Chapter 245 Caught in a Dilemma by a Newcomer to the Court

After speaking with Madam Ji for a while, Madam Ji got up to leave. She invited Madam Ji to stay at her home for a while, but Madam Ji refused. Madam Ji could only leave with a heart full of worries, thinking she would come back the next day.

Upon leaving the Ji family's courtyard, they saw Cao Xin's mother, Madam Cao. Upon seeing her, Madam Cao's face lit up with a smile, "How is Ruoling? My dear in-law, it's all my fault for not raising the child well; Ruoling has suffered such injustice."

Ji's name is Ji Ruoling.

Thinking of her daughter's tear-streaked face, Madam Ji felt a surge of anger rising in her head upon seeing Madam Cao again. After giving Madam Cao a piece of her mind, she tossed her handkerchief aside and left. Madam Cao's apologetic smile vanished, and she went to see Imperial Censor Cao with a gloomy expression.

Imperial Censor Cao was reprimanding Cao Xin, who was kneeling on the ground, when he saw Madam Cao and asked, "Is the person gone?"

Madam Cao nodded and sat down. "After complaining for a while, she left. In my opinion, Lu Yifang is too reckless. I don't believe she didn't know beforehand who Su Yuezhen was with. Isn't this a blatant slap in our face?"

Cao Jingfu kept his eyes drooping and didn't speak. Seeing this, Madam Cao said again, "Master, we can't just suffer this loss."

"What do you intend to do?" Cao Jingfu looked at Madam Cao and said, "This was done by your good son, and so many people saw it. What do you expect me to do? Go to the Duke of Chu to reason with him? What am I supposed to say?"

Madam Cao gritted her teeth and said, "Even if Cao Xin was wrong in this matter, does the Duke of Chu's mansion have the right to slap us in the face like this? If Lu Yifang hadn't gone to arrest... gone there, how could the matter have spread so widely?"

Cao Jingfu's face showed impatience. "Alright, I know. What you need to do now is figure out how to appease your daughter-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Madam Cao looked at Cao Xin kneeling on the ground, her face filled with disappointment and anger. "Su Yuezhen's reputation is already ruined. How could you get involved with her? And... three of them..."

She couldn't bring herself to say the rest; the thought of it made her feel incredibly ashamed. How could she possibly face those ladies in the future?

"Alright, everyone get out. Let me have some peace and quiet." Cao Jingfu said, urging them to leave. Madam Cao and Cao Xin then departed.

Cao Jingfu sat there in deep thought for a long time, then stood up and walked out. He couldn't swallow his anger either. Just as his wife had said, Lu Yifang couldn't possibly not know who was in the house before she went to catch them in the act. She knew perfectly well that once the affair was exposed, the Cao family would lose all face, but Lu Yifang still went to catch them in the act.

Lu Yifang's actions were definitely at the behest of the Duke of Chu. But what did the Duke of Chu mean? The old Duke of Chu was angered to death by the Earl of Qingshan. She hated the Earl of Qingshan's family, but what did they have to do with the Cao family? They were officials in the same court, yet the Duke of Chu showed him absolutely no respect!

He left the mansion and took a sedan chair to the Jiang family. The Jiang family had also been humiliated today, and he couldn't believe that Jiang Hongsheng wouldn't be angry.

Upon arriving at the Jiang family residence and meeting Jiang Hongsheng, he said, "This Duke of Chu is far too ruthless and reckless in his actions. We have no grudge against him! Brother Jiang, are you really going to swallow this insult?"

Jiang Hongsheng looked at him indifferently, "The Duke of Chu almost killed the Earl of Qingshan and even dragged him in front of the Emperor. What happened in the end?"

Cao Jingfu frowned and remained silent. The Duke of Chu's tumultuous outburst, with its calls for violence, ultimately resulted in Consort Su becoming Consort Su. Having risen to the position of Imperial Censor, Cao Jingfu was certainly not without brains; he simply couldn't swallow this insult and wanted to join forces with Jiang Hongsheng to dampen the Duke of Chu's arrogance.

