"Minister of War Lei Hong, receive the imperial edict!" The eunuch entered the living room, smiled at Lei Hong, and waved the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand.
"Your subject Lei Hong receives the imperial decree!" Lei Hong knelt respectfully on the ground, his eyes full of smiles.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Lei Hong, Vice Minister of War, fearlessly and relentlessly killed an escaped prisoner, a meritorious deed that cannot be overlooked. He is hereby granted one hundred taels of gold and one hundred bolts of silk. So be it!" The eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, his smile widening on his clean-shaven face: "Congratulations, Vice Minister Lei!"
"Thank you, sir!" Lei Hong thanked him, then stood up, puzzled, looking at the glittering gold and soft cloth, without a trace of joy.
Why did the imperial edict only grant rewards and not bestow additional titles? Could it be that the emperor hasn't decided on the appointment of the Minister yet, and will issue another imperial edict?
"You've worked hard, sir. Please sit down and have a cup of tea!" Lei Hong said politely, subtly probing Li Gonggong. As the emperor's close attendant, Li Gonggong was the first to know about the emperor's every decision, and Lei Hong wanted to get some information from him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Minister Lei, but I have another imperial edict to read aloud and cannot delay for too long!" Eunuch Li's voice was high-pitched and delicate, yet it carried a hint of gentleness and was not jarring.
Lei Hong was taken aback, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He raised a slight smile and said, "Reading two imperial edicts at once, Eunuch, you've really worked hard!"
"It's just a trivial matter to do for the Emperor, nothing too strenuous," Eunuch Li said, sipping his tea and waving his hand. "Besides, this is an imperial edict bestowing a title, it can't be delayed!"
Lei Hong was startled again, his ominous premonition growing stronger: "The imperial edict bestows a title upon which official?"
"It's General Lin." Eunuch Li looked at him as if he already knew the answer. "He saved the emperor at the Minister's residence, and the emperor specially appointed him as Minister Lin, replacing the criminal Minister Zhuang!"
Lei Hong felt a sudden jolt, and his mind went blank. Lin Yan had been appointed Minister? What was going on? How could this be?
"Minister Lei, be careful!" Eunuch Li's exclamation pulled Lei Hong back from his reverie. Looking down, he realized he had bumped into the table behind him, hitting his wound on the side. The wound stung, and his brows furrowed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Minister Lei, what's wrong?" Eunuch Li asked with concern.
"I've been leading troops all night and I'm a bit tired, so I'm not in the best of spirits!" Lei Hong smiled awkwardly and continued to probe, "I heard that the Emperor intended to appoint General Lin as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, so why the sudden change to Minister of War?"
"This, I don't know either!" Eunuch Li shook his head in confusion: "When the Emperor summoned me to deliver the decree, he also summoned His Highness the Crown Prince to the Imperial Study. According to the Emperor, the Imperial Guards will be temporarily placed under his command..." This matter will soon be known, it is not a secret, so Eunuch Li told Grand Commandant Lei and Lei Hong frankly.
Lei Hong's eyes deepened with doubt. The Imperial Guards were handed over to the Crown Prince, and Lin Yan was appointed Minister. What exactly happened?
"Minister Lei, please rest well and don't overwork yourself. I'll take my leave now!" With a flick of his wrist, Eunuch Li turned around and slowly walked out of the living room.
"Take care, sir!" After watching Eunuch Li walk away, Grand Commandant Lei's smile vanished, and he glared at Lei Hong, his eyes filled with displeasure: "Look at your pathetic self! You weren't promoted, so why are you so shocked!"
"Father, that position of Minister should have been mine! How could it have gone to Lin Yan?" After years of waiting, Minister Zhuang was finally ousted. The position hadn't been his; someone else had snatched it away. Lei Hong grew increasingly furious. In a fit of rage, he grabbed the teapot and teacups beside him and smashed them to the ground, shattering them into pieces.
"He's just a greenhorn who's only just returned from the border. He knows absolutely nothing about the Ministry of War. How could the Emperor appoint him as Minister of War?"
"Can't you figure this out? Someone's been secretly doing something!" Lei Taiwei had been eating for more than ten years longer than Lei Hong, and he was more cunning and quick-witted. He quickly figured out the key to the matter.
Lei Hong was taken aback: "Who is so powerful that they can influence the Emperor's decisions?"
Grand Commandant Lei glared at Lei Hong again: "We don't need to worry about who he is for now. What you need to do now is think about how to seize the position of Minister!"
"The Emperor has already appointed Lin Yan as Minister, how can we still try to take it?" Lei Hong's irritable mood was tinged with anxiety and frustration.
"Foolish!" Grand Commandant Lei glared at Lei Hong and reprimanded him sternly. "Minister Zhuang has served as minister for many years, and he wasn't ousted overnight!"
