Flashback
"I have written everything as you have instructed." Chen Wenjin said to the seemingly empty room.
"Good." Shen Xiatang said with a nod.
"Leave it in a place where it can be easily stolen and replaced." Shen Xiatang said and Chen Wenjin raised a brow.
"Chen Jinyu will come for it, right?" Chen Wenjin asked Shen Xiatang.
"She will." Shen Xiatang said with a hum.
"Right now she must be under pressure in the Liu family, thinking of a way to keep herself afloat." Shen Xiatang said as she floated around the room.
"In order to turn things around, she will need something big." Chen Wenjin said as she looked at the plan in her hands.
"Are we going to give her a lifeline to hang on to?" Chen Wenjin asked Shen Xiatang softly.
"Of course not." Shen Xiatang said with a scoff and Chen Wenjin brightened.
"Then what is this plan for?" Chen Wenjin asked as she looked at the scroll.
"Bait." Shen Xiatang said simply.
"This plan will not only destroy Chen Jinyu," Shen Xiatang said with a smile.
"But it will also bring the Liu family to their knees." Shen Xiatang said in a cold tone before turning her attention to Chen Wenjin.
"Do you remember the time when I asked you who you blamed?" Shen Xiatang asked Chen Wenjin.
"With vivid memory." Chen Wenjin said with a sinister smile.
"Do you remember your reply as well?" Shen Xiatang asked as her smile mirrored Chen Wenjin's.
"I remember saying both of them." Chen Wenjin said with an even bigger smile than Shen Xiatang.
After the Emperess Dowager's Banquet
"Young Miss," Xiao Mei said as she ran to Chen Wenjin.
"I have tied up the maid who stole your disaster relief plan." Xiao Mei said with a bow.
"Bring her to my living quarters." Chen Wenjin said as she walked into her living quarters and sat down.
Dragging the struggling maid to her mistress, Xiao Mei kicked the woman at the back of her knees and the woman knelt down before Chen Wenjin in an instant.
"Speak." Chen Wenjin said as she stared down at the woman before her.
"Who told you to steal from me?" Chen Wenjin asked with a glare.
"Young mistress, this humble maid wouldn't do such a thing." the young woman said, lying through her teeth.
"I have worked for the Chen family for so long, there is no way that I will suddenly betray the Chen family's young mistress." the young woman said as she held on to the hem of Chen Wenjin's clothes.
"You-" Xiao Mei said in rage but Chen Wenjin raised a hand to stop her.
"I remember that you were a maid for Chen Jinyu." Chen Wenjin said as she blew into her cup and the maid began to panic.
"Are you angry that you weren't allowed to go with her," Chen Wenjin asked as she sipped her tea.
"Is that why you stole from me?" Chen Wenjin asked as she took another sip.
"To spite me!" Chen Wenjin said harshly and the maid began to tremble.
"I wouldn't dare," the maid said as she did a formal bow.
"Forgive me young miss, this terrible servant knows that she was wrong." the maid said pleadingly.
"It was Chen Jinyu!" the maid said suddenly.
"It was Chen Jinyu who ordered me to take a scroll from your room, if not I wouldn't dare go near the young mistress's things." the maid said with a bow as her body shook and Chen Wenjin leaned back in her chair.
Taking in a deep breath Chen Wenjin said "Chen Jinyu from the Liu family Estate ordered someone in the Chen family residence to commit such an act against her young mistress and her order was executed perfectly." as she sipped her tea.
"I fear that if I let you off, a thousand more of you would be born." Chen Wenjin said as she dropped her cup on the table before her.
"As a maid of the Chen family you should know the full consequences of offending me, shouldn't you?" Chen Wenjin asked the maid and the maid began to sweat.
"Anyone there." Chen Wenjin called and more maids came into the room.
"Drag her away and teach her the proper rules for a maid of the Chen family." Chen Wenjin said coldly.
"Young Miss, please forgive me." the young maid begged.
"Young Miss, please forgive me." the young maid begged before she was dragged away from Chen Wenjin's sight.
Flashback end
"When I was making my disaster relief plan I went to the largest bookstore in Longcheng to procure materials and that was when I had the opportunity to meet a passing scholar from Tianxu who briefly settled in Longcheng in order to procure our novels." said Chen Wenjin.
"People of Tianxu are often victims of floods so I asked him for information in exchange for recommendations of our finest novels, some rice paddies and taro." said Chen Wenjin.
"But why didn't you bring this plan to me?" the Emperor asked in confusion.
"Not only is your plan better than the previous plan that was executed in the South but your plan contains how to execute everything to the minute detail." said the Emperor.
"You documented everything from how the floods could be monitored to how the community can be alerted to where to evacuate the citizens and the livestock to plants to grow that can resist the flood to how to control the granaries and ensure that food gets to everyone and even how to stop disease from spreading." said the Emperor and guests in the banquet hall marvelled at her intellect.
"One of the drawbacks of the plan previously executed was that some things were left for interpretation and there were no protocols but with this," the Emperor said as he looked down at the plan in his hands.
"With this plan you could have saved hundreds of citizens." the Emperor said with mild disappointment.
"Chen Wenjin apologizes to the Emperor for not bringing this plan to your attention but if I did, what would become of me?" Chen Wenjin asked, and confusion then understanding flashed in the Emperor's eyes as his eyes moved from her to Chen Jinyu.
"I will be seen as a bitter person who couldn't take that her cousin married her husband to be and is now causing a scene to compete with her." Chen Wenjin said and the guests nodded in agreement.
"For peace between the two families, I decided to forget about my disaster relief plan but who would have thought Chen Jinyu's plan would fail?" Chen Wenjin asked pitifully and the Emperor's eyes snapped back to Chen Jinyu in anger.
"Chen Jinyu," the Emperor called and Chen Jinyu's heart leaped to her throat.
"Before this scroll was brought you assured me that I will see an identical copy of your disaster relief plan in Chen Wenjin's living quarters but now that the plan is different and far better than yours, what excuse do you have to say for yourself?!" The Emperor yelled and Chen Jinyu began to tremble once more.