The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 133

Alright, I’ll Raise Her.

Brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky. The deathsworn forming the outer circle all glanced up. They knew this was a bad sign, but they could not abandon their mission.

Because Feng Qi had released the signal, several of the deathsworn immediately surrounded him. Just as Qu Sheng’s sword pierced the heart of the man before her, her quick eyes caught sight of the danger Feng Qi was in.

            

Stepping over the corpses on the ground, Qu Sheng shot forward. She hooked her sword under the arm of the man who had wounded Feng Qi, lifting it from the armpit and severing the limb entirely. As the arm flew into the air, Qu Sheng reversed her blade in a horizontal slash and took off the man’s head as well.

Qu Sheng’s methods were more ruthless than those of the deathsworn.

Feng Qi responded in kind. He raised his hand and sent an arrow through the throat of an assailant coming at Qu Sheng from behind. The moment he drew his sword back, blood sprayed through the air, and Feng Qi raised a hand to shield his eyes.

            

The men in the outer circle held torches, and their superior numbers gave them an advantage. In a pause between sword swings, Qu Sheng glanced down at a blade reflecting the light from the ground. After a moment’s thought, she kicked its hilt. The blade flew through the air and struck the man holding a torch.

The torch fell, and the light dimmed. Qu Sheng dodged a sword thrust and immediately stabbed downward, cutting off another man’s feet. By the time another torch was raised to illuminate the area, Qu Sheng had already used the advantage of the darkness to kill several more men.

But there were simply too many of them. No matter how skilled she was, there would come a time when her strength gave out.

            

After about half a quarter-hour, the man in the outer circle who appeared to be the leader seemed to be growing impatient. He watched his men desperately trying to protect the slender Qu Sheng and guessed her importance. Stepping on the heads of his own men, he flew forward and landed before her.

Qu Sheng saw the newcomer wielding two great axes and frowned, swinging her sword to meet him. Seeing Qu Sheng come to him of her own accord, the man’s lips twisted into a vicious smirk as he charged toward her with heavy strides.

Qu Sheng’s sword clashed against his twin axes, and after a few exchanges, she gauged that his strength was immense. She didn’t fight him with brute force. Instead, she found the right moment and leaped forward, her sword stabbing straight for his head. But just as it was about to connect, she abruptly changed its path, slashing toward his side.

            

The man had focused all his defense on his head. His shoulder and arm were pierced by Qu Sheng’s sword, and he immediately retreated several steps.

Qu Sheng landed and observed him. The man glanced at his shoulder, gritting his teeth through the pain and anger. He seized the initiative, swinging his axes at her.

Qu Sheng retreated three steps. The instant his axes chopped down, she used her sword to block for a moment, then quickly yielded, her body nimbly circling behind him. She kicked him squarely in the back.

            

Thrown off balance by the momentum of his own axes, the man staggered forward. At the same time, Qu Sheng noticed someone behind her swinging a blade. The instant she glanced over, Feng Qi was already there, blocking the long blade for her.

Feng Qi’s sword flicked upward, using the force transmitted through the blade to shove all three opponents back. As they stumbled away, he swung his sword down with incredible speed, cutting the three of them down.

“Are you alright, Young Miss?” Feng Qi asked, his back pressed against Qu Sheng’s.

            

“I’m fine.” Qu Sheng took the opportunity to survey the situation. Her people were clearly beginning to tire. If reinforcements didn’t arrive soon, they would likely all die here.

As Qu Sheng was thinking, the axe-wielding leader gave up on killing her and turned on her guards instead.

The guards were struggling, each fighting four men at once. Seeing this, Qu Sheng said to Feng Qi, who was still protecting her, “Don’t worry about me. Go help the others.”

            

Feng Qi understood at once and flew toward the man with the twin axes.

After dealing with the few men in front of her, Qu Sheng also began to move toward the others. The guards were outmatched; the man with the twin axes killed two of them in quick succession before Qu Sheng and Feng Qi managed to engage him.

