Chapter 15: Princess, why do you think that someone standing at the pinnacle of power...
"Your Majesty, I have recently heard a folk song being sung throughout the Jin capital. It goes like this: 'The canary, delicate in its cage; the tears of the Jin people, cast into the ditch; the Liang people feast, surrounded by music and singing.' It's a popular topic of discussion, and I dare not disregard it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of many officials in the central military tent changed suddenly, and the sound of whispers arose.
Suddenly, Minister Feng coughed lightly, and all the discussions in the court stopped.
He straightened his clothes and stepped out of the ranks, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, this rumor is extremely poisonous and must be carefully considered! The canary refers to the Princess of Li State. Your Majesty's repeated favors may seem lenient, but this could easily lead Li State to misunderstand that Your Majesty intends to take a concubine. The Jin people's tears directly refer to the plight of the former Jin princess. If the remaining people of Jin compare the treatment of the two princesses, they will surely feel the same grief. Furthermore, the words of the Liang people's banquet, while not stated explicitly, imply that the court is indifferent to the people's feelings and does not value foreign relations."
Before he finished speaking, he lifted his clothes and knelt on the ground, saying in a loud voice: "I hope Your Majesty will make a quick decision on this matter to set things right and bring peace to the world!"
"Lord Feng is absolutely right!" Zhao Yan walked steadily out of the court. "I shouldn't have remonstrated again. However, the Liang Renyan banquet, though obscure, could easily shake the morale of the army. I humbly hope that Your Majesty will carefully examine public opinion, calm the troops, and make a swift decision to preserve the overall situation!"
Xiao Chengjing's face was as gloomy as water, and he glanced coldly at the ministers who held their breath and bowed their heads.
He knew clearly that Yuwen Bo was unwilling to accept the elimination of his secret agent, so he instigated the old Jin family to spread rumors.
He paused for a moment, then spoke, "I am aware of your concerns. Rumors are intended to alienate the ruler and his subjects, incite the people of Jin, and disrupt the newly established order in Daliang!"
"I have received the mandate of Heaven to attack the unjust Jin Dynasty, not to slaughter its descendants." He paused briefly, his tone rising slightly. Although not harsh, he carried a calm authority. "If the treatment of the Yuwen family is truly unbearable, it is due to the dereliction of duty of the lower officials. I will investigate thoroughly!"
"Also..." He raised his chin slightly, speaking slowly, "To reassure the people of Jin, I wish to take Jiang with me to visit the Yuwen family, to demonstrate my benevolence and fairness in my treatment of the hostages."
"Your Majesty..." Minister Feng took a deep breath.
The breath was stuck in his throat for a while, and finally turned into a sigh along with all the advice in his heart.
He stood up and slowly walked back to the train.
Seeing that Xiao Chengjing completely avoided the controversy surrounding his consort, and that Minister Feng had also ignored it, Zhao Yan bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise! Your personal visit to comfort the Yuwen family truly demonstrates the emperor's benevolence. If you extend further grace and support, the rumors will naturally be dispelled. As for the matter of Princess Liguo accompanying him..." At this point, he dared not elaborate, but only said solemnly, "I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will prioritize the country and behave in accordance with propriety and law, and refrain from causing further trouble from outsiders."
The sun's shadow was in the court, and the court meeting was just ending.
The half incense stick of time in the afternoon is the only time Shu Yao can take a breath in these days.
Unable to leave the alley, she moved a stool and sat down next to the door frame.
Sometimes he looked up at the wandering clouds in the sky, and sometimes he leaned forward to listen to the floating sounds of the market at the alley entrance.
She would stay as long as Xiao Chengjing allowed her to.
After all, it is a rare employee benefit.
That day, Shu Yao was sitting by the door.
Not far away, a couple hurried over. The wife was complaining incessantly. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but every word she heard went into her ears.
"You damned bastard! How could you be so careless!" The wife held her husband's bleeding hand, clearly heartbroken, but her words came out as reproaches, "You've been chopping vegetables all day without any sense of propriety. Now that the medicine for your injuries has run out, I don't know if the clinic will accept us... If your hand is broken, who will carry rice and firewood in the future? Will the whole family starve?"
