RWNEFE -Chapter 596 Sharp and Forceful Mockery

Shen Lanxi was momentarily stunned. After the attendant softly reminded her, she replied:

“Mother, Huang Yu’s mission is classified. How did you know about it?” she asked coldly.

Zhou Xinrou’s eyes flickered, and she avoided the question. “I didn’t know. Huang Yu sent me a letter asking for help.”

“When?”

“Where is the letter?”

“Why would she send a plea for help to Mother instead of to the court?”

The successive questions made Zhou Xinrou very displeased.

“Are you interrogating your own mother now?”

“Are you suspecting that your mother is colluding with your court officials?”

Shen Lanxi said seriously, “Mother, I would not dare. I only suspect that the plea for help may be a trick.”

Zhou Xinrou’s face turned cold, and she spoke sharply: “Are you saying I, your mother, am lying to you?”

Shen Lanxi raised her hand, and an attendant immediately presented a box.

“Inside are all kinds of reports sent daily to the palace. Just the pleas for help alone—there are five or six every day.”

She opened the box, took out several letters, and handed them over.

“There are requests for aid from Dongchuan, from the northwest, the southwest, and Jinmen. Each one clearly states that battles have broken out and asks the court to send troops, money, and grain. In reality, those places are perfectly peaceful—no such battles have happened at all.”

“All of these messages are lowly tricks used by those who want to pull me down from the throne.”

“If I believed them, I would fall right into their trap.”

Zhou Xinrou understood—Shen Lanxi was unwilling to send people to rescue Huang Yu.

“This letter is absolutely not fake!”

Shen Lanxi ran her fingers lightly over the box. “Every letter in here claims it isn’t fake.”

Zhou Xinrou grew anxious and said excitedly, “Huang Yu’s plea for help is real.”

Shen Lanxi spoke as if accustomed to such matters: “Mother, I will send people to verify the situation. Once its authenticity is confirmed, I will naturally dispatch troops to rescue her.”

“Huang Yu is truly disappointing. I merely sent her to eliminate a small band of insignificant mountain bandits, and she couldn’t even handle such a trivial task.”

Zhou Xinrou looked at Shen Lanxi darkly.

“The matter is not yet settled. You should not jump to conclusions,” she said with a cold snort. If she had been more generous and allowed Huang Yu to bring troops in the first place, would this have happened?

“I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If Huang Yu truly proves incapable, I will have her remain with the capital guard and assign her no further missions.”

Zhou Xinrou’s expression grew even uglier.

“Mother, weren’t we just discussing the marriage alliance? How did we start talking about Huang Yu?” Shen Lanxi said lightly.

“Let’s not mention her anymore—it spoils the mood. I heard from the attendants that Mother came to discuss Yuantang’s marriage with me?”

Where would Zhou Xinrou have the mood to listen to such things now?

“Huang Yu’s matter must be handled cautiously. If other officials hear of this, it may chill their hearts.”

Shen Lanxi appeared to take this seriously. “Rest assured, Mother. I will order people to verify the authenticity of the information shortly.”

But what Zhou Xinrou wanted was not verification—it was troops.

Anger burned in her chest. If she stayed any longer, she feared she might lose control and shout, so she left.

Shen Lanxi did not trust the report and truly sent people to verify it. Without one or two months, no conclusion could be reached.

But Huang Yu clearly could not wait that long, and Zhou Xinrou could not wait either.

After returning to the Shen residence, Zhou Xinrou immediately wrote a letter by hand and sent someone to deliver it.

“Princess, something feels wrong,” the old nanny reminded her quietly.

But Zhou Xinrou could no longer worry about so much.

“When Huang Yu returns this time, she must not be allowed to go out again.”

Every time Huang Yu went out, she appeared to earn merit, but in reality she cost Zhou Xinrou many of her own people.

Those men had been carefully cultivated over many years. They had lain hidden so long, with backgrounds beyond suspicion, only to be destroyed overnight—it was truly a pity.

