Chapter 160: Chain Schemes

The discussion about the arranged marriage was growing louder in the capital.

Ever since Xiao Ye angrily ordered someone to beat the scholar named Weng Ang, it was like poking a hornet’s nest. 

Not only were there heated discussions in the market, but there were also many criticisms in scholarly circles. Initially, a small group of people in the court opposed the arranged marriage with the Tatars. After this incident, old issues were brought up again, putting immense pressure on the Xiao family.

For a while, there were Weng Ang’s accusations and investigations by the authorities.

Not to mention, there was Xiao Dingfei at home, eager to create chaos.

From Xiao Yuan and Xiao Shu down to the servants and housekeepers, they were all in a state of turmoil for the first time.

If it were just the street discussions, it would be manageable. 

After all, although Xiao Shu was granted the title of County Mistress, there had never been a precedent for a County Mistress being sent for an arranged marriage. The Xiao family, though troubled, wasn’t afraid.

But unexpectedly, the situation worsened a few days ago.

The Xiao family was one of the top aristocratic families in the capital, with deep roots and extensive connections, often arrogant in their dealings. They had done many things, both openly and secretly, such as oppressing commoners and selling official positions. Many victims had tried to expose these actions but were suppressed by the Xiao family. Many of these victims mysteriously disappeared, and the Xiao family remained unscathed.

Recently, however, these issues and people have resurfaced.

Some brought up old cases, posting notices throughout the capital; some beat drums to demand justice, directly appealing to the authorities; and some even rallied scholars to jointly petition, hoping to bring the matter to the emperor’s attention…

More frighteningly, some secret and unpublicized deeds of the Xiao family were also uncovered and spread among the populace, causing widespread shock and condemnation!

“How could the news of the disaster relief funds being embezzled in Ganzhou reach the outside? Only a few people from top to bottom knew about it,” Xiao Yuan roared angrily after hearing the report from his subordinate. 

His face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table, causing the expensive inkstone and brush rest to fall. “Could it be that those few people back then were adding insult to injury…”

The embezzlement case of the disaster relief funds in Ganzhou happened three years ago.

When the investigation was completed, the entire officialdom in Ganzhou was purged, with over sixty people executed.

However, few knew that while those executed were certainly not innocent, the real culprit—the Xiao family in the capital—remained unscathed! Most of the disaster relief funds had been siphoned off and eventually ended up in the pockets of the Xiao family!

Those who knew the details back then were either high-ranking officials now or had become ghosts in the underworld.

Who would bring up old matters?

Who could bring up old matters?!

Xiao Shu reviewed the grudges and enemies of the Xiao family, but found no leads: “Our secret opponent seems to not only be against Princess Leyang’s marriage alliance but also targeting the Xiao family. More importantly, it appears they have been lying in wait for a long time, gathering a lot of our secrets, and this time they’ve unleashed them all at once. It’s clear they want a decisive battle, determined to make things difficult for us.”

To have this intention, one must also have the capability?

Xiao Yuan dismissed his subordinate, his expression changing. 

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, “I always feel that ever since we dealt with the Yongyi Marquis’s residence, the Emperor’s attitude has been strange. Especially since that wicked son came back, the Emperor’s actions have been hard to discern.”

Xiao Dingfei’s return almost seemed like an affront to the Xiao family, making things difficult for them.

Yet the Emperor was consistently on Xiao Dingfei’s side.

This was bearable, as on the surface, Xiao Dingfei was the Emperor’s savior. Who else could the Emperor side with if not him?

But the public had been discussing for a long time, even suggesting that Xiao Shu should replace the princess in the marriage alliance, an absurd notion. 

As the Emperor, Shen Lang had never rebuked this idea; instead, he ignored it.

Though he had never supported it, he had also not spoken out against it.

How many fence-sitters were there in the court?

Seeing that the Emperor had not taken a stance, many chose not to get involved.

Others who already had grievances against the Xiao family were naturally encouraged and took this opportunity to escalate the situation, becoming more arrogant and rude, as if determined to drag the Xiao family down.

Hearing Xiao Yuan’s words, Xiao Shu felt even heavier at heart and said, “I will visit the Empress Dowager in the palace another day. But no matter who our secret opponent is or who exactly is involved, the issue began with the marriage alliance. The suggestion that I replace Shen Zhiyi in this matter cannot be allowed to succeed.”

She was a woman born of high status.

Only the supreme position of the six palaces was worthy of her.

A marriage alliance with the Tatars?

In their dreams!

Xiao Yuan was startled: “Do you have a plan?”

*

Although the suggestion for Xiao Shu to replace Princess Leyang in the marriage alliance was making a lot of noise, many high-ranking families in the capital with suitable daughters paid no attention to it and were even somewhat gleeful.

After all, with the selection of the Imperial Consort of the Linzi Prince approaching, Xiao Shu was still one of the popular candidates.

