"Minister Jiang," Sun Xu said with a straight face, "the court is not a place for you to act as you please. Let's first listen to everyone's words. I wish all the examinees a successful examination! "
Before Jiang Quan could speak, Butterfly kowtowed to Sun Xu and said, "Replying to milord, this servant is here to confess the crime committed by Furen." She lowered her head, but her voice was clear and clear, just enough to reach the ears of the commoners watching the bustle outside. "When the late Furen was still alive, my family's Furen was only a concubine. Although Master doted on Yiniang and Miss, Furen held the position of Mistress. Yiniang has always been proud and arrogant, and was born of a high-ranking noble family. Naturally, she was not willing to submit to others. Although she ate well in the Minister's fu, and sometimes even had a higher status than the late Furen, Yiniang was still dissatisfied. "
Although Butterfly's words seemed to be merely stating the facts, when it reached the ears of others, it felt very different. Who did not know how Xia Cheng's title of nobility had come about? If not for his brother's early death, it would not have been his turn as a bastard son. Even the title of nobility was obtained after Xia Yan entered the Minister's fu. Before that, she was only the daughter of a minor official's bastard son. How could she be considered a noble family? She preferred to have the face to say so. If she was really a daughter of a high-ranking noble family, why would Jiang Quan marry Zhao Mei and not Xia Yan? A daughter of a bastard son was so vain, and according to Butterfly, Xia Yan's status in the Minister's fu was even higher than Zhao Mei's. If this was not favoring a concubine to the detriment of a wife, then what was?
Although everyone had heard rumors that Jiang Quan only favored Xia Yan, they all thought that it was after Zhao Mei's death. It turned out that not long after Zhao Mei had married into the Minister's fu, Jiang Quan had gone too far. It was because he had taken a fancy to the power in the other's house, and once he realized that it would not bring any benefits to his career, he revealed his true colors.
Butterfly continued, "Later, Yiniang thought that as an official of the court, if Master could not find a reason to divorce his wife, he would have to live under others for the rest of his life. Unwilling to accept this, she tried to poison the late Furen. On that day, Yiniang spent a large sum of money to buy poison from a foreign land and mixed it into the late Furen's daily meals. My late wife was poisoned bit by bit, and as the poison accumulated, she died. And all of this, Master also knows. There was one time when Master discovered Aunt's poison. Master even told Aunt to be careful and not to leave behind any evidence. " After saying that, Butterfly kowtowed to Sun Xu twice and said, "Your Excellency, everything I said is true. I dare not lie to you."
"Nonsense! Nonsense! " Pointing at Butterfly, Jiang Quan angrily scolded: "Who gave you the courage to spout nonsense and disturb the hearts of people here? Butterfly, don't forget who you are! You are a servant of my Jiang fu! "
Butterfly shook her head, "Master must have forgotten that Butterfly's indenture no longer exists. Butterfly is no longer a member of the Minister's residence." As she said this, although she tried to suppress something, her eyes revealed a trace of hatred.
Jiang Quan was at a loss for words. Sun Xu slammed the gavel again. "Silence!"
Butterfly knelt on the ground and said something shocking: "Your Excellency, this commoner still has evidence to say!"
Jiang Quan was startled. Sun Xu said in a low voice, "Where is the evidence?"
Butterfly glanced at Jiang Ruan, who was sitting peacefully on a seat at the side. The smile on her lips seemed to have not wavered since the beginning. Butterfly's heart was at ease, and her tone was magnanimous as she said, "It is in Madam's room. At that time, because that medicine was really precious, and Madam did not know when the late madam's illness would be incurable, she thought that this medicine might still be useful in the future, so she ordered this commoner to keep it. On that day, this commoner buried the medicine under a tree in Madam's courtyard. However, the prescription was probably still there. Later, Master said that it would be useful, so he kept it in a box in his study. Coincidentally, I don't know why, but Master probably forgot about that box. One time, Madam asked this servant to tidy up the study, and this servant put that box in the innermost wooden box. That wooden box would not be touched for many years, because it was filled with old things. "
Zhao Guang cupped his hands towards Sun Xu, and his tone was unquestionable. "Sun daren, since the evidence has been laid out, shouldn't we send people to search the room?"
