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Shen Qianqian and Shangguan Zeyu lingered together for a long time, and just as they were about to leave, Xiao Yiqing arrived with Wang Qianqian and Wu Lanyu.
"Why is Your Highness making such a fuss?"
When Shangguan Zeyu saw them swarming in, he narrowed his eyes.
Shen Qianqian was still sitting in his lap, looking at them smugly.
Xiao Yiqing clenched her fists in anger.
But remembering that Shangguan Zeyu was still there, she acted as if nothing had happened: "Your Highness, your concubine and my two sisters have something to tell you."
"Speak," Shangguan Zeyu said, still holding Shen Qianqian and leaning lazily back in his chair.
Xiao Yiqing's expression twisted involuntarily.
She said through gritted teeth, "Doesn't Madam Shen know what she has done?"
Shen Qianqian immediately clung to Shangguan Zeyu, looking innocent and aggrieved.
"Your Highness, Qianqian did nothing! The Princess Consort has misunderstood Qianqian."
"Yes, Your Highness, you should make things clear and not be so ambiguous."
"Your Highness!!" Xiao Yiqing was furious that he sided with Shen Qianqian.
"Why is Your Highness so angry? Has something really serious happened?" Shangguan Zeyu helped Shen Qianqian sit up straighter.
Xiao Yiqing didn't want to say anything more and turned halfway away.
Wang Qianqian then said, "Your Highness, Madam Shen... she... gave you... medicine."
"Medicine?" Shangguan Zeyu was surprised. "What medicine? When? Why don't I know?" He looked at Shen Qianqian with a puzzled expression.
Shen Qianqian also looked completely bewildered.
Wu Lanyu: "Your Highness, this matter was revealed by Madam Shen's maid. The medicine has also been found."
"What exactly is going on?" Shangguan Zeyu's expression darkened.
Xiao Yiqing turned slightly to the side, lowered her eyes, and said coldly, "Your Highness, please allow Madam Shen's maid to come in and explain."
"Let her in!!"
Zhang Qin led the maid in.
"This servant greets Your Highness." The maid knelt before the desk.
"Lift your head up!"
The maid hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her head.
"Speak! What is it?" Shangguan Zeyu was radiating anger, which was quite frightening.
The maid couldn't help but shrink back and lower her eyes.
"Your Highness, I am a maidservant to Madam Shen, responsible for her daily needs. Yesterday evening, I overheard Madam Shen saying..."
"What did you say?" Shangguan Zeyu's face darkened further.
"She said... she's been giving the prince medicine."
Shangguan Zeyu still seemed not to understand what it meant.
Xiao Yiqing then bluntly said, "Your Highness, Madam Shen has been using aphrodisiacs on you to seduce you!!"
Shangguan Zeyu glared angrily at Shen Qianqian in his arms.
Shen Qianqian seemed completely unaware, looking utterly bewildered: "No, Qianqian didn't!"
"You're still trying to deny it? We have witnesses and physical evidence to prove it," Wu Lanyu said, raising her voice.
Enraged, Shangguan Zeyu shoved Shen Qianqian away.
Caught completely off guard, Shen Qianqian was pushed hard by him and fell to the ground.
Xiao Yiqing gave a sarcastic twitch of her lips.
Wang Qianqian just looked at her coldly.
And Wu Lanyu? She smiled with the same disdain as Xiao Yiqing.
Shangguan Zeyu took in their expressions and asked.
"Where's the medicine? Has it been tested by a doctor?"
Xiao Yiqing: "Your Highness, this matter concerns Madam Shen's reputation, and I dare not act rashly. Your Highness may have the doctor come in to explain."
Shangguan Zeyu gave Zhang Qin a look, and Zhang Qin understood, bringing the doctor in.
"This humble subject greets Your Highness. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"
"Are you sure that drug is an 'aphrodisiac'?" Shangguan Zeyu asked threateningly.
The doctor lowered his head even further in fright, and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, I'm sure."
"If this is false, I will certainly not spare you, nor your entire family."
The doctor was so frightened that cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he kept wiping it with his left and right hands.
Wu Lanyu looked at him nervously: "You must answer the prince's questions truthfully, otherwise it will be considered deception and you will be punished with caning!"
The doctor was so scared he was trembling.
Xiao Yiqing: "Tell the same things you said to me just now. Is that so difficult?" Her tone was flat, but it sent a chill down one's spine.
"Speak!!!" Shangguan Zeyu lost his patience.
"Your Highness, this humble subject... is absolutely certain that it is... an aphrodisiac."
"Bring the goods here!!"
Zhang Qin took the white porcelain bottle, about the size of a walnut, from the doctor and walked towards Shangguan Zeyu.
Shen Qianqian, who had been kneeling on the ground, completely bewildered, suddenly realized what had happened and hurriedly cried as she explained to Shangguan Zeyu.
"Your Highness, no, no. Qianqian didn't use any medicine on you. They're framing Qianqian. Your Highness, you must do justice for Qianqian!" She knelt beside Shangguan Zeyu's legs, her hands tightly gripping his robe.
Shangguan Zeyu remained unmoved, took the porcelain bottle from Zhang Qin, opened the cork, took a light sniff, and his brows furrowed into a deep knot.
"Such a strong fragrance! I felt dizzy and unwell after just a slight sniff. And you still say it's not an aphrodisiac?" He kicked Shen Qianqian away, glaring at her fiercely, showing none of the tenderness and affection he had shown her just moments before when they were deeply in love and whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears.
