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

Chapter 128 Emperor Yongping's Decision, the Sheng Family's Scheme
Wang Xifeng nodded slightly and said.

“What you say is very true, my husband. In your opinion, how should we reply to Baochai?”

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

“Since she is willing to come to the manor, then tell her that it is inconvenient to do business at the Marquis’s manor right now, so she will have to move to the Marquis’s manor for the time being.”

"If she agrees, send a squad of personal guards to pick her up. If the Xue family dares to stop her, don't be polite."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said.

"I understand, my husband. Don't worry, I'll go and do it right away."

In the evening, Emperor Yongping was leisurely drinking tea in the Qianqing Palace of the Imperial Palace.

Xia Shouzhong, standing to the side, was organizing memorials.

Emperor Yongping asked calmly.

"Xia Shouzhong, what's the ratio of support for the eldest and second sons in the memorials regarding the selection of an heir recently?"

After a moment's thought, Xia Shouzhong said.

"Your Majesty, generally speaking, there are slightly more ministers who support the eldest prince as the crown prince, but there are also quite a few ministers who support the second prince, about six out of four."

Emperor Yongping listened with some emotion and said.

"After all, he is my eldest son, and his status is noble."

"Issue the imperial decree that all civil and military officials should come to the Hall of Supreme Harmony tomorrow to pay their respects to the Emperor. I have decided to appoint the Crown Prince."

"In addition, the Marquis of Champion is involved in a murder case. He held two positions in the Imperial Guard and the Capital Garrison. Now that he has been dismissed from his post, the affairs of the Imperial Guard and the Capital Garrison cannot be left unattended."

"The Marquis of Ningyuan will temporarily assume the duties of the Military Governor of the Capital Garrison and handle affairs related to the Capital Garrison."

"As for the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, we will discuss it together in the Hall of Supreme Harmony tomorrow."

"The slaves obey the order."

Emperor Yongping's decision to establish an heir immediately caused an uproar in the court.

The Empress and Consort Yue were both busy contacting their trusted confidants in preparation for tomorrow's court assembly.

If one's son fails to be selected, there must be appropriate countermeasures.

The confrontation between the two parties over the position of crown prince has become increasingly fierce.

At the Wang family residence, Wang Shiping's wife, Madam Li, was talking with Wang Shiping.

Li spoke earnestly and patiently.

“Master, I know you are sad that your mother-in-law has passed away.”

"But this matter is full of strange things no matter how you look at it. No matter how arrogant and domineering the Marquis of Champion is, he could not have killed my mother-in-law in our own home."

"Granny Sun must know something, but she hasn't said a word."

“We are now fighting this lawsuit with the Marquis of Champion’s family with all our might, which will not only bring no benefit to our family, but may also lead us to fall into their trap, causing pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies.”

After hearing this, Wang Shiping glared at Li Shi and then said...

"What do you mean by that? As a son, if your mother is murdered, do you expect me to just let it go without doing everything in my power to avenge her?"

“I know that when my mother was alive, your relationship with your mother-in-law wasn’t very harmonious.”

"But now that Mother is gone, are you going to stop me from avenging her because of these past events?"

"Do you really hate your mother that much, or did the Sheng family and the Marquis of Champion's mansion make you something in private, which is why you're acting as a mouthpiece for your enemy?"

Li was furious.

She certainly didn't like her mother-in-law, Old Mrs. Wang, but there were reasons for it.

Grandma Wang is a decent person normally, but whenever her eldest daughter, Wang Ruoyu, is involved, she becomes completely obsessed.

When Li married into the Wang family, she took great care of her two sisters-in-law.

Wang Ruofu also had an excellent relationship with the Li family.

Unfortunately, it was Wang Ruoyu who, relying on Old Madam Wang's favor, caused Li a lot of trouble. She would often sow discord between Li, Wang Shiping, and Old Madam Wang, making Li suffer greatly.

That wasn't all. After Li and Wang Shiping got married, they had no children. Li's mother was worried about her daughter, so she knelt down every five steps and kowtowed every ten steps to the Temple of Fertility and asked for a statue of Guanyin who grants children for Li.

Later, after Wang Ruoyu got engaged to the Kang family and was about to get married, she specifically asked Li to bring out this Guanyin statue that grants children as part of her dowry, otherwise she would not get married.

This nearly made Li Shi die of anger, as this was something her mother had gone through countless hardships to obtain for her.

Faced with Wang Ruoyu's unreasonable demands, Li naturally refused decisively.

