good season

Zhao Shiqing was unaware that after she left at the Spring Banquet, Princess Jiayi, upon learning that Xiao Zhen had arrived, abandoned her guests and rushed to see her son.

Upon seeing her son's brand-new fake face, Princess Jiayi's eyes welled up with tears, and she grabbed her son, ready to shed a torrent of sobs.

Prince Consort Xiao quickly comforted him, "Don't cry, don't cry. Your makeup took an hour to put on today. If you cry and it gets ruined, you'll have to touch it up."

Princess Jiayi sniffed, forcing back her tears, and pouted, looking pitifully at Prince Consort Xiao: "Brother Yan, are my tears alright?"

Prince Consort Xiao said softly, "Good, it cost nothing, it's absolutely beautiful."

Princess Jiayi smiled, her face as radiant as a peach blossom.

Xiao Zhen couldn't bear to look at them and turned to look at the wall. He would rather look at the empty white wall than at his parents.

It must be quite helpless for someone to face parents like that, but thankfully he now has a younger sister.

"Your father is here, so you should go back. Don't let the guests think you are neglecting them."

Princess Jiayi wanted to say, "What guests? None of them are as important as my precious son," but then she suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit.

“My son, didn’t you say that the girl you love would come? I’ve looked at all the girls who came today. Only two of them are making their first appearance in the capital. But those two, well, one is not very good-looking, and the other is like a block of wood.”

You were raised by your mother with great difficulty, and you have the same taste as your mother. Unlike your father, who would never even look at you, I don't believe you would fall for either of those two girls.

Tell your mother quickly, is it because that girl didn't come? Why didn't she come? Did you make her run away?

"Oh dear, do you know what? Yu the Chili was saying today, mocking me for not having a son or daughter-in-law. She said she's getting married next year and is just waiting to hold her grandson! Can you believe how vicious she is? She knows you're dead, yet she still tries to provoke me. It's infuriating! My son, you have to make your mother proud! I don't want her to outdo me, you know? She almost stole your father from me back then, and you almost didn't exist!"

Princess Jiayi launched into a tirade, prompting Xiao Zhen to retort irritably, "When did she ever try to steal my father from you? She just glanced at him, and you've held a grudge for twenty years."

"What do you mean 'just a glance'? She glanced at me several times, at least three or four times!" Princess Jiayi grew angrier the more she thought about it. Sure enough, her son was a waste of her time. She was so angry, yet her son was still speaking up for their enemy. So she couldn't count on her son. Luckily, she had her daughter, her little darling. She was the apple of her mother's eye.

"Brother Yan, you be the judge. Did Yu Chili glance at you several times?"

Having Yan Ge as a confidant in this world is enough.

The Imperial Son-in-Law Xiao asked helplessly, "Who is Yu Chili? Why don't I remember such a person?"

Princess Jiayi beamed with joy. Hmph, it's pointless for anyone else to even look at her husband.

Suddenly remembering the girl her son liked, she quickly asked her son, "Don't interrupt, did that girl not come?"

Xiao Zhen: "They've arrived. They're the ones you mentioned, the ones brought by Yu Chili."

Princess Jiayi was dumbfounded. If she had known this would happen, she would never have argued with Yu Chili today.

No, Yu Chili only brought a maid with her, and later she was with the Princess Consort of Prince Fu. From beginning to end, no young girl appeared by her side!

Seeing her disbelief, Xiao Zhen slowly said, "She's disguised as a man and is with the Yan family's children."

Princess Jiayi opened her mouth repeatedly. She had indeed seen the Yan family group today, a huge crowd coming to pay their respects. Just looking at them gave her a headache. She had her maid bring them a tray of goldfish as a reward and then sent them away.

If she had known this would happen, she would have taken a closer look, no matter how annoyed she was.

“How did such a fine girl end up hanging out with the Yan family? That’s against the rules. And you, why did you let her come with Yu Chili? I could have had Granny Bai go and pick her up.”

Xiao Zhen: "That's someone's relative, an elder. It's the most proper way for Madam Yu to bring her along. I would like you to send someone to pick her up, but it wouldn't be proper, and her grandfather would never agree."

Princess Jiayi was taken aback. She realized that her son was only enthusiastic about the girl's idea, and her family had not yet agreed.

Wait, how come her daughter-in-law is related to Yu Chili?
"A relative of Yu Chili?" Princess Jiayi asked. Although Yu Chili was a shrew, she came from an excellent family. Even if she hadn't married into the Duke of Wei's mansion, she would still be a noble lady among noble ladies.

Xiao Zhen glanced at her before slowly saying, "Although the Duke of Wei's family is a distant relative, Madam Yu is her sister's future mother-in-law, so of course they are relatives."

