FBC – Chapter 269 Stirring Trouble

Gu Hua handed the short crossbow in her hand to Dong Hua and said coldly, “Chiyu, quickly find out which families these few young masters belong to. Summon their parents, wives, and children here at once. If they have no close family, then bring their elders or clan heads. And if they aren’t from this prefecture, call for the governor to preside over the case on the spot.”

Chiyu responded and turned to a guard behind him. “Go at once.”

The guard swiftly opened the door and left. The shopkeeper hurriedly shut it again.

The faces of those who had just been about to curse turned pale instantly.

The ringleader stammered, “Y-you dare lay hands on our families?”

Gu Hua’s lips curved slightly. “Your families haven’t committed any crimes—why would I touch them? I merely want them to come see for themselves which disgrace of a son is about to drag their entire family into ruin.”

“You—you intend to—”

Gu Hua cut him off. “I intend nothing. Everything will be handled according to the law.”

She swept her gaze around the hall. “My apologies for alarming everyone. However, today’s matter concerns the royal reputation of the Princess of the Commandery, as well as whether the late Duke Yong can rest in peace. This cannot be brushed aside. It must be settled openly before all. Since everyone has already heard their slanderous talk, then let us all judge together which demon dares to stir up such trouble.”

“You—”

Smack!

Chiyu raised his hand and slapped the man sharply across the face. “The Duchess is speaking—who gave you the right to interrupt?”

With Gu Hua taking such a firm stance, Chiyu naturally followed her lead.

Blood flecked from the man’s mouth. The rest turned pale with fear, not daring to utter another word.

Gu Hua turned and gave Zhao Luoxuan a respectful bow. “Your Grace, please be seated.”

Zhao Luoxuan quickly replied, “Duchess, please, you sit.”

Gu Hua nodded and gave her a reassuring look.

A maid brought over chairs for them. Zhao Luoxuan sat down, and the tight ache in her chest finally eased a little.

Gu Hua waved a hand. “Shopkeeper, serve tea to our guests. Let them drink and watch.”

“Yes, yes.” The shopkeeper quickly beckoned the guests to sit.

The crowd, realizing there was no way to leave, had no choice but to comply.

Gu Hua sat down and adjusted the hem of her embroidered skirt.

She turned toward the dancing girl and asked gently, “You’re from the Music Bureau of Juzhou, aren’t you?”

The dancer knelt. “Yes, madam.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Stand and speak.”

Gu Hua then looked toward the troublemakers. “Last October, spies from Dali were discovered hiding in Juzhou’s private brothels. After that, all private establishments were abolished, leaving only the official Music Bureau.

Although performers from the Music Bureau are technically of low status, they serve in the imperial court, government, and military ceremonies. Each one of them is registered as an official musician, with all movement and service strictly governed by the Bureau. Even princes and nobles must seek formal permission to invite them.

According to imperial law, any person who privately takes or confines a Music Bureau performer is guilty of encroaching upon public property.”

Gu Hua turned to Zhao Luoxuan. “Your Grace, the punishment for such a crime is thirty strokes with the rod. If the circumstances are severe, the offender is stripped of all rank and demoted to commoner status. Am I correct?”

Zhao Luoxuan nodded, her back straightening. “Exactly. And if anyone forcibly abducts an official performer, causing injury or death, the sentence can extend to exile a thousand li away.”

The troublemakers’ arrogance vanished instantly.

Gu Hua smiled faintly and looked at them. “That’s one crime. Now—who among you just insulted Her Grace?”

Their faces turned ashen. They looked at one another helplessly.

The ringleader’s eyes darted nervously; he quickly lowered his head. The rest tried to bury their faces into their collars.

Gu Hua knew well the rumors that had spread throughout the empire—that Zhao Luoxuan, once a high and noble princess, had been demoted and forced to marry as a widow. The common folk gossiped endlessly, ignorant of the truth.

No one knew that her love for General Qi Jun had been real and mutual.

The world believed she was punished for wrongdoing.

But how could words explain what she could never reveal?

