Chapter 557: Escalating Conflict

Chapter 557: Conflict Escalates

When Old Madam Jiang heard these words, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck above her head.

Her eyes immediately darted to where Jiang Yanfan was standing.

When she saw the man, she froze in place, her heart nearly leaping from her chest.

"Yanfan, Yanfan, it really is you, you're still alive..."

Her cheeks flushed, her eyes shimmering with excitement, and she walked toward the State Preceptor as if drawn by an invisible force.

But he took several steps back, putting distance between them.

"I am not some Jiang Yanfan. Don't try to claim a connection with me, or else don't blame me for being rude!"

Old Madam Jiang's body stiffened, as if she hadn't expected him to say such a thing.

When she came to her senses, tears glistened in her eyes, and her hands trembled slightly.

"Impossible. I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you. I am your mother. I could never be mistaken."

Madam Cao curled her lip in mockery. "Mother, of course he doesn't want to acknowledge you, because he is now the one the Empress Dowager loves most, and the State Preceptor of the Western Shu Kingdom—second only to the sovereign himself."

"Their son is about to be established as Crown Prince. Isn't it laughable? Our whole family thought he was dead, yet he has hidden this from us for so long."

Old Madam Jiang nearly lost her footing. The sheer amount of information in Madam Cao's words was overwhelming, and she couldn't take it all in at once.

Jiang Yanfan wasn't dead—instead, he had become the State Preceptor. The Empress Dowager loved him, and the two of them even had a son together.

His son was about to take the throne—so what did that make her grandchildren?

She wouldn't have dared to even dream of such a thing.

But she knew well that Madam Cao would never lie.

For her to muster the courage to come to the palace alone and make a scene meant that Jiang Yanfan had indeed done something unforgivable to her.

Old Madam Jiang was so angry that the cane in her hand fell to the ground, and Madam Cao stepped forward to support her.

Then, she addressed the State Preceptor: "Today, I have brought my mother-in-law and both children here. Does the State Preceptor dare to do a blood kinship test with Yutong and Shixu?"

"As long as the test results show that Yutong and Shixu have no blood relation to you, then I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit without complaint."

Yuan Jiu'an interjected, his tone dripping with barely concealed glee.

"If the State Preceptor refuses, then the coronation ceremony cannot proceed. You two can sort it out yourselves!"

The State Preceptor clenched his fists. He was always the one cornering others, but this time he had been cornered himself.

Now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Just as he found himself in a dilemma, Empress Dowager Yuan spoke up.

"Isn't it just a blood test? What's there to be afraid of?"

"Once the test is done, if it proves there's no blood relation, then none of you will be spared."

With that, she ordered a palace maid to bring a bowl of plain water.

The State Preceptor hesitated, not daring to move. He didn't understand what game Empress Dowager Yuan was playing now.

But Empress Dowager Yuan shot him a look that said "keep your cool."

Trusting his years of knowing her, he finally picked up a dagger, cut his fingertip, and let his blood drip into the bowl.

Their exchange was subtle, but Ji Yuntang sharply noticed the silent communication between them.

Her gut told her that the water had been tampered with.

She gave it a careful sniff and discovered that alum had been added to the water.

With that substance in the water, even a biological father and son wouldn't have their blood mix.

No wonder that old hag had suddenly changed her mind and agreed to let the State Preceptor undergo the blood test with Madam Cao's two children.

Ji Yuntang sneered inwardly. Did they think they could get away with it that easily?

How naive can they be?

She secretly retrieved some powder from her storage space that neutralized the alum, held it between two fingers, and flicked it gently toward where the group was standing.

The powder was colorless and odorless, utterly inconspicuous. Carried by the wind, it drifted directly into the bowl of water used for the test.

No one noticed a thing.

After the State Preceptor's blood dripped in, Jiang Yutong and Jiang Shixu also cut their fingers and dripped their blood into the bowl.

Everyone stared intently at the three drops of blood, waiting to see if they would mix.

At first, the three drops remained separate and showed no sign of merging. The State Preceptor felt a surge of relief, believing that Empress Dowager Yuan's plan had worked.

But suddenly, as if drawn to one another, they rapidly merged together.

It happened so fast that everyone was stunned.

The State Preceptor and Empress Dowager Yuan stood there frozen, both unable to comprehend why this had happened.

Especially Empress Dowager Yuan—she distinctly remembered signaling the palace maid to add alum to the water, so what had gone wrong?

Yuan Jiu'an let out a mocking laugh and said with a sneer, "The State Preceptor's blood has merged with the children's. Is there anything else the Empress Dowager and the State Preceptor have to say?"

The State Preceptor's face changed dramatically, and he said urgently, "Impossible! Someone must have tampered with the water bowl."

Qi Huaichuan stepped forward, furious. "Enough! Do you take us all for fools?"

"From the very beginning, I and several other family heads have sensed that the Crown Prince you nominated was highly suspicious. If he truly possessed a once-in-a-century mandate of heaven, how could he have remained so unremarkable for all these years?"

"Furthermore, a man who has never even set foot outside his own courtyard—what does he know of state affairs, of court politics?"

"If he doesn't even understand these things, how can he possibly be fit to be Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Yuan was shaking with rage, but Qi Huaichuan did not stop there. He continued:

"Not to mention that this young Master Yuan is now the illegitimate son of the Empress Dowager and the State Preceptor. The fact that the two of you conspired to push him onto the throne won't convince anyone."

"Even if he weren't your illegitimate son, with his current abilities and physical condition, he's not fit for that position."

"How dare you!" Empress Dowager Yuan's face went pale. She grabbed a teacup from the table beside her and hurled it at Qi Huaichuan.

And the cup, as fate would have it, struck Qi Huaichuan squarely on the forehead, instantly bloodying the head of this minister in his seventies.

The other ministers were startled and hurriedly scrambled to support Qi Huaichuan.

This move truly set off the conflict between Empress Dowager Yuan and the noble families.

Empress Dowager Yuan, however, didn't think much of it, figuring that as long as no one died, it was hardly a serious matter.

Her gaze turned cold, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes.

"What if I, right here and now, insist on making Yuanchao the Crown Prince?"

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