Chapter 51: Saving the Exiled Crown Princess Consort (23)

Tang Qi’s soft sword pointed diagonally at the ground as she strolled over under the moonlight.

Zhao Chengfeng looked dazed. “You… aren’t you…” His gaze shifted to Luo Ping in the crowd. Luo Ping, seeing Tang Qi, shrank back in terror, afraid that Tang Qi would spot her.

When Luo Ping saw Luo Xu following closely behind Tang Qi, the jealous, resentful look in her eyes could no longer be hidden. She wished she could rush forward and devour her rival alive.

Tang Qi, however, couldn’t even be bothered to spare her a single glance. “Zhao Chengfeng, will you wait for me to kill you, or will you surrender willingly?”

Zhao Chengfeng’s expression was wildly arrogant and sharp, yet his hands and feet were ice-cold. He had plotted for a long time, designing the fire to draw away the guards of Zhao Yi and Tang Qi, having Luo Ping poison Tang Qi, and leading men to attack Zhao Yi.

At this moment, his defeat was absolute. Ever since Tang Qi appeared, he had been losing. “Zhao He, ever since you returned, I’ve been avoiding you. This time, I want to face you in a fair and honorable battle.”

His gaze traveled past Tang Qi and fell upon Luo Xu, a myriad of emotions swirling in his heart.

When he was down and out, it was Luo Xu who stayed by his side, never leaving. He wasn’t heartless; he could see Luo Xu’s devotion. But he wanted too much—the throne, power…

But now, he had nothing left. Even Luo Xu, who had always been with him, had left. He had always assumed that, given Luo Xu’s feelings for him, no matter how excessive he acted, she would never leave him, that she would always, always like him.

But he had single-handedly destroyed Luo Xu’s feelings for him.

Zhao Chengfeng drew his treasured sword. “Zhao He, come! Let me see how much you’re worth…”

Zhao Chengfeng was also taught by a famous martial arts master, and his skills were not weak. In the span of a few breaths, he arrived before Tang Qi. Tang Qi’s guard was wide open, as if she had forgotten to resist.

The tip of the sword was less than half an inch from Tang Qi.

Zhao Chengfeng’s heart leaped with joy, and then he heard Luo Xu cry out: “Little Seven…”

The next moment, his entire body was sent flying. He didn’t even see how Tang Qi had made her move. By the time he landed, Tang Qi had already returned her sword to its sheath. Luo Xu flew toward Tang Qi in a sprint. “Little Seven, are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

The moment Zhao Chengfeng failed, Zhao Zhen had already launched a fierce attack with the guards behind her. The leaderless Imperial Guards were quickly routed.

With Tang Qi’s intervention, a palace coup was easily brought to an end.

Tang Qi held Luo Xu’s hand and shook her head slightly. “I’m fine. He’s no match for me.”

Indeed, he couldn’t even withstand a single move. Zhao Chengfeng’s grand ambitions were shattered, and a sour, bitter feeling gradually welled up in his heart. He watched Luo Xu’s meticulous concern for Tang Qi, watched as her heart and eyes were filled with nothing but Tang Qi.

Originally, all of that had been his! In the past, when he saw Luo Xu suffering, he always consoled himself: it’s alright, it will be better later.

Now, there was no “later” for them! The throne and his beloved were both engraved with Tang Qi’s name!

“Xu’er, I’m injured.” Zhao Chengfeng, disregarding his shame, spoke up. Maybe, for the sake of their past affection, Luo Xu could still show him a little concern, could still…

Luo Xu only breathed a sigh of relief after a careful inspection confirmed that Tang Qi was truly uninjured. She then glared at Zhao Chengfeng with fury.

“Xu’er…”

Tang Qi patted her hand, knowing she had some words she wanted to say to Zhao Chengfeng. “I’ll go check on Imperial Father.” She left a few guards to watch over Luo Xu and went to pay her respects to Zhao Yi.

Seeing Tang Qi leave, Luo Xu walked slowly to Zhao Chengfeng’s side. A glimmer of hope ignited in Zhao Chengfeng’s eyes. Maybe Luo Xu hadn’t completely let go of him, and he wasn’t entirely without anything after all.

