23 – Jiang Dahuang, You Betrayed Me (Revised)
As the sun set behind the western hills, Jiang Lige sat on a small stool beneath the wall of Moon Departure Palace, hugging the head of Jiang Dahuang and hanging a small wooden tag on its collar.
“Dahuang, when your father has money, I’ll get you a gold tag instead.”
That despicable Shang Guanqi had actually set a trap for her, not only taking away the five hundred taels she earned last night but also leaving her owing the national treasury nineteen thousand five hundred taels.
If she didn’t pay up, the guards would drive Luzhu and Dahuang out of the palace!
How despicable!
Even after breaking her lunch, they wouldn’t let her have another meal!
How hateful!
Jiang Lige was so angry her head ached, her resentment toward Shang Guanqi had never been this intense.
Just let her catch an opportunity, and she would finish him off too!
…
Heavenly Prison.
Zhao Xinzhi was brought to the torture chamber. At the sight of the wall covered in instruments of torment, his courage shattered, and he trembled, not daring to breathe heavily.
Wuhuan circled him with a whip in hand.
“Speak, who sent you into the palace?”
There was no need for torture; Zhao Xinzhi spilled everything like beans from a sack.
“It was the Empress Dowager. She had us brought back from Ganzhou and gave us silver.”
“What did the Empress Dowager want you to do?”
Zhao Xinzhi replied truthfully, “The Empress Dowager told us to visit the young Emperor whenever possible, preferably to provoke him. As long as the young Emperor lost his virtue, the censors could impeach him, and it would also undermine the rumors of the Emperor’s auspicious signs.”
“Is that all?” Wuhuan pressed.
Zhao Xinzhi answered honestly, “Yes, that’s all.”
Wuhuan stepped forward and lightly tapped Zhao Xinzhi’s face with the whip. “Do you want to leave here alive?”
Zhao Xinzhi nodded like pounding garlic. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“If you want to live, show more respect to the Emperor from now on, understand?”
Zhao Xinzhi was stunned for a moment before nodding again. “Understood, understood! I’ll never dare to disrespect the Emperor again…”
After dealing with the Zhao mother and son, Wuhuan returned to Qingyang Hall and reported the interrogation findings to Shang Guanqi.
“I don’t understand, my lord. Why did the Empress Dowager so blatantly bring them into the palace? That coward Zhao Xinzhi switched sides in no time, causing little harm.” Wuhuan said, puzzled.
Shang Guanqi replied, “Empress Dowager Su naturally has more moves planned.”
The role of the Zhao mother and son would come later.
According to the events of his past life, the Crown Prince would awaken two months later. The Su Faction would spare no effort to support the Crown Prince in seizing power. Unable to kill Jiang Lige, they would slander her lineage, claiming she was the child of Consort Zhao and a guard—the very guard who was once Consort Zhao’s lover.
The testimony of the Zhao mother and son would turn this rumor into “truth.”
“Then why doesn’t the Lord of a Thousand Years take the opportunity to eliminate the Zhao mother and son?” Wuhuan asked.
Shang Guanqi said, “Taking control of the enemy’s pawns and using them for your own purposes is far more damaging.”
As he spoke, Shang Guanqi suddenly coughed, his face turning deathly pale.
Wuhuan knew it was the poison acting up and said urgently, “Lord of a Thousand Years, we have already located Doctor Xue and will bring him into the palace soon.”
Doctor Xue? That charlatan from the jianghu?
His medical skills were not even one ten-thousandth of Jiang Lige’s.
In his past life, it was Jiang Lige who had awakened the Crown Prince.
Thinking back, that had already been a sign.
Jiang Lige, lacking sufficient strength herself and wary of his unchecked power, had intervened to awaken the Crown Prince, ensuring the Su Faction could continue to counterbalance him.
When it came to the art of imperial balance, Jiang Lige truly played it masterfully.
He refused to believe that this time, with an unsolvable poison, she could still find a cure.
…
The next day, morning court.Jiang Lige led Jiang Dahuang into the Golden Luan Hall.
An old minister stepped forward to dissuade him, saying, “Your Majesty, the Golden Luan Hall is a solemn and serious place for court discussions. This household dog should not be allowed inside.”
Jiang Lige replied, “This is no ordinary household dog. This is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Howling Hound. It all began with a dream I had the night before last.”
