"Yu Chengxuan, kill him for this Princess!"
Unable to break free from the restraints of the Southern Manor's servants, Huian pointed at Nan Yujin, who was still unconscious, and roared at Yu Chengxuan, the veins on her neck bulging.
Yu Chengxuan frowned, then flicked his wrist, unfolding his fan. The sharp blades hidden within the fan ribs glinted with a cold, fierce light, and even the wind he fanned seemed imbued with a chilling killing intent.
"Seventh Prince!"
Ji Wu lowered his voice, attempting to stop Yu Chengxuan.
Yu Chengxuan turned his head, his gaze lowered to Ji Wu's face. There was no emotion in his eyes, yet it made Ji Wu's heart contract sharply, a wave of unbearable fear washing over him.
Ji Wu's hand, raised to grab Yu Chengxuan, froze mid-air. He recoiled as if electrocuted.
Yu Chengxuan turned his head again and strode towards Nan Yujin, who remained in his coma.
"Seventh Prince, I know you are filled with righteous anger, but look at my son's current state; it's clear he was harmed by villains. If Your Highness were to act out of momentary fury, wouldn't that play into the hands of those behind this? Therefore, I implore Your Highness to calm the Princess. I will definitely give an account to Your Highness, the Princess, and Great Li for this matter!"
Nan Chaoyin blocked Nan Yujin's path and cupped his hands towards Yu Chengxuan. If he allowed his son to be framed and injured within his own manor, then he had been a useless Prime Minister!
Yu Chengxuan stopped. Huian's furious roar still echoed in everyone's ears. Nan Shiying leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed, her beautiful eyes filled with a kaleidoscope of emotions. She found the scene unfolding before her utterly spectacular.
"Seventh Prince, Prime Minister Nan entered officialdom at the age of twenty, navigating through countless ups and downs, and has held the position of Prime Minister for decades. When it comes to eloquence and stratagem, among all the trusted officials of Linyuan, none can compare to him. This matter today is indeed strange, baffling. But if this Princess were to say it, today's event might not be a long-planned scheme that unfortunately went awry."
Nan Shiying, fearing no chaos, summarized the situation without reservation. The matter itself was indeed so.
Nan Chaoyin's heart trembled. His gaze towards Nan Shiying was veiled with emotions that were impossible to discern. Yu Chengxuan tilted his head, his gaze sweeping past the crowd to the person leaning against the doorframe. The corners of his lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly before quickly falling.
"If the Princess Consort's words are to be believed, has she heard some secret?" Yu Chengxuan asked.
Nan Shiying said, "This Princess hasn't heard anything, but..." She paused, meeting Nan Chaoyin's increasingly grim expression, and did not continue.
If she continued, that old scoundrel would become suspicious again.
"But what?" Yu Chengxuan pressed.
Nan Shiying smiled. "Nothing, nothing. These are all just this Princess's conjectures. As for you, Seventh Prince, will you allow everyone to be spectators like this?"
Yu Chengxuan's gaze faltered. He looked at the assembled crowd.
Everyone felt a prickling sensation on their scalp, cursing Nan Shiying a thousand times in their hearts. They had been quite content being invisible, but this woman insisted on smearing ink on them, making them visible and attracting hatred.
"Well, I just remembered I have something to attend to at home. Your Highness, Princess Consort, Prime Minister, Seventh Prince... I shall take my leave," Wang Qiancheng cupped his hands towards Ji Jinmo, Nan Shiying, and the others, then bolted. Before running, he didn't forget to drag Liu Cheng, Qin Mo, Liu Ling'er, and Liu Lan along. The five of them, under everyone's watchful eyes, quickly walked out.
From now on, whoever wanted to come to the Southern Manor could, but they certainly wouldn't be coming.
"Wait!"
Their intentions were good, but reality was quite cruel. Before the five could descend the stairs, they were stopped.
Hearing the familiar voice and familiar tone, Wang Qiancheng and the other four exchanged glances. Their faces turned unsightly, their mouths bitter. With crestfallen faces, they had no choice but to stop and turn to bow, "Does the Princess Consort have any further instructions?"
"You were the first to discover this matter, weren't you?" Nan Shiying asked.
The five looked at each other. Liu Lan was about to speak when Wang Qiancheng cut in, "Replying to the Princess Consort, not exactly."
"It's either yes or no, what do you mean 'not exactly'?"
"It's like this, the five of us heard that the scenery from Suihua Pavilion is excellent, so we came together. Midway... midway, we encountered Miss Nan going to Suihua Pavilion alone. It was Miss Nan who discovered that the Princess and her maid were not in the pavilion, and it was Miss Nan who first pushed open the door of the pavilion. We... we were still on the first floor at the time, and it was Miss Nan's startled cry that drew us over."
Wang Qiancheng's words seemed faultless, but upon closer inspection, they were riddled with problems. Implicitly and explicitly, he was saying that in discovering this scandal, Nan Yuan'er's actions were extremely strange, even suspicious!
"Oh?"
Nan Shiying glanced at Nan Yuan'er with a half-smile.
Liu Lan tilted her head, subtly observing Wang Qiancheng. His statement seemed deliberate, as if intentionally pushing the blame towards Nan Yuan'er. Moreover, the reason they had come to Suihua Pavilion today was because of Wang Qiancheng. So, what role was he playing in this matter?
Could it all just be a coincidence?
But if there were too many coincidences, then they were no longer coincidences!
Sensing Liu Lan's scrutiny, Wang Qiancheng secretly lamented. Sometimes, having a smart person by one's side wasn't a good thing. If Liu Lan were like Liu Ling'er, he wouldn't have to painstakingly deceive her in the future.
Nan Yuan'er was almost splitting with rage. This damned fellow's words were meant to push her into eternal damnation!
"This Princess understands!"
Nan Shiying waved her hand and said to Wang Qiancheng and the others, "Alright, you may withdraw!"
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Princess Consort!"
Wang Qiancheng and the five dared not linger. After quickly expressing their thanks, they turned and left, their steps as rapid as if pursued by a monstrous flood. Nan Yuan'er covered her face, shrinking into a corner. Nan Shiying refocused her gaze on her and asked, "Miss Nan, please explain!"
"This subject does not understand the Princess Consort's meaning."
"Why did you leave midway, leaving the Princess alone in Suihua Pavilion?"
"It wasn't just the Princess; I left a maid."
"Then where is the maid?"
"Where is she?" Nan Shiying looked up and asked Huian, "Princess, did you see the maid by Miss Nan's side?"
Huian scanned the crowd, unable to find the maid. Her eyes, scarlet as if bleeding, fixed on Nan Yuan'er. Her voice, slightly hoarse from the previous shouting, sounded as if she had swallowed a handful of sand, the grit rolling and tearing at her throat, drawing blood. "Nan Yuan'er, where is your maid?"
"Where is the maid you left behind?"
"Your Nan Manor's maid hurried to find you, saying there was something important. You left your personal maid to accompany this Princess. But now that I think about it, was she accompanying me, or were you leaving her to ensure I wouldn't leave Suihua Pavilion? Is that it?"
"The moment you left, I felt dizzy and unwell. Do you dare to say that all of this is a coincidence?"
"Fine, fine! Since you've schemed against this Princess!"
"Imperial Brother, Father Emperor sent this Princess to marry for the purpose of fostering eternal peace and good relations between Linyuan and Qin. But now, the people of Linyuan treat this Princess with such disdain. This is not merely my insult, but Linyuan insulting Great Li, insulting Father Emperor. If Imperial Brother has reservations about this, then this Princess will seek revenge herself!"