Qi Yue raised her eyes and looked at Jin Yuan.
"Yuan'er, even you don't believe me in this matter?"
"Believe you? In this world, trust is the most heartless thing. If my father hadn't thought that your Duke's Mansion was valued by the Eldest Prince before, why would he have let me be on false good terms with you?"
Jin Yuan flung her sleeve and said sharply, "Guards! The two maids from the Laundry Courtyard have offended this young lady. According to the laws of the Cangwu Kingdom, drag them away. Dig out Ningning's eyes and chop off Qi Yue's feet."
Hearing such a punishment, Zhao Shuning was a bit stunned.
No way?
She didn't want to make a fuss about it, but this Miss Jin was pushing things too far. She was still holding on to this and now came up with such a terrifying punishment?
"Yuan'er, you..."
"Guards, hold Qi Yue down for me."
Zhao Shuning let out a soft laugh.
At this moment, several maids, as well as Qi Yue and Jin Yuan, all looked at her.
Zhao Shuning looked Jin Yuan in the eye and said softly, "Digging out people's eyes and cutting off their legs. This can't be the first time you've done this, can it, Miss Jin?"
Jin Yuan's face showed a bit of panic.
"What are you talking nonsense about? Today, you two offended this young lady and almost cost this young lady her life. To set an example, this young lady had to give such a severe order. Your lives as lowly maids are as worthless as ants. This young lady disdains to explain anything to you two."
"Our lives may not be worth much, but those maids whose eyes were dug out and legs were cut off before were not from the Laundry Courtyard. Even when beating a dog, one has to look at its owner. Do you think that if the masters of those maids knew that it was not the Second Prince but you, Miss Jin, who secretly killed their maids in the palace, how would your father conduct himself in the court in the future?"
Qi Yue looked at Zhao Shuning in disbelief. Then she looked at the panicked Jin Yuan.
Could it be that those previous rumors unfavorable to the Second Prince all came from Yuan'er?
Zhao Shuning felt a bit nervous. After all, she had no evidence. But when Jin Yuan panicked, she knew that this matter must have something to do with this eldest Miss Jin.
Hearing Zhao Shuning's analysis and seeing her confident eyes, Jin Yuan's eyes also flickered.
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Shuning launched a series of attacks.
"Also, I heard before that Miss Jin has feelings for the Second Prince. Aren't you afraid that this will reach the ears of the Queen Mother? Some time ago, the Second Prince suffered such humiliation at the memorial ceremony for the Eldest Prince. You could have stood up then, but you considered various interests and didn't. If you like him, then go for it. Now, you blame all your previous unhappiness on others. Miss Jin, as a young lady from a noble family, you're doing a rather poor job."
Jin Yuan slumped back. Her chest heaved violently.
A mere maid from the Laundry Courtyard had such a sharp tongue. She wondered who had given her pointers. But now that her weakness had been grasped, she didn't dare to act recklessly anymore.
"You, what do you want?"
"Miss Jin, don't be in a hurry. Xiaoyue and I are just two simple maids from the Laundry Courtyard. We can't stir up much trouble. But if anything happens to us, the nanny will surely search our courtyard. By then, who knows what might be found that is unfavorable to Miss Jin."
Jin Yuan composed herself.
"What does this young lady have to do for you to hand over those things?"
"Nothing. You just need to stop causing trouble for us when you meet us in the palace in the future. And of course, don't even think about secretly sending someone to assassinate Xiaoyue and me. Because as soon as we die, your crimes will surely be presented to the court. By then, if you completely offend the Second Prince, there will really be no chance for you and him."
Jin Yuan sat on the steps and didn't say a word for a long time.
After a moment, she asked someone to help her stand up.
"Let's go."
"Miss, what about these two lowly maids?"
"Slap—" A loud slap was heard. Then, Jin Yuan said, "This young lady said, let's go."
"Your maid obeys."
Seeing Jin Yuan limp away with the support of others in the Huayuan Garden, Zhao Shuning let out a sigh of relief.
Qi Yue was now looking straight at Zhao Shuning with admiration in her eyes.
"What? Why are you looking at me like this?"
"Ningning, you're so amazing."
Zhao Shuning nodded awkwardly. Qi Yue's big eyes were really beautiful.
"Ningning, your hand is injured?"
Zhao Shuning looked and sure enough, there was a small wound that was bleeding a bit. It wasn't a big deal.
It should have been accidentally injured when those four or five maids held her down just now.
Qi Yue quickly pulled Zhao Shuning to sit on the steps. She took out a pink embroidered handkerchief from her bosom. The embroidery on it was quite delicate.
Qi Yue showed a hint of reluctance in her eyes, but in the next moment, she tore the handkerchief in half and carefully bandaged the wound on Zhao Shuning's hand.
"Is this something from your Duke's Mansion before?"
Qi Yue nodded.
"After the Duke's Mansion was raided, all my jewelry and clothes were confiscated. Only this handkerchief was hidden in my sleeve and wasn't taken away."
Zhao Shuning nodded. She also thought that Qi Yue had had a tough time.
Qi Yue carefully cleaned and bandaged Zhao Shuning's wound.
When they had nothing else to do, Qi Yue asked, "Was what you said just now true?"
"More or less. But it's better for you to know less about these things."
Qi Yue sighed and then said, "If what you said is true, then the Second Prince is really pitiful. He can't even walk on his own legs, and he's not valued by the Queen Mother. Now, he's also troubled by these rumors. It's really pitiful."
At this moment, Zhao Shuning gave a soft smile.
Qi Yue quickly looked up.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Zhao Shuning quickly shook her head and replied, "It's not that you said something wrong. I just think your state of mind is so pure and transparent. Even if the Second Prince is out of favor with the Queen Mother, his status is still there. If something wasn't done by him, he will surely find out the truth. If he doesn't, it means he has tacitly allowed these rumors to exist, which shows that these rumors can also bring him some benefits."
"I've wracked my brains but still can't think of what benefits these rumors can bring to the Second Prince. Oh, right. The rumors also say that the Second Prince has no interest in women. Could it be...?"
Zhao Shuning let out a snort of laughter. She thought the Qi Yue in front of her was really cute.
"I don't know about this. But Xiaoyue, you have to remember that many people are not as harmless as they seem on the surface. You may think they're harmless and feel sorry for them, but actually, what those people need the least is our sympathy."
"Do you mean the Second Prince?"
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"Okay, it's getting late. We have to go back quickly. Otherwise, when the nanny comes to check the rooms and doesn't see us, she'll start nagging again."
Zhao Shuning picked up the wooden bucket beside her and walked away with Qi Yue, chatting and laughing.
But at this moment, behind the rockery, the man sitting in the wheelchair tightened his grip on the armrests.
"Master, this little girl is really bold."
Gu Hanxun looked in the direction where the two had left. She was bold, but what she said had hit the nail on the head with his own thoughts.