I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

The horses came to a halt before the Forbidden City. Jiang Yiqing and her companions proceeded on foot toward the Hongguang Hall, where the Emperor resided. Along the way, they beheld a world of crimson walls and glazed tiles; the grand and elegant halls and pavilions fully displayed the majestic dignity of the imperial house.

Seeing such a vivid depiction of an ancient imperial palace, Jiang Yiqing could hardly conceal her excitement. Si Xuansu, noticing that she showed no signs of nervousness upon entering the palace and instead carried herself with poise and grace, felt a silent surge of admiration for her.

Finally, they arrived at Hongguang Hall. Upon entering, they saw Marquis Huaiyi and Yin Qiang already present. Although this was not the location for the morning court sessions, it was still one of the few prominent halls within the imperial palace.

In addition to Marquis Huaiyi and Yin Qiang, several civil and military officials were also present. It was likely that the Marquis intended to crush them in one fell swoop and had invited these officials to serve as witnesses.

Seated upon the dragon throne in the center was the supreme sovereign of this world. Jiang Yiqing stole a discreet glance at him and found him to be a dignified and majestic middle-aged man.

“Minister Si, I have summoned you for no other reason than that Marquis Huaiyi alleges you have not actually taken a husband into the Jiang family. The Marquis had requested a marriage decree from Us, and he claims that because you did not wish to ally with his house, you used a fake matrilocal marriage to prevent Us from granting that decree. Is there any truth to this?”

Si Xuansu remained calm even before the Emperor. She first performed a formal salute and replied, “Marquis Huaiyi speaks nothing but utter nonsense. Your Majesty must not take it as truth.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall erupted into a clamor. No one expected Si Xuansu to be so bold as to accuse Marquis Huaiyi of speaking “utter nonsense.”

However, if what she said was true, things were about to get interesting. Everyone felt a spark of curiosity, wondering which of these two families would ultimately prevail before the Emperor.

The Emperor was also momentarily taken aback. He said, “You have always been straightforward. Since that is the case, you and the Marquis shall confront each other directly, and We shall discern who is in the wrong.”

Marquis Huaiyi had long been unable to endure Si Xuansu’s rebukes. He had only refrained from an outburst because of the Emperor’s presence. Now, hearing the Emperor finish speaking, he immediately pointed at Si Xuansu and shouted, “What an insolent brat! I am your senior by a generation, yet you dare speak to me in such a manner. Your Majesty, look at how lack of upbringing she is. Being a woman and yet insisting on joining the army—this is exactly why she has turned out this way.”

The Emperor frowned upon hearing this. He had heard these words so often his ears were nearly calloused. The Marquis was always fixating on the fact that Si Xuansu was a woman, a matter that had long since been settled.

“Marquis Huaiyi, years ago, Minister Si competed before Us against all the military officers in formation, archery, strategy, and martial arts. In which category was she not the champion? At that time, we already stated that regardless of gender, the strong shall lead. Thus, we appointed her General of the Central Army. This was Our decision—why do you still have objections now?”

The Emperor’s words caused the Marquis’s arrogance to deflate considerably; he likely realized that continuing down that path would provoke the Emperor’s genuine anger.

Si Xuansu said, “Your Majesty cast aside prejudice to employ me. I remain grateful for this day.”

“It is Minister Si who is sensible. Marquis Huaiyi, you are no longer young; We hope you will learn some decorum.”

Jiang Yiqing thought to herself that the Emperor seemed to be on Si Xuansu’s side, which was a good sign.

At that moment, the system informed her that Marquis Huaiyi and the Emperor were cousins, and that the Yin family had been under imperial protection for generations. This long-standing favoritism had fostered their arrogant and overbearing nature.

Hearing this, Jiang Yiqing felt a fresh wave of unease. With such a relationship, toppling the Yin family would not be easy.

Having lost face, the Marquis’s attitude became much more restrained. However, he then let out a sinister laugh and said, “Your Majesty, Si Xuansu says I am speaking nonsense. Let us see if that is truly the case. The man who was supposed to be her husband was caught elsewhere with another girl. I have already apprehended him. At Your Majesty’s command, he can be brought to the hall.”

The hall fell into an uproar at these words. The situation seemed to have flipped. Everyone turned incredulous gazes toward Si Xuansu and Jiang Yiqing, never imagining such a scandal was brewing behind the scenes.

“Minister Si, if the ‘true’ husband is elsewhere, could you tell Us exactly who this person beside you is?” The Emperor was also no small amount of surprised.

“Your Majesty, there is no need to even ask. The one beside her is naturally a fake!” Marquis Huaiyi said. “When has the Jiang family ever had such a handsome son? They have only one sprout, Jiang Yifan!”

Such piercing words shocked everyone. Yin Qiang took a step forward and said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, every word my father speaks is the truth. The Jiang family conducts business in the capital; their household registration can be verified by the court. No one has ever heard of them having such a son! Furthermore, this person is a woman disguised as a man, looking identical to the so-called niece of Madame Si. I saw her once at the Peony Banquet, and everyone can bear witness!”

“We are becoming more confused the more We hear…” The Emperor’s brow furrowed deeper. He asked Si Xuansu, “Minister Si, can you explain this?”

