Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 75: Master Lou's helplessness, kicking someone when they are down

Master Lou could only bow quickly and say.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I have absolutely no such intentions."

"Just leading troops to trespass into the Ministry of Justice's prison is a serious crime."

"This time, the three judicial departments are jointly investigating the case of imperial examination fraud. They have toiled day and night, loyally serving the king."

"I never thought the Champion Marquis would be so audacious as to openly interfere with the investigation of the Three Courts."

"I implore Your Majesty to severely punish the Marquis of Guanjun and posthumously confer the title of Marquis of Guanjun on Lord Yang Lin who passed away due to illness."

Emperor Yongping said calmly.

"Taifu, what you said makes sense. I will consider it carefully."

"Alright, there's been a recent death in the Taifu family, so there's no need to be so concerned about state affairs. Go home and recuperate."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will take my leave."

Master Lou felt helpless and then left the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Yongping then looked at Xia Shouzhong who was standing beside him and said.

"Xia Shouzhong, draft the decree."

"Marquis Guanjun has acted inappropriately and violated the law. He is stripped of his title of Grand Pillar of the State and his fiefdom reduced by 2,000 households. He must remain at home to reflect on his mistakes and is not allowed to leave without permission."

"This imperial decree will be issued tomorrow."

Xia Shouzhong said after hesitating for a moment.

"Your Majesty, what about Yang Lin, the Chief Censor? Should he be posthumously awarded a title?"

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"A Chief Censor and three judicial officials jointly investigated the case, but they didn't try to handle it impartially and put the interests of the country first."

"Instead, they prioritized the interests of their cronies. For an official like this, it would be a blessing for him to die. What's the point of posthumous honors?"

"It is already a mercy on my part to be able to provide his family with a pension according to his current rank."

"Oh, I remember there's a little mermaid pearl in the inner treasury. Send someone to deliver it to the Queen's palace and tell her that this is a gift from me, so she can appreciate my kindness."

"The slaves obey the order."

After dealing with this matter, Emperor Yongping continued to handle government affairs.

Not long after, the Queen's palace received the mermaid pearl bestowed by Emperor Yongping.

Queen Shen looked at the mermaid Xiao Mingzhu in front of her, and her face instantly became extremely ugly.

The eldest prince standing by said with some confusion when he saw this.

"Mother, although our goal was not achieved this time, Father did not punish us. Instead, he gave us a night-shining pearl, presumably as a way of comforting us. Why did you do this?"

Queen Shen sneered and said.

"Do you really think your father is trying to comfort us, mother and son? You are wrong, absolutely wrong."

"Do you know the origin of this little mermaid pearl?"

The eldest prince shook his head.

Queen Shen said angrily.

"This little mermaid pearl was a birthday gift given to your father by Crown Prince Yin."

"Your father gave me the gift that Prince Yin sent. Guess what he meant."

The eldest prince turned pale with fright after hearing this.

When Emperor Yongping was fighting for the throne, he had two main opponents, one was Crown Prince Yin and the other was Prince Yi Zhong.

Prince Yin was eventually killed in the palace by Emperor Yongping himself.

At this time, Emperor Yongping gave this little mermaid pearl to Empress Shen. The meaning was self-evident. He was warning the empress and her son to be more obedient and not to challenge his bottom line.

Emperor Yongping was telling the empress and her son, "I know everything you two have done, I'm just too lazy to bother with you. If you go any further, be careful not to follow in the footsteps of Crown Prince Yin."

Queen Shen looked at the little mermaid pearl in front of her and said with a look of annoyance.

"Your Majesty, you are so heartless, and now you blame me for fighting for you."

"I am the Empress of the Central Palace, and the Emperor is the eldest son. He should enter the Eastern Palace and become the Crown Prince."

"But you haven't appointed a crown prince yet. You're clearly paving the way for that bitch's child."

"If you don't let us, mother and son, fight, you are forcing us to die."

"If you want us to die, then you won't have an easy life either."

The eldest prince looked at his mother with a distorted face and found it difficult to associate her with the graceful and elegant empress of the past.

At this time, Queen Shen looked like a lonely and resentful woman in the boudoir.

The eldest prince hesitated for a moment and then knelt in front of Queen Shen and said.

"Mother, it's just that you can't be the crown prince. Let's not fight for it anymore."

"I do not have the great talent and strategy of my father, nor can I handle the complicated affairs of the court. I am content to be a leisurely prince."

Queen Shen looked at the eldest prince with extreme disappointment and said.

"Stupid, what do you think the fight for the throne is? It's just a child's play."

"If you want to quit, then quit. That's possible."

"Your identity lies here. If you cannot ascend to the throne, the only way waiting for you is death. Do you understand?"

"Let's not talk about the distant past. Isn't your father the best example?"

"Your royal grandfather had more than a dozen princes, but now, only His Majesty and Prince Zhongshun are left."

"Didn't the other princes all die at the hands of your father?"

