"You're lying!" The Fourth Prince nearly lost control of his expression as he shouted angrily. "Yinxuan is gentle and kind-hearted. It's you who are vicious, now trying to frame her!"
Matron Pu, however, seized this lifeline and hurriedly spoke to Tangning: "County Princess, the princess isn't lying! I've served her for years, she rarely engages in Buddhist rituals and knew nothing of the Yulan Festival. Moreover, my princess is straightforward, even if she wanted to harm someone, she wouldn't have the cunning for such an elaborate plot!"
In her desperation to save her mistress, she might as well have outright called Princess Leyang a fool.
"It was the Fourth Prince's consort! She was the one who mentioned the Lingyun Temple ceremony to the princess. She said that since the County Princess was orphaned, you would come every year to pay respects. She even brought up how you severed ties with the Song family after your mother's eternal lamp was overturned"
"Shut your mouth!"
The Fourth Prince's face paled with panic. "County Princess, don't listen to their nonsense! How could Yinxuan do something so wicked? Besides, tonight she was also a victim."
Tangning hesitated, her expression conflicted. "The Fourth Prince's consort... has always treated me well."
But Rong Yue's voice was icy. "Whether she truly did remains to be seen."
"Aunt?" Tangning looked at her in confusion.
Rong Yue pressed her lips together. "I recall the Fourth Prince once gifted you pearls, openly expressing his admiration. Yesterday, on our way up the mountain, he deliberately stopped his carriage to intercept you, behaving inappropriately and speaking to you with disrespect, even flirting shamelessly."
Gasp!
The crowd's eyes widened in shock.
Tangning's face turned deathly pale. "But I already rejected the Fourth Prince!"
"The Fourth Prince's wife told me that she angered Old Princess Lu on the night of Qixi because she was jealous that the Fourth Prince was interested in me. She did not stop Princess Wenqing from giving a lecture in the morning because the Fourth Prince was in a difficult situation and she could not offend Prince Ji's Mansion."
"This afternoon, she personally came to my quarters to explain everything. She said the prince had assured her there could never be anything between us, that I would never be a concubine. She claimed he promised never to bother me again and she apologised."
She clutched the prayer beads around her wrist, her voice trembling as if deeply shaken.
"She spoke so sincerely... She even gave me these sandalwood prayer beads as a peace offering. How could she...?"
Qian Qiyue suddenly understood. "That explains it! The Fourth Prince's consort was clearly siding with Princess Ji and Princess Leyang this morning, stepping all over us to please them. Yet by evening, she was suddenly so friendly!"
Madam Qian also frowned. "Such fickleness hardly suggests sincerity. Moreover, if her husband favored another woman, could she truly be so magnanimous? Tangning, could she have deceived you?"
Tangning's face whitened further, and murmurs spread through the crowd.
No one had expected the Fourth Prince to harbor feelings for the County Princess!
Old Madam Fu, her expression grim, suddenly spoke. "County Princess, may I see those prayer beads?"
"The beads?"
"This old woman is merely curious."
Puzzled, Tangning removed the beads and handed them over.
But Old Madam Fu didn't take them. Instead, she turned to Cang Lang. "Commander Cang, would you have someone examine these beads?"
Frowning, Cang Lang gestured to the coroner behind him. The man took the beads, inspecting them carefully before sniffing them. His expression darkened.
"Commander, these beads have been soaked in a medicinal broth infused with henbane and datura. The potency suggests they were steeped for at least ten days."
The hall fell silent.
Then, someone whispered:
"Weren't henbane and datura also found in the prayer hall?"
"Aren't those hallucinogens?"
"Henbane is a narcotic, isn't it?"
The crowd was stunned. Earlier, when the County Princess had defended the Fourth Prince's consort, mentioning the beads as a gift, the consort hadn't denied it. Tangning had treated her with nothing but kindness—yet the beads were nothing but poison!
For the drug to be this potent, they had to have been prepared over ten days ago. In other words, they couldn't have been tampered with recently.
The Fourth Prince's consort had truly intended to harm the County Princess!
Tangning stared at the beads in disbelief, her face ashen. "How...? She told me these were blessed for protection... that she had prayed over them devoutly..."
"Blessed?!" Qian Qiyue spat in fury, rounding on the Fourth Prince. "You snake! No wonder you were in such a hurry to take Princess Leyang away. This whole scheme was yours from the start!"
"The Empress incited the princess to target Tangning, and your consort played the saint! You’ve orchestrated every move. You’re utterly despicable!"
"It wasn’t me! I didn’t know!"
The Fourth Prince denied frantically. "I may admire the County Princess, but I’ve never overstepped."
"Never overstepped?!" Rong Yue’s voice was laced with venom. "Tangning rejected you long ago and even threw you out of her manor! Yet yesterday, on the mountain path, you spoke to her suggestively in public, flaunting your obsession for all to see!"
The prince stammered, "Even so, she’s the one I admire! Why would I harm her?"
"Oh, we can think of a reason!"
Qian Qingruan’s gaze was sharp. "A woman of the Rong family would never be a concubine. Given your current standing, neither Lady Rong nor Governor Xiao would ever permit the County Princess to marry into your household. But if her virtue were ruined, her reputation in tatters…"
"If you then 'magnanimously' took her in despite her disgrace, you’d be praised for your devotion. She’d be indebted to you, and with her under your control, Rongsheng Academy and the loyalty of its scholars would fall into your hands."
Fu Laiqing’s voice was equally cold. "Lately, you’ve suffered setback after setback in court, losing the nobility’s support. But winning the County Princess could reverse your fortunes and even earn Governor Xiao’s favor. What a brilliant scheme, Your Highness!"
The crowd erupted into whispers.
There were too many coincidences. The evidence against Empress Lu and the Fourth Prince’s consort was undeniable. Given how often the prince had pursued the County Princess, how could he possibly be innocent?
The Fourth Prince was truly panicking now. "County Princess, don’t listen to them! I truly didn’t know why Yinxuan wanted to harm you! Given our relationship, I’d never-"
He wanted to tell her about his secret alliance with Xiao Yan, that they were on the same side, that he had no reason to harm her, that this was all a misunderstanding. But to the crowd, his words sounded entirely different.
"Enough!" Rong Yue’s roar cut through the hall. "What 'relationship' could you possibly have with my Tangning?! How dare you slander her purity at a time like this?!"
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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