Hearing the words "the supply of medicine for injuries has been cut off", Shu Yao couldn't help but hold her breath.
Suddenly, I thought of Lu Xiaolang. If the medicine for the wounds was cut off, would the other medicines also...
"Madam Jiang." Cui Jinzhong called out, interrupting her thoughts.
Seeing Cui Jinzhong, Shu Yao quickly stood up from the stool and nodded slightly, "Manager Cui."
She didn't ask much, and Cui Jinzhong didn't need to say much.
His appearance is enough to explain everything.
Shu Yao could only comfort herself by saying that she would just deal with it for a few more days for Chuntao.
Although she was helpless, she still had secret hope.
The window has been completely sawed open, just waiting for the Lantern Festival to escape when the fireworks go off.
Shu Yao followed Cui Jinzhong to the familiar carriage. When she looked up, she found that there were several more guards than last time.
Sighing inwardly, she stepped onto the stone bench and got into the car.
When I entered the car, I saw Xiao Chengjing sitting in the main seat. His indigo uniform made his face look like cold jade and his eyes like deep pools.
"No need to be polite." He waved his hand and told her to sit down, then asked, "How has Jiang Qing been these days?"
When your boss speaks, you have to respond.
Although Shu Yao was extremely reluctant, she had to force herself to stay calm and mumbled, "Thanks to Your Majesty, I can sit at the door for half an incense stick every day. It's much more comfortable than being trapped in the hostage house all day long."
He was not annoyed, but just looked at her with a smile.
Suddenly, there was a deep crunching sound, like the humming of an ancient beast.
Shu Yao had only heard this sound when the palace gate opened, and she couldn't help but shudder.
The memory of being blocked in the depths of the corridor by a few dandies from the State of Jin flashed through his mind.
The feeling of powerlessness from the past was diluted by doubts before it even emerged.
What was Xiao Chengjing's purpose in bringing her to Jin Palace?
The carriage slowly stopped, facing a deserted garden in the Jin Palace.
But the red gate was painted with mottled paint, weeds grew on the wall, and it was quiet everywhere. There was not even a eunuch guarding the gate.
Before she could even push the door open, she heard a crisp clang from inside, followed by a sharp female voice: "Fool! You can't even hold a cup of tea properly, are you deliberately trying to scald me?" The female voice suddenly deepened, each word carrying a chilling chill. "Go get some cold water! If you behave so disrespectfully again, I'll drag you out and give you twenty strokes of the cane!"
A little palace maid, holding broken porcelain pieces, rushed out of the door in a panic and almost bumped into Xiao Chengjing.
When he looked up and saw the person coming, his face turned pale and he fell to his knees. He didn't dare to raise his head or speak, and just trembled.
Xiao Chengjing walked straight into the hall.
Shu Yao followed closely behind.
But the once flamboyant and bright only daughter of the Jin emperor was now emaciated and curled up on the main seat.
Shu Yao couldn't help but clench her sleeves.
The bright sunlight poured in from the gap in the palace door, burning the former Jin princess Yuwen Zhao so much that she had to squint her eyes.
After identifying the visitor, Yuwen Zhao's breathing quickened, his shoulders trembling slightly. He pointed directly at Xiao Chengjing, his words filled with resentment of having his dignity trampled upon: "Is this how you treat guests in the Liang Kingdom?"
Before Xiao Chengjing could speak, Yuwen Zhao's gaze pierced Shu Yao again, raising an eyebrow. "Haven't seen you for a few days? Have you forgotten the proper etiquette of respecting your superiors and inferiors? You don't even know the proper manners when meeting me?" She raised her arms suddenly, her sleeves fluttering. "Someone, teach this hostage what etiquette means!"
Shu Yao understood that Yuwen Zhao was not a bad person by nature, but he spoke ill of him because he suddenly fell from the clouds into the quagmire.
Naturally, I wouldn't bother with her, I was just a little confused about how to end this matter.
While thinking about it, he quietly looked over at Xiao Chengjing.
