"Madam Prime Minister, this matter is of great importance. We must not allow this wicked servant to slander your daughter's innocence!"
"Yes! Why don't you go into the tent now? We'll all be witnesses and clear the eldest miss's name!"
These official ladies all looked righteous. On the surface, they showed respect and deference to the Prime Minister's Mansion. However, due to the Prime Minister being labeled a "treacherous official", he had offended countless officials in the court. Naturally, the ladies in the inner courtyard also shared the same hatred.
Finally getting a chance to disgrace the Prime Minister's Mansion, how could they let it slip away?
On the contrary, Madam Jiang had precisely anticipated these people's thoughts, so she deliberately spread the news to arouse their curiosity. Even if something went wrong, she could claim it was out of helplessness, and no one would suspect her.
Just as Madam Jiang had played her part to the fullest and was about to let people into the tent, a shrill scream suddenly pierced everyone's ears:
"Fire! Fire! Come and put out the fire quickly!"
Everyone followed the sound and indeed saw a column of thick smoke rising. A tent not far away was spitting out tongues of fire and burning more and more fiercely.
It was late autumn. After two seasons of nourishment, the wild animals were fat and strong. Although it was a good season for hunting, the withered grass and the rustling autumn wind meant that once a fire started in the wild, it would spread rapidly...
Everyone's faces turned pale instantly. They had no mood to watch the show anymore. Panicking, they scattered like birds and beasts, all running for their lives.
Seeing that her plan was on the verge of success but suddenly disrupted, Madam Jiang stood there stunned, her face ashen.
Gritting her teeth in hatred, she ordered people to drag away Yuzhu and rushed into the tent aggressively. She was determined to drag Yun Xi into the mud today and never let her turn things around!
But just as she stepped into the tent, a maid suddenly grabbed her arm:
"Madam, miss's tent caught fire. She scratched her face when escaping! Now miss is threatening to kill herself. Please go and have a look quickly!"
Madam Jiang was about to get angry, but after hearing what the maid said, her feet wobbled and she almost lost her balance.
"What?!"
Appearance was a woman's future! If her daughter's face was disfigured, no matter how painstakingly she planned, what future could her daughter have? A person as noble as the Crown Prince would never want a disfigured woman as his Crown Princess!
Madam Jiang glared at Yuzhu reluctantly, then without hesitation, was escorted by people and rushed to her daughter's tent in a hurry.
Since only one tent was on fire and it was close to the river, by the time Madam Jiang arrived, the fire had already been put out.
Madam Jiang just let out a sigh of relief, but when she saw her daughter, her anger flared up instantly!
"Get out of my way! Let me die!"
At this moment, Yun Ni was disheveled and in a complete mess. She was shouting and struggling to throw herself into the river. Gone was the usual grace she deliberately cultivated. She scratched and bit the maids, and even kicked the imperial physician sent by the Queen!
Her actions attracted everyone's attention. People were pointing and whispering: Where was there any trace of a noble young lady? She was just like a crazy woman!
Madam Jiang saw this from afar. She felt as if a dark cloud was hanging over her head and her feet were like stepping on cotton.
After learning that her daughter had only scratched a little bit of skin, Madam Jiang's face darkened even more. She pinched Yun Ni's waist and whispered a warning to her daughter who was throwing a tantrum:
"If you keep making a scene like this, you'll surely lose the position of Crown Princess!"
These words were like hitting Yun Ni's weak point. Only then did she stop causing trouble. Puckering her lips, she looked aggrieved.
Madam Jiang was filled with anger. She intuitively felt that the fire today was rather strange.
While everyone's attention was focused on the fire and the crying Yun Ni, no one noticed that a slender figure walked out of Yun Ni's tent and quickly headed in another direction.
When Yun Xi swaggered back to her own tent, the tied-up maid stared at her with wide eyes. Just as she was about to shout, Yun Xi slapped her so hard that she felt dizzy. Then, a piece of ragged cloth was stuffed into her mouth.
In the blink of an eye, Yun Xi had entered the tent.
Seeing Yun Xi return suddenly, Yuzhu was both surprised and delighted. She stepped forward and was about to ask, but Yun Xi made a gesture to silence her.
Rubbing her numb wrists, Yun Xi quickly said to Yuzhu, "Don't ask anything. Hurry up and get me something to eat!"
She had been on the run all night and hadn't eaten or drunk anything. The slap just now had exhausted all her strength. If she didn't eat something, she was afraid she wouldn't even have the strength to fight later.
Yun Xi gobbled up the pastries while listening to Yuzhu's worried complaints.
"Miss, where did you go last night? Why are you covered in injuries? Just now, Madam Jiang brought a group of people here, trying to slander you for having an affair with Jiang Qing. If it weren't for the sudden fire, your innocence would have been completely ruined! Madam Jiang must have come prepared this time. What should we do?"
In response to these questions, all Yuzhu heard was the sound of Yun Xi's cheeks bulging and her rapid chewing.