Chapter 72 The hole has been plugged, doesn't the young master know?
Shen Wantang found it somewhat amusing: "What did I lose?"
Chu Yanluo said smugly, "You've lost miserably. You wanted to bring me down, thinking that this would win the prince's heart. Unfortunately, no matter how you frame and slander me, the prince still believes me. I'm innocent!"
"If I'm bullied, the prince will only feel more sorry for me and won't despise me. Unlike you, what good is being innocent? Has the prince consummated your marriage? No, right? He still won't even look at you twice!"
"Shen Wantang, Qingyuan is mine. He will never like you. Just give up on him and move out of the palace on your own!"
Shen Wantang said calmly, "Whether I need to move out of the Prince's Mansion is not for you to say. You are not qualified."
"Hmph, I don't have that qualification, but the Crown Prince does, right? My words represent his will. He didn't want to marry you in the first place, didn't you know that? Since you know that, why are you still staying in the Prince's mansion and refusing to leave? Have you fallen in love with the wealth and glory of the Prince's mansion, fallen in love with the status of the Crown Prince's consort, and are unwilling to leave?"
Qin Xin sneered from the side, "Oh, you still have the nerve to say such things? Aren't you the one who's staying in the Prince's mansion and refusing to leave? Our Princess Consort is the Prince's lawfully wedded wife. Where else would she live if not in the Prince's mansion?"
"As for you, you have no official title or status, and your position is illegitimate. I don't know how thick-skinned you are to live in our Prince's Mansion every day. Could it be that you're after the wealth and glory of our Prince's Mansion and covet the status of the Crown Prince's Consort, which is why you can't bear to leave?"
Chu Yanluo's face darkened instantly. She raised her hand to slap Qin Xin, but Qin Xin reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and shoving her back hard.
Chu Yanluo staggered several steps before regaining her balance. She stared at Qin Xin with a dark expression: "You dare to push me?"
Qin Xin said with a forced smile, "What's wrong with pushing you? Is it illegal? Miss Chu had better understand your own status. I am a first-class head maid in the Prince's mansion. Only my master can slap me. What are you? You're not even a concubine. Your status isn't even as high as mine as a first-class head maid. You still want to hit me?"
Chu Yanluo gritted her teeth and glared at Shen Wantang: "Is this how you discipline your maids? She spoke rudely to me and even dared to hit me. She has no manners whatsoever as a maid! Shen Wantang, you're a failure!"
Shen Wantang looked at her calmly: "My maid is quite good. If you think she's not good, then you should reflect on yourself and see if there's something wrong with you."
"I think the problem lies with you! This maid is practically riding roughshod over you, and instead of selling her off, you keep her around to lord it over you. I'm ashamed for you!"
Shen Wantang suddenly laughed: "What, now you've finally realized you can't sell my maid? So you've switched to sowing discord so I can sell her off?"
"I didn't try to sow discord; I wouldn't stoop to such a thing!"
"Whether you've been trying to sow discord or not, you know it in your heart."
"Shen Wantang, I've discovered how ungrateful you are! I'm doing this for your own good. This Qin Xin is arrogant and has no respect for her master whatsoever. Keeping her around is just a disaster!"
"Qin Xin has always been respectful to her mistress. If she doesn't respect you, you should think carefully about whether you are truly her mistress. If you are not her mistress, then shut your mouth. My maid is not for you to criticize."
"you!!"
Chu Yanluo glared at her angrily: "Fine, fine, you're deliberately trying to make things difficult for me, aren't you? Then I'll show you whether I can actually sell your maid!"
After she finished speaking, she turned and left.
Qin Xin watched her retreating figure, a faint worry creeping into her heart: "Princess Consort, could she really have gotten the Prince to sell me off? The Prince listens to her every word, I'm afraid..."
It wasn't that she was being overly worried; the young master had already sold out many people before, even Granny Chai, who had watched him grow up, had been sold out by him. And the one who started all of this was Chu Yanluo.
"Don't be afraid."
Shen Wantang calmly reassured her, "With me here, no one can sell you out, not even the Crown Prince."
Seeing her calm and confident demeanor, Qin Xin's heart finally settled down, and she was somewhat moved: "Thank you for protecting this servant, Princess Consort!"
Shen Wantang smiled with a hint of self-deprecation: "If I can't even protect you all, what's the point of living my life?"
Having lived two lives, she didn't want much. Her husband's love was dispensable, but she couldn't afford to lose a single maid's life!
In her previous life, she failed to protect Dujuan, causing her to die young. She blamed herself for many years. Now, given the chance, she protected Dujuan firmly. Now, she has several more loyal maids and nannies. Since they all acknowledge her as their mistress, she will naturally protect them for life!
After dinner, Shen Wantang leaned back in a recliner in the courtyard and read a book.
She had just taken a bath, and her long hair was still wet. Qin Xin and Du Juan each had a dry towel and were carefully wringing her hair dry.
Granny Chai brought over a bowl of bird's nest soup, placed it beside her, and then quietly withdrew.
A gentle breeze was blowing, and the courtyard was quiet, with only the soft sound of Shen Wantang turning the pages of her book. Everything seemed so beautiful.
The tranquility was shattered by the arrival of Xiao Qingyuan.
He coughed lightly: "Ahem, Shen Wantang."
Shen Wantang put down her book and stood up: "Young Master, why are you here so late?"
Xiao Qingyuan felt something was off about what she was saying, as if Shen Wantang didn't want him to come at all.
"I came here because I have something to tell you."
"Please speak, Your Highness."
“I have investigated Yan Luo’s matter thoroughly. It was not her fault. The claim that she had an affair is pure nonsense. She was drugged by Gu Qianhan and was unable to resist. She was forced into it.”
"Yeah?"
"Of course! Your previous judgment that the man with Yan Luo was Yuan Zheng was wrong. Next time, make sure you investigate thoroughly before detaining someone, and don't wrongly accuse Yan Luo again."
"Whether Miss Chu has been wronged is another matter. However, the person with Miss Chu that night was definitely not the Second Young Master Gu. Many people knew that the Second Young Master Gu left the Prince's mansion. Why would the Prince think it was him? Did he have the opportunity to commit the crime?"
"Of course he did. He left the palace and then came back."
"He's back? Then why didn't anyone at the Prince's residence see him?"
"Because he crawled in through a very hidden little hole, which was very close to my courtyard. If he went that way, no one in the Prince's mansion would have been able to find him."
Shen Wantang suddenly realized: "Oh, is the young master referring to the dog hole in the west corner that's covered by weeds?"
Xiao Qingyuan was taken aback: "You know that cave?"
Shen Wantang nodded: "I know, Mother has been asking me to manage the household, so I had people repair all the damaged parts of the mansion. That dog hole was sealed up ten days ago, and now it's completely sealed, not even an ant can get in. Doesn't the young master know?"
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