Chapter 175 Yunfang is so pitiful!

Jiang Fenghua personally stepped forward to help Yunfang up and said softly, "Don't kneel. Back when you were in the Prince's mansion, we were master and servant. It's such a pity that you and Ji Chen became husband and wife. I thought Ji Chen would treat you well. Now your hands are covered in chilblains, and you're dressed so thinly in this cold weather. Sigh!"

Her words struck a chord with Yunfang, who felt wronged. The thought of marrying a good-for-nothing like Ji Chen made Yunfang furious. The person she wanted to marry was His Highness Prince Heng.

But now that the die is cast, she has no choice but to compromise. Her life in the Su family is not easy. She used to live a wealthy life in the Prince Heng's mansion, where she didn't even have to wash her own clothes. Now she lives worse than an ordinary maid, and she regrets it deeply.

Ji Chen had no ability to earn money for her; on the contrary, she ended up giving Ji Chen a lot of money.

Yunfang wore all her dissatisfaction on her face, but she didn't forget her purpose for coming today. She pulled her hand away, determined not to be led by the nose by Jiang Fenghua. She was a master of disguise and pleaded, "Please, Your Highness, have mercy! I believe my husband would never assassinate Your Highness. Please, Your Highness, let him go!"

Jiang Fenghua knew perfectly well the resentment in her eyes, and feigned a troubled but considerate attitude towards Yunfang, saying, "Once the investigation is completed, if it really has nothing to do with him, the government will definitely not wrong him, so don't worry! Why don't we go into the yamen and talk it over?"

Yunfang refused to go; she insisted on speaking from here.

At this moment, more and more onlookers gathered, and several familiar faces stepped forward and grabbed Yunfang's hand, "Aunt Yunfang, is it really you?"

Yunfang looked at the other person with a blank expression, and just wanted to ask, "Who are you?"

A group of women arrived, chattering amongst themselves, "We know that it was actually Young Master Ji who drugged and raped you, which is why you were forced to marry him. Alas, since you left the Prince's mansion, we've all felt guilty for not speaking up for you. Later, we wanted to talk to the Prince about this, but we were afraid. We should have mustered up the courage to expose Young Master Ji. He was the one who had the audacity to force himself on you; it wasn't your fault at all. He dared to use aphrodisiacs on you; he's truly inhuman..."

The old story was brought up again, and Yunfang was once again being pointed at and talked about by the people. These people were all attracted by her beating the grievance drum, just to cry out for justice for Ji Chen. What's going on now?

Now, however, the real reason she married Ji Chen has been revealed. Before she could react, someone said, "No wonder Princess Heng said earlier that things are unpredictable and it was a pity that she married Ji Chen. It turns out that she was drugged and raped by her husband before she married him."

"Now she's even coming to plead for that man's innocence. Look at how poorly she's dressed; in this cold weather, she doesn't even have a decent cotton coat, and her hands are covered in chilblains. She must be having a hard time. She's so pitiful!"

In fact, Yunfang had deliberately worn her clothes torn and thin in order to gain the sympathy of the people, but now her efforts had backfired.

The people were talking about it, and an insider revealed, "You don't know, do you? When the Zhang family held their wedding banquet, a man named Ji Chen sneaked into the inner quarters of the Zhang mansion and was caught red-handed having an affair with Madam Zhang. Many people saw it, and the scene was simply unbearable to watch."

"Yes, I saw it too. He was completely naked, his buttocks exposed, playing around quite a bit. He even claimed to be a scholar, named Ji Chen. It made Master Zhang so angry that he divorced Madam Zhang on the spot..."

"I know about this too. It's caused quite a stir. I never imagined that this was Ji Chen's wife. She's really unlucky to have married such a man."

Someone else chimed in, "Actually, Yunfang didn't want to marry him. Ji Chen drugged Yunfang and defiled her body. Yunfang had no choice but to marry him because she lost her innocence."

"Yunfang was a high-ranking palace maid who served in the palace. She lived a life of luxury, with a more extravagant air than even the daughters of wealthy families. During her time in the Prince Heng's mansion, the Princess Consort never mistreated her. Now that she has married Ji Chen, she has become like this. Alas! Ji Chen is truly a wicked man; he has ruined Yunfang!"

"Yunfang is so pitiful!"

"She's still trying to get him exonerated. People like that should be handed over to the authorities and have him torn to pieces."

"Yes, we must not let him go. Such a beautiful girl has been ruined by him. She had no choice but to marry him, and he doesn't even appreciate her. She's dressed in such rags. She must have suffered a lot following him!"

Everyone started criticizing Ji Chen, one after another.

Yunfang was suddenly turned into the victim, and she was instantly dumbfounded.

Jiang Fenghua's eyes were also full of heartache. "Yunfang, if you are willing to return to the Prince's Mansion, I am willing to ask the government to grant you a divorce from Ji Chen. He forced you in the first place. He was blinded by lust and drugged you. It's not your fault. Seeing you suffer so much, I really feel sorry for you. I feel bad for you when you are unhappy. Back when you were in the Prince's Mansion, you never suffered like this!"

Someone else said, "The princess is right. Let's get a divorce. There's no good life with him. He even sleeps with Madam Zhang. Such a person is a disgrace to scholars. He shouldn't be allowed to take the imperial examinations."

Yunfang was completely bewildered by what she was being said. She felt like her ears were going to go numb from all the noise. Could she still go back to the Prince Heng's mansion? Thinking back to those days, the days she spent with Consort Su were so wonderful.

Actually, she wished Ji Chen were dead. She heard that Consort Su had returned to the Prince's mansion and that Prince Heng had personally gone to pick her up, which meant that she had regained the Prince's favor. Even if she didn't become Prince Heng's woman, being a maidservant by Consort Su's side would be a million times better than what she was doing now.

If she continues to stay in the Su family, she will always be Ji Chen's woman, providing him with food and drink, and he will beat her whenever he is unhappy. Why should she live such a life?

Jiang Fenghua's words touched her heart.

"Your Highness really didn't lie to me. Can I divorce Ji Chen?" In fact, she and Ji Chen were never married. Just now, when she beat the grievance drum, she admitted that she was appealing for her husband's innocence. Only by letting the government decide on a divorce could she get rid of the relationship that he was her husband.

“Of course, the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty have long stipulated that if a husband and wife cannot live in harmony and divorce, they are not guilty. As long as Ji Chen signs the divorce papers, you will be free. You can marry freely in the future and have no further connection with him,” Jiang Fenghua said.

The crowd started jeering again, "Miss Yunfang, get a divorce! You're so beautiful, you'll definitely find a better husband."

"Yes, the princess is kind-hearted and will definitely help you."

"Let's get a divorce. Don't feel guilty. Someone like Ji Chen might do something even more heinous in the future."

Just then, an official from the Ministry of Rites suddenly came to greet Jiang Fenghua, saying, "This humble official greets Princess Heng."

Jiang Fenghua asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?" She was dressed in official robes and did not recognize him.

Zuo Si slowly explained, “I am Zuo Si from the Ministry of Rites, here on the orders of Grand Tutor Pan to issue a decision prohibiting the student Ji Chen from taking the imperial examination. His son has committed adultery and debauchery. Such a person is not qualified to participate in the imperial examination, much less be allowed to become an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

When this reached the ears of Grand Tutor Pan, who was also the chief examiner, Ji Chen was definitely not allowed to participate in the imperial examination.