A luxurious carriage, escorted by a group of guards, slowly drove up and entered the Zhenbei Palace through the wide-open main gate.

Generally speaking, even if it is not a royal palace but an ordinary mansion, people enter and exit through the corner gate on daily basis.

The main gate is only opened during grand ceremonies or to welcome the royal carriage.

The carriage entered the palace, and through the open gate one could see that inside the palace, all the servants were prostrating themselves on the ground, humble and respectful.

The vermilion lacquered door slowly closed, blocking out all sight from the outside world.

The grand opening of the main gate of the Zhenbei Palace with great fanfare immediately attracted the attention of the whole capital. Especially since Chu Yuanchen had just had a falling out with the emperor in the Golden Throne Hall a few days ago, every move of the Zhenbei Palace was under everyone's attention.

This attention almost made everyone dumbfounded.

When did the Zhenbei Palace have a young lady?

Didn’t Princess Jingle give birth to two sons? Oh, Jiang Yuanyi has been sent to Jingzhao Prefecture!

So where did this young lady come from?

For a while, the whole capital was talking about it.

Even Sheng Xingan couldn't help but wonder. After returning from the yamen, he couldn't help but call Sheng Xiyan over to ask her about it.

Sheng Xiyan had just returned home.

Jingle gave Jiuyang a glorious return home today.

This was not only done for others to see, but also to let Jiaoyang know that she was born in their expectations and that she was the most precious lady in the Zhenbei Palace.

Jiuyang stayed in the Zhenbei Palace. Tomorrow, Jingle will officially open the ancestral hall and include Jiuyang in the family tree.

Facing Sheng Xing'an's doubts, Sheng Xiyan pretended to sigh and said, "Ms. Chu is the princess's biological daughter, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Chu family."

Sheng Xingan was shocked and blurted out: "Impossible!?"

"Father." Sheng Xiyan said meaningfully, "Ms. Chu is the same age as Jiang Yuanyi."

She paused deliberately to give Sheng Xingan enough time to think, and then continued: "Princess Jingle gave birth to a child on the way to the Northern Frontier. It was a girl, but someone replaced it with a boy, and the girl was almost drowned in the lake. Fortunately, Princess Jingle discovered it in time and secretly snatched the child back. But she was worried..."

Why.

Sheng Xiyan sighed, and looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. She did not even send the servant away, but just lowered her voice and said, "The princess and the old prince were worried that the child would be targeted again, so they pretended to be unaware of it, secretly raised the child in the northern border, handed him over to the old prince to raise, and brought the child back to the capital."

This statement was eighty percent true and twoy percent false, concealing the fact that Jiaoyang had been bullied in the Jiang family for twelve years and was now raised by the Prince of Zhenbei, becoming the eldest daughter of the Zhenbei Prince's mansion.

"Jiang Yuanyi is not a member of the Chu family at all."

Sheng Xingan nodded silently. So that's how it is.

"I said that Jiang Yuanyi is neither good at literature nor martial arts, he doesn't look like a member of the Chu family. It turns out that he is not a member of the Chu family!"

"On that day in the Golden Palace, Chu... Jiang Yuanyi and my aunt stood together. It was like, one was the sun in the sky, and the other was the dust on the ground. There was simply no comparison."

Sheng Xiyan: “…”

The tea in her mouth was almost sprayed out by Sheng Xingan's call of "Auntie".

She silently put down the teacup and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

If she remembered correctly, Sheng Xingan had called her "Prince" a few days ago. When did he become so "intimate"? Moreover, she always felt that he was afraid that the person would run away and wanted to make it a done deal.

Sheng Xingan continued, "Our aunt is a man of both military and literary talents, and she is of extraordinary bearing. She is worthy of being raised by old Master Wang..." He said this as if he and the King of Zhenbei were old family friends.

He stroked his beard, becoming more and more satisfied as he spoke, with an ambitious smile on his face.

When Sheng Xing'an recalled what happened in the Golden Palace that day, he became more and more certain that the Zhenbei Palace would rebel sooner or later.

The journey of becoming a dragon has always been full of opportunities and risks.

Rather than betting on the brainless Prince Zhao, it is better to bet on the Zhenbei Palace.

Liu's heart skipped a beat, fearing that he would get impatient and give Sheng Xiyan another dowry, so she quickly interrupted his thoughts and asked, "Master, so there is no such person as Jiang Ya?"

Sheng Xingan nodded slightly.

