"Suyun, Nianfu, why did you spill the tea?"
As soon as Jing Lu entered the room, he saw his principal wife and concubine facing each other. Cheng Suyun looked very unwell, and there were broken porcelain pieces and water stains on the ground next to her.
The two empress dowagers had already left the hall, and Empress Ye was also absent. Seeing this, the others of lower status all bowed to Jing Yan and Jing Lu with trepidation and hurried away.
After most of the people had left, Cheng Suyun immediately began to complain, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Your Highness, the tea that my sister-in-law served almost scalded me to death. I am carrying your child in my womb."
"Can it be that just because I had the Third Prince's child before my elder sister, the principal wife, she harbors resentment and wants to harm my mother and child?"
“Your Highness, my concubine said she was thirsty, so I poured her some water. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hold the cup properly and it fell to the ground and broke. I absolutely did not mean to scald her.”
"If you don't believe me, you can ask the Crown Princess and Jingyi, who are here."
As the principal wife of Jinglu, Zhao Nianfu should have taken Cheng Suyun with her to the main hall when she entered the banquet.
When Zhao Nianfu was about to leave, Cheng Suyun claimed that she was thirsty and would not leave until she had a drink of water. What she really meant was that she wanted Zhao Nianfu to pour her some water.
Zhao Nianfu felt sorry for Cheng Suyun's hard work, so she poured her a glass of water herself. Little did she know that Cheng Suyun would frame her like this.
Zhao Nianfu felt wronged, but fortunately Yue Jiang and Jing Yi were there. She turned around and looked at Yue Jiang and Jing Yi hopefully.
Following Zhao Nianfu's words, Cheng Suyun's gaze fell on the two of them. She looked back and forth between Yue Jiang and Jing Yi, and finally looked at Jing Yi with a wronged expression.
“Jingyi, you know my personality. How could I make things difficult for others for no reason? I almost got burned to death just now. You have to be my witness.”
After Jingyi broke with Yongshou Palace, Cheng Suyun had no contact with Jingyi for a long time, except for a perfunctory greeting.
But she had spent so many years with Jingyi, and she knew best that Jingyi was easy to manipulate.
Only she knew whether the tea was hot or not. Even if Jingyi didn't help her, she wouldn't say that she deliberately made things difficult for Zhao Nianfu, let alone think that she was trying to harm herself.
When Jingyi, who was sitting next to Yuejiang, was asked by name, she naturally refused to speak up for Cheng Suyun. However, just as Cheng Suyun had expected, she also refused to lie and turned her head to deny it.
"I don't know, I didn't notice."
Upon hearing Jingyi's words, Cheng Suyun smiled smugly to herself.
Zhao Nianfu felt as if she had been greatly wronged and earnestly begged Yue Jiang, "Sister-in-law Crown Princess, you must help me prove my innocence."
Yue Jiang smiled faintly, reached out and lifted the teapot in front of her, and slowly said.
"The tea in the hall is changed regularly, and the last time it was changed was half an hour ago."
She didn't say much, but from the fact that half an hour ago, and from the fact that the teapot she had opened hadn't emitted a lot of steam, one could deduce that even if it was hot, it wouldn't burn anyone.
If Zhao Nianfu intended to deliberately make things difficult for Cheng Suyun, or even harm her unborn child, this method would be utterly ineffective and harmless.
Upon hearing this, Jing Lu found an empty cup, poured a cup of tea from in front of Cheng Suyun, and drank it all in one gulp. The temperature was just right for drinking.
After he finished drinking, Cheng Suyun's face turned pale, and she stammered nervously.
"Alright, it's good that you and the child are alright. Nianfu has also been wronged. The banquet in the main hall has already started. I'll take you there."
Contrary to Cheng Suyun's expectations, Jing Lu did not get angry. Instead, he spoke to her gently. The more he did so, the more Cheng Suyun wanted to possess Jing Lu.
Cheng Suyun glanced at Zhao Nianfu, who tactfully stepped aside: "Your Highness, perhaps the concubine has been frightened. Please help her walk."
