Chapter 92: Hah, Let It Be Destroyed
Xiao Yang and her group had just sat down when a small incident occurred. Xie Liuzheng came storming up, pulling Xiao Jinshu along with her.
Xie Liuzheng was celebrating the festival with her parents, and Xiao Jinshu had also been called back home, so neither of them was with Xiao Yang tonight.
When they were finally able to get out, Xie Liuzheng happened to run into Cui Jialiang and his gang of hooligans trying to lay hands on Xiao Jinshu. Xiao Jinshu was used to manual labor, so she was quite strong and even knew a bit of self-defense, but she was no match for several men.
Xie Liuzheng happened to be passing by. She grabbed Xiao Jinshu and ran, heading straight for Xiao Yang’s group.
"That Cui Jialiang is an absolute beast! He actually ganged up on Sister Jinshu with a group of men! Your Majesty must seek justice for Sister Jinshu."
Xie Liuzheng’s complaint came out so naturally, as if she took it for granted that Xiao Yang would help Xiao Jinshu.
Xiao Yang looked at Xiao Jinshu’s pale face. "You’re a fifth-rank female officer now. How does he still dare to bully you?"
Xiao Jinshu bit her lip and lowered her head. "I am useless. I have disappointed Your Majesty. Cui Jialiang has always been lawless, and the company he keeps is nothing but crooks and thieves. For a while at the beginning, he was indeed wary. But after some time, he decided I was no threat to him and naturally reverted to his old ways."
Not only did he revert, he got even worse.
Xie Liuzheng added, "And that Cui Jialiang even threatened her! He said if she couldn’t do what he wanted, he would divorce her."
"How dare he!" Xiao Cheng clenched his fists, furious. "I’ll go teach him a lesson right now."
Xiao Jinshu quickly soothed him. "Ah Cheng, you can’t be reckless."
She lifted her gaze to Xiao Yang, looking into those eyes that seemed to see through everything. After a moment’s hesitation, she slowly began to explain. "The Cui family used my inability to bear children as an excuse to try and register a child born to a concubine under my name. I only managed to suppress them by using Your Majesty’s name as my backing. Then, after Your Majesty promoted Mr. Xu to Minister of Rites, my father-in-law set his sights on the position of Libationer. He wanted me to put in a good word for him before Your Majesty to help him get promoted. I refused, and they’ve held a grudge against me ever since. Today, Cui Jialiang went so far as to threaten me with our marriage, saying if I didn’t agree, he would divorce me."
She paused, then said with determination, "This marriage has long been a disaster. I’ve endured it for various reasons, but thanks to Your Majesty’s protection, I now have the confidence to speak up. I’ve already decided to seek a divorce."
She suddenly dropped to her knees. "I humbly implore Your Majesty to intervene on my behalf."
Xiao Jinshu wanted a divorce. She couldn’t stand her scumbag husband for another day. The Emperor’s favor toward her and her brother was a powerful bargaining chip, but for that very reason, the Cui family would never let this marriage go easily. In the end, it would likely devolve into a chaotic, ugly mess. A graceful exit was impossible.
She no longer cared about her own reputation or face, but she was now one of Your Majesty’s female officials. If the fallout became too ugly, she would certainly lose her footing in the palace. For herself, for her brother, and for the Emperor, she wanted to remain in the palace.
She had seen another possibility for her life. She knew she could live more freely, with dignity. And for that, she had to get a divorce.
The Emperor had taken pity on her and given her this opportunity; she didn’t want to let a scumbag like him ruin it.
Xie Liuzheng quickly pleaded, "Please, Your Majesty, you have to help."
’Just issue an imperial edict and let Sister Jinshu divorce that scumbag!’
As her brother, Xiao Cheng couldn’t just stand by and watch. He immediately knelt beside his sister. "Please, Your Majesty."
Xiao Yang sighed. ’They say having people kneel to you shortens your life. Since coming to this ancient era, I feel like even if an emperor had ten thousand years to live, they couldn’t withstand this much kneeling.’
