Want to clear my name of this false charge, no way

  In the previous chapter, Fang Jinglan's youngest daughter, Ruoqing, had finally settled on a marriage with the fifth-rank official Xiang family after going through various ups and downs. However, to avoid being selected as a palace maid, she fled to Datong and took refuge in her second brother Fang Zhiyi's mansion, where he held the title of General. Zhiyi was very fond of his younger sister, and Ruoqing lived comfortably in the general's residence, but not without some unpleasantness. For instance, Zhiyi's concubine, Xue, often used a small white flower to annoy Ruoqing. Furthermore, there was also Jingwang Li Xiao, who had always been looking for trouble with Ruoqing and was also in Datong, making her have to be cautious... At this time, attending the banquet at the Dai Wangfu, she encountered even more frustrating things...

  Next, continue with the second part of "The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage"

  Although spring has arrived and the snow has stopped, on the eighth day of the first month, the streets of Datong were still filled with icy cold winds that swept through thousands of households.

  Although there were no relatives in Datong, General Zhen Guo held a strong army and had prestige among the people. Zhiyi still received several invitations. As Zhiyi's only family member, Ruoxi also followed him to go.

  The queen consort was a middle-aged noblewoman in her fifties, wearing a thick, dark yellow changshan with intricate cloud patterns and auspicious motifs on the collar, sleeves, and hem, trimmed with sable fur. On her head, she wore a majestic chignon adorned with twelve pure gold hairpins, each one studded with precious gems, and a single white jade pin with golden threads and a phoenix-shaped clasp that pressed against her temple, giving off an aura of elegance and refinement.

  After bowing her head, she couldn't help but take a few more glances at the substitute queen. With so many things weighing on her shoulders, it's amazing that her neck hasn't been broken yet. However, looking at the substitute queen's thick makeup that can't hide her old age and wrinkles, Zhen Si thought to herself: It seems that the rumors of the substitute queen losing favor are true after all.

  But none of this was her concern, she had a thick handkerchief embroidered with golden thread and inlaid with a fingernail-sized pearl on her head, which was already worth some money.

  The princess consort patted Ruo Qing's hand, then pulled her forward and took a closer look. Her eyes were full of praise. "No wonder she's the younger sister of General Town. She has an impressive bearing, like a dragon or phoenix among humans. You're also a stunning beauty, unparalleled in this world. Zhen Er, come quickly and take a look! In the past, you relied on your good looks and thought yourself to be the greatest beauty in Datong. Now, isn't she just as lovely? This younger sister of General Town is no worse than you in either temperament or appearance!"

  The girl named Zhen'er was dressed in a stylish yellow-green jade embroidered silk jacket and a foreign-style pleated skirt, with a golden phoenix hairpin on her head. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but size up the younger sister of the renowned General who was said to be extraordinary and elegant. The girl in front of her was wearing a light green silk jacket with gold thread embroidery, with white animal fur trim at the collar, waist, back, and cuffs, which made her face look even more radiant and charming.

  This girl named Zhen'er was the legitimate daughter of the Dai Wang Fu, and she looked up and down at Rong with an almost critical eye. Suddenly, she spoke in a cold voice: "Miss Fang indeed has an extraordinary beauty, I must admit that I am inferior to her. However, I heard that Miss Fang is only a concubine-born daughter? And General Town is only a second-grade official, yet he can wear sable fur? According to our dynasty's regulations, only first and second-grade court officials or those with meritorious titles are allowed to wear sable fur. Miss Fang, isn't this overstepping your bounds?"

  The county master's words had just come out, and the faces of all the people present changed suddenly. They stared at the white fox fur trim on Ru Xue's body, some cautious people flashed suspicious eyes, but only kept silent. But someone directly exclaimed in surprise, "County Master said that, I remembered it now. According to our dynasty's rules, only officials above the first and second ranks are allowed to wear sable and other precious materials, Miss Fang, you have exceeded the rules!"

  She gazed at the speaker, who bore some resemblance to the substitute princess, but was slightly younger. Behind him stood a slender, oval-faced young girl with a tender complexion and a pinkish-white apron, also smiling brightly as she sized up Ru Jing. Covering her mouth with her hand, she giggled and said: "If that's really the case, then if the imperial censor were to find out, it would be disastrous! At best, you'd receive a reprimand and be thrown into the Temple of Justice; at worst, your entire family would be ruined. However, this crime of overstepping one's bounds can be either severe or minor, depending solely on the mood of the local imperial censor and the princess."