Xiao Chengjing was standing with his hands behind his back when he happened to meet Shu Yao's wandering gaze, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
The big hand behind her gently waved, indicating that she should ignore it.
He turned to look at the palace maids standing in the corner with their heads bowed: "Is this how you serve Yuwen?"
The voice was not loud, but it made several people shudder.
Several palace maids were from the old Jin Dynasty. When they saw the king of the destroyed country launching an attack, they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed like pounding garlic.
When Yuwen Zhao saw this scene, he was shocked all over.
He pointed at Xiao Chengjing, then at Shu Yao, and laughed out loud: "You! You guys! You guys are here to laugh at me, right?"
As she laughed, the tears in her eyes could no longer be held back and rolled down her cheeks.
She didn't even wipe it off, but stared at Shu Yao with tearful eyes: "Jiang Shu Yao, ask yourself! Have I ever bullied you in the Jin Palace in the past?!"
Seeing Shu Yao's head hanging in silence, the blood in her chest suddenly stagnated. She staggered back half a step, muttering, "No wonder... No wonder the Crown Prince is always around you, but you take advantage of everything... No wonder Third Brother said that you retreat to advance, and are a master at manipulating men..." As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed the collar of her clothes, her knuckles white, "I was so foolish as to defend you..."
"Ha!" She laughed out loud, looking up. "Now I see! Third brother was right! You really do have great ambitions! And deep scheming!" Her eyes gradually lost their luster. "You left the crown prince behind, waiting for the emperor to come!"
Shu Yao stood in the hall, feeling that every word pierced her heart and every sentence was sharp, poking at the old scars that she least wanted to look back on.
Just at this moment, the little palace maid who had been kicked out earlier came into the hall holding a cup of cold tea.
Shu Yao knew that answering the question at this moment would only give her an excuse, so she simply bowed to Xiao Chengjing, took the tea tray from the little palace maid, and said to her gently, "Let me do it, you leave first."
The little palace maid was as if pardoned. She glanced at the palace maids kneeling together and hurriedly ran away.
Shu Yao glanced at the green jade cup and white silk handkerchief on the tea tray, and a plan came to her mind.
When she placed the tea tray on the table, she quietly put the handkerchief into her sleeve.
Shu Yao then turned to Xiao Chengjing and bowed gracefully, clasping her hands before her forehead, revealing only a hint of her white wrists. She spoke calmly, "Your Majesty, we understand that our former master's words and actions today are a result of grief for his homeland." Her composure, as if she were discussing other matters, "I beg Your Majesty to pity his folly and forgive this indiscretion in front of the palace."
After saying that, she bowed slightly, her eyes always downcast, not even glancing at Yuwen Zhao from the corner of her eye.
Seeing Shu Yao so calm and composed, Xiao Chengjing clenched his fists in his sleeves.
I originally thought that the Jin royal family would at most bully the hostages, but I didn't expect that they would have such dirty thoughts.
If I had known this would happen, I would have cut those villains into pieces when the country was destroyed!
Although he was burning with anger, he didn't want to lose face in front of Shu Yao.
His eyes turned and settled on Yuwen Zhao. His gaze was as cold as if he was looking at an insignificant defective product. He spoke word by word, "How could I care about the words of a mad woman?"
Then, he swept his gaze towards the several palace maids kneeling beside Yuwen Zhao, and said in a chilling voice, "Come here! Drag these slaves who are bullying their master away and beat them to death!"
The guards rushed into the hall in an instant and dragged the palace maids out regardless of their pleas.
Seeing this, Shu Yao immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty!" she called out, attempting to stop this absurd act of violence. "Your Majesty, please understand. There are rumors circulating that the people of Jin shed tears and threw them into the ditch. Beating the palace maids today wouldn't just give them an advantage. I beg Your Majesty to punish them with a little punishment, but not to take their lives."
Xiao Chengjing's eyes dimmed suddenly, and then he sneered, "So what if I give them a handle?"
Shu Yao felt cold all over.
What is she thinking?
Why does she think that a man at the pinnacle of power would be cautious in his actions?
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