She turned to Xiao Cheng. "Since that Cui Jialiang is such a rotten character, I want you to compile a list of all the offenses he’s committed and deliver it to Xu Xingchen."
What would happen once it was in Xu Xingchen’s hands went without saying.
Seeing Xiao Cheng’s clear, earnest eyes, Xiao Lv couldn’t help but add a reminder, "Before you send it, show it to the Cui family."
With that kind of leverage, what divorce couldn’t be achieved?
There were plenty of ways to use that leverage to get a divorce; an imperial edict wasn’t always necessary.
The only reason the siblings were bullied was because they were too honest.
Fortunately, the two weren’t stupid. They immediately understood Xiao Lv’s meaning. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
A small matter, easily resolved. Just then, the stage competition began.
DANG DANG DANG!
The bronze gong sounded, signaling the start of the tournament.
"As the saying goes, a hero is a hero, no matter their origin. Today, on this stage, we gather as friends through literature, competing only on talent and learning. We welcome all of you to come up and display your skills, and leave behind some brilliant prose for us to admire."
There were many people present today, but not everyone could get on the stage. All participants first had to pass three tests: a handwriting evaluation, a recitation test, and correctly answering ten lantern riddles at the nearby stall. Only by proving they possessed genuine scholarly ability could they take part in the main competition.
"That one is Ye Shao, Duke Liang’s grandson... Xie Bowen, Vice Minister Xie’s son... Zhao Shaoyang of the Zhao Family..."
Xiao Lv pointed out the people he recognized one by one for Xiao Yang. As he was speaking, his voice suddenly filled with doubt. "That person looks like... Liu Shixu?"
Xiao Lv framed it as a question, but he was certain he hadn’t misidentified the man.
He turned to look at Xiao Yang. Of the Chen and Liu Families, everyone except for Duke Rong and Liu Zhongwen—who were dead—had been exiled. Liu Shixu was naturally among those exiled.
And yet, how long had it been? Liu Shixu had actually appeared in the Capital City.
Or perhaps, he had never left the Capital City in the first place?
He looked again at Her Majesty, whose face was completely calm, without a hint of surprise. She had clearly known all along.
Xiao Yang glanced up at him. "Why are you so surprised? With the Empress Dowager’s abilities, isn’t it easy for her to keep one person behind?"
She had been regent for six years, after all. And since Xiao Yang hadn’t exactly wiped them all out, swapping out one person was certainly within her power.
’Still, for Liu Shixu to appear in such a conspicuous place... this is a blatant provocation.’
’I recall the Empress Dowager is still sick. She almost died, yet she’s still not behaving.’
Rong Yin, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "It’s not just Liu Shixu. Chen Qian is also in the Capital City. The two of them hold the seals of their respective families and have been contacting their old allies."
Chen Qian was the youngest son of Duke Rong, which, by relation, made him the Emperor’s uncle.
Xiao Cheng exclaimed, "Contacting them for what? Don’t tell me they’re planning a rebellion? Regent King, since you knew, why are you only speaking of this today?"
Rong Yin ignored Xiao Cheng’s question, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yang. "Her Majesty has her own plans."
Xiao Yang: "..."
’What plans do I have? I only kept the Empress Dowager and her cronies around because a known enemy is easier to control, and they served as a convenient counterbalance to the Regent King and other factions. Can I actually say that out loud?’
Xiao Yang was keenly aware that her throne was sitting on a minefield, and not just one or two mines.
The remnants of the Empress Dowager’s faction were bound to explode sooner or later. Prime Minister Song didn’t seem easy to handle either. Then there were all the major and minor noble families. They were originally just watching from the sidelines, but after all her recent meddling, she had finally managed to offend every last one of them.
Conquering a kingdom is hard, but defending it is even harder. This was especially true for a young, powerless, female emperor like her. And now, having attracted several new waves of intense hatred, it was like she had maxed out every single difficulty setting.
Heh. Let it all burn.