Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The situation with the household of Chancellor Wei caused quite a stir.

Rumors began to circulate that Chancellor Wei was about to follow in the footsteps of the Left Chancellor.

Panic spread through the court, and people even dug up the countless killings that occurred during the year my Imperial Father ascended the throne.

My Imperial Father was furious, and at that very moment, another murder occurred: the Left Chancellor was killed in his own home.

For a time, everyone claimed that my Imperial Father had ordered the assassination.

My Imperial Father had no way to clear his name despite having a thousand tongues to defend himself. To quell the public’s suspicion, he had no choice but to restore the Wei Family Eldest Brother and the Second Brother to their original posts.

However, Chancellor Wei claimed to be terrified, saying he had failed to educate his sons properly and that the Wei Family Eldest Brother and Second Brother were unworthy of holding such key positions in the capital. Instead, he requested provincial postings for the two of them.

My Imperial Father knew full well that Chancellor Wei was doing this to protect his family. For the sake of political stability, he was forced to agree.

The Wei Family emerged unscathed once again.

I wiped the blade in my hand and tucked it close to my body, feeling a slight sense of relief in my heart.

The Left Chancellor deserved to die.

A chancellor who made his fortune from the flesh trade of men and women was both incompetent and disgusting.

His death was truly a blessing!

I continued my routine of entering the palace once a month to pay my respects to my Empress Mother. Sometimes she would see me, and sometimes she wouldn’t.

The way she addressed me changed from “Ziyu” and “Ah Yu” to “Chang’an.”

Once certain masks are shattered, there is no longer any need to wear them.

I heard that my Empress Mother had selected four potential suitors for Kangle, all from the most prestigious families in Huajing.

These families all shared one characteristic: they were either headed by an Iron-cap Prince or held hereditary titles that would never be demoted.

My Empress Mother truly prioritized survival above all else.

She didn’t expect Kangle to distinguish herself-there was really no need for a princess to do so. She only needed Kangle to be well-fed, well-clothed, and to live out her days in peace.

When Kangle heard the news, she was greatly triggered and threw a long tantrum.

Even so, she only received scoldings from my Empress Mother, who never once gave up on her.

I envied Kangle for her good fortune, but I also knew I was naturally lacking when it came to parental bonds. It wasn’t something I could just wish for.

I buried myself in my own affairs.

I had formed an alliance with Chancellor Wei; I protected the Wei Family, and in return, Chancellor Wei granted me certain conveniences.

Then, on a day of wind and driving rain…

Matron Zhang arrived with a worried expression to report, “Someone brought a token, saying the Imperial Son-in-Law fell off a cliff. They want the Princess Manor to send people to rescue him.”

She handed over a blood-stained jade pendant. It indeed belonged to Wei Zhao.

“Where is the messenger?”

“Gone.”

Just then, another person arrived saying there was a summons from the palace. My Imperial Father wanted me to go to the palace immediately for an audience.

On one side was my Imperial Father, and on the other was Wei Zhao.

The corners of my eyes reddened, and my head throbbed painfully.

How was I supposed to choose?

In that moment, I regretted it. I shouldn’t have chosen Wei Zhao.

I should have thrown myself at Chancellor Wei, or chosen to be a secondary wife to the Wei Family Eldest Brother or Second Brother. Anything would have been better than choosing a useless pretty boy like Wei Zhao.

Ah Ze, Ah Ze, what should I do?

I closed my eyes in resignation and said heartlessly, “Report back to my Imperial Father that I am going to find the Imperial Son-in-Law. As soon as he is found, I will go to the audience immediately.”

Matron Zhang gasped in surprise. “Princess, defying His Majesty is a capital offense.”

I couldn’t care about any of that. I grabbed a horse and said with a trace of resentment, “He won’t. My Imperial Father won’t kill me.”

At least, he wouldn’t kill me openly.

He would only dare to assassinate me secretly, just as he had tried dozens of times before.

I galloped away. Seeing the stunned and angry faces of the palace eunuchs gave me a surge of satisfaction.

I wanted to defy that man. I wanted to infuriate him.

I led my people and rushed to the place where Wei Zhao had allegedly fallen.

There was indeed a cliff there, though it was only a few meters high. It wasn’t enough to kill someone, but it wasn’t easy to climb back up either.

I led the men down. The rain was torrential, making the path at the bottom of the cliff exceptionally difficult to navigate.

I trudged through the mud searching for him. Through the curtain of rain, I glimpsed a brightly lit cave.

Lanterns hung before the entrance, making it look like a fairy’s grotto-exquisitely decorated and inviting.

I walked in slowly. I had only ventured a little way inside when I heard a woman’s soft moans and a man’s heavy breathing.

I thought I was hallucinating.

As I listened closely, the sounds grew louder.

“Ah Zhao!”

“You don’t like Chang’an, you like me, right?”

“You said you’d stay chaste for me. You really didn’t lie to me.”

“I am already yours. Take me away, take me far away. Let’s go somewhere where no one can find us and live our own peaceful lives, okay?”

“I won’t be a princess, and you won’t be the Imperial Son-in-Law anymore, okay?”

“Kangle…”

“Kangle…”