Volume One, Chapter 12: A Double Promotion

The Residence of the Duke of Rui.

Upon hearing the report from the covert guard, Shen Qiyuan’s lips curled into a faint smile. “To win hearts and strike at the Jiang and Lin families, the Emperor is indeed generous. He even promoted Song Shouyi two ranks and appointed him Deputy Commander of the Capital’s Military Affairs Office.”

Mo Feng, who had been attending to Shen Qiyuan, added, “I also heard that His Majesty punished several negligent officials today, including some from the Ministry of Personnel who were both his peers and hometown fellows.”

Shen Qiyuan smirked slightly. “The Emperor truly has no tolerance for incompetence. What about Lin Yongde? After uncovering the truth on the northwest battlefield, the Emperor shouldn’t just sit idly by, allowing such an arrogant man to hold the tiger tally.”

“No news yet from the Marquis of Dingyuan’s residence,” the covert guard reported.

Shen Qiyuan nodded and dismissed the guard, turning to Mo Feng. “Have you arranged everything for the people I assigned earlier?”

“All arranged. The people were borrowed from the Princess, and each attendant there possesses exceptional skills. With their guidance, Miss Song will soon transform completely,” Mo Feng said confidently.

Shen Qiyuan had no doubt about the Princess’s attendants; after all, his aunt was once famed as a brilliant woman in the capital, so her maids would hardly be lacking.

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The Residence of the Marquis of Dingyuan.

The Marquis of Dingyuan received the news before Song Shouyi did. He wanted to find Song Shouyi to ask what was going on, but he was too late—Song Shouyi had already been summoned home by a eunuch.

Unable to follow Song Shouyi, the Marquis could only return home and take out his frustration on his son.

Lin Shaoxuan, who had just recovered and planned to go boating with his beloved, was suddenly whipped inexplicably by the Marquis. He dodged around the courtyard, crying out, “Father! Why are you hitting me again?”

The Marquis’s wife hurried forward, shielding Lin Shaoxuan. She anxiously said, “My lord, what wrong has Shaoxuan done? Speak properly! He is our only legitimate son. If you harm him, what will we do?”

Lin Shaoyan joined in from the side, “Yes, Father, please speak calmly.”

The other illegitimate children stood silently aside.

The Marquis glared at Lin Shaoxuan, whip in hand. “What nonsense have you been up to? What spell did Jiang Qingya put on you that you insisted on breaking the marriage I arranged for you? Do you know what disaster you’ve caused?”

“I am sincerely in love with Qingya!” Lin Shaoxuan straightened his neck. “That day’s incident had nothing to do with Qingya. We were framed. My relationship with Qingya is pure. If you don’t believe me, wait until our wedding day and then—”

“Silence! How dare you mention the wedding day now!” the Marquis shouted angrily. “You ignorant child!”

“What exactly did I do wrong?” Lin Shaoxuan touched his wounds, frowning at the Marquis. “Qingya is from a noble family, a talented lady of the capital. As the legitimate heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan, I should marry someone of equal status like her. Why must you force me to marry a country bumpkin?”

At this, Lin Shaoxuan’s resentment toward the Song sisters deepened.

Song Shuyun was skilled in martial arts, and although they had tried several times to plot against him, they never succeeded. Song Shuning, however, succeeded but disappeared at a crucial moment, causing him and Qingya to be knocked unconscious and locked in a room, becoming the laughingstock of others.

He vowed that if those two sisters ever fell into his hands, he would make them pay a hundredfold for the grievances he had suffered.

“You country bumpkin,” the Marquis snapped, pointing the whip at Lin Shaoxuan. “Do you know why I arranged this marriage? The Emperor just appointed Chief Eunuch Chang Gui to marry into the Song family, and Song Shouyi was promoted to a fourth-rank prestigious general and assigned Deputy Commander of the Capital’s Military Affairs Office!”

Lin Shaoyan froze in disbelief.

Lin Shaoxuan was stunned as well. How could the Emperor suddenly issue such an edict?

“Song Shouyi may have humble origins, but he is brave and cunning. When I was trapped by the enemy, wasn’t it him who infiltrated their stronghold and rescued me single-handedly? Do you think I’d be where I am today without him?” The Marquis threw the whip to the ground. The battle in which he was nearly wiped out by an ambush was something he had barely managed to cover up. Now the Emperor’s attention had turned to it.

“But he can’t use favors as leverage to force his daughter to marry up!” Lin Shaoxuan protested. “He’s your soldier. Saving you was his duty. If you want to repay him, why not give him gold and silver? Why must you repay him with my marriage?”

The Marquis, furious, kicked Lin Shaoxuan twice. “Isn’t this for our family’s sake? If you hadn’t insisted on marrying Jiang Qingya, would Song Shouyi have gained the Emperor’s favor, been transferred to the Military Affairs Office, and become Deputy Commander? If you hadn’t caused trouble, he’d still be under my command, and I would decide everything!”

“Now the Emperor has noticed him! He’s been promoted two ranks and made Deputy Commander! From now on, he will be my rival!”

Lin Shaoxuan sneered. “He’s just a rustic soldier. Why are you so afraid? If you fear him, just find a way to kill him.”

The Marquis was fuming. “Do you think killing him is that simple?”

“Enough. My lord, the situation may not be that severe. And Minister Jiang’s faction probably won’t just let the Emperor act recklessly,” the Marquis’s wife quickly interrupted, pulling Lin Shaoxuan back.

The Marquis snorted. “He? He can barely protect himself now! His faction was severely punished by the Emperor today for incompetence. What the Emperor did today was to express his dissatisfaction with the marriage alliance between the Lin and Jiang families!”

Many factions existed at court, and emperors traditionally struck at all sides. But today, the Emperor ruthlessly attacked Jiang Weimin’s faction in the court, showing how displeased he was with the marriage alliance between these two families.

---

Lin Shaoxuan stood frozen. The Emperor had developed suspicions about the marriage between their two families?

Before he could speak further, a gatekeeper hurried in from the outer courtyard and said to the Marquis, “My lord, a messenger from the palace requests your presence.”

The Marquis’s expression darkened. Turning to Lin Shaoxuan, he ordered, “Go to my study and bring me the tiger tally.”

“Why do you need the tiger tally?”

“Why?!” The Marquis, frustrated with his son’s ignorance, nearly struck him again but restrained himself. “If I don’t hand over the tiger tally today, I’ll be punished!”

“Father told you to get it. Go quickly!” The Marquis’s wife nudged their son, then turned to the concubines and illegitimate children nearby. “What are you all still doing here? Go back to your own quarters!”

After calling Lin Shaoyan back as well, she approached the Marquis and whispered, “My lord, will this affect our family’s standing?”

The Marquis’s face grew even grimmer. “The succession struggle years ago made the Emperor paranoid. If he is truly displeased with this marriage, things could be bad.”

“Did the Song family report you?” the Marquis’s wife asked, her face darkening. “How ungrateful they are. Without you, would they even have the chance to come to the capital?”

“Song Shouyi is only a fifth-rank minor general and hasn’t even been granted an audience with the Emperor,” the Marquis said coldly. “Let’s wait until I return from the palace before making any decisions.”

Taking the tiger tally from Lin Shaoxuan, he strode briskly toward the front courtyard.

Watching his father leave, Lin Shaoxuan clenched his fists tightly. “The Song family!”

All his recent misfortunes were because of them.

One day, he vowed, he would make the Song family pay dearly.