Chapter 127 Interrogation
The commotion outside the door was quite loud. The concubine was the new favorite of the Prince of Zhenbei, and that's why she was brought to Yutan Temple. Suddenly, she fell into a trap and died. The Prince of Zhenbei suspected that someone was spoiling him.
"Moonlight Maiden, what do you plan to do?"
No one else can make decisions for Lin Yuesha. Zhang Qing'er asked Lin Yuesha for her opinion, as she would have to come up with a plan when facing questioning later.
Jiang Baozhu bit her lip, looking at Lin Yuesha with a worried expression. What she feared most had come to pass. She had originally planned to stay in her room and wait until the Prince of Zhenbei's men left the next morning before going down the mountain with her group. Now, however, they were bound to run into each other.
Fortunately, we were prepared, and at least Lin Yuesha is safe now.
"It's better to avoid trouble. Let's just pretend that little girl never came."
After all, it wasn't Xuan Yao or her maid Xiao Qian who delivered the message, and the little girl was looking for Miss Xiao out of the blue, so we should just pretend we didn't know anything about it.
"But Xuan Yao wanted to harm you, and you just helped her cover it up?"
Even though remaining silent would be advantageous for her, Zhang Qing'er was still furious. Xuan Yao was too ruthless; once her scheme succeeded, Lin Yuesha would be the one to fall into the well.
The three of them came together; if one of them goes back, how will she explain it to Lin Yuesha's family?
Zhang Qing'er was furious, but under Qian Lü's constant reassurance, she finally suppressed her anger.
"Sister Qing'er, don't be angry. Think about it, Xuan Yao originally plotted against me, but she innocently dragged the concubine of the Prince of Zhenbei into it. What would the Prince of Zhenbei do if he found out?"
It's impossible to guess what those in power are thinking. The Prince of Zhenbei might be thinking that if it were Lin Yuesha who fell, his concubine would probably be safe.
It was precisely because Xuan Yao failed in his scheme and Lin Yuesha did not take the bait that his concubine was implicated.
"So if the Prince of Zhenbei takes his anger out on me, it won't be easy to handle."
Lin Yuesha was very troubled. It's no wonder she overthought things. On the day she hid in Ziyuan's wardrobe, she learned exactly what made the Prince of Zhenbei's unpredictable temper.
"This works?"
Zhang Qing'er was stunned. This was just like a shrew, unreasonable and making a fuss!
“Sister Yue Sha is right.”
Jiang Baozhu expressed her concerns, so pretending not to know was currently the most advantageous option for her side.
"Alright, let's ignore the little girl delivering the message. Everyone, remember to stick to the same story and don't make any mistakes."
With everyone agreeing, Lin Yuesha felt a little relieved. She rubbed her temples, wondering if the old monk had any luck-changing talismans; her luck had been terrible lately.
After about fifteen minutes, someone knocked on the door.
Xiao Xi opened the door, and there stood an old woman with a wrinkled face and a solemn expression.
"This old servant is Granny Xiao from the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion. I greet all the young ladies."
The Prince of Zhenbei was surnamed Xiao, and he had a wet nurse who was later granted the surname Xiao.
Zhang Qing'er had heard her mother mention it once; looking at the old woman's demeanor, she acted more like a master than a mistress.
"Granny Xiao, it's cold outside, please come in."
Qianlv cleverly stepped forward and discovered that Xiao Mama was followed by maids and guards. Several maids entered the room, while the guards stood at the door as door gods.
"Ladies, please don't panic. You must have heard that our prince's beloved concubine fell into a trap and died tragically. The prince is furious, so he sent this old servant to thoroughly investigate the matter."
When Granny Xiao saw Zhang Qing'er, she recognized the daughter of Lord Zhang, so she spoke to her in a more courteous manner.
"I never imagined that such a pure and tranquil Buddhist place as Yutan Temple would have evil people among them!"
Zhang Qing'er was startled and immediately gave up her seat, inviting Granny Xiao to take the seat.
With the concubine dead, the prince will have no one to serve him tonight. Granny Xiao entered the room partly to investigate, but also in the hope of finding a suitable young maid to warm the prince's bed.
Zhang Qing'er was too fat and her status was inappropriate; Granny Xiao herself overlooked this.
There was a ninety-year-old maid inside, but she was too young, and the prince, being picky, didn't approve of her.
The remaining two were quite different. One had a fair complexion and rosy cheeks, but was so gaudy that one didn't want to look at her a second time, comparable to the girls at the Drunken Wind Pavilion. The other was past the age of blossoming youth and was not pleasing to the eye.
All eliminated.
Lin Yuesha didn't know Xiao Mama's evaluation of her, otherwise her mouth would have stretched to her ears. The evaluation was fair, and she wasn't angry at all!
Has anyone seen this white cloth before?
After speaking, Granny Xiao took out a piece of white cloth and displayed it in front of everyone.
The white cloth was actually a piece of smooth silk, which looked like it was used for making an undergarment.
Zhang Qing'er stepped forward, examined it carefully, and then shook her head, saying, "I don't recognize it."
"I've never seen it either."
Lin Yuesha shrugged, deliberately making her voice sound sweet and delicate, which made Jiang Baozhu beside her feel numb and couldn't help but glance at her.
"Would the ladies mind if they took out their belongings for this old servant to inspect?"
Granny Xiao stared at the group of people with her cloudy eyes, secretly trying to gauge the credibility of their words.
Zhang Qing'er was quite frank, as she hadn't made it herself; there was nothing she brought that she was ashamed of.
Several maids stepped forward and dumped all the things they had found onto the kang (a heated brick bed), including a pair of fur knee pads that Lin Yuesha had just taken off.
"What's this?"
Granny Xiao pulled out the knee pads and asked.
Lin Yuesha was speechless. What's so strange about this?
“Granny Xiao, my legs are easily affected by the wind, so I specially wore knee pads. Now I don’t need them anymore. If you want to pray to the gods and Buddhas, it would be best to put them on.”
Lin Yuesha was incredibly obsequious. She was afraid of these unruly servants, because if they spoke up for her at a crucial moment, it might come in handy.
Granny Xiao was very pleased that Lin Yuesha was sensible and readily accepted the fur knee pads.
"The case is still pending. Until then, none of you are allowed to leave the room. Just wait here."
Granny Xiao didn't make things difficult for her and went out with her maid.
As soon as the person left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhang Qing'er was gloomy and felt that things were not over yet.
“That Miss Xuan doesn’t even know your surname, which shows how stupid she is. This matter will probably come out eventually.”
Not only is Xuan Yao stupid, but the self-righteous maidservant beside her is an even bigger idiot.
How could these two novices possibly deal with the people from the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion? They would probably be able to find out the truth in just a few words from Granny Xiao.
"So, we still can't escape it?"
Jiang Baozhu also sighed. Xuan Yao, with her personality, would eventually confess honestly, which would implicate Lin Yuesha.
"So, I pretended not to know, and then gave Granny Xiao a pair of knee pads, hoping she would appreciate it."
Lin Yuesha's lips twitched. Wasn't this obvious? She never thought she could stay out of it. How bleak!
She was fairly confident that she could survive in the cracks, as long as she didn't catch the eye of the Prince of Zhenbei.
"The Xuan family is a scourge; they've caused immense harm!"
Jiang Baozhu gritted her teeth. In her past life, she could never escape the shadow of He Xing. In this life, her good sister was framed by Xuan Yao. They were truly sisters in adversity!
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