"So Qiu Jie is Bai Zhiyi. I never imagined she could go to such lengths."
After hearing Yang Yaozu's story, Su Wan found it unbelievable. She had also heard rumors that Bai Zhiyi was dead, but she never imagined that not only was she alive, but she was living such an extraordinary life.
Why did she depose Consort Li and kill the emperor in the capital?
Yang Yaozu still feels lingering fear when he recalls everything that happened in Beijing.
"Thinking about it now still gives me the creeps. She used her status as a goddess to get close to His Majesty, first accusing Consort Li of poisoning him, thus gaining His Majesty's trust. Then, by promising to save Consort Li's life, she used Consort Li's letters to control the Fifth Prince's army. She even used me as a scapegoat. Luckily, I was quick-witted enough to run away beforehand."
He didn't know what happened to Bai Zhiyi after she killed Emperor Kangping. But judging from what Bai Zhiyi had done, she was definitely safe and sound.
He had never seen a woman who could so easily outmaneuver a king, empress, and princes.
"Why did she go back on her word and try to poison the emperor?" Su Wan was surprised but still somewhat confused. "Didn't you say that the emperor had improved a lot after taking the medicine? If she wanted to poison him, she should have done it sooner. Why wait so long?"
Yang Yaozu said, "I don't know either. But we had just returned from the Shenji Cannon camp that day, and she wanted to deploy the Shenji Cannons to attack Xiping Pass."
Su Wan asked, "The Divine Cannon?"
She didn't know much about military weapons, but she had heard that cannons had a nickname: the god of war.
Bai Zhiyi had always secretly loved Wei Jingzhuo, so why did she deploy cannons to attack Xiping Pass? Using cannons to besiege a city is hardly an expression of love.
Yang Yaozu said, "It was a cannon cast in bronze. I only saw it for the first time when I went there with her. The generals said that only His Majesty could use the cannons when he personally led the army, so we returned to the capital. On the way, she told me that she wanted to ask His Majesty to personally lead the army. I never expected that when we got back..."
Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the generals reject Bai Zhiyi's request, saying, "Since she wanted the emperor to personally lead the expedition, she shouldn't have poisoned him."
Yang Yaozu slapped his forehead: "I remember now. When we arrived at His Majesty's room, His Majesty was scolding the Fifth Prince, saying that the Fifth Prince had ruined his imperial edict."
"And then?" Su Wan pressed.
Yang Yaozu said with a wry smile, "Then Bai Zhiyi asked me to prepare the medicine. His Majesty gets angry and throws things at people, so I thought I could take this opportunity to leave, and that's why I went to the pharmacy."
“I think I understand,” Su Wan said. “The emperor is dead. I must tell A Jin this news immediately. I don’t know if he will be saddened to hear it.”
After Emperor Kangping was killed, she didn't know whether Wei Jingzhuo would be happy or sad.
The poison in Wei Jingzhuo's body was administered by Emperor Kangping, but at least he was Emperor Kangping's son.
Yang Yaozu said, "Emperor Kangping was not Wei Jingzhuo's real father. Wei Jingzhuo's biological father was Lu Xiuyuan, the eldest son of the Lu family, one of the three heroes of the Western Expedition."
Su Wan was taken aback and asked, "You're not kidding, are you?"
I remember Lu Xiuyuan died suddenly on his way back, and Emperor Kangping married Zhao Ran as his empress. Does that mean Lu Xiuyuan and Zhao Ran had already consummated their marriage?
Yang Yaozu said, "At a time like this, what am I joking about? I serve His Majesty every day and am also responsible for relaying messages to Consort Li. I've known this secret for a long time."
Su Wan suddenly realized.
No wonder Emperor Kangping sent assassins to hunt down Wei Jingzhuo so frequently after deposing him. She had wondered why a biological father would hunt down his own son like that. Turns out, he'd been cuckolded; no wonder.
As she was pondering, Yang Yaozu said, "Cousin, you must hurry back to Xiping Pass. Bai Zhiyi and Consort Li have conspired to lure the Southern Chu army into the country, seemingly planning to join forces with the Fifth Prince to attack Xiping Pass."
Bai Zhiyi poisoned Emperor Kangping, but made him a scapegoat, leading to the execution of his entire family. Compared to what Su Wan had done, he now hated Bai Zhiyi even more.
Once the target of his hatred shifted, he noticed that Su Wan wasn't as angry anymore.
Not to mention that Su Wan is the only person who can protect him.
Su Wan was startled by his words and jumped up from her chair: "You mean the Southern Chu army is going to attack Xiping Pass?"
The news Yang Yaozu revealed was more and more explosive than the last, and she couldn't keep up with it all.
Yang Yaozu said, "It's absolutely true. If I'm not mistaken, the Southern Chu army is probably already close to entering Youzhou territory."
"How do you know so much?" Su Wan asked.
Although Yang Yaozu told most of the truth, he still didn't dare to say that he had intercepted the urgent reports from the border. He only said, "Consort Li often sends me on missions. Of course, I would also listen in on her dealings with Bai Zhiyi."
Su Wan was so excited that she almost reached out to hug Yang Yaozu, but thankfully she stopped herself in time.
“Cousin, you provided so much important information.” She clasped her hands in gratitude, “This information is so important to Ajin.”
Yang Yaozu said, "Right now, all I need is to survive. In exchange for this information, could I stay here?"
“Of course you can,” Su Wan said, “but don’t be too proud. Uncle Zhao and Granny Cui are in charge of the mansion, so there’s no problem for you and Su Heng’s family to live here. But you’ll have to do chores every day, and Uncle Zhao will arrange the specifics for you.”
Su Heng and his wife have been punished, so this grudge is now over.
She instructed Zhao Fu to let Su Heng's entire family live here as ordinary people, just like the Lu siblings' family. However, the Su household did not support idlers; everyone had to earn food or better treatment through labor. This included tasks such as cleaning the courtyard, moving items, helping with cooking in the kitchen, and serving tea and water.
Yang Yaozu said with a wry smile, "What more could I ask for? I'd be content just to be alive."
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