Chapter 818 Trying to Cause Trouble
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound, and the voices quieted down considerably. In Shengjing City, the story of the Zhang family could fill a book. Zhang Yumo was just lucky to marry into the Jiang family, which changed her fate. What was she so smug about? Everyone only dared to mutter these words in their hearts and dared not say them out loud.
After all, her husband was the Marquis of Wu'an and the Minister of Revenue.
Zhang Yumo didn't want these people to pin all the blame on her cousin. It was clearly the Fourth Prince who did it, yet now the whole of Shengjing was talking about her cousin for not being a virtuous woman.
She continued, "The Fourth Princess Consort is nothing more than a woman confined to the inner quarters. Besides, the Emperor has already investigated the matter thoroughly, and the Fourth Prince has publicly clarified that everything was orchestrated by the Fourth Prince himself, making the Princess Consort take the blame, and even deliberately having her say that she had an affair with the Emperor to confuse the public. Why don't you dare to say that the Fourth Prince murdered and disposed of the body, and deliberately framed her, but instead you're here discussing a woman who can't even kill a chicken? We're all women, so let's keep our mouths shut."
Suddenly someone stood up and said, "When she did such a shameless thing, why didn't she know how to do good deeds for herself? It was clearly the behavior of a prostitute, but she managed to escape punishment by relying on her status. If she were an ordinary person, Zhang Yurou would have been drowned in a pig cage long ago. How could the Lady of Wu'an Marquis be allowed to spout nonsense here and cry out for justice for her?"
Everyone looked at the woman again, and saw a woman in a brown dress staring coldly in Zhang Yumo's direction with a fierce look in her eyes.
Some people recognized her; she was Mrs. Shu, but this Mrs. Shu was not the same as the Mrs. Shu Yang Mei.
After Shu Lang became an official in the court, he also helped his family members to become officials. Now Shu Lang has been imprisoned and is preparing to be executed in the autumn. As for the other members of the Shu family, they are still in fear of losing their official positions.
The one who spoke was Madam Wang, the mother of Li Shao's wife, Shu Xue. Although her husband held a low official position, this sacrificial ceremony to pray for blessings was a major national event, and the emperor had decreed that all people should participate, so even the lowest-ranking official had to be present.
Wang Shi only dared to cry at home after her daughter died. Her husband was much less daring than Shu Lang. They didn't want to offend anyone after their daughter's death, so they let Shu Lang do everything he could to plead for their daughter's innocence. In the end, she never expected that her daughter's death would be so bizarre. Shu Lang was afraid that the Fourth Prince would even help them transport the body out of the city to frame the Jiang family.
Although Wang knew the truth about her daughter's death, she dared not speak up to seek justice for her daughter.
The daughter always liked to flatter and fawn over the Fourth Princess, but in the end, it was the Fourth Princess and her husband who ruined her.
Wang still doesn't know the truth about how her daughter died or why she died so tragically, because the government has closed the case. Her daughter's death was shrouded in mystery and confusion.
She dared not offend the prince, so she has endured it until now.
Only when so many people were talking about the Fourth Princess did she dare to stand up and speak. She thought the Fourth Princess deserved to die, but someone stood up for her, so how could she continue to swallow her anger?
Zhang Yumo didn't think that much about it. She simply felt that Zhang Yurou wasn't the one who killed the person, and that everything was done by the Fourth Prince. Why should everyone blame the woman and not the man?
She said, "Does this lady have some misunderstanding about the Fourth Princess? She's not that kind of person, and you don't have to speak so harshly to her!"
"She dares to do it but doesn't allow anyone to talk about it? What kind of logic is that? I'm going to say it anyway, she's a shameless harlot who doesn't uphold the virtues of a wife." Wang said angrily like a shrew, "She confessed to the shameful things she did herself. No one forced her. She's already had a child, and she's still that kind of person. What kind of person does the Lady of Wu'an think your cousin is? Humph, I've heard long ago that she's not a talented woman in Shengjing City at all."
"She doesn't know anything at all. Those poems she wrote were probably all done with the help of Lady Wu'an!"
Zhang Yumo had never met Shu Xue's mother and didn't know why the lady in front of him was so agitated.
She bit her lip, looking at the whispering crowd around her, unable to refute them for a moment, because she had indeed helped her cousin write some poems.
Wang continued, "Speechless now, aren't you? I wasn't wrong, was I? What a load of bull! She's just a hypocritical, scheming woman. Her exact words in the Golden Palace were crystal clear, and the Fourth Prince even admitted that her daughter is the Emperor's child."
Madam Zhang felt even more ashamed and couldn't lift her head. She pulled Zhang Yumo along, "Mo'er, let's go, don't say anymore."
Zhang Yumo said, "My cousin's child could not be the Emperor's. She married the Fourth Prince innocently. If we can't clear my cousin's name, she will be pointed at and talked about for the rest of her life. How will Princess Yi live when she grows up, Third Aunt?"
Mrs. Zhang whispered, "It's not clean enough, so let's just leave it like this!"
She had resigned herself to her fate. The Fourth Prince's mansion had become a prison. Ever since the Fourth Prince had plotted to rebel and become emperor, the Fourth Prince's mansion was bound to suffer that day sooner or later. Although the emperor had not openly punished the Zhang family, she knew that the Zhang family members would never be given important positions again.
Since the Duke died, the Zhang family has declined, and the second branch of the Zhang family is even worse off than the third branch.
The only one in the Zhang family who fared well was Zhang Yumo; she really did marry into the Jiang family at the right time.
Jiang Fenghua hid outside the door and listened to the commotion inside. She figured out that the emotionally agitated lady was probably Shu Xue's biological mother.
In her memory, from the time Shu Xue got into trouble until the case was solved, it was always Shu Lang who was in charge of mediating. It was clear that Shu Lang did not want Shu Xue's biological parents to interfere with his plans.
Now that the Fourth Prince and Shu Lang have both fallen from power, Shu Xue's parents are no longer under anyone's control, which is why they have erupted in this situation.
She looked at Zhang Yumo and thought to herself: The Zhang family should indeed keep to themselves and not discuss anything. It would be good enough if they could keep their lives. What do they care about reputation? Zhang Yurou has had no reputation since she publicly said that she had an affair with the emperor. The more she explains, the more she tries to cover it up. How could Zhang Yumo not understand this? She even stood up and was bombarded with criticism.
Shu Xue's daughter would definitely be resentful that her mother had died, but unfortunately, the Emperor's handling of the case was not satisfactory.
He made good arrangements for all the members of the royal family, but he wronged Shu Xue, thinking that she should just let her die!
Jiang Fenghua sneered. This was the power of imperial authority. Ordinary people were nothing but ants even in death, while princes and princesses were merely placed under house arrest because of their status.
Perhaps in a few years, the Emperor will release them out of consideration for blood ties.
Jiang Fenghua was also thinking that in her previous life, she was imprisoned in Chenxi Palace, but she also heard the news of the Fourth Prince's rebellion. In the end, the rebellion was unsuccessful. In her previous life, the Kang Prince never appeared and did not rebel. In this life, he and the Empress Dowager have returned to the palace.
It turns out that it wasn't that Prince Kang didn't rebel, but rather that he was manipulating everything behind the scenes, instigating Xie Yang to rebel.
Does the fact that Prince Kang is now under house arrest in Shengjing City mean that he has lost and the Emperor has won?
Xie Shang did make many efforts to save the Great Zhou, but in the end, the Great Zhou still lost.
Jiang Fenghua suddenly appeared before the crowd and said in a deep voice, "What's all this commotion about?"
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