Chapter 108 Did you hear the answer?
Not long after Cheng Xianzhi left, Empress Dowager Jiang went to the prison in person. Seeing that Jiang Qingsheng was living a carefree life, she became furious and hated her useless nephew.
Cheng Xianzhi heard the news that Queen Mother Jiang went to prison, and he just said it was okay.
She glanced at the comfortable Jiang Qingsheng. His hair was messy, but there were no scars on his body. It seemed that the imperial guards did not torture him to extract a confession, but were still afraid of the Jiang family's status.
"What's up with the jade pendant?"
Jiang Qingsheng knelt, clutching the prison door with both hands. "Aunt, Qingsheng never conspired with the assassins. Besides, why would my nephew do such a foolish thing? Assassination within the palace is punishable by death. Why would I assassinate Your Majesty and Aunt? Those good-for-nothings in the Imperial Guards, relying on Cheng Xianzhi's influence, are arrogant towards my nephew and even interrogating me. When I get out, I'll definitely..."
"Enough," Empress Dowager Jiang closed her eyes, concentrating, her patience evident. "How could the Emperor not know such an obvious fact? What motive did you have for the assassination? But your jade pendant is with the troupe, and those men brought you in with your token. And now the Imperial Guards are holding on to this matter. How can you possibly reveal anything?"
"Otherwise, even if I wanted to, it would be difficult for me to protect you."
Jiang Qingsheng lowered his head and thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "That jade pendant was accidentally dropped by my nephew in Weiyang Tower. I don't know how it got taken away by the opera troupe, and why it appeared at the palace banquet and became the troupe's certificate of entry into the palace. My nephew really didn't know, aunt..."
Thinking of this, he seemed to have guessed something and continued, "Could it be that Cheng Xianzhi did this on purpose? Trying to frame me?"
Queen Mother Jiang was displeased, "Why would Cheng Xianzhi frame you?"
"This..." Jiang Qingsheng avoided his gaze.
"It's fine if you don't say anything," Queen Mother Jiang said, turning her back to him. "I asked you to go to the northwest, but His Majesty has been shirking this responsibility. If you could do something in Kyoto, stop hanging around in those brothels, and be more restrained, I could have arranged that. But you've gotten yourself into this mess today. How are you going to get out of this?"
"Aunt..." Jiang Qingsheng finally showed signs of anxiety. "Cheng Xianzhi must have learned about my nephew and Gongsun Xue's affair and is looking for an opportunity to take revenge on me. That's why we're facing this situation today."
The motionless figure trembled, his face filled with surprise, "What happened between you and Gongsun Xue?"
Jiang Qingsheng felt a chill in his senses and suddenly bowed his head, kowtowed, and said, "My nephew was confused for a moment and had physical contact with Gongsun Xue. She also, also..."
"Yes, she's pregnant with my nephew's child..."
The corner of her eye caught the hem of Empress Dowager Jiang's skirt. She took a deep breath, slowly turned around, glared at the worthless man, and asked coldly, "Who is Gongsun Xue? You like women. You can do whatever you want in Shanhaiguan, but this is Kyoto!"
Queen Mother Jiang snorted lightly, likely furious. "Hmph, Gongsun Xue, that's Cheng Xianzhi's woman. How dare you? How dare you?"
"Cheng Xianzhi doesn't love Gongsun Xue, aunt. Gongsun Xue and my nephew were together willingly. I didn't force you..."
"You bastard!" Queen Mother Jiang grabbed his collar through the prison door. If the prison door hadn't blocked her way, she would have slapped him.
"I don't care what Gongsun Xue and Cheng Xianzhi's relationship is like, but their marriage was granted by the emperor himself. How dare you do such a shameful thing? It's truly a disgrace to the Jiang family."
"No wonder you are not in a hurry to return to Shanhaiguan, nor are you willing to go to the northwest. Is it because of this?" Queen Mother Jiang's fingertips turned red from exertion, and the corners of her eyes were filled with red.
"Aunt, I know I'm wrong," Jiang Qingsheng begged for mercy, "Please save me..."
"You met Gongsun Xue at Weiyang Tower?" Queen Mother Jiang thought to herself. "You're truly mad! Aren't you afraid that Gongsun Xue is a spy sent by Cheng Xianzhi specifically to lure you into his scheme, to bring you to ruin? And yet you're so smug about having taken his person away from him? How could my Jiang family have someone as foolish as you?"
"Aunt..." Even at this moment, Jiang Qingsheng had no regrets. He just thought it was bad luck.
