Chapter 536 Betraying the Master

Fang was disemboweled by Yu Zicheng, and the Prince of Luo dismissed everyone who came to attend the flower viewing party. Lin Yuesha was informed that the evening's flower viewing banquet was canceled and she did not need to make any preparations.

"The ingredients have all been prepared, and only the last step remains. Could it be that Young Master Luo has changed the head chef at the last minute?"

Lin Yuesha thought that her identity had been exposed, which angered Madam Qin. Madam Qin then used the rules to persuade her to step down from her position as head chef, denying her any opportunity to shine. However, her first batch of pastries had already made a name for herself, so she had achieved her goal.

As Lin Yuesha was speculating, Liu Ya, who was by Zhuang's side, hurriedly came to the main kitchen to find Zhuang Wanjun. Liu Ya ignored Lin Yuesha and whispered a few words in Zhuang Wanjun's ear, which made Zhuang Wanjun very surprised.

My sister-in-law is gone. How could this be? She was perfectly fine resting in the waterside pavilion just an hour ago.

Liu Ya remained tight-lipped about this and refused to say more.

Zhuang Wanjun was absent-minded and didn't even greet Lin Yuesha. She staggered after Liu Ya and headed straight for the waterside pavilion.

"Miss, something terrible has happened!"

After inquiring about the news, Granny Fang ran to the main kitchen. There were no secrets in the Prince's mansion villa, and the Five Cities Garrison had set up checkpoints around the area, so it was impossible to hide anything.

"I know."

Lin Yuesha had a vague idea in her mind. She thought that the flower viewing party was forced to stop because the Prince of Luo was assassinated, and it had nothing to do with the change of head chef.

"You know?"

Granny Fang wiped the sweat from her brow. Rumors spread so fast in the Prince's mansion. Madam Fang had already died, and Madam Zhuang had calmed down after her madness.

She sneaked out to gather information, specifically to see if Zhuang was behaving abnormally. Sure enough, the things Zhuang said while in a daze were enough to show that Zhuang was closely related to the death of Madam Qi back then.

"Madam Zhuang's daughter-in-law, Fang, is gone."

Granny Fang gave Qingxing and Qi'er a wink, and the three of them had completely completed their mission at the Prince's villa.

"You mean Sister Fang?"

Lin Yuesha thought she had misheard, then suddenly remembered the purse she had found and asked, "Right, didn't Qingxing go to deliver the purse back then..."

Fortunately, no one was around. Qingxing immediately gestured for her young mistress to be quiet, and then whispered, "You don't know how Fang Shi died, do you?"

"I don't know."

Lin Yuesha wasn't close to Fang Shi. She sighed repeatedly upon hearing of Fang Shi's passing, purely out of sympathy. It's hard for anyone to feel bad when someone who was just talking to you suddenly disappears.

"Miss, her child is gone too."

When Granny Fang hinted, Lin Yuesha's first reaction was to close her eyes. Then, recalling the familiar figure she had seen, she exclaimed in shock, "Could it be Young Master Yu who has come to the Prince's villa?"

If that's the case, Yu Zicheng is incredibly audacious. Taipingfang had already set up a trap for him, yet he remained unmoved, running to the Prince's mansion for the flower-viewing banquet to provoke everyone, and of course, he chose Fang Shi.

"I said the figure I saw earlier looked familiar, and it turned out to be him."

Yu Zicheng is skilled at cross-dressing, walking indistinguishably from a woman. Moreover, he was born into the Yu family and has never made any mistakes in terms of etiquette. Even with careful scrutiny, it might be difficult to identify him.

"Miss, please don't mention the Fang family's purse."

Qingxing made a shushing gesture. Since no one knew that the young lady had found the purse, they should just stand by and watch, as getting involved would cause some trouble.

Lin Yuesha thought that Qingxing had seen something while giving her the purse, but hadn't reminded her in time. Fearing that Zhuang would be angry, she hesitated and nodded.

"You gave the purse to me, but I did not give it to Fang."

Qingxing wondered whether she should tell the truth, but then realized she didn't know where to begin. She couldn't very well say that she knew in advance that Yu Zicheng was coming to the Prince's villa; that explanation would only make things more complicated.

"You don't need to explain. You have your reasons for not delivering it."

To Qingxing's surprise, Lin Yuesha didn't care about this. Although Qingxing and Qi'er were temporarily serving as her maids, they weren't her own people after all. It was perfectly reasonable for them to complete some tasks for the pockmarked face, as long as it didn't involve her. It was what they should do, and it was the tacit understanding between them as mistress and servant.

"If I told you that I knew Young Master Yu would come all along and did not stop it, would you be disappointed?"

Qingxing felt even more guilty because her young mistress was so understanding, and she couldn't help but want to reveal some things.

"You must have your reasons for not stopping it, but I'm still a little disappointed that I don't know the inside story."

Fang died tragically, taking two lives with her unborn child. Since Qingxing knew beforehand, it proved that everything was under control, yet Fang still died an untimely death. Lin Yuesha was deeply resentful about this.

Unless, of course, this is Qingxing's task, and she cannot simply stand by and do nothing.

From an outsider's perspective, it's better to mind your own business and not get involved. It seems there's not much to criticize, as everyone has their own stance.

Two conflicting voices clashed within Lin Yuesha's mind. In the end, she decided that since she didn't understand the situation, she shouldn't make any wild guesses or assumptions.

"Miss, then I'll just tell you the truth."

Qingxing didn't want to use this matter as a chasm to sow discord between master and servant, and since she had already said some things, she wasn't afraid to say a little more.

Granny Fang went to the front to keep watch, and she and Qi'er decided to betray their master.

“Miss, I took the purse you found and threw it away without thinking.”

She threw the green apricot near the bamboo grove and saw Qin Nanyan and Lin Yue'e pick up the purse before she left with peace of mind.

Throwing away the purse was actually giving Fang a chance; the person who went to rescue her wasn't Lin Yuesha, but someone else.

However, Qin Nanyan and Lin Yue'e were more astute. Sensing something was wrong, they turned and ran, successfully cutting off Fang's last chance of survival.

"To be honest, our lord is the fetus that was cut open at nine months."

Qingxing steeled her resolve and confessed.

However, when Lady Qi realized something was wrong, she sent her trusted maid to ask Prince Ping for help. In the end, a stillborn baby was exchanged for the son in Lady Qi's womb.

Because he was nine months old and born alive, he was adopted by Prince Ping.

Back then, the Fang family committed numerous crimes. Fang's father and Consort Fang were the culprits who framed the Qi family. Lord Qi was loyal and righteous, but he was accused of treason and his entire family was executed, and even his nine generations of relatives were exterminated.

The Qi family alone lost over a hundred people, not including those who were implicated later.

Twenty years have passed, and the blood feud runs deep. Even if the Lord were to personally kill every member of the Fang family, it wouldn't be too much for him. He will never forgive them.

"I see."

Lin Yuesha understood and immediately felt relieved.

She wouldn't stand up and criticize the pockmarked face's behavior. After all, the Qi family suffered too much back then, and even after twenty years, as a member of the Qi family, he couldn't help but have thoughts of avenging his parents and relatives.

There's a saying that goes, "If you don't know my suffering, don't tell me to be magnanimous. Standing on a moral high ground to criticize others is really stupid and wicked."