“Xu’er…”

“Shut up. Listening to you talk makes me sick.” Luo Xu stood before Zhao Chengfeng, looking down at him from a height as he lay unable to rise. The corners of her lips slowly curved into a smile, her brows and eyes radiating lightness. “But seeing you like this, I’m quite happy.”

Shock spread through Zhao Chengfeng’s eyes. “You weren’t like this before!”

“You don’t deserve to bring up the past with me. That would only make me feel how truly, utterly stupid I was.” Luo Xu crouched down, admiring his sorry state. “It feels so good. From the day I returned, I’ve been looking forward to this—when I could finally get my revenge. At last…”

“What you’re saying is a lie, isn’t it? You still like me, don’t you?” Zhao Chengfeng grew anxious. He had lost the imperial power within his grasp and was desperate to hold onto something else. “You’d be sad if Zhao He hurt me, wouldn’t you?”

“Sad?” Luo Xu’s eyes widened. “How could you be so naive as to think I still like you? Not only would I not be sad if Little Seven merely wounded you, but even if she were about to kill you right now, I would only hand her the knife and then toss your head into the moat.” Luo Xu sneered. She had seen enough of Zhao Chengfeng’s pathetic state and stood up. “Watch him. Don’t let him die.”

Her expression was icy. “Don’t you die, Zhao Chengfeng. There are still some matters between us that aren’t settled yet!”

With that, she turned and left without a shred of reluctance. Zhao Chengfeng watched Luo Xu’s departing back, forced to admit that Luo Xu truly didn’t love him anymore. It was laughable—he had even thought that if his coup succeeded, he would definitely take her back by force.

Many in the palace died because of this coup. Tang Qi spent the entire night counting the dead. Comforting families and distributing compensation were urgent matters.

During the morning court session the next day, Zhao Yi acted with swift decisiveness and issued an imperial edict.

Zhao Chengfeng was demoted to a commoner and sentenced to life imprisonment. Luo Ping, for poisoning the Crown Princess, was sentenced to death! The Minister of Works, for failing to properly instruct his daughter, was demoted four ranks and fined three years’ salary.

The Imperial Guards who participated in the coup were also rewarded and punished accordingly.

No one expected Zhao Yi’s orders to be issued so quickly, leaving no time for anyone to react. When Luo Huaimin received the imperial edict, his mind went blank, and he collapsed to the ground.

After the morning court session ended, Tang Qi returned to the Eastern Palace. Luo Xu had been waiting for her early. Though only two days had passed, it felt like a long time. Tang Qi extended her hand to Luo Xu, who was standing to the side. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

Luo Xu flew into her arms, hugging Tang Qi tightly. Thinking of the previous events still filled her with lingering fear. Especially when she had burst into the room and seen the blood everywhere—she had truly been terrified at that moment.

“What happened between you and Luo Ping that day?” Luo Xu asked. She wasn’t worried about anything happening between Tang Qi and Luo Ping; she was only concerned about Tang Qi’s body.

Tang Qi sighed. “She drugged me with a knockout drug and disguised herself as you. In my dazed state, I mistook her for you.”

Luo Xu’s heart tightened. Tang Qi kissed her and continued, “But she called me ‘Hele.’ A voice in my heart kept saying, that’s not you, you would never call me that.”

“The drug was incredibly potent. I couldn’t resist it. There happened to be a sword on the wall, so I thought about stabbing myself once—maybe it would sober me up a bit.” Tang Qi recounted calmly. Luo Xu suddenly lifted her head from her embrace, her eyes wide. “Don’t! I’d rather you… than you hurt yourself.”

Tang Qi chuckled softly and tapped Luo Xu’s nose. “That won’t do! At that time, my mind was a foggy mess. There was a voice telling myself, why make myself suffer? So, with the last shred of my reason, I stabbed Luo Ping. The smell of blood and her screams helped me regain a little clarity temporarily.”

Luo Xu’s eyes widened. No wonder Luo Ping was so severely injured. Events could unfold that way?

