Female Consort Chapter 68: Golden Medal

Li Shi had originally intended to protect Qiu Che.

It was just a woman being tainted, let’s not even mention how he didn’t care about Li Qingwu, his daughter. Even if he did care, he wouldn’t sacrifice Qiu Che, who was such a useful tool, for this matter.

At most, he’d put on a show, scold a few times, then suppress the incident, turning it into a domestic issue for the princess and her husband.

In a few days, it would all be forgotten.

The part that displeased him the most in this matter was that Prime Minister Wu deliberately brought it to his attention, taking such a trivial issue all the way to a trial in the Three Courts. Wasn’t this a clear attempt to suppress Qiu Che’s influence?

Suppressing Qiu Che was akin to suppressing the emperor who favored her. Naturally, Li Shi was not happy about it.

He felt that Prime Minister Wu was becoming increasingly disrespectful, no longer taking him, the emperor, seriously. As the argument continued earlier, Li Shi was more determined than ever to protect Qiu Che.

Not just to protect her, but to do it in a glorious way.

Wasn’t the cliff incident a warning to Qiu Che? If she remained cautious of him, it would make it harder for him to control her.

Since that’s the case, he might as well promote her, offer her a sweet deal, and show her the benefits of staying close to him.

Li Shi was contently formulating his plan when, out of nowhere, Qiu Che seemed not to notice his subtle signal and instead exploded with her own revelation.

Not only was he stunned, but everyone present was taken aback.

Upon closer inspection, Qiu Che’s appearance was, indeed, overly refined, exuding a kind of androgynous beauty.

She carried herself with confidence, walking gracefully without a hint of awkwardness, her entire demeanor radiating a youthful energy.

If she hadn’t spoken, wearing that male official’s attire, anyone would have mistaken her for a spirited young man.

But once she spoke, the incongruity became apparent, the overly slim frame, the face that could easily belong to a beautiful woman…

Moreover, when Qiu Che had just removed her hat, her voice was no longer the deep tone of a man, but a clear, unmistakably feminine voice!

After the shock, Li Shi’s mind was filled with rage and a deep sense of helplessness:

To self-destruct over such a minor issue… it was simply… foolish!

Was Prime Minister Wu trying to slap his face? And now, Qiu Che was doing the same?

In front of so many high-ranking officials, exposing herself as a woman, how could such news possibly be contained?

Wasn’t this an open announcement to the world that he, Li Shi, was a fool, unable to tell whether his subject was male or female… and that he even married his most favored daughter to this person?!

Thinking this, Li Shi's anger intensified.

And then, as if on cue, Prime Minister Wu, having recovered from his shock, poured fuel on the fire with a surprised expression: “Is what Lord Qiu said true?”

Qiu Che calmly met his gaze and answered, her feminine voice clear and unmistakable: “Of course it’s true.”

“However, as I have said three times, it is for the greater good, since I am a woman, I could never harm this young lady… If what she says is true, then I have reason to suspect it was my older brother. If what she says is false, then there must be a third party involved.”

“Your Majesty, I know the crime of deceiving the emperor cannot be forgiven, but I wish to offer my body, and in return, for the merits I have earned since taking office, may we thoroughly investigate the case of Qiu Chudong’s murder of the young girl and the case of the Lian family’s tragedy.”

She calmly raised her hand, bowed her head to the emperor, and spoke: “I beg Your Majesty for your approval.”

“Good, good, good!” Li Shi was so angry that he almost laughed, “What a noble sacrifice for family honor! What a way to clear yourself of guilt as a woman... Well then! Lord Qiu, you’ve really played me for a fool!”

The emperor, who had seized power from the empress dowager only a few years ago, had always despised female politicians, and Qiu Che knew this well.

Yet, at this moment, she remained calm and composed, not pretending.

She wasn’t foolish; revealing her identity at this time was clearly the best opportunity.

Her original plan was to use the case of Qiu Chudong murdering the young girl to suppress the Qiu family, ensuring that father and son would never rise again.

