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Marriage of the Di Daughter Chapter 128 Part 3: Disovery
Xue Zhao’s name was not known to the court officials, but “Xue Fang Fei”, when these three words came out, everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned towards Shen Yurong.
In that year, Xue Fang Fei gave Shen Yurong a green hat and the people in Yanjing either looked at Shen Yurong with ridicule, with sympathy, or scolded the adulterers. In short, everyone knew about it. Half a year went by, and the stunning beauty in her generation died, becoming an unremarkable topic people liked to chat about in their leisure.
It’s easy for this name to be gradually forgotten with the pa.s.sing of time, but suddenly, this name was mentioned once again. It unexpectedly related to Xue Huaiyuan, a person whose case was being followed by everyone.
Shen Yurong still showed the same ease and gentleness on his face and elegance in his bearing. However, he looked at Jiang Li deeply, with an unknown meaning.
Ji Heng looked at Jiang Li, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened. Among the civil and military officials, he was the only person who was watching the palace discussion in a relaxed manner. Some were cautious, some rejoiced in other people’s misfortune; only him, with the carelessness of knowing everything, neither heavily nor lightly helped to push according to her intention.
Cheng w.a.n.g looked at Shen Yurong, a trace of annoyance flashed in his heart.
Jiang Li had a sincere expression, as if truly believing Princess Yongning’s innocence, impatient to explain for Princess Yongning. However, she silently laughed in her heart.
This move was retreating to advance. On the surface, actively clearing the injustice on Princess Yongning, but instead, she revealed Xue Zhao and Xue Fang Fei to everybody. Xue Huaiyuan’s case merely involved Xue Huaiyuan alone and originally, nothing would come out of the investigation. The most crucial point was on Xue Fang Fei.
Princess Yongning had marked Shen Yurong and there would inevitably be a day where she would enter the Shen family and become Madam Shen. However, when the rumor that Princess Yongning incited Feng Yu Tang to frame Xue Huaiyuan came out, it would be very difficult for Princess Yongning to marry Shen Yurong. Because if she did this, it would give the perfect reason for her framing Xue Huaiyuan. People would say, See, she wants to marry Shen Yurong, that’s why she conspired against Xue Huaiyuan. So much so that Xue Fang Fei and Xue Zhao’s deaths also make people doubtful.
Repeated rumor becomes a fact; public opinion is powerful enough to melt metal. If Princess Yongning wanted to wash this accusation, she had to make a clear relationship with the Shen family and never had anything to do with Shen Yurong.
But the question was, could Princess Yongning do it?
Jiang Li believed that Princess Yongning definitely could not do it. Otherwise, that year, she would not have killed her to get Shen Yurong. Yongning was so vicious and domineering, she had to get what she set her eyes on. She was reckless, even if she had this doubtful stigma, she would still definitely insist on marrying Shen Yurong.
But could Shen Yurong ignore all these?
After all, she shared the bed with this person before. Although she failed to see this person’s wolf ambition in her previous life, being husband and wife for many years, she still understood his temperament. Shen Yurong was a cautious person, doing his work with thorough consideration, so he definitely would not let Yongning do this at this juncture.
However, Yongning had reached the age to talk about marriage. It needed three to five years for the wind to turn completely and afraid she could no longer delay. As a result, there was bound to be hostility, twists and turns between Yongning and Shen Yurong because of this.
Then it would be her opportunity.
Jiang Li’s eyes swept through the faces of everyone in the palace hall. Cheng w.a.n.g’s anger, Li Zhong Nan’s annoyance, Jiang Yuan Bai’s surprise, Ji Yan Lin’s doubt, Ye Shijie’s stunned look, Shen Yurong’s feigned calmness, Emperor Hong Xiao’s profound look and Ji Heng’s smile.
His smile was relaxed as he watched the fire burning across the river1; there’s a somewhat tacit understanding of knowing each other’s secrets. His pair of eyes moved, as if he had discovered an interesting thing and seemed to carry a bit of appreciation.
He knew, he knew everything.
Jiang Li lowered her head. She had exerted a lot of effort in this fight today. She simply did what she wanted to do.
For Xue Huaiyuan’s injustice, let Feng Yu Tang pay it back with blood. Most importantly, she had buried a seed between Yongning and Shen Yurong. This seed would germinate and break through the ground, forming an irreconcilable crack in their land. Then Jiang Li would split this crack in two and start her road of revenge.
She thought, this is just the beginning.
……
The palace discussion pertaining to the Xue case ended like this.
The palace discussion started with Zhou De Lang, Cheng w.a.n.g’s ridicule came next, but was then unwittingly led by Jiang Li all the way until the end. Everything was within Jiang Li’s grasp.
But this conclusion did not have any room for reb.u.t.tal.
The people of Yanjing were also following the palace discussion closely and discussed the outcome. Jiang Li brought the people of Tongxiang to Chang’An Gate and sounded the drum, which already made all the people in Yanjing aware. Unexpectedly, they also found out the causes and effects of the case. Everyone was anxious about the Xue case.
Thus, in a short period of an hour after the result of the palace discussion came out, the news had nearly been transmitted in the entire Yanjing city.
That Xue Huaiyuan had truly received a huge injustice. He was clearly a good official, yet had been harmed to such an extent. Everyone was also aware that Xue Huaiyuan was once called Xue Ling Yun, an official in the Ministry of Works who was in charge of repairing the ca.n.a.ls in Yanjing.
The ca.n.a.ls had benefited a lot of people. Hearing this piece of information, the people of Yanjing were like the people of Tongxiang, feeling indignant for Xue Huaiyuan. Feng Yu Tang was sentenced to be executed and the people spontaneously wanted to see the death of this evil person with their own eyes.
At the same time, there was a rumor abuzz that Xue Huaiyuan’s imprisonment came from the country’s Princess Yongning who incited Feng Yu Tang. There was no basis to this rumor, moreover, there was no dealing between Princess Yongning and the Xue family. Consequently, when talking about it, there was no feasible reason. However, there were many people talking about it, thus the entire Yanjing population also knew.
It was said that Cheng w.a.n.g dispatched people to investigate the source of the rumors, but the person pa.s.sing the news disappeared without a trace. Yanjing was not Tongxiang, Cheng w.a.n.g could not do as what Feng Yu Tang did and oppress the people in Yanjing. At most he punished the several people who openly discussed Princess Yongning. As for those people who discussed privately, he could not take care of them one by one.
Without a doubt, the person spreading the rumor must be Jiang Li.
Footnotes:
1: watch the commotion from afar without doing anything.
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