After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 25

The next day, Minister Qian was beheaded at the Meridian Gate.

Many other high-ranking officials were also executed alongside him. The bolder citizens went to watch, and the sight of bl00d splashing three feet high drew cheers.

Sucking the bl00d of the common people, and the bl00d of disaster-stricken people at that.

Every single one of these officials deserved to die!

The surrounding commoners cheered and applauded, while the high officials who had been ordered to watch felt their hearts clench, fearing that the next person kneeling in Minister Qian’s place, losing their head, would be themselves.

From now on, they would have to be strict with themselves. For an official, a blade hung over their head at any moment.

When the news reached the palace, Xie Wan expressed her satisfaction.

Executing the corrupt officials was one matter settled. Although the Xu family wasn’t implicated, there was no rush; she hadn’t planned to deal with the Xu family based on just this one incident.

Now, grain merchants from various southern cities had also been mobilized, and the situation in the north could be brought under control.

Everything was developing for the better. Xie Wan even slept much more soundly, and her complexion had improved significantly recently.

Of course, the pillow Xiao Anyu gave her also contributed greatly.

Seeing Her Majesty in high spirits, the Chief Steward of the palace administration quickly brought up the matter of her birthday.

“Will Your Majesty’s birthday this year be celebrated as in previous years?”

Emperor Ruiming’s birthday always involved a banquet in the palace. She loved elegance and refinement, and would host banquets to appreciate ancient poetry collections, enjoying them with scholars from all over the land. Naturally, she would also have talented officials and noble sons compose poems and couplets, and if their verses pleased the imperial heart, they would be rewarded.

Xie Wan had attended one such event when she was a consort.

Because Emperor Ruiming’s birthday was not long after she entered the palace, she went out of curiosity.

The result was predictable.

It was not a place she belonged.

Scholars had their own pleasures; she was not a scholar, so she naturally couldn’t appreciate the fun.

What she liked most was the atmosphere of a royal hunt.

However, regrettably, she was no longer allowed to participate in royal hunts after entering the palace. This had made her indignant for a long time, but it eventually faded due to palace rules.

After thinking about it, Xie Wan said, “This year’s birthday, let’s change it. This year, we will hold a martial arts competition. All court officials can participate, and even those without official titles can. As long as they win first place, I will bestow a reward.”

Since it was her birthday, she would celebrate it the way she liked.

The Chief Steward was stunned. Huh? A martial arts competition?

“I’ve seen enough poetry gatherings every year,” Xie Wan smiled. “I think watching a martial arts competition would be quite interesting. It looks spirited.”

“…Yes.” The Chief Steward dared not disobey.

Recalling the rumors in the palace, the Chief Steward swallowed. Her Majesty had truly changed her temperament. Had her affection for Consort Wan extended to loving everything connected to her? Looks spirited? Perhaps she meant that person looked spirited.

“Then, Your Majesty, may the masters of the inner palace also participate?” The Chief Steward was, of course, asking about the one in Wanyi Palace.

Xie Wan: “What do you think?”

The Chief Steward: “…”

The imperial heart was hard to fathom.

“Your Majesty, if Consort Wan participates, she will surely win the championship,” the Chief Steward praised first, then softly brought up the crucial point. “However, Consort Wan is a member of the inner palace. Participating in such a competition is against the rules… physical contact is unavoidable when sparring with others. This… I fear it will invite criticism.”

Xie Wan frowned.

Seeing this, the Chief Steward breathed a sigh of relief. Holding a martial arts competition in the palace, no matter what, was too absurd.

“It’s fine. The birthday banquet… will be this martial arts competition.”

“Your Majesty…” The Chief Steward was dumbfounded.

“In this palace, I am the rule,” Xie Wan looked at her with a smile. “Tell me, am I right?”

Sweat instantly broke out on the Chief Steward’s forehead. She plopped down onto her knees. “Your Majesty, please forgive me!”

“I recall that the laws of Da Yue do not contain such rigid and conservative rules. There are quite a few women generals nowadays, and the Xie family army even has a women’s corps. When they are fighting the enemy to protect the country, must they first consider whether they are married women and if it is against the rules?”

Xie Wan paused, then smiled: “To speak more deeply, I am also a woman.”

The Chief Steward’s face was pale. “This humble servant misspoke! I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness!”

