Old News

Qiu Che was about to speak when the grand hall doors opened.

Fuzi stepped aside with a smile and gestured invitingly. "Your Highness, Prince Consort, His Majesty invites both of you in."

Overall, the meeting was rather pleasant.

In front of Qiu Che, Li Shi treated Li Qingwu with an abundance of fatherly affection and care, as if she were the most cherished daughter in the world.

Meanwhile, Li Qingwu maintained the perfect, appropriate smile throughout, responding with obedient courtesy, never once overstepping her bounds.

Seated beside Li Shi, she resembled an impeccably crafted porcelain doll.

Customarily, after meeting the Emperor, they should also pay their respects to the Empress and the Empress Dowager. However, just as they were about to take their leave, Li Shi beckoned, "Minister Qiu, stay behind. I have matters to discuss with you."

Qiu Che exchanged a glance with Li Qingwu. Li Qingwu gave her a subtle reassuring look before quietly taking her leave.

Li Shi watched their interaction thoughtfully. Once Li Qingwu had exited, he chuckled, "Why do I find that you and your newlywed wife don't seem particularly affectionate? Minister Qiu, you claimed to be deeply devoted to Lehe, could it be that you were merely putting on an act for me?"

Qiu Che's heartbeat skipped for a moment.

She bowed and replied in a composed tone, "Your Majesty misjudges me. Surely, you understand the Princess's temperament better than anyone?"

Li Shi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Qiu Che smiled. "Qingwu is well-mannered and reserved. She dislikes being overly intimate with others, especially in front of her father, Your Majesty. Naturally, she would appear more restrained."

Li Shi nodded, seemingly satisfied with this reasoning.

Having seen the embroidered handkerchief brought back to the palace by the nanny earlier that morning, he finally felt reassured.

Seeing that she had passed this test, Qiu Che elegantly resumed her seat and inquired, "May I ask what business His Majesty wishes to discuss with me?"

"The memorial you submitted," Li Shi furrowed his brows slightly. "Is it not a bit excessive?"

The Grand Xia legal code contained five hundred articles, and Qiu Che had proposed amendments to more than three hundred of them.

Just recently, he had urged her to submit her reform proposals quickly. Now that they were finally in his hands, his head was spinning.

All he had asked for was a reduction in the Prime Minister's authority and the power of noble families. Why had she revised so much more?

The memorial was so extensive that unrolling it took six or seven full turns before it stopped.

For days, the senior ministers had bombarded him with petitions opposing her amendments, nearly burying his desk in the imperial study.

Afraid of openly challenging the reforms weakening noble families and the Prime Minister's influence, they instead fixated on the other legal changes Qiu Che had proposed.

Although revising the laws was an undeniable necessity, Qiu Che's sweeping changes were far too thorough. If she succeeded too easily, would that not make the elder ministers seem utterly incompetent?

Thus, they reached a silent consensus, to obstruct her wherever possible, lest she amass too much power and become impossible to suppress.

After enduring their endless tearful complaints and feeling that her proposals were indeed overly intricate, Li Shi decided to call her in for a discussion.

He frowned. "Foot-binding bans, laws permitting women to divorce their husbands, these are all trivial matters. Why insist on including them? I only asked you to curtail noble privileges, yet you…"

Li Shi trailed off, clearly considering these clauses unnecessary additions.

"Your Majesty may not realize," Qiu Che said evenly, "but these provisions are, in fact, measures to weaken the noble families."

Li Shi paused mid-breath.

Qiu Che continued without hesitation. "The foot-binding custom originated among the aristocracy. It was a perverse indulgence of the noble houses, disguised as a cultural tradition, and has spread widely. The common people have suffered from it for generations."

"If this continues, would it not mean that whatever the nobility declares as 'correct' becomes absolute truth?"

"As the saying goes, 'The people can support a ruler as they can overturn him.' This may seem like a small issue, but by abolishing such an outdated practice, Your Majesty establishes your authority with wise and decisive governance, winning the people's support while simultaneously diminishing the nobility's control over public discourse."

Her voice was firm. "Eliminating harmful traditions is a minor act. Gaining the people's trust is the true goal. Surely, Your Majesty understands this better than I."

Flattered by her words, Li Shi cleared his throat. "Naturally. But what about allowing women to divorce their husbands? How do you justify that?"

"Has Your Majesty ever heard of an old scandal from the Prime Minister's residence?"

"...Are you referring to Prime Minister Wu?"

Li Shi's interest was piqued, and he motioned for her to continue.

