I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 16: The Imperial Edict

At first, Xia Yuxiao did not believe Qin Ji’s explanations. Based on the reports from the spies she had planted within the Duke of An’s residence, she was almost certain that this minister harbored rebellious intentions.

However, upon hearing Ling Yan’s account, Xia Yuxiao fell into a brief silence.

If what Ling Yan said was true, then there might be an even more worrisome faction within the court.

For Xia Yuxiao, the faction led by Qin Ji was indeed a significant threat, but at least Qin Ji still listened to her for now, and she indeed could not do without him. But the other faction was different.

On the surface, this faction opposed Qin Ji’s monopolization of power, appearing loyal to her as the emperor. In reality, they wanted to remove Qin Ji, who could suppress them. Once Qin Ji was removed, the power vacuum would be filled by this group. And this group, in essence, opposed her as the empress.

They supported her brothers, not her. Once the rock that was Qin Ji was removed, they would reveal their true intentions.

Originally, with Qin Ji and her guidance, Xia Yuxiao’s plan was to balance Qin Ji and these ministers against each other, allowing her to sit more securely on the throne. But…

If what Ling Yan said was true, it meant that these ministers had already begun to reveal their thoughts directly. Were they acting with impunity? Or did they believe they had some leverage?

Regardless of whether the explanations from this man and his guard were true, Xia Yuxiao would not ignore the existence of this issue.

“Grand Marshal Qin,” Xia Yuxiao looked into his eyes and lowered her voice, “how can I believe you?”

“Your Majesty, whether you believe it or not, this is a fact. If Your Majesty does not believe it, I have no way to prove it,” Qin Ji said.

“How about this,” Xia Yuxiao smiled and stroked the carving on the armrest of her seat, “I will personally issue an edict to you. You must uncover the truth and expose the mastermind behind this, by any means necessary. As long as you can provide sufficient evidence to prove that you are also a victim and can prove the guilt of others, I will naturally trust you again.”

Qin Ji’s body seemed to freeze, silent for several seconds.

“Well?”

“I accept the edict.”

The emperor had already spoken to this extent, and Qin Ji had no way to refuse.

This method seemed to give him a chance to prove himself, appearing benevolent and rational.

But…

In essence, she still hoped he would counterbalance those opposing factions in the court.

The charges were so severe that the masterminds would not allow Qin Ji to investigate. And Qin Ji? He could only accept this seemingly rational and objective choice from the emperor. To outsiders, it seemed as if the emperor had given him great favor. He had to brace himself to investigate, and naturally, the masterminds would also contend with him…

Regardless of the final outcome, whether Qin Ji was innocent or not, a mutual destruction with those ministers was inevitable, making the emperor even happier.

Now, he could only accept this arrangement, and it was indeed a timely way to mitigate losses for him—these ministers seemed ready to tear off their masks. Although it was merely symbolic intimidation for the emperor, for Qin Ji, these guys were genuinely prepared to strike. With this edict from the emperor, he could justifiably play with these guys and eliminate his threats in advance.

It was a blessing in disguise. The reason for his unexpected loss of composure was mainly because he had not anticipated such a move from the other side. Even if they were loyal to the crown prince, it was not the right time to act.

“Since you want to clear your name, you should act quickly. Otherwise, if the ministers bring more charges against you, you might not be safe.”

The girl did not forget to urge him.

“I will handle this matter as soon as possible.”

This time, Qin Ji did not ask the emperor for any tea. He was cautious and did not dare to ask for anything at this time.

Watching Qin Ji leave, Xia Yuxiao half-slumped in her seat, closing her eyes. In her mind was the guard named Ling Yan.

She was very clear about the specific information of Ling Yan. After the late emperor cleared out those evil sects, she had seen Ling Yan. It was said that her father had also considered finding a few exceptionally gifted individuals from those sects to guard the royal family, but considering their origins, this matter was ultimately not accomplished.

In the end, Ling Yan was handed over to Qin Ji.

What kind of method could make a young boy train another child into such a loyal guard in just a few years? At that moment, Xia Yuxiao had no doubt that if she really ordered the ambushers nearby to act, Ling Yan would definitely rush up and kill her at all costs—the killing intent was unmistakable.

What kind of divine power does Qin Ji possess?

Xia Yuxiao did not know, but this time it made her realize one thing: at least Qin Ji indeed possessed some kind of ability, an ability that could make his subordinates risk their lives for him.

As the emperor, she looked across the entire empire and probably couldn’t find many people better at using others than her, but she couldn’t grasp this guy. He wandered around the core of the empire’s power and firmly held onto the most lethal part of the power, and now she couldn’t strip him of his power. Perhaps part of the reason was that the Duke of An himself was good at using people.

What Xia Yuxiao said just now was not entirely out of anger. She indeed believed that the current Duke of An had the ability to sit on the throne, although she didn’t really want to give up this position. But she knew that the young Duke of An had such ability. If she really gave him the throne, he might not necessarily do worse.

Speaking of which…

Xia Yuxiao called over her maid:

“Tell the spy in the Duke of An’s mansion to resign. It’s no longer possible to continue lurking in the Duke of An’s mansion. Tell him not to worry, the Duke of An will not punish him.”

“Yes.”

The maid—or rather, the most trusted female official by Xia Yuxiao’s side—immediately began to prepare to deliver the message.

……………………

When Qin Ji returned to the Duke of An’s mansion, Ling Yan still hadn’t recovered from the previous state of alertness.

Seeing such a loyal Ling Yan, Qin Ji originally planned to reprimand her slightly for her rude behavior, but now he couldn’t say it.

She only cared about his safety. From her perspective, there was indeed no problem.