Yin Zhuli was not particularly afraid of the idea of frying a man alive, but she felt that since they were acquaintances, a quick death would be more appropriate. There was no need for such gruesome torture.
Moreover, with the shift in their positions, she felt the truth of the proverb: "Company with a ruler is like company with a tiger." She couldn't help but feel a sense of shared fate. "Wait!"
Shen Tingjiao looked at her with a smile. He was exceptionally beautiful; when he beamed, he was like the tranquil moonlight. "What is it?"
Yin Zhuli returned his smile and spoke loudly. "Ninth Lord, I am a person who affects a love for the refined, and you are to be a sage and enlightened ruler. How can you do something so barbaric and dull? I have a better idea. Didn't this former King plan on 'the younger brother succeeding the elder'? Since Empress Qu Lingyu is still in the palace, why don't you follow that tradition? It would surely be more interesting than frying him."
Nearby, Shen Tingyao glared at her, his eyes spitting fire. "Yin Zhuli! I truly misjudged you. You treacherous villain!"
Yin Zhuli cupped her hands toward him with mock humility. "You flatter me, you flatter me."
Shen Tingjiao released his hold on her waist, his voice tender. "Since my Consort has spoken, I naturally have no reason to refuse. In that case, I shall wait until I have wed Qu Lingyu before inviting my Royal Brother to depart this world."
Yin Zhuli’s eyes flickered. Suddenly, she hooked her arms around Shen Tingjiao’s neck and pressed her lips against his. The action was so abrupt that the surrounding burly soldiers immediately looked away. Though Shen Tingjiao was puzzled by her intent, he found her display of affection immensely gratifying.
Even under the watchful eyes of the crowd, that entanglement of lips and teeth left Shen Tingjiao feeling restless with desire. His hand at her waist moved to wander upward several times, but he ultimately restrained himself out of concern for the surrounding eyes and ears. After a long moment, he whispered, "It is inconvenient here. Let us return to the palace first."
Yin Zhuli nodded. He led her out, ignoring the stream of curses behind them. Both possessed skin thick enough to feel no shame whatsoever.
Shen Tingjiao escorted Yin Zhuli back to Zhaohua Hall before heading to the Imperial Study. Every time he visited her, he brought along Chen Zhong, the Head Eunuch. Chen Zhong was a sharp and perceptive man; he understood the Emperor's heart perfectly.
A woman in this palace lived or died by the favor of one man. The new Emperor had grown up in the palace himself; he understood better than anyone the miserable fate of a woman who lacked favor. Therefore, even when he was overwhelmed with work, he frequently came by to see her.
This served to inform everyone in the palace that although this woman had not yet been formally invested as Empress, she still possessed the Emperor's undivided devotion.
Having seen through this intention, Chen Zhong was naturally meticulous regarding the affairs of Zhaohua Hall. All her provisions were arranged according to the protocols for an Empress. With the Head Eunuch’s instructions, the palace servants were naturally diligent. Aside from being unable to leave Zhaohua Hall, Yin Zhuli’s life was quite comfortable.
However, if Yin Zhuli were truly the type to stay put quietly, Shen Tingjiao wouldn't have needed to worry so much.
Inside Zhaohua Hall, Qingwan was losing her temper. "Boss, I used to think the Ninth Lord was a good man, but I didn't expect him to be such an ungrateful..."
Yin Zhuli quickly cut her off. "Disaster comes from the mouth! Watch your words!"
Qingwan huffed, lowering her voice slightly. "He doesn't plan to keep you locked up like this for the rest of your life, does he?"
Yin Zhuli tapped her finger lightly on the table and said softly, "Not necessarily. He hasn't named an Empress and has me under house arrest here likely because he intends to do something I won't like. Currently, he cannot move against the Yin family, so he must be planning to elevate another power to rival us, creating a balance of forces. In the current state of Daxing, the only ones who fit that requirement are the Fei family."
Hearing this, Qingwan grew even angrier. "But is that Fei family any good? Every time there's a famine year, they hike up grain prices like mad. If the Yin family hadn't kept them in check, who knows what they would have done by now!"
Yin Zhuli chuckled but changed the subject. "How many people are guarding the outside?"
Qingwan held up her fingers. "Six. These palace guards are truly different. Even if Brother Tanyue and Brother Liankang acted together, they probably wouldn't come out on top."
Yin Zhuli went into the courtyard and caught a pheasant. She found a small porcelain bottle, filled it with the bird's blood, and tucked it against her person. Then, she bit the pheasant's neck, took a mouthful of blood, and slowly sprayed it out. Her collar and the floor were soon stained red. She tossed the dead bird into a hidden corner and signaled to Qingwan. "What are you standing there for? Scream!"
"Princess! Princess, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" When Qingwan started shouting, her voice was loud enough to wake half of Chang'an.
Yin Zhuli silently gave her a thumbs-up—*Good job, you nearly deafened me.*
The six guards outside were highly alert. Zhang Qing had previously warned them that this Princess Consort was not an easy person to deal with and that they must remain vigilant no matter what happened. Even so, when they saw the room full of blood, they were all terrified. If something happened to this person, all their heads would roll!