“Alright, get up.” Xie Wan glanced at her. “Now do you know how to prepare for this birthday banquet?”

“This servant understands!”

The Chief Steward withdrew with lingering fear.

“Your Majesty, changing the birthday banquet from a poetry gathering to a martial arts competition… Consort Wan will be overjoyed if she finds out,” Zhaoxia said with a smile while pouring tea.

Xie Wan took a sip of tea and said innocently, “Hmm? No, I’m doing it for my own happiness.”

Zhaoxia covered her mouth and chuckled, “Yes, Your Majesty is happy when Consort Wan is happy.”

Xie Wan: “…”

Xie Wan felt there was something off about that statement, but upon closer inspection, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

Just as she was about to explain something, Zhaoxia had already spoken: “Your Majesty… pampering Consort Wan like this might make some people green with envy. There are a few stubborn ones in this palace.”

Zhaoxia’s words were pointed.

Xie Wan understood what she meant. Although there weren’t many people in the inner palace, there were one or two tough nuts to crack. To balance the court, Emperor Ruiming had to marry sons of powerful officials, like herself, but she wasn’t the first. Normally, Emperor Ruiming paid little attention to the inner palace, and these young masters couldn’t cause much trouble.

But now, Xie Anyu had arrived, and she immediately drew all of Her Majesty’s attention. It was likely that some people were starting to lose patience.

“Send two hidden guards to Wanyi Palace.”

“Your Majesty, are two hidden guards enough?” Zhaoxia was quite surprised. Given Her Majesty’s concern for Consort Wan, wasn’t two too few?

Xie Wan asked unhurriedly, “If they go looking for trouble with Consort Wan, who will end up teaching whom a lesson?”

Zhaoxia: “…”

Her Majesty was right. With the Consort’s martial prowess, dealing with those pampered young masters, she could probably handle ten without a problem, couldn’t she?

“It’s fine even if she hits them hard. I’ll cover for her,” Xie Wan smiled.

When she was an imperial consort, plenty of people came looking for trouble with her. Those young masters thought she wasn’t favored and loved to drop by Wanyi Palace from time to time.

At that time, she was mindful of the forces behind those people and didn’t want to create enemies for the Xie family, so at most, she would glare at them a few times and scare them away. But thinking back, it was still a bit frustrating.

“If such a scene truly happens, I’d very much like to see it.”

Watching Xiao Anyu avenge her, how novel that would be.

In a while longer, she wouldn’t even be able to watch if she wanted to.

Xie Wan narrowed her eyes, her fingertip tracing the rim of the teacup.

After dealing with matters of the court, it was time to clean up the people in the inner palace.

Her plan did not include spending money to support a group of useless young masters.

Emperor Ruiming loved handsome men, so the livelier the inner palace, the better. But she was different; she even felt pained by the silver allocated to the inner palace each year. Even in her previous life, after Chu Tang ascended the throne, she, as the Regent King, strictly ordered a significant reduction in inner palace expenditures.

Currently, Da Yue was in a period of development, and silver should be spent where it was most needed.

The servants in Wanyi Palace had also felt strange recently.

In the past, if the weather was clear, the Consort would definitely go to the Martial Arts Ground early in the morning, only returning when she was hungry or when the sun was setting.

But these past few days, the Consort had clearly spent much less time at the Martial Arts Ground.

And she wasn’t holed up in her sleeping quarters reading either. Instead, she had somehow acquired a bow and a few arrows and was wreaking havoc on the trees in the courtyard.

Only a whoosh could be heard—

The tree trunk made a dull thud, and an arrow was stuck in it, firmly.

Qingcui, who was waiting nearby, quickly ran over to look. She saw that the arrow firmly embedded in the tree trunk had once again pierced a falling leaf. Qingcui quickly reported the good news: “Consort has hit it again!”

“…But Consort, you hit the tip of the leaf.” She still hadn’t hit the ‘heart of the leaf’.

Turning her head, sure enough, her Consort was frowning again.

This was already the tenth arrow.

Seeing the Consort take out another arrow to string the bow, Qingcui quickly asked, “Consort, this leaf is only about two fingers wide. It’s too difficult to hit the heart of the leaf. Consort’s ability to hit it at all is already superb archery!”

Anyu held the bow and arrow, not continuing.

She had tried many times these past few days.

