bite back

Wen Ruo hurriedly arrived at the princess's residence.

Last time, she was in such a hurry in the car that she didn't notice how magnificent the mansion was. The red walls seemed to stretch endlessly, and she was so anxious that she almost got blisters on her feet. It took her a long time to finally see the gate.

The two lions at the entrance had eyes like copper bells that shone with a cold light. There were more guards with swords on the left and right sides than usual, their sharp gazes making people hesitate to approach.

Unfortunately, who cares about any of that now?

"This humble subject, Wen Ruo, requests an audience with Your Highness."

The guards did not react. Wen Ruo took a few steps up the steps, but was stopped by the two men. She called out again, "This humble subject, Wen Ruo, requests an audience with Your Highness the Princess."

"Hand them over!"

The sound behind her was deafening. She turned around and glanced back. The sound stopped abruptly. They were all strangers, shouting loudly with red faces and various expressions. Her gaze, which was about to be withdrawn, froze in mid-air.

Yu Niang?

Wen Ruo was momentarily dazed, thinking she had mistaken someone for someone else at first glance, but Shi Liu Niang couldn't wait.

Yu Niang hid in the crowd, barely managing to avoid Wen Ruo's gaze. In the blink of an eye, she spotted a familiar figure. She lifted her skirt and quietly followed him. The scholar walked and stopped intermittently, so she had to find opportunities to hide along the street, dodging and weaving all the way. Fortunately, she didn't lose him.

The dead trees and bushes by the roadside were about the height of a person. The sound of the wind whistling past her ears and the sound of dead branches breaking made her feel a little scared for no reason. Yu Niang felt a pain in her foot and realized that he had deliberately led her here when she saw that no one was around.

She tried to leave despite the pain, but someone called her back. Yu Niang glared at her angrily, "You altered my family letter."

She could see perfectly well that Yang Cong didn't want her at all. She had originally planned to use Qi Guanlan to get some benefits for Yang Cong and force him to acknowledge her, but her efforts were in vain. Qi Guanlan was no longer a hope, and Yang Cong was unwilling to see her. The guards in front of the mansion were impenetrable, so she had no choice but to make a scene.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Despite all the planning, no one expected that a street-side scholar would turn out to be such a cunning wolf, writing letters home to apologize to his parents and causing such a mess.

The scholar smiled and said, "Isn't this good? The people are all on your side, fighting for your legitimacy."

He put down his fan, and Yu Niang remembered this face. It was the street vendor Wen Ruo had casually mentioned, a penniless man with beautiful handwriting. His handwriting reflected his character, and she believed him. A trace of hatred flashed in Yu Niang's heart. She pulled out her hairpin, held it in her hand, and said sharply, "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"Me? I'm practically Qi Guanlan's blood relative, much closer than Yang Cong. Yang Cong abandoned you, and I'm helping you. Is this your attitude?"

Yu Niang found it absurd. It wasn't enough that Yang Cong was impersonating Qi Guanlan, but now there was also a poor scholar impersonating a blood relative. Qi Guanlan was really popular. But why did he have to come to her?

"The lie will be exposed sooner or later. You dare to offend the princess's residence? You still rely on schemes and tricks to sacrifice me. What are you pretending to be?"

The scholar smiled faintly, his fair face ruined by a pair of vicious eyes. "What are you afraid of? As long as Yang Cong denies it to the death, and with the family letter and your father's identification, can Princess Qi Guanlan's mansion withstand public opinion? At that time, you will be blessed by the gods and escape from the dead end. Once you enter the princess's mansion, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor."

"If we're blood relatives, why are we killing each other? I've been deceived once, do you think I'd believe your filthy men's nonsense again? That's a huge joke!" Yu Niang suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at him hysterically, "You can conspire with me, but you have to kill Wen Ruo. If you kill her, I'll believe you."

"How dare you compare yourself to her?"

Yu Niang collapsed to the ground, and before she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with Wen Ruo, Qi Guanlan, and the unattainable Princess's Mansion.

She was unwilling to accept it, and she regretted it.

Why provoke the princess's residence?

Wen Ruo entered the princess's residence again. The road was long and she was anxious. The pine trees and bamboo forest rustled, just like her heart, which could not find peace for a moment.

The princess was practicing whipping in the open backyard, seemingly venting her frustration. The whip occasionally grazed in front of Xiao Shun's eyes, and Xiao Shun shrank his head, not daring to move.