The reputation of Miss Jiang Xuehui, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, had also been tarnished recently due to the scandal involving her younger sister, Jiang Xuening, at the Shuxiang Inn. 

Being from the same household, both sisters’ reputations were inevitably linked.

In high society, marriage prospects are greatly influenced by family circumstances. If one sister’s reputation is poor, it can negatively impact the marriage prospects of all her sisters. Many people felt that Jiang Xuehui was unfortunate to have a sister like Jiang Xuening.

Madam Meng was deeply frustrated at home.

Fortunately, the scandal had passed quickly and did not create too much of a stir, soon being overshadowed by the discussions about the marriage alliance.

However, just a day later, even more vicious rumors began to pour in towards the Jiang residence like a storm!

“Have you heard? The young ladies of the Jiang family are quite scandalous.”

“I know, it’s about that Zhang Zhe, right? I heard she chased him out in public, completely disregarding her dignity…”

“That’s not all!”

“She actually has a thing with the heir of the Duke of Xiao’s family. Haven’t you heard? The heir listens to her every word and even brought gifts from the Emperor to win her favor?”

“How could that be?”

“Don’t you know? Last year in Tongzhou, my brother was stationed there and saw it clearly. That Jiang family’s second miss was mixed up with a group of fugitives, a bunch of men. And that heir, you don’t know how charming he is! One thing led to another, and they started flirting. Even Zhang Zhe was present then, it was quite something…”

“This is so immoral!”

…

The streets were abuzz with various rumors. The incident of the Tianjiao Bandits storming the prison had already caused a huge commotion in the capital, and the involvement of a young woman in such a scandal only fueled more curiosity and embellishments, with every detail being exaggerated.

Madam Meng overheard this while out and was so furious that she nearly lost her composure.

It was only then that she vaguely understood what Jiang Xuening had meant when she said, “This is just the beginning,” after the Shuxiang Inn incident. 

Upon returning to the Jiang residence, she put on a stern face and immediately summoned Jiang Boyou, as well as asking for Jiang Xuehui and Jiang Xuening to come over.

Knowing Jiang Xuening’s rebellious nature, Madam Meng deliberately maintained a cold demeanor and added, “Bring a servant with you. If she refuses to come, bring her here by force! It’s bad enough she’s ruining her own reputation at such a young age, but now she’s dragging her sister down as well! She really has no shame!”

To her surprise, her threats proved unnecessary.

Jiang Xuening was already prepared. When the messenger arrived, she greeted them with a smile and went along willingly.

The selection of Jiang Xuehui as the consort for the Linzi Prince was the Jiang family’s most important recent event.

Even Jiang Boyou was very invested.

After all, Jiang Xuehui seemed to have won Shen Xie’s favor. She had previously saved the pregnant Wen Zhaoyi in the Imperial Garden, earning recognition in the palace. With favorable timing, location, and people, the only thing left was to see it through to success.

But at this crucial moment, the issue from last year when Jiang Xuening was abducted to Tongzhou during the Tianjiao prison break was brought up!

As soon as Jiang Xuening arrived, Meng Shi smashed a teacup in anger, trembling: “Look at what you’ve done! I thought you’d have learned something after entering the palace, but it seems you haven’t changed at all, and even become worse!”

In a fit of rage, Meng Shi lost her composure, but Jiang Xuening easily avoided the outburst.

She glanced at Jiang Xuehui, who was sitting beside her with a frown, and then stepped over the broken teacup fragments, bowing to Jiang Boyou: “Greetings, Father.”

Jiang Boyou, who was deeply troubled, sighed and instructed someone to calm Meng Shi down. Then he told Jiang Xuening to sit down before continuing: “The events of the Tianjiao prison break and the situation in Tongzhou are things that have already happened and are not under Ning girl’s control. Blaming her now won’t solve the problem; it will only confuse things further. It’s not worth it.”

Meng Shi sneered: “And it’s not her fault?!”

Jiang Xuehui sighed softly and said: “Mother, calm down. The urgent matter now is to figure out how to deal with it.”

Jiang Xuening, seemingly without a care, slouched in her chair and lazily groomed her nails, agreeing: “Yes, it’s already happened. Can putting me back in my mother’s womb make it disappear? Those who plotted against you would be delighted if you all ended up destroying me.”

Meng Shi retorted: “Is that how you speak without any respect?”

Jiang Xuening replied candidly: “No respect.”

Finally unable to tolerate any longer, Jiang Boyou’s face darkened as he shouted: “Enough with the shouting! Is there any need to make things worse?”

At this, the room fell silent.

Jiang Boyou, having picked up on the implication of Jiang Xuening’s words, directly asked: “Ning’er, what do you mean by saying someone is scheming behind the scenes?”

