237. The truth comes out

Outside the Crown Prince's residence.

Seeing that there was still no movement from inside the manor, and that they could even faintly hear noises coming from inside, Marquis Beiding finally couldn't hold back any longer and said to the captain of the guard in a deep voice, "Brother, we've been waiting for a quarter of an hour. If the steward doesn't come soon, we'll have to go in and look for him ourselves."

The little princess had long since lost her patience. She tugged at the guard's sleeve and shouted, "Hurry up! Just break down the door! Something must have happened to Little Moon, we need to go in and save her!"

The guards looked at Marquis Beiding, waiting for him to give the order.

Marquis Beiding hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when the side gate of the Prince's residence suddenly opened, and several guards rushed out in a panic, looking around as if they were looking for something.

"What are they looking for?" Jiang Xiyue's heart tightened. "Could it be Yue'er..."

The little princess also saw the guards and immediately shouted, "Little Moon must have run away! They're chasing her! Hurry up! Don't let them catch Little Moon!"

She was about to rush towards the side door when Qu Zijin quickly grabbed her.

Marquis Beiding's face darkened completely, and he sternly demanded of the guard captain, "What exactly happened in your residence? Where is Yue'er? If you don't tell us, we'll really get rough!"

The guard captain panicked.

Chaos suddenly broke out in the mansion, and people rushed out to search. He didn't know what was happening, so he could only bite the bullet and block the way: "You can't come in! Uncle Li hasn't given the order yet..."

"Give orders my ass!" The little princess broke free from the Marquis of Beiding's grasp and shouted at the guards, "All of you, get in! Open the gate and go find Little Moon! Anyone who tries to stop us will be beaten!"

This time, the guards didn't hesitate. After all, the little dumpling might really be in trouble. They immediately stepped forward and rushed into the mansion.

The guard captain quickly ordered his men to stop them, and the two sides immediately started shoving each other, causing chaos in the scene.

The people along the roadside also gathered around, and the murmurs grew louder—

"Is this really going to break out?"

"What exactly happened between the Marquis of Beiding's residence and the Heir Apparent's residence?"

"I heard that Princess Fukang is inside. Could something have really happened to her?"

Just as the two sides were about to come to blows, the gate of the Prince's residence was opened, and Uncle Li strode out with a dozen guards, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

As soon as he saw Marquis Beiding, he pointed at him and shouted angrily, "Marquis Beiding, how dare you! You actually brought people to the Prince's residence to cause trouble! Did your Marquis Beiding family collude all along to murder the Prince and then harm the Prince?"

Marquis Beiding was stunned, then became furious: "You're the one in charge? What do you mean by that? We're here to pick up Yue'er, what do you mean by plotting to murder the heir? Don't make baseless accusations!"

"Slanderous accusations?" Li Bo sneered, his sharp eyes sweeping over the people from the Beiding Marquis's residence. "Princess Fukang colluded with Tao Wanbi to deceive the young master. Tao Wanbi killed the guards in the residence and fled, while Princess Fukang took the opportunity to slip away from the woodshed. Now you've brought so many guards here. What else could it be but to cause trouble and cover up your crimes?"

Jiang Xiyue stepped forward anxiously: "You're talking nonsense! Yue'er isn't that kind of person at all! Tell me quickly, where is Yue'er? What did you do to her?"

"How is it?" Li Bo's eyes turned cold as he ordered the guards behind him, "The Marquis of Beiding's mansion has ill intentions and wants to harm the young master. Take them all down!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards of the Prince's residence immediately surrounded him, drawing their knives with a whoosh, their blades gleaming coldly.

The guards of the Marquis of Beiding's residence quickly drew their swords and stood beside Marquis Jiang Xiyue.

The little princess was so frightened that she hid behind Marquis Beiding, but she still stubbornly shouted, "You bad man! Hand over Little Moon!"

Uncle Li ignored her completely and waved to the guards: "Attack!"

The two sides instantly engaged in a chaotic battle!

The guards at the Crown Prince's residence are all professionally trained, with swift movements and excellent teamwork.

The guards of the Marquis of Beiding's mansion were mostly just there to protect their homes; how could they possibly be a match for them?

Before long, the Marquis of Beiding's mansion was forced to retreat and found itself at a clear disadvantage.

Marquis Beiding looked at the fallen guards, feeling both anxious and furious, but there was nothing he could do.

If this continues, they will not only fail to rescue the little dumpling, but they will also lose themselves.

-

In the Prince's Mansion.

