Chapter 158: A Bargaining Chip, a Paving Stone

Having botched the matter, Song Junzhan felt he couldn’t face Xiao Li, so he immediately changed course to prove his worth.

It was unclear what methods he used, but the case against Wang Shiyao was personally delivered to the Emperor by Wang Chengyun, the Minister of Revenue.

Embezzlement of public funds, abduction of common women, murder of an official, and even the secret ownership of a silver mine—the evidence for each crime was irrefutable.

With charges like these, not even Wang Changwen could save his grandson, even if he offered his own head.

The Emperor, in a rare fit of fury, ordered Wang Shiyao’s immediate arrest. As for Wang Changwen, he was stripped of his position as Grand Secretary, placed under house arrest, and his final judgment was deferred for his failure to discipline his family and for concealing the crimes.

Only then did Madam Wang understand why her husband and father-in-law had been so insistent on marrying Wang Wanqing to He Chengfeng.

When she learned that her son had not only lost his position but was now in danger of losing his life, she stormed into the palace in a rage. She viciously slapped Wang Wanqing and cried, "You’re trying to get your older brother killed!"

"Everything would have been fine if you had just obediently married him! Now your grandfather has lost his title and your brother is on the verge of death. Are you satisfied now?"

Wang Wanqing clutched her face, her expression one of utter disbelief. "Mother, I’m not the one who did anything wrong. What does this have to do with me?"

Madam Wang stared at her with hatred. "The food you eat, the clothes you wear, everything you have—wasn’t it all earned by your grandfather, your father, and your brother? When you marry, won’t you still need them to back you up?"

"The family’s honor, the lives of your father and brother... Is any of that less important than you? Couldn’t you have just endured it? Was it so hard to just endure it?"

"Now you have your freedom, but the Wang family is finished. I hope you’re satisfied!"

Madam Wang’s tirade was relentless and hysterical. As Wang Wanqing listened, her heart filled with despair, turning to cold ash.

’Why am I being blamed for this?’

’My brother committed murder, embezzled funds, and abducted women. Those were his crimes. Why isn’t Mother blaming him? Why is she blaming me for not sacrificing myself so someone else would cover for him?’

’Besides, I didn’t even know what was happening. If I had just let that scumbag, He Chengfeng, violate me without knowing the reason, what would that have made me?’

’And even if I had known, I couldn’t have debased myself like that.’

’It’s true that I’m a daughter of the Wang family and have enjoyed its riches and glory, but haven’t my father and brother enjoyed them far more? Hasn’t everyone else in the family benefited?’

’So why was I the one chosen for this sacrifice? Is it my fault that I refused to be humiliated by He Chengfeng like some prostitute?’

"Madam Wang!"

Two burly matrons stepped forward, seized Madam Wang, and dragged her outside.

At the doorway, the Empress watched her with a cold expression. "Since when did my palace become a place for your insolence? Shouting and striking people... Do you have any respect for me at all?"

Madam Wang hated the Empress. ’If she hadn’t interfered, none of this would be happening.’ But when she thought of her son, she had no choice but to beg. "Your Majesty," she pleaded, "Wang Shiyao is your nephew. You watched him grow up! He has always been so devoted to you, his aunt. I’m begging you, please help him! Plead with the Emperor on his behalf!"

The Empress looked down at her, a flicker of resentment passing through her usually vacant eyes. "Once... I begged all of you just like this..."

Madam Wang’s expression froze. The Empress raised a hand. "Take her away. From this day forward, I will see no one from the Wang family."

Madam Wang was dragged off, still shouting something, but a matron quickly muffled her mouth as they hauled her away.

The Empress walked inside and saw Wang Wanqing slumped on the floor, her eyes filled with numb agony. She had clearly been dealt a heavy blow.

The red handprint on her cheek was already beginning to break the skin, a testament to the force of Madam Wang’s blow.

The Empress took in the sight, and a rare flicker of pity softened her expression.

She bent down, her hand gently brushing against Wang Wanqing’s cheek.

"Was that slap enough to wake you up?"

Wang Wanqing looked up at her, tears instantly welling in her eyes. "Aunt... why is this happening? She’s my mother. She always doted on me..."

