Chapter 75 All that steely resolve melts into tenderness…
The first time Tang Xinuan did something "bad," she locked someone up in a private dungeon without even convicting them.
He is still a high-ranking official of the first rank, Grand Tutor Yao.
It's hard not to feel guilty.
She wasn't afraid of the incident being exposed, but she was afraid that Erlang would get angry and punish her.
However, if Erlang doesn't stand by her side, she'll abandon Erlang as well.
She was determined to avenge the massacre of her entire family, and she would not let any of the masterminds or accomplices get away with it.
Grand Tutor Yao accepted 100,000 taels of silver from Grand Tutor Wang, and he will have to pay the price for his greed.
As for perilla, forsythia, astragalus, and lily, they are all insiders.
She had already given instructions not to tell the prince.
Anyone who leaks the information will be driven away; she will never keep a disloyal person by her side.
"Xiaoqian, keep an eye on things."
The two, master and servant, were of one mind; Tang Xinuan could understand Xiaoqian with just a glance.
She secretly observed all night and found no one complaining to the prince.
Before going to sleep that night, Xiaoqian told Tang Xinuan, "At least for now, it's believable. I'll keep an eye on it and inform you immediately if I find anything."
Tang Xinuan nodded thoughtfully, "His Highness is busy and cannot attend to this matter."
Xiaoqian asked, "What do we do next?"
Tang Xinuan already had a plan: "Huang Qi went to see Liu Cheng today, but he wasn't home. We'll go in person tomorrow."
After they finished talking, they planned to go to sleep.
Zhou Chuanxing was preoccupied with both the imperial examinations and handling state affairs.
This evening, the Emperor woke up for a while, and I personally stayed by his side to serve him medicine.
The Empress hesitated, clearly wanting to ask the Emperor to pardon the Grand Tutor, but because he was present, she hadn't found an opportunity.
After the emperor fell asleep, he ordered the eunuchs in charge of guarding the palace to be careful whenever the empress was present.
Before leaving the palace, the empress stopped him and gave him a sarcastic reprimand.
The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Prince Duan and Chu Yanqing were already married.
He didn't attend in order to maintain the performance's effect.
Prince Duan got extremely drunk at the banquet and ran outside the Emperor's palace on his wedding night to vent his frustrations.
It was the Empress who calmed him down and ordered someone to send Prince Duan back.
In the Empress's eyes, Zhou Chuanxing and Prince Duan had completely broken up because of a woman.
The imperial decree from the Empress requesting that Eunuch Wei be granted the title of Duke has been delivered to his desk in the Xiaoqinzheng Hall.
Official appointments made by the previous dynasty are ineffective without the decree of the regent.
He's holding back the approval; it hasn't been approved yet.
The Empress harbored delusions that the Grand Tutor's mansion could rise again.
After scolding the man with the air of an elder sister-in-law, she proposed a marriage alliance.
"Your cousin from your aunt's side is already an adult and is a beauty of unparalleled grace. You are also getting on in years and cannot be left unattended. Why don't you take charge and make her a concubine, and hold the wedding before the new year?"
The Empress dared not even dream of the position of Regent's Consort.
My cousin is smart. In a year or two, she'll give birth to a prince, and making him her official wife will be a piece of cake.
Although the royal family has fallen, their father is still alive, and their foundation remains. As long as they can please the regent, they can be reinstated at any time.
Zhou Chuanxing has chosen Tang Xinuan, and he is committed to being with her for life. How could he marry someone else?
However, since his sister-in-law was in charge and the wedding was still a long way off, he didn't need to refuse on the spot.
"Chuanxing has no parents, and his elder brother is seriously ill. I will trouble you, sister-in-law, to take care of everything for Chuanxing. You are in charge."
The Empress was uneasy about Zhou Chuanxing's quick agreement.
Don't let it be like last time, when she had just arranged the marriage and he was already plotting murder.
However, this is also the younger sister's fault for her chaotic private life, daring to cuckold this ruthless killer.
This cousin was chosen from among many relatives.
She is flawless in both character and appearance, and is also intelligent and beautiful; she is guaranteed to win Zhou Chuanxing's heart.
