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"People from Jiangnan?"

The Beiyu Queen Dowager looked at the innkeeper’s wife, her expression becoming somewhat complex.

People from Jiangnan... and it’s the renowned Shen Family, who came to find her first?

"Yes, Imperial Concubine..." The innkeeper’s wife carefully watched the other’s face and said, "This is a rare opportunity indeed. I don’t think it’s a sham.

They’re generous with their spending, casually handing out Warm Jade that even the palace doesn’t enjoy.

Look at the quality—it’s certainly not what those petty traders have to offer. "

The Beiyu Queen Dowager, too, seemed extremely satisfied as she touched the exceptional quality Warm Jade.

Warm Jade like this, it seemed, was naturally meant for the nobles of the Northern Wasteland.

With exquisite designs and practical use, it keeps one warm even in the coldest weather, allowing the wearing of beautiful dresses.

It’s practically an aristocratic woman’s weapon of choice, and lately, even the lower-grade Warm Jade, the likes mentioned by the innkeeper’s wife, had become hotly contested by the noblewomen.

Anyone could imagine the frightening profits to be had if a great family could supply such high-quality goods in great quantity.

But the key issue was... how did such good fortune fall into her lap?

True, she belonged to the Beiyu Family, but her position in the palace wasn’t very high.

Northern Yan Country liked to imitate the Central Plains culture, and even in the Imperial Palace, there were four great imperial concubines.

Despite having relied on her family’s influence to barely secure a position among them in her six-year tenure at the palace, a concubine of six years who had achieved nothing was limited in standing, regardless of her family’s power.

With a new Emperor recently ascended to the throne and herself without accomplishment, she had become a marginal figure.

She was well aware of her own standing, which was why she didn’t dare contend with others over many matters.

Even to earn a bit of extra money, she only dared to let a former maid of hers open a business on the very fringes of Northern Wolf City.

For the Shen Family, a business of such weight to come knocking on her door.

.. had they not done their homework, or what?

"Imperial Concubine?" the innkeeper’s wife tentatively asked, "Should I arrange a meeting?"

The Queen Dowager caressed the Warm Jade before finally nodding, "Let’s meet. It’s not good for an outsider to enter the palace, and it has been a long time since I’ve been home to see my mother..."

"Very well..." The innkeeper’s wife quickly replied, "I’ll go arrange it right away."

The Beiyu Queen Dowager nodded, and once the other woman left, she fell into deep thought again.

The situation was complex in this troubled autumn.

The Emperor had suddenly declared allegiance to Jiangnan out of the blue, and what was more bewildering was that many prominent families didn’t object, allowing the Emperor to smoothly carry out the plan as if it was only natural. It was truly unfathomable.

A young Emperor ascending the throne sowed doubts about the nation’s governance, with the major families’ powers evenly balanced, not allowing any single powerful subject to dominate the Imperial Court.

Yet for such a significant matter, it was impossible for the young Emperor to decide alone.

She herself hailed from a major family and understood politics to a certain degree; such an initiative would need the support of at least seventy percent of the major families to pass.

It might even have nothing to do with the Emperor at all, perhaps being a decision made collectively by the major families, with the Emperor serving only as a rubber stamp.

This would mean that Jiangnan must have already established close ties with the major families. In such a context, why would the Shen Family, a great Jiangnan clan, come to do business here and not directly approach the Beiyu Family, instead choosing to find her?

She felt... that acquiring these pieces of Warm Jade might not be so simple...

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The innkeeper’s wife used to be a personal maid to the Beiyu Queen Dowager and was later sent to marry a steward who managed many shops belonging to the Queen Dowager, acting as a spy. That fringe inn was a recent addition.

Her good-for-nothing husband died early, leaving many responsibilities to her. The Queen Dowager naturally had to find another manager to continue overseeing her businesses, and this inn was like a consolation to her.

But due to its remote location, business wasn’t very good.

Her quality of life was not at all comparable to that of her sisters, who had once been maids like her.

Now, presented with this rare opportunity for wealth, she was not about to let it pass her by.

She quickly went back to plead to her Queen Dowager to return to her mother’s home for a few days.

The Beiyu Family matriarch felt pity for her daughter, who had spent her blooming years married into the Imperial family, only to find that the Emperor was incapable, and he died prematurely, leaving her daughter without any offspring of her own.