Their sword styles were quite similar; a single move was enough for one to know what the other would do next. But the man’s strength was immense, and neither of them could withstand the force of his axes.

            

During a brief pause, the man’s gaze fixed on Prince Fucheng’s strategist.

“Not good,” Qu Sheng said. She made a split-second decision, flying forward and stabbing with her sword to draw his attention back to herself.

The man’s outer robe was torn by her blade. He glanced down before launching another attack on Qu Sheng. She dodged sideways several times. The man held back half the force in his swings, constantly shifting his position as he followed her evasive movements.

            

He had figured out her patterns.

Surrounded by deathsworn, Qu Sheng’s evasions were not easy. She had to dodge the cleaving axes while also watching for hidden swords and cold blades from the sides. Her body soon began to feel the strain of fatigue.

Feng Qi noticed that the man’s center of gravity was low and began to attack from the side. The man turned to block, and in that moment of divided attention, Qu Sheng noticed the same weakness.

            

Feng Qi parried, catching the twin axes and holding them back with all his strength as he pushed upward. Seizing the opportunity, Qu Sheng flew in, aiming to stab him in the head.

But the man seemed to have anticipated her. The force he was using to press down on Feng Qi was suddenly withdrawn, and he swung the axes toward Qu Sheng instead.

Struck by the full force of the twin axes, Qu Sheng used her sword to block, but was sent flying several meters. She seemed to be injured as she hit the ground.

            

“Young Miss!” Feng Qi cried, hastily stepping on the corpses to fly to her side.

Qu Sheng wiped a smear of blood from the corner of her lips and stood up. “Aim for his eyes.”

Hearing this, Feng Qi glanced at the man. Seeing his arrogant expression, as if he held them both in contempt, Feng Qi soared into the air and launched a ferocious assault.

            

The man raised his axes to block, a playful look on his face as he saw Feng Qi using his full strength.

Feng Qi fought him for a moment before Qu Sheng rejoined the battle. Their two swords slashed high and low, but they still could not overcome the man’s twin axes.

Qu Sheng thought for a moment, then broke away from Feng Qi. Fighting alone was extremely difficult for him; the force of the axes was too great, and he was soon at a disadvantage. When the axes came chopping down, Feng Qi held his sword up to block, but was forced to his knees with a heavy thud.

            

The man gritted his teeth and pressed down. Feng Qi used all his strength, but the sword was gradually being forced toward his head… Just as the axe was about to strike Feng Qi’s face, Qu Sheng, standing some distance away, took out the arrows from her back, nocked two, and fired. They struck the man squarely in both eyes.

The man roared in pain and instantly loosened his grip. Feng Qi heaved the axes up, swung his sword in a horizontal arc, and severed the man’s neck.

The surrounding deathsworn saw their leader fall and stared in shock for a moment. Then, they heard shouting from the distance.

            

“Kill them!” The sound of horse hooves mixed with the thud of running feet, the noise swelling into a great clamor.

Qu Sheng helped the kneeling Feng Qi to his feet and looked up. Their people had arrived.

Liang Lianhui, her Fifth Uncle, was leading the troops from the Capital Outskirts Garrison to support them.

            

When the deathsworn saw the dense, dark mass of troops approaching, their leader immediately ordered a retreat. But after fleeing a hundred metres in the other direction, they were forced back again.

Liang Lianhui, mounted on a tall horse, gave Qu Sheng a meaningful look. Qu Sheng led her people away in another direction.

The soldiers did not pursue them, but instead tightly surrounded the deathsworn.

            

Once Qu Sheng and her group had disappeared into the night, Liang Lianhui gave the order.

“Leave no one alive!”

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The next morning, Qu Jinian reported to the Emperor that Prince Fucheng had colluded with Yan Fengwu to murder the Qu family’s second son, Qu Ming. He then sent people to poison Qu Yu and his wife, leaving Qu Yu still bedridden.