"Naturally." Sun Xu's expression was solemn. "This official has already ordered soldiers to search the Minister's fu."
Jiang Quan sneered. "What a joke. Do you think that by spouting nonsense, you can convict me of a crime? Butterfly, I see that you are not afraid of death! "He felt that he had a well-thought-out plan, and that the soldiers would definitely not be able to find anything in the room. Not to mention that he had not directly interfered when Xia Yan had poisoned Jiang Ruan, even Xia Yan herself would not be so stupid as to leave behind evidence. Xia Yan was meticulous and thorough in her work, and she would clean up any traces that could be used against her. Although he did not know what benefits Butterfly had received from Jiang Ruan to create such false evidence, Jiang Quan also acknowledged that the Minister's fu was not a place that just anyone could enter. Especially the study, which was of utmost importance, he had to check it several times a day. What wooden box, what box, he had never heard of.
Butterfly probably only cared about lying, but she could not produce any concrete evidence. If she could not produce it, then she could not be convicted. What could Butterfly do? As he thought this, he looked at Jiang Ruan's expression. However, he saw that Jiang Ruan was sitting upright, and as if she had sensed his gaze, she turned her head and smiled at him. Jiang Ruan's smile was even more unperturbed than Jiang Quan's, and seemed to conceal some subtle ridicule. That gaze immediately made Jiang Quan sober up, and he could not help but feel some lingering fear. It was not that Jiang Quan did not know how strange this daughter of his was. For so many years, whether it was the Xia family or herself, they had not been able to gain any advantage from her hands. Even if the Jiang fu was impregnable, it could not guarantee that she would come up with some strange method to harm others.
At this moment, the officers and soldiers in charge of the search had already returned. The leader of the officers and soldiers reported to Sun Xu before striding into the hall in large strides. He bent down and whispered a few words to Sun Xu. As Sun Xu listened, he glanced at Jiang Quan. Jiang Quan's heart thumped. Without waiting for him to think of a clue, Sun Xu slammed the gavel and shouted, "Audacious Jiang Quan! As an official of the imperial court, you do not govern your household strictly, allowing your concubine to harm others, and even conspire with her to murder your wife. What crime do you deserve? The soldiers have already found evidence from the wooden chest and the box in your room. What else do you have to say? " As he finished speaking, the official next to him presented an iron box. Everyone could clearly see that a shallow piece of paper floated out from the box that Sun Xu had personally opened. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it naturally could not be faked.
Zhao Yuanping got up and walked to Sun Xu's side. He took the paper and read it in his hands. After he had finished reading ten lines at a glance, Zhao Yuanping returned the paper to Sun Xu. When he looked at Jiang Quan again, his smile was completely cold and detached. "Minister Jiang is indeed very scheming. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, this young master would not have known that there could be such a cruel and unscrupulous person in this world."
Zhao Yuanping had always been used to quietly making sarcastic remarks. When Jiang Quan heard these words, he was so angry that his face turned ashen. However, what followed was disbelief. Even when he had come out to receive the case today, he had carefully inspected the study before leaving. He had not seen any wooden chest or box, so how could it suddenly appear? What exactly was going on? He cried out in grievance. "This is absolutely not my doing. Sun Xu, as the head of the case department, you must pay attention to getting to the bottom of the matter. Just based on a small prescription, how could you dare to bring me to justice? This is clearly someone deliberately framing me. Don't tell me you don't know? "
"This official has always only looked at evidence." Sun Xu said unhurriedly. It was not that he did not hear the threat in Jiang Quan's words, but what kind of case was this? It was Xiao Shao's wife, the current Jinying Wangfei, the former Hong 'an Junzhu, who had personally complained. Everyone in the officialdom of the Great Jin court knew what kind of power the Jinying Wangfu behind her was. Xiao Shao had personally greeted them, so how could he dare to slight them? Moreover, the victim of this case was the beloved daughter of the General's household. If they did not give an explanation, based on Zhao Guang's protective nature, they would most likely tear down the case department. Moreover, that person from the palace had already greeted them.
