She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Chu Jin was in a daze.

Although she believed in Ningning's wisdom, she was still deeply shocked by how quickly and accurately the evidence came to light!

Jiang Ruining helped the maid up: "Don't cry, tell me slowly, what happened?"

The maid hastily wiped away her tears and said anxiously, "The young master shot and killed a lion, but when the servants went to retrieve the prey, they discovered that it was the very lion the maids had been talking about—the one that was said to bring good fortune and peace to the Great Zhou!"

"But the auspicious creature was covered in mud and hidden in the bushes, so you couldn't see its pure white appearance at all. The young master really didn't intend to shoot the auspicious creature! But now a group of people are clinging to him, saying that he deliberately ruined the nation's fortune and that they want to kill him for a few days!"

Seven or eight years ago, the Great Zhou Dynasty was still experiencing war, and the people's lives were still full of hardship, so they urgently needed a spiritual support.

Auspicious omens are deities who bring rain to people during droughts.

Officials brought it along, inevitably promoting it and creating hype; now it has probably become a belief in the hearts of many people.

When faith is destroyed, public outrage is bound to erupt.

If the Empress Dowager's faction wants to punish someone severely, the person who shot the auspicious omen will undoubtedly die!

The reason for choosing Prince Zheng was that the Zheng family wanted absolute certainty. Even if they could not achieve merit in supporting the emperor, they wanted to protect their family from being kicked out of the court. They were unwilling to make a choice before the situation became clear.

The Empress Dowager's faction was originally willing to gradually win them over, since Crown Prince Zheng was already getting closer to them. However, due to the recent suicidal suppression by the Regent, her power has been severely weakened. Therefore, she is eager to have the Zheng family clarify their stance in order to replenish their strength and maintain a balanced and restraining relationship with the Regent!

But in this round...

Jiang Ruining always felt that things weren't so simple, and that there was another purpose behind it that she hadn't seen through!

"I'll go check on the situation. Chu Jin, do you want to come with me?"

Chu Jin nodded.

of course!

Yunmi's maid isn't very bright, and I don't know if she can be of any help, but I'm worried about her not coming with me.

"Let's go together!"

I rushed there.

From a distance, you could see that almost everyone was gathered under the stands.

The entire Zheng family knelt down.

The Duke of Zheng knelt and pleaded, "The auspicious beast is a matter of national destiny and must be heavily guarded. If someone hadn't deliberately allowed it to be released, how could it have easily escaped its cage and fled into the forest?"

"It didn't rain today, yet the auspicious omen is covered in mud and water. Clearly, someone deliberately smeared it to make it indistinguishable and cause mistaken killing. This person is the culprit who disregards the fate of the nation and uses the auspicious omen to frame loyal officials!"

Prince Zheng trembled. The crime of shooting the auspicious omen was too great, weighing heavily on his heart: "Your Majesty is wise, the Empress Dowager and the Regent are discerning. I had absolutely no intention of rebellion. Shooting the auspicious omen was truly an accident!"

"It's because the Imperial Guards said the auspicious omen wouldn't arrive at the camp until noon at the earliest, so I didn't pay much attention while hunting!"

Officials on good terms with the Zheng family also spoke up for Prince Zheng: "Indeed, we all heard the Imperial Guards say that the auspicious omens never arrived!"

Cui Baihui, the second son of the Cui family, glanced at the Chen family.

The Chen family members, who were usually so active and energetic, all kept their heads down and dared not speak.

Because the Regent and Jiang Ruining still have leverage over them, and Prince Zheng is the fiancé of Jiang Ruining's close friend, if they jump out to attack the Zheng family, aren't they forcing Jiang Ruining to call for their revenge?

Nowadays, Jiang Ruining is arrogant and domineering, and you can't afford to offend him in the slightest!

When Cui Baihui saw that this family was like cowards hiding in the ground, her eyes turned cold.

Then, Li, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had a personal grudge against the Zheng family, spoke up.

Vice Minister Li immediately sneered, "What does a mere Imperial Guard know? You believe whatever he says offhand. As officials, don't you have any ability to judge for yourselves?"

"Besides, even though it didn't rain today, it's possible that Xiangrui jumped into the river on his own and rolled around in the mud. How did that turn into someone framing you? Such sophistry, could it be that you're trying to frame someone?"

Prince Zheng was terrified. Even though he had been in officialdom for five years, he still couldn't remain calm in the face of something that seemed designed to kill him: "Don't you dare make false accusations!"

Li, the Vice Minister, looked down at him and sneered, "Besides, no one said that Prince Zheng deliberately shot down the auspicious omen, but shooting it down is shooting it down. Because of you, the fate of the nation has been affected, and you must take responsibility! Only by offering your blood as a sacrifice to the heavens can you atone for your mistake!"

Jiang Ruining quietly approached and stood behind the crowd, subtly observing everyone present. Sure enough, she noticed a few pairs of eyes that seemed to harbor a triumphant glint.

He lowered his eyes, concealing the sharp glint in them.

She guessed right!

