It wasn't until the guards held the sword to Weng Qingtao's neck that Weng Qingtao reacted, " Jianing, what are you doing?"
They're still putting on an act!
Jianing released Chai Mo's hand, sneered, "Can't you tell I want to kill you?"
Weng Qingtao was struck dumb, cold sweat pouring down his face. Wasn't his elder brother always very close to the princess?
Why would the princess want to kill him?
Did they figure something out?
No, that's impossible.
He and his elder brother looked exactly alike, and during their time in the military camp, he had been consciously imitating his brother—a plan that seemed foolproof.
Weng Qingtao tried to remain calm, and asked worriedly, " Jianing, what's wrong with you?"
The concern in his eyes disgusted Jianing. Jianing stared at Weng Qingtao, her icy gaze sending chills down Weng Qingtao spine. Jianing said sharply, "Do you dare swear to heaven that you are truly my husband, Weng Qingrui?"
Weng Qingtao's face paled. " Jianing..."
Seeing his expression, Jianing understood everything. "You beast, you actually impersonated your elder brother!"
Jianing lost her balance, but Chai Mo Chai Mo supported her, her eyes reddening as she said, "Princess, please take care of yourself."
Suddenly, Jianing remembered something. She grabbed Chai Mo's hand and told Chai Mo, "The person I want to kill now is your husband!"
Chai Mo closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "He did such a thing, he let down both my elder brother and the princess, he deserves to die."
Weng Qingtao couldn't believe his ears.
In his view, although Chai Mo's family background was not as good as the princess's, she and he were a perfect match, and she must love him very much.
How could she say something like that?
Is this still the same gentle wife he always knew?
"Good."
Jianing gritted her teeth and ordered her guards to act, but at the critical moment, Jianing added, "Wait a minute."
Weng Qingtao quickly said, " Jianing, you've misunderstood me. You've changed your mind now, haven't you?"
Jianing said coldly, "Give me the sword."
The guard respectfully handed the sword to Jianing.
Jianing: "Go forward and pin his hands behind his back."
"Yes, Princess."
The bodyguard was strong; he almost broke Weng Qingtao's arm.
Jianing pointed her sword at Weng Qingtao, "How did you kill your elder brother?"
"A madwoman! The dignified Princess Jianing is nothing but a madwoman who has lost her mind."
Jianing said coldly, "Slap him."
Weng Qingtao's ears were ringing from the beating.
Jianing asked, "I'll ask you one more time, how did you kill Qingrui?"
For Weng Qingtao, he was inferior to his elder brother in everything. He finally managed to take his place, but somehow the princess saw through his scheme.
Is it all because he's the underling and doesn't deserve it?
Jianing: "Yes, you don't deserve it. What does someone like you who murdered his brother deserve?"
Weng Qingtao broke down, "Shut up, shut up! Let me tell you, I killed Weng Qingrui, hahahahahahahaha! Three cuts, six holes! I wish I could eat his flesh and drink his blood!"
Jianing's eyes were bloodshot.
Three cuts and six holes—that didn't match the thoughts she heard.
Since Weng Qingtao has already said that...
Jianing's expression was resolute. "How you treat Qingrui is how I will treat you."
With her first sword strike, Jianing pierced Weng Qingtao's right shoulder; with her second Jianing strike, she pierced Weng Qingtao's left shoulder.
Just as she was about to stab Weng Qingtao in the heart, Marquis Chang Le pushed open the door and entered.
Seeing the scene of blood flowing everywhere, Marquis Chang Le almost fainted.
"Princess, what are you doing? Aren't you going to leave me even one son?"
Jianing handed the sword to the guard. Upon hearing this, she frowned and looked at Marquis Chang Le, "What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?"
In a flash, Jianing thought of a possibility.
Her face was icy. " Weng Qingtao killed Qingrui. Did you tacitly approve of this?"
Chai Mo's world collapsed even more. She had thought she had found a good marriage, but she never expected that the Marquis of Chang Le's mansion was a den of wolves and tigers, and that the father and son were worse than pigs and dogs.
Marquis Chang Le was furious. "Nonsense! How could I have tacitly approved it? If you hadn't insisted on making Qingrui your son-in-law, how could Qing Tao have been so jealous of his elder brother and committed such a disaster?"
Jianing laughed in anger, clapping her hands. "Is it all my fault?"
"If it's not your fault, whose fault is it? What a misfortune for our family! What a misfortune for our family!" Marquis Chang Le was heartbroken, and he slammed his cane heavily on the ground, making one unpleasant sound after another.
"So, according to Marquis Chang Le, when I choose a consort, I should bring your twins into my household as well, so I can enjoy the bliss of having two wives?"
"You, you, you..."
Marquis Chang Le was taken aback by Jianing's words and his breathing became rapid. The steward beside him quickly helped him catch his breath.
Jianing grabbed Chai Mo's hand. She had no patience to deal with this old scoundrel, Marquis Chang Le, any longer. She delivered the final blow, and Weng Qingtao died. Marquis Chang Le's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Jianing, wishing he could skin her alive and tear her apart.
Jianing pretended not to see it.
She said, "Take the prince consort's remains back to the princess's residence."
Her voice was choked with barely perceptible sobs.
By the time they returned to the princess's residence, it was almost dawn.
