Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 239: Imperial Noble Consort

Despite Zhao Changhe usually priding himself on being quite smart, at this moment, his brain felt like the Blue Screen of Death.

How did Tang Wanzhuang end up publicly quarreling with the imperial noble consort? And why does everyone seem to be completely unfazed? Aren’t the Huangfu Clan loyalists? Shouldn’t they be on the same side?

Right, the Huangfu Clan is supposed to be full of loyal and righteous people, so why is their daughter the freaking Fire Serpent of Yi? How is an imperial noble consort like her even able to stay outside the palace for so long? Is everyone in the palace blind? Does the emperor not come looking for her?

No, if you’re the imperial noble consort, then when I was flirting with you before, wasn’t I flirting with someone’s stepmother? Oh shit, Chichi’s stepmother! You were even leading me on and wrapped your arms around my waist.

What the hell was I doing?

No, wait, why the hell are you still a virgin?

Also, since you’re the imperial noble consort, why did the Four Idols Cult still ally itself with the Wang Clan, the family of the empress? Isn’t that conflicting? It feels like you would be the ones to try to get rid of the crown prince. Was the alliance just a way to deflect suspicion of killing the crown prince?

Wait... I only stole a glance at the Fire Serpent of Yi’s true face. She doesn’t know that I know it’s her, and now she’s putting on airs as the imperial noble consort. How should I even behave now?

Zhao Changhe’s CPU was not powerful enough to process all these lines of thought in an instant. As his mind briefly crashed, Tang Wanzhuang’s expression turned ugly. “Are you really just going to sit there and do nothing?”

The imperial noble consort smiled sweetly, “Oh... First Seat Tang, if I recall correctly, he’s the one who told you to clean yourself up and wait for him, right? Hey, you, what do you think? Is First Seat Tang clean enough now?”

Tang Wanzhuang was expressionless. “Didn’t you claim to not know who he was? How do you suddenly know now?”

“At first, I did not recognize him, but then I noticed his broad saber and the scar on his face, and it suddenly came to me. There aren’t many people with such features,” the imperial noble consort said. “Could it be that you are now personally going to apprehend him after issuing the arrest warrant?”

Tang Wanzhuang gritted her teeth inwardly. She really could not argue with anyone on this matter. Zhao Changhe was infamous for his dirty jokes, and now others were using them against her. In theory, she should be angry at Zhao Changhe. And if she did not reprimand him, it would look like she was fine with what he said.

She glared at Zhao Changhe fiercely. He was the one who made those inappropriate jokes, and now he’s trying to distance himself from it. He’s the one who told me to see him personally, and now he’s just sitting there quietly!

Zhao Changhe was startled by her glare, and he finally jumped up and addressed the imperial noble consort with a composed face, “Erm... Imperial Noble Concubine, I came here to discuss military affairs. And well, since I’m not that familiar with military matters, it would be better if I discussed with the Demon Suppression Bureau what role I can play personally. I shall take my leave now.”

Tang Wanzhuang’s expression calmed down, but Vermillion Bird’s brow furrowed in anger.

I’m the one who found He Lei’s whereabouts! And now, you’re using it to please Tang Wangzhuang, and also using it as leverage to reject me?

As Zhao Changhe looked into her eyes, his scalp tingled, realizing that he was in big trouble.

How did things end up like this...

But no matter how displeased Vermillion Bird was, she could not openly insist that Zhao Changhe stay overnight. That would be unacceptable. She could only clench her delicate hands and watch helplessly as Zhao Changhe left with Tang Wanzhuang, feeling her lungs about to explode with rage.

Even after Zhao Changhe left, Huangfu Shaozong still had no idea what had happened. He smiled and said to his sister, “How have you been lately, elder sister?”

Vermillion Bird had specifically left the palace to visit her brother. She wanted to reassure her family and avoid any concerns for her. She did not actually know that Zhao Changhe had come to their house, and the unexpected encounter had made her genuinely happy. But then Tang Wanzhuang showed up, and they ended up getting into an argument, and she now realized that it was quite stupid.

Hearing her younger brother’s question, she quickly regained her composure and said lightly, “I often seclude myself for cultivation. You all should not come to visit me unless it’s absolutely necessary. Although His Majesty does not mind much, it isn’t appropriate for officials to frequently enter the palace.”

Huangfu Shaozong waved his hand to dismiss the servants to leave and lowered his voice, “You and I both know the nature of the imperial noble consort. You pretty much volunteered to become a hostage. How can we not worry? Our family is full of loyal people, and yet—”

“Be careful of what you say!” Vermillion Bird cut him off. “You’d better erase that notion from your mind completely, lest you slip up in the future.”

Huangfu Shaozong sighed and said nothing more.

Vermillion Bird continued, “The palace has all the resources I need, so it’s very convenient for my cultivation. I may be a hostage, but it’s not without its benefits. Also, this is just a nominal transaction. There’s no real relationship between him and me. What’s wrong with each party getting what they want? Don’t think that I’m suffering a complete loss.”

Huangfu Shaozong murmured, “Actually... if it were real, it wouldn’t be so bad. If you could give birth to his children...”

Vermillion Bird squinted at him. “What, now you think your sister can be a good tool?”

