Chapter 19: The Unfaithful Couple

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"Father, Mother, I have been hired by the Shanhai Bookstore as the chief editor of the newspaper!" Xue Zhenrui proclaimed cheerfully, hands on her hips, addressing her parents.

Xue’s parents were stunned.

"My articles will be published in the newspaper, everyone in Luoyang will be able to read them," she said proudly.

Xue Zhenrui had only intended to try her luck, willing to do any work as long as she could earn a little money. Unexpectedly, fortune smiled upon her, landing her this excellent position.

Having her writings printed and seen by the entire world was the dream of many scholars—she had simply stumbled upon this good luck.

“Ah!” her father winced in pain, having accidentally cut himself while sharpening a knife.

“Clatter!” The basin her mother was holding fell to the ground.

Xue’s parents stared at her in disbelief.

After a while, they found their voices again. "Did I hear correctly? A bookstore? Chief editor?"

Xue Zhenrui nodded firmly, confirming their understanding.

The two remained silent for some time.

Then, as if struck by a sudden resolve, they rushed inside, rummaged through boxes to find the incense burner and incense sticks, lit the incense, and placed it before the ancestral tablets.

Kneeling on the cushion, they bowed deeply before the tablets.

Her father folded his hands and raised them before kowtowing deeply.

With his forehead touching the ground, he silently prayed: “Ancestors above, the Xue family has always been of the farmer and artisan class. Unexpectedly, we have been blessed with the reincarnation of the Literary Star, though born as a daughter, by Heaven’s grace, we hope to change our fortunes. We, your unworthy descendants, thank you for your protection.”

Her father was a cook, placed under the ‘artisan’ class in the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Despite earning well, his social status was fixed. For him, the position of ‘chief editor’ that Xue Zhenrui described was undoubtedly a ‘scholar’ role.

That was a position holding the pen!

Watching this scene, Xue Zhenrui was speechless, overwhelmed by their exaggerated reverence.

Unexpectedly, after rising, the couple approached her—her father handed her incense, and her mother pressed her down on the cushion to bow and thank the ancestors.

Unable to resist, Xue Zhenrui complied.

Being chief editor wasn’t easy. Over the past few days, under Xu Chengyue’s guidance, Xue Zhenrui had been learning newspaper layout, selecting materials, and writing news.

Xu Chengyue had never been a chief editor but had read newspapers, was a writer, and had studied some relevant knowledge during her student days. Feeling her way carefully, it wasn’t too difficult.

Not all articles could be written by Xue Zhenrui alone; they encouraged readers to submit contributions and offered generous rewards for accepted pieces.

Through everyone’s efforts, the first newspaper aimed at common folk in the Tang Dynasty was born at Shanhai Bookstore.

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The day of the new issue’s release arrived again. Before the city drum had sounded, a long queue had already formed outside.

Shops on the same street were used to the crowd and were quite pleased—the influx to the bookstore brought more customers to their own businesses.

Everyone prepared for opening.

When the drum finally sounded, the Shanhai Bookstore owner opened the doors.

He was now very skilled at his job.

He called out, “Please line up properly, no pushing,” while settling accounts for customers at the front of the line.

But today, he had a new task—to sell the newspaper.

“Our store has just released the Shanhai Gazette. Would you like a copy, sir?”

“The Shanhai Gazette? What’s that? It sounds too complicated for me to understand.”

“Rest assured, sir, this was created by all of us at Yue Ming. Anyone who can read can understand it, and it only costs five copper coins.”

Hearing this, the customer decided immediately, “I’ll take one, thank you.”

By the time Jian Hang arrived at the West Market, he saw many people coming from Shanhai Bookstore, each clutching a large sheet densely filled with tiny letters.

Squinting, he thought, “Could this be another new release from the bookstore?”

He also bought a copy.

Opening it at once, he started reading.

At this point, the story had advanced to the Jiang King and Chu Muqing having confronted each other several times, finally uncovering each other’s identities—one is the head of Zixiao Palace, the other the head of Qianji Pavilion.

Both sought the petals and heart of the Primordial Lotus in each other’s possession but were unable to overpower the other.

Thus, they agreed to cooperate, each offering half.

Through their joint investigation, they uncovered the poisoning—Chu Muqing was poisoned by her father, who only used her mother, never intending to keep the child in her womb.

At the time, he had taken over all the power of Chu Muqing’s maternal grandfather. Determined, he tried to kill Chu Muqing’s mother as well, but the poison was absorbed by the fetus, saving her.

The poison was given to him by the treacherous mastermind opposing the king, Lin Zhao Wang. Although deadly, once survived, any subsequent poison would no longer threaten life.

The Jiang King was even more protected, being the current emperor’s finest son—poisoning him would deeply wound the emperor.

“Chu’s father truly is worse than a beast; even a tiger wouldn’t eat its own child!” Jian Hang read on eagerly, wanting to see how Chu Muqing would retaliate.

Though contradicting the then-prevailing virtue of filial piety, Jian Hang felt sure she would act thus.

Sure enough, Chu Muqing gathered all evidence and accused her father of treason and framing before the emperor.

The Chu family was confiscated; the men were beheaded publicly, female relatives were exiled three thousand miles away. Only Chu Muqing, having contributed to the case, and her maternal family were spared.

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Chu Muqing’s maternal family, the Luo clan, was exonerated. She refused to bear the name of her enemy and changed her name to Luo Muqing.

“Chu’s father must have some hateful flaws to be so pitiful. He was once a top scholar with the support of the Yue family. If he had any conscience, how could he have fallen so low? Only those women suffered unjustly,” Jian Hang thought.

He assumed the venomous character Chu Muxue would no longer appear, but on the next page, he realized how naïve he was.

The Li King spent money to rescue Chu Muxue, keeping her in his mansion.

Jian Hang’s pupils contracted—wasn’t he afraid the emperor would find out?

Every day in the backyard, they enacted a chase and escape. Both were trapped, ending in a tangled, melodramatic affair.

Jian Hang’s teeth ached from the scene.

He thought it would end there, but there was more drama to come.

Chu Muxue, grieving deeply, once blurted during a quarrel, “Li King, go find your sister; she is your true princess consort. I am but a commoner, unworthy of you.”

This enraged the Li King. In fury, he ordered his men to bring the princess consort—Luo Muqing—to join him and Chu Muxue in bed.

He forced Chu Muxue to witness her beloved sister’s suffering as punishment for rejecting him, the so-called ‘Snow.’

Punishment? Whose punishment was this? Such humiliation—was he mad?

Jian Hang clutched his chest, feeling this volume was pushing his limits.

Chu Muxue ignored their mess in the backyard, turning a blind eye. Who would dare provoke her?

Curious, Jian Hang followed the guards.

He saw a pavilion by the lake, where a couch held the two women.

“Your Highness, please don’t do this… Sister, it’s all my fault for dragging you down,” Chu Muxue wiped a tear.

“Don’t you dare look at her! You shall only have eyes for me,” the Li King roared.

Chu Muxue looked pitiful on the surface but secretly hated Luo Muqing deeply, thinking with satisfaction, “So what if you are the princess consort? Your husband cares nothing for you.”

Jian Hang felt sick, nearly vomiting.

Luo Muqing laughed with anger, popped a pill into the Li King’s mouth, then kicked both women into the lake.

Their screams echoed throughout the mansion, and the guards hurried to rescue them. Soaked and shivering, their pride was utterly ruined.

Luo Muqing’s maid asked what the pill was.

“It’s a drug that makes a person infertile,” Luo Muqing answered.

Jian Hang had felt satisfied moments ago, but now a tightness gripped him between his legs.