At Ling Mingyan’s words, everyone immediately became jealous!
d.u.c.h.ess Ding was delighted and hurried forward to ask, “Since there is another one, where is the other person?”
“My…my second brother…”
“What? Can’t you tell us? It’s such a coincidence. Didn’t you say that with certainty just now? Why can’t you tell us the witness now?” Ling Mingyan immediately became complacent and stared at the man, straightening her eyebrow and raising her eyes.
She could not say the matter concerning the Sixth Princess, but other than that, there was nothing else she could not say. There was a maidservant in the fancy boat. She had put everything on the table today, and she was not afraid that it would not prove her innocence.
“It’s fine even though you don’t want to say it. Somebody, go and ask Elder brother to send someone over and take him directly to the jail of the Ministry of Justice—to torture him. I don’t believe that I can’t make you talk.” At this time, Princess Caifeng also heard something. As the man stuttered, she knew that there was a reason. So she pressed him harder and said coldly.
With a wave of her hand, the two maidservants standing beside her were about to walk out. They were really going to take it seriously.
“Wait a minute, Your Highness. My second brother is also here. I really didn’t lie to you.” The man was startled and sweating profusely. Looking at the cold face of Princess Caifeng, he suddenly gritted his teeth and stamped hard, as if he had made a big decision. He pointed to the sh.o.r.e and said, “My second brother has gone there. He, he said that… he had something to talk to a… person over there.”
He hesitated and faltered over the last few words!
But in an instant, everyone was shocked. He meant that someone was going to have a private meeting. Over there, it was the rooms for the madams and young ladies to rest. Just now, Consort Yan was resting there, as well as Consort Xuan.
Both of them were superior daughters-in-law of the royal family!
“What… what are you talking about? You’ll be beheaded if you slander the royal family,” a madam stammered as she snapped.
“I’m not lying. If you don’t believe me, go over there and look for him. You will definitely find my second brother. The reason why I waited for him here is that he said he would be fast. But he has been there for a period of time and hasn’t come out yet. If I lie, I will be struck by lightning.” Hearing that he was going to be beheaded, the man became anxious, and he also regretted it at this time.
He just flirted with a maidservant. How could it be such a serious crime that he would be beheaded? It was just a little maidservant!
A man entered the inner courtyard and had not come out yet. Princess Caifeng suddenly turned around and did not have time to deal with the matter here. There were only two people resting here, and both of them were extremely n.o.ble. Consort Yan had just had an abortion. If Consort Xuan was found that she had a secret date with a man, it was a big deal.
The people in the front turned back with Princess Caifeng, and the people in the back asked a few old maidservants to tie up the man and go to the inner courtyard together.
“Princess Caifeng, what happened over there?” Standing at the door, the Sixth Princess frowned and asked when she saw everyone hurrying over under the lead of Princess Caifeng.
“A man has come into the courtyard. Did you see him earlier?” Princess Caifeng asked when she recalled that the Sixth Princess had been here all along.
“There’s a man in the courtyard? That’s impossible. Miss Hu and I have been here all the time, and we didn’t see anyone.” The Sixth Princess was stunned and her face turned pale. A man appeared in the inner courtyard and was in the room for female guests to rest. The hidden meaning was not a trivial matter, so she pointed to the room in front of her with a pale face and said hurriedly, “Eighth sister-in-law…”
“Sixth Princess, do you also think that it’s about Consort Xuan?” When she heard that something had happened to King Xuan’s consort, Princess Caifeng was very anxious and did not care about anything else. She got someone to knock on the door. Cold sweat ran down her forehead. When she thought of the devilish and cold Feng Yuran, her heart trembled. He was the one who would not listen to her explanation.
However, could she be blamed for this? It was Consort Xuan who was unwomanly. She had a secret meeting with someone and was discovered. It had nothing to do with her at all.
Princess Caifeng comforted herself, telling herself not to panic. Everything that happened before her eyes was beyond her imagination. It was like a storm shocking Princess Caifeng. She only wished that all of this had nothing to do with her and those women had done it themselves.
Someone knocked the door, but there was no response.
“The door seems to be open. Let’s go in!” Someone with sharp eyes noticed the open door.
The knock on the door turned into a push. With a hard push, the door opened and everyone rushed in.
But there was no one inside!
The front room was empty, and so was the back room. The bed was neat and there was no trace of anyone coming. It did not look like someone had slept there at all.
“Where is Consort Xuan?”
“Didn’t Consort Xuan come here to rest? Where is she?”
“Princess Caifeng, are you mistaken? Is Consort Xuan really resting in this room?”
Princess Caifeng was also very anxious. She gritted her teeth and said harshly, “Somebody, search all these rooms.” A man had entered the inner courtyard and disappeared. Consort Xuan had disappeared as well. This… this was so strange! She did not believe that these living people would disappear just like that. Furthermore, Consort Xuan had a few maidservants with her. How could there be no one?
She would find them today even if she had to search into the ground.
