amaotonovel Chapter 98 The So-Called Lifesaving Grace
Chapter 98 The So-Called Lifesaving Grace
Sun Qiaozi had already recounted everything that happened that day, so he stepped aside.
The official in charge of the Ministry of Justice ordered someone to bring the carriage that had been involved in the accident, which Sun Qiaozi had brought with him, to the court, and also found a carpenter to take a look at it.
The man immediately confirmed the truth of Sun Qiaozi's words: "Although the carriage is broken like this, the cut at the break is obvious, indicating that it was indeed deliberately damaged."
The cut wasn't made all at once; only most of it was severed, with a thin thread still connecting it. That's why the cut appears somewhat complete and somewhat incomplete.
Such a carriage may appear to be able to run normally, but it cannot withstand the slightest external force; if attacked, it will immediately shatter into pieces.
Jia Yi continued to argue, "I don't know what happened. I did throw stones towards the cliff that day, but I didn't mean to throw them at Miss Jiang's carriage. I just heard that there is a kind of bird in Zifu Mountain that can bring good fortune to the family if you catch it."
That day, I saw a little bird flying by, so I threw a pebble at it, but I didn't expect it to hit Miss Jiang's carriage.
"I have never heard of any bird on Zifu Mountain that can bless people with good fortune. Could it be that in your eyes, our Sister Xinyi is the bird you want to catch?"
"That's true. If you really get involved with Sister Xinyi, wouldn't everything go smoothly for you?" Jiang Mingyun couldn't help but mock.
"You actually treat my sister like she's your possession, comparing her to a bird, you deserve to die!" Jiang Bowen echoed, rushing forward to give Jia Yi another beating.
Jia Yi was startled and was about to dodge when the Ministry of Justice official slammed his gavel on the table. "Quiet!"
Jiang Mingyun and Jiang Bowen reluctantly shut their mouths.
"Jia Yi, do you have anything else to say?" the official from the Ministry of Justice asked, looking into his eyes.
"I didn't compare Xinyi to a bird; I'm telling the truth. Besides, I only accidentally threw the bird at Xinyi's carriage, but when I saw the carriage going out of control, didn't I rush over and pull it back to save her? If I hadn't pulled the carriage back, Xinyi would be dead by now!"
"You say Xinyi's carriage was tampered with, but I know nothing about it. I don't know if the Jiang family had a grudge against someone and was being retaliated against." Jia Yi refused to admit it.
At this moment, not only was Jiang Bowen furious, but even Jiang Xinyi's face darkened. Jiang Bowen retorted, "Our Jiang family is praised by His Majesty as a philanthropic family. How could we casually make enemies with others!"
"How would I know that? But as far as I know, Minister Jiang has often submitted memorials impeaching many officials. If we're talking about the deepest resentment, it has to be the young prince's father, right?"
As Jia Yi spoke, he glanced at Zhou Hanzhang, the meaning of which was self-evident.
“We have always had a good relationship with the Zhou family. Even if Uncle Zhou was impeached by my father, he would not do such a despicable thing to my sister as you say.”
As Jiang Bowen spoke, he glanced at Zhou Hanzhang and said, "Uncle Zhou usually criticizes my dad on the same day he has something to say. He wouldn't do these things afterward."
Zhou Hanzhang glanced at Jiang Bowen in surprise, realizing that this young man actually knew his father quite well.
Zhou's father was indeed like that. Whenever Jiang's father impeached him, he would be summoned to the palace by the emperor and reprimanded in front of everyone.
Zhou's father nodded and agreed to everything in the hall, but as soon as he left the hall, he started to berate Jiang's father and followed him all the way to his residence.
Although Jiang's father impeached him, Zhou's father was treated well and fed well when he went to the mansion.
Others might think they don't get along, but that's just on the surface. In reality, although they both dislike each other, they can be considered close friends, if you can be honest.
If you didn't care about the other person, why would you keep an eye on them every day?
The official from the Ministry of Justice slammed his gavel again. "Jia Yi! If you have any evidence, present it. Spreading rumors like this will land you in jail. Don't add the charge of slandering court officials to your list."
Jia Yi then stopped speaking.
"You, come forward and speak." The official from the Ministry of Justice pointed to another witness brought by Li Xianda.
The woman quickly stepped forward, "My husband's surname is Chen, and everyone calls me Widow Chen. I... I'm a night soil collector. One morning, when I was returning from collecting night soil, I happened to see Young Master Jia and this man in the hall."
Widow Chen pointed to Fang Niu kneeling in the hall, "The two of them are plotting to cause an accident for Miss Jiang. They say that Young Master Jia somehow found out that Miss Jiang goes to Huiguang Temple with Madam Jiang every month to pray for blessings."
He then promised the monks that he would tamper with the carriage of Madam Chiang and Miss Chiang before they went to worship Buddha.
Speaking of which, a heroic rescue would not only win over Miss Jiang's heart but also gain Madam Jiang's favor.
However, the woman was in a hurry and feared being killed to silence her, so she only heard these words before rushing home.
At this point, it is clear that Jia Yi did indeed bribe Fang Niu to sabotage Jiang Xinyi's carriage. Jia Yi then waited on that path and threw stones at her carriage so that he could successfully stage a heroic rescue.
"It turns out that they not only wanted to scheme against my sister, but also against my mother. Fortunately, my mother had something to do that day and did not go to the temple to burn incense with my sister. Otherwise, given the critical situation at the time, my mother might not have been able to escape unharmed."
As Jiang Bowen spoke, his eyes reddened again.
Jiang Xinyi was also still shaken. Ever since that incident, she had nightmares every night, and she was even afraid to go to Huiguang Temple, fearing that something else might happen to her.
She can still recall the events of that day; if her mother had been in the carriage, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Jiang Xinyi coldly said to Jia Yi, "Is this your love at first sight and unwavering loyalty? How laughable! So you've been eyeing my family all along. What you're after isn't me, but the Jiang family behind me?"
Jiang Xinyi understood everything at this point; she was just someone who wanted to take shortcuts and had set up a sophisticated scheme for them, hoping to use her family's resources to rise to the top.
Unfortunately, he was a person with little talent to begin with, and I was blinded by his so-called life-saving grace.
"Do you know that since that day, I've had nightmares every night, and I'm even careful when I go out? But I'm still willing to go out and run errands for you. So this was all a scheme you set up specifically for me. Good, good, very good."
Although Jiang Xinyi had heard about what Jia Yi had done to her from Zhou Hanzhang and Jiang Mingyun a few days ago, her feelings since that day had never been as intense as knowing the truth face to face now.
She watched Jia Yi shed tears, "The so-called life-saving grace was nothing but a joke."
Jiang Xinyi wiped away her tears, bowed to the official in charge of the Ministry of Justice at the head of the table, and said, "Please punish this person severely."
Jia Yi was shocked when he heard this. "Xinyi, Xinyi, you can't do this to me! I really have a heart full of love for you. I did scheme against you, but that was because I had seen you once and was captivated by you. I fell in love with you from then on, which is why I resorted to this drastic measure."