Li Youran already had someone she suspected, and she had already figured out how to lure the snake out of its hole.
"The two of them knew each other before this, and they were planning to go to your home to propose marriage, but they never expected that Miss Li would actually be your sister."
Madam Wu lowered her head, took a sip of water, and then continued.
"Later I felt that I was not good enough for him, but my son was infatuated and would stare at the portrait in the study every day."
The Second Prince's wife subtly raised an eyebrow. If what the Second Madam said was true, then she was indeed a suitable candidate.
However, she did not reveal her thoughts, but quietly looked at Madam Yu, waiting to hear what else she had to say.
"After all, she's a mother; she can't bear to see her child like this, so she swallowed her pride and came..."
Madam Wu did not make any definitive statements, but instead looked at the Second Prince's wife with anticipation.
She naturally knew that bringing up this matter when Li Youran was embroiled in a scandal risked being suspected, but Madam Wu really couldn't sit still any longer.
Although the Wu family was prestigious, Wu Yong was born out of wedlock. His only redeeming quality was his talent, which led him to achieve second place in the imperial examination.
"Let me think about it. I'll send someone to give Second Madam a reply this afternoon."
After seeing off Madam Wu, the Second Prince's wife lay on the chaise lounge, closed her eyes, and thought about what Madam Wu had said.
Although Wu Yong was not the heir of the Wu family, he was quite talented and achieved second place in the imperial examination.
If the Wu family wanted to marry her sister, they were not unworthy, so there was no need for them to resort to such underhanded methods. This shows that the rumors did not originate from Wu Er Niangzi.
After much deliberation, the Second Prince's wife felt that Wu Yong was indeed a promising young man, and if he really had a problem with her sister, it wouldn't hurt to meet him.
“Madam, before you could send anyone out to find out who was spreading rumors, the Second Miss found out herself.”
"oh?"
The Second Prince's wife showed a hint of surprise on her face, and then sat up from the chaise lounge.
I never expected that her younger sister would actually be so capable.
"Both of you must come with me to see the official today!"
At Li Youran's command, the two soldiers she had borrowed from Hua Ruyu went up and took the two women down.
"Miss, spare us! Miss, spare us! We're just doing errands for people who pay us!
"Did we commit murder or arson? Why are we being taken to the authorities?"
The two women, who were forcibly sped up, faced contrasting reactions: one knelt down and begged for mercy, while the other refused to admit guilt even under duress.
"Let me tell you what crime you committed."
As Li Youran spoke, she made a ferocious expression and looked at the stubborn woman.
"You spread rumors, slander others, and ruin their reputations."
However, Li Youran's words seemed to have no effect; the stubborn woman was not afraid.
"Pah! My mouth is on my face, I can say whatever I want. I don't believe you can convict me."
"You audacious servant, do you know that the person before you is none other than the Second Prince's wife's own sister!"
Hua Ruyu, dressed in full armor, looked incredibly imposing, and the woman was immediately intimidated by her appearance. Upon hearing Li Youran's identity, she was so frightened that she wet herself.
"Miss, spare me! Sir, spare me! I was paid by the Xia family to say these things. I was just being instructed by someone."
The woman, ignorant as she was, finally felt fear. As she spoke, she kowtowed on the ground, then poured out everything like beans.
It turned out that the matron of the Xia family had sent someone to find several women to spread rumors about Li Youran.
Hua Ruyu was a decisive person; she sent people directly into the Xia residence and captured Xia's mother's nanny.
It was clearly Xia's mother who was behind it, but the two nannies stubbornly refused to admit it. Li Youran had no choice but to lock up the two nannies because she couldn't offend Xia's mother.
"We know who's behind this, but we can't do anything about it."
Li Youran lay on the soft couch next to the Second Prince's Consort's chaise lounge, speaking in a tone of indignation.
"It's already quite an achievement that you were able to find out who was spreading rumors and causing trouble behind the scenes."
The Second Prince's Consort smiled, casually picked up a grape, walked over, and personally fed it to Li Youran's lips.
"You're still young, and there are many things you don't know, but that's normal."
Upon hearing the Second Prince's wife's words, Li Youran scrambled to her feet.
“They are servants of the Xia family, and their life-and-death contracts are in the hands of Madam Xia. If they reveal Madam Xia's identity, they will face certain death after they leave. But if they take the responsibility upon themselves, at worst they will suffer some torture in prison, and after they leave, they can still earn a reputation as loyal servants.”
After hearing the Second Prince's wife's analysis, Li Youran suddenly realized why she had thought of the life-and-death contract.
"Alright, although you didn't teach Xia's mother a lesson, you locked her nanny in jail, which is a huge warning to her. She must be scared now."
The Second Prince's Consort paused for a moment before continuing.
"There's plenty of time in the future. We've settled this score with the Xia family."
As the Second Prince's Consort spoke, she naturally brought up the matter of inviting Li Youran to the temple that afternoon.
"We go to the temple to pray for blessings, and also to get rid of the impurities on our bodies."
Li Youran had nothing to do and was in a bad mood, so she didn't refuse.
She hadn't had any expectations for going to the temple, but when Li Youran lay in the Second Prince's concubine's sedan chair, she realized what true enjoyment meant.
"Ah, that feels good!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
