Tianliangyuan

Doesn't Chapter 161 seem a bit too cruel?

Xu Zhaozhao has always been vengeful since she was a child!

The Deng family schemed against her second brother, so she has to fight them to the bitter end!

She had to beat the Deng family until they were hurt, made them cry, and brought them to their knees. Otherwise, she would still be dreaming about how to avenge her second brother!

This is Xu Zhaozhao.

The Deng family suffered such a great calamity, yet very few people knew the truth.

It wasn't that Xu Zhaozhao hid it too well, but rather that no one took a young woman seriously. Who would think that Xu Zhaozhao could have such extraordinary abilities?

While the winemaking was indeed impressive, papermaking and winemaking are completely unrelated.

So, who would have thought of Xu Zhaozhao?

Even Xie Zheng never imagined that the Deng family's downfall was so swift, and that it was actually Xu Zhaozhao's doing.

Others wouldn't suspect Xu Zhaozhao, but they would suspect the Marquis of Anxin's family.

Some people guessed that Xu Han was avenging his son, while others thought that Xu Han was not the kind of person who would think straight, and that it was most likely that it was Xu Junting, the third son, who did it.

In short, the Deng family was completely unable to recover in the eyes of the public.

The Deng family suffered such a heavy blow that they dared not speak or act recklessly again, and even their servants were ashamed to say that they were members of the Deng family when they went out.

Xu Zhaozhao took a sip of tea and found it quite good.

"The Deng family is leaving the capital, and it shouldn't be long. Next, it will be the Jiang family's turn. Let's take it one step at a time. I'm not in a hurry, but the original Jiang family shouldn't be either. If you rush things, things won't be so fun."

Xu Zhaozhao burned the note in her hand to ashes, a hint of amusement in her eyes. This world wasn't so boring after all; she could go all out and have some fun!

Xu Zhaozhao picked up her pen and started writing and drawing on the paper: Jiang Wenhe, Jiang Yanping, Jiang Ning, Jiang Wu, Jiang Yu?

Xu Zhaozhao stared at the last name, then thought about the information she had obtained, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she knew who she should start with.

Click!

It was a very faint sound, but it seemed quite abrupt in the quiet night.

Xu Zhaozhao slowly looked up and met Xie Zheng, who had just entered and was about to sit down.

"Does our Marquis's residence not have a main gate? Also, this Purple Garden is a women's inner courtyard. How dare you be so bold?"

Xie Zheng just grinned foolishly, scratching his head, looking completely silly.

Silly?

Xie Zheng is definitely not really stupid!

He just felt a little lost whenever he was around a girl he liked.

But they are also incredibly bold, always thinking of coming over to tease each other.

Xu Zhaozhao rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Coming over so late at night, is it something urgent?"

Xie Zheng nodded: "I was on patrol when I accidentally saw someone I knew, but I'm not sure if it was him."

Xu Zhaozhao stared at him for a while before asking, "Yongpingfang?"

Xie Zheng's eyes widened: "You know?"

"Tell me who you saw first."

Xie Zheng answered without hesitation: "Jiang Yanping."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled. She was just wondering who to approach, and Xie Zheng had provided a convenient solution.

"Only you saw it?"

"There were two captains. After we patrolled the streets together, we originally planned to split up, but we happened to see Jiang Yanping's carriage coming out and then heading to Yongping Ward."

"There's a curfew in the capital. Is it before the gates are locked?"

"Yes. He was put on curfew as soon as he entered Yongping Ward."

"Don't get involved in this matter, or you'll incur the Emperor's wrath!"

Xie Zheng became even more curious.

That's just how people are sometimes; the less they're told, the more they want to know.

"Jiang Yanping keeps mistresses, and not just one, but many. He has so many children who are not recorded in the Jiang family genealogy that you can't count them on one hand. So, are you scared now?"

Xie Zheng's eyes widened, never expecting it to be such a secret matter.

In Daxing, it is a serious crime for officials to keep mistresses!

Even if Jiang Yanping has a Grand Tutor father and a Consort sister, it won't work.

While he might not lose his head, he would certainly be demoted and stripped of his official position.

"How did you know?"

“Last month I went to Yongpingfang to look for someone and happened to run into him. However, I did not ride in the Marquis’s carriage at the time, so he did not know that I was there. Later I sent someone to inquire and found out that Jiang Yanping kept two women in Yongpingfang alone, one of whom was a daughter who was already sixteen years old.”

Xie Zheng made a swallowing motion, as if it was still a bit difficult. He never expected that the Jiang family, which was praised by countless scholars as a pure stream of scholars, would raise such a son.

First, there's Jiang Yanhui, who is a disgrace to intellectuals.

Now there's another Jiang Yanping. What kind of family tradition does the Jiang family have?

Xu Zhaozhao leaned forward slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of excitement: "Jiang Yanping's illegitimate daughter has been sent to the palace."

Another thunderclap struck Xie Zheng's ears, and he felt as if he were hallucinating.

After seeing Xu Zhaozhao's incredibly certain gaze, I felt like the sky was about to fall.

So, the newly arrived Consort Jiang or something like that was actually Consort Jiang's niece.

Didn't you say before that you were relatives?

Since they were only related by blood, it wasn't a big deal that even if an aunt and niece shared the same husband.

But now we've been told that the two are actually aunt and niece. If this gets out, the Emperor's face will be completely humiliated!

Although the Daxing Dynasty was not strict about the separation of men and women, it still valued etiquette.

To put it bluntly, if Consort Jiang has passed away, then if another woman of the Jiang family enters the palace to serve the Emperor, she must be of the same generation as Consort Jiang. Otherwise, how would the princess born to Consort Jiang address the newly favored concubine?

Isn't this incest?

Xie Zheng smiled wryly: "Zhao Zhao, why did you have to tell me such a secret?"

"Scared?"

Xie Zheng puffed out his chest: "Who have I, Xie Sanlang, ever feared? It's just that this matter has gone too far. What if the Emperor..."

"So, you need to find a way to leak this news to Prince An. The birth of a prince with the blood of the Jiang family means that all the resources behind the Jiang family will be tilted towards this little prince. Do you think Prince An and Prince Zhong would want to see this?"

Xie Zheng calmed down, and just then Xu Zhaozhao handed him a cup of tea. Without even looking at it, he gulped it down.

"I understand, but..."

"But it's just a fetus, it hasn't even come into this world yet. Isn't it too cruel to do this?"

Xie Zheng paused, then looked directly at Xu Zhaozhao: "You don't need to test me like that, that's not what I meant. I'm worried that if they make too much of a fuss, it will only anger the Emperor. Right now, there are only two adult princes in the court, and if they make too much of a scene, it won't look good for the Emperor."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled but remained silent.

Xie Zheng drank another cup of tea: "I will arrange this matter. You must not mention it to anyone else, not even the Xu family. Zhaozhao, I will handle this matter well, and it will not come back to you."