Lanqin and the others waited at the door for an announcement, and naturally they heard Yan Yu's cries.
"Consort, ladies, please come in. His Majesty has invited you in," Su Peisheng said personally as he came out to greet them.
Lanqin led Song Shi and the others into the main room of the Fourth Prince. They saw the Fourth Prince sitting in the main seat with a gloomy face, and his wife sitting on the other side with a similarly gloomy expression.
Yan Yu knelt on the ground, sobbing, but her bright pink qipao embroidered with datura flowers was quite eye-catching.
Lanqin led everyone in bowing to the Fourth Prince and his wife, and then they took their seats according to their respective ranks and the order in which they entered the mansion.
"Su Peisheng, let Madam Yin come over too." Fourth Master glanced at Lanqin before speaking to Su Peisheng, who was standing at the door.
When the Fujin saw Lanqin leading everyone in to pay their respects, she felt a pang of displeasure. Looking at the expressions of Song Shi, Geng Shi, and the others, who all stood behind her willingly to bow, she felt a sense of unease.
At this moment, Yan Yu could only look at the Fujin with anticipation, but found that the Fujin did not look at her at all.
Lanqin looked at Yan Yu, whose face was streaked with tears, and her heart was still filled with hatred. Ushiha almost didn't make it. Luckily, Ushiha was too young, and they hadn't fed her much to begin with. The child who died was the oldest and was at the age where he was starting solids, so they fed him too much, which led to his death.
When Madam Yin walked in, she was dressed entirely in moon white, with only a few plain silver hairpins in her hair, and she looked very sad.
Lanqin glanced at the woman coldly a few times, feeling that she had changed too much. She had entered the manor with her, but after that lesson, she seemed like a completely different person, someone she couldn't understand.
"You shameless woman, when did I ever order you to deliver any jujube water?" Yan Yu saw Madam Yin walk to her side and was about to bow when she angrily shoved her aside. She was desperate and grasping at straws; knowing that what she had done could no longer be hidden, she simply wanted to stir up trouble and drag someone down with her.
Yin did not resist and allowed him to push her, which naturally resulted in her falling to the ground.
Everyone despised Yan Yu's tantrum until the Fujin ordered her men to pull Yan Yu away.
"You're becoming more and more outrageous. You've done your own good deed and you're blaming others. Madam Yin is ignorant. She's already told me and the master. What else do you have to say?" The princess said to Yan Yu with disgust.
Yan Yu looked at the Fujin (principal wife), and she understood now. This kind elder sister was planning to use her as a scapegoat to curry favor with the Fourth Prince. The incident with Granny Li had completely humiliated her in front of the Fourth Prince, and this woman was trying to use her to regain his trust.
Yan Yu sneered, thinking to herself: If you push me too far, I'll expose everything you've done. If I'm going to die, I'll drag you all down with me.
Lanqin and the others watched as the two sisters tore each other apart, each feeling a mix of emotions that were difficult to express.
"Yin, repeat what she told you again," the Fujin said to Yin, ignoring Yan Yu's icy gaze.
Madam Yin rose from the ground, knelt down, and wept, covering her face with her handkerchief. "The other day, I was embroidering a sachet for the Third Prince in my room when Princess Yu suddenly came looking for me, asking about the full-month celebration gift for Wuxiha. I said I'd send a few sets of children's clothes, and she suggested sending some food instead. She said red date water is good for replenishing blood and qi, and suggested I stew some and send it over. I didn't think much of it, figuring red date water is mild and nourishing, and giving a little to the child wouldn't have any effect. I never imagined someone would send barley porridge, which is incompatible with red dates! I truly didn't think of that, please punish me, Your Highness." With that, she kowtowed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
Lanqin roughly understood that this was a scheme orchestrated by Yan Yu, who had taken advantage of Madam Yin. However, she felt that Madam Yin's performance today was somewhat overtly theatrical. Judging from her attire and facial expression, she was clearly trying to gain the Fourth Master's leniency.
This woman is quite the actress; even the Fourth Prince might forgive her.
Song whispered something, and Lanqin turned around, smiled at her, and nodded, indicating that she understood. However, in the current situation, it was really impossible to find any fault with Yin.
"My lord, she's talking nonsense. I haven't gone looking for her." Yan Yu still refused to admit it.
"Let Jinzhi in." Fourth Master ignored her protests.
A short while later, Yan Yu's personal maid, Jin Zhi, entered and greeted the Fourth Prince and his wife.
"Jinzhi, tell me, has your princess gone to Princess Yin's place and asked her to send jujube water?" the Fujin asked.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the Princess went to see Princess Yin and asked her to send some jujube water to the young princess in the South Courtyard. Then, she also ordered me to cook barley porridge and send it over." Jinzhi immediately knelt down; she couldn't possibly speak standing up. However, she was clever enough to deliberately omit the fact that she knew Yan Yu's intentions in doing this, implying that she was unaware of the details.
"You lowly servant, who bribed you to frame me like this?" Yan Yu was so angry that she couldn't help but start hitting and cursing. If she hadn't been held back, she would have already pounced on Jin Zhi.
“Princess, I’m not lying. I’ve been following you the whole time and have seen it all with my own eyes,” Jinzhi said hurriedly.
Fourth Master's hand, which was resting on the table, had tightened into a fist.
The Fujin sighed, immediately stood up, walked to the Fourth Prince, curtsied, and said, "Please calm down, Your Highness. It is my fault for not teaching her well. She did such a terrible and foolish thing. Please forgive her for giving birth to Hailan for Your Highness."
Lanqin and the others were all shocked when they heard what the Fujin said: Why did the Fujin not mention the prince, but instead mention Hailan?
"These are all her crimes, what does it have to do with the Fujin? Get up. What she did is truly unforgivable to Your Majesty. Smuggling an infant in to impersonate a royal grandson shows a complete disregard for the royal family." The Fourth Prince slammed his hand on the table.
These words caused an uproar among the crowd. Everyone looked around and began whispering among themselves.
"No, I didn't. My lord, the Fifth Prince is indeed your flesh and blood. Eldest sister, how cruel you are! What did I do to deserve such slander against Yu'er?" Yan Yu cried out hoarsely.
"Yu'er, it's not that your elder sister doesn't want to help you, but what you've done is truly unforgivable. Your elder sister has already pleaded for you. As long as you explain your crimes clearly, the Prince will eventually spare your life," the Fujin advised. She also knew that she herself wasn't sure whether the Fourth Prince would actually order Yan Yu's death.
Oh, so it was a case of sacrificing Zhu to save the king!! The Princess Consort's move was ruthless and cruel. She even schemed against her own sister! But Yan Yu's son was actually adopted from outside; she really brought it on herself!!
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