"My brother is the one who did wrong... I’ve been obedient my entire life... Why is she... why is she doing this to me...?"

The Empress used a handkerchief to gently wipe away her tears. She then rose, moved to a nearby chair, and sat down. Her gaze drifted toward the doorway, her eyes tinged with a deep sorrow and hatred.

"Why...? Because parents pin all their hopes on their sons. Sons are destined to inherit everything and bring glory to the family name. But what they give to their daughters, they always expect something in return. They believe a daughter will eventually belong to another family, so any investment in her must yield a profit. If it doesn’t, she is accused of being ungrateful for her upbringing. A daughter is nothing more than a pawn, a bargaining chip, a stepping stone for her father and brothers."

Wang Wanqing had never seen the Empress like this before. She had never understood the desolate, detached look in her aunt’s eyes, but in that moment, it seemed she finally did.

Her aunt had married His Majesty twelve years ago, when he was still the Crown Prince, and she had become the Crown Princess Consort.

Wang Wanqing had only been five or six years old at the time, so her memories were hazy. She seemed to recall that her aunt had not wanted the marriage, but she didn’t know what had transpired. In the end, her aunt married him, but she had remained distant from her family ever since.

"Aunt..." Wang Wanqing got up, moved to kneel before the Empress, and took her hand. "Aunt."

She called out her name, and in that moment, it was as if these two women, daughters of the Wang family from two different generations, had become the only person each could rely on.

The day’s events had dredged up a past the Empress thought she had long forgotten. But she had never truly forgotten—she had only buried it deep inside, forcing herself not to dwell on it. If she had, she didn’t know how she would have survived to this day.

She began to speak, her voice eerily calm. "Years ago... I had a fiancé, a childhood sweetheart. The match was arranged by your grandfather himself; my fiancé was the son of his closest friend. We knew each other our whole lives, from the time we were toddlers until I came of age. We went from playing together as children to exchanging lovesick letters. I thought my entire life was meant to be spent with him. I was waiting for him to come for me with a grand wedding procession, to make me his wife in accordance with all the proper rites."

"But then, in the year I turned fifteen, his family was convicted of a crime, and all their property was seized. With nowhere else to go, he came to the Wang family for help, but my father and brother barred the gates and refused to see him."

"I was right on the other side of the gate, watching him kneel on the ground and plead desperately. He kowtowed until his forehead was raw and bleeding, yet my father and brother remained completely unmoved. They even had him beaten and driven away."

"I begged my father and brother, but they claimed their hands were tied. I tried to send him my own gold and silver jewelry to help him get by, but they stopped me from doing that, too."

"And do you know what crime his family was accused of? Corruption. The very same crime your brother stands accused of now, though his family’s case wasn’t nearly as egregious."

The Empress leaned back slowly in her chair, her gaze growing distant. A smile touched her lips, but it was one of utter desolation. "The day after he was driven away, my marriage profile was sent to the palace. I had been put forth as a candidate for Crown Princess Consort."

"In less than three days, I was selected. I was to be the next Crown Princess Consort. The palace began preparations for the wedding, which was set for six months later."

"I was stunned when I heard the news... ’How could I be the Crown Princess Consort?’"

"I threw a fit, of course. But my father and brother sat me down and explained all the benefits, telling me what a great advantage it would be for the family if I became the Crown Princess Consort, how much honor it would bring to the Wang family."

"I tried to run away. I was naive enough to think I could escape. A maid helped me get out, and I went to see him—my fiancé. And do you know what I found out...? HA HA..."

The Empress was laughing, but there were no tears in her eyes. It was a sound more agonizing than any sob.

"My beloved fiancé, his voice filled with bitter resentment, told me the truth. It was my own father who had reported his family for corruption. It was all a plot to get my fiancé out of the way so my name could be submitted for the glorious position of Crown Princess Consort."

"After that... I don’t even remember being dragged back home. The next thing I knew, six months had passed, and it was my wedding day. The Crown Princess Consort... a magnificent procession, a spectacle of infinite glory..."

"But on that very day, on the road my wedding sedan was set to travel, he took his own life. The sight of his blood was more vivid, more blindingly red, than my wedding robes."

"He hated me... And I hated myself... But here I am, still the Empress after more than ten years. And the Wang family... is still the same as it was back then."