The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 172- 174

Chapter 172: Ungrateful and Treacherous?

The unpleasant incident at the gateway of the imperial palace soon seemed to be forgotten. Even the envoys of the Wan Kingdom lapsed into silence after entering the palace, clearly having no intention to bring up this occurrence.

The venue for the welcome reception was the Taiqing Palace, which was rather spacious. In the normal course of events, only on an important festival would this palace be used for a banquet, but evidently Yuwen Tong was an exception. The reason why he was given such honor was not only because of his identity but also his victory in this war. He had taken seven cities of the Wan Kingdom at one fell swoop, and the Wan Kingdom had even sent a diplomatic corps here to sue for peace with their tails between their legs, which had gladdened the hearts of all subjects of the Great Yue. During these years, as a result of incessant wars, the exchequer of the Great Yue had almost been depleted. Now, with this great victory, they could finally relax safe. In this regard, the emperor of the Great Yue was the most delighted one of all.

By the time Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong arrived, more than half of the attendees had been seated. Naturally, the two of them attracted the attention of almost everybody present when they walked inside. Yuwen Tong was handsome, stalwart and tall, and Ling Zhang was of great presence. The two of them walking hand in hand was such a pleasant sight that many guests were thrown into amazement.

However, some others were not very pleased to see this. Yuwen Zhi’s face darkened. Yuwen Qi was rooted to the spot by shock, feeling that Yuwen Tong was out of his mind. Only Yuwen Feng, with a surprised and thoughtful look on his face, rose to his feet and walked up to Yuwen Tong to greet him. “Cousin.”

Yuwen Tong inclined his head.

Smiling, Yuwen Feng looked at Ling Zhang and said, “This must be Childe Ling, I suppose?”

Ling Zhang folded his hands in front, “Yes, nice to meet you.”

Yuwen Feng also made the same gesture of courtesy and said with a smile, “I’m Yuwen Feng. I’ve been hearing people talking about you for quite some time. Today I finally saw you in the flesh. For fear that you might be embarrassed, my cousin refused to let us visit you, which made all of us quite anxious. My father and my younger brother are also here. Would you like to meet them, Childe Ling?”

Ling Zhang gave a bob of his head and replied, “It’s common courtesy to pay respects to my elder.”

Yuwen Feng led him to Yuwen Zhi and introduced him. “Father, this is Childe Ling. You’ve been looking forward to seeing him, haven’t you?”

“I’m Ling Zhang. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Yuwen.” Ling Zhang made a bow with hands folded in front to show respect.

Unsurprisingly, Yuwen Zhi was not as enthusiastic as Yuwen Feng. With a lukewarm look on his face, he flicked Ling Zhang a glance, blandly uttered “Um” and then ignored him, which was an unmistakable indication that he held Ling Zhang in icy disregard.

Yuwen Feng’s face changed. It had never crossed his mind that even on such an occasion when so many people were present, his father still refused to take into consideration of Ling Zhang’s feelings. Seeing Yuwen Tong walking in this direction with a sullen countenance, he hurriedly introduced Yuwen Qi in an attempt to defuse this awkward situation. “This is my younger brother, Yuwen Qi. He’s about your age. I think the two of you will get along quite well.”

Ling Zhang secretly sneered. ‘Get along quite well?’

Seeing his father’s lukewarm attitude, Yuwen Qi, who didn’t feel like talking to Ling Zhang, directly disregarded him as well. He even said, “Elder Brother, you should think twice before bringing people to father. Do you not know that father doesn’t have the time to talk with a nobody?”

Ever since Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong entered the hall, all people present had fixed their eyes on the two of them, and they were staring at them at this moment as well. A few moments ago, when they had seen Yuwen Feng walk up to Ling Zhang to talk to him with a smiling face, they had thought that people of Yuwen family were very fond of Ling Zhang, and begun to suspect that there had been some particular reason why Yuwen family had turned a blind eye to the failed attempts to assassinate and poison Ling Zhang, but then, when they saw the attitudes of Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Qi, the light suddenly dawned on them. ‘So people of Yuwen family don’t like this Ling Zhang guy at all. It seems that what’s going to happen next would be quite interesting.’

