Tianliangyuan

Chapter 29: The Good Sister Who Protects Her Cousin?

When the news spread that Prince Qi had brought Princess Leyang to the palace to ask the Emperor for a decision, the Jiang family and the Duke of Su's mansion were thrown into chaos.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhaozhao, the instigator of this whole affair, was leisurely lying on the chaise longue, enjoying fruit with great contentment.

After hearing the servant's report, Xu Zhaozhao was delighted.

When it comes to waging a war of public opinion, Xu Zhaozhao has never lost!

It's just a bunch of online trolls, Xu Zhaozhao isn't going to pay people to do nothing.

Xu Han believed that Wang Ruolan had orchestrated the whole thing, but in reality, it was Xu Zhaozhao who was the mastermind behind it all.

Otherwise, the rumors wouldn't have spread to this extent.

In fact, Wang Ruolan was somewhat alarmed when she learned that the rumors outside were becoming more and more outrageous.

After all, Princess Leyang is involved, so this is no joke.

Xu Zhaozhao, however, was quite magnanimous and comforted her, saying, "Mother, don't worry, it's not a big deal. Besides, at that time, Princess Leyang was only four or five steps away from Miss Qi, and there was no one between them, so this statement is quite reliable."

Furthermore, the prince consort chosen by Princess Leyang did indeed meet with Jiang Ning privately. This cannot be denied. If Prince Qi and the Emperor are willing to investigate, they will find out. At that time, Jiang Ning will have no way to explain herself, after all, as an unmarried young lady, having a private meeting with an outsider would damage the reputation of the Jiang family!

Wang Ruolan was unaware of this development.

"Zhaozhao, are you sure those two are seeing each other in private?"

Of course I'm sure!

If Xu Zhaozhao remembered correctly, that person's background was not bad; he could be considered a descendant of a fallen noble family, and his knowledge was not lacking, but his character was questionable.

In the original book, this handsome young man really caused Princess Leyang a lot of trouble.

After all, Princess Leyang really did marry him, and this scumbag was indeed deeply in love with Jiang Ning.

Wanting both Jiang Ning's affections and the wealth of the Qi Prince's mansion is a classic case of wanting both—a typical scumbag behavior!

While Jiang Ning was keeping this prince consort on her leash, she was also having an affair with the Prince Zhong. Isn't this a kind of despicable act of being a prostitute while trying to maintain a virtuous image?

In short, Xu Zhaozhao is very satisfied with the current development of events.

What good is it if the Jiang family is powerful?

Faced with the might of Heaven, one must always make choices.

Sure enough, not long after Prince Qi and Princess Leyang entered the palace, Prince Qi returned to his residence on his own. As for Princess Leyang, it was said that the Empress cherished her and specially allowed her to stay in the palace for two days.

The next morning at court, censors came to investigate the Jiang family and the Duke of Su's residence, and more than one censor did so.

Why?

Although Sun Qian and Miss Qi were the most unlucky at that poetry gathering, it is a fact that the other women were also frightened to varying degrees!

Don't assume that the uninjured women can simply let this matter slide.

Before, there was no reason, but now that others have a handle on us, it would be incredibly stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity to gain some benefits for ourselves!

And so, the morning court session was filled with noise and commotion.

Emperor Yong'an also looked helpless, and he had no good feelings towards Jiang Ning at all.

It's astonishing that a teenage girl could cause such a huge mess, all for her own selfish desires. Just thinking about it makes me think she's utterly wicked.

"Alright, I have heard about the Jiang family poetry gathering. But rumors are rampant outside, saying that the vicious dog had just given birth to puppies and was therefore very protective of them. There are even rumors that someone hid the puppies and even plucked their downy fur to use as a weapon. If this is true, then it is truly the most wicked thing imaginable!"

The officials all bowed and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"This matter involves several women, all daughters of officials, and it is indeed inappropriate to let it go so easily. Where is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

"Wei Chen is here!"

"I'll leave this matter to you to investigate. Find out the results as soon as possible so that we can give the ladies an explanation and quell the rumors circulating among the people."

"Yes, I obey the order."

The Jiang family felt utterly overwhelmed!

Who would have thought that this matter would even alarm the Dali Temple?

The Duke of Su's mansion was also somewhat nervous, after all, it was the emperor's will, and they dared not deceive the emperor.

At this point, it was obvious whether Xu Lin should reveal her trump card.

If it were brought out now, it would completely offend the Jiang family and the Duke of Su's mansion. However, at the same time, it would allow Sun Qian to receive more compensation and make everyone aware that the Sun family was the biggest victim. Perhaps, it would even make the Prince of Qi's mansion take better care of the Sun family.

If Xu Lin hadn't produced this evidence, why would the vicious dog have targeted Sun Qian?

There are even more troublesome things, such as how this thing ended up in Sun Qian's hands.

Xu Zhaozhao was called to Wang Ruolan's side, and before she could even sit down and exchange a few words, Xu Han returned.

That's perfect, he also wanted to hear his daughter's opinion on the matter.

“Father, Mother, the best way to handle this matter is naturally for Aunt to submit the evidence. At least it will let people know that they did not deceive the emperor, and that this item was not something that the Sun family could obtain on their own. This will also confirm Jiang Ning’s act of harming people.”

Xu Han was not as optimistic as she thought: "Even if there are witnesses and physical evidence, Jiang Ning may not be punished too severely."

Xu Zhaozhao laughed: "That's not necessarily true. Besides, who says that only imprisonment and caning are considered severe punishments?"

Xu Han was stunned, clearly not understanding.

Wang Ruolan was perceptive and, after a moment's thought, she understood her daughter's meaning.

"Zhaozhao is the most insightful. The biggest loser in this matter will definitely be the Jiang family!"

Xu Han looked at his daughter and then at his wife, and felt like an outsider who was excluded by them!

Xu Zhaozhao met her father's resentful gaze and smiled, "Father, don't be anxious, let's talk slowly. I know you don't want to portray Sun Qian as a villain because of this, mainly because of Aunt's feelings. Actually, it's not difficult. As long as Sun Qian insists that Jiang Ning wanted to harm me, and that after she got that thing, she felt uneasy and dared not put it on me, which brought trouble upon herself."

Xu Han's eyes lit up at this, but he immediately shook his head: "No! If that's the case, given your aunt's personality, she'll probably try to pin this on you. No, no! It was Sun Qian and Jiang Ning who wanted to harm you in the first place. How can we let Sun Qian end up with the reputation of protecting her cousin? Wouldn't that just let the villains get away with it?"

Xu Zhaozhao originally had this idea, also wanting to see the extent to which her father protected her aunt's family.

In retrospect, my father's bottom line was actually quite high.

That's fine!

“Zhaozhao, your father is right. If it’s true that Sun Qian got injured while protecting you, then she can rely on you for the rest of her life. Besides, outsiders don’t know the inside story. If you treat her badly in the slightest, outsiders will only accuse you of being ungrateful. Your method is really inappropriate!”