Chapter 96: Chapter 96: A Man Who Looks After His Family

Yu Xiaoxiao thought of Zhao Beicheng’s accusations and felt that her words and phrases in front of the fatuous emperor couldn’t be enough to land this guy into jail. “Tell me, how did I ruin you?”

Zhao Beicheng was about to go mad. He had never seen someone so venomous and wicked. Although he was on death’s door, she still wanted him to recall how he’d fallen!

Yu Xiaoxiao said, “If you can’t say anything, that means I’m innocent.”

Zhao Beicheng shouted, “His Majesty thought that I was the one who secretly bought His Sixth Highness out of the palace. He even thought I was denouncing you!”

Hm? Yu Xiaoxiao realized that something wasn’t right. “Wasn’t I the one who brought His Sixth Highness out of the palace?”

Zhao Beicheng almost spat up blood. Why are you asking me that?!

Yu Xiaoxiao discussed things with Xiao Zhuang. “Has there been a mistake somewhere?”

When Zhao Beicheng was getting beaten, Xiao Zhuang and Yu Xiaoxiao were eating pine nuts at Brightness Palace. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know, ah. Who told His Majesty that?”

Zhao Beicheng was so furious that his hands started shaking. “If princess doesn’t know, who would?”

Xiao Wei walked to Yu Xiaoxiao’s side and said, “I heard that Commander Luo reported it.”

Yu Xiaoxiao asked Zhao Beicheng, “Do you have enmity with that Commander Luo?”

“How could I have any enmity with Luo Yangling?” Zhao Beicheng protested.

“Then why would he ruin you for no reason?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

More blood trickled out of Zhao Beicheng’s mouth. This time, he’d really spat up blood.

Xiao Wei knelt down to analyze the situation. “Princess, you brought His Sixth Highness to play at the Zhao Estate and was spotted by Eldest Young Master Zhao. He then wanted to take His Sixth Highness away, but you beat him up. Then Commander Luo and the rest arrived at the gardens to witness the scene. He must have misunderstood the situation.”

Yu Xiaoxiao pointed at Zhao Beicheng. “Commander Luo didn’t misunderstand anything. That wretch really did want to take Little Sixth and run.”

Zhao Beicheng challenged, “But who was the one that brought His Sixth Highness out of the palace?”

“Me,” Yu Xiaoxiao waved a hand, admitting it openly.

Xiao Wei said, “Commander Luo probably thought that Eldest Young Master Zhao was the one who brought His Sixth Highness out of the palace too.”

Yu Xiaoxiao only felt it was strange. “Why would Commander Luo think that?”

Zhao Beicheng had never seen anyone so capable of playing the fool. He wanted to call Yu Xiaoxiao a bastard, but something seem to stick in his throat. No matter how wide he opened his mouth, no words came out. Yu Xiaoxiao and her guards remained crouched in front of Zhao Beicheng as they talked over the situation. After repeated back and forths and the logical sense of Xiao Wei to guide them along, Yu Xiaoxiao’s final conclusion was that everything really was one big misunderstanding.

Zhao Beicheng looked at her coldly and said, “Your Royal Highness, you should go back.”

“Alright,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “You were wronged because of me. But what does that have to do with your father wanting to kill you?”

“Prime Minister Zhao got angry,” Xiao Zhuang suggested.

“Are you a fool?” Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at him. “Even my father hasn’t killed him yet, so why would his own father try?”

Xiao Zhuang sighed with feeling. “Heavens, even the most vicious tigers won’t eat their own young. How could the prime minister be so ruthless?”

“You definitely aren’t your father’s son,” Yu Xiaoxiao said with certainty to Zhao Beicheng.

Zhao Beicheng only wondered why a wretch like her couldn’t even spare an almost dead man like him?!

Xiao Wei rubbed his chin in thought before he said, “That’s not possible. People of the Zhao Clan would never have their lady like a red plum tree jutting over the courtyard walls.”1

“Red plum trees jutting over the walls?” As a member of the apocalypse, Yu Xiaoxiao wasn’t exactly uncultured, but classical verse like this were too deep and profound for Drillmaster Yu to understand. Is this “red plum tree,” or “Hong Xin” (红杏), the name of Zhao Beicheng’s mother?

