The Ugly Empress by Yun Guo Shi Fei / 丑娘娘 by 云过是非

Chapter 23 - "Cleaning Up"?

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"This old servant has committed a grave mistake! This old servant deserves death! This old servant cannot be forgiven..." Jiang Yu kowtowed over and over again; his official hat had fallen aside and his forehead was swollen.

A royal physician was treating Xue Junliang's wounds while shaking in fear. When Xue Wang waved a hand allowing him to leave, he immediately escaped.

Working as a royal physician might not necessarily be easier than as an official of imperial court. He would, some times, heard words he shouldn't be allowed to. Those words might not be very precise and very telling, but still they could be leaked to outsiders. Therefore, if His Majesty let him go, he would hurriedly go. It was better to know less.

Xue Junliang touched his right hand and leaned back on the couch. A few small cuts on his face didn't obstruct his majestic presence. Even when he said nothing, he always wore a barely-there smile on his face, making people unable to see through, yet not dare to guess, what was on his mind.

Jiang Yu didn't hear Xue Wang said anything, so he carried on kowtowing.

Finally, Xue Junliang leisurely said, "Alright, get up."

"Th... Thank you, for Your Majesty's mercy."

"Jiang Yu," Xue Junliang said, "I have always looked up at you as I grow up, always respected you. I treat you like a senior, as you had served the former king... This matter, how come you couldn't handle it properly?"

"This old servant..." Jiang Yu's legs trembled and he fell back on his knees. Lowering his head to the ground, he said, "This old servant must die."

Xue Junliang gave him an eye, then said, "You have followed me for a long time, you are always so dedicated and hard-working. Although this time you made a mistake, I don't have the heart to punish you. If it's only me getting hurt, then it's nothing big. But this time, the Empress was very frightened."

"This old servant... This old servant..." Jiang Yu couldn't say any more words. This time, even if he was executed by a thousand cuts, he wouldn't be able to pay for his crime.

The Empress was intercepted by assassins on her journey to her hometown. This matter was actually something that Xue Junliang had predicted. But it was also a brilliant play Xue Junliang had arranged.

Xue Junliang was an old cunning fox. Feng Ming might have been full of schemes, but he was no match against Xue Junliang. Instead of letting Feng Ming assassinated the Empress at Xue Country's border, he might as well arranged the assassination by his own two hands.

Her Majesty the Empress was frightened by assassins, therefore it was impossible for her to continue her journey to Feng Country according to plan. She would be better staying home. Feng Ming, then, could only complain for a few words, and there was that; could not be used as an excuse to attack Xue Country.

But Xue Junliang never could have expected his perfect play would go off-track. The assassins had attacked half-way. These assassins definitely couldn't be Feng Ming's people, because Feng Ming's people were still waiting at the border; waiting to ambush the Empress' entourage.

The assassins that had attacked them was obviously a band of mere petty thieves. They recklessly attacked only ten miles away from the capital city border. Here, there were many soldiers and guards, and with a little to no time and effort, the assassins had all been captured by Xue Houyang.

Xue Junliang was also a military commander; suffering a few minor wounds was nothing to him. But what angered him was that Jiang Yu treating this matter too lightly.