Chapter 52: Thanks

Zhen Ruicai stepped aside, his eyes fixed on Xie Qinjian, the muscles on the corner of his mouth trembling with tension.

Xie Qinjian knelt on the ground. The pain in his body made him dazed and he had no idea of the situation.

He originally thought that with the help of that mysterious voice and a relative as powerful as Zhen Ruicai, he would be able to wash away the dark days of the past twenty years and reach the pinnacle of his life.

Who knew that before he could do anything, he fell into Zhao Mingyue's hands and was tortured for no apparent reason - is there any law in this world?

Xie Qinjian was filled with anger, hatred, and regret. He was so angry that his face turned green, so hateful that his eyes turned red, and so regretful that his intestines turned green.

What's worse is that in order to survive, he confessed to Zhen Ruicai's crimes. Not only did the people from the Yiluansi not release him, but he also offended Zhen Ruicai. As soon as they met, he was fed poison and threatened by his half-time uncle.

His life has just begun, he doesn't want to die!

Xie Qinjian turned to the mysterious voice for help, "Living God, what should I do now? Please save me!"

The voice was as cold and ruthless as ever. "I warned you long ago not to act on your own. Why did you confess to the assassination of Princess Zhaoqing?"

Xie Qinjian was on the verge of tears. "This hurts so much, I really can't bear it. You are so powerful, please, please help me one more time."

The voice suddenly fell silent. Xie Qinjian thought the immortal was disappointed in him. Just as he was panicking, he heard a soft sigh. "Alright, since you're the hero, I'll help you one more time. Just do what Zhen Ruicai says, and I'll guarantee you'll survive."

This voice rang in Xie Qinjian's head, and it was like the sound of nature.

He nodded desperately and swore in his heart that this time, no matter how they tortured him, they would never be able to pry open his teeth.

Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Xie Qinjian's eyes.

Empress Dowager Chi, Princess Mingyue, Yiluansi... just wait, sooner or later, I will avenge all the pain you have inflicted on me!

At this time, Chi Lu's question came from the top, "Xie Qinjian, did Envoy Zhen instruct you to assassinate Princess Zhaoqing?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Xie Qinjian's body trembled violently, and he subconsciously wanted to confess his guilt. When he came to his senses, he immediately clenched his teeth.

He lowered his head, his face turning pale and blue, and he said in a trembling voice: "No, no, what I confessed was not the truth. I wanted to assassinate Princess Zhaoqing on my own. It had nothing to do with my uncle."

The Jinwu Guards looked at him in surprise, their eyes wide open. How could this man change his confession in court?

Zhao Mingyue was also stunned and frowned in confusion.

She had only seen people shirking responsibility, but had never seen anyone taking the blame on themselves. Even if Zhen Rui was his biological father, she wouldn't defend him like this, right?

Zhao Yuzhang didn't say anything, but just observed Zhen Ruicai coldly. When Zhen Ruicai heard what Xie Qinjian said, he immediately relaxed, and the nervous trembling on his face was replaced by a smug smile.

He strode forward and spoke loudly, "Your Majesty, I think the Yiluansi officials were clearly being tortured into confessing! Qin Jian was young and frivolous, and his misdeeds are understandable. Why did he have to endure this torture?"

As Zhen Ruicai was speaking, tears began to fall. He then knelt beside Xie Qinjian, his face full of regret.

"This is all my fault! I shouldn't have told him the truth and let him know that his uncle was murdered by Princess Zhaoqing. But how could I have imagined that this silly boy would be so impulsive and do such a wrong thing behind my back!"

"Your Majesty, please consider my contributions over the years and the boy's youth and ignorance and forgive him this time!"

Xie Qinjian was relieved when he heard Zhen Ruicai begging for mercy for him. Sure enough, that voice was from a god sent down from heaven to save him.

From then on, he never acted on his own again. He listened to the "god" in everything and asked the "god" for his opinion before making any decision.

Xie Qinjian was secretly rejoicing here, but he didn't know that Chi Qi was sitting at the top, looking at him with amusement.

According to the original plot, after Xie Qinjian recognized his uncle Zhen Ruicai, he got rid of his identity as a groom and became a member of the Left Eagle Guard.

Later, he made great achievements in the war against Xiqi, and in less than two years, he became a general.

