Fate-Holding Women

CHAPTER 6:

35

The consequences of the Duke of Fǔguó's second branch embezzling funds from the Ministry of Works finally came to light.

 

The Yellow River and the Huai River flooded one after another. After the levees broke, countless people were displaced, with some heading north and others seeking refuge with the pretender in the south.

 

The Emperor was furious and fainted from anger.

 

Upon waking, he immediately ordered the execution of the remaining members of the Mu family to appease the public's anger and dispatched people to transport grain and silver to the disaster area. 

After that, the Emperor's health declined day by day.

 

I had already asked the Eldest Princess to rescue Mu Qi's concubines and maidservants. Since they had nowhere to go for the time being, I temporarily housed them in the residence the Emperor had bestowed upon me.

 

On the day of Mu Qi's execution, I heard two people cursing me from behind.

 

They were the maidservants who had been abused by Mu Qi. 

I watched them with interest, “What did you say?”

 

One named Yu Shu, her eyes red-rimmed, said, “He may have been a scoundrel, but even if he wronged the entire world, he never wronged you. Wasn't he good enough to you?”

Another one, named Qiu He, initially stammered, but later, throwing caution to the wind, resentfully said, “He loved you so much, after he had you, he wouldn't even look at us. Why did you do this to him?”

 

Mu Qi was indeed handsome, delicate like a beautiful woman, only somewhat sinister.

 

No wonder he could charm these confused women.

I smiled faintly, “Then consider me to have wronged him. I would rather be alive and have wronged him than to have been right with him and died.”

 

I instructed Cao'er to call the rest, making them stand in a row in the courtyard.

 

“Anyone who pities Mu Qi and looks down on me, this traitor, step forward.”

 

They looked at each other, hesitated for a long time, and then two more stepped forward.

Cao'er angrily scolded, “You ingrates! That Mu man tormented you all day long until you were barely human. If it weren't for Madam's kindness in taking you in, you would have died somewhere unknown! Yet today you dare to repay kindness with vengeance!”

 

Yu Shu retorted, “If I'm repaying kindness with vengeance, then what about Madam? Allowing her, a mere merchant's wife, to enter the family register and become the main wife, what has the Duke of Fǔguó's mansion done wrong to her!?

If she hadn't stepped forward, the Duke of Fǔguó's mansion would still be doing well today! How could we have ended up in our current helpless state?

 

Taking away the pillar of our support, then giving us scraps of food like stray cats and dogs, is that considered kindness?”

 

I clapped my hands and laughed, “Good, good! I didn't expect you to be so loyal to the Duke of Fǔguó's mansion.

 

It just so happens that Mu Qi is on his way to death today, his corpse incomplete. If you truly cherish him, you surely wouldn't bear to see him pass on to the underworld empty-necked.

Later, I'll ask someone to tell the execution ground to send Mu Qi's body here. Your embroidery is excellent; help him sew his head back on. Consider it a final act of devotion.”

 

Hearing this, everyone was speechless, not knowing what to say.

 

After the body arrived, I prepared a room, complete with needles, thread, and hot water, and locked these four good women with their deceased husband.

 

As soon as I went in to take a look, one of them vomited all over the floor and pounded on the door, wanting to run.

Would I listen? Of course not, I let her continue.

 

The remaining three women persevered, but after the first stitch, they started crying and vomiting.

 

They hadn't finished even after half an hour. I went in to take a look and said with a smile:

“It seems your affections weren't so deep after all.”

 

They cried so hard they couldn't speak, and had no time to retort. After this incident, I truly felt utterly bored.

 

I had Cao'er distribute money and arrange suitable living arrangements for the remaining women.

 

As for these four who sewed the head, they'll have to find other ways to make a living.

 

The Eldest Princess, upon hearing about it, joked with me: “I never would have guessed that Xian Yin was actually so kind-hearted.”

I shook my head, “I'm not kind-hearted, I just do these things to make myself happy. I do whatever I want; if it makes me happy, I do it; if it bothers me, I stop.”

