Offered As A Lucky Bride To The Mad Princess To Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 66

66: Recounting the Past, Plans Change…

The sound of clashing swords echoed outside, clearly indicating that there were still those loyal to Emperor Wenjing among the Imperial Guards. However, given that Emperor Wenjing had yet to summon the guards, it was likely that their numbers were too few to make a difference.

Prince Chen and Prince Xuan both stood up, positioning themselves protectively in front of Emperor Wenjing. The Noble Consort and Concubine Shu hid behind them, while the other princes and princesses, unsure of where to seek refuge, stood opposite Princess Rongxi.

Princess Rongxi slowly scanned the faces of everyone present, her gaze finally settling on the solitary Xiao Qiling. A cold smile curled her lips as she said, “Prince Ning, won’t you join them?”

As if answering her own question, she let out a long, “Oh,” and continued, “You and I are not of the same lineage as them, so naturally, it wouldn’t be fitting.”

Her words caused the expressions of Emperor Wenjing and his consorts to darken further. With the entire Golden Throne Hall under her control, they had no grounds to refute her.

Whispers soon arose among the court officials—some questioning the origins of Emperor Wenjing’s throne from twenty years ago, others wondering why Prince Ning was deemed “unfit.”

Princess Rongxi, as if determined to lay everything bare, brushed aside the guards protecting her and stepped toward the courtiers.

“Those who entered the court later may not know, but surely some of you still remember the palace coup twenty-one years ago? How Xiao Jingyu ascended the throne, how he coerced my imperial sister-in-law, how he seized control of the court, and later, how he deposed the Crown Prince.” Her tone softened slightly as she mentioned the Empress, her demeanor becoming more composed.

“This palace did so much for him, yet he expects me to confess and accept punishment? Absolutely impossible.”

The Noble Consort, panicked by Princess Rongxi’s admission of guilt and fearful that her prior alliance with the princess would implicate Prince Chen, hurriedly tried to distance herself. “Rongxi, stop spouting nonsense! How has His Majesty ever wronged you these years? You committed such heinous acts in West Garden—do you expect His Majesty to shield and indulge you?”

Princess Rongxi tilted her head, recognizing the speaker as the Noble Consort, and let out a mocking laugh. “Noble Consort, there’s no need to be so hasty. As Xiao Jingyu’s principal wife, you’ve only managed to secure the title of Noble Consort after all these years since his ascension. And now you dream of pushing Prince Chen to become Crown Prince? Hahaha, how utterly laughable.”

The Noble Consort glared furiously. “You—”

“Enough. It will take time for Si Zonghe to breach the palace defenses, and with so many pillars of the Great Qi court present, I have no intention of wasting time on you.” Princess Rongxi’s words dripped with disdain for the Noble Consort. Turning her gaze back to Emperor Wenjing, she addressed him respectfully, “What do you say, Imperial Brother?”

“Rongxi, stop this futile struggle. Even if you seize the capital tonight, by dawn, the armies from Yizhou and Qingzhou will storm the city. After what you’ve done in West Garden, the court officials will never submit to you. Cease this now. Have I ever wronged you all these years? Think of Chengli—he’s your only son with the Prince Consort. I can pardon his capital offense.”

Emperor Wenjing’s words carried both authority and leniency, but Princess Rongxi remained unmoved, her expression turning furious.

“Imperial Brother, you speak as if you truly care for me. ‘Never wronged me’? ‘They won’t submit’? Do you think everyone is as desperate to be emperor as you are?” Princess Rongxi clapped her hands and laughed, her phoenix-like eyes blazing with rage.

“Shall I recount every detail for you? When I helped you seize control of the capital, I begged you to spare the Empress’s life. But what did you do? You took her for yourself and kept the bloodline of Emperor Wuxuan alive. Should I praise you for your deep affection?”

“Have you truly never thought of killing me? If not for the power I hold, would you have let me live this long? Poor Elder Cui—until his death, he never knew that the one who truly ordered the annihilation of the Cui clan fifteen years ago was the emperor who tasked him with investigating me. Everyone thought it was I who ordered the twenty lashes that the Cui clan’s daughter couldn’t survive, but who would have guessed it was you, Imperial Brother?”

