The historian was delighted, grinning with his gleaming white teeth, and quickly recorded every detail of what was happening in the court.

So what if the old emperor killed their clansmen before? As a historian, he had already risked his life!

The old emperor was so angry he almost spat blood.

However, the matter could no longer be resolved peacefully, so the emperor could only issue an edict summoning Jiang Shuwan to the palace to plead her case, while the old emperor was sweating profusely with anxiety.

This matter is different from others. Even if Jiang Shuwan takes the blame, the emperor himself will likely not be able to escape responsibility...

real……

That's what I want...

He'll be infamous for eternity...

The old emperor sat blankly on the dragon throne, many thoughts flashing through his mind, which he then rejected one by one.

"Princess Jinzhu has arrived!"

Finally, Jiang Shuwan, dressed in the imperial princess's court attire, walked up to the golden hall.

This was her first time in this place, but she knew that this was the true center of power in the Great Jing Dynasty.

In the past, no matter how much money you made in the workshop business, it was just small-scale operations. This is the real battlefield.

With her eyes lowered, Jiang Shuwan walked straight in, and as soon as she entered, she was greeted by a torrent of insults.

By bribing the emperor, she caused the Great Jing royal family to lose face, making her, in some ways, no different from a "femme fatale who brought disaster to the country."

Moreover, most "femme fatales who bring disaster to the country" are women whose husbands are incompetent and unable to solve problems, so they end up blaming the women.

And her.

She really did it.

Looking at the evidence presented by the censors, as well as the dozen or so boxes of jewelry and silver seized, Jiang Shuwan's eyes turned cold. "So that's why the silver that was sent to the palace yesterday is missing. It turns out it was intercepted by the censors."

"Your Majesty, look, look, she admitted it..."

As soon as Jiang Shuwan spoke, everyone was in an uproar, especially Pei Yanzhi's enemies in the court. Pei Yanzhi was currently seriously injured and unconscious. If Jiang Shuwan fell from power, it would be a catastrophe for the Marquis's mansion.

The old emperor almost fainted. He thought that Jiang Shuwan would cleverly take all the blame upon herself. In that case, he would handle it gently. She would definitely lose her title, but at least she would not suffer imprisonment.

Once things calmed down, they would find a reason to restore her title. Unexpectedly, Jiang Shuwan foolishly admitted it.

"Is this the first time you've been frightened during your court appearance?"

The old emperor was lost in thought when Eunuch Su suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, the princess has sent a message to me, asking you to remain calm."

The old emperor: "..."

God, calm down. He's even thought of the wording for his self-reproach edict.

Just as the old emperor was thinking this, a clear female voice suddenly came from below.

"Sending silver to the palace is tantamount to bribing His Majesty. The Censor is far too ignorant and looks down on His Majesty. His Majesty possesses the entire empire; why would he be short of a few taels of silver?"

"..."

No.

The entire court knew that the old emperor was terrible—of course, this was just what everyone thought, and no one dared to say it aloud.

Clearing their throats, the censors said, "Since the princess says there's more to the story, you have to give us a clear explanation. Otherwise, we can't just fool you like this. After all, the dignity of the royal family cannot be trampled on!"

"right!"

"This concerns our country's reputation, and we must investigate it thoroughly."

The officials all spoke up, especially Minister Guo, the father-in-law of the eldest prince, who looked at Jiang Shuwan with a sinister gaze, "The court is not a marketplace. Arguments are useless. Princess, you need to provide concrete evidence. Otherwise, even His Majesty cannot save you."

He calmly raised his hand, clearly intending to teach Jiang Shuwan a lesson.

With a cold laugh, Jiang Shuwan clapped her hands, and immediately several eunuchs carried in more than a dozen boxes of account books.

These ledgers contained all of her properties in the North.

Upon seeing these account books, everyone, including the eldest prince, the crown prince, and Minister Guo, was astonished.

They knew Jiang Shuwan was good at making money, but they never expected that these books would contain such enormous astronomical figures.

If they had that much money, why bother with fighting? They could just use it for military expenses...

"Cough cough cough..."

Clearing his throat twice, trying to keep his voice steady so that no one could see the greed in his eyes, Minister Guo said coldly, "What does the princess mean by taking these account books? Is she trying to bribe us? The court has its own rules and regulations, and we have our own integrity. Wealth and honor cannot corrupt us. You have broken the law. No matter how much money you make or how high your rank is, you will be punished."

"Your Majesty, please punish the princess as a warning to others!"

"Your Majesty, please punish the princess as a warning to others!"

Countless people knelt down in the court, their cries for Jiang Shuwan's punishment echoing through the heavens. Since the old emperor's later years, the court had been divided into numerous factions, and they had not been so united in a long time.

The last time they were so united was when Pei Yanzhi proposed land reform, which pierced their backs.

This time, they pinned all the blame on Jiang Shuwan.

"Why is the snow so heavy today?!"

Outside the Golden Palace, the guards looked at the dark sky and rubbed their arms in the cold.

Dark clouds gathered, a strong wind suddenly rose, and the heavy snow began to fall, soon covering the ground with a thick layer.

It was clearly morning, but the sky was as dark as dusk.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, and the fierce wind blew the gate of the Golden Palace open with a "bang". The cold wind howled in and blew on Jiang Shuwan, and snowflakes also fell on her.

Everyone in the hall stared at her in awe, for Jiang Shuwan was probably in a state of utter despair.

So what if you're promoted to princess? They'll still drag you down...

Just as everyone was thinking this, Jiang Shuwan lifted her skirt and gently knelt down.

The girl's clear eyes looked at the old emperor on the dragon throne, her gaze as transparent and pure as the glass flower that was exhibited last time.

"Now that things have come to this, does Your Majesty still not want to tell the truth?"

"Although in my opinion, there aren't many smart people in our Great Jing Dynasty, they still have the right to know."

Everyone was shocked. "What do you mean that there aren't many smart people in the Great Jing Dynasty? Who is the princess insulting? And what's the truth? Is His Majesty hiding something from us?"

Everyone looked at the old emperor with eyes full of curiosity, including the crown prince and the eldest prince.

Does Father have some backup plan?

The old emperor was also dumbfounded. He had no backup plan whatsoever, and he had no idea what Jiang Shuwan was talking about, but she actually said it...

"Well, things have come to this point, and we really can't hide it anymore. Jinzhu, you should tell them."

After he finished speaking, the old emperor secretly pricked up his ears.

Next, Jiang Shuwan told the court officials in a way that was as if it were a divine book that she had not bribed the old emperor at all, and that the businesses under her control did not belong to her personally.

All her businesses, including the glass workshops, perfume workshops, and sugar workshops in the North, as well as the ships under construction, belong to the state.

It was the first state-owned enterprise in the Great Jing Dynasty.