"Ling Niang? Ling Niang is just a prostitute in Chunxianglou, how could she be a spy from the enemy country?" Wan Huqing's words were no less than trying to cover up the truth.
Pei Xuanqing curled his lips, "What a coincidence, she is one of Lingnan Kingdom's spies lurking in our court."
"How could this happen?" The slap in the face came too quickly, and Wan Huqing was unable to respond for a moment.
"You unfilial son! You're so young, yet you still don't learn! You're even imitating others by keeping prostitutes!" Even with his self-deprecation, how could Wan Chengji not have guessed that the disaster at the Bo Mansion today was all because of him? After looking around and failing to find a suitable weapon, Wan Chengji raised his hand and started beating Wan Huqing.
"It hurts, it hurts," Wan Huqing said while dodging, "Father, please calm down. Don't get yourself hurt by it. I know I was wrong, but I really didn't know anything!" Anyway, he felt that he was wronged.
"You little brat! How dare you say that?" Wan Chengji trembled all over. Could this be solved by saying he knew nothing? If things went wrong, their whole family would lose their heads!
"Father, please stop beating me. Isn't it okay if my son is wrong?"
"What's the point of knowing you're wrong?" Wan Chengji's eyes were red, and he almost burst into tears. He seemed to have used up his last bit of strength to hit Wan Huqing hard before he was done.
After watching the excitement for a long time, Pei Xuanqing finally spoke: "Are you tired of fighting, my Lord? If so, take everyone in the Marquis's Mansion to the Dali Temple Prison to rest. As for the Third Young Master..." He glanced at the rather embarrassed Wan Huqing, "You must go to the Ming Prison with me."
The Ming Prison was nominally under the direct control of the emperor, but in reality it was the imperial guards' own prison. Anyone who entered it would be skinned alive, if not killed.
Upon hearing this, Wan Chengji glanced at Wan Xueying and then at Wan Qingling and asked, "If they're not from our mansion, do we not have to go to the Dali Temple?"
Pei Xuanqing glanced at Wan Xueying, nodded slightly, and said, "Of course."
Just when everyone thought Wan Chengji would reveal Wan Xueying's name, he shouted, "Today, I will reveal a long-buried secret of this mansion." He paused before continuing, "Qingling is not my wife's daughter. She was bought by that bitch Yurou to be exchanged with Xueying in revenge against my wife. We only learned of this five years ago, just before that bitch Yurou died, and that's when we brought Xueying back from the northern border."
He added, "We have always treated Qingling as our own flesh and blood and could not bear to part with her. Later, we announced to the public that the wife was pregnant with twins and both children were ours."
Anyone in the Bofu elders knew about Yu Rou, the woman he was referring to. She was once Wan Chengji's favorite concubine. Because another concubine had killed her child, she believed that it was Xu who had ordered that person to do it. Shortly after Xu gave birth to Wan Xueying, she bribed the wet nurse to switch Wan Xueying with Wan Qingling.
This secret was not told to Yu Rou's concubine Chen, who was still friendly to her, until her death. Concubine Chen then reported it to Wan Chengji and Xu, which led to Wan Xueying being taken back to the Bo Mansion.
"Master, do you have any evidence?" If Wan Chengji was referring to Wan Xueying, Pei Xuanqing wouldn't have doubted it. After all, the news that Wan Xueying wasn't the legitimate daughter of the Duke's family had already spread yesterday, and she was about to leave the capital, so she was considered a dispensable person, and could be turned a blind eye. Now that Wan Chengji suddenly said that the person was Wan Qingling, it was inevitable that people would speculate. After all, Wan Qingling was the Crown Princess, married by imperial decree, and there was no room for falsehood.
"Yes!" Wan Chengji said with certainty, "As long as you search my study, you can find the contract that the bitch Yu Rou used to buy Qingling." The reason why Yu Rou kept the contract was that she could use it to blackmail Wan Qingling one day in the future.
Pei Xuanqing sneered after hearing this, "You are using an adopted daughter to pretend to be a legitimate daughter. Isn't this deceiving the emperor?"
Wan Chengji calmly bowed toward the palace and said, "I dare not lie to the emperor. I have already reported this to His Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Prince." It was because the Imperial Master had calculated that Wan Qingling was destined to be a phoenix that the Emperor, despite knowing Wan Qingling's background and the pre-existing engagements between the Dingyang Marquis's Mansion and the Pingguo Duke's Mansion, still decided to marry her to the Crown Prince. Of course, the Crown Prince was very fond of Wan Qingling and, after repeated requests, the Emperor finally agreed.
