Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 22.1

Chapter 22.1: “Xie Ning, Time to Settle…”

In the capital, the street from the South City Gate leading into the city had long been blocked by a crowd of onlookers.

The inns, wine shops, and stores along the road were filled with people of all ages, stretching their necks to peek, demonstrating the human passion for gossip to the fullest.

“Is that the head of Li Dabalai? He doesn’t look like much. Why did the Imperial Guards fail to suppress him three times?”

“Can you give an example of something more incompetent?”

“The capital is too small a pond for the Imperial Son-in-Law. He’s already causing trouble outside the capital.”

“Eh? The other head the Imperial Son-in-Law is carrying looks a bit familiar…”

“…Isn’t that General Wan Yue, Commander Wan?!”

Someone else pointed in horror at the heads piled on the prisoner cart: “That man is my neighbor! He was also an Imperial Guard!”

“Whoa!”

The crowd instantly erupted. Suddenly, a noisy commotion and cursing came from behind, and the bustling crowd parted to form a pathway.

A handsome man in white robes with a noble temperament emerged from the path.

“Who are all these people gathered here? Blocking the path of my Young Commander?” At this point, a person rode out from beside the man, arrogant and shouting from a distance.

This man was Wan Liangjin, Wan Yue’s son.

As Wan Yue’s son, Wan Liangjin was respectfully called “Young Commander” by the Imperial Guards. He always put on a show when going out, often accompanied by ten or twenty Imperial Guards riding ahead to clear the way.

He had been impeached by the Imperial Censors a few times for this, so Wan Liangjin restrained himself for a while, but soon returned to his old ways.

“Clumsy fool! Are you blind?” Before Xie Ning could speak, Wang Zhong, on the side, swung his whip at the person who spoke!

Smack!!!

Wan Liangjin was slightly startled. Just as he was about to burst into curses, he saw Xie Ning sitting calmly on her horse with an indifferent gaze, and then looked at the fierce-looking Vermillion Bird soldiers behind her. It was like a basin of cold water had been poured over his head.

This scene naturally fell into the eyes of the surrounding common people, causing them to widen their eyes even further.

Seeing the two sides blocking the intersection, and that Wan Liangjin had no intention of yielding, Xie Ning frowned. Li Jing, by her side, briefly introduced Wan Liangjin’s background to Xie Ning.

“Young Commander? What a coincidence!” Xie Ning smiled.

“Bring him to me.”

“Yes!”

Liang Cheng understood instantly. With a wave of his hand, the cavalry behind him whipped their horses and charged toward Wan Liangjin. The Imperial Guards beside Wan Liangjin watched all this, too terrified to move.

Wan Liangjin’s expression was one of terror, no longer the dashing young man from before.

“You dare touch me, you surname Xie?!”

Xie Ning chuckled and tossed Wan Yue’s head onto him. Wan Liangjin was startled when he clearly saw the head: “…Father.”

This caused another uproar among the surrounding onlookers.

“It really is Wan Yue!”

“Even the Imperial Son-in-Law can’t just kill the Imperial Guard Commander…”

“He seems to be heading towards the Imperial City.”

“Is the show about to begin?”

“Who knows? Let’s follow and see.”

The enthusiastic onlookers followed behind the Vermillion Bird Camp all the way to the Meridian Gate (Cheng Tian Men) of the Imperial City.

“He’s going to…”

The onlookers were extremely astonished.

Xie Ning led the Vermillion Bird Army to the Dengwen Drum (the Drum of Complaint). She pointed at Wan Liangjin: “Use this man’s head to strike it for me.”

“Yes.”

Liang Cheng was excited.

Even though he was once a North-Pacifying soldier and had killed over a hundred enemies on the battlefield, he had never felt such surging enthusiasm as he did now.

His Sir truly… goes all the way when something happens!

Liang Cheng pressed Wan Liangjin’s head and relentlessly smashed it against the Dengwen Drum.

“Dong…“

The muffled drum sound instantly silenced the surroundings. Everyone stopped in their tracks.

“Clang!“

“Clang!!!“

The bells of the Imperial City watchtower also rang, resonating from near to far, grand and profound, startling the birds in the palace to take flight.

For years, the Dengwen Drum stood here, merely a symbolic formality, never struck by anyone.

Unexpectedly, today, the bells and drum of the Imperial City rang together!

Could it be that the Imperial Son-in-Law had a monstrous grievance to tell the Son of Heaven?

