webnovelfull Chapter 512 How do you know I have a way to deal with it?
Chapter 512 How do you know I have a way to deal with it?
Jiang Suining gritted his teeth secretly, calmed his mind, and did not let himself show the slightest fear.
"Your Majesty will not."
"Why are you so sure?"
"The emperor is a wise ruler."
"Are you trying to flatter me and get me to let you go?"
"Your Majesty has misunderstood. What I meant is that as a wise ruler, although you are praised and eulogized by others, you are not free. Even if you have resentment and hatred as a father, as a king, Your Majesty can only suppress the resentment and hatred and make a fair decision. And Your Majesty knows very well in his heart that in this matter, the Third Prince can only be regarded as reaping the fruits of his own actions."
Since the saying that the king is ruthless can be spread, it is certainly not without reason.
From the perspective of a king, even if he loves his son very much, he may sacrifice and give up his son for the sake of the overall situation, let alone a son who is not so loved and has made mistakes.
No matter how you look at this matter, Xiao Ling was at fault first. Even if I was at fault for concealing my identity, it was by no means unforgivable. Comparing the two, if Emperor Xiao really took his anger out on me and took revenge on me because of Xiao Ling's death, I would definitely be criticized.
As a king, perhaps not every king wants to gain a good reputation that will last forever.
But she felt that Emperor Xiao would definitely not want to be regarded by the people as an unfair, selfish and biased emperor.
Emperor Xiao looked at Jiang Suining in silence. It was like a silent contest, or a test, to see how calm the man in front of him could remain.
After a long while, Emperor Xiao finally spoke.
"You are really brave, not much less courageous than your father."
There was no longer the oppression and coldness in his tone, as if a taut rope had suddenly loosened.
Jiang Suining heaved a sigh of relief, then lowered his head again, "I am terrified."
"Don't be modest. Back then, your father looked me in the eyes just like you did just now, and said with conviction that the people should be put first in everything..."
Emperor Xiao paused and sighed.
"Although I am heartbroken by Ling'er's death, I am ultimately sorry for what happened back then. I believed the evidence and the accusation and thought your father had changed. I did not send anyone to investigate the matter thoroughly, which led to his death. I feel guilty towards your Gu family."
When the last word fell, a dark color quickly flashed in Emperor Xiao's eyes.
Jiang Suining knelt down immediately.
"Your Majesty, what you said is unacceptable to me and the Gu family! The forged evidence of what happened back then is very detailed. Songjiang Prefecture and the Imperial City are very far apart. Your Majesty is in the Imperial City, busy with all kinds of affairs. How could he know about the frame-up in Songjiang Prefecture? What's more, Your Majesty has ordered a retrial and investigation this time to give justice to my father. I am already grateful in my heart. I believe that even in the afterlife, my father will only be grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and will never have the slightest resentment!"
Jiang Suining spoke with a firm tone and without hesitation. Emperor Xiao looked at her expression carefully, and after a moment, the gloomy and dark color in his eyes faded a lot.
"I am very pleased that Miss Jiang thinks this way, but the court is ultimately ashamed of your Gu family. I will order your father to be posthumously honored. As for you, do you want to continue to stay in the Jiang family and be the daughter of the Jiang family, or do you want to restore your status and become the daughter of the Gu family again?"
"I am willing to continue staying in the Jiang family." Jiang Suining said sincerely.
The gloom in Emperor Xiao's eyes finally disappeared completely, and his attitude softened.
"Okay, then it will be as you wish. You will remain a daughter of the Jiang family, and you will be promoted to a sixth-rank female official, and awarded ten hu of pearls as a reward and compensation for redressing your father's injustice."
"I thank the emperor very much. Long live the emperor."
After Jiang Suining accepted the order and expressed his gratitude, Emperor Xiao looked at Shen Yanxi.
"Lord Shen, you haven't answered the question I asked you before. Now..."
"Your Majesty, I can give you an answer now."
"No need." Emperor Xiao shook his head. "After the fire in the Ministry of Justice, your actions have already shown your choice. Although I am a little disappointed, I will not interfere in your relationship. After all, you are young people, and love comes first. I can understand that. But... don't neglect government affairs in the future."
Since Jiang Suining has already relented and given a reward, there is naturally no need for Shen Yanxi to force him to make a decision.
Shen Yanxi leaned forward and bowed again, "I will remember this. Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You two, please step back." Emperor Xiao waved his hand.
The two of them left the yard, and the eunuch guarding outside the door led them out again, but after leaving the harem, he took his leave.
Shen Yanxi and Jiang Suining walked side by side out of the palace.
Looking at the long palace road, Jiang Suining asked, "Do you think this matter is over?"
She believed that Emperor Xiao's guilt just now was real, but it was also a test.
From saying sorry to the Gu family to asking whether I want to stay in the Jiang family or the Gu family, all of this should be tests by Emperor Xiao.
If my answer is not good enough, I will probably become a thorn in Emperor Xiao's heart.
Shen Yanxi chuckled and looked at Jiang Suining, "According to my understanding of the emperor, it should have passed. You can rest assured."
The emperor wanted to know whether Ningning had any resentment in her heart. She answered very promptly just now, and there was nothing wrong with her words.
As for whether it is the daughter of the Gu family or the daughter of the Jiang family, this decision is also very important.
If Ningning wanted to be the daughter of the Gu family, then as long as she appeared and someone called her name, it would be a reminder to the court officials that loyal officials had died in vain.
But if the emperor directly ordered Ningning to continue to maintain her identity as a daughter of the Jiang family, it would seem too deceptive once the news got out.
So he asked Ningning and let Ningning make her own choice, and Ningning chose the Jiang family without hesitation, which once again relieved the emperor's unhappiness.
Even if there were still some grudges in his heart afterwards, those grudges were no longer sufficient reason for the emperor to take action.
After hearing Shen Yanxi's confirmation, Jiang Suining's tense heart finally relaxed and he felt relieved.
"In fact, before entering the palace, I was really unsure and really afraid of what the emperor would do."
Shen Yanxi held Jiang Suining's hand and asked curiously, "So what was your initial response?"
"How do you know I have a way to deal with it?" Jiang Suining asked with a smile.
"You said before my parents that you would not let anything happen to you. You must have thought about it at that time. Even if the case is successfully solved and everything ends smoothly, it does not necessarily mean that you can get out of it safely. And since you said that, you must have thought of a countermeasure."
Shen Yanxi lowered his voice and continued to ask with a smile.
"If the emperor wanted to hold you accountable for hiding your identity, or find other reasons to punish you, what would you do?"