Chapter 377 The Method to Topple Xiao Lingchuan for Good

Chapter 377: The Method to Completely Overthrow Xiao Lingchuan

Jiang Yaozhen recalled everything from this life, and the more she thought about it, the weirder it felt.

In this life, Xiao Lingchuan no longer played along with her and her mother. Not only did he see through their massive lie at a glance, but he also forced them to take poison, holding their lives firmly in his grip.

Could he remember his past life too?

Fear washed over her like a wave, and she suddenly sat up, deciding to head back to the Duke's Mansion right away.

Her mother wasn't her real mother and wouldn't really care about her, while her father, Chancellor Jiang, was now backing Prince Jing, Xiao Lingchuan, and couldn't help her, either.

The Duke's Mansion had her devoted husband, as well as her in-laws, blinded by greed and had already made a deadly enemy of Xiao Lingchuan.

They were the only pawns she could use right now!

Ignoring the maids trying to stop her, Jiang Yaozhen didn't even bother to say goodbye to Madam Jiang and Chancellor Jiang. She left the Chancellor's residence and got into the carriage heading back to the Duke's Mansion.

The carriage raced all the way, screeching to a halt at the gates of the Duke's Mansion.

Jiang Yaozhen staggered through the gates and ran straight into her husband, the Young Duke, Wei Zicheng.

“Weren't you supposed to be visiting your family at the Chancellor's place? How did you... end up like this?” He stepped forward quickly, trying to support her, his eyes filled with concern.

Jiang Yaozhen grabbed his arm, her voice urgent and sharp: “Husband! I need to talk to your father and mother about something important. Take me to see them right now!”

Wei Zicheng was startled by how she looked and instinctively tried to pull back: “But... Mother went to Baoguang Temple to pray early this morning, and Father hasn't been feeling well lately. He's closed his doors to visitors; I doubt he'll see you.”

Same old excuses!

Jiang Yaozhen sneered to herself.

As soon as Xiao Lingchuan returned to the capital, her in-laws had tucked tail like cowards, one going to pray, the other faking illness, hoping to dodge Xiao Lingchuan's reckoning.

Naive!

They didn't get that Xiao Lingchuan was a vengeful man. Once he had his sights set on someone, if they couldn't finish him off, they'd live in constant fear.

She stared into Wei Zicheng's eyes, which were always a bit timid, and said, word for word: “Husband, Prince Jing is back. If you don't want the Duke of Wei's Mansion to end up destroyed by him one day, take me to see them right now!”

The words 'Prince Jing' hit Wei Zicheng like a sledgehammer.

He had always obeyed Jiang Yaozhen, his bright and bossy childhood sweetheart, without much fight. Now, her sharp, threatening tone instantly drained the color from his face.

He swallowed hard, didn't dare say another word, and could only take her hand and hurry toward the Duke of Wei's courtyard.

Inside the study, sandalwood incense curled faintly.

The Grand Princess was leisurely feeding the Duke of Wei, who was lounging on a soft couch, spoonful by spoonful of bird's nest soup.

When she heard the servant announce that Jiang Yaozhen had barged in, her hand jerked, and the spoon clattered onto the jade plate.

“Make her leave!” The Grand Princess's face was full of anger.

Before she could finish, Jiang Yaozhen, led by Wei Zicheng, burst in.

The moment the Grand Princess saw her daughter-in-law, anger flared inside her.

She had never liked Jiang Yaozhen—her looks too flashy, with a hint of seductiveness, completely bewitching her precious son.

What's more, even though she was a remarried woman, she had never behaved like a proper daughter-in-law and was never respectful to her mother-in-law.

“Jiang Yaozhen!” The Grand Princess slammed the jade plate aside, her eyes wide. “If it weren't for your sweet talk, getting us to cooperate with Prince Rui against that villain Prince Jing, would the Duke's Mansion be trapped in such a miserable state now?

Prince Rui is dead, Prince Jing has returned as the Regent, and the entire court follows his lead! Tell me, how is the Duke's Mansion supposed to survive now?!”