If an aggrieved commoner complained, the Emperor would personally handle the case. Any official who tried to obstruct would be severely punished.

“Dong!“

The bells did not stop.

The Emperor and his ministers, who were handling affairs in the palace, were all stunned.

The Emperor immediately had a bad feeling.

“Go see what’s happening!”

A moment later, an anxious eunuch rushed in: “Your Majesty, it’s the Imperial Son-in-Law! The Imperial Son-in-Law is striking the Dengwen Drum with the heads of Commander Wan and two thousand Imperial Guards!”

The Emperor’s pupils contracted. How could this be…

Why is Xie Jing still alive!

Wan Yue misled me!

The ministers looked at the stationary Emperor and vaguely understood something. They exchanged meaningful glances.

Xie Mao stepped forward, bowed, and said: “May Your Majesty deign to proceed.”

The Emperor nodded distractedly: “Yes, yes, I’m going now.”

The carriage rolled over the white jade pavement, slowly driving to the Dengwen Drum.

The atmosphere instantly became silent.

“Greetings to Your Majesty.”

“Greetings to Your Majesty!”

Like a tsunami, the officials and nobles uniformly bowed.

Only Xie Ning and the Vermillion Bird Army remained standing still.

Oh, and the bloodied Wan Liangjin, who had been smashed against the drum. He wanted to move but couldn’t.

Xie Mao, the old fox, was the first to lose his patience and roared:

“Xie Jing, are you deliberately looking for trouble?”

“Someone! Bring the criminal who is sensationalizing the crowd to the Heavenly Prison?”

Under the gaze of all, Xie Ning’s expression was terrifyingly calm. She said clearly, word by word:

“Having suffered an undeserved injustice, what crime is there?”

Xie Mao looked as if he was choked by fury, shouting:

“What kind of era is Daxia in now? The country is prosperous, and the world is at peace! You striking the Dengwen Drum here is smearing mud on His Majesty’s face!”

“Smearing mud on the face, if that’s not a crime, what is?”

In his extreme anger, Xie Ning threw Wan Yue’s head at Xie Mao. Whether her hand trembled or not, the head flew into the Emperor’s carriage.

The Emperor, under the gaze of all, was so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground.

The officials lowered their eyes.

The common people whispered.

The Emperor’s face flushed crimson.

“Xie Jing, what is the meaning of this!”

Xie Ning lowered her head and said respectfully: “Your Majesty, I have been wronged!”

“Since receiving Your Majesty’s decree to suppress bandits outside the city, your subject has been trembling with caution, fearing to disappoint Your Majesty’s expectations.”

“But fortunately, with the help of my Vermillion Bird Army, we were able to completely eliminate the bandits of Qing’an Mountain in one fell swoop.”

“This should have been a good thing, but Commander Wan Yue led two thousand Imperial Guards to ambush me from behind, charging at your subject!”

“Who gave him the courage, and who gave him the order!”

“To dare attack your subject, the current Imperial Son-in-Law!”

Boom—

These words instantly struck the minds of the surrounding common people like a clap of thunder.

The Emperor was speechless and dared not say more.

Xie Mao hid among the ministers and shouted again: “Xie Jing, what do you mean by that!”

Xie Ning slowly raised her head, which had been lowered all this time, looking directly into the Emperor’s panic-stricken eyes.

“As everyone knows, the Imperial Guards are Your Majesty’s guard dogs and only listen to their master’s command.”

“If it was truly Your Majesty’s command, your subject only wants to ask…”

“Your Majesty, why are you plotting rebellion?!”

As soon as these words left her mouth, everyone present shuddered.

Their scalps tingled!

Their spines ran cold!

How could such a question be asked?!

The ministers subconsciously looked towards the Imperial carriage.

Inside the carriage, the Emperor’s expression was already frozen. He did not answer for a long time.

Xie Mao was about to continue rebuking Xie Jing but was stopped by the Emperor, who had regained his senses: “Silence!”

The veins on the Emperor’s forehead bulged. He used all his strength to sharply question: “Xie Jing, how dare you slander me! What is your intention?!”

Xie Ning sneered inwardly. She still had the evidence in her robes, but now was not the right time to take it out.

After all, the Grand Princess had specifically asked for this item. If she used it now, wouldn’t it disrupt the Grand Princess’s plan?

“Then, Your Majesty, please seek justice for your humble subject.”

Xie Ning bowed forward, her manner respectful and measured.