Before Yuwen Tong could say anything, Ling Zhang remarked, “Before I came to the capital city, my grandfather once told me that Yuwen family is home to a great number of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for our country, that it is an admirable family. He also warned me that just because he had once saved Old General Yuwen’s life doesn’t entitle me to put on airs, that I’m supposed to respect elders of Yuwen family, be nice and try to get along with and learn from peers in Yuwen family, that he didn’t expect me to achieve any unequaled accomplishments, only wished me to be as loyal to our country as martyrs of Yuwen family had been. He said that if some day I have the good fortune to become an official, I should dedicate myself to making life easier and happier for the people, that even if becoming an official is not what the future holds for me, I should also help others whenever I could. I’ve been keeping all these words in mind and not for a single instant have I ever forgotten any of them, but I’m afraid my grandfather’s worry is unnecessary, for some people of Yuwen family have already forgotten what he did for their family, which makes it impossible for me to get a chance to learn from my peers in Yuwen family. What a pity. Such being the case, I think it’s advisable for me to stop imposing on your patience. Please pardon me for my being presumptuous.”

After saying this, he turned around and said to Yuwen Tong, “I’m such an embarrassment, and I brought shame on you as well. I might as well go back right now.”

With a drastic change of his countenance, Yuwen Feng hurriedly stepped forward and stopped Ling Zhang. “Wait a moment. You misunderstood, Childe Ling. I’m sure it’s just that my father and my younger brother failed to recall you are grandson of Old Master Ling in Tanyang. They didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

Yuwen Zhi’s face had turned dark with rage while Ling Zhang made those remarks, and at this moment, the fury inside him had reached such a pitch that he could scarcely keep from losing his temper. However, all civil officials as well as military officers present in the hall were gazing in this direction. The look in their eyes so piercing that it seemed as if they wanted to cut his head open to see what was really in his mind. It would take only one tiny mistake to cause him to be branded as an ungrateful bastard.

It was far beyond his expectation that Ling Zhang was so sharp-tongued!

Consumed with anger, Yuwen Qi sitting on the side was just about to rise from his seat to hurl abuse when Yuwen Zhi quickly stopped him. Teeth gritted, Yuwen Zhi stared at Ling Zhang and said, “I didn’t know you are the eldest grandson of Old Master Ling. What happened just now is indeed a misunderstanding. It is engraved in the very heart of every member of Yuwen family that Old Master Ling once saved my father’s life. How could we forget that? It’s just that you didn’t state your identity and I didn’t know you. How could I have known you were Old Master Ling’s grandson at first glance? Please don’t jump to conclusions, Childe Ling. This might reduce our family to being regarded as ungrateful.”

Ling Zhang turned around, looked at him and replied, “That’s a lesson well taught, Lord Yuwen. I was being extreme in that moment. I thought that…”

After saying this, he flicked a somewhat embarrassed glance at Yuwen Tong and continued, “I thought that you should’ve known whom Yuwen Tong was engaged to. You are his uncle after all. It never crossed my mind that you are unaware of it. I’m so sorry. I offer you my solemn apology once again. Please forgive me, Lord Yuwen.”

Suddenly, a chuckle escaped the mouth of someone in the corner, but soon that person stopped and fought back his urge to laugh.

Yuwen Zhi’s face twisted. “Of course I know who my nephew’s betrothed is. It was just that I failed to recall. I’m a pretty busy man, and just now I was preoccupied with some public affairs, which caused a lapse of concentration of mine.”

“I see. It was indeed rude of me to have misunderstood you consecutively tonight, Lord Yuwen. Please pardon me.” Ling Zhang apologized, pushing the boat along with the current.

Although things seemed to have been smoothed over, all people present were fully aware of what had really happened.

“Ha ha… It turns out that was a misunderstanding. Lord Yuwen probably got overjoyed when he saw that his nephew had returned, and all his attention was focused on his nephew, so he forgot whom his nephew had brought to the capital city.”

“Yeah, yeah. Lord Yuwen is still so affectionate towards the Marshal. The affection between the two of them is so deep.”

“As far as I could tell, it won’t be long before Yuwen family starts making preparations for a wedding. Am I right?”

“Wouldn’t that be two happy events coming one after another? I mean, the Marshal has just won a victory when he got himself a beauti–” The speaker gave a cough and continued, “A considerate spouse. Childe Ling is of such great presence –as great as that of… his grandfather!”

“Yeah, that’s true. Joy be with you!”

With a seemingly timid smile on his face, Ling Zhang glanced at Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Qi out of the corner of his eyes and saw that the expression in their eyes seemed to have nothing to do with the smile on their faces. Of course, from his current position, he could not see anybody else’s face.

Both Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Qi had a sullen look in their eyes.

Hand in hand, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang were led to their table by a palace servant, which was right next to Yuwen Zhi’s table on the left and also the one closest to the emperor’s seat.