Jiang Yuanyi has already been recruited in Jingzhao Prefecture, and the registered permanent resident of the Jiang family's "Jiang Ya" is him.

Liu was so angry that she could not help but say that the fake death was actually sold. The Jiang family insisted on reporting the death, causing her to waste twenty taels of silver. Are the Jiang family crazy about money? !

"The Jiang family is really shameless!" Liu was indignant. "The princess has really been cursed for eight generations to end up in such a family!"

Sheng Xiyan said nothing more and let them imagine on their own.

There has never been such a person as Jiang Ya in this world. "Jiang Ya" is Jiang Yuanyi, and Jiaoyang was raised by Old Master Wang in Northern Xinjiang since he was a child. That is enough.

There are actually quite a few doubts about her explanations, but the mixture of truth and falsehood makes them even more credible.

Similar statements spread throughout the capital in just a few days, from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

From the nobles to the common people, almost everyone knew that Princess Jingle of the Zhenbei Palace actually gave birth to a daughter.

Because the emperor wanted the title of Zhenbei Palace, he secretly swapped a child born out of wedlock with the Jiang family, pretending that the child was Jingle's and letting Jingle raise him.

Originally the emperor wanted to root out the problem completely, but fortunately the old Zhenbei King Yingming secretly took her to the Northern Frontier to be raised. Miss Chu grew up in the Northern Frontier since she was a child, so when Chu Yuanchen came back this time, he brought her back with him.

so it is!

The emperor had indeed planned to reduce the power of the princes for a long time!

No wonder the emperor didn't care about Chu Yuanchen's achievements at all and insisted on letting Jiang Yuanyi take the title. It turned out that it was arranged long ago! By letting a useless illegitimate son inherit the title, the emperor could hold the northern border in his hands, and when the time came, he could reduce the power of the vassal.

Now that Chu Yuanchen has inherited the title, he will certainly not allow a son of an illegitimate child to take over his position.

Moreover, Miss Chu should be twelve years old now. Princess Jingle might have been worried that her daughter would not be able to find a good marriage in the Northern Frontier, so she hurriedly brought her back to the capital.

When you think about it this way, everything makes sense.

Some people secretly sighed, thinking that the emperor was really intolerant.

Some people even sympathized with Jingle. She was a princess of a royal palace, but she had to endure humiliation and heavy burdens for twelve years.

Not only did these rumors spread throughout the capital, even the emperor heard them and was completely confused, especially since these words were all well-founded. If the emperor had not been sure that he had not done it, he would probably have suspected that he had done it.

He really has never done it!

The emperor simply had no words to express his grievances.

He is not crazy, would he let a child born out of wedlock be Jingle's son?!

A concubine is good, but a concubine cannot inherit the title! Why should he bother to think about how to bring up this little boy? This is simply a waste of time.

He had no choice but to ask the empress dowager to summon the person to the palace to take a look. However, Jingle dismissed her with one sentence, "The child has just arrived in Beijing and is unfamiliar with the place." To outsiders, it seemed as if Jingle was afraid that the emperor would replace his daughter again if she was not careful.

The emperor could only implore the empress dowager to give more gifts to show the royal family's appreciation for the child, and then he vented his anger at the Jinyiwei: "Is this how the Jinyiwei does things? Let the rumors spread in the capital."

Lu Lianxiu lowered his head and dared not say anything.

From the nobles to the common people, everyone is spreading this, and there is no way to do anything about it.

"Your Majesty." Xiao Shuo's eyes were warm and his voice was like a spring breeze. "Overnight, the whole city was in turmoil. There must be someone behind this. The Zhenbei Palace is waiting for you to take action."

"It's not difficult to suppress the rumor with thunderous means, but isn't this a tacit admission? Are you deliberately confusing the bloodline of the Zhenbei Palace in order to weaken the power of the vassal?"

Xiao Shuo spoke slowly and steadily, and his arguments were well-reasoned. Upon hearing his words, the emperor nodded silently.

Lu Lianxiu breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself: Fortunately, Governor Xiao is here.

"Your Majesty," Xiao Shuo said bluntly, "You are too impatient in the Golden Palace."

Lu Lianxiu didn't even dare to raise his head, just hoping that he had never heard these words.

Perhaps the only one who had the courage to say that the emperor was "too impatient" was Xiao Shuo.

The emperor sighed: "A Shuo, you are right. I was too impatient."

