The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 258

Extra 33

As Long as This King Wants Your Life, You Will Not Live to See Tomorrow

After Qu Yu finished speaking, not only were the Qiao family stunned, but even Qu Zhimu standing to the side couldn’t understand what her father intended to do.

            

Qiao Jin was her wife-to-be. If Qu Yu exposed this matter and Qu Sheng then ordered their entire family imprisoned or even executed, there would be no possibility between her and Qiao Jin.

Qu Zhimu stepped forward and hurriedly said, “Father, please let them go. Qiao Jin is already family now. Your daughter begs you to show mercy.”

“No.” Qu Yu refused again—not even his daughter’s pleas could move him.

            

Seeing that Qu Yu was determined to condemn them, Qu Zhimu dropped to her knees and said, “Father, if you condemn them today, how will your daughter ever face Qiao Jin again?”

Qu Yu looked down at his daughter, his eyes cold. “If she doesn’t want to marry, then find another. There’s no shortage of talented women in the Capital City. Whichever one you like, your father will petition Her Majesty and have an imperial marriage decree issued.”

Qu Zhimu panicked. She looked up at Qiao Jin, who stood frozen in shock, then at the Qiao family kneeling nearby. “Father, are you truly this heartless?”

            

Qu Yu looked away from his daughter and turned to the guards. “Take them all to the Heavenly Prison to await sentencing!”

The guards received the order, hauled the Qiao family to their feet, and escorted them out. Qu Zhimu stood there watching the scene unfold, feeling her father grow ever more unfamiliar.

Qiao Jin watched her family being led away, her heart racing with anxiety. But Qu Zhimu had already pleaded on their behalf, and the fact remained that her family had defied the imperial decree. After a moment’s thought, she looked at Qu Zhimu and said, “I want to enter the palace to petition Her Majesty.”

            

Qu Zhimu didn’t know whether begging Qu Sheng would do any good, but how could she know without trying? Still, she felt they needed to bring someone else along.

Qu Zhimu looked at Zhao Jiayu. “Mother.”

Zhao Jiayu didn’t understand why Qu Yu had suddenly flown into such a rage either. Seeing her daughter’s pleading expression, her face stiffened, and she said, “Mother will go with you to the palace.”

            

Outside the Qiao Residence, a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. What should have been a joyous day had turned into catastrophe for the Qiao family. The charge of defying an imperial decree was now confirmed.

Qu Zhimu and the others entered the palace, but Qu Sheng had not yet awakened. She had drunk too much the night before, and with no morning court session today, she had slept straight through.

Zhao Jiayu had no choice but to send word and go see Lin Xizhao instead.

            

Lin Xizhao received them. The moment Qu Zhimu arrived, she fell to her knees and begged Lin Xizhao, “Paternal Aunt, please go persuade my father. If the Qiao family is truly punished, then Qiao Jin and I…” Qu Zhimu’s voice broke into tears.

Qiao Jin, standing to the side, also dropped to her knees. “This matter all began because of this guilty subject. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and spare this guilty subject’s family. This guilty subject is willing to take their punishment in their stead, without regret in life or in death.”

Lin Xizhao looked at the two young women kneeling before her and sighed. “Get up first. Your father knows what he’s doing. Wait a little. If King Long handles this improperly, it won’t be too late for this palace to intervene.”

            

Lin Xizhao seemed reluctant to involve herself. Although Qu Yu held no official court position, he had served as Prince Regent on several occasions, and the Ministry of Justice would not dare disregard him.

Moreover, the Qiao family had indeed committed the grave crime of defying an imperial decree.

“Can they truly not be saved?” Zhao Jiayu didn’t understand the law well, but seeing that even Lin Xizhao had no solution, she began to grasp the gravity of the situation.

            

Lin Xizhao looked up at Zhao Jiayu, lowering her gaze for a moment, and said, “Bingying and Cheng Xi are still in the palace. Why don’t you go find them and have them persuade King Long first?”

“Oh, right, right, right.” Zhao Jiayu hurried out of the Empress’s bedchamber and headed for the side hall.

Xiao Bingying and Cheng Xi had not slept at all the previous night and had only drifted off hazily that morning. The wine still coursing through Xiao Bingying, combined with the exhaustion from Cheng Xi’s attentions, had put her into a deep sleep.

