Song Yi abandoned his wife for the princess, and now, they're locked together forever, never to part!
The anonymous report was of course done by Mingting.
In order to avenge his biological father, the villain in the original timeline had collected a lot of bad things done by Song Yi and Princess Dongyang, and found an opportunity to expose them directly.
Mingting simply reused the information.
Not only that, the original owner's castration had been orchestrated by Prince of Qi to eliminate any future threats for his sister.
So Mingting also knew about the evil things done by the Prince of Qi.
Prince of Qi is Princess Dongyang's biggest backer. As long as this backer falls, she would have no chance to stage a revival.
Mingting promptly reported Prince of Qi's misdeeds.
Emperor Li had long despised Song Yi and Prince of Q forbid i.
Since the evidence of their crimes was ironclad, the verdict came swiftly.
Prince of Qi's title was taken away and he was demoted to a commoner.
Song Yi and Princess Dongyang were exiled to a southern island, forbidden to return for the rest of their lives.
On the day of their departure, Mingting personally went to the outskirts of the city to see the family leave the capital.
Song Yi was Mingting's biological father, so Emperor Li did not make him wear shackles on the journey.
In fact, the emperor even worried that Song Yi might die of illness along the way, which could cast a shadow over Mingting's reputation. Thus, he arranged for a carriage and provided ample medicine.
Watching the carriage sway and disappear into the distance, Fengtian asked Mingting:
[Boss, do you think he might just die like this?]
Over these days, Song Yi had withered to little more than skin and bones.
'No. I told you, I want him to witness me become a marquis and a prime minister. Even if he's hanging by a thread, he'll live to see that day.'
Mingting patted Fengtian's head.
Death would be too easy.
Only by living can one truly atone for their sins!
Although Ming Ting had verified that the blood test method was unreliable in the court, Emperor Li still ordered imperial physicians and officials from the Ministry of Justice to conduct extensive experiments. Eventually, it was conclusively proven that the blood-droplet method was utterly unreliable.
A month later, the court publicly announced the results.
Why is the blood test method unreliable? How were the experiments conducted to disprove it? What were the reasons for its inaccuracy?
All of this was disclosed in detail.
For a time, a wave of experimentation swept through the populace, causing cattle bones, pig bones, and even corpses from mass graves to become scarce, as people rushed to test the method themselves.
This was the first time commoners had personally conducted experiments. Following the steps outlined in the court's proclamation, they tried it at home and confirmed that the blood test method was indeed flawed.
Now, many people panicked.
When it came to the purity of one's lineage, who wouldn't be concerned?
Fortunately, Emperor Li anticipated this, so alongside the announcement, he revealed that Mingting was already researching a new method to verify blood relations.
At the same time, Mingting's words in court, about cherishing one's wife and daughters, gradually spread among the people.
His statement, 'You may not necessarily be the grandfather, but you are definitely the maternal grandfather' unsettled many, but they couldn't deny the truth in Count Zhongyi's words.
Some men, who were prone to beating their wives, even found themselves on the receiving end of threats:
"If you hit me again, I swear I'll have your family's bloodline replaced within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Or you can kill me today… Since murder demands retribution, your death will ensure your family line ends with you!!"
Without the blood test method, unless a man kept constant watch over his wife, there was no guarantee he wasn't raising another man's child.
The women's threats had some effect.
Many rushed to local officials, petitioning Mingting to hurry up and develop a reliable method to verify parentage.
Of course, until he succeeded, it was wiser to treat their wives better.
After all, the mother always knew who the father of her child was, but the father could never be certain.
…
More than three years later, shortly after Su Lingyi's 18th birthday, Mingting married her.
Their wedding was grand and lively, with Emperor Li bestowing numerous gifts and even inscribing the words 'A Match Made in Heaven' for the couple.
The Crown Prince himself attended the ceremony. With his presence, no one dared pressure Mingting into drinking, allowing the newlyweds to enjoy a blissful first night together.
Wang Zhi and Jiang Xiao'e, along with their son, had relocated to a poverty-stricken county in the southwest, where Wang Zhi served as magistrate.
This was Mingting's suggestion, as it is easier to achieve notable accomplishments in difficult places. And with Mingting as his brother-in-law and backer, Wang Zhi was assured of support.
Daya stayed in the capital, and Mingting arranged for her to get engaged to a motivated Juren.
Originally, the Duke of Zhenguo wanted to forge ties with Mingting by proposing a marriage between his grandson and Daya, but Mingting refused.
Noble households were too complicated.
Daya grew up in the countryside since she was a child. Even though she is very proficient in reading and painting now, and has become more ladylike, she is not as good as the daughters trained by the rich and powerful.
Rather than subjecting her to a web of in-laws and strict familial hierarchies, Mingting preferred she marry into a simpler, respectable family and live a comfortable life.
Mingting presented both options to Daya, and she chose the Juren, who had only a widowed mother at home.
She watched as her youngest uncle and father relied on their studies to step by step make their way out of the small village, so she didn't think there was anything wrong with being a Juren.
Mingting had also conducted thorough background checks on the Juren. The Juren's mother was very capable and was a backbone in the textile factory.
She used her earnings to support her son's studies, and she was also a model student in the literacy class. The mother was not the stereotypical harsh mother-in-law, and even supported women working outside the home.
This made Daya even more satisfied.
For the young Juren, marrying the niece of Count Zhongyi was like catching a falling star.
Moreover, Count Zhongyi was his idol.
The spinning machine Mingting invented had provided income for his mother and him. Not to mention, Mingting had freely handed over the techniques for refining white sugar and alcohol to the imperial court. Such a loyal and patriotic man was a role model for scholars.
The Juren's mother was so overjoyed she couldn't close her mouth.
She had always regarded Mingting as her family's benefactor. If it weren't for the job at the textile factory, which provided a steady monthly income, she wouldn't have been able to support her son's education and imperial examinations.
The two families quickly arranged the engagement.
Mingting's only requirement was that Daya would only get married after she was 18 years old, and the Juren agreed. He even vowed that he would strive to pass the metropolitan examination and marry Daya with honors.