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"How well is Cui Pingbi doing these days, to be jumping around again?" he sneered.
Qi Xueru replied softly, "It's precisely because her life isn't going well that she harbors resentment and wants to take revenge on General Li's family. She just didn't expect to be used by the Second Wife of the Season Family. How foolish."
Hanno also chuckled coldly, "She was once treated like a fool by her own maid, so it's only natural that she would now be used as a pawn by the Second Wife of the Season Family."
Li Xuan Zong genuinely had no intention of dealing with Elder Brother Li or his family. After all, they still appeared to have a good relationship on the surface. The Emperor had yet to ascertain how much power Elder Brother Li truly held, nor had he fully stripped him of it. Although Elder Brother Li was trending towards overshadowing the Emperor, Li Xuan Zong could still endure it. At most, he had placed his own people under Elder Brother Li's command to secretly monitor him. Unfortunately, he had a group of incompetent subordinates who mistakenly believed they could take advantage of Elder Brother Li's family troubles to seize some power and profit from him, only to expose the Emperor's covert plans.
The one who plotted against Li Zhoule was Cui Pingbi, who had initially schemed against Elder Brother Li, hoping to marry him by using the old trick of being rescued from drowning. In the end, she was outsmarted by Elder Brother Li and Mo Yan, the Princess, and could only marry Ji Wenzheng, the Duke of Su State. After marrying Ji Wenzheng, Cui Pingbi's life was miserable; not only was she oppressed by her own brothers, forcing her to live in a remote area, but the entire Duke's household was under the control of the Second Wife and her husband. As the nominal mistress of the household, Cui Pingbi had no authority over management and was often disregarded by the servants. Moreover, news of her initial schemes against Elder Brother Li spread, damaging her reputation. Ji Wenzheng did not favor her; not only did he refuse to consummate their marriage due to his bad mood, but he also took out his frustrations on her. Cui Pingbi's life was filled with hardship, yet instead of reflecting on her own actions, she blamed Elder Brother Li for not marrying her as she wished. If only Elder Brother Li had married her back then, she believed she wouldn't have fallen into such a state. Thus, Cui Pingbi grew to hate Elder Brother Li and plotted how to harm Hanno and Li Zhoule after hearing that he not only married but also brought his siblings to the capital.
Cui Pingbi had no trusted allies within the Season Family; her intentions to harm the Li Family were quickly discovered by the Second Wife. The Second Wife was slightly more capable than Ji Wenzheng but focused all her efforts on dealing with her own family and achieved nothing in terms of external influence, failing to gain recognition from the powerful elite in the capital. However, they did have a strong connection through Huang Zhitang, the Second Wife's brother. Huang Zhitang was Elder Brother Li's deputy and a hidden piece in the Emperor's game. This piece had ambitions and did not want to remain a mere deputy; he sought to replace Elder Brother Li. Upon hearing from his sister about Cui Pingbi's plans against the Li Family, Huang Zhitang got involved through the Second Wife in Cui Pingbi's scheme. However, Cui Pingbi was naive and unaware that both the Second Wife and Huang Zhitang were involved; she believed her financial incentives were effective—she nearly exhausted most of her dowry trying to buy people off.
Their original plan was to send several nursemaids into the Li Residence (Huang Zhitang's idea was to plant spies within the Li Family) or bribe a midwife to act during Li Zhoule's delivery (Cui Pingbi's idea; she lamented that it wasn't Hanno who was pregnant). Little did they know that Hanno acted too swiftly; just over six months into Li Zhoule's pregnancy, Hanno had already brought in a midwife to the Li Residence before they could bribe anyone. As for nursemaids, Huang Zhitang had already bribed several; unfortunately for him, Hanno chose differently than what local ladies would typically select and picked only one nursemaid, rendering Huang Zhitang's plans useless.
"Huang Zhitang cannot act now, but I won't let the Second Wife of the Season Family go," Elder Brother Li said coldly; anyone who harmed his loved ones would face his wrath.
Hanno smiled slightly and suggested, "Perhaps we can contact Ji Wenzheng."
Geng Shi'an asked, "What do we need him for?"
Yue Yunfei added, "Yeah, what's the use of such a useless wastrel?"
Mo Yan, the Princess remarked, "Ji Wenzheng is still part of the Season Family; will he really help us?"
Hanno smiled and said, "Don't forget, Ji Wenzheng didn't willingly marry Cui Pingbi, and he has always been suppressed by the Second Wife. Hasn't he thought about turning the tables and taking charge?"
After understanding the situation of the Season Family, Hanno realized that the dynamics within the Season Family, Ji Wenzheng, and the Second Wife were almost identical to those of the Jia family in Dream of the Red Chamber. Ji Wenzheng was like Jia She, that pitiful character who was neglected by his parents and raised by a biased mother to be a wastrel. After inheriting his title, he not only failed to live in the main household but was also oppressed by his own mother. All external social engagements and internal household matters were handed over to the Second Wife. Ji Wenzheng only had a title to fool outsiders; everyone in his household looked down on him, including his two sons. The Second Wife of the Season Family was just as greedy for wealth and power as Madam Wang from Dream of the Red Chamber, siphoning off public funds into her private coffers and secretly selling off ancestral lands; she also took on lawsuits and lent money at interest. The only difference was that there was no son born with jade in his mouth. If such a son existed, given the mindset of the royal family in this world, the Duke of Su State's Residence would have likely been reduced to ashes long ago.