“Alright,” Jing Lu then stood up and helped Cheng Suyun leave the table, while Zhao Nianfu walked beside the two of them.
After the three of them greeted Jing Yan and Yue Jiang, they walked out of the side hall, and Jing Yan helped Yue Jiang up.
As Yue Jiang stood up, Jing Yi, who was standing to the side, said with emotion, "Brother, it's a good thing you didn't take Cheng Suyun as your concubine. I never knew she could be so domineering. Poor Third Sister-in-law."
"However, fortunately, my sister-in-law, the Crown Princess, is also formidable. Even if you are not honest, my sister-in-law will definitely not let you suffer."
Jingyi was both moved and admiring of Yuejiang, but she spoke of Jingyan as if he were truly disloyal and incapable of bullying Yuejiang.
Jing Yan: "..."
“Your third sister-in-law isn’t necessarily someone who takes things lying down,” Yue Jiang said, seeing through her.
"Cheng Suyun is becoming more and more arrogant, just like the former Consort Cheng. How come Third Brother is just like Father? Cheng Suyun deliberately framed Third Sister-in-law, but he didn't say a word in her defense. He just let it all go without any consequences."
"Third sister-in-law is so gentle and kind, she won't be bullied?" Jingyi didn't understand and didn't believe it at all.
Jing Yan understood the unspoken message and gestured to Jing Yi with her chin, "Let's go first."
Jingyi refused: "No, Mother Empress ordered me to stay by my sister-in-law's side at all times..."
“If I don’t leave, I can let you know just how powerful my brother really is,” Jingyi said before she was “threatened” by Jingyan. She shrank her neck and looked at Yuejiang expectantly.
Yue Jiang whispered something in Jing Yi's ear, and Jing Yi's eyes lit up as soon as she heard it. The next moment, she left without hesitation.
As she passed by Jing Yan, she gave him a smug snort.
Jing Yan was shocked by the extent to which Jing Yi listened to Yue Jiang's words and wondered, "What did you say to her that made you so happy?"
"I said, when our child is born, I will teach the child to call her 'Auntie' first," Yue Jiang said seriously.
“No wonder,” Jing Yan laughed in exasperation, but then emphasized, “No.”
“You’re still holding a grudge against Jingyi, who’s just a child,” Yue Jiang said, amused.
“She’s trying to annoy me, so can’t I annoy her back?” Jing Yan retorted stubbornly, then pressed Yue Jiang for details of what she had just said.
"By the way, did you notice anything about what happened just now?"
Yue Jiang: "I can't see anything that's uncertain, but my intuition tells me that Zhao Nianfu is not a simple person on the surface."
"Zhao Nianfu spoke tactfully and appropriately in the palace earlier. Thinking back to that day at Liushang Pavilion, Jing Shuo kept saying that he was pursuing Zhao Nianfu. How could she have angered him so easily when she first met him?"
"It also led to Jing Shuo later pursuing Zheng Yutong. If Jing Lu had been involved that day, Zhao Nianfu would probably not have been clean either. Cheng Suyun would never have been able to defeat Zhao Nianfu."
"According to Jingyi, Cheng Suyun's actions today were too domineering, which made Zhao Nianfu seem more generous and gentle in comparison."
"Moreover, Jing Lu clearly knew that Cheng Suyun was being unreasonable, but he said nothing. Cheng Suyun used to be very proud, and now that she has suddenly become a concubine, she must be very resentful."
“If someone helps her and deliberately indulges her, she could easily become spoiled and cause Cheng Suyun to lose her reputation, which would be more beneficial to Zhao Nianfu.”
"If Jing Lu had reached a cooperation agreement with Zhao Nianfu earlier, and given how much Zhao Nianfu helped him that night at Liushang Pavilion, Zhao Nianfu certainly wouldn't want to have an illegitimate child before she even gave birth to her."
"If Jing Lu wants to repay Zhao Nianfu's kindness and continue their marriage, Cheng Suyun's pregnancy may be in danger."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
