Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Let’s Kill this Guy

While Yu Xiaoxiao was galloping towards the palace with Lord Zhao in tow, Xiaozong was sitting in Consort Zhao’s Morning Skies Palace and telling her about Princess Linglong’s childhood. His daughter had gotten married today, so he was feeling rather sentimental. He sighed to the bedridden Consort Zhao and said, “The empress is gone and Linglong married. Aye!”

A cold smile rose in Consort Zhao’s heart at the mention of the empress, but her expression remained fretful. “That’s true, ah. Time passes in a flash. When this consort first entered the palace, Princess Linglong was only a little girl.”

“Linglong is still a child,” Xiaozong pointed out.

Consort Zhao gave him a tender smile. “Then Your Majesty, is this consort still young as well?”

Xiaozong looked down at his convalescencing consort. Today, she was brightly attired in makeup without any traces of her age. He kissed her on the face and sighed with emotion. “Thank goodness you’re still here, Yingshan.” (孆珊)

Consort Zhao crooned softly. “Your Majesty!” Judging by the time, her father and the rest should have finished affairs at the Gu Clan by now. Soon she would get to watch the Gu family destroyed before her eyes.

Her alluring ways would have tempted Xiaozong to do the woman right then if she wasn’t already injured! “You’re already hurt, but you still refuse to let Zhen leave, hm?” Xiaozong murmured by her ear. A second ago he’d been grieving over the empress and his daughter, but now he was consumed with lust again.

Consort Zhao laughed and said, “This consort was only afraid that Your Majesty would be sad.”

Xiaozong’s hand reached for Consort Zhao’s best. Just before his fingers made contact with the perky mounds of soft flesh, a young eunuch exclaimed from outside, “Your Majesty!

Startled, Xiaozong ended up slapping Consort Zhao’s bosom. “What is it?” He sounds so shrill. Is the country about to collapse or something?

The little eunuch cried, “Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness has returned to the palace.”

Xiaozong leaped to his feet. His daughter had just gotten married, but now she was back? “What’s going on?” Xiaozong said as he walked towards the entrance.

Consort Zhao’s lips curved into a frosty smirk. Looks like that girl’s come to plea for help after her husband’s family met with disaster. But this concerns matters of the throne. How could a daughter ever outweigh that?

The young eunuch then stammered, “L-Lord Zhao s-seems to be almost dead.”

Xiaozong walked into the doorframe at that statement. Zhao Qiuming is dead? What does that have to do with my daughter coming back to the palace?

“What did you say?!” Consort Zhao shouted from the bed.

This time, the eunuch didn’t stutter. “To reply Esteemed Consort Zhao, Lord Zhao seems to have perished.”

Did the Gu Clan kill my father while they were on the throes of death? Consort Zhao trembled. Although she wanted the Gu Clan exterminated, she didn’t want her father dead as a result. “Is the Gu Clan planning to revolt?” she asked. Shaking, she ended up tumbling to the ground.

Only chaos reigned in Xiaozong’s mind. He looked back at Consort Zhao and asked, “What was Lord Zhao doing at the Gu Estate?”

Consort Zhao’s heart clenched at the question before tears fell from her eyes. “This consort doesn’t know, ah.”

Xiaozong kicked open the door and asked the eunuch, “Where’s the princess now?”

Before the eunuch could reply, Zhao Qiuming’s shouts entered the emperor’s ear.

“Your Majesty, save this subject!”

Xiaozong looked towards the courtyard to see Zhao Qiuming struggling like a locust in his daughter’s grip. It was such a sight that all of the other people within the courtyard couldn’t help but avert their eyes. Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxiao dragged Zhao Qiuming in front of Xiaozong before tossing him to the ground.

Xiaozong arched a brow and suddenly felt pained. “Linglong, what, what’s the meaning of this?” He knew his daughter was strong, but how did she end up fighting with the Zhao on her wedding day? Looks like Zhao Qiuming’s gotten a thorough thrashing too.

Before Zhao Qiuming could explain, Yu Xiaoxiao declared, “He sent people to burn down my new house!”

Xiaozong stuck a finger to clean his ears. “What did you say?”

“Your Majesty, this subject was wronged!” Zhao Qiuming dove straight into his tragic act. “How could this subject dare to burn down Her Royal Highness’s bridal chambers?”

Xiaozong asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “Why would he burn your bridal chambers?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “But he brought a thousand men with him to commit murder and arson.”

“This subject has been wronged, ah, Your Majesty,” Zhao Qiuming kneeled on the floor as he kowtowed to Xiaozong. “This subject received a secret tip off that the Gu Clan would take advantage of the princess’s wedding day to transfer evidence of their crimes for betraying the country. Thus, this subject brought men to search the Gu Estate and–” He’d gotten halfway before Yu Xiaoxiao slapped him unconscious.

“Let’s kill this guy,” Yu Xiaoxiao told a gaping Xiaozong.

—

“Where’s my father?” At this moment, Zhao Beicheng and the rest had reached the gates and was shouting at the imperial guards. There were about a hundred of them on duty along with their commanders. When they saw the two factions of men and horses at the entrance, they pointed at the gate tower behind them with wooden faces.

“Speak!” Gu Xingnuo demanded.“Her Royal Highness flew over the gate tower and into the palace while hauling the lord after her,” a commander on guard duty replied as if lost in a daze. Am I still dreaming? Right, that must be it!