FBC – Chapter 228 Collecting the Debt

Gu Hua looked again at Zhao Luoxuan, who was crying so hard she couldn’t even stand, and her heart twisted like a knife.

Shen Li pulled her aside and whispered, “General Qi bit his tongue and killed himself.”

Gu Hua’s chest ached. “Was it because the torture was too unbearable?”

“Many of his wounds were inflicted after his death, which means… he had already resolved to sacrifice himself.”

Gu Hua clutched her clothes tightly, biting her lips hard, forcing herself to suppress her grief.

“I understand. The moment Jiang Duo took him away, he knew what Jiang Duo wanted. To protect the princess, even if Jiang Duo hadn’t tortured him to death, he would’ve taken his own life.”

“Most likely.” Shen Li glanced at Zhao Luoxuan.

“I didn’t dare tell her, afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Gu Hua nodded. “Let’s not say anything for now. She is, after all, a princess, raised in pampered comfort.”

Taking a few deep breaths, regaining her composure, Gu Hua immediately brought Chi Yu, Chi Yan, and Min Dongsheng along to Grand Madam’s Xiangrui Hall.

“You child, I told you not to worry, to take care of your baby. You just won’t listen.”

The Grand Madam held Gu Hua’s hand painfully and made her sit.

“Mother, don’t worry. I will definitely protect the child.”

Gu Hua had no mood to talk about herself. She went straight to the point: “What exactly happened? Tell me in detail.”

After listening to their account, Min Dongsheng sighed.

“In truth, it was the Sixth Princess who caused General Qi’s death. Perhaps the Empress deliberately let slip that they were about to be released, which allowed Jiang Duo to get to him first.”

Gu Hua felt even more distressed at this.

It was all her fault for not firmly stopping the princess from falling for General Qi.

In fact, using the military tally to exchange for the five generals’ release was almost guaranteed. The only unpredictable factor was the Sixth Princess.

Because of her feelings for Qi Jun, Jiang Duo and his people saw it as leverage against the Empress.

So, no matter what, Qi Jun could only die.

But Jiang Duo’s methods were simply too cruel.

Gu Hua clenched her teeth, forming a plan.

“Mother, Mister Min, the torture devices and other evidence Chi Yu found—can these nail down the Jiang family’s crimes? A private torture chamber inside Prince Ping’an’s mansion, plus the belongings of those ministers who mysteriously died… such a grave crime should be enough to strip their princely title, shouldn’t it?”

The Grand Madam shook her head. “No. The emperor will never act on this alone.”

Min Dongsheng sighed. “The torture tools and the officials’ personal items they brought back prove nothing. By the time the authorities investigate, the Jiang family will have cleaned up everything. Without catching them in the act, it’s useless.”

Gu Hua felt deflated.

So much sacrifice, and losing Qi Jun—yet it amounted to nothing.

The Grand Madam spoke slowly. “But it’s not entirely useless. This is no longer just between the Jiang family and the Mu family. It’s now a struggle between the Empress Dowager’s faction and the Empress’s faction. Let’s see how the emperor chooses.”

“Mother means… use the Sixth Princess’s matter?”

“Not use. Just… wait and see if the Second Prince wants the crown prince’s seat.”

Gu Hua nodded. “I asked the Empress to help me gain an audience with His Majesty on this very condition. We will support the Second Prince to become Crown Prince. The Empress must oppose the Empress Dowager, otherwise, the Second Prince will never sit on that throne.”

The Grand Madam agreed. “Exactly.”

Min Dongsheng added, “The Ping’an faction will surely stir trouble over the Sixth Princess killing Jiang Duo. Let’s see how the Empress counters it.”

When Gu Hua saw Zhao Luoxuan again, the girl looked like a different person—dazed eyes, lying motionless over the coffin.

Gu Hua never imagined her feelings for Qi Jun were this deep.

Softly, she called, “Princess.”

Zhao Luoxuan’s empty gaze shifted slowly to her, without reaction for a long time.

Gu Hua gently embraced her and whispered, “We cannot let General Qi die in vain.”

Zhao Luoxuan’s eyes suddenly regained clarity. She stood up at once, grabbing Gu Hua’s hand. “Elder Sister, tell me what to do. Whatever you say, I’ll do it.”

Seeing her so wholehearted toward Qi Jun, Gu Hua felt reluctant to use her.

But since Qi Jun had died because of her, Gu Hua couldn’t let it be in vain.

“Princess, Jiang Duo seized Qi Jun as a ploy, targeting the Empress and your Second Brother. The Jiang family won’t let this go, and neither can you. Only by making a big commotion can you help your Second Brother ascend as Crown Prince. Only when he is Crown Prince will there be the power to punish the Jiang family’s tyranny.”

