The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 198
by Little PandaShameful Deeds
Qu Sheng had stayed in the side hall for nearly one hour. Even though Liu Wuxiang had talked until his mouth was completely dry, she still refused to nod in agreement.
However, Qu Sheng did ask about some of the details, and Liu Wuxiang, his old face blushing, answered them one by one. By the time they stepped out, both of their faces were flushed red.
It was now the Third Month1, and the ice and snow had long since melted. Tender green buds were beginning to show on the tips of the tree branches.
Emerging from the side hall, Qu Sheng let out a long breath and ordered her attendants to escort Liu Wuxiang out of the palace. There were still many memorials left unreviewed in the Imperial Study, as well as that old man who kept begging her to rescind her decree.
“Your Majesty.”
As soon as Qu Sheng returned to the Imperial Study, Qi Jinfu hurriedly approached her. He had already finished his meal, and the dishes had already been cleared away.
Qu Sheng looked up at him, gave a soft grunt of assent, and asked, “Was the meal prepared by my Eldest Sister2 to the Left Chancellor’s liking?”
Hearing this, Qi Jinfu quickly lowered his head and said, “Replying to Your Majesty, it was very good.”
Qu Sheng nodded and walked toward the dragon throne.
Qi Jinfu followed behind Qu Sheng. Seeing her sit down, he cupped his hands, preparing to speak again, but Qu Sheng preempted him, saying, “The matters that concern the Left Chancellor are things We have also considered before. However, since We have become the Emperor, We must leave behind a legacy of achievements.”
“Your Majesty, even before the founding of the dynasty, you had already accomplished many great deeds, for which everyone in our court harbors nothing but admiration. But this decree permitting marriages between man and man, and woman and woman—such a thing is unprecedented, and indeed unheard of…”
“Left Chancellor,” Qu Sheng cut him off just as he was about to use gentle and reasonable words to advise her. “We, as a woman, sit upon this great throne. Is that not also unprecedented?”
Qi Jinfu was choked by Qu Sheng’s words for a moment, but quickly recovered and said, “Your Majesty, today in the morning court, Vice Minister Lin said that the common people are the foundation of the state. For a nation to be strong, it requires a vast population of subjects. If the citizens of Quzhao all marry man to man and woman to woman, a hundred years from now, how can there be any subjects left to speak of?”
Qu Sheng laughed softly and said, “If We were to bestow a man upon the Left Chancellor right now, would you spend the rest of your life by his side?”
“This—Your Majesty, please do not play such jokes on this humble subject,” Qi Jinfu’s tone was visibly flustered.
“So it seems the Left Chancellor is unwilling to spend his life with a man?”
Qi Jinfu bowed deeply and said, “This humble subject has studied the books of the sages and upholds the Four Cardinal Virtues3 of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. How could I ever perform such shameful deeds4?”
Hearing this, Qu Sheng laughed aloud once more, but this time, her laughter was laced with danger. It turned out that the decree she had issued was so utterly vile in his eyes. To him, the path she and her wife walked was nothing but shameful deeds.
“Qi Jinfu, how dare you!” Qu Sheng’s expression darkened with anger, and her voice rose several notches.
Qi Jinfu maintained an innocent expression, seemingly unaware of why the Emperor had suddenly flared up in anger. He looked up at Qu Sheng and said, “This humble subject does not know what offense I have committed. I beg Your Majesty to clarify.”
“We—” Qu Sheng was about to reprimand him, but she suddenly thought of a question.
Her brows twitched slightly. She stared intently at Qi Jinfu and said, “We wonder if the Left Chancellor has heard anything regarding Our childhood before this.”
Qi Jinfu blinked, then lowered his head and replied, “This humble subject has heard some slight rumors.”
Qu Sheng looked down at the unperturbed Qi Jinfu and said, “Then you also know that ever since We returned, We have been cared for by Our Eldest Sister?”
“This humble subject has heard some slight rumors,” Qi Jinfu repeated his words from just now.
Qu Sheng let out a cold snort and said, “Since you know, yet you still deliberately utter such wild words here, do you plead guilty?”
“Your Majesty!” Hearing this, Qi Jinfu dropped straight to his knees. In a tone of earnest, heartfelt persuasion, he said, “You are the ruler of a nation. You must never again engage in such foolish matters. Currently, the imperial descendants are sparse and withered. This humble subject implores Your Majesty to choose a Central Palace Imperial Husband5 as soon as possible and give birth to an imperial prince so there may be a successor to inherit the line, thereby stabilizing the foundation of our Quzhao Dynasty.”
Qi Jinfu indeed knew of the relationship between Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao.
“Heh, We had thought the Left Chancellor was some upright gentleman of noble character. As it turns out, you are nothing but a duplicitous, sycophantic hypocrite.” Qu Sheng’s eyes were filled with absolute disdain at this moment.
