The Prime Minister’s Daughter and the Marquis’s Fool – Chapter 35

Qu Jinian is Mad, Please Be the Master for This Humble Subject

Lin Xizhao listened to Liang Lianhui’s words. She wasn’t unaware of the meaning he was trying to express, but even if they had met before her mother knew her father, so what?

While Lin Xizhao was speaking with Liang Lianhui, Lin Jianhai came in from outside. Lin Jianhai’s expression was extremely displeased, but it softened slightly when he saw Liang Lianhui.

“Father.” Lin Xizhao looked at Lin Jianhai, knowing that Yu-shi had already finished lodging her complaint.

“Brother-in-law.” Although Liang Lianhui disliked Yu-shi, under his older sister’s guidance, he had always respected this brother-in-law of his.

Liang Lianhui bowed, and Lin Jianhai suppressed his anger, saying, “Lianhui, you’re here. Why didn’t you send someone to inform me beforehand? I would have sent people to receive you.”

Hearing this, Liang Lianhui smiled politely. “Brother-in-law is managing ten thousand affairs a day¹, deeply valued by His Majesty. I was merely missing Xizhao and came to visit her. Why trouble brother-in-law to worry over it.”

Lin Jianhai nodded and said, “Since you’ve come this time, stay here for a few days. Zhao’er has been talking about you ever since she returned last time.” Lin Jianhai was also speaking politely.

“Alright, it just so happens I was also planning to stay here for a few days, to wait for Marquis Zhengyi’s side to finish investigating my sister’s case,” Liang Lianhui said, going along with Lin Jianhai’s polite words.

Staying here was naturally nothing unusual; Liang Lianhui had often stayed here in the past.

Hearing this, Lin Jianhai showed no surprise or reluctance on his face, only saying, “Then stay in your old courtyard. I’ve just instructed people to go and tidy it up. Do you want to go rest now?”

Lin Jianhai was trying to send Liang Lianhui away.

Hearing this, Liang Lianhui said, “That’s fine. Just have Xizhao accompany me over to take a look.” After speaking, Liang Lianhui glanced at Lin Xizhao.

Lin Xizhao dipped into a curtsy and was about to go with him. Qu Sheng also got down from her chair, walked to Lin Xizhao’s side, and raised her hand. Lin Xizhao took it.

The three of them walked to the doorway, where Liang Lianhui stopped. He turned his head back as if he had just remembered something and said to Lin Jianhai, “Oh, right. When I was entering the garden just now, I saw that… that Yu-shi jump into the lotus pond herself. Luckily, I was passing by and saved her. What’s wrong with her? Is there something she can’t get over?” Although Yu-shi had already been promoted to official wife², the Liang family had no intention of recognizing her. It hadn’t even been three years since his sister’s passing, and they had slight words³ for his brother-in-law’s actions, so he deliberately referred to her only as Yu-shi.

Liang Lianhui’s words were clearly meant to exonerate Qu Sheng, but they left Lin Jianhai stunned for a moment.

Just now when he returned to the residence, Yu-shi had told him that Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao had pushed her into the lotus pond, but now Liang Lianhui was saying she jumped in herself.

“What’s wrong? Was I incorrect?” Liang Lianhui looked at his Prime Minister brother-in-law’s puzzled and thoughtful expression and also feigned confusion.

“It’s nothing. She was careless herself. The doctor has already seen her, and she’s fine now.” Lin Jianhai had asked the servants, and they all said they hadn’t seen anything, only that the young master from the Liang family had rescued Yu-shi.

Although the steward was walking ahead, he hadn’t seen how Yu-shi ended up in the water. He only knew that when he heard the cry for help, the young master from the Liang family had already flown out.

As Lin Jianhai hesitated, Lin Xizhao looked up at him. After the father and daughter’s eyes met, Lin Jianhai suddenly felt that his daughter had become a bit of a stranger.

Lin Xizhao said nothing, simply leading Qu Sheng, who was still holding a snack, and followed Liang Lianhui out.

When they arrived at the courtyard where Liang Lianhui often stayed, Qu Sheng could feel the taut nerves in Lin Xizhao relax.