“No, no, it was just a passing thought. You were going to eventually get married anyway, but being involved in this matter has deprived you of a normal family life. I feel that it’s just unfair to you.” Huangfu Shaozong’s voice was so low that he was barely audible. “ Is he still in seclusion? It’s been so long? Is he going to di—”

“Shut up,” Vermillion Bird snapped impatiently. “Ask your loyal and foolish father first!”

Huangfu Shaozong pursed his lips. After a while, he said, “He is only loyal to the common people.”

Vermillion Bird fell silent. Then, she sighed. “You can interact more with Zhao Changhe. If he does not stay at the Tang Clan, you can host him here.”

“But his identity...”

“Who was the idiot who told me about that saber, misleading me with ambiguous information?” Vermillion Bird suddenly became furious and grabbed her brother’s collar. “You loyalist fools are bad enough, and now you even intentionally mislead me, not letting me eliminate the last remaining seed, isn’t that right?”

Huangfu Shaozong looked embarrassed and turned his head away slightly, “Maybe we shouldn’t kill...”

“I’m not going to kill him!” Vermillion Bird said icily. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to use him now! Are you happy?”

Huangfu Shaozong’s lips twitched. Whether it was killing or using, he did not want to get involved.

But since Zhao Changhe himself said he wanted to stay here and his sister has said to do so too, Huangfu Shaozong sighed and said, “Fine, I’ll befriend him. I’ll invite him to the Blissful Red Tower later...”

Before he could finish his words, his sister kicked him out of nowhere. Caught off guard, Huangfu Shaozong fell to the ground, thoroughly confused.

“You’re not a child anymore, so learn something useful rather than spending every day at the Blissful Red Tower!”

“I, I don’t go there often! You never said anything when I went there before...”

Vermillion Bird gritted her teeth. She knew that she could not act too strangely, so she snorted coldly and turned to leave. “I’m going back to the palace first. The autumn weather has been quite refreshing. I often leave the palace for leisure. We can talk again some other time.”

Huangfu Shaozong saw his sister off. When he passed by the courtyard, he looked up at the sky, which was shrouded by thick, dark clouds.

*

At the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Zhao Changhe sat with his hands clasped in the bureau chief’s office, while Tang Wanzhuang sat in front of him, preparing tea with her delicate hands.

The fragrance of tea lingered in the air, and Tang Wanzhuang’s beauty was as captivating as ever. The chaos from earlier had completely dissipated, as if a different person had replaced her.

Every time he was with Tang Wanzhuang, he felt his entire soul calm down. No matter where they were, it felt like he was calmly drifting along a gentle river.

This feeling was especially pronounced after leaving the lively and fiery presence of the Fire Serpent of Yi.

Anyway, how could the Fire Serpent of Yi be the imperial noble consort? It just doesn’t make sense no matter how I look at it.

Zhao Changhe still felt like he was in a dream.

“I received your letter. Wei Zicai also submitted his own letter of apology and resignation. I did not punish him. I just reassigned him elsewhere, away from Sha Seven,” Tang Wanzhuang said slowly. “As for He Lei, I have just organized elite troops to head to Beimang. If necessary, I will personally go there.”

Although Zhao Changhe claimed to have come to the capital to discuss matters with Tang Wanzhuang, in reality, he had long since had a letter sent to the Demon Suppression Bureau back at Sword Lake City. Otherwise, he worried that the news might not reach them soon enough with all the potential delays of a long journey.

Initially, he had been worried that his letter might not reach its destination, but it seemed that the Demon Suppression Bureau had not completely deteriorated and the letter had been in fact delivered.

“As for the rumors you mentioned in your letter, the Demon Suppression Bureau is currently investigating them as a top priority. They are baseless and they can easily be resolved, so there’s no need to worry too much. At most, they might spread within the regions within the Maitreya Cult’s scope, but that’s not a significant issue. Once we pacify the Jiangnan region, this matter will naturally be resolved.”

Zhao Changhe finally uttered an “Mm-hm.” He had initially thought the rumors would be a serious problem, but in reality, as long as the imperial court set out to handle it, it would not be a major concern. And Tang Wanzhuang clearly took such matters even more seriously than he did.

Moreover, the Wang Clan did not even have the time to fabricate a more reasonable rumor. What they had come up with on the spot was too absurd, and thus relatively easy to handle. How could they actually convince people just by using a broad saber as the foundation of their reasoning? Anyone with three brain cells knew that even the emperor himself used such a weapon back in the day.

So... the letter was delivered, and the things I wanted to tell Tang Wanzhuang had actually been completed long ago. Then what exactly did I come to the capital for?

While he was deep in thought, Tang Wanzhuang, who always appeared extremely ladylike, took a sip of tea and suddenly said something completely unladylike. “Even if Huangfu Qing is beautiful, she’s still the imperial noble consort. Don’t keep staring at her face so blatantly! Have some manners!”

“Pfft—” Zhao Changhe spurted out his tea.

Huangfu Qing... that’s not a bad name.[1] Right, why does it seem like Tang Wanzhuang has deep-seated resentment toward her... Could it be that I came to the capital to get myself involved in this gossip?

1. The character 情 (qíng) means emotion, feelings, passion etc. Quite in line with the fiery personality of the character. ☜