Glory

Ye Chongming's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place. He immediately ordered the slaughter of cattle and sheep to feast the entire party.

However, Ye Yaming had no mind for eating. She pulled Ye Chongming into his study and asked, "What about the situation in the capital?"

As for the safety of the Ye family members, she didn't need to ask. She had seen everyone who came to greet her, and they were all in good condition. Regarding Ye Hongsheng, who wasn't home, Yin Shi had explained that he was at the tea garden. Since they didn't know about their return today, he hadn't come down from the mountain.

Ye Chongming said, "Not only has there been no news in Lin'an City, but even in the capital, very few are aware. Shopkeeper Huang mentioned that he had been constantly on edge, unable to sleep soundly, which is why he faintly heard some commotion. That night, it seemed like there were soldiers chasing something, but the noise faded after a short while."

Seeing that he didn't elaborate further, Ye Yaming understood that the movements of the upper echelons of power were beyond the knowledge of commoners like them, so she didn't press further.

She planned to ask Qi Ji for more details when she saw him later.

Qi Zhibai was a court official and had prior knowledge of the changes. He should be aware of the developments in the capital.

During this trip to Minzhou, Ye Yaming and Qi Ji had spent six months together day and night, facing hardships side by side. Their bond had grown as close as that of siblings.

After resting for two days, Ye Yaming sent a letter to Qi Ji, inviting him to a teahouse to discuss matters.

Qi Ji arrived as promised and said, "Even if you hadn't invited me, I was planning to come and update you on the situation in the capital."

Ye Yaming quickly poured him a cup of tea, placed it in front of him, and urged, "Tell me quickly."

Ye Chongming also fixed his gaze intently on Qi Ji.

Qi Ji picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then dropped a bombshell: "The Emperor has deposed the Empress."

"Ah?" Ye Chongming was greatly shocked.

Ye Yaming, however, was not surprised. Not only the Crown Prince but even the Emperor himself was dissatisfied with the Duke Wei's household.

To target the Duke Wei's household, the only ultimate outcome was the deposition of the Empress. If the Emperor were to eliminate the Empress's father without deposing her, it was highly likely that the Empress would poison the Emperor to avenge her father and install her own son on the throne. Only a fool would leave such a threat unchecked.

Qi Ji continued, "As you probably know, the court has split into two factions led by the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince. On the issue of the border, the Crown Prince advocates for normal tea-horse trade with the Great Jin, while the Fourth Prince's faction claims that illicit tea has been rampant in recent years and insists on closing the Tea-Horse Trade Market to investigate it. The two factions have been arguing incessantly in court."

Since the closure of the Tea-Horse Trade Market at the border had some impact on the tea merchants of Lin'an, Ye Chongming was aware of this matter.

He nodded.

Qi Ji lowered his voice and said, "For the past two years, the Crown Prince has been investigating the relationship between the Fourth Prince and the Great Jin."

"Ah?" Ye Chongming was startled and also lowered his voice. "Could he be betraying the country? Why would he do that?"

He knew that the Fourth Prince's birth mother was the daughter of Duke Wei. For commoners like them, even divorcing a formally wedded wife required a valid reason; otherwise, neither the authorities nor the public would support or recognize it, let alone for the Empress of a nation.

Connecting this with what Qi Ji had said, it must be that the Fourth Prince had colluded with a foreign power, angering the Emperor, which led to the deposition of the Empress. The punishment for the Fourth Prince would likely be even more severe.Qi Ji gave Ye Chongming a thumbs-up and said, "He knows that although the emperor appears to rely heavily on his mother, the empress, and the Duke Wei's household, in reality, he has always been wary of them. The emperor would never depose the Crown Prince and appoint him as the heir."

"So the Duke Wei's household made contact with Bater from the Great Jin."

He explained, "Bater is the half-brother of the Great Jin king and has always been scheming to seize power."

Seeing Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming nod, he continued, "Duke Wei intended to support Bater in his power grab, then have Bater use the closure of the Tea-Horse Trade Market by Great Jin as a pretext to launch an attack. Since Shi Kun, the heir of Duke Wei, held command over the northwestern army of Great Jin, they planned to use this as leverage to force the emperor to depose the Crown Prince and install the Fourth Prince as heir."

Ye Yaming frowned, "Why does this feel exactly like the same tactic used when the emperor married the step-empress back then?"

Qi Ji slapped the table, "You've hit the nail on the head."

