At Han Yunxi's fierce tone, Murong Wanru gave a start before rising to her feet. Covering her face, she shoved Han Yunxi aside and ran out of the room.
Princess Changping jumped in fright and shouted, "Someone come, quick! Chase after her, she can't take things too hard! "
"Princess Changping, what are your men doing? They can't even keep an eye on a drunkard. Now that something like this has happened, you should take Zhangsun Che and explain yourself to Grand Concubine Yi!"
Han Yunxi scolded angrily. She wasn't worried that Murong Wanru would commit suicide. With her personality, she wouldn't go that far.
So speaking, she flicked her sleeves and left.
Princess Changping finally reacted when she was far away. "Isn't this your room?" she blurted out.
Unfortunately, no one answered her.
Now that something like this had happened, the Plum Blossom Meet couldn't continue. Everyone excused themselves and left, not daring to stick their noses into other people's business.
Princess Changping had a guilty conscience and didn't dare tarry. After removing the aphrodisiac from Zhangsun Che, she escorted him to the Duke of Qin's estate to beg for forgiveness.
Zhangsun Che was the most innocent of the lot. He had no idea he'd been poisoned, so when he found out what he'd done, he only assumed it was a result of drunken stupor. His intestines turned green with regret. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn't have had a drinking contest.
As the saying goes, good things don't leave the house, while bad things travel a thousand li. As soon as Princess Changping arrived at the Duke of Qin's estate, she saw Marquis Pingbei Zhangsun Zhongde and his wife Lady Xue kneeling inside Grand Concubine Yi's rooms, their heads almost touching the floor.
"Father, mother …" Zhangsun Che cried out.
Zhangsun Tiance and Lady Xue saw their son who'd caused trouble and angrily chased after him to beat him.
"You beast, did you eat a bear's heart or a leopard's gall?"
"You usually turn a deaf ear to Old Man's words. Now that you've caused such trouble, let's see how you'll deal with it!"
"Che 'er, ah, how could you be so muddle-headed? Miss Wanru is a golden branch and jade leaf. You think you can touch her? You … you, are you trying to take my and your father's lives? "
… …
Princess Changping had a guilty conscience and hid far away, not daring to say a single word.
But suddenly, there was a loud slap on the table. Princess Changping unconsciously turned to see Grand Concubine Yi sitting in the seat of honor. Her exquisite face was now as gloomy as the skies before a storm. How frightening!
Marquis Pingbei and Lady Xue quickly returned to their knees. Zhangsun Che fell to his knees as well, trembling with fear. He didn't even dare to spare Grand Concubine Yi a glance.
Princess Changping couldn't help but shudder. She resentfully walked over and knelt down as well. "Grand Imperial Concubine, Changping … Changping has brought Changsun Che here to offer a humble apology."
Grand Concubine Yi's hands landed heavily on the table as they clenched into fists. She was so angry that she couldn't speak. Suddenly, she pounded the table three times. Thump, thump, thump! Everyone who heard it trembled with fear as their hearts raced.
In the silence of the room, Changping lowered her head even more.
At this moment, Han Yunxi spoke up from her seat. "Changping, just what's going on? Hurry and tell us the truth!"
Murong Wanru had rushed into her room to cry as soon as she came back. No matter how Grand Concubine Yi asked or coaxed her, she wouldn't say a word. Grand Concubine Yi was so angry that she smashed everything in the room.
Grand Concubine Yi doted on Murong Wanru as if she were her own daughter. Murong Wanru couldn't accept such a thing, much less Grand Concubine Yi. Moreover, everyone at the Plum Blossom Meet had seen it, so it was impossible to hide it. Most likely, everyone in the capital knew by now.
The Duke of Qin's estate had lost all face this time.
Most frightening of all, Murong Wanru's life was ruined!
"I … I don't know anything, ah. I was at the banquet the entire time. It was Eunuch Li who said Zhangsun Che had gone crazy from drinking, so I hurried over.
But who knew … "Princess Changping trailed off, glancing at Han Yunxi." Imperial Qin Aunt, I wanted to ask you about this. You were clearly the one resting in that room, so why … why was Wanru in there? Why did she faint? "
"You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask?" Han Yunxi retorted angrily, before explaining herself. "I rested for a bit before going to the restroom. As soon as I came back, I ran into something like that. The side rooms were all guarded by your men, so how did they do their job? Zhangsun Che went crazy from drinking and Eunuch Li knew to report it. Didn't he have people watching over him? "
Han Yunxi stood up angrily. "You still dare to ask me? It's a good thing I went to the restroom, or else … Heaven knows how much face the Duke of Qin's estate would lose today!"
Grand Concubine Yi's expression turned even uglier at these words. Finally, she spoke up, her voice frightening. "Call Eunuch Li in for me!"
Eunuch Li, who'd been kneeling by the door all this time, scrambled inside to kneel by Princess Changping's side. "To reply esteemed imperial concubine, Zhangsun Che went crazy from drinking and wanted to take liberties with any girl he saw. This old servant couldn't stop him and panicked, so I didn't give any instructions before going to report to the princess. Who knew … who knew that those girls all hid away. No one was watching Zhangsun Che."
Eunuch Li could only explain it this way. After all, this matter couldn't see the light of day. The fewer people who knew, the better. Thus, he'd dismissed all the servants, leaving only himself and Murong Wanru to know the truth.
