Chapter 81 - Bewitchment

In the pavilion, a long silence fell.

There was no need to worry about Yang Siyao and Song Yan meeting. She just needed to produce that secret letter from the Yang family. She was acting on the Yang family's orders to try and control Song Yan. If you want to control someone, how can you do it without getting a little closer?

The problem now was that Yang Siyao was not clear on the time that Yang Miaoqing and the Wokou had agreed upon.

The military strength of the Ning Kingdom was relatively poor. This was very normal. When the low-level soldiers can't even get their military pay, how many would be willing to risk their lives in battle?

"I will find a way to figure out the time," Yang Siyao said faintly. "But for other aspects, I will have to rely on you."

Song Yan nodded: "Put your own life first in all things. There's no need to force it."

Yang Siyao was slightly stunned, as if she were a bit taken aback by this very ordinary sentence.

"What's wrong? Is there a flower on my face?" Song Yan touched his face, then looked at Yang Siyao who had been staring at him, feeling a little suspicious.

The woman's gaze slowly shifted to the side. Her fingers subconsciously toyed with her teacup. This seemed to be a small habit of hers. Whenever she did this, her state of mind was not so calm.

She could feel that her heartbeat seemed a bit faster than usual.

Put your own life first?

Heh... she had worked for the Yang family for many years, yet this was the first time she had heard such an instruction.

'It must be completed...' 'No failure is permitted...' 'At any cost...' 'You don't want anything to happen to your younger sister, do you?'

These were the things those people would often say to her. It wasn't until this moment that she discovered that her own life could actually be more important than the mission.

The Yang family, ah, what kind of place was that?

Courtyard after courtyard, rule after rule. Although everyone had the same bloodline, the hierarchy was so strict that it reached a harsh degree.

A legitimate son was a legitimate son, a superior was a superior. Those high and mighty people were forever unattainable existences. No matter what hardships the people below endured, what contributions they made, even if they sacrificed their lives, it was all a matter of course.

Everyone was shouting, "For the Yang family..." But, was it really for the Yang family, or for certain people within the Yang family?

A small hand quietly rested on her chest, feeling the tremor. What was this? Was her heart moved?

Why was it like this?

She was clearly the one who cultivated seduction arts. Why did it feel like she was the one being bewitched?

The corners of her mouth curled into a slight arc, her thoughts involuntarily drifting a little far away. After a few breaths, she found that Song Yan was still staring at her with suspicion, and her cheeks grew hot. She might have been blushing, and even that thick layer of cosmetics probably couldn't hide it.

Huu!

She let out a breath: "It's nothing."

After a slight pause: "Younger Cousin, is there anything else you want to know?"

"I want to know, among the eight sons of the Yang family, who is Song Hongtao's son?" Song Yan suddenly thought of a question and hurriedly asked.

Although the two had already completed their deal, they were not suitable to meet again for a long time to come. He wanted to take this opportunity to understand the situation a little more.

Yang Siyao shook her head: "It's very likely that there are none."

Pfft.

The tea soup he had just sipped sprayed out.

Song Yan hurriedly raised his sleeve to wipe it. Seeing the Young Master-in-law's action, Gu Banxia sighed helplessly and handed over a towel. The Young Master-in-law's bad habit, even after so much time, still couldn't be changed.

Yang Siyao let out a faint sigh:

"Younger Cousin should also be clear on her personality. She is very stubborn. She sees Song Hongtao as an enemy. How could she give birth to an enemy's son? She would only think of every possible way to take revenge on Song Hongtao. She would rather give birth to a bastard and then watch Song Hongtao raise the bastard, her heart filled with a morbid pleasure."

"Perhaps it's by relying on this method that she has managed to live until now."

"The women of the Yang family, their personalities are mostly twisted."

"Of course, this is just my speculation. I can't produce any evidence in this regard."

Ai, where is there any 'peaceful time'? It's just someone carrying the weight for you. And thinking of Song Hongtao trying his best to find a biological son, he looked more and more like a lowly, pitiful wretch.

"Last month..." Song Yan suddenly thought of something.

At that time, he had not yet left the Duke's mansion.

That mysterious carriage.

The pale, beardless, and effeminate man.

The special mission arranged by Song Hongtao.

Although he already had some speculations in his heart, he still wanted to consult with Yang Siyao, perhaps to gain a different insight.

Yang Siyao fell into a brief silence. She thought about it very seriously.

"Younger Cousin should know that the Ning Kingdom currently implements the Three Departments and Six Ministries system."

Although Song Yan didn't know why Yang Siyao had suddenly jumped to this topic, he still nodded.

The so-called Three Departments are the Central Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs.

The Central Secretariat is mainly responsible for decision-making. It follows the emperor's will to draft important documents such as edicts and imperial decrees, and is responsible for planning the country's major policies and drawing up preliminary plans. It can be considered the emperor's secretariat, or his think tank.

The Chancellery, on the other hand, is responsible for reviewing the edicts and policies drafted by the Central Secretariat. For example, if an edict does not conform to ancestral systems or is not conducive to the country's stability, it can be rejected.

As for the Department of State Affairs, it is responsible for implementing the decisions drafted by the Central Secretariat and approved by the Chancellery. It serves as the hub connecting the central and local governments, the Three Departments and the Six Ministries.

And the Six Ministries are the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishments, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works.

"The Presidents of the Three Departments and the Ministers of the Six Ministries are the ones who truly command the winds and clouds in the imperial court. Even an official like the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who is nominally of the same rank as a Minister, is actually a bit inferior."