Zhao Luoxuan never tried to clarify it. She’d rather bear the stigma herself than allow the brave Qi Jun to be defamed in death.

Even in Juzhou, she had endured countless whispers and ridicule, merely choosing not to respond.

Gu Hua had long wanted to clear Zhao Luoxuan’s name, but never found the right opportunity—until now.

She straightened her expression. “Many people don’t know why Her Grace willingly gave up her princess title and chose to become a widow for General Qi Jun. Rumors have since run rampant, slandering the royal family. Today, I’ll make it clear for all, so that none of you dare to repeat such nonsense again. Defaming the imperial family is not a crime of one—it drags down entire households, even whole clans!”

The crowd, composed mostly of upper-class folk, understood her words all too well.

“You all know,” Gu Hua continued, “that the Sixth Princess once offered herself for a political marriage to Dali, in pursuit of peace for the southern border. Yet, though King Duan of Dali lost the war, he refused to make peace. The traitor Jiang Duo plotted to deceive and abduct the princess. It was General Qi Jun who rescued her, and the two came to know and love each other.”

A ripple of astonishment swept through the hall.

“My heavens—they loved each other?”

“How touching! The princess and the general? But… the general is dead. What a pity.”

Zhao Luoxuan’s eyes filled with tears.

“The traitor later imprisoned General Qi Jun, intending to torture him into falsely accusing Duke Yong of treason. But General Qi Jun refused, choosing death over dishonor. The princess broke into the villain’s estate, stormed his private dungeon, and killed him with her own hands—but it was already too late. General Qi Jun had been murdered.”

The hall fell utterly silent.

Everyone now gazed at Zhao Luoxuan with deep respect.

The people had known of Qi Jun’s death, but not the truth behind it. Because the matter involved the court, Zhao Luoxuan had only announced publicly that he had died from an old war wound.

Gu Hua’s voice trembled slightly. “The princess, overcome by grief, knelt before the emperor and empress, begging to be stripped of her title so she could marry General Qi Jun in death. Moved by her devotion, Their Majesties granted her wish, demoting her to a commandery princess so that she could honorably become his widow.”

The troublemakers were stunned, staring blankly at Zhao Luoxuan.

“How could this be…” the ringleader murmured.

“Brother, we’ve been deceived,” another whispered.

“Indeed…”

Bound together in a heap, they began to whisper among themselves in regret.

Gu Hua caught both their expressions and their words.

“And as for me,” she continued, “the child I carry was conceived while I was delivering grain to Juzhou. You may insult me if you wish—but if anyone dares to insult Duke Yong, I will not forgive them!”

Her expression darkened, and she slammed her palm down hard on the table.

The teacups rattled and nearly toppled.

Moments later, a knock sounded at the door.

The servant peeked through a crack, saw it was the guard who had left earlier, and opened the door.

A large group of people—old and young alike—hurried inside. As soon as they saw the bound troublemakers, cries broke out.

One middle-aged man of about forty rushed forward, clutching the ringleader. “My son! What happened to you? Who dared to tie you up?”

Gu Hua recognized him at once.

He had once been the wealthiest merchant in Juzhou.

But during the war in September, when Juzhou was desperate for food and winter clothing, his family shut down all their stores—grain shops, general goods, and cloth shops alike—liquidated their assets, and disappeared.

When she left Juzhou, they still hadn’t returned.

Yet now that peace had been restored—they were back.

But upon returning, they discovered that Juzhou was no longer the same.

They had assumed the city would fall, and in their panic, they sold off their properties dirt cheap. But at that time, who would buy? People could hardly afford food or clothes.

Unable to sell, they claimed to have “donated” their shops to the government as grain tax, in exchange for military protection from the Mu army.

Who would have guessed that not only did Juzhou survive, but it prospered?

When they returned, they found that all their former properties had been allocated to the Pei family.

And they were unwilling to accept that.

So, they tried to use their old connections in Bianjing’s government to drive out the Pei family—only to be guided, by someone else, down a much darker path.