Gu Wenci Appears: She Will Kill Him Herself

After Di Qingyu came out of Xuanzheng Hall, the four princes, still kneeling, all looked up at her.

"Aren't you getting up? Do you want to keep kneeling?"

At those words, they understood at once that Di Qingyu had successfully pleaded for them.

"Thank you, imperial sister."

Having knelt for a whole day, they relaxed and slowly shifted their numb legs, preparing to stand.

"Hey, fifth imperial brother, imperial father didn't say you could get up."

Seeing the fifth prince sneaking behind the others, trying to fish in troubled waters and get up too, Di Qingyu walked straight over and patted his shoulder with a beaming smile.

The eldest, second, and fourth princes got to their feet and, with a tacit understanding, said nothing. They merely brushed nonexistent dust from their knees.

"Hmph, fine, I won't get up."

Seeing that Di Qingyu wouldn't let him off, the fifth prince stood his ground. He immediately dropped the leg he had lifted back to the floor.

"Fifth imperial brother, although imperial father didn't let you get up, he did agree that I could take away anyone I wanted." Di Qingyu chuckled. "Five hundred taels of silver. How about it?"

"How much?!"

The fifth prince's face turned ashen. His monthly allowance was only a hundred taels of silver, yet she had asked for so much in one breath. Why didn't she just rob him?

Di Qingyu made no effort to persuade him. She merely stepped back a little, seemingly startled by his loud voice.

"Now it's five hundred and fifty taels." She turned slightly, as though she had no intention of giving him another chance.

The fifth prince's heart dripped blood, and his face flushed as he opened his mouth to say something. But the second prince patted him on the shoulder, bringing him somewhat to his senses.

"Fine!"

Seeing that Di Qingyu was about to leave, he didn't know how high the price might climb if he delayed any longer.

Di Qingyu instantly shed her sarcastic manner and smiled with warmth and consideration. She even reached out to help the fifth prince up.

"Oh dear, fifth imperial brother, your knees must be sore from kneeling. Your imperial sister has a sedan chair waiting below. Would you like to spend a little more for a ride to your door?"

"No! Need!" The fifth prince gritted his teeth and shakily stood up, his legs almost completely numb.

Knowing when to stop, Di Qingyu said, "Then, my four imperial brothers, I'll be going first. It's time for me to go back and take my medicine."

"Oh, that's right. Imperial brothers, remember to send the things over today. After all, as you know, without money on hand, I fall ill easily, and whenever I fall ill, imperial father asks about it."

Once they had all nodded, Di Qingyu stopped lingering and turned around. A maid immediately stepped forward to lend her a hand, and she left at a leisurely pace.

Only after she had gone did the four fellow sufferers, who had remained still all this time, awkwardly help one another down the stairs.

"Hiss, that little devil Di Qingyu has swindled another sum out of us." The fifth prince was indignant. He descended the steps sideways, nearly jumping from the pain.

Although they all practiced martial arts, even they couldn't endure kneeling like that. Their legs were almost numb, and they walked like diving toads, looking utterly ridiculous.

Thankfully, Di Qingyu had left quickly; otherwise, she would have laughed at them. Of course, that was also why they had remained still until she was out of sight before leaving.

The second prince, also forcing himself to endure the soreness, threw cold water on him. "You should be grateful. If she hadn't spoken up, who knows how much longer we would have had to kneel? Afterward, we would have had to listen to another lecture from imperial father. Spending some money is better than being scapegoats."

They had knelt for so long that most of imperial father's anger had subsided. He had merely taken the way down Di Qingyu offered him. Even so, Di Qingyu was exceptionally clever and courageous; only she dared to time her intervention precisely when imperial father was about to calm down and they were close to their limit.

With just a few words, she had gained benefits from both sides. No wonder imperial father favored and indulged her alone among his many princes and princesses.

"Hmph, we were all born to the same father. How come I'm not as good at swindling money as she is?" the fifth prince grumbled.

The eldest prince said nothing, merely supporting the fourth prince, a flicker passing across his face.

Di Qingyu was only fourteen and still lived in the imperial harem. But her imperial mother had passed away long ago, so she alone was in charge of Yaohua Hall.

By the time her sedan chair reached Yaohua Hall, a light rain had begun to fall. A maid in green was already standing at the entrance with an oil-paper umbrella and escorted Di Qingyu inside.

"Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."

Di Qingyu took off her fur cloak, shedding the damp chill of the rain, and sat down by the blazing brazier. A maid in moon-white robes came over with a bowl of medicine.

Without a word, Di Qingyu drank the medicine in one gulp, then ate a piece of candied fruit to dispel the bitterness.

"Chunzhi, is there any news?"

The maid in green handed her a letter.

"Princess, the flooding at Yulu City destroyed the houses and fertile fields along the banks. The common people don't have enough to eat and are wandering about. The prefect, Zhang Mingzheng, discussed borrowing grain for disaster relief with the landlords and local magnates, but they claimed the harvests in previous years had been poor and released only fifty dan of rice. There are around ten thousand refugees, so it won't last more than a few days."

