Chapter 111

Wang Wang Ziteng's mansion.

Among the four great families of Jin Ling—Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue.

The Xue family held the lowest hereditary rank; their ancestor had merely been a fifth-rank Purple Wei Secretary, once a respectable civil official, but by later generations had sunk to the status of imperial merchant.

The Xue family had eight branches, all now settled in Jin Ling, showing that apart from their wealth, their family influence was weak, confined to their ancestral lands, relying solely on alliances with the Jia and Wang families to survive.

The Wang family had once hereditarily held the title of County Earl, but after Lord Wang, the title ceased to be passed down; of their twelve branches, eight resided in Jin Ling, yet their foundation was far inferior to that of the Jia and Shi families.

Fortunately, the Wang family had close marital ties with the Jia family, having married two generations of legitimate daughters into the Jia household, in exchange for the Jia family's Ningguo branch's position as Commander of the Capital Garrison, greatly boosting Wang's power in recent years.

Thus, Wang Wang Ziteng's reliance on the Jia family was obvious—even after his wife had been humiliated by the Jia family and his son had been terrified into incontinence by Jia Cong's knife.

Despite this humiliation, he harbored no thought of revenge against the Jia family; his ability to endure what others could not made him a man of substance.

Yet now his heart was drowned in terror.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Wang Ziteng trembled with cold, his face pale as he protested: "Eunuch Guo, I, Wang, am kin by marriage to Lady Rongguo Mansion; we have always been on good terms—how could I ever do such a thing?"

The imperial examination is the court's grand ceremony for selecting talent; for a mere scholar to rashly slander the top candidate appointed by the court is an act of disrupting state governance—unforgivable, and this matter is too grave!"

His Majesty had left him a massive vulnerability in his hands; the thought made Wang Wang Ziteng's heart and courage freeze with dread.

Watching Guo Lin leave the mansion without looking back, Wang Wang Ziteng sat slumped in his chair, drenched in cold sweat, his body trembling with post-event dread.

But he could only deny it outright; otherwise, the Wang family was finished. If the censors and civil officials learned he had falsely accused someone to interfere with the imperial examinations, a blizzard of memorials would destroy his reputation and leave him with no grave to bury him in.

"General Wang, your wife and son just had a quarrel with Jia Cong, and now the scholar supported by your wife's family has gone to the Ministry of Rites to falsely accuse Jia Cong, the top candidate of the provincial examination."

How could such a coincidence occur? It was impossible not to suspect.

Wang Wang Ziteng, heartbroken and desperate, swore to heaven: "Eunuch Guo, I, Wang, am a minister who eats the emperor's salary; the Wang family would never commit such lawless acts—if I lie, may heaven strike me dead!"

"Go summon my wife immediately—I must question her!"

Guo Lin sat nearby, sipping a fine cup of Lao Jun Mei tea, calmly and leisurely.

Yet that foolish woman lacked such cunning—how could she have devised such a scheme? Someone must have instigated her.

He had no energy left to ponder who had manipulated his wife; the Wang family was already entangled in this.

Guo Lin sighed: "General Wang, my believing you means nothing—it must be His Majesty who believes you. I will relay your words to His Majesty. Do as you must."

"The scholar who falsely accused Lady Rongguo Mansion's Jia Cong as the son of a courtesan, Liu Liu Wenxuan, has deep ties to the Zhang family of Deqing Prefecture. His Majesty has sent me to ask you: did the Wang family have any part in this?"

Given His Majesty's wisdom, he had long since concluded this was the Wang family's doing—so why hold back? Why send only a deputy director of the palace eunuchs to interrogate you?

Wang Wang Ziteng held in his hands a gray-white covered secret memorandum, his face ashen, his hands visibly trembling.

Now was not the time to ponder the emperor's intentions; the Son of Heaven's will was ironclad—even if you understood it, what could you do?

"General Wang, this secret memorandum from the Zhongche Office was meant solely for the Emperor's eyes. His Majesty, in extraordinary grace, has made an exception and allowed you to view it."

The most urgent task now is to clean up the aftermath—if this erupts, there must still be room for retreat.

…

In truth, the moment he saw the Zhongche Office's memorandum, he knew it was his wife's doing.

Lady Rongguo Mansion.

After seeing Guo Lin off, Jia Cong returned to Rongxi Hall and heard Jia Zheng's furious voice.

"That scholar was instigated by your wife! She's trying to destroy Cong-ge outright—what will this do to our Jia family? How could anyone have such a venomous heart!"

Lady Wang, voice trembling with tears, said: "Master, Eunuch Guo only said the scholar had deep ties to the Zhang family—he may not have been instigated by my sister-in-law. We're all family; how could anyone do such a thing?"

Jia Cong saw Jia Mu sitting silently, her face grim, her gaze toward her second daughter-in-law as if it could freeze into frost.

He had no business staying in such a scene; he had already escaped. The shame and filth inside Rongxi Hall had nothing to do with him.

He might as well slip away quietly, yet the expression on Lady Wang's face stirred a faint doubt in him—though he had no proof.

Outside Rongxi Hall, Wu'er and Zi Juan had heard the reading of the imperial edict.

