Qing Bai knelt on one side, his face grim.
Ji Huang remained silent for a long time. It was his other personal guard who couldn't stand it any longer.
He stepped forward and kicked his former brother hard in the chest. Even after the man had fallen to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the guard showed no sign of calming down.
"You're heartless! The prince has always been kind to you. He never treated you badly and regarded you as his own brother. How could you do such a thing? How can the prince face this?"
"I'm sorry for the prince, but please spare the princess consort. It has nothing to do with her."
"Of course it has nothing to do with me, my lord. Don't you trust me? He forced his way in and tried to take advantage of me when I wasn't prepared. If you hadn't arrived in time, my innocence would have been ruined."
"Your innocence is already gone. How can Huang'er keep such a person by his side?"
As she spoke, a figure appeared at the courtyard gate.
Ji Huang didn't expect that this incident would alarm Shi Muyuan. His face showed a hint of panic as he quickly stepped forward to greet her.
"Mother, it's so late. Why aren't you resting in your own courtyard? Don't worry. I can handle this."
Shi Muyuan sighed and patted his hand.
"Silly child, when someone has offended you right in front of your eyes, do you still want to protect them? Although there was some affection in the past, she has betrayed you. As a man, how can your main wife be sullied by another? What will others think of you if this gets out?"
"Mother..."
His expression was pained, clearly touched on a sore spot.
However, if it didn't hurt, how could he remember what had happened today?
She sighed slightly, walked into the room, and motioned for the people behind her to follow.
The two people kneeling on the ground were a bit flustered, not knowing what she was going to do.
Qing Bai tried to get up to block, but was held down firmly by others and couldn't move.
The young girl's eyes scanned the room. After a moment, she stroked her chin, unconsciously imitating the posture of the detectives in the detective dramas she had watched.
After watching so many suspense films, she finally had a chance to show her skills.
"First of all, regarding the so - called coercion, I can't smell the slightest strange odor in this room. And there aren't even any servants on night watch outside. In this mansion, there are only a few people who can dismiss all the servants. You weren't here, and I wasn't here. So who else could it be?"
The answer was obvious. The truth was right in front of them.
Outside, He Hui heard what she said and stumbled into the room.
"Mother, how can you make such accusations without evidence? I know you've never liked me, but there's no need to frame me with such a vicious thing."
"Do you think I'm framing you?"
"Isn't it?"
"The evidence is so obvious, yet I didn't expect you to be so stubborn."
After all, she was a pampered young lady who had been taught music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and etiquette since childhood. Even though she had learned some tricks, no one had ever taught her vulgar language.
So, with just this one sentence, she couldn't find any words to refute.
There was nothing she could do but swallow this bitter pill.
She gritted her teeth and made a final struggle.
"That's just your speculation, Mother. It doesn't prove anything."
"Fine. Then I'll have to trouble Huang'er to call back all the servants who left their posts. Then we'll know what happened, right?"
The young girl deliberately emphasized the words "left their posts". It was obvious to anyone that He Hui's face had turned even paler.
However, before she could react...
Before long, all the servants came back. They looked at each other, not knowing what had happened.
"Prince, Princess Consort, have we done something wrong?"
"No. You just need to tell me everything that happened before you left."
It was Shi Muyuan who spoke gently. Although the servants didn't know what was going on, seeing the two people kneeling on the ground, they knew that things were not that simple.
The servants looked at the current situation and were confused about how to start.
Shi Muyuan knew that these people must be afraid of He Hui's revenge, so she directly blocked their sight from He Hui.
"I guarantee it. What are you afraid of? Just tell me why none of you were on night watch in the courtyard today. It seems rather unusual that no one was there."
As soon as she asked this question, there seemed to be a furtive figure in the crowd.
The young girl squinted her eyes and stepped forward directly.
"Where do you think you're going, old woman? I'm still questioning here. What do you want to do outside?"
The old woman turned around stiffly and pretended to be nonchalant.
"Your Majesty has misunderstood. I just wanted to close the door to prevent others from running out."
"So you're so kind. Then you should also tell me what I want to know."
The old woman felt the threatening look and originally wanted to lie stubbornly, but after hearing what Shi Muyuan said next, she was silent for a long time.
"I can't tolerate any sand in my eyes. Think carefully before you speak."
The old woman gritted her teeth and made a decision.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I'm just an insignificant servant. The Princess Consort told us to leave so that she could rest well. That's why we left. We didn't leave our posts without permission."
"In that case, did you hear any strange sounds?"
The old woman's eyes flickered and she was about to continue speaking when suddenly a sharp wind approached.
Shi Muyuan realized what the two of them were about to do. She raised her hand to stop them, but it was already too late.
Was the matter going to be settled like this? No, it couldn't be.
At the critical moment, a stone came out of nowhere and knocked down the hidden weapon.
The young girl just came back to her senses and saw Ji Huang withdrawing his hand. Qing Bai's expression cracked.
"Prince, I've said it was all my doing. Don't you trust me?"
"I just want to know the truth. Your guilty look makes me think there's something wrong with this matter."
He Hui didn't know when she started to shed tears. She was crying heart - rendingly.
Ji Huang's first reaction was to soften his heart.
A hint of reluctance appeared in his eyes.
How could Shi Muyuan let the two of them define this matter so easily? She sneered contemptuously.
"Hey, what's that on the window ledge? It looks like it was scratched by hands."
Such words made people's imaginations run wild.
Although this was ancient times, men were instinctively sensitive about this aspect.
Moreover, erotic pictures also originated in ancient times.
Out of the corner of her eye, she observed the people around her and clearly saw that everyone's expressions were very complicated.
Shi Muyuan had achieved the effect she wanted.
Ji Huang put away his last bit of soft - heartedness and turned around coldly.
"The matter is settled. You two were the people I trusted the most, yet you could do such a thing."