232. By a twist of fate

The residence of the Marquis of Beiding.

Inside Tao Wanbi's room.

[Host, although there were some unforeseen circumstances, the plan was still a success.]

The steward of the Prince of Zhennan's residence has sent a letter to the Prince of Zhennan, requesting the removal of Xie Wenling.

Next, we must leverage the information gap to ensure the letter successfully reaches the Prince of Zhennan.

The system returned to its usual state, with a gentle male voice.

But Tao Wanbi couldn't help but tremble when she heard its voice.

She sat on the edge of the bed, continuing her act, twisting her skirt with both hands, tears falling like broken beads, choking as she repeated, "Father, Mother, I really didn't lie... When the guards of the Prince's Mansion arrested me, they said my sister thought I was in the way, and if I hadn't run fast, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I wouldn't have come back."

Jiang Xiyue stood aside, her brows slightly furrowed: "Don't cry yet, and don't call me mother yet. We know you've been wronged, but Yue'er is my daughter. I know her; she's always been kind-hearted and would never do such a thing. There must be some misunderstanding here."

Marquis Beiding sat in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table, his face grave: "This matter is strange. Whether it's the guards making things difficult for us, or the situation with Yue'er, we must find out the truth from the Crown Prince's residence. Steward, prepare the carriage; we'll head over now."

[Host! Seize this information gap! The truth must not be revealed!]

"Don't go!" Tao Wanbi immediately rushed over, grabbing Jiang Xiyue's clothes, her voice filled with urgent panic, "You can't go! They're so fierce, they even dared to hit me, what if they make things difficult for you? What if they detain you too!"

She shook her head vigorously as she spoke.

Marquis Beiding frowned: "We're going to pick up Yue'er and find out what's going on, not to cause trouble. They have no reason to detain us. Don't worry, we'll handle this carefully."

Jiang Xiyue subconsciously pushed Tao Wanbi's hand away.

"Don't go, Father!" Tao Wanbi rushed over and grabbed the sleeve of the Marquis of Beiding, her tears falling even more rapidly. "If you go now, won't you be walking right into the line of fire?"

She sniffed, her mind working faster than ever before: "My sister and the prince are getting along very well now. If you go there and ask him in front of him if he bullied me, he'll definitely think you're here to interrogate him, and he might even defend my sister and argue with you."

"If things blow up and word gets out, people will only say that the Princess of Fukang is arrogant and domineering, and that she bullied her sister. Wouldn't that ruin the younger sister's reputation?"

These words instantly struck a nerve with Jiang Xiyue: "She makes a good point. If outsiders find out, they'll think Yue'er is being unreasonable, and that would damage her reputation."

Marquis Beiding also paused.

He wasn't afraid to argue with the Prince's Mansion, but Yue'er was a young lady, and if she wanted to establish herself in the capital in the future, her reputation couldn't be compromised in the slightest.

If, as Tao Wanbi said, the matter becomes public knowledge, it will be detrimental to Yue'er in every way.

Seeing their hesitation, Tao Wanbi quickly added, "Why don't we wait a little longer? I heard from the guards that the young master is going to play in the garden with my sister this afternoon. After they've had their fun, you can send someone to say, 'Something has come up at home, we need to bring Miss back to the manor.' That way, we won't hurt feelings or embarrass my sister. If we go now, it will put her in a difficult position!"

Jiang Xiyue thought about it more and more and felt that it made sense. She grabbed the arm of the Marquis of Beiding and advised, "Just listen to her and wait. Let's have someone keep an eye on the vicinity of the Prince's residence. If Yue'er is alright, we can pick her up later. Let's not ruin her reputation."

After a moment of silence, Marquis Beiding finally relented and instructed the steward, "Don't prepare the carriage yet. Send a clever servant to wait outside the Prince's residence to see when Miss comes out. If she seems amiss, report back immediately."

-

Qin Fengsong and his men had just finished repairing Physician Li's tomb.

