Chapter 81 [VIP]

There was a commotion in front of the Meridian Gate.

When Shen Xu stepped off the carriage on a footstool, the Imperial Guards had already carried away the Imperial Censor Sun who had rammed his head against the wall.

His boots crunched over the blood on the ground as he walked through the palace gates without looking to the side.

The fact that the imperial censor risked his life to impeach and admonish the monarch is truly a commendable story.

Especially in the previous dynasty, the greatest dream of scholars who aspired to become officials was to one day strike a pillar in the Golden Palace and leave their mark on history. Censor Sun's strike aroused envy among the censors, who praised his uprightness and integrity. Many censors even waited outside the palace gates to request an audience, as if they wanted to emulate Censor Sun's demeanor at the slightest disagreement.

Therefore, it wasn't so appealing to the emperor.

His daughter keeping actors and male lovers was one thing. After all, she was his own daughter, his only legitimate princess, and his first child. As a new father, his heart was soft, and he had held her as she grew up. As for the princes and princesses that followed, apart from Jing'er, he would only glance at them occasionally and ask them a few questions.

Zhaoyang is different.

What's wrong with a favored princess keeping male lovers?

Such things have been common throughout history.

Although the Duke of Anguo fell ill from anger, he was also stabbed in the back by the imperial son-in-law; the two sides evened out. Making the son-in-law kneel was merely to teach him the proper hierarchy between ruler and subject; why are these imperial envoys getting involved?

And there's the Duke of Anguo's mansion!

The wife of the Duke of Anguo inherited the title, but neither attended court nor commanded troops. The emperor was initially pleased with their seemingly law-abiding behavior, but he never expected them to be such cunning individuals. He had truly been deceived by their outward appearance.

There were already quite a few memorials piled up on his desk. The more he looked at them, the angrier he became. He swept several memorials to the ground with a wave of his hand.

Li Deshun dared not say more.

After the emperor fell ill last time, he had been recuperating, but this incident almost caused him to fall ill again.

"emperor."

When Shen Xu stepped into the imperial study, the emperor had already scattered the memorials in disarray.

"What kind of work have you done?" The emperor pointed at his nose and said angrily, "The huge Eastern Depot can't even keep an eye on the capital, and the Duke of Anguo's mansion is causing chaos."

"It's caused such a huge uproar."

"I have completely lost face!"

The emperor threw the memorial in his hand at him fiercely.

A large group of people knelt down in the imperial study.

Shen Xu tilted his head slightly, and the folded document brushed past his ear, falling to the ground with a thud. Immediately, a young eunuch crawled over, picked it up, and handed it to Shen Xu.

The emperor rubbed his tense brow. His vision was blurry, as if veiled, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

"Your Majesty," Shen Xu slowly stepped forward and placed the memorial on the imperial desk, "The Duke of Anguo has been well-behaved in recent years. If he hadn't been forced into this situation, why would he have acted this way? The Imperial Son-in-Law is in poor health and knelt outside Shuntian Gate for a day and a night. Is he alright now?"

The second half of his question was directed at Li Deshun.

Li Deshun shuddered and knelt on the ground, saying, "Before 9 a.m., the Prince Consort fainted."

"Her Majesty the Empress said that the Prince Consort did not reflect on his actions, so she had someone pour a bucket of cold water on him to wake him up. He is still outside Shuntian Gate."

Shen Xu said calmly, “Your Majesty, if anything happens to the Imperial Son-in-Law, leaving him without any children, the Lu family bloodline will be reduced to only Princess Pingjia. According to the precedent set by the founding emperor, the title can only be inherited by Princess Pingjia.”

Princess Pingjia? She married Gu Baibai of the Gu family! Isn't this just giving the title to the Gu family for nothing?! The emperor suddenly stopped rubbing his temples and hurriedly said, "Quickly, let the consort go into the palace to rest."

"Take the imperial physician with you, and summon the chief imperial physician as well!"

Zhao Yang is really something. I told her to have a child soon. If she had a son, or even a daughter, why would she worry about losing her title?

A faint smile played on Shen Xu's crimson lips, while his dark eyes were filled with mockery.

"When Duke Anguo suffered a stroke, the Empress insisted that those were just actors and refused to mention the princess's faults. Taking advantage of your illness and lack of attention, she detained the prince consort and prevented him from returning home. With both of your children on the verge of death, it's understandable that Duke Anguo acted rashly."

The emperor's anger gradually subsided.

