Everyone stopped kneeling as they had prepared, and all their eyes turned in the direction of Madam Sang and Madam Xu.
Jiang Yuyao, who was sitting next to the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess, originally felt a little bit of gloating pleasure in her heart when she heard someone was holding Xu accountable. However, when she heard the word "deceiving the emperor", she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
The emperor exchanged a glance with the empress dowager, then took a seat first with a group of gorgeously dressed concubines, and then slowly turned his gaze over here.
The Queen Mother, dressed in a solemn and dignified gown, carried a dignified demeanor, imposing aura without anger. She asked in a deep voice, "What did Madam Sang just say? How did the wife of the Marquis of Yongding deceive the emperor?"
Madam Sang and the other ladies immediately knelt and paid their respects to the Empress Dowager before slowly saying, "Your Majesty, we just heard that the wife of the Marquis of Yongding, Xu, was talking to her youngest sister, saying that the Fourth Prince's future consort, Miss Jiang, was not the Marquis of Yongding's biological daughter."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials and female relatives in the hall turned their eyes to the Marquis of Yongding who was sitting on the left side of the emperor.
There was a glint of sarcasm in the eyes of those court officials who had always had grudges against Marquis Yongding.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice had always been at odds with Jiang Dinglian and wanted to take the opportunity to mock him, but considering that his wife was on good terms with the Xu family, he finally suppressed his impulse.
Others, however, have less concerns.
A civil official sarcastically asked, "Oh? Could it be that the Marquis of Yongding has been blinded by his first wife?"
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Dinglian suddenly picked up a jade chopstick and threw it at the civil servant. The chopstick hit his official hat squarely and almost scratched his scalp.
The civil servant was terrified and could only wave his sleeves to express that it was his own fault. He angrily scolded Jiang Dinglian for his rudeness, but dared not say anything more.
The emperor looked at Jiang Dinglian and asked, "Marquis Yongding, how do you explain this?"
In front of the emperor, Jiang Dinglian stood up and bowed slightly, still maintaining his uninhibited demeanor: "Your Majesty, I have not been deceived."
A hint of disappointment flashed across the emperor's eyes, and he asked, "Oh? So, it's Sang Jingzhi's wife who's lying?"
Sang Jingzhi was the prime minister of the current cabinet, an elderly man in his seventies, and also a stubborn person who caused the emperor a lot of headaches.
The peace faction led by him and the war faction led by Yongding Hou often argued endlessly in the court and even fought.
Upon hearing this, Madam Sang hastily replied, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, I have never spoken falsely. The ladies around me can all testify. We heard Miss Xu say with our own ears that Jiang Yuyao and Jiang Songyi of the Marquis' Mansion were mistakenly adopted as children. Only Miss Jiang is the legitimate bloodline of the Marquis' Mansion. The future Fourth Prince's consort is not a biological daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, but a wild girl of unknown origin!"
As soon as the words fell, everyone in the court was in an uproar.
Yang Guifei, sitting beside the dragon throne, suddenly had a gloomy expression. At that moment, she suddenly realized that the strange behavior of the old lady of Yongding Marquis's mansion and Jiang Yuyao was hiding such a secret!
All the mysteries were answered in the old lady's hesitant hints.
The Fourth Prince Xinyi Zigu, who had been laughing and chatting happily with Jiang Yuyao just now, now stood there like a statue, his expression suddenly changing.
Jiang Yuyao nervously clenched the delicate handkerchief in her hand, and her panicked eyes anxiously searched for the figure of the Duke of Protectorate in the magnificent hall.
However, although the Duke of Huguo's Mansion bears the prestigious title of the Duke's Mansion, it has actually long lost its glory and is no longer favored by the emperor. Even its seat has been arranged among a group of senior nobles, making it seem unknown and far inferior to the honorable position of the Marquis of Yongding's Mansion.
Jiang Yuyao's heart was filled with resentment. This must have been done intentionally by Xu and Jiang Songyi!
This mother and daughter just can't stand seeing her enjoying such a glorious life, and they only want to ruin her marriage with the Fourth Prince!
When the Queen Mother heard the news involving the Fourth Prince, she just glanced at Yang Guifei lightly, then picked up the fragrant tea handed to her by Princess Zi Yan and took a sip. She seemed to have no intention of getting involved in the dispute and just watched quietly.
The cancellation of Princess Zi Yan's engagement with the second son of the Yongding Marquis's Mansion has disrupted many of her plans.
Now, if the engagement between the Fourth Prince and the Yongding Marquisate could also come to nothing, she would naturally be happy to see it happen.
If she failed to win over the power, then no one else would be able to get it easily.
The emperor had not expected that such a scene would be staged before the singing and dancing at the Lantern Festival banquet even started.
He looked at Jiang Dinglian with a sharp gaze, his expression grave and unpredictable: "Marquis Yongding, is what Madam Sang said true?
Jiang Dinglian bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely true."
Yang Guifei was furious: "Marquis Yongding, how dare you deceive the emperor!
Jiang Dinglian exchanged a glance with Madam Jiang across from him. The two of them had already agreed on a response plan. Although the revelation had come sooner than they had anticipated, they were fully prepared.
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I have not deceived you. I am also a victim!
The emperor glanced at him briefly, "How did you become a victim?
Jiang Dinglian replied, "My wife and I do have only one daughter, Songyi. Yuyao was actually born to Liao, a widow from Xinghua Village. However, Liao was greedy and stole our daughters while my wife was giving birth, causing Songyi to become homeless."
Yang Guifei felt a sense of anger at being deceived, as if someone had mistaken her for someone else: "Then why didn't you expose Jiang Songyi as the real daughter of the Marquisate?
At this moment, the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion stepped forward and said earnestly, "Your Highness, didn't I tell you this already?"
The emperor always had some respect for this old lady who had fought on the battlefield with the Marquis of Yongding. Seeing her slowly saluting with the help of a cane, he immediately waved his hand to stop her, saying, "The old lady is old and has difficulty walking. There is no need to be so formal."
Madam Jiang was spared the urge to kneel. Turning to Yang Guifei, she spoke firmly, "Your Highness, whether it was during our previous meeting at Yikun Palace or during our conversation with Naji that day, the Marquis and I have repeatedly stated to you and the Fourth Prince that Jiang Songyi was the one he was originally betrothed to. However, you and the Fourth Prince stubbornly persisted in your mistake."
The Queen Mother glanced at Yang Guifei lightly and said calmly, "Guifei, what exactly is going on? Do we need to summon the maids and the Zongzheng officials from the Yikun Palace to confirm this?"
Yang Guifei recalled that Mrs. Jiang had indeed made such remarks, but she mistakenly thought that the Marquis's Mansion said so deliberately because they favored Jiang Songyi and intended to exchange the marriage contract.
It’s all the old woman’s fault for not explaining it clearly!
Although Yang Guifei was quite fond of Jiang Yuyao, what moved her even more was Jiang Yuyao's noble status as the legitimate daughter of a marquis, and the military power in the hands of the Marquis of Yongding.
However, now Jiang Yuyao was an imposter with no connection to the Marquisate, and no one knew where she came from. How could someone with such status be worthy of being her son's principal wife? Moreover, with no family connection, how could the Yongding Marquisate support the Fourth Prince wholeheartedly?
Yang Guifei was filled with indignation, and said in a somewhat unyielding tone, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, it is true. But, Madam, why didn't you tell me in detail about Jiang Yuyao's true identity at the time?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