Then Wang Ruoyu incited Old Mrs. Wang and Wang Shiping to make trouble with Li, eventually forcing Li to compromise and give the Guanyin statue that grants children to Wang Ruoyu.

She thought things would finally settle down, but after Wang Ruoyu got married, she would frequently return to the Wang family to freeload, causing all sorts of trouble and making things unbearable for Li Shi.

When Li learned that Wang Ruoyu had died at a hot spring resort on the outskirts of Beijing, she was so worried about her mother-in-law causing trouble that she would have set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Now that she knows that Old Madam Wang had a conflict with the Marquis of Champion because of Wang Ruoyu's death, and then died at home, Li felt extremely uncomfortable.

That old hag, she actually caused such a huge mess for the family because of a dead person.

Therefore, Li has been thinking about how to persuade Wang Shiping to turn hostility into friendship.

Seeing that Wang Shiping was unyielding and even brought up old grievances, Li's face immediately turned ugly.

"Wang Shiping, what do you mean by that?"

"For so many years, I have been married into your Wang family, given birth to your children, and endured all kinds of hardships."

"Don't you know how your mother and your younger sister treated me?"

"I've suffered so much injustice and hardship, have you ever shown me any understanding even once?"

"Even now, you're still arguing with me."

"Think about it carefully yourself. Even if the story of the Marquis of Champion killing his mother-in-law is full of loopholes, can you really make the Marquis of Champion pay with his life?"

"You still think the Wang family is like it was back when your father-in-law was alive? Wake up, will you?"

"You're just a fourth-rank official now, what makes you think you can compete with the Marquis of Champion?"

"What's the use of all the people you've consulted and the many memorials you've submitted these past few days?"

"The Marquis of Champion is still staying peacefully in his mansion."

"The three judicial departments have made absolutely no progress on this case; nobody is pushing it forward at all."

"Anyone with eyes can see that His Majesty has no intention of punishing the Marquis of Champion; he is simply using the Three Judicial Offices to stall for time."

"As time goes by, the news about the case will die down, and the case will be shelved."

"What's the point of you continuing to stubbornly resist here?"

"In the end, the case was dropped, and the family had used up all their goodwill and connections. They had also offended both the Sheng family and the Marquis of Champion's Mansion."

"When the champion recovers and comes after us, what will we have to fight back?"

"Are you planning to have this whole family's property confiscated and them exiled along with you?"

Li became increasingly angry as she spoke, and her emotions were very agitated.

It's clear that Li has suffered a lot of injustice over the years; otherwise, she wouldn't have released her pent-up emotions like this.

However, faced with Li's anger, the filial Wang Shiping stubbornly insisted on speaking.

"The hatred of killing one's mother is irreconcilable. If I were to tolerate even this, I would be unworthy of being human."

"Say whatever you want, but I will never let Champion Hou off the hook."

"Fine, fine, Wang Shiping, you're asking for trouble. I'm taking the child back to my parents' home. Do whatever you want with me."

Li turned and left in anger, leaving Wang Shiping with mixed feelings. Not long after, in the Sheng family's Wei Rui Xuan, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu were talking together.

Wang Ruofu has become quite haggard in recent times. It's clear that the betrayal by Old Mrs. Wang has had a significant impact on her, causing her immense distress.

At this moment, Wang Ruofu mustered his strength and looked at Sheng Hong, saying...

"My lord, my sister-in-law just sent someone with a message: my elder brother still refuses to let go and insists on holding onto the Marquis."

"This whole thing started because of me. I was the one who took the eldest sister to the hot spring resort, and I was the one who delivered the clay doll to the Marquis's residence."

"With things turned out like this, how can I possibly have the face to stay at home?"

After hearing this, Sheng Hong waved his hand and said.

"Madam, there's no need to blame yourself. How could this be your fault?"

"Since things have come to this, we should still try to salvage the situation and think of other ways to get our son-in-law out of this trouble as soon as possible."

"How about this, let's go see Mother. She's experienced and knowledgeable, she'll surely have a solution."

Wang Ruofu nodded and said.

"Then let's go over there."

The couple then got up and went to the Shou'an Hall in the mansion.

Not long after, inside Shou'an Hall, Sheng Hong and his wife bowed and said...

"The son (daughter-in-law) greets his mother."

Grandma Sheng raised her hand and said.

"Alright, sit down. Ruof, your complexion is getting worse and worse. You should pay more attention to it."

“The Hou family and the Wang family have been having some trouble lately, and I know you’re not happy about it.”

"But you still need to take good care of yourself."

Wang Ruofu sighed and then said.

