Chapter 579: The Former Emperor's Rules

The royal guards guarding the peace drum all knelt to receive the order; only now did they realize they were merely the monkeys being played with.

They previously thought General Zhao Lang's wife, so frail, could not possibly strike the peace drum.

That required rolling iron nails, but they didn't even need to roll those nails.

Instead, they had worried in vain; afterward they slowly rose and walked up to Jinzhi.

The lead royal guard even picked up the peace drum's mallet and brought it to Jinzhi.

"Young Madam, please!"

Jinzhi nodded, reached out to take the mallet, and stepped step by step toward the peace drum.

Jinzhi held the mallet high; the daylight was blinding, and her eyes felt slightly sore.

That father she had never seen, General An, the man her mother day and night longed for, had turned her life upside down.

Her glory, her sorrow, all her joys and angers came from that man.

This time she would exert all her strength to seek justice for him and clear his name.

Jinzhi closed her eyes, swung her arm down hard, and the mallet struck the ancient peace drum, emitting a dull sound.

Jinzhi raised the mallet again, preparing to strike a second blow, when a slightly stooped figure slowly emerged from the onlooking crowd and shouted loudly: "Where did this lowly sorceress come from, daring to provoke the hundred-year fortune of Southern Qi? Who gave you the guts to ignore the rules left by the former emperor?"

Jinzhi was startled by that shout; the mallet she had raised froze in midair and would not fall.

She quickly turned to face the old man slowly walking toward her from opposite.

The old man wore a indigo-blue cotton robe, his hair white with age; though stooped, his bearing could not be concealed.

He stared fixedly at Jinzhi, coldly chuckling: "The rule left by Southern Qi's ancestors is that anyone who strikes the peace drum must first roll iron nails; how can you break the rule here? Where did your rule come from?"

"Rules are set by people, not just because you, an old fool, say they are rules! Moreover, this is my Zhao Lang's wife, not some sorceress; I see you as nothing but an old demon!"

Zhao Lang had never been at ease letting Jinzhi come alone; he escorted her all the way to the East Commander Gate before stopping.

He waited in the crowd, only for Jinzhi to strike the peace drum and send the petition into the palace city; then the matter would be settled.

According to Zhao Lang's calculations, Jinzhi would need about half an hour to finish the affair.

Zhao Lang even thought of taking Jinzhi for a walk by the Imperial River later, since these days, to heal her facial wound, she had not gone anywhere but stayed at home.

Unexpectedly, though things had been going smoothly, halfway there such a fellow appeared.

He kept calling her a sorceress, truly leaning on his age to bully others, thinking they were easy targets.

Zhao Lang strode over, stood directly behind Jinzhi, and firmly supported her.

Jinzhi was also a bit dazed, not knowing what this situation was.

Unexpectedly, when Zhao Lang said that, the watching students of the Imperial Academy could not hold back.

Southern Qi has long seen military officers and civil officials at odds, each looking down on the other.

This time it was even worse, with Zhao Lang stepping forward, and moreover it was his wife who first broke the rule.

This Xiao Yin court coup had already infuriated those civil officials immensely, yet Regent Prince Bai Xiaosheng used extraordinary means to silence them all.

But the civil officials' resentment could not dissipate so easily; this time they finally seized a chance to retaliate, standing up one after another.

"Zhao Lang! You, a mere warrior, dare to disrespect the current great scholar? What is your intention?"

Zhao Lang couldn't help but laugh angrily: "It's Official Chen leaning on his age, first speaking rudely to my wife."

"The rule for striking the peace drum was changed by the Crown Prince, the edict issued by the Emperor, and this drum is..."

Jinzhi hastily grabbed Zhao Lang's sleeve; if he kept speaking, he would be selling out Xiao Yin as well.

Chen Zhuo, Official Chen, trembled with rage, striking the stone ground with his cane and gritting his teeth: "Shameless brat, you hold a high position yet violate the norms, disregarding rites and law—what is your intention?"

"Heh!" A trace of sorrowful indignation truly crossed Zhao Lang's handsome face.

He gritted his teeth and coldly laughed: "I, Zhao Lang, have fought the cavalry of Bei Di and Western Rong at the border since my teens, my head at my waist, not caring for my life, just to protect you lot's idle pleasures. Now you ask my motive? I am your grandmother's leg!"

"Husband! Husband!" Jinzhi hurriedly grabbed Zhao Lang; the more he spoke, the harsher it sounded, for the other party was indeed the current great scholar, highly esteemed among civil officials.

Zhao Lang paid no heed to whether they were civil officials or not, shouting: "Today I, Zhao Lang, still say that the peace drum rule was not changed by my Jinzhi; you lot can't blame her, and you can't pin such a big hat on my head!"

"You..." Official Chen instantly fumed, not expecting a general's tongue to be so sharp.

He was about to say more when the palace gates suddenly opened and Xiao Yin slowly stepped out.

Now Xiao Yin is the Regent King, his retinue grand and imposing, awe-inspiring.

He stood steadily before Chen Zhuo, Official Chen, his rippling peach-blossom eyes hiding countless sharpness.

Facing Xiao Yin, Chen Zhuo's gaze grew even colder.

This scheming usurper, a treacherous minister!

Having imprisoned the Emperor, slain the former Crown Prince, and now seeking to alter the court's laws, he is simply lawless.

He gritted his teeth, jabbed his cane at Xiao Yin's face, and shouted: "I suspect you are this traitor!"

"The ancestors' rules cannot be changed; what exactly do you intend to do, or are you aiming to become a rebellious minister?"

"This is the rule left by the former emperor; it will not tolerate your lawless behavior!"

Xiao Yin coldly replied: "No need to constantly invoke the former emperor; he is my father, not yours—why are you so anxious?"

All around came a series of gasps; how military officers' insults always follow the same pattern, yet they are rather entertaining.

"You..." Chen Zhuo did not expect Xiao Yin's tolerance toward him to have reached its limit, speaking so rudely.

Xiao Yin inwardly sneered; he had waited seven years for this day—how could a mere old fool block his path to vindicating the Qi Sha Gu case?

He shouted: "General Zhao is right—rules are made by people; if they never change, following the old way leads only to a dead end!"

"You only remember the former emperor's rules, unaware that during his reign he too was diligent, instituting reforms that brought Southern Qi lasting peace; are you blind, or merely criticizing for criticism's sake, just to prop up your so-called meager integrity?"

"Well said!" Gu Jiu Ling, standing in the crowd, could not help shouting.

"Good! Good! Good!" Chen Zhuo's face flushed red as he kept stepping back.

Xiao Yin snorted coldly, turned to face Jinzhi: "Young Madam, do not fear; keep striking your peace drum—I want to see who dares to block you."

"Your Highness!" Jinzhi stared fixedly at Xiao Yin's back and exclaimed.