Fukang'an rushed into the east wing and saw Xiying also getting up and hurrying towards the inner room, which made him even more worried. The midwife had just put away the blood-stained handkerchief when she saw Fukang'an's tall figure appear in the inner room like a bolt of lightning.
Fukang'an saw Yan Ning lying on the bed, her clothes disheveled, her long, dark hair obscuring her face, her body trembling. His anger had nowhere to go, and he kicked the midwife beside the bed far away. Seeing this, the two other women knelt on the ground and crawled away.
Fukang'an grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Yan Ning. Yan Ning opened her eyes and saw Fukang'an; her fear, reflected in the tears welling in her eyes, pierced Fukang'an's heart. He held Yan Ning, smoothing her jet-black hair, and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. No matter what happens, I'll be here!" Yan Ning clung tightly to Fukang'an, her voice hoarse as she said, "I'm innocent! I'm innocent!..." Humiliation and terror made Yan Ning repeat these words over and over.
The midwife crawled out of the inner room, intending to hand over the blood-stained handkerchief to the main room. Xi Ying grabbed her arm, her eyes like clouds, "If you hand over this blood-stained handkerchief, it means you've defiled Miss Yan Ning's virginity. As an experienced midwife, how will the old lady punish you for such a mistake? You've seen the General's current state; how will he punish you? I think you should understand!" The midwife, already terrified by Fu Kang'an, asked Xi Ying tremblingly, "Then what should I do?"
"Give me this handkerchief and let me handle it. Don't worry, if you insist that Yan Ning is not a virgin, no one will know about this anymore, and the old lady will definitely protect you!" Xi Ying said calmly, her face still showing a worried expression.
"Zhao Xing!"
Upon hearing Fukang'an's voice, Zhao Xing, who was outside the door, immediately rushed to the beaded curtain of the inner room, "This servant is here!"
"Prepare the carriage, let's go back to the Fu residence!" Fukang'an said, picking up Yan Ning and preparing to get up.
"I'm not leaving! I've suffered such humiliation just to prove my innocence, I can't leave like this, without a clear conscience!" Yan Ning said, grabbing Fu Kang'an's arm as she came to her senses.
"Alright!" Fukang'an put Yan Ning down, looking at her with heartache, and instructed the person outside the door, "Bring the lady's clothes!" Hehua, following Zhao Xing's instructions, grabbed a set of Yan Ning's clothes and hurried towards the east wing. Xi Ying stopped Hehua, took the clothes from her, and went into the inner room. "General, please go out first! I'm sure the lady wouldn't want you to see her in such a disheveled state!" Xi Ying noticed the embarrassment in Yan Ning's eyes and said to Fukang'an. Yan Ning nodded to Fukang'an with tears in her eyes. Fukang'an handed Yan Ning over to Xi Ying and waited outside the beaded curtain of the inner room.
Fukang'an carried Yan Ning, who had changed her clothes, to the main hall of the house. He dismissed all the unrelated servants and had Zhao Xing stand guard outside the door.
"I am innocent!" Yan Ning got down from Fukang'an's arms, stood on the ground, straightened her back, and moved her pale lips to prove to the old lady.
"Midwife, what do you say?" The old lady glanced at Fukang'an, who was supporting Yan Ning, and asked the midwife kneeling on the ground, trembling.
"Reporting to the old lady, the lady is not a virgin!" The midwife finished speaking haltingly, burying her head even deeper, not daring to look at Yan Ning and Fu Kang'an at all.
No sooner had the midwife finished speaking than Yan Ning lost control and shouted, "You're talking nonsense! I clearly saw that the white handkerchief you were holding was stained with blood!"
Knowing that Fukang'an would surely kill her if he found out she was the one who ruined Yan Ning's body, the midwife stubbornly argued with Yan Ning, "I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, Madam, you can search me! Where did this handkerchief with bloodstains come from?"
Fukang'an glanced at Li Mama, who was standing next to the old lady, and Li Mama immediately stepped forward to search the midwife's body. She searched every inch of her clothes, inside and out, and even the inner layers. Li Mama shook her head as she looked at everyone.
Seeing Li Mama shake her head, Yan Ning felt weak and unable to stand, so Fukang'an helped her sit down. Then she instructed Zhao Xing, who was guarding the door, "Bring all the handkerchiefs from the east wing!"
A short while later, Zhao Xing brought over a large pile of handkerchiefs of various colors, but none of them were stained with blood.
Yan Ning grasped Fukang'an's hand, tears streaming down her face. She stammered, "She must have lost her somewhere, or given her to some maid. She must have been bribed! She must have had accomplices!"
Fukang'an embraced the helpless Yan Ning, his brows furrowed, and ordered Zhao Xing, "Bring all the handkerchiefs from every house in Peony Hall except the main house, as well as all the handkerchiefs worn by the servants of Peony Hall! If you miss one, you'll be whipped!"
After about half an incense stick's time, the floor of the hall was piled high with handkerchiefs. Zhao Xing knelt down and reported, "Reporting to the general, all the houses and servants have been searched. All the handkerchiefs are here!"
"Go down!" Fukang'an watched Zhao Xing present the trays one by one, already knowing there were no bloodstained handkerchiefs. To reassure Yan Ning, he still carefully searched through them all. Seeing Fukang'an return empty-handed, Yan Ning disbelievingly rushed into the piles of handkerchiefs, rummaging and searching. Fukang'an pulled Yan Ning up and hugged her tightly, "I believe you! You don't need anything to prove your innocence!"
Yan Ning pushed Fukang'an away, shook her head and said, "No, I saw it with my own eyes! It must still be somewhere in the Peony Hall or on someone's person!"
"Enough! How long are you going to keep this up? Do you want me to be searched before you'll stop?!" The old lady said, unable to bear seeing her son so easily swayed by Yan Ning.
Xi Ying squeezed her sleeve, secretly relieved. Judging from the situation just now, Fukang'an was really going to search everyone who had stayed in the east wing. Now that the old lady had spoken, the search had stopped! E'lan had originally been worried that Fukang'an would find the silver notes and implicate her, but now she was secretly delighted. Only Xi Ying had stayed in the east wing, so she had really killed two birds with one stone! Thinking of this, her rose-red brocade dress accentuated her joy, making her look like a bride-to-be.
"This isn't a virgin body, so how could there be a bloodstained handkerchief? New sister-in-law, you've been going through all this trouble for so long, don't you get tired! Should we search everyone who stayed in the east wing?" Seeing that the old lady was angry, E'lan continued to add fuel to the fire, and dragged Xi Ying into the mess as well.
After hearing E'lan's words, Yan Ning glanced at Xi Ying, meeting her worried gaze. She knew Xi Ying wouldn't harm her. Yan Ning walked up to E'lan, filled with anger and humiliation, and slapped her. E'lan hadn't expected the seemingly frail Yan Ning to hit her. By the time she reacted and prepared to retaliate, Fu Kang'an was already standing beside Yan Ning, his gaze icy as he looked at her. E'lan withdrew her raised hand, glaring fiercely at Yan Ning.
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