Chapter 95: The Hardest Day

When Tian Mi woke up in the morning, she found Bai Mucheng gazing at her with a gentle expression. Her face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head.

Bai Mucheng, with a doting smile, kissed her forehead and said, “Sleep a bit more. I’ve taken care of everything outside!”

Tian Mi nodded in response.

After she continued to rest, Bai Mucheng got up to handle the numerous affairs at the Ministry of Justice.

Once Tian Mi got up and had breakfast, she went to the teahouse for tea with her maternal grandfather, maternal aunt, and Chen Miaomiao, all of whom were eager to enjoy the book reading. To avoid trouble, she dressed in male attire, appearing dashing and handsome.

Her maternal grandfather and aunt were overjoyed. They had visited teahouses to listen to stories in the past, but with the hardships they had endured, it had been some time since they could enjoy such luxuries. Now, they could listen to what the people of the capital were enjoying. They had a private room on the fifth floor!

Sitting in the private room made them feel incredibly happy. Though they had once been moderately wealthy, they would never have splurged on a private room. Now, they could indulge themselves and enjoy the experience!

As they observed the lively scene below, voices of anger and resentment filled the air. Tian Mi’s grandfather was particularly vocal, cursing Ruan Xiguo. She, unfamiliar with the situation, assumed the story was fictional! As they listened to the music that followed, the three of them began crying and cursing in unison.

It wasn’t until they left the teahouse and saw someone being arrested that they realized this was the infamous Ruan Xiguo, who had wrongfully divorced his wife.

“Stinky eggs! Who’s got some rotten eggs to throw at this shameless man?!”

The crowd was in an uproar, throwing various vegetables at Ruan Donglai.

From the crowd came a voice, “Ah, it must have been the Jia family pressuring him. The Jia family is powerful. A poor scholar like him would never dare to refuse them!”

“Hehe! This must be one of Bai Mucheng’s schemes! Tian Mi had mentioned it to him before!”

“That’s right! The Jia family must have known he was already married. It’s definitely their doing.”

The Jia family had already received the news that morning, and the steward had hurried to the Ministry of Personnel. Upon seeing that it was the Ministry of Justice who was arresting someone, he realized there was no turning back and rushed to report to the Jia residence.

The three sons also hurried back to the Jia residence. What should they do now? Jia Taishi was a sharp man, and upon hearing that the matter had been turned into a story, he realized the whole capital would soon know about it. This meant it was a carefully planned attack.

Now, it was clear that the Ding Wang Manor was targeting him. Were they doing this to avenge their princess?

If they couldn’t save Ruan Donglai, it would be irrefutable proof of his wrongdoings. His goal was to preserve the Jia family’s reputation at all costs.

The Jia family could not afford to have a granddaughter as a concubine. If word got out, the other granddaughters would be unable to face anyone, and the Jia family’s ancestral teachings would become a laughingstock.

Looking at his three sons, none of them objected. They understood the gravity of the situation.

He also couldn’t allow any harm to come to the family’s reputation. The Jia family was known for its scholarly background, and their name must be protected.

He immediately instructed Jia Laotai to take care of it. This illegitimate daughter from the concubine’s side was easy to deal with, and he felt no hesitation in having her eliminated.

Many people believed that only in India would a family kill their daughter to preserve their name if she married beneath her caste. However, in ancient times, such situations existed in many prominent families.

If the Liang family had refused to marry off Mo Lan, she would have had no choice but to die.

Ruan Donglai’s fate was sealed. How could they make him admit to deceiving the Jia family? They needed to close the mouths of the people in the capital!

Ruan Donglai had been the Jia family’s son-in-law for half a year, so he knew some of the family’s secrets. It wasn’t easy to handle him.

Even if they wanted to kill him to silence him, it wouldn’t be that simple!

The Ministry of Justice had connections everywhere, and they couldn’t even make a move.

