The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 178
by Little PandaThe Bei’an Army’s Drugs
When Lin Xizhao saw the finger, she instinctively covered Qu Zhimu’s eyes and carried her to the side.
Zhao Jiayu stared at the finger in shock. She asked the steward, “What did the messenger say?”
Hearing this, the steward replied, “He said that from the Lin Residence…” The steward glanced up at Lin Xizhao before continuing, “The Shizi is feeling unwell and requests the Eldest Miss to come over.”
“He’s shameless!” Zhao Jiayu immediately recognized the underlying threat.
This was using Lin Xirui to threaten Lin Xizhao.
As long as Lin Xizhao stayed within the residence, she would be safe. But if she stepped outside, no one could protect her.
The elders in the residence were still unaware of the situation. Qu Yu looked at Lin Xizhao, who seemed to have already made a decision, and asked, “Is Xizhao-meimei planning to go?”
Lin Xizhao looked up at him. After a moment, she nodded. “I will go. A few days ago, Xirui used some unknown method to have someone throw his jade pendant and a note over the courtyard wall. The handwriting wasn’t his, but the message told me not to leave the residence under any circumstances. I believe he had already been taken away by Jin Mingjun then.”
She had been restless for days, constantly worrying about Lin Xirui.
“Then I’ll accompany Xizhao-meimei,” Qu Yu said gently.
“There’s no need. Fourth Brother, stay in the residence and look after Mother, Aunt, and the others. I’ll be fine.” Lin Xizhao did not intend to bring anyone with her.
“You should let Ah Yu go with you. I’m here in the residence; I’ll protect them.” Zhao Jiayu’s brow furrowed with worry upon hearing Lin Xizhao’s plan to go alone. “Jin Mingjun failed to secure a marriage proposal before. Right now, he’s probably tallying up all his old and new grudges against your family. Have Ah Yu accompany you; he won’t dare act rashly.”
After listening to Qu Yu’s detailed analysis of their current situation, Zhao Jiayu’s heart was no longer as tense as before.
As long as the Shoulin army remained intact and Qu Sheng was still alive, Jin Mingjun wouldn’t dare touch the Qu family. Furthermore, there was Jin Yunfei—Jin Mingjun’s own paternal aunt. Even the most ruthless person could not entirely disregard such ties of blood.
“Why don’t the two of us accompany you together?” Before Lin Xizhao could decline, Zhao Jiayu added herself to the escort.
Qu Yu currently could not use his martial arts, and Lin Xizhao had none either. Although the residence still had guards, she really couldn’t set her mind at ease letting them go out alone.
“That’s fine too. Your Fourth Sister-in-law and I will accompany you. If anything happens, we can look out for each other.”
“Right, it’s decided. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone, and our daughter can’t be without you.” Zhao Jiayu hurriedly echoed Qu Yu’s words before Lin Xizhao could object. She then took Qu Zhimu from Lin Xizhao’s arms and handed her to the wet nurse, gently instructing, “Be good, Mu’er. Play with your wet nurse for a while. A bad man wants to hurt your Aunt, so Mother and Papa are going to beat him up for her.”
Qu Zhimu blinked her round little eyes and replied obediently in a soft voice, “Okay.”
Lin Xizhao looked at Zhao Jiayu with some helplessness, but ultimately agreed to let them come. If she went alone, there was a real chance she might never return.
The three of them sought out Jin Yunfei. The family sat together and deliberated for a while, eventually concluding that Zhao Jiayu and Qu Yu should indeed accompany her.
When the messenger saw the three of them stepping out, he hesitated for a moment, attempting to stop Zhao Jiayu and Qu Yu.
But Zhao Jiayu bluntly informed him that if they weren’t allowed to go together, Lin Xizhao wouldn’t go either. She challenged him, saying they could go ahead and kill Lin Xirui if they had the guts—and then wait for Qu Sheng to return with her army to level Capital City.
Intimidated by Zhao Jiayu’s threat, the messenger was unsure of what to do. After a long period of internal debate, he finally allowed all three of them to board the carriage.
Lin Xizhao and the others hadn’t seen the situation outside the residence for some time. Now, stepping out, they found that everything within Capital City had ostensibly returned to normal.