“What makes you say he wanted to ambush you? Perhaps he was concerned for Daxia and took the initiative to suppress the bandits.”

Although the Emperor tried hard to display the appropriate imperial majesty, everyone heard the tremor in his voice.

Xie Ning was expressionless, her voice indifferent: “As the Son of Heaven’s Imperial Guard, they should not leave the capital without reason. Furthermore, two thousand men! Did no one realize the Vermillion Bird Camp was on our side?”

“They clearly had ulterior motives, either targeting your humble subject or targeting our Daxia… Grand Princess!”

As the words fell, the atmosphere was as rigid as iron.

The Emperor sweated profusely, his face pale. Icy coldness swept through his entire body.

The ministers were dead silent, everyone’s gaze meaningful.

In fact, they could fully understand the Emperor’s thoughts.

It was nothing more than wanting military power!

But his method of obtaining military power was too crude, causing him to suffer continuous setbacks, losing more than he gained. His frustration was understandable.

It was normal for him to try to save face privately, to vent the hatred building up in his chest.

Sending two thousand Imperial Guards to kill five hundred people.

The result? The five hundred suffered no loss, but all his people died.

Naturally, this would lead to a backlash.

Perhaps others would choose to swallow their anger, but this person was the Imperial Son-in-Law.

What kind of person was the Imperial Son-in-Law? He felt unwell if he wasn’t causing trouble.

If such a person found an opportunity, wouldn’t they try to ruin you completely?

The scene fell into a prolonged silence. The Emperor’s face was contorted as he fiercely clenched his back teeth.

Just then.

A gentle voice rang out:

“Tell this Princess, what justice do you seek?”

It was the Grand Princess, who had arrived at the Meridian Gate in her phoenix carriage.

“Greetings to Her Highness the Grand Princess!”

As Xie Mao stepped forward and took the initiative to salute, the officials present also bowed in unison: “Greetings to Her Highness the Grand Princess.”

“Dispense with the formalities.”

The Grand Princess then looked at Xie Ning: “Imperial Son-in-Law, tell this Princess, what do you want?”

Xie Ning took a deep breath and slowly stated her case.

“It’s very simple. The Imperial Guards are currently untrustworthy.”

“Moreover, two thousand men couldn’t deal with five hundred of us. Who can feel secure handing the Imperial City over to this group?”

“Currently, there are no conflicts in the south of Daxia. Why not disband all the Imperial Guards and deploy a batch of Southern-Pacifying Army back to the capital to guard the Imperial City? This would both protect the Imperial City and prevent petty people from making moves against Her Highness.”

Xie Ning stated this calmly, as if discussing an insignificant trifle.

But her words truly stirred up a thousand waves!

Boom!

Everyone was instantly struck by lightning, their minds nearly crashing!

Their faces were filled with disbelief, and their eyes showed extreme horror!

This person actually wanted to cut the Imperial Guards and deploy the Grand Princess’s Southern-Pacifying Army to guard the Imperial City…

If this were to happen, would the Emperor still be the Emperor?

By then, the Emperor would become a puppet that the Grand Princess could mold at will!

Some officials could not tolerate this. Just like the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, who stepped forward and reprimanded: “Imperial Son-in-Law, what are you trying to do! How can the Imperial Guards be disbanded just because you say so! And how can the Southern-Pacifying Army be deployed just because you say so? Stop making trouble, and retreat at once!”

“I’m making trouble?”

Xie Ning chuckled. She took out the secret memorial from her robes, knelt on one knee, and presented it to the Grand Princess: “Your Highness, this object is my reason!”

The Grand Princess took it, casually glanced at it twice, nodded as if enlightened, and looked at the Emperor with a smile: “Emperor, how do you feel about the Imperial Son-in-Law’s request?”

Pei Shujing’s highly oppressive gaze swept towards the Emperor.

At this moment, every pore on the Emperor’s body radiated anger, yet they were also soaked in terror.

Yes, it was terror.

He suddenly found himself trembling uncontrollably.

He opened his mouth but found his voice caught in his throat.

“…I, I am tired. This matter will be discussed later!”

In an instant, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically.

He’s afraid!

The Emperor is afraid!

What was the object the Imperial Son-in-Law gave to the Grand Princess that made the Emperor choose to retreat?

At the Meridian Gate of the capital.

In front of a massive crowd, the Emperor’s deliberately maintained pride and dignity instantly collapsed!

No matter how this matter developed, the moment the Emperor’s fear and weakness were exposed, he had already lost completely.

