Chapter 9: where things escalate at the imperial palace

In the Imperial Garden, chaos broke out once again. The imperial physician rushed over, followed closely by the Emperor and two of his princes.

“What’s going on? Why is there so much noise?”

“Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Crown Prince. He fabricated lies, slandered my daughter, and attempted to put her to death. I beg Your Majesty to act justly.”

Before anyone could speak, and before the Emperor had even sat down, Zhuang Xian knelt on the ground.

“I humbly ask His Majesty to stand up for my daughter. The Crown Prince is bullying us. He colluded with several young ladies to slander my daughter and even attempted to strike my wife and daughter.”

Madam Zhang also knelt down.

“Crown Prince, is this true?”

“Father, it’s not true. These young ladies saw it, and it was Zhuang Xiaoyu who damaged the flowers in the Imperial Garden. Those were the Empress’s favorite golden peonies.”

With so many people watching, he couldn’t admit to the fabricated accusation.

“Your Majesty, we didn’t do it. The Crown Prince keeps insisting that it was my sister, and he even wants to kill us,” Zhuang Xiaowan also knelt.

“Shut up. When did I ever say I’d kill you?”

“You ordered the guards to slap us forty times, didn’t that mean to kill us?”

Zhuang Xiaoyu almost applauded her. She had never expected her sister to speak so boldly.

“You… you two sisters are equally detestable.”

“Then what about the Empress?”

The Emperor felt a headache coming on. Zhuang Xian had never impeached anyone before, so clearly, the Crown Prince had truly angered him. Zhuang Xian wanted to divert the conversation to settle things quietly.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince falsely accused my daughter. She didn’t want to accept it, and the Empress ordered the servants to beat her. It was my daughter’s fault for struggling. The beating didn’t happen, but the Empress fainted from the anger.”

Zhuang Xian was quite smooth with his words, making it seem like the whole family was deeply concealed. Zhuang Xiaoyu watched the drama unfold, thinking if her father managed to handle this well, she would let the Crown Prince bounce around for a few more days.

“Did any of you actually see Zhuang Xiaoyu damage the flowers?”

“Yes… yes, we saw it from a distance, but we couldn’t tell clearly.”

Zhang Xue answered, her voice shaking.

She was frightened, it seemed the Crown Prince was planning to pin the blame on them.

“And you?”

“Your Majesty, this subject also saw it from afar. I saw two people together, and it seemed like Zhuang Xiaoyu.”

Xue Ziyan seemed to be braver than Zhang Xue, not trembling at all.

“You two also saw it from afar, right?”

The other two nodded silently.

The matter was so obvious that the Emperor gave the Crown Prince a harsh glare. This useless dog of a son didn’t even know how to clean up after his own mess. How could he be so incompetent?

“Father, I was momentarily foolish and believed their one-sided story. I almost wronged Zhuang Xiaoyu. I admit my mistake.”

“Zhuang Xiaoyu, the Crown Prince has admitted his mistake. What do you think?”

“Your Majesty, don’t deceive yourself. This was all a trap set by the Crown Prince. Prince Xuan has already testified, and the Crown Prince even threatened him, wanting to kill the prince. In my opinion, the Crown Prince’s character is unfit to be the heir to the throne.”

Everyone gasped in shock. Zhuang Xian had really gone all out. Could someone simply abolish the Crown Prince just like that? Only if he committed treason or a grave offense!

“Zhuang Xian, are you seeking death? If I’m unfit, who else is fit? Have you already picked out your new master?”

Murong Xiao’s temper was really violent. At this time, he should have been soft and apologetic. Instead, he dared to continue acting arrogant. Zhuang Xiaoyu was right, getting too angry would harm his health. He was already flirting with death.

“I serve with integrity. I’m upright and unashamed. How dare the Crown Prince wish for my death? If I die, who would dare serve the Emperor in the future? Who would still take on responsibilities to ease the Emperor’s burdens?”

His words were exactly like what Prince Xuan had said before. A wise monarch would never kill loyal ministers and good generals. Zhuang Xian was loyal, and Prince Xuan was a good general. The Crown Prince’s actions had effectively nailed his name as an incompetent ruler.

“The Crown Prince is punished with house arrest for one month. He is to return to the Crown Prince’s residence to reflect on his actions.”

The Emperor, deeply disappointed, had no choice but to issue this decree. Just as the Empress had regained consciousness, she heard this and fainted again.

The few who had given false testimonies were severely scolded by the Emperor and ordered to return home to be disciplined.

The Emperor’s original plan for the banquet was to have his sons support the Crown Prince and prevent any rebellious thoughts. Yet, unexpectedly, the Crown Prince had dug his own grave, and the other princes watched with glee. None of them came forward to plead for him, showing that the Crown Prince was truly not well-liked.