The shops along the streets were open, and there were quite a few small vendors walking about and hawking their wares. Their carriage was preceded by guards clearing the way, prompting the pedestrians ahead to step aside early. Looking at the scene outside, Zhao Jiayu said to Qu Yu and Lin Xizhao, “The city gates must have already been opened.”
If they hadn’t been opened, the vegetables from beyond the city walls and the small vendors wouldn’t be here.
Qu Yu nodded. “Yes. Let’s hope Shoulin notices.”
Zhao Jiayu kept looking outside. As they rounded a bend in the road, a familiar figure seemed to flash past her eyes. She hurriedly leaned her head out to look. A sharp, freezing wind whipped at the back of her head. Staring out behind the carriage, she ducked her head back inside a few moments later.
“What’s wrong?” Qu Yu asked, noticing her expression was off.
Zhao Jiayu looked momentarily stunned. She raised her eyes to Qu Yu, then turned to Lin Xizhao. “I saw Feng Qi.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xizhao immediately leaned over and lifted the carriage curtain. Feng Qi was already catching up from behind.
Lin Xizhao didn’t let her gaze linger for long, but by now Feng Qi must have realized they had spotted him.
“What do we do?” Zhao Jiayu worried that Feng Qi might come right up to intercept them.
Capital City was crawling with Jin Mingjun’s men inside and out, and it looked like Feng Qi had come alone.
Lin Xizhao lowered her eyes in thought. Soon, as they neared the next intersection, she had Zhao Jiayu open the carriage curtain.
Standing in the distance, Feng Qi stared intently at the carriage and saw the gestures Lin Xizhao was making with her hands.
Feng Qi pulled the brim of his straw hat down, remained rooted to the spot, and watched the carriage depart.
“What did you just say to Feng Qi?” Zhao Jiayu was rather amazed. Lin Xizhao had just used hand gestures to stop Feng Qi from pursuing them.
“I told him not to act rashly,” Lin Xizhao replied.
Zhao Jiayu grabbed Lin Xizhao’s hands and inspected them closely. Looking up at her, she asked, “You’re already done talking?” She hadn’t heard a single word; how could the conversation be over?
“It’s sign language.” Lin Xizhao had learned it from a book once. When she mentioned it to Qu Sheng, the two of them had studied it together. Later, Qu Sheng decided it could be useful in certain situations and had Feng Qi and his guards learn it as well.
Hearing this, Zhao Jiayu looked down at Lin Xizhao’s hands again. “That’s incredible. You have to teach me when we get back.”
Qu Yu cast her a slightly helpless glance, though he had to admit he truly loved Zhao Jiayu’s temperament. Even with unknown dangers looming ahead, she was still entirely herself, saying whatever came to mind.
Lin Xizhao’s heavy thoughts from moments ago lifted. The tension eased from her face, and she said softly, “All right.” As long as they returned safely, there would be plenty of time.
The carriage soon arrived at the Lin Residence. The accompanying inner court attendant knocked on the carriage door, only to have Zhao Jiayu’s resentful voice drill into their ears: “What’s the rush? I haven’t even stood up yet!”
Hearing the anger emanating from the carriage, the people outside didn’t dare rush them further.
Qu Yu pushed open the door and stepped down first. Zhao Jiayu followed and immediately helped Lin Xizhao alight. The three stood before the estate’s main gates and glanced around. The Lin Residence, it seemed, was not under blockade.
“Please, after you.”
At the sound of his voice, Zhao Jiayu retracted her evaluating gaze and linked her arm through Lin Xizhao’s. She had to stay by her side like a shadow.
The three of them entered the residence. The servants were bustling about as usual, bowing in greeting when they saw Lin Xizhao return.
“Where is your Shizi?” Zhao Jiayu grabbed one of them and asked.
The servant lowered his head and answered, “The Shizi is in his courtyard.” He didn’t dare say more, presumably having been threatened.
“Please follow this lowly one this way.” Seeing Zhao Jiayu asking questions left and right, the inner court attendant leading the way hurriedly put on a smiling face, bowing as he gestured forward.