But such an action would leave her in a passive position, with no advantage, as even if the emperor protected her, once the Qiu family saw no way out, they would surely expose her disguise.

At that point, her situation would be entirely disadvantageous.

If only the emperor knew the truth, he would likely use it to threaten Qiu Che into continued service. But Qiu Che knew how much he despised female politicians, working with him would be like attempting to tame a tiger.

If the whole world learned she was a woman, her fate would be sealed, and there would be no escaping the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Qiu Che had been struggling, should she silence the Qiu family father and son to ensure they kept this secret, or should she reveal it herself?

And then, this event occurred.

In fact, it sparked an idea in Qiu Che’s mind.

It was undeniable, there was a bit of impulsiveness in it.

If the day of her exposure as a woman must come, why not now? Why not at this moment?

In front of so many people, it was impossible to hide the news, but this life was different from the last. She had already made many arrangements for this day to come.

She had many allies, and as long as their common interests were intact, they would do everything to help her. Moreover, she was no longer the insignificant minor official she had been in her past life. Now, she was a pillar of the court.

Even if the emperor was angry that she was a woman, he would still have to consider the merits she had accumulated.

Would beheading her under the excuse of her cross-dressing convince the people?

With even a 1% chance, if the emperor truly executed her, then it would simply be her fate.

In any case, she had done everything she could.

If it didn’t work out, she could always try escaping prison, Qiu Che mused grimly.

She just wondered… would Li Qingwu follow her plan and willingly divorce her?

If they did divorce, that would be the best outcome. Qiu Che would no longer need to worry about her being dragged into the mess.

But what if she refused?

Qiu Che lowered her eyes, silently sighing.

In the end, she had been too hasty.

As expected, after today’s events, Prime Minister Wu was grinning from ear to ear.

Li Shi, though, was seething with anger, his chest rising and falling as he suddenly broke into a violent cough.

He shakily ordered the arrest of the entire Qiu family, including Qiu Che, as well as everyone involved, with their fate to be decided later.

Qiu Che quietly rose and was escorted away by Liu Buxiu.

Before leaving, she stole one last glance at the emperor.

For some reason, she felt his face had grown even more pale.

She and the Qiu family were imprisoned separately. When Liu Buxiu brought people to the Qiu residence, it was said that Qiu’s father and son were still gathered together, happily chatting about how “once the money arrives, we’ll have nothing to worry about…”

When they were taken away, they were still utterly confused, shouting to have Qiu Che and the others held accountable for their punishment.

Soon, they were mockingly informed by the Imperial Guard nearby that it was Qiu Che's doing, orchestrating their imprisonment.

Unfortunately, this time Qiu Che had exposed herself, rendering their greatest leverage, something they thought was the most secure, completely useless.

No matter how much they screamed in the prison, Liu Buxiu paid them no mind.

As for Qiu Che, since entering the prison, she remained calm and composed, either meditating or resting.

She showed no awareness of being a prisoner, acting naturally and freely, as though she were not in a prison, but at home.

Everything she owned had been confiscated, except for an insignificant lotus jade pendant.

Qiu Che played with it almost daily, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Li Qingwu received the decree of her imprisonment.

Qiu Che's third-rank official title was stripped away, and it was announced that her case would be retried before sentencing.

Considering that Li Qingwu was his most favored daughter on the surface, Li Shi did not immediately deal with her but bypassed her for now, telling her to pack up and go to the palace to meet the emperor.

As for the Qiu family, the Imperial Guard later went to the Qiu residence to search for the remains, but found nothing.

An experienced coroner examined the soil, claiming it smelled of decaying flesh.

However, this alone could not convict Qiu's father and son.

If they were to follow the trail, it was likely that, if Qiu’s father and son were truly guilty, the evidence chain in Qiu Che’s collected memorials could be used to uncover it.

But that would take too much time.

Liu Buxiu, under the pretext of interrogation, asked Qiu Che, only to receive a brief pause before she replied, “... I don’t have any other evidence.”

