Chapter 223: What Shady Deal Are You Hiding?
Qi Wu took out a jade pendant from his bosom, tremblingly offering it to Emperor Qin with both hands, “Your Majesty, this is the jade pendant that Miss Lin left behind after I had intimate relations with her back then.”
Jiang Ruanxi glanced at the jade pendant; it indeed had a “Ting” character engraved on it.
Lin Tingting stepped forward quickly, her voice sharp as she retorted, “Sir Qi, I have no grudge against you, so why are you trying to harm me? You say this jade pendant is mine, and so it is? I didn’t expect you to have such clever tricks.”
Qi Wu raised his head, looking at the woman he loved, who now appeared anxious, and felt a bit soft-hearted, but thinking of his official career, Qi Wu steeled himself, “If the Heir Apparent’s Wife says this jade pendant is fake, then have her bring out hers, and we’ll know if it’s real or fake.”
“I…” Panic flashed in Lin Tingting’s eyes, and she couldn’t say a word.
“Could it be that the Heir Apparent’s Wife can’t produce it?”
Stung by this, Lin Tingting said, “Who says I can’t produce it? I just didn’t bring it with me today.”
Jiang Ruanxi didn’t miss her earlier guilt, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, “Such an important thing, and yet the Heir Apparent’s Wife doesn’t carry it on her? Could it be that the Heir Apparent’s Wife doesn’t have the jade pendant at all, and everything is just deceiving us?”
Lin Tingting gritted her teeth in anger, “It’s precisely because it’s so precious that I didn’t bring it. If the Crown Princess doesn’t believe me, I’ll send someone back to fetch it right now.”
With that, she instructed a maidservant nearby, “Go back to the manor and fetch my jade pendant.”
The maidservant was stunned, and Jiang Ruanxi smiled, “While you’re at it, call Lord Lin to come as well, so we can see which of these two jade pendants is the real one.”
A glint flashed in Lin Tingting’s eyes.
Now that Lin Feng was not in the capital, only He Sheng was at Lin Manor. If He Sheng claimed her jade pendant was real when the time came, then even if the one in Qi Wu’s hand was fake, wouldn’t that prove Qi Wu was lying?
By then, regardless of whether the jade pendant in her hand was real or fake, all the favorable evidence would be on her side.
This time, Lin Tingting had no objections and raised her neck proudly, saying, “Fine, then call my sister-in-law. She definitely recognizes this jade pendant. She just needs to take a look, and we’ll know who’s really lying.”
Emperor Qin had thought this matter would soon reach a conclusion, but now it seemed there might be a reversal, so he wasn’t in a hurry and sat quietly drinking tea on the side.
Marquis Yongning, nearby, felt a great wave of doubt rise in his heart.
Earlier, he had heard Qi Wu’s one-sided account, coupled with various suspicions, and believed Lin Tingting’s child really wasn’t his son’s.
He had felt deeply ashamed and hurried over to make her shut up and take her home for private handling, but now seeing Lin Tingting so calm and composed, even showing no fear at all, he felt uncertain deep down.
Could it all be that Qi Wu and the Crown Princess were sowing discord behind the scenes, trying to ruin their Yongning Marquis Manor?
For Marquis Yongning Manor, whether the child was really from the manor wasn’t that important anymore; what mattered was the manor’s reputation.
Thinking of this, Marquis Yongning immediately fell silent and refrained from saying more for the time being.
If he could minimize the damage to Yongning Marquis Manor’s reputation, he was willing to wait a little longer.
The disturbance in the Eastern Palace was so big that soon almost the entire Imperial Palace knew about it.
The Empress naturally came upon hearing the news.
Before long, He Sheng arrived as well.
“Greetings to Your Majesty and the Empress.” He Sheng curtsied first.
On the way, Lin Tingting’s people had roughly told her what had happened.
“Rise.” Emperor Qin asked, “Does First Madam Lin recognize this jade pendant?”
Emperor Qin signaled the person beside him to hand the jade pendant to He Sheng.
He Sheng respectfully took it, flipped it over to look, and said, “Your Majesty, although this jade pendant has my third sister’s name on it, it is not the one from our Lin Family children.”
“Wha… what?”
It wasn’t?
Qi Wu was struck as if by lightning, while Jiang Ruanxi merely curled her lips in mockery.
Lin Tingting took a deep breath, feeling immensely relieved.
Even Marquis Yongning breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
This proved that their marquis manor’s reputation was preserved.
The Empress spoke, “Your Majesty, it seems this is all a misunderstanding. The jade pendant in Sir Qi’s hand does not belong to the Yongning Marquis Manor Heir Apparent’s Wife. This means the one who had a fleeting affair with Sir Qi was not the Heir Apparent’s Wife; it’s just a misunderstanding. Moreover, judging by Sir Qi’s appearance, he doesn’t know the truth. Could someone have schemed to deceive even Sir Qi?”
Emperor Qin frowned sternly, and Lin Tingting seized the opportunity to kneel on the ground again, “This subject wife has always held her husband in her heart. Since her husband passed away, she has been strict with herself, upholding womanly virtue. Now suffering this unfounded injustice, I beg Your Majesty to restore this subject wife’s purity and severely punish those spreading rumors.”
Emperor Qin’s expression darkened, “Sir Qi, what more do you have to say about this?”
Qi Wu’s face paled, his body swaying involuntarily a few times, “Your Majesty, every word this minister spoke is true, with no falsehoods. This jade pendant truly belongs to the Heir Apparent’s Wife.”
“Even now, you dare spout nonsense here and slander her purity. Men, seize Sir Qi and execute him in three days.” Emperor Qin said coldly.
Normally, exile would suffice for such a matter, but after the Imperial Consort incident, Emperor Qin most despised men who caused chaos.
Hearing this, Qi Wu’s body went limp with fear on the ground, his ashen face unable to utter a word.
Jiang Ruanxi frowned slightly, not expecting Emperor Qin to impose such a heavy punishment.
Lin Tingting curled her lips, glancing triumphantly at Jiang Ruanxi, her eyes full of provocation.
“Crown Princess, you were the one who brought this man here in a sack. Could there be some unspeakable dealings between you and Sir Qi, using him to slander me and achieve your hidden objective?”
Meeting her triumphant gaze, Jiang Ruanxi remained utterly calm inside, with no trace of panic on her face.
The Empress piled on, “Crown Princess, is what the Yongning Marquis Manor Heir Apparent’s Wife said true? Could you really have some unspeakable transaction with Sir Qi?”
Emperor Qin was already somewhat displeased, yet the Empress continued, “If it’s true, confess quickly. Perhaps His Majesty, for the Crown Prince’s sake, will deal with you leniently.”
“Mother Empress, you believe First Madam Lin’s one-sided words just like that?”
“What one-sided words? The facts and evidence are right before our eyes. How can I not believe?” the Empress said angrily.
“Yes, Crown Princess, isn’t what my sister-in-law said evidence enough?” Lin Tingting just wanted to end this quickly, “If you can’t produce evidence, then everything I said is true.”
