Chapter 107: The Marquis's Final Move
One night, the Emperor changed into civilian clothes and quietly arrived at the Duke of Cheng's mansion.
Seeing the Dowager Madame's face ashen gray, looking as if she were at death's door, the Emperor's heart felt as if it were being cut with a knife.
"Mother-in-law, please don't be too grieved," the Emperor comforted her. "I will grant Lady Huan and Yuanshen a marriage. As for Hong'er's death, it will all be blamed on the Chongyang Temple—it won't implicate the Sun family."
The Dowager Madame was extremely weak.
"Zhuo'er," she called the Emperor softly by his name.
The Emperor's heart warmed, and he nearly shed tears. In the days of his own anxiety and unease, he had been only sixteen or seventeen—young and confused.
He was born of the previous Emperor's empress, but he had several full brothers and even more half-brothers. He was mediocre, and no one paid him any attention.
He suffered the contempt of his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress. The palace staff fawned on the powerful and trampled on the weak—everyone looked down on him. Even his wife treated him with little regard.
The only one who had cherished him and trusted him was his mother-in-law.
She was his true mother.
She knew his fears, understood his forbearance, and comprehended his strange interests. In those most helpless days, she was like a bright lantern, illuminating his pitch-black world.
A kind mother—that was the Dowager Madame.
"Zhuo'er, I understand your heart. You always want the Duke of Cheng's mansion to prosper—you granted it the title of dukedom after your ascension, and it is most precious to you," the Dowager Madame said.
The Emperor nodded deeply. "Yes, Mother-in-law."
"But the children of the Zhou family are not ambitious," the Dowager Madame said, gently closing her eyes. When she opened them again after a moment, there were tears in her gaze.
"I understand all of it," the Emperor said.
"For the lineage to thrive, the Zhou family must enjoy lasting prosperity," the Dowager Madame said. "To grant a marriage under the dual-heir system—those old wretches at court will never agree. They will oppose you."
The words "old wretches" echoed the Emperor's own sentiments.
He had been on the throne for over a decade, yet the senior ministers still did not respect him.
Even when he unleashed bloody purges, he could not intimidate them.
They did not fear him; instead, they turned around and terrorized him.
And he—he was truly frightened by them.
He wanted the Duke of Cheng's mansion to thrive; he wanted to bestow another wife upon the Duke of Cheng, but he could not achieve it. The old ministers would always fabricate arguments to oppose him.
"This time, I intended to make Cheng Shi stumble, to cloud her judgment for a few days, and clear the obstacles for you. But I never imagined the Fifth Prince would be so ill-fated as to die in the midst of it all," the Dowager Madame said.
The Emperor sighed. "He was born under a bad star. Dying at the hands of a woman shows his incompetence. How could he let himself be stabbed to death by a powerless young girl? He is nothing like me."
Tears rolled down the Dowager Madame's cheeks.
"Do not grieve for him," the Emperor said. "His maternal grandfather is the Duke of Pi. Who knows if he was coveting my throne? A good riddance."
The Dowager Madame wiped away her tears and sighed gently again.
"I am afraid the Duke of Pi's mansion will not let this rest, and there will be more trouble at court. The Sun family of Marquis Qingyuan's mansion is innocent. That rogue Grandmaster Yang has no skill; that is why the matter ended up like this," the Dowager Madame said.
For the moment, Consort Dou, who had lost a son, and her natal family, the Duke of Pi's mansion, were the enemies; Grandmaster Yang was the villain.
Only the Dowager Madame and the Sun family were innocent.
"I will find a way to handle everything," the Emperor said.
The Dowager Madame gently took his hand and patted it, just like a mother would.
It was late when the Emperor finally left.
As he walked out of Shou'an Courtyard, Zhou Yuanshen was waiting at the gate.
He bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty."
"Say nothing," the Emperor said coolly. "How is the Duke of Cheng's wife?"
He had heard that Cheng Shi was bitten by a venomous snake.
At this time of year, snakes had just awakened from hibernation—their venom was at its deadliest after a winter's sleep. Perhaps Cheng Shi would die from it.
The Emperor certainly hoped so, as it would resolve many troubles.
The Empress’s act of betrothal was truly a way to vex the Zhou family. Whenever the Emperor thought of it, he wished he could kill both her and her father, Grand Preceptor Guo.