“That night, a three-eyed immortal told me that I would face unforeseen calamities in the coming days and lent me this divine hound for protection, just in case.”
“Guess what? Yesterday, while I was enjoying myself at Longevity Lake, I accidentally got stranded on a painted pleasure boat. This divine hound leaped into the lake and pushed the skiff with its own body to rescue me! Isn’t that miraculous?”
The assembled ministers were half-convinced, half-skeptical by Jiang Lige’s tale.
Jiang Lige continued, “My dear ministers, you may not know this, but this divine hound can also diagnose illnesses.”
“Diagnose illnesses?” Everyone looked puzzled.
Jiang Lige randomly pointed at someone. Dahuang went over, sniffed the person, and then barked twice at Jiang Lige.
Pretending to listen to the dog’s barks, Jiang Lige hummed and hawed for a moment before addressing the minister, “Minister Li, the divine hound says your kidneys are weak and suggests I move you to a different spot. Please stand near the entrance so it’s more convenient for you.”
Minister Li’s mouth fell open, his expression one of utter astonishment.
Jiang Lige pointed at two more ministers, and the divine hound similarly “revealed” their hidden ailments.
“It truly is a divine hound!”
Everyone was thoroughly convinced, and when they looked at Dahuang again, their eyes were filled with reverence.
Jiang Lige proudly led Dahuang to the side of the Dragon Throne.
Shang Guanqi emerged from the rear hall and immediately saw his spot occupied by a scruffy-looking dog.
What was even more infuriating was that the dog was wearing a black-and-red patterned coat, identical in style to his official robe.
The implication was clear.
Shang Guanqi’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Jiang Lige watched his expression with great delight.
Let’s see what you do now!
Shang Guanqi strode stiffly toward the Dragon Throne, each step seeming to tread on Dahuang’s body.
Dahuang looked up and met his gaze, then—
Got up and slunk away to the other side of the Dragon Throne.
“Hey! Dahuang!”
Stupid dog, why did you have to fail me at the critical moment?!
Jiang Lige was furious at Dahuang’s desertion.
Dahuang looked up and was met with the gaze of death.
“Whimper~”
Dahuang whimpered and bolted!
“Jiang Dahuang!! No jerky for you today!”
Fuming with rage, Jiang Lige wanted to drag the dog back, but Dahuang had already scampered out of the Golden Luan Hall.
When he looked back at Shang Guanqi’s expression, it was clearly one of smug triumph.
Jiang Lige grumbled inwardly: If you have the guts, sit on the Dragon Throne!
“Court is now in session—”
As the hour arrived, a eunuch loudly announced the start of court. Jiang Lige straightened up, temporarily setting aside Dahuang’s betrayal.
“Your Majesty, the memorial regarding the imperial consort selection has been submitted for several days, yet there has been no response. The Ministry of Rites is unsure how to proceed,” Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites immediately pressed the issue of the consort selection.
Jiang Lige was about to brush it off again, but before he could speak, Shang Guanqi interjected, “The memorial has been reviewed, and the procedures are all correct. However, His Majesty is young and lacks experience. The position of Empress concerns state affairs and must not be taken lightly. Does anyone have candidates to propose?”
This was a clear declaration of intent.
After Shang Guanqi spoke, members of the Thousand-Year Faction stepped forward to recommend the daughter of the Inspector-General, while members of the Su Faction recommended Su Luo, the daughter of Duke Su.There was also a small faction that nominated the daughter of Han Chengxiang.
Everything matched Xie Shu’s analysis perfectly—except for the candidate, even the reasons for nomination were exactly the same.
It was as if Xie Shu had foreseen everything in advance.
He said, “The Su Faction and the Thousand-Year Faction are bound to tear into each other, ultimately leaving both sides wounded. On the contrary, the young lady supported by the minority faction stands a better chance of winning.”
He also said he would find a way to let Jiang Lige take the initiative.
With Duke Su on one side and Shang Guanqi on the other, she was quite curious about what method could possibly allow her to seize the initiative.
“Report—”
Just as the court was embroiled in heated debate, an urgent report arrived.
“An eight-hundred-li urgent report! Bandits have gathered and forcibly occupied Ningcheng. The entire staff of the Prefect of Ningcheng has been killed, and several surrounding cities are in danger!”
The revision is complete, and the following chapters will be updated as usual.