The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 240
by Little PandaExtra 15
Why Don’t We Hold Our Own Ascension Assembly?
Qu Sheng and the others lingered in this area for several days, staying at an inn in a nearby county town. She had already sent word back to the Capital City, but for something so plainly criminal, she couldn’t understand why the Ministry of Justice was investigating so slowly.
The moon rose in the east and dew began to form. Lin Xizhao picked up a cloak from the wooden clothes stand and walked to the window. Qu Sheng turned at the sound, and Lin Xizhao draped the cloak over her shoulders.
Seeing Qu Sheng’s furrowed brow persist these past days, Lin Xizhao said softly, “If you’re truly worried, send someone to Cangcheng to find General Zuo Gaomin. He hates evil like a personal enemy and would never associate with these people.”
Qu Sheng looked down at Lin Xizhao, the crease between her brows easing. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Wait two more days. If Xikuan and the Ministry of Justice people haven’t arrived by then, I’ll go find him.”
Ascension events had occurred in all the surrounding areas, and Qu Sheng couldn’t yet determine who among the locals could still be trusted.
Lin Xizhao’s brows curved in agreement with a soft “All right,” then reached up to touch Qu Sheng’s cheek. Qu Sheng raised her hand to cover Lin Xizhao’s, pressing her face close against it.
Over the years, as Qu Sheng handled affairs great and small, Lin Xizhao had always been at her side offering counsel. On personnel matters in particular, Lin Xizhao had never once doubted her judgment. Yet now Qu Sheng had personally tasted the bitter fruit of her own making—all because she hadn’t listened.
Nor would Lin Xizhao ever berate Qu Sheng or kick her while she was down over the consequences of her mistakes. She would always gently guide her mood toward the positive, or find a solution instead.
The world all thought the Female Emperor of Quzhao doted on her Empress beyond all measure, yet they didn’t know how irreplaceable a love like Lin Xizhao’s was to Qu Sheng.
Qu Sheng gazed at her wife’s gentle eyes and brow, the corners of her lips curving slightly, and leaned down to kiss her.
Seeing that Qu Sheng’s mood had improved, Lin Xizhao had the inn servant bring up some food.
After supper, Xiao Bingying and the others returned from outside. They had made a trip to Yusu—the county town where Lu Fa’s ascension had taken place. Since Zhao Jiayu hadn’t purchased the monk’s robe, Guanhe Treasure Temple was once again rousing the common people, claiming they would re-auction it.
Lin Xizhao had predicted this already, though it had come two days later than she expected.
For these people to brazenly attack and kill within a temple, and now to publicly announce a re-auction of the robe—whatever power backed them must be considerable.
After relaying this, Xiao Bingying had the guards bring in a man. “This is the mage from the ascension.”
The man was shoved inside. The moment he saw Qu Sheng and the others, he gave an awkward grin. “Hey, uh, look, I was just taking money to do a job. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
Xiao Bingying hadn’t bound him—he had no martial skills and was a young man. They had already questioned him earlier; he was an unemployed drifter who had crossed into Quzhao from the Jin Dynasty.
This job had earned him a fair sum of silver. Xiao Bingying had run into him by chance and seized him.
Zhao Jiayu stared for a long moment before recognizing him as the mage from the Ascension Platform. “Hey, that robe of yours—the part about curing all diseases—was that real or fake?”
The moment the question left her mouth, everyone turned to look at her, stunned for an instant.
Jin Mingyi laughed from the side. “You’ve already caught the man who ‘ascended,’ and you’re still asking if it’s real? Jiayu-jie, you really are…”
Jin Mingyi didn’t finish her sentence—Zhu Ming’an clamped a hand over her mouth.
Zhao Jiayu saw the apologetic smile on Zhu Ming’an’s face and realized just how absurd her question had been.
Qu Sheng lowered her eyes in resignation, then looked back at the man. “Do you know if these people have any other operations besides this money-making scheme?”
“That, I wouldn’t know. I only did this one job with them. After this I was supposed to go back to the Jin Dynasty—I won’t be able to come over again.”
Lin Xizhao noticed the man’s eyes darting evasively before he spoke and knew he was lying. She asked, “Are you from the Jin Dynasty?”
“Yes.” The man turned toward the source of the gentle voice, looking at Lin Xizhao.
“Do you know the laws of the Jin Dynasty?” Lin Xizhao pressed.