Queen Mother Jiang flung aside her sleeves, pulled her hand back, and said coldly, "Forget it. As long as you deny it, a jade pendant cannot prove your guilt. However, I'm afraid the assignment to the northwest is hopeless. You should return to Shanhaiguan and stay out of the spotlight for a while. When you have made military achievements, I will ask for your permission to send you to the northwest. The power of the northwest must be in the hands of the Jiang family to counter the current situation in the court. Otherwise, my Jiang family's decades-long foundation may be destroyed."
Things have come to this point, and no matter how unwilling Jiang Qingsheng is, there is nothing he can do.
"As for the fetus in Gongsun Xue's belly, my nephew wants to..."
"This matter involves the reputation of three families, and it's no small matter. If Cheng Xianzhi didn't mention it, it means he was intentionally suppressing it. This bloodline didn't belong to my Jiang family in the first place. If Cheng Xianzhi couldn't tolerate it, he wouldn't have kept Gongsun Xue in the mansion to nurture the baby. She would have already taken a bowl of contraceptive medicine. Why would she wait until now?"
"Aunt, what you are talking about is..."
If this matter were to be exposed, the people who would be most anxious would be the Gongsun family. Cheng Xianzhi was the victim, and after the incident, he treated Gongsun Xue with great courtesy and never made things difficult for her, which would only win more sympathy.
The Jiang family's reputation has been damaged, and Jiang Qingsheng should at most be given a stigma that ruins his reputation. Over time, everyone's memory of him will fade away.
The only one who had a hard time was Gongsun Xue. The situation of women has been like this since ancient times. Gongsun Xue was not unaware of the consequences, but she still chose to do it.
Shanhaiguan had been in turmoil for several months. Duke Jiang's battle report showed that the Turks were being defeated step by step. Relying on his military achievements, Queen Mother Jiang used both soft and hard tactics on Li Tingfeng. Jiang Qingsheng refused to admit that he had any contact with the assassin. The matter was at a stalemate, and it would be unreasonable to keep Jiang Qingsheng in custody.
Cheng Xianzhi sent people to Weiyang Tower to investigate again, just to make it look like he was involved, but when there was insufficient evidence, he released Jiang Qingsheng.
The opera troupe was the bait that Cheng Xianyi had placed in Weiyang Tower long ago, and his target was Jiang Qingsheng. Unexpectedly, when Jiang Qingsheng saw Gongsun Xue for the first time on the steps of the building, he had other thoughts in mind.
Later, the two of them took the initiative to fall into the trap he set. Li Tingfeng wanted to arrange assassins to disrupt the palace banquet, intending to disrupt the Queen Mother's plan to bring the daughters of noble families into the palace, and then confuse the public to divert the attention of the Queen Mother and the noble family's followers from the dragon heir in Rong Fei's belly.
After the assassination in the palace, people were in panic. Those who wanted to make friends with the Jiang family had to give up. Empress Dowager Jiang had always recommended Jiang Qingsheng to go to the northwest, and Li Tingfeng intended to find someone else to guard the northwest.
The jade pendant that was lost in the elegant room of Weiyang Tower happened to fall into Han Zhou's hands. Cheng Xianzhi took advantage of the situation and dragged Jiang Qingsheng into the game, breaking the Queen Mother Jiang's plan to assign him to the northwest.
Jiang Qingsheng was sentenced to serve his meritorious service and received an imperial decree to go to Shanhaiguan for support. However, Kyoto had suffered a blow. Jiang Qingsheng was eager for success on the battlefield and repeatedly disobeyed orders, defied military orders, acted arbitrarily, and led his troops deep into the enemy's interior.
They intended to annihilate the enemy camp in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly the Turks were well prepared and surrounded and killed 3,000 elite soldiers in a trap. Jiang Qingsheng luckily escaped from the encirclement and hunted back to the main camp in Shanhaiguan.
However, Dalan missed the opportunity and suffered heavy losses. Jiang Qingsheng's move, along with Jiang Haiyi's hard-earned achievements in Shanhaiguan and the reputation of the Jiang family, were thrown into the Turkic camp.
There was constant turmoil in the court for a while, and memorials condemning Jiang Qingsheng piled up like a mountain. Under pressure, Li Tingfeng had no choice but to issue an order to execute Jiang Qingsheng on the grounds that he disobeyed military orders, caused defeat, and the death of countless soldiers. The execution was carried out on the spot at Shanhaiguan.
