The emperor glanced at them coldly and said, "I will not wrong anyone, but I will not tolerate any traitor! Guards, investigate this thoroughly! This is a serious matter, and I will punish them severely!"
We could have left them with their bodies intact, but now it seems that's no longer necessary.
Those people instantly sat there blankly, as if their souls had been ripped out, unable to utter a sound.
After their official hats were removed and they were dragged away, Lu Baichuan sent someone to bring Xun Wang up.
The shock that Xun Wang has suffered during this period has been too great, and he is often in a daze. If it weren't for He Jiu Niang's constant attention to prevent him from getting seriously ill and going insane, he would already be a mentally unstable person who doesn't even know himself.
He Jiuniang not only wouldn't let him go mad, but she also wanted to keep him sober at all times, so that he would clearly know that his plan, which he had painstakingly devised for more than 20 years, had been so easily exposed, and now he was a prisoner.
When Xun Wang was brought up, he had lost a lot of weight. This was partly due to the shock he had suffered, and partly because life in the prison was unbearable; for so long, they had been given only spoiled food in very small quantities, barely enough to fill their stomachs.
Not only that, but he also gets dragged out and beaten every few days, so it's no wonder he can't gain weight.
The other court officials knew nothing about the Prince Xun, let alone when he had been arrested. They were especially shocked when they learned that he actually owned a mine.
Despite the fact that Xun Wang had committed evil deeds for many years, they had not heard anything about it in the capital. It was only recently, when they heard about the Jiang family, that they had a slight recollection of Xun Wang, who had been exiled long ago.
They thought Xun Wang was just a good-for-nothing playboy, but little did they know that he had been biding his time for many years and was preparing a big move.
However, how could someone who sounds so impressive be easily caught by Lu Baichuan?
Could this be a fake?
After looking closely, they were still a little unsure. Their perception of Xun Wang was still that of a handsome young man from more than 20 years ago. Now that he has entered middle age, his appearance has indeed changed.
Furthermore, his demeanor has changed. Twenty years ago, Xun Wang pretended to be a carefree and frivolous prince, but now Xun Wang is full of the resentment and dissatisfaction of a loser.
For a moment, no one dared to be sure.
If the emperor hadn't met Xun Wang once before, he wouldn't believe this was really Xun Wang.
"Uncle, you have truly given me a wonderful surprise!"
The emperor smiled enigmatically. If Xun Wang hadn't harmed the Jiang family, this would indeed be a pleasant surprise, since he had suddenly acquired so many weapons, saving him a considerable sum of money.
But the Jiang family, a family full of loyal martyrs, ended up in such a state. He felt deeply pained but could not change it, so the smile on his face was particularly ferocious.
"Ha, the victor is king and the loser is villain. You're just lucky. Otherwise, I would definitely be sitting in that position!"
Xun Wang was very disdainful. His original sure thing had been ruined by his own daughter and her husband.
During this time, she kept thinking, if she could have found this daughter earlier, recognized her, and gotten her help to seize power, would the outcome have been different?
He regretted it, and his regret stemmed from He Jiuniang.
As for the Jiang family, he never regretted it. If he hadn't handled things cleanly and efficiently back then, he wouldn't have been able to live peacefully for more than 20 years.
Anyone else would have been angry, but the emperor wasn't. He even nodded in agreement: "You're right. My luck is much better than yours. As the saying goes, those who follow the righteous path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little. You've done so many heinous things, yet you still expect anyone to stand by your side? Isn't that utterly ridiculous?"
Xun Wang snorted coldly and remained silent; he would never admit it.
The emperor's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. He immediately sentenced Xun Wang to death, ordering him to be executed along with the border officials brought to the capital by Qin Jian.
Subsequently, an imperial edict was issued to restore the honor of the Jiang family and to confer the title of Marquis Jing'an upon the old general of the Jiang family, who was also Jiang Ruoya's father, with the title to be inherited by his descendants.
In other words, Jiang Ruoya's children, or He Jiuniang's children, as long as they are legitimate sons of the Jiang family, can inherit the title.
As for how exactly the inheritance will be carried on, that's for the mother and daughter to discuss. In any case, they must help the Jiang family continue its lineage.
However, He Jiuniang didn't care. She thought it was better to leave the matter of carrying on the family line to Jiang Ruoya, as she didn't have that much determination.
Furthermore, she felt that children should earn their own merits, because those who earn them through their own efforts will cherish them, while those who inherit them will only become worse with each generation.
Of course, she was just thinking about it; if there really were vacant titles, she certainly wouldn't pass them up.
Getting back to the main point, the atmosphere in the court is currently somewhat awkward.
The emperor had just sent people to investigate the Jiang family's affairs from back then, and now he's restored their glory and even given them a title. Has his trust in Lu Baichuan and his wife reached this level?
However, the emperor was in a bad mood and had just arrested so many people. No one wanted to risk offending him, so they turned a blind eye.
He Jiuniang was somewhat embarrassed; the emperor's favoritism was too blatant. She should at least put on a show.
However, she wasn't foolish enough to remind the emperor; she simply expressed her gratitude happily.
In such an important matter, the emperor considered things quite thoroughly, bestowing mansions, land, and other gifts according to the highest standards to compensate the Jiang family for the grievances they had suffered over the years.
Although the person is gone, such compensation is not very meaningful, but at least it lets the world know that the emperor values the Jiang family, and allows Jiang Ruoya to go out and meet people openly.
These are all debts owed by the royal family to the Jiang family, and they must be repaid.
Xun Wang saw that the emperor had just condemned him like that, and He Jiu Niang not only didn't speak up for him, but even happily accepted the rewards on the side. Xun Wang felt resentful.
"I am your new father, are you really going to just stand by and watch me be punished?"
He gritted his teeth in anger, still unwilling to believe that He Jiuniang was so cruel to him.
Upon hearing this, the entire court of officials wore expressions of utter shock, as if they had just stumbled upon a bombshell.
What's going on?
Even if Jiang Ruoya and He Jiuniang are mother and daughter, they still have no connection with Xun Wang, since Jiang Ruoya married Zhuo Wei back then!
But it was Xun Wang himself who said these words!
You can't just adopt a daughter out of nowhere, can you?
But Zhuo Wei had acknowledged this daughter before!
So whose daughter is she?
He Jiuniang hadn't expected him to be so shameless, saying such things now. She smirked and said, "Is this all the backbone the Prince Xun has? Why does he always like Zhuo Wei, going around claiming daughters? This isn't how you cram at the last minute!"
He Jiuniang would never admit it. It was enough for only a very small number of people around her to know about this. If others knew, they would not only not sympathize with her, but would also ridicule her and Jiang Ruoya, or even throw mud at her.
Human nature is treacherous; we must be wary.
When the king saw that she wouldn't admit it, he got anxious: "You look so much like me, you're clearly my daughter!"
"There are plenty of people in the world who look alike. Are they all your daughters? Even if you were a stud, you wouldn't be able to produce that many offspring, would you?"
He Jiuniang showed no respect for Xun Wang and spoke in a very vulgar manner.
The court officials frowned upon hearing this. Did they really consider their existence when such words were spoken in court?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com