Zhao Jiayu looked over, rolled her eyes at him, but followed anyway.
The path he led them on went toward Lin Xirui’s courtyard. They arrived quickly, and as soon as they stepped inside, they spotted him.
“Xirui.” Seeing her younger brother standing in the courtyard, Lin Xizhao’s heart involuntarily clenched.
Lin Xirui turned at the sound. When he saw Lin Xizhao and the others, he was initially startled, then flashed with annoyance. “Ajie, didn’t I tell you not to come?”
He had previously instructed the clerk he had once helped to find a way to get a message to Lin Xizhao, urging her under no circumstances to leave the Qu Residence. Yet here she was.
Lin Xizhao hurried over at a jog and immediately inspected his fingers.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xirui looked down at his raised hand, gazing at his sister in confusion.
Seeing that all of Lin Xirui’s fingers were intact, the tightly wound string in Lin Xizhao’s heart finally loosened.
Seeing that the fingers on his raised hand were fine, Zhao Jiayu reached out, grabbed his other wrist, and inspected that hand as well.
Zhao Jiayu let out a visible breath of relief and snapped angrily, “Jin Mingjun sent Xizhao a box with a severed finger inside. It terrified us.”
Hearing this, Lin Xirui instantly understood why Lin Xizhao had come. His expression hardened as he whispered, “I had someone pass a message to you, Ajie. Did you not receive it?”
“I received it.” Lin Xizhao took out the jade pendant and handed it back to him, keeping her voice low. “He had someone throw it over the courtyard wall. He must have bribed the guards outside.”
“Since Ajie received it, why did you still come?” Lin Xirui asked in bewilderment.
“You heartless boy, it’s because we were worried about you,” Zhao Jiayu shot back.
Reprimanded by Zhao Jiayu, Lin Xirui immediately wilted. He had grown up, but in the eyes of Zhao Jiayu and his sister, he was still just a younger brother.
“Let’s go inside to talk,” Qu Yu said, glancing back at the men standing not too far away.
The other three looked at Qu Yu, then caught sight of the inner court attendant standing a short distance away, constantly peering in their direction.
“Let’s go inside,” Lin Xirui agreed.
Once indoors, Lin Xirui briefed them on the situation outside. Jin Mingjun hadn’t halted the production of weapons and armor, but he was actively recruiting soldiers and acquiring warhorses under the Emperor’s name.
The members of Tiansheng’s imperial family were currently under house arrest in the palace. It was rumored that two of them had already starved to death; it was only after Qu Jixian reprimanded him that Jin Mingjun finally ordered meals to be delivered.
“You’re saying Jin Mingjun locked you in the palace earlier? And he didn’t torture you?” Zhao Jiayu fired off questions, finding the whole thing somewhat unbelievable.
But the moment the words left her mouth, both Lin Xirui and Qu Yu simultaneously looked at Lin Xizhao.
Jin Mingjun had come with marriage proposals twice, failing both times and suffering humiliation on each occasion. Yet, despite a single defiant comment from Lin Xirui, he had refrained from harming him. It stood to reason that he cared deeply about Lin Xizhao.
Lin Xizhao lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to think too deeply about whether Jin Mingjun cared for her. None of that had anything to do with her. But if he ever hurt her family, she would never forgive him.
As they spoke, Zhao Jiayu suddenly stood up, her gaze darting warily toward the door.
Noticing her reaction, the others fell silent and looked back at the closed door.
A shadow fell across the doorpane. Seeming to hear no sound from within, the person outside pushed the door open.
Draped in a brocade robe, Jin Mingjun raised his eyes and looked at them.
Guards poured in, flanking Jin Mingjun on both sides. Lin Xirui and Qu Yu instinctively stepped forward, shielding the two women behind them.
“Jin Mingjun, what kind of trick are you pulling? Is it fun to deceive my sister?” Lin Xirui deliberately started pointing fingers.
Jin Mingjun lifted his gaze to Lin Xirui without defending himself. After a moment, he shifted his eyes to Lin Xizhao, who was standing behind Zhao Jiayu.
“Xizhao-meimei, may I have a private word with you?” Jin Mingjun’s voice sounded remarkably gentle.