Zhao Luoxuan’s red, swollen eyes fixed on her. She nodded slowly. “I understand. I will definitely help Second Brother become Crown Prince!”

“You earned merit in Juzhou and know the Mu family’s army well. The Second Prince once trained with the Mu family’s army, so he is the most capable of controlling them.”

Zhao Luoxuan nodded again. “I understand.”

That night, Zhao Luoxuan and Zhao Yuwen returned to the palace and went straight to the Empress. Mother and children together sought an audience with the emperor overnight.

Meanwhile, Gu Hua’s group met with Zuo Fengtian and others.

Just as Min Dongsheng predicted—

The next morning, in court, Prince Ping’an’s faction jointly impeached the Sixth Princess and Sixth Prince for privately mobilizing troops to besiege Prince Ping’an’s mansion. They accused the princess of killing Jiang Duo, a loyal subject, and demanded severe punishment.

Zuo Fengtian and his allies argued back furiously.

As the court debated heatedly, a eunuch messenger announced that Princess Shuhe, the Sixth Prince, and the Second Prince requested to enter the hall.

The emperor, annoyed, said, “We are in the middle of state affairs. Tell them not to cause trouble!”

Prince Ping’an immediately interjected, “Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess killed my second son. A princess breaking the law should be punished the same as a commoner. Do you intend to shield her?”

The emperor’s expression turned dark, glaring at him. “Then what punishment does Prince Ping’an propose for the princess?”

Prince Ping’an replied coldly, “Naturally, a life for a life!”

The emperor’s rage boiled.

Prince Ping’an was far too arrogant.

How could the life of a princess be weighed the same as that of a subject?

Zuo Fengtian sneered. “A life for a life? So if a criminal commits wrongdoing and is lawfully executed on the spot, must the just person who carried it out repay with their own life? Prince, you’re not only trying to place yourself above the law, but above the emperor himself!”

The hall erupted in murmurs.

Prince Ping’an and his son’s faces turned black.

The emperor rubbed his brow. “Since Prince Ping’an insists the princess must pay with her life, let her enter the hall and explain why she killed Jiang Duo.”

“Very well.”

Prince Ping’an looked smug.

Murder was murder—no matter how she spun it, she had no evidence.

Even if she said Qi Jun had died, no one could prove whether it was in the Ministry of Justice’s prison or in the Jiang household.

The dead cannot testify.

“Summon the Sixth Princess, the Second Prince, and the Sixth Prince to enter the hall.”

Zhao Luoxuan entered with a bare face, her expression icy, no adornments in her hair, wearing plain white robes.

The emperor’s face darkened at her appearance.

She raised both hands high, knelt on the floor, and performed a grand bow.

“Father Emperor, your daughter, while rescuing the loyal general Qi, was besieged by the Jiang clan’s guards. In the struggle, I mistakenly killed Jiang Duo. I am here to confess my crime.”

Prince Ping’an and Jiang Shizi were stunned.

“Mistakenly killed?”

“Princess, have you no shame?”

But the emperor’s expression instantly softened.

Still kneeling, Zhao Luoxuan turned to face Prince Ping’an, bowing before him. Then she straightened, her back tall and proud, her eyes fearless.

“The shameless ones are the Jiang family!”

The entire court gasped.

No one had ever dared openly insult Prince Ping’an in the great hall before.

His face darkened instantly.

“Your Majesty, is this how your good princess speaks—”

Zhao Luoxuan cut him off: “This princess must also ask Prince Ping’an—was it you who indulged your son’s misconduct, plotting to deceive the throne and defy imperial orders? For selfish gain, you tried to frame a princess and a prince, to eliminate the Empress’s legitimate sons and make way for your Jiang-blooded offspring.”

She paused slightly, her gaze coldly sweeping over the father and son’s darkened faces.

“Or was it Jiang Duo himself, who bore a grudge against Qi Jun and sought revenge?”

Now that was interesting.

The hall fell utterly silent.

The meaning of her words was clear: was Jiang Duo’s act done under Prince Ping’an’s orders, or on his own?

If it was under Prince Ping’an’s orders, then the crime of openly attacking imperial princes and princesses must be weighed—making her claim of accidental killing defensible.

If it was Jiang Duo’s personal vendetta for his misconduct in Juzhou, then it was solely his responsibility.

The only question was—would Prince Ping’an abandon the pawn to protect himself, or drag the whole Jiang clan into the fight?

_{I kind of like don’t like princess and I kind of hate empress. I think empress she got what she wanted, maybe more than that. General Qi became the cannon-fodder here. I really really want to write where princess is reborn to save general Qi and their HE.}