Heroic Wife Reborn

Chapter 20: I Swear On My Life

Consort Zhao didn’t wait for Zhao Qiuming’s reply, but went on, “Without a single shred of evidence, you relied on a single tip-off to lead troops to search the Gu Estate, father? Today is the eldest princess’s wedding day. Father, do you still hold the imperial clan in esteem?! What has daughter told you and the family everyday? His Majesty is the Heavens. The rest of you all have to show loyalty to the sovereign and devote yourself to public interests. Father, did you remember any of daughter’s words?”

Zhao Qiuming and his son exchanged looks at Consort Zhao’s words before the former spat out a name.

Xiaozong said, “Someone come, bring that Zhang Keji here.”

Gu Xingnuo gnashed his teeth. “Zhang Keji?” (张克己)

“What’s going on?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Gu Ningnuo only smiled bitterly and murmured, “He used to be a guard of our Gu Clan, but now he’s with the Zhao Clan.”

“Zhang Keji,” Ying Nianyun muttered to Gu Chen. “Keji fenggong (克己奉公)–to ‘devote oneself to public interest.’ It looks like they’ve already picked their scapegoat.”

Supreme Commander Gu knitted his brows. They all knew Consort Zhao was reminding Zhao Qiuming to make a move, but would Xiaozong believe them if they exposed her now?

Xiaozong looked at the bedroom door and praised, “Beloved consort, you’ve worked hard.”

Gu Chen and the rest only felt despair at his words.

Soon enough, the head commander sent to fetch Zhang Keji returned. “Your Majesty, Zhang Keji has already committed suicide via poison.”

“He’s dead?” Xiaozong and Yu Xiaoxiao chorused at the same time.

The head commander of the inner palace imperial guards didn’t dare to raise his head. “Yes. This servant has already issued orders to guard the body. May Your Majesty instruct us.”

“Did he commit suicide to escape punishment?” Consort Zhao asked from the bedroom.

Xiaozong looked at the two distinct factions standing in the courtyard who were as different as the waters of the Jing and Wei Rivers. After some hesitation, he said, “Was this all a misunderstanding? Minister Zhao believed in slander by mistake?”

“Your Majesty is wise and brilliant!” Zhao Qiuming’s faction commended.

Gu Chen could only look at Xiaozong while remaining speechless. Why did he have the luck to meet with such a “wise and brilliant” emperor? With Zhang Keji dead, there were no more witnesses or evidence left. Once again, the results were left inconclusive.

“Father, how could you be so messy with your work?” Consort Zhao scolded. “His Majesty gave you the military tally to command the imperial guards so you could protect the palace’s safety. It’s not for you to listen to slanderous talk and wreck the eldest princess’s wedding day!”

Zhao Qiuming kowotowed fiercely towards Xiaozong until he left bloodstains on the floor. He admitted his wrongs and cried, “Your Majesty, this subject was only concerned for the welfare of the kingdom. This subject was a fool and deserves to die!”

“Your Majesty,” Consort Zhao called out as well, “This consort deserves death.”

Xiaozong sighed and waved a hand at the Zhao father and son. “Forget it. Forfeit your salary for a year as a warning to others of your bad example. Zhao Qiuming, if you do anything so stupid again, Zhen won’t let you off easy!”

“This subject thanks Your Majesty,” Zhao Qiuming hastened to express his gratitude. “This subject will remember Your Majesty’s words with reverence.”

“Scram,” Xiaozong shooed them away.

Yu Xiaoxiao saw Zhao Beicheng and Zhao Qiuming on the verge of leaving before he spoke up, “It’s over just like that? This can’t be right.”

Many of the gathered officials just sighed. The princess hadn’t understood a bit of the Zhao trio’s playacting.

Consort Zhao burst into tears. “Your Royal Highness, I’ve let you and esteemed empress down. Your Majesty, ah, this consort really deserves to die!”

“Then you can just go die,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied.

Consort Zhao’s sobs paused.

Xiaozong glared at Yu Xiaoxiao. “Linglong, don’t be so merciless without reason! What did imperial father teach you?”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked blankly at the old man. Besides eating and drinking and having fun, what else could you teach me?