The steward came in, panic-stricken, with urgent news. “Master, some troublemakers are throwing rotten eggs and vegetables at our door!”

Jia Taishi’s face turned green with fury!

His third son immediately exploded in anger!

“Is the gatekeeper dead? Why aren’t they catching these troublemakers?”

The steward, looking embarrassed, replied, “It’s difficult to catch them. They throw and then run away immediately.”

Jia Taishi furrowed his brow. This situation was difficult to handle! How could he silence the rumors?

He needed to come up with a plan.

Tian Mi, in high spirits, left the mansion.

Her maternal grandfather and aunt were still cursing Ruan Donglai, while Chen Miaomiao gleefully boasted, “Cousin, I grabbed some vegetables from the basket nearby and threw them at that scholar’s head. It was so satisfying! Hahaha!”

Her second uncle had sent over some medicinal herbs. Tian Mi planned to have everyone prepare the medicines and skincare creams, as well as shampoo.

Chen Miaomiao was in charge of instructing people on how to process the herbs. Tian Mi had added some spiritual spring water to her medicine. She handed a porcelain bottle to Chen Miaomiao, telling her that it was the medicinal concoction she had made earlier and explained the dosage of each herb.

Tian Mi then led Chun Yi to prepare the shampoo and skin creams. These too were made by simmering multiple herbs, with spiritual spring water added.

Tian Mi personally led the group to brew osmanthus flower perfume, which would later be added to the skincare creams, making them fragrant and moisturizing!

It was a long and busy process.

Everyone worked energetically, the fragrance of osmanthus flowers filling the air. It made the work feel less tiring and more enjoyable.

While Tian Mi was diligently working on her business, something amusing happened at the Jia family.

The second princess consort passed away!

The timing was truly delicate!

The second prince was ruthless and unlucky at the same time.

He and Consort Li had decided to eliminate the second princess consort, so he had taken matters into his own hands. To cover up his actions, he personally administered the poison, which didn’t take effect immediately and was hard to detect. It only caused her to cough slightly, feel drowsy, and appear weak. The family doctor, who was on his payroll, treated her seriously, claiming it was just a cold due to the change in seasons and prescribed some medicine. He personally had the medicine brewed and fed it to her, acting as if he were a loving husband deeply concerned about her health.

The second princess consort was so moved that she even shed tears, saying, “Husband, you’ve worked so hard.”

She never realized that it was her husband who had truly taken her life.

If it had been in ancient times, no one would have thought twice.

But this happened just as the scandal about the scholar divorcing his wife was unfolding, and the phrase “I really regret not killing her earlier” was on everyone’s lips.

The second princess consort passed away in the morning. The moment the steward informed the second prince that something big had happened at the Jia family, the second princess consort’s wet nurse came crying to report her death.

Sweat immediately appeared on the second prince’s forehead! This was troubling—if it was reported to the imperial palace, given that she had been a royal concubine, it could lead to suspicions. If other medical experts investigated, things would become serious.

Not reporting it would be even worse.

The second princess consort’s brother was the Minister of Justice. Though his position wasn’t high, in this situation, if it blew up, he would lose all face and would never be able to raise his head again.

The second prince slumped in a chair, rubbing his forehead in frustration, looking sorrowful. The wet nurse thought he was grieving for his wife.

The wet nurse sobbed and comforted him, “Your Highness, please accept my condolences! We must take care of the funeral arrangements!”

The second prince finally came to his senses and realized he should show some grief.

“Mi’er, how could you leave me so soon?” He covered his face and rushed to the second princess consort’s residence, performing a scene of mourning for his wife before entering the palace.

In the palace, he went straight to Consort Li’s chambers to discuss a strategy!

The situation was on the verge of being exposed before it had even begun!

What bad luck!

Tian Mi and Bai Mucheng’s actions had not been aimed at him—it was truly an accidental blow.

Today was the hardest day for both the Jia family and the second prince’s consort.