These people—all of them—were his enemies.
“My wife is currently taking antidotes for the poison and will recover soon,” Zhou Yuanshen said, bowing deeply. “Your Majesty’s concern weighs heavily on me. I am undeserving of your grace.”
“Rise,” the Emperor said.
Zhou Yuanshen escorted him out, continuing to speak of the events at the Double Ninth Temple.
“...Your Majesty, only if Yang Zhichang dies can this matter be resolved at its root,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
This matched the Emperor’s own plans. But how to carry it out—that, the Emperor had yet to decide.
Once Grandmaster Yang was dead, everything could be pinned on him, absolving Sun Zhiya and the Sun family of the Marquis Qingyuan of their crimes.
Otherwise, the Sun family would be stripped of their title, and Sun Zhiya would be executed.
“But he is skilled in esoteric arts and divination, and he has already fled,” Zhou Yuanshen added. “Without his head, it will be hard to settle the accounts.”
“Do you have a plan?” the Emperor asked.
“Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you, to cleanse the remnants of this trouble,” Zhou Yuanshen said. “Once it is done, I wish to take on a burden for you.”
“What burden?”
“Your Majesty, the Capital Garrison cannot fall into another’s hands. If some crisis should arise, the Capital Garrison can control the capital, and the Imperial Guard would be powerless against it. I am willing to lead the Capital Garrison, to hold this shield for Your Majesty,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
The Emperor glanced at him.
He had removed Zhou Yuanshen from the Capital Garrison before, wary of the Zhou family’s military prestige and fearing Yuanshen might not be obedient.
But Zhou Yuanshen had performed exceptionally well over the past year.
He had done much for the Emperor.
Even if the Dowager Madame still held some discontent toward Zhou Yuanshen, the Emperor now felt that Zhou Yuanshen’s loyalty was trustworthy.
“Very well, I grant your request. If you resolve this matter properly, I will place the Capital Garrison under your command,” the Emperor said.
Zhou Yuanshen knelt on one knee: “I thank Your Majesty for your immense favor!”
The Emperor helped him rise.
“Not only will I give you the Capital Garrison, but I will also reward you with a wife. Lady Huan comes from a good family and is quite beautiful,” the Emperor added.
He continued, “The Dowager Madame told me something that Lady Huan should have told you herself but never found the chance. When Lady Huan married Zhou Yuancheng, Zhou Yuancheng was in poor health and could not consummate the marriage. She remains untouched to this day. My bestowing her upon you, alongside the Dowager Madame’s wishes, is no insult to you.”
Zhou Yuanshen replied, “Your Majesty, the matter of the Double Ninth Temple is pressing. I wish first to serve you in resolving it.”
Seeing that Zhou Yuanshen’s expression never flickered, the Emperor thought to himself that the man had considerable composure.
He truly was a fine blade to wield.
After seeing the Emperor off, Zhou Yuanshen returned to the Nonghua Courtyard.
Cheng Zhao was already asleep.
She had not actually been bitten by the viper. She had noticed someone throwing the snake, dodged nimbly, and then feigned being bitten, falling to the ground.
Thus, word spread that she had been poisoned by the snake.
Zhou Yuanshen had also told her to pretend to be ill and rest for a few days, so as not to become a target again.
The next morning, Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi came to see Cheng Zhao.
Though they knew the truth, they feigned great concern, putting on a show for outsiders.
“The Emperor came last night,” Zhou Yuanqi said in a childish voice.
Zhou Yuanshen replied with a hum.
“What did he ask you to do?”
“Kill Grandmaster Yang,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
Zhou Yuanqi immediately bared his teeth in anger: “That cursed Daoist deserves death—he schemed against my sister-in-law!”
He added, "Unexpectedly, you actually have some skill. You found the life gate of the old Taoist’s formation without using a compass to deduce the direction."
Zhou Yuanqi had also studied a little, but he was only half-taught.
He had examined the unusual gate formation and saw that the life gate was in the Li position. But locating where the formation’s core actually was and how to deduce the Li position left him completely baffled.
Zhou Yuanshen took a turn around the area and immediately moved the ritual implement at the Li position, shifting the formation’s eye. The Fifth Prince and Sun Zhiya happened to fall right into it.