Lord Jingzhao Yin suddenly woke up and involuntarily looked towards Lord Protector Hao Ren for help, his inner panic instantly exposed.
Amidst the turmoil of the Liao case, while the pressure from the Marquisate wasn't pressing, Hao Ren's bribes poured in like snowflakes, forcing him to shelve the case for now. He had hoped to play both sides and avoid offending either side, but he had never expected that today's battle between Prime Minister Sang and the Yongding Marquisate would lead to him being innocently accused of deceiving the emperor!
The emperor's expression was slightly gloomy, and his tone revealed an unquestionable majesty: "Jingzhao Yin, is this case as you said?"
This anger was not directed at the Marquis of Yongding, but directly at the Prefect of Jingzhao.
The evidence in Liao's case is already conclusive and there is no need for retrial, but the Jingzhao Yin has been delaying for a long time, which shows his laziness and inaction in officialdom!
Jingzhao Yin complained bitterly in his heart. He was just a third-rank official. In the capital city where powerful people were everywhere, the power of those marquises and dukes was like a mountain pressing down on his head. He was either taking the blame or on the way to taking the blame.
He bent his legs and knelt to confess his guilt: "Your Majesty, there are priorities. I cannot ignore the people's case just because the Yongding Marquis's Mansion reported it. However, it is indeed my negligence that I did not report this matter in time. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Jiang Songyi couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion when she witnessed this scene.
The position of Jingzhao Yin is no easy feat. Look at this gentleman, unafraid of the powerful and devoted to serving the people. His integrity is truly admirable. However, in the previous life, when his family was raided, a mountain of silver was removed from the mansion, crates upon crates of it. It was all bribes accepted by the Jingzhao Yin.
Bribe? Or silver?
Used to enrich the national treasury and fund military expenses!
After hearing Jiang Songyi's thoughts, Jiang Dinglian's originally careless eyes immediately became dazzling. He looked at Jingzhao Yin as if he saw a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
The emperor stared at the Jingzhao Yin for a long moment before finally speaking slowly, "Things have their priorities, but there are also important and urgent matters. Considering your concern for the people, I will only fine you three months' salary."
Although Jingzhao Yin felt heartbroken over the loss of the silver, at least a huge stone in his heart had been lifted off the ground. He quickly responded, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
The Emperor waved his hand gently, signaling him to withdraw. He then turned his gaze to Yang Guifei, his tone filled with a hint of intimacy and inquiry: "My beloved concubine, now that the Yongding Marquis's Mansion has made this matter public with no intention of covering it up, are you satisfied?"
Yang Guifei hesitated to speak. Old Madam Jiang spoke again, "When we left Yikun Palace that day, I repeatedly instructed Yuyao to tell the Empress and the Fourth Prince the truth. Yuyao is known for her understanding, and I doubt she would dare to hide anything."
When these words were spoken, even Jiang Songyi showed a look of surprise.
Is the old lady planning to pin all the blame for deceiving the emperor on Jiang Yuyao? Hasn't she always doted on Jiang Yuyao? Could it be that she overheard Liao and Jiang Yuyao's secret conversation at Rong'en Temple that day, and that this has made her feel disheartened?
Old Madam Jiang seemed to have heard Jiang Songyi's inner monologue and just sneered slightly.
Who ever said she would only favor Jiang Yuyao? Her words in Yikun Palace were all pre-planned for today's situation.
Yang Guifei finally found an outlet to vent her anger. She glanced at Jiang Yuyao coldly, her tone revealing a chill: "I remember clearly that the old lady did give clear instructions to Miss Jiang Er that day, but Miss Jiang Er never mentioned a word to me afterwards."
In fact, she did not intend to find fault with the Yongding Marquisate. After all, the Yongding Marquisate held military power and was highly favored by the emperor. It was the key force she wanted to win over for the Fourth Prince.
She simply couldn't tolerate the Fourth Prince's position as his wife being occupied by Jiang Yuyao, a woman of unknown origin! She couldn't afford to gain any advantage in this marriage.
Jiang Yuyao's heart sank, and she took a step back involuntarily, frightened by Yang Guifei's sharp gaze. However, at this critical moment, Xinyi Zigu held her hand tightly and whispered to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, everything will be fine."
A hint of gratitude flashed in Jiang Yuyao's eyes: "Yeah."
Madam Jiang frowned slightly and looked at Jiang Yuyao with a hint of reproach: "Yuyao, why don't you follow your grandmother's teachings?"
Jiang Yuyao looked away uneasily, but her eyes were as if attracted by a magnet, tightly glued to Xinyi Zigu.
Xinyi Zigu's pity grew stronger. Protectively, he placed Jiang Yuyao behind him, his tone firm and affectionate, "Madam Jiang, the reason you turned a blind eye to Jiang Songyi's bullying was because you disdained Yuyao's status. However, even though the Marquis' bloodline is of vital importance to you, my cherishment of Yuyao remains unwavering. Mother, I risked everything to conceal Yuyao's true identity."
Xinyi Zigu took all the responsibilities on his shoulders and took them on without reservation.
Yang Guifei could see clearly at this moment that Jiang Yuyao had been trying to confuse the public from the beginning, usurping the marriage contract that was not hers. She had never revealed her true background, and her son was still blindly covering it up for her.
Yang Guifei was extremely angry. If the occasion was not formal and not attended by so many ministers and family members, she would have almost slapped her son a few times.
Jiang Songyi, standing nearby, witnessed all this and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Xinyi Zigu's love-sickness has been completely exposed. But Master is right. Let them enjoy their sweetness to their heart's content. Why shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing the country and let innocent people die with them? The lives of all people are equally precious!"
Although Jiang Dinglian and Mrs. Jiang were not very clear about the concept of "love brain", they deeply agreed with Jiang Songyi's feelings.
The Fourth Prince indeed lacks the ability to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country.
However, the emperor's expectations of him were extremely high.
At this time, the emperor was still smiling and praising him: "Well, my son is really brave and responsible!"
The emperor always looked at his son with tolerance and doting, and could always find his strengths.
Unlike Yang Guifei's expectations, the emperor did not want the fourth prince to marry a wife with a prominent family background to help him win the throne, but hoped that he could find a partner who truly understood love and responsibility.
But the emperor naturally did not want to see his descendants coveting the throne all day long. He could pass the throne to them, but that would have to be after he passed away, and he would take the initiative to give it to them.
Therefore, the emperor was sincerely comforted that Xinyi Zigu chose to marry his beloved rather than marrying a daughter of a wealthy family out of power. At least this meant that the prince did not covet the throne and did not hope for his early death.
Hearing his father's praise, Xinyi Zigu finally felt relieved. He straightened his back and became more convinced that his choice was correct.
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