  A woman smiled and said, "Miss Fang is still young and probably doesn't know these rules. General Town is also a rough man, how would he understand the intricacies? I think it's better not to take it too seriously. Miss Fang, what Huang said is right, this matter can be big or small, you just apologize to Princess Wang and ask Madame Huang to show more leniency, wouldn't that make the big thing smaller and the small thing nothing?"

  The noblewomen present also had a good relationship with Zhiyi, and they nodded and whispered to Ruqing, asking her to yield, and begged Princess Dai and Madame Huang not to pursue the matter further, so that it could be settled.

  Gradually, Ru Xiang finally understood the identity of Madam Huang and her daughter. Madam Huang's husband was the governor who governed Shanxi Province, while their daughter was engaged to the son of the Imperial Censor of Shanxi. If Ru Xiang really wanted to marry well, she would first have to pass through the Imperial Censor and the Governor, then the Princess of Dai's family.

  If the Grand Secretary and the Regent Queen Mother do not pursue this matter, then it will not be reported to the imperial court. Otherwise, if this matter is reported to the imperial court and investigated by the Department of Rites, it will not only implicate the entire Fang family but may also lead to their downfall and extermination.

  But now that he has been given this authority, will he not be controlled everywhere by the Wangfu and the Censor in the future?

  Ru Jing has been in Shanxi for a whole year, but he doesn't know that the Daiwang Fu has always wanted to pull strings and control his own brother. However, his brother looks down on the Daiwang family's sons' lustfulness and greed, and their daughters' arrogance and extravagance. Moreover, the previous generation of Daiwang was guilty of "excessive luxury, extreme cruelty, privately setting up prisons, and forcibly occupying people's land", and has been confined to the imperial villa in Beijing. The emperor was so enraged that he had already stripped the Daiwang Fu of its power to control Shanxi's military and government affairs. The Daiwang Fu is unwilling to lose its power and influence, and will inevitably try to manipulate the officials who hold important positions in Shanxi.

  In political affairs, the Shanxi Governor and the King of Dai were in-laws, with a relationship that was not ordinary. As for Zhiyi, as the highest official in Shanxi apart from the Governor-General, he held great military power and had immense prestige among the people's militia, making it impossible for the Dai Wang Fu to control him, so they could only abandon and suppress him.

  Nowadays, if loving someone because of a piece of clothing is considered a fatal blow to Zhiyi's reputation, then it would be the best way for Daimingfu to control Zhiyi.

  After understanding the pros and cons, Ru Qing didn't panic, but instead looked at Old Wang Fei and Junzhu and said: "As a humble daughter of a third-rank official, even if I don't know many characters, my father and brothers often reminded me about our dynasty's laws and regulations. Although I still can't recite all the laws by heart, I deeply understand that family members below first and second-rank officials are not allowed to wear sable fur, embroidered dragon and phoenix patterns, and other luxurious items. Your Highnesses, with your noble status and extraordinary background, how could you not recognize sable fur? You actually mistook fox fur for sable fur, Junzhu, this joke is a bit too big." By the end of her speech, Ru Qing's eyes had turned cold, and she silently cursed: "You think you can tolerate me wearing sable fur? Although family members below first and second-rank officials are not allowed to wear sable fur, Zhiyi is the Imperial General granted by the Emperor himself, and he was awarded a dragon robe. With the dragon robe on his body, his status is almost equal to that of the Three Dukes. What's the big deal about wearing clothes with sable fur?"

  You dare to rely on your status as a county master's daughter to come and provoke me, saying that you are big-breasted but brainless. Is it because you have been living an easy life for too long and don't know what's good or bad?

  As soon as the words came out, the expressions of the people present changed, and some impatient ones even stepped forward to carefully examine the fur on Rong's sleeve, saying repeatedly: "It really can't be seen that it is fox fur, but it's definitely not sable fur. Young lady, your eyesight has always been unique, how come this time..."

  Another person immediately chimed in, "It must be a joke between the county master's daughter and Fang's daughter."

  Others also echoed in unison, but thinking of the conversation between the substitute queen and Madame Huang earlier, they had other thoughts in their minds. However, they secretly despised it in their hearts. The substitute king's mansion wants to pull down the national general, everyone knows that, but can't you find a hidden way? Does the county master dare to play such a small trick? I don't know whether to call the substitute king's mansion really desperate or jumping over the wall like a mad dog.

  By the way

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