flaws whatsoever.
Aside from reviewing case files daily, Gentle also took an interest in those imprisoned with Ginger. Letters from Great Yu Emperor piled up into a small stack while there were no developments on Ginger's side. Following Xuande Emperor's orders, Gentle appropriately employed some tactics against Ginger’s group while mixing in some personal motives.
One day, dressed in freshly changed clothes, he entered Small Tavern. From a distance, Sang Qingxiao caught a whiff of blood on him.
Gentle watched Qi Xiaomian bustling around in Small Tavern and couldn't help but tease him: "Marquis seems to be adapting quite well since stepping down from official duties."
The saying goes that when a man and a woman work together, it’s less tiring. Is Marquis really trying to play the role of a supportive husband? They truly make a perfect couple.
Qi Xiaomian asked him to sit down and served him a table full of dishes. In The Entire Court of Civil and Military Officials, only you would dare to approach me so openly, you new favorite minister. You haven’t even settled in yet; be careful not to be overshadowed by someone who comes after you.
No worries, Cai Gonggong is keeping an eye on things for me.
Cai Gonggong is also unfortunate, getting entangled with you.
A heart for a heart, Cai Gonggong’s feelings are just like Mingjing Er’s.
After some playful banter, Qi Xiaomian asked him if there was anything else Wen Gonggong didn’t understand.
I didn’t come here to consult you about The Office of Censors matters this time.
Qi Xiaomian caught the lingering scent of blood on him. Did you get your hands dirty? That’s quite ruthless. There was quite a bit of blood; aren’t you afraid the Emperor will blame you later?
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