Jiang Xuelin was unaware of what was happening outside. She only regretted missing an opportunity to deal with Fu Hanlai. After that, she could only continue to busy herself with the account books and dowry list.
She didn't know if the other women waiting to be married were also unable to leave their homes, and naturally she didn't know if Fei Qing, who was also waiting to be married and would be marrying into the Third Prince's household after her, was in the same situation.
She was so busy that she had no energy to think about anything else, and she suspected that her mother was doing it on purpose.
However, even if it was intentional, Jiang Xuelin couldn't do anything about it.
After all, she's her mother.
Just by looking at how often her father and fourth brother Jiang Xuetao brought her back little trinkets or snacks, you could tell how she was living. Moreover, the closer the wedding day got, the more anxious the household became.
This anxiety mainly stemmed from several masters, especially Marquis Jing'an and Jiang Xuetao.
The thought that Jiang Xuelin would be getting married in less than two months made the father and son feel uneasy and their mood worsened; they were almost at the point of finding fault with everyone.
Lady Jing'an was busy preparing for the wedding every day and also had to worry about Jiang Xuelin's dowry. She was so busy that she naturally didn't have much time to worry. However, at night, when she lay in bed, Marquis Jing'an could hear her sighs.
It is a joyous occasion for her daughter to get married, but once she is married, she will certainly not be as comfortable as she was at home. Moreover, Lady Jing'an is worried that Jiang Xuelin will feel constrained when she goes to the Prince Ping's residence.
Before she got married, she was still a child, and her father and brothers would take care of everything for her. Otherwise, she would still have her as her mother. But after she got married, she became the mistress of the house and had to face the outside world on her own. In the future, she would be the mother of her children and would worry about them just like she did.
Marquis Jing'an never expected that Fu Hanlai's fight with others would be related to Jiang Xuelin.
The next day, not long after the court session began, an imperial censor came out and impeached Fu Hanlai, saying that he and his group of纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who were spoiled and dissolute) had caused trouble in the streets, bullied the people, disregarded the law, were extremely arrogant, and bullied men and women in restaurants, etc. In short, imperial censors were best at writing impeachments, and they severely impeached Fu Hanlai.
This censor wasn't even on good terms with those纨绔 (playboy) elders. He only knew about this because after Marquis Jing'an left with Fu Han, he went to the restaurant to have dinner with his colleagues and happened to run into those纨绔 coming down. He asked the waiter and found out what had happened.
The old man had always looked down on spoiled brats causing trouble, and had previously impeached Fu Hanlai several times.
Moreover, they're almost getting married, yet they still go out and cause trouble; it's really outrageous.
Those spoiled elders naturally didn't know what had happened. After returning home, they called a doctor and asked about the injuries on the children's bodies. Naturally, the children didn't dare to tell their elders why they had been beaten by the Prince of Ping. They just gave vague answers, saying that the Prince of Ping had done it.
If they didn't explain clearly, the elders in the family would naturally be very angry. At this moment, seeing that someone was going to impeach Fu Han, the Vice Minister of Rites, who doted on his concubines and loved his illegitimate sons, immediately stood up and tearfully recounted the miserable situation of his illegitimate sons.
That illegitimate son was the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) who compared Jiang Xuelin to a courtesan. Naturally, he was the most seriously injured, with one of his arms broken. After returning home, he cried out in pain, which made the Vice Minister of Rites feel extremely distressed.
Prince Ping, who rarely attends court, had already guessed what would happen today, and immediately stood up to defend his son.
He didn't feel ashamed.
On the contrary, he felt that this was something to be proud of, and that the Jing'an Marquis's mansion should know how much his son cared about Jiang Xuelin. Knowing that Fu Hanlai was too embarrassed to tell the Jing'an Marquis, Prince Ping naturally had to make a good impression and could not let his son suffer this injustice.
When Emperor Xuande saw Prince Ping step forward, he knew there was probably more to the story.
"Your Majesty, although my son has been spoiled by my younger brother since childhood, he is not a very evil person. He does not bully others and just likes to play and make trouble. He never causes trouble. Lord Qian probably does not know the truth about yesterday's events, but Lord Huang actually had the nerve to stand up. This is something I did not expect."
The officials in the court: "..."
I knew you never held back when you spoke, but I never expected you to be this reckless.
When the Vice Minister of Rites saw the Prince of Ping's attitude and thought about how his illegitimate son had given him a vague answer without explaining why, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Could it be that his son was hiding something from him that he didn't know?
Sure enough, the next moment King Ping started cursing.
"Lord Huang is also the Vice Minister of Rites. Does he not know the difference between men and women and the principles of propriety and shame? Gossiping about others in private is not the behavior of a gentleman. It is not a big deal if children do not make progress, and they will not starve. But if they do not even have basic etiquette and morality, I have to wonder what kind of education Lord Huang, the Vice Minister of Rites, has received."
"The son of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites is secretly gossiping about noble ladies with his friends, wantonly slandering their reputations, and even using courtesans from brothels to intimidate innocent women. I wonder if Lord Huang has completely neglected to discipline his son at home?"
"People say that one should cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in charge of poetry, books, and etiquette, you cannot even discipline your own family members. This makes me doubt your abilities and integrity."
"Although my son is also playful and mischievous, he understands these rules and knows that it is extremely impolite to talk about others in private, especially women."
After giving the Vice Minister of Rites a good scolding, Prince Ping didn't do anything to Lord Qian, the censor who had initially impeached his son. Instead, he turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, my son got into a fight with someone in a restaurant. I not only don't think he needs to be punished, but I think he deserves a reward. He stood up for what was right and did what is just. How can this be called bullying men and women? Even if he got into a fight in the street because of this, it is understandable."
It's normal that Lord Qian, being an imperial censor, didn't know the specifics of the situation and only knew that someone had caused trouble in the street, so he submitted a memorial impeaching them.
"I second that!" Marquis Jing'an stepped forward in support, his eyes glaring like knives at the spoiled elders from yesterday.
By this time, he had figured out what was going on. Although King Ping did not say who the woman who had been framed was, he could guess that it must be his Lin'er.
"Your Majesty, I believe that for the sake of the capital's security, those idle and dissolute young men should have been disciplined long ago, so as to restore peace to the capital. Under the emperor's nose, their rampant misbehavior is truly outrageous. Since they don't have much to do at home, why not let me train them, so that they won't be constantly attracting trouble!"
—If you can't bear to discipline your son, then I'll do it!
He used to be somewhat dissatisfied with Fu Hanlai, which is something that most fathers-in-law would feel, but now the Marquis of Jing'an's favorability towards Fu Hanlai has skyrocketed.
As for those spoiled elders... just you wait!
He wouldn't stoop to arguing with the younger generation, but it's not unreasonable for the elders of these younger generations to hold them accountable for their behavior, is it?
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