Chapter 70 Establishing Authority, Sudden Change

The next day.

An imperial edict was issued: For her meritorious service in protecting the imperial procession at the hunting grounds, Qiu Shuzhi is specially appointed as General of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the Imperial Guards’ military seal.

Minister of War Li Shen had deep roots in the court for many years, with numerous connections. She was also a lackey of Prefect Gu Zheng of Shuntian Prefecture, who in turn was Empress Dowager Qin’s person. With these layers of relationships, plus Li Shen’s exaggerations, they had thought this would lead to Qiu Shuzhi’s downfall and disgrace.

Who knew that this attack not only failed to crush Qiu Shuzhi into the dust, but instead an imperial edict descended from the heavens, turning her petty actions into something righteous and open. At once, the hundred officials at court harbored various thoughts.

The most shocked upon hearing the news were the likes of Li Mian and Li Liang.

Li Liang looked at the imperial edict in disbelief, unable to accept that the pretty boy she had always looked down upon would now be riding above her head, while her biggest backer had fallen just like that.

“How could Aunt do this? Wasn’t it supposed to be foolproof? How did Qiu Shuzhi become General in charge of the military seal? If she became General, what have you become?”

“Get out, don’t bother me!” Li Mian kicked her away. She was already anxious and at her wits’ end; Li Liang’s words were like pouring oil on the fire.

Li Liang yelped in pain and quickly crawled to her swollen feet, asking with a last glimmer of hope: “The Vice Minister won’t abandon you, right? Aunt, if you can’t be General, you must have been promoted even higher, right? Aunt, please take your niece with you. I can no longer stay in the Imperial Guards—”

As soon as Qiu Shuzhi took power, Li Liang knew disaster was imminent for herself, so she clung desperately to this last straw, begging pitifully.

“Leave? Why should we leave?” A cold voice drifted over. Li Liang trembled all over, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The tent flap was lifted, and Ji Mei led her trusted troops to occupy the entire main tent, surrounding it inside and out. Qiu Shuzhi stood at the entrance, hands behind her back.

Li Liang was so frightened she nearly prostrated herself on the ground.

Qiu Shuzhi approached slowly, each step landing heavily on her heart.

She began speaking slowly, her voice gentle yet terrifying like slow slicing: “You haven’t answered me yet. Why do you want to leave?”

“I, I—” Li Liang was too scared to speak.

In the past, she had relied on Li Mian’s power to commit many misdeeds in the army. Her colleagues had long despised her. Now that Li Mian had fallen from power, people came in waves to report and expose her. If dealt with according to military law, even death by a thousand cuts would not be excessive.

“Qiu Shuzhi, don’t push your luck too far.” Li Mian slammed the table and shouted.

“Pushing my luck? Let’s carefully count who’s really been pushing their luck!” Qiu Shuzhi threw a thick stack of files in front of her and coldly proclaimed.

“These files record quite a few outrageous acts by you and Li Liang. Failing to advance at the drum signal, not arriving on time, openly consorting with male prostitutes in the camp, harassing innocent men at the hunting grounds. Betraying the army, negligence of duty, lax discipline, causing chaos—which military law haven’t you broken? Which offense doesn’t warrant beheading!” Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but every word landed with impact.

The people around gradually closed in, blades drawn, the room filled with killing intent.

“Qiu Shuzhi, you dare!” Li Mian shouted shakily, but her heart was empty. With her life at stake, she had long since stopped caring about anything else and played all her cards: “I’m the Vice Minister of War’s person. I have the Prefect backing me. If you dare kill me, they won’t let you have an easy time.”

Qiu Shuzhi inwardly smiled coldly. Even if she didn’t kill her, Gu Zheng wouldn’t let her have an easy time either.

However, since she had chosen this dangerous path, she never expected it to be smooth sailing.

“Take the criminals to the square. Gather all the soldiers!” she ordered in a low voice.

“Yes!” Ji Mei clamped down on Li Mian’s hand. She had long despised this good-for-nothing.

“Criminals? Qiu Shuzhi, you dare arrest me? Do you not want to live?” Li Mian struggled and cursed desperately, but years of debauchery had left her without strength. She was no match for Ji Mei at all.

During the hunting grounds incident, Qiu Shuzhi had already established great prestige among the twenty thousand soldiers. Apart from Li Mian’s faction who relied on their power to bully others and refused to submit to her, the rest were all sincerely convinced. Military discipline had become particularly strict. As soon as the drums sounded, they all gathered in the square’s training ground.

Li Mian and Li Liang were stripped of their armor and dragged in their disheveled state to kneel forcibly in the center. In just one day, the once arrogant and overbearing Li aunt and niece had become prisoners.

“Li Mian, Li Liang, for contempt of military law, openly consorting with male prostitutes, harassing men and disgracing the military flag, your crimes cannot be pardoned. According to military law, you shall be beheaded!” Qiu Shuzhi took out the prepared statement and read each word with inviolable authority.

“Qiu Shuzhi, you dare! You dare kill me! The Minister of War won’t let you off! The Prefect won’t let you off!” Li Mian screamed desperately, never imagining she would act against her. Killing Li Liang was one thing, but she actually dared to kill her too. Qiu Shuzhi was truly insane.

“No matter who it is, in the Imperial Guards only military law is recognized. Anyone who violates military law, regardless of rank, must be severely punished according to it. If I don’t kill you today, the Imperial Guards will eventually be ruined by you. If the Minister of War wants to punish me for this, let her come quickly. I’ll be waiting right here. Whether to kill or flay me, I alone will bear the responsibility!” Qiu Shuzhi looked coldly at Li Mian struggling on the ground like a worm, then suddenly narrowed her eyes: “Execute!”