Although the case department handled cases that ordinary people did not dare to handle, even if it involved many officials in the capital, Sun Xu was not afraid. That was because Sun Xu himself relied on the Emperor to pursue an official career and did not need to rely on anyone's face. But if it was the Emperor's trusted aide, there would be no fish if the water was too clear. Sun Xu was well aware of this principle. After so many years of sitting in such an official position that offended people, Sun Xu himself was extremely good at conducting himself. Now, Xuan Pei's status in the palace was steadily rising, and the Emperor was very fond of him. The Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince were fighting openly and secretly, but no one could say for sure who the throne would fall to. Perhaps the future Crown Prince of the Great Jin court would be this Thirteenth Prince who had just made a name for himself. Xuan Pei had specially sent someone over to greet him. Although he did not know the reason, Sun Xu also felt no small amount of pressure. It was precisely because they had been colleagues for so many years that Sun Xu could clearly see that this time, it would be very difficult for Jiang Quan to be kind, because every person he had offended had the ability to put him to death.
Zhao Yuan Feng said leisurely, "Minister Jiang, the Minister's fu is your official residence. Naturally, only your people can enter. You don't even know when that box was placed in there. You can't possibly ask us outsiders for any answers. You should know that since the establishment of your Minister's fu, apart from my family's youngest sister, no one from the Zhao family has ever set foot in it. "
Zhao Yuan Feng's words were not without irony. At first, Zhao Mei had cut off all relations with the Zhao family, and after Zhao Mei's death, the Jiang family had also forbidden all relations with the General's fu. They even secretly regarded the General's fu as a formidable enemy. The Zhao and Jiang families had never dealt with each other, so there was no way for the Zhao family to enter the Jiang fu.
Jiang Quan had hit a snag, but he was not in the mood to argue with Zhao Yuan Feng. Now, he also realized the importance of the matter. With both witnesses and material evidence present, coupled with Sun Xu's attitude, it would be very difficult to escape punishment. At this point, Jiang Quan, who had always been full of confidence, was already somewhat flustered. He desperately tried to think of how the box could have appeared in the study. His gaze swept through the crowd without any focus, and suddenly, he froze.
A familiar figure was mixed in the crowd. It was a young and beautiful woman. Jiang Ruan stared blankly, and a few thoughts flashed through her mind. She immediately roared, "Xia Yue! You slut, you dare to harm me! "
The figure of the woman in the crowd was the current mistress of the Minister's fu, Xia Yue. Originally, she had lowered her head to avoid Jiang Quan's gaze, but now, upon hearing Jiang Quan shout so loudly, she could not help but become somewhat angry. For a moment, her face flushed red, and she did not speak.
However, Jiang Quan seemed to have understood in a split second. Disregarding the occasion, he loudly cursed, "It's her! It's this slut who colluded with outsiders to harm me. Usually, only she can enter my study! Only she can unwittingly, and in the shortest time possible, stuff things in there without anyone noticing. Xia Yue, I have treated you well, yet you are so vicious as to murder your own husband! You vicious woman! "
Xia Yue was in the crowd, and everyone's gazes were directed at her. She endured it, and suddenly, two streams of hot tears flowed down her cheeks. "Master, ever since Yue Niang married you and became your wife, where have I not done well? How could you treat me like this, and even pin such a heinous crime on Yue Niang? How could Yue Niang frame Master? If anything bad happened to Master, how could a lonely and helpless woman like Yue Niang survive? Yue Niang knows that Master and Yan jiejie's love is as deep as the ocean, and ever since Yue Niang married into the family, Master has never liked Yue Niang. But Master, Yue Niang is also your wife. How could you treat Yue Niang like this? " She was born somewhat thin, weak, and timid, and after saying these words, her heart was full of sorrow. She knelt down and kowtowed a few times towards the main door of the public hall. "Forget it, Master. Since you and I are husband and wife, if Yue Niang can save Master, Yue Niang will be willing to save Master's life! That box and wooden chest were definitely Yue Niang's! "
As she said these words, her tears fell like rain, and she almost fainted from crying. People had always sympathized with the weak, and if the weak was a woman with a good appearance, their sympathy would be doubled. The more Xia Yue spoke in such a manner, the more the crowd suspected that Jiang Quan had even framed his newly married wife. He was really a selfish man. Every word that Xia Yue said was reasonable. Indeed, now that the Xia family was no more, why would she frame Jiang Quan? The Jiang fu had fallen, and she had become a widow. How difficult would it be for her to continue living? As for what Xia Yue had said about Jiang Quan still thinking about Xia Yan's matter, everyone laughed in their hearts. Perhaps in this world, only a man like Jiang Quan would never forget a woman who had been unfaithful and unclean, who had made him wear a green hat. Sure enough, the pot had its own lid.