            

Qu Jinian pleaded with the Emperor to issue an edict for the prince’s arrest.

Seated on his throne, the Emperor’s shock was written all over his face as he heard Qu Jinian’s accusation. He looked toward Prince Fucheng, who was standing at the very front of the line of officials.

Prince Fucheng met the Emperor’s gaze. He looked slightly guilty, but made no other expression.

            

The Emperor pondered for a moment, then asked, “Prince Fucheng is this Emperor’s own brother. Beloved Minister Qu, do you have evidence for such an accusation?”

Kneeling on the floor, Qu Jinian slightly raised the white jade ceremonial tablet​¹ he was holding. His expression was solemn. “This humble subject has already brought the witnesses into the palace. Your Majesty need only summon them for questioning.”

Hearing this, the Emperor seemed to have a guess as to what was happening. He glanced at Prince Fucheng, then ordered the witnesses to be brought in.

            

The witnesses were the two men captured from the Zhao Residence, along with the strategist from Prince Fucheng’s residence, whom Qu Sheng had risked her life to capture the night before.

The three knelt and clearly described Prince Fucheng’s plot to poison the victims. The strategist also recounted the matter of Prince Fucheng murdering Qu Ming.

The Emperor listened with a deep frown, then looked at Prince Fucheng. “Prince Fucheng, is what Qu Jinian says true?”

            

From the moment the witnesses had entered the great hall, Prince Fucheng had stood silently listening, his expression so calm it was as if the person being accused had nothing to do with him.

Hearing the question, Prince Fucheng stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, this younger brother and subject has always acted with a clear conscience. This man is indeed a strategist from my residence. As for the other two, this younger brother and subject has never seen them and does not know where they came from.”

The Emperor blinked. Prince Fucheng glanced at the kneeling strategist and said with a righteous expression, “This prince did take your wife, but that was with your consent. This prince did not force you. You could have made any request you wished. Why must you conspire with Marquis Qu to frame this prince for murder?” At that moment, Prince Fucheng looked utterly wronged.

            

His words stunned even the kneeling Qu Jinian for a moment.

Murmurs broke out across the great hall. The strategist grew frantic. “Your Majesty, every word this commoner says is true! Prince Fucheng took this commoner’s wife and child hostage to threaten me, and he even wanted to kill me to silence me!”

Prince Fucheng chuckled. “What do you mean, your son? That is my son. I know you hate this prince to the bone, but this prince’s feelings for Yinghuan are genuine. In fact, this prince was just thinking of giving her a proper title and finding a post for you. But you left in a fit of pique. This prince had people searching for you all night. Who would have thought you would appear before His Majesty to maliciously slander me, fabricating such a great crime out of thin air to put this prince to death? How venomous your heart is!”

            

With just a few sentences, Prince Fucheng had transformed the crime of murder into a tale of his own romantic indiscretions.

“Your Majesty, this humble subject has material evidence here,” Qu Jinian said, listening to Prince Fucheng’s outrageous arguments. He produced the wooden box containing the poisoned handkerchiefs. “This handkerchief was laced with poison, the very same poison that my fourth son was afflicted with.”

At this, the Emperor raised his chin slightly, and a Eunuch Official presented the evidence to him. The eunuch held the box for the Emperor to inspect for a few moments. The Emperor then asked, “How does this handkerchief prove it belongs to Prince Fucheng?”

            

Qu Jinian replied, “Your Majesty, the cloth used for this handkerchief was once a gift from the Late Empress to the young Prince Fucheng. When Prince Fucheng soaked the cloth in poison, there was a small section embroidered with the words ‘tribute item’.”

The Emperor studied Qu Jinian, then his gaze shifted back to Prince Fucheng’s face.

The Emperor lowered his eyes for a moment. “Are those words still on it now?”

            

“No. The seamstress who made it was afraid of being discovered, so she cut that part off.”

The Emperor took a deep breath. “Beloved Minister Qu, you are relying solely on this handkerchief, the testimony of a few witnesses, and the already deceased Yan Fengwu to insist that Prince Fucheng is responsible. Is that not a bit too arbitrary?”

