Who wouldn't hate that?
Even Yao Youqing herself knew that if the same thing happened to her, she couldn't help but hate it.
Although it was the late emperor who devised the schemes, it was ultimately her father who personally led Consort Shu to her doom.
She knew that her father did not intend to aid and abet evil, but what was the point of saying these words to Cui Hao and the others?
Explaining your reasons for doing something to the injured party will only become an excuse to shirk responsibility. It would be better to apologize directly than to explain.
So she didn't say anything more, she just kept repeating "I'm sorry".
Cui Hao sighed softly: "Your Highness need not tell me, I know what kind of person Lord Yao is. As an official appointed by the court, he has always been extremely loyal and would never do anything detrimental to the court."
"The prince holds military power, and we have followed him for many years, so we naturally know that he has no intention of disloyalty. He just wants the Liang army to be strong and capable of resisting powerful enemies, but Lord Yao is unaware of this."
"As a court official of the Great Liang Dynasty, and one of the key ministers left by Emperor Gaozong to assist the late emperor, regardless of whether the late emperor falsely conveyed Emperor Gaozong's edict to have the Consort buried alive with him, he would not let her leave the capital just because of a moment of weakness or because the Consort said a few words."
“But Your Highness… even if we know it in our hearts, we can’t help but resent him and not hold a grudge. After all… she is the Prince’s birth mother.”
Yao Youqing nodded through her tears: "I know, I know..."
She was already saddened for a long time when her mother died of illness, blaming God for taking her mother away. Moreover, the prince knew that it was her father who stopped his mother at the palace gate.
Seeing her crying so hard, Cui Hao felt sorry for her and said, "If the Consort had encountered someone else, the other party might have agreed to let her go on the spot, and then immediately reported to His Majesty after she left, making an excuse to say that he failed to stop her in time. He would have made a contribution without offending the Prince. But Lord Yao... is not that kind of person."
As Wei Hong said, he was too upright, almost to the point of being pedantic. If Emperor Gaozong hadn't been a person who could recognize and use talent, with his personality, any other emperor would probably have dismissed him from office and demoted him to some unknown place long ago.
Emperor Gaozong's trust and appreciation brought him success, but also brought him trouble. He became inflexible and suffered greatly in front of the new emperor and the current emperor, being repeatedly used. Even his daughter's marriage and life became bargaining chips for them to consolidate their throne.
"But precisely because he wasn't that kind of person, although the prince still resented him after calming down, he didn't make things difficult for him again."
When Consort Shu committed suicide, it was because she knew she couldn't escape and didn't want Wei Hong to go to the capital for her sake, which would give the court a handle to use against her.
If Wei Hong had learned of her death before even arriving in the capital, it would have been pointless for him to come back. He would naturally turn back and return to Shangchuan to make further arrangements.
Just when everyone thought he would go back, he got angry and went to the capital alone, sneaked into the Yao residence, and almost killed Yao Yuzhi.
Cui Hao was the first to notice that he was missing. He immediately rode after him at full speed and managed to stop him just as he was about to strangle Yao Yuzhi. He repeatedly advised him that if Yao Yuzhi died, it would alarm the entire capital the next morning. At that time, the person in the palace would surely guess that he was nearby and use Yao Yuzhi's death as an excuse to send troops to search for and kill him.
He didn't bring many men with him, and it was already difficult for him to sneak in. Under such an encirclement and suppression, it was almost impossible for him to return to Shuozhou safely.
Wei Hong was determined to kill Yao Yuzhi and wouldn't listen to anything else. It was only when Cui Hao brought up the deceased Consort Shu that he realized that the Empress had committed suicide so that he could return safely. He argued that his impulsive actions were a waste of the Empress's good intentions. Only then did Wei Hong stop, his eyes red, and refrain from attacking Yao Yuzhi.
Although Cui Hao saved Yao Yuzhi, it didn't mean he really thought she shouldn't die; he just didn't want his prince to be put in danger to vent his anger.
At that time, Yao Yuzhi's second son had just died, leaving only her eldest son and young daughter in the family.
A daughter might be able to stay at home as long as she was safe, but his eldest son would have to go out eventually and couldn't stay at home forever. Cui Hao then threatened him with the life of his eldest son, telling him that they still had some people in the capital, and if he revealed that the prince had been to the capital, he would send someone to kill his son.
