Chapter 4: Treacherous Minister

At the mention of this, Xia Tong’s expression became somewhat unnatural. How could she have known that the villain enjoyed making sudden appearances to frighten people?

“It was just… I accidentally fell in while feeding the fish. I’ll be more careful next time,” she said, forcing a calm demeanor.

Hearing this, Xia Zhian showed a hint of reproach on his face. However, seeing her still recovering from her injuries, he decided against scolding her further and simply told her to rest more before leaving.

Nonetheless, someone had to take the blame for her injury. The next day, her aunt caught the “careless” servant responsible. This was just for appearances. Behind the scenes, Xia Min was punished by the old lady for not excelling in her studies of painting and calligraphy, receiving a deduction of two months’ worth of monthly allowances. Everyone understood the real reason behind this punishment; it was just a trivial reprimand. Xia Tong had long expected this—this was the “family” that her father cared about.

With just seven days until the empress dowager’s birthday celebration, Xia Tong had no idea what the snow yulan ointment was, but after using it, her rashes healed remarkably quickly. By the day of departure, there were hardly any traces left.

Since there was no escaping it, Xia Tong decided to keep a low profile. After all, there were so many people in the palace that they might not even notice her.

The old lady had also thoughtfully sent her numerous clothes and jewelry. On the day of departure, Qing’er was dazzled by the choices before her.

“This blue begonia-patterned skirt will definitely complement your complexion. You should try it on first!” Qing’er suggested, holding up the skirt.

Qing’er was still trying out the two, while Xia Tong sat in front of the dressing table. She didn’t even turn her head. She just glanced at them and said calmly, “The yellow one.”

Qing’er couldn’t help but pout, hesitant to voice her thoughts. Although the light yellow was a nice style, the color was just too pale. However, since it was her master’s wish, she said nothing more and quickly brought over the requested dress, styling Xia Tong’s hair to match the dress.

By the time Xia Tong was ready to leave, a carriage was already waiting at the gate. Momo Liu was standing beside it, indicating that the old lady had been waiting for her.

Once inside the carriage, she saw the Old Madam already dressed in the formal attire of a first-rank lady, resting with her eyes closed. When Xia Tong entered, the Old Madam’s gaze slowly lifted.

The woman’s fair skin showed no flaws, and her outfit—a skirt of autumn fragrance and light smoke gauze—perfectly highlighted her elegant figure. She wore little jewelry, giving her a simple yet refined appearance.

The old lady narrowed her eyes, seemingly displeased. “Didn’t I have someone send you new clothes?”

The atmosphere in the carriage felt tense. Xia Tong had anticipated the old lady’s annoyance. Keeping her head down, she respectfully explained, “Today’s banquet will have many bright and colorful attendees. I don’t want to be just another face in the crowd.”

As the carriage began to move, the soft sounds filled the air. The old lady glanced at her granddaughter and fell silent, apparently accepting her reasoning.

This granddaughter hadn’t grown up by her side, but she seemed to have her own ideas, which was good. At least she would be able to stand firm once married into the royal family.

Seeing the old lady’s silence, Xia Tong secretly sighed in relief. This old lady, like the others from the Xiahou family, wasn’t someone to be trusted. What she needed to do now was to make her father see the reality—that these relatives were unreliable. Otherwise, even if she escaped the villain’s grasp, she might still fall victim to the old lady later.

The journey was quiet. Today, the capital was unusually crowded. The carriage moved slowly, taking half an hour to reach the palace gates. As they approached, the noise outside grew louder. Gathering her courage, Xia Tong peeked out from behind the curtain and saw a crowd of guards and passing officials at the palace entrance.

“What’s going on?” the Old Madam suddenly opened her eyes.

Before Xia Tong could respond, Momo Liu lifted the curtain, her expression grave as she leaned in. “It seems there was a dispute between the regent’s carriage and the envoy from a neighboring country.”

