Chapter 85 Who is the mastermind behind this?
The arrival of the Fourth Princess brought a chill to the originally joyous banquet.
Su Wanwan frowned. Chen Mian, who was accompanying her, also felt a pang in his heart. What was the Fourth Princess doing here?
Fortunately, everyone present looked unhappy, so the abnormality of these few people did not seem so abrupt.
"What? This princess came to congratulate, but there is no one to greet her?" The Fourth Princess stepped forward. The face that looked 50% like Liao Cheng made Su Wanwan feel nauseous.
In order not to show any abnormality, Su Wanwan smiled and went to greet her, "The princess has come to visit us today, which has brought honor to our mansion. Look at me, I really didn't react all of a sudden, and even forgot to come forward to greet you."
The Fourth Princess glanced at her and said, "Why don't you take me to the seat?"
The seats for the guests coming today have been reserved, especially the main table. It is really difficult to arrange the seats when one more person suddenly appears.
The only ones who were worthy of sitting with the princess were the old lady of Marquis Yang, the current marquis' wife, Lady Ji of the Yang family's first wife, Widow Liu, and Chen Mian.
Since the princess arrived, the others at the table had to give up their seats and move to other tables. Su Wanwan looked at her aunts and decided to make room for herself so that the Fourth Princess could sit in her seat.
Old Madam Yang Hou frowned and didn't say much.
After the Fourth Princess sat down, Su Wanwan was not idle either. She went to the backyard under the pretext of looking at the dishes, and Pei Changfeng was already waiting for her.
"Why is the Fourth Princess here?" Su Wanwan was suspicious and worried that there was some trick, so she felt very uneasy.
"Let's see what she's going to do first," Pei Changfeng shook Su Wanwan's hand, "Don't be afraid, there's no evidence for that matter."
Because of his words, Su Wanwan felt a little relieved. As soon as she reached the corridor, she saw Hong Xing coming hurriedly to look for her.
"What's going on?"
"The Fourth Princess got really angry and said she found a needle in her meal and that we were deliberately harming her!" Hong Xing had never seen such a scene before and was so anxious that she was about to cry. "But how could an embroidery needle be put into the meal? Even if the kitchen staff is careless, it is impossible that they can't see such a long needle!"
"She really doesn't even want to act just to cause trouble," Su Wanwan felt a headache, "Let's go and see what she's going to do."
When I arrived at the front hall, I saw the Fourth Princess sitting on a chair in a menacing manner. When she saw Su Wanwan coming, she slowly said, "Why is there no needle in everyone else's meal, but only mine? Is it an accident?"
She knew whether it was an accident or not.
Su Wanwan lowered her eyes and smiled apologetically, "I don't know. I've been eating here for more than a year and have never gotten any needles. Princess, are you seeing things wrong?"
Not offending is one thing, not being wrongly accused is another. If one admits that the needle was really dropped by someone in the palace accidentally, he would probably be charged with murdering a royal relative.
The Fourth Princess slammed the table, "Are you saying that I put the needle in the bowl myself and framed you?"
She herself knows it clearly.
Su Wanwan lowered her eyes and was thinking about how to answer when she heard Old Madam Yang Hou speak.
"It is indeed rare for a needle to fall into a pot while cooking. I have lived for decades and have never seen such a thing." Old Madam Yang Hou has a good relationship with the Queen Mother in the palace, so she can still say a few words in front of the Fourth Princess. "Not only did the Fourth Princess come uninvited, but she also has a look that is different from that of ordinary people. She is indeed not to be underestimated."
The Fourth Princess snorted and laughed, "I was wondering who it was, but it turned out to be Madam Yang Hou. Madam is very old, and to have lived to this age, I'm sure she has never experienced something like nearly swallowing a needle. It's not your fault that you can't imagine it."
Her attitude was clear; she was here to cause trouble today.
Su Cha came over from the male relatives and took the food in front of the Fourth Princess. He looked at it carefully and asked, "Where is the needle? I have been talking about the needle for so long, but why can't I see where the needle is?"
His action startled the Fourth Princess and she sat up, "How dare you! I'm the Princess!"
Su Cha didn't comment. "What's wrong with the princess? Can the princess just accuse people? You've been talking for so long that you almost swallowed a needle, but I didn't even see the shadow of a needle. If you're not accusing someone, what are you?"
The Fourth Princess's face flushed with anger, "You reckless man!"
"Your Highness, what you said is wrong," Pei Changfeng said slowly, "This is General Weiyuan, who was personally appointed by the emperor. He is not a reckless man. Even if he is a reckless man, it should be the emperor who says so. By saying this, are you questioning the emperor's ability to judge people?"
