Chapter 674 Bai Yuhan is not Consort Han
As Jiang Jinyan arrived at the palace gate, the Bai family members immediately surrounded him. "Lord Jiang, where have you taken my Han'er? She is young and naive, and easily deceived. Our Bai family is an honest family, and we would never let her become someone else's mistress."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding people pointed and whispered about Jiang Jinyan, saying, "He looks respectable and is a high-ranking official in the court. I never expected him to seduce a respectable woman."
"Only high-ranking officials dare to do such things; how is this any different from forcibly abducting innocent women?"
"They just said their daughter hasn't come home for several days. Could it be that he felt he was caught and killed her to keep quiet? You'll see, he definitely won't admit it."
Jiang Jinyan said, "Everyone, be quiet and don't make a sound."
Soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison and the Jingzhao Prefecture were also on site maintaining order.
Zhang Anyu said, "Stop arguing. Listen to what Lord Jiang said: if it is true, the government will take care of their daughter. If it is a frame-up, the government will severely punish the person who framed the court official."
The people dared not cause any more trouble, after all, this was the capital city, and they could only listen to his sophistry.
Jiang Jinyan then addressed the Bai family, saying, "Don't you have some misunderstanding? What mistress? I do know a girl surnamed Bai, but she is not my mistress. She is my mother's goddaughter. She didn't say she had parents in Shengjing. Her parents are not in Shengjing. Are you mistaken?"
Master Bai and Madam Bai said, "We are not her biological parents, we are her uncle and aunt, and she is our niece."
Zhang Anyu said, "Where are her parents? If they aren't her parents, why do you say that Lord Jiang deceived your daughter, and now you say she's your niece? What's your niece's name?"
The two men exchanged glances, and the common people also looked at them. "The soldiers are asking you questions. What's your niece's name?"
Madam Bai said, "Her name is Bai Yuhan. My maid saw her with Lord Jiang a few days ago."
Jiang Jinyan's eyes flashed with surprise, "So Bai Yuhan is your niece. Back then, she was a beggar with no money and was homeless on the streets. It was my mother who saved her."
The Bai family members were even more bewildered upon hearing this. "So Yuhan really is at your house? How could she be at your house? Wasn't she at..."
Just then, Feng Jingyuan and Bai Yuhan suddenly stepped out from the crowd. She looked shocked and said, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, what are you doing here?"
“Yuhan, is it really you? Your uncle and I have been looking for you. Where did you run off to? We were so worried about you. We received a letter from home saying that you hadn’t come home and we were very concerned.” Madam Bai said, “How could a young girl like you run off with someone else? Shengjing is not like Jiangzhou; it’s easy to be deceived.”
“How could I be deceived?” Bai Yuhan pulled Feng Jingyuan over. “Auntie, this is my great benefactor who saved my life. When I came to Shengjing City, I got lost and accidentally fell off a cliff. It was Madam Jiang and Lord Jiang who saved me. Now Madam Jiang is my godmother.”
"Her daughter is the current Empress, it's truly my niece's blessing to be able to recognize her as my godmother!" She said this to warn them not to speak carelessly, as offending the Empress would be disastrous.
At this moment, another voice rang out, "I see that you are not only Madam Jiang's goddaughter, but also the Imperial Concubine Han, bestowed by the Emperor. Weren't you dead? How did you come back to life and become the Jiang family's goddaughter?"
Shu Yan and the other concubines appeared at the palace gate. Separated by the Imperial Guards, they dared not go out at will, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. When Bai Yuhan appeared, she was shocked. How could Consort Han still be alive? Wasn't she supposed to have died suddenly?
It was the Emperor who ordered Consort Han to die suddenly. She was dragged away and buried by the Imperial Guards, and no one ever saw her body.
Bai Yuhan stared at Shu Yan, "Who are you? I don't know you. This is my first time in Shengjing City. Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
"Stop pretending to be stupid, you are Consort Han." Shu Yan said loudly, "Look at her, isn't she Consort Han?"
