Chapter Six: Confidence

The day after Yu Shun received the message, he entered the palace. There was no need for him to pay his respects to his godmother; Nanny Qian always stayed by the Princess’s side whenever she had time, so seeking her out alone would be futile—the old lady was nothing if not loyal.

Sure enough, when he followed Jade Pot into the inner chamber, he saw Nanny Qian standing beside the Princess. Yu Shun greeted them with a broad smile and bowed. To him, these few people before him were the dearest he had in the world.

“No need for such ceremony, come and sit. You seem to have lost weight—have you been run off your feet lately?” Princess Wei Baofu, too, regarded Yu Shun as one of her own. To her, her team was everything, especially those who had been with her for life, like Yu Shun and Nanny Qian.

Yu Shun’s smile grew even warmer. He grinned and replied cheerfully, “No need to worry, Your Highness. I’ve been out and about more than usual, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew; it’s only natural I’m a bit worn out. Let me rest a few days and, if I could enjoy some of Pearl’s cooking, I’d surely regain my strength.”

Pearl rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion and couldn’t help but retort, “If you could just stay put in the palace, you’d have my meals every day. But you can’t stay still, can you?”

Yu Shun disagreed, “How can you call it restlessness? Who but someone like me would run errands for the Princess? You’re just long on hair and short on sense.”

The two of them never missed a chance to bicker. Wei Baofu hurried to interrupt, “Enough, enough. You can quarrel later. Let’s discuss business first.”

At the mention of business, everyone sobered. Though Yu Shun liked to banter with those close to him, his competence was beyond doubt.

Before Wei Baofu could speak, he had already respectfully handed over the intelligence he’d gathered. Nanny Qian quickly took it and presented it to the Princess.

“I didn’t know what Your Highness might require, but I’ve noticed some people with restless hearts lately, seeking their own doom. Without waiting for your command, I investigated them thoroughly. In my opinion, these people should be dealt with promptly, lest they become a festering threat.”

Wei Baofu glanced over the letter in her hand, then looked up and praised Yu Shun, “The reason I called you back was to have you look into this. I’m glad you noticed as well. Good work requires attention to detail. I won’t let a single one of them off.”

Yu Shun nodded in agreement. The more experience he gained outside, the more he admired his Princess’s intelligence and decisiveness. There were likely few women in the world with such daring.

“Don’t make any moves yet. In two days, the managers will all be here. We’ll catch them all in one sweep, lest we alert them too soon.” Wei Baofu had already made up her mind—this time, there would be blood.

Yu Shun hesitated. “It involves the Crown Prince, after all. Though Manager Tang’s daughter is only a maid in his household, if we take action against her, it will surely bruise the Crown Prince’s pride.”

Wei Baofu was unbothered. “Do you think the Crown Prince is unaware of the stakes here? Since he took her in, he had designs on what’s mine. His character is irrelevant—if he moves against me, he’ll pay the price. So what if he’s the Crown Prince? He isn’t Emperor yet; he’d best know his place.”

Clearly, they’d realized how wealthy the Princess of Kangping was. Even the heir to the throne needed silver to get things done, especially now that the other princes had come of age. The palace’s power struggle was inevitable; having wealth meant having influence.

“The Marquis of Cheng’en’s Wang family was never a truly great clan. In recent years, they’ve had no capable sons to support the household. Were it not for Empress Wang’s secure position, the family would have fallen long ago. Without a powerful maternal family behind him, the Crown Prince is hard-pressed,” Nanny Qian added at the right moment. She was an experienced elder—even after decades away from the capital, she still knew what was happening. The Wang family’s decline was obvious to all.

Back when the Empress Dowager arranged for Wang Minzhi to become Empress, it was in response to Prince Lian’s request to marry his cousin. The two families were mismatched in power, and no one believed the Empress Dowager had no ulterior motives.

Though Wei Baofu had little direct contact with the Empress or the Crown Prince, her political instincts were keen enough; she understood the reasons well.

“The other families are still only testing the waters; none dare act openly yet. After all, you are the Empress Dowager’s granddaughter,” Yu Shun continued. These nobles had all seen the Empress Dowager’s temper; if she truly became angry, executing one or two people wouldn’t trouble the Emperor—after all, the bond of nurture surpasses that of mere birth.

“I know. That’s why, this time, I must let them see that anyone who reaches for what’s mine will pay with their hands. It’s necessary to do this,” Wei Baofu said, clearer than ever.

Yu Shun frowned, a hint of worry in his voice. “Princess, let me do these things. You’ve never seen blood—why soil yourself with such filth?”

Wei Baofu shook her head with a gentle smile, deeply gratified by their concern. But she was no delicate maiden, frail and helpless.

“My mind is made up. On that day, bring in all the personal guards my father left me. Soldiers are raised for moments like this—it’s time they tasted blood as well.”

The mention of Prince Lian’s personal guards made Yu Shun’s blood stir. Now the Princess’s own, they were fiercer than ever; Wei Baofu had trained them using modern military methods.

It was all thanks to the military drama she’d filmed in her past life. She’d spent nearly a year living with the troops, coming to appreciate their strength and discipline and learning much in earnest—who would have thought it would come in handy here.

“Your Highness, I’ve recently taken in another group of orphans. As you suggested, the young girls have been accepted too, and all are trained just like the guards. Even the weapons instructor says that in another two or three years, they’ll be formidable with blades.”

Wei Baofu was unsurprised; she’d expected this. With money in hand and her own armed force, she intended to wield every scrap of power her noble birth could bring, so that no matter what the future brought, she could stand her ground.

Wei Baofu never wasted words in discussion; once matters were settled, she dismissed them. Nanny Qian, having finally seen Yu Shun again, naturally had much to say to her foster son.

Sure enough, the two left together and entered Nanny Qian’s room.

Nanny Qian grumbled softly, “Look at you—autumn’s here, the mornings and evenings are cold, and you’ve never fully recovered. You should be dressing more warmly.”

Yu Shun helped her sit, offering no retort, only nodding dutifully. He truly respected his foster mother, and whatever she said, he would always listen obediently.