Eunuch Li had been sent by the empress to assist Princess Changping in hosting the Plum Blossom Meet. He was an experienced eunuch. Although he looked terrified and nervous, his answers were much better than Princess Changping's.
In any case, the matter had already happened. Zhangsun Che's aphrodisiac had been neutralized, so he had no idea what had happened. No matter how hurt Murong Wanru was, she wouldn't dare to expose Princess Changping. The dead told no tales.
"Then how did Wanru faint? Why was she in my room? Wasn't she at the banquet? Changping, she should've told you when she left, right? "Han Yunxi tossed out a series of questions, asking despite knowing the answer.
At these words, Grand Concubine Yi's angry eyes flashed with a complicated look. Grand Concubine Yi had been in the palace for years, so she'd seen all sorts of crafty plots and tricks.
She'd had her suspicions about Han Yunxi before, but hearing Han Yunxi's questions set her mind at ease.
"Everyone was chatting in twos and threes at the time, so I didn't notice her. I only heard her say she was worried about you and wanted to go take a look," Princess Changping replied hastily.
Eunuch Li hesitated before adding, "Esteemed imperial concubine, Zhangsun Che was so drunk that he lost consciousness. It looks like we can only ask Miss Wanru herself how she got into his room."
Grand Concubine Yi glared at Zhangsun Che, her gaze as sharp as a knife. She wanted nothing more than to gouge out his heart!
Zhangsun Che's family of three had been silent the entire time, not daring to lift their heads. Although Marquis Pingbei's estate was a powerful and influential family, it was nothing in Grand Concubine Yi's eyes.
Marquis Pingbei was alarmed, but secretly rejoiced in his heart. It was fortunate that this unfilial son had bullied Murong Wanru instead of Qin Wangfei. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be questioned today. His entire family wouldn't be spared either!
Silence reigned in the room for a long time before Grand Concubine Yi spoke Coldly. "Wanru, just how did you get into your sister-in-law's room? And how did you lose consciousness?"
Everyone was stunned by her words. They never expected Murong Wanru to be here as well, but where was she?
Murong Wanru was hiding behind a large screen in the seat of honor. Although her body was curled up and shivering, her teary eyes were filled with malice and resentment.
She only remembered running into Han Yunxi in the little garden next to the room. After that, she had no recollection of anything else. She didn't know why she'd lost consciousness, or why she ended up in that room.
Of course, she knew Han Yunxi had something to do with this, but she couldn't say it now!
As soon as she revealed Han Yunxi's identity, Han Yunxi's personality and skills would definitely investigate to the end. After all, the fact that Han Yunxi could leave that room that day proved that she knew everything!
If the truth came out, wouldn't she become a laughingstock? At that time, Marquis Pingbei's estate might even bite her back!
As for Princess Changping, she couldn't even protect herself, much less Murong Wanru.
Right now, she was suffering in silence, unable to speak of her bitterness. Grievance, regret, unwillingness, resentment, shame, and fright were all mixed together. She hated Han Yunxi to the core. If it wasn't for Han Yunxi, she wouldn't have fallen to her current state. Her future … was gone!
Thinking up to here, Murong Wanru bit down on her robes, but her sobs still escaped.
As soon as they heard the low sobs behind Grand Concubine Yi, everyone realized that Murong Wanru was there. Grand Concubine Yi was already vexed, but hearing the sobs only made her even angrier. She suddenly shouted, "What are you crying for? Speak! What a disgrace! "
At the shout, Murong Wanru's tears fell like rain. She felt so wronged that she even wanted to die.
But she had to answer. She didn't want to die, she couldn't accept it!
"Mufei, I … sobsob, I was going to see sister-in-law, but no one answered when I knocked, so I pushed the door. Who knew … who knew that the door wasn't locked, so I went in. Who knew … sobsob … I fainted from fright from that beast. What happened after that, I … sobsobsob …"
Murong Wanru didn't finish before sobbing and running away.
No one answered when she knocked, so she pushed the door open and went in. This matched up with Han Yunxi's story of going to the washroom. Matching up the testimonies of everyone was a natural process with no flaws. Most importantly, Murong Wanru had personally explained how she'd entered the room and fainted. She wouldn't lie, would she?
Everything had a cause and effect, but the main culprit was still Zhangsun Che!
As Murong Wanru's sobs faded into the distance, Grand Concubine Yi propped her head up with one hand, breathing heavily from anger. Now that everything was clear, shouldn't it be time to investigate who was responsible?
Han Yunxi didn't say a word, but offered up a cup of tea.
Grand Concubine Yi glanced at her with furrowed brows. Cold as ever, she said, "Changping, take your dog servant and scram back to the palace. Tell your mufei that she has to give me an explanation for this!"
Leaving aside Changping, even the empress dreaded Grand Concubine Yi. The Plum Blossom Meet was given to Princess Changping by the empress herself. Eunuch Li was one of the empress's people, so naturally she had to deal with him.
"Yes, yes! Changping understands! "
Princess Changping slipped away like a wisp of smoke. It was better to face mufei than this granny level Grand Concubine Yi!
Once she was gone, only Marquis Pingbei's family of three remained in the room.
Han Yunxi's lips rose to a languid smile. She knew that the real headache for Grand Concubine Yi was this family of three.
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