Volume 1 Chapter 23: The Emperor's Edict

  "Oh?"

  "You think you can avoid today's trouble by being evasive?" Lady Cui continued, a cold smile spreading across her lips. "My family's Shilan is gentle and virtuous, and has always adhered to the traditional virtues of a woman. She was chosen as an imperial concubine because of her beauty, talent, and gentle disposition, bringing glory to our family. After the emperor passed away, she returned to her hometown to cultivate herself in seclusion, never leaving her quarters or meeting outsiders, avoiding any controversy, and earning the respect and admiration of everyone in my Cui family. And you..." She looked up and down at Tai Shi Lan, "Your behavior is coarse and unrefined, completely lacking the elegance of a noble lady; you are disrespectful to your elders and lack humility and self-reflection. You bully your sisters, sneak out on your own, and as the emperor's former concubine, you recklessly cause trouble in public, putting my Cui family at risk of committing treason! How can you possibly be Shilan?"

  "Mother is right." Cuì Shì Zhú said immediately, "Sister was gentle and kind in the past, how could she be like this!"

  "She can't even compare to half of Shi Lan's elegance and virtue!" shouted Cui Shiwei.

  "Yes, it looks strange no matter how you look at it." Someone chimed in, "It's just the face, but it doesn't seem quite right..."

  "She's absolutely not Shilan!" A crowd of people exclaimed excitedly, "Shilan always smiles when meeting people, how can she be like her who never smiles?"

  "Xilan is happy to help others, but she hurts her sister!"

  "Xianglan is gentle and polite, how can she be compared to her coarseness and overbearingness!"

  Tai Shi Lan listened quietly to those people's descriptions of Yi Shilan, a perfect, virtuous, gentle, and lovely woman who embodied all the good qualities of humanity. They adored, missed, worshiped, and admired her... and would not allow anyone to tarnish her reputation... A hint of mocking smile played on her lips. Before her eyes, that night, under the wall, a struggling body, shrill jeers, scattered long hair, purple bruises... flashed by.

  "What's it to you?"

  A quiet room.

  "Yes, I am indeed not Tai Shi Lan, and fortunately so." Tai Shi Lan's eyes were sarcastic as he rolled up his sleeves.

  Everyone's eyes fell on her arm, and there was a faint red mark between her elbows, like a birthmark. Everyone immediately turned to Tai Fu Ren, who looked bewildered. She was the stepmother, how would she know if Tai Shi Lan had a birthmark or not? But at this moment, she refused to acknowledge Tai Shi Lan, saying: "You're really not Shi Lan! Shi Lan doesn't have a birthmark on her arm!"

  Chui Bo let out a sigh of relief, and vaguely remembered that his daughter didn't have any birthmarks. The worry in his heart instantly dissipated - such a Shilan would bring disaster to the Chui family. Fortunately, she wasn't one.

  He immediately frowned, "You're not Shilan, where did Shilan go? You'd better confess honestly to me, otherwise I'll send you to the authorities!" The last sentence was stern and severe.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't even glance at him, "He's dead."

  ……

  "Was it you who killed him?" It was half a moment before Tuo Bo regained his composure and found his voice.

  Tai Shi Lan gazed at his somewhat pale face, perhaps this father still had some feelings for Tai Shi Lan. Only, it was limited.

  "I won't talk to you, I'll only say it in the main hall." She sat upright and motionless, nodding at Tui Shi Zhu. His face immediately turned white.

  "My family is the General Manager of Anzhou, and my home is a grand hall. Break your legs, and there will be a reckoning!" Tui Shiwei said with a sinister tone.

  "You can try." Tai Shi Lan's back was straight as a pen, "I just won against you today."

  Everyone's face turned pale, and only then did they remember that today was the Dragon Head Festival. This woman had already met the Duke of Jin, and if they tried to handle it privately this time, they feared they would get into trouble when the Duke asked about it.