This sudden action startled Ye Chongming.

Ye Yaming glared at him, "Speak properly."

Qi Ji gave Ye Chongming an apologetic smile and said, "Over the years, Xuanwu Hou, that is, Zi Mo's father, married a woman from the Shi family and excelled in battle, rising quickly through the ranks to become an important figure in Duke Wei's faction. Taking advantage of this position, he planted some people in Duke Wei's residence and gained Duke Wei's trust. One of these agents discovered the secret location where Duke Wei stored his correspondence and confirmed the existence of those letters."

"When the time was ripe, the Crown Prince created some incidents to divert the attention of the step-empress and Duke Wei. The emperor's men infiltrated Duke Wei's residence and retrieved the letters Bater had written to Duke Wei over the years. Xuanwu Hou immediately apprehended Shi Kun at the border, Duke Wei was arrested, the step-empress was deposed, and the Fourth Prince was placed under house arrest."

In just a few sentences, Ye Chongming could sense the heart-pounding tension of that time.

He murmured, "No wonder Manager Huang heard commotion that night."

Qi Ji nodded, "After all, Duke Wei was immensely powerful. When the emperor moved to destroy him, he couldn't just submit without resistance. He attempted to lead troops directly to the imperial palace to assassinate the emperor and install the Fourth Prince, but he was killed on the spot by the imperial guards."

He looked at Ye Yaming, "Once the emperor deposed the empress, Xuanwu Hou immediately announced he was divorcing his wife."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chongming was overjoyed and said to Ye Yaming, "This means we no longer need to live in fear."

You see, during this period, they had been constantly anxious, afraid of attracting the malicious schemes of Lu Guanyi's stepmother. If Lu Guanyi didn't handle his stepmother within the promised two years, Ye Chongming truly wouldn't feel at ease marrying his granddaughter to him.

Even someone as insignificant as Meng Chengwei was terrifying when he went mad; let alone an entire Duke Wei's household. Just think about how Shi Shi would stop at nothing to deal with Lu Guanyi, her stepson, completely disregarding her status—it showed her madness and arrogance.

"But there are still remnants of Duke Wei's faction," Qi Ji said with a serious expression, "and Shi Shi's son, Zi Mo's half-brother, is still around. If he finds out about your marriage alliance, he might target you out of spite. So I think it's best to keep this engagement a secret for now."

Both Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, we won't say a word, not a word," Ye Chongming assured.

Qi Ji nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a sip, clearly indicating the topic had come to an end.

Ye Yaming hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is Lu Guanyi doing alright at the border?"Although she was engaged to Lu Guanyi, he held no place in her heart. However, being betrothed, it would seem callous if she didn't inquire about his well-being. Even as mere collaborators or friends, common courtesy demanded such concern.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, acquaintances would greet him with nods or brief salutations.

Yet without exception,

every face remained devoid of superfluous expression, as if all matters warranted profound indifference.

To this,

Shen Changqing had grown accustomed.

For this was the Demon Suppression Division - an institution upholding the Great Qin's stability, whose primary duty involved slaying demons, monsters, and supernatural entities, alongside certain secondary operations.

It could be said

that every individual within the Demon Suppression Division bore countless bloodstains upon their hands.

When one has witnessed life and death routinely, most worldly affairs inevitably become met with apathy.

During his initial days in this world, Shen Changqing had struggled to adapt, but with time, he too had grown habituated.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those permitted to remain were either formidable masters or individuals possessing the potential to become such.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Division comprised two primary roles: Garrison Envoys and Demon Subduing Envoys.

Every entrant began as the most junior Demon Subduing Envoy,

advancing step by step until potentially attaining the status of Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's former self had been a probationary Demon Subduing Envoy - the lowest rank among them.

Inheriting his predecessor's memories,

he possessed intimate familiarity with the Division's surroundings.

Before long, Shen Changqing paused before a pavilion.

Unlike the Division's otherwise pervasive atmosphere of solemn lethality, this structure stood out like a crane among chickens, emanating unusual tranquility amidst the blood-soaked premises.

With its doors wide open, occasional figures drifted in and out.

After but a moment's hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped across the threshold.

Upon entering,

the environment transformed abruptly.

The scent of ink mingled with faint bloodlust assailed his senses, provoking an instinctive frown that swiftly smoothed away.

The blood-tinged aura clinging to every Demon Suppression Division member was nearly impossible to cleanse completely.