It wasn’t difficult to shoot a falling leaf and pin it to the tree trunk.

The difficulty lay in the position where the arrow pierced the leaf.

The arrow Her Majesty shot in her small courtyard was right in the heart of the leaf. And she had tried it herself; out of ten shots, she could hit the leaf ten times, but the number of times she could hit the heart of the leaf was very few, at most twice out of ten.

For the first time, Anyu felt a little frustrated.

Originally, she had just been on a whim, wanting to demonstrate the scene of that arrow being shot in her small courtyard that day. She hadn’t expected to find that her proud archery skills were actually inferior to someone else’s.

And… it was very likely that she had lost to the sickly Emperor.

Anyu felt a little unconvinced, but immediately following that, a strong fighting spirit ignited in her heart.

She still had to find time to ask Her Majesty about it.

If it really was the arrow she shot…

Hmph, then she wouldn’t be bored in the palace. When that person was free, she would definitely drag them along for a spar!

Just as she was thinking, a maid hurried over to deliver a message—

“Consort, someone from Huayang Palace is here!”

Anyu turned her head and saw a court attendant following behind the maid. This must be the person from Huayang Palace the maid mentioned.

“This servant has the fortune to greet Consort Wan,” the attendant bowed and finished speaking. Upon looking up, he saw the bow and arrow in Anyu’s hand, and his eyes immediately widened in surprise.

But quickly, he lowered his head, trying to hide his expression.

Who would have thought that this master of Wanyi Palace was practicing archery in the palace!

“Yes, this Consort is Consort Wan. What is the matter?” Anyu put down her bow and arrow, and Qingcui understood and took it.

The attendant from Huayang Palace said softly, “My master has sent this servant to invite the Consort to the Imperial Garden. The weather is clear today, and my master has set up a small tea banquet in the Imperial Garden. Several masters from other palaces are also there. Please come over for a cup of clear tea and warm up your relationships.”

This one from Wanyi Palace was truly like a dragon, seen only by its head but not its tail.

Rumors of her being favored had spread throughout the palace, but she hardly went anywhere else except the Martial Arts Ground and Her Majesty’s place. It was truly difficult to find her.

Even his master had to have people watch her several times before knowing that Consort Wan was in the palace these past few days.

Seeing that he spoke politely, Xie Anyu didn’t think too much and asked, “Your master is… uh, which one?”

Whose palace was Huayang Palace again…

Anyu looked bewildered, which dumbfounded the attendant.

His master was the second son of the late Emperor’s sworn brother, Prince Zhenbei! Prince Zhenbei, a prince with a different surname, was someone Her Majesty had to show three parts of respect to and call ‘Uncle’.

With such status, could someone actually not know?

No wonder his master had to personally send him to ‘invite’ her. This young lady of the Xie family was truly arrogant!

Seeing this, Qingcui was also embarrassed, but she knew that Consort Wan didn’t mean to be rude; she genuinely didn’t know which palace belonged to whom.

“Consort, it’s the master of Huayang Palace, the second son of Prince Zhenbei,” Qingcui reminded softly.

The second son of Prince Zhenbei? She had heard of him.

Only then did Anyu nod. “Okay. When should I go for tea? Now?”

“…Yes.” The attendant was surprised again.

He had thought Consort Wan would definitely decline.

After all, this clearly looked like a banquet with ill intentions.

Anyu: “Then wait a moment, I’ll go change my clothes.”

Seeing this, Qingcui quickly followed her. “Consort, this servant will help you change!”

In reality, after catching up, Qingcui reminded her worriedly, “Consort, why are you going to this tea banquet? The master of Huayang Palace is not easy to get along with…”

Xie Anyu smiled, “What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll just go and listen to what they’re talking about. If it’s not fun, I’ll just come back. Don’t worry, I won’t be bullied!”

Qingcui’s vision went dark upon hearing this.

Consort, those people aren’t really inviting you for tea!

Was Anyu foolish? Of course, she wasn’t. She was quite perceptive. Those people inviting her for tea were probably harboring ill intentions. But she felt there was nothing to be afraid of.

What was there to fear?

Moreover, she would have to meet these people sooner or later. If they wanted to bully her, she would just follow Her Majesty’s example and kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

She was favored now, so ‘a tall tree catches the wind,’ right?

She understood, hehe.