Caught between such circumstances in the palace, unable to remarry, her life was indeed hard.

When she heard that her daughter wanted to stay for a few days, she thought that the girl must have been unable to bear the loneliness of the palace, and she agreed readily, urging the Beiyu Family’s children to petition the Emperor that the Queen Dowager was unwell and needed to recuperate at the Beiyu Family home.

As one of the three major priestly families, the Beiyu Family certainly had this level of influence, and the next day, the Empress issued an imperial decree allowing the Beiyu Queen Dowager to go home to recover.

The Queen Dowager, who had not visited the Beiyu Family home for a long time, was also quite happy. As a girl, she always longed to be married off; now, she missed the days when she was a maiden.

After talking to her mother throughout the night, she did not forget her main objective. Early the next day, she met with the alleged representatives of the Shen Family under the guidance of her maid.

"So it’s the renowned Seventh Master Shen, what a neglect on my part..."

As an imperial concubine, she wasn’t presumptuous. Shen Qi, the Seventh Master of the Shen Family, had become famous a century ago. Even the former Emperor had to call him a senior. Now that he had come to negotiate business with her, it was indeed an honor for her.

"Your grace is too kind," Shen Qi said with a slight smile.

This Beiyu Queen Dowager had been an accidental but fortunate discovery as a contact. But it proved to be a valuable one...

Familiar figures, such as that child from the Beiyu Family studying in Jiangnan, were most likely under surveillance. In contrast, this concubine of low rank yet living within the Imperial Palace, was an excellent go-between.

"As for the specifics, I’m sure that the owner of the inn must have already discussed them with you, Your Grace?"

"She did mention it," the Queen Dowager hesitated, then continued, "But I still find it odd.

With the influence that your people wield, just by revealing your identity, there are plenty in Northern Yan Country who would want to collaborate with you.

Why seek out someone as insignificant and isolated as myself? "

"Your Grace is a wise woman; surely, you understand why we sought you out?" Chen Qing said, smiling openly.

After taking a good look at Chen Qing, and noticing his casual demeanor that matched Shen Qi’s, the Queen Dowager guessed that his identity must not be simple either. She didn’t dare to show any disrespect and asked directly, "Could it be... that you wish to learn some information from me?"

"Your Grace indeed is intelligent..." Shen Qi nodded appreciatively.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Dowager’s feelings grew more complex.

She had already been feeling uneasy for a few days.

Suddenly, some missionaries arrived without explanation, then the Emperor announced his alliance with Jiangnan, and afterwards, the Emperor had not held court for ten days.

All of it made her suspect that something significant had happened.

Regrettably... with her limited influence, even if something had happened, she wouldn’t be entitled to know.

"You might be approaching the wrong person," the Queen Dowager shook her head, "I might not know what you seek."

"That’s all right. Speak of what you know, Your Grace. We won’t let your efforts go unrewarded. And since you agreed to this meeting, I reckon you also don’t want to be kept in the dark, right?"

The Queen Dowager looked up at Chen Qing who had been speaking, and clenched her fingers softly.

Indeed, she didn’t want to be kept in the dark any longer. She had once been in the dark when she married an Emperor who was nearly a husk, enduring a widow’s life in all but name. Now... she certainly didn’t want to be in the dark, possibly one day dying without even knowing why.

"What do you wish to know?"

"We would like to know, before His Majesty announced the alliance with Jiangnan, did anything unusual happen?"

The Queen Dowager glanced at both men, thinking to herself: The Emperor’s declaration to ally with Jiangnan must have a hidden story behind it.

But... what’s with the tone of the Shen Family? Could it be that she was unaware of something?

After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to speak the truth, "I don’t know much, only that during those days, the heads of the major families entered the palace one after another to have long discussions with His Majesty.

In just three days, it seemed that His Majesty had met with all the leaders of the major families. "

"Oh?" Chen Qing and Shen Qi narrowed their eyes slightly, guessing what it might mean.

"And then?"

"Then, His Majesty announced the alliance with Jiangnan, and strangely, there was no opposition in the Imperial Court..."

Chen Qing and Shen Qi nodded slightly. It was likely just as they had thought.

"But after that, the heads of the major families, including His Majesty, have not left their residences."

"Not left their residences?" Chen Qing looked at her, "All of them?"