"As for the grain and provisions sent there, the Ministry of Revenue prepared them, and an escort officer was responsible for transporting them. The official supervising the transport was among the officials killed by mountain bandits that day."

The transport supervisor oversaw the itinerary and schedule of the grain and provisions along the way.

After reading the news in the letter, Di Qingyu placed it in the brazier and burned it completely, her gaze turning cold.

"It seems some people have a guilty conscience. They've eaten too much in ordinary times, and now they can't spit it all out at once." She estimated that the grain and provisions had already been tampered with on the road, leaving very little to begin with.

Chunzhi asked, "Your Highness, should we root these people out? Otherwise, the court's grain and provisions will never reach Yulu City."

"No." Di Qingyu shook her head slightly. "They only dared to seize the grain and provisions. Although they killed officials and soldiers, they didn't dare lay a hand on the four princes. They know imperial father's bottom line. This seizure was only a delaying tactic. The flood came swiftly and suddenly, so they could only buy time to spit out what they'd swallowed. Once imperial father loses his temper a few times at morning court, those people will know what to do. The second time grain and provisions are transported, they'll be more eager than anyone to see them reach Yulu City safely. Otherwise, they'll have to cough up even more blood."

Corrupt officials had existed since ancient times. If they were neither greedy nor wanting, what would those above use to make them work and fight one another? Most of the time, those above simply turned a blind eye. This time, however, some had been too insatiably greedy, and someone would have to be pushed forward to take the blame.

Chunzhi sighed. "But transporting more grain and provisions will take time. How will the people of Yulu City get through it? The only thing that can relieve the immediate crisis is the grain hoarded by the city's landlords and local magnates. But after the flood, not only have grain prices risen far above their usual level, those people will deliberately hold on to their stores and refuse to release them."

Di Qingyu's expression remained calm. "This problem is as difficult as it is simple."

"Hm?" Chunzhi was curious.

"Chunzhi, write an anonymous letter to Zhang Mingzheng, the prefect of Yulu City. Tell him that mountain bandits seized the grain, and mountain bandits released it. If the authorities say the grain being released belongs to the court, then it belongs to the court."

Chunzhi's eyes lit up. "Your Highness means for Zhang Mingzheng to find people to pose as mountain bandits and rob those landlords and local magnates, then distribute the grain for free, claiming it came from the bandits who robbed the court. Even if the landlords report it to the authorities, there'll be nothing they can do if Zhang Mingzheng insists it's the court's stolen grain."

Di Qingyu smiled and tapped her on the forehead.

"Go on. Zhang Mingzheng is an upright official who lives in poverty. For the sake of the people, he'll dare to do this much." It would relieve the immediate crisis, and the court would intervene afterward.

"Yes!"

After Chunzhi went out, Di Qingyu looked at the maid in moon-white robes beside her.

"Qiuwen, send people to keep an eye on my imperial uncles. See which of them has been acting unusually lately."

As for someone who dared lay a hand on the princes, held high office and great power, and could easily reach into the Ministry of Revenue, she truly couldn't think of anyone besides those imperial uncles of hers. If she caught them out, it might prove useful later.

"Yes!"

Di Qingyu sat lazily on the couch. Suddenly, her throat felt uncomfortable, and she couldn't help coughing softly a few times.

"Cough, cough."

"Your Highness!" Xialin hurriedly picked up a bowl of hot water nearby.

Di Qingyu took the water and moistened her throat. "I'm fine."

"Oh, right. We've found the whereabouts of Gu Wenci, the man you've been asking me to look for."

A trace of killing intent suddenly flashed through Di Qingyu's pale ink-colored eyes.

"Tell me."

Her voice rose slightly, carrying a hunter's bloodthirsty excitement at finding her prey. She had been reborn for a year, and had searched for him for a year.

"The Ministry of Revenue found a seventeen-year-old xiucai named Gu Wenci in Maotun County, Zhu Prefecture. His parents are both alive, and he teaches at a school in the county. His ancestors were all farmers; he's the only scholar among them."

Hearing this, Di Qingyu first closed her eyes in thought. Seventeen. How many years older than her had Gu Wenci been in her previous life? It seemed to be... two years!

And this man was three years older than her.

She vaguely remembered that, in her previous life, she had overheard Gu Wenci telling his wife, while she was a ghost, that he had inexplicably obtained a fortuitous opportunity when he was eighteen. A voice had appeared in his mind that could help him ascend the throne and unite the realm, and he could also exchange completed missions for weapons from a future world.

So.

"Kill him."

"Huh?" Xialin was stunned. It was the first time she had seen the princess so determined to kill someone.

"No."

Xialin thought she had misspoken, but unexpectedly...

"Make arrangements. I'm leaving the palace to kill him myself!" Di Qingyu said with a smile, the killing intent in her eyes almost becoming tangible.

Even if the age didn't match, even if there were thousands of people named Gu Wenci, she would kill them all the same!

In her last life, she had been so close to the throne, only to be schemed against by that dog of a man with his system. She would have to be a fool to hesitate for even a second.

When it came to the first enemy to threaten her path to imperial power, she would naturally rather kill the wrong person than let him go!

"Yes!"