Chapter 657 True or False

Princess Huan said anxiously, "You are clearly lying. You plotted to murder the Crown Prince, and yet you dare to make such excuses?"

Qian Qiyue raised her eyes. "When did I quibble? Did Princess Huan witness the scene with her own eyes, or did she hear what the Crown Prince said with her own ears?"

"I…"

"Shut up!"

The Queen Mother glanced at Princess Huan.

Qian Qiyue did not argue with Princess Huan. Seeing Tang Ning's worried gaze, Qian Qiyue said to the Queen Mother:

"After the Empress Dowager left the banquet today, the Concubine Xian has been making things difficult for Tang Ning. I was a little unhappy, but I was also afraid that I would lose my temper and offend the Concubine Xian, causing trouble in the palace. When I saw the wife of Marquis Wenxin leave, I simply left the hall and wanted to use the restroom to relieve myself and calm down."

"The palace attendants outside the palace pointed the way, but I got confused and took the wrong path. After making a long detour and arriving near the main porch, I heard the voice of Marquis Wenxin's wife scolding me."

There was sweat on Qian Qiyue's forehead and her complexion did not look well, but she spoke very clearly.

"I was standing far away at the time, and I only saw Madam Wenxin and Miss Zhou arguing with two eunuch-looking men. I don't know what they said, but they actually pushed and shoved her and Sister Zhou."

"Sis Zhou and I are good friends, so naturally I wouldn't sit idly by. I rushed over and knocked her unconscious. Then Marquis Wenxin's wife said Sister Fu was dragged into the porch by the Crown Prince."

"I was horrified when I heard that. I didn't dare delay any longer. Once I broke in, I heard the Crown Prince forcing Sister Fu from behind the partition. Sister Fu pleaded for help. I immediately wanted to save her, but I didn't expect there was a highly skilled eunuch hiding in the porch. I was almost killed by his sneak attack, but it was Marquis Wenxin's wife who blocked it for me."

Qian Qiyue seemed to be in some pain and twisted her body, and everyone saw her bloody arm.

Her clothes were torn and stained red with blood.

No one noticed it before, but when they saw the wound, many people gasped.

Qian Qiyue said, "At that time, the wife of Marquis Wenxin was injured and unconscious. I fought with that person and finally subdued him, but I found that I was weak and powerless as if I had been poisoned."

"The prince, unrepentant and with red eyes, rushed towards me, attempting to commit evil. I fought desperately to repel him. Perhaps wounded and awakened, the prince wanted to escape, but how could I let him go?"

"I just wanted to keep the prince here to prevent him from escaping his guilt, but he used the incident in the porch to threaten me and even tried to destroy the reputation of the Qian and Fu families' daughters."

"I was only momentarily enraged, and the effects of the drug hadn't worn off yet, so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stop the Crown Prince, so I accidentally knocked him down. I absolutely had no intention of murdering the Crown Prince. I beg the Empress Dowager to understand."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Although Princess Huan was scolded by the Queen Mother, she did not want Qian Qiyue to escape. She said coldly:

"These are clearly just sophistry. How could such a coincidence happen in this world? You guys just happened to be at the main building and happened to see the Crown Prince plotting something illicit. Besides, as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, he has all the beauties he wants. Why would he force you?"

She glanced up and down at Qian Qiyue:

"I think maybe some people are attracted by the wealth of the Eastern Palace and are trying to climb up the social ladder by any means necessary. When something unexpected happens, they want to silence them..."

"So Princess Huan means that the wife of Marquis Wenxin also covets the position of the Crown Prince's concubine?" Concubine Zhao Guipin suddenly spoke.

"absurd!"

Tang Ning said coldly, "Marquis Wenxin is a very important figure. His wife has been married to him for many years and they have always been in love. How could she covet the Crown Prince? Moreover, who would have planned for the Crown Prince to climb up the social ladder and bring so many people with him? Is he out of his mind or just afraid of being caught?"

"Princess Huan, Marquis Wenxin is currently leading his troops in the southern lands to fight for the imperial court, yet you are insulting his wife and daughter like this. What are your intentions?!"

Princess Huan's expression changed: "That's not what I meant..."

"What do you mean?"

Tang Ning said coldly, "If Sister Qian was greedy for wealth and status and wanted to climb up the social ladder, she should have agreed immediately when the Queen Mother mentioned that she wanted to keep her in the palace and let her become the master of Fengqi Palace. Why would she go to such great lengths to get close to the Crown Prince?"

"Besides, a woman's reputation is more important than anything else. Who would play with her own reputation? The prince hasn't even spoken yet about whether he forced her to do something. Why are you so anxious?"

"Or are you so familiar with the Crown Prince that you dare to vouch for him without knowing the truth or witnessing it with your own eyes, and guarantee that he has not committed any shameful acts?"

Princess Huan's face changed drastically: "Don't talk nonsense, when did the Crown Prince and I become acquainted?"

"If you don't know me, then shut up!"

When Tang Ning raised his eyes, his eyes were gloomy, and he really had murderous intentions towards Princess Huan. The coldness in his eyes made Princess Huan's scalp tingle, and Tang Ning turned his head to look up:

"Your Majesty, are you just going to sit back and watch Princess Huan insult the wife and daughter of a meritorious official?"

The Queen Mother looked at Tang Ning deeply, then turned to Princess Huan and said, "If you don't shut up, I'll have someone teach you how to be quiet."

Princess Huan's body went cold. "Empress Dowager, I'm afraid you've been deceived by Qian Qiyue. She and the Fu family girl had an argument today, and they even mocked each other in the front hall. She never gave the Fu family girl the slightest bit of respect, so how could she hurt the Crown Prince to save her?"

Xuan Qiwen couldn't help but say, "Aunt, what Princess Huan said is true. Many of us saw Qian Qiyue ridiculing Fu Jinrou at the time. They had already fallen out. Qian Qiyue is saying..."

She was about to accuse Qian Qiyue of lying when she met the empress dowager's sudden gaze.

Xuan Qiwen's face turned pale and she quickly shut up.

Qian Qiyue remained remarkably calm in the face of their accusations. "Sister Fu and I did have some issues, but our friendship over the past few months was genuine. Furthermore, as both of us are women, even if the person inside was someone I didn't know, I definitely wouldn't stand by and watch them die. A girl raised in my Qian family wouldn't be so cold-blooded."

Xuan Qiwen was immediately enraged. Was Qian Qiyue calling the Xuan family's daughters cold-blooded and heartless?!

The Queen Mother's expression also grew a little colder.

Qian Qiyue ignored Xuan Qiwen, whose eyes were almost popping out of her head, and turned to Fu Jinrou and said, "I did hurt the Crown Prince, but I was also trying to save others and protect myself. If the Queen Mother doesn't believe me, you can ask Sister Fu if she was insulted by the Crown Prince."

Fu Jinrou’s face turned pale and she clutched her palms tightly.

Although she had some inappropriate things with the prince, she never thought of letting others know. At least in her expectation, before she married into the Eastern Palace, she was a pure and innocent girl in everyone's eyes.

But now...

Fu Jinrou wanted to say no, wanted to say that the prince did not insult her, wanted to say that Qian Qiyue was lying, but she met Qian Qiyue's creepy black eyes, and everyone in the hall was looking at her.

She pinched her palms until they bled, and swallowed all her thoughts with tears.

"The prince... insulted me..."