The surrounding commoners were all startled. Before they could make a sound, they were all separated by the Imperial Guards, able only to see Her Majesty the Empress’s phoenix crown from afar.
The person in luxurious brocade holding the precious horse was frightened by this display and immediately trembled, not daring to speak. Palace attendants came forward and covered the child’s corpse with white cloth, while others immediately went to notify the government office.
“A trusted aide of the Marquis of Loyal Service, not afraid of being sued?” Shen Guiyan looked at the person before her and smiled slightly: “What great arrogance.”
With a thud, the person knelt on the ground. Trembling, he glimpsed the soaring phoenix on Shen Guiyan’s skirt. His eyes shifted slightly as he looked left and right, saying quietly: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This slave is from the Shen residence. I even served in Swallow Tower before… Does Your Majesty not remember?”
Baoshan frowned: “Audacious scoundrel! You break the law yet still dare to claim kinship!”
Shen Guiyan held Baoshan back and looked down at him: “Raise your head.”
The person quickly raised his head. His body still trembled, but his mouth continued: “Your Majesty, spare my life. This lowly one made an unintentional mistake…”
Shen Guiyan looked at his face and nodded slightly: “This palace does seem to know you. When I was young, you came to Swallow Tower to deliver meals. You were one of Father’s men.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Your Majesty has such good memory!” Hearing these words, the person smiled: “We’re all one family…”
“Since we’re one family, then this palace will handle this matter.” Shen Guiyan smiled.
“Good.” The house servant let out a long breath, bowing repeatedly: “This lowly one committed an error, but the crime isn’t worthy of death. Your Majesty can just impose some punishment and let this lowly one return to report.”
Meaning, just give a random punishment and be done with it. After all, he was an acquaintance of Her Majesty the Empress, someone who watched her grow up, right?
Before he could feel smug enough, he heard Shen Guiyan’s voice suddenly turn severe: “A life for a life. Remove the horse’s four hooves. Execute this house servant in the street for me—one life for one life!”
His eyes widened in terror, the smile still frozen on his face, when a large group of Imperial Guards came forward to restrain him. Before a plea for mercy could escape his lips, his neck felt a chill.
The Imperial Guard’s blade had dulled from the strike. Blood spurted out, splashing onto Shen Guiyan’s skirt hem. The surrounding commoners cried out in shock, then all fell silent.
The house servant’s head rolled to one side. Shen Guiyan’s body stiffened, yet she still pressed her lips together and said sternly: “A life for a life—no matter who it is, even if it were Lord Shen himself, he must still abide by the law. Moreover, this person was arrogant and tyrannical with no remorse. This palace executes him in the street today so that any house servant who dares be so arrogant in the future will meet the same end!”
Having spoken, she turned and returned to the phoenix carriage.
The commoners were speechless. Following the Empress’s command, the Imperial Guards also removed all four hooves of the precious horse and sent it back to the Shen residence.
Xu Zhuangzhou arrived belatedly. A student was missing from the school—precisely the child who died under the horse’s hooves. Before he could become angry, he saw the blood filling the street.
The phoenix carriage had already taken a detour, returning to the palace from another direction. The people around took a long while to recover, discussing amongst themselves.
“Was that just now Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Besides her, who else in this era can wear phoenix robes and phoenix crown?”
“But isn’t Her Majesty the Empress from the Shen family? Today she killed a Shen family servant and even cut off the legs of Lord Shen’s reportedly favorite horse… all for one child?”
“How could we understand Her Majesty the Empress’s thoughts? But Her Majesty truly put righteousness above family, not even giving the Shen residence any face.”
On the way to the magistrate’s office to claim the body, all Xu Zhuangzhou heard was commoners praising the Empress.
Shen Guiyan’s action was correct. This way, the Shen family would also restrain themselves somewhat, and the court officials would respect this Empress even more. But she was, after all, from the Shen family—she would likely anger Lord Shen.
Xu Zhuangzhou wasn’t wrong. Upon hearing what happened on the street, Shen Shiqing immediately smashed his favorite blue and white porcelain teacup in rage.
“Outrageous!”
Not daring to name names, Lord Shen still couldn’t help but roar in anger: “Raising her all those years for nothing—her elbow turns completely outward. Killing someone from the Shen residence in the street—what face will I have to show the people at court in the future?”
He had been wielding authority using his status as the National Uncle, with all manner of benefits flowing to the Shen residence. Now his own daughter had personally slapped his face. Killing a house servant was one thing, but she also cut off the four hooves of his precious horse!
Was she warning him? He was her biological father!
“This Marquis will enter the palace. Help me change clothes!”
“Yes.”
Shen Shiqing entered the palace and stormed straight toward Yonghe Palace. No one stopped him along the way. When he reached the front of Yonghe Palace’s main hall and was about to enter, he heard the Emperor’s roar: “I implement new policies, yet your Shen family people kill in the streets and claim they’re not afraid of officials—quite capable, aren’t they?”
Mixed in were also Shen Guiyan’s soft sobbing sounds.
Shen Shiqing was dumbfounded, his full fury turning to astonishment.
His Majesty was… scolding the Empress? How was that possible? His Majesty and the Empress had always had good feelings for each other. He doted on the Empress so much—how could he scold her? Perhaps he had misheard.
Given this situation, it wasn’t good for him to enter, so he’d wait outside.
As it turned out, the Emperor didn’t stop at one scolding. One roar after another came from inside: “I thought that since you guarded the empire for me for three years, I made you Empress. Knowing you understood how to advance and retreat, I’ve always favored you. Who knew your Shen family would become increasingly rampant, without any sense of propriety, actually thinking I won’t do anything to you? Hm?”
