"What are you doing here?" Xiang Wan asked in a low voice, her hands busy rubbing Wang Mu and Xiang Xia's knees and straightening their clothes as she spoke.
The Queen Mother's hair was somewhat disheveled, as if it had been pulled by hand; her clothes were slightly rumpled; and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Xiang Xia remained silent to the side, but her aura concealed anger. The Queen Mother lightly patted Xiang Wan's hand, shook her head, and gestured for her to look towards the Prince.
Yuan Feng stared at the group for a long while before calmly speaking, "Lord Li, don't rush to apologize. Tell me, how did you get into this back garden?"
The old man named Li Chengyan stiffened, then slowly straightened up. Xiang Wan heard him take a few deep breaths before replying, "This old minister brought his daughter with him. I had hoped that at her age, it would be good to arrange a marriage for her to fulfill my wife's wish. But my daughter is usually too impulsive and hasn't shown any interest in that regard. At my age, this is my only precious daughter, how can I not be anxious and worried? A few months ago, His Majesty sent out invitations, so I persuaded her to come along. Who knew that as soon as she arrived, she became quite close to a young gentleman. This old minister was somewhat comforted and wanted her to introduce him to me, so I could help her make a good impression, but who knew she..."
"Lord Li, get to the point!"
"Yes, yes, what I'm about to say is about this matter. My eyes are fixed on my daughter, so I won't act rashly as I usually do."
"My daughter exchanged a few words with that man, and somehow they started arguing. She accidentally knocked over the cup in his hand. I thought, 'Oh no, my daughter must have been throwing a tantrum and had a fight with someone.' Just as I was about to go over, I saw the two of them walking towards the back garden, one after the other. Worried about my daughter, I followed them. But after looking around for a while, I couldn't see them. Just as I was about to look for them again, someone threw some powder at me. Caught off guard, I inhaled several mouthfuls, and then felt hot and uncomfortable all over. I knew immediately I had been drugged. Just then, someone came by. Thinking I needed help, I reached out to pull them away. But this person struggled and yelled at me without giving me a chance to explain. In my desperation, I tried to explain, but I couldn't speak. Then I was freed, and in my dazed state, I felt someone else coming. I was a little out of it and don't know what happened after that. After the effects of the drug wore off, I ended up like this. Alas!"
“Every word I have said is true, and I dare not conceal anything. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly.”
Upon hearing this, Xiang Wan understood. The Queen Mother must be the one who came earlier, but why was she here? And who led her here?
Xiang Wan was very suspicious of these things, but she didn't say anything, just waiting for Yuan Feng's next interrogation.
"Someone has sprinkled pesticide on you? Calling for help? Lord Li, are you stalling for time to buy your future son-in-law a chance to escape?"
Yuan Feng's words not only stunned Li Chengyan, but also greatly surprised Xiang Wan. She had originally thought that it was understandable for Lord Li to fall into a trap out of love for his daughter, but she never expected there to be a hidden story.
"I'm afraid you can't even protect yourself, yet you're thinking about someone who might not even be your son-in-law. Others might not appreciate it."
Even though Xiang Wan couldn't see Li Chengyan's face clearly, she could tell that he must have looked terrible and was filled with resentment.
While he was thinking, he saw someone bring a man over and make him kneel in front of Yuan Feng.
"That's good, everyone's here. I don't want to waste any more time with the interrogation, so I'll just announce the crime directly. If anyone disagrees, they can appeal in prison."
As he spoke, Yuan Feng recounted the whole story.
It turns out that Liang Sansi was originally a scion of a wealthy family, but his family had fallen on hard times, and apart from his noble status, he had nothing else. He had seduced Li Chengyan's daughter at a ball, but unfortunately, he lacked the funds for a betrothal gift. He had somehow heard that the Queen Mother was widowed and possessed considerable wealth. He reasoned that if he could get her to consummate her relationship with Li Chengyan, not only would his philandering future father-in-law gain a beautiful and still attractive woman, but he would also bring his own fortune. After discussing this with Li Chengyan, the following scene unfolded.
The woman whose innocence was ruined was not innocent either; she was simply trying to climb the social ladder. After being promised benefits by Liang Sansi, she led the Queen Mother here, only to be exposed by Xiang Xia, who had been watching the Queen Mother closely after being reminded by her sister. Li Chengyan was ruthless; he had indeed drugged her, and after the Queen Mother left, he casually pulled the woman who was secretly watching the scene aside and committed that despicable act.
In the end, all three were thrown into jail to await their fate. However, before Liang Sansi was taken away, his eyes kept glancing at Qin Rong. Just as he was about to speak, his mouth was covered.
The matter was thus resolved hastily, without alerting anyone else. Xiang Wan still had questions and stood up to ask Yuan Feng, but he shook his head to stop her. Afterwards, the group followed him to a room. He dismissed everyone and closed the door.
“I know there are still many things you don’t understand. Why don’t you let your dear sister tell you?”
Xiang Wan hadn't paid attention before, but now she noticed that Qin Rong's face had turned pale and her whole body was trembling slightly as Yuan Feng spoke.
"Mother, Mother, Rong'er has been deceived! You must believe Rong'er!"
Qin Rong rushed to the Queen Mother and knelt down, tears dripping onto the ground, quickly soaking the area.
The Queen Mother looked at her without speaking. Xiang Wan knew this matter was related to her, and stood coldly beside the Queen Mother. Xiang Xia was trembling with anger, pointing at her but unable to speak.
"Mother, Rong'er saw that you were working so hard for the entire Qin family all by yourself, and it was very tiring. This young master Liang told me about a very nice Master Li, and that you should meet him. Rong'er thought it would be good to meet him, that nothing bad could happen. But who knew, who knew he would actually…"
“Mother, Rong’er really didn’t know this would happen. It’s all Rong’er’s fault. Rong’er shouldn’t have made the decision for you without permission, and shouldn’t have believed the lies. Rong’er truly knows she was wrong. Please, Mother, forgive Rong’er this time for the sake of my deceased father. Rong’er will never dare to do it again…”
Before Qin Rong could explain further, Xiang Wan couldn't take it anymore and asked sternly, "Are you really unaware, or are you just making excuses? Don't think I don't know you've been in contact with Liang Sansi in private. Pushing the blame onto others when something goes wrong is truly Qin Rong's usual style."
Xiang Wan's words made Qin Rong forget her tears. Her face was a little dejected, and she whispered in defense, "How could Rong'er do such a thing? It was because that Young Master Liang admired me that he met with me in private."
"How old are you to be having an affair?" Xiang Wan sneered. "Or do you want him to take the blame? Heh, anyway, that person has already been detained. It doesn't matter if you don't tell the truth. Surely, under the beating, your weak connection won't be enough to make him risk his life to absolve you of responsibility?"
There were only the five of them in the room at that moment. They saw Yuan Feng looking at Xiang Wan with a smile on his face, his eyes not on Qin Rong at all, as if he had extinguished Qin Rong's last bit of hope.
After Xiang Wan finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a long while, Qin Rong got up from the floor, her face no longer concealing her hatred: "Yes, it was all me. Why should I pretend I know nothing when you've taken everything from me? I want revenge! I want you to suffer a fate worse than death!"
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