Li Deshun was relieved and got up from the ground. He then made a gesture, and the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids stood up one after another without making a sound.

The emperor didn't even glance at them, and said irritably, "These memorials are all impeaching the eldest princess, Ah Xu, what do you say we should do?"

"emperor."

Shen Xu's slender fingers picked up the scattered documents on the table one by one, his movements unhurried: "You also thought it through carefully when you arranged for the Duke of Anguo's heir to marry the princess."

The emperor nodded silently. Yes, at that time, he had only recently ascended the throne.

Sitting on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace, he felt not only excitement at his wish being fulfilled, but also a sense of unease.

Emperor Taizu left him three dukes, each holding a tiger tally. Duke Anguo was the weakest, with few children, and his heir was sickly.

Zhaoyang was his eldest daughter and a legitimate princess, making her a suitable match for Lu Jinyi. As long as she gave birth to a child, whether it was a boy or a girl, the tiger tally of the Duke of Anguo's mansion could be returned to the Xie family bloodline without bloodshed.

But this brat is so clueless.

"The Emperor is a wise ruler."

In just a few words, the emperor's pent-up anger was directed at Zhaoyang.

What a wonderful marriage! The Anguo Duke's family has a small population, and the Emperor's only requirement for Zhaoyang is to give birth to a child as soon as possible. She managed to accomplish such a simple thing.

Unbeknownst to him, Shen Xu subtly nodded to a young eunuch standing at the door, who then quietly left the imperial study.

The emperor grew angrier the more he thought about it. If he had a child, he wouldn't be in this dilemma now!

He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "I told her long ago to give birth to the child as soon as possible, but she completely ignored me. He..."

"Father!"

Accompanied by a spoiled voice, Princess Zhaoyang, dressed in a rouge-colored palace gown, pushed open the door and walked in from outside. The neckline of her dress was very low, revealing her fragrant shoulders and a large expanse of pink skin on her chest.

Shen Xu had already finished organizing the memorials. He straightened up and turned his head to look out the door.

His hair was as black as ink, and his deep red lips made his skin appear sickly pale. His peach blossom eyes seemed to be veiled with a layer of mist, as if he were drunk but not drunk, captivating the soul.

It's really beautiful.

She's prettier than everyone else she's collected.

Especially the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye, so alluring and captivating, made it impossible for her to look away.

Upon seeing him, Zhao Yang felt that even her newly acquired Qingyi Sese was somewhat uninteresting.

Shen Xu lowered his eyes: "Eldest Princess."

Seeing that she stared at Shen Xu as soon as she entered, the emperor's face hardened even more: "Who let you in!?"

Zhao Yang was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses.

It was clearly a eunuch who said that the Emperor wanted to see her; she must have misheard.

The emperor slammed his fist on the table and roared, "You still know how to return to the capital?!"

Zhao Yang was favored not only because she was the eldest daughter, but also because she was adept at reading people's expressions. Seeing the emperor's displeasure, she quickly pleaded, "Father, I was wrong."

She cautiously raised her eyes and saw that the emperor still had a stern face. Zhao Yang thought of the little eunuch who had run to the hot spring resort to deliver the message to her.

The eunuch said that the Duke of Anguo's mansion refused to give up, and the emperor was very angry. He even said that if the princess had given birth to the child earlier, the Duke of Anguo's mansion wouldn't have made such a fuss.

She quickly tried to appease him, saying, "Father, I will have a child with the Prince Consort as soon as possible. Please don't be angry."

It would have been better if she hadn't brought it up; the moment she did, the emperor's anger flared up again.

"You gave birth?"

"Even if you give birth to a child, the Lu family won't acknowledge it."

The emperor said fiercely.

Zhao Yang pouted and said, "The Lu family wouldn't dare say anything. As long as he's my son, that's enough."

emperor:"……"

The fact that she could say such a thing means that she has no intention of apologizing to the prince consort and living a good life together.

She clearly wanted to have a child of unknown father and force the Lu family to accept it.

If it were before, if she had accidentally gotten pregnant, it would have been fine to secretly give birth. But now that it's caused such a huge uproar and things have gotten this bad, if she continues to act this way, it would be blatantly saying that this is a bastard child.

No matter what, the Lu family was still a Duke's mansion personally bestowed by the founding emperor. Zhao Yang had been absurd for so many years, and Lu Jinyi had tolerated it all without ever doing anything against it.

Are they forcing the Lu family to acknowledge it?

