Chapter 149: Something Feels Off
“Father.”
Chai Yuan waited outside the palace gate. Seeing Marquis Yichun come out, he hurried forward to support him.
There were many officials entering and exiting the Imperial City Gate. Seeing Marquis Yichun, they all respectfully paid respects one after another.
Marquis Yichun nodded with a smile in response, got into the carriage with Chai Yuan, and through the carriage curtain, he could see the officials curiously discussing.
Although the quarrel between the Emperor and the Empress happened deep in the palace, it must have spread everywhere overnight.
At this time, Marquis Yichun entering the palace early in the morning further confirmed the news.
“How did it go?” Chai Yuan asked urgently inside the carriage.
Marquis Yichun withdrew his gaze and smiled: “Pretty good. As soon as I left, the Emperor went to see A Feng.”
Chai Yuan spat: “He’s always been the type who won’t let go until he sees the rabbit.” He then looked at Marquis Yichun. “Father, did he agree to the punishment you requested?”
Marquis Yichun’s expression was indifferent: “Yes, reducing the Marquis’s salary by fifty thousand shi to ten thousand.”
That was almost equivalent to having no salary.
Although the Marquis’s Mansion did not rely on the salary to get by, this was a symbol of status.
Without the salary, having only the title would be neither fish nor fowl.
This was a slap to the face.
Chai Yuan gritted his teeth in anger: “He actually really agreed! This ungrateful villain—”
Seeing his father come to admit guilt, having that attitude was enough; he should have let it go, but he actually went through with it!
Marquis Yichun glared at him: “Shut up.”
Although Marquis Yichun’s carriage and horses were tightly guarded, they were still near the Imperial City after all.
The various informants set up by the Emperor in recent years—openly the Embroidered Uniform Guard, secretly secret guards, eunuchs, and so on—were impossible to guard against completely.
Chai Yuan also knew his limits and sullenly tightened his face.
“This isn’t some major matter.” Marquis Yichun comforted him. “Ji Ying covering up the White Horse Town matter was indeed related to me. I apologized to His Majesty, and this matter ends here. As long as he and your younger sister are good, the Prince of Donghai is good, we will be good.”
The Empress and the Prince of Donghai were their true reliance. Chai Yuan understood this principle and responded yes, but looking at the swaying carriage curtain, a thought inexplicably flashed through his mind.
Was it really over?
Everything that had happened recently felt strange.
……
……
Inside the Empress’s Palace, the eunuchs and palace maids had all withdrawn, but this time there was no quarrel in the hall, nor the sound of desks and bowls and dishes being overturned and shattering.
The Emperor sighed lightly: “A Feng, Father-in-law did come to plead guilty.”
The Empress smiled slightly: “That’s natural. My father values this position of Empress very much.”
She emphasized the position, then continued.
“I was right, wasn’t I? As long as His Majesty says to depose the Empress, he definitely knows he must come to plead guilty this time.”
The Emperor looked at her and bowed: “A Feng deceived Father for me; it is I who made A Feng unfilial.”
Last night, the Emperor and the Empress had not quarreled.
When the Empress suddenly came to the Hall of Diligent Governance, the Emperor indeed did not want to see her much, but still let her in.
“A Feng, thank you for the soup.” The Emperor also explained to her, “But my mood is not good right now; I really can’t eat it.”
The Empress said: “Let me relieve His Majesty’s worries.”
With that, she picked up the bowl and smashed it on the ground, creating the illusion of a quarrel.
The Emperor looked at the Empress: “I can understand Marquis instructing Ji Ying to cover up the White Horse Town matter when encountered. I am not doing this because, because she…”
He did not finish his words; the Empress interrupted.
“Your Majesty, I am not unfilial; it is Father who is wrong—wronging the sovereign above and the common people below.” She said, “He should indeed be punished.”
Common people. The Emperor looked at her.
The Empress smiled: “Once she competed with me for a husband, I naturally could not tolerate it, but now she is just a commoner in my eyes. As the Empress, I cannot truly turn a blind eye to the wrongful death of a commoner.”
The Emperor emotionally grabbed her hand: “A Feng, A Feng, I am the same as you. You, I…”
The Empress said softly: “My family’s expectations for me are to be your good Empress, but I also have my own expectations—to have my husband treat me as a wife, not as a transaction with others.”
So this time, she deliberately pretended to quarrel to force Marquis Yichun to come plead guilty on his own, because she wanted the Emperor to see her sincerity—that she and the Emperor were of one mind.
