Past Events

This was a probe, a form of pressure, and above all, an opportunity for Shangguan Yuan to make a choice.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Gu Chengyin bowed and accepted the order. This task was within his expectations.

Shangguan Yunying also hastily curtsied, "Your humble servant obeys."

"You may leave."

Luo Zhao waved a hand, saying no more, and focused her attention on the open ledger before her.

Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yunying bowed once more before retreating from the Mingli Hall together.

Outside the hall, the curtain of night had already fallen. Palace lanterns lit up one after another, casting dim, yellow halos on the bluestone-paved palace pathways.

The evening breeze carried a chill, blowing away the stifling scent of aged paper mixed with ink that clung to them from inside the hall.

The two walked in silence for a distance. It was only when they were far from Mingli Hall that Shangguan Yunying seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her footsteps slowing slightly.

She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the calm-faced Gu Chengyin beside her. Biting her lower lip, she spoke in a low voice:

"Director Gu... regarding the matter of my father, I did not intentionally hide it."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words. "It is just that since entering the Internal Affairs Department, I never wanted others to treat me differently because of my father, or to think that my current achievements rely on his protection. I wanted to serve Her Highness using my own abilities."

Her voice gradually grew firmer. "Because of this, I participated in the Internal Affairs Department's selection anonymously, starting from the lowest-ranking female official and working my way up to where I am today."

Listening to her explanation, Gu Chengyin merely gave a faint murmur of acknowledgment.

He understood Shangguan Yunying's thoughts, but in the face of reality, such persistence often appeared fragile and naive.

Especially in the Great Luo's officialdom, with its strict hierarchy and deeply intertwined relationships, her surname and bloodline meant it was impossible to truly detach herself from her background.

However, Gu Chengyin did not care about this. What he cared about were more practical matters.

"It does not matter," Gu Chengyin said in a flat tone. "Your identity does not affect your abilities and loyalty, Master Yunying."

He changed the subject, cutting straight to the point. "Since your esteemed father is Minister Shangguan, you must be very familiar with his character, his way of doing things, and even his situation in the imperial court, right?"

Shangguan Yunying nodded, her expression turning serious. "Yes. My father is cautious and calculating. He is especially skilled at balancing various factions. Having been in the Ministry of Revenue for many years, he has never made a major mistake with the accounts and is deeply trusted by His Majesty."

"Then," Gu Chengyin's eyes flickered as he asked the crucial question, "based on your understanding of your father, if Her Highness personally pressures him, or if we go to him now, do you think he will speak up?"

Shangguan Yunying did not answer immediately. She furrowed her delicate brows and thought carefully for a moment before speaking slowly.

"If Her Highness forces him using her status as the Crown Princess, my father... will most likely tell us."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of complex helplessness. "After all, he cannot openly defy Her Highness. Moreover, because of me, my father is already presumed by the court to be Her Highness's man."

"Even if he wants to remain neutral, in the eyes of others, our Shangguan family is already tied to Her Highness."

A flash of understanding crossed Gu Chengyin's eyes.

This was politics; a single move could affect the entire board.

Since Shangguan Yunying had become Luo Zhao's Chief Female Official, her father, Shangguan Yuan, was naturally branded as a member of the Crown Princess's faction. Trying to clear his name of this association was nearly impossible.

"However..." Shangguan Yunying shifted her tone, laced with worry. "The impact of what he reveals under pressure will likely be greatly diminished."

"My father is a smooth operator. What he excels at most is dodging the crucial issues and dwelling on the trivial. He might spit out some irrelevant or outdated information."

"He might even offer a pre-prepared scapegoat to deal with us or divert our attention. Getting him to reveal the core truth will be very difficult, I am afraid."

Gu Chengyin nodded; this was within his expectations.

For Shangguan Yuan to sit securely in the position of Minister of Revenue for so many years, he was definitely not an easy person to deal with.

Gu Chengyin suddenly thought of a question and asked with some curiosity, "Since your father is so cautious and is not even willing to be tied to Her Highness, why did he agree to let you enter the palace and become Her Highness's official in the first place?"

Given Shangguan Yuan's personality of striving for balance and refusing to easily take sides, how could he allow his own daughter to enter the royal court?

And to sit in the most intimate position beside Luo Zhao, no less. This was essentially handing his greatest weakness over to someone else on his own initiative.

Hearing this question, a complex look flashed across Shangguan Yunying's face, a mix of helplessness and the rippling waves of memory.

"This matter..." she said softly, her voice carrying a trace of emotion. "It was not my father who agreed to it."

"Oh?" Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow.

"Back then, I participated in the Internal Affairs Department's selection behind my family's back," Shangguan Yunying explained. "I used a pseudonym and passed layer after layer of assessments. It was not until the final list was confirmed and I was about to enter the palace that my father accidentally learned the news from a colleague."

Recalling the scene from back then, a bitter smile appeared on Shangguan Yunying's lips. "When my father found out, he was furious."

"He believed the palace was a place of endless trouble, and the side of the Crown Princess was the very center of the vortex. If I went in, not only would I be in danger, but I would also drag the entire Shangguan family into unpredictable risks."

"He immediately wanted to use his connections to strike my name from the list of female officials and bring me back home."

"The matter caused a huge uproar at the time." Shangguan Yunying's voice lowered. "My father personally went to the Internal Affairs Department, even alarming the Grand Secretariat."

"I... I was also very stubborn at the time and refused to go back. Just as we were at a stalemate, and my father was about to resort to forceful measures..."

Shangguan Yunying raised her head and looked deep into the palace city, towards the direction that symbolized supreme power, her eyes filled with awe and a trace of confusion:

"His Majesty... issued a decree."

"His Majesty?" Gu Chengyin's heart stirred.

"Yes," Shangguan Yunying nodded. "His Majesty somehow learned of the matter and directly issued a verbal edict."

"The edict was very simple: Since the daughter of the Shangguan family had passed the formal selection in accordance with the rules, she should be employed according to precedent, and no one was allowed to obstruct it."

She paused, then added, "Naturally, no one dared to disobey His Majesty's decree. Although my father was extremely unwilling, he could only kowtow and accept the edict. And so, I stayed and became Her Highness's official."

Listening to this past event, a light flickered in Gu Chengyin's eyes as he fell deep into thought.

His Majesty personally issued a decree?

Now this was interesting.

The emperor's mind was truly unfathomable.

Even behind the selection of a lowly female official, there could be complex political considerations hidden.

However, now was not the time to delve deeply into this.

The most urgent matter at hand was facing the upcoming meeting with Shangguan Yuan.

As the two conversed, they had already passed through layers of palace gates and arrived outside the palace.

An inconspicuous yet sturdy green-canopied carriage was already waiting there.

Boarding the carriage, the wheels rolled over the night streets of the Divine Capital, heading towards the Shangguan residence located in the officials' district to the southeast of the Imperial City.

Inside the carriage, the two temporarily fell into silence.

In the night, the silhouette of the Minister's Estate was faintly visible in the distance.