“I simply don’t believe that the Emperor would be pleased with the Duke of Chu’s actions,” Cao Jingfu added.

Jiang Hongsheng poured him a cup of tea. "The Emperor will naturally be unhappy, but will that affect his decision to heavily rely on the Duke of Chu?"

Cao Jingfu frowned and remained silent. Jiang Hongsheng then asked, "Besides being a woman, did the Duke of Chu have any shortcomings or weaknesses?"

Cao Jingfu frowned in thought. The fact that the Duke of Chu could solve a problem even more difficult than the imperial examinations showed that he was not lacking in learning. He had handled two sensational cases as soon as he entered officialdom, so his abilities were certainly not lacking either. He was also usually tactful in his speech and actions. Indeed, apart from the fact that he was a woman, it was impossible to find any other flaws in him.

Then Jiang Hongsheng said again, "No one is perfect. Would His Majesty trust someone who seems to have no flaws?"

"Did the Duke of Chu deliberately cause such a scene?" Cao Jingfu asked.

Jiang Hongsheng shook his head. "I don't know. Anyway, I don't think it's done her any harm by making such a fuss. People will just say she's young and impulsive. But her true nature has been revealed, and perhaps in the Emperor's eyes, the Duke of Chu is a more authentic person?"

Cao Jingfu picked up his teacup and drank the tea in one gulp. He looked at Jiang Hongsheng and asked, "Aren't you angry?"

“I’m furious! How can I not be furious?” Jiang Hongsheng said, “What do you plan to do? Go and complain to the Emperor?”

Cao Jingfu snorted; he couldn't bear the embarrassment.

Jiang Hongsheng glanced at him and said, "If we break ties with the Duke of Chu, we'll become his enemies from now on?"

Cao Jingfu remained silent, thinking it wasn't worth it for a good-for-nothing son.

“We have failed in raising our son, so let it be,” Jiang Hongsheng said. “The old Duke of Chu’s body is barely cold. Even if you wanted to complain to the Duke of Chu, this period of time has passed.”

Cao Jingfu's face was dark; he still couldn't swallow his anger.

“Brother Cao! The Emperor is about to establish a Crown Prince, and the situation in the court is about to become tense. We cannot let a small matter cause us to lose sight of the bigger picture.” Jiang Hongsheng said, “Even if you want to vent your anger, wait a while before you do it.”

"Hehe!" Cao Jingfu chuckled twice. "I never thought that after so many years in office, I would be put in such a predicament by a greenhorn who has just entered the court."

Jiang Hongsheng remained silent. He was also angry. He and Jiang Yu had clearly joined forces before, but Jiang Yu turned around and did this to him without even a word. However, his advice to Cao Jingfu was also a form of advice to himself.

Having spent so many years navigating the officialdom, the youthful ambition had long since been worn away. Although this was the first time he had encountered someone as capricious as Jiang Yu, he wouldn't let a small matter cause him to lose sight of the bigger picture. The agreement he had reached with Jiang Yu wouldn't change, but the future was uncertain.

If you, Jiang Yu, can turn your back on someone, why can't I?

Cao Jingfu didn't get what he wanted from Jiang Hongsheng, so he could only take his leave with some dissatisfaction. But he also took Jiang Hongsheng's words to heart. Having been in officialdom for so many years and rising to the position of Censor-in-Chief, he was certainly not without brains.

His Cao family wasn't as powerful as the Jiang family, and his rank wasn't even half a grade higher than Jiang Hongsheng's. Since Jiang Hongsheng was willing to tolerate it, there was nothing he couldn't tolerate.

When Jiang Hongsheng returned after seeing Cao Jingfu off, he saw Jiang Lihui's wife, Jing Miaojun, kneeling in his courtyard. She kowtowed to him and said, "Miaojun wants a divorce. I hope Father will grant her permission."