“Whatever you have to say, say it right here. A lone man and a lone woman—who knows what filthy thoughts you’re harboring,” Zhao Jiayu snapped bluntly.
Turning a deaf ear, Jin Mingjun kept his eyes fixed on Lin Xizhao. The room remained completely silent for a long time. Jin Mingjun refused to yield, blocking the doorway.
After a lengthy standoff, Lin Xizhao finally raised her eyes to look at him. A ripple of emotion flickered in Jin Mingjun’s gaze.
“Jin Shizi and I have only met a few times. If you have something to say, say it here.” Even with the distance in her tone, Lin Xizhao’s voice was as gentle as ever.
Jin Mingjun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He lowered his eyes for a brief second before looking back at Lin Xizhao. Right in front of everyone, he declared, “You don’t need to fear me, Xizhao-meimei. I might not be a man of perfect virtue, but I would never do anything to hurt you. I had my father and mother propose on my behalf twice before. I know the Jin family’s words carried little weight back then. But things are different now. As long as you agree to marry me, you will be my future Empress.”
Hearing the word ‘Empress,’ Zhao Jiayu immediately tried to push past Qu Yu to mock him that not even the first stroke of the character had been written1, but Qu Yu threw an arm back to stop her.
The words caught in Zhao Jiayu’s throat. Though furious, she obediently stepped back.
“Jin Shizi overstates things. I am already married, and I will not entertain a second heart.” In just a few short sentences, Lin Xizhao both condemned his usurpation of the throne and firmly established the reality of her marriage.
Jin Mingjun ignored the first half of her response. Hearing her mention marriage, his expression instantly soured. He let out a dark chuckle. “How does marrying a woman even count?”
Lin Xizhao wasn’t surprised by his words. Back when she had traveled to the Northern Frontier, Qu Sheng had already told her. Qu Sheng had even assured her that the Jin family wouldn’t bother her anymore. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Jin Yunyou had died in battle, and Jin Mingjun had rebelled.
Upon hearing this, the others in the room realized that Jin Mingjun knew Lin Xizhao had married Qu Sheng.
Lin Xizhao didn’t bother arguing with him. She had already said what needed to be said; anything more was useless.
Seeing that Lin Xizhao was no longer looking at him, Jin Mingjun moved to step forward, only to have his path blocked by the other three in the room.
Seeing this, the guards stepped up, reaching to draw their sabers. Zhao Jiayu unceremoniously unsheathed her sword as well.
“Stop!” Jin Mingjun barked, rebuking the overzealous guards.
At his command, the guards instantly shoved their half-drawn blades back into their scabbards and stepped to the side.
“Think over what I’ve told you today, Xizhao-meimei.” Jin Mingjun waited a long time, but Lin Xizhao still refused to look up. Seeing this, a trace of anxiety and desolation touched his face. “I will wait until you agree.”
As he spoke, he threw a glance toward Lin Xirui. With Lin Xirui in his grasp, he refused to believe Lin Xizhao wouldn’t yield.
A small scare had been enough to bring her here today. Whenever he wanted to see her in the future, it would be easy.
“Men, escort them back.”
Failing to elicit a response after so long, Jin Mingjun didn’t want them staying together any longer.
The three were invited out of the room. As they departed, Lin Xizhao looked back at her younger brother, anxiety stirring in her heart.
Today had just been a bluff, but what about tomorrow? As long as Lin Xirui was in Jin Mingjun’s hands, he was in constant danger.
She couldn’t guarantee that a maddened Jin Mingjun wouldn’t snap and harm him once his patience ran out.
Ever since Qu Sheng learned of the upheaval in the capital, she had dispatched scouts back to investigate in secret. The war with the Bei’an army was locked in a brutal stalemate, and with winter fast approaching, reinforcements and supplies from Capital City were now out of the question.
Qu Sheng drafted a separate letter and sent it to Shoulin.
A few days later, the spies Qu Sheng had sent to Heyi Kingdom returned with intelligence: a ship carrying supplies for the Bei’an army had arrived along the banks of the Mushui River.
Her men had already disguised themselves as commoners and had been conscripted as coolies to unload the cargo.
