As soon as Su Fengyi finished speaking, Minister Song sprang up from the ground like a carp leaping out of water. He was no longer weeping in pain or feigning weakness. With practiced ease, he pulled a memorial from his sleeve and thrust it directly in front of Su Fengyi. His movements were fluid, and his voice was full of vigor:
“Your Highness, Lei cannot die! Since Your Highness was able to save General Shen, naturally you can also save Lei.”
Su Fengyi looked at Minister Song’s face, which showed not a single trace of tears, his shrewdly gleaming eyes, his agile posture, and the memorial he had prepared in advance. Belatedly, she realized that she seemed to have been tricked by this little old man.
So, these Grand Secretariat ministers, knowing full well they couldn’t enter the Leopard Chamber, waited at the entrance not to see the Emperor, but to hook Su Fengyi, the fish.
The original book hadn’t mentioned any “Lei,” so Su Fengyi didn’t know who this “Lei who cannot die” was or why he absolutely had to be saved. Therefore, she didn’t accept the memorial.
But since she had promised to help if she could, Su Fengyi, guided by humanitarian spirit, could only ask one more question:
“Minister Song, what about this Lei’s looks? Is he beautiful?”
Su Fengyi asked this question with one hundred percent good intentions. Unfortunately, Minister Song did not feel the humanistic care from Her Highness.
He was so infuriated by the Grand Princess’s insulting tone that he nearly vomited blood, truly feeling pain in his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—everywhere.
We are court ministers, not courtesans or entertainers who rely on their looks!
What looks? What beauty?
Is this appropriate?!
But now he needed the Grand Princess’s help and couldn’t lose his temper on the spot. All his pent-up grievances had to be swallowed.
Minister Song had come specifically today to intercept the Grand Princess. Upon hearing about her act of intercepting the execution ground, he immediately realized this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Emperor refused to see court officials but was willing to see the Grand Princess.
Only by being able to see someone and speak with them could one have influence and get things done.
The Grand Princess was now a rare person who could speak before the Emperor. So, was she friend or foe to the court officials?
Minister Song truly wanted to know if the Grand Princess could be used for his purposes. Today’s act was also a calculation, considering the various possible reactions from the Grand Princess.
Everyone knew the Grand Princess was arrogant and foolish, so it was highly likely that, given her brain, she wouldn’t even realize she had been tricked.
If, by some chance, her mind became enlightened today and she realized it, she might get angry, she might curse. Being cursed at wouldn’t be a big deal; after all, no one would be happy about being tricked, and Minister Song could understand that.
She might also be afraid. Saving one person might be a whim, but saving two would be intentional. If she accepted this memorial, she would be clearly declaring herself an enemy of the Factory Overseer. She might not dare. Minister Song had considered all this as well.
However, there was also a one-in-ten-thousand possibility: the Grand Princess was neither foolish, nor angry, nor afraid. She was acting intentionally, as if she had taken the wrong medicine today, determined to oppose the Nine Thousand Year.
Minister Song had come today to see if that one-in-ten-thousand chance existed.
He had considered the Grand Princess’s various possible reactions, repeatedly pondered what she might say, but he had never imagined that the Grand Princess would ask whether a court minister was beautiful or not.
Lei was already forty years old. True to his name, he was as dark as the Thunder God, not even decent-looking, let alone beautiful. How could Minister Song possibly answer that?
Seeing Minister Song’s expression, Su Fengyi knew that Lei must not be handsome, so she didn’t press him to make up lies, saying:
“If Lei is not handsome, I cannot save him.
Minister Song, let me guess what you’ve written in this memorial? Is it slandering the Factory Overseer?
Could it be listing the Factory Overseer’s one hundred and eight major crimes, urging me to report them to the Emperor?
Forgive my bluntness, but you are truly foolish. Being this foolish will not accomplish anything; instead, it will only make the Emperor despise me.
I will not accept this memorial, nor will I show it to the Emperor.”