The man didn’t know what she was getting at. “I don’t.”
Lin Xizhao’s lips curved slightly. “It’s fine if you don’t. I’ll tell you today. The Jin Dynasty issued an order years ago to stop the flight of its people: any Jin Dynasty citizen who crosses the border into Quzhao without a travel pass is subject to one hundred lashes.”
Qu Sheng caught Lin Xizhao’s cue and curved her own lips. “That whip is soaked in slop water. They say those who endure the punishment rarely survive a month. If we send you back, how many months do you think you’d last?”
The man’s mouth twitched, his smile frozen. After that, he told them everything he knew, down to the last detail.
The man’s name was Du Lian. The Jin Dynasty had been wracked by constant warfare in recent years—conscription, grain levies, and untold suffering among the common people. It was only thanks to Quzhao sending a great general to drive the Bei’an Army out of Jin Dynasty territory that peace had returned.
But deep problems still plagued the Jin Dynasty internally. Powerful families seized land recklessly, leaving many commoners with nothing to grow. Idle men like him were everywhere.
He had sneaked into Quzhao territory to survive, spending everything he owned to do so.
He figured that begging in Quzhao was a hundred times better than going back to the Jin Dynasty, so returning was out of the question. When these people found him, he was still kneeling on a street in another county town, begging for food.
No one knew him anyway. He shaved his head, followed them here, played the part of an immortal, and was supposed to leave with the money once it was done.
Lin Xizhao heard him out, a suspicion forming in her mind. “Are you saying those people gave you silver and just let you go?”
Du Lian nodded. “Right. They gave me the silver and told me to go somewhere remote—no entering the city, and no coming back to find them.”
“What is it?” Qu Sheng asked, looking at Lin Xizhao.
Lin Xizhao wouldn’t ask irrelevant questions. If she’d asked, there had to be a reason.
“That day, merely because Jiayu didn’t buy the robe, the abbot wanted to kill us. This man participated in the ascension—he’s a key witness. If word got out that he was still alive, wouldn’t their entire scheme be exposed on the spot?”
Qu Sheng’s eyes shifted. She turned to look at the man, then asked Xiao Bingying, “When you caught him, did you see anyone suspicious?” Qu Sheng suspected they’d planted assassins to watch him.
Xiao Bingying shook her head. “No. I watched him for a long time—no one was following him.”
Lin Xizhao lowered her eyes for a moment, then asked, “Have you eaten anything or used anything from the temple?”
“Miss, why do you ask?” Du Lian grew confused at the question about food.
Lin Xizhao stared at him in silence. After a moment, Xiao Bingying reached for the man’s pulse. Her fingers pressed against Du Lian’s wrist, her brow furrowing. She looked up at Lin Xizhao. “He’s been poisoned.”
Du Lian’s face went pale with fright. He forced a stiff smile. “Don’t joke about something like that, miss. I told you everything you asked—nothing held back.”
“Then what did you eat before you left?” Cheng Xi asked. “If you don’t tell us, we can’t save you.”
Du Lian saw that Xiao Bingying and the others weren’t joking. He quickly recalled what he’d eaten. “They prepared dog meat for me… and turtle soup.”
“What else?” Cheng Xi frowned.
“That… that was all.” Du Lian said nervously.
Cheng Xi glanced to the side, then back at Du Lian. “Did you have mung bean soup and eat amaranth?”
Du Lian blinked, his eyes widening in alarm. “Yes!”
Cheng Xi and Xiao Bingying exchanged a glance, confirming Lin Xizhao’s suspicion. These people never intended for him to live.
These foods were mutually incompatible—eating them together would cause poisoning. By forbidding him from entering the city, how could he possibly find a doctor? They meant for him to die on the road, without anyone ever knowing.
Back in their room, Qu Ning had already slept through one nap, yet Qu Sheng still couldn’t sleep.
Lin Xizhao listened to Qu Sheng’s uneven breathing against her neck. She released her embrace around their daughter and drew Qu Sheng into her arms instead.
“Rest well tonight. Don’t think too much.” Lin Xizhao kissed Qu Sheng’s forehead.
Qu Sheng looked up with a soft “Mm” and nodded. But despite her promise, Lin Xizhao could sense that something still weighed on her mind.
These people were nothing to fear. What was frightening was the hearts of the people.
