Chapter 161: Surviving By Cutting Off The Tail

Jiang Boyou’s memorial requesting an investigation into the Xiao family was bold, akin to grasping a tiger by the whiskers. Naturally, the Xiao family, from top to bottom, was furious. 

Moreover, both in the court and in the streets, many people were already speculating about when Jiang Boyou would face misfortune.

The Xiao family was the current ruling family, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager!

Emperor Shen Lang’s attitude towards the Xiao family over the past years had been quite indulgent. A Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was a significant position, but what was it worth in the eyes of the Emperor?

“This Minister Jiang usually seems to be a mild-mannered person. Why has he suddenly gone mad and picked a fight with the Xiao family this time?”

“Perhaps it’s for his daughter’s sake?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that the major families in the capital are all secretly exerting themselves to influence the selection of the Princess Consort for the Prince Linzi. The bad reputation of Jiang’s daughter was first spread by people from the Xiao family, wasn’t it?”

“An arm can’t twist a thigh. Why go to such lengths over this?”

“What a pity, what a pity.”

No one thought Jiang Boyou could win against the Xiao family.

As expected, although there was much discussion in the court, very few dared to openly support Jiang Boyou, each fearing to be the “bird that sticks its head out” will bring misfortune upon themselves. 

After the memorial was submitted, it did not receive a response but was instead held back by Shen Lang, left in the archives.

Xiao Yuan, pleased with himself, declared that Jiang Boyou would pay dearly.

However, no one expected that just one day later, the previously suppressed memorial was sent directly to the Cabinet, where it was to be reviewed and discussed by several high-ranking ministers to decide whether it should be approved.

Although it was just a minor action, it was deeply significant to those who were observant.

Everyone began to calculate in secret.

The Cabinet ministers sat around the memorial placed prominently on the desk, glancing at each other in silence, fearful of misinterpreting the Emperor’s intentions.

That afternoon, Xiao Yuan grew anxious.

He was an external minister, and if he entered the palace to see the Empress Dowager at this time, it would seem too conspicuous and might give others a chance to find fault. Thus, he sent his junior, Xiao Shu, to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

—

In the evening at Kunning Palace, it was shrouded in twilight.

The palace servants who had served dinner filed out one by one.

Xiao Shu, dressed in splendid attire, appeared vibrant against the dimming sky, standing still for a moment until summoned and then entered to pay her respects.

Seeing her, Empress Dowager Xiao smiled and said, “When I was your age, I had similar grace. You must be here because of the recent events, right? I’ve heard all about it.”

Xiao Shu’s heart suddenly grew cold.

She vaguely sensed that something was off. How had her once-great aunt, who once ruled the six palaces, become so gloomy and started reminiscing about the past?

“Even with Aunt’s grace now, Ah Shu still cannot compare, let alone back then?” 

Xiao Shu bowed and performed her greeting, then, as usual, approached affectionately. 

“Aunt, you’re as perceptive as ever. Recently, my father has been unsettled. You know he’s always indecisive, and with the unpredictable spring weather, he’s been quite anxious. That’s why I came to give you my respects and seek your advice.”

Xiao Shu’s words were always carefully measured and pleasing. Had it been any other time, Empress Dowager Xiao would have surely smiled and pulled her close for a chat.

But now, she just stared at her.

After a long while, as Xiao Shu’s smile began to wane, the Empress Dowager finally spoke slowly, “When I was young, how could I compare to you? As you said, it’s your father who needs advice from me, not you!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shu knelt in front of her, her voice trembling, “Aunt, why do you speak so harshly?”

But there wasn’t a trace of a smile left on the Empress Dowager’s face; she even showed a hint of fierceness. 

Gritting her teeth, she said, “My foolish brother truly raised a good daughter! I’ve always known you’re smart and adept at seeking benefits and avoiding harm, the only one in the capital suited to sit in the position of the Six Palaces’ master! You haven’t disappointed! But at home, you’ve really come up with a good strategy for your father!”

Xiao Shu looked up in shock.

The Empress Dowager sneered, “The marriage discussions are very heated. The Xiao family is already a thorn in everyone’s side, a living target! Your father can’t see it, but you should know that such times demand caution. Yet, what advice did you give your father? You used the situation in Tongzhou to sully Jiang Boyou’s daughter’s reputation!”

Xiao Shu seemed still not to understand the Empress Dowager’s words and said, “Jiang Xuehui is my greatest rival. If she is eliminated, the position of Princess Consort to the Prince of Linzi would be mine. Is it wrong for me to do this?”

“Foolish!”

Seeing that she still didn’t understand, the Empress Dowager, enraged, slapped her face!

“Smack!”

Xiao Shu staggered and fell to the ground.

The Empress Dowager pointed at her nose, furious and disappointed, “I’ve wasted so many years teaching you, only to find out you’re the child of my foolish brother and that foolish woman from outside. All your apparent intelligence is useless; in crucial moments, your head is full of wax! You used Jiang Xuening to tarnish Jiang Xuehui’s reputation, and while it harmed Jiang Xuehui, did you not expect a counterattack? Moreover, now everyone in the market and court is discussing you, proposing you as a candidate for the marriage to the Tatars instead of Leyang. If Shen Jie had any sense of the current situation, how could he choose you as a consort?! The people’s words are like a flood, and a single spittle from everyone could drown you! Even if Jiang Xuehui is not chosen, there are still Chen Shuyi and Zhao Shuyi! How could it ever be your turn?!”