Just now, Lin Xizhao had also been forcing a calm demeanor. If not for the lie her fifth uncle had spun, her father would have found out about what Qu Sheng had done.

Today, Yu-shi had only the blame to take for herself. Although she hadn’t intended to push her into the pond, and Qu Sheng’s actions were a bit extreme, letting her suffer a little to suppress her arrogance was acceptable.

As for who her father believed, judging from his words just now, even if he knew Yu-shi insisted Qu Sheng had pushed her, Lin Jianhai would probably ponder it over, or perhaps drop the inquiry to quell the matter and pacify the people.⁴

Lin Xizhao was not as fragile as one might imagine. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the courage to want to reinvestigate the cause of her mother’s death. This was the first time she had ever deceived her father like this. Though she remained silent, inaction was also a form of action. She felt guilty, and Qu Sheng could sense it.

“Alright, seeing the way your father came in just now, that Yu-shi must have added plenty of oil and vinegar⁵. I’m staying here today, let’s see if she dares to bully you again.” Although what Liang Lianhui said today was to strike back with a rake⁶, when dealing with a villain, one had to be even more vicious than them. Only then could she be controlled.

Hearing this, Lin Xizhao gave a soft “en” of agreement. When she turned to look at Qu Sheng, Qu Sheng was staring at her. Liang Lianhui followed Lin Xizhao’s gaze. Seeing Qu Sheng’s obedient appearance, he thought of that kick she had delivered earlier and wondered how many people’s strength she had used.

“Little Sheng’er, how about we go to the courtyard for a little spar?”

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Early the next morning, Lin Xizhao took Qu Sheng to the schoolroom in the rear courtyard. Recently, they had been absent for nearly half of their study time. The teacher had grown accustomed to their absence and was actually a little surprised to see them.

However, the two had only been there for a short while when the steward came to report that all the uncles from the Liang family had arrived. They were currently waiting at an inn in the capital.

All four uncles had come. It wouldn’t be proper for all of them to stay at the Prime Minister Lin Residence, after all, his Liang-shi had already passed away, and the Lin family still had other female family members. They could only lodge outside. Prime Minister Lin was currently in the inner palace⁷ and had not yet left.

When Lin Xizhao heard that all her uncles had arrived in the capital, she bowed to her teacher and left with Qu Sheng.

Lin Xizhao met her uncles at the inn. Her fifth uncle had also been called away early in the morning by the Qu family. After Lin Xizhao had been there for a while, someone from the Qu family came again and invited them all to the residence where the man they had brought back to the capital was being kept.

Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng sat waiting in a side courtyard while her godfather and her uncles discussed how to find the murderer. They had already identified a suspect but currently had no evidence.

The five uncles of the Liang family came out of the house, their faces grim when they went to see Lin Xizhao. After the uncles left, Qu Ting and Qu Yu arranged for people to send them to the Marquis Qu Residence.

They could not stay at the Prime Minister Lin Residence today.

Around noon, Qu Jinian announced publicly that the painter the Liang family had found had already drawn a portrait based on the murderer’s appearance as seen by the person in the suburbs.

And the murderer was none other than a man sent by Marquis Yongshen.

Marquis Yongshen was summoned by the Jingzhao Yamen, but he refused to go. He also proclaimed that Qu Jinian was abusing his authority and trying to put a hat on him⁸ without any evidence. He was currently preparing to enter the palace to accuse Qu Jinian before His Majesty.

After Qu Ting and Qu Yu received the news, at Qu Jinian’s signal, they went directly to the small residence and arrested a maidservant who served tea in the courtyard.

The Tiansheng Emperor was having lunch with the Noble Consort⁹ in the palace. When he heard that Marquis Yongshen wished to see him, he frowned and asked the reporting supervising eunuch, “You said Marquis Zhengyi found the murderer, and it’s Marquis Yongshen?”

The supervising eunuch lowered his head and replied, “Yes. Marquis Yongshen told Marquis Zhengyi to produce evidence, but Marquis Zhengyi only produced a portrait of someone he didn’t recognize, saying it was a man he sent out.”