Xiao Shuo once reminded him that Jiang Ting was an incompetent waste and he should not put all his hopes on Jiang Ting. However, he was too eager and wanted to decide the outcome in one move, which resulted in the current embarrassing situation.

In the past few days, the emperor simply didn't dare to think about what happened in the Golden Palace that day. Whenever he thought about it, he would feel depressed.

One wrong step led to another, allowing the Zhenbei Palace to gain the upper hand.

Even if he had a hundred mouths, he still couldn't explain himself clearly.

"Forget it." The emperor said in self-deprecation, "Spread it if you want."

The emperor rubbed his brows.

He was upset by all the unexpected events of the past few days.

The court should all know his intention to reduce the power of the feudal lords by now, but this makes it even more difficult for him to move.

The Zhenbei Palace was doing this for the right reasons, and Chu Yuanchen had just been promoted to a higher rank...

If he wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords again, he had to look for another opportunity.

The emperor remembered something and asked, "Is today the day for the three judges of Jiangting to hold a trial?"

Xiao Shuo: “Yes.”

The emperor thought about it and said, "A Shuo, go to the Dali Temple on my behalf."

Xiao Shuo responded with a smile.

He walked out of Yu's study and went straight out of the palace.

Jiang Ting's case was tried by the three judicial departments of Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice and Censorate.

Chu Yuanchen, as the victim, also went there and sat in the hall to watch the trial.

There was almost no doubt about Jiang Ting's forging of memorials, and the emperor himself pointed out the crime, so Jiang Ting had no choice but to admit it. It couldn't be that the emperor had wronged him, right?

Jiang Ting didn't want to suffer any more physical pain, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Then, sign and seal the confession.

Jiang Ting wanted to cry but had no tears. His hand holding the pen was shaking and he couldn't put it down.

Jiang Ting originally thought that as long as he could get rid of the Zhenbei Palace, with his talent and ability, he would be able to make a difference.

However, he no longer has this opportunity.

His hands shook even more violently, and a drop of ink silently dripped from the tip of the pen that was soaked with ink, spreading on the paper.

In Jiang Ting's eyes, this was not Mo, but a butcher's knife hanging above his neck.

Jiang Ting shuddered and threw his pen to the ground, and the splashing ink made his hands black.

The Dali Temple official frowned and was about to speak, but Jiang Ting called out first, "Ah Chen!"

He looked at Chu Yuanchen pleadingly and said, "Save me, please save me!" His eyes were filled with fear.

Chu Yuanchen sneered. It must be said that Jiang Ting now looks exactly like Chu Yuanyi.

When nothing happens, they can maintain a polite and courteous appearance, but once something happens, they will freak out faster than anyone else.

This seems to be a nature engraved in his bones. No wonder so many teachers in the palace have spent so many years and efforts but have not been able to teach Chu Yuanyi well.

"Master Jiang." Chu Yuanchen sat with his arms folded, leaning on the armrest, and said nonchalantly, "The three courts will judge your crime, and your crime will naturally be determined by the laws of Darong."

Jiang Ting stared at him.

Chu Yuanchen has always been like this. He has never treated him as a father, as if looking at him for even a second longer would be a condescension.

How could he love him like his own son?

If not, there would be no Chu Yuanyi in this world...

In terms of beauty, nobility, and talent, Cao was not as good as Jingle in any way. He and Cao had nothing to say to each other, but Cao worshipped him as if he were a god.

In front of Cao, he felt like a man.

He didn't want to have another child like Chu Yuanchen, as it would make him feel ashamed even in front of the child.

Facts have proved that he was right. Chu Yuanchen would never listen to him, rely on him, and trust him like Chu Yuanyi did...

Jiang Ting's expression was dazed for a moment. He gritted his teeth and said, "Chu Yuanchen, you broke off the relationship with me, but there is still Jiang Ya. Do you know who Jiang Ya is?"

He looked at Chu Yuanchen with malicious intent: "That's your biological sister. If I'm convicted, the whole family will be implicated, and Jiang Ya won't be able to escape unscathed!"

Jiang Ting has been in jail for the past few days and has no idea what has happened to the Jiang family.

Even if the Jiang family never came to visit him again, in his opinion, it was just because the Jiang family was unfamiliar with the place and had no way to get in.

"Master Jiang." Chu Yuanchen didn't even change his movements, and said with a smile, "Jiang Ya's surname is Jiang. You are guilty, and he can't escape."