Every time she heard the number of losses, her heart ached for quite some time.

“Be extra careful during this period. Don’t let anything slip.”

The nanny was confident in her own work; she was certain she would not arouse suspicion.

“Princess, I only fear that if so many people suddenly disappear from the army, the higher authorities will investigate.”

Zhou Xinrou was troubled by this as well.

“The court is currently hostile with Jinmen. Spread rumors that those people defected to the enemy.”

“I believe the court, for the sake of face, will not make this matter public.” When the time came, the court would even help them clean up the aftermath.

The nanny nodded.

As for the matter of the marriage alliance, Zhou Xinrou had some ideas. Since the Turkic envoys had not yet arrived, she still had time to consider.

Two days later, Shen Lanxi received news that Zhou Xinrou had adopted the daughter of the magistrate of Taicang County as her goddaughter.

This time it was not a rescue but a chance encounter on the street—so-called fate.

Recalling what Zhou Xinrou had said earlier about a marriage alliance, Shen Lanxi wrote back in a family letter, giving her approval.

In the following days, the Shen family held a flower-viewing banquet, and invitations were sent to the homes of the capital’s nobles and officials.

The next day, news spread that Zhou Xinrou had adopted three more young women as goddaughters.

While people speculated about this, another piece of news spread:

The Turks wished to form a marriage alliance with Great Zhou.

A marriage alliance required a princess—but even if there were girls in the Zhou imperial clan, could they be used?

The one on the throne was Shen Lanxi, surnamed Shen, not Zhou.

Even if there were women of the Zhou imperial surname, using them might provoke trouble; only women from the Shen family could realistically be used.

Everyone in the capital knew the Shen family had no unmarried girls of suitable age. The household did contain many women—but they were all divorced.

Could women who had already been married be sent for a marriage alliance?

Would that not be an insult to the Turks?

The only solution was to adopt daughters and present them as princesses of Great Zhou.

At first, the families whose daughters were adopted by Zhou Xinrou had felt as if their ancestors were blessing them. Once this news spread, it felt as if the sky were collapsing.

Since ancient times, not a single princess sent for a marriage alliance had met a good end.

This was sending their daughters to their deaths.

Yet the families of these adopted daughters all held low official ranks; they had no way to resist and could only wait in despair for the blade to fall.

Zhou Xinrou’s sudden adoption of so many goddaughters struck everyone in the Shen family as extremely strange.

“Why has Mother changed so much recently?”

“As long as she hasn’t pushed us out for the marriage alliance, that’s already merciful.”

“When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. There must be something behind this—we should be cautious.”

After hearing the news, Shen Yuanxin let out a sigh of relief. She had long felt that something was wrong in the household. Did those people think that returning to the family would make them princesses, enjoying wealth and glory?

She now saw clearly—it was all wishful thinking. If they were to be granted titles, it would have happened during the great enfeoffment.

In the future, she thought, it would be better to visit the Shen residence less often.

Huang Yu managed to escape danger once again. After the court received the news, Shen Lanxi immediately ordered rewards.

“Huang Yu has rendered merit in capturing bandits. Promote her one rank.”

Before Huang Yu could even return to the capital, an imperial decree assigning her to suppress bandits in the Qilian Mountains had already been delivered to her.

Along with the decree came official robes, a waist token, and a treasured sword.

“Commander Huang, His Majesty hopes that with this sword you will exterminate all bandits under heaven and restore clear skies to Great Zhou.”

The eunuch delivering the decree solemnly placed the edict and sword in Huang Yu’s hands.

“His Majesty also said she has great expectations of you.”

Huang Yu quietly slipped several banknotes into the eunuch’s hand.

The eunuch immediately changed his tone, smiling. “I previously heard His Majesty say she wants to temper the general well. Judging by her intentions, she will certainly make great use of you in the future.”

A flicker passed through Huang Yu’s eyes.

In what way… would she be ‘greatly used’?