Knowing their Cong Sanye had not been stripped of his scholarly status, and that the Emperor had even granted him an official post, they were overjoyed.

Zi Juan said she must return to report the good news to her mistress, so her mistress could rest easy.

Wu'er, however, waited alone outside the floral gate, pacing anxiously, waiting for Jia Cong to emerge.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her; she turned and saw Jia Cong himself. The warm, radiant sun cast shadows across his face, blurring his features.

Yet his eyes—gentle and clear—shone brightly, smiling at her, making Wu'er's heart pound wildly.

"Wu'er, did you hear all of that?"

"Yes, I heard it all—Cong Sanye wasn't stripped of his title, and the Emperor gave him an official post!"

"Now you can rest easy. No more sleepless nights."

Wu'er's cheeks flushed: "I always knew Cong Sanye had the ability—nothing could ever harm you."

The gloom of many days vanished; Jia Cong felt the sunlight bright, his heart filled with soaring joy and an indescribable sense of lightness.

Gazing at Wu'er's lovely, delicate face, he lost restraint, grasping her soft little hand and saying: "Let's go back—I want to drink the Yunwu Yunwu Jian you brew."

Wu'er blushed crimson: "Cong Sanye, if someone sees us holding hands in broad daylight, it'll be scandalous!"

She struggled a few times but couldn't pull her hand free, so she stopped resisting.

Thus, hand in hand, she followed Jia Cong as if walking through clouds, returning to Qingzhi Studio; servants and maids along the way glanced and whispered, but she paid them no mind.

…

Wang Wang Ziteng's mansion.

The study's doors and windows were tightly shut; Wang Wang Ziteng sat on a Taishi chair, face dark with rage.

Wang Wang Zhangshi stood there, too terrified to sit, pale and disoriented.

The Zhang family of Deqing Prefecture, though a local gentry clan, had originally risen through trade and shipping; though wealthy, they lacked deep roots.

Only when Wang Wang Zhangshi's second uncle passed the imperial examination and rose to Vice Minister of Personnel over a decade did the Zhang family become the foremost scholarly family in Deqing Prefecture.

Back then, Wang Wang Ziteng was obsessed with his career; because the Zhang family's second branch produced a Vice Minister of Personnel, he viewed the unremarkable legitimate daughter of his own first branch as a valuable asset.

By becoming a son-in-law of the Zhang family, he leveraged his connection to the Vice Minister of Personnel to rise in officialdom, and later, through his marriage alliance with the Jia family, secured the prestigious post of Commander of the Capital Garrison.

Otherwise, Wang Wang Ziteng might still be a provincial scion stuck in Jin Ling, or a minor, insignificant official.

Yet Wang Wang Ziteng was dissatisfied with his wife; he found her narrow-minded, petty, fixated on trivialities, blind to the bigger picture.

But for a man like him, entrenched in officialdom, marriage was about acquiring influence; once he held power, desirable women would come to him—this was no real concern.

At this moment, Wang Wang Ziteng had dismissed all his servants, ordering them not to approach the study.

"You foolish woman! How dare you commit such lawless acts? Are you trying to destroy the Wang family?"

"Master, that bastard son of a courtesan publicly humiliated me, and he's ruined Yi'er like this! You are the Commander of the Capital Garrison—must our Wang family endure such humiliation?"

*Slap! *

In a rage, Wang Wang Ziteng struck Wang Wang Zhangshi across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"You fool! How dare you be so brazen? Your family's scholar has been arrested by the Judicial Court. His Majesty knows it was the Wang family that instigated the false accusation against the Yongzhou top candidate, disrupting the imperial examination system."

You're trying to get our Wang family exterminated and our ancestral name erased!"

You couldn't have thought of this yourself—tell me, who else instigated you? How many were involved? If you lie even once, don't blame me for breaking our marital ties!"

Though domineering, Wang Wang Zhangshi's second uncle had retired years ago and died of illness last year; the Zhang family had lost its backing. Since her husband became Commander of the Capital Garrison, his power had grown daily.

Seeing the murderous glint in his eyes, she knew she had committed a grave offense and dared not conceal anything—she confessed everything.

"Your elder sister is cunning and malicious; why do you associate with such a person? Liu Liu Yuqing will surely be destroyed by that wicked woman!"

Wang Wang Ziteng looked at his wife, now ashen and collapsed on the floor, his eyes filled with revulsion.

He left the study, locked the door, and returned after a full incense stick's time.

Coldly, he told Wang Wang Zhangshi: "From now on, if anyone asks about Qiu Shi, say she had an affair with our stable hand, stole your jewelry, and fled with him—both are now missing."

"I will have a Buddhist chapel built in the back courtyard. You will remain within the mansion, under my orders—no leaving, no receiving guests."

Wang Wang Zhangshi's face turned deathly pale, her eyes wide with terror, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Qiu Shi had been her personal maid at marriage; her husband had died last year; she was Wang Wang Zhangshi's most trusted confidante. That day, it was she who had gone to summon the elder sister, and she who delivered the letter to the scholar Liu Liu Wenxuan.

Her husband meant to silence her—and even sacrifice a stable hand's life. How ruthless!

Fortunately, she still had Yi'er…

(End of Chapter)