Jianing entrusted Weng Qingrui funeral arrangements to her subordinates and arranged for Chai Mo to stay. She then bathed, changed her clothes, and went to the palace.
What Jianing didn't know was that Marquis Chang Le had already turned the tables on her in the imperial court.
"Your Majesty, I have just suffered the pain of losing my son, and now Princess Jianing has killed my other son. Your Majesty, you must do justice for me!"
Beside Marquis Chang Le was the already deceased Weng Qingtao.
[Didn't you deceive the princess first? Do you really think she's a fool?]
The Emperor had also heard about what happened at the Marquis of Changle's residence yesterday.
In his view, everything Tong Aning said must be true. Then Weng Qingtao, who killed his brother, abandoned his wife, and still wanted to become the emperor's son-in-law, deserved to die.
The emperor remained silent, and the Marquis of Chang Le felt a chill run down his spine.
"Your Majesty, Princess Jianing has arrived."
Emperor: "Let her in."
Jianing entered, and the Marquis of Chang Le stared intently at her. Jianing remained composed and respectful, saying, "Greetings, Father Emperor."
" Jianing, get up first."
Jianing stood up.
Marquis Chang Le said, "You killed my son, and you still have the nerve to stand before me?"
Jianing asked, "Lord Chang Le, tell me, which of your sons did I kill?"
[A decisive blow.]
Marquis Chang Le stammered and couldn't give a coherent explanation.
"Let me speak for you."
Jianing presented the memorial in her hand, and said firmly, "Father, the Marquis of Chang Le's mansion is rife with corruption. Weng Qingtao murdered my brother and tried to cover it up so he could continue to be my consort. The Marquis of Chang Le knew about this but did not report it. These are all heinous crimes of deceiving the Emperor!"
After reading the memorial, the emperor said sternly, "Marquis of Chang Le, do you know your crime?"
Marquis Chang Le trembled and stammered, "Your Majesty, this old minister was confused for a moment."
"You are foolish. You know perfectly well that favoring your eldest son will make your younger son resentful, yet you have been pretending to be ignorant, and now you have made a grave mistake. Do you know that Weng Qingrui is a rare military talent? Fortunately, my imperial decree to appoint Weng Qingrui as deputy general has not yet arrived. Otherwise, without a deputy general in the army, if the Yu Kingdom were to take advantage of the situation, Weng Qingtao would be a sinner of the entire Great Xia!"
Marquis Chang Le collapsed to the ground, muttering, "It's over, it's over."
*
Jianing held a funeral for Weng Qingrui. On the same day, the Chang Le Marquis's residence was raided.
Standing before Weng Qingrui's memorial tablet, Jianing said, "Prince Consort, do you think I'm heartless? It's no use thinking so. I've always been vengeful. How could you not see the evil intentions your brother harbored? We finally had such a promising talent, and you're still so useless."
When Chai Mo came in, she happened to see the tear stains on Jianing's face.
"Princess, shall I go out first?"
"Come in."
Chai Mo sat down next to Jia Jianing, Jianing asked, "What are your plans next?"
"I was originally just a pawn that the Chai family discarded in their attempt to climb the social ladder to the Marquis of Changle. The world is vast, and I have no idea where to go."
"How about you stay and become my lady-in-waiting?"
Chai Mo's eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed again. "But I've only studied music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. How can I become a female official?"
To become a female official, one must be exceptionally talented and have lofty aspirations, like Wen Chensi.
"I will arrange for someone to teach you."
This is indeed the best choice for Chai Mo.
Chai Mo stood up. "In that case, thank you very much, Princess."
Tong Aning learned all this from Xixi and exclaimed, "That's wonderful!"
*
Six months later.
Wen Chensi returned from the Yun Kingdom. By then, the eldest princess had become the empress of the Yun Kingdom.
The Empress assumed power and announced friendly relations with the Great Xia.
Suddenly, the capital city was flooded with many trendy items from the Yun Kingdom.
The emperor was extremely pleased with this situation and said with a smile in court, "Wenqing, Emperor Yun has been frequently writing memorials to me, hoping that you will go and reside permanently in the Yun Kingdom."
Wen Chensi and said, "My home is here, and besides, I have to attend to the girls' school."
The emperor laughed heartily, "As expected, Wenqing values female education the most."
"Now that Yun Kingdom has an empress, I'm afraid that girls' schools in the Yun Kingdom will spring up like mushrooms after rain."
"Then, Emperor Yun will come to me again to take you back."
The world is at peace, the people live in contentment, and the court is filled with capable ministers; the emperor is extremely pleased.
After recounting this matter, the emperor brought up the issue of how to reward the soldiers stationed on the border as the year-end approached.
These tasks were left to Sha Cheng to arrange.
The emperor said, "The national treasury is now full, so there's no fear of spending money."
Sha Cheng was overjoyed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
Why do I feel that you look a little pale?
"Really?" Sha Cheng touched his face guiltily.
He looks so pale because he stayed up all night looking for his cat.
Sha Cheng: "..."
Don't tell anyone! Doesn't he have any pride?
The courtiers all smiled, and one of them caught Tong Aning's attention.
[Hmm... this person looks so pale because they just got out of a colleague's bed.]
courtier:???