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "Shu Ronghua said she is the emperor's concubine, but I have never seen her before."
She turned to Gao Qingtong and said, "Consort Gao, come out and recognize this young lady."
Gao Qingtong respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I do not know her. There was indeed a Consort Han in the palace, but she suffered from an infectious disease and died suddenly. Her body turned to ashes. Consort Han was much prettier than this girl. Could it be that Consort Shu thought she was Consort Han just because she had the character 'Han' in her name?"
Song Qing was stunned when she heard this. Consort Han used to always wear a veil over her face, but the person in front of her was clearly Consort Han. How could even Consort Gao say that she wasn't?
Jiang Fenghua then said to Song Qing, "Consort Song, come and recognize her too. Do you know her?"
Song Qing had no choice but to say, "I don't know her. Even Consort Han in the palace doesn't look like her." This matter was terrifying to think about. Back then, it was the Emperor himself who ordered Bai Yuhan to die suddenly. Without anyone else's involvement, Consort Han seemed to have never existed, and no one mentioned her again.
If she dares to contradict the Empress, she will offend not only the Empress but also the Emperor.
The Empress, Consort Gao, and Consort Song all said that she was not Consort Han and that they did not know her. Naturally, the other concubines did not dare to say that they knew her either. In fact, none of them knew her.
Jiang Fenghua said, "Has Shu Ronghua lost her mind? How could she mistake this girl for Consort Han? Did she appear in Shu Ronghua's dream after she died?"
Shu Yan was stunned. She had secretly gone to check, how could she possibly be mistaken?
Before she could speak, her father, Vice Minister Shu, suddenly stood not far from her and winked at her, telling her not to meddle in other people's business. Vice Minister Shu did not want to end up like the Zhao family. Imperial Censor Zhu was the emperor's confidant, but ever since his daughter had an accident in the palace and suddenly suffered a stroke, she had not recovered, and the Zhu family had also fallen into ruin.
Shu Yan was also under pressure from her father. "I didn't see her face clearly just now. I only heard the word 'Han' and thought she was Consort Han. I was confused for a moment and that's why I mistook her."
Gao Qingtong said, "Shu Ronghua, don't make up names. What is Hanfei's name?"
Shu Yan was stunned: "I don't know."
"Alright, all of you, step back! You haven't even figured out the name yet, and you're already spouting nonsense. Shu Ronghua, go back to the palace and calm down! You're too impetuous." Jiang Fenghua originally wanted to say that there had never been a Consort Han in the palace, but Xie Shang had once summoned her to serve him in bed. Fortunately, Bai Yuhan didn't go anywhere else while she was in the palace, and she often wore a veil, so most people didn't recognize her.
She probably had planned to leave the palace long ago, which is why she did this. Luckily, she was smart and now she has a chance to save her life.
Now that she has denied being a concubine in front of the Bai family, they probably won't insist on sending her to the palace to become an empress!
Zhang Yurou saw that all the concubines in the harem testified that Bai Yuhan was not Consort Han. This meant that even if it was proven that Bai Yuhan had an affair with Jiang Jinyan and was his mistress, it would not prove that Jiang Jinyan and Consort Han had an affair, nor would it prove that Consort Han faked her death and left the palace.
Jiang Fenghua did not deny that there had been a Consort Han in the palace, but said that Consort Han had died of a serious illness. Now how can we prove that Bai Yuhan was Consort Han, and that Jiang Jinyan and Jiang Fenghua were lying?
Shu Xue and the others had never seen Han Fei before. They only saw Jiang Jinyan with a woman, and they didn't even know that Han Fei was a person here.
Only a few princesses had heard of the names of the imperial concubines, but none of them paid any attention to the emperor's concubines.
If a palace maid gains the emperor's favor, she can rise through the ranks to become a concubine. The world inside and outside the imperial city is completely different, and nobody cares about it.
The more someone shows concern, the more it reveals their ill intentions.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
