The Hidden Beauty

Chapter 91 How did the case files get stolen from the Dali Temple?

On the day they entered the palace, Jiang Shiwan and Liu Huining both wore the clothes of a royal lady.

Both of them wore a red silk shirt inside and a dark blue shawl, jacket and pendant outside. Their phoenix crowns were covered with kingfisher feather clouds and decorated with phoenix birds, which made them look rich and charming.

Looking at Jiang Shiwan in formal attire, Meng Tingzhou said nothing but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

During the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, there was a constant stream of ladies and officials entering the palace.

Jiang Shiwan and Liu Huining, as wives of the governor and first-rank ladies, naturally became the leaders among the ladies of honor, and many people came to chat with them.

If it were in the past, there would definitely be a lot of people surrounding Liu Huining.

But ever since something happened to the Liu family, and after hearing that she was not favored after marrying into the Governor's Mansion, everyone's attitude became different from before, and they avoided her intentionally or unintentionally.

On the contrary, Jiang Shiwan remained in favor and had a son, which won the favor of many ladies of noble birth.

There were many people around her, talking and laughing.

Nothing is more fickle than the fickleness of human nature.

Liu Huining was always the center of attention wherever he went. He had never been treated so coldly before, and he felt embarrassed.

I originally thought that if I compromised and married into the Governor's Mansion as a co-wife, I would get more care and protection from Meng Tingzhou.

Who would have thought that his heart and eyes were filled with only that woman and child, and he didn't even give me a gentle look.

In Wanyuan and Xingyuan, all the heartfelt conversations seemed to have become a joke.

Yes, I am the laughing stock of the whole capital city right now.

She tried so hard to marry Meng Tingzhou, but not only did she not hold a high position, but her father was also deeply implicated because of her carelessness, and everyone avoided her...

Thinking of this, Liu Huining was filled with sorrow: Jiang Shiwan, I will never let you succeed!
As the palace servants shouted "The Emperor has arrived", everyone knelt down and saluted: "Your Highness, Your ...

The emperor was pleased and said: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The ministers and their wives have come to the palace for a banquet, which shows that our Great Yan Kingdom is peaceful and prosperous."

As he spoke, he raised the wine glass in his hand and said, "This cup, from the Queen and I, is in honor of all the beloved ministers."

"Thank you Lord for your grace."

After drinking, everyone sat down.

Because Meng Tingzhou had a noble status, he naturally sat in the primary seat below the emperor, and Jiang Shiwan was very far away from him.

De Hai, who was beside His Majesty, nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the gentlemen have specially prepared gifts to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Would you like to present them one by one?"

The emperor and the queen looked at each other and said with a smile, "Since you are so thoughtful, the queen and I will gladly accept it."

De Hai clapped his hands, and immediately dozens of palace servants came in one after another and presented their gifts.

The emperor looked around and saw corals, paintings, jade and the like. He nodded as if he was very satisfied, and then his eyes stopped in front of a brocade box: "What's in this?"

De Hai made a gesture to the eunuch holding the tray, who nodded and said, "Your Majesty, this is a gift from the Governor's Office. They said it was specially given to the Empress by the Governor's wife."

The emperor glanced at Meng Tingzhou and said, "Your wife is indeed thoughtful."

Then he asked someone to present the brocade box to her: "Queen, take a look at what treasure is inside?"

As soon as the brocade box was opened, the queen leaned forward to take a look, her face changed drastically: "This..." and then she collapsed and sat down.

The emperor looked at her doubtfully, and then looked at the things in the brocade box. His expression also turned stern: "How insolent!"

Upon hearing this, the palace banquet that had been filled with laughter and joy suddenly fell silent and everyone knelt on the ground.

The emperor took the scroll from the brocade box and threw it in front of Meng Tingzhou: "How did you get this?"

When Meng Tingzhou saw the three eye-catching words "Military Affairs Case" on the outside of the scroll, he immediately understood.

But at this moment, he pretended to see this thing for the first time, and was very shocked when he picked it up: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I don't know how this thing appeared here?"

The emperor's eyes were cold: "This military case is the case file of the late military assistant minister Jiang Xingyuan. How could it appear in the brocade box? What is your intention?"

When the three words "Jiang Xingyuan" were mentioned, everyone naturally turned their eyes to Jiang Shiwan.

Before she could even open her mouth, the eunuchs had already restrained her and Liu Huining and dragged them before the emperor.

Liu Huining looked at her in shock. "How did you get the stolen case files from the Dali Temple? How did they appear in the gift presented to the Queen?"

She kowtowed in front of the emperor and said with great emotion: "I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty to understand. My father has requested to be punished for the theft of the Ministry of War's case files. Jiang has now presented the case files to the emperor. Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious. I hope Your Majesty will give my father justice..."

"Sister, you and I are both wives of the Governor's Office. How can you be sure that the Emperor only suspects me and not you?"

Jiang Shiwan was not in a hurry to clarify: "Not to mention that I have never seen my father since he was convicted, the Dali Temple is heavily guarded, how can a woman like me go in and out easily?"

"As the daughter of the Dali Temple Minister, you can easily enter and exit the Dali Temple. Who knows if you deliberately used this to frame me?"

Liu Huining was furious: "Jiang Shiwan, you are slandering me! The Dali Temple is an important place for the royal family to try cases, how can I enter so easily?"

Jiang Shiwan said calmly: "Then tell me, what use are the military files to me?"

Liu Huining frowned and said angrily, "Of course you want to overturn your father's verdict!"

Jiang Shiwan kowtowed again before the emperor and said solemnly, "The Dali Temple should handle my father's case impartially. Your Majesty is a wise ruler and did not make things difficult for us, the descendants of guilty ministers. I am grateful to you. How can a weak woman overturn the case?"

"Since I entered the Governor's Mansion, my husband has repeatedly reminded me to abide by the rules of being a wife. I, your humble servant, will offer sacrifices to the gods on the first and fifteenth day of every month and pray for the prosperity of Great Yan."

Her tone was always calm, but her words were sincere, which made everyone present secretly amazed.

This was the first time I heard her speak so much, and on such an important occasion, but her expression was calm and every word she spoke was full of meaning. Such courage was rare not only among the ladies of high rank, but even among the ministers.

On the other hand, although Liu Huining had a great reputation before, he was just so-so when I saw him today.

There is indeed a suspicion that he is eager to distance himself from the matter.

The Queen also thought that Jiang Shiwan came here to change Jiang Xingyuan's testimony, but she didn't expect that she didn't intend to do so.

For a moment, I was confused as to what she meant.

This was the first time His Majesty had seen Jiang Shiwan. After she was dragged up and his face was clearly seen, he had a vague sense of déjà vu.

Hearing her words again, his eyes were cold and grim: "Jiang, since you said that you didn't steal the case file, why did it appear in the brocade box?"

Jiang Shiwan bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty, I have prepared the gift from the Governor's Office very well. However, it has been handled by many people since it was prepared, brought to the palace, and presented to the Emperor. I really don't know why this file appeared here."

(End of this chapter)