Jiang Ruan smiled as she watched Xia Yue's performance in the crowd. She only felt that it was interesting. The women of the Xia family seemed to have an innate talent for being entertainers, especially when it came to drawing people's tears and sympathy. In the past, Jiang Quan had fallen for this trick of Xia Yan the most. Now that Xia Yan had been replaced by Xia Yue, who knew if Jiang Quan would still be able to endure it. A woman's lies and tears, only after truly experiencing them, would one know how formidable they were. Now, Jiang Quan probably hated the Xia family to the core.
Xia Yue was an intelligent person. Since the Xia family had fallen, she, as a chess piece to maintain the relationship between the Xia and Jiang families, was useless. Xia Yue herself also knew that with Jiang Quan's ambition, there would come a day when he would kick her, a useless stumbling block, aside. Moreover, she was now the mistress of the Jiang family. She was well aware of what the Jiang family was like. A mansion with an empty shell would collapse sooner or later. Jiang Quan was neither cold nor warm towards her, and Xia Yue was still in the prime of her youth. How could she be willing? The women of the Xia family had always been brimming with ambition. Even if Xia Yue was a distant cousin, she would not be willing to be buried for the rest of her life. Jiang Ruan made a deal with her. For the sake of her own future, Xia Yue did not hesitate to betray Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan was so angry that he was about to go mad. The gazes of the people around him were filled with suspicion. He wanted to find someone who could speak up for him, but in the end, he discovered that the people who could speak up for him were all gone. His wife, his children, his colleagues, and even his allies, not a single one of them was by his side. He suddenly discovered that he had become the one who had been abandoned. He had become a useless chess piece.
"This is what you want?" Jiang Quan stared at Jiang Ruan solemnly. Suddenly, he laughed bitterly. "You made everyone betray me. I raised such a good daughter, hahaha, I actually did not know that I had raised such a good daughter!"
"Too much unrighteousness will bring about one's own destruction." Jiang Ruan replied indifferently. "Minister Jiang, the gods are watching from above. That day, when you did all this to my mother, you should have thought of this ending. "Yes, she wanted Jiang Quan to taste the fate of being deserted by his own people. In her previous life, this father of hers had devised strategies and turned everyone he did not value into chess pieces in his hands, stepping stones for the Jiang fu. Step by step, he had paved the way for Jiang Su Su to become the Empress. Every step of the Jiang family's glory had been forged by stepping on the blood of the three of them, mother and sons. Now, it was time for Jiang Quan to have a taste of this. This kind of struggle with no way out, loneliness and despair, and then suddenly discovering that he had been betrayed by everyone, discovering that he was useless and laughable. Like to play chess? Sure! In this life, she would change the position of the chess player. This game of chess would be written by her, and he would only be the last move of the chess game, a useless chess piece, a useless piece!
Jiang Quan abruptly shut his mouth and looked straight at Jiang Ruan. Jiang Ruan's undisguised hatred and crazed gaze fell into his eyes, and he suddenly felt a burst of fear. He did not know where Jiang Ruan's hatred came from. How could a person reveal such a frightening expression, like a man-eating beast?
"Jiang Quan, do you admit to your crimes?" Sun Xu saw that the commotion was about over, so he slammed the gavel and shouted.