“You—” Li Mian’s eyes widened, but before she could finish speaking, Ji Mei had already drawn her sword. The blade swept across, blood spraying three feet high, and two bloody heads rolled to the ground.

Though the crowd didn’t show it on their faces, they were greatly shocked internally.

They hadn’t expected Qiu Shuzhi to actually dare behead Li Mian, who had such deep backing, and even dare to take sole responsibility. The daughters of Great Qi had originally joined the army out of passion, but Li Mian’s outrageous behavior had worn down their will. However, this puddle of blood awakened them. From this moment, the two great mountains pressing down on the Imperial Guards came crashing down. The entire Imperial Guards now followed Qiu Shuzhi’s lead.

“Really killed them?” In the Shuntian Prefecture office, Gu Zheng leisurely sipped a cup of bitter tea. Wisps of steam floated up into the deep furrows of her wrinkles.

“Indeed, she killed them just like that. To win people’s hearts, Qiu Shuzhi didn’t even give face to you.” Lin Zhongyue flattered while massaging her leg.

Gu Zheng put down her tea and fingered the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, her voice old: “She wants to win people’s hearts, but doesn’t know how easily hearts can be scattered.”

“This humble official thinks so too. What’s so worthy about a bunch of low-class soldiers? They just follow whoever’s in power. I just don’t know where she got such courage from.”

“Courage—” Gu Zheng sighed lightly, indescribable contempt in her murky eyes. “Young women with deep backing, ah.”

Lin Zhongyue’s serving hands paused slightly, then took the opportunity to mock: “Indeed. Who told this Young Lady Qiu to be born with such good looks, even more beautiful than the top courtesans of Zuixian Tower. Even the most proper men can’t walk away when they see her. Even widowers who’ve kept their chastity can’t bear the loneliness when they see her and would smash their chastity monument.”

Her words had hidden meaning. The widower who couldn’t bear loneliness referred to none other than that man of supreme power in the back palace. A few days ago, news that Qiu Shuzhi was the Empress Dowager’s favorite had spread wildly. Little did people know they had also added fuel to the fire behind the scenes.

These words deeply pleased Gu Zheng. She smiled slowly: “Those who rely on looks to serve others will never come to a good end.”

“Exactly! Women still need to rely on true ability. Like you, Lord Gu, taking power into your own hands step by step, not needing to watch anyone else’s face. That is the model for women.” Lin Zhongyue hurried to flatter Gu Zheng.

With Qin Shu’s death, Qin Zheng had aged considerably. Her already elderly body was now even more shaky, and it was hard to say which day she might breathe her last. Once the Qin family fell into chaos, Gu Zheng’s power would become even more stable. She had better serve this great Buddha well for her future prospects.

Gu Zheng smiled. In the dark, sunless inner chamber, her smile was old and decayed, like the air of a coffin submerged in water for thousands of years.

“Has An Dai arrived?” she suddenly asked.

“She has, and is waiting outside as you instructed,” said Lin Zhongyue.

Gu Zheng slowly got up: “Good that she’s here. Let her accompany me into the palace.”

As one of Gu Zheng’s confidants, Lin Zhongyue naturally knew why a mere guard like An Dai was entering the palace. She had already prepared the story in advance.

Thinking of how furious the Empress Dowager would be after An Dai entered the palace, she felt a hint of satisfaction.

A woman who relied on men to rise to power, an old man who couldn’t bear loneliness—these were the people standing at the pinnacle.

She had been an official for ten years, neither high nor low, but had seen plenty of the darkness of officialdom. Her mentality had long since warped. She stood in the dark corners, watching them with hatred, cursing them to fall soon and be smashed into a pulp.

“Empress Dowager, Lord Gu requests an audience,” Yu Ye reported, guarding outside the door.

Qin Qing was sketching on rice paper, with discarded sheets scattered all around him. Born of noble birth, he excelled in the four arts, especially painting. Yet he failed to capture even a fraction of Qiu Shuzhi’s beauty.

As soon as Yu Ye announced the visitor, he quickly put all the drawings away in a hidden compartment. His voice was slightly deep: “Let her in.”

Gu Zheng, dressed in court robes, knelt before Qin Qing: “This old official greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years.”

Qin Qing had no good feelings towards this two-faced old thing. His voice carried not a hint of emotion: “We are well. What brings Lord Gu here?”

“The Imperial Guards—”

“Bang!” A large stack of confidential documents was thrown at her feet.

Qin Qing knew why she had come. Qiu Shuzhi had stood up to Li Mian and disregarded her face, so she came running to complain to him.

“Look at the outrageous things the Li aunt and niece have done over the years, then consider carefully whether you want to cry injustice for them. Great Qi’s fierce tiger troops were ruined by people like them.” Qin Qing’s voice held a hint of anger.

Gu Zheng looked at the confidential documents before her as if seeing something absurd, shaking her head repeatedly. Her voice was sorrowful: “Empress Dowager, this old official knows you trust Qiu Shuzhi, but Qiu Shuzhi is truly not an upright and honest person. Li Mian’s beheading is a small matter, but this old official truly grieves for the Empress Dowager’s efforts.”

With that, Gu Zheng suddenly knelt at Qin Qing’s feet, crying out mournfully with tears streaming: “Empress Dowager, you don’t know how much you’ve done for Qiu Shuzhi. You’ve been deceived by her!”

Qin Qing keenly heard something amiss in her words and grabbed her collar: “What do you mean?”