Shen Qianqian was taken aback by his indifference and remained stunned for a long while before she came to her senses.
"Your Highness! No! Qianqian really didn't! Qianqian never bought any aphrodisiacs, nor did she use any! Your Highness, Your Highness, you mustn't believe them. They're framing Qianqian! They're jealous of Qianqian! They're determined to kill her!!"
"Hmph!!" Shangguan Zeyu glanced at her coldly again, then threw the cork-sealed medicine bottle at her feet.
Xiao Yiqing sneered and looked at her: "Sister Chen, why don't you smell it too and see if we're lying or not!"
Shen Qianqian glared back at her angrily, gritting her teeth as she said, "Xiao Yiqing! How vicious you are!! Why did you frame me?"
Xiao Yiqing just looked at her with disdain and sneered, refusing to say a word.
Shen Qianqian was so angry she was about to go crazy. She pointed at Xiao Yiqing, then at Wang Qianqian, then at Wu Lanyu, and suddenly sneered in her anger.
"You're jealous of me! I know you're jealous of the prince's favor and deliberately set this up. How could you do this?"
Then, she quickly wiped the smile off her face and yelled, "You're all bad people!! You're all evil! Utterly evil people!!"
Then she cried so hard she could barely breathe, knelt down beside Shangguan Zeyu, and tightly gripped his robe with both hands.
"Your Highness, Qianqian is innocent! Qianqian never intended to drug you!! Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, you must not believe them! You must seek justice for Qianqian!! Your Highness!!!"
Wu Lanyu: "Madam Shen, no one will immediately admit to doing something wrong. Everyone will make excuses for themselves, even if the evidence is right in front of them."
Xiao Yiqing: "Shen Qianqian, the Prince isn't a foolish ruler. He won't let you off just because he heard your side of the story!! Stop playing the victim!!!"
Even Wang Qianqian, who had seemed to be detached from the matter, spoke up at this moment.
"Madam Shen, no matter what, the item was found in your room. Your explanations will be futile. As your sister, I advise you to honestly admit your mistake to the Prince and ask him to be lenient with you!"
Shen Qianqian was truly speechless and could not defend herself, so she could only laugh coldly in pain.
"You, you, and you! You failed to scheme against Consort Liu, and now you're setting your sights on me! What a clever way to cross the river and then discard the bridge!"
Then, as if he were ready to risk everything, he said to Shangguan Zeyu.
"Your Highness! Consort Liu did not harm Qianqian. It was all that vile woman, Princess Xiao Yiqing, along with Wang Qianqian and Wu Lanyu who conspired to do it!! They were afraid that Consort Liu would gain exclusive favor, so they deliberately framed her to make Your Highness neglect Consort Liu and allow them to rise in rank!!"
"You're talking nonsense!!!" Xiao Yiqing was so nervous that she looked flustered.
Shen Qianqian sneered and glanced at her with disdain.
"Isn't that right? Xiao Yiqing, you're a two-faced slut!! You pretend to be magnanimous, dignified, and elegant in front of the prince, but behind his back you're doing harmful things!! Aren't I just one of your pawns? Didn't you once say that as long as I followed you, you would ensure I had no worries about food and clothing in the prince's mansion?"
Xiao Yiqing was so frightened that her face turned deathly pale, and she seemed unable to stand. She hurriedly explained to Shangguan Zeyu.
"No, Your Highness, please don't listen to her nonsense! I didn't! I'm not that kind of person, Your Highness!!"
Shangguan Zeyu glanced at her expressionlessly, then looked at Wang Qianqian, and then at Wu Lanyu.
"Do you think the Princess is really as Shen Qianqian described?"
Wang Qianqian remained silent and lowered her eyes.
Wu Lanyu pretended not to understand and stared at the instep.
Xiao Yiqing originally thought they would stand firmly on her side, but she didn't expect this outcome, so she anxiously called out to them.
"Speak up! I've always treated you well, haven't I? What do you mean by this?"
Wang Qianqian then said, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is kind-hearted and not at all like what Madam Shen said. Please see the truth, Your Highness."
Not to be outdone, Wu Lanyu quickly added, "Yes, Your Highness, you certainly know very well what kind of person the Princess Consort is. Madam Shen is now desperate and talking nonsense, trying to drag as many people down with her as possible. Your Highness, you mustn't believe what she says."
Shangguan Zeyu suddenly burst into laughter.
He didn't look happy, nor did he seem angry.
"Good, good, very good! I understand! I get it!!"
Then he looked regretfully at Shen Qianqian, who was crying pitifully and at a loss.
"Qianmei, I know your feelings for me. But you've used the wrong methods, and I can't tolerate that."
"Your Highness! Your Highness!! You can't believe what they're saying!! You must stand up for me, you must investigate this thoroughly!!!"
But Shangguan Zeyu didn't listen to her words. Instead, he looked at her with a sad, regretful, and disappointed expression. After a while, he closed his eyes and said...
“Expel Shen Qianqian from the Prince’s Palace and forbid her from ever setting foot in the capital again.”
Shen Qianqian suddenly seemed to have her soul ripped out, and collapsed to the ground in a daze.
Xiao Yiqing smiled contentedly.
Wu Lanyu smiled smugly.
Although Wang Qianqian didn't laugh out loud, it's unlikely that she was actually sad inside.
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