TNIBFT -Chapter 136 A Woman’s False Friendship

Ye Tian furrowed his brows slightly.

Tao Ling’er pressed her lips together. “Wasn’t there an appointment made above?”

“From now on, my father will be the Chief Historian of Sifang City. He’ll probably have no time to teach the children. Last night, we discussed returning triple the customary stipend for the children…”

The more Tao Ling’er spoke, the quieter her voice became. She quickly glanced at Ye Tian, then lowered her head, her small hands fidgeting, with nowhere to rest them.

Ye Tian probably hasn’t noticed I’m staring at him, right?

What should I do?

He wouldn’t think I like him, would he?

Thump… thump… thump…

Tao Ling’er’s heart raced. Ye Tian put down the ledger in his hands and nodded approvingly. “Master Tao, what he’s doing is understandable. If it weren’t for Master Tao being in Lingfeng Village, I would have moved the children to the city long ago. I have to travel back and forth between the city and the village every day. It’s exhausting.”

Ye Tian smiled.

Tao Lichun being reinstated likely had something to do with his student Zhao Kang, but since Tao Lichun was already world-famous, his reappointment was expected. As Chief Historian, he would be the highest-ranking civil official in Sifang City.

For this remote border town, the emperor probably had other plans.

Ye Tian’s reaction was normal. Tao Ling’er breathed a sigh of relief, though her eyes couldn’t fully hide her disappointment.

Ye Yunting and his siblings would no longer attend the academy, meaning they would meet even less in the future. But since they’d all be in the city, Tao Ling’er brightened at the thought. “So if you live in the city, can I come visit you to play?”

“Of course.”

Ye Shuangxue clung to Tao Ling’er’s thigh, unwilling to let go.

The happiest period of her life was after Ye Tian had sent the siblings to school. After spending so much time together, she had grown fond of Tao Ling’er, Master Tao, and her classmates. But now, thinking she no longer had to go to the academy, the little girl’s sulky face slowly lit up with a smile.

No more school meant she could spend every day at the hotpot restaurant, which meant eating meat daily.

She could go shopping every day.

Eat meat buns.

Candied hawthorns.

The little girl’s eyes sparkled. Not going to school made her feel like her entire life was complete.

“Ah… boohoo… is the academy really closing?”

Suddenly, Ye Shuangxue burst into tears.

Ye Tian was stunned. He looked at his daughter and saw her tilting her little face upward, crying with her mouth wide open. Her tiny teeth were exposed, not a single tear on her cheek, just a look of anticipation in her eyes.

Ye Tian rubbed his forehead.

Tao Ling’er was moved to tears, crouching down to hug Ye Shuangxue. “Don’t worry, I’ll come see you every day from now on.”

“I’ll miss you all too.”

“Boohoohoo…” Ye Shuangxue reached out her tiny hands to hug Tao Ling’er’s head. Her big, dark eyes darted around everywhere—how was there even a hint of sadness?

Ye Tian was speechless: women’s false friendships!

“Yunting will continue studying under my father. Shuangxue and Xiao Jiang—my father has already written recommendation letters. His friends, who are professors, will take care of the two children,” Tao Ling’er added before leaving, afraid Ye Tian would worry.

By afternoon, when there were fewer customers, Ye Tian prepared to move house with the three children and the shop staff.

The avalanche’s exact timing was unknown. Although Mingfeng Village wasn’t heavily affected, there was still risk. Ye Tian decided it was time to move.

On the other side, in the imperial city of the Great Zhou.

The palace was magnificent. The gates of the Qinzheng Hall were tightly closed, and inside the hall, incense curled in the air. A woman, her head adorned with a golden phoenix crown and her long hair cascading like a waterfall, sat before a writing desk. She had the elegance of a celestial being and the grace of jade; her profile was breathtakingly beautiful.

The bright candlelight cast long shadows, stretching across the vermilion doors and windows, adding a sense of solitude.

On the imposing dragon-carved desk lay stacks of memorials bound in bright yellow covers, obscuring the view and hiding what the person at the desk was occupied with.

At this moment, Qin Fengyi’s gaze rested on a pair of exquisite little shoes on the desk, her eyes full of tender affection.

“I wonder if you will like them.”

She reached out, gently stroking the jewels on the little shoes, murmuring softly, “Brother should like this, little sister should like this. Mother hasn’t done anything for you… will you resent me?”

Her expression fell, shadowed with sorrow.

Ripples shimmered in her bright phoenix-like eyes, and her voice choked slightly, “These were made by your mother’s own hands. I will give you the very best the world has to offer, my children…”

She said no more. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the desk, clutching the small shoes, tears streaming down her face.

It was laughable, in a way—her children were already five years old. She longed for them, yet she didn’t even know what they looked like, how big their little feet were, or what size clothes they wore.

She was merely a mother, longing to throw herself into finding her children, yet with turmoil both inside and outside, surrounded by people with predatory intent, even if she took them now, she would still be constrained, and perhaps the children would be in danger.

Thinking of this, a murderous fury surged through Qin Fengyi.

Damn it!

Those who obstructed her from finding her own flesh and blood deserved to be wiped out—family and all, torn apart.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

Shouts came from outside. Qin Fengyi immediately straightened, alert, and hid the small shoes behind her, covering them with an object on the desk.

A young eunuch entered, his expression tense: “The Right Chancellor has arrived. He is already at the gate of Qinzheng Hall.”

Qin Fengyi shed the softness of moments ago; her aura turned icy and commanding. “No need for alarm.”

Seeing the empress’s composure, the young eunuch’s restless heart steadied, as if he had found an anchor, and he immediately calmed.

Before he could speak further, the Right Chancellor entered the hall, his face stern. His hair was streaked with white, his frame lean, his skin loose, with a long white beard giving him the bearing of a scholar. He strode into the hall, sensing the weighty gaze above him.

“Your Majesty, the newly appointed commander of the Martial Guard was assassinated tonight, right after being appointed on the hall floor. This is an affront to the heavens. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. I suspect someone in the court was dissatisfied with this appointment, hence orchestrating the assassination of the new commander. The mastermind behind this act—their heart is truly vile.”

As Lin Huarong spoke, he raised his head, eyes slightly narrowed, calmly observing Qin Fengyi’s expression.

His gaze dropped, noticing that beneath the dragon-carved desk, Qin Fengyi’s embroidered shoes had fallen from her feet without her realizing. The empress, who always cared for her posture, seemed not yet fully recovered.

Anyone capable of killing a Martial Guard in the imperial city would naturally draw suspicion. Qin Fengyi was the first suspect—and with ample reason.

The new Martial Guard commander’s duty was to protect the imperial city, a heavy responsibility, and he was one of her own. Qin Fengyi, dissatisfied with the city being controlled, would certainly act—yet now…

Lin Huarong frowned.

Qin Fengyi’s figure was frail, her face colorless. After struggling weakly a few times, the young eunuch rushed to support her: “Your Majesty, be careful not to injure yourself. Watch your step!”

Qin Fengyi swayed awkwardly, gritting her teeth, and looked at Lin Huarong: “You’ve come to see a poor sight, my lord. My body worsens by the day, sleep overtakes me constantly. These matters… you’d better leave them to the Left Chancellor.”

This didn’t seem like an act.

A woman who had been bedridden for five years, waking just a few days ago… perhaps he had been too anxious.