The Double
Chapter 365 - 128 Discovery_3

Chapter 365: Chapter 128 Discovery_3

This old minister must have had a good relationship with Xue Huaiyuan back in the day. Seeing an old friend, he shared in detail why Xue Huaiyuan resigned. Having ambitions that can’t be realized is truly stifling. Everyone listening couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion and pity.

Emperor Hongxiao said, "Such a talented person, yet falsely accused and imprisoned as a criminal, and now he has met such a wretched fate. This is my fault, as well as a loss for Northern Yan."

All the ministers knelt down.

Jiang Li’s mind stirred; Xue Huaiyuan’s past being revealed was just the help she needed at the moment. Without thinking, she said, "Your Majesty, Xue Huaiyuan’s downfall was entirely Feng Yutang’s doing, out of personal vengeance. This female servant requests severe punishment for Feng Yutang!"

"Of course, severe punishment!" Emperor Hongxiao snorted coldly, "I did not know that there could be such a brazen person beneath the heavens, framing the loyal and good!"

"Lord Feng certainly has some nerve," Jiang Li said, "Not only did he frame a loyal official, but he also mined privately on Dongshan Mountain of Tongxiang. The imperial court banned private mining many years ago. Private mining is akin to treason and should be punished with death!"

Feng Yutang was already sweating profusely, and nearly fainted.

"However, it’s quite odd. Even though Lord Feng has amassed untold wealth in Tongxiang, he still desired more gold. His greed is insatiable and his audacity knows no bounds. This female servant found a letter in the Feng Residence, and the letter directly demands the torture of Xue Huaiyuan. However, the owner of the letter is quite strange..." Jiang Li smiled slightly, "The official seal on that letter belongs to Princess Yongning of our dynasty!"

After performing this play for so long, she had finally reached the climax!

"How dare you!" Prince Cheng’s face turned ashen, "Slandering a princess of the state, do you realize what kind of crime this is? It could cost you your head!"

"There’s no need for His Highness Prince Cheng to be agitated," Jiang Li replied without fear, coldly retorting, "This female servant is merely stating the facts, not convicting the princess. The letter could be a forgery, and actually, this female servant also believes it is a trap."

Emperor Hongxiao stared at Jiang Li; the memorial submitted by Ye Shijie concerned Princess Yongning. Jiang Li’s mentioning it now was within his expectations. But why would Jiang Li bring it up only to deny it herself?

"Princess Yongning has no kinship or connection with the Xue Family. How could she have instructed Feng Yutang to frame the Xue Family and imprison Xue Huaiyuan? This female servant has inquired; of the entire Xue family, Xue Huaiyuan only had a son and a daughter. His son, Xue Zhao, was killed by bandits in the capital last year. His daughter, Xue Fangfei, was the deceased wife of the Assistant Head Writer, Lord Shen, and died of illness at the Shen family half a year ago. Neither Xue Zhao nor Xue Fangfei has any connection to the Shen family. Therefore, in this female servant’s opinion, this claim must be false!"

No one in the court knew of Xue Zhao, but upon hearing the name "Xue Fangfei," everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned towards Shen Yurong.

Back then, Xue Fangfei cuckolded Shen Yurong, leaving the people of Yanjing City mocking, sympathizing, or cursing the adulterer and promiscuous woman. In the end, everyone knew the story. As half a year passed and the stunningly beautiful Xue Fangfei faded from memory, she became nothing more than idle gossip.

Just as her name had started to be forgotten, it was now brought up again, especially in a case concerning Xue Huaiyuan that everyone was focused on.

Shen Yurong still maintained a calm and unruffled expression; he had always carried himself with grace. However, his gaze towards Jiang Li held an indistinct profound meaning.

Jih Heng watched Jiang Li with a smile gradually deepening at the corners of his lips. Among the civil and military officials, he was the only one observing the court debate with a relaxed demeanor. Some were like facing a formidable enemy, some reveled in others’ misfortune, but only he, with an insouciance that belied his understanding of everything, was mildly pushing things along according to her wishes.

Prince Cheng, however, looked towards Shen Yurong with a flicker of annoyance in his heart.

Jiang Li’s expression was sincere, as if she truly believed in Princess Yongning’s innocence and eagerly wanted to clear her name. Internally, however, she laughed silently.

This strategy of retreating to advance seemingly aimed to proactively clear Princess Yongning of any suspicion, yet it exposed Xue Zhao and Xue Fangfei to everyone. The case of Xue Huaiyuan alone would not have revealed much; the key lay with Xue Fangfei.

Princess Yongning was set on entering the Shen family, to become Madam Shen one day. But the rumor of Princess Yongning manipulating Feng Yutang to frame Xue Huaiyuan made her marriage to Shen Yurong fraught with difficulty. Because if she did so, it gave the perfect reason for her to have framed Xue Huaiyuan. People would say, look, she wanted to marry Shen Yurong, so she plotted against Xue Huaiyuan; even the deaths of Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao could be met with suspicion.