After they left, Yao Yuzhi did not go to the palace to say anything. She claimed to be ill and took a leave of absence for a period of time. She rested at home for a while until the bruises on her neck had completely faded before returning to court.
Everyone assumed he was grieving the death of his second son and didn't think much of it. By the time the late emperor learned from elsewhere that Wei Hong might have been in the capital, it was too late; Wei Hong had already been back in Shangchuan for quite some time.
Cui Hao did not tell Yao Youqing about these things because he did not know that Yao Youqing already knew about their past work at the Yao residence.
Seeing Yao Youqing's red eyes, he gently advised, "Actually, you could have refused the marriage arranged by the late emperor."
“He has lost his wife and children, and you are his only daughter. He has no other attachments in this world besides you. Even if he disobeys the imperial decree, the late emperor and Your Majesty will not really do anything to him because of his status.”
"This is, after all, a marriage between children, and it does not involve a marriage alliance between two countries. Even the emperor has no reason to force his officials to marry off their daughters."
"But even though he knew he was being schemed against by the late emperor, he still reluctantly agreed. He knew it was unfair to you, but for the sake of the late emperor and the court, he still let you get married. This shows that he was indeed a selfless person who was devoted to the public good. It's just a pity that he wasn't quick-witted enough and didn't know how to adapt. He didn't realize that when dealing with people like the late emperor and Your Majesty, blind loyalty and concession wouldn't bring any good results."
"However, if we disregard all that, in terms of loyalty to the court alone, he certainly deserves to be highly regarded."
It was precisely because Yao Yuzhi agreed to the marriage that Cui Hao realized that the words he had used to threaten her might not have worked.
The reason he didn't report them to the palace was probably because he felt guilty and hesitated for a long time between loyalty and morality, unsure of how to conduct himself.
However, his deeply ingrained habits over the years still led him to choose to remain loyal to the court, even though he knew that some of the actions of the late emperor and His Majesty were inappropriate.
But how many officials, who all claim to be devoted to the court to the point of death, can truly do so and are without selfish motives?
In terms of character and talent, Yao Yuzhi was actually a rare and excellent official. It's just a pity that such a person can only show his talents when he meets an enlightened ruler, but when he meets a foolish ruler, he will only be used as a stumbling block or a sacrifice to charge into battle.
Yao Youqing knew he was trying to comfort her, and she sobbed as she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir. I... I can't defend my father, but a son shouldn't speak ill of his father, so I can't say anything about him either."
"I only hope... I hope for the future..."
She wanted to say that if she were gone, she hoped that the prince would take care of her father in some way, considering their relationship over the past two years.
But she dared not let Cui Hao know that she was leaving, nor could she bring herself to say it.
To Wei Hong, Yao Yuzhi was no different from the murderer of his mother, so asking him to take care of her was going too far.
She choked up and couldn't speak. Cui Hao thought she was worried that the prince would make things difficult for her if she met Yao Yuzhi in the future, so he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. With you here, even if the prince is unhappy, he won't go too far with Lord Yao."
Yao Youqing forced a smile and picked up the teacup beside her.
"Thank you very much. I'll offer you tea instead of wine, Lord Cui."
Cui Hao then picked up the tea beside him, raised his hand, and drank it all in one gulp.
He never expected that this cup of tea would be more intoxicating than wine. Not long after drinking it, he felt dizzy and fainted.
Chapter 103 Choice
When Cui Hao woke up, his mind was still hazy, and for a brief moment he was disoriented.
He sat up, rubbing his forehead, and found himself lying in Wei Hong's tent. Everything that had happened before he fell asleep flooded his mind, instantly jolting him awake. He staggered to the door.
"Where is the princess?"
The servants guarding outside the tent were dozing off when he was suddenly startled awake. They exclaimed "Ah!" without understanding what he was asking.
"I'm asking you, where is the princess?"
Cui Hao tugged at his collar and repeated.
He rarely lost his composure in front of others, and his appearance frightened the servant so much that he couldn't speak properly for a long time before he could straighten his tongue.
"Your Highness... let's go, let's go."
"Gone? Where did they go?"
"She went to Daxian. Didn't you say she should stay there this evening?"