“This Qu Jinian, trying to arrest someone without any evidence. Go summon Marquis Zhengyi for questioning.” The Tiansheng Emperor had a bit of a headache. Qu Jinian’s marquisate held absolute real power compared to Marquis Yongshen’s. For Marquis Yongshen to dare come to the palace to accuse Qu Jinian like this, he must have been genuinely wronged.

After watching the supervising eunuch leave, the Tiansheng Emperor glanced at his Noble Consort and said, “Beloved Consort, do not be angry. If Marquis Yongshen was truly wronged, Zhen¹⁰ will certainly give him justice.”

Hearing this, the Noble Consort smiled charmingly and said, “If this consort-subject’s¹¹ younger brother has truly committed a crime, Your Majesty need not indulge him.”

The emperor smiled at her words, raised his hand to pat the back of hers, and said with a smile, “Beloved Consort is still the most righteous.”

Not long after Marquis Yongshen entered the palace, the Tiansheng Emperor issued a decree for Qu Jinian to enter the palace and confront Marquis Yongshen. After tidying his robes, Qu Jinian also entered the palace with his men.

“This humble subject¹², Qu Jinian, pays respects to Your Majesty, and to Your Ladyship, the Noble Consort.” Qu Jinian kowtowed. At this moment, Marquis Yongshen was standing to the side.

The Tiansheng Emperor sat on the Dragon Throne, looked down at him, and said, “Beloved Minister Qu, you may rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Qu Jinian rose and glanced at Marquis Yongshen. When Marquis Yongshen looked back at him, he even returned a polite smile.

Marquis Yongshen snorted lightly, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in a salute. “Your Majesty, Marquis Zhengyi is holding a portrait of someone this humble subject does not recognize and claims this humble subject is the mastermind who ordered the murder of Prime Minister Lin’s deceased wife. This humble subject has been wronged. I implore Your Majesty to restore this humble subject’s innocence.”

Hearing this, the Tiansheng Emperor glanced at Qu Jinian. He already knew the general situation, so there was no need for Qu Jinian to state it again.

Qu Jinian looked up, the corner of his lip curling slightly. “Your Majesty, there may be some discrepancies in this humble subject’s portrait, but this person does bear some resemblance to someone from Marquis Yongshen’s residence. This humble subject merely had the Jingzhao Yamen summon him for questioning, and Marquis Yongshen came straight to the palace, claiming this humble subject was slandering him. I imagine it is because his esteemed son was beaten by my humble daughter’s guard to the point of being bedridden, and he harbors resentment. I implore Your Majesty to investigate clearly.”

Hearing this, the Tiansheng Emperor blinked, looked at Qu Jinian, then at Marquis Yongshen, and asked, “Is this true?”

Marquis Yongshen quickly lowered his head. “Replying to Your Majesty, it is true. It was merely that my worthless son was a guest at Vice Minister Zheng’s home and had a small misunderstanding with the thousand gold¹³ of Prime Minister Lin’s household, which is why he was given a beating that didn’t distinguish right from wrong¹⁴ by a guard from Marquis Zhengyi’s household.”

“Why haven’t I heard Beloved Consort mention this?” the Tiansheng Emperor asked his Noble Consort in a low voice.

The Noble Consort glanced at the people below and said, “Replying to Your Majesty, this consort-subject’s younger brother is simple and honest and didn’t want to cause trouble, so he suffered this loss. Fortunately, Zixiang’s life was not in danger, so we did not alarm Your Majesty.”

The Tiansheng Emperor nodded. The scales in his heart tipped toward Marquis Yongshen. He asked Qu Jinian, “Minister Qu, a guard from your residence beat Marquis Yongshen’s son, and now you produce a dissimilar portrait and claim Marquis Yongshen is the mastermind. What explanation do you have?”

Qu Jinian replied, “Your Majesty, why don’t you ask why Marquis Yongshen’s son was beaten, and how this ‘misunderstanding’ came about?”

Being questioned, the Tiansheng Emperor turned to look at Marquis Yongshen again. Marquis Yongshen, who had been looking at Qu Jinian, glanced up for a moment when the emperor spoke, then lowered his head again. “Replying to Your Majesty, as this humble subject has already said, it was just a small misunderstanding.”