When Jiang Haiyi saw his son's head fall to the ground, he was filled with anger. The sharp edges he had shown on the battlefield gradually became hideous and distorted as Jiang Qingsheng's head fell.
He prided himself on having defended the country for years, his contributions outweighing his faults, yet the emperor was so ruthless. His rage ultimately turned into blood in the darkness, burning and boiling in the heat, forming a bloody mist that blinded his eyes.
No matter how powerful Queen Mother Jiang was, it was useless in the face of pressure from all the officials.
Overnight, many white hairs grew out of her thick black hair. The prosperity of the Jiang family that she had painstakingly built was now in jeopardy!
Ridiculous! Hateful!
Cheng Xianzhi was busy with official duties and ignored Yingyue Pavilion. Gongsun Xue was depressed and angry but felt guilty. She also hoped that Cheng Xianzhi would show her some sympathy for her for the sake of her father.
Luzhu waited for Cheng Xianzhi on his way back home. Seeing Cheng Xianzhi returning from the court, she invited him to Yingyue Pavilion. Cheng Xianzhi, who was originally going to Yansheng Hall, thought about it and took the opportunity to tell Jiang Qingsheng about it.
Gongsun Xue was lying on a low couch. She was frightened by the assassination at the palace banquet and was worried. She also heard that Jiang Qingsheng was imprisoned and later sent back to Shanhaiguan. Thinking of her poor health, Lu Tingwan was unwilling to take over the affairs of the mansion and handed them over to the housekeeper Zhu.
Lu Ting learned at the dinner that she was pregnant with Cheng Xianzhi's child. Now that his injuries had healed a little, it was reasonable for him to come and say a few words of greeting.
Luzhu poured Cheng Xianzhi a cup of tea and left.
"My lord, how come you have time to come and see me today?" The admiration in Gongsun Xue's eyes was not as pure as before, and it melted a bit of complexity, but she still couldn't help wanting to look at this face, as if looking at it would make all the hatred disappear.
"Jiang Qingsheng is dead." Cheng Xianzhi said it calmly without any trace of pity on his face.
Gongsun Xue was slightly startled and gave a wry smile. "My Lord, what do you want Xue'er to say when you tell me this?"
"I just think you have the right to know this."
"Do you think that I had an affair with Jiang Qingsheng because I had feelings for him?" A strand of hair fell on Gongsun Xue's cheek, and she smiled ferociously.
Cheng Xianzhi was not interested in knowing.
She was venting her frustration these days, "Do you know that when I was having fun with that guy, all I could think about was your face, my Lord?"
Cheng Xianzhi frowned upon hearing this, feeling only disgust.
"Why am I your legally married wife, but I don't get any love from you, not even pity or charity?" Gongsun Xue stared at his changing expression and laughed.
"Have you ever been sincere to me?"
"Or, it was never like that from the beginning. Lying on the wedding bed on our wedding night, you were calm as a rock, disregarding our marital relationship, coaxing and deceiving me. I still believed so much that you were doing this for my own good that you refused to perform this Zhou Gong ceremony. It's really ridiculous."
"What about you and Lu Tingwan?"
A trace of emotion flashed across Cheng Xianzhi's face.
"When did it start? Was it during the bandit suppression at Qingyao Mountain in Tanzhou, or was it afterward? You left your official duties and me in Tanzhou and rushed back to Kyoto to protect her, regardless of everything. That's when it all started, right?"
Facing Gongsun Xue's barrage of questions, Cheng Xianzhi remained calm and didn't answer. He simply said slowly, "Just focus on taking care of your baby."
Gongsun Xue felt a surge of discomfort in her head. At this moment, she hated herself so much. She hated why she was so impulsive and got involved with Jiang Qingsheng and embarked on a path of no return. She also hated why her true feelings were not accepted.
Her heart was nearly broken. "Cheng Xianzhi, I approached you, but you tried every possible means to distance yourself from me, yet you repeatedly gave me hope. No matter how humble I, Gongsun Xue, am I, I will not tolerate your repeated trampling on me. Am I such a lowly person? You treat me and my feelings for you like this. I hate you to death, so what if I go out and find someone else? Do you care? Cheng Xianzhi, from the very beginning, you agreed to marry me not because of me, but because of my father's position as the Minister of the Central Secretariat."
Cheng Xianzhi remained indifferent and said calmly, "What about you?"
His casual question blocked all of Gongsun Xue's anger in her heart. Gongsun Xue was stunned for a moment, looking at him blankly.
Suddenly, there was a sound outside the door, interrupting the confrontation between the two people in the house.