"If you don't fight, you're putting your life and property in the hands of others."

"When the time comes, I will be at the mercy of others. Do you want to live a life of uncertainty?"

After being scolded by Queen Shen, the eldest prince looked depressed. He knew that he had taken things for granted.

After criticizing, Queen Shen looked at the eldest prince and said.

"Alright, my son, I know you don't like these things, but there's nothing I can do about it. You were born into the royal family after all."

"Don't worry, Mother will make plans for you. Even if you really can't ascend to the throne, you will never let that bitch Concubine Yue and her son succeed."

After Queen Shen comforted the eldest prince, the eldest prince calmed down. Then the mother and son discussed what to do next.

In the afternoon, the news that Champion Marquis Jia Jue led his troops to break into the Ministry of Justice prison for the sake of the Yue family spread like wildfire in the capital.

Not long after, at the Earl Zhongqin's residence, Countess Zhongqin and the eldest daughter-in-law Zhang were discussing something enthusiastically.

The Mansion of the Earl of Zhongqin is the in-laws' home of Sheng Hualan, the eldest daughter of the Sheng family. The wife of the Earl of Zhongqin and the eldest daughter-in-law Zhang are Sheng Hualan's mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Ever since Sheng Hualan was left in the Sheng family by her mother Wang Ruofu, life in the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion has not been comfortable.

In his early years, the Duke Zhongqin's mansion was involved in a dispute and his property was ransacked. He barely managed to keep the title, but all the wealth accumulated over the years was confiscated.

Why did the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion want to marry Sheng Hualan, the daughter of a sixth-rank official? Wasn't it because the Sheng family was rich and offered a dowry of ten miles of red makeup?

The idea of ​​the Zhongqin Marquis' Mansion was to let Sheng Hualan use her dowry to subsidize the Zhongqin Marquis' Mansion.

So after Sheng Hualan married into the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion, the Zhongqin Marquis's wife threw all the housekeeping power to Sheng Hualan.

Sheng Hualan was concerned about her unmarried brothers and sisters at home, so she could only accept her fate in the mansion of Marquis Zhongqin, and she had no idea how much humiliation she had to endure.

Thanks to Sheng Hualan's dowry, the Zhongqin Marquis's family lived a comfortable life for several years and no longer had to worry about money.

However, after Sheng Hualan stayed in the Sheng family this time, Lady Zhongqin was in a dilemma.

Although the family has acquired some properties through the efforts of Yuan's father and son over the years.

However, the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion was used to using Sheng Hualan's money, so naturally they didn't want to spend the mansion's money.

If Sheng Hualan doesn't come back, this wishful thinking will not come true.

Go and spend Sheng Hualan's dowry secretly. If there is a quarrel, the Zhongqin Marquis's family will be embarrassed.

Let’s go and ask Sheng Hualan to come back. The Zhongqin Marquis’ Mansion can’t afford to lose face.

Just when the Duke of Zhongqin was feeling complicated, news came out that something had happened to the Marquis of Guanjun.

Mrs. Zhongqin and her daughter-in-law Zhang were almost grinning so hard that their mouths were crooked.

Zhang looked at her mother-in-law and said with a smile.

"Aunt, we're going to have something exciting to watch this time."

"Sheng Hualan is relying on her relative, the Marquis of Guanjun, to stay at the Sheng family and leave us hanging." "The Marquis of Guanjun is in trouble this time. I wonder how she'll cope."

"If you ask me, let's just do it more quickly this time."

The wife of the Earl of Zhongqin said doubtfully.

"What do you mean, be neat?"

Zhang said with a slight smile.

"Let Erlang take this opportunity to divorce Sheng Hualan."

"Then her dowry will legitimately become part of our family."

Mrs. Zhongqin hesitated for a moment and said.

"This, this is not good, this is a complete fallout with the Sheng family."

"Besides, what reason could I have to divorce her?"

Zhang said calmly.

"Aunt, how come you can't figure this out?"

"Think about it, the Sheng family was involved in the imperial examination cheating case. Even if Sheng Changbai finally got out, he would definitely not be able to take the imperial examination in the future. Isn't he a useless person?"

"Let's talk about the Marquis of Guanjun. I heard that this time, he not only led his troops to force his way into the Ministry of Justice Prison, but he also beat the chief judge of the Three Judicial Departments to death."

The wife of the Earl of Zhongqin was shocked when she heard this.

"He's so bold! He's the chief judge of the Three Courts, all high-ranking officials of the second and third ranks."

Zhang nodded and said.

"I didn't expect this champion to be so bold."

"I have a good friend in the boudoir, and her husband is an official in the Ministry of Justice."

"She told me this news, it's absolutely true."

After hearing this, Lady Zhongqin instantly felt more confident.

If he had forced his way into the Ministry of Justice's prison, Marquis Guanjun would probably have been severely punished.

