By the time Minister Song walked in, Chu Yun had managed to wrest his features out of a pained grimace and into a semblance of neutrality. Hua Nanyi had come with his medicine which he drunk down with a resigned sigh. He sent her out back to the throne room to keep Gu Wei company while he looked over the ministers and ensured they behaved until it was their turn to be interviewed.
Minister Song took her seat with a dignified bow.
Chu Yun didn't know if it was only his impression but there seemed to be new hints of iron at her temples, even though her face still looked youthful -- albeit as serious as always.
"I'm sure Minister Song can appreciate the gravity of the situation," he said, cutting straight to the quick.
She nodded once and leaned forward with her elbows on the table, bringing the tips of her fingers together. "I'll be frank with his Royal Highness, I'm not kept informed of much. I'm tasked with mundane clerical roles in the ministry." Her mouth twisted into a tight line. "I'm a Minister in name only."
"Is that true for the other beta ministers, as well?" Chu Yun asked, his tone even.
Minister Song nodded crisply, although she added, "they aren't full-fledged ministers like me. But I assume I only have the position due to Ruomi's connections."
Tan Ruo didn't come from a rich family, and she was the only alpha child of a beta and omega couple who decided to marry despite her omega mother having much more appealing prospects as an attractive omega even though her family background was also not distinguished.
Chu Yun had looked into Tan Ruo's background early on during their acquaintance to verify everything she had told him about herself.
All of it was true.
Having alpha or omega children was the only way some families could escape the cycle of poverty. Alphas would be given prestigious positions, either in the army, ministries, or other higher posts, according to their own skills and disposition. Omegas, of course, could marry into wealthy families depending on their looks and general health.
It wasn't often that a family didn't take advantage of the birth of an omega child to pursue a lucrative marriage.
Tan Ruo's mother had been very lucky to be allowed to marry who she wanted.
It amused Chu Yun to think her parents unusual marriage had made her own possible.
Before marrying Minister Song, Tan Ruo had tried her hand at several roles, from clerk to tradeswoman, and in the meantime made several acquaintances in high places.
The news that she was going to marry a beta woman and dedicate herself to homemaking thereafter came as a shock to everyone.
However, Chu Yun didn't doubt that that had been Tan Ruo's ambition all along. She delighted in the knowledge that she was a topic of conversation wherever she went -- the alpha who lived the life of a pampered omega.
Of course, Tan Ruo's extensive network of friends and acquaintances could only extend so far. And judging by the new streaks of white at Minister Song's temples, things hadn't been as smooth going for her.
But even if she was being excluded, her information could prove reliable. "Did you notice anything in particular since Xiao Zai's ascension? Did anything change among the ministers you usually saw or interacted with?"
"Not long ago, Minister Hu approached several of us with a proposal," she swallowed thickly, still not looking up into Chu Yun's eyes. "He said a 'benefactor' had approached him, and offered to pay him handsomely if he swayed some other ministers into opposing all of his Majesty's decrees in the court."
Chu Yun rested his cheek on his closed fist and nodded at the Minister of Finance to proceed.
She wouldn't be getting away with admitting so little.
"But it wasn't just opposition this benefactor was after," she said, "after some time he started making demands. He wanted to know Zui state secrets."
Chu Yun smiled. "Which you gave him."
Finally, her panicked gaze shot up towards his. "We had to...he was blackmailing us by then. He threatened to reveal our previous deliberate involvement with him if we didn't cooperate."
Chu Yun sucked on a breath for dramatic effect. "That's right, treason is treason, there aren't degrees to it." He smirked at her. "I'm sure you feel very guilty about selling off your kingdom, no doubt."
She nodded desperately. "His Royal Highness has to believe me...if only I had known it would come to this..."
Chu Yun pouted at her, a babying, condescending expression. "But you didn't care. Not truly, you only cared about the promise of more golden taels, more power, more influence, isn't that right?"
He got up to his feet suddenly, making his chair skid backwards with a jarring noise. "You only cared about yourself, you didn't spare a single thought to the people of your country who you so unceremoniously sold off."
The Minister shook her head in denial. "No, it wasn't like that. Many of us already disagreed with the King's proposed reforms. They were too daring, and they would divert funds from Haolin into other parts of Zui. All of us believed that investing more in Haolin was crucial."
Chu Yun let out a prolonged hum of understanding, while nodding along with her. "I get it, I get it! So you're saying that you were only happy to be bribed! Since you were already going to do it for free."
She paled, stuttering some incoherent string of words.
"I suppose that makes it all better then," he said, with a pleased little smile.
Before she could say anything else, he nodded to one of the guards in the study. "Please escort the Minister of Finance to Minister Hu's cell. I'm sure they have a lot of catching up to do."
To her credit, she didn't put up a fight.
Chu Yun sat back down on his chair with a tired sigh, and called for the next minister to enter.
A tall man arrived not long after, looking all the while as if he wanted to make himself invisible, shifting from side to side on the chair, and making it creak under his weight.
After making him sweat in silence for a length of time while Xiao Yuan wrote in the corner, Chu Yun finally looked up at him and fixed him with a glare:
"I'm afraid I've learned some concerning information."