Chapter 70.

The palace is buzzing with rumors about Xue Shu, and it’s all too clear: he rose fast, but fell even faster. After angering His Majesty, he was handed over to the Crown Prince like some sort of consolation prize.

And who here doesn’t know that the Crown Prince can’t stand Xue Shu? It’s laughable, really.

Xue Shu hasn’t done a damn thing of importance since he’s been at Ciqing Palace. Instead, he spends his days fetching tea and running errands for the Crown Prince. Hell, someone even saw him washing the Crown Prince's feet yesterday.

What a pathetic fall from grace!

Once a powerful eunuch who could make things happen at the Emperor’s court, now he’s no better than a lowly servant, trailing behind the Crown Prince like a dog.

The rumors are all over the place, and it’s no wonder that those who once worked under Xue Shu are starting to stir. Xue Shu’s no fool; he knew this day was coming. He smirks and says, “Don’t worry. Let them talk. Those who can’t keep their place will be dealt with later.”

In this palace, betrayal is the worst sin, and those who switch sides will regret it. Xue Shu doesn’t need to lift a finger. Life will take care of them.

"As for you and Cui Ci—if you’ve got the guts, climb higher. It’s only a matter of time before you’re on top. I’ve got bigger fish to fry."

When Wei Xihe sees the confidence in Xue Shu’s stance, he knows there’s a plan at play. Unlike others, he’s seen the relationship between Xue Shu and the Crown Prince firsthand.

All the rumors? Probably just noise.

“Understood,” Wei Xihe replies, bowing before leaving.

*

Yin Chengyu returns to Hongren Hall and spots the autumn examination results on the desk. The exams were announced in September, and he’d had someone bring him the list after it was posted, especially since he knew Xie Yunchuan had participated this year.

He opens the list, scanning it with sharp eyes. There it is—Xie Yunchuan’s name at the top, the highest scorer. It seems the scandal involving the Sun family didn’t affect his performance, and his path remains the same as in the previous life.

If things go as expected, Xie Yunchuan will triumph in the spring exam next year and be named the top scholar in the palace exams. From there, he’ll enter the Hanlin Academy, then quickly rise to prominence. By the winter of the 20th year of Longfeng, he’ll be recognized for his exceptional performance during the “Tongzhou Uprising,” and within two years, he’ll join the Ministry of Rites as an esteemed official. Eventually, he’ll even become the trusted ally of the prime minister, Shao Tian.

Xie Yunchuan will be the youngest cabinet minister of his time, and he’ll shine brighter than anyone else. The courtiers will whisper that Shao Tian is grooming him to take over.

Back in the day, he went all out, pulling strings and playing his cards right to crush Xie Yunchuan’s doubts and rope him in as an ally to obliterate Shao Tian, the biggest thorn in their side.

If Shao Tian hadn’t been brought to his knees, leaving their strongest backbone shattered, there’s no way Consort Wen and Yin Chengzhang would’ve dared to make those reckless, idiotic moves that sealed their fate. He wiped them out in one calculated, ruthless strike.

As for Xie Yunchuan, he wasn’t just an ally; he was a trusted confidant and a damn good strategist to have on his team.

As he thinks about Xie Yunchuan’s grudge against Shao Tian, Yin Chengyu decides to keep a close watch on him. Too much has changed this time around, and he doesn’t want Xie Yunchuan to suffer.

Before he can even call for Xue Shu, he pauses. In the previous life, Xue Shu and Xie Yunchuan never got along, often clashing like fire and ice. If he lets them cross paths again, who knows what kind of trouble they'll stir up?

Xue Shu’s jealousy knows no bounds, and the last thing Yin Chengyu needs right now is another blood feud to deal with.

He sighs, rubs his temples, and decides to send for Zhao Lin instead.

……

Xue Shu hesitated for a moment, and as he walked toward Hongren Hall, he ran into Zhao Lin, who was heading out.

Zhao Lin wasn’t just responsible for the palace's security—he had his own network of spies, a secret army he carefully cultivated.