Mo Yan, the Princess, remarked, "But Ji Wenzheng is a wastrel; what good is that?"
Qi Xueru's eyes flickered as she spoke up, "Jia She wasn't as useless as he appeared on the surface; Ji Wenzheng should be similar, right?"
Hanno looked at Qi Xueru and nodded in agreement. He almost forgot that these individuals had all read Dream of the Red Chamber.
"I have not only read Dream of the Red Chamber but also some other interpretations written by others. One book suggested that Jia She acted like a drunken fool due to filial piety but began to resist fiercely after learning that his wife was harmed by the Second Wife. He sought revenge despite being labeled unfilial, ultimately succeeding in ruining the reputation of Grandmother Jia while bringing down the Second Wife. In contrast, Jia She's reputation improved." Hanno cheerfully recounted this fanfiction plot centered around Jia She.
The others listened with great interest, all smiling.
"This plot sounds great," Yue Yunfei laughed. "We can have the Duke of Su State's Residence perform a grand play based on this story for us."
"But how do we make Ji Wenzheng act according to our script?" Geng Shi'an asked while rubbing his chin.
"Simple," Elder Brother Li chuckled as well. "We just need to place Dream of the Red Chamber and all related fanfiction in his room along with evidence of Second Wife's wrongdoings."
Yue Yunfei clapped and laughed heartily: "Haha! Even if Ji Wenzheng is useless, if he follows Jia She's actions from the fanfiction, he could make things very difficult for the Second Wife of the Season Family."
Qi Xueru then asked, "What about Cui Pingbi? How should we handle her?"
"Ha! A woman without her family, whose husband doesn't love her, who squandered her dowry and has no son to support her in old age—what kind of good ending can she expect?"
"But at least she is still the lady of the Season Family, without worries for food and clothing," Elder Brother Li scoffed.
Thinking of the suffering his sister had endured, nearly leading to a tragic end, Elder Brother Li felt a surge of anger and was determined not to let Cui Pingbi off easily.
Hanno placed a hand on Elder Brother Li's wrist and said softly, "Don't worry, she won't be allowed to roam freely. Isn't she always yearning for a man? Let's just give her another one."
Soon after, a grand drama unfolded at the Duke of Su State's Residence, captivating the citizens of the capital who found it even more entertaining than the performances on stage.
First, General Ji Wenzheng's wife passed away—Hanno secretly orchestrated a meeting between Cui Pingbi and Ji Wenjing in the garden, using some illusions to make everyone believe there was an affair between them. This caused an uproar at the Duke of Su State's Residence; Ji Wenzheng not only beat Ji Wenjing but also demanded a divorce. Lady Ji would never allow Ji Wenzheng to divorce for the sake of the Season Family's reputation, yet she loathed Cui Pingbi for "enticing" her second son. In the end, Cui Pingbi was locked away in a Buddhist hall for life, publicly declared to have died from illness.
Following this, Ji Wenzheng, who had been suppressed by the Season Family's Second Wife, suddenly brought evidence of his siblings' collusion in lawsuits and money lending to court against the Season Family's Second Wife. He also accused her of plotting against his first wife for control over the Duke's household. This stirred up a hornet's nest; upon hearing the news, the matriarch of the Season Family fainted and upon regaining consciousness, threatened to beat her eldest son into retracting the lawsuit. For once, Ji Wenzheng stood firm, taking all remaining gold and silver from the Duke's residence and moving to another house he owned. To others, this appeared as if the matriarch had driven out her eldest son for the sake of her second son and daughter-in-law, causing her reputation to plummet further and making her faint again in anger.
With solid evidence against the Season Family's Second Wife, the court had no choice but to handle it impartially; not only did the Second Wife face consequences, but even the Huang family was implicated. After hearing about the Second Wife's situation, Li Xuan Zong began to doubt whether choosing Huang Zhitang as his confidant was a mistake. With such a sister, how good could Huang Zhitang be? Li Xuan Zong understood that the events concerning the Season Family were closely tied to Elder Brother Li; after Li Zhoule’s incident came to light, he knew Elder Brother Li would investigate the murderer. However, he was unaware that Huang Zhitang was involved and had exposed his schemes. Considering it might be better to curry favor with Elder Brother Li, he issued an order for a serious investigation into the case against the Season Family’s Second Wife.
Lady Ji was instructed by Consort X’s envoy on "Three Obediences and Four Virtues," while Ji Wenjing was stripped of his official position and sent home. The Season Family’s Second Wife was exiled three thousand miles away. Ji Wenzheng returned home feeling triumphant and insisted on dividing their household, driving out the Season Family’s Second Wife.
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