However, the emperor was about to die at that time, and his former courage was gone with his aging body. Even if he won the battle, he could not be brave enough. Not only did he kneel down and beg for peace with the West, but he also sent his own daughter Princess Mingyue to marry.

Chi Qi was very skeptical as to how Xie Qinjian, who looked like a loser in every way, had managed to win battles one after another and become a general.

It can only be attributed to the protagonist's halo.

Thinking about how she was threatened by the Lord God and failed to beat the hero to death, Chi Qi's eyes darkened.

Since the Lord God values this male protagonist so much, she will spare his life for the time being.

Although she doesn't care about life or death, she cares about winning or losing. She doesn't want to lose this game.

Before finding the Lord God's weakness, it would be foolish to act rashly and expose one's purpose to the opponent.

Let the Lord God think that she is playing the role of her evil stepmother well.

However, even if the male protagonist can escape the death penalty, he cannot escape the punishment of living punishment.

Chi Li raised the corner of her mouth slightly, "You are young and frivolous, and you want to avenge your uncle. That is understandable."

Xie Qinjian was overjoyed, a smile on his face, and he kowtowed hurriedly to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I know I was wrong, and I will never dare to do it again!"

Zhao Mingyue hurriedly stood up, "Mother..."

Before she could finish her words, Chi Li changed the subject, her voice suddenly sinking. "But why did you make my Mingyue angry? Your crime is simply unforgivable! However, for the sake of Zhen Yuanshi, I will spare your life and reward you with exile in Nanzhou."

Nanzhou is the southernmost provincial capital. Not only is the journey long, but the climate there is also humid and hot, with many miasma. People from the Central Plains who go there often don't live long.

The smile on Xie Qinjian's face froze instantly.

He still wanted to achieve great things and become a general, so he didn't want to go to Nanzhou, a shabby place where no one would know if he died.

Xie Qinjian shook his head, looking panicked and said, "I don't—"

Wu Wenxiu, who was standing behind Chi Lu, immediately interrupted him loudly, "The criminal is thanking Qin Jian, why don't you thank him quickly? Are you trying to disobey the emperor's order?"

Xie Qinjian's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. He turned his head and cast a desperate look at Zhen Ruicai. Zhen Ruicai gave him a look, which obviously meant that he should accept the punishment.

At least no one died, right?

Thinking of the "living immortal" asking him to do what Zhen Ruicai said, Xie Qinjian gritted his teeth and kowtowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me."

After saying that, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and fainted on the ground.

The Jinwu Guard immediately stepped forward to check, "Your Majesty, the prisoner has fainted."

Wu Wenxiu glanced at Chi Li and saw her expression was cold. He turned around and ordered, "Take her away. Don't pollute the ground of Xihua Palace."

So the Jinwu Guards dragged Xie Qinjian out.

The case ended here. Who would have thought that the only person injured in the fight between Zhen Ruicai and Princess Zhaoqing was Xie Qinjian.

Zhen Rui escaped a disaster and felt even more proud.

Even Empress Dowager Chi had to give him some face. How could Zhao Yuzhang, a princess who had committed the crime of disobedience, have the courage to report him for dereliction of duty?

Do you really think you can deal with him like this? Dream on about getting out of the Princess's Mansion!

He said resolutely, "Your Majesty, I failed to detect and prevent Xie Qinjian's assassination in time. I am indeed derelict in my duty, and I am willing to accept the punishment! However, Princess Zhaoqing openly disobeyed the late emperor and assaulted an official of the imperial court. Such a serious crime should not be pardoned!"

Chi Li smiled. "Oh? Then what should we do according to your opinion?"

Zhen Ruicai's brows were grim, "Of course, I am following the late emperor's order to imprison Princess Zhaoqing in the Princess's Mansion and not allow her to leave until her death."

Except for Zhen Ruicai and Qian Qian, everyone else in the palace was Chi Kuai's men. They were not aware of this past event and were very surprised to hear this.

What crime did Princess Zhaoqing commit that the late emperor punished her in this way?

Chi Li looked at Zhao Yuzhang, "Princess Zhaoqing, what do you have to say?"

Zhao Yuzhang stood up, walked to the center of the hall, knelt down, and said in a cold voice: "Your Majesty, I do not obey the will of my royal brother."