But ever since he took control of the Western Bureau, Yin Chengyu hadn’t needed Zhao Lin’s help much. Most tasks were handled by him and the Western Bureau agents. From Xue Shu’s experience, whenever Yin Chengyu called upon Zhao Lin, it meant there was something he didn’t want anyone else to know.

Xue Shu's eyes flickered with something dark, and he stopped in his tracks, greeting Zhao Lin. “What’s the matter, Commander Zhao? Is His Highness summoning you again?”

Zhao Lin, one of the two people in the East Palace who knew Xue Shu was the crown prince’s right hand, had no reason to be cautious around him. He nodded, “Exactly.”

“Do you have enough men? Didn’t you say last time that your spies weren’t available? You planning to pull some from the Western Bureau?” Xue Shu asked casually, making small talk.

“It’s just a scholar. No need to bring out the big guns,” Zhao Lin chuckled. “Next time, I’ll come by and pick someone from your place.”

He gave a fist salute to Xue Shu and walked off.

Xue Shu watched him leave, his face darkening with each step Zhao Lin took.

A scholar?

It hadn’t clicked earlier, but now everything made sense. Those damn scholars tied to the Sun family case—Yin Chengyu had been interested in them because of Xie Yunchuan!

Always Xie Yunchuan!

In the previous life, Xue Shu had been too caught up in his schemes to understand why the prince had suddenly taken such an interest in those scholars. Now that everything had come back to him, he knew exactly why.

Xue Shu’s eyes narrowed with anger and frustration. He had missed the chance earlier to act, and now that regret weighed heavily on him. If only he had thought faster, he could have quietly dealt with it in the prison without anyone noticing, and put all the blame on Gao Yuan. Then the prince would never have had the chance to meet that conniving old fox again!

He stood there for a moment, suppressing his fury and jealousy, before walking into Hongren Hall.

Yin Chengyu sat behind the desk, reviewing some documents. When he heard Xue Shu enter, he glanced up briefly and lazily pointed to the inkstone. “You’re just in time. Come grind the ink for me.”

Xue Shu bit his lip, walked over to his side, and began to grind the ink with delicate, almost mechanical movements. He didn’t let any emotion show in his actions, but his eyes, heavy with an underlying darkness, fixed on Yin Chengyu.

Old memories and buried rage stirred within him, but now, in this moment, he couldn’t even question his prince. He could only force down his anger, grinding the ink with a tight grip, as though it were Xie Yunchuan he was grinding down.

Yin Chengyu didn’t notice the tension around them. Instead, he unfolded a memorial sent by the Ministry of Rites, gesturing for Xue Shu to look. “The Ministry just sent over the regulations for the Danxi Winter Hunt. It’s set for November 20th. Oirat and Tatar will both send envoys.”

The ancient emperors had long held seasonal hunts to display their power to the world—spring for gathering, summer for sowing, autumn for hunting, and winter for the great hunt. [1]

The Great Yan had continued this tradition since its founding.

The Danxi Winter Hunt happened every three years, at the Danxi Enclosure in Beiping. Oirat, Tatar, and other neighboring tribes would send representatives to join in the grand event. Meanwhile, Great Yan would send its elite forces to perform a military drill in the enclosure.

They'd made sure their soldiers were elite, honed for battle, not just for show, but to strike fear into neighboring nations, asserting the might of her empire.

The previous life? That was a different story. Back then, at this time, Yin Chengyu was locked away in the imperial tomb, nowhere near the Winter Hunt. But he knew how it went down in his past life—the hunt was a disaster.

After the founding of Great Yan, the emperor kept sticking to the idea of elevating the scholars and suppressing the military. They had few good generals, and the nobility had grown lazy, living off the fat of the land. The elite troops had gotten soft from lack of real combat, and the discipline had withered away. By the time the Winter Hunt came around, not only did it fail to intimidate the other kingdoms, it ended in a humiliating mess.

As the host, Great Yan didn’t even snag the top spot in the hunt. The emperor nearly met his end while chasing a tiger, barely escaping with his life. The whole thing turned into a farce. The Tatar and Oirat tribes claimed the top two spots, while Great Yan was left with nothing but shame, barely scraping third place.