 

“You're still too soft-hearted,” the Eldest Princess said, exasperated. “Even if you're not angry when others betray you, you should still punish them severely. Otherwise, your subordinates will think there's no cost to betraying you. Then your situation will become perilous!”

 

Hearing this, I realized the Eldest Princess's authority had grown significantly.

 

After draining the Duke of Fǔguó's mansion, I finally gained a new ability: I can see Qi (energy, in this context probably referring to someone's fate or fortune) by consuming my own Qi.

 

I consumed some of my Qi to open my eyes, and indeed, there was a trace of dragon Qi in her aura.

36

The disaster relief funds became thinner with each level of distribution.

 

By the time it reached the common people, there was almost nothing left.

 

The distributed rice was also mixed with moldy rice, and many people died of diarrhea after eating it.

 

Refugees gathered, some becoming bandits, others simply gathering a crowd to seize the local government granaries, killing the County Magistrate, and raising a rebel flag.

 

Qi Changlan was an only son, but he had several brave and battle-hardened foster brothers.

He and his foster brothers led the troops to sweep away the enemy, but the old emperor remained wary and refused to supply the army with weapons and food.

 

However, I knew that Qi Changlan secretly employed people to conduct business, supporting his army himself.

 

Therefore, the Qi family army had extremely high loyalty and only obeyed Qi's orders.

Based on the information I've gathered these past days, Qi Changlan's maternal family, while appearing noble on the surface, actually has close ties to the South.

 

I looked around, and the Qi family's influence has become significant.

 

The Empire now seems on the verge of collapse, yet there's still a glimmer of hope.

37

The old Emperor had nearly twenty sons in his lifetime, but now only teenagers remain.

 

The adult princes, in previous years, were either forced into rebellion by the Emperor or intentionally plotted rebellions, and most of them died. Even the Crown Prince has been replaced twice.

 

Ever since the Emperor fell ill, I knew this day would eventually come.

The Eldest Princess's younger brother, the Fourteenth Prince, was poisoned and awoke as a simpleton.

 

The Eldest Princess was heartbroken and fell gravely ill.

 

The deposed Imperial Concubine Li and the Sixteenth Prince, working together inside and outside the palace, surrounded the palace, poisoned the Emperor, and launched a coup d'état.

The Sixteenth Prince had all his brothers killed, leaving only the simple-minded Fourteenth Prince.  

He specifically ordered me to be bound and subjected to lingchi (a slow, torturous death by slicing) to comfort the spirit of his cousin Mu Qi.

 

But unfortunately, the Duke of Fǔguó's mansion's Qi has been depleted, and the generals who seemed loyal to him had already harbored rebellious intentions.

The merit of supporting a new emperor, how could it compare to enjoying absolute power alone?

 

The general, Xu Kai, turned against the Sixteenth Prince and killed him, claiming he had been deceived by the rebel Mu family.  

He said that the army camp had strict discipline, that Mu family generals had killed the messenger, blocked news, and deceived the soldiers, claiming the capital was in danger.

Now, learning that the Sixteenth Prince and Imperial Concubine Li had committed treason and eliminated all the other princes, he deeply regretted his actions, finally realizing he had gotten on the wrong ship.  

He felt that taking the Emperor's salary meant he had a duty to the Emperor, and he couldn't continue to make mistakes.  

He immediately decided to kill the rebels and return the Empire to the Fourteenth Prince.

Thus, the Fourteenth Prince became the new Emperor.

 

Everyone knew that the Fourteenth Prince was now a simpleton due to the poison, incapable of handling state affairs.

 

After purging the court, Xu Kai naturally took over power, becoming the true ruler of the Palace.

38

Everything happened very quickly, and at this time, Qi Changlan and his foster brothers were still outside suppressing bandits and rebellions.  

Upon hearing of the events in the capital, the Qi family raised the banner of ‘cleansing the court,’ leading twenty thousand troops on a sweeping campaign, vowing to kill the traitor Xu Kai and rescue the Eldest Princess and the new Emperor.

