Chapter 85
Although Jiang Lingyao was consulting with Jiang Zhisheng, her eyes and brows were determined and she had already made up her mind.
Jiang Zhisheng and Zhou Huiniang looked at each other and smiled.
"Dad, Mom!" Jiang Lingyao blushed slightly when she saw them like this.
After all, I'm still a little embarrassed.
Zhou Hui Niang held her daughter's hand and looked at her young and beautiful face. Deep in her eyes, she seemed to still be looking at the skinny little girl on the sickbed that year.
Zhou Hui Niang said: "You two have similar temperaments, respect each other, and trust each other. There is no better relationship than this."
"You are in love with him, and he is in love with you too. This is a blessing in the world," Zhou Hui Niang said. "This is the result of fate. It is really a joy."
This drama of random matches eventually turned into a happy marriage, a match made in heaven. How could parents not be relieved?
Jiang Lingyao is usually fierce, straightforward and cheerful, but at this moment she couldn't help but lower her head.
Seeing her ears turn red, Zhou Hui Niang couldn't help but chuckle, "If you want to say something, just say it. Your father has seen what kind of person your son-in-law is. He is not a man who goes back on his word."
Jiang Lingyao then hummed softly: "I understand."
"Okay, mom, let's get down to business."
Zhou Hui Niang looked at her daughter with a smile. This child was smart and decisive. She was hesitant even when it came to her own feelings. Although she still had some shyness of a little girl, she knew exactly what she should do and would never keep anything to herself.
This is the only way to live a good life.
Zhou Huiniang finally felt relieved and said, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."
Jiang Lingyao then looked at Jiang Zhisheng: "Dad, Nanzhu has already entered the palace. His Majesty probably already knows about it. I wonder how His Majesty will review this case?"
"The treasure map that Duan Nanqi was looking for was actually found by the same person as the case in my family. Does this also prove that... the mastermind behind these two cases is the same person or the same accomplice?"
Jiang Zhisheng looked at his daughter with admiration and said, "Not bad."
Jiang Lingyao let out a breath slowly.
"So, the reason they framed my grandfather back then was actually to destabilize the country?"
The Thousand Machine Box is a serious matter. It contains not only the imperial seal, but also an imperial edict that no one has ever seen. Once the Thousand Machine Box is opened, the imperial edict and the imperial seal fall into the hands of these people, and the consequences will be unimaginable.
Jiang Zhisheng's expression darkened. He whispered, "The teacher is highly respected and is also the prince's mentor. He has many students all over the world. As long as the teacher doesn't give in, no matter how many imperial seals and decrees are passed down, they will not be able to easily shake the foundation of the country."
“So, they targeted the teachers.”
Jiang Lingyao lowered her eyes and sighed heavily.
Their entire family was destroyed because of the selfish desires of these people. Jiang Lingyao, who was only three years old, lost her family at a carefree age.
It is impossible that she does not have hatred in her heart.
She may not have understood it when she was three years old, but as she grew older and started working as a prosecutor, she understood everything that happened back then.
Therefore, she was determined to overturn the verdict.
Although her family is no longer around, she is not far from being cursed for generations to come. Her grandfather was an honest official who devoted himself to the country, but ended up like this.
She was indignant.
Jiang Zhisheng saw Jiang Lingyao's eyes were red, and he quickly looked at his wife.
Zhou Hui Niang patted her daughter's hand gently and said softly, "Isn't this case about to be solved?"
Jiang Zhisheng nodded, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "I will also go to the palace immediately to meet His Majesty."
Jiang Lingyao raised her head suddenly, subconsciously trying to dissuade him: "Dad..."
"No need to persuade me," Jiang Zhisheng waved his hand at her, "Your Majesty asked his son-in-law to investigate the case, which must be an attempt to overturn General Zhenguo's verdict. He also allowed the Royal Concubine to recommend you an official position, which is probably the same thing."
There were countless unjust, false and wrong cases during the reign of Emperor Tianyou. As a son and a crown prince, Emperor Xuanhua first stabilized the court after he ascended the throne, and then began to restore order as he grew older.
He redressed several unjust cases with solid evidence, but he could not overturn all the previous emperor's decrees in one go, so he could only do it step by step.
As long as there is evidence, it will not be covered up.
The truth will always come out.
Jiang Lingyao looked at the determination in Jiang Zhisheng's eyes, and her slightly reddened phoenix eyes also regained their clarity.
"I hope this time, we can achieve immediate success."
Jiang Zhisheng went to prepare the memorial to be presented to the emperor, while Jiang Lingyao talked with Zhou Huiniang for a while before returning home.
After being brought back home, Jiang Lingyao washed, changed her clothes, and sat on the terrace on the second floor in a daze.
Xingyun followed her to the Zhengyang Marquis's mansion today, but he did not accompany her to investigate the case. He had been waiting in the garden. Seeing her like this, he didn't know what had happened. He fanned her and asked, "What's wrong, young lady? Didn't you solve the case?"
Jiang Lingyao shook her head, lowered her eyes and sighed.
"One case has been solved, but there is still an old case that has been left there. I don't know if it can be solved." Jiang Lingyao took the fan and waved it occasionally. "I don't know what the situation is in the palace."
Xingyun thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, young lady. Your Majesty trusts me very much. This trip will be successful."
Jiang Lingyao hummed and said nothing more.
While waiting for Duan Nanqi to come back, she was in a state of confusion. She repeatedly pulled out the clues she had already found and made deductions one by one.
