Chapter 159 I suspect Shen Qingtan is not your daughter
"Oh?" Emperor Jing'an looked at him darkly, "Minister Shen, tell me, how did Prefect Ning lie?"
Marquis Cheng'en raised the question in his heart: "Your Majesty, if my daughter is innocent, why didn't Zhao Yi come out to refute the rumors when they were spreading?"
"Master Shen, have you carefully read the secret letter? If Master Xiao Zhao comes forward to refute the rumors, he must provide strong evidence to convince everyone."
The Imperial Censor continued, "Wouldn't this expose Zhao Shen's purpose in Guanzhou? Not only would they be unable to find the murderer who murdered Master Zhao, but they would also alert the enemy. The murderer, hiding in the shadows, might be cornered and murder Zhao Shen."
"Prefect Ning stated otherwise in his letter, saying the leasing of the wasteland was being done in secret." The Deputy Minister added, "If it had been made public, some of the disaster victims would have known of Zhao Shen's plans and raised the price. Guanzhou would probably still be in chaos."
"Sir Shen, the evil of human nature is beyond imagination," the Minister of Personnel said. "As a father, you are still kicking someone when they are down, let alone the disaster victims who are not even related to you."
"Black can't be whitened, and white can't be blackened. When the time comes, the rumors will be shattered." The Prime Minister said in a deep voice, "Sir Shen, Zhao Shen is your biological daughter. Now that she has made great contributions and cleared her name, you should be happy for her. Why are you still questioning her?"
At this point, the Prime Minister looked at him sharply, "Could there be some other hidden secret?"
Under the gaze of the ministers, Marquis Cheng'en felt a tension in his head and cold sweat seeped out of his forehead.
"My Lords, you have misunderstood me." Marquis Cheng'en calmed himself and explained, "I was worried that she would not repent, relying on her eldest son-in-law's great favor to coerce the prefect into lying, and continue to make the same mistake."
The Prime Minister said, "Given the reputation of the Zhao Shen family, I'm afraid it has already spread to Guanzhou. If Governor Ning heard the news, would he be coerced by the Zhao Shen family?"
Marquis Cheng'en was speechless.
"Lord Shen, prisoners in prison still have a chance to redress their grievances and overturn their convictions. Zhao Shenshi is your biological daughter, and with all the witnesses and evidence, you insisted that she did not go to Guanzhou to make meritorious deeds, but to have an affair with someone."
Emperor Jing'an said cryptically, "This is not something a father with a deep sense of justice would do. I even doubt whether she is your daughter."
Marquis Cheng'en was sweating profusely and dared not breathe.
"Eunuch Cao, have the Grand Secretary draft an imperial decree. Zhao Shen has made outstanding contributions to disaster relief. I wish to reward her generously," Emperor Jing'an ordered. "Also, she, along with the Qin and Gu trading companies, rented land to disaster victims and hired them to cultivate it, alleviating the court's difficulties. This is truly a significant achievement. Especially since the Gu and Qin families, though merely merchants, have a heart for justice, they can be exempted from taxes."
Eunuch Cao accepted the order.
The ministers had no objection. After all, Gu and Qin had made great contributions and deserved this reward.
Marquis Cheng'en's face turned pale. Once the imperial edict was issued, the rumors would be refuted, and it would be very likely to boost Shen Qingtan's reputation.
It was not until this moment that he finally realized the truth.
He thought that the Marquis' Mansion was plotting against Shen Qingtan and forcing her into a desperate situation.
In fact, Shen Qingtan guessed their thoughts and deliberately set up a trap to make him distance himself from her.
So...
A sense of crisis welled up in Marquis Cheng'en's heart, as if a disaster was about to happen.
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A black-covered carriage slowly stopped at the gate of Duke Zhao's mansion, and Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi got out of the carriage.
When the doorman saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan coming back, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he respectfully opened the side door and invited them into the mansion.
The people were paying close attention to what was happening in the Zhao Mansion, waiting for the Zhao Mansion to deal with Shen Qingtan.
The slightest movement will attract their attention.
When they saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan returning home together, it was like cold water being poured into a frying pan, and the pan immediately exploded.
"Didn't Duke Zhao force Second Master Zhao to divorce his wife? Not only did Second Master Zhao not divorce her, he even personally brought her back."
"Shen Qingtan has trampled on Mr. Zhao's face, so of course he has to bring him back and throw him in a pig cage to vent his anger."
"Master Zhao personally helped Shen Qingtan out of the carriage. It didn't look like he was going to punish her. Could it be that Master Zhao was going to swallow this humiliation?"
Everyone looked at each other, all with an incredible expression.
Marquis Cheng'en did not even acknowledge this disgraceful daughter, but the heir to the Duke of Zhao's mansion treated her as a treasure.
Is it possible that the fate of Duke Zhao’s Mansion is coming to an end?
At this time, a group of people came towards the Duke of Zhao's mansion in a mighty manner.
The common people gathered not far from the Duke of Zhao's mansion to watch the excitement. When they recognized that they were people from the palace, they dispersed and hid far away to watch what was happening here.
Eunuch Cao got out of the sedan chair, holding the imperial edict in both hands.
The gate of Duke Zhao's mansion was opened, an incense table was set up in the hall, and the Duke changed into his official uniform and hurried out with his family to receive the imperial edict.
The people were all confused by this scene.
No matter how much Emperor Jing'an doted on Zhao Yi, he shouldn't have ordered the emperor to take care of his household affairs, right?
The people in the second house had different ideas from the common people. When they first heard that Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan had returned home, they were very surprised. They really didn't expect that Shen Qingtan was so shameless that he had the nerve to return to the Duke's Mansion.
They had been waiting for the Duke and the Old Lady to deliver a message, but unexpectedly someone from the palace arrived first.
The Second Lady saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan standing behind the Eldest Master and Eldest Lady, and then looked at Eunuch Cao who came to read the imperial edict, and felt pleased.
It goes without saying that the emperor's edict was deliberately targeting Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, right?
Shen Mingzhu also thought so. As long as she thought of Shen Qingtan's miserable end, she could soothe the pain of losing her child.
Zhao Jue stared at Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan with a gloomy look, just waiting for them to be kicked out of the Duke's Mansion like stray dogs.
If Zhao Yi wants to protect himself, the only option is to divorce Shen Qingtan.
By then, Shen Qingtan will be abandoned...
Zhao Jue clenched his fists, knowing that sooner or later she would fall into his hands.
Eunuch Cao obeyed Emperor Jing'an's order and did not enter the palace to read the imperial edict.
Seeing everyone kneel down to receive the decree, he unfolded it and read: "By the Grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Since the disaster in Guanzhou was exposed, the court has spared no effort, yet there are still future troubles. However, Zhao Shen, with his noble heart and noble character, has provided relief to the victims of Guanzhou, quenched the calamity, and brought peace to the people. I am deeply pleased and extend my grace to him. I grant him three hundred taels of gold, one hu of pearls, and three pieces of brocade... This is hereby announced to the whole nation, for all to see."
The people in the second house were full of anticipation, thinking that they would hear the imperial edict from Emperor Jing'an punishing Shen Qingtan, but unexpectedly it was a reward for her.
Their faces froze and they looked at Eunuch Cao in surprise.
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