Chapter 31 The Prince's Failed Rebellion
Zhang Xiaojia arrived at the Dali Temple in advance and went to the Dali Temple Minister to check the files.
The Dali Temple official looked at her helplessly and whispered, "Does the Emperor know of your visit? This is a court matter. How can a family member like you interfere?"
Zhang Xiaojia said openly, "I'm not here as a county lady, much less as a princess. I'm here as Song Fanyu's friend."
Upon hearing this, the Dali Temple Minister rolled his eyes and said even more displeasedly, "Then I can expel you right now. How dare you, a commoner, attempt to access the files!"
"This commoner is the emperor's only cousin. You can chase her away. If I am driven away, I will go to the palace to cry to my eldest cousin and aunt." Zhang Xiaojia said proudly.
The Dali Temple official glared at her and said, "Since you are Song Fanyu's friend, then persuade her to withdraw the lawsuit and seek a divorce instead. I can grant the divorce immediately."
Zhang Xiaojia frowned, staring intently at the file spread out before him, and kept muttering, "Is this Marquis of Jinyang out of his mind?
He actually casually accused Song Fanyu of knocking Song Fanxing unconscious, and then put on her wedding dress and got into the bridal sedan. Has he never really thought about this issue?
He personally married off Song Fanyu, and the maids and nannies he arranged for her at that time were all people around Song Fanyu!
If it is true as he said that it was Song Fanyu who knocked Song Fanxing unconscious, then according to common sense, the maid and the nanny who were taken as dowry should belong to Song Fanxing!
How could the Marquis of Jinyang not understand such simple logic? Is he a pig? What are you?
The Grand Court official interrupted her unhappily, "Don't beat around the bush with your accusations. I'm not that foolish. I wasn't the first judge of this case. The first trial was handled by the Junior Court official, and I was the second judge. You know, there's no precedent for divorcing a husband in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Besides, the Prince of Rongchang may have some issues with his brain, but the Prince of Rongchang has worked tirelessly for the Great Zhou's disaster relief efforts and has never made a mistake. He's dedicated every time he helps with disaster relief and has never embezzled a single cent of the relief grain. He's like a reincarnated Bodhisattva."
Zhang Xiaojia nodded in agreement and said, "So, I have sent someone to inform Uncle Prince at full speed, telling him the whole story word for word. I used the 800-li express and it should be back in three hours. I came here this time just to wait for Uncle Prince's letter. Otherwise, I would have knocked on his door long ago."
The Dali Temple Minister was the emperor's servant and had watched Zhang Xiaojia grow up. He looked at Zhang Xiaojia suspiciously and said, "Are you so kind as to help Song Fanyu?"
Zhang Xiaojia did not hide anything and said frankly: "My mother said that if I let Song Fanyu divorce her husband, she would give me 50% of the profits of her private property to open a women's medical college. Song Fanyu worked for me for ten years. Besides, my uncle is a good uncle who understands things and will definitely agree to Song Fanyu's divorce."
When the Dali Temple Minister heard that there was no way to resolve the matter amicably, he turned around and asked his deputy to consult the emperor.
An San rushed to the disaster area in a hurry, and was relieved to see that order had been restored. He then walked through the busy rescue crowd and came to the presence of Prince Rongchang.
"Prince Rongchang, you are well." An San knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and spoke in a steady and powerful voice.
The Prince of Rongchang was slightly overweight, his face a bit tired, but his eyes remained sharp. He was chewing a steamed bun and nodded slightly at the words. He put the bun down, took a sip of the tea beside him, moistened his throat, and then asked, "Are you Jingwen (He Fei)'s secret guard?"
An San nodded and replied, "That's right. I, under the order of the County Lady, have important matters to report to the Prince."
Prince Rongchang frowned slightly, as if he had a premonition of something bad happening: "Why is it so urgent?"
An San took a deep breath and told the Prince of Rongchang everything that had happened. "The Crown Prince of Rongchang and Song Fanxing are entangled again. They claim that the Crown Prince's wife knocked Song Fanyu unconscious and secretly married into the palace. Now the Crown Prince wants to demote his wife to a concubine. The Crown Prince's wife is dissatisfied and has filed a lawsuit with the Dali Temple, requesting a divorce. The Dali Temple refused, so she filed another lawsuit, seeking a divorce. The Dali Temple Minister is currently personally hearing the case."
Upon hearing this, Prince Rongchang's face instantly turned ashen, and he slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table, spilling tea everywhere. "This rebellious son, has he no brains? If it was really Song Fanyu who knocked Song Fanxing unconscious, then the maid and the nanny who came with her as a dowry should belong to Song Fanxing. How could he be so foolish!"