            

Cheng Xi lay beside Xiao Bingying, her flawless, pale arm bare in the air, draped around Xiao Bingying’s neck, her breathing light and even.

Zhao Jiayu sent someone to announce them, but when the palace attendant knocked, no one inside opened the door.

Seeing the two young women’s anxious faces, Zhao Jiayu went up to knock herself, but Cheng Xi emerged, having already thrown on an outer robe.

            

Cheng Xi looked at the people outside, glancing past Zhao Jiayu to the two young women standing behind her with reddened eyes. She asked, “Jiayu, what’s happened?”

“We went to the Qiao Residence this morning to present betrothal gifts, but the Qiao family didn’t seem very willing to marry off their daughter. They defied the decree and even hid Qiao Jin away. Ah Yu, in a fit of rage, sent them all to the Heavenly Prison. I came to ask ajie¹ to talk to Ah Yu and see if she can get them released.”

Zhao Jiayu finished in one breath. Cheng Xi understood the gist, but she couldn’t quite fathom why Qu Yu would do such a thing.

            

“Where’s my ajie?” Zhao Jiayu craned her neck to look inside.

Cheng Xi glanced back and said, “Bingying is still sleeping. I gave her a calming draught last night—she won’t be waking for a while. I’ll go with you.”

Zhao Jiayu looked puzzled for a moment, let out a slow “oh,” and had no choice but to follow Cheng Xi to the Heavenly Prison.

            

Qu Yu had the Qiao family locked in cells and ordered that no food or water be brought to them. He would interrogate them personally and make them sign confessions and affix their marks.

The confessions were all prepared, one for each person, and Qu Yu entered the prison. The head gaoler wiped the interrogation chair clean with his sleeve, head bowed, and said, “Please, Your Highness.”

Qu Yu grunted in acknowledgment and sat down. “Bring up all those from the Qiao family who defied the imperial decree.”

            

The head gaoler turned to his subordinates. “Bring them up!”

The Qiao family members were brought up—only the masters of the house; the servants had already been sent to the prefectural prison.

Qu Yu surveyed the Qiao family kneeling before him, his gaze settling on Qiao Ze. “Lord Qiao Ze, you who know the law yet break it—your crime is compounded. Not only will you be stripped of your official post, but you’ll take a beating as well. I must say, your Qiao family has quite a backbone. Tell me—should I give you a quick end, or sentence you to exile and frontier garrison duty at the Northern Frontier?”

            

Qiao Ze had been frightened at first, but now, seeing only Qu Yu and not Qu Sheng, he raised his head and said, “Her Majesty is a wise and enlightened sovereign who would never force good people into marriage. For the sake of his beloved daughter, King Long disgraces the laws of the court—does he not fear Her Majesty’s reproach?”

“Her Majesty blame this king? Hmph.” Qu Yu sneered, leaning forward in his chair, his voice cold and sinister. “As long as this king wants your life, you will not live to see tomorrow.”

“I want to see Her Majesty! I want to impeach you!” Qiao Ze tried to stand but was forced back to his knees by the gaolers.

            

Qu Yu watched Qiao Ze struggling in a half-kneeling position, then glanced at the head gaoler, who understood and had him bound.

The gaolers then took up a leather whip and, before the Qiao family’s eyes, lashed Qiao Ze again and again.

Qiao Ze cried out in agony, and they soon let him go.

            

Qiao Ze’s father rushed to embrace his son. The gaolers didn’t stop him. The old man clutched his son and wept, “It’s all your sister’s fault! I told her not to take the imperial exams, but she wouldn’t listen. Now the family faces catastrophe, and she… ah!”

Qu Yu listened to Qiao Peishan’s words and gave a cold laugh. “In truth, this king has no high opinion of your daughter either. With a family like yours, you’re not worthy of so much as a finger of this king. It’s only my daughter who insists on having her. But if you all die, this king reckons that given the Qiao family’s backbone, Qiao Jin would rather die than marry anyone else—and then my daughter couldn’t have her either.”

Qu Yu’s gaze shifted as he pondered. After a moment, he smiled. “Here’s an idea. Since you don’t want to marry, and this king doesn’t want to marry either, and you’ve already been confirmed guilty of defying the imperial decree—how about this: between Lord Qiao Ze and your father, one of you chooses to die. Sacrifice one to bear the charge of chief conspirator. Then our two families needn’t be joined in marriage. How about it?”

