novelraw Chapter 699 - 284 My Mother-in-law is a Loyal Servant (End)
Chapter 699 - 284 My Mother-in-law is a Loyal Servant (End)
Emperor Chengtai directly adopted Wei Yuanniang as his daughter by law, registering her under the Empress’s name!
Rumors also circulated that the supreme couple in the palace liked Wei Yuanniang very much, stating that they would let Wei Yuanniang choose her own husband.
In this case, let alone Marquis Pingnan as an "adoptive father", even Feng Zhongliang, her biological father, could not interfere in Wei Yuanniang’s marriage.
"...What’s going on? How could Wei Yuanniang, a woman kept in the inner chambers, know how to cultivate high-yielding quality crops?"
Marquis Pingnan simply found it absurd.
He paced around his study a few times, but still couldn’t figure it out.
First, he ordered someone to investigate; then he summoned Feng Yanting.
"She likes to grow flowers!"
Feng Yanting did know some details. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "Because of this, Mom, oh no, Lady Gu even bought a small villa specifically to let Yuanniang have free rein with the plants and flowers!"
Marquis Pingnan furrowed his brows, "That’s still not right."
Growing flowers and farming seemed to involve dealing with soil, but they were not the same thing.
Marquis Pingnan neither grew flowers nor farmed, but he knew common sense.
Feng Yanting recalled carefully, as if he had thought of something, hurriedly said, "Yuanniang likes to plant some rare flower species, and she often comes up with some innovations."
"And since no one in the family is skilled at this, Lady Gu specifically hired several experienced farmers to guide Yuanniang."
Thus, it wasn’t entirely impossible that Wei Yuanniang, who could raise the Eighteen Scholars, inadvertently cultivated some high-yielding quality crops!
Marquis Pingnan: ...Although it felt far-fetched, this seemed to be the most reasonable explanation.
Marquis Pingnan pondered deeply, and suddenly "Gu Xiuniang’s" determined eyes drifted through his mind, and his heart jolted—
Could it be that Mrs. Gu had known about this all along?
The backing she found for Wei Yuanniang wasn’t just Temple Master Hua Yang, but also this so-called high-yielding quality crop!
Thinking about it, although Temple Master Hua Yang was prestigious, he had already left the power circle of the Capital City.
Being at Qingyun Temple could indeed provide prestige, but its value was limited.
Mrs. Gu sent Wei Yuanniang to Qingyun Temple mainly to give her a chance to meet Emperor Chengtai.
Once she met the Emperor, Wei Yuanniang would have the opportunity to present the grain seeds and then—
Additionally, as an old fox in the bureaucratic world, Marquis Pingnan couldn’t help but engage in conspiracy theories.
Emperor Chengtai appointed Wei Yuanniang as Princess Yonghe not only because of her contributions in the presentation but perhaps also due to her enmity with Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion!
It was just unknown what Emperor Chengtai intended to use Wei Yuanniang for, but one thing was for sure, Emperor Chengtai’s suspicion and defensiveness towards the Marquis’s Mansion would only grow stronger from the past.
If Marquis Pingnan hadn’t returned victoriously from the Southwest, for the tranquility of the Southwest, Emperor Chengtai would still have restored the Marquis’s title and allowed the Wei Family to continue commanding the troops in the Southwest.
Under such circumstances, the Wei Family was merely a puppet that Emperor Chengtai put forward, a mascot to intimidate the barbarians of the Southwest.
The Wei Family had a name but no real power.
Although the Southwest Army still bore the name "Wei Family Army," they had long since changed their master.
With Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion no longer a threat, only then would Emperor Chengtai truly let go of the Wei Family.
But, now that Marquis Pingnan had returned, not only had he established military exploits, but he had also overturned the past "false accusation case."
On the surface, it appeared to be the mischief of treacherous villains.
However, the actual situation was well known by everyone in the Imperial court—
Emperor Chengtai VS Marquis Pingnan, Marquis Pingnan won!
Emperor Chengtai originally harbored suspicions about Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion, and had finally found an opportunity to attack the Marquis Mansion, only to end up being "slapped in the face."
His resentment towards the Marquis’s Mansion would grow even deeper.
Now there was no chance, but once there was, Emperor Chengtai would seize it to once again ransack and strip Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion of its title!
Perhaps next time it wouldn’t just be "exile," but could actually involve completely eradicating them.
And the child-swapping scandal stirred up by Mrs. Zhang, with Feng Yanting and Wei Yuanniang as the parties involved, would likely be exploited by the Saint.
Marquis Pingnan had a bad premonition and, with a somber face, he brooded for a long time, finally making a decision.
That very night, Mrs. Zhang fell ill.
People around her weren’t too surprised about her serious illness.
Having been betrayed by her most trusted servant and having also implicated the Marquis Mansion in the "child-swapping" scandal, ever since Nanny Zhao had been imprisoned, Mrs. Zhang had not been in good spirits.
Now bedridden and not recovering, it was all too normal.
Even Mrs. Zhang herself harbored no suspicions, only thinking that the hardships she had endured before had harmed her body, and now coupled with excessive anxiety, it led to her illness.
To let Mrs. Zhang recuperate, Marquis Pingnan sent her directly to a villa in the suburbs.