Seeing this, An San secretly congratulated himself on arriving just in time and quickly echoed, "Your Highness is wise. The Princess of Lin'an said the same thing. She also said that the Crown Prince is still young, blinded by childhood affection and unable to discern right from wrong. She hopes the Crown Prince can tell her whether to divorce or give the Crown Princess justice."
"Your Highness is wise. The Princess of Lin'an said that as long as we tell you the truth, you are the most suitable judge of this case. You have devoted yourself to the Great Zhou and worked day and night for the people in the disaster area. You should not be bothered by such trivial matters. But the Princess believes that jade cannot be made into a useful object without being polished. Since entering the imperial mausoleum, she has gained a deeper understanding of the truth."
Prince Rongchang nodded. After a moment's thought, he said, "Go back and tell Lin'an that I agree to the Crown Princess's request to divorce her husband."
An San was delighted and thanked him quickly: "Yes, I will go back and report to the Lin'an County Master right away."
An San continued to report, "Prince Rongchang and the Princess of Lin'an also said that the prince is in his youth, but unfortunately he is troubled by the innocent emotions of the past and can hardly distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil. In the past, the prince was paralyzed, and Song Fanxing had the heart to let her sister Song Fanyu marry in his place. Such behavior was really cruel. Now that the prince has recovered as before, Song Fanxing has used the same trick again, trying to confuse the prince and make him demote his wife to a concubine. Such behavior is even more outrageous.
If the Crown Prince really did marry Song Fanxing again, how would the women of the imperial family react? Would they really, as the saying goes, "When disaster strikes, everyone flees"? This would not only undermine the dignity of the imperial family, but would also raise doubts among the people.
The Princess of Lin'an, worried, has a request. She holds a secret medicine that, upon consumption, can weaken and paralyze the body for over three months. She doesn't intend to harm the Crown Prince with this medicine, but rather as a test. If the Crown Prince still insists on marrying Song Fanxing, could she allow him to take the medicine to see if Song Fanxing truly loves him? If Song Fanxing is willing to stay with the Crown Prince and provide meticulous care during his paralysis, perhaps the women of the royal family will be convinced and accept her as the new Crown Prince's consort.
The princess is well aware that this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family and the future of the crown prince, so she has specially sent her subordinates here to implore the prince to make a decision. "After An San finished speaking, he directly took out two secret medicines and handed them to the prince.
Prince Rongchang took the secret medicine and spoke slowly, his voice filled with dignity and determination: "Go back and tell Lin'an that I know about this. I've given you a letter, please take it back to Lin'an. What will she do if she finds out? I'll keep this matter in mind for now. As for the dispute between the Crown Prince and Song Fanxing, I'll deal with it after we resolve the disaster here and return to the capital. You go back and wait for good news."
An San heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. He understood that the prince had agreed to consider the princess's proposal and would handle the matter personally.
So he kowtowed to express his gratitude and stood up to take his leave.
Prince Rongchang looked at the secret medicine in his hand, two portions, and it seemed that one portion was given to him for experimentation. It turned out that Lin'an was a brainless man. After entering the imperial mausoleum, he had grown up. It seemed that he would grow up after experiencing hardships. If his own prince continued to play like this, no matter how much he achieved, it would not be enough to defeat him.
Let’s try it out and see if it really only causes paralysis for three months, then give it to your son!
An San rushed all the way and finally returned to the capital.
Zhang Xiaojia and the Dali Temple Minister were waiting anxiously, but the Emperor had already sent a message that everything should be done according to the Prince's wishes.
"The Junior Minister of the Dali Temple was the idiot who didn't grant the divorce."
"Your brother cannot get a divorce. The prince just left to provide disaster relief, and now he sentences his son to a divorce. What do you think the prince will think? The prince hasn't been back to the capital for eight months. He has been on the road to provide disaster relief. Who would rule like this? Everything the prince's son did in the capital was saved by relying on the prince's face. His brain is so stupid that it makes people speechless." The Dali Temple Minister complained harshly.
Zhang Xiaojia was speechless for a moment when he heard this.
The Dali Temple Minister cursed heartily, but also told the truth.
At this moment, An San hurried over and handed the letter to Zhang Xiaojia.
The few short words in the letter revealed the prince's resolute attitude: he agreed to let the princess divorce her husband, and ordered Zhang Xiaojia to beat the prince severely and let him go to build roads.
After reading the letter, the Dali Temple Minister immediately went to the court to try the case.
In the hall, the Prince of the County, Song Fanyu and the Princess of the County's personal nanny gathered together.