“He played this quite cleverly. Not only did he remove himself from blame, but he also secured a righteous banner,” the Eldest Princess snorted, taking several of my white pieces.

I calmly placed my piece, “Even a woman killing her husband would use a righteous cause, let alone the Qi family, a group of cunning old foxes.

In this world, nothing can be done without a proper justification. The more rebellious the act, the more one must appear righteous.

 

So, in the future, when Your Highness ascends the throne, if you encounter corruption or treason, and need to punish the culprits, you must investigate thoroughly.

 

Perhaps those who seem heartbroken are all involved, while only the scapegoat is truly innocent.”

“Yes,” the Princess said self-deprecatingly, “Who would have thought that I was the one who poisoned the Fourteenth?”

 

I smiled slightly, “I also didn't expect that Your Highness would be capable of harming your own brother.”

 

“If I hadn't done it, he would be dead by now,” she said, her face devoid of any emotion.

 

“Your Highness seems troubled lately. I wonder why?” My fingertips lightly tapped the chessboard. “If there's anything bothering you, please speak up. I'd be happy to help alleviate your worries.”

The Eldest Princess fell silent for a moment before confiding in me:

 

“Since childhood, I've trained in martial arts, spending several years in the border regions with my maternal uncle. If it weren't for my martial skills, I wouldn't have been able to save the Emperor during the autumn hunt and receive the title of Royal Princess.

 

My maternal uncle's family clearly has hundreds of thousands of troops at the border, but they must guard against foreign tribes and cannot be easily mobilized.

 

I possess martial skills and strategic prowess, yet I cannot openly seize the throne and gain the genuine respect of those men.

Now, Xu Kai leads a rebellion, and the Qi family is marching north, yet I can only wait here, waiting for Qi Changlan to conquer the capital, marry him, and then plot further.

 

If that happens, I will be judged like the female emperors of the past, and future generations will believe that I lack ability and only ascended the throne by relying on a man. Xian Yin, I'm not reconciled.”

 

I stood up solemnly and looked at her with a serious expression.

“Your Highness is mistaken! The female general Luo Suyi of the previous dynasty was incredibly valiant, with illustrious military achievements. Yet, she still met a tragic end! She was indeed exceptionally brave, but she died, and even in death, she remained just a general!

 

Why must you strive for the approval of men? Your Highness, are you fighting for a breath of pride, or for supreme power? Are you fighting for the Empire, or for men's recognition? 

If you possess the Empire, what does it matter if you bear the infamy of history? What difference does it make if people say you relied on a man?

Your Highness's desire to prove your strength to others stems from a lack of self-confidence.

 

The strong appear weak to their enemies; only the weak habitually show off their strength. Crabs and clams use their thick shells to repel, hedgehogs use their quills to frighten, and vipers use their fangs to injure. All because, despite their outwardly aggressive appearance, they are actually incredibly weak and easily become prey.

But tigers and bears, do they ever act like that? If pigs and sheep were to believe tigers and bears were weak and dared to provoke them, that would be a delightful event for the tigers and bears!

 

Princess, will you be a viper, or a bear?”

 

The Princess was momentarily stunned.

 

After a moment, she couldn't help but laugh, tapping my head playfully.

 

“Song Xian Yin, ah Song Xian Yin, you're the only one who understands my true thoughts!”

I also laughed. “Now that I think about it, what does it matter whether or not you rely on a man? In history, there are countless Emperors who rose to power with the help of their wives or fathers-in-law! They relied on both men and women! Why are only female Emperors criticized?

 

The world has blocked the path of advancement for women, forbidding us from studying, holding office, or leading armies in battle, allowing us only marriage.

 

Now, even a woman's use of marriage for profit is condemned. Why? Men profit far more from marriage and connections.

Look at me, I've married so many men to reach where I am today. And I'm not ashamed. 

Men are lecherous and selfish. Countless women have been schemed against and met tragic ends after marriage, gaining nothing. To extract wealth and power from cunning men is a skill in itself!”

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