The young and old maidservants opened the doors one by one, and searched through the rooms one by one in order. No one was in the first room, no one in the second, and no one in the third… and there was still no one in the last room!
“How could there be no people? Princess Caifeng, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?” A few madams could not help but question her.
Consort Xuan had gone with Princess Caifeng’s people. How could she have disappeared so mysteriously? Some people remembered that Young Madam Li of the Minister’s Manor had left with her. There were three or four maidservants of the two of them. It was impossible for such a large group of people to disappear for no reason.
Princess Caifeng’s eyes turned cold and sharp. Someone had done this under her nose in order to frame her. As such a thing happened, she, the princess who was going to marry into this country, would probably become a prisoner.
“Has Consort Xuan eloped with someone?” Ling Mingyan said casually. She was not afraid at all now. At most, she would be suspected at most. Consort Xuan had really disappeared with a man. This was an elopement.
“Mingyan, don’t talk nonsense!” d.u.c.h.ess Ding scolded from behind her.
She was not Ling Mingyan and knew that she could not say that. Many people present were suspicious, but they did not mention it. If it was true, no one present would get a good result. How could the royal family lose face so easily? Her ignorant daughter had not yet dealt with her own business yet but dared to talk about others. d.u.c.h.ess Ding grew very angry.
Ling Mingyan felt embarra.s.sed to be scolded in front of so many people. However, looking at her mother’s gloomy face, she did not dare to retort and only muttered, “That’s the truth. Otherwise, why is Consort Xuan missing when others are still here? Didn’t that man say that his second brother had gone to meet someone secretly?”
“Marquise, you can’t say that. My Eighth sister-in-law is innocent and she isn’t the one whose clothes were pulled by a man and in disarray. How could she do such shameless a thing?” The Sixth Princess stood up angrily and said to Ling Mingyan.
Although it was different from her usual gentle image, no one felt strange.
Buddha could get angry sometimes, not to mention that Marquise Mingguo had even said that Consort Xuan had eloped with someone else.
If someone else said those words, Ling Mingyan might not be angry, but it was the Sixth Princess!
The more Ling Mingyan thought about what had happened today, the more she felt that the Sixth Princess was most likely the one who had schemed it. However, she did not have any evidence against her, and now she used this matter to provoke her. How could she not be furious? She had a bad temper and was easily provoked. Furthermore, she was doted on by Duke Ding and had never lost face like this before.
“Sixth Princess, did I say anything wrong? Consort Xuan is missing. She has disappeared with a man. How could she be innocent? King Xuan is such a talent and he could get any woman, but he married such a s.l.u.tty woman. She is insatiably greedy. It’s not enough for her to have her husband, and she still wants another man. It’s really…”
Ling Mingyan did not dare to continue!
She had used Mo Xuetong’s incident as an excuse to scold the Sixth Princess. Still, she knew that she could not say it and stopped.
“Marquise, you… you, what are you talking about…” As Ling Mingyan scolded like a shrew, the Sixth Princess seemed so shocked that she took two steps back. Her lips trembled and she stretched out her fingers, only saying these words.
“What’s wrong? Do you have anything to say? Consort Xuan might have left a long time ago. We haven’t seen her for a long time. Who knows where she has gone? Well, how could she do such a thing, instead of being Consort Xuan…” Seeing that Mo Xuetong was unluckier than her, Ling Mingyan proudly slandered her and tried to exaggerate the matter.
With the matter of Mo Xuetong, the matter she cared about was not a big deal!
Furthermore, the Sixth Princess stuck up for Mo Xuetong. This made Ling Mingyan even more hostile. She only had one thought right now—to make a big scene so that everyone would pay attention to Mo Xuetong. Since the Sixth Princess want to protect the reputation of the royal family, she would ruin Mo Xuetong’s reputation. She wanted to go against the Sixth Princess. What was more, in every way, it would only benefit her if she made a big scene.
That matter that Consort Xuan had eloped with a man was much more serious than the matter that she and a man had pulled each other’s clothes!
“Shut up!” d.u.c.h.ess Ding was furious when she heard that and scolded her in a low voice. Unfortunately, Ling Mingyan was talking proudly at this time, and she did not listen to what she said.
d.u.c.h.ess Mingguo looked around and did not know what to do. She had never expected that the matter had developed to this point. She pretended not to hear that Ling Mingyan had slandered Consort Xuan and had repeatedly warned herself not to get involved in this. This matter had really gotten out of hand…
d.u.c.h.ess Ping was the calmest, but she didn’t say anything. Ling Mingyan’s sharp voice sounded in the crowd, as well as the Sixth Princess’s gentle voice from time to time when she retorted.
Princess Caifeng was at a loss as to what to do. She ordered the young and old maidservants to search again, and the scene was in a mess…
“Did something happen here?” A soft voice came from outside the crowd. All the people who heard it were stunned. Almost everyone stopped talking and turned to look out of the crowd!