But no matter how you look at it, there is no clue as to who is behind this.
Jiang Lingyao even considered several princes, but they either went to their fiefdoms early or had nothing to do, just being idle princes, and none of them had any old relationship with Emperor Jingde.
This is even harder to guess.
Jiang Lingyao closed her eyes. Her thoughts were in a mess. She had been busy for almost the entire day and now she felt very tired and even a little sleepy.
Xingyun said, "Miss, why don't you take a nap? I will wake you up when you come back."
There was no point in Jiang Lingyao letting her imagination run wild here, so she responded and went to sleep.
She thought she would not be able to fall asleep, but as soon as she touched the pillow, she fell into a complicated dream.
In her dream, she was still in the small garden at home. She was wearing a pink dress, and behind her followed the young mother Wang, who was holding a round fan that was bigger than her face and swatting butterflies.
The butterfly flapped its colorful wings and flew forward swayingly. Jiang Lingyao ran hard after the butterfly. She didn't know when she got rid of Wang Ma behind her. In a blink of an eye, she arrived at a remote courtyard in the house.
Outside the courtyard, there was a wall that seemed tall to the young Jiang Lingyao, and a thick gate that was slightly open, as if waiting for someone to come in.
The beautiful butterfly flew along the crack and into the yard.
Jiang Lingyao walked forward and gently pushed open the gate.
The gate creaked open slowly, revealing a clean and tidy courtyard inside, and a little brother sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard.
Jiang Lingyao couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but she could hear that the other person was crying.
The crying sounded like that of a wounded puppy, making people feel suffocated.
Jiang Lingyao walked forward unconsciously and came to the side of the little brother.
The young man didn't notice Jiang Lingyao, and Jiang Lingyao in the dream didn't care either.
She just saw that she suddenly had a bunch of pink roses in her hands. She patted the little brother's arm, pushed the roses forward, and smiled at him, "Little brother, don't cry."
Then, Jiang Lingyao suddenly opened her eyes.
This dream was so real that Jiang Lingyao felt as if it had happened. It had just been hidden deep in her memory and could only be gradually recalled through dreams.
Jiang Lingyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and opened the curtain to let the breeze in.
Xingyun was sitting by the window doing embroidery. When she heard the noise, she hurried over to hang up the curtains and took a handkerchief to wipe Jiang Lingyao's face.
"Are you hot, miss?"
Jiang Lingyao shook her head and said in a dry voice: "I had a dream."
Xingyun quickly got her some pear soup to moisten her throat, and then said, "Miss, lie down for a while longer? You just fell asleep two quarters of an hour ago, and your aunt hasn't come back yet."
Jiang Lingyao shook her head. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Xingyun, do you still remember what happened when you were little?"
Xingyun was her personal maid, who was chosen by her mother in the Qiao family and grew up with her.
Although she was a maid, she was like a sister to her and always followed her from the Qiao family to the Jiang family.
She was only three years old when the trouble happened at home, but Xingyun was almost five years old and should remember things better than her.
Xingyun looked at Jiang Lingyao, and worry appeared between his brows.
"Miss, why do you think of this again?"
When she was young, whenever she thought of the Qiao family, she would fall seriously ill. Later, as she grew older, Jiang Lingyao no longer fell ill because of the past. However, Lucky Goose knew that she forced herself to remember everyone in her family and not let herself forget everything about the Qiao family.
But she was only three years old when the incident happened. She probably can't even remember the faces of her father, mother and grandfather. As for the rest, she can only remember the worst scenes at home.
Xingyun didn't dare let her think about the past, for fear that she would be sad.
Jiang Lingyao looked at Xingyun and asked softly, "When you were a child, did you have a little brother who was about my age?"
Xingyun was slightly stunned, and she subconsciously asked: "Miss, do you have a cousin of the same age?"
Taifu Qiao and his wife were in love with each other. They had been married for many years but had no children, but they did not take a concubine. Later, when they were nearly thirty years old, they had their eldest son, and they only had this one child.
When Jiang Lingyao's father married her mother, she was born the following year. She was the only descendant of Master Qiao still alive.
Therefore, Jiang Lingyao has no cousins. She is the only child in the family. Xingyun thought about it again and said, "There seem to be two young masters in the side branches of the family, but they are both in the hometown, not in Beijing."
Jiang Lingyao shook her head. "It's not my cousin from my hometown, it's a little brother... I can't see his face clearly. He lives in the side yard next to the back garden."
Xingyun was a little confused. She looked at Jiang Lingyao cautiously, fearing that she might have lost her memory because of sadness.
Fortunately, Jiang Lingyao looked quite calm and did not appear to be overly sad.
Xingyun said: "Miss, I don't remember. If there really is one, it might be a servant's child."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, and then she talked to Xingyun for a long time. Then she stopped taking a nap, got up and went to the small study, where she sat and read quietly.
By the evening, her mood gradually calmed down.
She was sitting on the terrace of the study on the second floor and could see the gate of Xinghuang Garden. However, when she raised her head inadvertently, she met eyes as bright as the stars in the sunset.
Duan Nanqi was still wearing the same elegant long gown as today. He had just returned from outside, but his face did not look tired at all.
Seeing the graceful lady leaning on the railing and gazing at the view, Duan Nanqi raised his head and gave her a brilliant smile.
The evening glow was mysterious and unpredictable, reflecting the redness of their eyes and brows.
Jiang Lingyao lowered her eyes and looked at him, and after a moment, she also frowned.
"You're back?"
"I'm back."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
