Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kangle remained ill for three days, throwing the entire palace into a state of chaos.

Seven days later, I woke up in a daze. Beside my bed, in addition to Matron Zhang, stood Wei Zhao.

I was surprised to see him there, thinking it a rare moment of him acting like a decent human being.

Wei Zhao, however, looked utterly dejected. “Imperial Father has summoned us to the palace.”

“…”

Here we go again.

It was never-ending.

The Wei Family was a mess, but since I had taken it on, I couldn’t shy away from the difficulty.

“I understand. Get out!”

My face was cold; I didn’t want to spare Wei Zhao a single glance.

Wei Zhao’s face flushed with embarrassment. He flicked his sleeves and stormed out.

We entered the palace like strangers to pay our respects to Imperial Father.

Imperial Father was gentle and kind toward me, but his gaze toward Wei Zhao was ice-cold.

When things are this abnormal, there must be a catch…

I was filled with wonder and suspicion, yet I could only maintain a polite smile and play along.

Imperial Father began to berate Wei Zhao.

“Ah Yu prayed for the nation’s blessings for eighteen years. She is a hero of Great Zhou. Anyone who insults her makes an enemy of me. Wei Zhao, you have quite the nerve!”

He hurled the paperweight from his hand, striking Wei Zhao squarely on the forehead.

As crimson blood trickled down, Wei Zhao knelt in terror.

Imperial Father said coldly, “Get out and kneel!”

Wei Zhao retreated in a panic, looking completely lost.

I understood then.

The Emperor he imagined was the doting father Kangle spoke of-the one who was kind, amiable, and constantly bestowed gold and jewels upon his favorite daughter. The real Emperor, however, was a sovereign whose wrath could leave a million corpses in its wake.

Once Wei Zhao was gone, the smile on Imperial Father’s face faded.

His gaze was like a sharp thorn, piercing and hurtful.

“The Wei Family has gone too far. I will vent this grievance for you.”

“Here is an edict. Go to the Wei Family and proclaim it.”

An imperial edict was tossed beside me. I leaned down to pick it up, and with just one glance, my heart sank.

It was an edict of reprimand. It rebuked Chancellor Wei for failing to discipline his son and for disrespecting Princess Chang’an. It stated that the sons of the Wei Family were unfit for great responsibility, and it used the opportunity to strip Wei Family Eldest Brother and Second Brother of their official posts.

This edict didn’t mention a single word about Kangle, shielding her perfectly.

And by having me deliver this edict personally, it would make Wei Zhao hate me to the bone, ensuring I would never know a day of peace.

This wasn’t venting my grievances; this was cutting off my escape routes.

I looked up at Imperial Father. He looked back at me and uttered only a few cold words.

“Go and return quickly!”

The Chief Eunuch looked at me with a beaming smile.

“This way, Princess. This servant shall accompany you.”

Surrounded by a crowd of eunuchs, I left the hall in a grand procession, heading straight for the Wei Mansion.

The Chief Eunuch invited me to sit in a chair, acting with immense respect as if I were the center of his world. However, without waiting for me to speak, a junior eunuch immediately took the edict and began to read it aloud with great flourish.

Every member of the Wei Family fixed their gaze on me.

They begged for the Princess to show mercy.

But what right did I have to grant them mercy?

I left the Wei Mansion and returned to the palace to report my task.

Imperial Father didn’t even see me. He simply had the Chief Eunuch pass on a message.

“Princess Kangle is the moon in the sky. A mere firefly cannot compete with her radiance. If one overestimates their strength, they only invite their own destruction. Please keep this in mind, Princess.”

I accepted the words with a smile.

Turning around, I looked at the clear moon in the sky.

So what if it’s the moon?

It merely borrows the light of the sun.

What if there was no sun in the sky?

Though a firefly is small, it relies on its own light.

Imperial Father could build something from nothing, and I am certainly no less capable!

I returned to the Princess Manor.

Wei Zhao was waiting for me, fuming with rage.

“Zhao Ziyu, how malicious of you! You claim to be noble and upright, yet you went behind my back to complain to Imperial Father, ruining my two brothers. If you think this will make me yield, you are purely delusional.”

I looked at him.

It was laughable!

Does this fellow have to relate everything to love and romance?

People with ‘love-brain’ deserve to die!

I reached out and squeezed his throat, cutting his voice off instantly.

The whole world became quiet in an instant.

I said coldly, “It seems you’ve forgotten what I told you last time. If you behave and act like a pretty but useless ornament, I will ensure your life is safe and your chastity remains intact. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind gifting you away to be a Male Courtesan. I hear the Left Chancellor owns not only the Red Jade Pavilion but also the Golden Wind Pavilion, where men serve others. I’m sure you’d be very popular there.”

Wei Zhao was terrified.

More than that, he felt a deep sense of humiliation.

He looked at me with eyes like knives.

“Zhao Ziyu, you are a demon.”

I was so angry I laughed.

I slowly let go of his neck. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed.

He looked so much like Ning Ze, but their brains were worlds apart.

Ning Ze could deduce everything from a single minor detail, while Wei Zhao refused to use his head even when the truth was staring him in the face.

I sighed. “Wei Zhao, the Wei Family raised you for so many years. Is all you’ve learned how to compose poems about the wind and moon, or sleep among the clouds and snow? Are affairs of the state and the welfare of the people just ‘vulgarities’ in your eyes?”

“Do you think it’s incredibly ‘cool’ to live and die for love?”

“If that’s truly the case, then you can rest easy. I will definitely let you go. Because you aren’t worthy of me!”

I turned and walked away with long strides, giving instructions to Matron Zhang as I went.

“From this day forward, the Imperial Son-in-Law may come and go as he pleases. He can go wherever he wants; there is no need to report to me. As long as he isn’t dead, it’s not a major concern.”

“Yes!” Matron Zhang complied.

I didn’t give Wei Zhao another look, treating him as if he were already dead.