Chapter 290 The Empress Told the Truth
Everyone involuntarily stared at the fragment of the jade pendant, but then looked confused. There was really nothing on the fragment. This was not even the fragment with a character.
Wang Yishu first panicked, and then became overjoyed. She raised her head with a sneer and said complacently, “Second Miss Qin, it’s just a fragment. What proof do you get?”
“I do have the proof!” Qin Wanru smiled slightly and swayed the fragment in front of a nearby Miss. “Miss, have you sniffed something?”
“A strong fragrance!” The Miss sniffed it and said honestly.
“That is Miss Wang’s handkerchief, right? I’m wondering if it has the same fragrance.” Qin Wanru squinted at the handkerchief which was still in a Miss’s hands at this moment.
The handkerchief made of colorful yarn belonged to Wang Yishu.
“They have the same fragrance!” The Miss had held the handkerchief, so she certainly had sniffed the strong fragrance. At this moment, she involuntarily exclaimed with her face changing immediately.
The handkerchief made of colorful yarn belonged to Wang Yishu, and the fragrance came from herself. This jade pendant had the same fragrance, which meant this jade pendant had been placed together with this handkerchief.
Wang Yishu had claimed this jade pendant was brought by Qin Wanru. Her lie was exposed at the moment.
When Qin Wanru mentioned the fragrance of her handkerchief, Wang Yishu felt like being struck by lightning, and her face immediately turned as pale as a piece of paper and seemingly would break at any time.
“Second Miss Qin, I don’t understand what you mean. Why would I take my brother’s jade pendant and secretly give it to you?” She strove to put on a calm look, but her hands clasped together involuntarily trembled.
“Miss Wang, I really don’t understand your intention. I don’t know you or your brother. You said that this jade pendant belongs to me. I panicked and smashed it after you saw it, and then I framed you up. But why does it have the fragrance from your handkerchief? At that time your handkerchief has been taken by several Young Madams. In this case, why does it have the fragrance?”
Qin Wanru looked at Wang Yishu with a touch of coldness in her eyes and said slowly.
Her calmness made Wang Yishu feel like her pale face was broken into pieces at the moment. She didn’t know why she fell into such a situation.
Originally she should just secretly give Qin Wanru the jade pendant.
After that, she could find an excuse to separate from Qin Wanru. What happened to Qin Wanru later and why the jade pendant fell from Qin Wanru would have nothing to do with her.
However, when she had just given the jade pendant to Qin Wanru, it was broken. What happened later was out of her control. With her back wet with cold sweat, she fixedly stared at Qin Wanru. “Second Miss Qin, I don’t understand what you mean. I’ll ask my aunt to reason things out!”
She would rather die than admit she had framed Qin Wanru up! She seemingly thought everything could be solved as long as Madam of Duke Xing came over, which made others believe it was related to Madam of Duke Xing!
Wang Yishu’s maid anxiously twisted her body and looked around nervously.
Seeing Wang Yishu bluffing, Qin Wanru asked casually, “Miss Wang, before I entered the palace today, I didn’t even know who you are. You’ve just told me your surname is Wang. Why would I frame someone up at the first meeting? And seem like have prepared for it!”
“I, I don’t know your intention. I meet you for the first time today, and you, you frame me up!” Wang Yishu gnashed her teeth and insisted on it. She couldn’t admit it anyway.
Her reputation would be severely damaged, even if such a thing happened in Duke Xing’s Mansion, not to mention they were in the palace.
She focused on explaining, but ignored she mentioned Madam of Duke Xing many times in her words. Now it was impossible for everyone not to relate Madam of Duke Xing to this.
Wang Yishu and Qin Wanru didn’t know each other before, but Madam of Duke Xing knew Qin Wanru. If this plan had been made early on, it couldn’t be possible that Qin Wanru framed up Madam of Duke Xing. Madam of Duke Xing seemed more like the one who framed up Qin Wanru anyway. But the question was why Madam of Duke Xing did this to a Young Madam who was from an aristocratic family and had just moved to the capital?
The question baffled them most!
The tent was very quiet at the moment, and all the Young Madams were waiting for the settlement.
Wang Yishu did not know that her explanation didn’t clear herself of suspicion, but involved Madam of Duke Xing in it!
“Miss Wang, you stealthily pulled my master aside and talked with her after coming here. When other Young Madams wanted to see your handkerchief, you secretly handed over the stuff wrapped in the handkerchief to my master, and then smashed it on purpose and framed my master up. We are in the palace. Although you are the niece of Madam of Duke Xing, you can’t hide the truth from the masses!”
Yujie said in anger, reached out to pick up a fragment of the jade pendant and handed it to a maid beside her. “Sniff it. Does it have the same fragrance of Miss Wang’s handkerchief?”
After sniffing it, the maid passed it to others. Those who had sniffed the handkerchief all nodded. It was indeed the same fragrance which was very strong. It was obvious that this handkerchief had been held by Wang Yishu for a while and the jade pendant was definitely not just wrapped in the handkerchief. It meant the jade pendant had been wrapped in the handkerchief since Wang Yishu entered the palace. Wang Yishu’s statement of seeing the jade pendant held by Qin Wanru was not true.
