Thinking back to the more than three months spent heading to Beisheng, whenever there was danger, he would always protect her behind him...
Images of Meng Zhuqing shielding her with his body sprung to mind, so often that Tobanya’s lips quivered ceaselessly.
And during those months, even though they were together day and night, they hardly spoke unless it was about official matters, but that didn’t stop her heart from gradually warming up to him.
This man, was truly good.
Even if his loyalty meant that he could kill her, he was also willing to die for her.
She didn’t know if he was so kind to her because he was a good person or because he might have feelings for her, but what she was certain of was that she had fallen for him.
And she had decided not to tell him she liked him, even if he woke up.
Seeing that dawn was about to break and fearing being discovered by the people in the General’s mansion, Tobanya hurriedly got up and walked outside.
After a few steps, she stopped and stood there, her back to the person lying on the bed, and said softly, "Wake up, please. I already feel so guilty, I don’t want to wrong you any further."
On the twentieth day of Meng Zhuqing’s coma, Tao Shangran was executed by a thousand cuts, the death by lingchi.
Not only did Tao Shangran meet his demise, but it also brought calamity upon the entire Tao Clan.
Because on the day the Emperor of Xiyun had Tao Shangran arrested, they also raided his home, unearthing plenty of incriminating evidence against him.
Tao Shangran was not only falsely accusing King of Beicheng of rebellion but also embezzled a great deal of the Imperial Court’s silver. Furthermore, he, along with Duke Tao, had been secretly tripping up Crown Prince Su Chengyu, hoping to pull him down from his position as Crown Prince.
As the saying goes, ’pull one out and bring the whole patch with it’, what started as Tao Shangran’s mishaps led to implicating Duke Tao and, eventually, the entire Tao Clan.
Back then, the Emperor of Xiyun, considering the significant influence wielded by the Tao family, did not dare to act rashly against them. Now, after so many years, their power was no longer as formidable, so once everything was investigated, the Emperor of Xiyun ruthlessly purged the entire Tao Clan in one fell swoop.
Once the Tao family was dealt with, the Emperor of Xiyun proclaimed to the world King Tuoba Cheng’s innocence. He even posthumously titled him as King Sheng and ordered the construction of a mansion in the Imperial Capital for Tobanya to reside in.
Now that her father was a king again, Tobanya naturally reclaimed her title as Commandery Princess.
When An Jing learned that the Tao Clan had attempted to pull Su Chengyu down from his position as Crown Prince, she felt no sympathy for them at all, thinking they were truly courting death.
Thinking of Fifth Prince Su Chengjin, who was killed by an assassin, An Jing heaved a slight sigh.
What was the Tao family’s motive in trying to replace Su Chengyu as Crown Prince? It was nothing more than a scheme to make Su Chengjin the Emperor!
But in the end, they gained nothing and instead sent their entire family to ruin...
Knowing not to do it, yet still doing it...
They truly deserved it.
It was a perfect example of ’not seeking death won’t bring it.’
Not wanting to bother with those who sealed their own fate, An Jing turned her head and asked her husband, "Husband, isn’t father planning to appoint Youbao as the Salt Transportation Officer for the South Shen area tomorrow?"
The Salt Transportation Officer was of Third Rank, in charge of salt, and the salt tax was a significant source of revenue for the imperial treasury, constituting about forty to fifty percent of the total national tax revenue during the same period. Given its high importance, every Emperor placed great emphasis on this position and always appointed their most trusted officials as Salt Transportation Officers.