Waking Up to an Imperial Marriage with My Archenemy - Chapter 9

In the past, Qiao Wan almost always had lunch at the public kitchen with her colleagues from the Censorate. Today, she had no desire to join the crowd. Instead, she found a secluded spot in the Imperial Garden and had the meal brought to her.

It was technically a breach of protocol, but since she was no longer an official, the customary rules among bureaucrats no longer applied. Besides, the laws of the dynasty didn’t exactly forbid eating in private.

A gentle breeze blew through the spot, which faced Mirror Lake, offering an unobstructed view of its beauty.

While the summer in this world was hot, it was nothing compared to Qiao Wan’s original world. Back home, she felt like a piece of salted dried fish the moment she stepped away from the air conditioning. Here, as long as she sat still and didn’t move around under the scorching sun as she had earlier, she barely broke a sweat.

Everything should have been perfect. The weather was pleasant, the scenery was stunning, and the food from the Imperial Kitchen was leagues better than the Censorate’s canteen. Yet, Qiao Wan only poked at her food a few times before losing her appetite.

“Is Luo Jinhe really going to die?” Qiao Wan put down her chopsticks and asked Xiao Bai. To be honest, she still found it hard to believe.

When Xiao Bai had broken the news this morning, it was followed by a whirlwind of chaos, leaving her no time to process it. Later, when she saw Luo Jinhe in Consort Cao’s chambers, he looked exactly the same as always. It was impossible to imagine he had less than three years left.

Though their relationship was that of monarch and subject, Luo Jinhe was a humble and kind ruler who had treated her well over the years. Initially, Qiao Wan had viewed him merely as a mission target. Having crossed over from a modern society, she lacked the rigid sense of hierarchy inherent to the ancients; over time, she had come to think of him as a dear friend.

Knowing her friend’s time was running out left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Yeah.” Xiao Bai sounded equally listless. If it hadn’t been so careless as to get the mission target wrong from the start, Qiao Wan wouldn’t be in this mess.

Unable to eat another bite, Qiao Wan left the table and walked to the lakeside. Watching the ripples stirred by the breeze, she began to calculate how to complete this new mission.

For the past three years, under her orchestration, Luo Jinhe and Luo Fengxin had maintained a facade of friction, but the siblings were actually very close. Now that Luo Jinhe had ascended, his secret decree proved that his trust in Luo Fengxin remained unshaken.

This was good. Luo Jinhe had no heirs yet. Even if a consort were to give birth to a prince within the next two years, an infant in swaddles could not inherit the throne.

As for Luo Jinhe’s brothers, they were either casualties of the previous power struggle or too mediocre to be of use. Eliminating those options, the probability of Luo Jinhe choosing Luo Fengxin as his successor was nearly one hundred percent.

The previous dynasty had seen several Empresses, many of whom were highly accomplished. Qiao Wan wasn’t worried that the ministers would oppose Luo Fengxin based on her gender; she was worried whether Luo Jinhe would be in a position to dictate the succession when the time came.

If Luo Jinhe failed to seize full power back from the Chen family, his wishes regarding the heir wouldn’t matter. It would depend on who the Chens wanted to prop up as a puppet, or if they decided to take the throne for themselves.

Thinking it through, the best way to put Luo Fengxin on the throne was to help Luo Jinhe resolve his internal threats and reclaim authority. Then, Luo Jinhe could personally issue a decree passing the throne to her, making it legitimate.

Qiao Wan breathed a long sigh of relief. While this path was difficult, no struggle for the throne was ever easy. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to tear down the wise ruler she had worked so hard to install just to finish a mission.

The plan was set, but she still had to face practical problems. She had once proposed a three-step long-term plan to Luo Jinhe for reclaiming power, and the task assigned to her in the secret decree was the very first step.

“Help me find out where Yue Xiu is.” After leaving the palace, Qiao Wan went home to change. She swapped her official robes for a simple inner garment topped with a moon-white, short-sleeved silk shirt. She traded her official cap for a scholar’s headcloth, transforming instantly into a dashing young gentleman.

Three days ago, thinking she would never return, she had not only dismissed her servants but also disbanded the secret intelligence network she had built over the years. To get things moving, she had to call her subordinates back.

“At the Pingkang Gambling House,” Xiao Bai located Yue Xiu while Qiao Wan was changing.

Inside the Pingkang Gambling House, a man with a scruffy beard was leaning over a gambling table, shouting. His table was the rowdiest in the house, surrounded by twenty or thirty bettors and onlookers. He was the loudest of them all.

“I’m betting on four!” A pile of dozens of gold beads sat before the man. He grabbed a handful and tossed them onto the square marked “Four.”

