Wang nodded: "That's natural."
Yuan was shrewd and calculating; the Ji family dared not dispose of the things she sent, and did everything according to Jiang Wan's instructions.
“Then…” Jiang Wan lowered her voice, “You share a bed with your uncle, have you noticed anything unusual about him lately?”
Wang lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "He's always been the same, busy with official duties all day long, I haven't seen anything unusual."
Ji Huaichuan, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "Father has been suffering from insomnia lately, I wonder if that counts?"
"Insomnia?" Wang said. "How come I had no idea?"
“My father slept in the study for the past few days. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you would worry. I went out late at night and happened to see him sitting alone on the porch. He seemed to be having a headache.”
Ji Huaichuan Road.
"At the time, I thought my father was under too much pressure, so I asked someone to make him some calming soup."
"Did Uncle never have insomnia or headaches before?" Jiang Wan asked.
"No." Madam Wang sighed. "It must be because of this case. The whole court and the public are paying so much attention. Take that merchant who impersonated Mr. Yun Que, for example. He was assassinated three times while he was in prison. It was only thanks to the Ministry of Justice's strict guard that he was able to survive until the trial began."
Jiang Wan said thoughtfully, "That merchant is a key witness in this case."
The merchant was someone arranged by Pei Jin through the Dali Temple. After Pei Xuan exposed him, he became a witness for the Dali Temple Minister to protect Song Ziyu.
The person who wants to silence him is most likely Pei Jin.
Unfortunately, Ji Rong was well-guarded and failed to succeed.
Once this person tells the truth in court, Song Ziyu will be convicted of secretly trading the tiger tally, and Pei Jin will also be implicated.
As the court session was about to begin, more and more people gathered outside the gate.
Jiang Wan looked into the distance and saw that Zhuque had already blended into the crowd.
A young man was with her beside her, arms crossed, a big smile on his face. When he saw Jiang Wan looking over, he whistled happily.
Zhuque glared at him, and he calmed down a bit.
It was Shuangbai, one of Pei Xuan's subordinates who was skilled in mechanisms.
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow slightly. Why were these two together? Could it be that the person who accompanied Zhuque out of the city to find the Southern Frontier Granny was Shuangbai?
Does Pei Xuan already know about her plan...?
Before she could think it through, a voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "The Third Prince has arrived!"
Everyone was taken aback and bowed in greeting.
Even the leaders, Ji Rong and Jiang Linyuan, exchanged a glance, their faces showing surprise.
This case is of great importance, so it is reasonable for Emperor Jingyuan to send a prince to the scene. This person could be Pei Xuan or the eldest prince.
But why would it be Pei Xi who came?
This third prince is idle and never cares about politics.
Even the matriarch of the Yuan family raised her head, staring at Pei Xi warily, her face showing tension.
Clearly, Pei Xi's appearance here was unexpected for her.
Pei Xi entered, dressed in a round-necked robe adorned with gold auspicious beasts and wearing a jade crown, fanning himself with a folding fan.
As he passed Jiang Wan, who was bowing in greeting, he glanced at her briefly but did not stop, walking straight to the front of the hall.
"The case of General Chengping is of great importance, and my father specially ordered me to come and observe the proceedings."
Pei Xi sat down in the first seat on the left, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then threw it back on the table in disgust, and stomped his feet and shouted.
"What year is this tea from? It smells musty. How could this be fit for my palate!"
Ji Rong had no choice but to instruct his servants to bring a new pot of tea.
Then, Pei Xi complained that the cushions weren't soft enough and the stove wasn't warm enough. Four or five palace servants busied themselves trying to fix it up before this ancestor finally sat down obediently, still with a critical look on his face.
"Hurry up and try the case so I can return to the palace and report to my father. I can't stand being in this place any longer!"
The matriarch lowered her eyes, but felt a sense of relief.
Pei Xi's纨绔 (playboy/spoiled brat) demeanor is exactly the same as before; he's only here to make up the numbers and won't have any impact on me.
After Pei Xi's outburst, the time for the trial had arrived.
Ji Rong, the presiding judge, sat in the main seat, with Pei Xi, Jiang Linyuan, a group of recording officials, and relatives of the accused below him.
Outside the hall, a large crowd of people were craning their necks to look inside.
After the court session began, Song Ziyu and Song Tingyue were brought up.
After being imprisoned for a month, the two were covered in dirt, their hair was disheveled, and they looked haggard. The matriarch of the family almost did not recognize them.
"Ziyu, Yue'er!"
Song Tingyue, with a limp and sunken cheeks, burst into tears the moment she saw the matriarch, choking out, "Grandmother."
Seeing her granddaughter's miserable state, Madam Yuan gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hidden hatred as she looked at Ji Rong.
In fact, Ji Rong did not abuse his power to torture them. It was just that the two were spoiled and pampered, and going to prison was like shedding a layer of skin.
"quiet!"
Ji Rong shouted sternly.
He ordered the other witnesses to be brought to the court, including the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Mu Feng, and the merchant, and then began to read the documents, detailing the course of the case.
At first, things were relatively calm, until the passage about Song Ziyu's private transaction of the tiger tally was read out, at which point he suddenly shouted that he was wronged.
"It wasn't me!"
Song Ziyu glanced at Madam Yuan.
Remembering what she had told him beforehand, he took a deep breath and said firmly.
"I did not trade the tiger tally privately. I only sold a few rare ornaments to the merchants. I don't know how the tiger tally got mixed in!"
Upon hearing this, the merchant also knelt down on the ground, trembling.
Ji Rong sneered, "Is that so?"
“But I remember that you told His Majesty that the reason the talisman was lost was because you were forced by your wife, Lady Jiang, and that she and Mr. Yun Que conspired to deceive you.”
"Your testimonies are inconsistent. How do you explain this?"
Song Ziyu's eyes flashed, and he turned to look at Jiang Wan, glaring at her fiercely.
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