The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband

The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband – Chapter 97

Translated by: Oinkoink

Chapter 97 – Die a Martyr

This novel is only hosted on Foxaholic, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized.

Wangdu has not been very peaceful recently. There is only one dispute whether it is in the royal court, teahouses or the academy of classical learning — King Lan is plotting a revolt.

Some believed that Chu Jinglan was furious and attacked the crown for a beauty while others thought he had long premeditated and seized this opportunity to launch an onslaught. In short, the opinions were widely divided and it was difficult to distinguish the truth from falsehood. The common people only knew the truth when a proclamation was widely issued by the Shen-ce Army with the submission of a written memorial stating the full crimes of Chu Sanghuai and the content of the late Emperor’s testamentary edict to all the prefecture offices.

This is not plotting a rebellion but rather to suppress a traitor.

The entire Chu Country was in shock and all parties reacted differently but this did not affect the progress of war. Leading the Shen-ce Army, Chu Jinglan was an irresistible force all the way. In addition, with Meng Xuan’s northern troops and Chu Zhenghe’s Youzhou’s defending troops, they raided all the way to Jiangbei in less than three months. The imperial army suffered defeat after defeat and retreated to the last defence line at Jiangbei’s natural stronghold – Lushan.

The so-called favorable geographical and social conditions are just like this. In these past six years, the common people have been driven beyond forbearance by Chu Sanghuai’s forced laboring with extensive constructions. So when Chu Jinglan rallied for troops, many patriotic men enlisted to join the army with redoubled power while the prefecture’s army along the way to Wangdu were practically a bed of scattered sand. There were some who resisted and fought but after several tough battles, they suffered big losses due to inadequate supplies. Owing to anger, Chu Sanghuai chopped off the newly appointed Minister of Revenue yet was no longer able to take out a tael or two to fund the troops’ provisions.

Fortunately, there is still the Wang family left out of the four prominent families. Not only were they usually rampant in and out of the royal court, they also roped in masses of fortunes and had to support Chu Sanghuai during this critical moment. Although both sides nearly fall out due to the Empress’ death, it is not beneficial to them should Chu Jinglan become the Emperor. Hence, they could only stifle their indignation and dug the silver out.

Half of the money fell into King Tao’s hand. The reason was simple. 300,000 imperial army had been dispatched to fight Chu Jinglan while there was still one Ye Huaili in Jiangnan who had rapidly led the Guanzhong’s troops to the north where he successively defeated the defending troops in Liuzhou and Tanzhou. He would soon break through the northern defense line and reach the foot of Wangdu in a couple of days if the Xiaoqi Battalion was not sent to stop him.

Besiegement is already on all sides.

Chu Sanghuai was hard-pressed at this moment. He never expected that killing one Ye Huaiyang would lead to such a chain-reaction which would cause the collapse of his kingdom!

As a matter of fact, he was not without misgivings about Ye Huaili but the Ye family’s direct descendant was all within his grasp. So, he put his mind at ease to dispose of Ye Huaiyang. Who would have thought that someone would suddenly come to report after he returned from worshipping the Heavens, saying that the Ye family’s people had disappeared in broad daylight. He was so angry that he had all the imperial guards responsible to keep watch flogged to death in front of the courtyard. Yet in the end, he still could not figure out how they had vanished.

He has completely lost control under these continuous defeats and will simply kill at every turn. The imperial harem and the royal court seem to be shrouded in dark clouds where everyone is in a state of panic. If there is still someone who is not afraid of death, it will probably be the commander of the imperial guard, Zhang Yin.

Steady steps resounded on the stone bricks in front of the imperial study’s door. Zhang Yin entered via sideways into the room under the guidance of a little eunuch and kowtowed, “This humble subordinate pays respect to Your Majesty.”

Raising his head, Chu Sanghuai’s expression was still gloomy. Tremendous pressure materialized under this situation that no one dared to act rashly. His deep-set eyes were bloodshot while his face was abnormally pale and looked sort of indescribable morbid. The stance he used to casually play others in the palm of his hand was gone and only left with an unhidden mania.

“What’s the progress?”

Without his permission to rise, Zhang Yin naturally dared not move. He merely straightened his body slightly and replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, under the surveillance of this humble subordinate, Lord Yue’s words and deeds are all normal without any suspicions during this period of time.”

A fine azure lotus teacup was smashed in front of him as soon as his words faltered, splattering him with shards.

“Idiot! It’s suspicious because of normalcy!”

Propping up on the table, Chu Sanghuai was panting heavily as if the action just now spent a lot of his effort. The little eunuch wanted to go up and support him but was brushed away. The wide sleeves went along his movements, flicking and flinging that a mess was scattered around the imperial table in an instant.