Lei Hong's eyes lit up: "What Dad means is..."
"Wait for the right opportunity to get rid of Lin Yan, and the position of Minister will be vacant again!" Grand Commandant Lei's mouth opened and closed, and another scheme to harm him suddenly appeared. A sharp glint flashed in his old eyes: "Lin Yan is alone. It won't be easy to find something to use against him. We need to plan this carefully and not be too hasty!"
“I understand!” Lei Hong nodded. He had waited for so many years, he didn’t mind waiting a little longer. He was sure he would get the position of Minister of War.
"Father, Shen Lixue is Lin Yan's cousin. When we get rid of Lin Yan, we can take care of her at the same time!" Thinking of Shen Lixue, Lei Hong felt a lump in his throat, unable to rise or fall, stuck in the middle, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Grand Commandant Lei raised an eyebrow, his eyes deepening: "Shen Lixue is Dongfang Heng's fiancée. We must kill her before she gets married." If she dies as the daughter of the Prime Minister, Shen Minghui won't cause a scene. But if she dies as the Princess Consort of Anjun, the royal family will not let it go easily. To avoid unnecessary trouble, killing her requires utmost caution…
When the contents of the two imperial edicts reached the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Lixue was sitting on a soft couch by the window reading a book. She heard the maids gossiping outside and smiled. She had known all along that this would be the outcome.
With numerous ministers in the Qingyan faction, only two positions remained vacant in the court: the Commander of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of War. Dongfang Heng proposed to the Emperor that the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard be filled by someone from the Dongfang royal family, leaving only the position of Minister of War.
Lei Hong killed a serious criminal who was trying to escape from prison, while Lin Yan saved the emperor's life. Killing a fugitive and saving the emperor are both acts of merit, but they are completely different concepts, and their merits are naturally incomparable.
Compared to Lin Yan's rescue, Lei Hong's killing of a serious criminal seemed insignificant. The position of Minister should be given to someone with great merit, and as for the one with less merit, rewarding him with some gold and silver would be enough.
Given Lei Hong's arrogance, he must be furious upon hearing this news. And he must have received the gift I sent him. The feud between us is now firmly established. Add to that the Lei family and Shen Yingxue, and I am now irreconcilably at odds with the Grand Commandant's mansion…
"Young Miss, Young Miss..." Qiu He rushed over, her face flushed and panting heavily.
"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?" Shen Lixue asked casually, her cool gaze still lingering on the book.
"Reporting...Reporting to Miss...Fourth Miss is back..." Qiu He reported cautiously, occasionally glancing at Shen Lixue's expression. Fourth Miss was imprisoned for taking the blame for Second Miss, but she was also somewhat related to Eldest Miss. Now that Fourth Miss has returned, will she cause trouble for Eldest Miss?
"Where did she go after she came back?" Shen Lixue raised her eyebrows. The Ministry of Justice was really fast. In just half a day, they had finished the trial of merits and demerits and released Shen Caiyun. Mu Zhengnan had made a first-class contribution and was probably released from prison as well.
"Miss, the Fourth Miss went directly to the Master's study!" Qiu He replied respectfully, secretly wondering why the Eldest Miss wasn't nervous at all, since the Fourth Miss, with whom she had a grudge, had returned to the manor.
Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth. She went home to visit her parents first. Shen Caiyun was indeed well-educated and polite: "After visiting her father, did she also go to see the madam?"
"Miss, Fourth Miss did indeed visit Madam, but Madam is in confinement and cannot see anyone!" Qiu He was slightly taken aback. How did the eldest young lady know that Fourth Miss would visit Madam?
"Then did Shen Caiyun go to see Aunt Jin, or did she return to her own courtyard?" Shen Lixue turned the pages of the book, her cool gaze continuing to linger on the pages.
"I went to see Aunt Jin, and after washing up, I went to visit the Second Miss in her courtyard!" Qiu He answered truthfully, secretly wondering why her mistress, who wasn't worried about her situation, kept asking such unimportant questions.
Shen Lixue's eyes narrowed, and she smiled. Of all the people Shen Caiyun had seen after returning to the manor, apart from Aunt Jin, the other three had all grudges against her. The Prime Minister's manor was about to be thrown into turmoil again...
“Miss, General Lin… no, Minister Lin has sent an invitation to a banquet!” Qiu He placed a gold-embossed invitation card in front of Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue put down her book, quickly opened it, looked at the familiar handwriting, and smiled slightly: "Who else in the Prime Minister's residence has received this kind of invitation?"
"Reporting to Miss, Master has received it!" When it comes to promotion banquets, usually only one invitation is sent to a family. However, Minister Lin specially sent an invitation to Shen Lixue, specifically instructing her to attend the banquet.
"Madam is in confinement, so she shouldn't be able to attend the banquet!" Shen Lixue raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a faint smile.