Regardless of who it was, everyone had to dismount at the palace gates, except for the villain. For a moment, Xia Tong could only curiously follow the old lady down. They saw a crowd gathered at the entrance, with a group of imperial guards surrounding several oddly dressed men.

A large black wooden carriage stood immobile like a mountain, and the atmosphere around it was solemn. An elderly minister couldn’t help but step forward, urging those inside the carriage, “Today is the empress dowager’s birthday celebration, a day of nationwide joy. The regent should take advantage of the empress dowager’s goodwill and downplay the situation.”

“How outrageous! We traveled thousands of miles to represent our emperor and express our friendship with your country, and this is how you treat your guests?” one of the oddly dressed men exclaimed indignantly.

Hiding behind the crowd, Xia Tong took a glance. Judging by their clothing, the two men were from the Lang Country, a small neighboring country known for its rich resources and good relations with them. However, to dare speak so boldly in front of the notorious villain was commendable courage.

The people inside the carriage remained silent, but a young man wielding a sword outside sneered, his gaze sharp. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If the envoy is so ignorant of our customs, they probably don’t truly respect our great Jin Dynasty.”

“You—don’t you dare speak carelessly!” the envoy shouted, his face reddening with anger. “It was just the carriage stopped a little longer in front of the regent. What sort of rule is that?”

The Lang Country was rich, frequently interacting with other countries. They never expected the great Jin Dynasty to act so tyrannically!

At these words, everyone, including Xia Tong, felt a wave of anxiety for the envoy. Rules? Wasn’t the regent himself the embodiment of rules?

“Do you want to know what this rule is?” The young man with the sword suddenly stepped forward, his expression cold. “Fine, let me tell you.”

“Wait—”

Before the old minister could intervene, two splashes of bright red blood erupted on the palace bricks. The previously noisy men now lay motionless, their eyes wide open, blood glaringly visible at their necks.

A chilling wind swept through, causing everyone to shudder. The swordsman sheathed his weapon casually and said something to the people in the carriage before continuing to drive the carriage, as if the earlier incident had only cost them a moment.

Some of the seasoned ministers merely sighed and continued toward the palace. Thankfully, the Lang Country was just a small country, but the emperor only listened to treacherous advisors. Who knew when such days would come to an end?

The old lady’s face was also grim. Although she had heard of the regent’s fearsome reputation, it was her first time witnessing such a blatant disregard for etiquette. It was really a wicked man in power!

The newly arrived noble ladies were still unaware of what had happened, and when they heard others recount the events, they trembled in fear. Just hearing the words “Regent” was enough to make their legs weak.

As for Xia Tong, she was drenched in cold sweat. She finally understood what it meant for the villain to teach others a lesson. The terrifying part was that she felt the villain had become this way mainly because his father, a good official, had met a bad end. As a result, he simply became a traitor to take revenge on society!

No one knew why the old emperor trusted the villain so much. Although he had risen from a lowly soldier to a general and then to the all-powerful regent through military merit, he still had considerable abilities. Yet, it was hard to believe that he had almost been given control of the military, and the emperor listened to him without question. Otherwise, how could those aristocratic families in the capital so readily seek refuge in a rising star? This wasn’t recorded in the book, which only described the reasons for the villain’s corruption.

“This matter should not be discussed casually. Understand?” The old lady snapped back to her senses and looked at Xia Tong with sharp eyes.

Seeing this, Xia Tong quickly nodded. If the old lady knew that their Xiahou family had once stabbed the regent in the back, she didn’t know how she would react.

As they walked toward the inner palace, hurried servants occasionally passed by. The old lady didn’t take her to the banquet hall but headed toward the inner palace instead. Given the Xia family’s distant relationship with the empress, they were likely going to pay their respects to her first.

Xia Tong respectfully assisted the old lady, not daring to say much. The old lady suddenly spoke in a calm tone, “When we meet the empress, don’t speak carelessly. If the crown prince is also present, that would be the best.”