Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Lu Yuan enthusiastically laid out the plans he had been formulating over the past few days to Su Liyan’s mother.

Su Liyan’s mother was a simple woman from a farming family who had always lived by the traditional creed of following her husband’s lead. How could she possibly know how to do any of this? Seeing her son-in-law so engrossed in his explanation, she chose not to interrupt.

After Lu Yuan finished, Su Liyan’s mother voiced her doubts. Lu Yuan explained, "Don’t worry, Mother. Aunt Song will be there to help you manage everything."

In Prince Lu’s Mansion, the sickly King Lu heard a servant report, "The entire Elephant Island garrison was wiped out overnight. Even your son has disappeared without a trace."

King Lu clutched a handkerchief to his mouth with his right hand and coughed violently several times before saying listlessly, "Investigate further!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

King Lu was gentle, perhaps even a bit weak, but as the servant was leaving, he added an order: "Relay my command! Transfer men from the Sea Defense Camp to garrison Elephant Island. We cannot lose a single inch of the Empire’s territory!"

"As you command!"

King Lu staggered over to his desk, opened a blank memorial, ground some ink, and picked up a brush to begin writing.

Gu Zhaolian was merely King Lu’s sixth son, and born to a concubine at that. The main purpose of this memorial was to report the Wa Country’s attack on Elephant Island to the Court and leave the matter for the Emperor to decide.

’The vast Elephant Island could not be lost on his watch!’

Back in Prince Yan’s Mansion, Gu Gaoxu came swaggering in. The moment they saw him, several Mansion Guards swarmed forward without a word.

Two or three of the guards leaped forward, piling on top of Gu Gaoxu to pin him firmly to the ground.

Gu Gaoxu clenched his right fist and pounded the ground, shouting, "Let me go! Don’t you even recognize me?"

The guard closest to him said, "Young Master, we will let you go as soon as the Prince arrives."

But Gu Gaoxu was not one to lie there so pathetically. With a furious roar, he unleashed what seemed like an inexhaustible supply of strength, violently bucking the men off him and sending them flying.

The guards crashed into courtyard walls and tree trunks, crying out in pain.

Drawn by the commotion, King Yan, Gu Di, appeared before Gu Gaoxu, his face a mask of fury. The Princess Consort followed closely behind.

King Yan rebuked him, "How dare you!"

Gu Gaoxu said plaintively, "Father, the moment I walked in, these servants tried to seize me—"

"It was my order!" King Yan cut him off.

Gu Gaoxu shot back, "Father, am I not your own flesh and blood? What kind of son gets trussed up the moment he walks in the door? What is all this about?"

The Princess Consort tugged on King Yan’s arm and said to Gu Gaoxu, "Xu’er, that’s enough talking!"

King Yan took a deep breath to compose himself, then ordered, "Seize him!"

Confident in his martial arts, Gu Gaoxu struck a fighting stance. The Mansion Guards surrounded him, but none dared to advance.

Gu Gaoxu tried to explain, "Father, I led men to defend the Empire’s territory. Why am I being punished instead of rewarded?"

The moment the commanders under Gu Gaoxu’s lead had returned to camp, they were arrested by the other soldiers and escorted to Prince Yan’s Mansion.

Before Gu Gaoxu had even returned, King Yan had already learned the entire story from the arrested commanders.

King Yan said, "Causing the deaths of soldiers—what crime does that warrant? Leading troops from the camp without my orders—are you trying to rebel? You are not the only one at fault; those commanders are guilty as well."

Every word Gu Di spoke was solemn, each sentence laced with authority.

The Princess Consort quickly interjected, "My lord, Xu’er also has merits—"

"What is a woman doing here? I am discussing matters of governance with him. Do not interfere! His Majesty the Emperor decreed that the women of the palace may not meddle in politics, and that includes you. Guards, escort the Princess Consort away!" King Yan spared his wife no dignity, rebuking her in front of everyone.

Two maids hurried forward with mincing steps, bowed, and said, "Yes, my lord!"

At this, the Princess Consort had no choice but to depart, helplessly calling out, "My lord... my lord..."

Gu Gaoxu craned his neck and tilted his head back defiantly. "Don’t take your anger out on my mother! I’ll take responsibility for my own actions. If you want to punish someone, then punish me. I accept it!"

Having followed his father on military campaigns since childhood, Gu Gaoxu knew the rules of the army like the back of his hand. Taking troops from camp without authorization was, plainly and simply, a capital offense.

