Chapter 1169 - Chapter 1169 Trading Accusations
Chapter 1169 Trading Accusations
“Yuan’an, what has happened? Didn’t you come here to attend a banquet? Why did you bring so many people and follow Princess Yuyan here?” Chu Liuzhou frowned deeply and said asked, his face cold. His eyes fell on Infanta Yuan’an. If he made a slight mistake, he would be implicated. Although his mother was the Empress, she held no real power for the time being. At this critical time, he couldn’t let anything happen to her.
Helping Infanta Yuan’an clear her name was the only way to get him out of trouble.
For this reason, Chu Liuzhou had to save Infanta Yuan’an and remind her.
This place was the two princesses’ courtyard. Most people in the large group were Princess Yuyan’s servants. Yuan’an had only brought two servant girls, but Princess Yuyan took a large group with her.
Compared with Infanta Yuan’an, Princess Yuyan was more likely the one plotting against Princess Chen. Chu Liuzhou felt that Princess Yuyan had nothing to do with him, so this matter could only be related to Chu Qing or even Chu Liuyue.
He heard that Princess Yuyan had specially invited Chu Liuyue. According to Infanta Yuan’an, Princess Yuyan had the intention to marry Chu Liuyue.
Initially, he just wanted to watch a good show aside and quietly let Infanta Yuan’an instigate Princess Yuyan to do dirty things. However, in the current situation, he had to tell Infanta Yuan’an to expose Princess Yuyan.
He was of exactly the same idea as Princess Yuyan, but he spoke it out much faster than Princess Yuyan.
Although Infanta Yuan’an was crying, she had been listening to their conversation. Hearing Chu Liuzhou’s words, she immediately understood his meaning. After a moment of hesitation, she immediately betrayed Princess Yuyan and said, “Your Highness, I… I’m a guest here. I followed Princess Yuyan all the way here. Princess Yuyan wanted to go in and have a rest. When blocked at the door, she pulled Princess Chen’s servant girl aside and rushed in. I don’t know about anything else. I just thought something wrong must have happened, so I wanted to find it out before Princess Yuyan and remind Princess Chen!”
Infanta Yuan’an’s grandmother was Ruiping Great Elder Princess, who had told her a lot about what had happened in the Palace. Later, because Infanta Yuan’an was going to marry Chu Liuzhou, Ruiping Great Elder Princess had especially reminded her about some conflicts in the Palace. Ruiping Great Elder Princess had even taught her how to defend herself in a similar situation, but Infanta Yuan’an had not remembered it quickly.
“You… you are talking nonsense!” Princess Yuyan was so angry that her face changed greatly. She pointed to Infanta Yuan’an and rebuked her angrily.
Infanta Yuan’an meant that she had harbored evil intentions. She wanted to deal with Princess Chen and use her as a tool. When Infanta Yuan’an felt something wrong, she acted first only to help Princess Chen.
Infanta Yuan’an made a clever statement to prove her innocence. Hearing that, Shao Wanru almost wanted to applaud Infanta Yuan’an. For a time, Infanta Yuan’an had changed from the prime suspect to the person with the best intentions.
As expected, Princess Yuyan was pushed to the heart of the dispute.
Shao Wanru leisurely leaned back against the pillows, looking at the hazy figures outside the gauze curtain. “Infanta Yuan’an and Princess Yuyan have officially turned against each other. Not bad!”
“Princess Yuyan, although Yuan’an is not very sensible, she has always had a good relationship with Princess Chen. She paid a special visit to Princess Chen when she was ill. How could she want to hurt Princess Chen? I don’t know what you want to do. Did you find anything here?” Chu Liuzhou interrupted Princess Yuyan with a gloomy face.
His words sounded a little softer than Infanta Yuan’an’s. He didn’t directly say Princess Yuyan had deliberately framed Princess Chen. Secretly, he gave her an out. If it weren’t necessary to push one out to take the blame, Chu Liuzhou wouldn’t want to offend Princess Yuyan. He had thought the arrival of Princess Yuyan could bring him many opportunities.
“Princess Yuyan, Infanta Yuan’an, you must give me an explanation for what happened today.” Chu Liuyue’s voice suddenly came from the door. Behind him stood Zhang Qilan, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“Oh… how could Chu Liuyue be here?” Chu Liuyue’s appearance gave Chu Liuzhou a headache. Although he knew something might happen in the two foreign princesses’ place, he didn’t expect them to organize such a giant conspiracy. They plotted against two high-status ladies at one stroke.
He couldn’t deal with Chu Liuchen alone, so he had to push Princess Yuyan forward. Now, even Chu Liuyue was involved. The tricky situation utterly knocked Chu Liuzhou out.
“Princess Yuyan, Infanta Yuan’an, what did I do to offend you? How could you be so… so…” Zhang Qilan came over from behind Chu Liuyue and criticized with tears in her eyes.
She was not stupid and connected the causes and effects of many things. Seeing Princess Yuyan and Infanta Yuan’an breaking into Shao Wanru’s room together, she felt something was seriously wrong. After pondering about it, she broke out in a cold sweat. If anything happened to Shao Wanru today, she could not get away with it. Even if she had carefully done something to mislead others in the tea room, it would be useless.
She deliberately went out for a walk when she was in the tea room. Thus, if others discovered this, they would think that someone secretly targeted her. The person drugged her pastries when she was out. After all, she was the one who would eat the pastries at that time.
In secret, Zhang Qilan had considered everything carefully, but she was surprised to find out that she had fallen into the trap of Infanta Yuan’an and Princess Yuyan long ago. When she saw the two of them, she was full of hatred. She had felt injured and miserable because of Shao Wanru. Now, she was anxious to vent her anger on them.