"Over twenty years ago, Prime Minister Wu's only son, the then Assistant Minister of Rites, set his eyes on a courtesan. He forcibly married her into the household. The woman, proud and unyielding, bore the humiliation in silence. A year later, she gave birth to a son. That very night, she seized an opportunity and drove a dagger through her husband's chest."

Li Shi was stunned. "Such a thing happened? Why have I never heard of it?"

"Prime Minister Wu considered it a family disgrace. He had the woman executed immediately and covered it up. To the outside world, he claimed that his son had renounced worldly affairs, resigned from office, and left to wander the lands in solitude." Qiu Che smiled faintly. "That 'wandering exile' lasted twenty years, and no one ever questioned it."

"The child she bore grew up to be none other than Wu Yiqi, the current heir of the Wu family."

Li Shi frowned. "But I watched that boy grow up. His mother was from an honorable family, the late Miss Fu, who was formally wed to Wu's son. Though she passed away long ago, she was certainly not a courtesan."

"That was a fabricated story," Qiu Che said calmly. "The courtesan was secretly brought into the residence because Miss Fu was frail and unable to conceive. Once she bore a son, Prime Minister Wu registered him under Miss Fu's name."

Li Shi looked deeply unsettled. "And how did you come by this information?"

Qiu Che blinked and replied frankly, "To be honest, my grandmother told my mother, and my mother passed it down to me. My grandmother was a close friend of the Empress Dowager and had ties to the Fu family, so she must have had her own sources."

A lie.

The truth was, she had heard it firsthand from Wu Yiqi himself in her past life.

That carefree, reckless noble son had his entire world shattered when he learned that his revered grandfather had his mother murdered and forced her to bear his father's name.

For years, he had paid respects at the wrong grave, praying to a woman who was never his mother.

In one night, he lost everything he thought he knew.

Later, as power struggles between the old and new factions of the Wu family escalated, Qiu Che had found herself repeatedly facing mortal danger. And in the final moment of confrontation, Wu Yiqi had raised his sword—

And pointed it at his grandfather.

Just as his mother had killed his father, Wu Yiqi had killed the man he once revered most.

What he was thinking at that moment, Qiu Che would never know.

But she knew that his choice wasn't just about avenging his mother.

It was about recognizing that the old rulers of the past had no place in the new era.

He had learned the most crucial lesson of power—ruthlessness.

And in the end, he passed with flying colors.

The grandson Prime Minister Wu had raised with such care had, in turn, personally sent him to the grave.

Qiu Che wondered, what had Prime Minister Wu felt in his final moments?

Li Shi remained silent for a long time, leaning back in his seat.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, eyeing Qiu Che suspiciously. "Then what exactly do you mean by telling me all this now?"

"Your Majesty still doesn't understand?"

Qiu Che smiled. "If this matter spreads first, how do you think the people will react to Minister Wu? Will they believe that a woman's status is so low that those in power can act without restraint, treating lives as insignificant? If women had the right to divorce their husbands, would this have been the outcome? And if someone fans the flames further, it could stir great unrest among the people."

"But if you amend the law before the matter comes to light, it will be an entirely different story."

Qiu Che spoke slowly. "The same voices that condemn Minister Wu's cruelty will also praise Your Majesty's wisdom."

It would diminish Wu's influence while bolstering the emperor's reputation.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Li Shi's eyes lit up.

Feigning contemplation, he nodded slightly, his tone noticeably calmer. "Your reasoning is sound. However… if we revise the law so drastically this time, it will undoubtedly stir opposition among the court officials. How am I supposed to justify this?"

"Your Majesty, I must admit I have some personal motives in proposing this clause."

Instead of answering directly, Qiu Che sighed. "My mother, Lady Wang, came from a respectable family, yet she has been trapped in a miserable marriage because my father, in his reckless youth, forced her into wedlock. To this day, she has no way out…"

"I owe my existence to my mother. I would lay down my life for Your Majesty and ask for nothing in return—except this one thing. I only wish for my mother to be freed from her suffering."

Qiu Che rose, cupped her hands, and bowed deeply. In a solemn voice, she said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and just. I beg you, please grant me this small wish."

Li Shi let out a sigh, rubbing his temples as if moved by her filial piety. "Enough. I see your sincerity… I am not an unreasonable man. Very well, it shall be done."

"Have the draft amendment completed as soon as possible and submit it to the Ministry of Rites for review."

"Yes. Many thanks for Your Majesty's kindness."

After Qiu Che left, Li Shi sat in silence for a while before picking up his brush to continue reviewing memorials.

