20demayo Chapter 302
Chapter 302
"that young master is so handsome, he looks unfamiliar. is this his first time here? let's go ask him!"
leading the way was shen zhou'an, the vice minister of the ministry of punishment. his surname shen was not related to the emperor's, just a coincidence.
his cheap father had once said that shen zhou'an's abilities were average, but he was obedient. whatever task was assigned to him, he would diligently complete it. he never questioned why he was asked to do something, just worked hard.
but he had a virtue that many officials in the ministry of punishment lacked: he was good-looking.
his cheap father's obsession with appearances rivaled that of emperor xuanwu.
jiang xinyue was self-aware. if she disguised herself as a man, she would be exposed as a woman in no time. the height and build differences between men and women were significant.
the ladies of yihong tower made a living from this; they could easily distinguish between the sexes.
just a few steps would reveal the difference.
so she... disguised herself as shen zhou'an's maid.
it was rare for someone to bring a maid to a brothel, but bringing an exceptionally beautiful maid was seen as the mark of a wealthy, playful young master.
"oh, this young master is a rare guest!"
a beautiful woman swayed her hips and bumped jiang xinyue out of the way. many men around were ready to show their gallantry and reach for her slender waist.
a large hand suddenly reached out from the side, catching the beauty's willowy waist before anyone else could.
the man wore an expensive purple robe and a rare, expensive-looking white jade pendant around his waist.
anyone with a bit of sense could tell this purple-robed gentleman had a formidable background, not to be trifled with.
"your majesty..."
jiang xinyue covered her mouth in shock, her voice barely audible: "why are you here?"
emperor xuanwu smacked his lips: "i couldn't stand the thought of you pretending to be another man's woman. if you must be with a man, why not me?"
shen zhou'an dared not put on airs anymore.
no wonder the madam treated him differently.
before she could ask, the emperor had already explained: "the qu family of qin province saved the late emperor's life three times during his campaigns. after the country stabilized, the qu patriarch returned home and handed over his military power. so, the late emperor granted the qu family a get-out-of-death-free card."
this was the fundamental reason why the old lady of the mansion of the duke of cheng dared to beat the empress.
the emperor hadn't taken action against the duke of cheng because he knew the qu family had a get-out-of-death-free card. as long as it was still with them, no matter how big the mistake, the duke of cheng and consort de could be pardoned.
no wonder the duke of cheng didn't choose any of the noble ladies in the capital, but instead picked the daughter of the qu family from qin province.
it was clear he coveted their get-out-of-death-free card, so he dared to play these underhanded tricks, right?
jiang xinyue was once again glad she had kept her wits about her and preserved the evidence of consort de's plot against the royal offspring, given to her by the late empress.
otherwise, with such a big card, wouldn't it have been a waste?
she even suspected that the emperor was also gathering evidence of the duke of cheng and consort de's crimes, aiming to collect enough to condemn them to death and force the qu family to use their get-out-of-death-free card.
aliali: 6754d302bd5e46c308a67379
jiang xinyue was clever, not just ordinary clever. she lowered her eyes, hiding her shock.
so, the death of the late empress was also orchestrated by the emperor.
because the mansion of the duke of cheng not only had the old lady wielding the tiger-headed cane given by the late emperor but also the qu family with their get-out-of-death-free card, it was extremely difficult to topple the duke of cheng.
only by taking back the old lady's tiger-headed cane could they then take back the get-out-of-death-free card when they committed another offense.
the price for taking back the tiger-headed cane was the life of the empress, so this time, taking back the get-out-of-death-free card... would the price be the jiang family?
"are you cold?"
emperor xuanwu hugged her trembling body, rubbing her arms. jiang xinyue's hair stood on end.
she clenched her fists tightly: "a little."
"wang dequan, have the ice basins removed."
it wasn't the body that was cold, but the heart. how could jiang xinyue dare to give her heart to someone who could calculate so ruthlessly, even his own bedmate?