The servant noticed that his expression was off and sensed that things might not be so simple. Before he could ask any more questions, the servant continued, "Before she left, she said that she had talked to you about some things from the past of the prince. You were moved and drank a few more cups of wine, and got drunk. She asked us not to disturb you."
"Then, he took the people he came with and went to Daxian County."
Cui Hao gritted his teeth and loosened his collar.
"With the Prince absent, I'm leading the troops in his stead. How could I possibly let myself get drunk! Are you all out of your minds!"
If he wasn't drunk, then Yao Youqing was lying; Cui Hao was drugged and rendered unconscious by her.
The man understood, and his heart pounded with unease. He stammered, "If someone else had said this, we naturally wouldn't have believed it, but... since it was the princess who said it, we... had no doubts."
That gentle and kind princess, who patiently and meticulously answered everyone's questions, set up soup kitchens in Cangcheng to treat wounded soldiers, and even knew a great deal about the conditions of many wounded soldiers, and who clearly visited them often, how could... how could she have captivated Lord Cui and lied to them?
Cui Hao was at a loss for words; his already throbbing head throbbed even more.
Yao Youqing was simple-minded and had an innocent and harmless face. Not to mention the straightforward soldiers in the army, even he, who always prided himself on being deep-thinking and vigilant, was not on guard.
He took a breath and calmed himself down.
"Send someone to Daxian to see if the Princess Consort went there. If she didn't, find out her whereabouts and when she left immediately, and come back to tell me as soon as you find out!"
The servant knew the matter was of great importance and turned to leave, but was stopped by him.
Did the princess say anything else before she left?
The man thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, she only said that you were drunk, and that she had someone help you to rest in the tent. She didn't say anything else."
Cui Hao frowned and nodded: "Go."
The figure standing by the door disappeared like a gust of wind, quickly blending into the night.
Cui Hao felt as if a stone was pressing on his heart, making it hard to breathe. Looking at the starry night sky, he felt even more uneasy.
The princess must have drugged him to do something behind his back, and it would take some time for her to find out, the later he found out, the better.
What things take time?
Only...leave.
This departure was naturally not to go to Daxian or back to Cangcheng, but to some other place they could not find.
If she never entered Daxian County, or if she tried to escape as soon as she arrived, then at least four or five hours have passed since then.
Four or five hours... If one were to travel at full speed, one could cover a very, very long distance.
Cui Hao had a splitting headache. He turned around and went back to his tent to have a sip of tea, but then remembered that there was medicine in the tea. He wondered if it had been changed, so he prepared to return to his own tent.
But before he could turn around again, he saw a letter on the table. He hadn't noticed it because he was in such a hurry to go out and ask the servant what was going on.
Cui Hao immediately stepped forward and picked up the letter, which read "To be opened by Lord Cui".
He opened the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and read it quickly. A lump formed in his throat, and he slumped down in a chair, unable to catch his breath for a long time.
In her letter, Yao Youqing said that she was threatened by Wei Chi, who told her to return to the capital to testify that the King of Qin did indeed have an army and had repeatedly left his fiefdom without permission, otherwise her father's life would be in danger.
Although the prince has treated her well these past two years, she cannot disregard her father's safety because of this, and can only feel sorry for the prince.
She also told them to prepare in advance that once she testified in court, the court would immediately strip the prince of his title, seize his military power, and mobilize troops to attack Shuozhou under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion.
Shuozhou is currently under siege by the Southern Yan and the Great Jin. If we don't make preparations in advance, we may not be able to hold out for long once the imperial army joins in.
Cui Hao looked at the contents of the letter, his eyes reddening, his jaw clenched, and his hand holding the letter trembling slightly.
Just then, someone rushed in from outside the tent, saying that a letter had been sent from the capital. It was originally meant for the prince, but since the prince was not there, it was sent to him instead.
Cui Hao silently took the letter, and after reading it, his face grew increasingly grim. Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the table, causing the cups and saucers on it to fall and shatter on the floor with a crash.
This letter was the one Chen Miao had sent, which mentioned that Wei Chi had suddenly increased the number of hidden sentries around the Yao residence for some unknown reason.
"Too late...just one step too late!"
Cui Hao's face was gloomy as he crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball.
If this letter had reached him sooner, how could he not have guessed what the princess was planning? How could he have fallen for her trick and been drugged by a cup of tea?