The last word was emphasized. From inside came the sound of Shen Guiyan falling to her knees with a thud. Hearing this, Shen Shiqing’s own knees went soft and he nearly knelt down as well.
“Your Majesty, this consort has already killed that insolent servant, and also removed the horse’s four limbs…”
“Do you think you know why you can still wear the phoenix crown?” The Emperor snorted coldly: “If not for seeing that you knew your error and corrected it, appeasing the people’s resentment, I would have deposed you long ago!”
Shen Shiqing’s face went pale. How could the Emperor be so heartless? He had doted on Yan’er so much back then—how could he now talk about deposing her at will? It was just the life of an ordinary child after all.
Baoshan stood to the side crying miserably. Shen Shiqing quickly went over and pulled her aside to ask: “What’s going on? Haven’t Their Majesties always had good feelings for each other?”
Upon seeing him, Baoshan’s eyes held some resentment: “My lord has brought ruin to Her Majesty! The residence’s people run rampant in the capital, causing His Majesty to vent his anger on Her Majesty. Her Majesty hasn’t been very favored recently anyway, and now this happens. If it continues, Her Majesty will be sent to the Cold Palace!”
“How is that possible?” Shen Shiqing reflexively objected. Yan’er’s position was fairly secure—there was absolutely no reason for her to enter the Cold Palace.
Just as he finished speaking, a voice came from the main hall: “If there’s a next time, you can move to the Cold Palace. I don’t want a second Consort Wen.”
“This consort understands…”
Shen Shiqing drew in a sharp breath. Just as he was about to turn and leave the palace to go properly discipline his house servants, he saw palace attendants hurrying in, already calling out from afar: “Your Majesty, Prime Minister Gu requests an audience.”
Generally, the Prime Minister wouldn’t come to the rear palace to seek an audience with His Majesty unless it was urgent. Shen Shiqing was somewhat curious. Pulling Baoshan aside to hide, he planned to listen.
Prime Minister Gu entered the main hall holding a memorial, his expression very ugly. Then came a roar from inside: “What? The silver for disaster relief in the northern region was embezzled by someone?”
Shen Shiqing’s face went pale. The disaster relief silver was always stripped away layer by layer—His Majesty wasn’t unaware. For this northern drought relief, he had also embezzled quite a bit.
“Investigate! Investigate for me! No matter how many people are implicated, drag them all to the marketplace for execution!”
The Emperor’s furious shout could be heard from far away. How could Shen Shiqing still have time to question Shen Guiyan? He quickly turned to run outside.
If the Shen family had one more slip-up, Yan’er would inevitably enter the Cold Palace. If Yan’er entered the Cold Palace, then the Shen family’s days of glory wouldn’t last long either.
He ran as fast as the wind. Watching his retreating figure, even Baoshan couldn’t help but marvel—Lord Shen was truly vigorous despite his age.
The main hall fell silent. When Baoshan pushed open the door to look, Prime Minister Gu had already been scared silly, holding the unopened memorial and staring motionless at the Emperor and Empress.
“Ahem.” The Emperor returned to his normal speaking voice and smiled at Prime Minister Gu: “The Prime Minister has been startled. I will read the memorial immediately.”
Shen Guiyan sat to the side drinking tea—all that crying had made her mouth dry.
“What performance was this?” Prime Minister Gu couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Guiyan sighed and said helplessly: “Teaching people—if we did it openly, he wouldn’t appreciate it. We could only use this stratagem.”
As soon as she returned to the palace, she went to find the Emperor and without another word brought him to Yonghe Palace.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Chaobei looked at her curiously.
Her robe still had bloodstains, which made his heart tighten. Just as he was about to ask what happened, Shen Guiyan pulled him along and said: “Someone will come later. You need to loudly reprimand me. I’ve already written what you should scold me with.”
What? Gu Chaobei instinctively reached to feel Shen Guiyan’s forehead. She was fine—what was this all about?
“Just do as this consort says.” Shen Guiyan took up a brush and wrote him the script—precisely what Gu Chaobei said later.
She knew that with Father Shen’s temperament, he would definitely storm into the palace to question her. Then there would be a whole pile of talk about family interests pressing down on her, and she’d have to listen whether she wanted to or not. Better to put on a performance and let him see clearly the Shen family’s current situation.
Who knew how effective it would be.
Prime Minister Gu thought about it and should understand the Emperor’s intention in shouting those words. The Emperor didn’t need Shen Guiyan to explain—they were all intelligent people and could understand. That his Yan’er could do this made him very happy.
She hadn’t followed Empress Dowager Wen’s old path, so he could more confidently entrust military power to Shen Guiwu.
“What this subject must speak of is border matters.” Prime Minister Gu cleared his throat twice and said seriously: “An urgent memorial has arrived from the border, saying that before our dynasty declared war, the foreign nation has already begun attacking the border.”
According to the plan, Gu Chaobei and Shen Guiyan setting out after half a year would still be in time. But unexpectedly, this small foreign nation actually dared to declare war on the Celestial Dynasty with just that bit of military force.
Gu Chaobei took the memorial to read carefully.
“The enemy has iron cannons, one worth ten men. Border troops have suffered countless deaths and injuries. Soldiers have been deployed from neighboring prefectures and counties. We earnestly hope the court will send reinforcements soon.”
Iron cannons? Gu Chaobei frowned, thinking of the iron contraption the foreign nation had sent.
They attacked the border so quickly—clearly it had been planned long ago. Have the envoy come assassinate the Emperor, and when the Celestial Dynasty was leaderless and in chaos, they would seize the opportunity.