Chapter 469: That's So Sad and Desperate

The atmosphere relaxed.

Xuan Huang was still furious, but his murderous intent had lessened a lot.

We are all smart people, and now is the time to make friends with Liao Jiu.

The Minister of Rites shouted, "If that's the case, then Governor Liao's disobedience is understandable. Governor Liao proposed marriage to Jiang, and the marriage is already settled. If he marries the princess and abandons Jiang, that would be a flaw in his character and irresponsible. Your Majesty, everything should be done with reason. Today's incident was a misunderstanding!"

"The Emperor was entrusted with the marriage by Madam Zhou, believing it to be a good match and a sign of good deeds. He never expected this kind of hidden agenda to exist. It was indeed a misunderstanding. However, Governor Liao was also truly wrong. He concealed this matter from the Emperor and openly defied the Emperor's orders. This is extremely disrespectful and he deserves severe punishment as a warning to others!"

"Yes, no matter what the inside story is, Governor Liao must be severely punished. This involves the reputation of the royal family. The emperor is magnanimous and can let it go, but since it hurts Princess Xiu'er's reputation, the punishment cannot be light. I think Governor Liao deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison."

…

Xuan Huang flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly:

"Forget it, I'll spare Jiang's life. Your title of Lady Renyi will be revoked, and from now on, you'll be demoted to a commoner. Liao Jiu may be spared the death penalty, but he'll be punished alive. Drag him out and give him at least two hundred lashes. If he doesn't die, he'll be thrown into the Heavenly Prison!"

"yes."

The Imperial Guards took Liao Jiu away.

Keep Jiang Lianzhu.

Jiang Lianzhu said to Xuan Huang, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me. Thank you, gentlemen, for speaking up for justice."

The more Xuan Huang looked at Jiang Lianzhu, the more disgusted he became. After Liao Jiu was taken away, he didn't even attend the banquet and took his people back to the palace.

The Queen Mother and the Crown Prince also left shortly after.

The other ministers have had enough of the excitement, so what else is there to enjoy at the banquet?

The host had no intention of entertaining guests.

The banquet ended in a bad mood.

When the banquet was over, Jiang Lianzhu felt a meaningful gaze coming from somewhere, which made her inexplicably alert.

If you look closely, this look seems to be full of hostility and ridicule.

***

The news that Emperor Xuanhuang of Xiangwang Mansion had granted the marriage but Jiang Lianzhu disobeyed the order spread throughout the capital the next day.

Princess Xuanxiu was so angry that she wanted to commit suicide. Governor Liao was beaten with a hundred sticks and was imprisoned in the Sky Prison. As for Jiang Lianzhu's name, it spread throughout the capital of Da'an Kingdom and she became extremely famous.

Everyone knows it.

A country woman, a married and divorced woman, with three adopted sons and daughters, turned out to be the sweetheart of the most unattainable, youngest and promising Governor Liao in the capital!

This unimaginable combination has become a hot topic of conversation on the streets and after-dinner conversations.

…

Jiang Lianzhu felt relieved when she heard from Xiang Zuo and others that Liao Jiu was fine after being beaten with a stick.

Liao Jiu is a martial artist with strong physique. Ordinary people can be beaten to death after being beaten with 200 boards, but not him. Besides, the executioners will take his identity into consideration and will not really kill him. They may let him go a little bit with appropriate technical skills... Aren't these all favors for the future?

Everyone also heard what Xuan Huang said, that if he couldn't be killed, he would be sent to the Heavenly Prison.

The key point is the three words "invincible", which is a profound knowledge.

Isn’t it just a reminder to the person who is beating the person that he should not beat the person to death?

Then, Liao Jiurang asked Xiang Zuo and the others to tell Jiang Lianzhu to stay out of the spotlight for the time being and not to go out unless necessary in Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Jiang Lianzhu agreed to all of them.

At present, Liao Jiu meant that Jiang Lianzhu should stay calm and wait until Emperor Xuan's anger subsided. As long as the eldest princess Xuanxiu did not really commit suicide, his life could still be saved.

Also, Dabao means the same thing. At this time, it is better to be still than to move, and to respond to all changes with constancy.

Dabao has become more and more calm and composed not long after coming to Beijing. He is really very insightful.

He hardly needed anyone to teach him, as he had a thorough understanding of human relationships, social practices, and interests.

Jiang Lianzhu can stay calm as long as Liao Jiu's life is not in danger. It doesn't matter if she suffers a little. They are now at a critical juncture where they must break down to build up.

If Liao Jiu can survive this time, then the two of them can basically be together.

It can be said that it has broken through the shackles of worldly affairs.

If there is no good news after a few days, she will make preparations for both scenarios.

When the time comes, we will fight to the death and break into the prison.

***

Mrs. Zhou fainted from anger at the banquet at Prince Xiang's Mansion, and was later carried back to the Zhou Mansion by the Zhou family to be taken care of.

Marquis Qingning had no master, and they expected him to go home to take care of Madam Zhou. The Zhou family didn't dare to think that she had just fainted and would wake up when she came to her senses. If she was taken care of by a messy and untrustworthy person, the blame would be put directly on Liao Jiu, and they would accuse Liao Jiu of being unfilial and disobeying the order, which had angered his own mother to death and could not be rescued. That would be really beyond their ability to defend themselves.

Not only did Mrs. Zhou die in vain, but Liao Jiu will probably never be able to clear himself of the charges in his lifetime. He is practically finished.

For safety reasons, Mrs. Zhou was taken back to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Not long after, he woke up and cried his heart out. He was so sad and desperate.

The person in charge of the Zhou family was not there, he had gone out to make connections for Liao Jiu.

Only the women in the backyard, like Mrs. Zhou, were left, at a loss.

The task of these backyard ladies is to comfort Mrs. Zhou at home and not to be too sad, to take care of her health, and to prevent Mrs. Zhou from going out and causing trouble.

It was not until the next day, when the Zhou family had arranged all the relationships, that they called Mrs. Zhou to the study to talk.

Her father, Duke Zhou, and her brother, Prime Minister Zhou, were both there. Both of them seemed to have not slept all night and had big dark circles under their eyes.

Mrs. Zhou felt a little sorry for her father and brother.

"Dad, brother, thank you for your hard work. I'm sorry for you. I didn't teach you well and I've caused you trouble again."

Duke Zhou waved his hand. "We're family, so there's no need to argue. Wuyang was simply bewildered and confused this time. Also, the Emperor's marriage proposal is a bit forced. The Emperor said it was you who submitted the petition asking for it? Is that really you?"

Madam Zhou said timidly, "I didn't. However, I wanted to go, but I didn't dare. Because Wuyang told me last time that he had a lover and asked me not to interfere, I held back. I didn't expect that the emperor would suddenly grant us a marriage yesterday..."

Duke Zhou stroked his beard and said, "Based on my understanding of the Emperor, he wouldn't grant a marriage on his own initiative. It must have been the eldest princess who requested it."

Everyone in the study was confused. If this marriage went through, it would be a good thing and everyone would be happy and no one would care. But now a huge disaster has occurred. Although they didn't say it, they all felt a little bit angry at Princess Xuanxiu for being too unreasonable.

"A forced melon is not sweet. The eldest princess has harmed our Wuyang, but we can't blame Wuyang entirely. As a mother, you are also to blame. You know very well that your own son has a bad temper and has no interest in the eldest princess. He has even said that he has a lover. Yet you are so close to Princess Xuanxiu, acting like she is the only daughter-in-law you can have. No wonder people misunderstand you. To be honest, Se'er, you have to take half the responsibility for this disaster!" Zhou Gong said unhappily.