If he were to actually do that, he would be bombarded with criticism from the court, and the imperial palace would be filled with censors who had died by crashing into things.

This emperor will surely be "marked in history"! But it will be a name of infamy.

Ah Xu was saying that he didn't marry his daughter off to that man to make an enemy.

Now, it has completely deviated from his original intention.

The emperor said wearily, "That's enough."

Zhao Yang looked at him cautiously, feeling as if she had said something wrong.

"You and Lu Jinyi should get a divorce."

"Father!" Zhao Yang stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with Lu Jinyi.

Lu Jinyi is too refined, speaking and acting in a slow and gentle manner. He is not open and uninhibited in bed, and it is not interesting at all.

However, this does not mean that she wants a divorce. If the Duke of Anguo's mansion makes a fuss and she obediently agrees to a divorce, what will become of her dignity as the eldest princess? Moreover, the Duke of Anguo's mansion is one of the most prestigious families in Daqi. No matter who she marries again, it will not be as glorious as it is now.

"I will not divorce."

"If you refuse to divorce, I will have Lu Jinyi write a letter of divorce."

"Father, I am your daughter." Zhao Yang was furious. She rushed over in three steps, placed her hands on the imperial desk, leaned forward, and tried to get closer to the emperor to act coquettishly.

She didn't notice at all that as she bent over, the wide neckline revealed a large expanse of her chest, her snow-white skin adorned with patches of warm, ambiguous blush.

Even if the emperor had poor eyesight, he could see everything clearly from that close up.

"presumptuous!"

The emperor slapped her across the face, and before Zhaoyang could react, a tremendous force struck her face, knocking her to the ground.

She covered her face, incredulous.

Her father actually hit her?

From childhood to adulthood, her father would at most scold her, but never lay a hand on her.

The last time her father was this angry was because she had asked him for Shen Xu before her wedding. Her father had scolded her severely then, but since that was the case, he hadn't laid a hand on her.

Zhao Yang's heart pounded. She was a princess, and her favor came from her father, the emperor. Without his love, she was nothing.

Her cheeks burned with pain, but she didn't dare to cry or make a scene. She obediently knelt down.

The emperor's eyes were icy cold as he expressionlessly ordered, "Go and have Lu Jinyi write a letter of divorce. I will make the decision for him."

"Even though she is a princess, I will not protect my own daughter."

Li Deshun quickly obeyed. Yuege

Soon, a signed and sealed letter of divorce was delivered to the Imperial Study, accompanied by the Imperial Physician. The physician, who had been ordered to examine Lu Jinyi, returned to report that Lu Jinyi had a high fever and was in poor spirits; if it had been any later, even a miracle might not have been able to save her.

The emperor was furious at the thought that Lu Jinyi had almost died.

He tossed the letter of divorce to Zhaoyang and said coldly, "Your title of Princess Zhaoyang is revoked, your fief is stripped, and you are fined 30,000 taels of silver. Go back to the princess's residence. You are not to enter the palace without an imperial edict."

The letter of divorce floated to Zhaoyang's face, the bright red fingerprints on it glaringly obvious.

Can't enter the palace?

A princess who can't enter the palace—is she still a princess? Who in the entire capital would even look at her? She'll become a laughingstock. For Lu Jinyi, even her father disowns his daughter?

Zhao Yang prostrated herself on the ground, truly terrified, and choked out, "Father, I was wrong."

"go out."

"Father..."

"go out!"

The emperor seemed to grit his teeth in anger, and immediately two eunuchs came over and presented a petition to Zhaoyang.

Seeing the emperor's increasingly cold and stern expression, Zhao Yang finally stood up tremblingly.

"You are not allowed to go to the inner palace. You are ruining the Empress's reputation."

Zhao Yang shuddered; those words interrupted her thought of pleading with the Empress. She lowered her head and hurried out, only letting out a sigh of relief once the door to the Imperial Study had closed behind her.

"What do you mean that the Empress's reputation has been tarnished by me?"

Zhao Yang grabbed the eunuch's arm, her face still red and swollen from tears. She said fiercely, "Speak! Even if I lose power, it would be easy for me to kill a eunuch like you."

“Princess, it is…” The little eunuch recounted how the Duke of Anguo had taken her male favorites on a tour of the city, “so, the censor impeached him. The Emperor was furious.”

Zhao Yang had just returned to the capital and was unaware of these things; upon hearing this, she felt a chill run down her spine.

That old hag, Duke Anguo, even on her deathbed, still wants to harm her?