Beneath the appraising gaze of all civil officials and military officers in the hall, Ling Zhang unhurriedly took a seat.

It was just that…

Yuwen Tong, who was sitting by his side, was the only one aware that the hand he was holding was quivering. ‘This little guy hurled a torrent of criticism only a few moments ago, but now he is so nervous.’

He gave a chuckle. “You feel better now?”

Ling Zhang slightly parted his lips and replied in a muted voice, “Sort of.”

Yuwen Tong still didn’t release Ling Zhang’s hand, his right hand and Ling Zhang’s left one clasped together under the table.

Though appearing composed, Ling Zhang was secretly worried. ‘With so many eyes fixed on us, Yuwen Tong still dared to conduct himself this way. Wouldn’t us be embarrassed to death if anybody finds out?’

Right at this moment, two old men walked inside the hall, one of whom was wearing a robe of the first-ranked official, and the other second-ranked, but there was something special about their robes, so Ling Zhang came to the realization that these two men probably used to be a first-ranked official and a second-ranked official respectively and had now retired, who, though still having their ranks, would hardly get involved in any official affairs. Instantly, he guessed who these two men were. The older one should be Tao Feng’s teacher, and the other one Tao Yi’s.

Though no longer performing any official duties, these two old officials still carried a lot of weight, and the emperor still thought highly of them. It was rumored that whenever something important came up, he would always consult with the two of them, which was a clear indication that he trusted these two men very much. As a result, the two of them had always been conducting themselves in a low-key manner, trying not to get involved in the business of any faction. However, though they had drawn a clear line of demarcation with all factions, their students in themselves were an extensive and complicated network of relationships: Tao Feng and Tao Yi, to name but two.

As expected, after the two old officials entered the hall, many people rose from their seats and folded their hands in front to pay respect.

Yuwen Tong also stood up, and so did Ling Zhang. The two of them walked up to pay respect to the two old men.

“Congratulations on your victory and welcome back, Marshal.”

“And you’ve also got yourself such a good partner. I really envy you.”

The two old men each made a remark. Voices of both of them were rather sonorous, their smile very hearty.

For the first time since he had walked into this hall, Ling Zhang felt comfortable and at ease.

“Both of us received the visitor’s cards from Childe Ling. Thank you for delivering the gifts here for Tao Feng. I heard that you were planning to go to the Imperial College to study?” asked an old official.

Ling Zhang hurriedly replied, “I don’t dare to claim credit for that. Before coming to this city, I had the great honor to be granted by His Majesty the admission to the Imperial College.”

The old official inclined his head and said, “Then it’s safe to say that this won’t be our last meeting.”

Ling Zhang was confused. After they returned to their seats, still in puzzlement, he asked Yuwen Tong in an undertone, “What did that old official mean by that remark? I didn’t hear anything about him teaching in the Imperial College.”

As if something had just occurred to him, Yuwen Tong patted Ling Zhang on the back of his hand, signaling him to show some patience.

Ling Zhang gave a bob of his head and recovered himself.

After all these interludes, the emperor finally arrived.

“His Majesty approaches!” A eunuch showed up at the doorway and announced the arrival of the emperor and with that all people in the hall rose to their feet and bowed with their hands folded in front to pay their respects.

Chapter 173: The Instigator Was the Ninth Princess

Ling Zhang had never seen the emperor before, not even in his last incarnation. This was the first time that he had laid eyes on him. Before this day, he had thought that the emperor was a very portly man, but unexpectedly, he was very thin. It was just that he didn’t look very well, as if he had been born with a fairly weak constitution, but even if this were the case, it didn’t change the fact that he was an emperor, and the commanding presence of him deterred most people present from looking him in the eye.

“You may rise, my Aiqing (a term of endearment used by an emperor or an empress to address an official in feudal China). This banquet is meant for Aiqing Yuwen, who has just returned to this city with a great victory. I’d like to drink this glass of wine first and, on behalf of all my subjects, thank Marshal Yuwen and all troops of the North-western Army for the valor they displayed on the battlefield. Without them, this great victory would never have been gained.”

After saying this, the emperor drank the glass of wine in one gulp. Naturally, civil officials and military officers of all ranks followed suit and also made some remarks the meanings of which were similar to that of the emperor’s.

Yuwen Tong drank several glasses in a row and the first round was finally over.

Among all attendees, envoys of the Wan Kingdom who had unabashedly attended this welcome reception were the only ones in embarrassment, their faces dark with anger, which made them quite a sorry sight.

