Chapter 288: Chapter 288

Prince Wu’an’s eyes were about to burst.

The Heir of Prince Wu’an was sweating heavily on his forehead. Jiang Shaohua’s words were as sharp as a knife, directly piercing the heart. The vassal royalty standing by actually showed approval.

The nation and family, the family comes before the state. At this time, the concept of the clan was deeply ingrained in people’s hearts. The Jiang Family is part of the imperial family and also the largest clan in Da Liang. From this perspective, what they did today does indeed seem like a betrayal of the Jiang Family...

Seeing the sudden solemnity in the Crown Prince’s expression, the Heir of Prince Wu’an could no longer stand, his knees buckled, and he knelt down: "Your Highness, calm down! We, father and son, are both royal relatives, with Jiang blood running through our veins, and would never betray the Jiang Family. Please, Your Highness, see the truth!"

Jiang Shaohua never missed an opportunity to hit a man when he’s down. Hearing this, she replied coldly, "Everyone’s eyes are bright as snow, everyone sees what you father and son are doing clearly."

"Don’t spit blood with your wild accusations!" The Heir of Prince Wu’an, forgetting that he was still begging for forgiveness, raised his head in anger, glaring fiercely: "My father intervened to stop to uphold the ancestral rules. You’re waving the banner of the Crown Prince here, slandering recklessly, imposing charges at will, what exactly is your intention!"

"Women should be virtuous and gentle, like Princess Bao Hua, Dongping County Princess, and Huaiyang County Princess. None of them showed up today. Why is it only you, Jiang Shaohua, who wants to go to the Imperial Mausoleum?"

"In the end, it’s because you are ambitious and restless in the boudoir, insisting on jumping about in front of the public. You entered Zhaohai Palace before, now you want to go to the Imperial Mausoleum. Will you try to enter Jinluan Palace in the future?"

"Jiang Shaohua, what are you trying to do?"

The Heir of Prince Wu’an, in frustration, vented all his dissatisfaction. His words were equally sharp and piercing.

The officials subconsciously nodded in agreement in their hearts.

After all, this is a man’s world. Even someone as powerful as Empress Dowager Zheng rarely appeared in front of officials, otherwise, she would earn the reputation of interfering in politics from the harem. Empress Dowager Zheng could only vie for power through the hands of Duke An.

What Jiang Shaohua was doing now couldn’t even be considered interfering in politics. Whether it be kneeling before the spirit or accompanying the funeral procession, it didn’t harm anyone’s status or interests. She simply wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to stand openly before the officials, to accustom everyone to her presence.

Yet even so, it still touched some people’s bottom line. For example, Prime Minister Wang, Minister Zhang, and Minister Dai, and also the father and son of Prince Wu’an who were used as pawns.

Jiang Shaohua sneered in her heart, her gaze swept over the varied expressions of the officials, her voice resonated in their ears: "Once my Uncle’s funeral is over, and once His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, I will return to Nanyang County. According to court regulations, the vassal king is not allowed to leave the vassal territory at will. I, Jiang Shaohua, will not leave Nanyang County for several decades to come."

"The Heir asked what I’m trying to do, I want to ask the Heir, what do you think I want to do?"

"I’m a weak woman, and it is only by the grace of my grandfather that I have reached this day. The Empress Dowager has compassion for the weak and takes special care of me. His Highness the Crown Prince, my cousin, also cherishes me somewhat. So he permitted me to go to the Imperial Mausoleum to fulfill my filial piety."

"Why do you keep obstructing, what exactly are you afraid of?"

"Could it be that if I, Jiang Shaohua, go to the Imperial Mausoleum, it will cause chaos in court, or make all the officials rally, and then raise the flag of rebellion?"

No one among the officials spoke to refute, quietly listening to Nanyang County Princess’s calm and sharp retort, silently nodding in their hearts.