No one dared to make a sound anymore.

Chu Sanghuai had yet to calm down and his eyes stared steadily at Zhang Yin’s head seemingly drilling a hole out.

The proclamation had been circulated widely not long ago. Under exasperation after learning that the testamentary edict had reached Chu Jinglan’s hands, he recalled all of a sudden that the Empress had mentioned to him about Ye Huaiyang wanting to hand the testamentary edict to some old minister for authenticity. He immediately had Zhang Yin set up the surveillance operations but more than two months have passed and whatever investigation that ought to be investigated should have been completed yet nothing has been found.

In these past six years since his enthronement, he has sorted out almost all the late Emperor’s people and now there are only a few of those who are fortunate enough to have seen the late Emperor’s handwriting. Doubtless, it’s impossible to be Wang Ying and Wang Jian while the rest are merely those few in the cabinet. Pondering over it, he unexpectedly thought of Yue Ting.

The Ye family’s allegiance to Chu Jinglan has apparently been for some time while Ye Huaixin is Yue Ting’s student for such a long time too, so it’s impossible for him to not notice anything at all. Besides, what he said when Chu Jinglan went to Shuzhong and his overly agitated manner when Ye Huaiyang was about to be killed on the worshipping day was also extremely suspicious. But most importantly, Pei Yuanshu has been missing for a long time while the testamentary edict which was not found in King Lan mansion and Ye manor perhaps had been sent out this way.

Based on various speculations, he could not help but begin to re-assess Yue Ting. Thinking back, Yue Ting was indeed forced to succumb in the first place and he had no intention to use him significantly. He once planned to depose him after he had firmly seated on the throne but Yue Ting later showed amazing loyalty and ruthlessness in dealing with many affairs and even elbowed out the original Head of Secretariat who was not under his control. This move had rather won him over and gradually he began to let Yue Ting handle many unseen frowned upon matters with the intent of probing and assessing him. Not only was Yue Ting not afraid of getting spat on, he also didn’t mind getting blood on his hands and completed those tasks unusually well. Only then did Chu Sanghuai begin to trust him.

If it was true that Yue Ting and Chu Jinglan had joined hands to set him up, then he had indeed underestimated them. Six years, this hidden chess-piece was planted by his side for the full six years which he was not aware of at all. Simply damn it!

The more Chu Sanghuai thought about it, the more he couldn’t calm down. The corners of his eyes twitched with immediate hints of savageness.

“Go seize him for Us[1]. No matter what methods are used, We want to know the answer.”

He could not wait a moment longer!

Raising his head slightly, Zhang Yin hesitated for a moment, “Your Majesty, Lord Yue is the backbone minister. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding amongst this. Besides, it’s time to attend the court assembly in a short while. This will probably alarm all the royal court’s ministers and generals should someone be sent to seize him now …”

“Then wait till after the court assembly to truss him up to the water dungeon for Us! We do not believe that We will not get the truth after the extreme torturing!”

Chu Sanghuai shouted suddenly and the table shook from heavy slamming. The little eunuch by the side was so frightened by this intense suppression that his legs trembled. Zhang Yin also felt hints of coldness yet he merely uttered the words dully ‘this humble subordinate obeyed your command’ and left. The moment the door closed, the autumn wind that soughed through the gaps of his armor chilled him to the bones. He tilted his head to look at the dark gloomy sky before lifting his steps to walk out of the palace.

This year’s autumn is colder than ever. It’s only the beginning of November yet lined coats need to be worn and the streets are full of pedestrians hurrying past with gathered sleeves. Their huddling-up appearances seemingly dying to hide their heads in the clothes too.

Amidst stillness, the door of Yue manor was pulled open quietly when an official boot extended out and the coachman waiting in front of the door immediately bowed to greet. Moments later, a dark blue figure stepped down the steps and motioned him with a waving hand. Raising his head for a look, the person was slender and his official robe was lightweight but well-pressed with obvious righteousness and extraordinary temperament.

“My Lord, are we entering the palace now?”

Yue Ting nodded slightly. He was about to board the carriage but halted somehow. A black shadow seemed to draw back abruptly around the corner when he looked to the side, so fast that it seemed like an illusion. After staring steadily for a while, he suddenly said, “Let’s go.”

The coachman turned to the side immediately to make way for him to board the carriage. The carriage door was then covered before he waved the horse whip and followed by infrequent shouts as the carriage sped uniformly towards the direction of Xuanan Gate and arrived unimpeded half an hour later.

Getting off the carriage, Yue Ting entered the palace gate and walked straight to the Hall of the Golden Chimes* along the spacious bluestone path. Two or three ministers would successively nod their heads to greet him when he encountered them en route. He would just smile faintly and step into the hall soon after.