As soon as the Emperor said this, the hall erupted into a hubbub of discussion. The evidence consisted of witness testimony and a physical object. Now that both were present, the Emperor was calling Qu Jinian arbitrary. It was clear to all the officials that he was intentionally showing favoritism.

            

Kneeling on the floor, Qu Jinian’s face darkened. “Your Majesty, this humble subject sent men to infiltrate Yan Fengwu’s former residence and discovered a secret passage leading directly to Prince Fucheng’s residence. If Yan Fengwu had no connection to Prince Fucheng, why would he have such a passage?”

Qu Jinian didn’t need to excavate it; he knew now that the passage led to Prince Fucheng’s residence. If the prince denied it, he could righteously demand to have it dug up.

Prince Fucheng heard this and quickly said, “Your Majesty, there is indeed a secret passage in this younger brother and subject’s residence, but it was left by the previous owner. This younger brother and subject only discovered it by accident some time ago and has already ordered people to fill it with bricks and mortar. Every word this younger brother and subject says is true. I do not know what has gotten into Marquis Qu, or why he insists on targeting this younger brother and subject. I implore Your Majesty to uphold justice for this younger brother and subject!”

            

Prince Fucheng proactively admitted to it, then shifted the blame for slander back onto Qu Jinian. With both witness and material evidence present, a moment’s thought would reveal how suspicious it all was, yet the Emperor remained hesitant.

Ultimately, the Emperor dismissed the court, citing insufficient evidence, and summoned the two of them to the Imperial Study.

Qu Jinian stood to one side in silence while Prince Fucheng played the victim, explaining himself endlessly. He even swore a solemn oath to Qu Jinian that he had never harmed a single member of the Qu family.

            

The Emperor, seeing a prince being pushed to such lengths by a marquis, could not bear it. “This Emperor knows that Beloved Minister Qu is anxious about the matter of your two sons. But Prince Fucheng has already sworn an oath, and you have no other conclusive evidence. How can this Emperor convict him so casually?”

Qu Jinian looked up at the Emperor. Seeing his expression, the Emperor added, “How about this? This Emperor will issue an edict appointing someone to specifically investigate this case. I will also have the entire Imperial Medical Academy go and consult on your fourth son’s condition. What do you think?”

Qu Jinian’s face was grim. “This subject can agree to stop investigating, but I want the antidote. As long as my fourth son is cured of the poison, this matter will be over.”

            

Qu Jinian had made his final concession. For Qu Yu’s sake, he could forgo avenging Qu Ming.

Prince Fucheng immediately said, “Marquis Qu, you still don’t believe this prince. If this prince didn’t do it, how could I possibly have the antidote?”

Qu Jinian shot him a cold glance. “Whether the Prince did it or not, you know in your heart. I have made my position clear. If anything happens to my fourth son, I, Qu Jinian, will see this investigation through to the very end!”

            

With that, his face cold, he addressed the Emperor again. “Your Majesty, forgive this humble subject for feeling unwell. I will take my leave.”

Before the Emperor could speak, Qu Jinian stepped back, turned, and walked toward the door of the Imperial Study.

“Ah, Beloved Minister Qu…” The Emperor tried to call him back, but Qu Jinian pretended not to hear, pulled the door open, and left.

            

On the way back to his residence, Qu Jinian’s fists were clenched in anger the entire time.

The Emperor held the power of life and death, yet he favored those close to him. He had learned this lesson years ago, and now history was repeating itself.

It was precisely because he feared a repeat of the past that Qu Jinian had brought the matter up in the morning court, in front of all the civil and military officials. Who would have thought it would still end like this?

            

When Qu Jinian returned to the residence, Qu Sheng and the others were waiting for him in the Main Hall. He looked up at the expectant eyes in the room and sighed.

Seeing her father sigh, Qu Sheng understood at once.

