Chapter 77: Quarreling in the Palace

Chapter 77 Courtroom Brawl

"Your Grace, it's not that I keep picking on him. It's clearly him bullying my sister, using his status as a prince to repeatedly corner and try to hit her.

My sister is a delicate young girl who can't carry heavy loads or do manual labor, not like me with my strength. How could she withstand even a few punches from the Sixth Prince?

Your Grace, as the eldest sister, how could I just stand by and watch my sister get beaten up?"

Jiang Wan was no fool; she certainly wouldn't outright say that Li Shenxiu, that wretched scoundrel, had taken a fancy to her second sister. Such a thing would tarnish Jiang Han's reputation.

Fortunately, they were all still young, so they could just frame it as a childish schoolyard squabble—like "wait for me after school," and then calling in older siblings for backup.

The Imperial Noble Consort didn't say whether she believed it or not, but as she looked at the Jiang sisters, she felt a bit sorry for the mother of her future daughter-in-law. Raising daughters who were too beautiful certainly came with its share of troubles.

"Duchess of Ling, please stop crying. If there's anything I can do to help, just say it directly."

"Your subject thanks Your Grace."

The two mothers reached a tacit understanding.

In the Golden Hall, it was the day of the grand court assembly.

After discussing various matters of state, Chancellor Ji Xun stepped forward to accuse the Duke of Ling.

"Your Majesty, I accuse the Duke of Ling of allowing his children to act arrogantly and abuse their power.

Yesterday, for no reason, they viciously attacked my eldest son, who remains critically ill and may not survive!

The wicked actions of the Jiang children are truly outrageous. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for your subject!"

Ji Xun pointed accusingly at Jiang Huailiang, his expression full of grief and indignation, painting a pitiable and tragic picture. But Old Jiang was no mute; compared to shamelessly wailing in court, he was clearly more willing to go all out.

"Your Majesty, this is a false accusation! Before I could even beg Your Majesty for justice, I was slandered by that old scoundrel Ji Xun. This is truly too much!"

A big, burly man with a scruffy beard collapsed in tears in the Golden Hall, using the act his mother had drilled into him the previous night, crying and wailing as he pleaded his case.

"It was clearly Ji Yunzhi, that little bastard, who brought people to corner and attack my children! My three children are all well-behaved and never cause trouble outside.

I don't know how they offended the Ji family—perhaps they were implicated by their useless father. Some people can't beat me in a fair fight, so they shamelessly send their grown sons to attack my young children! Pah! Shameless bullies, picking on those smaller than them!"

He was spouting nonsense, twisting right and wrong without shame.

"Poor my father, so advanced in years he can hardly walk without trembling. Yesterday, when he heard that his prized grandchildren had been cornered and beaten, he was so enraged he coughed up blood! He's still clinging to life on his sickbed now!

Boo hoo, my dear father! If anything happens to you, I'll risk my life to get justice for you!"

His dramatic act was as over-the-top as ever—no, it was clearly even more refined this time, rivaling even his old mother's dramatics. The emperor couldn't even bring himself to look directly at him, so disgusted was he by the display.

In truth, the emperor was also somewhat annoyed with the Jiang family.

No matter how disgraceful the Sixth Prince's origins might be, he was still a legitimate prince. The emperor himself might ignore him, but he couldn't allow the Jiang girl to lay hands on him whenever she felt like it.

If nothing else, it was an affront to his dignity.

The head of the civil ministers had accused the head of the military ministers, and soon both sides—civil and military—were in an uproar.

"The Duke of Ling is clearly evading the issue!" a civil minister shouted. "Right now, we're discussing how you allowed your daughter to act violently. Don't bring up irrelevant matters to confuse the issue!"

"What are you talking about?" retorted a military minister. "How is this irrelevant? Old Master Jiang fell ill precisely because the children were bullied! The family's patriarch is on the verge of death, and you have the nerve to call it irrelevant? How cold-blooded can you be? You beast!"