In this game, it seems that the Empress Dowager's faction is forcing the Zheng family to make a choice, but in reality, the Empress Dowager is just a pawn in the hands of the behind-the-scenes manipulator!

When the Crown Prince of Zheng was tricked, the Zheng family's first reaction would definitely be that the Empress Dowager deliberately set up a trap to force them to make a choice. Even if the Duke of Zheng eventually complied with the Empress Dowager's wishes to save his son, there would certainly be a deep rift in his heart.

At that time, the person behind the scenes can use any means necessary, such as having Cui kill someone in the Zheng family, or scheming to have Zheng Lingyi go to marry Rong An in place of her. This will surely make the Zheng family hate Cui to the bone and sever ties with her.

At that time, in order not to be isolated and helpless, the Zheng family would turn against the regent. The person behind the scenes only needed to make the Duke of Zheng mistakenly believe that it was actually the regent who plotted to kill the auspicious omen for the Crown Prince of Zheng, but the opportunity to save the Crown Prince of Zheng was stolen by the Cui family.

Then, hint that there is a third-party power he can rely on. In that case, the Duke of Zheng will most likely be won over and become a pawn placed by the regent's side or hidden within the Cui family!

As for who's behind it all, is there even a need to guess?

Isn't that the little emperor who's pretending to be a good son by the Empress Dowager's side?

But it's a pity.

She wouldn't give the person who injured or poisoned her that chance!

He turned and went to the carcass of the auspicious beast, asking the animal trainer, "Was this a male lion or a female lion?"

The animal trainer replied, "Your Highness, this is a male lion."

Jiang Ruining received a definite answer, nodded, and quickly turned back, walking step by step from the outer three layers to the innermost layer. Her clear voice pierced through the crowd and reached everyone's ears.

"Male liger beasts are infertile, yet the person who presented this auspicious beast to His Majesty remains silent about it. Such a person is likely the truly wicked, harboring malicious intentions and cursing the Great Zhou Dynasty to be without an heir!"

"The Crown Prince of Zheng shot and killed a monstrous beast with sinister intentions for the sake of the country, out of loyalty to the emperor and love for his country. What wrong has he done? I just wonder if there was someone behind the official who presented the beast?"

Unsure when the Cui family would intervene, she preemptively accepted the Zheng family's favor while also thwarting the young emperor's insidious plan, infuriating him!

After saying this, she didn't bother to observe whether the young emperor had revealed even the slightest trace of this sudden change. If they made eye contact, she would be exposing herself as well.

But she glanced at the others present.

Sure enough, those eyes that were secretly pleased with themselves for their successful scheme suddenly trembled. They were clearly not expected that she would also know such a little-known "secret" and even tell it to them in front of them!

Xie Lanheng lowered his head, concealing the astonishment and regret in his eyes.

For the first time, she had doubts about Shao Yunting. Had he let something slip in front of Jiang Ruining?

Shao Yunting's face only showed a hint of appreciation for her "erudition," but the continuous twitching between his brows betrayed his astonishment.

How could she... even know that!

The pressure the young emperor was under was beyond what ordinary people could bear. So when faced with the unexpected chaos caused by the secret plan, he remained the obedient son, watching the situation unfold with detached curiosity.

The official who presented the auspicious omen knelt on the ground, his face filled with terror and trembling.

Because he hadn't even considered this aspect, he naturally hadn't had anyone check it!

If this beast truly has no reproductive ability, wouldn't he be branded as someone who curses the king?

While Xiao Che was feeling bored, he glanced up and saw her. Against the golden light of the autumn sun, her clothes swayed gently in the autumn breeze. He couldn't see her expression, but she was confident and composed. She was a mysterious fairy from a fairyland.

Those sitting beside him were all shrewd individuals; they all stood up in unison and moved to the next seat, making room for the Regent.

Xiao Qing wasn't in a hurry. He quickly got up to grab the person, but was forcefully held down by someone behind him.

Sitting at the end of the same row as Xiao Che was Wan Yi, a girl who had recently become acquainted with Jiang Ruining. She was the daughter of the Taibao family, and had a straightforward personality.

As they chatted, they discovered they got along very well and had many common interests, especially reading novels.

I heard she has so many sketchbooks in her room that she can't hide them all!

They're experts at shipping couples!

Upon seeing Jiang Ruining arrive, they immediately stepped forward and pulled Jiang Ruining, who was about to turn around to sit opposite them, and together with Chu Jin on either side, they forcibly invited him to sit down next to the Regent.

"Speak while seated."

The regent, sitting with an imposing posture, leaned towards the little girl in full view of everyone, his affection for her obvious.

Jiang Ruining remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he chuckled: These two beauties have won my heart; I hereby bestow upon them the title of Imperial Noble Consorts! And reward them with ten thousand taels of gold!

Xiao Qing was furious and turned to glare at the person who had stopped her.

Like Wan Yi, he was the younger cousin who wanted to tie a knot between the Regent and Jiang Ruining.

The little boy turned his head back: "Sister Ningning is going to say something, listen carefully!"

Xiao Qing angrily cursed him as a "little spy".