What more did Xie Ning need to do?

She was the victim, ambushed by the Imperial Guards while carrying out a mission outside.

Not only did she not harbor resentment, but she also proposed a way to maintain the capital’s peace. Her reason truly left people speechless.

It was nothing more than disbanding the Imperial Guards.

To be honest, even the loyalist officials had to admit that handing the capital over to this group of parasites made them uneasy!

At a critical moment, they still had to rely on Xie Mao, the troublemaker.

Honestly, people like Xie Mao, as opponents, could be thoroughly disgusting. Fortunately, Xie Ning was even more shameless than him, allowing her to suppress the Xie family.

But once Xie Mao became one of their own to disgust others, that feeling… was truly comfortable.

No wonder emperors throughout history loved treacherous officials. Who wouldn’t love that!

“The Founding Ancestor once said: When the Dengwen Drum is struck, the Emperor must deal with the grievance publicly, on the spot, and immediately. If the injustice cannot be resolved, it shall be judged by all under heaven.”

“Your Majesty, the law of the ancestors must not be violated!”

When Xie Mao said this, the common people exchanged glances.

Do we have a say in this too?

So, an unknown Xiao Yu (Little Fish – perhaps a deliberate use of the name or a mistake/typo in the original text, but likely meant as an unidentified person) darted through the crowd: “I support the Southern-Pacifying Army!”

“The Southern-Pacifying Army is the popular choice!”

“I don’t care about the rest, I only know I was bullied by the Imperial Guards!”

The onlookers’ eyes immediately changed.

Yes, who among those present hadn’t been bullied by the Imperial Guards?

Even if they hadn’t, they had seen the arrogant and haughty attitude of the Imperial Guards.

If they could truly protect the capital, that would be fine, but they were useless!

“Right! I also support the Southern-Pacifying Army protecting us! At least our safety will be guaranteed!”

“These people dared to harm the Imperial Son-in-Law today, they will dare to kill the Emperor tomorrow!”

“Southern-Pacifying Army!”

“Southern-Pacifying Army!!”

“Southern-Pacifying Army!!!”

The common people were excited. Xie Ning looked at Xiao Yu in the crowd, who gave her a thumbs-up, and showed a slight, imperceptible smile.

“Enough!”

A voice of great age rang out.

A purple-robed minister with beautiful sideburns reaching his abdomen and a refined, clear appearance slowly stepped out.

Another Grand Secretary of Daxia, Xue Hanyan.

He scrutinized Xie Ning and said in a deep voice:

“Haven’t you made enough trouble? Do you still have any sense of hierarchy?”

Xie Ning’s expression remained unchanged. She said respectfully:

“Grand Secretary Xue, I only seek justice.”

Xue Hanyan frowned, slowing his pace:

“The court will naturally give you justice, but in front of the multitude, your words and actions are desecrating the authority of the court!”

When the words fell, there was silence.

The ministers lowered their heads, concealing their extremely strange gazes.

Who were these words meant for?

Xie Ning?

No, the Grand Princess.

Having survived most of their lives in the treacherous arena of the court, the ministers could be incompetent, but they couldn’t be ignorant.

It seemed that Xie Ning was only seeking justice, but what was behind it?

Did they truly not see the intent behind the eyes pulling the strings?

“Your Highness, since the Imperial Son-in-Law insists on justice, could you perhaps guide him in private?”

Xue Hanyan slightly bowed, respectfully inquiring in the direction of the phoenix carriage.

All the ministers were silent, their expressions subtly meaningful.

Xue Hanyan was not necessarily siding with the Emperor. The duty of a Grand Secretary was to maintain the court’s dignity and ensure stability.

Today’s scene was already large enough.

The Emperor had completely lost face.

It could be said that after today, the Emperor would slowly discover that no one in the court took him seriously anymore.

Even if the Emperor didn’t become the Grand Princess’s puppet, he would become the puppet of the court officials.

Xue Hanyan stepping forward now under the pretense of maintaining the court’s dignity might make him the first person to manipulate the Emperor in the future.

As for the rest of the officials, including Wang Yan, they naturally also wanted to control the matter at this level.

What they wanted was for the Emperor to be controlled by them, not by the Grand Princess.

This was reality.

The atmosphere in the Imperial City remained silent, like a somber tomb.

After a long time, a voice came from inside the phoenix carriage.

“Granted.”