The disdain in her gaze was so potent that Xiaozong had to ask, “What kind of stare is that?”

“He burned down my new house,” Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Zhao Qiuming. “And brought so many soldiers to smash the place. Are we going to drop it just like that?”

The various officials exchanged glances. Is there something off about what she just said?

The three commanders who had accompanied Lord Zhao to the Gu Estate were standing on one side with bruised noises and swollen faces. Most likely their wives and mothers would find them unrecognizable once they returned home. All three men were looking at Yu Xiaoxiao with miserable faces. She lead all the others to give our thousand guards a pounding! What else does she want? It wouldn’t be overkill even if she decided to kill someone!

Xiaozong patted his chest. Consort Zhao’s crying indoors was making him fret, but his daughter was also giving him a headache. “Then what else do you want?” he asked, “Don’t keep saying ‘kill’ in front of Zhen.”

“Execute, then,” Yu Xiaoxiao offered. She might not understand classical Chinese, but she did know her synonyms.

Xiaozong felt depressed and couldn’t say another word.

Consort Zhao was still crying. “Your Royal Highness is now on her husband’s side after getting married. Princess, ah, no matter how grievous the affair, it can’t surpass matters of the kingdom. You should understand this, Your Royal Highness.”

In other words, Consort Zhao was insinuating that the princess was only considering her husband’s welfare instead of her imperial father after marriage. This meant she had forgotten her roots. Xiaozong and the officials both understood the hint, but Yu Xiaoxiao was left in the dark.

“So you’re saying it serves me right if your father killed me?” she asked.

Consort Zhao was quick to amend her statement. “How could a subject dare to hurt a hair on Your Royal Highness’s head?”

“Then what about my new house?” Yu Xiaoxiao demanded. “Did it catch fire on its own?”

“Where’s the proof?” Xiaozong asked Gu Chen. He’d already given up on talking sense to his daughter.

Gu Chen couldn’t provide any proof because the Zhao father and son were getting a thrashing when the bridal chambers had caught on fire. They hadn’t caught any of Zhao Qiuming’s men in the inner courtyards, either and talk was cheap.

Seeing Gu Chen speechless, Xiaozong turned to Yu Xiaoxiao again. “How is imperial father supposed to indict Lord Zhao’s guilt without any proof?”

“Then are we just going to drop it even though I’ve lost a house?” Yu Xiaoxiao knitted her brows.

Xiaozong grit his teeth before suggesting, “How’s this. Zhen will return the original Defender General’s estate to the Gu Clan? Linglong, will that satisfy you?”

Yu Xiaoxiao asked Gu Xingnuo, “Is that so-and-so estate larger than the one we have now?”

Gu Ningnuo nodded with a “囧” face.

“Big bro,” Yu Xiaoxiao said, “Help me analyze the situation. Is it impossible for me to kill off the Zhao Clan and their entire family today?”

Gu Ningnuo was rather embarrassed as he replied. “Without any proof, we can’t pin the crime on Zhao Qiuming, much less execute him.”

Well sh*t!

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the Zhao father and son as her eyes turned vicious. I could kill them in minutes, but I can’t do a thing right now! There’s no fun in this world at all!

Zhao Beicheng only supported his father to duck behind Xiaozong, afraid that Princess Linglong might murder them at any second.

“You should all go back,” Xiaozong waved them away.

Yu Xiaoxiao was the first to turn on her heel and leave. Xiaozong opened and closed his mouth a few times, wanting to call his daughter back. In the end, he said nothing. Sometimes it was hard to smooth everything out. His daughter had been wronged, but Consort Zhao was still sobbing bitterly despite her injuries. Subconsciously, Xiaozong’s heart was still biased towards his pitiable consort.

All of the officials bid their farewells and withdrew. Xiaozong pointed at a head eunuch and declared, “Take along some men and follow Gu Chen back. Help them move into the Defender General’s estate by today. If the eldest princess is lacking anything, make it up from Zhen’s personal stores.”

“This servant obeys the decree,” the head eunuch hastened to accept the orders.

—

Yu Linglong! Inside the bedchambers, Consort Zhao had all but bitten through her lip. How dare that cheap seed of the empress humiliate our Zhao Clan. I swear on my life, I’ll give her a miserable death!