“Why does Your Majesty speak such words?” Qi Jinfu feigned ignorance.
“Our Qu family may not have many descendants, but we are hardly without a successor. We intend to establish the daughter of King Long as the Imperial Crown Princess6. We wonder what the Left Chancellor thinks of that?” Qu Sheng said this deliberately.
Qi Jinfu’s throat bobbed for a moment as he said, “The matter of the heir concerns the state—”
“Enough!” Qu Sheng shot him an impatient glare, tossed the memorial in her hand aside, and said, “Why do We not speak of the Left Chancellor’s true intentions instead?”
Qu Sheng rose from the dragon throne and walked over to Qi Jinfu’s side. Looking down at him, she exuded an overbearing, oppressive aura, and said, “From the very beginning, the Left Chancellor has never believed that a woman should ascend the throne and rule as Emperor. Before this, and even now, you still refuse to acknowledge that We are already the Emperor. No matter what extraordinary achievements We may accomplish, it will never change the true thoughts buried in your heart. Your hypocritical kowtows and submissive addresses of ‘subject’ are nothing more than a stalling tactic. You want Us to give birth to a prince only because you wish to hand the imperial throne back to a man like yourself. You believe women are lowly, that they must submit to men, restrain themselves, and abide by rites. You believe they must honor the way of the father, the way of the husband, and that any male in the family can make decisions for them. But today, We shall tell you this: under the rule of our Qu family, there will no longer be any distinction of superior or inferior between men and women! Next, We will permit women to participate in the civil examinations, and to go out as generals and enter as chancellors7!”
“What men can do, women, too, can do!”
Qu Sheng spoke the final words slowly, emphasizing every syllable, as she walked back to the dragon throne behind the imperial desk. As she smoothed her imperial robes and sat down, Qi Jinfu, his eyes wide, instantly fell prostrate on the ground and cried out, “Your Majesty! If women participate in the civil examinations and enter the imperial court, the realm will fall into utter chaos! This must never be allowed!”
Qu Sheng let out a low, mocking chuckle, gazing down at the kneeling Qi Jinfu. “The Left Chancellor worries too much. Previously, you also claimed that Our ascension as a woman would bring about disaster and chaos, yet We have already ascended the throne, and We see no chaos anywhere. We return your previous words to you in full: everything is merely a product of your own wild imagination. You and We both know that the first step is always the hardest8, but the vast army in Our hands can well afford to bear the difficulty of this first step.”
Hearing Qu Sheng’s words, Qi Jinfu knelt there in a daze. At this moment, he suddenly understood that the new emperor before him was not just a military commander who only knew how to fight and kill, nor was she merely an ordinary daughter of the Qu family.
“Starting today, the Left Chancellor shall return to his residence to reflect on his actions. You are not to step out of your gates without Our command.” Qu Sheng picked up the brewed tea beside her, her tone as casual as if she were handling a trivial matter, as if she had not been the one filled with rage just moments ago.
Upon hearing this, Qi Jinfu sat kneeling on the ground, his brows furrowed tightly. He showed no fear or anxiety regarding Qu Sheng’s command, and Qu Sheng paid him no further attention.
Having processed half of the memorials, Qu Sheng returned to her imperial bedchamber.
Lin Xizhao watched as Qu Sheng paced back and forth across the room, her face still dark and gloomy. She asked softly, “What is the matter?”
Hearing her voice, Qu Sheng looked up and spoke her mind without the slightest hesitation, saying, “I want to kill Qi Jinfu.”
Hearing this, Lin Xizhao was startled for a moment, but quickly asked, “Did the Left Chancellor say something to displease you again?”
Qu Sheng’s brow furrowed deeply as she replied, “He insulted me with his words today, treating me with such utter contempt. I must find a pretext to kill him.”
What sort of vile, filthy words had Qu Sheng not heard before? Yet when it came to Lin Xizhao, she found herself entirely unable to keep her emotions under control.
Lin Xizhao lowered her eyes in thought, stepped up to Qu Sheng’s side, and raised a hand to gently stroke her cheek. Looking at her tenderly, she asked, “Was it because of me?”
Qu Sheng looked up at Lin Xizhao, the anger in her eyes slowly dissolving a little. She averted her gaze, unwilling to answer.
“If it has to do with me, then do not touch him.”
“Wife,” Qu Sheng said, growing a little anxious. It was precisely because of his disrespect toward Lin Xizhao that she wanted to kill him.
How could she possibly forgive him for such a degrading insult as ‘shameful deeds’?
“The Left Chancellor has been an official for several decades and possesses deep insights into court affairs. You cannot dismiss him entirely over a single mistake. If you kill a high-ranking minister of the court so soon after ascending the throne, it may cause unnecessary panic, and it would also be difficult to explain to Second Uncle,” Lin Xizhao gently advised.
