Drowned in the Pond

Zongzheng Heng watched the scene, his gaze as deep as a pool.

Two cuts.

Two legs.

Pierced straight through.

Without the slightest hesitation.

He had killed many people and seen much blood, but looking at the smiling woman with blood staining the hem of her skirt, he could not help giving her another glance.

A madwoman.

She truly was a madwoman.

Yet an absurd thought suddenly occurred to Zongzheng Heng.

He had thought himself a madman.

On the road to the throne, he had slaughtered his own siblings, eliminated those who opposed him, and climbed to the imperial throne over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

His ministers guarded against him as they would a tiger, clung fiercely to their power, formed factions for their own gain, and tried every way they could to strip him, their emperor, of authority.

Behind his back, they called him cold and heartless, ruthless and cruel, a wolf in human skin.

He admitted it.

Without that ruthlessness, he would not have lived to see this day.

But looking at the woman before him, he suddenly felt-

He was not mad enough.

He cared about the stability of the realm, the balance of power at court, the support of the people, and how history would record him as an emperor.

Before everything he did, he had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, calculate what he stood to gain or lose, and think through the consequences of taking that step.

He was the emperor. He had to be this way.

But what of the woman before him?

She cared about nothing.

She did not care whether she put the Prince of Jin'an in a difficult position, how the Lu Family would react, or what storm would arise if word of today's events got out.

She cared only whether she wanted to do something, only whether she could vent the grievance in her heart.

Consequences, costs, the bigger picture-

In her eyes, none of them were worth mentioning.

Qiao Shuyi was the true madwoman.

A madwoman through and through, without a single scruple.

He, on the other hand, was merely a prisoner dancing in shackles.

And yet-

He did not think she was wrong.

Because-they were the same kind of person.

If someone hurt his dog, he would make them pay a hundredfold, let alone someone who hurt one of his people.

As he was thinking this, Qiao Shuyi walked up to him.

Zongzheng Heng raised his eyes and met hers.

The madwoman who had wielded a blade with such casual ease just moments ago now seemed like a different person.

Her eyes were lowered and slightly red, her lips pressed together, looking as though she had suffered an enormous injustice.

She held out the right hand that had gripped the blade, palm up, before him.

"Zhigui, my hand is dirty."

Zongzheng Heng looked down at her hand without speaking.

"Zhigui, did you know? I never used to hurt people myself."

"To me, anyone who hurt me was worse than a beast. How could I stain my hands with a beast's blood?"

"But today... for you, I took revenge myself."

She waved her bloodstained hand and looked at him pitifully:

"My hand is all dirty."

Zongzheng Heng's throat bobbed slightly, and his voice was a little husky:

"Shall I... wipe it clean for Shushu?"

Qiao Shuyi blinked and murmured, "Mm."

Zongzheng Heng took a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve, lifted her hand, and carefully wiped it clean, one knuckle at a time.

Just then-

Hurried footsteps sounded.

Fuzhi came running over, her face full of alarm, and said urgently:

"Miss, something's wrong! Her Ladyship is in the front hall... something's happened."

Zongzheng Heng's hand paused.

The softness on Qiao Shuyi's face faded bit by bit.

She withdrew her hand, and some of the chill returned to her voice:

"Qingyan, fetch a physician, and get some medicine for Zhigui too."

Qingyan lowered her head and accepted the order.

Then Qiao Shuyi started walking. "Fuzhi, come with me to the front hall."

Along the way, a maid dressed in blue hurried ahead to lead them, with Qiao Shuyi and Qingyan close behind.

As the maid walked, she reported in a low voice:

"Miss, at the banquet, His Highness caught Her Ladyship and Lord Zhou... Her Ladyship and Lord Zhou..."

She gritted her teeth, but in the end did not dare finish:

"His Highness has already dismissed most of the guests, leaving only a few close to him. Concubine Song, His Highness, the eldest miss, and Lord Zhou are all waiting in the side room."

"His Highness is furious. I heard... I heard he wants to kill Her Ladyship."

Qiao Shuyi did not slow her steps, but her expression grew a little colder.

Kill Liu Jinyu?

Qiao Nanyu, oh, Qiao Nanyu, you truly don't have the slightest affection for Mother.

She had seen through him long ago.

He was selfish to the core, with only himself in his heart.

When his misdeeds came to light, he could push his wife out to serve as a shield.

When disaster loomed, he could kill his daughter to prove his loyalty.

The bond between husband and wife, the blood ties between father and daughter-in his eyes, they were nothing more than tools to be used.

Qiao Nanyu was supremely conceited and deeply chauvinistic.

His women could scheme against one another, vie and plot, and even die at his hands, but there was one thing they could not do-put a green hat on him.

That was his face, his authority, his dignity as a man.

How could he bear it?

