"The duchess slaughtered the duke like a pig?" The emperor frowned. What sort of nonsense was this?
Eunuch Wang was not the least bit intimidated. "This old servant heard it with his own ears."
Only a river separated them, but the garden was so noisy that all sorts of sounds had poured into Eunuch Wang's ears. He had finally managed to catch Tong Aning's thoughts and hurried back to tell the emperor.
The emperor raised a hand. Eunuch Wang leaned over familiarly, only for the emperor to grab his ear and give it a vicious twist. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, the emperor asked, "What about now?"
Despite being nearly fifty, Eunuch Wang actually looked aggrieved. "Everything this old servant said was true."
The emperor realized that, too. However much Eunuch Wang liked joking around, he would never make light of something like this.
He beckoned again. This time, Eunuch Wang was on his guard and refused to approach him, no matter what.
The emperor: "..."
"Look at you," he scolded.
Then he said, "Bring the duke and duchess here. Let me see exactly what happened."
Was His Majesty looking to enjoy the spectacle, too?
"Yes."
By the time Eunuch Wang arrived, the garden had fallen quiet.
Everyone seated there was from an official's household. How could they fail to recognize this favorite of His Majesty? But why was Eunuch Wang here?
Even Wei Mingning froze for a moment.
Eunuch Wang said, "His Majesty heard what happened here and requests the duke and duchess's presence."
Flicking his fly whisk, Eunuch Wang spotted Wei Mingning, then looked around and asked, "Where is the duke?"
"Right here."
Tong Aning pointed at Gu Zhenye, who had tried repeatedly to get up to preserve his dignity, only to fail every time.
Gu Zhenye: "..."
Now he had truly disgraced himself.
But Gu Zhenye could no longer worry about that. With the emperor here, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet, then took the child whom the matron beside Wei Mingning had been holding in place.
He cried loudly, "I beg His Majesty to uphold justice for me!"
[Fine, fine, uphold justice for him. Betroth him to that mistress.]
Several muffled laughs rose around them.
The marquis's fourth daughter certainly had a venomous tongue.
Eunuch Wang looked impatient. "Save your howling until you're before His Majesty, Duke."
Gu Zhenye even forgot to cry. What was that supposed to mean?
Wei Mingning walked ahead, while Gu Zhenye followed with the child. Looking at the two people in front of him, he felt nothing but contempt. Just a eunuch and a woman.
Their day would come.
After Wei Mingning and Gu Zhenye left, everyone began whispering among themselves about the same thing-
Why was the emperor here?
[Someone tricked him into leaving the palace.]
Good heavens, someone actually dared to deceive the emperor?
Su Zhouyue glanced at Tong Aning, who had made that startling revelation. She was stuffing pastries into her mouth and chewing away while watching the willow branches swaying in the breeze beside the river.
After watching for a while, Su Zhouyue realized that Tong Aning's eyes were moving along with the willow branches.
Just like a little kitten.
Su Zhouyue's heart softened even more.
She beckoned to Tong Aning. "Aning, shall we go home?"
"Okay."
[I'm full anyway.]
Watching Tong Aning's bulging cheeks, Su Zhouyue wondered whether she had filled up on gossip or food.
Before leaving, the duchess had said everyone could leave whenever they wished. She had made a spectacle of herself today and would make it up to them another day.
In truth, these people were remarkably bold. Not only did they dare enjoy the duke's humiliation, they also wanted to hear how the emperor had been tricked out of the palace.
Unfortunately, Tong Aning said no more.
Everyone went their separate ways.
Quite a few ladies invited Su Zhouyue to bring Tong Aning to visit another day.
Were they eyeing her daughter, or her daughter's ability?
Su Zhouyue watched them warily, as though guarding against thieves.
Before they reached the duke's gates, a figure suddenly rushed toward them.
Su Zhouyue shielded Tong Aning behind her. On closer inspection, it was actually Cui Heng's mother.
Over the past few days, everyone had heard about Cui Heng's illicit affair with his cousin and her resulting pregnancy.
Even at court, the Cui father and son had been fiercely impeached.
Tong Siyan had fanned the flames from time to time. By today, she had finally enjoyed enough of the spectacle and gone to the Cui residence to discuss an amicable divorce.
Tong Fengye had accompanied her, and Tong Yibin had also taken leave from the Ministry of Justice to join them.
Had things gone badly?
The moment Luo Shuyun saw Su Zhouyue, she began wailing. "Su Zhouyue, that daughter you raised has no conscience! Not only is she taking her dowry away, she wants to empty our entire residence!"
Su Zhouyue covered Tong Aning's ears, her expression indifferent. "Don't you know perfectly well why she's taking those things?"
They had spent her daughter's dowry to plug the holes in their household finances. If she had not felt bad about turning down the duchess today, she would have gone to help empty the place herself!
This mother and daughter were truly cut from the same cloth, cold-faced and hard-hearted.
Luo Shuyun kept crying. Someone beside her advised, "Stop crying. His Majesty is at the duke's residence today, too."
Luo Shuyun's eyes lit up. His Majesty was here, too?
She immediately scrambled up. "I'll ask His Majesty to uphold justice for my son!"
Not long after she left, Eunuch Wang came to summon Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning. As it happened, Tong Siyan, Tong Fengye, and Tong Yibin had all arrived.
Cui Heng had not even shown his face. Su Zhouyue thought even less of him.
The family of five headed toward the pavilion where the emperor was.