The feelings of the ministers at this moment were indescribable. Xie Ning also took a deep breath and stepped into the Grand Princess’s phoenix carriage, one step at a time.

The curtain fell.

In the small but luxurious space, Xie Ning and Pei Shujing faced each other.

Finally, Pei Shujing spoke first.

“You’ve done an excellent job with this matter. Any more would be overkill.”

“We need to give these ministers some time to adapt.”

Xie Ning frowned: “Wouldn’t that make them the biggest winners?”

“No.”

Pei Shujing shook her head, her tone light: “Remember, to accomplish a very difficult task, you must first muddy the waters.”

“Do you think the Emperor’s personality is truly one to be manipulated? He will definitely fight back like a madman, and how can these jackals of the court not go crazy when they smell blood?”

“Let them fight. Only when they fight until both sides are severely wounded can we easily capture them all in one fell swoop.”

The more Xie Ning thought about it, the more she felt that Pei Shujing was right. If the Southern-Pacifying Army were deployed to the capital now, both the Emperor and the ministers would only focus their energy on dealing with the Grand Princess.

There’s a saying, the nail that sticks out gets hammered.

Just like the first person in history to revolt often only becomes cannon fodder.

Seeing Xie Ning’s extraordinary calmness, Pei Shujing suddenly smiled brightly and silently.

“Let’s go home.”

Xie Ning was slightly startled.

Home…

Why does she feel that Pei Shujing’s attitude towards her has changed significantly after just one day?

A corner of the phoenix carriage’s cloud-patterned, flowing garment drifted. The noise outside the Meridian Gate instantly disappeared.

Xie Ning got out of the carriage, then quickly walked up to Xue Hanyan, putting on a very shy expression: “Grand Secretary Xue, after the guidance of Her Highness, I know my mistake.”

“Please forgive my youthful impulsiveness.”

The atmosphere immediately turned weird.

Xue Hanyan frowned. He saw the Emperor staring intently in their direction out of the corner of his eye and cursed the boy for being as cunning as a fox!

Xue Hanyan patted Xie Ning’s shoulder and said with gratification: “It is good that the Imperial Son-in-Law can realize his mistake. However, this old man agrees with one thing the Imperial Son-in-Law just said: the safety of the capital’s common people should indeed not be left solely to the Imperial Guards to protect.”

“How about this: since the Southern-Pacifying Army is inconvenient to deploy, why not have the Imperial Son-in-Law lead these five hundred Vermillion Bird soldiers to guard the Imperial City?”

Xie Ning was slightly stunned, cursing silently, Old fox!

After Pei Shujing’s explanation, she naturally understood the current situation. Now, Xue Hanyan clearly also wanted to drag her into the mess.

Before Xie Ning could answer, that indifferent voice came from inside the phoenix carriage again.

“Granted.”

Only then did Xie Ning agree.

Xue Hanyan then looked at the Vermillion Bird Army: “Gentlemen, you have performed meritorious service in suppressing the bandits. The court will discuss the specific awards and notify you later. For now, please return to your garrison to rest.”

The five hundred Vermillion Bird soldiers stood perfectly still. Xue Hanyan was slightly taken aback.

Until Xie Ning waved her hand: “Old Liang!”

“Subordinate present!”

“Take the brothers back to rest. Also, distribute the wealth gained from this bandit suppression to everyone when you return. You don’t need to save any for me.”

Liang Cheng cupped his hands: “Understood.”

“Brothers, let’s go back and celebrate our success!”

Regardless of the officials’ internal vigilance towards this scene, they all showed relieved smiles on their faces.

It was as if they were saying, With such a strong army, the capital is safe.

Until the Emperor, whose emotions had long calmed down, spoke: “May I return now?”

The Imperial Censor-in-Chief, who had stood up earlier to reprimand Xie Ning, was now completely fearless.

“Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the country. How can you leave the matter of the Dengwen Drum entirely to your ministers to handle?!”

“If this continues, the ruler will no longer be a ruler, and the minister will no longer be a minister!”

Well done! He kept quiet when Xue Hanyan spoke, but now that everything was negotiated, he spoke up.

Ostensibly, he was accusing Xue Hanyan of overstepping, but in reality, he was subtly mocking the Emperor’s incompetence.

Xie Ning sighed inwardly. What a deeply sarcastic scene.

The Emperor didn’t answer. He waved his hand expressionlessly and left in his imperial carriage.

At this moment, without exception, the eyes of all the officials followed the departing imperial carriage.

A new court struggle had begun.