Initial assessments concluded that the supplies were the Bei’an army’s drugs.
Qu Sheng immediately issued orders not to act rashly, instructing her men to closely monitor where the shipment was being transported.
In Capital City, ever since returning to the Qu Residence, Lin Xizhao had been plagued by constant anxiety. Every single day, Jin Mingjun sent people to deliver gifts, always asking if she had any words to pass back to him.
A courtyard’s worth of items had been piled into a storehouse by the servants. Lin Xizhao didn’t even have the heart to look at them. On her way back from the Lin Residence a few days prior, she had encountered Feng Qi again and covertly signaled for him to rescue Lin Xirui, provided he could do so without getting caught.
The Lin Residence didn’t have a massive guard presence, and the capital’s gates had already been opened, but she still didn’t know if Feng Qi could actually pull it off.
It was a night of howling winter gales. The frigid wind battered the paper-lattice windows, making them rustle loudly. Lin Xizhao stared blankly at the flickering candlelight. Beside her, the little one had long since fallen asleep, one small hand resting over Lin Xizhao’s leg—evidently still frightened by Zhao Jiayu’s earlier claim that a ‘bad man’ wanted to hurt her aunt.
Lin Xizhao watched the little girl, who seemed to change with every passing day. Her features were growing more and more like her mother’s, yet there also seemed to be a faint shadow of Lin Xizhao herself in her face.
Lin Xizhao’s eyes brimmed with tenderness. She turned on her side and lay down slowly, tucking the blankets back around Qu Zhimu. Just as she was settling in, a guard reported from outside that someone had tossed a jade pendant into the yard.
Lin Xizhao threw her outer cloak over her shoulders and went out. Opening the door, she accepted the piece of jade. It was the same pendant she had returned to Lin Xirui a few days ago.
“Was there anything else?” Lin Xizhao asked.
The guard shook his head. “We had men sweep the lawn with lanterns just now. It was only the jade pendant.”
Lin Xizhao nodded and dismissed him to rest. She returned indoors and held the jade pendant up to the candlelight.
As she examined it closely, she noticed a newly carved line of small characters.
“Did not fail the entrusted task.”
Reading that line, a long-lost smile graced Lin Xizhao’s face.
Inside the imperial palace, upon learning that Lin Xirui had been rescued by unknown assailants, Jin Mingjun ordered a city-wide manhunt. However, Lin Xirui hadn’t been extracted during the night.
By now, he had already slipped out of Capital City.
Jin Mingjun personally led the search until midnight, eventually returning to the spot where Lin Xirui had vanished. He couldn’t wrap his head around it; it had only taken the time it takes to use the latrine for the man to disappear completely.
Staring at the guards who had been tasked with watching Lin Xirui, suspicion bloomed in Jin Mingjun’s heart.
“Torture them until you root out the traitor.” Jin Mingjun’s words were preternaturally cold. It no longer mattered who the actual mole was; what he needed was to establish absolute authority.
These men all had to die.
The guards were dragged away, screaming of their innocence and begging for mercy, but Jin Mingjun gave them no quarter.
Jin Mingjun led his men out of the Lin Residence. Before he could even board his carriage, someone rushed over with an urgent report.
“Lord Shizi, an urgent dispatch from the Northern Frontier.” The messenger carried a satchel slung across his back.
“Hand it over!” Jin Mingjun was still burning with fury. He had just lost his trump card for controlling Lin Xizhao.
The soldier presented the letter. After Jin Mingjun tore it open and read it, his expression grew even uglier.
The spies he had sent to the Northern Frontier had been executed by Qu Sheng under the pretense of being Bei’an infiltrators.
His face frosted over. He had to accelerate his plans. “Summon all the generals, and order the officials to convene at the palace.”
“Yes, sir!” the guards acknowledged, leaping onto their fast horses to carry out the command.
Jin Mingjun boarded his carriage. As the vehicle rattled into motion, he dug his fingernails relentlessly against his jade thumb ring. By the time he stepped out of the carriage, the tips of his fingers were completely drained of blood.
Entering the palace, Jin Mingjun strode straight toward the great hall used for the Morning Court.