But however unbearable it was, it should not have driven him straight to killing Liu Jinyu.

Qiao Shuyi's gaze darkened slightly.

As they spoke, they arrived at the door to the side room.

Inside the side room.

Qiao Nanyu sat upright in the seat of honor, his face livid.

Liu Jinyu knelt, her hair disheveled and her clothes somewhat rumpled.

"Your Highness, you must believe me! How could I possibly betray you?"

Zhou Yan knelt not far from her, his face deathly pale and cold sweat pouring down his forehead. There was no trace left of an imperial official.

Song Chengyin stood beside Qiao Nanyu.

"Your Highness, Elder Sister... she must have lost her head for a moment. For the sake of your many years as husband and wife, please spare her life."

Qiao Shuqin also spoke timidly:

"Father, Mother... she has always treated me very well. There must be some misunderstanding about what happened today. Lord Zhou and Mother are old acquaintances. Perhaps they were only catching up, and that maid didn't know any better and saw it wrong..."

"Shut up!"

Qiao Nanyu slammed his palm on the table, making the teacups rattle.

"What kind of catching up requires a closed door? What kind of old acquaintances need to have their clothes in disarray?!"

Qiao Nanyu looked at Liu Jinyu kneeling on the floor. He felt not a shred of pity, only endless disgust and rage.

He had married her back then solely for the Liu Family's money.

He, Qiao Nanyu, needed to raise an army and accomplish a great undertaking. Without silver, he could not take a single step.

The Liu Family was the wealthiest family in Jinzhou, and Liu Jinyu was their only daughter. Marrying her meant marrying a mountain of gold.

As for the woman herself-she was illiterate, shallow and ignorant, unable even to write a proper letter. How could she be worthy of him?

But he had endured it.

As long as she was useful, as long as the Liu Family's silver flowed into his pockets without end, he could indulge her in anything.

But the people who had come today were all trusted confidants he had cultivated over many years, the key to his uprising.

Whether or not Liu Jinyu had been set up, the result was plain to see:

His woman had been embracing another man in full view of everyone.

Where was he, Qiao Nanyu, to put his face?

How would these people see him from now on? Was a man who could not even control his own woman fit to command a great army and accomplish a great undertaking?

Song Chengyin hesitated. "Please calm your anger, Your Highness. Only... I have something to say, though I do not know if I should be so bold."

Qiao Nanyu gave her a cold glance. "Speak."

Song Chengyin took a letter from her sleeve and presented it with both hands:

"This was found in Elder Sister's room just now... I had someone search for it. I should not have brought it out, but now that things have come to this, I dare not hide it."

Qiao Nanyu took the letter and unfolded it.

Its words were tender, speaking of longing-

"Though we have not met for many years, I often recall those days in my dreams," "If fate permits, I hope we may meet"... every word was filled with a woman's love for the man in her heart.

Qiao Nanyu's face grew darker and darker.

"Your Highness, Elder Sister and Lord Zhou were childhood sweethearts. They were in love. When Elder Sister married into the prince's manor, Lord Zhou left Jinzhou... now that he has returned, I fear their old feelings are hard to sever. But Elder Sister only lost her head for a moment. Your Highness..."

Kneeling to one side, Zhou Yan caught sight of the handwriting on the letter, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

He recognized the handwriting.

Liu Jinyu did not like reading, and her writing was crooked and uneven. He had even laughed at her for it back then.

After all these years, her handwriting had not changed a bit.

But he himself was also bewildered by what had happened today.

Just now, for some reason, he had found himself embracing Liu Jinyu as if driven by ghosts and spirits. It had been like a dream, or as though he had been possessed.

This was by no means simple.

But what use was there in saying any of that now?

The Prince of Jin'an had already lost face, and his anger was already blazing. He, Zhou Yan, would likely meet with more ill fortune than good today.

Qiao Nanyu flung the letter in his hand down in front of Liu Jinyu.

"What else do you have to say?!"

"No... I didn't write it..."

"Your Highness, I didn't write this! I've never written a letter like this! I... I can barely write. How could I have written something like this..."

Qiao Nanyu could not be bothered to look at her again. He merely raised a hand and ordered:

"Guards."

Two guards immediately entered from outside.

"I divorce my wife today. Liu Jinyu has violated a wife's duty and carried on an illicit affair with a man-" He paused, then said each word distinctly, "Drown her in the pond."

At those words, Liu Jinyu nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Song Chengyin stood to one side, a handkerchief covering her lips, as though she could not bear to watch.

Qiao Shuqin kept her head lowered, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.

But in truth, it was excitement and delight. After waiting so many years, this day had finally come.

Drowned in the pond.

Liu Jinyu was going to die.

Her mother was finally going to take back everything that belonged to her.

Just then-

Bang!

The door was flung open from outside.