Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 61

Chapter 61: The Schemes of the Great Clans

The ministers in the hall, young and old, had various expressions. The younger officials had never heard of the Shouchunwu case and looked bewildered. The older ones were evasive and dared not speak carelessly.

The minister kneeling in the center of the hall changed his expression slightly. He had worked as a clerk for the Ministry of Personnel back then, and he was not only in charge of the case but also the presiding judge.

He racked his brains, trying to figure out why His Majesty would bring up this case. He lowered his head and said cautiously, “Your Majesty, this official did indeed preside over this case. It has been over a decade, so this official doesn’t remember the specifics.”

From behind the dark curtain, the emperor smiled, yet not quite a smile. His eyes were cold and indifferent. “This case is full of doubts. In your opinion, Minister, what should be done?”

The minister’s face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his temples. He forced himself to calm down, kowtowed heavily, and said, “Your Majesty, this official is willing to re-examine this case!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd looked at each other, and they all saw a ripple of shock in each other’s eyes. His Majesty wants to re-examine the Shouchunwu case? How many years has it been? The Yu family is all dead. Even if the case is overturned, death nullifies all things. Why waste the effort?

The emperor’s heart was hard to predict, so they didn’t dare to speak and just lowered their heads silently, afraid of being noticed.

In the grand hall, there was a moment of dead silence.

The minister’s head touched the ground. A bone-chilling coldness spread through his limbs. The unknown fear bent his spine.

“This case should indeed be re-examined,”

The emperor’s voice came from the high seat, very light and casual, but it contained the cruelty of having the power of life and death. “Guards, drag him out and interrogate him properly.”

The minister suddenly raised his head. His hair was soaked with sweat, and his cheeks were deathly pale, as if his soul had left his body. His body went limp as the Imperial Guards dragged him away.

In the emperor’s presence, it was a common sight for a powerful figure, who was resplendent with jewels by day, to lose his head by night, his entire family seized. No one found it strange.

They just lowered their heads even more, held their breath, and tried to minimize their presence.

The more silent it became, the more obvious the clinking of jade dishes became.

A young minister couldn’t help but look up curiously, wanting to see who was so bold as to eat so blatantly at this moment.

Through the curtain, he could vaguely see the youth on the phoenix throne concentrating on a dish. There was not a trace of fear on his face.

He wasn’t afraid of His Majesty. He even directed His Majesty to serve him food.

Such indulgence and His Majesty’s extreme doting were truly unexpected.

The minister wanted to take a closer look, but he suddenly met His Majesty’s cold, dark gaze. His heart froze, and he quickly lowered his head, feeling a sense of dread.

“Your Majesty, it has been many years since the Shouchunwu case. The dust has settled. Why bother investigating again?” The smile hidden in Lady Xie’s aging eyes had completely disappeared. The corners of her lips were slightly curved, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Not far away, Xie Kui raised his golden cup and slowly took a sip of clear water. As the head of the Xie clan of Jianchang, he had always been content with a simple life and retired from official duties. Even in the capital, he lived as if he were in the mountains.

In a few more years, he would request to retire and live in seclusion. Who would have thought that His Majesty would suddenly bring up the Shouchunwu case…

The emperor heard Lady Xie’s words. His beautiful, cold face showed no emotion beneath his royal headdress. “Instead of interfering in my Hall of Supreme Harmony, why don’t you manage your Palace of Longevity and Health?”

His words were a direct accusation that she shouldn’t be interfering in politics and court affairs.

The last bit of a smile on Lady Xie’s face was about to disappear. Before she could say anything, her trusted subordinate stood behind her, leaned in, and whispered a few words in her ear.

Lady Xie’s compassionate facade finally cracked. She gave the emperor a cold stare and cursed him in her heart. “Madman!”

Over the years, the spies she had painstakingly planted in the Hall of Supreme Harmony had all been found and taken out. The emperor had sent their corpses to the Palace of Longevity and Health. Not only that, he had even cut off all her powerful connections!

He was a complete madman! How could anyone treat their own grandmother like this?! He had no respect and was brutally rude!

Lady Xie’s hand, which was hidden in her sleeve, trembled as she raised her golden cup and took a sip of tea. She barely managed to suppress the anger in her heart. She glanced at the youth sitting next to the emperor with a cold smirk.

Ying Xiu, who was deaf to the outside world and focused on eating, thought, Huh, who’s looking at me?

He looked around and saw that an elegant and luxurious old woman not far away was staring at him. He couldn’t help but ask Xie Zhou, “Who is she?”

Xie Zhou followed his gaze. His expression was calm, as if she were an unimportant person. He said simply, “The Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager of the Southern Dynasty… Wasn’t that Xie Zhou’s grandmother?

Ying Xiu felt a good impression toward Xie Zhou’s elder. He lowered his head, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and then looked up and smiled politely at Lady Xie.

Lady Xie: “…”

Where did this fool come from?

Xie Zhou noticed his actions. He turned his head and gave Lady Xie a cold look. He continued to serve food to Ying Xiu and said softly, “She was the one who locked you in the Dan Ding Pavilion tonight.”

Ying Xiu ate a bite of the dish Xie Zhou had given him, chewed on it, and asked, “Why did she lock me up?”

Xie Zhou paused, his expression still calm. He said in a voice that only he and Ying Xiu could hear, “She hates me.”

