"oh?"
Emperor Jingyuan had drunk some wine and was in a good mood, so he smiled and said...
"You are indeed filial, but your mother is already a first-rank noblewoman, what more could she possibly be rewarded with?"
"His Majesty."
Jiang Wan stepped forward, lifted the hem of her skirt, and gave a deep bow.
"It is unfilial to sue one's elders, but as a daughter, I must also seek justice for my mother. I want to sue the Yuan family of General Chengping for using witchcraft and manipulating witchcraft to murder my mother, Ji."
Emperor Jingyuan was taken aback, and it took him a long time to understand her words. The smile on his face gradually disappeared: "Is this really true?"
“Your Majesty, I dare not lie,” Jiang Wan said. “All of Yuan’s crimes are recorded in this letter. Please read it carefully, Your Majesty.”
The courtiers were in an uproar. The eunuch glanced at Emperor Jingyuan's expression and hurriedly presented the letter.
Emperor Jingyuan read ten lines at a glance, his face showing undisguised astonishment.
Everything written in the handwritten letter was beyond his expectations, but what surprised him most was the true identity of the elder's wife.
"Yuan Shi, is she actually Princess Lingshou of Miao territory?"
"Exactly."
Jiang Wan nodded.
"Back then, the Miao region was wiped out by the Song family army. The Miao king entrusted his daughter, Princess Lingshou, to the Youzhou royal family. Coincidentally, a young lady from the Youzhou royal family died of illness, so Princess Lingshou took her place and lived in Youzhou. Later, she impersonated this young lady and married General Song."
Yuan used some trick to get through her wedding night. By the time General Song realized that the bride was not the man he had been looking for, the two had already consummated their marriage and could only go along with it.
"Several years passed in this way. General Song passed away, and Yuan's family also flourished in the General's mansion. She hid her identity very well until that year in Yuzhou, when she suddenly fell ill and was saved by my mother."
“Yuan is a princess from Miao territory. She has been practicing the art of Gu poison since childhood. Her pulse and symptoms are different from those of ordinary people. Her mother is quite skilled in medicine and discovered clues during the treatment. After extensive investigation, she almost confirmed Yuan’s identity.”
Ji Mingling was very clever, but it was this very cleverness that brought her to her death.
At that time, the Miao region had been destroyed, and the late emperor was very wary of the Miao people. Yuan Shi could not accept that her identity had been exposed, so she decided to kill them.
However, Ji Mingling is the Prime Minister's wife. If she were to die suddenly, it would surely attract Jiang Linyuan's attention, so the Yuan family dared not act rashly.
To shut Ji Mingling up, besides taking her life, we can also exploit her vulnerabilities.
The Yuan family set their sights on Ji Mingling's daughter, Jiang Wan.
At that time, Song Ziyu was making a huge fuss about marrying Gu Yurong, and Madam Yuan was dissatisfied with the Gu family's status as merchants and wanted to find him a noblewoman.
Jiang Wan, as the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, is a perfect match.
Firstly, she could use Jiang Wan to control Ji Mingling. Once Yuan's identity was exposed, Song Ziyu would also become a descendant of Miao Jiang. If she wanted her daughter who married into the family to be unaffected, Ji Mingling would have no choice but to help her conceal the secret of her origins.
Secondly, once the marriage is finalized, the power of the Prime Minister's mansion can be used to pave the way for Song Ziyu in the capital.
It's a win-win situation, worth the Yuan family's risk.
So she used witchcraft she hadn't touched for many years, and just like she was manipulating Ji Rong, she made Ji Mingling plead with the late emperor.
After Ji Mingling regained consciousness, the imperial decree for marriage had already been issued, leaving no room for reversal.
She knew that she had ruined her daughter's life because of her, and she was depressed all day long. Soon after, she passed away.
Ji Mingling's sudden death was the only variable in the Yuan family's plan.
Although Jiang Linyuan didn't know what had happened, he vaguely guessed that his wife's death was related to the General's Mansion. He also sensed that the Yuan family was trying to curry favor with him. In order to prevent his daughter from becoming a bargaining chip in the Song family's power struggle, he ruthlessly broke off contact with Jiang Wan.
He was too ruthless; even though the Song family tolerated Song Ziyu's neglect of Jiang Wan, he did not soften his heart in the slightest.
Seeing this, Lady Yuan had no choice but to abandon her plan to use Jiang Wan to control the Prime Minister's Mansion. Because of the late emperor's bestowal of marriage, she dared not openly mistreat or divorce her. Thus, Jiang Wan enjoyed several years of peaceful life.
It wasn't until he fell off a cliff to save Song Lin and returned to the Song family that he saw the truth of everything.
“Yuan Shi impersonated her mother, used witchcraft to manipulate her, and caused her death. She also deceived the late emperor and issued an imperial edict. She committed multiple crimes and was extremely wicked.”
Jiang Wan knelt below the high platform, her face calm, but her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.
"I beg Your Majesty to grant the Yuan family the death penalty, so as to comfort their departed souls."
Upon hearing this, the courtiers fell silent, their expressions growing increasingly astonished.
"His Majesty."
In the ensuing silence, Consort Yun was the first to speak.
"Your Majesty, I once obtained a copy of Yuan's notes from Song Lin, which detailed her process of planting Gu poison in Madam Ji. This can prove that everything Madam Jiang said is true."
"Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, which can corroborate each other, the crimes of the Yuan family are obvious. I beg Your Majesty to punish them severely."
She presented the items to Emperor Jingyuan, not forgetting to observe Pei Xuan's expression. Seeing him glance at her, Consort Yun seemed encouraged and continued.
"As for Madam Jiang's marriage to the General's Mansion, now that it is known to be a conspiracy by the Yuan family, please grant her a divorce, Your Majesty. This would be a comfort to Madam Ji's spirit in heaven!"
Emperor Jingyuan looked down at the handwritten letter and remained silent for the time being. The Empress, however, glanced at Consort Yun with considerable surprise.
Having been a favored concubine for many years, Consort Yun was well aware of Emperor Jingyuan's thoughts and rarely did such a thankless task.
It's truly astonishing that he dared to speak up for Jiang Wan today.
However, given the current situation, she couldn't care less about such things and said softly, "Your Majesty, I think Consort Yun's words make sense."
"This marriage was originally a scheme by the Yuan family with ulterior motives. Now that the engagement is dissolved, it is also a consolation to the spirit of the late emperor."
"Father, Mother is right!"
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