Chapter 88 Chapter 88 The game is over.
Zhao Huailiang wanted to argue a little more, but was knocked to the side by his colleagues. Everyone understood that once the decree to establish a queen was issued, it meant a change in the political situation. What they should consider now was how to gain a foothold in the change of political situation, or even replace the status of certain aristocratic families.
As for who will be the queen, it is not the most important thing to them.
Even if the Zhao family girl is pulled down, there are still Wang family girl and Xie family girl to take her place. It has little to do with their interests, and they will not do anything that is thankless.
The Wang family is doomed.
As Eunuch Huang shouted "Dismiss the court", all the officials knelt down to see him off. Afterwards, there was a heated discussion and exchanges of ideas. More and more people chose to maintain the new policy. Many noble families also decided to keep a low profile, restrain their edges, and return the power that should be handed over to the emperor. Perhaps this would also help to preserve the wealth of the family.
As for Zhao Huailiang, he was demoted for slandering the queen. However, he was spared from death because he was a member of the Zhao family. He will soon be exiled to the northwest to serve.
Wang Ci Fu still did not give up. After the court was dismissed, he hurried to Yongshou Palace to ask for an audience with the Empress Dowager, hoping that the Empress Dowager would come forward to stop Chu Yuanhe from becoming the queen. Even if a queen was appointed, the throne should belong to the Wang family!
Since she was born, Wang Yingxue has been instilled with the idea that she is the future queen. For more than ten years, she has been holding herself to the standards of a queen. She has waited until this age to enter the palace and still has not been engaged. The Wang family cannot let this go to waste!
As long as Wang Yingxue can enter the palace, the Wang family still has a chance to save the situation.
The Empress Dowager had been obsessed with vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures recently. When she heard the nanny report that Wang Ci Fu wanted to see her, she immediately refused and asked the person to go back. However, Wang Ci Fu was desperate and said that if he could not see the Empress Dowager, he would kneel outside the Yongshou Palace for a long time. So the Empress Dowager had no choice but to bring him in.
Wang Ci Fu had long lost his former ability to strategize. He suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, begging the Empress Dowager to come forward.
The Empress Dowager looked at him strangely, but couldn't help scolding him for being old and confused.
Previously, he was determined to send his daughter to the palace. She was really ambitious about becoming the king's assistant and wanted to maintain the glory of the aristocratic family. But later, for the sake of profit, he colluded with King Qi without telling her!
This is a serious crime of treason!
If Chu Yuanhe had not been concerned about her, the royal grandmother, the Wang family would have been wiped out long ago.
She knew exactly what Wang Ci Fu was thinking. He simply wanted to take advantage of the young emperor and take advantage of his seniority. He thought that if he colluded with King Qi and manipulated the Zhejiang officialdom for profit, he could control the emperor and be second only to him.
What kind of big dream are you having?
Now that Prince Qi has fallen, he doesn't know how to restrain himself and even tries to use his daughter to continue to cling to the royal family. The Empress Dowager was so angry that she kept scolding him, saying, "Isn't she thinking she won't die soon enough?"
She was old and knew clearly that as long as Chu Yuanhe was still the emperor, she would be the Grand Empress Dowager and no one could shake her position. She just wanted to spend her old age in peace. If she couldn't figure it out and sided with the Wang family...
Thinking of Chu Yuanhe's warning look, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but shudder.
It's time to cut ties with the Wang family.
She closed her eyes and had Wang Ci Fu dragged out. From now on, no one, including Wang Yingxue, would have to come to Yongshou Palace again.
Before, the Empress Dowager thought that if Wang Yingxue could not marry the emperor, she could still find a good marriage for the girl with someone of equal social status. But now she dared not interfere.
Wang Ci Fu gritted his teeth and was filled with resentment, accusing the Empress Dowager of being unfaithful to the ancestors of the Wang family.
He had barely shouted a few words when a palace maid came in with a horrified look on her face, delivering news. After a detailed investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was found that every word in the memorial submitted to the cabinet by Qiantang County Magistrate Zhou Xun was true.
Not only that, His Majesty also promoted Zhou Xun to the Ministry of Justice and appointed him as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in charge of criminal justice. Although this man looks weak, he is ruthless and impartial. He has joined forces with the chief officials of the three departments to investigate the case. A large number of officials have been imprisoned one after another, and the Wang family will soon be investigated.
Upon hearing this, Wang Ci Fu fell to the ground.
It's over, everything is over.