“Loyal vassals bear the stigma of disgrace while villains reap the rewards. How many loyal ministers have you used me to eliminate over the years? You don’t need to compare yourself to Xiao Jinghuan anymore—he’s no match for you in manipulating hearts. Yes, I am a villain, but do you dare admit to everything you’ve done?”

“If I hadn’t used West Garden to keep your trusted courtiers in check, I’d have been dead long ago! Perhaps even earlier, the moment you first revealed your intent to eliminate Prince Ning, I should have been silenced! Everything I’ve done—was it not all because of you? I bear the weight of infamy, but don’t think you can wash your hands clean. You want me to stop? To spare you? How laughable! Who will compensate me for everything I’ve lost?”

With that, Princess Rongxi snatched a sword from a nearby guard, her lips trembling, her eyes filled with venomous hatred.

She turned to the courtiers, the blade pointing directly at Emperor Wenjing. “Don’t you all want justice? Hahaha, let me tell you—the Great Qi is rotten to the core, and the emperor you serve has long been rotten! As for his sons…”

Princess Rongxi shook her head. “Even a simple hunting trip in West Mountains led to the defeat of Prince Xuan and Prince Chen. Do you think any of them are capable of greatness? Oh, and Prince Ning, right? Hahaha, the poison in Prince Ning’s body was personally administered by Xiao Jingyu—how else could he justify deposing the Crown Prince? Prince Ning won’t live long. The poison in his body is a gu toxin I brought back from the Western Regions, and I killed the poison’s creator myself. There’s no antidote left in this world.”

The courtiers stared at Princess Rongxi, stunned into silence.

Since ancient times, rebellions have been waged either to seize supreme imperial power or to eliminate corrupt officials and restore order.

Yet Princess Rongxi’s words, which disparaged the imperial family and the Great Qi, aligned with neither motive. What exactly did she want?

Was she truly seeking to expose Emperor Wenjing’s past misdeeds and destroy the Great Qi?

What benefit would the fall of Great Qi bring her?

The courtiers found it unimaginable, yet they could think of no other plausible reason.

The Golden Throne Hall fell silent, the only sound being the mournful rustle of robes in the breeze.

It was too absurd.

This was even more absurd than Princess Rongxi exposing Emperor Wenjing’s usurpation and murder of Emperor Wuxuan’s bloodline.

“Are you trying to pin all this on His Majesty? You’ve twisted the truth about West Garden—do you think we’d believe your words now?” Elder Li, a staunch royalist, was the first to step forward and accuse Princess Rongxi.

Just as the Si clan had rebelled for Princess Rongxi, the Li clan, as Prince Chen’s maternal family, relied entirely on Emperor Wenjing’s favor.

If Princess Rongxi succeeded in undermining Emperor Wenjing’s authority tonight, the court would descend into chaos. The unprepared struggle for the throne would begin, and with envoys from neighboring states in the capital, any leaked information could invite foreign invasion, fulfilling Princess Rongxi’s wish to see Great Qi torn apart.

Realizing her true intentions, not only royalists like Elder Li but even former vassals of Emperor Wuxuan, like Elder Wei, turned pale.

Tonight was far from an ideal time for rebellion. As Emperor Wenjing had warned, even if Princess Rongxi seized the palace tonight, she could not withstand the armies from the provinces. The Great Qi would plunge into total chaos.

At that moment, the sound of clashing swords outside the Golden Throne Hall ceased, an ominous sign weighing on everyone’s hearts. Elder Wei stepped forward. “Princess Rongxi, if you persist, you will go down in history as the eternal sinner of the Great Qi imperial family. Why go to such extremes?”

Seeing Elder Wei, Princess Rongxi’s ferocious, arrogant smile faded, replaced by a demeanor entirely different from before, as if she had forgotten her earlier accusations against Emperor Wenjing.

“Elder Wei, you’ve toiled tirelessly for the Great Qi imperial family and stabilized the realm for my imperial brother all these years. But do you know he plans to deal with your Wei clan next?” Princess Rongxi’s voice was light, tinged with a chilling edge. “I know your Wei clan is upright, but wasn’t the Cui clan also destroyed? Do you still wish to stop me?”

