Comforting herself in this way, Su Yushan stopped thinking and closed her eyes to savor the magic of his warm palms...

After their lovemaking, remembering the grievances Su Yushan had suffered, Hongli decided to thoroughly investigate the matter and seek justice for her.

Hongli's coldness made Jin Minjing feel anxious and restless. She kept thinking about when he would come. As long as he was willing to come, even if he didn't stay overnight, just seeing her would put her at ease and make her feel less worried.

After much anticipation, as the sun set that evening, Hongli's handsome figure finally appeared in her sight. Every time she saw his dashing figure, her heart filled with joy. Delighted, she quickly rose to greet him.

"Fourth Master, you're free today?"

However, her smile did not elicit a response from him. Hongli's face was cold, and his gaze, once gentle, was now filled with solemnity.

Where is Xin'er?

Why did he ask about Xin'er first when he came to her room? What kind of logic is that? Jin Minjing had a bad feeling and forced a smile as he replied, "Xin'er went to the storeroom to get spices. She should be back soon. What do you need her for, Fourth Master?"

Hongli sat down without saying a word. Jin Minjing personally stepped forward to pour him tea, saying, "Fourth Master, please have some tea."

He didn't respond, and the surroundings were silent. The oppressive atmosphere made Jin Minjing feel a little suffocated. She couldn't help but wonder if Su Yushan had really complained to the Fourth Master when he went to Tingfeng Pavilion last night? Otherwise, why would he have such a sullen face?

Feeling uneasy, she tentatively asked, "Xin'er has always been well-behaved, but I wonder what she did to anger you, Fourth Master?"

Seeing Jin Minjing's uneasy expression, Hongli did not say anything, "When she comes back and questions me face to face, I will have my own judgment."

The more ambiguous he was, the more anxious Jin Minjing became, secretly praying that Xin'er would come back soon, explain things clearly, and stop tormenting her.

Meanwhile, Xin'er returned with the spices and entered the room happily. Upon seeing the Fourth Master, she immediately curtsied and secretly sighed that her master had finally gotten his wish.

She was about to clean the incense ash from the incense burner when she heard the Fourth Master shout at her, ordering her to kneel down.

Xin'er was startled and confused, so she could only lift her skirt and kneel down to listen to the reprimand.

Chang Yue had already recounted what happened, but for the sake of fairness, Hongli decided to interrogate her again: "On Xiuwen's birthday the other day, was it you who went up to Yushan and pulled out her tourmaline hairpin?"

When the Fourth Prince questioned her personally, Xin'er had no choice but to deny it and replied timidly, "It was this servant."

Hongli slammed his fist on the table in anger, and shouted sternly, "Who gave you the audacity to offend my woman?"

"This...this servant..." Xin'er looked at her mistress with difficulty, not knowing how to answer. Her mistress had said that she would take the blame if anything happened, but now that the Fourth Master was holding her accountable, Xin'er was unwilling to take the blame alone.

For Su Yushan's sake, Fourth Master reprimanded her maid in front of her. Jin Minjing felt ashamed and simply admitted, "I asked her to do it. Su Yushan should not have worn tourmaline in the first place. I asked Xin'er to help her remove the hairpin because I was thinking of Fourth Master and was afraid that she would cause you trouble."

Her wording was rather imprecise, so Hongli deliberately corrected her, saying, "Pulling Yushan's hair, stabbing Changyue's wrist with a hairpin, and smashing Bixi—is this what you call helping?"

“I only asked her to remove Su Gege’s hairpin, not to hurt anyone,” Jin Minjing denied categorically, then turned to question Xin’er.

"Fourth Master, please tell me honestly, what exactly happened?"

At the critical moment, her master did not protect her, but instead shifted the blame onto her. Xin'er panicked and subconsciously denied it:

"Your Highness is wise. I did not hurt Consort Su. I only accidentally tore off a strand of her hair. I did not tie it with a hairpin. She failed to catch the hairpin and, fearing responsibility, she framed me."

Prior to this, Hongli had already sent people to question the other maids. Xilan, who hated Su Gege, naturally embellished her account of what happened that day. Li Yu then relayed this to his master. After hearing the testimony, Hongli's disgust for Jin Minjing and her servant's misdeeds grew even stronger.

“There was more than one person present at the time. Everyone saw that you messed up Yu Shan’s hair, which fell to her side, and they also saw the wound on Chang Yue’s wrist. There is both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence. How dare you still be so stubborn?”

Now that things had come to this, Xin'er had no way to deny it, but she dared not testify against her mistress, because she knew very well that once she offended Princess Jin, no one would protect her. With nowhere else to turn, she had no choice but to confess, replying timidly:

"This servant did not mean to hurt anyone. Please forgive me, Fourth Master."

As expected, she won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin! Hearing her admit it with his own ears, Hongli was furious, his gaze towards the person beside him sharp as a knife, "Jin Minjing, look at the good girl you've raised! Openly bullying a maid in the manor, what should her punishment be?"

With a slight pout of her red lips, Jin Minjing was indignant and muttered discontentedly, "What does Xin'er's wrongdoing have to do with me?"

"If the servant is not taught, it is the master's fault. Why didn't you stop and reprimand her when she did something wrong? Why did you just sit by and watch? It is because you have repeatedly indulged her that she has become so arrogant and audacious!"

Feeling wronged by the man she loved, Jin Minjing became even more aggrieved, her phoenix eyes already reddened with glistening tears. "This whole thing started because Su Yushan wore tourmaline. She was in the wrong first. Why don't you investigate her mistakes, Fourth Master, and only blame me?"

Even now, she shows no remorse and continues to shirk responsibility. Hongli is increasingly disappointed in her and shows her no mercy whatsoever.

"Even if Yu Shan broke the rules, it's not your place to judge her. Master never said he would entrust the household affairs to you. Jin Minjing, who do you think you are, the mistress of the manor? You're just a maid. Su Yu Shan is your equal. What right do you have to lecture her?"

Hongli spoke harshly and repeatedly, leaving Jin Minjing completely terrified. She had always thought she held a special place in his heart, believing he would be lenient with her. She never imagined he would utter such cruel words to her without any mercy, all for the sake of Su Yushan! Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, she didn't know how to respond and began to sob softly.

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