Qu Jiqin asked, “His Majesty doesn’t believe it?”

            

Qu Jinian looked over and sighed again. “Prince Fucheng is the Emperor’s most trusted younger brother. I presented both witnesses and evidence, but His Majesty said the evidence was insufficient…”

Qu Jinian recounted the events in the great hall. He had thought that capturing the strategist would be enough to secure a conviction, but Prince Fucheng had claimed to be having an affair with the man’s wife, saying the man was framing him out of resentment.

The man knew that speaking out would mean death for his wife and child, but if he didn’t speak, he himself would certainly die. He had gambled his family’s lives and still failed to bring Prince Fucheng to justice. The man had been brought back safely, but he was of no more use.

            

Sitting to the side, Qu Sheng’s hands clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked. Lin Xizhao noticed her agitation and reached out to take her hand.

Feeling the warmth of Lin Xizhao’s touch, the tension in Qu Sheng’s fingers eased considerably. When she turned to look at Lin Xizhao, most of the anger in her eyes had dissipated.

Lin Xizhao always had this ability to soothe her emotions.

            

Lin Xizhao raised a hand to stroke Qu Sheng’s cheek and said softly, “This matter won’t end here.”

Qu Sheng nodded, a plan already seeming to form in her mind.

Yesterday, it was Lin Xizhao who had written a letter to Liang Lianhui, who was returning to the capital after suppressing bandits. Upon his return, he had been given an important position by the Emperor, commanding troops at the Capital Outskirts Garrison.

            

The troops from the garrison could not be mobilized without reason, but Liang Lianhui had used the pretext of a training exercise to have his soldiers “coincidentally” run into Qu Sheng and her group.

Qu Jinian had already made it clear that he wanted the antidote. No matter what method Prince Fucheng used, as long as he delivered the antidote, Qu Jinian would let the matter drop. But if he didn’t, Qu Jinian would absolutely make Prince Fucheng pay the price.

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng went to see Qu Yu. His complexion was much better than it had been a few days ago. Zhao Jiayu had also mostly recovered from childbirth. Although she still couldn’t go outside where there might be a draft, she was no longer as exhausted as she had been at the beginning.

            

Zhao Jiayu was sitting by the bed holding her daughter, talking with Qu Yu. When she heard footsteps, the smile she wore while cooing at her daughter didn’t fade.

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng were greeted by the sight of pure happiness on Zhao Jiayu’s face, and they smiled as well. Lin Xizhao’s smile was natural, but Qu Sheng’s was a little forced.

They had worked so hard, and Qu Yu had held on for so long. If Prince Fucheng didn’t deliver the antidote, all their efforts would be for nothing.

            

“You still haven’t fully recovered. Don’t tire yourself out. Here, let me hold her,” Lin Xizhao said, walking over with a gentle smile.

Zhao Jiayu laughed. “If you want to hold her, then hold her. It’s not like I’m stingy.”

Lin Xizhao smiled back. “I was just afraid you wouldn’t be able to part with her.”

            

“What’s there to not part with? I was just discussing it with Ah Yu. In the future, we’d like to trouble you to raise this child.”

Seeing Lin Xizhao’s confused expression, Zhao Jiayu explained, “We want our daughter to be like you, a gentle young lady. She won’t need to learn martial arts. We’ll just have to give her a little brother to protect her later on.”

Lin Xizhao’s smile froze for an instant. Seeing this, Zhao Jiayu asked, “You’re not unwilling, are you? We’re such good friends. I’ll be sad if you say no.”

            

Zhao Jiayu knew that Lin Xizhao was very fond of children, and that she and Qu Sheng could not have a child of their own. Although Zhao Jiayu hadn’t said she was giving the child to them, the intention was there. Lin Xizhao was grateful to her, but the mention of having another son reminded her of what Liu Wuxiang had said.

It was almost impossible for Qu Yu to have any more children, even if he was cured. And Zhao Jiayu’s words sounded like she was entrusting an orphan​² to them.