[T/N: 金銮殿 (Jīnluándiàn) – popular name for the Emperor’s audience hall / throne room]

The court assembly began officially at the start of chenshi (7am-9am).

All the petitions basically revolved around the war these past two months and it was no exception today. But Chu Sanghuai’s attitude was a bit strange as the petitions were concluded in a word or two no matter if it was the frontline battlefield situation or strategies to deal with the enemy which were completely different from the usual considerations and deliberations until an abrupt sentence sprung out finally.

“Minister Yue, do you think this can defeat the enemy?”

Yue Ting raised his head slowly. His line of sight moved and stopped behind the golden throne. His eyes were so far-reaching and drawn-out as always that no one could tell what he was thinking.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this Minister deems it’s probably worth a try.”

An extremely simple response without any preference or partiality which is his usual style.

Chu Sanghuai came to realization suddenly. It was this style of affair handling that made him stand tall without defeat in the royal court that even the prominent families had never demeaned him. He ultimately avoided all the spearheads and conflicts of interest, and handled everything nonchalantly while only revealing his loyalty and shrewdness in front of Chu Sanghuai.

But now he can fully determine that Yue Ting’s loyalty is just a camouflage since he has long committed to another master.

Sneering inwardly, Chu Sanghuai however said, “In that case, this royal court session will adjourned if all the ministers have no other matters to discuss.”

The ministers hurriedly cupped their hands and retreated when they heard this. Who would have thought, Yue Ting, who was standing in the center, did not move but opened his mouth slowly, “Your Majesty, this Minister has a petition to present.”

Everybody stopped their actions. Chu Sanghuai even narrowed his sinisterly ruthless eyes and only utter a word out after a long while later, “Granted.”

Lifting the lower hem of his robe, Yue Ting knelt on the spot and resoundingly spat out a few words, “This Minister asks Your Majesty to give up the throne this very day!”

As soon as the words came out, a mighty uproar was set off instantly in the originally calm courtroom. Many ministers were jaw-droppingly shocked while many more felt a sense of inevitable rightness. After all, the ministers have long felt the uncertainty after the ruckus Ye Huaiyang made.

Chu Sanghuai did not expect Yue Ting would come at him like this. He slammed the table at once and shouted, “Presumptuous! Arrest him for Us!”

The order was passed down to outside the hall where the imperial guards immediately surrounded the hall from the corridor. As if not hearing the frictions of those swords and armors, Yue Ting continued calmly, “This Minister has pretended to be muddled-headed this whole life and can finally tell the truth now. The imperial edict that Your Majesty held at the time of the ascension was a forgery. The Central Secretariat had never received any document of the late Emperor’s appointment of an heir and the only existing handwritten testamentary edict had fallen into Xie Yuan’s hands when the late Emperor was poisoned but has now returned to King Lan’s hands.”

“Deluding people with lies!” Chu Sanghuai flew into a rage. Flicking his sleeve vigorously, he pointed at him, “Someone, kill this traitor for Us!”

“Self-evident truth naturally is in the people’s minds. Your Majesty can’t stop the crowd’s mouths even if this Minister is killed. The common people have their own opinion about who’s the rebel and who’s the wise ruler. Moreover, Wangye has now reached Jiangbei and will soon govern the country. What’s the harm of this Minister’s death?”

Saying that, Yue Ting looked up to Heavens and smiled when a sharp sword unexpectedly stabbed into his body from behind. Throwing up a mouthful of blood, his body was still perfectly upright and unyieldingly majestic like a mountain.

“This Minister finally has the face …. to go meet the late Emperor …”

Another sword then pierced into his chest. With a smile, he closed his eyes and died on the spot. Blood dripped all over the floor and dyed the Hall of the Golden Chimes into the Hall of Hell.

All the ministers were aghast. Ministers from the poor family faction rushed forward with reddened eyes but were tenaciously held down and brought outside the hall by the imperial guards. Seeing this, Chu Sanghuai’s features were distorted with anger as he yelled resentfully, “Hang his severed head at the city wall for Us! Whoever dares to cause trouble will be disposed of as such!”

The atmosphere in the hall was deadly still. Ministers were dragged out one after another while the rest suppressed their inner fears and observed the surroundings closely like startled birds, lest it would be their next, while Wang Ying and Wang Jian looked at each other with bad premonitions arising in their hearts.

With these internal troubles and foreign invasion, the public’s hearts are totally lost and nothing is likely to prevent the political changes of Chu Country.

[1] 朕 (Zhèn) – We, used by an Emperor in proclamations instead of I

If you like my translation, you can support me by or leave me a comment.

Thank you for your support.