The Empress Dowager took pity on him and gave him one last way out: to retire before the case was concluded.
The young emperor's goal was not to kill people, but to centralize power. As long as Wang Ci Fu was willing to let go, he might even show leniency to the Wang family for her sake and not kill them all.
Wang Ci Fu left the palace in a daze and went to see His Majesty as the Empress Dowager had instructed. Later, on his way back to his hometown after retirement, his carriage was startled and rushed off a cliff. He fell to the bottom of the cliff and unfortunately died. Of course, this is all a story for later.
At the same time, outside Donghua Gate, Zhao Huaiyi and Zhao Huailiang also parted ways unpleasantly. After leaving the court, they started arguing. The younger brother, who seemed dull and honest in the past, faced his questioning and mocked him, saying that from childhood to adulthood, he was just a foil to his older brother, and if he had not privately flattered the Wang family, he would not have reached his current position.
Zhao Huailiang kept saying that he hated his brother's self-righteous attitude the most. He claimed to be an honest official and never took a penny from the people. That was because he married Meng, who came from an imperial merchant family!
On the other hand, Zhao Huailiang himself has a mediocre career, his wife is hot-tempered and of little help, and his brother holds a high position but refuses to support him. If he doesn't join the Wang family, what other options does he have?
Zhao Huaiyi had never imagined that the other party had harbored so much resentment in his heart for so many years. This also made him understand that there was no possibility for the two brothers to reconcile.
Some people have a bad foundation from the beginning. If you keep them around, you will cause endless trouble.
The news that Zhao Huailiang was demoted and about to be exiled was first delivered to the Zhao family, and it was Zhao Qingyi who delivered it personally.
The old lady was heartbroken when she learned the whole story. The last thing she wanted to see was a quarrel between brothers.
After Zhao Huaiyi rushed home, he saw his mother's expression and knew there was nothing to explain, so he immediately arranged all matters related to the division of the family.
The old lady waved her hand to stop him. It didn't matter whether they divided it or not. Zhao Huailiang was going to be exiled, and in the future, only the eldest branch would be left in the family.
Li Heng, who had not been in contact for a long time, came after hearing the news. At that time, the Zhao family was in a mess, and in order to avoid suspicion, they did not want to see him.
But the doorman reported that Fang Ru was with Li Heng, so the old lady made an exception and met him.
As soon as Fang Ru entered the room, she knelt down under Zhao Huailiang's murderous gaze and confessed everything about how she had witnessed Zhao Huailiang strangling Concubine Fang to death. This also included the conversation between the two of them, in which they talked about the incident where the eldest wife encountered robbers on her way back to Beijing.
The Zhao family didn't care about Aunt Fang, but when the old lady heard with her own ears that Zhao Huailiang secretly instigated Aunt Fang to kill the eldest wife's family, she could no longer bear it and fell into her chair.
Meng and Zhao Qingyi were much calmer. They had guessed it long ago, but had no evidence.
Feng was the most shocked person after the old lady. She couldn't believe it. The second son usually acted like an honest and good guy, but she didn't expect that he was the worst one in the Zhao family. The viciousness of Aunt Fang was nothing in front of him.
Feng was extremely frightened and knelt down to beg the old lady not to vent her anger on her and Wen Yi. From the beginning to the end, it was Zhao Huailiang and Aunt Fang who were secretly plotting, and she and her daughter Zhao Wen Yi knew nothing about it.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Jiangyan, who was hiding behind the screen, rushed out and beat and kicked Zhao Huailiang, "You are a bad man, you killed my aunt! You killed my aunt!"
After losing his aunt, he followed the mistress cautiously, trembling with fear and walking on thin ice every day. He never expected that the culprit who harmed him was actually his most respected father!
Father killed his aunt!
Zhao Huailiang was extremely upset. In a rage, he grabbed Zhao Jiangyan's neck and said with bloodshot eyes, "You little bastard, I'm your father!"
He suddenly lost his temper, frightening everyone present and making them scream. They wanted to step forward to stop him, but were afraid of becoming innocent victims.
"The traitor! The traitor!"
The old lady's heart was beating so fast that she covered her chest and gasped for breath.
Feng and Meng quickly handed her some water to help her calm down.
Zhao Jiangyan's thin body was hanging in the air, his little face was blue and purple, and he was about to die, so Zhao Huailiang pushed him away fiercely.
After the old lady calmed down, she finally made up her mind that there was no need to divide the family. From then on, there would be no Zhao Huailiang in the Zhao family anymore, and she wanted to sever all ties with this son.
