Chapter 074: The Majesty of the Emperor (Part Two)

A sharp slap echoed through the grand hall, plunging the entire space into utter silence. Princess Changyang was momentarily stunned, her head turned to the side, and as the burning pain registered, rage exploded in her chest. She lunged forward, grabbed Consort Zhao by the hair, and retaliated with two resounding slaps. Even as she struck, she spat furiously, “What do you think you are? Daring to lay a hand on me? I am a royal princess, born of noble blood. At best, you’re an imperial consort, but in truth, you’re nothing more than my brother’s concubine. If you’d married into any ordinary family, you’d be no more than a plaything, unworthy of the main seat. And you dare strike me?”

Still unsatisfied, she spat at Consort Zhao.

Even Empress Jiang had not foreseen the two women coming to blows right before her and the emperor, the chaos leaving her momentarily dumbfounded. Regaining her composure, she stood and shouted, “Attend me! Quickly! Separate them!”

The palace maids, waiting outside, rushed in—eight in all—and hastily pulled the two women apart.

Consort Zhao, having been slapped and spat upon, stood in dazed shock, supported by the maids, staring blankly at the still-raging Princess Changyang, unable to react for a long while.

Princess Changyang continued her tirade: “You accuse me of malicious words, of slandering my own niece? Did you ever consider your own actions before you spoke? My Xun’er was rejected in her marriage proposal—do you think she isn’t heartbroken? Do you think I’m not embarrassed? I hadn’t even entered the hall before you started using this matter to pave the way for your own daughter. How benevolent could your heart possibly be? Between us, you strike the first blow, I strike back—what cause have you for grievance?”

Though it was now obvious that Princess Lin’an and Wu Qinglin had no future, and Lin’an’s reputation was irreparably damaged, thus dashing any hope of turning things around, the mother and daughter’s aim was only half accomplished. Wu Qinglin and the Wu family remained untouched, and she would not allow them to emerge unscathed.

Thus, she did not hesitate to bring up the matter of Li Xun’er’s rejected marriage proposal as bait, to further steer the situation.

As for Li Xun’er herself—when she and her mother had visited the Wu residence with gifts to propose the match, they had been rejected. The Wu family, decent enough, had not spread tales, but their arrival was grand, and when they departed with the gifts untouched, many witnessed it and whispered behind closed doors. In the palace, Consort Zhao delighted in her misfortune and had no intention of covering for her. Princess Changyang knew well that the matter could not simply be brushed aside as if it never happened.

Thus, she had little concern about airing it again today. In any case, her aim was to see the consort and her daughter utterly ruined, with no hope of recovery.

Consort Zhao, after the barrage of blows and curses, was boiling with rage but unable to refute, for she was indeed in the wrong. In the end, she wiped her face harshly with her sleeve, covering her face and bursting into tears.

Empress Jiang signaled with her eyes, and the maids hurriedly led the two women to seats on opposite sides. After their tussle, both looked disheveled—hair ornaments scattered—so the maids busied themselves tidying them.

The emperor, for the first time in his life, witnessed women brawling and shouting like fishwives, and that too in front of outsiders and palace staff. He felt his dignity utterly trampled, his face ashen with anger.

He did not wish to speak.

Consort Zhao, feeling wronged and unable to swallow her humiliation, waited until she was composed, then immediately rose, knelt before the imperial couple, and wailed, “Your Majesty, Lin’an is your daughter too. She has already suffered enough, and now the princess says such things—does she wish her dead?”

She had barely finished when Princess Changyang, still panting from the fight, cut in acidly, “Spare us your false piety! Do you think I am someone you can toy with at will? Since you’re shameless, let’s have it out in the open—aren’t you eyeing the Marquis Dingyuan’s family for your own daughter’s marriage? That’s why you resent me and Xun’er? What was it you wanted to say before the Marquis’s people arrived? Consort, I have seen many shameless people, but never a pair like you and your daughter. Even if you covet the Wu family’s son, does the Wu family consent? You think to preemptively slander and coerce them? Regardless of whether the rumors outside are true or false, your conduct today is utterly disgraceful. Even if Lin’an’s reputation weren’t already ruined, today you have destroyed it yourself.”

Both Consort Zhao and Princess Changyang were calculating in their own ways. Even knowing they risked dragging others into their feud, Wu Tan and Wu Qinglin chose to remain silent, observing from the sidelines.

Princess Changyang laid everything bare, and now everyone in the hall regarded Consort Zhao and her daughter with suspicion and curiosity.

Consort Zhao, feeling her blood surge, became dizzy and could no longer remain kneeling before the emperor, collapsing to the ground.

“Mother!”

“Your Highness!”

Princess Lin’an and Lady Zheng could bear it no longer and rushed forward, three generations kneeling together.

Seeing that the situation could no longer be glossed over, the emperor was finally forced to intervene.

He swept a cold, expressionless gaze over the assembly, his eyes chilling to the bone.

Princess Changyang was the first to feel it. Though she had been shouting moments earlier, the emperor’s icy look made her throat constrict, and she immediately fell silent.

The emperor sneered, “What do you take my harem for? What do you take me for? Each of you comes before me to play your little games? Impressive!”

“Your—” Princess Changyang, unwilling to submit, instinctively tried to speak in her defense.

