Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Miss Erqiu

Anyways, it wasn’t his own daughter being crushed. When it came to other people’s daughters or women, Xianzong was relatively cold. He showed a sympathetic expression before telling Zhao Qiuming, “Hurry and take a look. See if they’re young Misses from your estate.”

Zhao Qiuming was already full of despair after the head guard’s words. But a tiny sliver of hope rose when Xianzong told him to check on his daughters. If Xianzong can see their pitiful states now, then he wouldn’t miss a chance to get closer to them and their beautiful faces.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at Zhao Qiuming. Ever since finding out this man wanted to kill his son, Her Royal Highness had stopped seeing him as a human. “Your eyes are turning this way and that,” Yu Xiaoxiao pointed him out. “What kind of wicked schemes are you thinking up now?”

Zhao Qiuming felt like Yu Xiaoxiao’s voice came straight out of a nightmare as his eyes froze. By the time Xianzong glanced over, Prime Minister Zhao was nothing but pathetic. He turned towards a guard and said, “Bring an imperial physician over here.”

The guard ran off.

“You’re still kneeling?” Xianzong asked Zhao Qiuming. “Go over and have a look, ah!”

Zhao Qiuming replied, “Your Majesty, this—this subject can’t stand up.”

It’s only because I’m the emperor that Zhao Qiuming’s stuck being a courtier despite reading more books than me. Still, look at how I perform as a father. My daughter’s had so many lucky brushes with death, yet I can still stand while he’s stuck kneeling on the ground? Xianzong ordered two more guards, “Go over and help the prime minister up.”

The two guards ran to both sides of Zhao Qiuming and hauled him up before supporting him to the wall. As they passed by Xianzong, Zhao Qiuming suddenly shed tears and said, “Your Majesty, this subject c-can’t bear to look.”

Xianzong tossed his sleeves and retorted, “Then what use are you?”

Zhao Qiuming sobbed, “This subject only has three daughters, ah!”

Pah! Xianzong spat internally. And I only have one daughter in Linglong, but you don’t see me falling apart. He shook his head at the prime minister before striding towards the wall.

Gu Xinglang saw this and asked hastily, “Your Majesty, where are you going?”

The guards blocked Xianzong’s path as well. A traditional idiom went that a gentleman never stood beneath a dangerous wall, to say nothing of the sovereign of a nation.

Xianzong looked irritably at the guards and declared, “Make way!”

How could the guards dare to get out of the way?

Gu Xinglang said, “Your Majesty, how could you put yourself in danger? Let them support the prime minister over instead.”

Zhao Qiuming continued to cry, intent on making Xianzong run over for him. Yu Xiaoxiao observed the man weeping and concluded, “What a coward.”

Xianzong turned to Gu Xinglang. “Can’t you see he’s almost crying himself to death?”

Yu Xiaoxiao tugged on Xianzong’s hand. “What’s the big deal? I’ll come with you to look at those girls.” Zhao Qiuming might be Zhao Qiuming, but these two young ladies from the Zhao Clan were still worth saving if possible.

Their old man might be a bastard, but that doesn’t mean the daughters are too. Urk, Consort Zhao excepted, of course.

When the guards tried to block them, Yu Xiaoxiao easily pushed them aside. Without a choice, Gu Xinglang could only fume at Zhao Qiuming. “Prime Minister Zhao, you dare to put His Majesty in danger?”

Zhao Qiuming cried bitterly while internally snorting. What could be so dangerous about a fallen wall? Moreover, what could ever happen to His Majesty with Yu Linglong by his side?

Meanwhile, the Zhao Clan daughters had finally been dug out of the rubble by the imperial guards. Xianzong joined Yu Xiaoxiao at the front to look at them and had a fright. My God! His first reaction was that he was seeing ghosts!

Prime Minister Zhao was a living example of “a wise person reflecting a thousand times can still make mistakes”—nobody was infallible. He may have considered how delicately charming the sisters would look when injured, but never imagined the aftermath if they were smacked in the heads by rubble until they bled. The Zhao sisters now were that sole exception, their faces covered in blood, soaked with rain, and mixed with mud. Although their drenched garments made their figures more graceful than usual, it was impossible to discern any of their charming features now.

“They’re still alive,” Yu Xiaoxiao reported to Xianzong. She was never one to mind other people’s looks.

Xianzong turned on his heel and started walking away. This sight was akin to stabbing his soul with a sword!

Prime Minster Zhao sobbed and cried, “Yao’er, Qin’er?”

Gu Xinglang and the head guard exchanged looks. He’s shouting his daughters’ boudoir names1 in front of His Majesty? Even as military men, the Royal Son-in-Law and head guard could guess his intentions: Prime Minster Zhao wanted to send more women into the palace again.

Xianzong hadn’t even reached Zhao Qiuming before he said, “Stop crying. Your daughters aren’t dead, but they look absolutely frightful. Go have a look.”

Zhao Qiuming’s tears stopped. Absolutely frightful? Once again, he felt utter despair.

Xianzong didn’t ask why the imperial physicians hadn’t arrived yet either, but turned to yell at Yu Xiaoxiao, “Linglong, why are you still dawdling there? Come away with imperial father.”

Yu Xiaoxiao was currently crouched on the ground and instructing A’San and another bulky guard to hold umbrellas over the sisters. She used her hand to wipe away the blood and gunk from Zhao Yingqin’s face before spotting a cut on her forehead.

Gu Xinglang had already instructed men to carry him over. When he saw the two girls sprawled on the ground, he understood why His Majesty was in a hurry to leave. “How are the two ladies’ injuries?” he asked Yu Xiaoxiao. Despite his grudges with the Gu Clan, he wouldn’t pick quarrels with these two females. In a concerned tone, he added, “The imperial physicians will arrive soon. Princess, about them…?”

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced back at the older sister and commented, “Cold water can stem bleeding. All this rain’s already stopped the blood and it doesn’t look like they have serious injuries.”2

Gu Xinglang had nothing else to say. He took an umbrella from one of the guards and held it over his wife. “Then we should hurry back. Grandfather and big brother are still waiting for us.”

“Mhm,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. As she turned to look at him, her eyes caught sight of Zhao Yingqin’s face and froze. Now that most of the blood and mud had been wiped away, a face as beautiful as a jade flower revealed itself to her.

“Princess, what’s wrong?” Gu Xinglang glanced at Zhao Yingqing. “Is there something wrong with her?”

This is too messed up! How could she be the Zhao Clan’s second young Miss? Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. Isn’t this Wen Fenglin’s true love, the girl with a super dowdy name but super un-dowdy looks, Erqiu? Wen Fenglin had her picture and looked at it when he ate, drank, or watched the moon and stars. He even glanced at it before going to the bathroom. When did Miss Erqiu become Zhao Qiuming’s daughter? This plot is all wrong!