Princess Jiayi parted her cherry lips slightly, paused for a moment, then turned to Prince Consort Xiao and said, "Brother Yan, is the girl I'm talking about the one I'm thinking of?"

Prince Consort Xiao nodded: "That should be it."

Princess Jiayi plopped down next to Prince Consort Xiao, pouted, and wanted to cry, but then she remembered her makeup that had taken an hour to put on and gave up the idea of ​​crying.

"What have I done to deserve this? Why am I being related to Yu Chili? My child, can't we sever ties?"

Xiao Zhen stood up: "Miss Zhao and Madam Yu get along very well. It's impossible for them to sever ties. I'm making this clear: what's next is between you and my father. Also, Mother, you've been too high-profile lately. Try to tone it down."

After Xiao Zhen finished speaking, he left, leaving Princess Jiayi and Xiao Consort staring at each other in bewilderment.

It wasn't until Xiao Zhen had been gone for a long time that Princess Jiayi tugged at Xiao Consort's sleeve, looking aggrieved: "Brother Yan, my son scolded me. How am I being high-profile? I was clearly being very low-profile."

Prince Consort Xiao patted her hand gently, his voice incredibly tender: "Of course, you've already been very discreet. Everyone's talking about the floods in Tongzhou. Whether it's true or not, since His Majesty values ​​this matter, we should treat it as true. We must be careful in all matters, big and small, and we really can't be too extravagant. We shouldn't give those censors any ammunition. You're intelligent, kind-hearted, and have a strong sense of justice. You'll definitely handle this very well."

Princess Jiayi nodded. They were saying the same thing. Her eldest son could drive anyone crazy, but Yan-ge could speak to her heart. She even felt a little sorry for that Miss Zhao. She remembered that she was a very likable girl. Alas, no wonder her grandfather didn't agree. With her eldest son's mouth that could drive anyone crazy, it would be strange if he agreed.

Princess Jiayi never hid her thoughts from Prince Consort Xiao. When she spoke her mind, Prince Consort Xiao was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

“That Miss Zhao is the adopted daughter of the old Prince Liang. Behind her stands the Prince Liang’s Mansion. The reason why the eldest princess married into the capital was also the Emperor’s scheme. In short, the Prince Liang’s Mansion is a thorn in the Emperor’s side. Aren’t you worried about the Emperor’s opinion if we form a marriage alliance with the Prince Liang’s Mansion?”

Princess Jiayi rolled her eyes, suddenly seeming like a different person, her innocent charm vanished: "I've already been killed by him once, I've survived nine deaths and one life. Do I have to be at the mercy of a murderer when I marry a daughter-in-law? If that's the case, I'd rather go to the Longevity Palace with you and guard the alchemy furnace for Father than live a life of ignominy."

Besides, that Miss Zhao is our savior, what could I possibly be dissatisfied with?"

At this point, she became deflated again: "Our son still has to put on a fake face to people. How can people not look down on him? I don't know when I'll be able to have a daughter-in-law's tea."

The couple remained silent, a thousand words unspoken, yet suddenly they no longer wished to speak. After the spring banquet, the capital was bustling for several days, filled with proposals and marriage arrangements; even Emperor Yongjia bestowed several marriages upon the people.

However, the topic of conversation in the streets and alleys soon changed from which families were getting married to the release of the Princess of Changling from prison!
Yes, Wei Ya'er has been released from the Ministry of Justice prison.

The cause of Wei Wubing's death has been determined. There was no problem with the medicinal materials, the water used to boil the medicine, or the clay pot and bowl. The problem lay with the piece of candy that Wei Wubing ate after drinking the medicine.

The candy was brought back from the palace by Wei Ya'er and given to Wei Wubing.

Although Wei Wubing was pampered since childhood and was bisexual, he neither liked snacks nor sweets. On the contrary, Wei Ya'er always had sweets with her. That day, she knew that Wei Wubing refused to drink his medicine and even hit a maid with the medicine bowl. When Wei Ya'er brewed the medicine again and brought it to Wei Wubing, she also took a few pieces of candy. After Wei Wubing drank the medicine, she fed him a piece of candy to the corner of his mouth. Wei Wubing didn't want to eat it, but since it was his sister who fed it to him, he had no choice but to eat it. He didn't hold it in his mouth, but chewed and swallowed it.

It was this piece of candy that led Wei Wubing to his doom.

There were still many candies in Wei Ya'er's room. Yan Xia had them checked one by one, but none of them contained poison.

The candy that Wei Ya'er gave to Wei Wubing that day, and the few that he hadn't finished, were also found by Yan Xia in Wei Ya'er's purse. All of these candies contained arsenic!
Wei Ya'er claimed that the candy had been switched, but all the maids present that day were beaten to death by her, including her own maid.