Zhuang Xiaoyu didn’t say a word throughout the whole thing. Her father had handled it all for her. She thought, if her father managed to settle this, she would allow the Crown Prince to enjoy his misery for another month.

As for the Prince Xuan, who had helped her earlier, it seemed like he had no strong affection for the Crown Prince. He silently sipped his tea, as if whether or not the Crown Prince was abolished had nothing to do with him.

The Crown Prince was confined to his residence for a month. During that time, the two princes who had enjoyed seeing his downfall wouldn’t likely stay too peaceful.

As expected, a few days later, the Second Prince, Murong Ze, came to visit the Zhuang residence.

“Wan’er, what do you think of Murong Ze’s character?”

“Father rarely speaks about him. He doesn’t seem to be particularly capable, quite mediocre, and I haven’t heard of him doing anything bad.”

“Do you know about the other princes?”

“The Third Prince, Prince Xuan, is the one who spoke up for us that day. He’s a great general, capable of leading troops and has made many significant contributions. However, it seems that the Emperor doesn’t favor him.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure. Father should know.”

“Who else?”

“There’s the Fourth Prince, Murong Chen. He enjoys traveling and sightseeing, and he doesn’t stay in the capital often. The Fifth Prince is very young, I’ve never met him.”

“Such a large harem, and only five sons?”

“There are also six princesses.”

“Have you met any of them?”

“I’ve only met the eldest princess. She married General Xue, who is Xue Ziyan’s older brother. But I heard that the princess doesn’t like Xue Ziyan very much.”

Given her temperament, it would be strange if anyone liked her. Zhang Xue was close to her for personal gain.

Suddenly, Zhuang Xiaoyu remembered these troublesome girls and realized she hadn’t gotten around to settling the score with them. She’d have to think of a good way to deal with them.

Before she could sort things out, Zhuang Xun’s trouble surfaced. When they went to the academy to see him, they found his face bruised and swollen, as though he’d been beaten.

“You got into a fight, huh?”

“Ah Xun, who did this to you? Tell your sister, we’ll go deal with him.”

Zhuang Xiaowan knew her brother too well. He wouldn’t start trouble, so he must have been bullied.

“I didn’t cause any trouble. I don’t need you to meddle.”

“If you don’t tell us, we’ll go find your teacher and ask him to seek justice.”

“Don’t go, it was Xue Yang… It was two people. I haven’t fought back against them.”

Zhuang Xun didn’t want to admit he’d been bullied, so he emphasized that it was two people.

“It must have been Xue Ziyan causing trouble. She’s so hateful. What should we do, sister?”

“Of course, we’ll teach them a lesson.”

“No, no, sister. If we fight at the academy, we’ll be expelled.”

“But they beat you, and they’re not getting expelled?”

“I… didn’t report it to the teacher.”

“Alright, we understand. We won’t let you be expelled. Just focus on your studies, and one day, when your grades are far better than theirs, you’ll leave them far behind. When you become an official, you’ll crush them underfoot.”

“Sister, does that mean Ah Xun just has to take the beating?”

This didn’t seem like her sister’s usual way of thinking.

“There’s plenty of time. What’s the rush?”

Xue Ziyan had tried to take a more subtle approach to get revenge, but Zhuang Xiaoyu hadn’t even gotten around to dealing with her yet, and now she dared to make trouble. It was the perfect opportunity to settle both old and new scores at once.

Zhuang Xun was perceptive. He couldn’t know that they planned to beat up the culprits, as it would only worry him.

That very night, Zhuang Xiaoyu dragged Xue Ziyan out of bed and gave her a thorough beating, targeting the places that would hurt the most, leaving her shivering and unable to speak.

She left her there, bruised and stunned, then tucked her back into bed as if nothing had happened. In the next morning, when Xue Ziyan told her family that Zhuang Xiaoyu had beaten her, no one believed her. Instead, they thought she might have been assaulted by some thief. With her body covered in bruises, it looked far worse than a simple beating.

In the end, her parents decided to lock her away to prevent her from causing a scene and embarrassing the family. They quickly began looking for a suitable match to marry her off.

Zhuang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but admire Xue Ziyan’s parents for being so effective. They were like divine helpers, unknowingly aiding her in dealing with Xue Ziyan. She wondered how the other families would react.

Such a method couldn’t be used too often, though. Xue Ziyan’s parents had unknowingly provided her with a template. The next morning, Zhang Xue woke up with bruises covering her body. She felt disoriented. Had she been attacked by the thief again?

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she dared not speak out. As long as she didn’t tell anyone, no one would know.

A few days later, her mood had finally relaxed, but that night, the thief returned. Not only did they leave more bruises on her body, but they also bound her legs with a belt, tying her to the bedframe. When she woke up, she was completely devastated…