Chapter 279: Extinguishing Kin - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 279: Extinguishing Kin

Even if he were demoted and punished in the future, it would only be a minor issue; it wouldn’t lead to death. As long as he was alive, he could find a way to turn things around!

This was his confidence.

Thinking this, he held his head high, even higher than the censors who had come to accuse him. If an outsider saw this, they might think it was Wen Jingsong who was accusing the censors and framing his colleagues.

Wen Mengsheng, standing behind him, looked at Yin Canwen with contempt.

What if he was the top scholar? It all depended on whether he had the life to enjoy it!

Harboring dark thoughts, he planned to end Yin Canwen’s life after this matter was settled; otherwise, it would be too risky in the long run!

Just as everyone was at a loss, someone suddenly walked in.

“Master Wen is quite confident, but I wonder if you dare to face the Miss of the Wen family?”

The tense atmosphere in the court was abruptly broken by Prince Ke’s words. He strode in, followed by a delicate and sorrowful Wen Yuwei.

When Wen Jingsong saw her, he felt a surge of dread.

His mind quickly raced through everything, and he directed his suspicion at the Grand Prince, knowing it must be due to his support for the Duke of Wei and the Ninth Prince that had provoked this revenge.

Realizing this, he felt a sudden relaxation.

There was hope for overturning the situation now; he just needed to drag this matter into the party struggle. Even if Emperor Qi doubted him, he would not be too harsh.

Balancing the situation in court and watching from the sidelines was Emperor Qi’s method of ruling, and Wen Jingsong had seen through it many years ago.

Thus, no matter how Prince Ke spoke to him, he maintained a smiling face, which made the younger Prince Ke somewhat annoyed.

“Prince, what do you intend to discuss with Miss Yuwei confronting me?”

“Master Wen, you are calm in a crisis, but your words are not reliable. You and your son discussed the issue of corruption in the study, yet you forgot Miss Wen outside the door.”

As soon as Prince Ke finished speaking, Wen Yuwei stepped forward, kneeling on the ground. After respectfully greeting Emperor Qi, she slowly spoke.

“Your Majesty, I planned to deliver food to my uncle, but I happened to overhear him and my cousin discussing important matters in the study. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I stood outside the door and accidentally overheard the word ‘corruption.’ Out of curiosity, I listened for a while and heard my uncle and cousin discussing accepting bribes from several noble families to ensure their sons were placed on the list.”

She spoke with a feigned expression of fear and tears, making it seem heart-wrenching.

“After hearing this, I was terrified, fearing that my uncle would treat me like he did my brother. I couldn’t sleep or eat well, and it was only by chance that I attended the Crown Prince’s hundred-day banquet and realized that only the upright and decisive Prince Ke and his wife could bring this matter to Your Majesty. Thus, I gathered my courage to bring this to light and ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

Her words made several censors perk up again.

With a witness present, they were eager to see how he would cleverly counter the accusations!

Faced with such accusations, Wen Jingsong’s heart skipped a beat but quickly feigned deep sorrow, exposing Wen Yuwei’s 'scandal' of betraying kin for the greater good.

He mournfully addressed Emperor Qi.

“Your Majesty, Yuwei is my own niece, brought to the Eastern Capital from our hometown when she was around ten. Although we don’t have a matriarch at home, I hired a wet nurse to properly raise her. This was both to honor our unbroken blood ties and to give her a good future. Unexpectedly, this behavior only encouraged her ambitions, leading her to select among the young noblemen and even to slander the reputations of the young ladies from the Wei and Liang families. Hence, there was the incident where a young lady from the Liang family came to slap her face. After this, I not only sought treatment for her injuries but also personally apologized to the Duke and Master Liang. As an uncle, I have done my duty to my brother’s legacy. Yet Yuwei still holds a grudge against me, speaking harshly at home, and now she falsely accuses me to advance her own future. It is truly disheartening.”

His performance was far superior to Wen Yuwei’s.

The anguish of a father betrayed by his own flesh and blood was portrayed vividly.

This made Wen Yuwei, in turn, cry out loudly, “You lie! How have you ever treated us well? You sent my brother to the Grand Princess’s residence and now want to send me to the Prince of Yu’s residence, all just to pave the way for yourself. Who are you fooling with this pretense!”

In the highly ritualistic Jin Dynasty, with its emphasis on propriety and hierarchical order, Wen Yuwei’s outburst diminished the little trust Emperor Qi had in her.

Her testimony seemed less convincing than when she first spoke.

At this moment, Wen Mengsheng also played along, feigning disbelief.

“Cousin, what you say is heartless! The honor of being chosen by the Grand Princess is supreme, and once he became a prince, he and the princess lived in harmony. How can it be said to be my father’s fault? As for sending you to the Prince of Yu’s residence, it is pure nonsense. If father truly intended to send you away, would you still be here now? You are using this baseless accusation to blame father for corruption. We are family, all of us named Wen! To climb over our corpses for your own gain, aren’t you afraid of not sleeping at night?”

He cast a knowing glance at Prince Ke, making the implication clear.

He nearly asked outright whether the Grand Prince had instructed her to do this, and if she was trying to curry favor with him.

“You speak nonsense!”

After being so turned around, Wen Yuwei was so enraged that she struggled to articulate her words.

She wanted to reveal how the Grand Princess treated her brother, but she was not foolish. If she spoke out now, both she and her brother would likely not survive until the next day.

In the end, the truth-telling Wen Yuwei was suppressed by the Wen family father and son.

Prince Ke frowned; this was not a good sign.

If he could not solidify Wen Jingsong’s guilt this time, he might also face consequences.

The censors behind him had been instigated by him, and if Emperor Qi investigated carefully, it would be discovered.

If it was thought that he had deliberately framed them, it would be disastrous!

The father and son were exchanging arguments, almost reversing the situation when Bai Chaohai suddenly stood up and respectfully addressed Emperor Qi.

“Your Majesty, the matters discussed between Miss Wen and Master Wen are merely family issues. Their discord is just domestic strife. However, Miss Wen’s earlier words do align with the issue of Yin Canwen’s papers being swapped. There might be other cases of paper swapping besides Yin Canwen’s. It would be best for Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation.”