"You are right, Jinzhu," the old lady said, "Go and invite Madam Li over, and ask Linglong to come as well."

"Yes, ma'am."

They were all in the same monastery, and Old Lady Li soon brought Linglong in.

Seeing the old lady's serious expression, she hurriedly asked, "Eldest sister, what happened?"

Li Linglong also looked confused. Her great aunt had always been kind and gentle, and rarely was she so serious.

"You all take a seat."

Then he looked at Su Li: "Ali, say what you just said again."

The grandfather and grandson looked at Su Li with confusion again.

Su Li nodded and repeated Prince Ning's plan and the calculations of the Liu Furong sisters.

"This is too much! Prince Ning is really too much!"

Madam Li said angrily, "Prince Ning mentioned this to my master some time ago. How could the eldest granddaughter of the Li family be a concubine? I never thought that Prince Ning would not mention it on the surface, but would come up with such a despicable method behind his back. It's really despicable!"

Li Linglong also frowned, looking unhappy.

She had already heard from her grandmother in the mansion that Prince Ning wanted to take her as a concubine.

My grandmother was afraid that she would be deceived by Prince Ning, so she told her clearly that Prince Ning wanted to marry her only because he was interested in my grandfather, who was a close minister to the emperor and could speak for him in front of the emperor when the crown prince was appointed in the future.

He had no feelings for her, so she must not listen to Prince Ning's sweet words, and must not contact him privately.

She naturally kept it in mind. Not to mention that she had no feelings for Prince Ning, even if she did, she would not be willing to be someone else's concubine.

Moreover, my grandfather also made it clear that their Li family would only remain neutral and would never take sides or participate in the fight for the crown prince.

Even if she married Prince Ning, the Li family's position would not change.

She didn't expect that her sister would have such thoughts.

Madam Li said coldly, "Madam Zhou, go and bring that traitor to me!"

Prince Ning is of noble status, and her Li family cannot do anything to him for the time being. But if she cannot deal with a traitorous clan member, then she might as well give up her status as the clan leader's wife.

Nanny Zhou responded and went out, but as soon as she left the yard, Li Fangqing came.

Nanny Zhou immediately came back to report: "Madam, the eldest daughter is here."

"Humph! You're here so quickly! I want to see how she plans to push her own sister into the fire pit. Let her in!"

"yes."

Nanny Zhou responded and went out. After a while, she brought in a pretty girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Su Li glanced at her indifferently.

Li Fangqing, a cousin of Li Linglong, was the one who tricked Liu Qinqin into the lake behind the mountain. The benefit was that after the deed was done, Prince Ning promised to take her into Prince Ning's mansion.

In the original novel, Li Fangqing was indeed carried into Prince Ning's Mansion, but she didn't live as long as Li Linglong.

Li Fangqing didn't know that everyone present already knew her purpose. She bowed politely and said, "Grandma, Madam of the Duke."

Madam Li asked expressionlessly, "Is there something wrong?"

Li Fangqing was stunned. Her great-aunt was usually kind and friendly to the younger generations in the clan. This was the first time she had seen her with such an expressionless face, and she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

Wouldn’t my great aunt know her purpose?

No, no, no, how is this possible!

She shook her head secretly. Their plan was so secretive, how could her great aunt know about it?

I must be too nervous.

She took a deep breath and put on her usual ingratiating smile. "That's right, great-aunt. Isn't there a lake in the back mountain? I heard that the monks at Zhaoming Temple planted a lot of lotus flowers in the lake this year. They are in full bloom now, so I thought of inviting Sister Linglong to go enjoy the flowers together."

Then he looked at Li Linglong and asked with a smile, "Sister Linglong, don't you love lotus flowers the most? I heard that the lotus flowers are in full bloom. You must go with me."

"And then?" Old Madam Li asked expressionlessly.

Li Fangqing was stunned and didn't understand what Madam Li meant.

Madam Li looked her in the eyes and said coldly, "And then, while you were admiring the flowers, you pushed your sister into the water so you could sell her to Prince Ning and fulfill your dream of wealth and glory, right?"

Li Fangqing's eyes widened instantly, a look of disbelief on her face.

They, they really knew! How is this possible!

How did they know?

Her eyes wandered, and she suppressed her panic and pretended to laugh: "Uncle, great-aunt, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand a word you say?"

After all, he was a child of her own clan, so Old Lady Li did not completely believe what Su Li said. Her just-mentioned tricky behavior was actually just a test of Li Fangqing.

But now Li Fangqing looked obviously guilty, so what else could she not understand?

What Su Li said was true. Li Fangqing was indeed so vicious that she colluded with outsiders to betray her own sisters.

She sternly said, "You're such a traitor! Has my Li family treated you unfairly or done something wrong to you? How could you be so cruel as to sell out your relatives for personal gain?"

"I..." Li Fangqing panicked and shook her head repeatedly to deny it. "Grandaunt, I didn't. I didn't mean to harm Linglong. I really didn't! Grandaunt, please believe me..."

"Still trying to quibble! Do you want me to explain myself more clearly? Or do you want me to go back to the mansion and ask the clan law to punish you before you admit it?"

"Clan law!"

Li Fangqing trembled when she heard this.

The Li family law is a family law that is only used when a member of the family has committed a serious mistake.

She had secretly witnessed it once: a person who had committed a serious offense was whipped with a barbed whip until his skin and flesh were torn.

After that incident, she was so scared that she had nightmares for a long time.

Now that her great aunt mentioned it, she seemed to see again the scene that had given her the nightmare.

Unable to bear it any longer, she knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "I don't want to be punished by the clan law. I admit it, I admit it all. I was bewitched. I listened to others and wanted to harm Sister Linglong. Great-aunt, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Please don't use the clan law..."

"Sister Linglong! I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. Please ask my great aunt for mercy on my behalf. Don't resort to clan law..."

Li Linglong pursed her lips, feeling disappointed.

She has no biological sisters, and this sister is the one with whom she has the best relationship in the clan.

Unexpectedly, the person she thought she had the best relationship with was going to destroy her with his own hands in order to become Prince Ning's concubine.

It's really ironic that he still has the nerve to ask her to plead for her.

She said coldly: "You will suffer the consequences if you do evil!"

Madam Li ordered Madam Zhou: "Take her away and keep an eye on her, and keep an eye on the people around her as well."

"yes."

Nanny Zhou called two maids in and carried Li Fangqing, who was lying on the ground, out.

Madam Li sighed: "Ali, today is all thanks to you. Otherwise, Linglong would be..."

Su Li shook her head: "Grandma, please don't say that. We are all family and it's only natural for us to help each other."