Chapter 17

As the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, the current Imperial Uncle and a high-ranking official, Minister Chu has lived more gloriously than most courtiers over the years. The Chu family has become one of the most prominent families in the capital.

Madam Chu, a first-rank titled lady, is even more powerful than the concubines in the palace. Men are naturally flirtatious, and with immense power and noble status, this nature is often no longer restrained by anything and is fully unleashed.

In Minister Chu’s residence, there is one legitimate wife, six concubines, four legitimate children, all born to Madam Chu, and countless illegitimate children.

Countless is not an exaggeration. Because Madam Chu is strict, and Minister Chu is too indifferent to his concubines and illegitimate children, many were quietly killed, used as servants, or were illegitimate children born outside who could not be recognized by the family, making it impossible to calculate the exact number.

Madam Chu, born in the Marquis of Pingyang’s mansion, was accustomed to the intrigues of noble residences and, as the Head Mistress with noble status, feared nothing with the Empress Dowager as her backing. Except for her own children, she did not regard others as human. As long as everything the Chu family owned would be enjoyed by her biological sons in the future, she did not care how many illegitimate children her husband fathered. After all, buying a servant costs money; illegitimate sons can be used as servants when they grow up, while illegitimate daughters can be used for marriage alliances to exchange resources for the Chu family. She did not care about her husband’s flirtations, as it could earn her a reputation for tolerance and magnanimity, and her three sons were successful. When her husband passes away, her eldest son will inherit the Chu family, and she will be the one in charge.

Whether it was daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, or illegitimate children, they would all have to serve her like they served the Empress Dowager, living under her watchful eye.

Madam Chu always thought this way. She believed she would always live a life of wealth and nobility, relying on the protection of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and that the Chu family would always be unparalleled in prominence. So when a servant reported that the Grand Princess had surrounded the Chu family, she was stunned: “Grand Princess? Which Princess?”

“Grand Princess Qingluan.”

“Why has she surrounded the Chu family?” Madam Chu was still unaware of the danger, only angry and confused, “Didn’t she just get married yesterday?”

The reporting servant’s face turned pale: “Madam, the Grand Princess said… she said that Master embezzled military funds and came to confiscate the family’s property.”

“How dare she!!” Madam Chu’s expression turned cold as she turned to leave. The Chu family is the Empress Dowager’s maternal family. Yan Donghuang must have eaten a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall to dare confiscate the Chu family without the Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s consent. Who gave her such power?”

“Grand Princess Qingluan has always had considerable power, needing no one to grant it.” With a wild and unrestrained voice, Feng Yaoguang, dressed in red, swaggered over, his smile dazzling but with a cold undertone, “If Madam Chu has the ability to fly, she can go to the palace to complain to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.”

With that, he raised his hand and coldly ordered, “Search every inch!”

“What are you doing? What are you doing?!” Realizing this was no joke, Madam Chu finally panicked, hysterically calling for people to stop the Qingluan army, “Someone, stop them! Quickly stop them!”

However, the dense Qingluan army swarmed in like locusts, rushing in different directions toward the Chu family and quickly surrounding the entire Chu family.

“Madam Chu, don’t waste your efforts.” Feng Yaoguang turned and walked towards the front hall, “Last year, Minister Chu delayed the grain supply, almost causing the Qingluan army to starve to death on the battlefield. Today, we must settle this account properly.”

Madam Chu’s face turned pale, and she hurried to the front yard, only to see soldiers everywhere, inside and outside, along the corridors and outside the main gate.

Terrorized, Madam Chu could no longer maintain her usual elegance and composure and hurried to the main hall, where Yan Donghuang was.

“Yan Donghuang, what do you want?” she stumbled into the hall, glaring at Yan Donghuang sitting in the main seat, her face livid with anger. “You got married yesterday, and today, you bring soldiers to surround the Chu family. What are you trying to do? Are you rebelling?!”

Yan Donghuang looked at her calmly, his eyes cold and beautiful: “Madam Chu is right. I do want to rebel.”

Madam Chu froze, her face turning ashen: “What did you say?”

“Didn’t the Grand Princess tell you? She wants to rebel.” Feng Yaoguang walked in, his smile fierce, “Madam Chu, calm down. It’s just confiscating the family’s property and exterminating the clan. Which powerful family in history hasn’t gone through this?”

Both angry and fearful, Madam Chu was about to question Yan Donghuang when the cries of terrified women and the shouts of men suddenly sounded outside.

“How dare you! Who allowed you to come? What evidence do you have to say the Chu family embezzled? You traitors, the Emperor will surely execute your entire clan!”

Then came the terrified cries of a young girl: “Mother! Mother, save me! Let me go!”

“The Chu family is the Imperial Uncle’s residence, the Empress Dowager’s maternal family, a high-ranking official’s home. How dare you… how dare you do this? Get out, all of you, get out!”

Yan Donghuang sat quietly, her eyes slightly closed: “Yaoguang, those Chu family guards who lay down their weapons can be spared. Kill all who resist, and use the silver confiscated from the Chu family to pay compensation.”

Hearing this, Madam Chu lost her mind and lunged at Yan Donghuang: “What did the Chu family do to offend you? Yan Donghuang, what do you want? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution for being so cruel and bloodthirsty?!”

Feng Yaoguang’s face turned cold, and he kicked her in the knee.

“Ah!” Madam Chu screamed and fell to the ground.

“Divine retribution?” Feng Yaoguang walked up to her, pulling out the golden hairpin from her hair, “Madam Chu lives a life of luxury, a single piece of jewelry enough to cover a common family’s expenses for a year. You probably can’t imagine the suffering of soldiers at the border without food.”

Madam Chu tried to get up, but Feng Yaoguang held the hairpin against her neck, freezing her in fear: “What… what do you want? Don’t do anything rash…”

“Minister Chu is in charge of the Ministry of War, responsible for supplying the army with grain, but he neglected his duties. Last March, the grain was delayed by two months, leaving the Qingluan army without food. If not for the timely support of honest merchants, half of the 200,000 Qingluan soldiers would have starved to death on the battlefield!”

Madam Chu trembled and stammered: “That’s a lie! The Master never did such a thing—”

“The explanation given later was that the grain was robbed on the way.” Feng Yaoguang’s eyes were cold, “It’s laughable that we believed this explanation. Now we know the Emperor wanted to get rid of us long ago. Minister Chu is the Emperor’s pawn, helping the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to deal with the Qingluan army, aiming to kill the Grand Princess!”

Madam Chu shook her head frantically: “Impossible, impossible…”

“Your denial is useless.” Feng Yaoguang examined the hairpin, his slender white fingers particularly pleasing to the eye, “Minister Chu supports your entire family, living in luxury, with many concubines, illegitimate children, and frequent visits to brothels… The large sums of silver come from the Qingluan soldiers’ saved rations.”

“No, no! You’re talking nonsense!” Madam Chu’s face turned pale as she desperately denied, “Everything the Chu family has is thanks to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor! You’re slandering and framing us just to justify Yan Donghuang’s treasonous actions!”