Shen Nan stepped forward and bowed to the Empress Dowager with his hands clasped. “Your Majesty, yesterday I saw with my own eyes that Granny An took away Princess Weiyang, but I did not see Princess Weiyang when I came to Cining Palace, so I asked you why Princess Weiyang is not here.”
Hearing these words, the most frightened was none other than Granny An, who was so frightened that she was completely at a loss. "Your Majesty, this old servant did not lie. This old servant did not leave Cining Palace at all yesterday. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
Granny An kowtowed on the ground.
Lin Mama, the Empress Dowager's personal maid, stood beside her and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, Mama An was indeed in Cining Palace yesterday."
Feng Anxue looked at Shen Nanzhi and said in a raised voice, "General Shen, we all know that you and Princess Weiyang are deeply in love, but aren't you afraid of damaging your own dignity by openly protecting her in front of the Empress Dowager?"
Shen Nanzhi looked at Feng Anxue coldly, "Princess, did you not understand what I meant just now? If the person I saw was not Granny An, why would I have asked the Empress Dowager those questions?"
Shen Nanzhi's forceful demeanor made Feng Anxue's face turn ugly. She suppressed her inner panic and retorted, "But Granny An also has witnesses who can prove that she did not leave Cining Palace at all. General Shen, who do you think is lying?"
Shen Nanzhi said coldly, "What's wrong with disguising myself as Granny An?"
Feng Anxue sneered, "That's sophistry. Regardless of how Princess Weiyang arrived at Nuanxin Pavilion, it already proves that I wasn't mistaken; Princess Weiyang is the one who framed Consort Xiao."
Feng Anxue firmly pointed out, her sharp gaze fixed on Mu Chenshuang, determined to pin the crime of framing the royal family on her.
Mu Chenshuang's expression remained calm and undisturbed throughout, her eyes clear as a mirror, looking at Feng Anxue with a serene and aloof gaze.
This glance sent a shiver down Feng Anxue's spine. Even though Mu Chenshuang was beyond reproach, why did she suddenly feel afraid and guilty, and even want to avoid her gaze?
Mu Chenshuang's clear, cold voice rang out, "Why do the princess and Consort Xiao happen to be in the Imperial Garden near Nuanxin Pavilion?"
The words were spoken.
Feng Anxue blinked and came to her senses, staring at her, "Princess Weiyang, it's no use trying to explain yourself."
"Does the princess dare not answer?" Mu Chenshuang pressed, demanding an answer.
Feng Anxue's pupils constricted, her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a hand, and she could hardly breathe.
"Since the princess doesn't know, what about Consort Xiao?"
Mu Chenshuang shifted her gaze to Xiao Qingyu, who trembled slightly. She tried her best to calm herself down and replied, "Someone saw Princess Weiyang and the Second Prince having a secret rendezvous in Nuanxin Pavilion. In order to protect the royal family's reputation and to be on the safe side, Her Majesty the Empress naturally went to investigate the truth. The princess and I just wanted to go and see what was going on, but we didn't expect to be framed."
I know that Princess Weiyang has always harbored resentment towards me because of my marriage to the Crown Prince. I wronged you in this matter, so this time, we're even, and I won't blame you anymore.
Xiao Qingyu displayed a magnanimous and gentle demeanor, her voice slightly choked with emotion, making her even more pitiful and endearing.
Her words implied that Mu Chenshuang had framed her and even provided her with a plausible reason for the crime.
Feng Anxue calmed down and continued, "Now I understand why Her Majesty the Empress didn't see Princess Weiyang in the Warm Heart Pavilion. It's likely that while she was with the Second Prince, she heard the commotion outside and fled before Her Majesty entered. Unfortunately, Consort Xiao and I blocked Princess Weiyang's path. So, to avoid being discovered, Princess Weiyang ambushed us and took the opportunity to send Consort Xiao to the Warm Heart Pavilion, thus diverting Her Majesty the Empress's attention."
Feng Anxue became more and more confident as she spoke.
"Princess Weiyang, you still won't confess! It seems we'll have to send you to the Imperial Observatory before you'll admit it?"
Mu Chenshuang suddenly laughed, "Princess's deduction is indeed reasonable, but Princess is right about one thing: I did meet with the Second Prince."
The Empress's expression turned somber upon hearing this.
"You finally admitted to having an affair with the Second Prince and framing Consort Xiao."
"I haven't finished speaking, why is the princess in such a hurry to condemn me? What are you so guilty about?"
Feng Anxue's face darkened, and she stared at Mu Chenshuang with furrowed brows, "You..."
The more anxious and aggressive she became, the more it seemed that she was deliberately trying to convict Mu Chenshuang, and the more questionable her testimony became.
"Xue'er, wait for Shuang'er to finish speaking," the Empress Dowager interrupted Feng Anxue.
Feng Anxue snapped out of her daze, looked at the Empress Dowager, and replied with lowered eyes, "Yes."
"Your Majesty, I agree with what General Shen said earlier. Someone was impersonating Granny An. I have no grudge against Granny An, so she would not frame me. She took me to the Warm Heart Pavilion, where sleeping powder had already been prepared. When I woke up, I did see the Second Prince, but he did not harm me. Instead, he told me to leave quickly to avoid being seen and causing misunderstandings."
Feng Anxue coldly retorted, "Nonsense! In my opinion, you and the Second Prince have probably been impure for a long time."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A light, indifferent voice came from outside the door, "Does the princess have any evidence for her claim?"
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