Therefore, now that the dead have no way to testify.

Wei Ya'er remains the prime suspect in the murder of Wei Wubing.

Just then, people from the Wei family arrived!
The Wei family members who came were clan elders, Wei Ya'er's father and two uncles, as well as Wei Ya'er's maternal uncle and several cousins ​​from the Wei clan.

Although Wei Wubing was physically weak, he was the eldest grandson of the Wei family branch, holding a superior position. He was also favored by his great-aunt, Old Madam Wei, so the Wei family placed high hopes on him.

Unexpectedly, this great grandson was poisoned to death less than half a year after arriving in the capital.

The murderer turned out to be his twin sister.

Upon hearing the devastating news, Grandmother Wei fell seriously ill. Even so, she insisted on not letting her sons attend to her while she was ill, and instead sent all three of her sons to the capital to bring back her eldest grandson.

As for Wei Ya'er, Grandmother Wei only said three words.

"Let her die!"

Wei's father also hated Wei Ya'er to the core, but he could not agree to Wei's grandmother's request.

Today, Wei Ya'er is not only a girl of the Wei family, but also a county princess personally appointed by the emperor and the prospective daughter-in-law of the Liang Prince's Mansion.

Even if the emperor strips her of her title, as long as the marriage to the Prince of Liang is arranged, the Wei family cannot do anything to Wei Ya'er.

Wei's father swallowed hard, bid farewell to his elderly mother and wife, and led everyone on a journey that took them day and night to the capital.

When Yan Xia learned that the Wei family had arrived, he stopped interfering. Wei Ya'er was a young lady from a respectable family and a county princess with a title, so the Ministry of Justice could no longer handle her.

Sure enough, a few days later, a palace eunuch came to the Ministry of Justice to deliver an imperial edict that Wei Ya'er should be handed over to the Wei clan for punishment.

That day was sunny and breezy. Somehow, the people heard the news, and a large crowd gathered outside the Ministry of Justice's prison to watch the spectacle.

Wei Ya'er walked out of the prison disheveled and in a sorry state. She had been locked up in the prison for ten days. Although she had not been tortured, life in the prison was not easy.

Several servants of the Wei family in the capital had been beaten to death by her, and the rest had been arrested. Although Old Madam Wei did not believe that she would kill Wei Wubing, she only sent people to inquire about the news a few times and did not even go to see Wei Ya'er.

Therefore, during the ten days that Wei Ya'er was in prison, neither the palace nor the Wei family sent her any food or supplies, nor did anyone bribe the prison warden for her.

Although her cell was the best in the Ministry of Justice, it only provided her with a clean set of bedding, and her daily food was relatively better, at least the rice was free of sand.

However, for Wei Ya'er, who had been pampered since childhood, these were tortures.

Although there were blankets, they were as hard as iron and infested with fleas and lice. The cell reeked of decay, and rats scurried about and fought for food in front of her without any fear of humans.

In such an environment, Wei Ya'er even hoped to be taken in for questioning so that she could leave temporarily. Unfortunately, she only had two such opportunities. After those two, she was like an abandoned rag doll, forgotten in the prison.

Today, the prison warden came over and told her expressionlessly that she could leave.

"Have they caught the murderer? Has it proven my innocence? I knew it! I knew it!"

The surprise came so quickly that Wei Ya'er's voice trembled with excitement as she was immersed in this hard-won joy.

The jailer shook his head: "I don't know. You'd better hurry up and leave. Don't dawdle. This isn't your home!"

The jailer turned and left, saying to the two female guards, "Hurry up and get her out!"

Wei Ya'er wanted to ask more, but the jailer had already walked away. The two female guards said irritably, "Are you leaving or not?"

Wei Ya'er didn't want to stay in this wretched place for even a moment longer. She gritted her teeth and said to the two female servants, "You lowly servants, if I, the county magistrate, say one word, not only will you lose your jobs, but your families will also be unable to establish themselves in the capital!"

The female performer patted her chest: "I was so scared, I was terrified."

Another: "Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of the county princess, what a grand display of power!"

Wei Ya'er originally wanted the people who came to fetch her to come in and serve her. She also wanted to change her clothes and wash her face, but the two maids didn't even glance at her and left on their own.

Wei Ya'er cursed a few times, but found that she had even lost her fighting spirit. She gritted her teeth, stomped her feet, and shouted at the two female servants, "You wait and see how this county magistrate deals with you!"

Stepping out of the Ministry of Justice's prison, Wei Ya'er stood in the sunlight, her eyes stinging for a while before she could clearly see her surroundings.

She heard all sorts of sounds around her, laughter and curses, all directed at her.

There were so many people! There were so many people outside the Ministry of Justice prison! (End of Chapter)