Feng burst into tears again. She didn't care about her husband. What she cared about was that her husband was expelled from the Zhao family and was going to be exiled. What would happen to her and her daughter?
The old lady lowered her eyes, looking at her daughter-in-law with a look full of pity. She touched Feng's head with a trembling hand, "Of course you are still the daughter-in-law of my Zhao family. From now on, you will stay with me, an old woman."
She chose her daughter-in-law and she will not abandon her.
Feng finally felt relieved. Meng went over to support her and handed her a handkerchief. During this period, the relationship between the sisters-in-law eased and they got along quite well.
Feng was deeply moved and stood aside sobbing softly. As she cried, she thought of Zhao Jiangyan's child again.
He is Zhao Huailiang's biological son and the only male in the second house. It is still unknown how the old lady will deal with him.
After the old lady recovered, she rolled her eyes at Feng again, looking very disappointed with her son. "I don't even want a son, so why would I want a grandson?"
If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked too. Judging from Zhao Jiangyan's various behaviors, this child is already useless. Moreover, at the age of more than ten years old, his temperament has been formed and it is difficult to straighten it out. He doesn't seem to have any future. If he continues to be rich and powerful, who knows what he will do to harm the people in the future. It would be better for him to follow his father, go to the northwest, and live a quiet life.
After saying this, he comforted Feng for a long time, telling her not to worry and that she would not be implicated.
After a moment's thought, Zhao Qingyi assured Feng that as long as she was there, she would not let her second aunt and second sister be exiled together.
Having not heard her voice for a long time, Li Heng was in a trance for a moment. When he noticed the other party's faint gaze, he subconsciously lowered his eyes and bowed respectfully.
His former eldest sister-in-law is now going to be the queen.
It was also getting farther and farther away from him, an existence that he could never reach.
At that moment, Li Heng felt a soreness and discomfort in his chest, but he was inexplicably relieved. He knelt on one knee and asked the old lady to marry Fang Ru. Fang Ru had been hiding by his side after escaping from the Zhao family. Her reputation was damaged, and it was time for him to take responsibility for Fang Ru.
Besides, this is also an imperial decree.
Fortunately, after spending some time together, he no longer rejected Fang Ru. Perhaps she was not as good as Zhao Qingyi in many aspects, but it could not be denied that Fang Ru was a good girl and was sincere to him. Now that she had left the second branch of the Zhao family, there was less suspicion and estrangement between them.
As for Zhao Qingyi...
When the imperial edict came down from His Majesty to enthrone her as the queen, Li Heng was quite surprised, but later he understood. No wonder the palace came to convey the decree to betroth Fang Ru to him not long after he went to propose marriage.
As early as that time, His Majesty had already...
Li Heng laughed at himself, let go completely, bowed to Zhao Qingyi, and congratulated her in advance on her upcoming wedding.
Zhao Qingyi smiled back, and the grudge was resolved.
In principle, Fang Ru had no relationship with the Zhao family, but considering that she had been raised in the mansion for many years, the old lady gladly agreed to Li Heng's proposal and even gave Fang Ru an additional dowry.
Fang Ru had not expected such a reward from this trip. Not only did she get married, but she also received the old lady's care. She hurriedly thanked her with tears in her eyes.
The court acted quickly. That night, Zhao Huailiang and his son were put in shackles and taken to the northwest.
The moment he stepped out of the city gate, Zhao Huailiang looked back at this prosperous capital city that symbolized power, and there was only desolation in his dark eyes.
He had thought that someone would come to see him off for the last time, but now it seems that this is just wishful thinking for him.
Seeing him like this, the anger on Zhao Jiangyan's face faded, and he slowly raised the corners of his mouth, "Father, what are you looking at? Could it be... that you're hoping that Grandmother or Mother will give you a ride?"
If Aunt Fang were here, she would definitely notice that her son's demeanor and even the temperament he exuded were very similar to Zhao Huailiang.
Zhao Huailiang pursed his lips and ignored his son.
Zhao Jiangyan laughed heartily, "Father, please stop looking. From now on, it's just us, father and son, who will depend on each other."
He is small now, with a small body and little strength, but Zhao Huailiang will grow old one day, and then he will not be able to strangle him.
Zhao Jiangyan lowered his eyes and made up his mind that he would live well after going to the northwest. He wanted to avenge his aunt...!
This vicious man deserves to be deserted by everyone!
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