The Jiang brothers knelt down in panic, shocked.
The Ninth Prince said that he would give them ten days to investigate the case. It’s only the fifth day, so how come they invited the Emperor and that evil star known as the Great Sheng God of War?
"Please stand up, both of you."
Emperor Yong's tone towards them was relatively gentle. "I came to the palace today because I heard that Xiaojiu was ill and wanted to visit him. However, I happened to have something to discuss with my twelfth brother, so he came with me."
As he was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject, "But after I arrived, I heard from Xiaojiu about a case that happened in your Wen Ning Marquis Mansion a while ago."
The Jiang brothers' hearts skipped a beat. The emperor had indeed come to investigate a case.
"This was originally a family affair of your Wen Ning Marquisate, but the two girls involved are related to Xiaojiu's engagement, so I have to inquire about it."
After Emperor Yong finished speaking, he looked at the two maids, frowned, and asked Jiang Xiancao:
"Xiaojiu, have they spoken a word since you brought them to the palace?"
Jiang Xiancao said calmly:
"They kept arguing that they had indeed seen Miss Jiang II push Miss Eldest into the water, but when I described the scene separately, the details they each gave didn't match up, which I found very strange."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Jinyan couldn't wait to say:
"Your Majesty, although these two servants were my sister's personal maids, they were not closely following me and my second sister when the incident occurred that day. Therefore, they only had a vague glimpse of the situation. This is reasonable."
Jiang Xiancao noticed Jiang Jinyan's pause just now and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He was going to just call out his full name.
Just as in his heart, only Jiang Huaizhu was his sister, and she, Jiang Xiancao, was just an outsider who disgusted and annoyed him, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he remembered that he was in front of the emperor and he couldn't let the other party see that he was partial to one over the other.
Emperor Yong listened to Jiang Jinyan's explanation and said nothing, but asked Jiang Xiancao:
"What did the two young ladies say about the scene at that time? Since I and your uncle are here today, why not invite her and the eldest young lady here together and let them confront each other. It will be clear who is right and who is wrong."
Jiang Xiancao's eyes were gloomy, and he said slowly:
"I have already sent someone to invite the two young ladies."
Just at this moment, Chaoyue and Huayi walked into the yard and knelt down to report:
"I, the servant, was ordered by the prince to go to the Marquis's mansion to invite the two young ladies. However, the housekeeper of the mansion said that the eldest young lady was too ill to get out of bed, and the second young lady was imprisoned in the ancestral hall by the eldest young master and forced to kneel. No one can let her out without the eldest young master's order."
Hearing this, the smile on Jiang Xiancao's lips deepened a little.
Emperor Yong looked annoyed after hearing this, and his tone became more serious:
"Master Jiang, there are still some doubts about this drowning case, so why are you so eager to punish your own sister? Furthermore, I've heard that Second Miss Jiang is very weak after having her blood drained. You're imprisoning a sick woman in the ancestral hall right now. Are you punishing her, or are you trying to force her to death?"
Jiang Jinyan never expected that the Ninth Prince's men would actually reveal to the emperor that he had locked Jiang Xiancao in the ancestral hall.
He used to be used to punishing Jiang Xiancao at will on the grounds that she violated the family rules. Because no one in the Marquis' Mansion cared about Jiang Xiancao, he didn't need to explain to anyone. Everyone felt that no matter how he treated Jiang Xiancao, it was natural and she deserved it.
So when he was questioned by the emperor, he, who had always been eloquent, could not think of any reasonable reason for a moment.
After a long silence, Jiang Jinyan could only speak palely:
"Your Majesty, I have absolutely no intention of harming my younger sister. I treat both of them equally and I absolutely do not favor one over the other.
"It's just that my younger sister, jealous of her elder sister, has repeatedly slandered her in front of the Ninth Prince, causing him to misunderstand my elder sister. I am furious at her for harming her own sister, so I ordered her to reflect on her actions in the ancestral hall."
He didn't realize how powerless this defense sounded to others.
Even Chaoyue and Huayi, who had just learned about the situation, were secretly complaining in their hearts.
When the eldest brother of a normal family encounters two sisters who have different opinions, he will not take sides at the beginning. Instead, he will first find out the truth of the matter and then punish the liar.
But it was different for Young Master Jiang. He was clearly not there when Jiang Huaizhu fell into the water, but he was certain that it must have been Jiang Xiancao who pushed him in.
The basis for his belief in Jiang Huaizhu and his private punishment of Jiang Xiancao was nothing more than a few empty words from Jiang Huaizhu and her two maids.
Even though their testimonies didn't match, he had no doubt that they might have colluded to frame his other sister.
He believed whatever Jiang Huaizhu said, and no matter how much Jiang Xiancao cried out for justice, he thought she was slandering the Ninth Prince and was a mean person who was jealous of his own sisters.
Anyone can see what his heart lies in. What's even more ridiculous is that he still has the nerve to say that he has no preference between his two sisters. He is simply trying to cover up his mistake.
Emperor Yong sneered and said in a deep voice:
"From what you said, you have already determined that Miss Jiang Er is guilty, and what Miss Jiang Da and her two maids said is true?"
Jiang Jinyan paused for a moment, then bent his legs and knelt down again, kowtowed to Emperor Yong and said:
"Your Majesty, please understand. My eldest sister has been wronged!"
When Jiang Xiancao heard this, the sarcasm on the corner of his mouth almost turned into reality and overflowed.
She had long guessed that Jiang Jinyan would protect Jiang Huaizhu to the end, but today she still gained some new insights.
He really loved Jiang Huaizhuo, and for the sake of this bitch who never spoke a word of truth, he was not even afraid of angering the emperor.
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