Ling Zhang was not the only one in this hall who had a gift for gab. Those civil officials and military officers were also masters of sarcasm, and some of them were even more sharp-tongued than Ling Zhang was. With everybody contributing to the discussion, those envoys of the Wan Kingdom were nearly reduced to vomiting blood due to anger, but they had no alternative but to swallow all those remarks.

Ling Zhang was puzzled. ‘What is it that they are after? Why did they put themselves in this awkward situation? They enjoy being ridiculed?’

No matter what the intention of this group of people from the Wan Kingdom was, the thing that Yuwen Tong wanted to do on this night was carried out as planned.

Halfway through the banquet, someone walked in from the outside, saying that he had something to report to Yuwen Tong.

However, right at the time when everybody believed that it was about some special military situation, the man reported, “Your Majesty, Marshal, the assassin who attempted to assassinate Childe Ling has been safely escorted into the capital city. The escort team is waiting right outside.”

‘An assassin?’ All officials were somewhat perplexed. They had heard about the assassination, but rumor had it that all assassins were dead. ‘Are they by any chance still alive?’

“Aiqing Yuwen, what’s going on?” queried the emperor.

“Your Majesty, one of the two assassins caught in Tanyang bit through a wax ball with poison inside and we failed to save him. The other one bit off his own tongue trying to commit suicide as well but was afterwards found still breathing by me, so I hurriedly forced some medicine into him to keep him alive and then had my personal bodyguards take him to a famous physician in Cangzhou who offered him medical treatment. Since I wasn’t sure whether this assassin would survive or not, to be on the safe side, I kept this to myself. Now that he’s been escorted back to the capital city, I think he must have survived. I’ll go outside and ask him who gave the order. It won’t be long.”

“Since this matter concerns the Palace Guards, I should not stand by. Have him brought inside,” said the emperor.

“Uh… Yes, Your Majesty,” Yuwen Tong replied and then instructed the man, “Go and bring him here.”

The man followed the order. There was a deathly hush in the hall. Everybody was speculating exactly what was going on. After all, the assassins were palace guards. Though their target had not been Yuwen Tong himself, the intention of the behind-the-scenes mastermind afforded much food for thought. There were indeed some conjecturing that the emperor had been the one who had sent the assassins, that the statement of Ling Zhang being the target was but a cover-up, that Yuwen Tong had been the actual target.

All those who made such conjectures were people who more or less knew about the true thoughts of the emperor, but now, hearing the emperor give the order to interrogate the assassin in front of so many people, they were somewhat puzzled.

‘Is His Majesty by any chance not the one responsible for this?’

As a matter of fact, the reason why the emperor had decided to openly interrogate the assassin was indeed to rid himself of suspicions. He did want Yuwen Tong killed, but not at this time, and he wouldn’t resort to this kind of method, because this would reduce him to infamy. If he suddenly had Yuwen Tong killed for no good reason and the palace guards were the ones who did it, what would his subjects think of their emperor?

The emperor had a suspicious mind but also knew that this kind of ill name was something he didn’t want.

Soon, the assassin was brought inside and forced to his knees in the middle of the hall, all his thoughts dashed, his face ghastly pale. “Your guilty servant pays his respect to you, Your Majesty. Please sentence me to death, though dying ten thousand deaths will not be sufficient to atone for my crime.”

“You do deserve a death sentence for being so bold as to make an attempt to assassinate Aiqing Yuwen’s wife-to-be. Answer this question – who gave you the order?!” the emperor demanded in a severe tone of voice.

The assassin kowtowed with a loud bang and kept his brow against the ground. “I don’t dare.”

“Outrageous! His Majesty is right in front of you. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Answer the question right now, or else!” reprimanded an eunuch standing beside the emperor.

“I fear that all my family will be killed if I confess,” wept the assassin.

“Someone threatened to kill all your family and coerced you into doing that? Who is it?!” The emperor’s face darkened. “I assure you all your family will be safe. Make a full confession in front of us all.”

The assassin raised his head to look at the emperor. “Your Majesty, can you really guarantee that all my family will be safe?”

“How dare you! His Majesty’s words are an imperial edict, on which you are in no place to lay doubt!” the eunuch reprimanded him again.

As if having set his mind at rest, the assassin heaved a sigh of relief and replied, “I’ll confess. It was under orders fro–from the Ninth Princess that I went there to assassinate Ling Zhang. The Ninth Princess instructed me to do whatever it took to kill Ling Zhang, or else she’d have all my family executed.”