Jiang Ting felt that Chu Yuanchen didn't understand, so he emphasized his tone again and again: "Jiang Ya is your biological sister! I was the one who exchanged her for A Yi back then. You can check it out, check it out."

For the past twelve years, he always woke up in fear in the middle of the night, fearing that his secret would be discovered.

And now, he is hoping that Chu Yuanchen can find out!

The Dali Temple and others looked at each other in bewilderment. They had heard this rumor these days, and it turned out to be true! But Jiang Ya is Jiang Yuanyi, what does "sister" mean? Before they could figure it out, Chu Yuanchen smiled faintly and said, "Master Jiang, at this point, is it still useful for you to say this? Do you think I really don't know who Jiang Ya is?"

The Dali Temple Minister understood that Jiang Ting wanted to confuse the public!

Chu Yuanchen smiled even more happily: "Master Jiang, don't worry, no matter whether it is Jiang Ya or Cao, none of them can escape."

Jiang Ting's eyes were dull, he thought that he had a trump card that would surely make Chu Yuanchen surrender. Even if he didn't surrender immediately, Chu Yuanchen would at least investigate.

In order to protect his sister, Chu Yuanchen will definitely try to find a way to exonerate himself.

How come...

No! It shouldn't be like this!

"grown ups."

At this time, a messenger came in hurriedly and reported in a panic: "The governor, the governor is here!"

Lord Governor?!

The Dali Temple Minister was so frightened that he almost jumped up.

Why is this ancestor here?

"Hurry! Go and meet them."

The Grand Justice, the Minister of Justice, and the Zuo Du Shi went out together to meet him, and they didn't even bother to take care of the case that was halfway through.

“No need.”

Xiao Shuo, dressed in a red Qilin robe, strode in. He had taken off his black cloak and was being held by a young eunuch, who followed closely behind him.

Xiao Shuo walked neither fast nor slow, with a faint smile on his lips. When his phoenix eyes swept over lightly, his inherent demeanor made people intimidated and dared not look directly at him.

"Master."

The crowd didn't even dare to breathe and bowed in greeting.

"No need to be polite." A faint smile appeared on Xiao Shuo's gentle face. "I came here specially to see how you guys are doing."

"My Lord," the Dali Temple official said hurriedly, "the prisoner Jiang Ting has already confessed his guilt and is about to sign his name."

Xiao Shuo nodded: "Then sign your name."

"Yes! Yes!" The Dali Temple Minister quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, secretly blaming Jiang Ting for being nosy, saying that he had already admitted it but still didn't sign his name properly.

"Master, please take a seat."

The Dali Temple Minister asked someone to bring a chair, then looked at Chu Yuanchen with embarrassment.

Chu Yuanchen is now the King of Zhenbei. Wouldn't it be a bad idea to ask him to give up the seat of honor? But even if the Dali Temple Minister had a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare to let Xiao Shuo sit below Chu Yuanchen.

Chu Yuanchen took the initiative to stand up: "Sir, please." and gave the seat of honor to Xiao Shuo.

The Dali Temple Minister breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chu Yuanchen with gratitude. He felt that the newly arrived King of Zhenbei was indeed a good man as the rumors said! He was so frightened by Xiao Shuo's sudden arrival that his mind went blank. After studying hard for so many years, the only word he could think of was "good man".

The confession had already been smudged by ink, so the Dali Temple Chief Justice quickly had someone copy it and brought it over.

"Jiang Ting." The Dali Temple official slapped the wooden post and said, "If you have no objection, please sign and seal your name immediately."

The pen was stuffed into Jiang Ting's hand. Jiang Ting knelt down, his hands shaking even more violently, and he didn't put pen to paper for a long time.

"Master Zhao." Xiao Shuo's slightly raised eyes carried a kind of deep meaning that was hard to see through, "Jiang Ting is refusing to plead guilty?"

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple hurriedly said: "Master, he has already pleaded guilty, but, but..." I don't know what he was talking about!

He was so anxious that he almost cried, and he wished someone could grab Jiang Ting's hand and push it down.

The Dali Temple Minister and the Criminal Secretary quickly exchanged glances and immediately became tough in their attitudes: "The criminal Jiang Ting is defying the court. Come, beat him up!"

When Jiang Ting heard that he was going to be beaten, his face turned pale with fear, and he quickly said, "I'll sign... I'll sign."