Today, she had asked Qu Sheng to bring him a meal, and she had heard that he finished all of it. While Qi Jinfu was somewhat lofty and even a bit dogmatic, if he truly harbored immense prejudice against her, he would certainly have refused to eat anything she had sent.
Hearing this, Qu Sheng still did not abandon her desire to kill him. Though this man was talented, he was stubborn and opinionated, which clashed directly with her vision of granting women in Quzhao equal standing and rights to men. Along the path ahead, more disagreements would inevitably arise.
Weighing the pros and cons, she felt it was necessary to eliminate him.
Seeing that Qu Sheng’s brow remained furrowed, Lin Xizhao pondered for a brief moment and said, “Did you not say during court today that you want to implement a work-relief program? This matter concerns the people’s livelihood and must not go awry. The Left Chancellor is a reasonably upright man, and he has always devoted himself heart and soul to affairs concerning the common folk. Why not send him to oversee it? This way, he will have no leisure to dwell on this matter, and perhaps he will have had a change of heart by the time he returns.”
Lin Xizhao saw that Qu Sheng was intent on killing him and knew she could not dissuade her immediately, so she pleaded for a path of survival on his behalf.
Qu Sheng looked at Lin Xizhao, her brows knitted, unable to swallow this insult.
“You are the Emperor now; you are no longer just a daughter of the Qu family. Every single action of yours will be magnified severalfold by both the court and the public. If you kill a key minister of the court right at the beginning of your reign, what will the court officials and the common people think?” As Lin Xizhao spoke, she raised her other hand to cradle Qu Sheng’s face. In a tender voice, she continued, “The power in your hands is a double-edged sword. If you insist on killing him, he will certainly die. But if you kill him, the officials who once followed our Qu family will depart from us in anxiety and suspicion. This is not a good beginning.”
Listening to Lin Xizhao’s words and seeing the worry in her eyes, Qu Sheng’s anger dissipated by more than half, and her heart grew increasingly soft.
“I promise my wife that I will not touch him for now,” Qu Sheng finally compromised.
Killing Qi Jinfu was easy, requiring only a single imperial edict. But the fallout that would follow was something she did not wish to see for now.
Lin Xizhao let out a quiet sigh of relief. Gazing at Qu Sheng’s beautiful face, she raised her hand to gently stroke the furrowed brow on her forehead, as if wishing to smooth it out.
Qu Sheng looked up into Lin Xizhao’s gentle eyes. She was so considerate and understanding of the grander scheme of things; she deserved the status she was owed.
“Wife,” Qu Sheng reached out to draw Lin Xizhao into her embrace. Now that the matter of Qi Jinfu was put to rest, Liu Wuxiang’s words rushed back into her mind.
If she wanted to have offspring with Lin Xizhao, then one of them would have to take the medicine while the other gave birth. Yet it was not as simple as merely taking the medicine. There was also another point that had made her face flush red when she heard it; thinking back now, she seemed to have never done it before.
“What are you doing in the middle of the day?” Lin Xizhao asked as she was suddenly lifted into Qu Sheng’s arms, naturally wrapping her slender arms around Qu Sheng’s neck.
Qu Sheng’s face showed a hint of bashfulness. She offered no reply, carrying her wife directly toward the inner chamber of the bedchamber.
A few days later, the envoys from the Jin Dynasty arrived in Quzhao to congratulate Qu Sheng on her ascension. Qu Sheng, along with her civil and military officials, received them in the palace’s great hall.
Looking at Jin Mingyi in the great hall, whose face bore a slight resemblance to her own, Qu Sheng slowly knitted her brows.
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “Practicing with my wife to see if it works.”
Zhu Ming’an: “Waaaah, my wife is here!”
Leave a comment to receive a red envelope!
Footnotes
- Sānyuè: The third month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, typically corresponding to mid-spring, around April in the Gregorian calendar.
- Jiājiě: A polite and formal way to refer to one's own eldest sister when speaking to outsiders, reflecting Qu Sheng's respect for Lin Xizhao.
- Sìwéi: The 'Four Cardinal Virtues' of Confucian ethics, consisting of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame.
- Gǒuqiě zhī shì: Improper, illicit, or shameful conduct; used here by Qi Jinfu to refer to same-sex intimacy and marriages as inherently depraved or indecent.
- Zhōnggōng huángfū: 'Central Palace' (zhōnggōng) traditionally denotes the primary empress consort's residence; combined with 'Imperial Husband' (huángfū), it refers to the primary male consort of a reigning female emperor.
- Huángtàinǚ: The designated female heir apparent to the imperial throne, analogous to a Crown Prince (huángtàizǐ).
- Chū jiàng rù xiàng: An idiom meaning to be capable of both supreme military command as a general (jiàng) and high civil administration as a chancellor (xiàng).
- Wànshì kāitóu nán: A common proverb meaning that the first step is always the hardest in any endeavor.
0 Comments