“Cousin Ying’er is a rare beauty in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She was personally taught by the old lady since childhood and has never met any men. She is truly a pure and virtuous young lady. Second brother, you will know her beauty once you marry her. She is also intelligent and will definitely be able to manage your royal palace well, so that you will not have any worries.”
Zhou Chuanxing said politely, "Chuanxing is truly grateful for the Empress's trouble. It is Chuanxing's good fortune to marry such a beautiful woman."
The Empress was fairly satisfied with Zhou Chuanxing's performance.
But my heart was inexplicably filled with unease.
After Zhou Chuan left, she summoned Eunuch Wei and asked, "Tell me, does the second son really want to marry her, or is he just going through the motions and plotting something else?"
Eunuch Wei guessed, "Miss Chu has gotten married, so the Prince must be heartbroken and would be willing to date any woman."
The Empress, unsure of Zhou Chuanxing's temperament, said, "That's for the best."
Not long after returning to her palace, she suddenly received a secret letter from the Grand Tutor's mansion. After reading it, her expression changed drastically, and she immediately sent someone out to deal with it.
Eunuch Wei wanted to find out the contents of the secret letter the Empress had received, but unfortunately the Empress did not fully trust him and had no way of knowing for the time being.
When Zhou Chuanxing returned to the Prince's Mansion, it was already very late at night.
Upon hearing the report from the pottery jar, the little girl locked Grand Tutor Yao in the dungeon of the Prince's mansion and whipped him twenty times.
Such a gentle and delicate girl has such courage.
This really surprised him.
"Go and draft a supplementary investigation order for Grand Tutor Yao. Also, starting tomorrow, you will follow Miss Tang and make sure to protect her safety."
Miss Tang is unaware of the situation; please remind her.
This was the first time Zhou Chuanxing had given so many instructions to his subordinates, and he still felt there were still some oversights.
"By the way, put the evidence of Yao Taifu's crimes, along with the key to the secret room, on Yao Lin's desk."
Tao Guan had been with Zhou Chuan for over a decade, and he could quickly understand the deeper meaning behind his master's mere glance.
Giving Yao Lin those two items was a way of forcing him to choose sides.
"Your Highness, what if Yao Lin chooses the Grand Tutor?"
Zhou Chuanxing coldly replied, "I do not accept disloyal people."
The pottery jar understood. "I'll take care of it right away."
He had just heard from the spy that Miss Tang had actually imprisoned Grand Tutor Yao in the dungeon, and he thought the prince would reprimand Miss Tang.
He had already prepared his plea for leniency.
Miss Tang is simple-minded and thinks in a straightforward manner, so she begs the prince to spare her.
Unexpectedly, the prince issued a supplementary investigation order.
This means they don't want Grand Tutor Yao to walk out of prison alive.
It's as if the young girl committed murder, and the prince buried her body for her.
The prince is spoiling Miss Tang way too much.
Tang Xinuan was unaware that Erlang already knew about Yao Taifu's matter.
She climbed into bed and lay down when she heard someone push the door open and enter the room. There was no one else but Erlang.
The little girl, who was just yawning, suddenly perked up.
"Erlang, why are you so late? Aren't you tired?"
She got out of bed naked and rushed over to help the man take off his outer robe.
This was the first time Tang Xinuan had helped Zhou Chuan change his clothes.
Zhou Chuanxing suppressed a smile as he sized up his little girl.
Wearing a pale yellow undergarment, the little girl looked even more gentle and well-behaved under the warm, soft lamplight.
"So well-behaved?"
Tang Xinuan smiled sweetly, just like when they first met, pure and innocent.
Her eyes sparkled with a gentle smile. "Does taking care of Erlang count as being good? Then I'll be this good every day from now on, okay?"
Zhou Chuanxing's steely resolve melted into tenderness, and he reached out to embrace the person.
"good."
He playfully pinched the little girl's nose, "Tell Erlang, what did you do today?"
Tang Xinuan downplayed the issue, saying, "I investigated several of the presiding judges who tried the Tang family back then. One is dead, and another lives outside the city. I plan to go there in person tomorrow."
She asked with a hint of ingratiation, "Erlang won't stop me, will he?"
