Tianliangyuan

Chapter 101 Jiang Ning is Abandoned

The affair between Jiang Ning and Prince Zhong caused quite a stir. Outsiders didn't know the full story, but they did know that Prince Zhong's residence had called in the imperial physician three times, and that Prince Zhong was helped back to the residence by the princess and others. This naturally led people to believe that Prince Zhong was the one who had been wronged.

On the other hand, after Deng arrived, the ladies of the Jiang family explained the whole story to each other and then left. Jiang Ning also got off the carriage and returned to the mansion by herself, although she was helped by a maid.

When the two are compared, all sorts of rumors begin to circulate.

After much deliberation, Grand Tutor Jiang still decided that he could not let Jiang Ning die.

The fact that things have escalated to this point shows that Princess Zhong had no intention of covering it up from the beginning, indicating that she knew about their private dealings and deliberately wanted Jiang Ning to fall into the trap.

However, the fact that Jiang Ning poisoned Prince Zhong, while seemingly lacking sufficient evidence, was actually common knowledge. Moreover, there was evidence from the imperial physician and several other doctors at the time. Regardless of whether Jiang Ning administered the drug or not, Prince Zhong was poisoned after meeting with Jiang Ning.

Therefore, Jiang Ning cannot escape the charges.

If Jiang Ning were to truly atone with her death, it would not only fail to appease the Emperor's wrath, but would likely also cost another girl from the Jiang family a place in prison.

Since that's the case, it's better to just abandon Jiang Ning altogether, and at most, just pretend that there was no such girl in the Jiang family in the future.

In just a few breaths, Grand Tutor Jiang had thoroughly grasped the importance and urgency of the matter.

"Someone, prepare a carriage immediately, and let the master come with me to the palace to apologize."

"Yes, Master."

"Tie up the second young lady and make her kneel in the ancestral hall. Let the first madam accompany her to apologize to the ancestors, with the old madam and the second madam in charge."

"Yes, Master."

Everyone in the Jiang family knows that the person with the most authority in the household is the patriarch.

Once the old master gives the order, everything is settled.

Whether Jiang Ning is truly ill or faking it, she must be bound and made to kneel in the ancestral hall.

As her mother, Deng was naturally not exempt from the consequences.

Jiang Taifu's eyes were firm, and he walked as steadily and quickly as ever.

Although Jiang Ning's affair will tarnish the reputation of the Jiang family, she is, after all, just a woman and will not affect his official reputation. However, we still need to find a way to control the matter and avoid attracting more rumors.

In any case, the culprit who drugged her cannot be Jiang Ning.

However, it was already a foregone conclusion that Jiang Ning would become a concubine in the Prince Zhong's mansion.

As expected, Grand Tutor Jiang still had a lot of influence with Emperor Yong'an. Even though he was an old man, if he knelt down and begged, Emperor Yong'an couldn't go too far.

Ultimately, the Dali Temple made a grand effort to capture the real culprit who had been drugged, and finally apprehended a servant and a young woman.

The matter of the Loyal King poisoning the body can be considered closed here.

The Emperor has already declared the matter settled; who would dare to bring it up again?

Since that day, Princess Zhong had not left the palace, seemingly indifferent to everything outside, until the Empress issued an edict summoning her to the palace.

It was the Princess Consort's duty to arrange for Prince Zhong to take a concubine, but as members of the royal family, both the Emperor and the Empress had the right to issue decrees to bestow concubines directly.

However, in this matter, it was clear that Princess Zhong had been wronged, and Emperor Yong'an and the Empress did not want to give Jiang Ning any face, which is why they wanted to call her into the palace to discuss the matter.

The Empress's idea was for the Princess Consort of Zhong to take the initiative and send someone to the Jiang residence to discuss the matter of taking a concubine. This would give the Princess Consort face and prevent the Jiang family from becoming too arrogant.

Logically speaking, after something like this happened, Jiang Ning should have died ten times over.

But she was the daughter of the Jiang family. This time, Consort Jiang did not show up, but Grand Tutor Jiang was kneeling there at his advanced age. What could the Emperor say?

“You are the princess, the mistress of the household. Jiang Ning entered the household as a concubine, and in no way can she surpass you. I have heard that this Miss Jiang was very adept at social maneuvering in the capital. After she enters the household, she should be taught more about wifely manners, skills, and virtues, and should not show off in front of others when there is nothing to do.”

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Although Prince Zhong was not born to the Empress, the Empress was still his legal mother, and who would dare disobey her?

Moreover, Zhao Yue also realized that the Empress disliked Jiang Ning, seemingly unrelated to the Jiang family, but simply disliked Jiang Ning as a person.

Come to think of it, no wife would appreciate a woman who actively tries to woo her husband.

"Your Highness should have two ladies-in-waiting by your side. Now that you are short one, after Jiang Ning enters the manor, I will teach her according to the rules of the royal family. As a concubine, she should not show her face in public anymore, as it is against etiquette."

The Empress felt much better when she realized that the girl understood her meaning.

“Zhao, you must remember that you are not only the Princess Consort of Zhong, but also the eldest daughter-in-law of our royal family. The Emperor and I have always trusted you, after all, you have managed the Prince’s residence very well since you married Zhong. You must be more careful in the future. The poisoning incident must not happen again.”

"Yes, Queen Mother."

When Princess Zhong left the palace, she felt that her entire back was soaked with sweat.

Talking to the Empress is exhausting.

If you're not careful, you might end up taking it to the wrong place.

Although the Empress had never made things difficult for her since she married into the royal family, she still dared not let her guard down, since the man she married was the eldest son of a concubine.

Just like today, she really couldn't figure out which of the Empress's words were sincere and which were a test.

"Go and invite the prince over, and tell him that you want to discuss the matter of taking a concubine with him."

King Zhong knew long ago that Jiang Ning would be taken into his household, so he was not in a hurry at all.

Moreover, he had known Jiang Ning for quite some time, and upon careful consideration, Jiang Ning had indeed provided him with a lot of useful information. However, this person was too stupid and foolish. Sometimes, even the Prince of Zhong wondered if the Jiang Ning who had accurate foresight and the Jiang Ning who always did stupid things were the same person!

Jiang Ning accepted the outcome of becoming a concubine of the Prince Zhong's mansion without any hesitation.

She was, after all, a concubine. If the Princess Consort of Zhong were to pass away in the future, she could be elevated to the position of principal wife.

Jiang Ning was unwilling. In her previous life, she could have a grand wedding with a ten-mile-long red bridal procession. How magnificent was that?

But now, there is only a small sedan chair, and she can't even wear a bright red dress. This is so frustrating!

Because she was to become a concubine in the Prince Zhong's mansion, and was a granddaughter whom Grand Tutor Jiang tacitly intended to abandon, the dowry prepared for her by the Jiang family was not much.

It appeared to be thirty-six loads, but in reality, they were mostly filled with worthless items. In the end, the last piece of money in the trunk amounted to only a mere thousand strings of cash.

Jiang Ning was dissatisfied, but she didn't dare to make a scene.

Ms. Deng held her hand, her eyes swollen from crying.

“My son! Your mother is useless and cannot protect you. Fortunately, you are a lady of the house, so you still have some status. It’s just that your grandfather won’t budge on the dowry, and there’s nothing I can do. Your mother is useless and can only give you some money.”

Jiang Ning was so angry she was about to vomit blood!

Is money what she wants?

What she wants is manpower from the Jiang family!

Without manpower, after she enters the Prince Zhong's mansion, is she going to have to cultivate a new group of her own confidants?