Broken Jade - Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Wei Yi climbed out over the roof of Mingyue Pavilion.

The Shadow Guard escorting him leaped down after him.

The guards stationed outside the building mounted their horses and gave chase, but assassins blocked their path. Wei Yi mounted the swift horse that had been prepared in advance and galloped toward the city gates.

An escort was already waiting at the gates.

Wei Chengjun had also left the Capital City ahead of him.

Today, Sheng Zhaoning had come with the resolve to die in order to kill him.

In truth, how could he ever have truly trusted her?

Wei Yi had long since made every preparation necessary to retreat unscathed. He had merely been conducting one final test of Sheng Zhaoning.

And the result had truly been… unexpected.

The wound on his back continued to throb with pain. Wei Yi let out a cold laugh, tightened his grip on the reins, and did not look back.

Beneath the hazy moonlight, he rode away.

Dust rose in the Capital.

…..

Two years later, the Capital.

“His Majesty’s health has been getting worse lately.”

“The Director of the Imperial Medical Institute came to examine him just now. Judging by the director’s expression, things don’t look good…”

“Sigh. Start decocting this medicine, then. Be careful with the heat.”

“Mm.”

Beneath the palace walls, two palace maids walked side by side, their heads lowered as they whispered to each other.

Sheng Zhaoning watched their retreating figures and slowly withdrew her gaze.

Ever since Prince Zhenbei had returned to Liangzhou, the Emperor had been consumed by worry day and night, keeping a close watch on every movement in Liangzhou and not allowing the slightest hint of trouble to escape his notice.

Yet over the past two years, Wei Chengjun had seemed to vanish without a trace, remaining so quiet that it was almost unbelievable.

But the quieter things were, the more frightened the Emperor became.

He had no idea what kind of measures Wei Chengjun was preparing, or when he might suddenly strike the Capital a fatal blow.

Under the strain of such constant worry, the Emperor’s health deteriorated day by day. It was not long before he became bedridden with illness.

During those two years, Sheng Zhaoning had steadily built up her influence and risen to become the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

The speed of her promotion was astonishing.

Yet no one questioned it.

In two years, she had reexamined the Court of Judicial Review’s unresolved cases from the previous decade, restoring the good names of countless people.

Among the common people, she was praised without end.

Almost everyone knew that the Court of Judicial Review had gained a female deputy minister of incorruptible character and noble bearing.

At the same time, while handling old cases, Sheng Zhaoning had not neglected to monitor Liangzhou.

The border was far away, and sending messages back and forth was difficult.

Even so, she had dispatched enough people to investigate the traffic between Liangzhou and the Capital City.

But they had found nothing.

Whether Wei Chengjun’s movements were concealed too deeply, or the Capital City had already been infiltrated by many of his forces, no one could say.

In any case, such silence was certainly not a good sign.

At the Eastern Palace, Peng Lu spotted the person approaching along the palace path at a glance.

He went to meet her with a broad smile. “Lord Sheng, you’ve finally arrived.”

Peng Lu led her all the way into the hall.

“Please come in.”

Over the past few years, Sheng Zhaoning had long since become a regular visitor to the Eastern Palace.

She nodded at him, then pushed open the door and entered the hall with practiced familiarity.

The Court of Judicial Review had handled its affairs efficiently today, leaving her free before noon.

Wei Heng was still reviewing official documents. When he saw her, he smiled at her, his brows curving gently. “You’re here.”

With complete naturalness, he gestured for her to sit down, then continued to take up his brush and attend to his official business.

Sheng Zhaoning was not the least bit restrained either. With a calm, gentle expression, she sat on the Imperial Consort’s couch by the window and casually picked up the book she had left there unfinished the last time.

The people of the Eastern Palace had kept it exactly as she had left it.

Sunlight fell across her shoulders, enveloping her in the warm radiance of spring.

Sheng Zhaoning turned the pages softly. Not far away, the sound of a vermilion brush marking the memorials rose and fell.

The two of them each attended to their own affairs, one busy and the other at leisure.

No one knew how much time had passed before Wei Heng finally set down his brush.