But if the chief judge of the Three Judicial Departments was beaten to death in the Ministry of Justice, that would be a serious matter.

Even if the Marquis of Guanjun is spared the death penalty this time, he will at least be skinned alive. Not to mention taking care of the Sheng family, he will have no time to take care of himself.

Thinking of this, Lady Zhongqin made up her mind and said.

"Then divorce her, but what grounds should you give for divorce?"

Zhang said with a smile.

"This is not simple, there is nothing to do."

"She's been married to our Yuan family for quite some time, and she's only given birth to a girl. This is one of the seven grounds for divorce: being childless. If we use this as a reason to divorce her, isn't it perfectly legitimate?"

"But as for Erlang, you have to go and talk to him, Auntie."

The wife of the Earl of Zhongqin smiled and said.

"That's easy. Erlang listens to me the most, so there will definitely be no problem."

"Sheng Hualan, that bitch, dares to challenge me by relying on her mother's family. This time, I will make her cry without even being able to."

After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached an agreement, they began to take action.

In the evening, at the Marquis Guanjun’s Mansion, the family was having dinner together.

Although such a big thing happened in the morning, because Jia Jue had already given the two ladies a heads-up early on, the atmosphere at the dinner table was not that depressing.

Despite this, Sheng Minglan still said with some concern.

"Husband, this, this is really not going to cause any trouble?"

"After all, this time my husband directly broke into the Ministry of Justice prison, took Brother Changbai away, and even beat the Chief Censor to death."

"This is no small matter."

Zhang Guifen, who was standing by, saw this and comforted him.

"Okay, Minglan, don't worry."

"My husband must have his own plans."

"Besides, if all else fails, I'll go home and beg my father. He can't just watch me become a widow. As long as my husband's life is safe, nothing else matters."

After hearing this, Sheng Minglan felt even more guilty.

Although both are ladies, the Sheng family can only hold back the Marquis' Mansion, while the Ying family can become a strong arm of the Marquis' Mansion.

Seeing this, Zhang Guifen also reacted and hurriedly grabbed Sheng Minglan's hand and said.

"Minglan, don't think too much. I don't mean anything else."

"This time, it's obvious that they came here just to target my husband. It's clear that the Sheng family was implicated by my husband."

"And if your brother Changbai hadn't helped my husband get an identity document, he wouldn't be where he is today."

"It is not reasonable for your husband to watch your brother Changbai being framed and tortured in the Ministry of Justice."

Jia Jue couldn't help but smile when he saw the two ladies.

"Okay, why are you two sisters still getting angry outside?"

"I told you, nothing serious will happen this time, just rest assured."

"Just eat your meal in peace, and you'll see what happens tomorrow."

Seeing Jia Jue's calm and composed appearance, Sheng Minglan and Zhang Guifen couldn't help but feel at ease.

The atmosphere in the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion also became stable and harmonious.

But on the other hand, the situation of the Sheng family is not ideal.

Inside Weiruixuan, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu were extremely angry, while Sheng Hualan beside them was crying like a tearful person.

Not long ago, the divorce letter from the Duke of Zhongqin was delivered directly to the Sheng family.

Sheng Hong naturally knew that this was the intention of the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion to add insult to injury.

They must have heard that something happened to Marquis Guanjun and felt that the Sheng family had no one to rely on, so they dared to do this.

At this time, Wang Ruofu said angrily.

"It's too much to bully others, it's too much to bully others."

"The Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion is really taking advantage of our family's misfortune. Even if something happened in our family, they wanted to draw a clear line and divorce us, but they actually divorced my wife."

"No, I'm going back to my parents' home right now. I'm going to look for my mother. They don't bully people like that."

Sheng Hong said after holding Wang Ruofu.

"Madam, please be patient."

"Before, because of my eldest sister's matter, you and your mother-in-law had a bad quarrel. Now, if you go to the Wang family, there may not be any results."

"Besides, Lord Zhongqin is a military commander. What can the Wang family do to them?"

Wang Ruofu hesitated and said.

"Why don't we go to the Marquis' Mansion?"

Sheng Hong waved his hand and said.

"Because of the Changbai incident, the Marquis has gotten into big trouble."

"At the moment, His Majesty's decree on the matter has not yet been issued. I guess it will be difficult for the Marquis to escape unscathed this time."

"The Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion calculated this precisely, and that's why they dared to launch the attack."

"If you go to the Marquis' Mansion now, won't that make things difficult for the Marquis?"

"Hua'er, come here, Daddy has something to tell you."

After wiping her tears, Sheng Hualan came closer to Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong looked at Sheng Hualan with great concern and said.

"Hua'er, the palace is currently in a turbulent time. I think it will be difficult for my family to mediate the affairs of the Zhongqin Marquis' Mansion."

"I can only inconvenience you temporarily."

"Don't worry, as long as Daddy is here, you will always have a place in this family, and no one in the family will say anything."

(End of this chapter)