She walked up quickly, and before she could speak, Xiao Shun turned around and launched an attack, his face stern, saying, "The princess only told me to bring you back for questioning. You're really not being fair by going with the government officials."

"Use your brain. If I don't leave and come here first before going to the government, will anyone believe what I say in the future?"

Even if she admitted on the spot that Yang Cong was the unfaithful one, she had no evidence. The people would only criticize her for being opportunistic and sycophantic, while Yang Cong would receive more sympathy.

According to the madam, two people had been to Xi Ruo's room. The earlier one was an effeminate man, but it was unclear when he left.

She guessed that Yu Niang had gone in disguised as a man and changed her clothes; if Qi Guanlan went in, he would surely be caught.

Xiao Shun was stunned. "You're so smart. No wonder even the princess wanted to see you."

Upon seeing her, Wen Ruo had bound Shi Liu Niang. Her expression turned cold. "Is my mother really here? I'm going to the authorities to sue you for your audacity and cruelty to innocent people."

As soon as she finished speaking, she sensed danger. With a whoosh, a long whip whistled through the air, and in an instant, Wen Ruo was bound hand and foot like a dumpling.

"This humble subject dares to ask why Your Highness resorted to private torture, and begs Your Highness to release my mother."

"You've tainted Lan'er's reputation, and you expect me to release you?"

“That day, it was a conversation between three people. I was just reporting what I saw. Do you mean I should lie and cover it up? The princess is always fair and just. I never thought she would be unable to distinguish right from wrong. No wonder Young Master Qi is so unruly.”

Rong Jing's eyes darkened, her face turning so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. "How dare you!"

"It is like killing a son to indulge him. The princess must understand this. I also want to clear the young master's name, but I have no evidence. I can only protect my reputation for now and help the young master expose Yang Cong's true colors in the future."

"I'll accept any punishment you may impose, but please spare my mother. She has a leg injury and is easily frightened; she might not be able to withstand the princess's wrath."

The whip on her body disappeared in an instant. The princess flicked her wrist, and the sound of the whip once again brushed against her cheek. Wen Ruo lowered her eyes and knelt on the ground, motionless. She was willing to gamble that the princess would not treat human life lightly.

With a loud crash, the artificial hill in the distance shattered into pieces. Wen Ruo looked up at her, secretly shocked.

Princess Rongjing wiped the sweat from her hands, her expression returning to normal. "You do have some courage. How did your mother teach you? Tell me."

Wen Ruo asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by that, Princess?"

"The month mentioned in the complaint, I put him in a temple to be a monk and live a life of abstinence. How could he have gone to Peach Blossom Town? I have already gone to invite the abbot, which can naturally prove that it was not Lan'er."

"Who is the princess's mother who takes her in?"

"Who said your mother is here? Did he see her with his own eyes? Lan'er values ​​you highly. I just wanted to test your character. Don't let any more villains appear around you. I'll send people to find your mother. I want to see who is trying to frame me at this critical moment."

Was using her to practice whipping just a test? Wen Ruo was suddenly awakened. She had been in a panic. Since it wasn't the princess, it might be Yang Cong. The scholar had told her that her mother was missing. Because he was the son of Shiliu Niang's old friend, she trusted the scholar too much. In the end, they had only met a few times.

"This humble citizen is reckless and deserves to die."

The golden handle suddenly pressed against her, and Wen Ruo felt a cool sensation on her chin. Princess Rong Jing's face was mocking, but her words were full of murderous intent, "You defied me, you deserve to die. Guards, beat her."

"I accept the punishment, but there is one thing I don't understand. In front of the Hundred Flowers Garden, Yu Niang once came to me with the young master's jade thumb ring."

"Is that so?" Princess Rongjing looked at Xiao Shunzi.

Xiao Shunzi quickly explained, "Your Highness, there were quite a few people besides Yang Cong during the hunt that day. The jade thumb ring was a reward he had asked the young master for after boasting about it. In order to hunt that sika deer, Yang Cong secretly left the encirclement. The young master waited all night and then sent people to look for him. When they couldn't find him, they notified the Yang family. The Yang family didn't make a fuss and only said that he was studying hard, so few people knew about it. Three months later, Yang Cong returned on his own and said that he had given the thumb ring to his savior. The young master didn't pay any attention to it."

Where is the suicide note?

“I gave it to the young master.”