Qu Jinian laughed. “Since Marquis Yongshen is unwilling to speak, then allow this humble subject to do so.”

Hearing Qu Jinian’s words, Marquis Yongshen shot him a sideways glance, his eyes filled with resentment. His son, Song Zixiang, was still unable to get out of bed, and it was all the Qu family’s fault. Their target wasn’t even that fool from the Qu family; this Qu Jinian was being far too meddlesome.

The Tiansheng Emperor lifted his chin slightly, signaling for Qu Jinian to continue.

“Your Majesty, long ago, when Prime Minister Lin’s deceased wife, this humble subject’s goddaughter’s birth mother, was still alive, the wife of Marquis Yongshen tried several times to arrange a marriage alliance, but she was refused every time by my goddaughter’s birth mother. Later, after my goddaughter’s hairpin ceremony, Marquis Yongshen’s wife again sent someone to propose a match. Although Prime Minister Lin’s successor wife did not agree, she did try to set them up twice. The first time, at Prince Fucheng’s residence, Marquis Yongshen’s son had someone lure away the people around my goddaughter, blocked her path, and intended to do something improper that would damage a young lady’s reputation. Fortunately, this humble subject’s nephew arrived in time and stopped his untoward behavior.”

“Nonsense! Qu Jinian, don’t you spray people from a bloody mouth!¹⁵” Marquis Yongshen naturally denied it.

Hearing Marquis Yongshen’s anxious outburst, Qu Jinian put on a solemn expression and said, “Ah, Marquis Song, please let me finish. If I say anything incorrect, it won’t be too late for you to correct me then.”

“Your Majesty, for Qu Jinian to slander me like this, he must hold a grudge, a grudge…”

“Marquis Song, what does my Qu family hold a grudge against you for?” Qu Jinian asked, looking sideways.

“You hold a grudge that this humble subject came to the palace before His Majesty to accuse you.”

Qu Jinian laughed. “Marquis Song, whether I have slandered your Marquis Yongshen Residence or not, His Majesty will have his own sagely judgment.”

The Tiansheng Emperor had also picked up on a few clues by now. “Minister Song, let Minister Qu continue.”

Marquis Yongshen could only swallow the words he was about to use to rebut Qu Jinian, bow, and lower his head.

Seeing Marquis Yongshen had shut his mouth, Qu Jinian looked up at the emperor and continued, “A few days ago, Prime Minister Lin’s successor wife said that Vice Minister Zheng’s daughter wanted to invite this humble subject’s goddaughter to her residence for a visit. Coincidentally, my humble daughter was also there, so they went together. As Your Majesty knows, my humble daughter is somewhat simple-minded, so she has a guard by her side to protect her from scoundrels.”

The emperor raised a hand. “Get to the point.” He was of course aware that Qu Sheng was simple-minded, and that she had a guard. The Cheng family had investigated it all very clearly back then.

Qu Jinian raised his hands, bowed his head, and continued, “That day, my two daughters ate breakfast at the Prime Minister Lin Residence and fell into a deep sleep in the carriage, unable to be woken. After they were roused, the guard sensed something was wrong and became cautious. My humble daughter has a rather large appetite and is still young, so after entering the Zheng residence, she fell asleep and couldn’t be woken up. Although she woke up in the middle, she was too drowsy to open her eyes. My goddaughter was also drowsy, but because she was a guest at the Vice Minister Zheng Residence, she forced herself to stay alert. But who would have known that after lunch, the Zheng family would use their book collection as a lure to delay them until my goddaughter also fell asleep. Then, the son of the Marquis Yongshen Residence entered the boudoir of Vice Minister Zheng’s daughter. Your Majesty, for a man to enter the boudoir of an unmarried woman, what do you think he intended to do? There is no need for this humble subject to continue, is there?”

Listening to Qu Jinian’s account, the Tiansheng Emperor’s eyelids twitched as he looked at Marquis Yongshen.

Seeing the emperor’s gaze turn to him, Marquis Yongshen hurriedly knelt. “Your Majesty, my puppy son¹⁶ only went inside, he did nothing at all! I implore Your Majesty to investigate clearly.”