Jiang Ting held the pen, gritted his teeth, and wrote his name on the confession. Another officer brought ink and asked him to put his fingerprints on it.

After writing these words, Jiang Ting's body seemed to be hollowed out. He collapsed limply with a dull look in his eyes.

Xiao Shuo was sitting downstairs. The review by the three courts was straightforward, quick, and smooth. He became furious and wanted to run away as soon as possible.

After consultation between the Dali Temple Minister, the Ministry of Punishments and the Zuodu Shishi, the crime was convicted according to the Darong Law.

Before Xiao Shuo had finished his cup of tea, the Dali Temple Minister read out the charges and the Great Rong Law, and then said: "... the entire Jiang family will be punished and exiled to Yizhou."

Exiled to Yizhou...

Jiang Ting's pupils shrank and he subconsciously looked at Chu Yuanchen.

He knew his crime, which could be punished by exile at the most serious and imprisonment at the least.

Most of the exiles that Darong has been in in recent years have been to Fujian. Jiang Ting had considered this repeatedly while in prison, and the worst outcome was exile to Fujian.

If he went to Minzhou, except for the occasional Japanese pirates, he would mobilize exiled prisoners to fight against the Japanese pirates. Most of the time, he could live a peaceful life like the local military households. He was literate and capable, so he would be able to find a leisurely job for himself without even having to fight against the Japanese pirates.

But why was he exiled to Yizhou? !

Those who were exiled to Yizhou would be sent to the coal kiln.

It must be Chu Yuanchen. It must be Chu Yuanchen who did something behind the scenes. Chu Yuanchen clearly wanted him to die.

How could there be such a son in the world who wishes his biological father would die?!

"I don't accept it!" Jiang Ting shouted, "Why was he exiled to Yizhou? I don't accept it. I want to see the emperor and file a complaint! How much good did you receive from Chu Yuanchen? I don't accept it, I don't accept it!"

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple originally thought that since the case was handled so efficiently, Xiao Shuo would definitely be satisfied. Unexpectedly, Jiang Ting was not interested!

He was a little annoyed, and slapped the wooden stick and said, "The prisoner Jiang Ting roared in the court, and he shall be beaten with ten boards."

Jiang Ting was so frightened that his eyes went wide open: "...No! Ugh..."

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple signaled that his mouth should be shut, and he was taken to the court, where he was beaten with a heavy board.

One, two, three times...

At first, Jiang Ting was still struggling, but soon he couldn't struggle anymore. A weak scholar was knocked down directly after these ten strokes of the board.

The Dali Temple Minister quickly ordered someone to drag him out.

The verdict would later be jointly presented to the emperor by the three judges, who would then decide on the time of exile after approving it.

The Dali Temple Minister softened his temper and looked at Xiao Shuo with a flattering expression.

Xiao Shuo stood up leisurely and said with a smile: "Now that the case is settled, I will take my leave now."

Chu Yuanchen also said: "Then I will go with the governor."

The Dali Temple Minister wiped his cold sweat, and everyone respectfully sent the man out, feeling as if they had saved their lives.

After leaving the Dali Temple, Chu Yuanchen bowed to him and said with a smile, "Master, I am about to go to the left floor to listen to the lecture. If you are free, why don't we go for a drink together?"

Their eyes met, and Xiao Shuo said, "Okay."

Chu Yuanchen: "Master Governor, please!"

The two men mounted their horses one after another and went to the left building.

I heard that Zuolou is the property of Prince Zheng's Palace and is quite famous in Beijing.

Sheng Xiyan arrived early with Jiuyang and was sitting in a private room on the second floor, leaning against the railing and looking out.

This private room overlooks the main street on one side, and faces a small garden on the left side of the auditorium on the other. The small garden has a lake and scenery, and at this moment many people are gathered there discussing poetry and painting.

Zhao Yuanrou sat in the waterside pavilion in the garden and talked freely.

Sheng Xiyan's eyes fell on her for a moment, then he looked away silently, and said with a smile: "Jiaoyang, order whatever you want to eat. Your eldest brother will be here soon, let's let him pay for it!"

“Okay, okay!”

Jiaoyang nodded happily, thinking that his sister could save a lot of money!

She wants to order a lot of delicious food!

"...Sister! Look, what is this!?"

Jiuyang was thinking about what to eat when he suddenly let out a soft cry.

Sheng Xiyan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a shadow that looked like a phoenix appear in the direction of the small garden.