Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's heart skipped a beat: "You mustn't say anything out of turn."

Tong Cheng'er: "I didn't say anything out of the blue. I just felt that this palace maid's words and actions seemed a bit problematic. I have no grudges against the Crown Princess and I have no recent grudges. I didn't suspect you of anything. It's just that people are bound to have moments of lapse in judgment. Who knows when some strange people might get mixed up with you. I'm doing this for your own good. After all, this matter can be considered as clearing your name."

As long as you act uprightly and behave properly, what is there to be afraid of?

"Also, our master and the Crown Prince have a good relationship. I'm just worried that some people with ulterior motives might use others to sow discord between our master and the Crown Prince."

Then she suddenly said shyly, "Your Highness, you know that my master dotes on me the most and can't stand to see me suffer even the slightest grievance. If this misunderstanding causes a rift between my master and the Crown Prince, then we would be in the wrong. Don't you agree?"

No matter what you say, she's determined to get to the bottom of this, to the very end.

Although she didn't know why this was happening, she just wouldn't let herself suffer a loss.

As for offending the Crown Princess, she wasn't afraid.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's face turned ashen. She was horrified by the display of affection, especially since the knife was still in the lake!

She originally thought that, given her status, this matter should have been quickly forgotten, but who knew that what seemed like a minor issue to her was becoming such a big deal to her.

At this moment, the Crown Princess felt a pang of regret, not for having such thoughts, but for not having planned things carefully enough.

Regardless, Rulan obediently accepted the order and went to the bottom of the lake to find the "murder weapon".

Then the situation reached a stalemate.

The Crown Princess stood, Xue Lan knelt, and the Third and Fifth Princess Consorts were thinking to themselves, "So this is how strong-willed Fourth Sister-in-law is! She doesn't even give the Crown Princess any face. How satisfying!"

At this moment, Tong Cheng'er's nanny came over and said, "Madam, the imperial physician has arrived. Please treat the wound first."

Tong Cheng'er nodded and sat on the stool that the eunuch had just brought over. The imperial physician came over to treat the wound on her wrist and take her pulse.

It's nothing serious. After all, the weather is hot these days, and the lake water is warm even in broad daylight. I spat out the two mouthfuls of water I swallowed, so I was fine.

The wound on my wrist wasn't a big deal, but the imperial physician advised me to replenish my blood, since I'm a woman! In any case, replenishing blood and qi is always a good thing.

The wound was treated, and at that moment Ru Xue arrived, bringing clean clothes with her.

Tong Cheng'er stood up: "I'm going to change my clothes. I'll trouble the Crown Princess, Third Sister-in-law, and Fifth Sister-in-law to wait for me for a while."

After saying that, he had someone bring out stools and set up a large sunshade so that they could sit and wait.

It wasn't that they were treated unfairly.

The Third and Fifth Prince's wives didn't mind, after all, this was no small matter. Whether from a practical point of view or from an emotional point of view, they were on Tong Cheng'er's side and naturally wanted the truth.

What if that palace maid really had ulterior motives?

At their level, they naturally don't believe in coincidences, and they are also people who would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

Therefore, they are very patient and can wait.

They could endure it, but the Crown Princess couldn't, and she was afraid too! Although she thought she had done it discreetly enough, who knew that Tong Cheng'er would act unpredictably.

After all, every family's female relatives should maintain harmony. Besides, she was the Crown Princess. She really didn't expect her to be so disrespectful and directly demand a thorough investigation.

The palace maid Xue Lan knelt on the ground, trembling, and the Crown Princess's heart trembled as well.

Tong Cheng'er went inside to change her clothes, and at the same time, Yinzhen's carriage arrived at the gate of the mansion.

He quickly got off the carriage, and as soon as he reached the door, the gatekeeper looked at him with surprise and said, "Greetings, Master."

Yinzhen asked directly, "Nothing happened in the manor today, right?"

The doorman was even more surprised; something had indeed happened today.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Princess came today. After she finished talking about going boating on the lake, the Princess Consort fell into the water. The specific circumstances have not yet been determined."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen immediately became anxious and asked worriedly, "Is the Princess Consort alright?"

"The imperial physician has just left. It's nothing serious, but the princess's wrist has been cut."

Yinzhen frowned and headed towards the pavilion in the lake to retrieve it.

He rushed over, and just as he arrived, he bumped into Tong Cheng'er, who had just come out after changing her clothes and drying her hair.

When Yinzhen saw her, he immediately went to her, took her hands in his, and looked at her bandaged wrists: "How did you fall into the water? How did you hurt your wrists? What happened?"

Tong Cheng'er was stunned by the three questions. Only one sentence was on her mind: "Why are you back? Shouldn't you be on duty at this time?"

Is it really so natural for a prince to skip work?

"I felt uneasy, so I wanted to come back and see."

Tong Cheng'er scratched her head, appreciating his concern, and said with a smile, "I'm not in any serious condition. My wrist is only slightly cut, and I only swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of water when I fell in."

Don't risk your life.

Yinzhen exclaimed, "What do you mean it's not a big deal? You fell into the water, how did you cut your wrist? You couldn't have cut yourself!"

"I've already sent people to investigate. I feel that something is off about the Crown Princess, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Besides, we have to consider her status."

Yinzhen frowned: "Leave this matter to me. Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any injustice."

If it's truly an accident, fine; but if it's not an accident, someone always has to pay the price.

Tong Cheng'er nodded and then recounted what had happened. After listening, Yinzhen asked her, "Are you sure that palace maid deliberately cut you underwater?"

Tong Cheng'er nodded; she was certain of that.

Actually, what the Crown Princess had someone do wasn't very clever. The reason she dared to do it was simple: she was used to being fawned over. Given her status, most people would rather suffer in silence, thinking that their losses weren't significant and that it would just pass by.

After receiving a firm nod from Tong Cheng'er, Yinzhen took her there, and his appearance surprised the Crown Princess and the others.

This also made the Crown Princess's already trembling heart even more tense.

Yinzhen first greeted the Crown Princess, and then politely asked her, "It is an honor for the Crown Princess to visit today! However, I'm afraid the Crown Princess will have to be accommodating to this palace maid. I will send her over later."

Without saying anything further, she simply detained the palace maid. As for how to interrogate her in the end, that was none of the Crown Princess's concern.

The Crown Princess was stunned upon hearing this. She had indeed politely suggested that Tong Cheng'er handle the matter, but it was just a polite gesture. The Xie couple really weren't family; they were so direct that they couldn't even understand polite words.

The Third Prince's wife and the Fifth Prince's wife were also present. The Third Prince's wife spoke up, "What the Fourth Prince said is right. We can't let the relationship between the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince be damaged because of a palace maid. If Father Emperor finds out, it won't be good. Why don't you just keep this palace maid, Your Highness? After all, Your Highness is upright and has nothing to fear, doesn't she?"