Qu Jinian snorted. “Your esteemed son did nothing, but Vice Minister Zheng invited many young ladies from official families under the pretense of it being his own daughter’s gathering. I heard that when inviting the daughter of Imperial Uncle-in-law Cheng, many lavish gifts were sent. Marquis Song, am I right, or am I wrong?”

Marquis Yongshen lowered his head, his eyes wide, but he didn’t dare to look up and speak.

“Your Majesty, if those young ladies had entered Vice Minister Zheng’s daughter’s boudoir that day and seen Marquis Song’s son inside, what would they have thought? And after leaving the Vice Minister Zheng’s residence, what kind of rumors would have spread? My daughter is simple-minded, but my goddaughter is not. If not for the timely arrival of her guard, who knows what might have happened.”

“Your Majesty, this humble subject can guarantee with my life that my son did nothing!” Marquis Yongshen made a final struggle. Song Zixiang had indeed done nothing while in the room—not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t have the chance.

Qu Jinian sneered. “Marquis Song is truly skilled at clearing his own name. If you had no filthy intentions, then why, after your esteemed son was beaten bedridden by my residence’s guard, did you still go to the Lin Residence to apologize? Was it not because of a guilty conscience?” Qu Jinian was not a gentle person. As he spoke the final words, his voice echoed throughout the great hall.

“You!” Only then did Marquis Yongshen understand. So this was why the Qu family had wanted them to come and apologize. He had thought the matter would be over once they apologized, but he never expected the Qu family would be one to say what comes from you is returned to you¹⁷, and had actually set a trap for him here.

Qu Jinian ignored Marquis Yongshen’s fury, cupped his hands in a salute, and circled back. “Your Majesty, regarding the matter of Marquis Yongshen drugging my humble daughter and my goddaughter in the Prime Minister Lin Residence and the Vice Minister Zheng Residence, I implore Your Majesty to be the master for this humble subject.”

A misunderstanding could be resolved, but the matter of drugging? How could that be resolved? Drugging a young lady in her chambers was not something that could be settled with a mere apology.

“Your Majesty, weren’t we supposed to be handling the case of Prime Minister Lin’s deceased wife?” the Noble Consort interjected softly.

Only then did the Tiansheng Emperor remember that Marquis Yongshen had come to accuse Qu Jinian of abusing his authority. He cleared his throat lightly. “Minister Qu, we will discuss this matter later. First, tell us how you came to suspect that Minister Song was the one who murdered Minister Lin’s deceased wife.”

“Your Majesty, this matter is already clear. My goddaughter’s deceased mother was killed by men sent by Marquis Yongshen.” Qu Jinian’s words were forceful, each one spoken as if he was already certain that the mastermind was Marquis Yongshen.

“Qu Jinian, it’s one thing to slander my son, but now you dare to slander me in front of His Majesty! Your Majesty, Qu Jinian is mad! I implore you to be the master for this humble subject,” Marquis Yongshen said, kowtowing again.

Qu Jinian had been on the battlefield countless times and was completely unfazed by Marquis Yongshen’s furious demeanor. He looked down at Marquis Yongshen, pulled a portrait from his sleeve, and said, “Marquis Song, take a look at this portrait. Do you recognize this person?”

Marquis Yongshen raised his head. As he looked at Qu Jinian, Qu Jinian bowed again to the Tiansheng Emperor. “Your Majesty, this person is one of the murderers.”

The Tiansheng Emperor looked at the portrait in Qu Jinian’s hand, then glanced at the supervising eunuch, signaling him to take it.

The supervising eunuch received the order, walked over, took the portrait from Qu Jinian’s hand, and seemed somewhat shocked after a quick glance.

The emperor took the portrait and examined it for a few moments but didn’t recognize anything. “Who is this person?”

“Your Majesty, you could let Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort, also take a look,” Qu Jinian replied with his head lowered.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, then passed it to the Noble Consort. When the Noble Consort looked at the portrait, she was slightly startled at first, but then became calm and nonchalant. “Your Majesty, this person is a guard from the outer perimeter of this consort-subject’s palace. He was assigned to this consort-subject by you back then.”