The hunt was a joke, and Emperor Longfeng, embarrassed and rattled, retreated to the capital, forbidding anyone to speak of it again. But Tatar and Oirat saw the weakness and struck. By Year 20, Tatar had crushed Oirat and marched south, raiding towns along the way. They slaughtered tens of thousands, stole millions of cattle and horses, and burned homes to the ground. It was a catastrophe, leaving the land desolate. [2]

The "Shock of Tongzhou" was a wake-up call.

Great Yan’s treasury was empty, the plague ravaged the population, and the military was gutted.

When Tatar came knocking on Tongzhou, the capital had barely a few thousand troops left—old, sick, or crippled. They couldn’t defend against the Tatar cavalry, who took what they wanted without resistance.

The Tatars rampaged through the village, leaving destruction in their wake. They looted relentlessly, tearing through homes and setting them ablaze, flames roaring day and night. No one and nothing was spared—they seized men, women, livestock, gold, silk, and every treasure they could lay their hands on. When their insatiable greed was finally sated, they bundled up their spoils and dragged them away without a shred of mercy. [3]

Years later, when Yin Chengyu read the records of that invasion, he saw how Tatar had burned the homes, carried away captives, and plundered everything of value. He swore to himself: never again.

By the time he ascended the throne in his past life, it was already too late. The empire was in ruins, and his ambition to wipe out the northern tribes was just a dream. He spent five wasted years patching up the holes in the empire, making life a bit more bearable for the common folk. But even when the northern tribes backed off, they never fully ceased their raids.

Looking at the name of Tatar’s envoy, Aharu, on the report, his eyes darkened. Aharu—he was the one who led the invasion in his past life.

"This time, I won’t let it happen again. I’m bringing the best generals—He Shan, and Ying Hongxue. They’re the ones who will lead us to victory." He knew they were both sharp strategists and fierce fighters, the kind of generals he needed to reshape the empire’s future.

Ying Hongxue is good at strategy and He Shan is brave, both are rare and good generals.

With the lessons of the past in his mind, Yin Chengyu was determined to reclaim the Great Yan honor in this life. He would crush any enemy who dared cross his path, starting with Tatar.

Xue Shu had no objections. "Sister and brother-in-law won’t refuse."

That was exactly what Yin Chengyu thought. Without a second thought, he struck out the names of two nobles’ sons from the list and wrote in He Shan and Ying Hongxue instead.

This time, the game would be played by his rules.

*

On November 15, everything was set, and Emperor Longfeng, along with his ministers, headed towards the Danxi Palace.

The Danxi Palace was located in the northeast of Beiping, with the Danxi hunting grounds right behind it.

After three days of traveling with the long winter hunting party, they finally arrived at the palace. Emperor Longfeng used the excuse of training the Crown Prince to distance himself from the hunting arrangements, leaving all matters to be sorted by Yin Chengyu and the departments of Rites and Military Affairs.

Now at the palace, the Emperor and his concubines were relaxing and enjoying themselves. Even the officials and their families had settled in, preparing for the hunt in two days. But Yin Chengyu couldn't rest—he was overseeing palace security, ensuring training was on track, and handling unexpected issues presented by officials.

By the time he could finally take a break, it was already the night before the hunt began.

Exiting his study, Yin Chengyu made his way to his sleeping quarters, his exhaustion clearly visible.

Xue Shu, walking beside him, noticed his fatigue and suggested, "I hear the palace hot springs are perfect for relaxing. Your Highness, would you like to try them?"

Yin Chengyu paused for a moment, intrigued by the idea. Without much hesitation, he turned towards the hot spring area and glanced at Xue Shu. "Go bring me my clothes. Take the one from the bottom of the pile."

———Author's Note: The fans are losing their minds: 'Xue Shu's been kicked to the curb! He's just a bath attendant now!'

Big doggy: 'Yes! Tonight, I'm scrubbing His Highness down! Yay!'

[Note 1] Reference to Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

[Note 2] [Note 3] Reference to Interpreting the Relationship Between Ming Dynasty and Tatar."