"Your Highness, please do justice for our Lady! The eldest young lady is on good terms with the Princess Consort, so naturally she will protect the Princess Consort. The Crown Prince's wife saw that our Lady was favored by His Highness and was pregnant with a prince, so she was jealous of our Lady and took such drastic measures to push our Lady into the water!"
In her anxiety and panic, Yu Shu saw this scene and immediately shouted.
Her voice was shrill and tearful, and everyone believed her to some extent. After all, who would use their unborn child to frame someone else?
Yu Shu, fearing that no one would believe her, saw the thirteenth prince soaking wet and quickly said, "Besides...besides, the thirteenth prince jumped into the water to save the princess consort without hesitation. He protected the princess consort like this. Who knows if they were already on good terms? Naturally, he would speak up for the princess consort."
Her words were so vicious that the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's gazes darted back and forth between the Crown Princess and the Thirteenth Prince, their faces showing shock. What... what's going on?
The power struggle between the Fifth Prince's principal wife and concubines in his harem has not yet ended, and now another incident of catching them in adultery has occurred.
The thirteenth prince's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he hurriedly explained, "You...you're talking nonsense! I have never...never been on good terms with the princess consort before. You lowly servant, you've tarnished your mistress's reputation with your empty words!"
He wanted to say that he had never seen her before, but... he had seen her before. Although they were young at the time, after so many years, he recognized her at a glance from afar.
That's why he was even angrier and more heartbroken.
Jiang Jiaojiao angrily pointed at Yushu and cursed, "You wretched servant, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I will never forgive you!"
She wondered why the thirteenth young master had fallen into the water; it turned out to be a scheme to kill two birds with one stone. If the little crybaby drowned in the lake, that would be one thing, but even if he was rescued, his reputation would be ruined.
Given the Fifth Prince's temperament, he would absolutely not swallow this insult and would definitely take the little crybaby's life.
What a vicious scheme!
Jiang Jiaojiao was about to speak up for the little crybaby when the little crybaby suddenly grabbed her sleeve.
Yuan Bao'er leaned on Jiao Jiao's arm and stood up shakily. She looked at the Fifth Prince and Jiang Xue in his arms, her usual weakness and timidity gone, replaced by a deep-seated hatred.
He suddenly spoke up, "That's right, I pushed him!"
Everyone was shocked and couldn't believe that the Fifth Prince's wife had actually confessed. This was a serious crime of plotting to harm the imperial heir.
“Now that things have come to this, I have no way to refute it. I am consumed by jealousy and unworthy to be a prince’s consort. Today I request to step down and beg Your Highness to calm your anger.”
Jiang Xue made such a scene just to get the position of the prince's consort, didn't she? If she wanted it, she could have it. She didn't care. It wasn't worth it for this heartless and ungrateful man!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief. Had the Crown Princess lost her mind? How could she actually relinquish her position as Crown Princess and ask to be divorced?
Exclamations of surprise rippled through the crowd, with some even doubting their own hearing.
"How is this possible? The Crown Princess is the royal wife listed in the imperial register! Has she lost her mind?"
"Has the princess consort gone mad from being soaked in water? If she is divorced and sent home, the Yuan family will definitely immediately find another daughter to marry into the family."
"If it weren't for Madam Yuan saving the Empress Dowager's life, the Fifth Prince's consort would never have been her turn. How dare she ask to be divorced? Isn't this a slap in the face to the Empress Dowager and the Fifth Prince?"
The crowd was shocked and indignant, all feeling sorry for the Fifth Prince.
Jiang Jiaojiao was also startled, but she quickly understood the little crybaby's thoughts and agreed with them. In her previous life, the little crybaby hadn't made a fuss, thinking that the truth would prevail and that the Fifth Prince was a smart man who would surely find out the truth and clear her name.
But... the little crybaby never expected that she would starve to death in the Buddhist hall before the truth came out. Filled with resentment, she transformed into a ghost.
The truth she saw filled her with even more despair and disgust than the truth itself.
It turns out that the Fifth Prince knew everything, knew of her innocence, yet he made her bear the stigma of harming the heir and remove her from the imperial register, leaving her with only a thin coffin.
The Fifth Prince's face was ashen as he stared intently at the Princess Consort. "Guards! The Princess Consort has gone mad from shock. Take her away and confine her to the Lanchun Courtyard. She is not to step out of there!"
In the royal family, there are no divorced women, only short-lived ones.
Jiang Jiaojiao immediately stood in front of the little crybaby.
The thirteenth prince acted faster than he thought, instinctively stepping in front of Jiang Jiaojiao and shielding her, gritting his teeth as he said, "The Crown Princess is on the royal register; even if she is to be executed, it requires His Majesty's decree..."
"Imperial edict arrives—"
Before he could finish speaking...
A high-pitched voice rang out, followed by a flurry of footsteps. The young masters of the outer courtyard escorted a eunuch carrying an imperial edict as they hurried in.
The old man, wiping the sweat from his brow and panting, announced, "Fifth Prince's Consort, receive the decree—"
Yuan Yuanyuan was taken aback, then knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have discovered that the Fifth Prince's Consort harbors jealousy and is morally deficient, her behavior unbecoming of a princess consort. In order to uphold the discipline of the palace and demonstrate the imperial style, I hereby depose her from her position as princess consort. Effective immediately, she is stripped of her title, ceremonial regalia, and all privileges. In consideration of her past merits, she is hereby granted gold, silver, and valuables and sent back to her place of origin, in the hope that she will repent and reform, and live out the rest of her life in peace."
Yuan Bao'er immediately kowtowed and accepted the decree, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"
The Fifth Prince clenched his fists, trembling all over, staring intently at Yuan Bao'er and the imperial edict, his anger erupting like a volcano.
Repatriated to his place of origin, to live out the rest of his life in peace...
Father is slapping himself in the face!
What angered him even more was that the imperial decree from his father arrived less than half an hour after what happened in the garden. Just how many spies were there in this mansion?
Or perhaps... this was all planned in advance?
The Fifth Prince's gaze toward his wife and Jiang Jiaojiao was terrifying.
Li Yan, panting heavily as he rushed over, stood in front of Jiang Jiaojiao without hesitation, his phoenix eyes flashing coldly as he looked at the Fifth Prince. "Jiaojiao is timid, Fifth Brother, please don't frighten her."
The crowd stared wide-eyed.
As rumored, the Seventh Prince dotes on Jiang Jiaojiao; he's already protecting her even before they're officially married.
Looking at the Seventh Prince now, his sickly complexion has faded, and he is even more stunningly beautiful. His features are exquisitely detailed, each one perfectly proportioned, especially his eyes, which are deep and seem to attract the soul. His high nose bridge adds a touch of noble elegance to his face. His lips are as red as cherries, with slightly upturned corners, giving him an innate charm.
Royal nobles should behave this way.
Previously, I only knew that the Seventh Prince was exceptionally handsome, with an ethereal appearance that was unforgettable. Now I realize that not only is the Seventh Prince remarkably good-looking, like a jade tree in full bloom, but his overall demeanor is in no way inferior to that of the other princes.
"Second sister!"
Jiang Jingtian, who was dragging Physician Xu along, saw Jiang Xue lying unconscious in the old nanny's arms and hurriedly called out to Physician Xu, "Quickly—Physician Xu, please take a look at her!"
Although Jiang Jingtian resented his father for favoring his third brother and kicking him out of the house, and was also angry that Jiang Xue shamelessly became the fifth prince's concubine, she was still his sister whom he had doted on since childhood. Especially when he saw Jiang Xue's pale and pitiful appearance, his heart softened.
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