He was truly frustrated by her seeming lack of will to live, and with a quiet sigh, he turned and subtly sent a message to Li Qingwu, hinting that her help was urgently needed to find witnesses.

When Li Qingwu received the message, she immediately thought of the concubines she had persuaded on Qiu Che’s behalf before the cliff incident.

Thirteen concubines: one died of illness, one died in childbirth after remarrying, and one was beaten to death by her later husband.

The remaining ones were either concubines in wealthy households or had married commoners.

Li Qingwu had persuaded them to testify for the case of the killing of Qiu Chudong's daughter, using the threat that if they didn’t come forward, they would be considered accomplices to his crimes.

Though true, this was said with some distaste. The concubines had been extremely reluctant when agreeing to it.

Qiu Che had written to Li Qingwu, saying, “Forget it, we’re all unfortunate souls.”

But Li Qingwu only cared about her safety and couldn’t care less about the others' suffering.

She didn’t immediately follow the decree to enter the palace but instead hurriedly boarded a carriage, instructing Fu Feng to drive her to see those concubines.

Halfway there, the carriage sped along, but suddenly she called for a stop.

Fu Feng tugged on the reins with a “Hush” and turned back, his expression sour. “Your Highness, what now?”

Her Highness was fine in every respect, except when it came to matters concerning Qiu Che, she seemed to lose all sense.

Now she even intended to personally find the witnesses, how could Fu Feng not worry? What if the emperor grew even angrier and blamed Li Qingwu?

But just then, he heard a soft, hoarse voice from the carriage: “... Turn around. Let’s go to the palace.”

Fu Feng was stunned, instinctively asking, “You’re not going to find those concubines?”

“No, not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“...” Li Qingwu didn’t answer.

The carriage turned and began speeding toward the palace again.

Inside, Li Qingwu raised a hand and wiped away the tear stains on her cheek with the pads of her fingers, her face expressionless.

She thought to herself, Qiu Che said she wasn’t a saint, what a joke.

She was one.

Li Qingwu had always been narrow-minded, her sole wish being for one person’s safety and happiness.

Then she met Qiu Che, but even so, her only wish was for both of them to be safe.

But Qiu Che was different from her.

You didn’t want me to look for witnesses, that was your righteousness.

But you didn’t want me to search, and I’ll search anyway, that’s my concern.

In the end, she didn’t go looking. After careful consideration, Li Qingwu chose to respect Qiu Che’s wishes.

If this was what you wanted, then it’s what I wanted too.

And since I cannot help you escape responsibility, I can only take on more risk for you.

Li Qingwu stood calmly before the emperor, answering that she didn’t know whether there were witnesses, all the while thinking this.

Li Shi’s rage was evident. “You foolish girl! You’ve been married to her for half a year, and you say you don’t know anything else? How could you not even know she’s a woman?! What happened to your virginity?”

Li Qingwu calmly raised her eyes, avoiding the teacup that was thrown at her.

At that moment, time seemed to overlap with months ago.

It had been the same father and daughter, in this same place, but back then, Li Qingwu had been kneeling, unable to avoid the cup that was thrown at her.

Or perhaps, she dared, but couldn’t.

Now, her situation wasn’t much better than before. In fact, it was even more dangerous than Qiu Che’s current imprisonment.

But months had passed, and Li Qingwu was no longer the same person.

She was no longer the panicked, tearful Li Qingwu from when Qiu Che was imprisoned. Qiu Che had taught her well.

Calm, rational, and blending in her own subtle cunning.

She was no longer helpless, for she had grown into a true ally of Qiu Che.

Now that Qiu Che was imprisoned, she had to fight the rest of the battles.

She had to fight them well, and she had to win.

Li Qingwu thought to herself as she presented her golden pardon.

That was the pardon Li Shi had given her at her coming-of-age ceremony to show his favor toward the eldest princess.

Li Shi’s expression changed. “... What do you mean by this? You want to protect Qiu Che?!”

--------

Note: Don’t worry, don’t worry, this time will be different from the last, Qiu Che will be released in a grand manner! (Right?)