The fourth princess laughed angrily, "Well, you are all fine!"
She waved her sleeves and said, "You bully the royal family like this, aren't you afraid that I will report it to the emperor?"
"I'm here, what do you want to say?" Emperor Chongming arrived at some point and stood not far away, watching this farce quietly.
The Fourth Princess turned pale immediately, and the rest of the people in the courtyard knelt down to welcome the Emperor.
Emperor Chongming personally went forward to persuade Lord Yang and Madam Yang to stand up, "Please stand up quickly."
"Everyone, please stand up. I am here to be your guest today, not to put on airs. Although I am the emperor, I also want to gather with you and talk to you in a normal way."
The three words "putting on airs" clearly showed who they were referring to. The Fourth Princess swayed and almost lost her balance.
After everyone stood up, Emperor Chongming asked Pei Changfeng, "Changfeng, tell me what happened."
Hearing the Emperor Chongming's address, Old Lady Yang Hou smiled, knowing that her grandson had won the Emperor Chongming's favor and was being treated differently.
After hearing Pei Changfeng's words, Emperor Chongming asked the Fourth Princess, "Did you really get the needle?"
The bowl of rice was still in Su Cha's hand, but the Fourth Princess couldn't put a needle in it even if she wanted to.
She gritted her teeth and said, "I think I saw it wrong. It's not a needle."
"In that case, what are you still doing here? Go back to the palace!"
The Fourth Princess left in disgrace, and the courtyard was still so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Chongming smiled and said, "Just eat your food. I said I am only here as a guest today."
After that, everyone began to continue eating with trepidation.
Emperor Chongming looked at Pei Changfeng, "Where is your son? His name seems to be Fu Guang, right? Bring him here for me to see."
Su Wanwan immediately gave little Fu Guang to Pei Changfeng, and Pei Changfeng then gave him to Emperor Chongming.
Pei Changfeng was a little frightened, afraid that the child would not give him face and spit milk all over Emperor Chongming.
However, little Fu Guang seemed to have some understanding today. He did not cry or make a fuss. He grinned with his toothless little mouth and even had the courage to grab Emperor Chongming's clothes.
Emperor Chongming looked at little Fuguang and couldn't help laughing. He said to Su Cha beside him, "Look at the child, how cute he is."
"Of course," Su Cha said without hesitation, "My daughter and son-in-law are both good-looking, so the child can't be ugly."
"You," Emperor Chongming said helplessly, "you are really rude."
Su Cha smiled, feeling that there was no need to be polite. It was a fact that Pei Changfeng and Su Wanwan were good-looking.
Emperor Chongming did not stay long. He held little Fuguang for a while and then left, leaving behind rewards all over the ground.
After Emperor Chongming left, Su Wanwan patted her chest and was stunned for a moment.
Pei Changfeng looked at the direction where Emperor Chongming left, and after a while, he continued to entertain the guests.
On the carriage back to the palace, Emperor Chongming asked Eunuch Li, "Who do you think the child looks like?"
Eunuch Li thought for a moment and said, "I think she looks more like Miss Yang."
Emperor Chongming nodded, "Yes, Changfeng also looks like her mother, so it's only natural that Fuguang looks like her."
Eunuch Li hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you want Pei Tanhua to recognize his ancestry?"
"No," Emperor Chongming shook his head, "There is no need for that. He has his own ambitions. Being a minister or a son is not important."
"This kid is a capable person. It was just a coincidence that I came here. Even if I didn't come, he would have found a way to solve these troubles. But he is also a thoughtful person. Let's forget about what happened in the past. There is no need to bring it up again. It will not benefit anyone."
Emperor Chongming spoke in a calm voice.
The banquet started in the afternoon. After most of the guests had left, Su Wanwan began to count the gifts she had received that day. The more she counted, the happier she became, and she wished she could have another child right away.
Seeing her eyes widen at the sight of money, Pei Changfeng also smiled. He tapped the tip of Xiao Fuguang's nose and said, "You did a good thing."
Xiao Fuguang uttered "ah" twice, but no one knew what he meant.
It was one thing that Su Wanwan was in a good mood today, but she was also very tired.
At night, she lay on the bed and said to Pei Changfeng: "The Fourth Princess must be suspicious of you."
Pei Changfeng said, "Don't worry, there is a way to solve it."
There were things on his mind. He always felt that the Fourth Princess's uninvited visit today was not that simple. It didn't seem like it was simply because of his close relationship with Liao Cheng before. It was more like someone was helping her to point the finger at him.
He had a vague idea in his mind as to who the mastermind behind this was, but it was neither real nor clear.
That night, at the palace.