The emperor grabbed the teacup at hand and slammed it to the floor at her feet.

With a shriek, Princess Changyang, never before treated so harshly, jumped in fright and promptly knelt, trembling. “Brother Emperor…”

The emperor’s face seemed carved from ice. Frail in health, he already appeared somewhat delicate, but in this fury, his gaze was dark and menacing, chilling to the core.

He stared hard at Princess Changyang. “Changyang, do you swear you had no part in what befell Lin’an?”

The question struck like a blade.

Princess Changyang shuddered, her throat tightening further. The emperor’s look suggested he already knew everything, but surely—

Li Xun’er had copied those three letters herself and burned the originals. The couriers sent to the brothel and to spread rumors were all beggars hired off the street, and, to erase all evidence, had been silenced afterward. Just a couple of starving beggars—no one would suspect, the authorities wouldn’t even spare them a glance.

She believed every trace had been wiped clean, which was why she dared be so brazen today.

Yet now—

The emperor’s accusation was direct, aimed squarely at her.

Princess Changyang’s heart pounded wildly, every nerve stretched taut.

Consort Zhao and her daughter, hearing the emperor’s question, forgot their tears and turned to stare at her in unison.

Princess Changyang dug her nails into her palm to steady herself, and after a long moment, managed to meet the emperor’s gaze and stammer, “I… swear!”

The three of Consort Zhao’s family immediately turned back to the emperor.

His stare remained locked on Princess Changyang. After a moment, he said coldly, “We are siblings. This is the last time I will show you any courtesy. Today, I will not have you or your servants dragged to the Judicial Office for questioning. Remember—this is your only chance!”

In truth, Princess Changyang’s oath was weak. She gambled that the emperor had no evidence, no grounds to question her household.

But she had underestimated her brother’s ruthlessness. Someone had to act as the intermediary in hiring those thugs, and that person surely came from their own household. Even the closest servants could be made to talk if the emperor wished it.

She dared gamble that he would not arbitrarily interrogate her people without cause—but if he wished to take them, she could do nothing.

Under the emperor’s gaze, Princess Changyang felt a chill run through her, cold sweat soaking her underclothes in a matter of moments.

In truth, the emperor had no proof—but he knew his sister’s nature all too well.

Earlier, Empress Jiang had already recounted the matter in detail. He trusted the Wu family’s virtue and knew Marquis Huo’s household would never dare such a thing. Only Princess Changyang had both motive and audacity to harm Princess Lin’an.

No further investigation was needed; he was certain in his heart.

Consort Zhao, seeing Princess Changyang’s ashen face and panicked demeanor under imperial interrogation, finally realized what was happening. Shuddering, she screamed, “So it was—!”

Before she could rush forward, the emperor’s icy voice cut her off: “Silence!”

Consort Zhao froze mid-turn, as if turned to stone.

Slowly, she slumped to the floor, instinctively raising her eyes to meet the emperor’s gaze, swallowing dryly. “Your Majesty…”

His expression remained unchanged, making Consort Zhao’s skin crawl. He continued, cold as ever, “I recall telling you quite clearly that night: the Crown Prince will marry a Wu family daughter, but I will not take a Wu family son as a royal son-in-law. So, Consort—were you scheming against the Marquis Dingyuan’s household, or were you scheming against me?”

The final words sent shivers down Consort Zhao’s spine.

“Your Majesty—!” she cried, scrambling to kneel, bowing low, pressing her forehead to the floor in the most humble and reverent posture. “I would not dare! I would never dare scheme against anyone, I…”

She claimed she would not dare, yet in truth, she had plotted exactly so. Her words trailed off into incoherence, and she lay prostrate, shivering.

Princess Lin’an also trembled, about to plead, when the emperor’s chilling voice interrupted, “Remember this: say whatever you wish before me. If I grant it, it is granted; if not, you will not be blamed. But such underhanded tricks have no place in my harem. This time, because Lin’an has suffered injustice, as compensation, you may retain your title as consort. From this day forth, you are to remain confined to the Huayang Palace and reflect on how to be a worthy consort. You are not to leave until you understand!”

Consort Zhao remained prostrate, silent and unmoving, unable to rise, her body limp with fear.

Confinement, in truth, was not a severe punishment. Princess Lin’an bit her lip, but dared not plead further.

The emperor, knowing his health could not bear such rage, felt stabbing pain in his chest. He closed his eyes to steady himself, then, opening them, turned to the Wu siblings.

During the prior dispute, Wu Tan and Wu Qinglin had both kept their heads bowed and remained silent, neither participating nor intervening. It was not indifference to the women’s schemes, but simply that in the emperor’s presence, they had no place to speak.

Now, the emperor turned to Wu Qinglin and said, “Minister Wu, if I were to decree Princess Lin’an’s marriage to you, what would you say?”

——— Author’s Note ———

Another chapter of bickering—still two thousand words short of ten thousand today. I’ll post another chapter later, and try to resolve this messy love affair for my brother too. The imperial uncle has been locked away for days and is rushing to the battlefield—don’t worry, everyone~

A little side scene:

Tan’er: Why is it lately so fashionable to fight for a husband with your own mother? What am I to do, motherless as I am? Waiting online…

Imperial Uncle: How about I bring my mother to vie for you?

Tan’er: Scram…

This book is an exclusive release—please do not repost.