As he wrote, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he suddenly turned to Fuzi, the eunuch quietly grinding ink beside him.

"Wait."

Fuzi stiffened. "Your Majesty, this servant is here."

"Was he… was he just tricking me into bearing the brunt of the court's backlash?" The more Li Shi thought about it, the more something felt off. "I told him to solve the problem, yet somehow, I ended up granting his request instead!"

The issue wasn't resolved at all, and now he had to face the ministers' objections alone.

Meanwhile, Qiu Che had simply tossed out a few explanations and walked away unscathed.

Li Shi felt like he had been played. His mood immediately soured.

But an emperor's word is law. Since he had already agreed to Qiu Che's request, he couldn't very well call him back and say, 'I've changed my mind, scrap those ridiculous amendments!'

Fuzi stood silently to the side, not daring to speak.

After all, eunuchs and the harem had no say in state affairs.

Better to let His Majesty figure it out on his own.

Qiu Che never got to meet the empress.

When she arrived at the empress's chambers, Li Qingwu was sitting in a pavilion, sipping tea while gazing at the palace gardens.

Only Fu Ling stood beside her.

Mindful of the many eyes and ears around, Qiu Che didn't immediately mention her discussion with the emperor. Instead, she simply asked why the empress was alone.

Li Qingwu set down her teacup, rose, and softly replied, "Mother wasn't feeling well today. She spoke to me briefly, then I came out here to wait for you."

That saved Qiu Che the trouble of paying respects.

Judging from Li Qingwu's expression, Qiu Che could easily guess the truth, the empress probably wasn't unwell at all. She simply didn't want to see her.

After all, at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, Qiu Che had openly opposed her.

The higher one stood, the more grudges they held.

Since she couldn't meet the empress, she and the Empress Dowager only exchanged brief greetings before leaving.

It wasn't that they had nothing to discuss, rather, the Empress Dowager had recently left Ganyu Temple, claiming ill health, and returned to the palace. The emperor, concerned with appearances, couldn't refuse her.

But behind the scenes, she was heavily monitored.

Li Shi had people watching the Empress Dowager at all times, keeping an eye on anyone who avoided or got too close to her.

Thus, staying too long would arouse Li Shi's suspicions, while leaving too soon would seem just as suspicious.

After leaving the palace, seated in the carriage, Qiu Che recounted her conversation with the emperor to Li Qingwu.

The other woman listened quietly.

After a pause, she hesitantly asked, "Are you… asking for my opinion?"

Qiu Che blinked. "Huh? No, I was just telling you."

The discussion was already over, what was the point of asking for input now?

Li Qingwu pursed her lips, a bit embarrassed. "Then I misunderstood… But honestly, you don't need to tell me these things. It's a waste of breath, and it doesn't serve any purpose."

Qiu Che frowned. "Why not?"

Li Qingwu shook her head. "I don't understand these matters."

"You don't understand?" Qiu Che asked, puzzled. "Do you mean politics, or that I didn't explain it clearly?"

She admitted, ashamed, "I don't understand politics."

For over a decade, she had learned embroidery, music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, etiquette, and how to be a virtuous wife and mother.

Everything a noble lady was expected to master, she had learned it all, and learned it well.

But beyond that, she knew nothing.

Qiu Che didn't seem to mind. "Then you can learn."

Li Qingwu laughed. "What would be the point?"

"Aren't we allies?" Qiu Che rested her chin on her hand. "If you don't understand politics, how can you help me?"

Li Qingwu hesitated. "But… I'm a woman."

Qiu Che smirked. "And do you think I'm a real man?"

Li Qingwu searched for the right words and stammered, "But at least you… you studied like a man. You learned what they learned. I didn't."

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow. "So because you didn't, you can't?"

Li Qingwu fell silent.

"In history, the Lin Family's daughter took control of the Qiu clan at eighteen, and Lady Fu ruled from behind the curtain as a noble consort at twenty… In past dynasties, even thousands of years ago, there were countless remarkable women."

"Some may have been oppressed by the system, others may not have—but in the end, they all carved their own path through a decaying order. Even history acknowledges the miracles they created."

"This isn't unprecedented, nor is it impossible."

Qiu Che's expression turned serious. She met Li Qingwu's gaze and said,

"So why do you think that at sixteen, you couldn't be the next to create a miracle?"

Li Qingwu opened her mouth but found no words.

"And besides," Qiu Che added, "I'm not asking you to create miracles."

"I'm just saying, starting from scratch, learning things that supposedly only men can learn, really isn't that hard."