The Fourth Prince looked at the Fourth Princess in confusion and anger, "What on earth do you want to do? Not only did you go to Pei Changfeng's house and cause a scene, but you also did it right under the Emperor's nose. Do you think I'm too idle every day and want to make trouble for me?"
The Fourth Princess didn't say anything, and the Fourth Prince was helpless. He glared at her and was about to leave, but he heard the Fourth Princess crying.
"I feel so miserable. Whenever I think of my daughter, I want to kill all the suspects! I suspect Pei Changfeng did it! I can't think of anyone else except him!"
The Fourth Prince has come to terms with things recently. It can't be said that Liao Cheng's current situation is all bad. At least the palace can still support her, and at least Liao Cheng won't cause trouble again in the future.
"He is just a scholar. I'm afraid he has never even killed a chicken. You said he harmed Cheng'er like this. Do you have any evidence?" The Fourth Prince was dissatisfied. "You went over there and made a fuss without any evidence. That's just unreasonable!"
After hearing his words, the Fourth Princess burst into tears, "I would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than let one go! I want to avenge my Cheng'er!"
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge! Do you have any sense at all?" The Fourth Prince pulled her up from the chair. "Evidence! Do you have evidence?!"
The Fourth Princess remained silent and just kept crying. Not far away, the sound of Liao Cheng crying and making a fuss could be heard. The Fourth Prince was so upset that he didn't want to stay in the palace for even a quarter of an hour!
·
One person came the day after the Hundred Days Banquet.
Mu Chen brought a gift and apologized to Su Wanwan, "I'm so sorry, I went out of town yesterday and didn't make it back in time. I heard that someone came to cause trouble. Are you and the child okay?"
Su Wanwan smiled, "It's not a big deal. In the end, it was clarified that it was a misunderstanding and left. Cousin, you can go about your business. Just ask someone to deliver the gift. Why bother coming all the way here?"
Mu Chen looked at the child in the nurse's arms and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let me hold Fu Guang."
He held the child in his arms, and Pei Changfeng passed by quietly.
Pei Fuguang did not disappoint his father and spit all the milk on Mu Chen's collar.
Pei Changfeng immediately stepped forward and said, "This child always likes to spit up milk. Don't mind it, cousin. He is not like this usually."
Mu Chen took the handkerchief from Pei Changfeng with a smile, not looking angry at all, "It's normal for a child to not understand anything when he is young. Wanwan was always making trouble when she was young, it's nothing serious."
Su Wanwan seemed to understand something, but she had already clearly rejected Mu Chen many times, and Mu Chen was unwilling to give up. She was helpless, so she had to leave with little Fuguang in her arms.
After Su Wanwan left, the smile on Mu Chen's face disappeared without a trace.
Pei Changfeng made a pot of tea and said, "Cousin, would you like to have a cup before you leave?"
"I won't drink anymore. I'm afraid I don't have the tolerance to do that." Mu Chen stood up. "Just treat them and their son well."
"I don't need my cousin to teach me this." Pei Changfeng said bluntly.
There had always been some tit-for-tat between the two of them. After sending Mu Chen away, Pei Changfeng suddenly realized something.
Pei Changfeng found Bai Jitong, who was having dinner. Seeing him coming, he asked in confusion, "What can't be said tomorrow? Why do you have to come here now?"
“I always feel like someone knows about us.”
Bai Ji was shocked, "Who!?"
Pei Changfeng said: "Mu Chen has come to my house only a few times. Logically, I shouldn't doubt him, but he always comes too coincidentally, like a ghost that lingers."
Bai Jitong was speechless and choked, "I know, you mean that Mu Chen still has feelings for your wife, right? That's nothing, a man should be manly."
"What if the Duchess of England's deceased husband comes back to life?"
Bai Jitong stood up in shock, "If I'm already dead, why should I live?"
Pei Changfeng glanced at him, and Bai Jitong touched his nose, "Oh, I mean you are too sensitive. Your wife and you have such a good relationship, and you are still alive and well. You won't be taken advantage of by others."
"Let's not talk about this," Pei Changfeng corrected his thoughts, "I was thinking that the person who provided the information to the Fourth Princess must have regarded me as a thorn in his side."
"You are too sensitive." Bai Ji hit the nail on the head.
Pei Changfeng didn't want to talk to him anymore. He drank a sip of tea to calm down and continued, "It's not just this one thing, but I can't tell you in detail. Anyway, you should be careful of this person."
Seeing how cautious he was, Bai Jitong also became serious, "Got it, I'll be careful."
After saying this, Pei Changfeng planned to go to Fan Ling's residence again.
In the dim dusk, a figure followed him all the time.
Pei Changfeng stood still, "Come out, how long are you going to follow me?"
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