The Emperor gripped the Empress’s hand tightly again: “When you and I married, it was indeed due to the situation, but after so many years together, you are only my wife in my heart.”
At this point, he seemed to make a decision.
“There is something Father-in-law and I have been hiding…”
“Some unimportant matters, Your Majesty should not say.” The Empress interrupted him. “Especially things involving people and matters from the past—just let them pass.”
She turned away her gaze.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Since he said such words, it meant the Empress knew something…
The Emperor gave a self-mocking smile.
Yang Luo’s matter could not be hidden from Marquis Yichun, nor from him. The Empress was in the deep palace but not an ignorant woman; with Marquis Yichun personally entering the palace to arrange for Miss Yang, how could she not guess.
Hmm, no wonder Imperial Consort Li said the Empress’s staff strike at the National Academy was particularly harsh; it carried hatred…
“Good.” The Emperor patted the Empress’s hand. “I won’t say it. This matter ends here.”
……
…….
“Go have Qin Fu tell Father.”
The Emperor left, and the Empress called in a palace maid to instruct.
“His Majesty and I have made up; tell him not to worry.”
The palace maid responded yes, turned to leave, but was called back by the Empress.
“Remember to ask if there is anything else being hidden from me.”
This way, she would seem like a figurehead who knew nothing, only threw tantrums, and could only rely on her family to secure the Empress position.
The palace maid responded yes and went out.
The Empress looked at the palace gate. Back then, Grandfather married her to Deng Shan, betting that Deng Shan could conquer the world.
Deng Shan conquered the world; as Empress, she gave birth to a prince to inherit the rivers and mountains—a Son of Heaven with Chai Clan blood. That was the true foundation of the Chai Clan’s century-old marquis clan.
Grandfather and Father treated her as a tool; she could also treat Father and the Chai Clan as tools—to secure favor, to do what she truly wanted, to live freely and happily…
The Empress walked to the flower pot, and the confindante palace maid fetched scissors and handed them over.
“Has Yang Luo sent people to watch?” she asked in a low voice.
The confindante palace maid responded yes: “Your Ladyship, rest assured.”
The Empress picked up the scissors and cut off the blooming flower branch.
This matter was not over.
……
…….
At the morning court the next day, the Emperor announced the news of reducing Marquis Yichun’s Marquis salary, and ordered a thorough investigation of the upper and lower officials involved in the White Horse Town incident, making the Capital City lively again.
Yang Luo carried a basket filled with paper and book scrolls as she walked down the street, hearing discussions in the restaurants and teahouses.
“…Marquis Yichun is somewhat wronged; he and Ji Ying were just in a recommendation relationship…”
“…His Majesty is really angry this time…”
“…Marquis Yichun understands the greater good and took responsibility proactively…”
“…The Empress even quarreled with the Emperor over it…”
“…His Majesty had no choice; such a big matter happened…”
“…Such a big matter actually has nothing to do with Marquis Yichun…”
Yang Luo walked calmly through the bustling street, entered a bookstore, handed the basket and the pre-written procurement list to the shop assistant who came to greet her. The shop assistant loudly responded, “Miss, please sit inside; we’ll pack it for you right away.”
Entering the inner room, the old man was already standing there, smiling in greeting. Yang Luo smiled in response and sat down directly.
“Miss, this matter seems to be over.” The old man said, “Miss Yang’s name was not mentioned.”
At this point, his expression was regretful.
“Your family’s young master is too cautious. For this kind of matter, it should be directly exposed, leaving the Emperor no way to avoid it.”
“I suggested back then not to just write that Ji Ying took responsibility for White Horse Town, but that Ji Ying slaughtered White Horse Town under Marquis Yichun’s orders.”
He had indeed suggested it at the time, but this maidservant—whether narrow-minded or too arrogant—did not listen to him and insisted on doing it this way.
What a waste of effort.
Such a good opportunity was used by the Emperor and Marquis Yichun to reach an agreement; it would be hard to expose the identity next time.
The old man slightly twirled his beard; hard was good—they would still have to come begging for their help.
If begging again, one maidservant coming forward wouldn’t be enough; this Young Prince Mo should show his face personally.
Yang Luo said: “Don’t be anxious; it’s not over yet.”
Not over? The old man looked at this maidservant to see what she would say when a shop assistant hurriedly came in from outside.
“Owner, Dali Temple has uncovered new testimony related to Ji Ying.”
New testimony? The old man was stunned, subconsciously looking at that maidservant.
Yang Luo picked up the teacup on the desk, gently shook it, and raised her eyebrow at him with a smile: “See, it’s starting.”