“Outrageous! The Ninth Princess is a noble member of the imperial family. How dare you frame Her Highness?!” the eunuch hurriedly snapped, taken aback.

Even all civil officials and military officers present in the hall burst into an uproar. ‘The Ninth Princess?!’

The King Duan rose to his feet and remarked, “Father, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. Ninth Younger Sister has always been a good-natured person. It’s impossible that she was the one who did this. No matter how bad she wants to marry Marshal Yuwen, she will never try to have innocent Childe Ling killed.”

“Third Elder Brother, Ninth Younger Sister never said anything about wanting to marry Marshal Yuwen. Don’t you slander her!” The Fourth Prince, otherwise known as the King Hui, hurriedly stood up and sprung to his sister’s defence for fear that his sister’s reputation would be ruined before she could rid herself of this accusation.

“Fourth Younger Brother, there’s no need for you to cover for Ninth Younger Sister. It’s not like this is something she should be ashamed of,” the King Duan commented with great confidence and then walked up to the assassin. “Hey, let me ask you something. You said that the Ninth Princess was the one who gave the order, but do you have any proofs to back that up? If you don’t, you’ll be convicted of the felony of framing a princess and all your family will be executed along with you!”

“This assassin made that up! How is it possible that he has proofs? Ninth Younger Sister is a girl living in the imperial palace. She could never have made contact with this man, let alone incite him to kill anybody. This assassin is definitely trying to frame her. Guards! Drag this assassin out of here right now and flog him to death!” the King Hui hurriedly remarked.

“Why are you so anxious, Fourth Younger Brother? Even if Ninth Younger Sister was innocent, the culprit would be someone else, and this assassin is a key witness. If you have him flogged to death… Well, Fourth Younger Brother, are you having a guilty conscience and afraid of what this assassin might say next, by any chance?” The King Duan immediately directed the suspicions against the King Hui.

The King Hui was both shocked and infuriated. “Bullshit!”

“Enough! Shut your mouths! Both of you!” The emperor’s face was as cold as a pond. “Go back to your seats. Such behavior is unbelievably undignified!”

Though unresigned, the King Hui had no choice but to sit back into his seat, while the King Duan was unable to conceal the complacency on his face no matter how hard he tried.

It had never crossed his mind that the Ninth Princess had been involved in this matter, which had turned out to be a great favor to him. If the King Hui, who was a backer of the Ninth Princess, would be incriminated as well, he would be even more pleased.

Ling Zhang had been looking on all along. The truth of this matter had been ascertained before Yuwen Tong decided to bring this assassin to the imperial palace. It was indeed the Ninth Princess who had ordered the assassination, not anybody else.

“I have proof,” the assassin suddenly said. “I didn’t make that up. Please spare my family, Your Majesty. I was really coerced by the Ninth Princess.”

“Then show us the proof!” The King Duan glared at him.

The King Hui rose to his feet and was just about to say something when the emperor darted him a piercing look and with that he had no choice but to sit back into his seat.

“Before I left the capital city, the personal handmaid of the Ninth Princess once came to me and I stole the plate hanging on her belt from her when she was not paying attention. It was a security pass for the palace of the Ninth Princess. On that day, she went back to my place to look for it. I lied to her, saying that I had never seen it. She didn’t know it was taken by me. I have it right in my bosom!” said the assassin.

Soon a palace servant searched the assassin and found the plate. It was indeed a security pass for the palace of the Ninth Princess.

“Who knows whether you are lying or not? You could have accidentally found the plate of the handmaid somewhere and deliberately said that you stole it from her,” remarked the King Hui.

“Interrogate her and the truth will be revealed,” replied the assassin in an utterly unafraid tone of voice.

The emperor instructed flintily, “Guards, restrain that handmaid and have her interrogated.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

After the joyous banquet was reduced to this kind of incident, everybody was no longer in the mood for food. Speaking of this assassination, Ling Zhang was the target who had narrowly escaped death, but attention of none of the civil officials and military officers in the hall was focused on him. Their gaze was shifting between the King Hui, the assassin, the King Duan, the emperor and Yuwen Tong back and forth. All of them were trying to find traces of the truth. Ling Zhang felt that this must be quite an effort for them.

After the emperor gave the order, palace guards took immediate action and soon arrested the personal handmaid of the Ninth Princess to interrogate her.

