Chapter 33: The Sound of the Dengwen Drum (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)

Tang Zhao watched with a smile as she put on an act, shedding crocodile tears to express her "sincere" emotions.

Seeing that no matter what she said, the woman before her remained unmoved, Song Qingyan slowly ceased her weeping.

For a moment, the scene fell into a heavy silence.

"Aunt?" Tang Zhao withdrew her hand, lifted Song Qingyan’s pointed chin, and enunciated every word, "You... are... not... worthy!"

The crowd gasped in unison.

Tang Zhao retracted her hand, allowing Chunfeng to use a water-soaked handkerchief to meticulously wipe her slender, onion-like fingers. She then tossed the cloth into a roadside trash heap. Looking at Song Qingyan’s unsightly, stiffened face, she sneered, "Publicly, I am the County Lady Zhaoshan, personally titled by His Majesty. Privately, I am the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke of Wei's manor. You, a mere concubine's daughter, dare to call yourself my aunt in front of this County Lady?"

Ever since Song Qingyan became the concubine of the Duke of Wei and moved into Jade Belt Alley, she had held absolute power over the household, commanding everything she desired. To be humiliated now by the daughter of the very cousin she looked down upon most—how could she endure it?

She looked toward the Duke of Wei with a mournful gaze. The Duke frowned deeply, preparing to reprimand her, but Tang Zhao let out a cold laugh and turned to leave.

"You rebellious girl, stop right there!"

Tang Zhao did not slow her pace. She had achieved her purpose; she had no intention of standing around to be scolded!

The Duke of Wei’s fury hit nothing but cotton. His anger dissipated into the air. "Pack your things! Return to the Duke of Wei's manor!"

Upon returning to the Prince's manor, Tang Zhao had Chunfeng and Qiuyu assist her in changing into her County Lady attire, then boarded a carriage and drove straight east.

"Miss, where are we going?"

"To beat the Dengwen Drum."

Chunfeng and Qiuyu’s eyes widened.

The Dengwen Drum was established by the previous dynasty, providing commoners with an opportunity to appeal directly to the heavens if they had grievances that could not be redressed. Since Emperor Kangzhi established the dynasty, he had continuously refined the laws of Great Yu, making them fundamentally complete and steadily reducing wrongful convictions.

The Dengwen Drum had gradually been forgotten by the world, standing lonely and solitary before the gates of Zhengyang Palace.

After ten years, someone was finally going to strike it again.

Tang Zhao alighted from the carriage and walked toward the Dengwen Drum standing atop the high platform.

"Who goes there?" a guard on duty asked routinely.

"County Lady Zhaoshan, Tang Zhao."

Emperor Kangzhi was stingy with himself and even more miserly toward the imperial relatives. By custom, the descendants of the imperial line were to be granted appropriate titles and peerages upon reaching adulthood, but Emperor Kangzhi had repeatedly delayed this. Ultimately, he declared: "No rewards without merit; those who have not rendered great service to the state or the court shall not be easily titled."

Gu Ci had fought on the battlefield for years and was only titled a General of Cavalry, not a Commandery Prince; this was a clear indication of the Emperor's stance.

If even the imperial sons were treated this way, what of the imperial daughters?

Among Emperor Kangzhi's many daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters, only the fallen Princess Yingde and a few marriage-alliance princesses held titles.

Aside from them, the only other person was Tang Zhao, who had been titled County Lady Zhaoshan last year for her meritorious service in disaster relief.

The guards exchanged glances and knelt on one knee. "This humble officer greets Your Ladyship."

"Rise."

"May I ask, Your Ladyship, for what purpose have you come?" one of the guards asked.

"I have come to the Dengwen Drum Tower, naturally to beat the drum," Tang Zhao glanced at him.

"This..." another guard said, "May I ask, Your Ladyship, what grievance do you hold?"

Tang Zhao lifted her eyelids to look at him.

The guard immediately apologized. "This officer dares not pry into Your Ladyship's private affairs. However, if Your Ladyship has a grievance, why not report it to the Luoyang Prefecture Office and seek the assistance of Lord Yin Wei?"

Who in all of Luoyang did not know that Yin Wei held the County Lady in the highest esteem? If someone truly dared to wrong her, Lord Yin Wei would surely tear a piece of flesh from them!