"Second Madam, why don't you come in?" Luzhu glanced at Lu Tingwan outside the door from the side yard.
Lu Tingwan suddenly realized and hurriedly left Yingyue Pavilion.
Hearing this, Gongsun Xue suddenly grabbed Cheng Xianzhi's wrist and said, "Master, Master, did Lu Tingwan hear this?"
She was more panicked than ever before, and putting aside her aggressive attitude, she pleaded again, "Promise me that no one else will know. You promised Xue'er that if Lu Tingwan knew..."
Cheng Xianzhi was in a state of confusion, still wondering how much she had heard. "Lu Tingwan won't, I promise."
Gongsun Xue looked at Cheng Xianzhi's determined eyes and nodded randomly.
The appearance of Lu Tingwan interrupted Gongsun Xue's desperate shouting.
Cheng Xianzhi left Yingyue Pavilion, the sun blazing brightly overhead. He recalled how, at fourteen, when he was enrolled in the Secretariat, Gongsun Xue had a quarrel with her father and was moping in the back garden. Cheng Xianzhi overheard Gongsun Yin trying to establish a friendship with Gongsun Xue.
He didn't care at first, but Gongsun Xue's words stayed in his mind.
"My father wants me to associate with that poor scholar."
"He's good-looking and talented, but his family background is really low..."
"Young lady is a noblewoman of Kyoto, the envy of all. She should be betrothed to a well-matched family. However, the master has been in the court for a long time and is now in need of training a disciple. This person is very talented and has a promising future. The master loves the young lady the most. If you are not interested in this person, and if he does not make progress in the future, we can let the master find a marriage for him. After all, there is no engagement now, so what's the harm in getting to know him first?"
"Daddy coaxed me the same way. Now that Daddy is at the peak of his power in the court, he's short of manpower. For Daddy's sake, I have no choice but to do this."
…
Later, Cheng Xianzhi often went in and out of the Zhongshu Ling Mansion, and the two met many times. Cheng Xianzhi did not behave in an overly close manner, but was just polite and courteous out of courtesy.
The young man was cool, gentle as jade, and bright and handsome. After meeting him, Gongsun Xue had forgotten her previous unhappiness and her admiration for Cheng Xianzhi grew deeper and deeper. In addition, Cheng Xianzhi was enterprising and was appointed as the Right Prime Minister in the court in just a few years. He was favored by the emperor, and she fell in love with him even more.
Because of her father, she always believed that Cheng Xianzhi also loved her. She never denied other people's praise of the two of them and happily married into the Cheng family to become his wife.
Cheng Xianzhi didn't care about her feelings; her so-called love was never pure. Later, he also tasted the bitterness of love. That person's every move would tug at his heart, making him lose control. Cheng Xianzhi stepped into Yansheng Hall.
Lu Tingwan trotted back, closed the door, and snuggled into the quilt, recalling the conversation between the two of them in Yingyue Pavilion. She hugged a corner of the quilt and couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.
Feng Xin saw Lu Tingwan coming back in a hurry, and before he had time to ask, he could only call out a few times but was sent away by Lu Tingwan again.
Cheng Xianzhi saw the locked door and pushed it open without thinking. Lu Tingwan half-revealed her face and asked reprimandingly, "Feng Xin, didn't I tell you not to come in?"
No one answered her, but footsteps were approaching, and they were not Feng Xin's footsteps. Lu Tingwan sat up suddenly, and the wound in her heart was affected.
Cheng Xianzhi's figure rushed in from outside the curtain. Without waiting for her to speak, he sat down in front of the couch and looked at Lu Tingwan.
Lu Tingwan was frightened by the stare, "You, why are you here?"
"Did you hear everything?"
Cheng Xianzhi's casual words made Lu Tingwan feel even more guilty.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I need to rest."
"Does it still hurt?" Cheng Xianzhi felt that her room was stuffy, so he stood up and pushed the window.
"It doesn't hurt." Lu Tingwan endured the torn wound.
"Then accompany me for a walk in the yard?" Cheng Xianzhi stood on the windowsill, with the beam of light shining on his back.
Lu Tingwan looked dazed. He nodded, stood up, put on his shoes, and followed him out.
The two stood under the grape arbor.
Looking at Lu Tingwan's expression, he asked with concern, "Your injuries have only just healed, so you shouldn't move too much. You ran back from Yingyue Pavilion, are you really not in pain?"
Lu Tingwan was shocked and kept silent with his head down and lips pursed.
"Ask whatever you want."
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