            

“You—you’re treating human life as grass²!” Qiao Ze’s eyes went wide, staring at Qu Yu in disbelief.

Qu Yu gave a dismissive laugh. “Lord Qiao, you’re mistaken. What ‘treating human life as grass’? It’s simply a matter of dying under interrogation, unable to withstand torture. And since you’ve already committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign, no one will say a word if you die.”

“You—!” Qiao Ze was speechless.

            

Qu Yu surveyed the father and son, seeing them both trembling like startled birds, and continued, “If you feel that Qiao Jin caused one of you to die, this king can do you a favor—find a way to send Qiao Jin to join them. Then my daughter’s heart would be completely dead. How about it? Quite a good deal, isn’t it?”

The Qiao family, hearing Qu Yu’s mad ravings, could scarcely believe the rumors they’d heard about him.

A virtuous prince? The kindest, most gentle of lords? All lies. This was clearly a madman.

            

“Choose quickly. This king’s patience has its limits.” Qu Yu’s face suddenly darkened with impatience. “If you can’t choose, then die together!”

Qu Yu shot a glance at the head gaoler, who nodded and raised his hand, signaling the guards to drag Qiao Peishan and his son away.

Both were scholars, no match for the gaolers’ strength. They were quickly hauled onto a long bench and bound securely to it.

            

The gaoler unwrapped a stack of thin paper sheets, murmuring as he did, “This is called Tie Jiaguan³. His Highness King Long wants you to meet the King of Hell sooner rather than later, so it won’t take long.”

“You’re treating human life as grass, you—” But the rest of Qiao Ze’s words were already muffled. The gaoler pressed a sheet of paper over his face and then poured water over it.

“Your Highness, please spare my son and the master! This humble woman begs you!” Qiao Ze’s mother crawled forward on her knees to plead with Qu Yu, but the gaolers pulled her back.

            

“Your Highness, we’re to be in-laws! Her Majesty has already issued a marriage decree—we won’t defy it anymore…” Qiao Ze’s mother wept and begged.

Qu Yu scoffed. He glanced at Qiao Peishan on the bench and said coldly, “But this king has no desire to be in-laws with you. And rest assured—if your daughter wishes to impeach this king, this king wouldn’t mind dealing with her too.”

As Qu Yu finished speaking, the gaoler pressed another sheet onto Qiao Peishan’s face. Father and son gasped desperately for the thin air on the bench. The gaoler whispered, “Don’t tense up. The more tense you are, the harder it is to breathe.” Then he pressed on a second sheet.

            

Qiao Ze’s mother was still on her knees, weeping and begging, but Qu Yu remained unmoved. Just as the third sheet was being pressed onto Qiao Peishan’s face, Qu Zhimu burst in.

“What are you doing!” Qu Zhimu stared at the scene before her and at her unfamiliar father, frozen for a moment.

Cheng Xi’s sharp eyes caught sight of the father and son being subjected to the suffocation torture, and she immediately rushed over to tear the paper away.

            

Seeing his daughter enter, Qu Yu’s jaw clenched, and he stood to the side, his face darkening.

Qiao Jin rushed to help her mother up, then moved to unbind Qiao Ze and Qiao Peishan.

“Stop!” Qu Yu barked at Qiao Jin.

            

Qiao Jin paused, then turned and knelt on the ground. “Your Highness, whatever the wrongs, they are all this subordinate official’s fault. I beg you to spare this subordinate official’s family. Qiao Jin will submit to whatever judgment you decree.”

“And who do you think you are!” Qu Yu looked at Qiao Jin, his gaze laced with disdain and fury.

“Then what if you add your daughter?” Qu Zhimu stepped in front of Qiao Jin, her voice trembling slightly—not from fear, but from finding the father before her too unfamiliar.

            

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The author has something to say:

Lin Xizhao: “The Qu family’s true nature.”

Qian Shuangying: “The Qu family’s true nature.”

            

Zhao Jiayu: “The Qu family’s true nature.”

Qu Sheng: “What an injustice!”

Qu Ting: “I’m unjustly accused too!”

            

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