This time, Gu Gaoxu felt indignant and wronged, but not wanting to implicate anyone else, he had no choice but to bite the bullet.

King Yan roared, "Good! Spoken like a man. Guards! Drag him away! He’ll be punished alongside those three commanders!"

Gu Gaoxu’s bravado faltered slightly as he cursed inwardly, ’Damn it! Old man, are you for real?

’Fine, fine. So much for "The Crown Prince is sickly; you must strive hard." It’s all bullshit!

’Now that Brother Lu has cured the Crown Prince, I’m not important anymore, is that it!’

Completely dejected, Gu Gaoxu hung his head as two Mansion Guards escorted him out, dragging him to the main gate and forcing him onto a long bench.

Gu Gaoxu lay facedown on the bench, his hands gripping the ends. He was seething with resentment. ’Getting a public caning right before my execution... what damned rotten luck!’

Two Mansion Guards, each holding a wooden paddle, began striking him in alternating blows. Gu Gaoxu didn’t feel any pain, likely thanks to his cultivation of the True Martial technique.

Outside the gates of Prince Yan’s Mansion, a crowd of townspeople had gathered to watch, murmuring amongst themselves. "Usually, the beatings are done inside. Why’d they drag him out today?"

"Who knows? He must have caused some serious trouble this time!"

"Ah, it must be awful to have a son like that!"

"Tell me about it."

...

The townspeople commented without restraint. They could only get away with this in front of Prince Yan’s Mansion; had they made such remarks before the gates of any other wealthy and powerful household, they would have been chased off at a minimum, and might have even been dragged over for a beating themselves.

After Gu Gaoxu had endured one hundred and fifty strikes from the paddle, the two Mansion Guards slowly helped him to his feet. "Young Master, are you all right?"

Gu Gaoxu was incredibly robust. With his current constitution, he could have easily taken another one hundred and fifty strikes, let alone the first.

An ordinary person would have been dead long before the hundredth blow.

Gu Gaoxu shot them a sidelong glance. "It’s not like you were holding back, were you?"

One of the guards glanced back toward the mansion and whispered awkwardly, "It was the Prince’s order. We didn’t dare disobey!"

Gu Gaoxu didn’t press the matter. "Let’s go," he said.

"Go where?" a guard asked, confused.

"To the execution grounds!" Gu Gaoxu deliberately raised his voice, hoping a certain someone inside would hear him. If they didn’t come out and intervene, their son’s head was really about to roll.

A guard quickly explained, "Young Master, you’ve misunderstood! The Prince only ordered the caning!"

Gu Gaoxu pressed, "And the three commanders? Did they get the same punishment?"

The guard nodded. "Yes, Young Master. Fifty strokes each!"

"Fifty?" Gu Gaoxu held up five fingers, then let his hand drop. "I guess that is the same punishment, in a way."

At that moment, what Gu Gaoxu truly grieved for were the commander and three hundred brothers-in-arms who had died. In light of that, he felt his own one hundred and fifty strokes were not an injustice at all.

Later, Gu Gaoxu brought the bound Sixth Son of King Lu, Gu Zhaolian, before King Yan, leaving his fate in his father’s hands.

Unable to act on his own authority, King Yan, Gu Di, had Gu Zhaolian thrown in a cell and wrote a memorial reporting the matter to the Emperor.

Emperor Gu Yuanzhang read the memorials submitted by King Yan and King Lu and chuckled. "One has lost a son, the other has imprisoned a son. One claims to have resisted the enemy, while the other is accused of colluding with them. How very interesting."

The Emperor looked up at the Jinyiwei Commander, Mao Xiang, and asked, "What is your take on this matter?"

Mao Xiang hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

The Emperor said impatiently, "Am I that frightening? Just say what’s on your mind!"

Mao Xiang cupped his fists. "Your Majesty, according to reports from the Jinyi Guard, it was King Yan’s second son, Gu Gaoxu, who led the soldiers in killing the men from Wa and arresting twenty to thirty Wokou. The Sixth Son of King Lu, Gu Zhaolian, is indeed under suspicion."

Emperor Gu Yuanzhang’s eyebrows shot up in delight. "Heh," he praised, "that boy has some real ability!"

The Emperor gestured to the desk for the old eunuch beside him. "Draft an edict," he commanded. "Have King Yan’s second son, Gu Gaoxu, escort Gu Zhaolian and all other persons involved to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Inspectorate for a joint investigation!"

...