The Emperor's Intent, the Du Family as Bait

"Juxuan, what do you think the sixth princess meant by what she said just now?"

Though General Zhu had spent many years campaigning on the battlefield, he was no brute who knew only how to fight. Otherwise, the Zhu Family would not have remained safe and sound for so many years. Madam Zhu, meanwhile, had always stayed in the royal city to manage the household for him and cultivate ties with the officials' wives and daughters, so she naturally sensed that Di Qingyu's words were not so simple.

The two had gone some distance from the room and entered the study for a private discussion. Zhu Juxuan shut the door and let out a soft sigh.

"The sixth princess wants to drag us into this."

"Hmm? Could it be to deal with the Du Family?" Madam Zhu asked doubtfully.

Zhu Juxuan chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't you hear her say she wasn't particularly magnanimous and liked to repay kindness with kindness? Naturally, she meant that she would repay a grudge with a grudge. Du Yutao attacked her so viciously, so her claim that she couldn't bear to add frost to snow was a lie. Otherwise, when the empress dowager wanted her to sentence Du Yutao to death outright, she wouldn't have gone to beg His Majesty to wait until the matter with Du Chengji was over before passing sentence. She's plainly trying to make things difficult for them."

Madam Zhu pressed him. "Then what does she mean by dragging our Zhu Family into this? Does she want us to help her?"

"Yes and no." Zhu Juxuan shook his head again. "If she had only told us about the Du Family's weakness, it would have been up to us whether to act. But she had to bring Wuyang the tonic the empress dowager gave her. She was hinting that we're in the same boat as her now. If the Du Family escapes this calamity, then once Du Yutao dies, they'll hold a grudge against both her and the Zhu Family, and the empress dowager will bear resentment too."

At that, he sighed softly. "After I argued with Du Chengji before His Majesty that day, I could no longer stay out of it. She wants us to take the initiative and add fuel to the fire under the Du Family—not to help her, but for the Zhu Family's future."

If the Zhu Family acted, it would not only be to avenge Zhu Wuyang, but also to weaken the empress dowager's faction and prevent them from making trouble later.

Madam Zhu's expression changed slightly. "The sixth princess's words had such a deep meaning? I thought she had truly come to visit Wuyang."

Zhu Juxuan took her hand and led her farther inside. "No, she never visits a temple without a reason. She looks frail and harmless, but her mind is deep and meticulous. Even I can't fathom her thoughts sometimes. All I can do is keep my distance, for fear she'll trap me."

That was why, as soon as he heard Zhu Wuyang was going to protect her, he had repeatedly warned him not to provoke Di Qingyu.

"Then, when His Majesty suddenly had Wuyang protect her the other day, could he have been trying to bring them together?" Something occurred to Madam Zhu, and worry crossed her face.

Zhu Juxuan halted, then continued forward with a calm expression. "A prince consort cannot hold an important post or take part in affairs of state. Wuyang is now a rising star in the army. His Majesty probably wouldn't."

Though he said so, who could accurately guess the emperor's thoughts? Zhu Juxuan also harbored a trace of worry.

"But even with the natural disaster and public opinion, didn't Wei Ning say the files on that matter from seven years ago had all been destroyed in a fire? The empress dowager will surely do everything she can to protect the Du Family. Even if we impeach Du Chengji at court, I'm afraid it won't accomplish much." Madam Zhu could not help worrying.

Zhu Juxuan patted her hand. "Don't worry. Whoever is behind this, since they were able to bring about a natural disaster as a warning, they must have thought everything through. The Du Family cannot escape this calamity. Besides, didn't the sixth princess just say, 'Only what Heaven says is true or false counts as true or false'?"

Madam Zhu's eyes widened, and she already had a guess. "Could the Heaven she spoke of mean..."

"My lady, it's enough for us to understand without saying it."

Zhu Juxuan tightened his grip on her hand and shook his head slightly.

Heaven would not concern itself with so much. Only the one above could declare what was true or false and make the decision, and Di Qingyu's few words had already shown him how to go about accusing the Du Family.

He had no choice but to board this pirate ship.

"Juxuan, do you think... the sixth princess understands every aspect of the situation so thoroughly. Could the person behind it..." be her?

A chill settled in Madam Zhu's heart. Could Di Qingyu truly be so calculating? She could not help wondering.

Zhu Juxuan frowned and fell silent for a long time before finally shaking his head. "I've considered it too, but only someone who has long been in officialdom, understands the people's hearts, and has immense influence could have laid such a scheme. The sixth princess is only fourteen. She has no maternal relatives behind her and no faction at court. At most, she's taking the opportunity to seek revenge."

After a pause, he turned to Madam Zhu with a serious expression. "That day, His Majesty summoned Gao Qian, me, and several others to the palace. Do you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"His Majesty said he didn't care whether the rumors about the Du Clan were true or false. What mattered was that we find the person behind the plot. If that person was from Xiling, all well and good. If they were from any of the other three kingdoms, we had to eliminate them to prevent future trouble!"

Madam Zhu was puzzled, but before she could ask why, Zhu Juxuan continued, "It's because the force that broke the bridge and split the stele on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival was beyond what a person could produce. Its force in the water alone was enough to split the bridge and shatter the ground, injuring countless people nearby. If used on a battlefield, it would be the ultimate weapon."

"If Xiling possesses it, the realm will be united. If another kingdom possesses it, Xiling will cease to exist!"

A weapon like that could not be stopped by mortal flesh and blood.

"?!" Madam Zhu's heart jumped, and she understood a great deal at once.

"Juxuan, then the Du Family's life or death is really just bait for His Majesty. What he wants is for the person behind it to appear."

Zhu Juxuan's expression was unreadable. "The realm belongs to His Majesty. If His Majesty wants someone dead, it takes but a word. Who would care about evidence?"

Thus, when Di Qingyu said, "Only what Heaven says is true or false counts as true or false," she was also hinting that he should poison Di Yunqian's ear against the Du Family and make him suspicious of them.

While the two spoke privately, weighed down with worry, Di Qingyu was utterly at ease by the brazier, chatting and laughing with Zhu Wuyang's three elder sisters.

"Please don't tease me, sisters. Oh, I heard that Sister Jiuning has recently begun discussing marriage. Has any talented young gentleman caught your eye?" Di Qingyu turned to Zhu Jiuning, the Zhu Family's eldest legitimate daughter.

Zhu Jiuning was the tiger daughter of a military family, with a bold and generous streak beneath her gentle disposition. She cast Di Qingyu a reproachful look.

"You're teasing me again, sixth princess. There's no such thing. Mother just sees me playing with swords and spears at home every day and keeps thinking of marrying me off, so I can assist my husband, raise children, and tame my temper a little."

Thinking of certain things from her previous life, Di Qingyu merely smiled. "It seems Sister Jiuning doesn't have anyone in her heart yet. Quite right. There are many fine men in the royal city, so you must keep your eyes sharp, Sister Jiuning. You should choose someone who will treat you well."

Zhu Jiuning took it as casual advice and thought little of it.

After spending some more time with them, Di Qingyu ate dinner at the general's residence. Zhu Wuyang never appeared; Zhu Juxuan said his wound had not healed and it was inconvenient for him to move.

Di Qingyu also understood that Zhu Juxuan was guarding against her developing feelings for Zhu Wuyang because he had saved her life, thereby hindering him from earning merit and establishing himself on the battlefield.

She did not much mind. After eating, she returned to the palace.