"During the battle of Tangzhou City, if I hadn't led my personal soldiers and the people of the city to fight to the death, this important military location would have been handed over to the Xiqi people long ago. However, when Zhen Ruicai reported his military achievements to the Ministry of War, the names of my personal soldiers were not included!"

Zhen Ruicai immediately retorted, "Princess Zhaoqing, don't talk nonsense. I have reported this to the Ministry of War and applied for pensions for your soldiers who died in battle. All the money has been distributed to their families. Besides, even if I didn't report it at first, didn't you report it to the Ministry of War later?"

"Yes, I did! But why is it that your male soldiers can be promoted and given land, while my female soldiers can only be rewarded with 8,000 strings of silver?"

Zhen Rui scoffed, "Your female soldiers contributed less and received less money. Isn't that natural? And because of this, you led a commotion at the Ministry of War, not only injuring the Minister, but also denouncing the Taizong's laws. This alone is enough to warrant the death penalty! The late emperor was magnanimous and, out of consideration for our brotherly love, didn't pursue you. But what about you? What did you do?"

"I beat my brother too." Zhao Yuzhang said in a calm tone, as if he didn't think what she said was a big deal.

He even explained with a sneer, "He clearly knew that I was the one who defended Tangzhou City, yet he attributed all the credit to Zhen Ruizhi and Zhen Ruicai. And he even said something about husband and wife being one? Ha!"

Everyone in the hall gasped in shock. Even Qian Qian opened his mouth in shock. Zhao Mingyue's expression changed instantly, and the worry in her eyes turned into awe.

Everyone looked at each other and murmured in their hearts, isn't Princess Zhaoqing a little too bold?

No wonder no news about this matter was leaked at the beginning. People only said that Princess Zhaoqing was crazy about love. After all, the emperor also needed face. How could he dare to tell everyone that he was beaten by his sister?

Zhen Ruicai said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if you pardon Princess Zhaoqing, where will the emperor's grace and authority be? Aren't you afraid that the past will happen again?"

Chi Li pondered and said, "Beating the late emperor is indeed excessive, Princess Zhaoqing, you are making it very difficult for me to deal with this."

Zhao Yuzhang lowered his eyes and did not answer immediately.

She had long anticipated that Queen Mother Chi would not pardon her easily. Perhaps their interests were aligned, but it was not worth Queen Mother Chi's risk.

Is it necessary to make her see greater value?

But why did she do this? What would she gain by being loyal to Queen Mother Chi? Just the freedom to leave the Princess's Mansion?

This is not what she wants.

Even if she left the Princess's Mansion, what would happen? Her soldiers had already died and dispersed, and all this was because of her!

It was her incompetence that caused their sacrifice to be in vain. Even though they defended Tangzhou City, no one thanked them, and no one remembered their names.

All they could get in exchange for their deaths was eight thousand strings of cash. How ridiculous!

What's even more ridiculous is herself. What a bullshit Princess Zhaoqing, she is just a lunatic in their eyes. Even if she threatened to kill Zhen Ruicai, didn't she do it?

Zhen Ruicai said something very right. She, Zhao Yuzhang, was only fit to rot and stink in the princess's mansion.

Zhao Yuzhang took a deep breath and was about to speak when he suddenly heard Zhao Mingyue shouting, "Mother, I think my aunt is not wrong, please let her go!"

Zhao Yuzhang was shocked. What did she say? Did she say she was not wrong?

Over the years, everyone said that she was wrong, even she herself felt that she was wrong, but Zhao Mingyue said that she was not wrong. Zhao Yuzhang was almost in tears.

But she hated crying the most, and she would scold anyone who cried in front of her.

She turned her head expressionlessly and looked at Zhao Mingyue. She looked frank and her eyes were extremely clear. "Father denied Aunt's contribution. It was clearly Father who was wrong!"

Looking at Queen Mother Chi again, she was still smiling, but her eyes were deep and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Would she listen to Zhao Mingyue? Zhao Yuzhang couldn't believe it.

Not to mention that they are not biological mother and daughter, even if they are biological mother and daughter, they will still quarrel.

Chi Li chuckled, "Mingyue, this isn't a question of who's right or wrong. Pardoning Princess Zhaoqing is easy, but silencing the ministers, especially our Zhen Yuanshi, is difficult. You have to come up with a reason for me."

Zhen Ruicai was about to faint from anger. Do you think I'm dead? I'm still here!