Lady Xie hated him and, by extension, hated Ying Xiu.

His bl00d-relative grandmother had been trying to destroy him. Now, she was even trying to destroy his most beloved person…

He would no longer be patient.

Ying Xiu didn’t know why that elegant and noble woman would hate her own grandson. He reached out and gently patted Xie Zhou’s back, not forgetting to give him a few of the dishes he didn’t like.

“Since she hates you, I’ll hate her too,” Ying Xiu thought about some insults. After thinking for a long time, he said in a very small voice, “She’s so mean.”

Xie Zhou chuckled. As soon as he showed a hint of a smile, Ying Xiu almost glared at him. He immediately straightened his face and said seriously, “Yes, she is.”

Since that minister was publicly dragged away, no one dared to voice any objection to Ying Xiu. There were even some quick-witted ministers who subtly praised Ying Xiu, using many obscure allusions. Ying Xiu didn’t understand a single one.

He looked at the murmuring ministers below and then at Xie Zhou. “What are they saying?”

Xie Zhou turned his head and explained, “He said you are suitable to be the Empress of the Southern Dynasty.” His tone was serious and matter-of-fact.

Ying Xiu was a little skeptical. But when he saw Xie Zhou’s calm and indifferent expression, he couldn’t help but waver. Did the ministers also want him to be empress?

The youth thought for a moment, shook his head resolutely, and said with a pretense of wisdom, “The time has not yet come.”

He hadn’t even imagined what it would be like to be an empress, let alone the empress to Emperor Zhaosu, who was known as a tyrant.

Xie Zhou is a tyrant. What would he be? An evil empress?

Ying Xiu imagined being called an evil empress and couldn’t help but fall silent.

No matter what, as long as he was by Xie Zhou’s side, it was good enough.

The emperor’s long eyelashes lowered as he watched the youth’s expression change from troubled to suddenly enlightened. He didn’t know what he was thinking.

He didn’t press Ying Xiu any further. He reached out and served him food. “Eat.”

…

A New Conspiracy

As soon as the New Year’s Feast ended, the news that the cruel and tyrannical Emperor Zhaosu was keeping a male consort in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and even let him sit on the empress’s phoenix throne, spread throughout the capital with lightning speed.

Some said that the male consort was so beautiful that he surpassed even Wang Qiang and Chu Nu, which was why His Majesty doted on him so much.

Others said that the male consort was a fairy reincarnated to save the tyrant and the people from suffering.

There was also a rumor that no one believed. It was just too absurd. It said that the male consort was an assassin, and he was an assassin who tried to assassinate the emperor.

—How could that be?

With the tyrant’s nature, he would have long since had the assassin dismembered and executed. Why would he spare his life and even treat him as a male consort, doting on him in every possible way?

Looking at the situation, it was clear that he wanted him to be the empress. Although male love was popular in the Southern Dynasty, there had never been a precedent for a male empress. It was truly shocking.

The rumors outside were so rampant that when the news came out that the Ministry of Personnel was going to re-examine the Shouchunwu case, no one paid any attention to it.

Except for the Xie and Wang clans of Jianchang.

In the Southern Mountains on the outskirts of the capital, Xie Kui was tending to his newly planted chrysanthemums. The prime minister, who once dominated the court, was now just a normal old man.

He watered the flowers slowly, stopping every two steps.

A young boy with his hair in two buns walked in silently. “Master, Wang Daokui has arrived.”

From Guangling in Xuzhou to Jiankang, the capital, a journey of three thousand li, only took a few days. It showed how wary Wang Daokui was of the re-examination of the Shouchunwu case.

Xie Kui didn’t speak and just watered the flowers quietly. The boy understood what he meant. He walked out himself and pushed open the tightly closed outer gate.

When Wang Daokui walked in, he immediately saw the old man in blue robes holding a watering can. He stopped and stood still, watching the other man walk slowly.

It was only when Xie Kui had poured out all the water in the can that he spoke. But his first words were not about the Shouchunwu case. Instead, he said—

“You’re old too.”

Xie Kui turned around and smiled faintly. The demeanor of a generation’s politician was on full display. “Did you come here just to say that?”

He glanced behind Wang Daokui. “Where is your long-haired eldest son?”

Wang Shouzhen, who was known for his uprightness and gentle nature, was called the “Crowned Man of the Central Plains” in his youth.

Wang Daokui’s face sank slightly. He didn’t answer and got straight to the point. “How should we handle this matter?”

Now that His Majesty intended to investigate the Shouchunwu case, no matter what his motive was, the final result would be to cut off the influence of the noble clans. The foundations of the Wang and Xie clans would become unstable.

“What do you mean, handle it?” Xie Kui laughed. “I don’t seem to understand. What does this case have to do with us?”

Everyone knew that Prime Minister Xie Kui had become increasingly obsessed with philosophical debates and didn’t care about state affairs in recent years. What did a case of a general who colluded with the enemy have to do with him?

Wang Daokui knew in his heart that since Xie Kui was willing to see him, he wouldn’t ignore him. He thought for a moment, hardened his heart, and revealed his biggest trump card: “The Queen of the Qiang tribe has been homesick lately. The Qiang King said he wants to bring her back.”

There was only one way for her to return—to wage war and conquer the south.