kvmb Chapter 159 I suspect Shen Qingtan is not your daughter
Chapter 159 I suspect Shen Qingtan is not your daughter
"Oh?" Emperor Jing'an looked at him with a dark expression: "Minister Shen, tell me, how did Prefect Ning lie?"
Marquis Chengen raised the question that had been on his mind: "Your Majesty, if my daughter is innocent, why didn't Zhao Yi stand up to refute the rumors when they were circulating?"
"Lord Shen, have you read the secret letter carefully? If Lord Zhao is to step forward to refute the rumors, he must provide strong evidence to convince everyone."
The censor continued, "Wouldn't this expose Zhao Shenshi's purpose in Guanzhou? Not only will they fail to find the murderer who tried to kill Lord Zhao, but they will also alert the culprit. If the murderer hiding in the shadows is pushed to the limit, he might actually try to kill Zhao Shenshi."
"Prefect Ning gave a separate explanation in his letter, saying that the leasing of wasteland was being carried out in secret." The Vice Minister added, "If it were made public, some disaster victims would know Zhao Shenshi's plans and raise the price of the land, which would probably cause chaos in Guanzhou right now."
"Lord Shen, the evil in human nature is unimaginable," the Minister of Personnel said. "You, as a father, are kicking people when they're down; what about disaster victims who have no relation to you?"
"Black cannot be whitened, and white cannot be blackened. When the time is right, the rumors will fall apart on their own." The Grand Secretary said in a deep voice, "Lord Shen, Zhao Shenshi is your own daughter. Now that she has made a great contribution and cleared her name, you should be happy for her. Why do you still have doubts?"
At this point, the Grand Secretary looked at him with sharp eyes: "Could there be some other hidden story behind this?"
Under the watchful eyes of the ministers, Marquis Chengen was on edge, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Your Excellencies have misunderstood me." Marquis Chengen calmed himself down and explained, "I was worried that she would not repent and, relying on her eldest son-in-law's favor with the Emperor, would use his name to coerce the Prefect into lying, thus making one mistake after another."
The Grand Secretary said, "Given Zhao Shenshi's reputation, it has probably already reached Guanzhou. How could Prefect Ning, having heard the news, be coerced by Zhao Shenshi?"
Marquis Cheng'en was speechless.
“Minister Shen, prisoners in jail still have the opportunity to appeal their grievances and overturn their cases. Zhao Shenshi is your own daughter. With witnesses and physical evidence, you insist that she did not go to Guanzhou to perform meritorious service, but to have an affair.”
Emperor Jing'an said cryptically, "This is not something a father with a strong sense of justice would do. I even doubt whether she is truly your daughter."
Marquis Chengen was drenched in cold sweat and dared not utter a sound.
"Eunuch Cao, have the Grand Secretary draft an edict. Zhao Shenshi has rendered meritorious service in disaster relief, and I shall reward her handsomely." Emperor Jing'an ordered, "In addition, she, along with the Qin and Gu families, rented land and hired disaster victims to cultivate the land, relieving the court's worries and difficulties. This is truly a great achievement. In particular, the Gu and Qin families, although they are just merchants, have a great sense of righteousness and can be exempted from taxes."
Eunuch Cao accepted the order.
The ministers had no objections, after all, the Gu and Qin families had made great contributions and deserved this reward.
Marquis Chengen's face turned pale. With the imperial edict issued, the rumors were dispelled without a doubt, and it was very likely to boost Shen Qingtan's reputation.
Only now did he truly understand.
He believed that the Marquis's mansion had plotted against Shen Qingtan, driving her to the brink of despair.
In reality, Shen Qingtan guessed their thoughts and deliberately set a trap to make him distance himself from her.
In this way...
A sense of crisis welled up in the heart of the Marquis of Chengen, and he had a feeling that a great disaster was about to befall him.
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A black-awning carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, and Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi got off the carriage.
When the gatekeeper saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan return, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he respectfully opened the side gate to invite them into the mansion.
The people were paying close attention to the movements of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, waiting for them to deal with Shen Qingtan.
The slightest breeze or rustling sound would attract their attention.
When they saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan returning to the mansion hand in hand, it was as if cold water had been poured into a pot of boiling oil, causing an immediate uproar.
"Didn't the Duke of Zhao force Second Master Zhao to divorce his wife? Not only did Second Master Zhao not divorce her, he also personally brought her back?"
"Shen Qingtan trampled on Master Zhao's face, so of course she had to bring him back and drown him in a pig cage to vent her anger."
"Master Zhao personally helped Shen Qingtan down from the carriage. It doesn't seem like he's going to punish her. Could it be that Master Zhao is going to swallow this humiliation?"
Everyone looked at each other, all with expressions of disbelief.
Even the Marquis of Chengen disowns this shameful daughter, yet the heir of the dignified Duke of Zhao's mansion is treated like a treasure.
Is the fate of the Duke of Zhao's mansion about to run out?
At this moment, a large group of people marched towards the Duke of Zhao's mansion.
The common people gathered not far from the Duke of Zhao's mansion to watch the commotion. When they recognized the people as being from the palace, they dispersed and watched the commotion from a distance.
Then, Eunuch Cao stepped down from the sedan chair, holding the imperial edict in both hands.
The gates of the Duke of Zhao's mansion opened, and an incense table was set up in the main hall. The Duke, dressed in his official robes, came out with his family to receive the imperial decree.
The common people were completely baffled by this spectacle.
Even if Emperor Jing'an doted on Zhao Yi, he shouldn't have issued an edict to interfere in Zhao Yi's family affairs, right?
The second branch of the family had a different opinion from the common people. When they first heard that Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan had returned to the mansion, they were very surprised. They really couldn't believe that Shen Qingtan was so shameless as to have the nerve to return to the Duke's mansion.
They had been waiting for the Duke and the old lady to deliver a message, but to their surprise, someone from the palace arrived first.
The second wife felt a surge of pleasure when she saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan standing behind the master and mistress, and then looked at Eunuch Cao who had come to read the imperial edict.
It's obvious without even thinking that the Emperor's decree was deliberately aimed at Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan, right?
Shen Mingzhu felt the same way; just thinking about Shen Qingtan's tragic end soothed the pain of losing her child.
Zhao Jue stared at Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan with a gloomy gaze, waiting for them to be kicked out of the Duke's mansion like stray dogs.
If Zhao Yi wants to protect himself, the only way is to divorce Shen Qingtan.
At that time, Shen Qingtan was abandoned...
Zhao Jue clenched his fists, determined to make her fall into his hands sooner or later.
Following Emperor Jing'an's orders, Eunuch Cao did not enter the residence to read the imperial edict.
Seeing everyone kneel down to receive the imperial edict, he unfolded the edict and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since the disaster in Guanzhou was exposed, the court has been working tirelessly, yet there are still lingering problems. However, Zhao Shenshi is righteous and of high moral character. He has provided relief to the disaster victims in Guanzhou, quelled the disaster, and brought peace and happiness to the people. I am very pleased and hereby bestow upon him generous favors: three hundred taels of gold, one bushel of pearls, and three bolts of brocade... This decree is hereby proclaimed throughout the country so that all may hear of it."
The second wife's family was full of anticipation, thinking they would hear an imperial edict from Emperor Jing'an punishing Shen Qingtan, but to their surprise, it was a reward for her.
Their faces froze, and they looked at Eunuch Cao with astonishment.