This wasn’t the first time Princess Rongxi had mentioned the Cui clan. Even those courtiers who hadn’t witnessed the Cui clan’s case had heard of it.

The Cui clan’s influence back then was no less than the Wei clan’s today. They, too, held positions in the inner cabinet, and their descendants earned their ranks through the imperial examinations. Yet they were accused of embezzling over ten million taels of salt tax, with irrefutable evidence. The Cui clan could not defend themselves, and to this day, no one knows if they truly misappropriated the funds.

Finally, a courtier couldn’t hold back. “The Cui clan—”

“They were wronged.” Princess Rongxi answered directly.

“So it really was you who killed Elder Cui!” another exclaimed.

“It was me, yet it wasn’t me.” Princess Rongxi glanced at the now-speechless Emperor Wenjing and sneered. Her imperial brother had always been weak, which was why Emperor Wuxuan trusted him enough to keep him in the capital among all the princes.

But when it came to cunning and ruthlessness, who could surpass Emperor Wenjing?

“Did Elder Cui incur disaster because he submitted a memorial accusing me of killing the Yizhou governor? No, no.” Princess Rongxi’s gaze was pitying as she looked at the courtiers. “It was because Prince Ning no longer needed her mother. Elder Cui petitioned for the Empress to retire to the imperial mausoleum to mourn Emperor Wuxuan, to uphold propriety. And that missing batch of salt tax, along with others before it, had gone into his private coffers. Someone needed to take the fall.”

The Empress was almost a taboo subject in the court, as was Prince Ning’s lineage—secrets the older courtiers avoided mentioning.

But the younger, newer officials had no such reservations. They couldn’t immediately verify whether Elder Cui had truly embezzled the salt tax, but it was undeniable that Emperor Wenjing had imprisoned the Cui clan because of the Empress.

“So His Majesty really launched the palace coup and eliminated the Cui clan for the Empress? The Empress was truly a femme fatale—”

Before the courtier could finish, a sword pierced his heart.

The guard beside Princess Rongxi still held the stance of throwing the sword. Those near the slain courtier recoiled in fear, shocked that Princess Rongxi would actually kill.

“Go check on Commander Si’s progress outside,” Princess Rongxi ordered one of her trusted aides. Then, turning to the terrified courtiers, she disdainfully adjusted the swaying phoenix hairpin in her hair.

“All of you, watch your words. This palace cares not for the Great Qi’s realm, let alone whether I kill a few more or less tonight.”

As Princess Rongxi exposed the past, Emperor Wenjing’s gaze remained fixed on her back.

As she had said, he had indeed used her to eliminate many courtiers who opposed his decisions. Yet he believed he had treated her generously from the start—granting her the rank of an ultra-princess, bestowing a hereditary title on her newborn son, Si Chengli, and even entrusting the Imperial Guards to the Si clan. He had thought her resentment stemmed from the exposure of the West Garden affair and his intent to imprison her. Later, hearing her accuse him of using her to eliminate loyal vassals, he assumed her hatred arose from those events.

But at this moment, watching the courtier slain by a single sword, the stark bloodstain on his chest jolted Emperor Wenjing to a realization.

Perhaps Rongxi’s grudge wasn’t about court politics at all—it was about the Empress!

In the years after the Prince Consort’s death, Emperor Wenjing had offered to arrange marriages for Rongxi with any promising young talent in the court, but she refused every time. Moreover, there were never rumors of her keeping male companions in the princess’s residence.

Before Rongxi began frequently leaving the capital to pray at temples, the person she was closest to seemed to be the Empress, who had once been her study companion.

And now, Rongxi’s act of silencing the courtier with a sword—was it not eerily similar to how he had eliminated the Cui clan to warn the court years ago?

When all other possibilities were eliminated, no matter how absurd the truth, Emperor Wenjing had to admit that Rongxi’s goal was neither the throne nor to clear her name.

She truly wanted to destroy the entire Great Qi.

All because, back then, he had taken the Empress from her!

Emperor Wenjing’s hands trembled as he gripped the table to stand, his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he might faint from rage. “Rongxi, you—you dared to covet—”

Princess Rongxi burst into laughter again. “You finally understand? Hahaha, I thought I’d made it clear enough for you to realize long ago.”

