The rumors about the jinx thing also spread to the imperial palace, and Yuyan came to Qiao Jinniang to report the news.

Qiao Jinniang was very angry. “No matter who the person behind this is, no matter how much grievances he has with the Qiao family, he shouldn’t be so vicious to a newly born baby!”

When Lu Chen entered Qiao Jinniang’s palace, seeing her angry face, he knew that she already knew about it.

Lu Chen said, “The people have caught the Miao woman who spread the rumors. She is currently being interrogated by Chang’an Prefect. Don’t worry. No one will believe this kind of nonsense.”

Qiao Jinniang said indignantly, “There had long been signs of floods in the South, but it was only recently known in Chang’an. Why do they say that it’s caused by my sister? It doesn’t need everyone to believe it. As long as some people believe it, my sister will have to carry the name of a jinx.”

“Can you get the Miao woman over and interrogate her yourself?”

It was not difficult for Lu Chen to personally interrogate the Miao woman.

“Imperial Cousin, Cousin-in-law, I know who that Miao woman is!”

Junior Duke Rong shouted loudly from outside the palace.

Qiao Jinniang ordered to let him in, and Junior Duke Rong cupped his hands to Qiao Jinniang. “Samo’er told me that the Miao woman is the State Preceptor of Xiliang!”

Qiao Jinniang asked curiously, “Isn’t Samo’er the crown princess of Xiliang? Why did she reveal the identity of the State Preceptor of Xiliang?”

Lu Chen explained to Qiao Jinniang in a low voice. “Samo’er’ father became the emperor of Xiliang because Duke Anyuan executed the former Emperor Xiliang, and the power of Xiliang is actually in the hands of the regent, and this State Preceptor of Xiliang is also on the regent’s side.

“If not, Emperor Xiliang would not have been willing to marry his daughter so far away to Chang’an. What he wanted was to establish a good relationship with Datang, so that the regent would not dare to kill him.”

Qiao Jinniang nodded. No wonder Samo’er didn’t do anything against the Qiao family after raising the three problems at Lu Chen’s birthday banquet.

The execution of Emperor Xiliang by Duke Anyuan might do Samo’er’s family more good than bad.

Qiao Jinniang said, “Even if this State Preceptor of Xiliang sneaked into Chang’an, she should not know so much about Chang’an, especially the flood in the South. The reply letter of the imperial envoy has just arrived in Chang’an.”

There must be someone in Datang helping her!

Lu Chen comforted Qiao Jinniang. “Leave this matter to me. You can rest assured. I’m going to the Chang’an Government Office first.”

“Take me with you.” Qiao Jinniang looked at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen took Qiao Jinniang’s hand and agreed.

The mammies and guards in the East Palace: “…”

The rule that the Crown Princess must not be allowed to leave the imperial palace seemed not to exist at all, but no one dared to remind them.

…

In the Mu Mansion not far from Prince Huai Mansion, Mu Qianqian struggled to get up from bed and asked, “The people of Chang’an actually sent the State Preceptor to Chang’an Government Office?”

“Yes, Master, what should we do now? This State Preceptor is the sweetheart of the regent of Xiliang. We have to save her!”

Mu Qianqian originally wanted to use the jinx rumor to provoke the people’s resentment against Duke Anyuan. Then if the Crown Prince helped Duke Anyuan, he would lose the people’s hearts.

But if the Crown Prince helped the people, then Duke Anyuan and Qiao Jinniang would break away from him.

The Crown Prince had already broken away from his teacher and the Duke Wu Mansion, and if he broke away with the Duke Anyuan Mansion too, wouldn’t Prince Huai be the most powerful prince in the court?

How could the people of Chang’an not be tricked?!

What Mu Qianqian was more afraid of now was that she might ruin the plan of Prince Huai and the Regent of Xiliang.

If she had known this, she wouldn’t have had the State Preceptor of Xiliang to spread the rumors herself.

The Xiliang State Preceptor was really useless.

…

The prefect of Chang’an hadn’t started the interrogation when he heard that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had arrived, and he hurriedly guided them to the seats of honor.

Qiao Jinniang looked at the woman who was tied up by the people in Chang’an and felt that her eyes were a bit like Samo’er’s.

But she was not as stunningly beautiful as Samo’er.

The prefect of Chang’an banged his gavel and said, “Who is the woman on the ground? How dare you play mysterious and slander the daughter of our country’s hero?!”

The woman held her head high and said, “I am Si Ru, the Saintess of Miao. I am not playing mysterious. I received the ominous sign shown by gods, so I specially came to Chang’an to remind His Majesty. Unfortunately I came too late and the jinx was already born. The South is already flooded, and the people there are already struggling to survive!”

The prefect of Chang’an said, “How can I believe your one-sided words!”

Si Ru said, “I am the Saintess of Miao. If you don’t believe me, untie me, and I will show you some magic to open the eyes of fools like you people.”

Zhou Shihui, who had just been released from prison, heard the noise here and came over to watch.

Although Zhou Shihui hated Qiao Jinniang for forcing her senior brother to marry Fulu, that child was her senior brother’s younger sister, so how could she just sit by and ignore it?

After she came, she was disgusted to see Qiao Jinniang.

Qiao Jinniang said to the prefect, “Then untie her!”

After the prefect ordered to untie Si Ru, Si Ru said, “I need a table, three bowls, five beans, and a stick!”

The prefect of Chang’an glanced at Lu Chen, who nodded and said, “Give them to her.”

After setting the table, Si Ru said, “Look, there are five beans and three bowls here. There are no beans between my fingers. And these beans are prepared by you.”

Si Ru spread out her hands and presented them in front of everyone, so that the people could see that there was nothing in her hands.

“As you can see clearly, I put a bean into the first bowl, and put the second bean into the second bowl, then I put the third bean in the second bowl too, so there are two beans in the second bowl, and one bean in the first bowl, right?”

After Si Ru put the beans, she asked the people.

The people said, “Yes.”

But after Si Ru opened the first bowl, there were three beans in it, but there was not a single bean in the second bowl!

Everyone was amazed and said, “How is this possible? Just now I clearly saw two beans in the second bowl and one in the first bowl, but why are there three beans in the second bowl now?”

Si Ru said, “Because I know magic, now can you believe that I am the goddess of Miao to save you people?

Qiao Jinniang smiled. “So this is magic?”

Si Ru said, “Of course, now I order you mortals to bury the jinx of the Qiao family under a willow tree! Hurry up!”

Zhou Shihui was once sold into a trick troupe after she got lost when she was a child. She actually could do Si Ru’s “magic” too.

Zhou Shihui said to Hongling, “Go report to your madam. If she stops forcing my senior brother to marry a woman he doesn’t like and lets him marry me, I can go out and expose this Miao woman’s “magic”.

“Otherwise, having a jinx as a sister is not good for her reputation, isn’t it?”