She had been complaining tearfully to Chu Liuyue in the wing room. Of course, she shifted all the blame onto Infanta Yuan’an and Princess Yuyan.
Chu Liuyue looked gloomily at the few women in the room and finally turned his eyes to Chu Liuzhou and said, “Second Brother, you must make this whole thing clear. Infanta Yuan’an will be your legal wife. She played rotten tricks on Third Brother and me. What had she intended to do?”
Unlike Chu Liuzhou, Chu Liuyue really hoped Infanta Yuan’an would bear the consequences. Of course, he would want to take Chu Liuzhou down.
“Eldest Brother, what are you talking about? What’s wrong with Miss Zhang?” Chu Liuzhou had a headache and forcefully suppressed his anger. Times changed, and their situation was different from the past. His mother had repeatedly sent her people to tell him to be careful and keep a low profile.
“Miss Zhang is my future legal wife. You could ask someone to remind her even if she did something wrong. Why would you have to put drug powder into her pastries? She fainted, and a servant at the door had been knocked unconscious. If she hadn’t brought a tough old maid here, something terrible would have happened.”
Chu Liuyue denounced angrily.
Chu Liuzhou was tongue-tied, feeling anxious and angry. Before he could settle Chu Liuchen’s matter, Chu Liuyue began questioning him. At this time, he really couldn’t bear it alone. He rolled his eyes and saw Princess Yuyan, who remained silent on the side. He sneered. Chu Liuyue was focused on getting Infanta Yuan’an involved in this matter. However, he didn’t expect that he was not utterly clean.
“Princess Yuyan, could you please explain why?” Chu Liuzhou snapped at Princess Yuyan, “Princess Chen and Miss Zhang both had an accident. Though as a guest here, Infanta Yuan’an can hardly absolve herself from the blame. But what about you? You are the host! What do you mean by saying that? I heard you visited the Prince Yue’s Mansion and especially visited my Eldest Brother.”
All the princes present knew about it, but they didn’t say it out loud.
Zhang Qilan abruptly raised her head and looked at Princess Yuyan in astonishment. Then she turned her eyes to Chu Liuyue because she didn’t know about this.
“I… I don’t know anything. I just accompanied Infanta Yuan’an here for a walk. Infanta Yuan’an said she was tired and wanted to get in and rest, but a servant girl stopped her. She thought something had happened to Princess Chen, so she asked others to take the servant girl away.” Princess Yuyan blushed and hurriedly explained.
She and Chu Liuyue intended to marry each other. However, she could not say it aloud. At this time, Zhang Qilan would be Princess Yue, and she was going to marry Chu Qing.
“Nonsense! It was you who wanted to come here and rest. I didn’t know what this place was!” Infanta Yuan’an shouted anxiously when Princess Yuyan passed the buck to her again.
She didn’t dare to take the blame. Judging from the gloomy look in Chu Liuzhou’s eyes, she knew if she took all the responsibility on herself, she would probably come to a terrible end.
“I’m telling the truth. I’ve just arrived in the capital city and don’t know much. Infanta Yuan’an offered me guidance on many matters. She asked me to go to the Prince Chen’s Mansion, saying she would invite Prince Zhou. My Eldest Sister had already invited Princess Chen that day, so Prince Chen would come with her. Since no one sent the invitation to the Prince Yue’s Mansion, I made this special trip. Infanta Yuan’an, I thought you were a good person, but it turns out that…”
Princess Yuyan was not a pushover. She immediately turned hostile and explained in an injured tone, throwing herself into the palace maid’s arms and bursting into tears.
“Second Brother, I wondered why Princess Yuyan would come to my place. She was a guest from a distant country. Even if it was inappropriate, I must come out to welcome her. I didn’t expect this matter to be related to Infanta Yuan’an again. Infanta Yuan’an is really good at socializing. The foreign processes have only been in the capital city for a few days, but such things have happened. Go, go, go. Let’s go to the Palace and ask my father to judge. I want to know what is the reason for the mess.”
Chu Liuyue tingled with excitement. He stepped forward and grabbed Chu Liuzhou’s sleeve to pull him out.
Princess Yuyan put all the blame on Infanta Yuan’an. Immediately, Infanta Yuan’an became the most likely culprit, especially when Princess Yuyan said Infanta Yuan’an asked her to visit the Prince Yue’s Mansion.
Chu Liuzhou was going to pull Chu Liuyue out. Seeing this, Infanta Yuan’an was very anxious. Regardless of anything else, she rushed over, grabbed Princess Yuyan’s head, and burst into tears. “Princess Yuyan, you… How could you say that? Why would I advise you to go to the Prince Yue’s Mansion if you didn’t want to be Princess Yue? You never intend to marry Commandery Prince Qing and wish to marry into the Prince Yue’s Mansion. That was why you were willing to be alone with him. Now you let me bear the consequences. You… you’ve gone too far!”
“What nonsense are you talking about? What makes you think I want to marry Prince Yue?” Since such a shameful secret was exposed, Princess Yuyan could not bear it anymore, no matter how impudent she was. She shook off Infanta Yuan’an’s hand.
Infanta Yuan’an was thrown out. She staggered a few steps and bumped straight into a pillar on one side. The servant girl standing beside her couldn’t stop her, no matter how much she wanted to. She could just watch Infanta Yuan’an’s head hit the pillar with a bang. Instantly, the blood streamed down from her forehead, and she fainted.
“Your Grace,” the two servant girls she brought here screamed and rushed to Infanta Yuan’an one after another.
“Wake up, Your Grace! Wake up!”