A torrent of abuse. If it had been any other day, Jiang Yaozhen might have held back.

But now, having died once, her heart was filled only with icy hatred and madness.

Instead of shrinking back, she raised her chin with a mocking curl of her lips.

“Mother, that's an interesting way to put it,” she retorted coldly. “If you and Father hadn't wanted to overthrow Prince Jing to get a share of the spoils from the new emperor, you would never have agreed no matter how much I begged.

Now that we're at a disadvantage, you're putting all the blame on me? Winning and losing are common in war, and we haven't even lost yet—can't you stop blaming your own people?”

“You… you shameless…” The Grand Princess trembled with rage, pointing at Jiang Yaozhen.

“Enough! Stop arguing!” The Duke of Wei, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

His complexion was sallow, and he lacked strength, but his eyes remained sharp. “Yao Zhen, why are you so desperate to see us?”

Jiang Yaozhen restrained her mockery, turning to face the Duke of Wei on the main seat, her expression suddenly grave.

Lowering her voice, she dropped a bombshell.

“Father, your daughter-in-law has a way to completely overthrow Prince Jing, Xiao Lingchuan!”

A glint of sharpness flashed in the Duke of Wei's murky eyes. “Speak!”

“Actually,” Jiang Yaozhen said slowly, her tone eerily certain, “Prince Jing, Xiao Lingchuan, is not the late emperor's biological son at all.”

“What?!” The Grand Princess gasped.

The Duke of Wei shot upright on the couch, staring hard at her. “Are you sure?!”

“Absolutely! He is the child born of the then-Princess Nanyue, the peace-making princess, and Zhao Qian, the current Chief Grand Secretary of Nanyue, through adultery!” Jiang Yaozhen's voice was dark enough to drip water. “The blood flowing in his veins is not of the Daye royal family. How can he be a prince of Daye, let alone the all-powerful Regent?”

The Duke of Wei's breathing grew rapid, but his decades of cunning forced him to calm down. He narrowed his eyes. “Do you have evidence?”

“That Princess Nanyue and Zhao Qian were engaged long ago is a well-known fact among the people of Nanyue,” Jiang Yaozhen said venomously. “And not long ago, Prince Jing specially invited Zhao Qian to Daye. If it weren't for their father-son bond, why would he do that?”

The Duke of Wei frowned and shook his head. “No. I just received word that Prince Jing did not treat Zhao Qian with courtesy at all; instead, he threw him into the mansion's underground prison and torments him day and night. That doesn't seem like how you treat a biological father.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yaozhen was not flustered by the lie she had told; instead, she let out a sharp, confident sneer.

“Father, you don't understand. This isn't torture—it's him panicking, trying to kill the witness to bury the secret that he has Nanyue blood forever!

If Father trusts your daughter-in-law, I can find a way to get you irrefutable proof of Prince Jing's Nanyue lineage!”

“Really?!” The Duke of Wei grabbed the armrest next to the couch, his knuckles white with excitement. “You… you can really do this?”

Jiang Yaozhen looked steadfast. “Naturally, Father. Leave it to your daughter-in-law!”

The Duke of Wei's heart pounded.

In the current situation, Emperor Xiao Zhengxian was not yet fully fledged and had long regarded the powerful, heavily armed Regent Xiao Lingchuan with extreme wariness, and their relations were unprecedentedly tense.

The Duke of Wei's Mansion had already offended Xiao Lingchuan to the death by joining hands with Prince Rui. Mending the relationship was impossible.

Rather than wait for death and let Xiao Lingchuan settle accounts later, it was better to take a gamble!

If they could exploit this matter to help the emperor overthrow his biggest threat, Xiao Lingchuan, they would earn merits for supporting the new ruler!

Such merits would ensure the Duke of Wei lineage another century of wealth and glory in Daye!

With that thought, a meaningful smile appeared on his face. “Yao Zhen, the entire Duke's Mansion looks forward to your good news!”