Zhang Xiaojia stood aside, watching the farce with great interest.
The Grand Court Judge slammed the gavel with a thunderous bang. He declared sternly, "The Crown Prince is immoral, oppressing the people, and his behavior is abominable! The Crown Prince's wife has resolutely submitted a letter of divorce, demonstrating her resolve, and the Prince of Rongchang has also clearly expressed his approval. Considering this is your first offense and that you still have a chance to reform, I will spare your life, but you will not be able to escape this punishment! I now order you to accompany the Third Prince to the border to build roads. This will serve as a profound lesson for you. I hope you will be careful!"
The Dali Temple Minister's words were powerful and unquestionable. He officially declared the divorce letter effective, and from then on, the Crown Prince and his wife were no longer connected.
Upon hearing this, Prince Rongchang was struck by lightning. He shouted, "Impossible! You're lying! How could Father know about this? It was clearly Song Fanyu's fault. She was the one who knocked Fanxing unconscious. Father has no idea what was really going on! It's not like I don't care about Song Fanyu. I've already planned to make her my concubine!"
The prince's words were full of resentment and anger, but the facts could not be changed.
Zhang Xiaojia said, "I sent An San to rush eight hundred miles to tell Uncle Prince. Uncle Prince is already well aware of the Crown Prince's actions."
Zhang Xiaojia's tone was calm and firm. Her words were like a sharp sword, completely shattering the prince's fantasy.
Song Fanyu looked at the prince quietly, her eyes calm. At this moment, she felt that she was finally free, breaking free from the marriage that had bound her for so long and regaining her freedom.
Song Fanyu bowed to the Dali Temple official and said, "Thank you, sir, and thank you, Princess Lin'an."
Song Fanyu turned gently, her skirt fluttering, and she walked out of the lobby step by step, each step appearing so calm and unhurried. She knew that although the future was unknown, it was much better than being trapped in this loveless marriage.
As the prince watched Song Fanyu leave, a sense of inexplicable loss and regret welled up in his heart. He began to realize that he had truly lost the woman who had once loved him deeply.
Zhang Xiaojia patted the Rongchang prince's shoulder and said with a smile, "Just now, the Dali Temple Minister gave you face, and the prince uncle still had something to say."
Prince Rongchang felt inexplicably nervous and tremblingly asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Tell Lin'an to beat the prince up so that he will remember this lesson." He Fei said coldly.
"Brother He, you are here to pick me up. Wait for me. After I beat him up, I will go back to Huangzhuang with you right away." Zhang Xiaojia's eyes were filled with joy when he saw He Fei.
Zhang Xiaojia smiled when he heard this, and strode forward, grabbing the prince by the collar and beating him up. The prince was beaten to a pulp, but he didn't dare to fight back, and could only wail.
He Fei then ordered the secret guards to take Prince Rongchang to the border where the Third Prince was going to build a road.
He Fei took Zhang Xiaojia's hand, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her hand clean.
He pulled Jiajia into the carriage.
He Fei gently embraced Jia Jia in his arms. He leaned over, moved closer to Jia Jia, and whispered softly, "Early this morning, the Chief Censor stepped forward and impeached Qi Jiacheng in front of the emperor."
At this point, He Fei paused briefly, as if trying to whet Jia Jia's appetite. Seeing Jia Jia looking at him curiously, he continued, "Impeaching Qi Jiacheng for pretending to be a gentleman, preaching so-called morality and ethics everywhere. But what is he really? He's just a reputation seeker. He had the audacity to use Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism as a cover to reap huge profits. Even more abominable is that he even used the saying 'starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a big one', in a vain attempt to challenge the current laws of our dynasty. You know, the current court has always encouraged widows to be brave enough to remarry!"
Zhang Xiaojia was extremely surprised that the Chief Censor actually used profiteering to attack Qi Jiacheng.
He Fei continued, "The princess wrote to the emperor, saying that Qi Jiacheng was her concubine. She listed a thick book of accounts showing how much the princess had spent on Qi Jiacheng."
"Is she willing to give it up?" Zhang Xiaojia asked
He Fei smiled and said, "So what if she's reluctant? She's just a brainless person, but her personal nanny is not stupid. If the princess falls, there's still a chance to survive, but they'll all die."
Zhang Xiaojia quickly asked, "What is the emperor's verdict?"
He Fei replied, "I was ordered to confiscate the family property. I seized nearly 1.68 million taels of silver. All males over the age of fourteen in the Qi family were sent to build roads, and all females were sent to the royal temple to copy Buddhist scriptures for three years."
"Where's Qi Banyue?"
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