Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Turbulent Waters of the Court

As soon as the thought surfaced, she immediately fixed her gaze on the elder official, and the more she looked, the more his appearance and bearing reminded her of those troublemaking antagonists in dramas—the very type who stir up trouble for no reason.

"Dayin?" The Emperor of Tianjue narrowed his eyes slightly, and spoke calmly, "General Dayin is gravely injured. This matter will be postponed and discussed later."

With that, not only did Dai Huang’s face show indignation, but even Dayin herself appeared surprised and suspicious—clearly, the emperor’s words had caught her off guard.

"Your Majesty! If you truly decide to handle the matter thus, it will only confirm the rumors outside the palace!" Dai Huang stepped forward in urgency. "Does Your Majesty know what the people are saying?"

The emperor's eyes shimmered, but he remained silent.

Dai Huang could not contain himself and pressed on, "The common folk are spreading tales that the Empress of the Central Palace and General Dayin are secretly involved. The defeat at Yilin has led to utter disaster—if General Dayin is not dealt with, the rumors will intensify, and the reputation of the Empress may suffer..."

"Enough!" The emperor’s anger flared, and his palm struck the armrest of the dragon throne. The sound was not loud, but it reverberated through the silent hall like a thunderclap.

Kai Ming was startled by the sudden gesture, swaying a little. Dai Huang, however, refused to relent, "Your Majesty, your humble servant acts only for the dignity of the royal house. When rumors abound, what face will the royal family retain?"

His outburst was like a domino effect—officials standing to the side stepped forward, echoing his sentiments one after another. Kai Ming sighed inwardly; at last, she had witnessed the enormity of his faction.

"Enough!" The emperor’s long sleeves swept dramatically as he rose, and Kai Ming was reminded of the water sleeves in Peking opera—such a flourish, so unexpectedly elegant.

The emperor turned, his face expressionless. "Due to the defeat at Yilin, the Central Palace has been shamed and soldiers lost. General Dayin is to be fined a year’s salary, stripped of her rank, and sent home to recuperate and await orders."

The scribes quickly recorded the decree.

Dayin bowed her head, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."

Though not fully satisfied with the outcome, at least Dayin had been removed from her position. Dai Huang and his faction offered feigned thanks, their faces alight with joy.

"And furthermore..." The emperor’s sharp gaze swept over the assembly. "The Director of Military Affairs is ordered to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind the attack on General Dayin. Once discovered, punishment will be severe and unsparing!"

At these words, the joy on the faces below instantly transformed into awkwardness, hanging there plainly, looking most peculiar.

A man stepped out from the ranks, bowed, and answered, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Kai Ming found the voice familiar, and glanced over—her heart leapt. The Director of Military Affairs was none other than the military rank of Lord Ji.

The one taking the order was Ji.

Sending Ji to investigate the mastermind—what was the emperor’s intention? Kai Ming was increasingly baffled.

With all matters discussed, court adjourned.

The officials dispersed, and Dayin tugged at Kai Ming’s sleeve, reminding her she had been lost in thought. Kai Ming followed Dayin out of the hall, dazed. There was no sun, yet her vision spun fiercely. Dayin had been demoted; she had been promoted. What were these people thinking? Watching the clash in court, Dai Huang was reminiscent of the Qing dynasty’s Oboi, yet the emperor yielded not an inch.

With these two forces locked in opposition, she found herself at the center of the vortex. Should she go with the flow or stand firm? The very thought gave her a headache; she patted her forehead and sighed loudly.

Unexpectedly, she collided with a standing figure and recoiled several steps in shock.

The person laughed crisply, "Our newly appointed commander—what worries trouble you still?"

She rubbed her forehead and looked at the person before her.

Page two.

He wore a refreshing blue silk robe, his hair simply tied, topped with a small elegant crown, his jade-like features giving him an indescribable charm.

"Dai Yuheng?!" she blurted out. How could someone from the Dai Residence move freely about the palace?

Dai Yuheng’s brows knit slightly, as if displeased by her direct address. Her next words made him even more amused and helpless, "What are you doing here?"

He smiled, about to respond, when another voice behind him took over, deep and steady, "Young Master Dai is a palace minister, overseeing documents and the judicial archives—it is perfectly natural for him to be here."

She peered past Dai Yuheng, who stepped aside, revealing Ji.

These two truly made a fitting pair, always seen together.

Sending Ji to investigate the mastermind—did the emperor have any sense at all? She shook her head.

"What kind of official is a minister?" she asked, curious about his position.

Dai Yuheng patiently explained, "He drafts the edicts of the Empress, reviews judicial cases from all regions, edits the archives, and accompanies the emperor when leisure allows—a civil servant in close attendance."

She only half understood, murmured, "Mm, mm," and vaguely said, "You’ve got a promising future! Work hard and you’ll get ahead." The words reminded her of those television officials, showing concern for the masses during rural visits—real or fake, they always said something like this. She found it amusing herself.

Dai Yuheng laughed openly, unconcerned, "Thank you for your kind words. I hope our commander will look after me in the future."

Kai Ming detected the sarcasm in his tone and replied irritably, "Alright, alright, let me pass, I need to go." Looking up, she saw Dayin had already vanished ahead.

Yuheng reached out and grabbed her sleeve. She already disliked him; now her aversion grew. She shook him off forcefully, glaring, "What are you doing?!"

Dai Yuheng smiled as if nothing was amiss, "I made a special trip to congratulate you on your promotion, and you won’t even spare a few words?"