Jiang Xuening squinted and smiled: “There’s no profit without a reason. Clearly, the cause of this trouble is not me but my sister. The emperor mentioned last year that he wanted to appoint a crown prince. The child in Empress Wen’s womb is still unknown in gender, and there are many young ladies in the capital eyeing the position of the Princess of Linzi. Father, you must have seen such things frequently in the court. Originally, this was my sister’s doing, but now it’s being blamed on me. Isn’t that amusing?”

Meng Shi was stunned.

Jiang Xuehui, though speaking little, understood the situation and nodded slightly.

Jiang Boyou had indeed considered this possibility.

On the surface, it seemed like a coincidence that last year’s incident involving Ning’er was being brought up again; but on a deeper level, the indirect impact was on Xuehui, who was about to compete for the Princess of Linzi position. 

Further, the beneficiary of this situation would be Xuehui’s biggest rival.

But who could this rival be…

He furrowed his brows and remained silent for a while.

Jiang Xuening, on the other hand, felt a rare sense of anticipation and satisfaction that something was about to change: In the capital, the discussion about marriage alliances was almost stirred up by her. 

After the fall of the Xiao family in her previous life, Xie Wei had publicly listed the crimes of the Xiao family, and she had followed the clues to find weaknesses and exploit them. The Tongzhou incident had involved the Xiao family, who were aware of her existence. At a critical moment, the “smart people” would naturally remember this.

Xiao Shu must be very unhappy right now.

She glanced at Jiang Boyou and added another layer of suspicion to his already deep doubts: “The greatest beneficiary is the one behind the scenes. There’s talk in the capital about Xiao Shu replacing the Princess for the marriage alliance. If the Xiao family didn’t want Xiao Shu to marry into the alliance, the simplest method would be to marry her off. The Crown Prince of Linzi is talented, handsome, and has a promising future. Isn’t he the best choice? If the Crown Prince of Linzi chooses her as his consort, even if the emperor wavers, he wouldn’t dare to take away the future wife of his younger brother for the alliance. So, the position of Princess of Linzi is clearly intended for her.”

The intricate scheming behind this matter was part of the Xiao family’s desperation, driven to the edge by the capital’s marriage alliance discussions.

Meng Shi hadn’t thought this deeply before, but now she seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.

Jiang Xuehui lowered her gaze and remained silent.

Jiang Boyou, though he cast a penetrating glance at his second daughter, who wore a hint of mockery on her lips and appeared far from simple, did not directly ask if she was behind the machinations. Instead, he said: “The arrow is on the string. The Xiao family has gone too far. How can our Jiang family just sit back and let them act with impunity?”

The next day, the usually amiable Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Jiang Boyou, submitted a memorial to the court requesting a thorough investigation into the Ganzhou disaster relief case from three years ago and supported the idea of replacing the Princess with Xiao Shu for the marriage alliance with the Tatars. This was a severe blow to the Xiao family!

The news shocked the court and the public.

When the news reached the streets, Jiang Xuening was lounging by the window on the second floor, listening to famous performers sing with Xiao Dingfei by her side.

Xiao Dingfei was dutifully serving her, peeling a plate of melon seeds for her with a lack of dignity, but couldn’t help but ask curiously: “How did you know about the Ganzhou disaster relief case?”

Jiang Xuening rolled her eyes: “What’s it to you?”

Xiao Dingfei: “……”

He wondered how a fine young lady had picked up such coarse language from spending time with him.

He frowned: “You’re a young lady.”

Jiang Xuening snorted, moved the plate of melon seeds in front of her, grabbed a handful, and tossed them into her mouth with no trace of the graceful demeanor expected of a young lady.

But the way she acted so recklessly…

Xiao Dingfei watched her with a hint of infatuation, his boldness overcoming his restraint as he quietly leaned in to try and take her white, delicate hand.

Jiang Xuening gave him a light slap on the face, raising an eyebrow: “Looking for trouble?”

Xiao Dingfei, rubbing his face, looked aggrieved: “I’ve done so much for you. Don’t I deserve a reward?”

Jiang Xuening pushed the plate of melon seeds towards him: “Here, take it.”

Xiao Dingfei: “……”

Wasn’t that the plate of seeds he had just peeled?

He was frustrated but saw that Jiang Xuening was about to take the plate back, so he hurriedly grabbed a handful and stood by the window with her to watch the performance below.

The play being performed was “The Yellow Millet Dream.”

“Quite strange and melancholic.”

Xiao Dingfei stared at her for a while, then suddenly looked at her intently and said, “Do you truly only want to save the princess from the cage?”

Jiang Xuening paused with a melon seed in her hand, seemingly surprised by his question. She glanced back at him and replied, “Otherwise, what?”

Xiao Dingfei remained silent.

Although he was certainly a fool, he had spent his life reading others’ expressions to survive and had developed a remarkable skill in discerning hidden emotions.

After a while, he suddenly smiled, “I was just wondering if you see the princess as if you were looking at yourself.”

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