Zhao Yang shook off the eunuch and stormed out of the palace in a fit of rage.

She felt stifled and didn't take the carriage. She walked forward with a gloomy expression, her long skirt trailing on the ground, no longer the proud and arrogant princess she once was.

"Sister Zhaoyang."

A light, crisp voice called out to her from behind. Zhao Yang turned around and saw Ji Nanke walking quickly toward her. Ji Nanke's hair was disheveled by the wind, indicating that she had been waiting there for quite some time.

"Sister Zhaoyang, are you alright?" Ji Nanke asked worriedly. "I heard that there's trouble at the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and I'm afraid you've been harmed."

Even in her current state of destitution, Ke'er still cares about her. Zhao Yang was deeply moved and hugged Ji Nan Ke.

"Ke'er, you're the best."

"I'm glad you're alright."

Ji Nanke looked at her swollen cheeks with heartache, and hesitated before saying, "Princess, I shouldn't have spread rumors, but you treat me like a sister, and I can't just stand by and watch you suffer."

Zhao Yang paused, holding her arm, and said urgently, "Tell me quickly."

Ji Nanke, behind the curtain, said: "Duke Anguo suffered a stroke and is bedridden; it is Third Master Gu who has been running back and forth to help him."

Zhao Yang's breath hitched for a moment. She lowered her voice and said, word by word, "The Gu family is the one who harmed me? I have no grudge against the Gu family..."

“Sister Zhaoyang, you defended me and my aunt during the ceremony,” Ji Nanke sighed softly. “It was because I was the one who was blamed.”

"I wanted to remind you, but a new cousin has come to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She's also the fiancée of Admiral Gong, and everyone in the mansion is swaying around her. I finally managed to get out, but you still ended up suffering the consequences."

Zhao Yang felt a chill run through his body, and his chest throbbed with rage.

"What fiancée? She's just a new thing that Gong Hai has his eye on."

She had heard about it too.

"The Gu family is forcibly keeping them here; are they trying to offend Gong Hai...?"

Before the words were finished, the palace gates not far away opened, and a sedan chair was carried out. Lu Jinyi was clearly reclining on the sedan chair.

A carriage that had been parked in front of the palace gate for a long time lifted its curtain, and two servants got out of the carriage and helped Lu Jinyi into the carriage. From behind the lifted curtain, a profile was faintly visible, clearly Gu Baibai.

Gu Baibai was once known as the Jade-Faced General. Like Lu Jinyi, he came from a military family, but Gu Baibai was completely different from the useless Lu Jinyi. He was handsome and gentle. When he returned to the capital to present the captives, he sat on his horse, his armor solemn, and he was as heroic as a war god.

She had been watching him for a long time and recognized him at a glance.

It's because she's so family-oriented that she's trying to harm her!

The carriage did not linger at the Meridian Gate before departing.

After Gu Baibai sent the person back to the Duke of Anguo's mansion, not only did the emperor specially send an imperial physician to visit, but Gu Baibai also arranged for a doctor to stay at the mansion.

Gu Baibai stayed until his fever subsided before taking her leave.

After regaining consciousness, Lu Jinyi learned the whole story from his mother, Duke Anguo. He knew that he was only able to survive because of the Gu family's efforts on his behalf. Otherwise, he might not only have been divorced, but he might have even lost his life.

"Go and fetch that wooden box from my study, the sandalwood one."

The servant was stunned.

That was the young master's most treasured possession; he wouldn't even open it himself to admire it.

The servant readily agreed and hurried off to fetch it.

The wooden box was very long, about three feet in length.

Lu Jinyi cherished it and held it in her arms as they slept. The next morning, she took the wooden box and personally visited the Zhenguo Duke's mansion.

Today is also my nephew Xu'er's third-day celebration. He made sure to arrive early so as not to delay the Gu family's reception.

He arrived.

Gu Baibai, along with Gu Zhizhuo and his sister, greeted him and led him to her residence in the outer courtyard.

Gu Zhizhuo scrutinized his features; his face was pale, and he appeared weak and frail. He was carrying a long wooden box, and his exposed hands had many thin calluses; his arms were thin but strong. His third aunt always said that her brother resembled neither his father nor his mother, but more like the old Duke, and was rather plain-looking.

After sitting down, Lu Jinyi said slowly, "It would be too formal for me to say thank you to Abai."

The Gu family has no shortage of gold and silver.

"This took me ten years to complete, and it should be useful to the Gu family."

A note from the author: