No one knew where she got the speed from. Before Qingzhi could even press down, she was pushed away again.
This time, Qingzhi was completely off guard and fell heavily to the ground.
"I've already told you not to touch my daughter. What are you still doing here!" the old woman glared at Qingzhi, then crouched down and hugged the young girl into her arms.
Qingzhi lay on the ground, her face as gloomy as if water could drip from it. She took a deep breath and then softened her tone.
"Even if you dislike me, you can't let your anger get the better of you and ignore your daughter's life. At least, you should make her spit out that half - bite of the egg yolk pastry she ate. Maybe it's a long - shot, but there might still be a chance to save your daughter."
Hearing this, the old woman's cheeks twitched slightly. Her eyes darted around nervously.
The young girl was tightly held in the old woman's arms. In a place where no one could see, the girl's hand dug into the old woman's waist.
The old woman winced in pain and blurted out without thinking, "Do you think spitting it out will solve the problem? She, she, she has already spit it out!
Not long after she ate it, I pressed on her stomach and made her vomit it all out. But she's still like this. The doctor said there's no hope. What's the use!"
Whether it was because the pinching was too painful or she was really acting well, at this point, the old woman's eyes were full of tears, and she began to cry softly.
"Forget it. I can't fight against you.
My daughter's fate is sealed. Meeting you merchants who only care about making money and not about people's lives... It's all our bad luck.
I know you're high - ranking officials. No matter how much I make a fuss, it's useless. Even if I report this to the Magistrate's Office, it'll just be a case of officials protecting each other and nothing will come of it.
But I just feel so heart - broken for my poor daughter. She's so young, and you've murdered her. She's lost her life..."
Bai Zheng couldn't help but remind her, "She's not dead yet."
"You venomous woman! Are you still cursing her to death?" the old woman said, glaring at Bai Zheng fiercely.
Zhu Ling was just about to say, "It was you who kept saying your daughter had lost her life," when she heard the woman suddenly put down the dying girl, stand up, and glare at Bai Zheng.
"Even if I, a commoner, can't do anything to you, even if I risk my old life, I'll make all the people in Yongding City see what your shop is selling! Those who eat the food from your shop have to be constantly on guard, in case they lose their lives!"
"Very well said."
A deep voice suddenly came from the crowd.
Bai Zheng looked in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man in a magnificent cyan embroidered silk robe walking up with a solemn expression.
Bai Zheng frowned slightly.
Feng Jingye?
Why is he here?
Among the onlookers were many family members of high - ranking officials in the court. As soon as they saw Feng Jingye, they quickly recognized him.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Everyone was about to kneel down to pay their respects, but Feng Jingye waved his hand with a smile. "I'm just out for a stroll today. I don't want to attract too much attention. You don't need to be so formal."
As soon as he said this, everyone obediently stood back.
But Feng Jingye's gentle expression instantly darkened when he saw Bai Zheng. There was a storm brewing in his dark eyes.
"The Lady of the Marquis of Dingyuan really has a big ego. Seeing this Crown Prince, she doesn't even have the basic courtesy!"
As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned. But soon, they started to gloat.
Others were told not to be too formal by Feng Jingye. But Bai Zheng not paying her respects was seen as being arrogant.
It was like a public slap in the face for Bai Zheng.
Facing these malicious looks, Bai Zheng just smiled slightly, showing no sign of embarrassment. She placed her right hand on her left and placed them properly at her waist. Then she slightly bent her knees and performed a standard courtesy.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. This subject's wife didn't expect to see Your Highness in such a common place. I was just regretting not having prepared a private room for Your Highness in advance, so I forgot to pay my respects."
Her words were so gentle and appropriate that Feng Jingye couldn't fault her for not paying her respects anymore.
He snorted. "This Crown Prince doesn't dare to sit in the private room prepared by the Lady of the Marquis of Dingyuan."
"Your Highness, what are you saying?" Bai Zheng replied with a smile.
Feng Jingye looked up.
His cold eyes landed quietly on Bai Zheng's face. He parted his thin lips and replied word by word, "I'm afraid that even if this Crown Prince has the life to sit down, he won't have the life to get up."
Bai Zheng pretended not to understand. "Your Highness is blessed with good fortune. How can you say such things?"
"Then what should I say? The shop opened by your Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion has caused someone's death. Do you expect this Crown Prince to say something that distorts the truth to cover for you?"
Feng Jingye suddenly got excited and retorted righteously.
"Don't think that just because of your status, you can break the law and do evil wantonly in Yongding City. This Crown Prince will never allow such things as taking people's lives lightly!"
As soon as he said this, the onlookers cheered.
"Look, our Crown Prince is so wise, just, and impartial! It seems that this time, even if the Lady of the Marquis has the protection of the Marquis of Dingyuan, it won't help!"
"That's not necessarily true. Back then, even the Emperor had to give in to the old Marquis when he got angry. If the Crown Prince really falls out with the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion over this matter, he may not get the upper hand."
"What a joke! Even if the Marquis of Dingyuan has made great military achievements, he's just a subject. His Highness is the future ruler. Is there any reason for the ruler to give in to the subject?"
The onlookers' words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Feng Jingye's face even uglier.
He looked up, and the red veins in his eyes were like poisonous snakes coiling around Bai Zheng. "Only caring about profit and not about people's lives. Bai Zheng, what crime do you deserve?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Hearing this, the old woman's eyes lit up as if she had seen a savior.
She crawled over on all fours and knelt in front of Feng Jingye, crying and pleading, "Please, Your Highness, seek justice for my daughter!"
As if to echo her words, the next second, a man outside the crowd cried loudly and tried to push his way forward.
His voice was shrill and high - pitched, almost piercing everyone's eardrums. "Bai Zheng, you venomous woman, give me back my son's life!"
Bai Zheng suddenly looked up, and the coldness in her eyes gradually spread.
Like a dam starting to release water, the shouts and condemnations in the crowd grew louder and louder.
"My mother was in poor health, but she shouldn't have died just because she ate a bite of their cake!"
"My son was only three years old. He was the child I had when I was almost fifty. I cherished him like a treasure, and now he's gone..."
"It's all this venomous woman's fault!"
The crowd became more and more restless. The condemnations from outside grew louder and louder. Some people even started to smash the shop front in the chaos.