"Since Madam Meng is unaware, guards, take them back, along with Young Master Qi..."
Madam Meng blurted out, "No!!"
They will be killed, and my son will be in danger too. Two maids were already dead when we arrived.
Xiao Zhixing's eyes were filled with coldness. "Your safety has nothing to do with me. Since Madam Meng was not involved in this matter, she must have offended someone else. I have no obligation to protect you."
Madam Meng finally collapsed to the ground, sobbing, "Waaah, it's all my fault, my fault, I'll talk, I'll talk..."
“Those jewelry and handkerchiefs were secretly sold by my maid. It just so happened that someone came to buy them, and they said they would melt them down and make new jewelry.”
"And the handkerchief, the handkerchief, that person said his master secretly admires you and wants a few of your patterns as a keepsake..."
Faced with Xiao Zhixing and his son's escalating anger, Madam Meng trembled:
"I... I thought it was just a few handkerchiefs with your name on them, and he offered ten thousand taels of silver, so... I had the maids embroider a few more like the ones they had before. Waaah, I didn't mean to, I didn't know they would use them to frame you..."
Madam Meng knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Please, please save me, save Meng Li! I don't want to die! Meng Li knows nothing! He... he admires you the most! Qingluan, please, for the sake of our deceased grandparents, save us!"
She couldn't rely on her daughter and son-in-law; she was genuinely terrified by the blatant presence of the killer. She was afraid of dying, and even more afraid of implicating her son.
She knew that only Xiao Zhixing could save her.
Xiao Zhixing's expression was cold. "You certainly have the heart of a loving mother."
Xiao Yuanshan was finally able to speak. He was furious and almost wanted to hit someone, shouting, "Bastard! You worthless scoundrel!"
"Guards! Take this foolish woman back. I, the king, will divorce her on behalf of my brother today!!"
He is now the head of the Xiao family, so it is most appropriate for him to handle this matter and avoid people saying that Xiao Zhixing is mean to his elders.
Qi Mengli stood there, stunned, feeling as if the world was spinning.
However, no one cares about his feelings anymore; the truth has basically come to light at this point.
Indeed, someone plotted to frame Xiao Zhixing; it was a series of interconnected schemes that began when she entered the Gentleman's Courtyard last year.
Xiao Zhixing sneered repeatedly, "Good, very good, truly a brilliant tactic!"
The overwhelming anger and murderous intent made it difficult for everyone nearby to breathe.
But Qian Fen was still shouting, his face full of shock and disbelief at being deceived, "No! It can't be! How could it be fake?! No! I can't have mistaken you for someone else! Your Highness, Your Highness, I'm not mistaken. Don't you really recognize me? Or are you just pretending not to recognize me?"
Mother Qian also cried out, "Yes, the faces are clearly identical. I couldn't possibly be mistaken. My God, what is going on?"
Someone muttered, "That might be someone impersonating a prince."
"That's right, you don't know how many talented and extraordinary people there are in this world. There's even some kind of disguise technique. You've definitely been fooled by imposters."
Everyone thought that the wise and powerful Prince Yuansheng looked down on people like Qian Fen and the Qian family.
Qian Fen stared blankly, dejected, as if the sky had fallen. "Fake? A scam?"
Qian's mother hugged her son and cried, "My son, you must pull yourself together! We've been cheated!"
"Tsk, there's always a pitiable side to what's hateful. People are so greedy, they'll get their comeuppance sooner or later."
Now look what's happened. Qian Fen's leg is broken, his academic achievements are gone, and everything is over.
"But it's also possible that the prince and Qian Fen really had dealings, which is why someone was able to use this to their advantage..." someone muttered under their breath.
"In order to protect her reputation, she could deny knowing Qian Fen outright, and the Qian family had no choice but to comply."
Yes, that explanation seems plausible.
Xiao Zhixing frowned: "Ink Plum!"
Mo Mei immediately picked out several people from the crowd who were always gossiping and instigating the commotion.
“I am upright and honest, and I am not afraid of you saying it to my face.” Xiao Zhixing sized up the sleazy middle-aged man in front of him. “Come, if you are right, I will reward you; if you are wrong, you will have to pay me back your tongue.”
"W-Am I wrong? If it weren't for baseless rumors, and you got involved with Qian Fen, why would anyone think of using this to scheme against you?" the middle-aged man said, trembling but daring to speak.
"That's right, there's no smoke without fire. I'd also like to know where this rumor came from."
Xiao Zhixing's smile was terrifying. "Qian Fen, you tell me yourself, when did I first meet you? What specific day and time did we meet?"
"There can't be two Xiao Zhixings in this world. My daily routine is extremely regular: the Gentleman's Courtyard, the military camp, the royal palace, and court assemblies. I also have countless attendants around me. I also want to know how I managed to escape everyone's sight and meet you."
Qian Fen was stunned, his whole body dazed. "I... I don't remember very clearly. The first time we met was... it was the tenth day after the Gentleman's Academy competition, at noon. On my way home, I... I accidentally tripped and fell in front of your horse..."
"Very good, continue. Who was with me at that time?"
"With your protection, I can't remember anything else."
"You don't even remember the eight giant guards who served me?"
That was a unique, living, one-of-a-kind anti-counterfeiting mark that she carried with her everywhere; you couldn't find another one like it anywhere else in the world.
"I remember, I remember, it really was a giant's guard..."
Xiao Zhixing pressed on, "How many of them were with me back then?"
"Eight people, all eight giants are here!"
Xiao Zhixing sneered, "That's really unfortunate. Only two of them were with me those two days. The other six were training with the Southern Jiangsu Army. All the soldiers can testify to that!"
Qian Fen shuddered. "Maybe...maybe I've mixed things up..."
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