Thirty lashes of the whip left Mo Yunhan's back lacerated and bleeding.
Inside the desolate palace, there wasn't even a single servant.
The palace gates were closed by the golden-armored guards, cutting off Zheng Chengye's hoarse voice from crying.
He knelt on the ground, shouting recklessly.
His brocade robe was stained with dirt and warm blood from when he helped Mo Yunhan over.
"Cousin, cousin!"
Seeing that she couldn't show off in front of Mo Yunhan, Yun Xiaoran, who had followed along, showed impatience in her eyes.
“Chengye, there’s nothing we can do. If you don’t want to go home, I’ll take you to Kunning Palace to beg the Empress Dowager to take you in.”
Zheng Chengye stared at his blood-stained hands, recalling what Mo Yunhan had just whispered in his ear.
“If you don’t believe Jiang Qingwan, you should believe me and your mother.”
He vaguely felt that he might have really done something wrong.
He sniffed and stood up.
"Sister Xiaoran, Mother already knows about this. If I don't go back, she will worry. Please take me out of the palace; I don't know the way."
He felt wronged and remorseful, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
He felt ashamed, but the more he cried, the more heartbroken he became. He could only desperately raise his hand to wipe his face, which was covered in blood.
A hint of disdain flashed in Yun Xiaoran's eyes, but she offered only perfunctory comfort and led him away.
Once on the carriage, he couldn't resist trying to persuade her again.
"Chengye, don't worry. As long as we don't give up, Brother Yunhan will eventually see that woman's true colors. I will also do my best to protect you and Aunt. But that woman's sorcery is too powerful. If we keep her in the manor, who knows who will be the next to suffer?"
Thinking of Xiao Cui's corpse, Zheng Chengye clenched his hands in fear.
Yun Xiaoran patted his shoulder through her handkerchief.
"You were really brave this time."
Zheng Chengye gave her a stiff smile, but couldn't say a word.
By the time they arrived at the Prince's residence, the Imperial Guards had already withdrawn.
Mo Qingrui was comforting Song Yushu in her room when Yun Xiaoran suddenly brought Zheng Chengye in, and the two of them were overjoyed.
But Song Yushu saw that he was covered in blood and staggered off the bed in a hurry.
"Chengye, where are you hurt?"
Having suffered repeated shocks, Zheng Chengye completely lost control of his emotions upon seeing his mother, kneeling on the ground and hugging her legs as he wailed.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, Mo Qingrui's eyes reddened with heartache.
Yu Tao, who was standing to the side, sniffed.
"The county princess is truly resourceful. She brought the young master back shortly after entering the palace and even managed to have all the imperial guards outside withdraw."
Song Yushu, who was immersed in the joy of reunion, hurriedly raised his head and wiped away his tears haphazardly upon hearing this.
"Xiaoran, thank you so much this time."
Yun Xiaoran naturally wouldn't mention her purpose for entering the palace, deliberately speaking ambiguously, "We're all family, no need for formalities. It's already a blessing that Chengye returned safely."
Song Yushu nodded, then quickly asked, "How is the Prince?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiaoran deliberately sobbed a few times and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
"The prince was whipped for protecting Chengye, and his condition is very bad. He insists on protecting the Jiang family, and I have no choice but to bring Chengye back first."
Zheng Chengye cried so hard he could barely breathe, kneeling and sobbing in Song Yushu's arms, unable to utter a single word.
Yu Tao wiped away her tears and stomped her foot angrily.
"It's all that woman's fault for causing this trouble and implicating the Prince. Madam, her maid and servant are still in the backyard. Why don't we arrest them and interrogate them properly? Who knows what other harmful schemes they might be plotting?"
Yun Xiaoran immediately echoed her sentiments with a poignant tone.
"Xiao Ran knew that her aunt was worried about Cheng Ye and was bedridden, so she didn't dare to disturb her. Xiao Ran's maid, Xiao Cui, had become a dried corpse and died in Jiang's room in the backyard of the Prince's Mansion."
"What?"
Mrs. Song was greatly surprised, "Is this really true?"
Yun Xiaoran hurriedly said, "The Imperial Guards found out about this and have already reported it to the Emperor. Otherwise, how could the Prince have been implicated and unable to return? When we left the palace, many court officials were still kneeling outside the Imperial Study, begging the Emperor to punish the vixen. Chengye also witnessed this with his own eyes."
Song quickly looked down to ask, only to find that Zheng Chengye had succumbed to the emotional turmoil and had cried himself to sleep in her arms.
Yu Tao said urgently, "Madam, I will take people to the backyard right now, control those two wicked servants, torture them severely, and make sure they get to the bottom of it."
Mo Qingrui, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "Since this matter has been reported to the Emperor, but the Emperor has not issued any decree, Sister Song should take care of Chengye first and not be too hasty."
Song Yushu's chaotic mind calmed down a little.
“The princess is right. You may all leave. No one is allowed to make any moves until the prince returns.”
Yun Xiaoran felt angry and resentful.
All the evidence points to Jiang Qingwan, so why are these people still protecting that bitch?
She deliberately curtsied, her voice plaintive.
“I don’t blame you for not believing me, Aunt. After all, even Brother Yunhan was bewitched by her, let alone ordinary people like us. I just hope that you will think carefully about what has happened since she entered the manor. Is it too strange and unpredictable? Her ability to control people’s hearts is really too powerful.”
"Now Xiaoran has nothing left. You who watched me grow up and Brother Yunhan who has been with me for many years have also grown tired of me. I still shamelessly entered the mansion as a concubine, becoming a laughing stock in Chang'an District. But I just want to find the family who once loved me."
She choked back tears, seemingly unable to speak, and deliberately staggered.
Granny Li quickly caught her, sighing with heartache.
“Princess, you have been kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager’s palace for a long time to save people. Let this old servant help you to rest.”
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