Fenglin Temple.
Fang Ningzhu looked at Fang Mingzhu, whose face was ashen, and felt a pang of sadness.
She lay on the bed, her sunken eyes staring blankly at the canopy above her head, her breathing weak.
After taking her pulse, the physician of the Cheng family frowned deeply and couldn't help but ask the maids and servants behind her, "Why did you wait until now to come and see a doctor?"
A maidservant said timidly, "Yes, it was the Princess who forbade us to say it."
The physician of the Cheng family sighed deeply and said to Fang Ningzhu, "My lady, please accept my condolences. She doesn't have many days left."
Xiao Yuan placed Fang Mingzhu under house arrest, but he did not intend to kill her.
It was Fang Ningzhu who noticed something was wrong and sent a message to the Prince's Mansion overnight. Ming Shucai and the Cheng family physician rushed over.
"The princess hasn't eaten or drunk anything for several days, and no matter how we try to persuade her, it's no use..." The maid kept shedding tears.
The physician from the Cheng family glanced at Ming Shu, who was not far behind him.
Ming Shu's sharp eyes swept over the group of servants in the room, and he asked sternly, "Who leaked the news of the prince's wedding to her?"
After saying that, he immediately drew the long sword from his waist, its cold light flashing.
Everyone in the room was so frightened that they knelt down.
Fang Ningzhu hurriedly said, "Lord Ming, this matter has nothing to do with us. It was a visitor from the temple who mentioned the Prince's wedding, and my elder sister overheard it..."
Ming Shu stared at her coldly, and Fang Ningzhu lowered her head in a fluster.
The physician from the Cheng family came over and whispered, "Sir, I'm afraid Madam Fang's health is failing. You should have people prepare for her funeral."
Although the servants of the Fang family in Fenglin Temple still called her Princess Consort, the people in the Prince's Mansion already knew that their current Princess Consort was Su Xuerong, so this one could only be called Madam.
Ming Shu slowly sheathed his longsword, his face cold as he said to Fang Ningzhu, "Come with me back to the Prince's mansion in a few days. The Prince wants to see you!"
Fang Ningzhu was surprised and somewhat taken aback.
Why would Xiao Yuan still be looking for her? Didn't he already marry Su Xuerong in a high-profile ceremony?
Fang Mingzhu passed away at midnight on the night the physician from the Cheng family went to Fenglin Temple. Fang Ningzhu, along with a group of servants from the Fang family, prepared for her funeral and buried her in a feng shui treasure land behind Fenglin Temple.
Afterwards, Fang Ningzhu returned to the Prince's Mansion with Ming Shu.
In the front hall of the Prince's mansion, she saw Xiao Yuan again.
At this moment, after these past few months, she seemed to have aged several years, looking haggard.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
As soon as Fang Ningzhu saw the tall figure in the seat in front of her, she immediately knelt down.
Xiao Yuan scrutinized her with a cold gaze, and after a long while, he asked, "Have your elder sister's funeral arrangements been taken care of?"
"It's all taken care of, Your Highness. Thank you for choosing such an auspicious burial site for my elder sister." Fang Ningzhu kowtowed, then looked up at him cautiously and asked, "Your Highness, may I return home?"
Xiao Yuan laughed: "Do you know where the Fang family is now?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Ningzhu immediately felt uneasy.
"When the new emperor ascended the throne, the Marquis of Yong'an had already moved his entire family to the capital and was granted the title of Earl of Yong'an by the new emperor. He is now working in the Ministry of Revenue." Xiao Yuan said with a sarcastic tone.
Fang Ningzhu was stunned when she heard this.
Her father actually sided with Xiao Shiyan?
He was promoted from marquis to earl and served in the Ministry of Revenue.
Fang Ningzhu's face immediately turned pale.
In that case, wouldn't she become a discarded pawn of the Fang family, with no way to go back?
Xiao Yuandao said, "Your father's plan is very clever. He left you two sisters here as my hostages, but secretly he sought refuge with that person in the capital. Isn't he afraid that I will kill you in a fit of rage?"
Fang Ningzhu was immediately terrified, her face turning deathly pale, and she trembled all over: "Your Highness, please spare my life!"
Now that Fang Mingzhu has just died, she is the only hostage that Xiao Yuan has in his hands!
She was filled with regret at that moment.
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have gotten involved in the affair between Ling Qingxue and Su Xuerong. In the end, she not only failed to marry the man she wanted to marry, but also ruined herself.
But what she regrets most is that she listened to her aunt's advice and followed Fang Mingzhu to Hangzhou in an attempt to take her place.
Fang Ningzhu almost regretted it so much that she bit off her tongue.
Seeing her panicked expression, Xiao Yuan said after a long while, "However, I can give you a chance. As long as you do your job to replace your elder sister and complete the task I have given you, I will set you free."
Fang Ningzhu, as if a drowning person had suddenly grasped a lifeline, hurriedly nodded and said, "Your Highness, I am now homeless. If you need me, I am willing to go through fire and water!"
Xiao Yuan stood up coldly: "Fine, you can go down now. Someone will tell you what to do later."
A separate courtyard.
Su Xuerong asked in surprise, "You want Fang Ningzhu to be my substitute?"
“It’s not entirely a stand-in, but it will make people in the capital think that the person accompanying me on this trip is you,” Xiao Yuan said.
Su Xuerong fell silent.
She had no good feelings towards Fang Ningzhu, but the worst thing Fang Ningzhu did to her in Hangzhou was to tell Madam Xiang about her relationship with Ling Qingxue, which led Madam Xiang to strongly oppose their marriage.
However, she was not Chen Siyi, nor Fang Mingzhu, nor Liu Qiao'er; she had not caused herself any fatal harm.
"Xiao Shiyan asked you to bring your family to the capital, and another purpose was me, right?" Su Xuerong slowly raised her head to look at him.
Xiao Yuan nodded slightly, his expression cold and stern.
"You think he'll come looking for me?" Su Xuerong asked in surprise. "So you had Fang Ningzhu replace me?"
"But what if it's not Xiao Shiyan who comes looking for me, but Xu Wanjing? She'll definitely try to poison me!"
If Fang Ningzhu were to be harmed because of this, wouldn't she be completely innocent?
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