At this moment, the palace of the Ninth Princess was in total confusion. Originally, handmaids had been helping the Ninth Princess dress up, making preparations for her romantic “chance meeting” with Yuwen Tong after the banquet this night, but some palace guards had suddenly intruded into the room and took the personal handmaid of the Ninth Princess away.

The Ninth Princess’ face changed drastically and asked them why they were doing this. A palace guard informed her, “The assassin who tried to assassinate Ling Zhang has been escorted back. He ratted out you and this handmaid beside you. Please stay in this palace and wait for His Majesty’s further instructions, Your Highness.”

“What?! This can’t be happening! Isn’t the assassin already dead?!” The Ninth Princess’ face instantly paled visibly. The reason why she had returned from the Zhaohua Temple was because she heard that both of the two assassins had died. ‘How did that assassin come to suddenly raise from the dead?!’

Nobody knew what that palace guard was considering, but he told her how that assassin had survived and she instantly slumped to the ground, her face deathly white.

“Your Highness, what should we do now? If Sister Xiang by any chance rats you out, things will be very tricky!” a handmaid beside her commented urgently.

With a sullen look on her face, the Ninth Princess responded, “She’s already been taken away. What else could I do?”

“If she really rats you out and His Majesty asks you about it, you need to assert that you don’t know anything about this matter, and shift the blame onto Sister Xiang. Ju–Just say that Sister Xiang grew a sneaking affection for the Marshal during a chance meeting with him, that after hearing the Marshal was engaged to someone, she incited the two palace guards to perform the assassination in your name without your knowledge!” the handmaid anxiously advised.

Chapter 174: The Ninth Princess’ Punishment

On hearing these words, the Ninth Princess, as if having just grabbed a lifesaver, rose to her feet with the help of a palacemaid and quickly recovered herself. “That’s right.”

After saying this, she raked faces of the palacemaids and eunuchs in the room with a ferocious look and said, “None of you are to breathe a single word of what you are not supposed to disclose. Otherwise I’ll have all of you beheaded!”

“Your Highness, I heard nothing and won’t say anything to anybody. Please have mercy on me!” implored all palacemaids and eunuchs in horror.

The Ninth Princess was still unsure of their loyalty. If it weren’t for the fact that having all of them executed would arouse others’ suspicions, she would have given the order already.

Though voices of people inside the room were not very loud, people outside, if they pricked up their ears, could still distinguish some key words of the conversation.

The palacemaid named Xiang’er, who was kneeling on the ground, was chilled by what she heard. Originally, she had made up her mind not to disclose anything. However, to her bitter disappointment, she was determined to sacrifice her own life for her mistress, yet the so-called mistress had unhesitatingly decided to abandon her!

Intellectually, she told herself that she originally had not wanted to implicate her mistress, but there was a difference between defending her mistress of her own accord and being abandoned by her mistress. She found this unacceptable no matter how hard she tried to excuse her mistress. ‘Why? Why does Her Highness have so little trust in me? If this is how it’s going to be, I have no other choice…’

“Move.” Palace guards escorted her away.

Seeing them walking out, a palace guard waiting outside said to the captain under his breathe, “Chief, why did you tell Her Highness those things? It’s not likely that she’ll appreciate the kindness.”

“Since we serve the imperial family, we should be of service whenever we can. I informed Her Highness beforehand so that she could make preparations,” the captain replied with a calm face.

Light suddenly dawned on the one who had asked the question. “Your considerations are far more thorough than mine, Chief.”

…

In the Taiqing Palace, after waiting for some time, people saw the guards whisk a palacemaid into the hall.

“Your Majesty, we brought Her Highness’ personal handmaid named Xiang’er here as instructed.”

“So you are Xiang’er? Let me ask you something. Did you or did you not meet palace guards in private, threaten them and have them assassinate Ling Zhang?” the emperor demanded in a stern tone of voice.

A mixture of hesitation and misery appeared on the face of Xiang’er who was kneeling on the ground. “I…I…”

There was an intense struggle going on in her mind, which made her seem quite abnormal. Everybody could tell that she was hiding something.

The emperor furrowed his brow as his eyes went piercing.

The King Hui hastened to yelled at Xiang’er, “What a bold handmaid. You were asked a question and you are supposed to answer it. Why are you being faltering? Is it because you harbor evil intentions?!”