“Seriously? ‘Four’ has come up three times in a row. Zhang Wu, your luck can’t be that good. I’m betting on one!” another man countered, slamming five gold beads onto the “One” square.

“But Zhang Wu has been right almost every time these past few days.”

“Exactly! He’s been winning for days; his luck has to run out eventually.”

“Not necessarily. If you follow him, you win!”

The crowd debated for a moment before placing their bets. In the end, most couldn’t believe Zhang Wu’s luck would hold. Only a few followed him on “Four”; everyone else scattered their money.

“Bets are closed!” The dealer lifted the dice cup. The three dice showed a one, a one, and a two. The sum was four.

A wave of groans erupted. Zhang Wu chuckled as he raked in the money. Just as he was about to place another bet, he felt a tug on his hem.

He turned to find a ragged little beggar pulling at his clothes.

“Whose kid is this? Shoo, shoo!” Zhang Wu waved him off. The round was over, and he had happily collected a significant sum, but he felt another tug.

“Here, little brother. Take this and stop bothering me.” Zhang Wu picked a gold bead from the table and gave it to the child. The bead wasn’t large, about three or four qian (money) in weight but it was enough for the beggar to eat at the best restaurant in the capital for a week.

The little beggar, who usually collected only a few dozen copper coins a day, was stunned by the generosity. Fearing the “great master” would change his mind, he shoved something into Zhang Wu’s hand and bolted with the gold bead.

Relieved to be rid of the nuisance, Zhang Wu prepared to dive back into his gambling. He didn’t pay much attention to what the beggar had handed him, what could a street urchin possibly have of value?

He tossed the object onto the table and caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. His breath hitched.

Oh boy, why is it this “Great Ancestor”? Didn’t she say she was going to roam the world and never be seen again? She only roamed for two days before coming back, is “this life” really that short?

Zhang Wu pocketed the dreaded wooden token and quickly swept the gold beads into his purse.

“Brother Zhang, why are you leaving? You said we’d play until dawn!” The others, who had lost money, were not happy. Zhang Wu was the big winner, and they were all itching to see his luck turn.

“Urgent business, urgent business! Here, brothers, take these. I really have to go, let’s play another day!” Zhang Wu kept most of the gold but pushed the remainder into the center of the table. Occupied with the scramble for cash, no one stopped him. Even so, it took a great deal of effort for Zhang Wu to squeeze through the crowd and out of the gambling house, wiping sweat from his brow.

Outside, the little beggar was nowhere to be seen, but Zhang Wu had his ways. He let out a sharp whistle. A bird the size of a pigeon spiraled down from the sky and landed firmly on his arm. It wasn’t a pigeon; anyone in the know would recognize it as a young gyrfalcon.

Zhang Wu showed the wooden token to the bird, then shook his arm. The gyrfalcon spread its wings, circled twice, and headed south. Zhang Wu followed, and before long, he found his target in an alleyway.

There were only two people in the alley besides him. A little beggar was wailing on the ground, while a handsome young gentleman was gripping the beggar’s hand, trying desperately to pry something out of it.

“Young Master.” Seeing Qiao Wan’s disguise, Zhang Wu didn’t blow her cover.

Qiao Wan had been struggling with the beggar for ages. Seeing help arrive, she called out, “Quick, give me a hand! Honestly, what were you thinking, giving him that? If people see him dressed like this holding a gold bead, they’ll either rob him or report him to the authorities. You’re practically signing his death warrant!”

Zhang Wu stepped forward, easily pried the child’s fingers apart, and took back the gold bead. At this, the beggar’s wailing grew even more heart-wrenching.

Qiao Wan rubbed her aching temples. Seeing Zhang Wu smirking nearby, she shot him a glare. “What are you laughing at?”

Zhang Wu leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m laughing because the Young Master has the talent to strategize for the nation, yet here she is, trapped in a filthy alley by a little beggar.”

If the crowd from the gambling house were here, they would be shocked to hear Zhang Wu’s voice. This bearded man they had been gambling with for three days was actually a woman!

Of course, no one heard her but Qiao Wan; the beggar was too busy crying.

“I wasn’t trapped; you made a mess, and I’m trying to earn some karma by cleaning it up.” Qiao Wan corrected her, then looked at her companion with disdain. “If you’re going to disguise yourself like this, please don’t use your real voice.

It’s too much of a shock to the system.”

Zhang Wuor rather, Yue Xiu, the person Qiao Wan was looking for covered her mouth and gave Qiao Wan a playful shove. She said coquettishly, “Hmph. When you miss me, I’m your ‘sweetheart,’ but the moment we meet, you call me ugly. You’re such a heartless ghost!”