Chapter 436 Breaking Off the Engagement

Chapter 436: Calling Off the Engagement

The officers moved in to arrest Ji Qingqing, Chen Huaxiu, and Wu Shijie.

She struggled frantically, "Let me go, let me go! I didn't kill Wu Jinxi!"

Just then, Ji Nanchuan and Ji Qingfeng hurried over.

To Ji Qingqing, they looked like a lifeline. She screamed, "Father, Second Brother, save me!"

Ji Nanchuan stepped forward and asked Zhao Chengjiu, "Lord Zhao, what's the meaning of this?"

Zhao Chengjiu clasped his hands toward Ji Nanchuan. "Marquis, Second Young Master, someone has reported that Second Miss Ji committed murder. I'm just following orders to bring her to the yamen for questioning. I hope the Marquis won't make this difficult for me."

Ji Nanchuan furrowed his brow. The thing he'd feared most had indeed come to pass.

He just hadn't figured they'd show up so fast.

He asked, "Lord Zhao, if my daughter goes to the yamen, will she be released?"

Zhao Chengjiu shook his head. "I'm just following orders, so I can't promise the Marquis anything."

"All I know is that how this case is handled depends on what the bigwigs in the palace want."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"

Zhao Chengjiu waved his hand, and the officers hauled off Ji Qingqing, Chen Huaxiu, and her son!

The three bodies were carried off too!

Ji Qingfeng watched as Ji Qingqing was forcibly taken away by the officers, his face full of worry.

He tried to step forward, but Ji Nanchuan yanked him back.

"What are you doing?"

Ji Qingfeng frowned. "Father, are we really going to let them take Qingqing away like this?"

"Once she's in the yamen, there's no telling if she'll make it out alive. She's still my sister—I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"Don't be foolish!" Ji Nanchuan frowned, looking at him with disapproval.

"Didn't you hear what Lord Zhao just said? How this case is handled depends on what the palace wants!"

"So many people saw Qingqing kill someone with their own eyes. If you stick your nose in now, you'll drag the whole marquis household into this mess. Do you want to ruin our whole family just because of her?"

Ji Nanchuan was furious. He felt like he'd wasted all those years raising his daughter!

He'd raised and taught her for so long, never thinking she'd be dumb enough to kill someone in public, with Wu Jinxi dying right in front of her too.

Ji Nanchuan would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed.

As for Ji Qingqing hiding her identity and lying to the Crown Prince, he could still beg the Emperor for leniency to lighten her sentence.

But everyone saw her kill someone—there's no way to clear her name even if he tried.

Ji Nanchuan narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Ji Qingqing was no longer of any use to the marquis household.

It looked like, when push came to shove, he'd have no choice but to throw Ji Qingqing under the bus to protect the Marquis Yongning household!

At the palace, in the main hall.

Luo Jingshen knelt on the ground and gave a deep bow to Emperor Jingyang, who was seated above him.

"Your son humbly asks Father to issue an edict calling off my engagement to Second Miss Ji."

Luo Feizhou stood off to the side, sneering mercilessly. "Oh? Who was it that said they'd only marry Second Miss Ji? Changed your mind pretty fast, huh?"

"Looks like the Crown Prince's love for Second Miss Ji wasn't so solid after all!"

Luo Jingshen shot him an annoyed glare at his sarcastic remarks.

"Would you, Fifth Brother, marry a woman who's nothing but lies?"

Luo Feizhou shut up immediately!

Compared to Ji Qingqing, he'd still take a woman like Ji Yuntang, who could handle both the hall and the kitchen.

He'd always wondered—how could Ji Yuntang, a bastard daughter, be more capable than Ji Qingqing, the legitimate daughter of the marquis household?

It turned out this wasn't just turning things upside down, but a complete bait-and-switch.

All he could say was that the Marquis Yongning household was asking for it!

Luo Jingshen spoke up again, raising his voice. "Second Miss Ji lied to me first, then killed someone after that. There's no chance for us anymore. I beg Father to revoke the marriage decree."

After hearing the whole story, Emperor Jingyang was furious too.

For a moment, he even thought about having the whole marquis household executed, but Eunuch Zhang, who was attending him, talked him out of it.

Eunuch Zhang said, "The Marquis Yongning household has a hundred-year legacy, built up generation after generation by the old marquises. They truly earned their military honors. The Dongchen Kingdom's peace and stability wouldn't be possible without their contributions."

"Even though the current Marquis doesn't go to war anymore and can't measure up to the old marquises, he still carries the old marquis's blood. If Your Majesty wipes out the whole household because of one Ji Qingqing, it'll break the hearts of a lot of ministers."

No exaggeration—the previous generation bled and fought to win the world, all so their kids and grandkids could live well and have the emperor's protection.

If the emperor can't even protect their descendants, then who's gonna be willing to charge into battle and fight for the royal family in the future?

Even though Emperor Jingyang was pissed, he knew Eunuch Zhang had a point.

The marquis household had lasted this long thanks to Old Marquis Ji's contributions.

Too bad that by the generation of Ji Nanchuan and Ji Huaiche, they'd slowly gone downhill!

They didn't even need the emperor to punish them—they were doing a fine job ruining themselves.

Emperor Jingyang didn't hesitate much before agreeing to Luo Jingshen's request.

"Zhang Fugui, pass my decree—the marriage between the Crown Prince and Second Miss Ji is off. The yamen can investigate however it sees fit."

"As for Ji Nanchuan, for lying to the throne, his salary gets docked for six months. Let him go home and think long and hard about what he's done. He can come back to court only when he's done some serious reflecting."

When it came to the royal family's dignity, there was no way he'd let the Crown Prince marry a woman with a tainted reputation.

So the engagement had to be broken off!

Luo Jingshen was thrilled and kowtowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Father."

Luo Feizhou rolled his eyes off to the side, feeling nothing but contempt for Luo Jingshen.

After taking his leave of Emperor Jingyang, Luo Jingshen went to the Empress's Fengyi Palace and apologized to her the same way.

"Mother, your son knows he was wrong. I shouldn't have talked back to you and insisted on marrying Second Miss Ji. Now I regret it!"

"Your son promises that from now on, I will discuss everything with you and never act on my own again!"

The Empress slowly raised her eyes and stepped forward to help Luo Jingshen up.

Her expression was gentle as she said, "It's good that you realize your mistake. You live and learn—take this as a lesson!"

"You can't judge people by appearances alone. Second Miss Ji has nothing but a pretty face, but her character is far from respectable. The reason I tried so hard to stop you was to make you see the truth."

"But it's not too late—you've come to your senses now. In the future, never act on impulse again."

Luo Jingshen obediently replied, "Yes, Mother. I understand everything."

"Mother is the closest person to me, and I will always honor and care for you well."

Luo Jingshen exchanged a few pleasantries with the Empress, and though her expression was gentle, it wasn't particularly warm.

This made him somewhat uncomfortable.

"Mother, I shall take my leave now!"

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