Originally Xiang’er had been hesitating and struggling with her conscience, but the King Hui looked so ferocious that it seemed as if he would eat her alive, and he had also accused her of harboring evil intentions, so Xiang’er, bitterly disappointed, clenched her teeth and heavily kowtowed. Brow against the ground, she replied, “I deserve to die. I know my mistake now. I shouldn’t have intended to cover for the Ninth Princess. I’m the Ninth Princess’ personal handmaid and I don’t want to betray her, but I also don’t dare to lie to Your Majesty. I–I deserve to die ten thousand deaths for my crime.”

“Shut your mouth!” The King Hui flied into a rage. He had never expected that Xiang’er would dare to ignore his warning.

“Shut up! One more word and I’ll have you escorted to your chambers to introspect straight away!” the emperor thundered.

The King Hui replied in anxiety, “Father, this handmaid made that up!”

“I didn’t. The Ninth Princess adores the Marshal. After hearing that the Marshal was betrothed, she was very angry and… and came up with the idea of having his betrothed assassinated. It was her who sent me to threaten the two officers of the Palace Guards. I didn’t have a choice. I tried to dissuade Her Highness from doing the wrong thing, but she wouldn’t listen to me and was bent on having her own way. She coerced the two officers into assassinating Childe Ling halfway, threatening to kill all their family if they refused,” wept Xiang’er.

“You!” The King Hui’s face was dark with rage.

In wrath, the emperor smacked his hand down on to the table. “Bring the Ninth Princess to me!”

…

“Your Highness, some palace guards are coming!”

An eunuch, who had been standing at the gateway to act as a lookout, saw ranks of palace guards hastening menacingly towards the palace of the Ninth Princess. Scared, he immediately ran inside to report.

Countenance of the Ninth Princess abruptly changed and with that she tightly gripped the arm of the palacemaid who was supporting her and, fierce outwardly but shaky inwardly, reprimanded, “Let them come. What’s so scary about palace guards?!”

The eunuch knelt down to the ground and didn’t dare to utter another word.

Soon palace guards arrived, all of whom were somewhat surprised to see that the Ninth Princess was waiting for them in the hall.

“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence in the Taiqing Palace,” said a palace guard.

“I see.”

The Ninth Princess tightened her grip on her handkerchief and winked at a palacemaid beside her. The palacemaid nervously inclined her head and then guided the princess towards the outside, a large group of eunuchs following in their wake.

The look on her face seemed to be suggesting that she was totally unaware of what was waiting for her in the Taiqing Palace, which astonished the palace guards.

In the Taiqing Palace, all people were somewhat puzzled as they saw the Ninth Princess entering with so many palacemaids and eunuchs.

“Father, may I ask what it is you want to see me about?” asked the Ninth Princess after paying her respect to the emperor.

“Let me ask you something. Did you or did you not coerce two palace guards with the lives of their family into an assassination attempt targeting Ling Zhang?” The emperor fixed her with a penetrating stare.

The Ninth Princess appeared shocked. “What are you talking about, father? Never have I done such a thing.”

“Your equanimity is remarkable, Your Highness. I stand outshined,” said Yuwen Tong in a flinty tone of voice.

The Ninth Princess seemed to be baffled even further. “What’s this supposed to mean, Marshal? You must have heard some slanderous remarks. Be careful not to be fooled by those base characters harboring evil intentions.”

“Exactly what happened?” The emperor’s face slightly softened.

Apart from the emperor, there was also the King Hui. He had worried that his younger sister would impulsively kick up a stink, but now, seeing she was so composed, he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. ‘As long as younger sister’s composure holds, there’s still a chance of saving the situation!’ he thought.

“Father, younger sister is definitely innocent. You cannot believe this palacemaid’s words.”

“I’m not lying. In order to compel the two officers to submit, Her Highness once sent someone she trusted to their homes to warn them. You’ll find my words true if you have their family questioned, Your Majesty. On top of this, Her Highness also gave the two officers some kind of poison and ordered that they poison themselves if they failed, otherwise she’d have their family executed. This poison was prepared by Xingli, another personal handmaid of Her Highness. Ingredients needed to prepare this kind of poison could still be found in Xingli’s room. I saw her put them away yesterday. They’re hidden right under Xingli’s bed. You’ll know I’m telling the truth if you send someone there to search.”

As the Ninth Princess’ personal handmaid, Xiang’er knew much more inside information than others did, which was also the most lethal for the Ninth Princess. She had gone straight to the heart of the matter, dealing a heavy blow to the Ninth Princess.

“Bullshit!” After hearing these remarks, the Ninth Princess, who had originally seemed calm, failed to keep up her pretence and her face instantly went ghastly pale.

