Chapter 89 Divorce
Upon hearing this, both Marquis Rong and the old lady were shocked.
Marquis Rong glanced at Granny Qiao.
Granny Qiao looked puzzled, her face full of confusion and helplessness.
"What's going on, Granny Qiao?!" Marquis Rong An feigned anger and ignorance.
“My lord, please investigate thoroughly. I personally oversaw all of the madam’s medicines, and there was absolutely no safflower or anything like that.”
Granny Qiao bypassed Madam Wang and knelt before Marquis Rong'an.
“Miss Jiang came to visit the manor a few days ago. She checked on the madam’s health and asked all sorts of questions. This old servant felt something was wrong at that time.”
"It seems that Miss Jiang is deliberately trying to break up the Earl and his wife."
"Otherwise, how would Miss Jiang have ended up with these dregs of medicine?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Rong An said sternly to Jiang Wan Ning, "I have never had any grudges with the Marquis of Ningyuan's family. I wonder what Miss Jiang's purpose is in doing this?!"
"Just because you have a good relationship with Shen Zhao's daughter, does that mean you're so tactless?"
"Enough!" Wang's voice was low and deep. At a time like this, Marquis Rong'an was still trying to shift the blame onto someone else.
“Madam,” said Marquis Rong’an with a sorrowful expression, “I can understand if you stay out of the manor and have contact with people, and if you are taken advantage of.”
"They must have ill intentions; you must believe me."
"Trust you?" Madam Wang picked up the dregs of the medicine and threw them hard at Rong Anbo's face. "I asked Ning'er to keep these dregs for me."
"Because I trusted you, all the trustworthy people around me have been persecuted by you. It is because I trusted you that I have been drinking poison for so many years!"
"Sister, what exactly happened?" asked Rongguo Gong.
Seeing that Wang's voice was choked with emotion, Shen Ruzhi spoke up for her and recounted the events of the past few days in detail.
"So, it's not that my sister is too weak to have children, but that she was harmed by someone, and you didn't want my sister to have children at all?"
"Why is this?!" Duke Rongguo looked at Earl Rongan in disbelief.
“Zhi Nu, don’t listen to their nonsense. They’ve made all this up.” Marquis Rong’an looked flustered.
“I think it’s because from the very beginning, they didn’t want the future heir of the Earl’s Mansion to have the blood of a traitor in his veins,” Jiang Wan Ning said.
Duke Rong looked at Jiang Wan Ning incredulously, "What do you mean by that? What traitor?"
"Did the Duke of Rong lend the Duke's private seal to the Earl of Rong'an?"
How did you know?
"Isn't Your Excellency curious about what he did with your private seal?"
Duke Rong looked at Earl Rong with suspicion. He had always trusted his brother-in-law, who had given him the Duke's private seal without asking any questions.
I just assumed it was because I didn't have enough money for everyday expenses and was too embarrassed to ask my older sister for more.
This private seal can be used as collateral, and on ordinary days, many shops and restaurants will come to collect debts with IOUs stamped with the Duke's Mansion seal.
However, these were just bills for meals and drinks, and there was nothing wrong with them.
"Child, don't listen to her wild accusations!" Marquis Rong pointed at Jiang Wan Ning, "Can't you see it?"
"She's helping Shen Zhao."
“You have always been at odds with Shen Zhao in the court. In the whole capital, only the Ningyuan Marquis’s family has a good relationship with Shen Zhao.”
"Didn't you just vehemently criticize Shen Zhao in front of the Emperor a few days ago?"
Duke Rong looked at Shen Zhao, who sat calmly without offering any rebuttal.
"Lord Shen, I only mentioned to the Emperor that you let out a silent fart during court, and told you to eat something clean before your next court session."
"Do you harbor such a deep grudge against the Duke of Shangguo?"
Marquis Rong was taken aback. He only knew that the Duke of Rong always went to the Imperial Study to meet the Emperor, and nine times out of ten he would rebuke Shen Zhao.
But I never expected that even such a small thing would cause such a commotion...
Shen Zhao slowly raised his eyes, "Has the Duke of Rong been driven mad by the smell of my fart?"
"you..."
Shen Zhao beckoned, "Bring the person up."
A sense of unease rose in Rong Anbo's heart.
Soon, the guards beside Shen Zhao brought in two people.
"I was originally planning to invite the Duke of Rongguo to the Dali Temple for a cup of tea after he had finished dealing with his family affairs, but since we've come this far, let's try him together."
"Duke Rong, these two men are the heads of different gold mines, responsible for recruiting workers for them."
"What do they have to do with my seal?"
Shen Zhao remained calm and composed, picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then slowly put it down, dusting off his clothes.
This whole ordeal had Rongguo Gong so anxious he wanted to curse.
Shen Zhao then slowly spoke, "They used the Duke's Mansion's seal to recruit workers."
"What?!" Duke Rongguo jumped up from his chair.
Gold mine? When did he get a gold mine?
If a private gold mine exists in Dongling Kingdom, it must be reported to the imperial court and a considerable amount of tax must be paid.
Therefore, very few people do such strenuous and unprofitable work.
Most of the gold mines became the property of the imperial court.
Operating a gold mine illegally is a serious crime, equivalent to treason...
Shen Zhao presented the evidence one by one, and the two men who were brought in also admitted that they were acting on behalf of the Duke's Mansion by using the Duke's seal.
At this point, what did the Duke of Rong not understand?
If the incident were to come to light and the Wang family were to be exterminated, those who had married out of the family would generally not be implicated.
However, the child she gave birth to was not allowed to take the imperial examinations or inherit the family business.
This is why the Rong'an Marquis's Mansion did this.
“If Duke Rongguo doesn’t believe me, I have another witness here.” Jiang Wan Ning clapped her hands.
Haitang led a maid in.
"This is the maid who is responsible for brewing medicine for Madam Wang."
The little maid knelt on the ground with a thud. "Lord Duke, spare me! Madam, spare me! I... I was forced to do this."
“It was the Earl who told me to add safflower to the Madam’s medicine, saying… that only in this way could he promise me to become his concubine in the future.”
"This is the testimony of the doctor who has been treating and regulating the body for the lady of the Earl's mansion for many years."
“When we found him yesterday, he was already dead.”
Jiang Wanning presented the evidence.
Duke Rongguo snatched it first and examined it carefully.
"Sister, did you already know?" Duke Rong asked, looking at Wang Shi, who showed no surprise whatsoever.
Wang tilted her head slightly, letting her tears flow back, "I only found out a few days ago."
Duke Rong threw the evidence at Marquis Rong, saying, "How could I have trusted you so much, and how sincerely my elder sister treated you!"
"I never imagined you were this kind of person!"
Marquis Rong was flustered. "No, that's not how it is, Zhi Nu, let your brother-in-law explain."
“Explanation? What else is there to explain?” Madam Wang said. “I heard you say with my own ears that you would bring her into the manor after I die.”
"Tell me, do you think my ears would lie to me?!"
"Since you're so determined to divorce me," Madam Wang said calmly, "Fine, then let's divorce!"
"Sister!"
The Duke of Rong looked at Lady Wang with concern.
Was this woman so angry that she fainted? She's already endured such a terrible disaster, and now she's going to be divorced?
Lady Wang raised her hand to stop the Duke of Rong, "It's just that it's not you divorcing me, but me divorcing you!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com