He thought that Xiao Tuanzi was also concerned about this matter, so he decided to take a detour to the Beiding Marquis's residence to tell her and put her mind at ease.

As they passed by the Prince's residence, they overheard people talking on the roadside: "Just now, two young ladies from the Marquis of Beiding's residence actually entered the Prince's residence. I wonder what happened."

Qin Fengsong's heart stirred, and he turned around and headed towards the Prince's residence.

When he arrived at the gate, he found that all the guards looked tense, their hands on the hilts of their swords, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

His gaze swept across the side of the mansion gate and he saw the little boy's familiar carriage parked in the corner, the curtains tightly closed, but the coachman was nowhere to be seen.

"I am Qin Fengsong, the commander of the guards. I have something to discuss with the Princess of Fukang." He stepped forward and showed his token to the guards.

The guards dared not delay and immediately went inside to report.

Seeing his reaction, Qin Fengsong immediately realized that one of the two "young ladies from the Marquis of Beiding's mansion" must be the little dumpling he was looking for.

Otherwise, there would be no need for the guards to make a report.

Soon, Uncle Li hurried out, a polite smile plastered on his face, but his eyes were wary: "Commander, what brings you to the Prince's residence today?"

"I finished repairing Physician Li's tomb today, and thinking that Princess Fukang has been concerned about this matter, I came to inform her that she was here, so she can rest assured," Qin Fengsong observed Li Bo's expression without showing any emotion. "Where in the manor is Princess Fukang at this moment? May I speak with her?"

Li Bo waved his hand: "Oh dear, Princess Fukang just finished talking with the young master and has already left. Perhaps the commander arrived a step too late and didn't see her carriage leave."

As he spoke, he turned to block Qin Fengsong's view: "Thank you for informing me, Commander. If Princess Fukang comes again, this old servant will certainly pass on the message."

Qin Fengsong became suspicious.

But he didn't expose him on the spot, he just nodded: "In that case, I won't bother you any longer. Please make sure to pass on the message."

After saying that, he turned and left.

After turning into an empty alley, his face immediately darkened.

The atmosphere at the Prince's residence, Uncle Li's evasive answers, the carriage that hadn't left...

All signs point to something being wrong; something must have happened to Princess Fukang!

He dared not delay, immediately mounted his horse, and galloped towards the direction of the Marquis of Beiding's residence.

-

The residence of the Prince of Zhennan.

Inside the woodshed.

A cold wind carrying dust seeped in through the cracks in the broken window, and straw rolled into messy clumps on the ground.

Uncle Li stood at the door with a lamp in hand. The dim light cast a long shadow on the little boy and the butler, making them look like a heavy black cloth.

He stomped his foot over the straw beside him, making a crunching sound, his fierceness almost overflowing: "Princess Fukang, don't play dumb with me! Tao is a member of your Beiding Marquis family. She deceived the heir and killed the guards in the manor. Now that she's escaped, do you think you can get away with it?"

The little dumpling shook its head repeatedly: "Yue'er has nothing to do with her! Yue'er has no idea what she did!"

"Don't know?" Uncle Li sneered, then suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the butler by the back of his collar, and slammed him against the wall.

The butler was old and couldn't withstand the force. He groaned and bent over, but Uncle Li didn't stop. He drew a short knife from his waist and pressed the blade against the butler's neck. The cold light made the butler's face turn pale.

"You may not know, but your steward should! If you don't expose your conspiracy today, I'll have him die here so you can see for yourself what happens when you protect a criminal!"

The steward coughed, but still looked up at the little girl, his voice hoarse but firm: "Miss, don't believe him! We haven't done anything wrong, we can't admit it! This old servant's life is worthless, I can't let you and the Marquis's mansion suffer injustice!"

The little girl looked at the beads of blood seeping from the blade, tears rolling down her cheeks: "Yue'er really doesn't know! Release Grandpa Butler, don't bully him!"

Uncle Li narrowed his eyes and increased the pressure on his hand, immediately leaving a thin bloodstain on the butler's neck: "You think I wouldn't dare to touch you?"