To many, Li Wenfeng's actions were extremely foolish. The Chengyi Earl's Mansion was inextricably linked to his fate, and what would he, a mere illegitimate son of the Chengyi Earl, amount to without it? Moreover, while the idea of sacrificing family for the greater good sounds good, it is unacceptable to most people. Who would dare to befriend such a person?
When Cheng Yibo heard the news, his mind went blank. He thought he had made a mistake and simply couldn't believe that his cowardly illegitimate son could do such a thing.
"...That rebellious son! Where is that rebellious son?"
He wanted Li Wenfeng to handle the matter, but not in this way!
The butler knelt on the ground, his body covered in cold sweat. "Reporting to Master, Second Young Master, the Second Young Master has been summoned to the palace by the Emperor."
Cheng Yibo's vision went black.
"Master! He's going to ruin the Earl's Mansion! His poor brothers and nephews will all be dragged down by him. I've never mistreated them before. It's just a small matter. If it succeeds, the entire Earl's Mansion will benefit. It's all for the sake of the Earl's Mansion. How can he be so cruel!" Lady Chengyi's face was pale. Ever since she learned about the contents of this issue of the tabloid "The Sun Shines Brightly," her unease had been growing.
What's more... Li Wenruo has disappeared!
"Shut up! That useless Wen Rong, he was supposed to go with that rebellious son, but where is he?!"
When Chengyibo's wife heard him mention his beloved son, she immediately wanted to say a few words in his defense, but before she could open her mouth, a servant boy ran in, sweating profusely.
"Master! Madam! Someone from the palace has come to deliver an imperial decree, summoning you to the palace immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Lady Chengyi immediately went weak all over and almost lost her footing. "Master..."
…………
Li Wenfeng had already entered the palace by this time. He filed a complaint with the emperor and was punished with a beating. However, with Fu Han and the others there, the beating was made as lenient as possible. Otherwise, a hundred strokes might have taken the life of him. Even so, he was still seriously injured, and his face was completely pale.
This matter should have been heard by all three courts, but having connections made things easier, and Emperor Xuande also wanted to use this opportunity to show his stance, rather than the silent impeachment he had made in court a few days earlier. So he met with Li Wenfeng in person.
There were also officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review nearby.
The atmosphere in the entire hall was somewhat somber. Emperor Xuande, sitting at the head of the table, showed no emotion, while Li Wenfeng, kneeling below, endured his injuries and dared not look up at the emperor's face.
Fu Hanlai and Prince Ping, father and son, were also present, but Jiang Xuelin was not. It was not appropriate for her to appear in such a place, so she returned to Prince Ping's residence.
Cheng Yibo arrived quickly and knelt down as soon as he entered.
Fu Hanlai turned his gaze to him, and seeing his guilty conscience, he sneered inwardly.
He used to be the absolute boss at home, but now he's finally learned to be afraid?
To put it mildly, this is a case of an unkind father and an uncompassionate stepmother; to put it more seriously… this is deceiving the emperor.
Cheng Yibo had obviously thought of these things as well, which is why he was so afraid.
Of course he was afraid.
What was originally just a matter of the Chengyi Earl's Mansion losing face has now become completely different.
Li Wenfeng did not raise his head and remained kneeling there without moving.
"Li Wenfeng."
"This humble citizen is here."
"You accused Cheng Yibo of coveting power and harming his children, and that Cheng Yibo's wife was an unkind mother who harmed his illegitimate daughter. Is this true?" Fu Hanlai had actually sneaked into the palace and told him about this before, so Emperor Xuande was just asking a question he already knew the answer to.
He is determined to eradicate this bad trend!
"Your Majesty! I am innocent! This unfilial son has been idle and lazy since childhood. He resents that I do not value him as much as my other brothers, and he deliberately uses this to frame me. My eldest daughter is married and living elsewhere, and my second and third daughters are still unmarried and staying in the inner courtyard. They are my own flesh and blood. How could I harm them?" As soon as Li Wenfeng finished speaking, Cheng Yibo cried out in protest.
He would never admit it.
Anyway, now that Li Wenruo has disappeared, the Chengyi Earl's Mansion is under the control of the Chengyi Earl's wife and will soon be kept quiet. The maid who replaced Li Wenruo has already moved into the courtyard, but is still learning the rules.
Even if Emperor Xuande sent someone to confirm, he could not say that it was not Li Wenruo.
Because there is no evidence.
Even if the maid's manners were a bit lacking, it didn't matter if it was discovered that she was learning manners. After all, she was just a concubine's daughter, and she was so young. She was not valued and had never properly learned manners. It was normal that she was just starting out.
Before setting off, the Earl of Chengyi gave his wife a few instructions. Since this matter concerned the survival of the entire mansion, the Earl of Chengyi's wife and the heir's wife dared not be careless.
He only hoped that everything was still in time, and that the Emperor would take pity on the Li family for their years of good behavior and not investigate further.
—It's just a small matter!
It was just the death of a concubine's daughter that nobody cared about; he didn't understand why things had escalated to the point of needing an audience with the emperor.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yibo began to play the victim.
"Your Majesty, please see the truth!" Li Wenfeng bowed his body, kneeling and prostrating himself on the ground, concealing the hatred in his eyes.
He had no feelings for that family; his only relative was Wenruo.
He always felt that it was his incompetence that led to Wenruo experiencing those things.
So when Jiang Xuelin brought up this topic, I impulsively stood up.
He did not regret it.
Wenruo is currently at the Prince Ping's residence, and everything is fine. He has nothing to fear.
"Your Majesty is wise; the woman currently residing in the Marquis of Chengyi's residence is not my sister, but merely a maid!"
"Nonsense! Your Majesty, this rebellious son dares to spout nonsense in front of you! I request permission to punish him personally!"
“I am not speaking nonsense. My sister is a guest in the Prince of Ping’s mansion. How could the person in that courtyard be my sister? She is just an imposter. Father, don’t you agree?” Li Wenfeng raised his head slightly, looked at the indignant Uncle Chengyi, and asked quietly.
—Li Wenruo at the Prince of Ping's residence.
The idea of using a maidservant as a substitute is flawed from the start.
If the Earl of Chengyi still insists that the one in his household is the third daughter of the Earl of Chengyi's family, and that the Prince of Ping's family is fake, then that is... deceiving the emperor.
The Empress Dowager just issued an imperial edict a few days ago to take care of the daughters of officials and to send nannies to check on them if anything happens. Now the third daughter of the Marquis of Chengyi has been replaced. Isn't this an attempt to deceive the emperor?
If Li Wenruo, who lives in the Prince of Ping's mansion, is acknowledged as the third daughter of the Marquis of Chengyi, then the problem with Li Wenruo's feet will be exposed, and the Marquis of Chengyi's mansion will lose face.
Li Wenfeng is giving Cheng Yibo a choice.
Ultimately, the choice is up to Uncle Yi.
Cheng Yibo wasn't that stupid. He never expected that the missing Li Wenruo would actually be "visiting" the Prince of Ping's residence. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
“Wenfeng is right. When my nephew’s wife heard that he had a younger sister, she invited her to visit the mansion. The wife took a great liking to the well-behaved third young lady, so she stayed for a few more days. How come the third young lady is still at the Marquis of Chengyi’s mansion?”
Fu Hanlai chimed in at the opportune moment.
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