However, Jiang Yuyao is still worried. She is afraid that as time goes by, the deep brother-sister relationship between her and Jiang Jinzhao, who grew up together, will be destroyed by Jiang Songyi.
"Why are you crying again?" Jiang Jinzhao gently rubbed her hair, his eyes full of love.
Jiang Yuyao wept softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm now the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Protectorate. The grudges between the Duke of Protectorate and the Marquisate are entangled. My mother and aunt treat me coldly. Everyone in the mansion dotes on my sister but ignores me... I'm worried that even my eldest brother will forget me."
Jiang Jinzhao narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at Jiang Songyi who was surrounded by the crowd, then turned to look at Jiang Yuyao who was crying alone. Comparing the two, he couldn't help but feel pity for this sister who had been spoiled since childhood.
"Silly sister, when has your elder brother ever disowned you? What crime have you committed as a child? How can the disputes among the elders affect you? Hao Ren's behavior has nothing to do with you. There have been constant disturbances at home recently. When Bailu Academy holds the Summer Seedling Meeting, I will take you to the mountains and wilderness to hunt as much as you want and let you relax." Jiang Jinzhao said softly.
Jiang Yuyao instantly burst into laughter, holding his arm tightly, and said in a soft and clear voice: "Big brother is the one who cares about me the most."
It was difficult for Jiang Songyi to ignore this scene.
She turned her head and saw Jiang Yuyao intimately holding Jiang Jinzhao's arm and raising her eyebrows provocatively at her.
Jiang Songyi calmly turned his eyes away.
No matter how much Jiang Yuyao flaunts herself, I won't be jealous of her anymore. Her hypocritical behavior will only make her look like she's being too sentimental and damage her self-esteem. I will never again subject myself to such unnecessary humiliation.
Jiang Jinzhao frowned slightly as he listened to the words from the bottom of her heart. He was full of curiosity and doubts about the things in her past life that Jiang Songyi mentioned.
However, he finally understood her intention. Jiang Songyi did have a deep-seated aversion to Yuyao.
…
The news that the emperor issued an edict to confer the title of Princess Jiaqing on Jiang Songyi, the eldest daughter of the Yongding Marquisate, spread quickly to every corner of the capital like a spring breeze blowing across the water.
The court officials who stayed at home and waited for news were all shocked.
The Jinyiwei, the sharpest blade in the emperor's wield, always spelled bloodshed once unsheathed. But this time, the situation seemed a little different, as if the emperor had unsheathed the blade only to peel a peach for the Marquis of Yongding?
But this analogy is not entirely accurate, after all, the Duke of Protectorate had been thrown into the imperial prison.
The Huguogong Mansion, a once-prominent but now powerless and impoverished family, has once again become the focus of attention simply because of the divorce scandal between it and the sister of the Yongding Marquis.
This farce entertained everyone for several days, but even though the Protectorate was imprisoned, it could not extract much profit, and the court officials regarded it as just swatting an insignificant fly.
Hao Ren secretly buried evil objects in the Yongding Marquis' Mansion in an attempt to curse the country's destiny, and instigated his son Liao Lingxi to report to the Jinyiwei that the Yongding Marquis' Mansion framed loyal officials and condoned the wives and concubines in the mansion to raise evil creatures.
The court officials had no objection to this.
However, Abbot Yuantong suggested that the current astrological signs were dim and unclear, and it was not appropriate to use large-scale force to avoid causing a disaster of killing.
In the past, the emperor had always been skeptical of such superstitious things. However, when he recalled the vision in his dream and the astrological predictions of Abbot Yuantong, a trace of doubt arose in his heart, thinking that he might have been negligent in some corner and angered the will of heaven.
He knew very well that it was not appropriate to offend the taboos of heaven again because of a mere Hao Ren, so he listened to the advice of Abbot Yuantong.
Hao Ren sensed a glimmer of hope for survival, so he took the opportunity to burst into tears in the court and cry for mercy. He recounted the past achievements of the Dukes of Protectorate as if they were his own treasures, and then put all the blame on Liao Qianqian for all the evil curses and the misfortune of the ghost fetus.
He attempted to clear his name in order to keep the title of Duke of Protectorate, which was on the verge of collapse.
After all, if he could behave himself, although the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion would not be valued, it could still maintain a hereditary title thanks to the influence of his ancestors.
However, the emperor had already shown leniency to him, so how could he continue to reap the benefits?
At the morning court session, the emperor stripped Hao Ren of his title of Duke of Protectorate and took back the Duke's fiefdom without hesitation.
But considering the merits of his ancestors, the emperor retained his earldom, named him Earl of Chansi, and granted him a two-story house in the north of the city as a place to live.
However, he was placed under house arrest for life and was not allowed to leave his home unless ordered by the emperor.
Following the advice of Abbot Yuantong, Liao Qianqian was sent to Rong'en Temple to be ordained as a nun, beginning her monastic life.
Hao Ren's sense of loss was evident after he moved from his former grand, five-story Duke's Mansion to a modest, two-story house. Even his cousin, Xia Zhiyu, was consumed by regret, wishing she had relied on Jiang Shu's influence earlier. Perhaps she could have found a good match for Hao Ren, preventing him from living in poverty with her now.
Liao Lingxi's report of the Marquis's residence was also exposed by the Imperial Guards. However, he always insisted that he had not made a false accusation and had simply believed the rumors spread by the Marquis's residence. So, as he had previously stated to the Imperial Guards Commander Ji Cheng, he personally went to the Marquis of Yongding's residence and apologized.
Such actions have led to polarized evaluations of his reputation among the people.
Some people believe that he has despicable character and colluded with the Jinyiwei to frame loyal officials.
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