“Your Majesty, I have only one thing to say: the person beside me is my true husband, and the only one. As for the ‘fake husband’ and ‘niece’ mentioned by the Marquis and the Heir, they are both fabrications. Slandering me is a small matter, but do they realize they have committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor?” Si Xuansu’s phoenix-like eyes swept sharply across the hall. Her aura instantly silenced the officials, and even Marquis Huaiyi and Yin Qiang turned pale.

“What bold talk! We accuse you of deceiving the Emperor, and you dare pin the label back on us?” the Marquis shouted. “Fine! Once the person is brought in, let’s see if you can still be so stubborn.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s face darkened. He signaled to the chief eunuch beside him, who then called out in a long, drawn-out voice, “Bring Jiang-shi to the hall!”

Jiang Yiqing stared toward the entrance. A figure was slowly dragged in—none other than Jiang Yifan, whom she had met once before.

Jiang Yiqing never imagined that the man who was so spirited when they last met would today appear with disheveled hair and a deathly pale face. There were no visible wounds on the surface, but there was no telling what sinister methods had been used against him in the shadows.

Seeing her, Jiang Yifan regained a bit of spirit. His eyes held both apology and worry. Jiang Yiqing thought to herself: You should be worrying about yourself.

Seeing Jiang Yifan’s condition, Si Xuansu knew he had been tortured. Her gaze locked onto the Marquis and his son, her aura becoming as cold as ice. She said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, this man is my husband’s elder brother. Marquis Huaiyi has used private torture on my brother-in-law! I implore Your Majesty to investigate this thoroughly! If he dares to lay hands on my brother-in-law today, there is no telling what he might do in the future!”

Si Xuansu’s fury resonated with the crowd. The officials also felt that the Marquis had gone too far, daring to use a private prison and arrest someone without an official decree.

The Emperor looked toward Marquis Huaiyi. The Marquis coughed uncomfortably and said, “Your Majesty, he was stubborn and refused to admit to letting his younger sister enter the General’s manor. I was forced to use discipline. Even Si Xuansu admits he is a member of the Jiang family! Then there is no mistake—this man should have been Si Xuansu’s husband. The Jiang family has only one son and one daughter. The son is Jiang Yifan before you, and the daughter is the one standing next to Si Xuansu! She is disguised as a man and has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor alongside Si Xuansu!”

Following the Marquis’s words, everyone looked toward Jiang Yiqing. This… is a woman?!

Seeing the Emperor’s gaze fall upon her, Jiang Yiqing took a step forward with neither arrogance nor humility. She said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, I have never encountered anything so ridiculous in my life. For someone to actually doubt my gender—I ask Your Majesty to be the judge.”

The more the Emperor looked at Jiang Yiqing, the more he felt she resembled the man on the floor. He asked, “Husband Jiang, is your name Jiang Yiqing?”

“It is,” Jiang Yiqing replied.

The Emperor glanced at the household registration presented to him and said, “Then why does the registration say Jiang Yiqing is female?”

“It was recorded incorrectly. Given that I grew up looking as I do, it is not strange for such an error to occur,” Jiang Yiqing said.

Hearing her words, Yin Qiang grew frantic and said, “Then how do you explain looking exactly like the woman at the Peony Banquet?”

“Indeed, there was no niece. That was simply me in women’s clothing.” Jiang Yiqing looked at the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, may I ask if it is a crime for me to dress up and attend the Peony Banquet? What does that have to do with the Marquis?”

“This…” It was the first time the Emperor had heard something so bizarre. He paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. “You are right! There is no crime in that!”

“Your Majesty!” The Heir of Marquis Huaiyi asked, “Do you not intend to pursue the crime of her dressing as a man? How can the Si family allow two women to shoulder the heavy responsibility of hundreds of thousands of troops? This is simply inconceivable!”

As soon as these words were uttered, a flash of murderous intent appeared on the Emperor’s brow. The Heir realized his slip of the tongue and shut his mouth, being pulled back by his father.

The Emperor picked up a jade paperweight from the table and threw it angrily onto the hall floor, shouting, “The Si family marriage was approved by Us! Is it worth you bringing such a case to the throne and even kidnapping the brother of the groom? What a pair of disgraceful fools! To create such a farce and have Us accompany you in your diversion—it seems you believe we will not be moved to anger, and thus you act without fear!”

The officials’ bodies trembled at his words. They knew the Marquis indeed acted without fear, but now that the Emperor had said it himself, it seemed he had finally lost favor.

From this day forward, the Marquis’s arrogance would surely be curbed. Thinking of the grievances they had suffered in his hands, many officials felt a sense of gratification.

The ones most terrified were, naturally, the Marquis and his son. Seeing the Emperor’s rage, they both knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a single word of defense. “May Your Majesty appease your anger; it is not worth damaging your health!”

“Get out, both of you! We order you and your son to reflect on your actions behind closed doors for three months. During this time, do not let Us see your faces.”

Hearing this, the Marquis and his son breathed a sigh of relief. If it was only house arrest, it was manageable.

The Emperor turned to Si Xuansu and said, “Minister Si, we are sorry to have troubled you with this trip. You and your husband must have been quite startled. As for the eldest son of the Jiang family, we grant you one hundred gold taels and a hundred catties of ginseng and deer antler as compensation.”

Jiang Yiqing knew the Emperor was still partial to the Marquis, but the mention of “military power” had touched the ultimate taboo of a sovereign. She did not believe the Marquis and his son could continue to be so prideful much longer.

A long-held grievance had finally been vented. How satisfying!