Su Fengyi spoke without any roundabout probing, so directly and decisively that she exposed Minister Song’s true intentions on the spot, leaving him with no dignity whatsoever.
Caught off guard, Minister Song felt both ashamed, angry, and disappointed. He indignantly said:
“Your Highness, a golden branch and jade leaf, with the blood of the Late Emperor flowing in your veins, how could you fear such a petty villain! Truly cowardly and unworthy of your ancestors. If the Late Emperor knew of this in the afterlife…”
Hah, the old man refuses to give up and even tries to provoke me.
Su Fengyi sneered inwardly and cut him off directly:
“If my father knew of this in the afterlife, he would be so angered by you fools that he’d come back to life. Minister Song, let me ask you, do you know where you went wrong?”
Upon hearing this, Minister Song flew into a rage. He straightened his chest, waved his arms, his eyes blazing with righteous indignation:
“I have acted with integrity and honor, with a clear conscience toward heaven and earth, and without shame before my sovereign. What fault could I possibly have?”
He sounded quite bold, but it was unclear whether his backbone was as strong as his words.
Su Fengyi was busy dealing with the aftermath of General Shen’s affairs and had no time to waste acting out a scene with him here.
She couldn’t be bothered to argue further with him. Instead, she directly drew the dagger she carried with her, leaped forward, and pressed it against Minister Song’s throat, asking with a smile:
“Minister Song, are you afraid of death?”
Su Fengyi spoke softly and smiled gently, but Minister Song, with a sharp blade pressed against his throat, felt cold sweat drenching his back and fear spreading throughout his body.
Careless, miscalculated, I’m going to die!
How could he have forgotten that the Grand Princess was the lunatic who, at the age of eight, dared to storm into the Golden Hall and cause an uproar, demanding to kill the censor!
Ten years ago, the eight-year-old Grand Princess was similarly armed—a small child carrying a bow and arrows, holding a dagger, charging into the Golden Hall during the morning court, shouting:
“Which one is Censor Liu Ci, the one who spoke ill of my mother? Get out here before this princess!”
The Grand Princess’s mother was then-Crown Princess Xie, who, after years of failing to arrange concubines for the Crown Prince (the Late Emperor), was impeached by Censor Liu for jealousy. This news reached the Grand Princess’s ears.
The Grand Princess’s uproar in the court was truly disgraceful, but neither civil nor military officials dared to say anything to this eight-year-old child.
After all, she was the apple of the Grand Ancestor’s eye.
After all, the Grand Ancestor had a fiery temper, and offending him could be fatal.
Everyone secretly glanced at the Grand Ancestor sitting on the dragon throne, wondering how he would handle the situation.
To their surprise, the Grand Ancestor not only did not scold the Grand Princess but was moved on the spot, saying:
“Truly worthy of being my granddaughter, so filial!”
Such unruly behavior not only went unpunished but was praised—truly unreasonable. Only then did Censor Liu, who had been named, step forward and bow to the Grand Princess:
“I am Liu Ci…”
Having found the culprit, the Grand Princess wasted no words. She drew a feathered arrow and shot Liu Ci, striking him squarely in the left leg.
Censor Liu let out a miserable cry and immediately fell to his knees, blood pooling on the ground.
Even as the situation escalated to this point, the Grand Ancestor still made no move to intervene. Instead, he clapped his hands and exclaimed in admiration:
“Truly worthy of being my granddaughter—your archery is remarkably accurate!”
The Grand Princess drew another arrow, intending to shoot again, this time aiming at Liu Ci’s left chest.
The ministers all knelt down, some pleading with the Grand Ancestor, others begging the Grand Princess. Only then did the Grand Ancestor finally speak up:
“Fengyi, that’s enough…”
With the Grand Ancestor’s intervention, the focus shifted, but the Grand Princess grew even more spirited. She charged forward aggressively, glaring at the Grand Ancestor:
“Grandfather, do you not like my mother? When outsiders bully her, why do you not intervene?”