Alarm bells rang loudly in her heart. Yun Qianying's face turned as white as a sheet.
"I'm dying for you to leave. Why would I send someone to stop you? And I've never sent a message to you, Mother."
"Damn it! This is a trick within a trick. Awen, Mother, you should leave quickly! Hurry..."
"It's probably too late to leave now."
Yun Xi's clear and cold voice suddenly rang out, startling the people in the room so much that they took several steps back.
The door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang" from the outside. Yun Xi and the rest of the Yun family stepped in together. Behind them were also a group of ladies and young misses who, under the pretext of "taking a stroll to aid digestion", had followed, and... Shen Zhou.
"You... How could you..."
Lou Zhiwen stared at Yun Xi with his eyes wide open, his finger trembling as he pointed at her, as if he had seen a ghost.
The next moment, Yi Yuan's sharp sword flew out of his hand and cut off the finger that was pointing out.
"Ah!!!"
Blood spurted everywhere. Lou Zhiwen covered his hand and let out a shrill scream, making the onlookers gasp in horror.
Zhang Rui was like someone whose heart had been gouged out. She let out a scream and rushed over to hug Lou Zhiwen, crying uncontrollably.
As if she didn't see the scene in front of her, Yun Xi gave a faint smile and answered his question slowly, as if she hadn't been the one who was nearly killed earlier.
"You're wondering how I didn't die and how I wasn't in the well, right?"
"Because there was someone in the well to catch me. Knowing that Yun Qianying had joined hands with you to harm me, I had to make some preparations."
"Oops, I'm wrong,"
Yun Xi paused and stared straight at Yun Qianying, whose face had lost all color. Her eyes were as cold as frost.
"It's Lou Qianying, to be exact."
"No, no..."
Lou Qianying was so terrified that she could hardly stand.
Especially after seeing the angry and murderous looks on the faces of Yun Weisheng, Liu Jingyue, and Yun Qi, she broke out in a cold sweat. In no time, her inner clothes were soaked through.
"Father, Mother, Elder Brother..."
With a "plop", Lou Qianying knelt on the ground. Ignoring Yun Xi, she crawled on her knees, crying piteously.
"You've finally come. They..."
She grabbed the corner of Liu Jingyue's skirt and pointed at Zhang Rui and Lou Zhiwen behind her, her face full of fear.
"They forced me to reveal Sister Xi's whereabouts and wanted to harm her. Wuwu... Please save me quickly, save Xiaoying..."
"Spit!"
Liu Jingyue kicked Lou Qianying away with a fierce kick and said angrily.
"You're still pretending at this moment! I was blind and soft - hearted for a moment, and I brought you, a heartless white - eyed wolf, into the family! That's why you've had the chance to harm my own daughter again and again!"
"Exactly,"
Qiao Yan had long disliked Lou Qianying, especially because Lou Qianying had always said that she shouldn't marry into the Yun family. Although she didn't have any feelings for Yun Qi at that time, being talked to like that by Lou Qianying every time had really annoyed Qiao Yan.
Moreover, after a series of events later, she and Yun Qi had gotten closer. But every time she thought of someone like Lou Qianying standing in the way, she had to nip the budding feelings in the bud.
When she found out that Yun Xi was the real daughter of the Yun family, Qiao Yan was so happy that she couldn't sleep all night.
This time, following Yun Xi and catching Lou Qianying red - handed made her feel extremely happy.
Seizing such a good opportunity, she immediately added fuel to the fire.
"We heard all your words. It's you who is so vicious that you want to take Xiaoxi's life. You can't wriggle out of this this time!"
"No, it's not..."
Lou Qianying still wanted to defend herself. She sobbed so hard that she couldn't catch her breath, trying to arouse the Yun family's pity as she had done before.
But unfortunately, after seeing Lou Qianying's true colors, the Yun family, who had once given their sincere love only to be treated so heartlessly, just wanted to kill her. They no longer had the slightest bit of pity for her.
On the other side, Zhang Rui, who had been only focused on comforting her son, finally came to her senses.
She was already angry and resentful because of Lou Zhiwen's injury. Seeing that Lou Qianying had unhesitatingly pushed her out as a scapegoat, she was even more furious. Without thinking, she knelt on the ground with a "thud" and started to turn on each other.
"General, Madam, please see clearly. We don't have that much power. All of this was planned by this little bitch herself. It was her vicious act to marry into the Shen family and climb up the social ladder. It has nothing to do with our mother and son."
"We're the ones who were forced. It was this little bitch who used her status as the daughter of the General's Mansion to coerce and induce us to do this immoral thing. If we didn't obey, she... she would kill us..."
By the end, Zhang Rui was in a complete mess, with snot and tears all over her face, losing all her usual dignity.
"You're lying! For the sake of your son, what kind of nonsense can't you make up..."
Lou Qianying retorted hoarsely. The two sides quarreled noisily.
The ladies who didn't know the situation behind started to whisper to each other.
Such a big incident happened at the welcome banquet, and it was an internal strife within the Yun family. Everyone was watching from the sidelines, speculating who the mastermind was.
"Enough,"
Yun Xi interrupted impatiently.
She still had something to ask and didn't have the time to listen to them shifting the blame onto each other.
"Since you drugged me and tried to kill me, the people of my Yun family have been watching from the side! None of you can escape today!"
Yun Weisheng was so angry that he wished he could go up and stab each of them with a knife.
Hearing his precious daughter's words, he immediately waved his hand.
"Come on! Tie up these vicious villains and send them to the Emperor together with the maid who led the way just now!"
"No—"
Lou Qianying struggled desperately and let out a shrill scream that almost pierced everyone's eardrums.
"I'm the daughter of the Yun family. You can't arrest me!"
"Azhou, Azhou, save me—save me, um..."
Before she could finish shouting, her mouth was stuffed unceremoniously. She was quickly tied up and taken away, not even getting a pitying look from Shen Zhou.
Someone had already gone to Emperor Zhaohuan to explain the whole thing. When the Lou family members were brought before him, Emperor Zhaohuan was so angry that he laughed.
"Good, really good..."
Emperor Zhaohuan sneered non - stop. He slammed his wine cup on the ground beside Lou Qianying with a "bang". The cup shattered into pieces and flew everywhere.
"Every time I hold a banquet, you, this bitch, have to cause trouble! My banquet has actually become a place for you to harm others!"
"Who on earth gave you the audacity! How dare you act recklessly on such an occasion? Reveal your accomplice behind the scenes, and I'll spare your whole body!"
The guard standing beside Lou Qianying roughly pulled out the cloth from her mouth to make it easier for her to confess.
Knowing that there was no way to escape today.
Lou Qianying was extremely terrified. She glanced at Yi Zhen beside her, who looked as if nothing had happened. Meeting her calm eyes, she couldn't help but shiver for some reason.
A strong premonition told her that she must not reveal Yi Zhen, otherwise, she might not even be able to seek death in the end.
"The Emperor is asking you a question. Answer quickly!"
Seeing that she was hesitating to speak and the Emperor's face was getting worse and worse, Eunuch Zhang, who was very observant, shouted, bringing back a glimmer of reason to Lou Qianying.
"Your Majesty,"
Lou Qianying buried her head on the ground in fear. Gritting her teeth, she replied.
"This... This matter was solely my doing. There was no one else to help me."