His quiet footsteps came to a stop in front of her.

“Are you hungry?” He bent down, leaning slightly forward as he moved closer to ask her.

Sheng Zhaoning had not eaten anything that morning, and by now, she truly was a little hungry.

“Mm.” She smiled and nodded.

Wei Heng ordered lunch to be served.

The Shangshan Directorate skillfully prepared a selection of dishes and sent them over.

Whenever Sheng Zhaoning visited the Eastern Palace, her meals were always the easiest to prepare.

All they had to do was serve the Crown Prince’s usual favorite dishes. They were guaranteed to suit her tastes as well.

The two of them had similar palates, similar likes and dislikes, and even favored the same dishes.

Several light and exquisitely prepared dishes were brought in one after another.

Sheng Zhaoning was clearly hungry. She finished a bowl of sweet soup, ate two pastries, and drank half a cup of broth.

Only when Wei Heng saw that she had eaten her fill did he stop placing food in her bowl.

Then, knowing her habits all too well, he asked, “Want to take a nap?”

Sheng Zhaoning answered as though it were only natural.

After lunch, she curled up and took a nap in the Eastern Palace.

Behind the folding screen, a chaise lounge stood beside the window. Sunlight spilled across her back as the leafy branches of the plum tree swayed gently outside.

Perhaps she slept too long. By the time she awoke, a thin blanket had been draped over her, and the sun had already begun its descent in the west.

She opened her eyes and took a moment to gather her senses. Just as she sat up, she heard voices talking beyond the screen.

“Several passes near Liangzhou have recently stopped sending word. Only a few of the surrounding prefectures have reported that all is well. I find the situation rather unusual.”

Wei Heng’s voice came from beyond the screen. “How long has this been going on?”

“Two months.”

“Two months? Why was it only reported now?”

The man replied, “Your Highness, Liangzhou is a great distance away, so messages have always taken longer to travel back and forth than those from other prefectures. Furthermore, the neighboring prefectures are not strategically important, so they submit reports less frequently. Had several prefectures not all fallen silent at once, I fear I still would not have noticed anything amiss.”

Wei Heng pondered for a moment before saying, “Convey my verbal command to the Ministry of War. Have them dispatch several scouts to ride for Liangzhou at once. They are to send reports by carrier pigeon, and word must reach Capital City within fifteen days.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the man answered.

His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Sheng Zhaoning pulled aside the thin blanket, slipped on her shoes, and walked out from behind the screen.

Hearing her, Wei Heng raised his eyes and met her gaze.

“You’re awake?” He deliberately suppressed the worry on his face and pretended nothing had happened.

The words were already on the tip of Sheng Zhaoning’s tongue, but when she met Wei Heng’s eyes, she forced herself to swallow them.

He was unwilling to tell her about such matters for fear that she would worry, so she could only pretend she knew nothing.

The Court of Judicial Review also had informants stationed in Liangzhou. Once she returned, she would investigate the matter carefully.

She remained at the Eastern Palace for a while longer. By the time she left, evening was drawing near.

Sheng Zhaoning hurried back to the Court of Judicial Review.

Now that Li Ji held the same post as her, serving as a Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, they each had their own private office, separated by a single adjoining wall.

Li Ji handled most matters outside Capital City, so his sources and connections were far more extensive.

At his office, Sheng Zhaoning carefully examined the case files submitted from the areas surrounding Liangzhou.

She went through them one by one, scrutinizing every detail.

Sure enough, she discovered something unusual.

Liangzhou and its surrounding prefectures were required to submit their case files to Capital City once every three months.

The latest reports had been due five days ago.

Yet just as the man at the Eastern Palace had said, the case files from those particular prefectures were the only ones missing.

The reports from the regions along the route between Liangzhou and Capital City were also extremely perfunctory. Some did not even bear an official seal.

Sheng Zhaoning’s fingers tightened, and her breathing gradually grew ragged.

Military intelligence, case files, and every other kind of information that should have been submitted had all stopped coming.

There was only one possible explanation.

The government offices had already been seized!