The palace maids had long since retreated outside, leaving the great hall in a cold and stern silence.

Xiao Shu’s lowered eyelids trembled slightly. When she lifted her head, it was as if she had just realized the gravity of the situation, her entire demeanor lost in a daze.

After a moment, she seemed to panic, kneeling in front of Empress Dowager Xiao, and said in a trembling voice, “It was my fault, Aunt. I forgot this crucial detail, and now a major mistake has been made. Aunt, you’ve been in the palace for many years, and the Emperor is your flesh and blood. Surely you must have a way to handle this? I’m so afraid they will really send me off to be married to the Tatars…”

Tears began to fall as she spoke.

Empress Dowager Xiao had always treated her with close affection, even more so than her own daughter, Shen Zhiyi, because Xiao Shu was not as spoiled or reckless. 

Sometimes, Empress Dowager Xiao was kinder to Xiao Shu than to her own daughter.

However, seeing her niece now in such disarray only made Empress Dowager Xiao feel a mix of irritation and disappointment.

She replied coldly, “Had you not made such a foolish move, I might have been able to protect you. After all, the Xiao family is powerful. If you were sent off to be married to the Tatars, the Emperor would likely be wary, fearing an alliance between the Xiao family and the Tatars plotting for the throne. But you, on the other hand, have handed him the perfect excuse to weaken the Xiao family first!”

Empress Dowager Xiao closed her eyes, looking at her as if she were an abandoned piece, feeling that any further attention was a waste of time. 

She said, “Your poor idea has inadvertently revealed the Emperor’s intentions. Now, I am left with the mess to clean up, and even I am powerless to prevent your marriage. Go back on your own. You need not visit the palace frequently anymore.”

Xiao Shu seemed unable to believe her aunt’s coldness.

Looking at her aunt, she asked, “Auntie, are you really going to watch me be sent off to the dangerous Tatars?”

Empress Dowager Xiao remained expressionless and unmoved, “Zhiyi is my own flesh and blood, and she can go. Why can’t you?”

Xiao Shu lowered her head.

Empress Dowager Xiao stood up and left without paying her further attention, leaving only one sentence behind: “In the imperial family, there are no true bonds. It’s your own foolishness; do not blame me for being heartless.”

After saying this, Empress Dowager Xiao’s figure had already disappeared behind the painted screen.

The twilight outside had completely fallen, and the hall was shrouded in darkness.

Thus, whether it was the departing Empress Dowager or the incoming palace maids, neither saw that, at the moment the Empress Dowager’s figure disappeared and darkness enveloped the room, Xiao Shu’s previously vibrant and beautiful face, once filled with respect, fear, and sorrow, seemed to drain of all color, leaving only a pretty face with delicate features.

It was as if she had become a lifeless doll.

There was even a hint of something sinister about her.

She stood up with eerie calmness, the five-finger mark from Empress Dowager Xiao’s slap still visible on her cheek, and walked out of the great hall.

The palace maids carried lanterns to escort her out of the palace.

Having vaguely heard about the Empress Dowager’s anger in the hall, they dared not to scrutinize her and only glanced at her before lowering their heads.

But halfway through, Xiao Shu’s footsteps suddenly stopped.

The palace maid was puzzled and looked back.

She saw Xiao Shu standing under a palace wall, looking up at a certain spot. There, on the crimson wall edge, was a small gecko, seemingly unremarkable except for its tail, which was shorter and bare with a noticeable break.

The palace maid was startled, “It must be the palace eunuchs not paying attention. How did such a thing get in here?”

She approached to drive the gecko away.

The gecko, frightened, quickly crawled away along the wall and soon vanished from sight.

Xiao Shu lowered her eyes, but her expression grew faintly gloomy, and an inexplicable sense of desolation surged within her. If someone had told her in the past that she would be driven to such a desperate situation, where she had to cling to survival like a gecko with a broken tail, she would have dismissed them as a madman and driven them away with a stick.

But now…

The harsh reality lay before her in its cruelest form.

The harsh words of Empress Dowager from earlier still echoed in her mind, but they had not stirred any disappointment or sorrow within her, nor had they brought any sense of shame.

How could she not be aware of the consequences of blackening Jiang Xuening’s name with the Tongzhou incident?

She also knew well that, under the current circumstances, no one in the capital, let alone Prince Linzi Shen Jie, would marry her and invite countless troubles upon themselves.

Jiang Xuening!

Xiao Shu kept her composure as she took the lantern from the maid and said, “Give it to me. I know the way out of the palace and wish to be alone for a while. I can leave the palace on my own.”

The maid, eager to be relieved of her duties and not daring to say much, hesitated for a moment but did not object.

But once the maid had left, Xiao Shu’s steps turned in a direction entirely different from the northeast corner’s Shunzheng Gate. Instead, she headed straight for the Qianqing Palace, located in the heart of the entire imperial palace!

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