“Mother, I really don’t know what to do now. Although the Marquis’s mansion hasn’t said anything, I’m filled with remorse. If I had been more careful, none of this mess would have happened.”

"Now my elder brother is clinging to the Marquis and won't let go, so the Marquis has been dismissed from office and is living at home by His Majesty."

"If the Marquis's mansion is truly left in ruins in the end, I will truly become the sinner of my family for all eternity."

Grandma Sheng smiled gently and said.

“You two are in your fifties, yet you’re not as composed as Champion Hou.”

"Don't be fooled by the big commotion this time; it's really all bark and no bite."

"The case involving the Wang family and the Marquis's residence is actually not complicated. His Majesty ordered the Three Judicial Offices to handle this case because the Wang family filed a lawsuit with the Emperor. His Majesty, adhering to ancestral rules, simply had to go through the formalities."

"Even His Majesty's temporary removal of the Marquis of Champion from his posts as the Military Governor of the Capital Garrison and the Commander of the Imperial Guards is merely to silence public opinion."

"But think about it carefully. In the past, when the three judicial departments handled major cases, they always set time limits."

"But in this case involving the Wang family, His Majesty has given the Three Judicial Offices a time limit."

At this point, Sheng Hong's eyes lit up.

"That's right. His Majesty didn't give the Three Judicial Offices a deadline this time, which means there's a lot of room for maneuver in this case."

Old Madam Sheng smiled slightly and said.

"The friendship between the Marquis of Champion and Prime Minister Lin needs no further explanation. Before joining the cabinet, Prime Minister Lin was the Imperial Censor. Helping the Marquis of Champion sort things out was a piece of cake for him."

"As for the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, they can just go with the flow."

"Ultimately, what are lawsuits about? They are about power, status, and understanding the emperor's will."

"Compared to the Marquis of Champion's mansion, the Wang family has nothing."

"Just you wait and see. This case will most likely end up being dropped, and the Wang family will be dismissed due to insufficient evidence."

"After all, the iron-headed witness, Granny Sun, is one of the Wang family's own people. For the officials of the Three Judicial Offices who are well-versed in the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it would be extremely easy to have her testimony rejected."

Sheng Hong suddenly realized what was going on and said.

"Mother, you have such a profound understanding; a few words from you have enlightened your son."

"In that case, this time it will surely be a close call but no real danger."

Grandma Sheng nodded and said.

"That's probably the case. After this case is closed, the Marquis of Champion will lie low for half a year to a year. His Majesty will naturally reinstate him when the time is right. You two don't need to worry too much."

Wang Ruofu hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Mother, that may be true, but this time it was my fault for not thinking things through and doing things poorly. Can we think of a way to help the Marquis’s mansion in any way we can?”

Grandma Sheng knew perfectly well that Wang Ruofu was uneasy and eager to do something to prove herself, so as to avoid being disliked by everyone in the future.

After thinking for a while, Old Madam Sheng looked at Wang Ruofu and said.

"There are solutions, of course, but you'll have to put in the effort yourself, Ruof."

Wang Ruofu said with some surprise.

"What can I do?"

"That's what Grandma Sheng said calmly."

"Your older sister who passed away committed many evil deeds in her lifetime."

"But she has remained at large all along. Who do you think is responsible for that?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong blurted it out.

"The Wang family must have played a role in this."

Grandma Sheng nodded slightly and then said.

"That's right, the Wang family must have pulled a lot of strings to suppress Wang Ruoyu's murder case."

"Isn't this a ready-made handle?"

"If you sort things out and find some evidence, the rest will be much easier to handle."

"Since Wang Shiping refuses to listen to reason and will instead suffer the consequences, let's teach him a lesson."

A smile immediately appeared on Sheng Hong's face.

"Mother is truly shrewd and calculating; I admire her."

After giving Sheng Hong and his wife some advice, Old Madam Sheng chatted with Sheng Hong and the others for a few minutes before letting them go home.

After Sheng Hong and his wife left, the old nanny Fang, who was standing nearby, said with some doubt.

“Grandma, didn’t you already think of these methods? Why did you have to wait until the eldest daughter-in-law and the head of the family came to tell us?”

"Grandma Sheng sighed and said."

"This is a time when families are at odds. If I were to go to her door first, I might not be able to guarantee that she wouldn't misunderstand."

"She's not a bad person, she's just not very bright."

"Forget about that. You should prepare some nourishing foods. Tomorrow we'll go to the Marquis's residence to see Minglan."

“Minglan must be feeling bad about what happened.”

“She is pregnant now. If she is depressed, it will not be good for either the baby or herself.”

(End of this chapter)