“Your Majesty, I petition you to have Xingli’s room searched immediately and the two assassins’ family brought here to be questioned,” said Yuwen Tong.

Of course the emperor could not reject a request like this.

Though the King Hui intended to stop this from happening, his hands were tied. Yuwen Tong was determined to do this, which was obvious to all people present.

Soon some palace guards went to the room of the palacemaid named Xingli, searched it and then escorted Xingli to the Taiqing Palace. Like Xiang’er had said, there were indeed ingredients of poison in the room. After an imperial physician of the imperial hospital confirmed it, the emperor flied into a temper.

“Unbelievable! What else do you have to say?!” thundered the emperor, face dark with rage.

The Ninth Princess slumped to her knees. “I–I…”

As things stood, it was very clear that the Ninth Princess was the behind-the-scenes mastermind.

The handmaid named Xingli, unable to endure the painful torture, soon made a full confession, which made it unnecessary to summon the two assassins’ family.

Weeping, the Ninth Princess implored, “Father, I’m just unreconciled. I’m much more eligible than a man on all aspects. Why is the Marshal so insistent on marrying a man?”

The corners of Ling Zhang’s mouth involuntarily twitched. Seeing the Ninth Princess pointing at him with a resentful look in her eyes, he said flintily, “So this was why Your Highness wanted me killed? It turns out that in your eyes, you can kill anybody whenever you feel like it.”

The Ninth Princess replied in spite, “You are nothing but a cheap commoner. You are in no position to talk to me like that. You are in no position to compete with me for a man!”

“Shut up!” The emperor couldn’t bear it any more. In heartache and headache, he observed, “All those efforts I made to educate you turn out to be in vain. It never crossed my mind they only served to crack your brains making you an unworthy princess. Your deeds will not go unpunished. Guards, escort the Ninth Princess to the imperial temple. From this day forth, she is to practice Buddhism without tonsure and is not to walk out of the door of the imperial temple without my permission!”

‘The imperial temple? Practice Buddhism without tonsure?’ On hearing the emperor’s order, the Ninth Princess passed out. The King Hui’s face paled visibly.

For a youthful girl, practicing Buddhism without tonsure in the imperial temple would ruin her whole life. The emperor didn’t sentence the Ninth Princess to death, but this punishment was already severe enough for her.

“Father, I’m sure my younger sister merely did that in a momentary confusion. Please have mercy on her.” The King Hui knelt down and interceded with the emperor.

“Confusion? Then she will have enough time to clear her mind in the temple,” responded the emperor apathetically.

He had indeed intended to marry the Ninth Princess to Yuwen Tong so as to keep Yuwen Tong under his control. Had the Ninth Princess succeeded in having Ling Zhang killed, he might have made different arrangements, but she not only had failed in her attempt to kill Ling Zhang but also had been exposed. Only by meting out this punishment would he be able to dissolve Yuwen Tong’s anger. Besides, the Ninth Princess’ conduct had terribly shamed the imperial family. He was already lenient enough with her by having her practice Buddhism in the imperial temple.

The King Hui lapsed into dejection in the knowledge that the die had been cast.

The King Duan was inwardly excited. All civil officials and military officers in the hall, who had been looking on all along, kept silent trying to pretend as if they had not seen anything. Envoys of the Wan Kingdom, however, enjoyed the whole thing very much. ‘This is a scandal involving the imperial family of the Great Yue. If it spreads to other countries, reputation of the emperor of the Great Yue will be terribly undermined.”

“Aiqing Yuwen (Aiqing is a term of endearment used by an emperor or an empress to address an official in feudal China), I hope you find my sentence satisfying,” the emperor said to Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong replied, “That’s a wise and righteous decision, Your Majesty. There’s nothing else I could ask for.”

The emperor inclined his head, looked at Ling Zhang and said, “I’m sorry for the fright my undutiful daughter put you through, Childe Ling. If there’s any particular kinds of compensation you have in mind, all you have to do is ask.”

Ling Zhang rose to his feet and stepped forward. First he paid his respect to the emperor and thanked his kindness, then he said, “You’ve always been so wise, Your Majesty. I don’t dare to claim any compensations. It’s fortunate of me to have been born in the Great Yue, a land ruled by such a sagacious emperor.”

All others were amazed. Clearly they had never expected that Ling Zhang would make these remarks.

The emperor, however, felt very comfortable after hearing these words. No matter Ling Zhang really meant it or not, at least he saved his face, so he commented, “You might not dare to claim compensations, but I’m obliged to make some.”