The little dumpling hid in the shadows of the corner, and only dared to slowly peek out after the guard's footsteps had faded into the distance.

This was her first time visiting the Prince's residence, and she had no idea where the exit was. She could only cautiously feel her way forward along the base of the wall.

The mansion was quiet; most people seemed to have gone to the front yard, and we didn't encounter many guards along the way.

As she walked, she suddenly heard the voices of two maids talking in the corridor not far away. Their voices were very low, but she could still vaguely hear them.

"You know, this whole thing is a mess. How could Princess Fukang have run away? Uncle Li even said she was trying to murder the heir, but it doesn't seem like it to me at all."

“Who says otherwise? I was serving nearby when Miss Tao was talking to the young master that day. I was close enough to vaguely hear Miss Tao mention Xie Wenling. It wasn’t about plotting to kill the prince. But Li Bofei said that Miss Tao was going to kill the prince and that the Princess of Fukang was in cahoots with her. I think there must be some misunderstanding here.”

"Shh! Keep your voice down, if Uncle Li hears you, you're dead!"

"I know... but I just feel that Princess Fukang has been wronged so much..."

"Alas, indeed. Now the Marquis of Beiding has even brought his servants to demand an explanation, but Uncle Li wants to arrest them all..."

"This, sigh..."

The little dumpling couldn't hear what was said after that.

She stood there, her body ice-cold, feeling both shocked and angry.

It turns out that Tao Wanbi wanted to kill Brother Xie!

And her parents came to rescue her, but they ended up in danger because of it!

She clenched her little fists, tears welling up in her eyes, but they didn't fall.

Now is not the time to cry; she must hurry out and save her father, mother, and the butler.

We also need to find a way to inform Brother Xie and warn him to be careful!

She turned to walk in another direction, but after only a few steps, she found herself back where she started.

She was completely lost.

The paths within the mansion were intricate and confusing; she couldn't tell which way was which. She could only grit her teeth and continue walking along the base of the wall, praying incessantly.

We must find an exit! We must save Father, Mother, Steward Grandpa, and Brother Xie!

The little dumpling got dizzy from wandering through the winding corridors, slipped on the moss, and accidentally fell under a half-open window.

She looked up and saw the candlelight flickering inside the window.

She thought for a moment, then gripped the windowsill with both hands, kicked her little feet, and successfully flipped over and jumped into the house.

As soon as I stood up, I heard even breathing coming from the bed.

She cautiously leaned closer for a look and discovered that it was none other than the dazzlingly bright Prince!

"Shining Bean Prince! Wake up!"

Dou Shichen was awakened by the noise. When he saw that it was her, he was shocked: "What are you doing here? Uncle Li said that you... weren't you in cahoots with Tao Wanbi to harm Father?"

He instinctively shrank back, his eyes filled with defensiveness.

"No, Yue'er! Uncle Li is mistaken! Yue'er just overheard the maid saying in the corridor that Sister Tao wasn't talking about your father, she wanted to kill my brother Xie, not the prince! Uncle Li must have guessed wrong, he's still outside trying to capture Yue'er's father and mother!"

"Kill Xie Wenling?" Dou Shichen was stunned, his brows furrowing tightly, his fingers unconsciously digging into the bedding. "But Uncle Li said... he said Tao Wanbi wanted to kill my father, and that you were an accomplice..."

He recalled Li Bo's confident expression at the time, and then recalled the details of how he had been led astray and misremembered them, and a sense of panic rose in his heart.

Li Bo has followed his father for many years and never lies. How could he make such a mistake?

"Uncle Li probably didn't mean to lie to you!" The little girl's eyes were still red. "He must have been too far away at the time and didn't hear clearly who Sister Tao was talking about, so he got it wrong!"

Dou Shichen remained silent.

The images in my mind flashed again.

Many voices were speaking in his ears, and Tao Wanbi's mouth was opening and closing in front of his eyes...

Was she referring to "Xie Wenling" or "Prince Zhennan"?

Gradually, it became clear.

...He remembered.

It is Xie Wenling.

Dou Shichen suddenly came to his senses and saw the little dumpling's sincere eyes. His guard completely relaxed: "It was me... I was too eager to believe Uncle Li and misunderstood you."

Overwhelmed with guilt, he abruptly threw off the covers and got out of bed, grabbing his outer robe and pulling it on with urgency: "Let's go! I'll take you out! I'll go talk to Uncle Li and make things clear. We can't let your parents suffer! As for Xie Wenling, I'll send a message right away. We absolutely won't let Tao Wanbi succeed!"