Without hesitation, Lord Gu ordered his men to tie up Feng Lanqing and Liu Qinting together and send them to the Supreme Court of Judicature. He also had his men arrest Liu Anping, Mrs. Miao, and the entire Feng family and send them to the same place.
At this time, Lady Gu suddenly remembered and said, "Liyue, you went out with your Qin sisters today. What about Caiyin?"
Gu Liyue explained, "Caiyin had a stomachache and didn't go. It was Fang Min, the daughter of the Fang family, who went with me... Grandmother, Fang Min abandoned me halfway. I guess she must have been in touch with Feng Lanqing long ago."
Lady Gu sneered, "Fang Min? It seems we should ask the Fang family how they educate their daughter."
Just then, a servant came to report that Lord Qin, Lady Qin, and Lord Fang had come with the young ladies of their two families.
Qin Caiyin knelt on the ground obediently. Her face was pale and sallow, looking sick. Her voice was also a bit weak. "Lady Gu, Liyue, it's all my fault today. Originally, according to my cousin's words, I invited you out. But suddenly I felt unwell. I wanted to send someone to tell you, but my cousin said she wanted to play with you, so I didn't take it seriously, which led to such a big mess."
Gu Liyue quickly had someone help her up and sit down, then asked, "How are you feeling? What's wrong?"
Qin Caiyin's face changed. Looking at Fang Min, who was crying sadly on the ground, she just couldn't bear it. She just turned her head and kept silent.
Lady Qin forced a smile and explained helplessly, "We thought she just ate something bad at first. Later, we found out she was drugged. She's okay after taking the medicine."
It was self - evident who had drugged her.
Lady Gu sneered, "Your young lady is okay, but my Liyue was so frightened. Lord Fang, take a good look at my granddaughter!"
Didn't Lord Fang see the haggard Gu Liyue? He felt extremely shocked, angry and resentful. Pointing at Fang Min, he said, "General, Lady Gu, today's incident is all my unfilial daughter's fault. I brought her here without any intention of pleading for mercy. I just ask the general and Lady Gu to punish her severely... It's my fault in education. Please punish me as well!"
Although he said so, if he really didn't care about his daughter, he wouldn't have sent her to the Gu family but directly to the government.
Fang Min still looked innocent. She looked up at Gu Liyue and widened her eyes. "Sister Gu, why are you injured? What happened? Did Feng Lanqing do something to you..."
"Minmin!" Lady Qin was furious and wished she could cover Fang Min's mouth. But after holding back for a long time, she just scolded her and forced a smile at Lady Gu. "Lady Gu, you know Minmin. Her parents are busy and haven't taught her well, so she's so naive." Then she turned to Fang Min. "Minmin, don't you tell your Sister Gu everything?"
Fang Min's mother and Lady Qin were sisters. But since the two elders of the Fang family were in their hometown, Mrs. Fang had to stay at home to take care of them. The Fang family attached great importance to the education of their sons but indulged their daughters. Fang Min had lived in her hometown most of the time. After returning to the capital, she just played around at her aunts' houses without proper education, so she was extremely innocent.
But now she knew she had done something wrong. She lowered her head aggrievedly and told everything step by step. "Last time when we met Feng Lanqing in the bookstore, I saw him again later. He told me your love story..."
Lady Gu was a bit unhappy and coughed. "What story? They were engaged before, but the engagement was called off long ago. There's no such story."
Gu Liyue held Lady Gu back and asked coldly, "Fang Min, just tell me. What did Feng Lanqing tell you?"
Fang Min continued aggrievedly, "He said you two knew each other since childhood and had a deep affection. He always regarded you as his wife. Later, you were persecuted by your uncle's family and insisted on leaving Cangyun County and calling off the engagement. He couldn't forget you, so he married your cousin... Later, he found that your cousin was jealous and unfilial and always slandered you. He couldn't bear it but was helpless. He felt that life was meaningless, and that's why he didn't do well in the imperial examination."
Hearing this, Qin Caiyin was so angry that she asked repeatedly, "He said he couldn't forget Liyue, and you just believed it?"
"He... he even shed tears..."
"So what if he shed tears? Fine. Let's assume he married her cousin because of Liyue. What about his concubine? Did he have to marry her too? Or did you not know?"
Fang Min stammered, "I know. But he said his concubine looked somewhat similar to Sister Gu, so he..."
Gu Liyue sneered, "So you believed that he still had feelings for me instead of just coveting my current status and position?"
Fang Min said blankly, "But he said with his knowledge and literary talent, he should have been ranked in the top three in the imperial examination. If he had been, he would have been worthy of you."
Qin Caiyin said sternly, "Fang Min, I used to think you were too young to understand things, but I didn't know you were so stupid. Look at all the past champions. Which one could compare with a noble family? How many years would it take for a scholar from a humble background to get promoted? Among those who passed the imperial examination, if they didn't find a good father - in - law, which one could really be immediately made a marquis or a prime minister?"
Fang Min didn't understand these things at all. She just looked up with big, tearful eyes at Gu Liyue, looking completely lost.
Gu Liyue sighed silently. They were both daughters of noble families and at the innocent age. Qin Caiyin knew everything, while Fang Min knew nothing. Maybe in the future, Qin Caiyin would be like her sister, getting married to a well - known man as arranged by her parents, just like most women in the capital, with her whole life predictable at a glance.
"What did Feng Lanqing ask you to do?"
Fang Min said, "He said he just wanted to talk to you again. He said he didn't believe you were a person who only cared about power and status and ignored feelings. He said as long as you two opened your hearts, he could make you change your mind. Then I... put some croton powder in my cousin's food. And according to what he said, I took you to that teahouse and sent your maids away."
Gu Liyue asked, "Is that all?"
Fang Min nodded. "Yes, that's all. I thought I was there and the guards were downstairs, so nothing would happen... Later, how were you injured, Sister Gu? What did Feng Lanqing do to you?"
Gu Liyue frowned slightly. According to Fang Min's words, the replacement of her coachman and the disappearance of the guards were not done by Feng Lanqing. Then it must be Liu Zhenghui and Liu Qinting. She didn't expect the Liu family to be so bold and capable of mobilizing the Gu family's guards.
Fang Min was blank for a moment. Seeing her father's fierce look, she quickly lowered her head and shrank back, crying. "Sister Gu, it's all my fault. Sister Gu, you can beat and scold me."