Thinking this, one went to fetch the Imperial Physician, one went to report to the Emperor, and another went to inform Zhang Qing. Qingwan urged another: "What are you just standing there for? Our Princess only trusts the medicine of the Ghost Doctor, Ke Tingfeng. Hurry to the Yin residence and bring Doctor Ke!"
In this manner, only two of the six experts remained. Yin Zhuli feigned unconsciousness, ambushed one, and the remaining one was much easier to handle. If her skills were measured in the martial world, she could be considered a notable disciple, but in the Imperial Palace where experts gathered like clouds, she was somewhat lacking. Without using a bit of cleverness, getting out would have been truly difficult.
She stripped the clothes off a fallen guard and, without delay, donned her fox-fur cloak over the uniform of a First Rank Junior Imperial Guard and leaped over the palace wall.
The charcoal fires in Zhaohua Hall had been burning hot, so the cold outside was biting. There were few pedestrians on the long streets, and the snow had piled deep. She rented a horse and galloped all the way to the annex where Shen Tingyao was being held. Because of her earlier kiss with Shen Tingjiao, the guards there had a very deep impression of her. One immediately approached her respectfully. She gave an ambiguous smile. "Didn't the Emperor say today that he would first wed Empress Qu Lingyu? But the process of inducting a consort is tedious, and with the Emperor's temperament, how could he wait? The wedding night, however, is much more convenient..."
She dismounted and walked inside, holding her riding crop, her expression calm and open. "But if there is to be a wedding night, wouldn't it be a disappointment if he weren't present? Therefore, the Emperor ordered me to come and fetch him."
Since she came alone, a guard felt something was amiss. Just as he was about to ask, Yin Zhuli lashed out with her whip. "Do you think this is a glorious matter? Or should the Emperor send the entire civil and military court to welcome him?"
The man had taken two lashes for no reason and dared not ask further. The rest of them submissively unlocked the doors. Yin Zhuli walked in without a word, hauled Shen Tingyao up, and bound him with iron chains. Ignoring his loud curses, she dragged him out and threw him onto the back of a horse.
The others wanted to say more, but Yin Zhuli glared them back—she was terrifying when she lost her temper, and considering her earlier intimacy with Shen Tingjiao, who dared to question her?
Without stopping for a moment, Yin Zhuli galloped toward the Junji River docks. Seeing that the direction was wrong, Shen Tingyao stopped his cursing and looked at her with confusion. Near the docks, she found an abandoned old kiln. Using the "Yellow Spring's Guide" at her waist, she severed the iron chains on Shen Tingyao and threw the guard's uniform to him. "Change!"
Shen Tingyao opened his mouth to speak, but she flicked the Yellow Spring's Guide in her hand. "Less talk!"
Shen Tingyao hurriedly changed his clothes in the kiln. Yin Zhuli fixed his hair into a bun and used his discarded old clothes dipped in snow water to wipe his face. Then she said, "Remember, you are Xiao Er, a First Rank Junior Imperial Guard. Your elderly mother is gravely ill, and the Emperor has granted you special permission to return home and visit her."
Shen Tingyao only shook his head. "It's useless. How could he not guess that you were the one who let me go? The moment I go missing, he will surely order the Water Transport Bureau to strictly search every Yin family ship."
Yin Zhuli was unconcerned. "No need to worry."
She called a laborer to find Boss Ying, who was in charge of the Yin family's loading and unloading. The cold wind bit into them, and Shen Tingyao began to cough. Yin Zhuli took the ornaments from her hair, the pearls from her ears, and the silver notes from her person, handing them all to him. "Qu Huishang fled west from Tianshui Commandery. If I were you, I would go west and seek refuge with him."
Shen Tingyao was baffled. "Why are you helping me?"
Yin Zhuli looked at his face and suddenly delivered a harsh slap. "This slap is for every time you tried to get handsy with me over the years!"
Shen Tingyao was left dazed by the blow, just as Boss Ying arrived. Yin Zhuli whispered into his ear, and he nodded repeatedly.
A moment later, he stepped forward and led the disguised Shen Tingyao toward the docks.
In less than fifteen minutes, a commotion broke out at the docks. It turned out a guard returning home to visit his mother wanted to hitch a ride on a Yin family merchant ship. Boss Ying’s voice was so loud that half the docks could hear him: "You're just a guard! Take a look at yourself in a puddle before you think you can catch a free ride on a Yin family ship! Do you know who our Big Boss is? She's the Princess Consort of Fulu! Prince Fulu is now the Son of Heaven, and she'll be the Empress any day now! What kind of brat are you to think a Yin family merchant ship needs to curry favor with the likes of you?"
Shen Tingyao’s face turned red from the shouting, but then someone stepped out. "Tsk, the Yin Boss hasn't even ascended the phoenix throne yet, and you servants already have your eyes on the tops of your heads!" Everyone looked up; it was none other than the young master of the Fei family. He was quite respectful toward Shen Tingyao. "Sir, do not lower yourself to the level of these people who look down on others. The Fei family's merchant ships follow the same route as the Yin family's. Everyone falls on hard times; please, sir, come aboard our ship."
Shen Tingyao thanked him repeatedly. Before boarding, he looked back at the bustling crowd on the docks, but there was no sign of Yin Zhuli anywhere.