At the very least, she could complain to her husband's family! The Heir of Prince Xuan and the General of Cavalry attended court every day; they could speak directly to His Majesty. Why bother beating the Dengwen Drum?

"I did not realize that this Dengwen Drum was forbidden to be beaten," Tang Zhao said leisurely.

The guards' hearts jolted. Daring not to say more, they stepped aside. "Please, Your Ladyship."

Knowing they meant well and having no intention of making things difficult, Tang Zhao bypassed them, ascended the drum tower, picked up the drumstick, swung her arm in a wide arc, and struck the drumhead with force.

*Dong! Dong! Dong!*

The great drum, which had stood for a century and weathered many storms, still produced a deafening roar.

A guard below ran off to report. The news of the Dengwen Drum sounding was reported layer by layer, eventually reaching the Fengtian Hall.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, the morning court was drawing to a close. Emperor Kangzhi was listening to the tedious admonitions of an official. The official was spitting saliva and quoting classics, urging the Emperor to grant titles to the adult members of the imperial family as soon as possible to demonstrate the prestige of the royal house.

Emperor Kangzhi remained noncommittal.

Just as the official was about to continue, the Commander of the Flying Dragon Guards arrived to report that someone had struck the Dengwen Drum.

The assembled officials were in an uproar. Even Emperor Kangzhi showed a hint of surprise. "Who is it?"

"County Lady Zhaoshan, Tang Zhao."

Emperor Kangzhi glanced at Gu Liu, the Heir of Prince Xuan, standing to his front left, and then at Gu Ci, the General of Cavalry, standing to his front right. Seeing that both men also looked bewildered, he felt curious and personally commanded, "Summon County Lady Zhaoshan."

Tang Zhao waited before the Fengtian Gate. Only after hearing the young eunuch loudly proclaim "Summon County Lady Zhaoshan for an audience" three times did she, led by the Flying Dragon Guards, ascend the hundred steps of the jade staircase and enter the Fengtian Hall.

Under the gaze of the civil and military officials, Tang Zhao walked swiftly to a position ten paces before the throne. She respectfully knelt on both knees, touched her forehead with her hand, and bowed low. "Your servant, Zhaoshan, greets Your Imperial Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and ten thousand, ten thousand years!"

"Rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Lift your head."

Tang Zhao raised her chin slightly, but her eyelids remained lowered; by etiquette, one could not look directly at the Imperial Face.

This was the first time Emperor Kangzhi had seen Tang Zhao, yet she felt strangely familiar. After a moment of thought, he realized: this child bore an eighty-percent resemblance to that girl from the Song family.

Tang Zhao suddenly raised her eyes, looking directly at the Supreme Ruler seated high upon the throne.

Emperor Kangzhi froze. Looking into those clear, bright eyes, he felt as if he were seeing an old friend.

Years ago, when Hongcheng left the capital to guard the Northwest, he had been looked at with those very same eyes, as the man beat his chest and promised, "As long as I am here, the city is safe."

Now, the city remained, but the man was long gone.

Chief Eunuch Zhou was startled by Tang Zhao's audacity, but the reprimand he was about to utter was swallowed back down by a single glance from Emperor Kangzhi.

"You are quite bold, girl, to dare look directly at me?" Emperor Kangzhi feigned seriousness.

Gu Ci stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Zhaoshan lost her mother at a young age and was exiled to a farmstead. She had no time to learn proper etiquette. I ask Your Majesty to forgive her discourtesy."

He paused and added, "As her husband, I have failed to instruct my wife. This is a dereliction of my duty. I ask Your Majesty to punish me."

Tang Zhao turned back to glare at the man who had suddenly popped up to seek punishment on her behalf to protect her. She then turned back and said loudly, "Your Majesty wishes to see your servant's face, and your servant also wishes to see: what does the wise Emperor who ended the chaos, single-handedly founded the Great Yu Dynasty, and led the people to live in peace and prosperity actually look like?"

"Is it truly as the commoners rumor—eight feet tall, with three heads and six arms, and possessing three eyes and two mouths?" Tang Zhao spoke utter nonsense.

The entire court stared with wide eyes.

Gu Ci closed his eyes, prepared to relinquish his office to protect her.

Unexpectedly, Tang Zhao suddenly turned sentimental. "Your servant also wishes to see on behalf of my maternal grandfather: is Your Majesty still in robust health and as magnificent as in years past?"