Chapter 58: Is the Princess going to disobey the Emperor's will?

At Fushou Hall, Eunuch Qi sneered after hearing Lin Tingxuan's words, "How did I hear that Madam Lin was whipping people around with a whip this morning and threatened to beat Princess Yong'an to death?

How come, in less than half a day, the healthy old lady fell ill?

After these words were spoken, no matter whether Mrs. Lin was really sick or faking it, she could not get sick.

Otherwise, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!

Lin Tingxuan's legs were weak and she had to rely on her maid to support her so that she wouldn't fall.

She managed a smile with great difficulty, but before she could speak, she heard Eunuch Qi order: "Since Madam Lin is too ill to get up, you guys should go and invite her out."

"Father-in-law, you can't do that!" Lin Tingxuan's face turned pale.

After all, their mother was a royal concubine. If she was carried out in dishevel by a few filthy eunuchs, how would they, their brother and sister, live their lives in the future?

Thinking about the future, Lin Tingxuan's legs didn't weaken at all, and she hurriedly said, "Eunuch, please be patient. I will go and ask mother to come out to receive the order."

Eunuch Qi pulled the corner of his mouth, said with a forced smile: "Young lady, it's too late to say that."

Several young eunuchs rushed forward, and whether intentionally or not, when they passed by Lin Tingxuan, one of them bumped her shoulder hard.

"ah--"

Lin Tingxuan took a few steps back in horror and fell heavily to the ground.

The pearl hairpins on her head were scattered all over the floor, her hair was messy, and she looked very disheveled.

Seeing Song Yanxi from afar, she used her hands and feet to get up from the ground, ran towards her and shouted: "Second sister-in-law, please stop them quickly, mother is still sick!"

Two bamboos rushed forward to stop her, blurting out: "Where did this crazy woman come from!"

"It's me, it's me!" Lin Tingxuan hurriedly pushed aside the hair on her forehead, almost crying in anxiety.

Song Yanxi raised her eyebrows in surprise, "It turned out to be the third young lady."

She looked Lin Tingxuan up and down, her expression intriguing, "Aren't you staying with your mother-in-law to take care of her? How could you..."

Hearing this, several ladies looked towards the door at the same time.

Lin Tingxuan's eyes were red with hatred, but she didn't dare to lash out. She could only plead, "Second sister-in-law, you know that mother is ill. Please tell Eunuch Qi that mother is not pretending to be ill."

"Eunuch Qi?" Song Yanxi nodded at him as if she had just seen Eunuch Qi and others.

Eunuch Qi's expression eased slightly, and he said in a businesslike manner, "I am also acting under orders. I hope the princess will not embarrass us."

"Can……"

"Is the princess planning to disobey the emperor's will?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Madam Qiu stepped forward, blocking Song Yanxi behind her, and said with a smile, "You are too kind, eunuch. The princess was just eager to protect her mother-in-law, and she lost her composure in a moment of anxiety. There is absolutely no reason for her to be disrespectful."

The other ladies also nodded in agreement.

Not to mention that Eunuch Qi was just trying to scare people, even if he really wanted to take advantage of the situation, he would never say no again after seeing this situation.

Don't give the monk any face, give the Buddha any face. Who can guarantee that the husbands of these ladies will not become high-ranking officials in the future?

Unexpectedly, Eunuch Qi was so easy to talk to. Lin Tingxuan's heart suddenly ignited with hope, and she hurriedly said, "My mother has been in poor health. The doctor just came to see her this afternoon. You ladies can also serve as witnesses. I hope that Eunuch Qi will be flexible."

"Be flexible?" Eunuch Qi smiled.

Even someone as slow-witted as Lin Tingxuan could tell that something was wrong with that fake smile.

But once words are spoken, they are like spilled water. She could only bite the bullet and explain: "Father-in-law has misunderstood. I am not..."

Eunuch Qi interrupted her coldly, "There's nothing wrong with me. Third Miss Lin is indeed Madam Lin's biological daughter. She's definitely learned the habit of seeking favors through backdoors!"

The noble ladies in the capital have always regarded reputation as more important than their lives. Many of them have studied hard since childhood and tried their best just to gain praise from others.

Especially for those in the palace, a word of praise would help them to widen the gap with other women of marriageable age, and vice versa.

With Eunuch Qi's evaluation, let alone finding a good husband of equal status, even a noble family with a lower official position would definitely not consider marrying such a woman.

Lin Tingxuan's face instantly lost all color.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The gazes of the ladies cast upon her were like swords, peeling off her skin, pulling out her tendons, and scraping her bones bit by bit.

Lin Tingxuan's teeth were chattering, and she felt as if she had fallen into a cold pond in the twelfth lunar month, and her whole body was freezing cold.

Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Madam Lin was carried out by several eunuchs. Seeing this scene, her eyes were about to burst out, "Tingxuan!"

Eunuch Qi sighed, "The deep love between you two as mother and daughter is truly touching."

Her body was hanging in the air. Madam Lin was both angry and frightened. "Put me down quickly! I am a fifth-rank imperial consort personally appointed by the Emperor. How dare you!"

Hearing this, Eunuch Qi slapped his head in frustration and said, "I forgot about this. Quick, let Madam Lin down."

As soon as Mrs. Lin stood firm, she immediately ran over to check on Lin Tingxuan's condition.

Seeing her daughter's miserable appearance, she turned to look at Song Yanxi and asked, "Song, as a sister-in-law, is this how you take care of your sister?"

Song Yanxi frowned and asked instead of answering, "What misunderstanding do you have about me, mother-in-law? Why do you always think that I will definitely harm the third young lady?"

The old lady blurted out, "Who else could it be but you! You set her up before..."

Halfway through her words, her expression suddenly changed and she swallowed the rest of her words.

She was afraid to mention something, but Song Yanxi insisted on saying it.

"Hasn't everything that happened before been explained clearly? Mother-in-law also said that I'm not to blame and it was all an accident. Why are you telling me a different story today?"

Madam Lin's breath was choked in her chest, she dared not speak angrily, and only said, "Hurry up and ask your maid to call a doctor. If anything happens to Tingxuan, I will... I won't be able to explain to her father."

Song Yanxi just glanced at her and said calmly, "The third young lady was frightened and fainted. She will be fine after a few hours of sleep."

"You are such a vicious Song. Since she is not your biological sister, her life or death has nothing to do with you, right? Do you think you are some kind of god who can tell whether she is okay or not just by looking at her?"

Madam Lin said this, looking at the unhappy Eunuch Qi beside her, and cried, "Eunuch Qi saw it with his own eyes. In front of so many people today, Song was so cruel and vicious that she wanted to kill my son!"

Eunuch Qi's face darkened even further, and he couldn't help but ask her, "Madam Lin, do you think that these eyes on my face are just for show?

Princess Yong'an is a very noble woman. Tell me, what unforgivable thing did your daughter do that made you want to kill her?"

The old lady choked, obviously stumped by the question.

Without waiting for her to speak again, Eunuch Qi said directly: "Everyone, please accept the order."

Song Yanxi hurriedly knelt down with a few bamboo sticks, with a respectful attitude.

Thinking of the letter that Zhuang Shihan had sent half an hour ago, there was a hint of joy in Mrs. Lin's eyes. As she knelt down, she did not forget to glare at Song Yanxi fiercely.

The smug look on his face couldn't be hidden.

Mrs. Qiu, who was taking shelter nearby, saw this and couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Old Madam Lin is so happy, could it be that someone from the palace is really here to give her a reward?