I brought Jie Yuhua into the main hall, while Li Guxian began to air her grievances: "Thinking back, your household's principal wife and I were comrades-in-arms back then. Everything we did came from the bottom of our hearts, and how many enemy generals of the Divine Court died by our hands? Who ever dared say anything? But now look at her—she has brought along a whole household. Instead, she's telling me that everything must be viewed from the bigger picture, warning me not to let a minor matter ruin the greater good, and not to throw into chaos the empire men worked so hard to build. Fine, then! This is the first time my Li Guxian has ever heard her lecture me. I'm not a minister of Skytown, much less a member of her women's army. I'm merely seeking to ensure my child has no future worries and settle an old score. I only killed Zhang Zhenyun—was that wrong?"
I gave an awkward smile and said, "Jiu'er was only thinking of your own good. Zhang Zhenyun is, after all, a Dao Alliance Heavenly Venerable and a feudal lord of one region in the Nine Heavens. If there were sufficient grounds to put him on trial and execute him, no one could say much about it. But if there was no way to announce his crimes to the world before killing him, naturally there would be more objections. For the sake of your reputation, Jiu'er had to make arrangements with every side and ensure you didn't end up saddled with a reputation for being arrogant, overbearing, wicked, and unrestrained, right?"
"Little monkey, even after coming to me, you're still taking your household's principal wife's side? Does my Li Guxian still need her to protect my reputation?" Li Guxian angrily flicked her