Zhou Chuanxing already felt guilty for not having time to accompany her on the trip himself, so how could he possibly stop her?
"Let the pottery jar come with you, and also bring Zisu and the others along."
Tang Xinuan was certain she wouldn't risk it alone. "Don't worry, I'll bring everything with me. I guarantee we'll come back safely."
Zhou Chuanxing was still worried and added, "It would be best if he cooperated. If he didn't, I'll send someone to secretly bring him back."
Tang Xinuan understood, "I know how to protect myself."
Zhou Chuanxing asked intentionally, "Just these two presiding judges?"
Tang Xinuan was lying for the first time and was inevitably feeling guilty. "There is another one, which is Grand Tutor Yao."
Zhou Chuanxing, suppressing a wicked grin, asked, "Will Erlang call the people over for you?"
"No need, no need," Tang Xinuan hurriedly stopped her. "He's in the capital, we're not afraid he'll run away. No rush, no rush, we can find him later."
The little girl has grown up and now they have secrets from him.
Zhou Chuanxing sighed inwardly, but pretended to know nothing.
"Remember, in Erlang's heart, nothing in the world is more important than you. Do what you can do, and if you can't, come back to Erlang and he will help you."
“Okay, I remember,” Tang Xinuan replied obediently and sensibly. “I know that Erlang is good to me. Yesterday, when my cousin falsely accused the Emperor of being an accomplice, I didn’t believe him.”
I asked Lord Li today, and he said the Tang family was wrongly accused in the third year of Emperor Mingzhe's reign. Once I find out the truth, if Emperor Mingzhe was truly an accomplice, I will dig up his grave.
The usually well-behaved, sensible, and innocent girl suddenly revealed a murderous intent in her eyes.
Zhou Chuanxing understood that the little girl's desire for revenge was more important than anything else.
They've reached a point where they can kill anyone who gets in their way.
As her fiancé, the girl's grudge is his grudge.
We vow to make Grand Tutor Wang pay for his crimes in blood.
“I’m so happy that Nuannuan trusts me so much.”
When we dig the grave in the future, you'll stand by and direct, and I'll personally help you dig it.
Tang Xinuan was shocked. "Mingzhe is your family, isn't he?"
By calculation, Mingzhe is Zhou Chuanxing's cousin.
He would naturally acknowledge a wise ruler, but even if he were his own father, he would still have to uphold righteousness and eliminate his own relatives if he was a foolish ruler.
"It's alright if we're distant relatives."
The two didn't chat for long, even though Zhou Chuanxing was very reluctant to leave.
But the little girl's eyelids were heavy, and he couldn't bear to overwork her, who had only recently recovered.
After planting a kiss on her head, he hardened his heart and left the room.
Despite her resentment, Tang Xinuan was simple-minded and fell asleep soon after lying in bed.
The next day, after breakfast, she led a group of people to Peach Blossom Slope.
Unfortunately, they were too late.
Liu Cheng's entire family of thirty-one people was slaughtered; not a single one survived.
Tang Xinuan was shocked and frightened to see so many dead people for the first time, and she held onto Xiaoqian tightly, refusing to let go.
If Liu Cheng hadn't committed evil deeds back then, how could he have ended up with his entire family being wiped out?
"Miss, who did this? So cruel, they didn't even spare a child who is only a few years old."
Liu Cheng was holding a child who looked about five or six years old tightly in his arms.
Liu Cheng was stabbed multiple times, while the child died from a single stab wound.
Tang Xinuan recalled her childhood.
When she was only five years old, she was sent to the Marquis's mansion. Her father held her small shoulders and repeatedly told her, "Remember that you are a fool. Only fools can survive."
Unfortunately, Liu Cheng's descendants didn't even have the chance to pretend to be stupid.
"Report it to the authorities," Tang Xinuan instructed Tao Guan, "and then help with the funeral arrangements."
The earthenware jar readily accepted the order, saying, "Understood."
Chu Yannuo followed Tang Xinuan all the way to Peach Blossom Slope, where he saw that the Liu residence was full of corpses lying haphazardly, with blood splattered all over the ground.
Worried that his cousin was scared, he rushed over to protect her, saying, "Don't be afraid, cousin, I'm here, don't be afraid."
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