She looked at him coldly, "We walk different paths; we cannot work together!" One thing after another—she hadn’t even settled scores with him yet! The death of Mao, forcing her into a suicide squad, and now plotting against Dayin—not her concern, but the first two alone were enough for him to pay dearly.

Dai Yuheng had no idea what she was thinking and replied with a faint smile, "If we had intervened, you wouldn’t just have missed your promotion—you might have ended up in prison."

She frowned—was he threatening her? Or hinting at something?

Sure enough, Dai Yuheng soon laid it bare, "No use dancing around it. I’ll speak plainly—this imperial decree is exactly in line with Dai Residence’s wishes."

"So you mean, your family's influence is so great it can sway the Empress?" she retorted.

"Not just sway," Dai Yuheng leaned closer, whispering, "We can even dictate."

"Don’t talk nonsense!" she jumped back, laughing loudly. "Self-importance suits you perfectly!" Arrogant indeed—to claim power to dictate to the emperor.

Dai Yuheng was surprised by her boldness, but his lips curled into a smile, "Kai Ming, you are clever. You should see clearly in court—Dai Residence’s power is unmatched. Compared to the unsteady Tianjue emperor, for someone of humble origin like you, aligning with Dai Residence would be the wise choice!"

After all his talk, she finally understood—he wanted to recruit her into his faction. She was tempted to humiliate this self-important young master. Slowly moving closer, she whispered in his ear, "If your Dai Residence is so powerful, why not become emperor yourself?"

At her words, Dai Yuheng’s expression changed instantly. Ji, sensing something amiss, quickly interjected, "Kai Ming, don’t speak recklessly, or you’ll be charged with seditious speech!"

Kai Ming, hearing Ji’s warning and talk of seditious crimes, felt her head ache even more. She quickly left their side, smiling, "My attitude is clear. Young Master Dai is clever enough not to force the issue. Farewell, farewell!"

Dai Yuheng suddenly said in a leisurely tone, "Don’t you want to hear my answer?"

Page three.

Answer? Answer to what? She looked at him in confusion, then suddenly understood—Dai Yuheng meant to answer her question about whether he wanted to be emperor.

Could such words be spoken? To utter them was a capital offense! Did Dai Yuheng have no fear of death, daring to say such things to her?

She stood frozen in shock as Dai Yuheng approached, his face full of amusement, "Just now, you asked me if I want to be... I can tell you now..."

She dared not move, waiting for him to utter the most treasonous words.

He drew close, his voice so low it was barely above a whisper, "I do, very much..." She was shaken, staring at him in disbelief. He met her gaze, eyes full of mockery, "And I certainly will..."

She shouted, pointing at him, "You said it! You said it!"

"So what if I did?" Dai Yuheng replied fearlessly, "Do you think anyone would believe you if you went to inform?"

Her arrogant bravado instantly wilted. Yes, what could she do—tell the emperor that Dai Yuheng aspired to the throne? The Empress would understand the Dai Residence’s dangerous ambitions far better than she did.

"On another note, I’ve always wanted to ask you a question." Dai Yuheng eyed her mischievously, "Since returning from Yilin, our commander seems to have suffered greatly—her face still bears wounds?"

She was startled, instinctively covering her mouth, her eyes darting to Dai Yuheng, stubbornly replying, "As a soldier, bearing wounds is an honorable badge!"

Though she spoke thus, her eyes involuntarily drifted to Ji behind him. Ji, usually silent, seemed to only now notice, his face full of questions. Indeed, when they left the relay station, she had shown no sign of injury—where had these wounds come from?

Dai Yuheng, noting their expressions, grew more amused, "I heard that on your return, Commander Chang Geng fought with a soldier for unknown reasons—was that true?"

"If the cause is unknown, why ask me?" She grew nervous, wanting to slip away, but her legs felt weak under their intense scrutiny.

"In this heat, why does Commander Kai Ming wear a scarf?" Dai Yuheng’s gaze landed on her neck; she quickly touched it, glaring at him in warning.

"General Dayin!" Dai Yuheng suddenly called behind her. Startled, she wondered if Dayin had returned. As she turned, Dai Yuheng swiftly snatched away her carelessly tied scarf, exposing everything.

Kai Ming was mortified. No matter how quick her movements, she could not fully hide the mottled marks on her neck. Damn Dai Yuheng—he had used the same trick she’d once played on Qingyun.

She ground her teeth in hatred. Dai Yuheng watched her like an audience at a spectacle. Ji’s gaze locked onto her neck, his face shifting from pale to blue, then back to white.

No longer caring about Dai Yuheng’s presence, Ji stepped forward, lowering his voice, "Was it Xuan—did Xuan do this?"

Kai Ming looked at him uneasily, lips trembling, unable to speak.

"I see," he suddenly laughed coldly.

See what? Kai Ming was confused.

"It’s his declaration to others," Ji’s phoenix eyes flashed coldly, his tone icier still. "Causing such a stir is just to remind others—you’re his."

Kai Ming was even more bewildered. Could such small wounds carry such profound meaning? Was Ji making a simple matter complicated, or was this truly a secret signal among these complicated people?

She glanced at Dai Yuheng, who at this moment seemed to revert to a child’s nature, twirling the scarf around his finger and smirking at her.

You’ll have your day! She cursed inwardly, snatching the scarf from his hand and giving him a murderous glare, as if it were a deadly weapon. (To be continued. For more, please visit chapter 6**, support the author, support...)