Inside the pavilion, Gu Zhenye and Wei Mingning stood on one side, Luo Shuyun on the other. In the center sat a figure dressed in imperial yellow.
[So this is the emperor?]
The emperor paused and looked at Eunuch Wang. What was that voice?
Eunuch Wang blinked rather smugly. His Majesty had not believed him earlier. Stunned now, wasn't he?
Eunuch Wang pointed at Tong Aning.
[An emperor really does have an imposing presence.]
The emperor stroked his beard, his imperial heart greatly pleased.
Su Zhouyue hurriedly led her children in paying their respects.
The emperor treated the Tong family quite graciously. He asked Tong Siyan, "Madam Cui says you intend to empty their residence. What is going on?"
Neither servile nor overbearing, Tong Siyan replied, "Because all those things were purchased with my dowry."
The emperor's gaze darkened. He looked at Luo Shuyun. "Is that so?"
And he had thought the Cui family was a good one.
Luo Shuyun's heart jolted. She hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, what man doesn't take concubines? Just because another woman is carrying her husband's child, she wants a divorce. Isn't that absurd?"
[Host, that sounds reasonable.]
[It isn't. You're a good system. You mustn't learn bad habits from them.]
[I mean, Luo Shuyun's husband is fooling around with someone at home right now. She really is quite generous.]
Tong Aning bit her lip. She wanted to laugh, but could not.
At those words, Luo Shuyun's entire face turned livid. What demons or monsters were spouting nonsense here? Go away, go away!
With the emperor backing him now, Gu Zhenye straightened his back and chimed in, "Exactly."
[Host, these people's relationships are such a mess.]
Tong Aning perked up. [How so?]
[Such a mess. I'm having a little trouble sorting them out.]
Tong Aning had never seen what the system looked like, but she had always spoken in a childish voice, sounding like a very, very well-behaved little girl.
Those words sounded adorable and very convincing.
Overflowing with affection, Tong Aning said, [How are they tangled up? I'll sort them out for you.]
Back in the modern world, Tong Aning had been the queen of gossip. Sorting this out would be a breeze.
The system mentioned so many events and names that everyone present who could hear her became thoroughly confused.
At the critical moment, Tong Aning stepped in.
[For now, let's call these people Old Cui, Old Wang, Old Gu, Madam Du, and Madam Luo. Old Gu and Madam Du were childhood sweethearts. Old Gu promised Madam Du he would marry her, but power dazzled his eyes, and he married someone else. Old Gu thought, I can't wrong my white moonlight, so he secretly sought Madam Du out again, used his wife's money to buy her property, and kept her as his mistress.]
Wei Mingning ground her teeth. Wasn't that precisely what that bastard Gu Zhenye had done? He could not even bear to spend his own money on his beloved. He had actually spent hers!
[Old Gu was all right, but a little ugly, a little lecherous, and a little weak. Madam Du thought she couldn't devote all her attention to him, so she found Old Cui, too. Old Cui fell in love with Madam Du at first sight and gave her quite a lot of silver every month.]
Old Cui... Luo Shuyun clenched her handkerchief. Surely not?
[Old Wang was a worker in the household. After enough encounters, those two hooked up, too.]
[One day, Madam Du went out dressed as a man and caught Madam Luo's eye as well. Madam Luo declared she would give her all her estates outside the city.]
[Old Cui and Madam Luo are husband and wife. System, do you understand now?]
[I understand.]
Hearing this, Luo Shuyun's eyes widened in disbelief.
Everyone else's jaws dropped in shock.
How outrageous! Both husband and wife were keeping mistresses, and they were keeping the very same one.
Luo Shuyun nearly fainted.
Half finding it extraordinary and half enjoying the spectacle, the emperor quietly instructed Eunuch Wang to fetch Madam Du.
By now, Madam Du had arrived, and Eunuch Wang brought her in.
After frantic pinching beneath her nose brought Luo Shuyun around, she took one look at Du Liu'er and nearly fainted again. "Heavens! It really is that tormentor of mine!" she wailed.
Gu Zhenye was delighted to see Du Liu'er, thinking the emperor meant to bring them together. He stepped forward to meet her, but Du Liu'er kept her eyes lowered and did not look at him.
What did that mean?
Then the emperor looked at the child who had been left neglected to one side and asked with interest, "Whose child is this?"
Gu Zhenye hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, he is mine."
Another voice spoke. "He is mine."
Gu Zhenye turned and saw Cui Ming approaching.
Gu Zhenye: "?"
"You tormentor! You tormentor! Your son is about to be divorced, and you hide in your room playing dead, but the moment your mistress gets into trouble, you come running! You old wretch!"
Luo Shuyun threw herself at Cui Ming, wishing she could beat him to death.
Cui Ming shoved Luo Shuyun away and knelt before the emperor. "Liu'er and I share a deep love as husband and wife. The child is indeed mine."
The emperor raised an eyebrow. "But Minister Gu just said the child was his, too."
Gu Zhenye? How could that be...
In an instant, Cui Ming understood the crux of the matter. Burning with rage, he pointed at Du Liu'er. "You betrayed me!"
Du Liu'er's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't..."
Tong Aning asked curiously, [System, whose child is he, exactly?]
They wanted to know, too!!!
[He's...]
Luo Shuyun shook her head and waved her hands. "Well, he certainly can't be mine."
Cui Ming: "...?"
Author's note: