"Zhang Yao!"
Hearing Xie Fengran mention this name, Lan Fang was instantly shocked. "Miss, this servant didn't know that the people living next door were from the Prime Minister's Mansion!"
If she had known, she would definitely have changed the place.
Xie Fengran waved her hand and took a few steps forward, just in time to meet Zhang Yao's face as she slowly woke up -
That's right, she had just been knocked unconscious!
"Xie Fengran! How come you..."
"How come I'm here? Miss Zhang, this should be my question. In this pitch - black night, instead of sleeping, Miss Zhang is here meeting her lover. You really have a lot of leisure and elegance!"
Xie Fengran shook her head, looking like she couldn't bear to look anymore.
Zhang Yao's face turned ashen. Just as she was about to scold, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
There was a lecherous hand groping around on her chest.
"Ah!"
With a scream, Zhang Yao slapped out, "Pa!"
The drunkard's hazy eyes flashed with a glimmer of clarity. His hand loosened a bit. When he saw Zhang Yao's face, he let out an "Ah" and said, "Cousin!"
At this time, Zhang Yao was pulled up by the old maids.
She slapped the old maid backhandedly. "What are you good for? Can't you pull me up?"
The old maid covered her face and said aggrievedly, "Miss, Young Master Cousin was holding on too tightly. This servant couldn't pull you up."
"You still dare to talk back."
Zhang Yao slapped her again. Then she looked at the person on the ground and shouted sternly, "Cousin, how come you're here?"
The drunkard on the ground had sobered up a bit after being slapped, but he had drunk too much and couldn't get up for a while.
Just as he got up, he heard Zhang Yao's shout and his body trembled.
It was obvious that he had been bullied a lot.
Xie Fengran watched this pair of cousins coldly, wanting to see what they were up to.
Hearing Zhang Yao's question, the drunkard subconsciously looked up at her. Seeing her sharp eyes, he suddenly woke up. He pointed at Xie Fengran and said, "It was the young lady from the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion who invited me here. She invited me."
"You're talking nonsense. Our miss doesn't even know you. How could she invite you!" Lan Fang scolded angrily and almost rushed up to tear those two apart.
This was clearly a frame - up.
Zhang Yao was waiting for this sentence. She looked at Xie Fengran and said, "Miss Xie, inviting a man in the dark. The upbringing of the Marquis's Mansion is really good!"
Xie Fengran's small face was hidden in the shadow, and her expression couldn't be seen. Only her slightly cold tone revealed her mood. "Miss Zhang, it's not up to you to judge the upbringing of the Marquis's Mansion. I really admire Miss Zhang's ability to reverse black and white."
"Just now, the person pressed under your cousin was you. The person whose body was groped and taken advantage of was you. The person whose chest was molested was you. And the person who didn't get up from his body was you! In front of everyone, Miss Zhang is so unrestrained and can even shift the blame. This ability is really -
Amazing!"
Her red lips slightly parted, and a series of words made Zhang Yao's face turn red.
Although she was tough and shrewd, she definitely couldn't say such words.
Which well - bred young lady in the capital could talk so explicitly in front of so many people without changing her expression?
Sure enough, all those rules, courtesy, gentleness, and beauty were just an act!
Zhang Yao pointed at Xie Fengran. She didn't know if she was ashamed or angry as she shouted, "You, you, you're shameless!"
Xie Fengran seemed not to notice. She slightly raised her chin and pointed at the cousin. "Miss Zhang has already done this. Can't I say it?"
"Xie Fengran, if you hadn't invited cousin here, how could cousin have appeared here? Don't deny it."
Seeing that Zhang Yao still wanted to pour dirty water on her, Xie Fengran was almost amused. "Miss Zhang, since you said so, let's go to the abbot to judge. We can find out who brought this cousin from the Zhang family in and who he contacted.
If the temple can't find out, then we'll find the people from the Supreme Court. They'll definitely be able to find out."
Zhang Yao sneered and was not panicked at all. "There's no need to trouble the Supreme Court. I can find out." After saying that, she ordered the people behind her, "Bring the person up."
The servants from the Zhang Mansion brought up a monk, who was exactly the monk who had delivered the message for them at the side gate just now.
No one knew how long he had been waiting there.
Xie Fengran's heart sank!
She originally thought that Zhang Yao would at most let the servants from the Zhang Mansion come out to testify and fabricate some evidence.
Even if it spread, people would say it was false. But she didn't expect that she actually had the ability to buy off a monk from the Protector of the Nation Temple!
The Protector of the Nation Temple was highly respected by the high - ranking officials and nobles in the capital. Now, the Abbot Yuanning of the Protector of the Nation Temple had even been named the Protector of the Nation Monk by Emperor Dezong.
It was imaginable that if this monk stood on Zhang Yao's side, once it spread, no one would investigate the truth. They would only believe what the monk said!
Zhang Yao seemed to know what Xie Fengran was thinking. A malicious smile slowly spread across her lips. She pointed at Xie Fengran and said, "Master, just now at the side gate, wasn't it you who helped Miss Xie deliver a message and invited my cousin to meet here?"
The monk put his hands together and said a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha! Benefactor, forgive me!"
After saying that, his gaze paused on Xie Fengran's face for a moment, then moved away. He glanced at the cousin from the Zhang family, thought for a while, and said, "This little monk did see this male benefactor."
Zhang Yao raised her eyebrows and stared at Xie Fengran with a look of watching a good show. She wasn't in a hurry to deliver a fatal blow but slowly asked, "Oh! Really? Master, don't mistake someone!"
The monk shook his head. "I definitely won't mistake. After all, this little monk saw someone drinking in the temple for the first time, so I have a deep impression of it!"
"... " Zhang Yao's smile froze. She felt a bit embarrassed and lowered her voice. "Master, I didn't ask you to say this. I'm asking you about the message - delivering thing!"
The monk suddenly realized. "Amitabha, it was this little monk who misunderstood."
Zhang Yao straightened her body and asked the same question again. Then she stared at Xie Fengran, wanting to see her look shocked.
But unexpectedly, the monk's next words made Zhang Yao's face change!
The monk said, "Benefactor, you're wrong. This little monk didn't help Miss Xie deliver a message. Just now, I only delivered a message for the maid from the Marquis's Mansion."
When his words fell, Xie Fengran was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Zhang Yao.
Wasn't this person found by her?
Didn't they match their lines?
Zhang Yao was stunned first, then her face immediately darkened. Her eyes shot at the monk like knives, and the threat in her tone couldn't be hidden. "Master, think carefully before you speak!"
"Amitabha, a monk never tells lies! This monk really didn't deliver a message for Miss Xie."
"So, Master won't change his words!"
The monk put his hands together and half - lowered his eyes, looking like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water!
It was Xie Fengran who felt that something was wrong.
Judging from Zhang Yao's situation, this monk must have been found by her, but now he had turned against her. There must be something strange about this!
Just as this thought flashed through her mind and she hadn't figured it out yet, the small bamboo forest suddenly became brightly lit. A group of guards holding torches walked in, surrounding two people.