“Do you know how much pain I’ve endured all these years? Just like you, watching it all happen back then—I’ve suffered even longer, for over twenty years!”

She locked eyes with him for a moment, then gazed at the resplendent Golden Throne Hall. Despite seeing it for decades, it still felt glaringly ostentatious.

Beneath all this splendor, how much filth was hidden?

The smile on her face vanished abruptly, her lips pressing into a tight line as she shook her head. “Enough. Tonight, it all ends.”

Having lost her patience, Princess Rongxi grabbed another guard. “Go check the situation outside. It’s been so long—can’t Si Zonghe handle a few palace guards?”

The guard, intimidated by the ruthlessness in her eyes despite holding a sword, stammered, “Y-yes, Princess.”

After the guard pushed open the hall’s doors and left, Princess Rongxi sat carelessly in a seat, her eyes half-closed. Her emerald-encrusted nail guards tapped idly against the back of her hand.

She could already envision the chaos that would engulf Great Qi.

Since Princess Rongxi had revealed her intentions, Yu Nanqing had been lost in memories of her past life. In that life, Princess Rongxi had died in a mountain flood during a prayer trip. Yu Nanqing had passed through that mountain and found it unlikely to be prone to floods.

But back then, she hadn’t suspected anything.

Afterward, Xiao Qijun had married the Xiongnu princess, Gulanduo, deepening ties with the Xiongnu. It was around that time that a rebel army began to rise.

Now, in hindsight, had Princess Rongxi truly died in her past life? Why did everything after her death align with the outcome she desired in this life?

Royal kin turned against each other, internal strife raged, and the Xiongnu, along with other Western Region states, watched like predators, the empire teetering on the brink of collapse overnight.

Now, all of this was happening earlier than in her past life, but the rebel army that could have saved Great Qi was nowhere to be found. How could they face this crisis?

Had Xiao Qiling prepared in advance?

The thought crossed Yu Nanqing’s mind but was quickly dismissed. Xiao Qiling’s private forces were mostly stationed in the northern border. Unlike covert operatives, an army’s movements would surely be detected along the way.

Yu Nanqing’s delicate brows furrowed tighter. A shadow fell over the exquisite dishes before her. Looking up, she saw Xiao Qiling standing in front of her, the warm yellow candlelight softening the sharp lines of her deep-set eyes. Amid the confrontation between Princess Rongxi and Emperor Wenjing, Xiao Qiling seemed detached, yet she was undeniably at the heart of the storm due to her connection to the Empress.

Her crimson prince’s robe was pristine, without a single wrinkle, and her demeanor remained composed despite Princess Rongxi’s schemes. Yu Nanqing’s anxious heart calmed instantly.

Compared to the tangled relationships between Emperor Wuxuan, Emperor Wenjing, Princess Rongxi, and the Empress, Xiao Qiling’s exposed lineage seemed almost trivial. Even as she returned to her seat, no one spared her a glance.

Xiao Qiling sat beside Yu Nanqing, gently taking her hand to soothe her.

“Are you afraid?”

Yu Nanqing shook her head. “Not afraid.”

Though she said this, the worry and fear of reliving her past life seeped through her eyes.

“Hm, if anyone’s to die, it’ll be them first. Naturally, you’ve nothing to fear.” Xiao Qiling said without exposing her, tightening her grip to warm Yu Nanqing’s cold hands.

Yu Nanqing, startled by Xiao Qiling’s words, gasped, “…Die?”

Xiao Qiling’s lips curved slightly as she glanced at Princess Rongxi.

As the Empress’s only bloodline, Xiao Qiling felt little reaction to Princess Rongxi’s words.

Perhaps Princess Rongxi had once loved her mother, but what of it?

Whether Rongxi’s goal was to destroy Great Qi or seize the throne, using her mother’s name to stir trouble and dredging up old matters after her mother’s death made her utterly unworthy of her mother.

“Later, stay with Yin San and don’t wander off, understood?”

Xiao Qiling’s voice was light as a feather, her words measured, her dark eyes hiding a glimmer of danger, like ripples on a lake.