Somewhat woodenly, Jiang Quan turned his head back. He looked at Sun Xu in the hall and suddenly smiled slowly. Standing in the middle, he said somewhat disdainfully, "Sun Xu, why are you pretending to be virtuous and virtuous? We are all officials of the same court, and since we are officials, there is no such thing as innocence. Today, you have treated me like this. I admit that my power is inferior to yours, so I have nothing to say. I will also admit to this crime! But you must remember, I am merely subservient to power. Today, as long as my power is able to contend a little more, no matter what, I will fight for it! "
When Jiang Ruan heard his words, the corners of her eyes slowly curved downwards, and she smiled faintly. As expected of Jiang Quan, having been an official for so many years, he was able to see the important point at a glance. In today's matter, the witness was actually not the most important, and the material evidence was also not the most important. It all depended on how the case was tried. The attitude that Sun Xu revealed was the most important. Jiang Quan probably thought that Sun Xu would not dare to go too far on the account of his colleague, but Sun Xu's attitude could only explain one thing: someone was supporting Jiang Ruan. No matter who that person was, to be able to make Sun Xu bend his back, the person's background was certainly not small. When Jiang Quan pleaded guilty, he even held back a trick. He pretended to plead guilty in such a magnanimous manner, but his last few sentences caused people to involuntarily think of other things. Even if he pleaded guilty, he still took the opportunity to splash a basin of dirty water on Jiang Ruan and Sun Xu. This was really sinister.
But why would Jiang Quan do such a thing? Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. Jiang Quan had never been one to waste time on useless things. Since he had already admitted his crime, what was the use of this kind of insignificant splashing of dirty water? This kind of behavior was like that of an incompetent person who had no way of dealing with anything, and in Jiang Ruan's eyes, she only felt that it was ridiculous. She slowly stood up and walked to Jiang Quan's side. Everyone silently watched this pair of father and daughter. Jiang Quan was agitated, his old face flushed red and distorted. His originally thin and protruding cheekbones were now somewhat black, and he no longer had the appearance of a dashing and confident young official. On the other hand, Jiang Ruan was in the prime of her youth. She was born with snow-white skin and a beautiful face, but her expression was very calm, and even carried a trace of a gentle smile.
Between these two people, one was ugly and one was beautiful, one was manic and one was calm, one was angry and one was smiling. There was really not a trace of father-daughter relationship between them. Jiang Ruan walked to stand in front of Jiang Quan. Jiang Quan stared angrily at her. His gaze contained anger and resentment, and even a trace of fear, but there was really not a trace of warmth to be found. Jiang Ruan was already used to it. She stopped in front of Jiang Quan and suddenly sighed. She said softly, "So, even the Minister Jiang, who has always been ambitious and ambitious and pure to the bones, will have a moment when he succumbs to power."
Her words were full of sighs, but they were like a fierce hammer that fiercely pounded on Jiang Quan's heart. Vaguely, what appeared before his eyes was the time when he was flushed with success and had become an upstart in the court. Even though his ambition was as big as the heavens, his luck was as thin as paper. He had always wanted to put on an appearance of being pure and untainted by the secular world, but now, he had to voluntarily admit that he had prostrated before the footsteps of power. This was a fatal blow to him, and also an unbearable humiliation. And this humiliation came from his daughter, whom he had crushed from the bottom of his heart into the mud.
The more glorious Jiang Ruan was, the more Jiang Quan felt that his current position was lowly. From the bottom of his heart, he was a cowardly and hypocritical person. He had always valued the way others looked at him, so he had spent so many years to forge himself into an honest and upright person. At this moment, when this outer layer of skin was torn apart, Jiang Quan could no longer bear it. He felt as if he could not breathe and directly fainted.
The two officials hurriedly took Jiang Quan away. Sun Xu slammed the gavel and shouted, "The criminal subject Jiang Quan pleads guilty in court. He conspired with the concubine, Xia shi, to murder his first wife and cruelly harm his children. His heinous crimes are unpardonable. The evidence of his crimes is clear and witnessed by thousands of people. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules.
Outside, the crowd of onlookers who were watching the commotion immediately flared up. Zhao Guang clenched his fists tightly. Today, he had already restrained himself very well. However, even though he had heard Jiang Quan plead guilty and knew that he would definitely not be able to escape the blame, Zhao Guang still could not stop himself from losing control. Zhao Yuanjia comforted him, but Zhao Yuan Ping and Zhao Yuan Feng looked at each other, their gazes somewhat heavy.
Jiang Ruan stood indifferently on the spot as she watched Jiang Quan being dragged away. Slowly, she lowered her eyes. Was it over just like that? Of course not.
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