“I can testify that Wang Kuanqi and his wife, the Shen couple, sold my second brother’s daughter, Xiang’er, to Cuihonglou for twenty taels of silver. My second brother’s son was taken to Biyou Palace by the Shen family while he was still an infant, where I abused him every day, and then they promised to avenge me!” She did not mention that Wang Lang had killed the Fan family in Jiangnan, since she was unaware of it.
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in uproar, stunned by the news, and began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"Who is this person? How does he know so much? I never thought the Wang family was like this. Madam Wang Shen seems like a very gentle person, but I never expected her to do such a heinous thing." The crowd that gathered included not only students from the Wang and Yang families, but also ordinary people.
"Yes, yes, I never expected the Wang family to be like this. The world is going to the dogs! I used to respect Grand Tutor Wang because he seemed so kind and gentle. I never imagined he would cause the deaths of the Fan family in Jiangnan." People who still remembered the tragedy discussed it among themselves.
"It seems that no family that has married into the Wang family has had a good ending, especially the direct line. The Fan family in Jiangnan and the Jiang family in the past, didn't they all suffer great changes after marrying into the Wang family?"
There are many people in this world who simply parrot what others say, and there are also many people with a "broad" mind who are always sympathetic to the weak. They don't care about the real truth of the matter; they only need to sympathize with the weak.
Moreover, this is the truth.
Princess Dowager walked step by step through the crowd and came before the Wang family.
"Hahahaha." She suddenly sneered, Zhao Shu's words echoing in her mind: 'The Wang family? Do they consider you a member of the Wang family? Go and see for yourself, do they even recognize you?'
How ironic! Family, clansmen—these are the so-called relatives she risked her life to protect. Look at their bewildered eyes and confused faces. All of this tells her that she remembers them as her clansmen and relatives, but her clansmen and relatives do not remember her.
"Fourth Brother, do you still remember me? I'm Fang'er, your youngest sister, Fourth Brother. Have you forgotten me? My aunt's lotus root starch and osmanthus cake is the best. You and Father both love it. Also, my mother is very skilled and often makes clothes for you. Don't you remember, Fourth Brother? Well, so many years have passed, it's understandable that you don't remember. I was only thirteen years old when Father sent me to the palace. Father said that our Wang family would produce an empress, and that I should bring down the emperor and, ideally, kill the empress and the crown prince."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Wang Kuanqi's heart clenched in fright. "Fang... Fang'er, stop it. How could your fourth brother not remember? Why did you come out? Go back quickly. What kind of behavior is this, showing your face in public?" Wang Kuanqi tried to calm her down.
"Hahaha." The Empress Dowager laughed even more maniacally. "Fourth Brother really doesn't remember me. Fourth Brother, have you forgotten? Mother didn't like my aunt and me, and Father didn't value me either. My aunt thought that if she treated you well, she might have a peaceful end in her old age. So my mother treated you well, made clothes for you, made pastries for you, and treated you like her own son. My mother called me Xiao Yao, and you called me Xiao Yao too. You really have forgotten."
She continued talking to herself, her eyes growing increasingly cloudy and lost. She turned her face to look at the Wang family members, "Hahahaha, you all don't remember me anymore, you don't remember me at all."
"Xiao Yao, stop fooling around, go back quickly. It's not that your fourth brother doesn't remember you, but he's too busy and doesn't have time to see you." Wang Kuanqi looked at the growing crowd and the contemptuous expressions on the faces of his disciples. He felt extremely flustered and unconsciously looked at the Empress Dowager with a hint of malice.
Having not seen her for decades, how could he possibly remember any sister? Besides, she was just a useless concubine with no children, of no use to the family, yet she had the nerve to come here and complain. They should have sent her to be buried with the late emperor back then, so that the Wang family could have gained some good reputation.
Upon hearing his words, the palace maid stepped forward and said, "How dare you address the Empress Dowager by her given name! Lord Wang, where have you gone from your studies and manners?"
Hearing this, the onlookers already knew what had happened and began to discuss it again. "So she's Lord Wang's younger sister! Although she's born out of wedlock, she's now a royal consort. How can Lord Wang not recognize his own sister?"
"Didn't you hear? Lord Wang is also born out of wedlock. However, he is favored by Grand Tutor Wang. Before he even came of age, Lord Wang was already famous throughout the capital. He was one of the top young noblemen in the capital. None of his brothers were as good as him. No wonder Grand Tutor Wang liked him." Everyone was talking about this without regard for others, and the Wang family members all turned green.
When has the Wang family ever suffered such humiliation!
However, now that this matter has been exposed in public, with so many people discussing it and soldiers maintaining order, it's clear that Lord Qiu isn't here to protect officials. Who would still care that the Wang family is a super-powerful family?
"As the saying goes, snakes and rats are in the same den. Didn't you hear that? Madam Fan said that Grand Tutor Wang killed her parents and brothers, and Lord Wang killed several of his brothers. It's clear that Lord Wang followed Grand Tutor Wang. My wife used to say that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family, Madam Jiang, was the most virtuous. It's a pity that she was murdered."
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Doesn't the Shen family have a reputation for virtue? If you ask me, none of the Wang family members are good." Some people got too excited and started saying that there wasn't a single good person in the Wang family.
When talking about the Wang family, everyone seemed to have endless things to say. Someone said, "You all know about that fire many years ago, right? I heard that it burned the eldest grandson and his wife to death. Do you remember? But I heard that the eldest grandson of the Wang family is still alive. He's the Lord Wang over there. Look, he has a scar on his face. It must have come from that fire."
As the words fell, everyone looked at Wang Jiyang. Few ordinary people knew Wang Jiyang's identity; it was only known among aristocratic families and nobles. Since the Wang family did not acknowledge Wang Jiyang, no one dared to say anything. Now that Wang Kuanqi himself was in trouble, everyone naturally dared to discuss it more freely.
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