  "Although this man is unscrupulous, sending a woman to the government will ruin her life. Father, think thrice." Yu Shi Zhu immediately spoke up.

  "This matter concerns the reputation of our prefecture, it's not suitable to send officials. My family has passed down poetry and etiquette for generations, naturally we won't abuse private punishment. Please be cautious, master." The crowd immediately changed their tone and unanimously agreed.

  Tai Bo looked around, the ladies' faces made him guess something, and his eyes widened suddenly. Mrs. Tai pulled his sleeve, and they turned behind the screen. After a while, Tai Bo came out with a dark face.

  "You are not a member of our family, so you cannot stay in our mansion. Please leave immediately and swear that for the rest of your life, you will not reveal even half a sentence about what happened here!"

  Is this the final disposal?

  Tai Shi Lan silently pursed her lips.

  Wei Shilan... you're really not worth it.

  She stood up, patted her clothes, and looked out into the outer hall with a tilt of her head. Through the screen, she could vaguely see a small head stubbornly twisting in this direction, and if he hadn't been held back by someone, he would probably have rushed over.

  Tai Shi Lan's eyes softened slightly, and she raised her hand to pat the air gently.

  A comforting posture.

  Outside the hall, Wei Shi's eyes suddenly became moist.

  Tai Shi Lan stood up and walked through the silent crowd. She hadn't expected the Yu family to be so yielding, rendering useless the killing intent she had been brewing for half a day.

  But it's better for the Yu family to pray now and never meet her again in the Jianghu.

  People saw her off, pursing their lips, with a strange light flashing in the bottom of their eyes. Cuī Shì Zhú and others narrowed their eyes, their gaze filled with suppressed murderous intent.

  Let her go first, then kill her.

  Tai Shi Lan was about to leave the hospital.

  Suddenly, a commotion arose from the front, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps rushing towards the backyard. A figure flashed by, and Yu Lin burst in, exclaiming urgently: "The imperial edict has arrived! Brother, quickly receive the imperial edict!"

  A good panic.

  The incense table was set, the red carpet was laid out, and Yu Bai led his noble wife to kneel down and receive the imperial edict. The rest of the people knelt in a dense crowd behind them, while Tai Shi Lan stood far away in the shadows. At this moment, everyone's heart was uneasy, not knowing whether the midnight edict would bring bad news or good tidings. No one paid attention to her, who had already been expelled.

  "...order that all the imperial family members who have returned to their hometowns be picked up by the imperial carriage and escorted back to the capital, and on a auspicious day, enter the Mausoleum of Victory to serve the Emperor forever. The maternal family of the empress will be rewarded with 1,000 taels of yellow gold; those with official positions will all be promoted one rank, and among their children and grandchildren, one person will be selected for imperial favor..."

  People knelt on the ground, their fingers digging into the cold brick floor, unaware of the pain, only feeling numbness. Before their eyes, a dark and bloody word seemed to flash, crashing down from the sky - Burial, burial, burial...

  "Your servant... has received the edict." Tai Bo was stunned for a long time, and with an unknown mix of joy and sorrow, he trembled as he took over the yellow silk scroll.

  "Hmm." The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict smiled expressionlessly and drawled, "Congratulations, Lord Wei. You've been promoted and rewarded, your sons and daughters have inherited your noble title, the Empress Dowager has truly shown great favor to you. Now, the reward has been received, where is your daughter? I suppose she's at home, in the ancestral temple? The Empress Dowager said that the imperial concubine who received the edict must be escorted away immediately by us. Would you please summon your daughter, Lord Wei?"

  A suffocating silence.

  "What?" The eunuch narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in his gaze. "She's not here?"

  Another moment of silence passed, and the kneeling members of the Tui family turned around in place, raised their hands together, and pointed to the corner where Tai Shi Lan was located.

  "She is here."

  Digression

  Well, guys, you guessed wrong, Tai Shi is indeed going to slaughter all around, but it's not the Xiao family...