"And the President of the Central Secretariat is a clan elder of the Yang family."

"The Minister of Rites is also from the direct line of the Yang family."

"There are also three Vice Ministers who come from the Yang family."

"And the number of high officials who have been promoted and roped in by the Yang family is unknown. To put it bluntly, the power of the Yang family occupies half the country in the imperial court."

Song Yan's expression was grave. Although he had long known that the Yang family's power was immense, he had never expected it to be to this extent. And this was only what Yang Siyao knew. Who knows how much there was that she didn't know.

Suddenly, Yang Siyao smiled: "In that case, we were just boasting about annihilating the Yang family. This is practically being enemies with half the imperial court. Does this count as 'a newborn calf not fearing a tiger'?"

"Younger Cousin, what do you think they would say if they knew? Would they say we're overestimating ourselves?”

Song Yan shook his head: "No. Most likely, we wouldn't even register in their eyes. For those people, giving us a second glance would be considered a loss."

"Hehe, that's true."

Yang Siyao gave a bitter smile. Not long ago, she still wanted to annihilate the Yang family, but thinking about it now, it was truly laughable. How insignificant she was in front of the Yang family, like a tiny ant that could be easily crushed to death.

"So, what does this have to do with my question?" Song Yan asked.

"Don't be anxious." Yang Siyao gave Song Yan a slightly reproachful look.

"In short, the Yang family's power in the imperial court is extremely vast. And the current His Majesty, Emperor Ninghe, has been on the throne for nineteen years. Does Younger Cousin understand what this concept means?"

Song Yan's eyes narrowed to a slit: "This means that Emperor Ninghe is going to die soon."

Behind him, Gu Banxia's body trembled slightly.

These two, they really dare to say anything.

But these words, although greatly disrespectful, were also not wrong. From the time the title of 'emperor' was created until now, hundreds of years, dozens of emperors, there were absolutely not many who reigned for more than twenty years.

If it were the end of a dynasty, the speed of changing emperors was almost comparable to a commoner household changing into new clothes. One year, a few months, and the emperor might be changed. Just like the 'Great Han Kindergarten,' a pile of one or two-year-old, three or four-year-old little emperors. On average, it was already pretty good for an emperor to be on the throne for ten years.

The current Emperor Ninghe was not yet an adult when he ascended the throne. Now he is only in his thirties or forties. Logically, he should be able to hold on for some time.

Yang Siyao's expression also gradually became solemn:

"When I was in the Yang family, I once heard someone say that Emperor Ninghe's health is not very good."

Song Yan's pupils trembled slightly. Behind him, Gu Banxia's eyes also suddenly contracted.

"Logically, under the current circumstances, Emperor Ninghe should have established a Crown Prince long ago to stabilize the state."

Yang Siyao's voice was cold and faint. She had a dual identity: on one hand, a woman of the Yang family; on the other, a disciple of the Hehuan Sect. Both of these identities allowed her to come into contact with a lot of information that an ordinary woman could not grasp. Perhaps much of it was just rumors, but if one were to unravel these rumors and peel them back layer by layer, what was left was perhaps the truth:

"The Empress is sonless. The First Imperial Prince, born to the Noble Consort, who is Yang Miaoqing's younger sister Yang Miaoyun, has the support of half the imperial court behind him. He is the undisputed choice for Crown Prince."

"The court ministers have also repeatedly, in the name of 'establishing the legitimate and the eldest,' requested that the First Imperial Prince be made Crown Prince. But every time, they have been refused by Emperor Ninghe for various reasons."

"Once or twice was fine, but after many times, the Noble Consort ultimately became a little worried."

Song Yan's brow raised slightly: "Worried about what?"

The corner of Yang Siyao's mouth curled up:

"Yang Miaoyun is worried that the First Imperial Prince is actually not Emperor Ninghe's eldest son."

Crash!

It was the teacup in his hand falling to the ground.

Even behind him, Gu Banxia's massaging fingers suddenly became stiff.

These words, if they were to get out, who knows how many heads would roll.

Perhaps only Song Yan and Yang Siyao would so brazenly discuss such a matter.

For some unknown reason, Gu Banxia's little face looked a bit pale, and her body seemed to be trembling slightly.

And Yang Siyao seemed to feel that these words were not shocking enough. Her lips moved slightly, and she spoke again…

For some reason, Song Yan could sense Yang Siyao's urgency. It was as if she had sensed some kind of threat, perceived some kind of fear, and couldn't wait to spill everything she knew.

"Although I have never met Emperor Ninghe, I have also heard that Emperor Ninghe and the Empress are deeply in love. The Empress is sonless, yet Emperor Ninghe has never had the thought of deposing her. If the Empress really had a son, the emperor's position might not necessarily fall to the First Imperial Prince."

"This is naturally something that Yang Miaoyun cannot tolerate."

Yang Siyao pursed her lips, as if treating the tea soup in her hand like wine, and fiercely drank it all in one gulp:

"So, that group of honored guests you saw from Dongling back then could very well have come from the imperial palace... That pale, beardless noble was perhaps a eunuch arranged by Yang Miaoyun."

"Song Hongtao wanted you to pay attention to the relationship between the several Luo children and the Grand Princess. In reality, he should be investigating whether Luo Tianshu, Luo Tianquan, Luo Tianyang, and the others could be…

Emperor Ninghe's children!"

The last ray of the setting sun quietly dispersed.

The darkness began to grow thick.

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