Wang Yishu could no longer hide the truth even if she strove to.
“It is weird. Why does Miss Wang frame Second Miss Qin up?” a Miss said slowly.
“It is weird indeed. Why can the daughter from a declined family enter the palace today?” Someone suspected why Wang Yishu could enter the palace today.
Wang Yishu’s status was not noble enough to make her attend the feast held in the palace today.
“Just send someone to check how she entered the palace today!” Someone suggested. It was very easy to check this. The number of the invitation cards for entering the palace was limited, and the invitation cards would only be sent to some certain mansions. Those mansions that gave the invitation card to Wang Yishu were most likely to be involved in this matter.
In fact, there was no need to check. The Young Madams had already known this matter was related to Madam of Duke Xing, and Wang Yishu should get the invitation card for entering the palace from Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Hearing the discussion around her, Wang Yishu became so flustered that her feet went weak and she almost fell.
The maid behind her hurriedly came to help her and then pinched her waist hard. Wang Yishu almost screamed with pain. However, she felt her knee was kicked heavily before screaming. She immediately realized something, closed her eyes, fell backwards and passed out.
“Miss, Miss!” The maid holding her yelled anxiously. As her hands went weak, Wang Yishu directly fell aside, and the maid also fell to the ground in panic.
They fell down hard. With her body bouncing slightly, Wang Yishu actually passed out.
Qin Wanru saw it clearly on the side. The maid kicked Wang Yishu, and Wang Yishu took the chance to pretend to pass out. But now she really fell down directly and passed out. The maid didn’t intend to hold her, letting her fall to the ground directly with the back side of her head hit heavily against the ground paved with blue flagstones.
“Ah, blood, blood!” The maid didn’t fall down as hard as Wang Yishu did. She hurriedly rushed over to help Wang Yishu up and raise her head. At the sight of the blood on the back side of her head, she shouted sharply.
Everyone saw in astonishment that the back side of Wang Yishu’s head became increasingly bloody. Many Young Madams were scared to scream, and some of them hastened out of the tent in a great rush. All of them were in a mess.
The noise had already alerted others in the palace. A supervisor Nanny of the palace came over. Seeing this situation, she was also anxious with her face changing. The Young Madams, who came to the palace today, mostly had an unusual status, and some of them might even marry someone with a higher status. At this time, no matter who had an accident, she couldn’t afford to take the responsibility.
So she hurriedly asked someone to help Wang Yishu out and sent someone to tell the imperial physicians. The tent was in a mess.
At this moment, the Empress came over with a large group of palace maids. Seeing a mess in front of her, she immediately glared at the major palace maid standing beside her with a cold face.
The major palace maid understood, hurriedly stepped forward and said loudly, “The Empress comes!”
Everyone presented at the moment knelt down and shouted, “Long live the Empress!”
“What happened here?” The Empress looked coldly at the Young Madams kneeling on the ground and said in a cold voice. She was not in a good mood today!
“Your Highness, the thing is…” Asked by the Empress, the supervisor Nanny hurriedly stepped forward to report it.
When Wang Yishu was sent to the Imperial Institute of Medicine, the supervisor Nanny had already figured out the ins and outs of the matter.
“Who is the Miss from the Qin’s Mansion?” The Queen glanced over the crowd with her gloomy eyes and asked.
“Your Highness, I am!” Hearing herself mentioned, Qin Wanru hurriedly stepped forward to kneel down and bow again.
“You are the second Miss of the Qin’s Mansion, who has almost been killed with Prince Chen?” With her gaze falling on Qin Wanru, the Empress said, “Look up?”
Up to now, there was enough time for the Empress to find out who Chu Liuchen intended to save and what had happened!
“It is me!” Qin Wanru looked up slightly without squinting.
The Empress’s gaze fell on Qin Wanru’s face, with increasing deepness in her eyes. After looking Qin Wanru up and down meaningfully, she asked, “Have you met the Miss from the Wang’s Mansion?”
“Your Highness, I haven’t,” Qin Wanru replied.
“Since you haven’t met her before, why does she intend to frame you up?” the Empress asked again.
“I, I’ve no idea. I only know that this jade pendant is brought by Miss Wang!” Sensing the burning gaze on her face, Qin Wanru became more and more cautious.
“Duke Xing’s Mansion?” The Empress said in a deep tone, “Could it be possible you have a problem with Madam of Duke Xing?”
As an unmarried Miss living in the inner courtyard, she had a problem with Madam of Duke Xing, the wife of a powerful official. The meaning of the Empress’ words was enough to arouse various thoughts.
Could it be some secrets behind it? Since they were supposed to be unrelated, how could Madam of Duke Xing have such a deep grievance against Qin Wanru? Could the attack at the entrance of the palace be related to Madam of Duke Xing?
The Empress’ conjecture was actually the truth!
The others present were still kneeling down, but all stretched their ears to listen to Qin Wanru’s explanation of the problem in front of the Empress…