“Alright, I’ll raise her,” Lin Xizhao said with a smile, agreeing.

            

She took the baby into her arms. As she smiled and cooed at the child, she looked up at Qu Sheng. Although Qu Sheng didn’t particularly like children, the tenderness in Lin Xizhao’s eyes as she held the baby reminded her of how Lin Xizhao always treated her.

The gentle smile in Lin Xizhao’s eyes was what she loved and craved most in her life.

“Do you want to hold her?” Lin Xizhao asked Qu Sheng, her voice a little softer.

            

Qu Sheng looked a bit awkward. She hadn’t held the baby since she was born. Seeing how much Lin Xizhao liked her, Qu Sheng’s hands clenched and unclenched as she hesitated.

Seeing Qu Sheng’s discomfort, Lin Xizhao chuckled softly. She moved half a step closer and placed the baby in Qu Sheng’s arms.

Qu Sheng took her, clumsily mimicking the way Lin Xizhao held a baby. When she looked down at the little girl, a gentleness appeared in her eyes, as if she had caught it from Lin Xizhao.

            

Qu Yu and Zhao Jiayu saw the rare tenderness on Qu Sheng’s face, and they exchanged a look and smiled.

The two stayed in the room for a while before going to a side room in Qu Yu’s courtyard.

Liu Wuxiang was inside, studying his medicinal herbs. Ever since he had arrived, he had been relentlessly researching an antidote for the poison in Qu Yu’s body.

            

The Imperial Medical Academy had taken some of the medicine found in Yan Fengwu’s residence last time, but they didn’t know what was in it. Recently, Liu Wuxiang had not only identified the components of those medicines, but also the components of the poison in Qu Yu’s body. The only problem was that the antidote was proving difficult to figure out.

“Liu Daifu, have you made any progress?” Qu Sheng asked as soon as she entered the room.

Liu Wuxiang knew the Qu family was anxious, but he was anxious too. “Not yet. Don’t bother me,” he replied.

            

Qu Sheng seemed used to this. She simply listened to his words, never feeling that he was being disrespectful.

“Have you made any progress in finding the antidote?” Liu Wuxiang asked, his hands never stopping as he looked down at his herbs.

Hearing his answer, Qu Sheng’s eyes fell for a moment. “We’ve found the poisoner, but he won’t admit it.”

            

“Who is it?” Liu Wuxiang asked. “Someone even your Qu family can’t handle?”

Qu Sheng frowned and nodded. “The current Emperor’s biological younger brother, Prince Fucheng.”

Hearing this, Liu Wuxiang’s curiosity was piqued. “What grudge do you have with him?”

            

As for grudges, aside from a few words exchanged at court, Qu Jinian and Prince Fucheng had no real enmity. But if one were to trace it to its source, the matter had to be found with the Imperial Noble Consort.

“It’s because of me,” Lin Xizhao answered for Qu Sheng.

Lin Xizhao had known for a long time that Qu Sheng had killed Marquis Yongshen’s family. Recently, they had also discovered that Prince Fucheng and the Imperial Noble Consort once had a relationship.

            

But because the Emperor had chosen the Imperial Noble Consort for his harem, their affair had come to an end. Later, the Imperial Noble Consort had arranged to meet him, and soon after, Qu Ming and Qu Yu had met with disaster.

Prince Fucheng was targeting the Qu family, most likely because Qu Sheng had avenged Liang shi by killing Marquis Yongshen’s family.

But this was only their speculation; they had no concrete proof.

            

Right now, they were desperate for Prince Fucheng to confess so they could get the antidote quickly. But who would have thought the Emperor would so openly take his side?

However, Qu Sheng did not agree with Lin Xizhao’s answer.

Five days later.

            

Qu Yu’s condition suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse. Qu Sheng and the others stood anxiously outside the door while Liu Wuxiang was inside, trying to save him.

Basin after basin of bloody water was carried out of the room, the sight stinging Qu Sheng’s eyes.

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