It was still hours away from the usual Morning Court. Just as Jin Mingjun was about to step over the hall’s threshold, he abruptly spun around and headed toward the compound where the imperial family was imprisoned.
Sweeping into the courtyard, he waved his hand, ordering his men to drag everyone into the main hall. Even the Emperor and the Crown Prince were yanked out and hurled onto the floorboards.
“Write the abdication edict,” Jin Mingjun commanded the Emperor on the ground, his face glacial.
The Emperor looked up. He hadn’t been sitting on this throne for long. “If This Emperor writes it, will you spare them?” he asked cautiously.
Impatience flashed across Jin Mingjun’s face. “Do not try to bargain with me.”
As the Emperor hesitated, Jin Mingjun glanced at a nearby guard. Understanding the silent command, the guard immediately drew his blade and pressed it against the Crown Prince.
Seeing this, the Emperor scrambled up in a panic. “I’ll write it! I’ll write it!”
Jin Mingjun tilted his head, signaling the servant carrying the four treasures of the study2 to place the prepared blank edict and the imperial seal before the Emperor.
With no table available, the Emperor could only drop to his knees and draft the abdication edict on the floor.
A learned civil official standing nearby looked down to inspect the drafted edict. The Emperor glanced at him; seeing the official nod, he picked up the imperial seal, pressed it into the vermilion inkpad, and stamped it firmly onto the imperial edict.
Bypassing the usual labyrinth of bureaucratic reviews, Jin Mingjun simply snatched the edict away.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to issue one final order: burn the palace down with everyone still inside.
Moments later, the sky above one corner of the imperial palace was engulfed in blazing light.
As the biting winds wreaked havoc, the ‘sudden’ fire in the palace—cordoned off by guards—burned for several hours. Anyone who managed to run out covered in flames was hacked to death by the guards and thrown back into the inferno until everything was completely reduced to ash.
By the time Qu Jixian arrived, the area was already a pitch-black ruin. He stepped into the smoldering wreckage, unable to believe that Jin Mingjun had actually committed such an atrocity.
At that moment, in the great hall of the Morning Court, Jin Mingjun paced back and forth in a full suit of armor, saber in hand. He had sent men to fetch Qu Jixian.
“Why isn’t he here yet?” Jin Mingjun was already losing his patience.
“To answer the Shizi, he will be here momentarily,” the attendant nearby hurriedly bowed and placated.
By the time Qu Jixian made his way there, his white hemlines had been stained black with soot. The charred, unrecognizable corpses of the imperial family had already been dragged out and cleared away.
Seeing Qu Jixian enter the hall, Jin Mingjun stopped pacing. A trace of delight touched his face. “Lord Shangqing, you’ve finally arrived.”
Qu Jixian walked slowly into the vast hall. Among the officials, some looked at him, some looked at Jin Mingjun, and others simply kept their heads down. Qu Jixian’s leg ailment had worsened over the past few days due to the cold weather; he walked with a slight limp, his steps agonizingly slow.
After a long time, maintaining his unhurried pace, Qu Jixian reached the center of the hall. Just as Jin Mingjun was at the end of his patience, Qu Jixian looked up. There was no outright rage in his eyes, but his profound displeasure with Jin Mingjun’s actions was unmistakable.
Jin Mingjun knew that Qu Jixian had intended to keep Tiansheng’s imperial family alive as puppets, but he couldn’t wait any longer. A slow, methodical usurpation was a strategy for the mediocre. Jin Mingjun rested his hand on the saber at his waist. Standing tall, his voice boomed: “A sudden fire broke out last night. His Majesty and the princes failed to escape and all perished in the flames. A nation cannot go a single day without a monarch. Though this Shizi is untalented, His Majesty previously drafted an imperial edict, abdicating the throne to me. I have summoned the officials today to hear the opinions of all you lords.”
As he spoke, Jin Mingjun’s gaze roved over the ministers before finally locking onto Qu Jixian.
Footnotes
- An idiom literally meaning 'not even the first stroke of the character eight (八) has been written,' used to describe something that is far from certain or hasn't even begun to take shape.
- The four essential tools of traditional Chinese calligraphy and scholarship: the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
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