When her gaze met Yu Nanqing’s again, the cold, murderous intent in her eyes melted like ice in spring, leaving only gentle warmth.

Yu Nanqing’s shock was palpable. She quickly turned her head and noticed Yin San, who had shed her covert guard attire and now wore an unremarkable palace maid’s outfit.

Yu Nanqing could guess what Xiao Qiling planned to do. But with Princess Rongxi controlling the entire Imperial Guard and aiming only to destabilize Great Qi, even capturing her might not stop the guards.

Where could Xiao Qiling muster troops?

They were vastly outnumbered—too risky.

Yu Nanqing gripped Xiao Qiling’s wrist tightly, refusing to let her go. “The other princes are still here. She’s not targeting you. Your Highness doesn’t need to put herself in danger.”

Xiao Qiling’s tone remained light. “Your Highness exposed the West Garden affair and still needs a chance to shine before the court. How about I dance for you back at the mansion to make amends?”

Yu Nanqing still wouldn’t let go. How could she not see through Xiao Qiling’s intentions?

Xiao Qiling had linked Princess Rongxi to West Garden and anticipated the Si clan’s rebellion, so she must have considered the timing of this revolt.

Beyond the difficulty of mustering troops, if Xiao Qiling seized the capital tonight, the provincial armies would besiege it by tomorrow. Her private forces couldn’t reach the capital in time.

Moreover, acting prematurely without the court’s support would make Xiao Qiling no different from Emperor Wenjing twenty years ago.

Xiao Qiling disdained such methods and didn’t want her loyal soldiers to die in vain.

But in a situation where they were vastly outnumbered, how could Yu Nanqing feel at ease letting her go save anyone?

Tears welled in Yu Nanqing’s eyes, her jaw clenched as she held onto Xiao Qiling.

Xiao Qiling had only meant to make Yu Nanqing worry, to see how much she cared. But seeing the tears in her eyes, she realized just how deeply Yu Nanqing felt.

If the setting allowed, Xiao Qiling would have slapped herself.

To investigate West Garden, Yu Nanqing had risked entering the princess’s residence. Without her, Xiao Qiling wouldn’t have had a chance to pin crimes on Rongxi.

How could she test Yu Nanqing’s sincerity?

Xiao Qiling reached to wipe Yu Nanqing’s tears, but her hands were pinned down.

“You…”

“General Zhenyuan has returned to the capital,” Xiao Qiling said, no longer hiding her plans. Leaning closer, she pressed a placating kiss to Yu Nanqing’s lips. “Wait here for me, alright?”

Yu Nanqing’s grip loosened. In the Ning Prince’s mansion, she might have scratched Xiao Qiling, but now she did nothing.

Not because of the watching eyes, but because she was worried for Xiao Qiling.

General Zhenyuan was Prince Xuan’s uncle, not Xiao Qiling’s ally.

At that moment, the Golden Throne Hall’s doors were finally pushed open from outside. Xiao Qiling could say no more. She bit her back teeth, reluctantly pulling her gaze from Yu Nanqing’s face, and stood, resuming the air of the refined Prince Ning.

All eyes turned to the doors. The same doors that had welcomed courtiers at dawn and foreign envoys in the afternoon now, mere hours later, filled the courtiers with dread. They dared not look directly.

First to enter was a pair of black-and-gold boots, followed by silver-white armor—the attire of the Imperial Guards. Two guards pushed the doors open, and Si Zonghe, still in his banquet robes but wearing a silver helmet and gripping a sharp longsword, stepped in with a terrifying presence.

Behind him followed a mass of Imperial Guards, an endless sea of them.

The courtiers’ seats were arranged by rank behind the princes and princesses, with lower ranks closer to the doors.

For the minor officials newly admitted to court, attending such a banquet was a great honor. But now, facing the menacing Imperial Guards, they were too terrified to move.

Si Zonghe gripped his sword tightly, his gaze passing over the courtiers to meet Princess Rongxi’s eyes. Her expression darkened instantly.

The plan had changed!

In an instant, Princess Rongxi guessed who was behind it, her gaze shooting to Xiao Qiling. “You?”