Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 375 Establishing a Consort in the Golden Palace
The echoes of the court flogging in the Zichen Palace had not yet faded when Li Zhao's decree had already spread throughout the capital.

The Crown Prince stripped Xue Sui of her status as a nun, ordered her to return to secular life, and even held a simple ceremony for her.

Three days later, at the grand court assembly, he disregarded the undercurrents in the court and announced in the hall that he would establish Xue Sui as the Crown Princess, proclaiming it to the world in order to consolidate the foundation of the country.

The court was in uproar, with voices of opposition rising one after another.

“Your Highness, please reconsider! The Xue family is from a collateral branch with a complicated background, and she once entered a Buddhist monastery. It is truly difficult for her to be the rightful heir to the throne…” Minister of Personnel Yuan Qili was the first to object.

"Lord Yuan, you are mistaken." Li Zhao sat on the regent's seat beside the dragon throne and said loudly, "Lady Xue is intelligent and virtuous, and her medical skills are superb. She has examined the pulses of the Empress and I many times and made great contributions. What does it matter if she comes from a collateral branch of the family? What does it matter if she once entered a Buddhist nunnery? Can you deny her character and talent based on these things alone?"

“There is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and the rules of etiquette are strict. Besides, she once…” Yuan Qili wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Li Zhao.

"Lord Yuan, you speak of propriety and law? I would like to ask, which article of propriety and law states that a woman born out of wedlock cannot be virtuous? Which article stipulates that a woman who has returned to secular life is unworthy to be a wife? Besides—I remember, Lord Yuan's birth mother was also born out of wedlock, wasn't she? Does Lord Yuan also believe that your mother is unworthy to be a mother?"

Li Zhao spoke slowly, but every word was like a knife.

Yuan Qili's face turned a deep shade of liver, but he couldn't utter a single word.

What he really wanted to say wasn't about being born out of wedlock...

Rather, Xue Sui had been a concubine of Prince Duan, a relationship that was hardly respectable.

If the emperor were present, he would absolutely not approve of this marriage.

But the Crown Prince was ruthless, and Xiao Wenyuan's blood hadn't dried yet. He didn't want to easily provoke him, so he stammered and ended up getting no response...

"Lord Yuan's birth mother was virtuous, a fact known throughout the court. This shows that a person's character has nothing to do with their birth, but only with their moral character." Li Zhao softened his tone, rose with a smile, his robes sweeping across the table, his voice steady and powerful.

"My mind is made up, so this matter is settled and there is no need for further discussion. The Ministry of Rites shall immediately draft the regulations and submit them within five days, ensuring they are comprehensive. From this day forward, anyone who speaks ill of my life's most important matter shall be punished for disobeying an imperial decree."

All the civil and military officials below the steps bowed their heads, and there was not a sound.

The shadows cast by the beams and pillars enveloped the crowd's compliance.

Li Zhao glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

"Retreat—"
-
The Eastern Palace Sleeping Room.

After an autumn rain, water droplets dripped from the veins of the sycamore leaves, making a tinkling sound.

Xue Sui leaned against the pillow, eating lotus seed paste cake while listening to Lai Fu vividly recount the events that had occurred at the Grand Court.

"Lord Yuan was rendered speechless by His Highness, and his face turned purple..." Lai Fu slapped his thigh, speaking with great enthusiasm, clearly trying to curry favor with his master.

"Not a single official dared to utter a sound... they even held their breath."

Ruyi brought in a bowl of medicine that had just been warmed and said with a smile, "From now on, Miss will be the Crown Princess. When you return to the Xue residence, let's see who dares to treat you lightly."

Xiao Zhao glared at him, "In your eyes, is there necessarily only the Xue family?"

Ruyi stuck out her tongue.

Xue Sui placed the cake back on the plate and said softly, "The brocade on the tip of a knife is beautiful but hard to handle."

When she learned that Li Zhao had defied public opinion and insisted on making her the Crown Princess, she felt a mix of emotions.

Shocked by his tough approach, and worried that this move would put him in the spotlight and make him a target of public criticism...

"Anyway, this servant thinks that His Highness is really good to you, Miss," Ruyi said with a smile, her eyes full of longing.

"His Highness has even defied the esteemed elders, so who can sway his heart... There is no other gentleman in the world who protects his beloved like His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Xue Sui remained silent.

The title "Crown Princess" carries immense weight.

How could her path, which she had struggled through mud and thorns, possibly be easily paved before the phoenix throne in the Eastern Palace?

"Miss, what's wrong?" Seeing that Xue Sui's expression didn't show much joy, Ruyi's smile faded with concern as she cautiously asked, "Are you... are you unhappy?"

Xue Sui chuckled and shook his head, not saying anything discouraging, but calmly looking at Xiao Zhao.

"Go and ask the eldest son if the Xiz delegation has made any moves recently."

Xiao Zhao looked at the girl's solemn expression, slightly puzzled, but still nodded in agreement.

"I'll go right away."
-
Xiao Wenyuan's blood and cries extinguished the eagerness of many.

The iron fist temporarily suppressed the opposition, but it also caused resentment among countless people.

The upright officials were disheartened, the nobles felt insecure, and those who relied on the Xiao family were like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

A brief silence fell over the Liang court.

Inside the Cixi Palace, Empress Dowager Chengqing knelt on the prayer mat all day long, her prayer beads spinning rapidly in her hands. She had called upon the Bodhisattva a thousand times, but she could only watch helplessly as Li Zhao went his own way, unable to do anything about it.