Xiao Zhuang was a blunt man and said, “It means to commit adultery or ****.2 I never imagined! I heard that the prime minister’s wife is a woman of wifely virtues, ah.”

“Yu Linglong!” Zhao Beicheng’s body tensed up as his hands formed into fists. He wanted to kill her. His mother had been gone for years, but this girl didn’t even spare the dead!

This time it was Xiao Zhuang who reached out and pushed Zhao Beicheng back before he could charge into an attack.

Xiao Wei said, “The prime minister must have his reasons for doing this. Princess, if we can’t figure it out, we can go back and let Royal Son-in-Law do it instead.”

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at Zhao Beicheng’s bloodstained lip and said, “I’ll tell my father that you’re innocent so he can let you go.”

Zhao Beicheng’s voice was cold. “No need to trouble princess. Please go back.”

“You don’t believe me?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Zhao Beicheng only looked meaningfully at Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes. Go on, keep pretending!

Yu Xiaoxiao rose to her feet. “You don’t believe it, huh? Then fine, I’ll bring my father here. I’ll tell him right in front of your face.”

Xiao Wei stepped up to block Yu Xiaoxiao. “Princess, you’re going to help absolve him of his crimes?” Has the princess gone insane? Even if Eldest Young Master Zhao isn’t completely guilty, it’s better to leave him in the prisons then releasing him to be Royal Son-in-Law’s enemy.

Xiao Zhuang chimed in as well. “Princess, how about we don’t bother with Eldest Young Master Zhao’s affairs?”

Zhao Beicheng laughed. “Princess, no need to fake your good intentions.”

Yu Xiaoxiao replied, “Zhao Qiuming’s even willing to murder his own son. How can such a man still be an official? I have to tell my father about this, ah.”

Xiao Wei moved out of the way as soon as he heard her words. “Princess, then I’ll accompany you to the palace to see His Majesty.”

Zhao Beicheng turned blank for a second before he suddenly moved to bow in front of Yu Xiaoxiao.

“Now you know to thank me for saving you?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zhao Beicheng said, “Princess, this matter cannot be told to His Majesty.”

“Eldest Young Master Zhao, you should be able to tell good from bad, right?” Xiao Zhuang called out.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t understand. “He wants to kill you, but you still want to help him cover it up?”

“He’s my father,” Zhao Beicheng said in a low voice.

Yu Xiaoxiao sucked in a breath.

Zhao Beicheng remained kneeling as he kowtowed to Yu Xiaoxiao. If these assassins were severely interrogated, there was no telling whether they’d sell out his father’s plans to kill him. Crimes like filicide or personal assassinations were enough to lose all footing for his father in court. Zhao Beicheng did harbor hatred in his heart, but he didn’t want to see the Zhao Clan lose everything because of it.

“This person can’t tell good from bad, ah,” Xiao Zhuang informed Yu Xiaoxiao.

“Princess,” Zhao Beicheng raised his head to look at Yu Xiaoxiao, his gaze earnest and sincere.

Yu Xiaoxiao had ran over here to see what the prisons look like, not get involved in some miserable drama. She sighed and said, “You’re actually someone that looks after your family.”

Xiao Zhuang looked stunned at Yu Xiaoxiao. “Princess, you–you’re still sympathizing with him?”

There were few people with families in the apocalypse, so having one to protect was an extravagant wish of its survivors. When Yu Xiaoxiao saw Zhao Beicheng kowtowing to her, she suddenly felt that this guy wasn’t all that bad despite ruining Gu Xinglang.

“Fine,” Yu Xiaoxiao told Zhao Beicheng. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. First, I’ll bring my father here.”

Zhao Beicheng, Xiao Zhuang, and Xiao Wei only saw Yu Xiaoxiao turn around before she vanished from their eyes in the space of a breath. Xiao Zhuang stood there blankly before he trembled and asked Xiao Wei, “Does princess mean to bring His Majesty here to the prisons?”

It’s not like what I think, right? No way? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!