Cries of pain echoed from inside the mansion. After a while, under the watchful eyes of everyone, a person was carried out of the princess's mansion. Wen Ruo lay on the ground, half-dead, barely opening her eyes. Looking at the unfamiliar faces above her, she fainted helplessly.

The kind person at the door took her home and even called a doctor. The sound of Pomegranate's mother crying and wailing came from inside the wall.

As the doctor left, he shook his head repeatedly, saying that his days were numbered. Many people had gathered outside the gate, with Yang Cong standing at the back. He blamed Yu Niang for forcing him, and now that things had escalated to this point, he was in a difficult situation.

Suddenly, he heard Pomegranate Mother clamoring to go to the government office to seek justice. His face lit up with joy, and he went home and waited all night. The next day, he heard that Yang Shen's marriage was called off, and rumors began to circulate in the mansion that Yang Shen was a jinx to his wives.

The Dali Temple was in chaos. An old man accused Qi Guanlan, a lame woman accused the princess, and Zhou Chengnian, the Dali Temple Minister, was so anxious that he developed blisters in his mouth. His daughter kept saying that Yu Niang was Yang Cong's lover, forcing him to wait for Qi Guanlan to return and confront him. If he handled the case wrongly, he would lose his official position.

He suppressed the public outrage again and again, and a lawyer, who couldn't stand this corrupt official bullying the weak and fearing the strong, helped write a petition and wanted to hire a sedan chair to take Shiliuniang to file a lawsuit with the emperor to seek justice for Wenruo.

The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. With the label of "treating human life like dirt" attached to her, Princess Rongjing is doomed. Everyone is waiting to see if Qi Guanlan will ever have a carefree life again.

Two days later, Qi Guanlan stood in the courtroom. He glanced at himself. He had rushed back, covered in dust, and hadn't even entered the house before being brought back. His clothes were already tattered from riding on horseback. He hadn't even had time to ask about Wen Ruo's matter, let alone change his clothes.

Beside him sat Yang Cong, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, his face stern. He slammed his gavel down and asked, "Qi Guanlan, do you know Yu Niang? What is your relationship with her?"

Qi Guanlan glared at Yang Cong, who had actually gotten himself into such big trouble. He said impatiently, "Yang Cong, you actually need me to explain your woman to you? You explain yourself."

Zhou Chengnian then asked, "Yang Cong, is what Qi Guanlan said true? Do you know Yu Niang? Where did you go three months after the imperial examination? Do you have any witnesses?"

Yang Cong bowed and replied calmly, "Knowing I had failed the imperial examination, I rented a manor afterward and devoted myself to studying. During that time, I saved a scholar, who can testify to that."

He turned to Qi Guanlan, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his posture so humble it was almost groveling, and pleaded in a low voice, "Brother Qi, the governor is very strict. I have covered for you many times, but I can't help you this time."

Seeing that neither of them recognized Yu Niang, Zhou Chengnian frowned and asked in an extremely serious tone, "Wang Zengfu, do you recognize these two people?"

Qi Guanlan couldn't help but roll his eyes, so angry that he put his hands on his hips. So the one who was flirting and exchanging sweet nothings in the pavilion was a ghost. He turned to the other side and said angrily, "Open your eyes and look carefully. Who is it that is deceiving your daughter?"

Yang Cong stood in front of him, indignantly saying, "Brother Qi, don't frighten him. He's already pitiful enough, an old man burying his young son."

He licked his lips, his voice trembling slightly, "Brother Qi, I've held back until now, but I can't help but say a few words. Brother Qi, relying on the princess's backing, you've always been arrogant and domineering. And because of the princess, you secretly enjoy playing with women of pitiful backgrounds, even..."

"What else? It seems you're quite resentful of being a dog. In that case, I'll give you a chance today to vent." Qi Guanlan casually crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking utterly disgusted. He actually turned the tables on this dog. He wanted to see what other disgusting things this dog could spew out of his mouth.

"Even Miss Wen Ruowen is in the dark. My poor servant Yang Shen is still kept in the dark. He is like a brother to me, but I am too cowardly to tell the truth. Brother Qi, are you still going to distort the truth in court?"

"You're asking for it." Qi Guanlan raised his foot and kicked him without any mercy. He didn't care about anything else; if he tolerated it now, he wouldn't be human.

Yang Cong curled up on the ground, groaning in pain but refusing to show weakness. Zhou Chengnian couldn't stand it anymore and ordered the two to be pulled apart.

"Silence! Wang Zengfu, have you identified him clearly?"