Chapter 203
It had to be said, Cao Liang was quite good at hiding things.
If he hadn't confessed voluntarily, the secret decree would never have been found.
Han Chong went to retrieve it personally.
Cao Liang softly coaxed his grandson, quickly stopping his crying.
He straightened up and looked at Qi Yanzhou. "If you break your promise, I won't let you off even as a ghost!"
Qi Yanzhou's gaze fell on the child, whose face was flushed red from crying for so long.
"I always keep my word. Let's go and explain to the common people what this grand drama today is all about."
Han Chong had already returned, meaning the body doubles for the Qi family had been caught.
He suddenly remembered his parents who had been taken away.
"Cao Liang, where are my parents?"
These words made Cao Liang, who was struggling to stand up, stiffen all over, his expression changing drastically.
If Qi Yanzhou knew the two elders were buried in the secret passage, would he still let his grandson go?
Qi Yanzhou noticed something was wrong. He grabbed Cao Liang by the back of his collar and lifted him up.
"Speak! Where are they?"
Cao Liang met Qi Yanzhou's murderous eyes and immediately turned his head to avoid his gaze.
"They... they are..."
Just as he was about to lie and muddle through, Ye Chutang spoke up.
"Azhou, don't worry. Mother and Father are very safe."
She was the one who collapsed the secret passage; only Cao Liang's men were buried inside.
Cao Liang looked at Ye Chutang in disbelief, not understanding why she would lie to help him.
After all, this lie would be exposed very soon.
Ye Chutang saw what Cao Liang was thinking and said to Han Chong, who was holding the secret decree, "Lord Han, take Cao Liang to the court first and invite the commoners to watch. Azhou and I will be there shortly."
After speaking, she administered acupuncture to Cao Liang again.
Burning the last of his life force to ensure he would return to normal for thirty minutes.
Cao Liang's ashen face regained its color, and his body filled with strength.
Han Chong acknowledged the order and took Cao Liang to the court.
Ye Chutang returned to the Qingya Courtyard to detoxify the Qi family.
Concubine Su knew that after revealing her identity, the Qi family would definitely not tolerate her, so she immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
"Second Young Master, Madam, I did not want to betray the Qi family either, but I had no choice but to obey the Emperor's orders. Rest assured, I will never do anything detrimental to the Qi family in the future. I will work like a horse or an ox for the Qi family without any complaints!"
Qi Yanzhou briefly recounted Concubine Su's previous actions.
"Atang, how do you think we should handle this?"
"Unforgivable!"
Hearing this, Concubine Su immediately crawled on her knees to Ye Chutang and kowtowed incessantly.
"Madam, I know I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again. Please spare me this once."
She kowtowed so hard that her forehead quickly swelled and broke open.
Ye Chutang looked at the regretful Concubine Su and said, "Later, follow me to the court and confess your illicit dealings with the Emperor in front of the commoners."
Concubine Su hastily agreed, "Alright, but I have no evidence. The commoners might not believe me."
"Then turn yourself into the evidence."
"What does Madam mean by this? This servant does not understand."
Ye Chutang enunciated every word clearly, "After you finish speaking, you will smash your head and die right there in the court. Use your life to tell the commoners that your words are true."
Concubine Su slumped onto the ground, fresh blood flowing into her eyes, turning her vision crimson.
"You... you want me to die?"
"Yes, I want you to die. But if you die, Qi Jingyao can live."
Hearing this, Qi Jingyao's heart skipped a beat.
She explained in a panic, "I don't know anything. It has nothing to do with me."
Ye Chutang looked coldly at Qi Jingyao, piercing through her lie.
"You enjoyed the wealth and favor Concubine Su brought you, spending day and night with her. Do you truly not know she works for that dog Emperor?"
Qi Jingyao instinctively wanted to say I don't know, but was so frightened by Ye Chutang's next sentence that she immediately changed her tune.
Ye Chutang said, "If you lie, I will take your wretched life right now."
"Yes, I knew from a very young age that my mother worked for the Emperor. The jewelry from the palace and the abnormal behavior of the maids were all too obvious."
After Qi Jingyao finished speaking, she looked at Qi Yanzhou.
"Second Brother, Father and the main wife... you all must have known for a long time that my mother was working for the Emperor, right?"
Qi Yanzhou nodded frankly.
"Naturally. Many pieces of information were deliberately leaked to your mother by me, so she would pass the message to the Emperor."
Several times when he left the capital to suppress bandits, he had feigned illness, prompting the Emperor to take advantage of his condition to try and kill him by sending him on those missions.
In this way, he could achieve merit, win the hearts of the people, and win over the soldiers—killing three birds with one stone.
Concubine Su was somewhat dumbfounded and then burst into manic laughter.
"So the Emperor and I were both played by you all along."
Ye Chutang spoke, hitting the nail on the head, "No one forced you to betray the Qi family. It was your own choice."
The laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Concubine Su looked at Qi Jingyao, "Yao'er, from now on, you will have to walk your path alone."
The implication was that she agreed to Ye Chutang's condition.
Qi Jingyao helped Concubine Su up, tears welling in her eyes.
Even though she had always looked down on Concubine Su's background as a trained courtesan and despised her for being as stupid as a pig.
But she knew that Concubine Su was the person who treated her best in this world.
"Mother, your daughter has grown up. Do not worry."
After saying that, she hugged Concubine Su, tears streaming down her face.
"Mother, I'm sorry. Your daughter has been unfilial. I always ordered you around and never fulfilled my filial duties for even a day."
"It's Mother who failed you, unable to give you a good background, making you unable to hold your head high."
Concubine Su gently pushed Qi Jingyao away and raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her daughter's eyes.
"In the future, you must learn well from Madam. Do not rely on anyone; be independent and strong."
"Mother, your daughter understands."
Qi Jingyao took a step back, knelt before Concubine Su, and kowtowed three resounding times.
"Your daughter bids you farewell!"
Concubine Su looked at her daughter, who seemed to have grown up overnight, feeling both heartache and relief.
She said to Qi Yanzhou, "Let's go. To the court."
Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou took Concubine Su and headed to the court.
As soon as the three left the courtyard, they heard Qi Jingyao's heartbroken sobbing.
Concubine Su did not stop walking, nor did she look back. She walked with absolute resolve.
Soon, the three arrived at the court.
The entrance of the prefectural magistrate's office was crowded with spectating commoners.
In the courtyard of the estate stood the scholars of Liangzhou, led by Song Jingning, as well as wealthy merchants and local gentry.
On both sides of the court stood ranked officials.
It could be said that every person of consequence in Liangzhou City had come.
In the middle of the court knelt Cao Liang and Chen Weiming.
Three body doubles of the Qi family were held down by the Protectorate Army, their disguised faces turned toward the outside of the court.
Although the disguise techniques were clumsy, they were enough to fool the commoners who were unfamiliar with the Qi family.
But when Qi Yanzhou himself appeared, the commoners knew they were gravely mistaken.
The fakes could not compare to even a ten-thousandth of the real person!