Indeed! As formidable as Nanyang County Princess might be, she is still just a woman. Could she really seize the throne from the Crown Prince? Even the Crown Prince doesn’t mind her going to the Imperial Mausoleum, why should they oppose?

The Heir of Prince Wu’an was once again rendered speechless.

Imperial Censor Bian and Imperial Censor Fang also had nothing to say.

Jiang Shaohua stepped forward two steps, reached out and removed the restraint on Prince Wu’an. The ferocious expression on Prince Wu’an’s face eased, and he was finally able to speak.

However, when the words reached his throat, they got stuck.

The earnest and cynical words had all been said by Jiang Shaohua. They, father and son, had lost completely today, what else was there to say? To speak more would only be to court humiliation.

Looking again at His Highness the Crown Prince, it was clear that dissatisfaction had already formed in his eyes. This dissatisfaction was not directed at Jiang Shaohua, but clearly aimed at them, father and son.

Prince Wu’an suddenly felt a burst of regret. If he had known Jiang Shaohua was this formidable, he really should not have listened to Prime Minister Wang’s instigation and taken the lead. Now it’s all gone wrong, he ended up with nothing, only to provoke the Crown Prince’s displeasure...

"Your Highness," Minister Li of the Ministry of Rites arrived just in time: "The hour has come, the coffin should be moved to the Imperial Mausoleum."

Minister Li was the biological father of Consort Li, and thus the direct maternal grandfather of His Highness the Crown Prince. He was neither part of the Prime Minister Faction nor considered part of the Empress Dowager Faction, but genuinely belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction.

Since the Crown Prince intended to protect Jiang Shaohua, Minister Li took the opportunity to put forward the suggestion.

The Crown Prince nodded: "Good, let’s set off now!"

The officials all bowed in compliance.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince led the way carrying the coffin, followed ominously by Prince Gaoliang, Prince Dongyang, Prince Huaiyang, and others. The officials followed in order of their ranks.

Jiang Shaohua, clad in white, silently followed behind the Crown Prince. She did not reach out to support the coffin, which was a slight concession. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥

However, everyone knew in their hearts. In this formal confrontation, Nanyang County Princess had gained the upper hand.

Jiang Shaohua had exploited the Empress Dowager’s influence and the Crown Prince’s protection to wrestle with Prime Minister Wang before the officials. Of course, she used various tactics of taking advantage and leveraging her strengths.

However, a win is a win.

Previously, Prime Minister Wang had suppressed the petition from Nanyang County Princess, which severely restrained the Empress Dowager’s faction and elevated his prestige.

Today, Nanyang County Princess’ sharp counterattack left Prime Minister Wang disgraced, and shocked the hearts of the Prime Minister Faction.

A little eunuch quickly ran into Jingyang Palace and reported the gathered information to Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao’s eyes brightened suddenly, smiling to himself, thinking our family Princess is truly impressive.

Mr. Zhao hurried into Empress Dowager Zheng’s bedroom to deliver this great news to the Empress Dowager: "Empress Dowager, the Princess is mighty today, suppressing Prime Minister Wang and others to the point they couldn’t breathe. Now, the Princess has already gone to the Imperial Mausoleum with His Highness the Crown Prince."

This unexpected good news instantly diluted the strong grief in Empress Dowager Zheng’s heart.

Empress Dowager Zheng sat up slightly from the bed: "What exactly happened, tell it clearly to the Empress!"

Mr. Zhao responded with a sound, and carefully recounted the scene within Zhaohai Palace.

Empress Dowager Zheng listened with great delight: "Good! Good! Good!"

"She is indeed the granddaughter of Prince Nanyang, indeed Princess Jiang! Truly majestic and awe-inspiring! Imperial Censors Bian and Fang are the vicious dogs under Prime Minister Wang’s command, and today they were scolded into silence. That muddle-headed pair, Prince Wu’an and his heir, were also scolded into disgrace."

Jiang Shaohua is indeed a wonderfully versatile piece, a peerless treasure sword!