"You crude military brute! I won't waste words arguing with you!" another civil minister scoffed. "Let's stick to the matter at hand: the Jiang girl bullied the weak and acted violently. She is utterly unworthy of being the Fourth Prince Consort. I beg Your Majesty to see reason!"

"Bullshit about 'violent behavior'!" yelled Zhang Jingguang. "When did I ever use a brush? I'm using my mouth! If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll use my fists too!"

Zhang Jingguang was the most vocal, yelling the loudest! Everyone in the court knew he and Jiang Huailiang were thick as thieves.

If his old friend's children were beaten, it was the same as his own children being beaten! Even though he didn't even have a wife, that didn't stop him from jumping up to pick a fight with the civil ministers.

The inherent conflict between civil and military officials had always existed, but now it was laid bare in the Golden Hall. The emperor, for his part, felt somewhat relieved.

Truth be told, he wasn't afraid of civil and military officials fighting—what he feared was them uniting. That would be a real problem for the emperor.

The Duke Chengen stole a glance at the emperor's expression and, feeling reassured, stepped forward to add his own accusation.

"Your Majesty, I also have a petition.

I accuse the Duke of Ling of failing to discipline his daughter, allowing her to disrespect the Sixth Prince and repeatedly resort to violence. This is a failure in his duty as a subject.

I do not know what the Duke of Ling intends by failing to teach his children to respect imperial authority. I can only bring this to Your Majesty's attention and beg for your judgment."

The accusation was severe—one misstep and Old Jiang could be in serious trouble. Fortunately, he had his natural ally on his side.

As soon as Qiao Yunhai, the Marquis Weiwu, saw his old rival from the Zhao family step forward, he adhered to his principle of opposing whatever that scoundrel supported and firmly stood by the Duke of Ling.

He squared off against him, ready for a fight.

"Pah! Don't you talk about etiquette and duty!" Qiao Yunhai scoffed. "Your Zhao family has none of those things to begin with! How dare you jump out and shout about them?

If we're talking about disrespecting imperial authority, who could possibly surpass Zhao Heran? I can't even be bothered to list all the disgraceful things you've done—everyone knows anyway. But if you have the nerve to stand there and play the loyal minister, that's just pathetic!"

With the Sixth Prince's face right there, if anyone claimed he had no connection to the Zhao family, Qiao Yunhai would gladly gouge his own eyes out and stomp on them.

What a bunch of shameless scoundrels! They already had Li Yuanxiu in their grasp, yet they still schemed for more! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He directly pointed at the Zhao family's lackey, the Vice Minister of Rites.

"I think the Jiang girl is just fine!" he declared. "She's righteous and protective of her own. If she can protect her younger siblings now, she'll be able to protect her husband and children in the future. As her uncle, I'm delighted that the Fourth Prince will have such a wife!

Why should you butt in?

What do you mean, 'unworthy of being the Fourth Prince Consort'?

You've got some nerve! If the Jiang girl isn't worthy, then I suppose your family's girl is? Screw your uncle!"

How much the Fourth Prince adored his wife was something even the dogs in the capital knew. How dare the Vice Minister of Rites plot against the Fourth Prince Consort? If he wasn't careful, the Fourth Prince, that rascal, might just pay a visit to his family's ancestral grave in the middle of the night and take a dump.

"Marquis Weiwu, mind your language!" the Vice Minister of Rites retorted. "Do not cause a disturbance in the Golden Hall. We are discussing the Jiang girl's violent behavior—"

"Violent my ass!" Qiao Yunhai interrupted. "Do you even know how to speak? My future niece-in-law is responsible! She knows how to protect her younger siblings.

A cold-hearted bastard like you wouldn't understand such sibling affection, but I do. When I was young, if anyone dared hit me, my older sister would rush out and beat them up!

That's why I think this girl is just fine—more than fine!"