Chapter 73 Thank you, Princess Consort, for saving me!
Xiao Qingyuan's mind went blank for a moment, and he subconsciously said, "That's impossible."
"Does Your Highness think I need to lie about something like this? Besides, many people knew about blocking that hole. You can just ask any servant and you'll know whether I'm telling the truth or not."
After listening, Xiao Qingyuan turned around and walked out quickly.
A moment later, he returned.
His face was even paler and more unsightly than when he left. Clearly, what Shen Wantang said had been verified. The dog hole had indeed been blocked ten days ago, and there was no possibility that Gu Qianhan had secretly sneaked back to the palace through the dog hole after leaving.
Xiao Qingyuan's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
Therefore, Gu Qianhan never came back.
Who was the man who had sex with Chu Yanluo?
Yuan Zheng?
But if it's Yuan Zheng, it's one thing for Yuan Zheng to deny it, but why doesn't Chu Yanluo admit it either? Why would she rather frame Gu Qianhan than point the finger at Yuan Zheng?
Is there some hidden story he doesn't know about?
Seeing that his face was deathly pale, Shen Wantang was afraid that he might be too shocked and do something rash, so she casually comforted him: "Although the hole has been blocked, someone may have climbed over the wall into the palace, so the young master's guess may not be wrong. I will ask the guards to be more vigilant and increase patrols later."
Xiao Qingyuan looked at her calm face, but he felt no comfort.
Because he knew that the guards of the Prince's mansion were not useless; if people could easily climb over the wall and enter the mansion, they wouldn't need to work anymore.
He used to sneak out to play and always get caught by the guards when he came back in the middle of the night. It wasn't until he started crawling through the dog hole that things got a little better.
The dog hole was blocked. If someone tried to climb over the wall, the guards would definitely find out, because the palace not only had guards patrolling the perimeter, but also guards standing at the highest point inside the palace responsible for patrolling.
His expression became complicated: "Why are you still taking my side? I might have made a mistake. Instead of taking the opportunity to mock me, you're comforting me?"
Shen Wantang shook her head: "Why would I mock you? Nobody's perfect. Who can guarantee they're always right? It's okay to make a mistake or two. Just learn from it and be able to distinguish right from wrong in the future."
Her tolerance and magnanimity made Xiao Qingyuan feel ashamed.
He was even surprised to realize that marrying Shen Wantang as his heir was a blessing. If another woman had married into the palace, the manor would never have been as peaceful and harmonious as it is now. It would probably have become chaotic and disorderly.
Looking at Shen Wantang like this, he suddenly found himself unable to say what he was going to say—the main reason he came here tonight was to get Qin Xin's indenture, because Chu Yanluo wanted it. She thought the maids she bought from outside were too vulgar, and she had her eye on Qin Xin's cleverness and competence.
He hesitated for a long time, glancing at Qin Xin beside Shen Wantang several times until Qin Xin was terrified and turned pale, before turning away with his lips pursed—he simply didn't have the face to ask for Shen Wantang's most capable maid.
As soon as he left, Qin Xin's legs went weak, and she knelt down at Shen Wantang's feet, crying, "Thank you, Princess Consort, for saving me!"
Shen Wantang wiped away her tears and helped her up: "Why are you crying and kneeling? The young master didn't say anything, why are you so scared?"
Qin Xin's voice choked with sobs: "Although the young master didn't say anything, I'm not stupid. I know that the young master's frequent visits to me mean he wants to take me away. If I go to Xinghe Courtyard, my life will be in Chu Yanluo's hands, and I won't be able to survive."
Before Xiao Qingyuan arrived, Mo Ji had secretly sent her a message. He told her that Chu Yanluo had suddenly praised her in front of the Crown Prince and wanted her to be his maid, so she should be careful.
"If it weren't for the Crown Princess's skillful handling of the situation, which made the Crown Prince truly admire you and too embarrassed to ask you for the person, I wouldn't have been able to escape this time. I will never forget the Crown Princess's great kindness!"
Shen Wantang's voice was gentle: "I don't necessarily think he'll be completely convinced. I don't have the ability to convince the young master! However, the young master didn't speak up today, probably because he was really too embarrassed to ask. Even if the young master asked me for you today, I wouldn't give you to him. You are my head maid, my right-hand woman. If he takes you away, who will tell me the gossip about the outside world?"
Qin Xin saw that her tone was quite flattering, and knew that she was genuinely protecting her. She smiled through her tears and perked up again: "As long as the Princess Consort is willing to listen, this servant will find out more gossip for you. I guarantee it will all be the freshest first-hand information, and I will never let you fall behind anyone in the capital in this regard!"
Shen Wantang laughed: "Then I'll become the number one person in the capital to know all the gossip!"
When the others saw her smile, they joined in the teasing.
In an instant, the atmosphere in Wutong Garden became relaxed and joyful.
Moreover, because Shen Wantang protected Qin Xin, the other maids felt more at ease. After all, having a master willing to protect them was a great blessing for them, and they were naturally willing to work hard for such a master.
After the teasing, Qin Xin went to the side room to wash her face and reapply the ointment.
Shuxiang followed her in, and couldn't help but sigh, "Qinxin, you're so lucky. The young master didn't take you away. If he had, Chu Yanluo might have sold you off under some pretext tomorrow. Do you remember Chu Yanluo saying she was going to sell you to Chichun Lane?"
"I remember, how could I not remember? She was such a vicious woman, trying to sell me to a place like that!"
"She's truly wicked. I have no idea what our Crown Prince likes about her. Why doesn't he like our Crown Princess? I've already fallen for her, but he doesn't seem to care. I just can't fathom what he's thinking!"
"I think the Crown Prince treats his wife quite differently. Sometimes when he looks at her, there's something in his eyes that he doesn't have when he looks at Chu Yanluo."
"Huh? What is it?"
"It's... that feeling of great respect. Um, I can't really explain it, but I feel like the Crown Prince has been completely controlled by the Crown Princess. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left without even asking for anyone today."
"That's true. Before, every time the young master came to our Wutong Courtyard, he didn't look very happy and would leave after only a short while. Now, he's very polite every time he comes, and he always chats with the young master's wife for a while before leaving. He probably realized that it's very comfortable to talk to the young master's wife!"
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