Moonlight poured through the room, bathing everything in silver. Lin Xizhao watched Qu Sheng’s eyes stay open and, after a moment’s thought, said softly, “Why don’t we hold our own ascension assembly?”
Qu Sheng’s unfocused gaze turned to Lin Xizhao at the sound. Her mind worked through the meaning behind the words—Lin Xizhao’s lips parted to explain, but before she could, Qu Sheng already understood.
The next day, Qu Sheng and the others relocated. She had announcements posted across every major county town in the area, and held a “Lu-Exposing” ascension assembly.
Five days after the news spread, the people flooded into the city. Qu Sheng did the same as before—she called in the garrison troops from outside the city to maintain order.
Qu Sheng stood on the watchtower in the city, watching the people who had come at the news, her heart growing heavier by the moment.
Her own subjects believed such things—but at the root of it all, it was because they had nowhere to turn for medicine, and so they pinned their hopes on gods and buddhas.
Qu Sheng came down from the watchtower. Beside her, the garrison commander Zuo Gaomin clasped his hands in salute. Qu Sheng raised her hand. “General Zuo, no need for ceremony, and no need to follow us1. Just protect the people in the city—see that no harm comes to them.”
Zuo Gaomin bowed his head. “This humble subject obeys.”
There was no temple in this city, but Qu Sheng had an old mansion cleared out and brought in genuine monks. Now incense burned abundantly within it, yet there were no deceitful monks.
Qu Sheng returned to the Zhu family’s small courtyard in Cangcheng. The children were playing on swings in the yard while Lin Xizhao, Zhao Jiayu, and the others laughed and played alongside them.
Qu Sheng hadn’t smiled much these past few days. Seeing her return, Qu Ning jumped off the swing and ran to her side.
“Mother.”
Qu Sheng crouched down and scooped her daughter up, a strained smile on her lips. “Have you finished today’s lessons?”
Since leaving the palace, Qu Ning hadn’t let her studies lapse. Though reduced from before, she still completed more than required.
Qu Ning nodded her little head. “Mm. Mother taught this child quite a lot today.”
Qu Sheng smiled and looked toward Lin Xizhao, who was walking over. She asked Qu Ning, “What did Mother teach you?”
“A thousand-li dyke can collapse from an ant hole2.” Qu Ning replied.
Qu Sheng looked down at her daughter. A thousand-li dyke can collapse from an ant hole. These words actually reminded Qu Sheng.
Temples dotted the Quzhao Dynasty, each inventing new excuses to swindle people out of their money. What Qu Sheng had witnessed on this trip was only what she’d happened to see—how much more remained unseen?
By the time symptoms showed on the surface, the rot had already spread within.
Lin Xizhao walked over and asked softly, “Have you eaten lunch?”
Qu Sheng shook her head with a smile. “Not yet.”
Lin Xizhao’s brows curved, her voice gentle. “I had the kitchen save some for you. I’ll have it heated and brought over right away.”
Qu Sheng nodded. She’d been away these past few days, paying less attention to her wife and daughter. But Lin Xizhao’s care for her had never faltered—she could always breathe fresh spirit into her when she was weary.
“Go on inside and wait.” Lin Xizhao smiled.
Qu Sheng nodded and was about to carry her daughter inside when a servant from the Zhu household came rushing to report that someone had come seeking a business partnership and was already waiting outside the gate.
Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao guessed it was probably the monks from the temple coming to seek them out. They discussed it briefly and decided to let them in.
The two returned to the room to wait. Presently, the visitor was shown in.
But the moment the person stepped inside, both Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao froze.
It was none other than Lin Xikuan—the official assigned to investigate the case.
Lin Xikuan was equally stunned to see Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao. When he recovered, he hastened to bow. “This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty, and to Her Majesty the Empress.”
Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao exchanged a look. Lin Xizhao spoke first. “Xikuan, what are you doing here?”
Lin Xikuan’s face was full of bewilderment. “This humble subject was sent by imperial decree to investigate the case, but…”
Lin Xikuan glanced toward the door, then asked in confusion, “The ascension assembly being held outside—was that arranged by Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress?”
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “My wife is my walking brain trust and portable battery charger. When I go out, I don’t even need to bring my brain.”
Lin Xizhao: “And?”
Qu Sheng whispered mysteriously: “And when it gets cold, she can warm the bed.”
Lin Xizhao: “…”
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