Pei Xuanqing nodded slightly. Since the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince all knew about this, it would be easy to handle. So, he offered a favor: "Since that's the case, then send Miss Wan to the palace, and let the Empress make the final decision on her case." As for the evidence? He could hand it over to the Empress later.
"It should be so!" Wan Chengji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wan Qingling quickly came up to him and said, "Father, I have long regarded you two as my biological parents, and I am ready to stand by the uncle's family. Why do you have to take me away at this time? Wouldn't that harm Xueying?" After saying that, she looked at Wan Xueying with guilt, who lowered her head and could not tell whether she was happy or angry.
Wan Chengji replied coldly, "She is my biological daughter, so this is her fate!"
What the hell, your biological daughter? What did you do earlier? Wan Xueying wanted to curse him when she heard him say that. When things were good, they never thought about her being their biological daughter, but when things got tough, they just discarded her like a worn-out shoe, wishing she could leave the capital sooner rather than later. Now that the Bo Mansion was in trouble, they wanted to drag her down with them. Was this what a father should do?
Before she could lose her temper, Wan Qingling sighed heavily and continued apologetically, "But Xueying could have left the capital and didn't have to suffer imprisonment with everyone in the Bo Mansion."
Wan Chengji lowered his voice so low that only the two of them could hear, explaining, "Qingling, don't feel the slightest bit of apology towards Xueying. Only by getting rid of you can we have a glimmer of hope in saving the lives of everyone in the Bo Mansion."
Wan Qingling was personally appointed Crown Princess by the Emperor. Even without the status of a legitimate daughter of the Bo Mansion, she still had the amulet of the Phoenix Fate. Even if she couldn't become Crown Princess, she could still become the Crown Prince's concubine without being implicated by the Bo Mansion. Only with the Crown Prince's help could anyone in the Bo Mansion possibly save their lives. This was why he would rather sacrifice Wan Xueying than protect Wan Qingling.
After hearing this explanation, Wan Qingling did not continue to hesitate. "I understand what my father means. I will bid you farewell now. I will protect the lives of the whole family at all costs." After saying that, she knelt on the ground with a plop and kowtowed three times to Wan Chengji and Xu.
"Good boy, get up quickly." Wan Chengji helped him up, "The Bo Mansion depends on you."
"My daughter will go to the palace now." Time was pressing, so Wan Qingling turned around and asked Pei Xuanqing to send someone to escort her into the palace.
Knowing their ulterior motive, Pei Xuanqing didn't dwell on this trivial matter. Instead, he did Wan Qingling another favor and immediately sent her to the Empress. Along with her, Wan Huqing was imprisoned in the Ming Prison within the Imperial Palace.
At Pei Xuanqing's command, the remaining people will be taken to the Dali Temple to await their fate.
"Wait! I have something to say!" Being forced to this point, Wan Xueying decided to save herself.
"Oh?" Pei Xuanqing looked at her with interest, "I wonder what Miss Wan Er has to say?" Even though she was an adopted daughter, Wan Qingling still occupied the position of the eldest daughter of the Bo family, so he still called Wan Xueying "Miss Wan Er".
"First, I'd like to ask, besides these people in the Bo Mansion, who else has been affected by this disaster?"
"This time, the Emperor has shown mercy. Except for the direct branch of the Dingyang Marquisate and the branch in the capital, no one else will be implicated."
This time the emperor really showed mercy. There were only a few branches of the Dingyang Marquis' Mansion in the capital, and not many people were implicated.
"What about the married women?" This time it was not Wan Xueying who asked the question, but a man.
"The disaster doesn't extend to married women." This wasn't unique to the Dingyang Marquis's mansion; the various mansions were so intertwined that, if you counted them carefully, they were all relatives. If disaster always affected married women, and nine generations of the clan, then every family, even the royal family, would likely be implicated.
Following Pei Xuanqing's answer, Shen Yu walked in from outside with his servant.
Seeing it was him, Pei Xuanqing asked with a cold face, "I'm here to handle a case. Isn't it inappropriate for Lord Shen to barge in with his men?"
Although Shen Yu wasn't the heir apparent of the Duke of Pingguo's mansion, he had been granted an official position early on because he was the Third Prince's tutor. It was only a fifth-rank official position without real power. He couldn't compare to Pei Xuanqing, who was both the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Huai'en, the Empress's nephew, and the powerful fourth-rank deputy commander of the Imperial Guard.
"I'm truly sorry," Shen Yu said, bowing to him. "If it weren't for the fact that this humble official's wife is involved, I wouldn't have come here to cause trouble for myself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com