Chapter 349 Why

The person knocking on the door was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Beside him were several Princesses and princes of Nanyu, and even the Crown Prince.

There were also some palace maids and guards accompanying him.

"What are you doing..." Nan Zheng asked in confusion.

A maidservant beside the Minister of Rites said urgently:

"It's right here. I saw with my own eyes that Her Royal Highness the Princess was drunk and unconscious, and was carried into this room by the Regent!"

Nan Zheng's face paused.

Sure enough, something happened, but there was no movement here for half the night. What was the purpose of this palace maid telling such a lie that could be exposed immediately?

His face darkened and he said coldly:

"How dare you! Do you know how serious a crime it is to slander the Regent? The prince was discussing matters with me and other subordinates tonight and didn't even see the princess!"

The maid looked anxious and knelt before the prince and said:

"Your Highness, I'm not lying! We'll know if Her Highness is inside if we just go in and search!"

The prince frowned and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a cold and indifferent voice coming from inside the room.

"Which princess is missing that has troubled you all to come to me to look for her?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xiao Changheng walking out from the inner room. His sharp eyebrows and eyes were intimidating without even being angry, which made everyone unconsciously tense up a little.

The kneeling palace maid saw him, her expression changed slightly, and she immediately grabbed the prince's clothes and said hurriedly:

"Your Highness, I saw it clearly. Princess Mingyue was carried into the room by the Regent. If we don't find her quickly, he might have hidden her somewhere else!"

As soon as she said this, the Third Prince beside her immediately led his men to rush in, shouting:

"Your Highness, the Regent Prince, this concerns the reputation of our legitimate princess. I'm sorry!"

"Someone, go search for the princess!"

Xiao Changheng's eyes turned fierce, and he raised his hand and released a burst of energy, knocking the Third Prince and his men to the ground.

The Third Prince got up, his face covered in dust and dirt, a gleam in his eyes as he angrily said:

"You really are guilty! If the imperial sister wasn't inside, why would you stop her?"

"Third brother! Don't be rude to the prince!" The prince's eyelids twitched wildly and he hurried to stop him.

He knew very well in his heart that if the evil prince of Liang State got angry, all of them would be helpless. How could they not think twice before engaging in a head-on confrontation?

Xiao Changheng brushed his sleeves, stood with his hands behind his back, looked at the prince, and said calmly:

"Your Highness, I will let this go because you are worried about the princess."

"You can find someone, but if anyone acts arrogantly in front of me again, it won't be just a lesson."

The prince took a deep breath and bowed to him.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. Then..."

He was about to talk about going in to look for someone when suddenly a pleasant and casual female voice sounded behind him:

"My dear brothers and sisters, have you had enough of the commotion?"

When everyone heard the voice, they immediately turned around and looked surprised.

The woman who was speaking was tall and slender, with a nonchalant expression on her beautiful face. It was none other than Princess Mingyue!

Beside her was the second prince Lu Fan.

Xiao Changheng raised his eyebrows, looking thoughtful.

The prince was shocked for a moment, then looked at the kneeling palace maid and said angrily:

"How dare you, a slut, plot against the princess and the regent! You're courting death! Someone, come here..."

"Wait a minute!" Princess Mingyue interrupted the prince, stepped forward, looked down at the palace maid who had collapsed on the ground in fear, and spoke in a cold voice.

"How could a mere maid have the nerve to plot against me and the regent? There must be someone behind this. Tell me, who told you to do this?"

The palace maid was sweating profusely:

"No, no...Princess, please spare me. I was really dazzled and saw it wrongly. It was definitely not intentional!"

"Did I see it wrong?" Princess Mingyue curled her lips coldly and turned to the Crown Prince, "Royal brother, can I interrogate this palace maid?"

Although she used a question, her tone was completely unacceptable.

The prince felt his hair stand on end when he saw the coldness in her eyes, and nodded quickly:

"Of course. Then I'll leave this maidservant to your disposal. But... where were you before? Why are you suddenly here?"

If he hadn't really found that he couldn't find her anywhere, he wouldn't have believed the words of this unfortunate palace maid and caused such a misunderstanding.

The Third Prince suddenly interrupted:

"Yes, if what this palace maid said is not true, Mingyue, you should still be in the palace now, right? Why are you in the Honglu Temple?"

Having said this, he glanced at Xiao Changheng meaningfully, and then said to Princess Mingyue:

"Could it be that you were secretly meeting someone in the Honglu Temple and just took advantage of the chaos to get behind us?"

"Lu Tong, what are you talking about!" Lu Fan was furious on the spot, "Try to tell me if you dare to make up something about Mingyue again!"

The Third Prince snorted coldly:

"How could I have framed her? No one saw where she appeared from just now, and no one has seen her since the palace banquet. Aren't these all facts?"

Lu Fan laughed out of anger:

"Listen carefully! Mingyue and I have been staying with our mother, chatting with her and keeping her company. It was you who allowed this palace maid to spread rumors about Mingyue everywhere. We only rushed here after hearing the news!"

"If you still have doubts, speak up in front of the Queen Mother!"

The third prince widened his eyes and was speechless.

This isn't right. Shouldn't Mingyue be... But how come she's at the Queen's place and looks completely fine?

Princess Mingyue glanced at the Third Prince coldly and said calmly:

"This palace maid just said that she was dazzled and saw it wrong, which is not impossible, but..."

She leaned over, pinched the maid's chin, curled her lips and sneered:

"If she didn't see me and the Regent, then who could it be?"

Several princes and princesses were stunned by her words.

Princess Mingyue's personal maid Haitang suddenly said:

"Come to think of it, I heard a strange noise coming from a room on my way here. I was in a hurry at the time and didn't think much of it, but now that I think about it, that noise sounds a bit like... the Fourth Princess!"

Everyone was stunned again, and the Third Prince's expression suddenly changed:

"What? Impossible!"

Princess Mingyue raised her eyebrows and looked at him, then said slowly:

"Why is Third Brother reacting so strongly? Wouldn't it be clearer if she went with him to take a look? Haitang, lead the way."

"Yes, sir." Haitang immediately turned around and walked in one direction.

Princess Mingyue and Lu Fan followed first, and the prince and others quickly followed.

The third prince's face was not very good, but since things had gotten to this point, he couldn't stop it and had to go along.

Haitang led the way out of the courtyard where the delegation lived, and after walking a short distance, they stopped in front of a door.

Without her saying anything, everyone could hear a sound coming from inside that was difficult to describe.

The atmosphere suddenly became weird.

The prince frowned and was hesitating whether to push the door open when Princess Mingyue stepped forward and kicked the door open.

Prince: ...

Princess Mingyue did not go in directly, but stepped aside and made a "please" gesture to the prince and others.

Everyone was speechless for a while, but the noise inside could be heard more clearly now. They could no longer sit idly by. The prince stepped in first, and the others followed in one after another.

There were bursts of exclamations from inside immediately.

"Fourth Imperial Sister! How could it really be you!"

"How could this happen? It's Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess!"

"The other one...isn't that her guard?!"

…

Princess Mingyue did not enter the room, but just stood at the door and looked at the situation inside, with a cold smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Princess Mingyue has good tricks." A low voice suddenly came from behind her.

She turned around, met Xiao Changheng's meaningful gaze calmly, and said calmly:

"The royal family has committed such a shameful act. It is embarrassing for the Regent."

Xiao Changheng didn't comment, but asked with some doubt:

"Why are you helping this king?"