“After that, every time I felt discomfort, I’d stab her again. If it was particularly unbearable, I’d just slash a few more times. You know, it was surprisingly effective. Didn’t I pull through?” Though, without the stimulation of Luo Ping’s blood at the time, she might not have lost control so easily later.

Thank goodness for Luo Xu!

Luo Xu couldn’t help but bite her. “Still being cheeky.” Tang Qi reached out and tapped her own lips. “Bite here.” Seeing Luo Xu’s face flush red, she lowered her head and captured Luo Xu’s lips.

The moment she smelled that sweet scent that day, she had wanted to do this! She liked this taste, wanted to melt this flavor into her embrace.

Lips and teeth intertwined, Tang Qi gradually lost control and increased her intensity. One hand clasped Luo Xu’s wrist, forcefully pinning her hands above her head. The other hand pinched Luo Xu’s cheek, making her receive the kiss as deeply as possible.

Luo Xu felt a little uncomfortable, but she never struggled. She lay compliantly beneath Tang Qi. Tang Qi bit her. “Luoluo, let’s go back to the room.”

“But it’s still daylight.” Luo Xu’s small protest was swallowed by Tang Qi’s actions.

Tang Qi scooped her up, kicked open the room door, and walked inside.

At the Luo Mansion, also in the Capital, Luo Huaimin returned to his residence in a daze. Accompanying him were the Imperial Guards. Luo Ping cried out, refusing to believe this outcome. The Imperial Guards forcefully broke into her boudoir and, ignoring her injuries, dragged her away.

Worried, Mother Luo chased after them. The Imperial Guards politely stopped Mother Luo. “Madam Luo, please stay.” As if to console her, they said, “Madam Luo, Princess Hele pleaded to spare Miss Luo’s life. His Majesty has agreed to commute the death sentence to exile. Madam can rest assured.”

Hearing this, Mother Luo froze in place. Exile! Exile again! She stomped her feet anxiously. “How can I rest assured about exile? How can I rest assured!”

Luo Ping was crying her heart out. The Imperial Guards were far less courteous to her. A worn, dirty silk handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth, and before Mother Luo’s tearful eyes, she was taken away.

After the coup, Zhao Yi seemed to age overnight. Regardless of the rumors outside, he always knew Zhao Chengfeng was his son. Zhao Chengfeng’s attempted coup hurt him deeply. He delegated most of his power down to Tang Qi.

Although Tang Qi was nominally the Crown Princess, she was effectively the Empress, controlling the entire court.

She handled affairs with rigor, justice, and incorruptibility. She promulgated many laws beneficial to the nation and its people. In just a few months, those officials who had objections to her were all convinced sincerely.

Time passed into late autumn. The days grew colder, and withered yellow leaves fell in profusion.

The day of Luo Ping’s exile arrived. Mother Luo wanted to see her off but was stopped by Luo Huaimin. Luo Huaimin hated Luo Ping to death and naturally didn’t want to send her off.

Luo Ping’s only sendoff was Luo Xu.

One was a criminal about to be exiled, the other a lofty Commandery Princess. One stood in thin clothes shivering in the cold wind, the other was draped in a thick, ornate cloak and held a pure copper hand warmer.

Luo Ping’s undisguised malice surged toward Luo Xu. Luo Xu had no desire to ask her why she treated her this way. She simply turned her head to look at the guards beside her.

The guard nodded, stepped forward, and kicked Luo Ping.

A “crack” sound was heard. Luo Ping’s left fibula was broken. She screamed in pain, and immediately a yamen runner covered her mouth. “Shut up! This is a blessing the noble one bestows on you. You should just accept it.”

Finished speaking, the yamen runner sycophantically bowed and scraped toward Luo Xu. These few yamen runners were, impressively, the exact same ones who had escorted her back then. Luo Xu had specifically sought them out.

“Back then, you bribed people to break my leg. Now I return the favor in kind.” Luo Xu nodded, very satisfied. “I am someone who values fairness. Oh, and…”

She clapped her hands. The guards brought down a person from the back of the carriage, untying his ropes and removing his blindfold.

The person was haggard, with a gaunt face, and a stubble-covered chin. But one could still make out that it was Zhao Chengfeng, who had been demoted to a commoner.