novelraw Chapter 380
Chapter 380
The Su Residence.
Burning with fever and his limbs devoid of strength, Su Tingjun lay in bed, his face contorted with rage. "Yao Qing! I took pity on you when you were deceived and had nowhere to go, kindly taking you into my home as a servant. And this is how you repay me? By poisoning me?"
A refined gentleman as gentle as jade, he had always addressed her formally as Miss Yao. Calling her by her full name now made it clear he was incensed to the extreme.
Dressed in her cook’s attire, Yao Qing crossed her arms leisurely. "Indeed. I, the ungrateful wretch, have poisoned Lord Su with Muscle-Weakening Powder, plus a little something extra to make it look like a sudden, violent illness. Quite clever, don't you think?"
Su Tingjun’s chest heaved violently. "You... you did this intentionally to keep me from the battlefield? Do you wish to see me dead?"
Yao Qing’s beautiful eyes widened. "Who wants to harm you? I am saving you! Lord Su, even a mere woman like me can see that you are no match for Grand Secretary Yan. Can you really not see it yourself?"
"Tingjun knows that!" He gasped for air with great effort. "But Third Yan is a rebel, a traitor! And he has implicated County Princess Changle! The whole world knows he is revolting for her sake. How will history judge her? Will they call her a femme fatale who brought ruin to the nation, a temptress who lured loyal ministers into rebellion?"
Yao Qing’s gaze darkened. "As I thought... it is still for the sake of the County Princess. In that case, I certainly cannot let you go!"
As she spoke, she walked to the head of the bed and lit a stick of incense.
Su Tingjun looked at her with a cold, piercing gaze. "Yao Qing, by doing this, can you face Yan Fifth Young Master in the afterlife?"
Yao Qing’s entire body jolted, almost believing he had seen through her hidden feelings. But then, the upright gentleman’s cold voice continued his interrogation: "Third Yan has committed treason, and the prestigious names of all the Yan brothers have been tarnished by his actions. By stopping me, do you have no shame before the spirit of Yan Fifth Young Master?"
She breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a bitter, tragic smile. "Whether I am ashamed or not, in the end, it is I, Yao Qing, who failed him! Lord Su, for reasons of both duty and emotion, I cannot allow you to oppose Grand Secretary Yan again. Please forgive me."
The fragrance of the incense filled the air, and a heavy drowsiness soon took hold.
Before his eyes closed, Su Tingjun spat out one last word: "Begone!"
Yao Qing’s body trembled slightly as she softly closed the bedroom door.
In the outer hall, an anxious eunuch hurried forward to meet her. "Well? Is Lord Su able to attend the palace?"
Yao Qing had already put on a mask of sorrow, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "The Lord says he would rather die on the battlefield than stay behind. He asks your Excellency to find a stretcher and carry him into the palace to see His Majesty..."
The eunuch gasped. How could he not hear the bravado in those words? Lord Su was indeed loyal to the core, but how could he possibly go to war while lying on a stretcher?
He hastily offered a few words of comfort and hurried back to the palace to report.
The Emperor sat stunned after hearing the news. "How can this be? Is it truly Heaven’s will for Great Xia to fall?"
Since the Murong family founded the dynasty, it had only lasted two generations!
The court officials fell to their knees with a rustle; they seemed to be getting more and more used to this gesture lately.
Prince Yu stepped forward to say something, but the Emperor suddenly grabbed his hand. "Fifth Brother, you go!"
Prince Yu was so terrified he instantly collapsed to his knees. "Imperial Brother! This servant is no match for him!"
The Emperor’s face turned cold. "You dare defy an imperial decree?"
Prince Yu hurriedly replied, "Imperial Brother, I would not dare. But I wish to recommend someone: the Heir of the Nanping Count’s Estate, the Third-Rank Scholar of last year’s examinations, Xie Zhizhou!"
The Emperor thought for a moment before remembering such a person. "Is he capable?"
"Imperial Brother, though he is a civil official, he contributed greatly to the Feng Ping case and possesses the talent of a military commander! Furthermore, his wif—" Prince Yu glanced at Cao Yang, appearing hesitant.
The Emperor commanded, "Minister Cao, you are dismissed."
Cao Yang had been acting like a wooden post for the past few days. Hearing this, he didn't even raise his eyes, simply bowed and withdrew.
Prince Yu continued, "Imperial Brother, have you forgotten? His wife, Lady Xue, is the cousin of County Princess Changle, and the two are very close. If we send him to war and have him bring his wife along, we could set a trap to lure and capture Changle. Don't you think Third Yan would be hesitant to act for fear of harming her?"
The Emperor slapped his thigh. "Brilliant! Fifth Brother, you are indeed my most capable brother. Very well, I shall send you to the Nanping Count’s Estate to announce the decree. By the way, you shall go with them this time! As you said, since the two families are related, I still harbor some concerns..."
Prince Yu was gloating after the first half of the sentence, but his spirit withered instantly upon hearing the second half. However, he didn't dare cross the Emperor at such a time and could only leave dejectedly.
The Nanping Count’s Estate.
With a loud crash, Old Madame Xie smashed a cup of hot tea to pieces.
A flying shard grazed Lady Xue’s hand, instantly drawing a line of blood, yet she remained kneeling upright without making a sound.
"What a sin! Since our Zhou'er married you, it has been one disaster after another! It was bad enough that he wasn't given important roles by the Emperor, but now, because your cousin’s family has rebelled, he is actually being sent to the battlefield! Are you—are you determined to see him dead?"
Old Madame Xie could not contain her rage and gave her shoulder a vicious pinch.
Lady Xue winced in pain, biting her lip in silence.
At that moment, Xie Zhizhou entered. Old Madame Xie hurried to her feet. "Has he left? What did the Emperor say?"
Lady Xue also looked at him tensely. Xie Zhizhou did not answer immediately. His gaze lingered on the wound on her hand for a moment before he spoke slowly. "The Emperor has appointed me General Who Pacifies Yan. I am to lead two hundred thousand troops and set out tomorrow."
Old Madame Xie’s vision went black, and she fell straight back into her chair.
Lady Xue lowered her eyes, clutching her handkerchief tightly. "I am sorry, husband. It is all my fault..."
She believed this had happened because of her cousin Ruoyan.
Old Madame Xie stood up abruptly. "What use is saying that now? Our Xie family must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to marry you! Zhou'er, do you see clearly now? When I tried to stop you from marrying this woman, it was all for your own good!"
In the past, before Old Madame Xie could even finish such a sentence, Xie Zhizhou would have interrupted her coldly.
But this time, he remained silent.
Lady Xue’s heart turned cold. The next moment, a heavy slap landed on her face. "You wretched woman! Why are you still standing there? Haven't you brought enough ruin upon our family?"
She was knocked to the ground by the blow, instinctively shielding her belly. But before she could speak, she heard Old Madame Xie’s icy voice fall upon her.
"Someone come! Lock Lady Xue in the woodshed. Give her water and rice once a day, and keep her there until the Eldest Young Master returns safely!"