The emperor seemed to recall. This man was highly skilled. Back then, an unknown person had entered the Noble Consort’s bedchambers, frightening her so much that she was paranoid all day. He had no choice but to appoint a skilled guard to lead a team to stand watch on the outer perimeter of her palace.

“Zhen remembers now.” The emperor nodded, then looked at Qu Jinian. “Minister Qu, are you implying that the mastermind is the Noble Consort?” As the emperor realized Qu Jinian was pointing the finger at the Noble Consort, he was already showing a hint of displeasure.

“This humble subject would not dare. However, this person often leaves the palace on behalf of Her Ladyship, the Noble Consort, to deliver things to the Marquis Yongshen Residence. A few days ago, when this humble subject was returning to the capital with the witness, this person also left the palace and dropped something, which was picked up by someone from this humble subject’s residence.” A guard’s departures from the palace were all recorded in a register.

The emperor was a bit baffled by Qu Jinian’s words. “What does this have to do with the case? And where did you get this portrait?”

Qu Jinian replied again, “Replying to Your Majesty, the portrait was drawn based on the descriptions from the witness and the guard who was ambushed in the capital that day.” With one sentence, Qu Jinian had already designated this man as the murderer. “If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can summon him for confrontation. This item is what the masked man dropped during the ambush outside the capital that day.” As he spoke, Qu Jinian took a small, exquisite gold lock from his robes and held it in his palm.

Seeing Qu Jinian’s sincere demeanor, the emperor lifted his chin slightly, and the supervising eunuch walked over to present the small gold lock from Qu Jinian’s hand.

“Summon Imperial Guard Long Lang¹⁸ to the hall.”

As the supervising eunuch’s call rang out, the Imperial Guard brought in the guard from the portrait.

“This humble subject, Long Lang, pays respects to Your Majesty, and to Your Ladyship, the Noble Consort.” Long Lang knelt on the ground, already aware of what had happened.

Just now, the Noble Consort’s side had sent someone with a message, telling him to pack his bags and leave the capital immediately. But when he reached the palace gates, he was stopped.

“Rise and answer. Long Lang, is this item yours?” the emperor asked, pinching the small gold lock in his hand.

Long Lang stood up. The moment he looked up and saw the gold lock, his eyes showed a flicker of shock, but he didn’t know how to answer.

“His Majesty is asking you a question,” the supervising eunuch urged when he remained silent.

Long Lang asked, “May I ask Your Majesty, where did this item come from?”

“Hm?” The emperor frowned slightly at Long Lang’s counter-question.

Just as the supervising eunuch was about to speak, Qu Jinian said, “Guard Long, have you forgotten where you lost this?”

After Qu Jinian’s interjection, Long Lang understood. “This item is indeed mine, but I only lost it the day before yesterday. I don’t know where Your Majesty obtained it from.”

The item was indeed Long Lang’s, but it was not true that he had lost it outside the city. Rather, Qu Jinian had sent someone to steal it from his residence.

However, when Qu Jinian heard Long Lang acknowledge the item, he knew it was very important to him. He moved closer and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Disaster does not extend to wife and children.”¹⁹

“Is Marquis Qu threatening Guard Long?” Marquis Yongshen was close by and had surprisingly sharp ears, having heard the exchange between Qu Jinian and Long Lang.

Qu Jinian glanced sideways at Marquis Yongshen and smiled. “What is Marquis Song talking about? I merely helped rescue Guard Long’s wife and children from bandits outside the capital. How can that be called a threat?”

“However…” Qu Jinian deliberately paused, his voice deepening.

The emperor watched Qu Jinian selling a pass²⁰, took a breath, placed the small gold lock on the Dragon Desk, and asked, “However what?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, when my men were rescuing them, Guard Long’s son and daughter were already unconscious. It seemed that group of kidnappers wanted to kill them.”

“Didn’t you say you would treat them well?”

Long Lang’s anxious voice echoed through the vast, empty hall.

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The author has something to say:

Qu Sheng: “My father is as treacherous as me. Wifey will have to learn from him in the future, too.”

Lin Xizhao: “…”

They’ll be mostly grown up in the next chapter.

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