The Grand Princess's residence was tightly shut. This noblewoman, who had once angrily rebuked the prince at a palace banquet, had not slept for three whole days, her eyes fixed on the direction of the imperial prison, hoping to find out if her son was safe.

Meanwhile, Ping Le, hiding in a dark corner, heard the news that Li Zhao was going to make Xue Sui the Crown Princess. She was so angry that she drank most of a jar of liquor, cried and laughed in front of Gu Jie, and then drank herself into a stupor, partying all night long...

In the height of his ecstasy, Gu Jie stared into her eyes, laughing indistinctly.

"Princess, you should escape..."

"Escape?" Ping Le grabbed a glass of strong liquor and splashed it hard on his face.

"Useless fools! If anyone should be running away, it should be them. Don't be fooled by Li Zhao's current success... Hmph, the more arrogant he becomes, the closer he gets to being betrayed and destroyed..."

She had always been like that. She believed that Li Zhao was the same.
-
Inside the study of the Eastern Palace.

Li Zhao looked at the memorials on the table.

The ink on the character "准" (zhun, meaning "accurate") was still wet, yet its force seemed to penetrate the paper.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating his cold and resolute profile.

"Your Highness." Yuan Cang's voice came from outside the door, tinged with hesitation.

"Go in." Li Zhao didn't look up.

Yuan Cang bowed and stepped in, reporting in a low voice: "Xiao Song is causing a huge disturbance in prison, accusing Your Highness of isolating the inside from the outside world and deceiving the Emperor. Just now... he even banged his head against the wall, intending to kill himself, but fortunately the guards stopped him in time."

Li Zhao paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "If he really dared to die, he wouldn't have waited until now. He's just out of options, trying to confuse me or gain some pointless sympathy..."

He put down his pen. "Let him make a scene. Just give him some water and thin porridge to keep him alive."

"As ordered!"

Yuan Cang solemnly agreed, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

The footsteps fade away.

Silence returned to the hall.

Li Zhao raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples, feeling a little tired.

The endless paperwork and mental strain of the past few days have taken their toll; even the strongest body can't withstand it.

He got up and walked to the bedside, lay down fully clothed, his heavy eyelids gradually closed, and he unknowingly fell asleep...

In his dream, he found himself in the old mausoleum, shrouded in blood. Xiao Chong's Dingjiang sword was stuck in the muddy ground, where the rain was pouring down. The blade was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the terrified, pale face of the young Li Zhao.

He walked forward step by step, soaked to the bone, trying to pull out the heavy sword, but he couldn't muster any strength. He watched helplessly as blood seeped into his ankles and knees with the rain...

In the hazy mist, the figure of a young girl appeared in the blood fog.

Clad in white, exuding a chilling murderous aura, yet her face remained completely obscured...

"Your Highness? Your Highness, wake up..."

Li Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Lai Fu stood beside him, holding a food box, his face full of worry: "Your Highness, are you having a nightmare? I had the kitchen prepare some ginseng soup. Please have some while it's hot to warm yourself up."

Li Zhao waved his hand, about to speak, when a dark figure appeared under the window like a ghost.

Slender and silent, he was none other than Night Owl, the special agent in covert operations.

Li Zhao's tense muscles slowly relaxed. "What is it?"

Unless it was an extremely urgent situation, the Night Owl would not have appeared at this time and place.

“Your Highness,” Night Owl’s voice was deep, “I have found some clues concerning Princess Siz’s whereabouts.”

Li Zhao raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly: "Princess Xiz?"

Night Owl said, "The Xiz delegation is stuck in the capital, searching everywhere, and the Hu merchant Alimu has also been secretly working for many days... all in search of a missing Xiz princess..."

"Alim?" Li Zhao asked indifferently. "What does their search for the princess have to do with me?"

A missing princess from a foreign land is hardly worth mentioning in the current situation.

The owl took half a step forward, lowering its voice even further.

"I suspect that Lady Xue of the Xue family is Princess Ayinur, whom the Xiz people are looking for."

"Oh?" Li Zhao slowly sat up straight. "You have evidence?"

"Following the scattered information provided by the mission, my subordinates discovered... that the early experiences of Princess Ainur, as described by the Xiz people, overlapped significantly with those of Xue Ji. More importantly, the princess the Xiz people were searching for had a crescent-shaped birthmark below her left scapula, and the location and shape of the birthmark on Xue Niangzi's body also matched perfectly..."

Night Owl's voice was completely calm. At this point, as if afraid that the Crown Prince might misunderstand, he cleared his throat.

"That day, when Miss Xue was performing acupuncture to remove poison from Lady Xue, I happened to catch a glimpse of it..."

Li Zhao's eyes darkened: "I understand."

Night Owl said, "The poisoning incident at the Xue residence has caused quite a stir; the Xiz delegation couldn't possibly be unaware of it. The Xiz people might soon find out about Lady Xue's identity and what happened to her..."

Li Zhao's heart suddenly tightened.

If Xue Ji is truly Ayinur, then her life and death are no longer just a matter for the Xue family's inner quarters...

He remained silent for a moment, then his face returned to its usual coldness.

"Continue your investigation secretly, without alerting anyone. Report any new leads immediately."

"My subordinate understands."

The owl obeyed and quietly withdrew.

Li Zhao glanced at the deep night outside the window; the steam from the ginseng soup on the table had dissipated.

He pushed open the window and looked towards the sleeping quarters, where the lights were bright and warm...

If Xue Ji is truly Princess Xiz, does Xue Ping'an know this?
He took a slow breath, turned to Laifu and said, "Light the lamp, I'm going to check on Lady Xue's condition."

(End of this chapter)